Ahead of his EP PsychIdyllic Salutations, Jon Bryant has emerged as a powerful indie-folk artist who is bound to achieve immense success. Beyond The Stage sat down with Bryant to discuss his recent music, songwriting process and more. Read on to find out more about the musician.
How and when did you get your start in music?
“I got my start in music quite young. I was a church kid and the son of a gospel singer, so I was surrounded by music 24/7. I began playing piano at age 5, and guitar at 13. Fast forward to post-high school when I started writing music and performing at every open mic and venue that would take me. From burlesque intermissions to church fundraisers, it didn’t matter to me. Any crowd was a good crowd.”
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to it before?
“Something in the vein of Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver and City and Colour. Indie-folk with a touch of psychedelic pop.”
What do you want new listeners to know about Jon Bryant?
“That even though he puts his blood, sweat and tears into his music, he has a love-hate relationship with it…and that his favorite show is Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Your lyrics tend to encourage listeners to be persistent and never give up. Is this a message that you live by?
“Absolutely. That’s how I’ve been able to make music for the better part of 12 years without taking a side job. Music is a total grind with incredibly euphoric highs and many deep dark valleys of disappointment and letdowns. If I didn’t believe in myself and possess this stubborn as hell, can-do attitude, I’d have made like Vanilla Ice and become a real estate agent by now.”
In September, your single “Lightspeed” came out. What inspired that song?
“The changes that occur in relationships, especially mature relationships, that blindside us. One minute we love the speed, the next minute we want to slow down because it’s become something we don’t recognize and can’t control. There’s a fine line between stability and chaos.”
Your new single “Seafoam Green Apartment” was released on Friday, October 15. What do you want fans to know about this song?
“I’d like fans to know that it made me cry the first time I heard it. Like for a good solid hour. I guess I needed something to help unleash some pent-up tears…oh and that the video got 520k views in the first week. Way more than YouTube usually does.”
Do you have a favorite line from the song?
“‘I want you underneath my nails.’ That image evokes so much for me.”
What is your typical songwriting process like?
“My process is pretty simple. I usually start humming melodies to some chords on a piano/guitar and, eventually, from the gibberish comes a discernible idea or lyrics that I latch on to. The real challenge for me is letting go of ideas when they’re not quite working. My attempts to fix the problem can take time and energy. Sometimes it’s best to start over.”
Your new EP, PsychIdyllic Salutations, is set to release on November 26. What are you most excited for people to hear on the EP?
“Well at this point, we’ve released every song except for one. So, I guess, the last remaining song “Familiar Sound.” It’s one of my personal favorites from the EP.”
How long have you been working on this EP?
“I started working on this EP back in November of last year. It was all done remotely working with producers in LA and Nashville.”
How is this EP different from your last one?
“This EP is quite a bit bigger in production than the last and leans very much in a pop direction. It was a venture away from my acoustic/chill folk roots and was a lot of fun to write/create. The songs in PsychIdyllic Salutations are some of my favorite songs of mine so far.”
What musical project are you most proud of? Why?
“I would have to say Cult Classic and Twenty Something. In my opinion, they’re the most cohesive and thematic collections of music I’ve made so far.”
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
“St. Vincent, Gerry Rafferty, D’Angelo, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Khruangbin, Enya, The National”
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
“Ya, sometimes. This last week it was Whitney Houston…”
As the year is starting to wrap up, is there anything else we can expect to see from you?
“I’ll be releasing some remixes after the EP is out. Then in the new year, I’ll start to release another 4 songs. Then in the spring, I will carve out a few months to create what will be my most ambitious album to date.”
Bryant’s commitment to his music leads us to be very excited about what’s to come. We can tell that his upcoming EP will be a success and encourage you to take a listen when it’s out on November 26th. We know we’ll be.
Stream “Seafoam Green Apartment” here.
Follow Jon Bryant on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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