JON REYNOLDS & THE ACHES Drops Single LEATHER JACKET | We Talk Music, Label Contracts & New Years Resolutions
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey with music to date?
My journey really started because my father was a performing musician who paid his way through college gigging, so I was raised in a home where music was a constant. I started writing my own music when I was 16 or so but didn’t really take it seriously as a career until I was about 19. I formed a blues-rock three-piece called The Waymires that I recorded and performed with for a few years. Looking back, that was a really formative time in my career. I learned how to play with a live group, how to read other players, and really got my hands dirty while doing it. I moved to Nashville when I was 24 and started working on my own music at that time. That’s when I really started to flex my writing skills and let it guide my career decisions. I came out with an EP called Generation Love that was all based on 50’s pop and themed around topics of racism and sexism. It was definitely inspired by my move to the South. I had a bit of culture shock with how open people were with their prejudices. Nashville is a very liberal place, but it is centred in the middle of a very conservative state.
After that first EP, I really started to dig into the scene here in Nashville. I met a lot of the players I work with to this day. I dabbled heavily in three-part harmony arrangements that I would perform live with the band, and we really gained a lot of traction around town due to the complexity and execution of our live performances.
But, I really didn’t have my sound figured out yet. I went ahead and released ‘Undertow’ and ‘Tomorrow’s News’ in 2017, and those two songs really introduced me to the independent music community as a serious artist. My life then took a crazy turn due to my habit of overworking myself. I started working about 70 hours a week. I never stopped writing and creating music, but I compressed myself into a state where creativity was very boxed in (along with the rest of my personality). I wrote mainly while I was in the car driving places because it was the only time I had to be quiet and think, then I would record in the evenings.
I started recording the EP at the beginning of 2019 and then Covid hit. The silver lining was that it forced me to stop working so much. Literally, day two of lockdown, I realized how much healthier and happier I was because I could finally decompress. That’s when I really went to work on the production of the EP. This was
the first time I had sat in the producer seat, but I knew it was time for me to get exactly what I wanted, and I was lucky to have learned from amazing producers over the last five years. In the end, I got a body of work that sounded like me (shout out. to Owen Lewis and Ben Cramer).
Why did you choose to move to Nashville to make music over other destinations such as L.A. New York or London?
When I decided to leave Oklahoma I had an industry contact that had been working with me and The Waymires. He suggested Nashville or Austin. I had played in Austin a lot but had never been to Nashville. Honestly, I can’t really explain it. I visited the city once and within an hour knew that I wanted to live there. There is an energy here that draws community-driven people. There is a sense that we are all in this together and can’t move forward without collaboration. There is no other place like it for writers or musicians.
You said previously that […] “the truth is, everything I have released has been a filtered version of myself: until now.” What events or thought process led you to be comfortable to be your authentic self through your music?
I think experience and time made the difference. I came into this city knowing that I had a lot to learn and so my default has been to trust others and learn from them. But, through that process, I realized that I was giving too much away and compromising for no reason other than not feeling comfortable pushing others to get the results I wanted. That was my fault. That’s why I decided to start producing myself and trusting my instincts. The tracks on this EP delve into depression, heartbreak and self-discovery, mental health is less stigmatised nowadays than before, but what we would like to know is have you come out the other side yet and how you are maintaining your mental health? I am thankful to say that I am doing much better now that I am working a normal amount, most of which is on music. But it’s not gone. Those issues usually don’t disappear. The bad habits that I formed during that period really took a toll on me, and I am still decompressing. One of the main things I have done is to make sure I have time to think and plan what I need to do during a day so that I know when I am done working. Before, I just never stopped working so there was no time to organize or plan when new problems or tasks arrived. Now I make sure I have room to plan and succeed in my work. I would also say that I have been a vegetarian for five years and can’t begin to express how much eating a nutrition-based diet has propped myself and my wife (who struggles with chronic depression) so much over the years. It’s funny how those more basic things like diet and exercise can really help stave off excessive stress, anxiety and depression.
How do you maintain consistency and routine with music?
Having a team around me now has really helped provide a metered nature to my days. Just like anyone else, I start my day with emails and administrative tasks, and from there I dive into writing and recording demos most days. Of course, I am in release mode right now, so many days are filled with creating visual art and photographs. But, one thing I learned over the past few years is that if you never stop writing music, you never stop being an artist. That is something that I’ve kept from that period of heavy work. I just never stop writing in my head.
You’ve done a few covers, what is your favourite song to cover?
I’m a huge fan of harmony, and I am lucky enough to have people around me that can sing four parts. The most fun I have ever had covering a song was ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys. But if I don’t have a crew with me, I’d say one of my favorites is ‘Jackie and Wilson’ by Hozier.
What’s been your experience of the pandemic and lockdowns?
The lockdown has been healthy for me, honestly. I know I’ve talked about how it forced me to stop working so much, and I am really grateful for that. I’m married, so the time I’ve gotten to spend with my partner has been amazing. At the same time, I hate not being around music and the community. Not playing live is difficult. But I am lucky. I have signed with Frictionless and can record because my team quarantined together. When this thing hit, a lot of people didn’t get that boost like Idid. But I feel like I was going down a deeply unhealthy road, and the lockdown gave me a desperately needed exit ramp. My priorities are in much better order.
Who/ what inspires you the most?
Honestly, other artists that I work with really keep me inspired and working hard. Since we all work together and collaborate regularly, their successes are little boosts to me and keep me focused on being the best musician and artist that I can be. I can’t begin to explain how much I have learned from working with them and from their work. Also, my wife is a massive driving force in my work. She is the reason I had the courage to pursue music in the first place. Really, I suppose, it is the whole community around me that inspires me and my work. I really believe that art reflects community, and I have a pretty great community around me.
What was the first piece of music you ever brought?
I’ve been asked this a few times and I think it was something really lame, like a Lord of the Rings soundtrack! I think I was like nine or something, so hopefully that is an excuse enough. (Not so say I don’t still find that soundtrack badass). It might have been through Napster or something like that, but I think the first piece of music I really pursued was the Killers Hot Fuss. I think I was 14 or so. Funny enough, I find them to be a huge inspiration to my production style for this project.
Most emerging acts need to support larger artists to establish themselves who would you love to support?
Oh man- Dream scenario would be Bon Iver. I think Justin Vernon and his crew are carving out a whole new live music scene, and I would love to learn from them. I also think I pull from 80s music the same way they do, just probably not as well! Many artists have credited collaboration and their teams for their success.
Could you tell us about securing your label contract?
I just signed a deal with Frictionless Music. It’s a new company based in the UK started by this mad scientist named Alex Kleiner. He created the company to help the artist directly and allow us the time and resources to develop their audience without the burdens placed on most artists in conventional record deals. Basically, he has created a dream scenario for musicians to work in, where we have security and label resources but don’t have to sign our souls away. I am incredibly lucky to have been a part of the first crew to sign there because I think you are going to hear some great things from Frictionless very soon.
What were your 2021 New Year’s Resolutions and goals for the year ahead?
Well, honestly, it’s a continuation of what I had to do in 2020 - decompress. My life was just so overwhelming for the last few years and I have to keep focusing on improving my habits. I lived so long where I had no time to dedicate to self-care, that I have some catching up to do. Musically, it is to finish writing and recording this next EP. I already have a good chunk of it written and can tell you this much - I’m very excited.
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