Jeymes Answers - Topic Powered by Eve Community

1. Ellebel:

Hello Ellebel, lovely name.
I literally listen to anything. I was fortunate to come from a musical household where my parents would listen to everything from Brazilian music to Motown and Bob Marley. My brother would later put me on to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan and other great songwriters. I’m currently listening to a lot of Jon Lucien.
My birthday is on July 27th (Leo).

2. Homegirl:
Hey Homie!! My background definitely influences my musical awareness. My ancestry ranges from Nigerian to Brazilian to West Indian, so it meant listening to as much Jorge Ben as we did Fela Kuti. As much Bob Marley as we did Kate bush. Being born in the UK was absolutely fantastic for me as a musician. Because growing up in London we never had television or radio which just catered to black people as they did in America. Which was frustrating at the time. The pirate radio (unlicensed) stations came later and we still haven’t got a BET. So the only forum that EVERYONE would tune into was Top Of The Pops (BBC1), which meant everyone got a rounded dose of everything. You can walk up to the biggest gangster in London (black or white and he’ll still be able to deliver you at least one verse from Adam & The Ants’ “Prince Charming”. Now for a musician this (lack of service one particular genre) means that you are automatically able to identify with any of these musical genres first hand. I intend to go back to Nigeria one day soon. I really miss my grandma.
3. Efective:

Whassup E. (this dude is one cool guy)!! I don’t know if I can have a 10 fave albums out of all the thousands ever released but if I had to grab a quick ten in a supermarket sweep I’ll go for (in no particular order)…

Songs In The Key Of Life (stevie)
Court And Spark (Joni)
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (Joni)
What Color Is Love (terry callier)
Sign O the times (prince)
The Wall (pink floyd)
Illmatic (nas)
There’s A Riot Going On (sly & the family stone)
Déjà vu (Crosby, stills, nash & young)
Are You Experienced? (jimi)
Criminal Minded (Boogie Down Productions ‘krs-1’)
The Kick Inside (kate bush)
Long Live the Kane (big daddy kane)
Live! (bob Marley)
Paid In Full (eric b & rakim)

My excuse would be, “I was always bad at math”

4. Angusmacg:

The only hard thing initially that I had to deal with was not being able to see my brother anytime I wanted to, because he was never in the country due to work. This is my big brother that used to protect me and give me all the big brother things (when I wasn’t stealing them from his bedroom). I miss the days when we all had absolutely nothing to do! The good thing was that my brother would teach me ALL of the pitfalls of the industry and the do’s and don’ts. I would learn a lot just watching him, and not even musically but just as a human being. So I already felt like a seasoned vet entering this industry.

5. Ladysingstheblues:

Hey Ladysingstheblues, let me tell you that I always read your posts, and thank you for all the support you’ve given me and mi familia! You too Rita! Okay, I wouldn’t call myself a rapper at all or a smokey blues musician. I describe my music as ‘Urban Folk’. I call it that because it all starts with my vocal and my acoustic guitar. Totally stripped. It may end up with a banging beat behind it and myself going somewhere else vocally but the majority of my songs are pretty much acoustic based. If you listen to the radio interview on my site, I play a song that I call ‘No Title’. I’m singing;

“But in truth now lady, we were never human.
It’s crazy but time has always proven,
In dying we return into the light”

Well that is a typical example of what I mean by Urban Folk music. Just me and my Geetaarr! lol

6. Doozie:

Yeah my whole family is musical. We grew up with a grand piano in our house and we used to jam around it ever since we were babies. In the words of Yoda to Obi Wan when Luke flew off to what looked like his demise… “there is another”.
I am not the last of the Mohicans. 
With regards to a target audience, I never give it any thought because that would only hinder your writing process. For me a song is just a conversation, the only thing one should be concerned about is being truthful in their expression, then at some point people will automatically tune in to what you’re saying because it’s a truthful expression. They might not agree with you, but at some point, sometime, they’ll tune in.

7. Dorian gray:

Hi Dorian, I think I know who you are but I’ll hold your identity for privacy, also if I’m wrong, I’ll feel like a Dodo.

