Monday, December 10, 2012

Five Minutes With... JACK ROBERT HARDMAN



Hello Jack
Hello there.

Can we call you JR if we promise not to mention fish [JR Hartley] or Southfork [JR Ewing]?
If that is what you’d like to do, then of course. The Dallas link is fine too, I’m very interested in the acquisition of oil.

Who are you and what do you do?
I am Jack, I write and record songs.

What have you got to plug for us?
I am plugging my new track ‘Plymouth’ that is now available for free download. You can also buy my album from iTunes if you’d like, may as well add that to the plug list.

Acting as your own PR here, give us a short spin on Plymouth.
It’s an ethereal number, filled harmonies and washed with spring reverb. I think it suits the cold weather.

"

Have you ever been to Plymouth?
Yes, but only once. I went to the Aquarium with my friends Rowan and Cameron. It was pleasant enough, we saw a giant turtle and a few other aquatic animals.

Did you know Plymouth has a Hoe? Ho ho ho. But this Plymouth is a gentle wistful tune, not really full of Christmas hokum is it?
It’s not actually a Christmas song, I just wanted to give something away as a festive gesture of kindness. I might do a song about Christmas next year though, maybe John Lewis will buy it.

Your music has been described (by your PR) as 'quirky pop'. Agree or disagree? Does he stay or get the chop?
The PR has sadly been executed…I suppose I agree to an extent. I would say the music is a little leftfield and unusual in the way I produce it, but the songs I write are quite traditional pop. ‘Quirky pop’ just takes up less characters.

We understand that you record in your own home 'Aladdin's Cave' studio. Do you keep a lamp in there too? And a genie?
No lamps or genies I’m afraid, but I do have a fez in the cupboard. It’s my source of inspiration when I feel down. It’s my composition fez.

Who are your musical influences?

I’m influenced by all sorts of people, it really varies from song to song. The consistent element is always great songwriting though. That’s why I always come back to The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel. You can learn everything about songwriting from those three alone.

Ever listen to Girls Aloud? Which loud girl is your favourite [Jack's cousin is Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding]?
Yes of course! My favourite songs are ‘Call the Shots’, ‘Something Kinda Oooh’ and ‘The Promise’. My favourite member is probably Nicola.

Aside from Plymouth, which is the other track of your own you are most proud of?
That’s very difficult. I like ‘Lights of London’ a lot. I think it’s catchy with quite distinctive production. It has a lot of different parts that seem to go well together.

Go on then, give us a link to it and we'll stick it up.




Last word: spill your word or words of wisdom. Say 'pass' if you have none.
Your context won’t change your content. That’s my favourite saying.


http://www.jackroberthardman.co.uk

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