September 6 2011

Recordings & Live shows: In live shows everything is broken down to the basics. People say the covers sound pretty close to the original with the vocals and solitary acoustic guitar. "When we're learning a new song we make every effort to play what we can given the limitations of what we bring on stage."

"There's probably some creative license in there somewhere but it's not too far out of line. Usually we break it down to rhythm and lead guitar - acoustic and clean electric with a tube amp. Fuck the bass; we're just keeping it straight-forward."

The original tracks can get a little interesting with surprise fiddle/violin so you'll get something unique but subtle. Violin and fiddle is a bitch to record and it can be a bitch to hear live because it's either too quiet or too obnoxiously loud. Some people are gifted with the ability to make it sound smooth like butter but they probably have a great instrument and years of training.

"I'm not even sure whether we're still defining our sound or whether we decided to just leave it how it is." Is it better to have lots of additional musicians add shit to make it lively and full or would that make the sound too complicated?

"On Dallas Green's record he uses a lot of reverb but it's perfect. Somehow he's able to get away with using reverb without it sounding experimental. Truth be told, there's an art form there that I haven't mastered yet."

What's the best way to describe the sound of this band? "Straight-forward. No effects and no tricks. Just a good mic, a good recording and good mixing. Recording is part of the hobby so there's lots of time to make mistakes and learn. We went from recording live jams to focusing on one instrument at a time. But even when several tracks are done perfect and they're mixed it's still far from finished. When you listen to a store-bought CD and your song comes on next you find it's too quiet... tinny or you want it to have a full rich sound. Gotta go back and try something else.

Beyond all the techy stuff, the sound of Jamie Thompson (Band) comes from the basics of vocals and acoustic guitar. The magic is in the songwriting. The tone and depth of the vocals is what makes it unique. The vocals are in the foreground and backed up with a rich and vibrant acoustic guitar. That combination can sit on its own without a need of backup.

A subtle lead guitar adds a riff here and there that kicks you once in a while and a smooth violin or fiddle somewhere off in the distance enables you to visualize a memory in that way that music does.