Welcome, welcome one and all to another intimate Beneath the Surface segment. For those of you who are new here, this little corner of the internet is our calm and cosy space to sit down, relax and get to know some incredible artists. Today we are joined by the talented, The Jared Stout Band. So without further ado, let’s begin!
What would you say first sparked your interest in music/who inspired you to make music?
I’ve been into music since i was wearing diapers and cowboy hats listening to achy breaky heart on the radio. My mom says I came out singing. She’s been a big influence for me on music, what I listen to and how I play it. From Whitney Houston, to the chicks, old time rock n roll and soul, she made sure I got a good dose of all of it all. She raised me to sing every single day at some point and I absolutely do. She made me take choir in middle school and sing solos in church for as long as I can remember. It’s been her encouraging me all the way, the wind at my back. She always finds a way to motivate myself and the band to keep going for new heights.
How would you describe the music you are currently creating?
We like to call it Appalachian rhythm and blues. The heart of so much music we listen to belongs in the mountains we live in. For that reason we take a little bit of all the things we love. There’s some twang, we have the storytelling, the smooth groove of rhythm and blues, some rock, some funk. As a group we create the music we feel, rather than try to form our music into a space it may belong. I think that makes us special to a listener. One of my favorite things to hear someone say is “I don’t know what kind of music it is, I can’t put my finger on it, but I like it. A lot.” and you’d be surprised how often it happens.
What does your creative process look like?
Haha, like a whack a mole game. Constantly looking for something to pop up and feel right as i’m playing new progressions and working with words, waiting to hit one and make it stick. I think all writers have a process of just writing to get it out. That’s how you find the good ones. Some of our best songs have come to me in an instant, rainbows and luck were both songs i wrote in one quick sitting. Cryin was stuck in my head with nowhere to go for almost a year. Its all different but the most important thing is to write something you can feel.
Who would you most like to collaborate with? (let’s send it out to the universe and make it happen!)
That’s a tough one.. I love Kacey Musgraves, she is such a great performer, songwriter and vocalist and I think female and male duets are some of the prettiest things in music. So that would have to be my go to sing with a person. I’d also love to write with Ross Copperman. He’s from my area (Salem, VA) and has written tons of songs for top artists. I think it would be fun to sit down and crank out a tune with him.
What is the one message you would like to send out to your fans?
THANK YOU. We really can’t make a living doing this without fans. They are the lifeblood of our success. They buy the merch, the albums, the tickets, stream our music, and tell their friends. Our fans are forever our greatest ally in musical success. So we are immensely grateful to have every fan we get. We’re glad they love us and the music we make, its a real connection.
What’s your top tip to rejuvenate your creativity/get over a writer’s block?
Not stressing it. Forced music is rarely your best. If you’re stuck in a bind where nothing flows, I say don’t stress it. Keep going one day at a time and your creativity will send you something when you least expect it. That is typically how I get out of those holes. I’ll be in the most inconvenient space and have a song idea, so I sing it into my phone and it’ll be the first thing I try to play when I get home. It allows that block to go away naturally and flow with where your random creativity starts. So, don’t stress it, let it happen and just keep throwing those ideas at the whack a mole machine because it’s fun, not because you have to. Eventually you’ll hit it.
What’s next for you, what do we have to look forward to/ what are you currently working on?
Next is our second album release, we are extremely excited for that. It’s a collection of songs that really can take you on an adventure lyrically and musically. We worked with Jody Boyd from Red Amp audio in Richmond to make this one and it’s a good step up from our last record. We’ve got two singles out now from it, Luck and One Shot, and we’re dropping the album in early 2023 so keep those eyes and ears open for brand new JSB!
Check out ‘Luck’ here:
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