Creating Utopia: An Interview With Jason Falkner

Posted in Interviews, Current Faves, Music |

Popshifter: In terms of your most recent album. . . I had heard the demos a few years back and the only song that made it to the album was “This Life of Mine.” Why did you scrap those demos? There is a huge difference in tone between the demos and the album. Did that have any bearing on why the last album has all new songs?

Jason Falkner: The demo disc that was floating around has songs from as far back as the late 90s. None of the songs on that disc were ever part of a collection that was going to be a record; it was just me recording songs. I’m always recording and if someone kicks my ass hard enough to give me a deadline, I’ll put together whatever I’m excited about at the time.

I don’t listen to everything I’ve done and pick songs for a record. It’s just whatever I’m excited about at that time, and then I’ll re-record them or whatever.

For example, that song “Princessa” is something that I love. That will probably be on the next record. I’ve done three or four completely different recordings of that song. The most recent one I did with my friend David Holmes, who I worked with on the Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen soundtracks. He’s a producer and just an all-around good guy. When he gets behind something everyone else gets behind it, because he’s got that contagious cheerleader thing. He freaked out about that song so we did a version of it and that will probably be on this next record.

Even “This Life of Mine”. . . I didn’t even listen to that first version again. I was just drinking a little bit of wine and I had this guitar from the 50s I’d just bought, and I had tuned it weird and thought, “I’m going to do a different version of that song.” So I did and I just loved it. That was also a really late inclusion to the record.

Popshifter: In particular the song “NYC” reminds me of some stuff from the Bliss Descending EP. Was that written back then or is it more recent?

Jason Falkner: That was more recent; I think that was written around 2005 or 2006. If something triggers me and gets me excited about writing a song. . . my tastes are very wide. It’s more like a music historian’s taste or a producer, whose job it is to understand all different types of music, from bebop to classical to D.C. hardcore. If I like something, I don’t care what genre it is. I like old country music and I can get into Hawaiian music. That’s saying a lot.

So sometimes, my records have such a wide palette because of that mentality. It’s not just, “This is me and I just do this one thing.” There are a lot of bands, like the Ramones—who are brilliant; I love the Ramones—but they just did one thing. Even big bands like R.E.M., they just kind of do one thing. That’s never been the case with me and it probably never will be. I realize that’s confusing for some people.

Popshifter: I think you get pegged as being “Power Pop” but I don’t really get that. I think nobody knows what to do with your sound.

Jason Falkner: Exactly. I’ve been kind mislabeled into that power pop thing. I find that most people considered power pop right now, I don’t want to listen to them at all. Power pop has turned into this thing where bands, just because they go (sings) “ooh la la la” in the background. . . it’s like, this kind of shameless Beatles thing that’s not working. (laughs)

This is why I was so thrilled to get the chance to play with Air. Like, really? I’m just this power pop guy? I’m playing with a French electronic band. I’m not a power pop guy.

I love what power pop means to me. Like The Who.

Popshifter: When I think of power pop, I think of Cheap Trick, but they’re not really power pop.

Jason Falkner: They’re a rock and roll band.

Popshifter: I guess it would be more like The Raspberries.

Jason Falkner: Yeah, they’re severely power pop. Then there’s that whole New Wave power pop thing like 20/20. But most of that stuff I’m just not that into. It’s a real limiting title. And so I don’t really think about that at all when I’m working. I think people might consider me power pop because there are a lot of twists and turns in the music and it’s almost a post-punk thing.

And that is what I like.

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Click to read more from Jason Falkner on. . .

Revisiting The Beatles
Ripoffs and references
That “Power Pop” thing
“It all boils down to Bowie.”
A pre-Internet world
The dumbing down of pop culture
What’s next for Jason

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