I think that write now my favourite song on the album is a song called “Varinia” which I recorded with Terry callier. He is a living legend from Chicago, but ironically he is not as big in the states as he is in Europe. If ever you can, get your hands on a copy of his “What Color Is Love” album. Let me break it down to you; Remember at the very end of Close Encounters Of the third kind, when Richard Dreyfuss finally sees the aliens? Remember the look on his face? The utter amazement and awe and wonder? Well track 1 “Dancing Girl” is the sonic personification of that look, I kid you not.

I write everyday at some point. It may not be lyrical but even if it’s just a melody. I used to carry around a Dictaphone until the new wave phones came out. I have so many songs and ideas in my phone that the darn thing actually feels heavier. Lol.

I don’t know how I skip genres if at all. Because for me like I said it’s all Urban folk music. Folk only means people. Yesterday (as I always say) you had Maid Marian with her harp singing about the tales of her man Robin Hood, today you have Kool G. Pap doing “Ill Street Blues”. The faces have changed but the expression hasn’t. For me it all falls under Urban Folk Music.

Wow, you got hold of the Jeymes and Mr. Dan CD. That album’s called “Ride With The Devil & other short stories” and will be out very soon. The best way to describe it is, if my album is Urban Folk, then this joint is everything else. It’s a very trippy album, as if recorded in an era when everyone was high and music was made my real musicians. There are no creative walls when I’m writing and Dan is even more free then I am as a producer so the sound is an amalgamation of both of us that happened really organically. The first single is gonna be a song called “Movie Star”. I can’t wait for people to here it. They should release it with a disclaimer, because the song is hands down about an idiot and it’s really funny.

8. Rita:

Hey Rita how are you? It’s an honor to share in conversation with you. Thank you for the email a while back. The website moderators forwarded to me. Your words are an inspiration.

I absolutely love films to the end of the earth, and I’m talking about all kinds from black and white short films from the 20’s right up to nonsensical Hollywood blockbusters. I always shoot my own videos whether it be 35mm (When It rains) or DV (Who Write The songs). I love film and all it’s formats.

My favorite food is Plantain which is a banana type vegetable (or fruit?) from Africa. You have to cook it. Make that with a dish of Ground Rice (another west African dish) and you literally have arguments in the house over who has been given more.

My brother and I always do music together whether we are just working out chords or harmonies for a song, or whether he’s teaching me something on the mac’s “Garageband”. Nothings changed since we were kids (except we’re not in the same house so I can’t steal his anti-perspirent anymore). I’m gonna throw his vocals on a song of mine called “No Title” (the one I mentioned earlier) because when he does his harmonies on the chorus, it literally makes you want to cry. And if he’s busy the day I’m in the studio I’m telling on him. (I still do you know) lol.

9. Marci:

Dear Marci, I have multi-mentors. I have a REALLY close family and network of friends who serve as an inspiration to no end. My Mothers eyes are the greatest inspiration for me, because when I’m doing my thang she looks at me with such pride, I’ll do anything to see her keep smiling like that.

It’s impossible for me to locate a favorite memory of any member of my family, especially when we still are having the times of our lives. But I can pluck a random one out, wait…

Okay Summer 1986, I remember clearly because this was the night my brother had gone to see Prince in concert on the “Parade” tour. It was the first time Prince had returned to London since Noel Edmonds’ reaction to Prince winning a Brit Award which resulted in Prince saying he’ll never return. Anyway, this was the day I enlisted in the “Prince is the greatest” fan club because I was waiting for my big bro to come home so he can sew my jeans at the base (because he was a clothes maker at the time). Now I was going on a school trip the following morning so I needed my jeans done as they were my best jeans but too flary at the ankles, besides a girl was going on that trip that I absolutely adored so I needed them jeans done man!! My brother had promised he was gonna sew them but what I didn’t know was he was going out that night or I would have given him them before he left. So there I was waiting. I wanted to cry because kids take everything to heart and I adored that girl who didn’t know I exist so I needed my jeans. 10 o’clock, no bro! 11 O’clock no bro! 1am no bro! 2am WHERE IS SEAL????? I LOVE THAT GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I was going to sleep because we leave out for the trip first thing in the morn. I couldn’t believe it, even though it was 1986- people were long past bell bottoms!!! What? Was that the door I heard? No way! Put on your clothes, get out of bed, run to the door, forget the clothes just run to the door! In comes my brother with a giant prince poster in his hand. He looked at me and said “Where’s the jeans?” Now I have a pretty wide smile, but I have never smiled so wider in my life entire. Now we stayed up all night, with him at his sewing machine, and he was going through every last moment of that prince concert and all of Princes albums at that point. When he finished, he made me a tape of Prince’s “Around The world In A Day” album for me to take on that trip and he had created a walking, talking, dancing, singing prince fanatic. The moral of that story was a lesson I’d learn time and again over the years… No matter how far he is- no matter what the task may be- in the dawns early light- my big brother always delivers. By the way… that girl still doesn’t know who I am, but who cares… right Carla?

