Spotlight: Jacob Waters
February 5, 2008
At age 10, Jacob Waters realized that piano lessons were not cool. And by 17, he figured that being a member of a band called "The Itch" was more likely to scare away girls than attract them. It was not until senior year of high school that Jacob, following the suggestion of a friend, decided to record his first solo album - Origins. "I guess I always knew I should go out on my own," says Jacob, "but I never wanted to desert my group. They were my friends, after all."
"However," he notes, "It is nice not having to deal with a drummer quiting." All laughs aside, listeners cannot help but appreciate the pureness and clarity that defines his solo style. I sat down with Jacob for an interview in Lunt Basement at Haverford College, and came away charmed by his blonde sideburns and cherubic smile, not to mention impressed by his discipline and vision.
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How has your sound changed since the launch of your debut album "Origins" in 2006?
I like to think that my sound is constantly maturing. When I launched "Origins", my friends described me as Elliott Smith without the suicidal overtones. Currently, though, I'm listening to a lot of Bob Dylan. I really admire the stripped-down sound that characterizes his music. My next album, "Blue Eyed Son," which will be released in April and debut live at Haverford on April 24th, will have a more stripped-down sound. More consistent, I hope. Sometimes I go back and listen to songs from "Origins" or even earlier, and think to myself, "That lyric just isn't any good," or "Man, I really couldn't play guitar when I recorded that." (Laughs) But, it's important to see your progression as an artist and have some idea about where you want to be headed.
So where are you headed? Aside from launching "Blue Eyed Son", what are your future goals?
My goal is to continue recording and to play more shows - riding it where it takes me. I hope that my new songs have a more lyrical component. I heard a quote somewhere, by Coltrane maybe, about how to write a song: "If a guy on the street can't sing it, then you don't have a song." I am trying to apply that idea to my new stuff.
Okay, stripped down is awesome. That seems to be a bit of a trend these days. Have you already written all this new stuff? Recorded it? You hear stories of Dylan writing "Like a Rolling Stone" in 5 minutes. Is it like that for you?
I would say that it depends on the song. Some songs I've written quickly, like "Out of It" for example. But usually what I do is write the music and then think of lyrics to fit that music. It can be tough, especially since I have school and all, to find time for the music. So I make time. For instance, I know that "Blue Eyed Son" must be ready by April 24th, so I have to work on some aspect of production every day, whether it be tightening up the music, the lyrics, or polishing the recordings. Just saying "I'll get to it tomorrow" doesn't work.
So you also launched a Christmas Album (A Very Jacob Waters Christmas) this past year. Aren't you Jewish?
(Laughs) Yes. But the Christians have us beat in terms of holiday music. Maybe that's something us Jews can aspire to: better holiday songs.
Ha ha. Surely. "Spin the Dreidel" probably won't go platinum. Okay, so last question, just to keep ourselves from getting too serious on Sad Steve. Do you have any sexual kinks?
Hmm. So I guess the key here is to say something kinky but not freaky. Well, I guess I am into ear and neck biting...by antelopes.
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You can check out Jacob Waters's MySpace by clicking the link below. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=82550115
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