John Brand, singer/songwriter of the modern jazz band, Belloluna talks about the influence of everybody from Supertramp to Mel Torme... Jazz, rock and roll and of course his career in the music industry.
DM) What kind of music did you grow up on that led you to
sing in the style of, "Mel Torme meets SuperTramp"?
JB) Well, first of all let me say that I'm not exactly sure
that I really sing like Mel Torme! A local Atlanta rock critic
wrote that about Belloluna once, and I really got a kick out
of it and decided that it would be funny to put that in the band's
bio. The Supertramp comparison is certainly understandable, but.
. . Mel Torme? Everyone has their opinion, I guess! Anyway, I
grew up in the 70's listening to stuff like Steely Dan, Supertramp,
Billy Joel, and Elton John. There was a lot of really great piano-based
pop during that time, and it made a big impression on me. Then
in the 80's I discovered people like Kate Bush and Joe Jackson.
I've always loved the way the piano sounded, and in the early
90's when I was toying with the idea of starting a band, I noticed
that there was nobody making that kind of pop music anymore.
That was my goal when I formed Belloluna, to make intelligent,
lush, piano-based pop.
DM) Which one of your songs comes closest to that goal?
JB) Oh gosh - that's a really hard question. I would say that,
in general, I have been very pleased with all the Belloluna recordings
to date. Is it too immodest to say that all - or at least most
- of Belloluna songs have achieved that goal very nicely? Much
of the credit goes to the incredibly talented musicians in the
band, and also the great producers we have worked with. Belloluna
music is definitely ambitious to write, play, and record. I've
been lucky to have such great people to help me realize my musical
vision.
DM) How much influence do the producers and engineers have
on the album?
JB) On both Belloluna albums, the producer has had quite a
bit of influence. The producer has a lot to offer because he
is more in tune with the possibilities that are inherent in the
recording studio environment. A good producer has all kinds of
cool studio tricks that he can pull out of his magic hat. Neat
little effects or layerings of sound or clever ideas for presentation,
stuff like that. Of course, each idea is subject to approval
by the band, and some ideas are shot down quickly! The band has
to make sure that the recording isn't drifting too far from the
band's vision. The band's "sound" must remain intact
or the final product could end up sounding convoluted and unfocussed.
A good producer will intuitively understand the essence of the
band's sound, and suggest things that enhance that. I was just
watching this VH1 special on Blondie, and they were talking to
the guy who produced the "Parallel Lines" album. He
was talking about the song "Heart of Glass," and saying
that the version the band was playing was this slow-tempo reggae
kind of thing. He thought it was a good song, but that the beat
ought to be changed. He suggested a more driving disco beat,
and. . . well, the rest is history! That's the cool thing about
a producer - he could make one little suggestion that could totally,
make the song ten times better than it ever was before.
DM) You were in a number of bands previously before this one.
Do you find you've taken some thing you've learned from them
and brought them into Belloluna?
JB) Well, I was actually only in one other band before Belloluna.
It lasted about a year and I was very young and unfocussed at
the time. I did learn a good bit about the craft of songwriting
though. It took some of the mystery out of the songwriting process,
and it made me feel like, "Hey - I can DO this. " The
past band experience that probably helped me most in Belloluna
though was my time as a band manager and booking agent.
I discovered that I was very good at these things and I got a
lot of experience under my belt in the late 80's and early 90's.
Knowing how to approach the business of being in a band is incredibly
valuable, and so many excellent bands don't do well because they
lack skills in this area. Musical talent and business savvy are
a great combination, and I doubt Belloluna would be where it
is today if I didn't have that past experience.
DM) Have you held any jobs outside the music industry?
JB) Oh yeah. I worked in a record store in a mall in the early
80's. I went on to wait tables, have office jobs, delivery jobs,
etc. Nothing that was particularly meaningful to me though. Just
stuff that paid the bills. Working in the music industry was
the first time I felt I had any real marketable skills and professional
credibility. I felt that I was actually accomplishing something
with my work, rather than just putting food on the table.
DM) What inspired you to make the jump into the music industry?
JB) Well, I had these friends that I used to be in a band
with. They had later gone on to form another band called Ellen
James Society, and I really liked their music. Eventually, I
ended up living in a warehouse space with several members of
the band, so I became part of the "family. " One of
the band members was the landlord for the warehouse space, and
she approached me one day and said "We just fired our band
manager, and we need someone to book the band and do publicity
and stuff like that. If you'll do it, I'll let you live here
for free. "I was unemployed at the time, so it seemed like
a great idea. I jumped right in, not knowing what I was doing,
and I immediately had great success with my endeavors. I realized
I was the perfect personality type for this kind of work, and
it was a pleasure to be doing something that I felt I was really
GOOD at. Of course, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that
what I REALLY wanted to do was form my own band, not manage someone
else's.
DM) Where do you hope Belloluna will be in 5-10 years?
JB) Well gee, that's not hard to answer. Let's see, how about
a gold record or two, Grammy awards, fame, fortune and money
beyond my wildest expectations? How about a hit single -a duet
with Mariah Carey perhaps? She and I could appear on the Regis
and Kathy Lee show to perform it. . . Seriously though, I'd like
to be able to quit all my other jobs and go full time with Belloluna.
The life of an indie rock band isn't always pretty when you're
looking at the financial picture. If I could generate enough
income to live on from just writing, recording, and performing
music, then that would be neato.
DM) Is that possible in indie rock?
JB) Yeah, I think it's possible, but it's definitely a very
difficult thing to do. Some people have done it very well though
- just look at Ani Difranco. Now there's someone who has worked
very hard, and who has carved her own niche in the industry without
the help of corporate major label backing. Her rise to success
and stardom has been a great inspiration to me. She's a real
testament to the power of hard work combined with artistic vision!
If a bigger label than Daemon came along and wanted to sign Belloluna,
I would certainly consider it though. I like the world of indie
music, but I wouldn't necessarily limit myself to it. Opportunities
come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and I am open to exploring
whatever presents itself to me. .
DM) Wouldn't switching labels cause a conflict of interest
as working for Daemon?
JB) No, I don't think so. I've been working at Daemon for
nearly ten years now, and I've learned the art of keeping things
separate. Of course, if my career with Belloluna really took
off in a big way, I would have to quit my job at Daemon Records.
My co-workers would be sorry to see me go, but they would be
thrilled that my band was doing so well! The philosophy of Daemon
is to support the arts, and to help developing bands get the
break they need to get somewhere in the industry. I think all
the Daemon staffers would be really happy to have helped Belloluna
get to a place where I could go full-time with the band.
