A lot can happen in six months, but the thought of releasing not one, but two EP’s within that timeframe sounds like an intricate and inarguably demanding mission. But for local Central Coast singer/songwriter, JAKE HOWDEN, that notion is very much a reality. To the nonchalant observer, Howden, would seem to be your average young man… but give him a guitar and an audience to sing to, and greater things begin to expose themselves. Armed with a refreshing sense of humbled maturity and an ever burgeoning talent well beyond his supple 18 years of living; Howden has wholeheartedly thrown himself into the deep end of fueling his ceaseless passion for music.
Fresh from the studio, CHLOE WEBB caught up with the impassioned young whippersnapper himself to get the low-down on his upcoming EP release, Grass and Flowers.
As the release date for Grass and Flowers looms, how are you feeling?
Excited! A little nervous but I suppose that’s natural considering this is my second independent EP release in just over six months. I’ve thrown so much into this and I can’t wait to see how people react. I put a lot of pressure on myself this time around, I feel like I have something to prove since my first EP felt extremely rushed and just didn’t represent me well as an artist. So you could say I’m excited, but also a little anxious to see what people think about it.
Can you tell us a little bit about the recording process?
I recorded in my producer’s (Howard Shearman) home studio, which he built from scratch earlier this year. I played every song I had to him and we both collectively worked hard on the songs we liked to make sure they were up to scratch for the recording. Over the next few weeks, Howard and I constantly worked on demo ideas and eventually found the right sound for each song. I had the pleasure of working with a few incredibly talented artists including Alex Douglass (Drums), James Shafton (Piano, Bass) and Nicola Colazzo (Vocals); who all came in and recorded their specific parts separately when they could, most of which they improvised. Shortly after the basic mixes were completed we recorded my vocal and guitar tracks, to be honest there isn’t much more to it. After all the individual tracks were recorded Howard practically mixed the whole EP in a few days and that’s that.
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
It’s the feeling I get when I play my music to a live audience. Whether it’s to five people or fifty people the feeling I get when someone is right in there front of me listening to every word that comes out of my mouth is one I can’t describe. I want to be able to experience that feeling every day. Ever since I was a little kid I just enjoyed creating ideas, whether it was through writing stories, poems or weird raps I just get a lot out of writing; And that kind of goes hand in hand with music. I still have a long way to go before I can claim music is a ‘career’ for me, but I hope one day, after many years of hard work that it will be.
Apart from the obvious financial strains of putting together an independent release, what other hurdles have you faced during the recording process?
Ahh, well… there has been a few minor hurdles. A few weeks ago my car blew up which was the only way I could get to the studio… I didn’t go in for a few weeks, but I suppose that was kind of a good thing because I didn’t hear the songs for a while and then when I went back in and listened to them they blew my mind! Another one was trying to hit this specific note on the title track… I wouldn’t consider myself the strongest singer and this song pushed me to the absolute limit. It actually took us a few studio sessions and a lot of practice for me to hit that note. Good times! Oh and my laptop also decided to die indefinitely, which had all the EP notes and lyrics on it… luckily a few days before I moved them onto a USB!
Who, What and Where, inspires you musically?
I have a wide range of musical inspirations – Ed Sheeran, Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), Matt Corby, Sam Smith, Dan Smith (Bastille) and Passenger are easily up the top of the list to name a few. The way they produce their music is extremely inspiring to me, they stay true to who they are as artists, whether it’s in the studio or on stage; what you hear is what you get with those guys.
You launched the EP on July 23rd at Lizotte’s, Kincumber, to a sold out crowd…
It must feel good to know that after all this hard-work you can finally put it out there and let people hear it?
To be completely honest, it feels amazing. I am so eager to get feedback on the EP and hear what people have to say about it. It’s been a fairly long process and it’s good to know that the final product is nearly here… I don’t think anyone will really expect what I have in store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpqYbCGS4Tk
absolutely love your work, man!