Start Listening To: Paul Jacobs

Paul Jacobs is perhaps best known for his work with five-piece Pottery. But on his recent album, the artist takes an opportunity to get more personal and grounded. In our interview with him, we learn what went into Pink Dogs on Green Grass and get to know the man behind it.

You’re well known for your work with Pottery, how does it feel to now be releasing music as a solo artist under your own name?

I’ve been releasing music under my own name for about a decade now so it’s pretty normal for me. Actually, Pottery formed as 3/5 of the members from the PJ band (including me).

How has the Montreal music scene influenced you as an artist? 

I couldn't pinpoint exactly how it’s affected me but after living in this city for this long I consider it home. Montreal just has a vibe, I’ve experienced it in a couple other cities around the world, and it’s hard to explain. I guess it’s pretty laid back (although I get pretty stressed out); now I’m confusing myself. I'll just say Montreal pushed me to be better.

What is your songwriting process like?

I don’t follow a strict formula. Sometimes I write a song on guitar and put it together after; other times I record drums and just riff over it. Sometimes I just have a phrase I think would be nice to build around. It all happens when I’m at home though, it’s a hobby that took over my life I guess.

How did you produce your debut Pink Dogs on the Green Grass? 

I recorded the songs at home on my laptop. I’ve been using an apogee ONE interface for my past 5 LPs/EPs so I’ve always been limited to one track at a time. Recording drums with one mic has always been a challenge but it sounds great when you get it right. 

What are some themes from your new album? 

I always do a lot of looking back and looking within when I write. I see creating music as a form of therapy, so out comes religion, movies, friends, parties, school, art, jokes and storytelling. I guess the theme would be me; all my music is very personal. 

You whittled 40 demo tracks down into the final album. How was that process? Did you find yourself combining melodies from different tracks to create completely new tracks? 

The hardest part of putting an album together is tracklisting. When I make an album, I like to have more than enough songs so I can lay it out perfectly. All the album cuts just turned out to be not as good as the songs on the album, but I still play the parts and they sometimes find their way into future songs, so no loss. With tracklisting, I just try to keep the album entertaining as a full listen. I spent months rearranging the songs before it was ready to be mastered. 

You also did the animated music videos for this project. What inspired the visuals?

Most inspiration comes from my dreams, throughout the process I would wake up with all the answers and quickly get to work before they disappeared. I also quit smoking after making the first video so I was going through a bit of hell haha.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Around the time I was writing this album I was really big into Tucker Zimmerman, The Byrds, Gene Clark, stuff like that. I've been a big fan of artists like Kurt Vile and Cass Mccombs though, they’re the current artists I look up to.

What do you want to achieve with your music? 

Besides just making good music, I would like to have it be my career. I'm really getting tired of working random jobs just to keep my rent paid, making music and art is my only real passion in life. Sometimes I see it as a curse, I couldn’t give it up even if I lost everything.

Are there any venues/stages you’re hoping to play one day? 

Not sure about specific stages and venues, but I really want to go to Hawaii; Australia would be really cool too, also around Asia. I think after this long Montreal winter I just want to go somewhere warm ASAP. 

It feels like there’s a plethora of synths on Pink Dogs on the Green Grass. Are there any specific ones you loved working with? 

I like using synths but I’m not a synth guy. I like stuff that's easy to use and has presets haha. I really love my Yamaha PSR 340 and Korg PS60 for having a good selection of premade sounds.

If music didn’t exist what do you think you would be doing now? 

That is a horrible thing to imagine, maybe I'd be a deep sea welder.

Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?

I’ve really only been listening to a lot of classic rock lately; Montreal has had a curfew for months now so me and Meag will have a few drinks and sing harmonies over the classics to keep our spirits up haha.

What else can we expect from you in 2021? Any more releases planned?

The question is what can we all expect from 2021?!?! maybe things will open up again and we can have some fun playing live shows. If I’m stuck at home you can expect more music and videos from me though!

Do you have any final life lessons or tips for our readers?

Quit smoking, don’t wait until you’re sick (I’m not sick but I imagine it would be horrible). Maybe try breathing through your nose more, I dont know, I’m looking for some live advice myself. Try to keep the things you love fun also. Don’t stress too hard.