Jiggley Jones, American country artist from Pennsylvania. Interview April 25, 2014.
1. What’s new with Jiggley Jones?
I’m getting ready to release my second record and that’s a very exciting time, the anticipation is killing me. In the meantime I’m still playing acoustic live performances when I can, doing interviews and preparing myself for what might happen this summer.
2. Since your last recording No Spring Chicken. How was it recording A Mountain, A Struggle, A Tunnel, A Light?
Recording the new album was a great experience down in Nashville. The mood was relaxed and the people I worked with were awesome.
3. How did the writing process work for the album?
Some of the songs were written a while back and waiting for the right opportunity. Others are new and were written just the same, with an acoustic guitar. I usually start with the music and I even put a vocal idea down without lyrics before I sit down with a cup of coffee and work on the story.
4. Where did the idea come from the long album title?
Well, it wasn’t purposely meant to be long but I guess it’s fitting because the title is my own personal metaphor for life itself. We all have to climb at least one metaphorical mountain in our life and because the struggle is there, stumbling across a tunnel along the way gives us that hope to get to the other side in one piece. Finding the light is the end all to that struggle. It could also be religious in nature depending on where a particular person is coming from.
5. What type of equipment do you use mostly now?
Still just using my Taylor acoustic guitar and I usually use a Shure SM58 for the live vocals.
6. How is the music scene in your area nowadays with the economy?
The local music scene is always a tough road. There are always so many bands out there no matter where you go, all looking to do their thing.
7. How many hours per week do you play music?
I would say around seven or eight. A lot of that is spent doing vocals in the car believe it or not. I travel all the time, I have the radio, and like everyone else hopefully, no one can hear me as I’m hacking away, lol.
8. Recording albums now is it becoming easier would you say?
I wouldn’t say easier necessarily, but it’s like everything else you do. You get a little better at it as you go along. I’m not sure people realize that recording an album is a combination of an analytical equation and an artistic movement. You can map things out like a mathematician to help with optimizing your time but at the end of that structured decision, you still have to reach down in your soul and create an emotional statement.
9. How is the music scene in your area nowadays?
To continue with question #6, whether it’s locally or nationally, there is a lot of work involved. Staying consistent with all the distractions in life is always the toughest part. You have to draw a consistent audience no matter what.
10. Someday do you see a biography being written about the experiences you acquired or will acquire in your life?
I’m not sure if I see that in my future, but if it does happen I sure hope it’s because of something that I wanted to happen and not something that ended up happening because of bad timing or luck, lol.