4-30-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck
Folk singer Jason Reeves is currently on a Spring college tour and gearing up for the release of his latest album.
Reeves, who is best known for his many collaborations including Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly", has been gaining popularity since he was signed by Warner Brothers records in 2008.
This morning, Reeves took some time out on the road to talk with me about the tour, new album and his collaborations and influences.
Q: How is the tour going?
A: Amazing. I couldn't ask for anything better.
Q: Where are you at now?
A: I'm on my way to Troy, New York from Boston. We just left the city right now.
Q: You don't have any Michigan dates for the tour yet.
A: No, not on this leg but we'll be touring this Summer so I'm sure we'll make it out there.
Q: You've been playing a lot of colleges and small clubs?
A: Yes, a mix of both. Depends on where we are.
Q: You are working on a new album. What is it called?
A: It's called the Love Sick. It's been a long time coming and I'm excited for it to come out.
Q: Have you been playing any new songs on tour?
A: A few of them. We're still working them up because they're so brand new but we've been playing a couple. We'll start playing more and more as we go.
Q: Is there any song in particular you enjoy playing live the most?
A: No, it changes every night depending on how I feel. Each song has a different mood and it depends on what mood I'm in.
Q: With the re-release of your album The Magnificient Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales) there are a lot of fans who are just starting to discover your music.
A: Yeah, I hope that will continue. I think it would be cool if people kept discovering it forever. The older music is just as important as the new stuff.
Q: How did you get your music discovered?
A: I guess the Internet, the whole Myspace/Facebook revolution that has been occurring. That's one of the best ways that anybody that has music out right now has been able to spread it around.
Q: That would be your advice for up and coming bands/musicians?
A: Yeah, besides trying to get yourself in as many places on the Internet, it's also important to be playing shows and be interacting with real people. It's much more effective. It's just not as easy and you can't reach as many people that way.
Q: How did you get hooked up with Warner Brothers?
A: It happened through Kara Dioguardi (American Idol Judge). She's my A&R there. I met her through L.A. and she's one of the best song writers there is and I really wanted to meet with her about writing music and I didn't even know she was at a label. When we met she was very supportive of my songs and what I was doing and she believed in me and signed me. That was amazing of her.
Q: Last year you released a acoustic EP called Patience For The Waiting. How did the idea for that come about?
A: I just wanted to get something out since it had been so long since the first record. I was getting impatient with myself and some people were wanting new music and that was a tiding over until this new album came out.
Q: Your music is composed of a wide range of influences. Is there any one in particular that influenced you the most?
A: There are so many but if I had to choose one it would be Bob Dylan. His music and the music of the '60's made me want to write music.
Q: You've worked with a lot of different artists over the years. Do you enjoy your collaborative work more than your solo work?
A: They're both fulfilling in their own way but I do enjoy working with other people more. I like the different ideas and give and take you get when you put a couple of different people in the same room. There's a intimacy that comes with learning the other person's styles and ways of thinking.
Q: Do you have any plans after this tour ends?
A: Well the album should be coming out late this Summer and I plan on touring during that.
Q: Will you continue to play the smaller venues?
A: No, I'm sure we'll be playing a mix of larger and smaller venues. You get a different feeling in each place but I do like playing the smaller places because you do get that more "intimate" feeling that you can't get in the larger venues.
Q: Any news on a first single off the new album?
A: There are a few songs being looked at so I can't really say yet.
Q: How is the tour going?
A: Amazing. I couldn't ask for anything better.
Q: Where are you at now?
A: I'm on my way to Troy, New York from Boston. We just left the city right now.
Q: You don't have any Michigan dates for the tour yet.
A: No, not on this leg but we'll be touring this Summer so I'm sure we'll make it out there.
Q: You've been playing a lot of colleges and small clubs?
A: Yes, a mix of both. Depends on where we are.
Q: You are working on a new album. What is it called?
A: It's called the Love Sick. It's been a long time coming and I'm excited for it to come out.
Q: Have you been playing any new songs on tour?
A: A few of them. We're still working them up because they're so brand new but we've been playing a couple. We'll start playing more and more as we go.
Q: Is there any song in particular you enjoy playing live the most?
A: No, it changes every night depending on how I feel. Each song has a different mood and it depends on what mood I'm in.
Q: With the re-release of your album The Magnificient Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales) there are a lot of fans who are just starting to discover your music.
A: Yeah, I hope that will continue. I think it would be cool if people kept discovering it forever. The older music is just as important as the new stuff.
Q: How did you get your music discovered?
A: I guess the Internet, the whole Myspace/Facebook revolution that has been occurring. That's one of the best ways that anybody that has music out right now has been able to spread it around.
Q: That would be your advice for up and coming bands/musicians?
A: Yeah, besides trying to get yourself in as many places on the Internet, it's also important to be playing shows and be interacting with real people. It's much more effective. It's just not as easy and you can't reach as many people that way.
Q: How did you get hooked up with Warner Brothers?
A: It happened through Kara Dioguardi (American Idol Judge). She's my A&R there. I met her through L.A. and she's one of the best song writers there is and I really wanted to meet with her about writing music and I didn't even know she was at a label. When we met she was very supportive of my songs and what I was doing and she believed in me and signed me. That was amazing of her.
Q: Last year you released a acoustic EP called Patience For The Waiting. How did the idea for that come about?
A: I just wanted to get something out since it had been so long since the first record. I was getting impatient with myself and some people were wanting new music and that was a tiding over until this new album came out.
Q: Your music is composed of a wide range of influences. Is there any one in particular that influenced you the most?
A: There are so many but if I had to choose one it would be Bob Dylan. His music and the music of the '60's made me want to write music.
Q: You've worked with a lot of different artists over the years. Do you enjoy your collaborative work more than your solo work?
A: They're both fulfilling in their own way but I do enjoy working with other people more. I like the different ideas and give and take you get when you put a couple of different people in the same room. There's a intimacy that comes with learning the other person's styles and ways of thinking.
Q: Do you have any plans after this tour ends?
A: Well the album should be coming out late this Summer and I plan on touring during that.
Q: Will you continue to play the smaller venues?
A: No, I'm sure we'll be playing a mix of larger and smaller venues. You get a different feeling in each place but I do like playing the smaller places because you do get that more "intimate" feeling that you can't get in the larger venues.
Q: Any news on a first single off the new album?
A: There are a few songs being looked at so I can't really say yet.
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