The Baker's Dozen #33 Jamie Telford (My Glass World)
The latest from My Glass World ‘Still Life With Machine Gun’ finds Scottish singer/songwriter Jamie Telford expanding on his piano playing roots in search of a more wide-ranging sound. Jamie has plenty to say on environmental and social issues, while the sound is warm and jazzy due to the sax and trumpet contributions of Sean Read. The result is an album (complete with an unexpected Bowie cover) that rewards repeated plays. RGM caught up with Jamie for a chat about his influences and the state of the world in general.
1. What is your earliest musical memory?
Hearing the local Pipe Band playing in the distance.. a long time ago….
2. Do you remember the name of your first band?
Yes it was called “Lord Lucans Revenge” after the disappearing nanny murdering aristocrat. We had a lead singer who looked like Prince Charles.
3. Which current artist do you hear and just go Wow?
I really enjoy a lot of Arcade Fire’s output generally, but I like a lot of Michael Kiwanuka’s material even though it’s a bit away from our output.
4. Do you sit down to write songs or do you wait until your mojo comes to get you?
I just get started. The Mojo never ever seems to hit you and something invariably comes if you just start even if initially it sounds banal. Chipping away at the rock till something emerges. That’s not to say I don’t take other approaches but this seems to be the most favoured method at the moment.
5. Big venue or small venue - what's your favourite to play?
Having played a lot of small venues before Covid kicked in, I’m hankering for bigger ones but there’s no doubt there’s more interesting interaction in smaller ones.
6. Who is the one artist you wish you could share a stage with (past or present)?
Ha. Too many to mention and ignoring the big stars for a moment why don’t we resurrect Nick Drake so he can fulfil his potential. Not sure it would necessarily work as a combination but I think he deserves to have a longer moment in the light.
7. Bowie, Prince, Sinatra, Elvis which departed great means the most to you?
Possibly John Lennon not only because of the songs but because of his general attitude and relationship with the world and his resulting output. Despite being massively rich and very popular he never really pandered to “the man”. Loads of others though too many to mention.
8. The musical landscape could change markedly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How has the situation affected you and what do you feel will be its impact on the music business/live performance going forward?
Live has stopped completely, which is obviously frustrating. I think it’s going to kill off more of the small venues and some of the marginal bigger ones which is going to affect all us developing acts in a big way. It’s not a good situation.
9. Should music be free?
In a different political system maybe it should but where we are in this neo liberal now then absolutely not. The only people really making money are larger artists and labels. Spotify is a con and streaming is not the way ahead. I need to find out more about NFTs and their potential. There has to be a better way. At the moment the way to exist as a musician isn’t clear.
10. Can you remember the first record you bought and what have you bought recently?
The Beatles White Album. Recently the new Sufjan Stevens album among established artists but also the new albums from Steven Evens and Gabbi Garbutt and the Illuminations. Both emerging artists who need to be listened to and appreciated.
11. What was the last song that made you cry actual tears?
God knows. I’m not sure if I cried but I really felt moved by “Song for Zula” by Phosphorescent when it was used in combination with Adam Curtis’s latest film called “Can’t Get You out of my Head” It’s a very simple song musically but it’s very affecting. I think music can really have a pull especially with the right visual stimulus.
12. Do you binge watch Netflix / Amazon / DVD box sets (any recommendations)? Do you have a guilty pleasure in Film or TV you’ll admit to watching and loving?
Of Course. Sci Fi quite often. The remake of “Battlestar Galactica” was superb, touching as it did on philosophical questions of sentience and the meaning of life intermingled with Killer AI and Humanoid Replicant shoot ‘em ups. However, there have been lots of things to watch in a pandemic. Recently I watched Mare of Eastown. The ensemble acting was second to none and Kate Winslet was superb.
13. What is the most important thing to you that you can see from where you are right now?
The political path of the country is a disaster at the moment and despite all the rhetoric from Boris and his pals, they show no sign of tackling the global climate emergency. This is obviously an international crisis but we need to lead, not issue empty words and do nothing. We are all going to fry or die of hunger most like but the longer it can be postponed the better.
The images above are of disastrous ploughing on deep peat for Sitka planting near Jamie in Scotland resulting in the release of large amounts of CO2.
These days, with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of music available at the click of a mouse, it is easy to miss things in our search for instant gratification. The art of getting to know an album over repeated listens, allowing it to slowly reveal itself, is in danger of being lost. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘Modern Nostalgia’, the latest release from The Last Hurrah (!!), a project helmed by Norwegian musician/producer HP Gundersen. ‘Modern Nostalgia’ blends a distinctly European (Serge Gainsbourg/Marianne Faithfull) approach with the California sound of Gram Parsons and The Byrds, utilising a variety of singers and instrumentation along the way to reveal its charms. With this in mind, we caught up with HP Gundersen to learn more about HP and his collaborators in The Last Hurrah (!!).