INTERVIEW WITH PARIS BY NIGHT FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) How did you start in the industry?
J) Early on I was in a folk group in high school that toured Eastern Europe. Later I was doing solo acoustic performances but always songwriting as well. When I moved to NYC in 1990, I became more active in both my solo acoustic performances and in my own songwriting, whereupon I decided I wanted more power. I then formed the band, Paris By Night. From there I have only kept "finding my sound", while continuing in band form.
DM) What would you recommend for any artists trying to break into that scene?
J) If you truly want to be in the scene, it will come to you. You must be driven to be in music. It's not something one can just dabble with; it takes commitment. Once that is in place, it helps to start networking and learning the business, marketing and promotional aspects of the business. All this, of course, is while your music is being perfected.
DM) How much of success in the music industry is based on skill, and how much on marketing?
J) We all have our knee-jerk answer to that question.... We don't necessarily get the best people in any field, be it politicians, journalists, musicians, actors, etc. Skill can only go so far; marketing can go further in the short run, which is the usual intended goal in music. Rather than skill, having talent, or something original to offer, can sustain a career for the long run. Other than that, you can always arm yourself with persistence. Great marketing has quickly taken over the way every product and service is presented, and music is no different.
DM) What track on this latest work are you most proud of?
J) "Dawning." This work (acoustic) captures a feeling and sets up a strong visual. It seems (to me) to capture a hopeful sadness element that exists in much of my music. Lyrically, it speaks to a questioning of gifts from God and the torment that brings. Musically, I'm happy with the use of my classical guitar (my first guitar) and the acoustic licks I included.
DM) Who were your influences?
J) I haven't listened to a lot of the music everyone's been listening to until the last few years, which, for the most part, I think has helped me. Early influences would probably include folk music and easy listening (for the strength of well-written songs), and Catholic church hymns for the current darkness of the music. As far as bands go, Concrete Blonde and maybe The Call are my more current influences.
DM) Do you still go to church regularly?
J) Yes, I still attend Catholic Church. But I'm aware of the weaknesses of any man-made church.
DM) Would you consider yourself a deeply religious person?
J) I think a lot about God and I get a lot of gifts, good feelings, etc. from this faith, but, I also fail a lot. It's hard to be a Christian on the subway when someone has just plowed over you and hit you with their knapsack. Deeply religious? I could do better, I could do a lot better.
DM) What do you do to keep yourself on track?
J) I keep writing music and lyrics....whether in clubs, in the subway or walking. Songwriting is the start for me. Because it is a solo process and I love to be alone, sometimes I wish it could stop there; but it's a ridiculous wish. So, I then teach the songs to the band and I work on my arrangement of the song, hooks, etc.
The main thing is to keep rehearsing with my band. As far as the business end, my manager, Anna-Marie, is very driven and very aggressive (see The Midsummer Night Scream Tour). So this helps me tremendously. We'll discuss promotion and marketing, etc. together so this keeps us both on track.
DM) There are a lot of critics of the Catholic Church lately who feel it is outdated. What do you think?
J) True, there are so many things that are out-dated in the church, and there are also many old things that weren't right in the first place (bordering on paganism, worshipping false gods). Catholics have always been "cafeteria-style" Catholics, picking and choosing that which we choose to believe and/or embrace. Still, at least a commitment to some belief system is being made. We all criticize man-made religions, especially the "me-oriented" unity churches of late, but at least a man-made religion such as Catholicism has God at the center rather than the center being oneself.
