100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Fifty-Eight: James William Hindle

instigated by dave heaton

On Badman, singer-songwriter James William Hindle (born in Yorkshire, England; often on the move, it seems) released three fantastic albums -- James William Hindle, Prospect Park, and Town Feeling -- of gentle folk-pop music: often melancholy, always built around impeccably crafted melodies and harmonies, and entirely rewarding. He's apparantly released a fourth album, I just learned, as a limited-edition release on Early Winter Recordings. It's called Joshong. He's also recently started a new duo with Calvin Halliday, as he discussed below. Check out his website for more information.

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What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

Mainly that I have finally found the right person to fully share my musical ideas with in Calvin Halliday. Singing together is a revelation. His voice is amazing, and it has been really exciting working on new songs and bringing old songs back to life.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

Not knowing who will put our music out, if anyone at all, and not being able to tour more without losing money. Nothing about the actual making of music discourages me at all.

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

The new as yet un-named duo of myself and Calvin. We are included on a split 7inch release on Chaffinch Records out of Glasgow, and will be recording a full length this Autumn. Then we will find someone to put that out and try and do some gigs and a tour in Spring.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

I played a disused shopping mall last year in Bakersfield, California in 113 degree heat. It actually ended up being a good show and we got to go to the Buck Owens Crystal Palace beforehand also. Recording wise, I suppose a bathroom in one of my old flats is the most unusual, for an acoustic version of a song for a Track and Field records compilation. It gave the song a nice spacious feel.

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

Well a lot of my songs have been about leaving the city, or wanting to do so, or living in the countryside and missing aspects of city life, so I would say that it affects my music a great deal; Town Feeling especially was all about those ideas. Since moving to Glasgow this spring I feel like I have finally found somewhere to call home, so I am sure that these new found feelings of comfort and stability will inform my new songs a lot too. People tend to influence my musical tastes rather than places really, though not so much as they perhaps used to, which is a good thing.

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

I suppose the last proper one I wrote was a week or so ago. It is one of my most poppy and melodic yet. Actually most of my new songs are really. I have recorded a demo of it and Calvin and I have begun to work on arrangements for it. What we have been doing is I will come up with the basics for the song and then we will finish them up together. This is the first time I have ever really co-written also, so that has been fun.

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

I don't really think that the two things affect each other. I am always looking for new things to listen to. I work in a record shop, and constantly have no money as a result of buying too many CDs, DVDs and records. I can only really make music that fits well in one genre, and even then it is far from the best of its kind! So I am always seeking out that next great thing to obsess about.

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

All sorts as usual. But dependable ones tend to be power pop, folk and country. Anything melodic and poppy tends to be my basic rule.

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Jackson Browne is someone whom I think is criminally underrated. He is perhaps the greatest songwriter that ever lived. There are so many great songs, but if I had to pick say three I would say "Fountain of Sorrow," "For Everyman" and "Birds Of St Marks." For a while I was put off listening to the 80s albums by the terrible artwork and my fear of bad production. Calvin has since shown me the light regarding these records, and there are some real gems. If I had to recommend one of his records I would probably say For Everyman, or Late for the Sky. We actually met him very briefly after his gig in Edinburgh recently and I was so starstruck!

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

That's a tough one. A lot of songs I love have a melancholy feel or certain singers I like such as Antony can sound sad no matter what they are singing. But if I had to pick one of the top of my head right this second I would maybe say Sawdust and Diamonds by Joanna Newsom. A flawless song.

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.