5 Q&A With J.J. Chamberlain
What was the creative process like for this particular EP?
I always had it in mind that I’d try and make another Christmas song this year. It’s been a great year for me with a lot of live performances and being in the process of recording a debut album. It felt like this EP took over and made itself. I had the title track “Let’s Fall Out For Christmas” written about 2 months ago and I’d recorded a demo with full instrumentation, before scrapping it and starting again from scratch. Once I’d tracked something I was happy with, “Curmudgeon” came out of nowhere and before I knew it I was making a three-track EP. “Curmudgeon” was pretty much written on the day it was recorded, like I said, the EP took control of itself. I’ll always love Tired of Christmas which was my debut release last year, and I decided to revisit it and beef it up with a couple of layers and a remaster.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for this EP?
Not really. It felt so natural and refreshing to record. I think that because I’ve been scrutinising the album tracks for a whole year, and really putting so much emotional weight onto that project, this one really flowed because it felt like the pressure was off and I had no time to overthink things. With Christmas songs you have a bit more room to be free and to even be a bit silly with the creative process. The only real challenges came in the form of balancing the tracks in terms of EQ and dynamics. I find it hilarious that I spent about 10 hours trying to balance the title track, and the track that stands out as being louder and more fun is “Curmudgeon,” which I recorded and mixed in about 2 and a half hours.
What did you enjoy most about making 'Let's Fall Out For Christmas?'
Definitely the atmospheric, floaty guitar parts that really help to expand the song. It’s a really different song to my usual grungy style, and it almost has a Latin backbone which put me in the mood to play some lead guitar parts that have more tone and flare.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
Where do I start? I started school in the Basque capital of Vitoria and my Dad had a band in which I’d occasionally play single-note guitar parts when I was 5. I started playing the violin when I was 7 after we moved back to Yorkshire, but then there was the discovery of Nirvana which made me pick up the guitar again, and I never really looked back. I’ve played in bands as a lead guitarist since my early teens, and I still play in other projects as a lead guitarist, but in 2012 I started writing my own songs and up until this point my brain won’t let me stop. It’s like I can never be satisfied, which is not a bad trait to have as a songwriter.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
I love winning over a crowd. Playing to complete strangers and watching their reactions to the big moments in a song is a real buzz. I recently played a stripped-down acoustic show at The Macbeth in London and I had a very chatty audience. There’s a moment in one of my songs called Imposter Syndrome where I switch from whisper singing into a full growl and I watched as conversations ended and eyes returned to the stage. I also like it when you have a playful audience. My recent gigs at Crank Studios in Leeds and The Fulford Arms in York were really fun because the crowds were interactive, but also really supportive. If you like live music, go and see and support bands at your local grassroots venues. It’s so important to us as musicians right now, and even more important to the venues.
