By Sam Parvin
Singer/songwriter (and actor) Jay Brannan is coming to
Atlanta on October 20 to showcase his latest album, In
Living Cover. The album is Jay’s
second and features two original tunes, as well as seven impeccably-performed
covers, including The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman"
and “All I Want,” originally a Joni
Mitchell song. If your musical forté is
beautiful, wide-ranging vocals, you have got to check out Jay Brannan’s
albums and show. And just for a little
insight into what goes on behind the curtains, Atlanta Music Guide checked in
with Jay to ask about the album, the tour, and more.
You
released your first full-length (completely original) album last year, called goddamned;
so you’re an originals kind of guy, right? For this album, In Living Cover, why covers?
That sort
of happened by accident. I went on tour
with goddamned last year, and I wanted to write more this year but
really didn’t have the time. I wanted to
get something out this year, so In Living Cover has two originals and
seven covers; mostly songs I have previously recorded and put on YouTube.
Your
version of “All I Want,” originally written and performed by Joni Mitchell, is
absolutely mesmerizing. Joni is so
unique in her style, tuning, and vocals, and you’ve really done it
justice. What process went into choosing
these songs, if any? Are they songs you
love and have been playing for a long time, or did you decide to do a
mostly-covers album and then choose the songs?
The idea
to do covers had to do with what I did for YouTube, which is how I have
gotten a lot of my exposure. A lot of people asked me to record those songs and
release them on an album. When I was
choosing them to be YouTube videos, they were songs that have meant something
to me or were bookmarks in my life. They
all have personal meanings for me. Some
songs I chose just because they’re beautifully written, but I can definitely
relate to each one. I do these covers
because they’re fun, not because I think they’re going to be good.
You’ll be
here in Atlanta at Vinyl on October
20. What can we expect of the show?
My live
shows are pretty intimate and informal. They’re very interactive; I like to
talk a lot, and talking makes me a lot less nervous. It’s a lot of me sitting around singing songs
and telling jokes and stories. The shows
are a lot like my YouTube videos.
Where did
you get the idea to name your tour “I Suck at Life”?
It’s
true. It’s so applicable. [Laughing] there’s kind of a story to that. When I first started playing shows in New
York about four years ago now, I called my shows that. When I started playing other places, I
realized the “I Suck at Life Tour” never really left New York, so I wanted to
take it on the road.
You’ve done
some acting, gaining recognition first through your role in Shortbus, a film by John
Cameron Mitchell. Is that how your
artistic roles have played out in life? Did you discover your talent for acting before music, or vice versa?
I’ve sort
of always wanted to do both. I have
wanted to be an actor since I was a child. People used to laugh at me when I told them I wanted to be an actor when
I grew up. I come from a very musical
family too, singing at church and at home. I always focused on acting because I didn’t think I could write songs or
play instruments, and it’s sort of flip-flopped I still want to do both, for
sure. In being a singer, I can be the
president of my own company. Acting is
collaborative by nature, so it depends on a lot more pieces than just me and my
guitar.
A good
bit of your exposure has grown through online outlets like YouTube and
MySpace. What do you think about the
relationship between technology and the artist today? Are you a social media enthusiast, or do you
think it’s ultimately hurting the music industry and artists?
I think
it’s awesome. I mean, the internet is
the best thing that could have ever happened for me I’ve gotten to do a lot of really cool things
that I couldn’t have done if I couldn’t do it on my own, online. I can write songs in my apartment and put
them up in the middle of the night, and it costs me no money. With my creations, no one can tell me what to
do. No one would have given me a second look without the internet. It’s good for consumers too because they can
choose what they want to hear now. We
all have more options, as creators and as consumers.
We, as
humans, naturally stereotype, generalize, and compare the new to what’s
familiar to us. Who would you most like
to be compared to musically?
Oh god [laughs]. I always compare myself to Lisa Loeb because she’s one of my
favorites. I hear my melodies resemble
Joni Mitchell’s, and that is alright
with me because I think she’s one of the greatest songwriters ever. And I also get Ani DiFranco. Those are the biggest three I hear; sad angry
women – that’s the kind of music I make and like.
If you
could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Meal? [Laughs] Ramen.
Jay Brannan plays Vinyl, October 20. Tickets are available on Ticket Alternative.