10. Fast Changes:

I play guitar first and foremost, but I find myself around the piano and drums.

11. GRMNCHCK:

Yes as soon as time and logistics permit, you will see lil’ bro opening for big bro. I’ll definitely be touring promoting my album also. You should see me in Europe, and U.S next early next year.

12. Gareth Evan Lomax:

Hi Gareth. My outlooks on music aren’t really any different than my outlooks on life as a whole. Music is just a reaction of what we feel and experience, so I don’t get caught up in self analysis with regards to where I fit in or how people would perceive me. I pretty much just do my thing. My only rule as a musician is that I write songs I’m passionate about, because if I’m not passionate about them, why would anyone else be? I don't see myself as RnB or Soul or hip-hop, but I’m of the hip-hop generation so although my sound may differ, my instincts are the same. I definitely feel something has been lost in the translation of modern day music though. In the 70’s RnB meant rhythm and blues, now it just means RnB. Because in no way did Marvin Gaye make the same type of music as “The Thong Song

I don’t regard myself as the creator of urban folk music at all. I don’t believe that to be successful you have to sound like everyone else. Writers say there are eight basic stories no matter how we look at it:

1. ACHILLES
2. CANDIDE
3. CINDERELLA
4. CIRCE
5. FAUST
6. ORPHEUS
7. ROMEO & JULIET
8. TRISTAN
If that’s true, in my opinion there are in excess of 6.4 Billion different ways of telling them, because everyone of us experiences different things. Even twins who are literally joined at the hip see from different perspectives. So I’ve never understood why we as humans always feel the need to conform to particular categories. Truth be told everyone of us has different instincts and reactions in everyday life, music is no different. For me we are all children of the same energy and good music is good music. I think record companies worry more about the acceptance of difference than the consumer does. Is Andre 3000’s “Hey Ya” hip hop? But isn’t Andre 3000 a rapper? Yet that stayed at the top of the charts longer than the hair of Sahid Baba lol. For me Urban Folk Music means the eradication of creative walls.

Who Write The Songs---------

BTW, thanks for your insight into WWTS. It’s an honor to have someone break down your works. With regards to the Uni’ Scholar part, I’m kinda battling in that song, so that’s me off the top of the dome on some KRS-1 stuff. The song is filled with references to classic hip hop joints like “My Philosophy” and “Rampage”, and it’s basically a playful cipher with two artists from different backgrounds going at it. It’s exactly what we used to do at school (if only that girl that I liked listened…. lol).

If the missing word you’re talking of is what I’m thinking of, I don’t even have to consciously leave it out, I don’t use it anyway. When I’m freestyling melodically it can slip out because your mouth is running that much faster than your thought. So if I’m on radio fresstyling or in a club on the mic and you hear it bare with me, but putting pen to paper or in a normal conversation I will never use that word, we’ve come too far as a people for me to even be uttering that nonsense.

From the bottom of my heart, I’d like you all know that I appreciated your words and wisdom and I am always on this board reading your words. And I suppose in some way I am flattered by that imposter although he did have me thinking I was suffering from schizophrenia for a split second. Don’t scare me like that again lol. All my love everyone, and I’ll see you all very soon…

xxJxx

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jeymes Samuel,

I feel to be a cog in something turning- Joni Mitchell

Posts: 15 | Registered: Sat July 10 2004

karts

Prayer For The Dying

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