Hey readers! Last month, I started interviews for this month and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Patrick Jaouen. He was a really great guy, and he even provided me with copies of his music, which was great since I'm definitely a fan of his!
This is once again with the new interview format, with different levels of questions in order to help some people out. When I decided to revamp the blog I got a ton of feedback asking for more information about getting into the industry in interviews, as well as more information about the scene in Roc specifically. Each section will be split up so you can skip around: there's artist-specific questions, Rochester scene-specific questions, and general industry questions. Here we go!
ARTIST
How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn't heard you?
"That's always a tough one! I've been saying- because I've been told this- a mix of Bob Dylan with Ed Sheeran but rougher. So a little bit more rock 'n roll I guess."
Listening to my personal favorite, "Our Voices," I would also compare him to a rockier version or Mat Kearney or Jack Johnson!
Who do you point to as your main influences?
"Jimi Hendrix had one of the first albums I remember hearing. So 'Hey Joe' was on the record player, I remember that distinctly. A lot of classic rock too, you know, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. But growing up in Queens there's a lot of hip hop, and during the 80s when I was growing up hip hop was coming to the forefront more. I grew up with things like Wutang Clan, and that's where I think my style blends a little bit. It's like rock with hip hop with folk and the singer-songwriter thing."
What would you say makes you different from someone similar?
"Being in Rochester, I think growing up in New York City and being in that scene... there's a lot of hip hop in me. I grew up pretty close to the projects so I guess I'm a little more aggressive than some people. But I do have a softer side! Like basically all of my music, I donate the profits from it to charities. For 'Taming Icarus' and 'Echo' I'm donating the profits to Golisano Children's Hospital. During the winter I'll also do stuff for Foodlink and things like that. I call myself kind of a non-profit musician, so I think that makes me a bit different."
What's coming up for you?
"Well I just came out with 'Taming Icarus' about four months ago. I'm kind of sitting on that right now, so I don't want to announce a new thing just yet but I do have something in the works. I've already got the title and a few songs done. I do have a few shows coming up, I'm doing kind of a mini-tour of Upstate. Other than a few shows here and there I'm taking the winter off actually."
February 7- Go for Red for Women
LOCAL SCENE
How would you describe the music scene in Rochester?
"I have a bit of a different perspective on it. I read somewhere on Facebook about someone complaining about the music scene here, and then they went to New York City and the scene there is so much more receptive and open and more about music... being from there I see it in kind of an opposite way. It's very competitive in New York because everyone there is either an actor or a musician just trying to make it big. Here, you have the music schools, where you find the 'real' musicians. Sometimes you go to an open mic where it's very competitive and people want to be the best out of the group. But overall I think the music scene up here is very good. For young musicians this is a good place to be."
So you touched on it a little bit, but what are some of the pros/cons of being based here rather than in another city?
"Number one, it's smaller, so your name can get around quicker. You have people that are more into the local thing here too, which isn't as prevalent unfortunately in a lot of places. Here, you're more likely to get a few really good fans who are willing to stick with and listen to you. The cons.... there's the music schools here. So you get a lot of classically trained and technically proficient musicians, which can be a good thing but then you get the 'well, I'm classically trained and you're just a singer-songwriter' so they kind of turn their noses up at you. But I think every music scene has a bit of that. I like Rochester quite a bit, we'll just say that."
Are there any other locals that you play with or collaborate with often?
"Yeah, Ben Sheridan and I have played together a lot. We've played down in the vineyards and things like that downstate. I've played a few shows now with Fiona Corinne. I'll literally play with anyone honestly."
GENERAL INDUSTRY
How do you pay for things like studio time, practice space and marketing expenses?
"I really treat it like a business, even though I donate everything profit-wise, I try to at least cover my expenses. So with Echo, I did that myself, and with the shows I did this past year I was able to pay for recording Taming Icarus which was done in a Buffalo studio. I also do a lot in my home studio. But I really just treat it as a business, so I have spreadsheets and everything. I'd like to get it to a point where it's a self-sustaining thing, but right now it's always just slightly in the red."
What would you look for in someone you'd hire for management/merch?
"This is tough because I'm very impatient. Punctuality is a big thing for me; like if you're late to meet me for something small, you're probably going to be late to the gig, and things just aren't going to get done. I honestly prefer to do a lot on my own, just because I know I'll get it done. So when I look for someone to assist in that, I look for that aggressive 'get it' attitude. Don't give me excuses for why it's not happening just make it happen."
Do you book your own shows/ tours? What was your experience like and what advice would you give?
"I do book a lot myself but recently I've actually been getting offers which is nice, versus pursuing them on my own. There's the old saying that if you don't try you can't get anything... so at every opportunity I ask. You'll wind up with something that way. I've gotten big shows by doing that, just by saying 'Hey, do these guys help' and places like Water Street will say like, 'yeah they're looking for a local opener' and you get the show. Always ask!! Don't be afraid to say, you know I want this."
How has new technology affected your experience? Has it helped or hurt you?
"I've been doing music a while now, and I'm 34 (right, 34? Yeah that's right), so I was playing back when there was no internet or anything. You were just out on the street basically, handing out flyers to your shows and getting people like that. So, in terms of promotional capabilities, it makes it way easier but also more disappointing in a way. You know you put out a Facebook event thing and 150 people say they're gonna show up and then you get to the show and there's like 30 people there. So it can lead to a lot of fakeness I think. You know you have things like autotune now so you have artists making music that isn't really them. Then they can't perform it live. You get people with something like 20,000 followers on Facebook or whatever but then you go to a show and there's like one person in the crowd. So they probably bought those followers. But for me, making music has gotten 100x easier because of the fact that I can record stuff that used to cost thousands of dollars in a room in my house now. It has drawbacks and benefits."
Do you have any other advice?
Do not get into music for fame or money. That goes for anything, if you're going to do something do it because you love doing it. If you're passionate about it, you have talent and you're persistent you will succeed. Whether that success means being on MTV or whatever the ideal of success is now or you're playing for 50 people in a club and having fun doing it... it's all about perspective I guess. People can definitely see if you're only doing it for money and fame."
Once again, thank you so much to Patrick, and thanks for the patience when it came to this being posted! I did these interviews so far in advance it was crazy. Anyway, if you'd like to check out Patrick's stuff, check him out here:
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