“I'm hearing things all the time; I hear voices and sentences and melodies and breaking glass”
Een interview met Thomas Denver Jonsson – a loner, not a preacher.
door Wiebren RijkeboerDe Zweed Thomas Denver Jonsson maakte met Barely Touching It een van de mooiste platen van 2005. Jonsson blijkt niet alleen een geweldige songschrijver maar ook een makkelijke prater. De openingsvraag What Do You Want From Life? zette Jonssons spraakwaterval in werking. Vervolgvragen deden de rest en met behulp van wat schrapwerk is hier de weerslag van het Thomas Denver Jonsson-interview.
What I want from life? I think I first want to tell you a little about the town where I come from and where I'm living in again after some time on other places. It's a small factory town where you learn to live your life pretty much in a certain way. People are following the same pattern and people get stuck here all their lives. I think mostly of the people are really happy to live here, but I don't really fit in here. This town and the whole area here nearby is isolating itself very much from the rest. My home town is really alienating people into their homes and tv-sets. I can't deny I'm a part of it since I lived here for a very long time, but I'm getting hurt of it.
When I was 19 realized that I was starting to shut off my emotional life and I really needed to do some things in my life. I'm not saying that I needed to be a musician or a "rockstar!" or anything, but I do think it was a good thing for me to find a source to express myself 'cause I've always been thinking a lot to myself and I'm hearing things all the time; I hear voices and sentences and melodies and breaking glass. If you have too much voices in your head you'll need to ease the pressure. I learnt to play guitar and write songs quite late, I was 20. I'm 26 now. Poetry, music was the first thing I've done that I really loved to identify myself with and that was important for me as a kid with very low self confidence.
The music is a very important asset in my life. I really love it although it has it's darker sides too. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself and I'm never really satisfied in what I'm doing. I always feel that I could do things better and I'm actually never listening to my own music except when I'm forced to. The music is so important to me and I love it so much, but it also scares me to death.
I'm not expecting to be able to release records my whole life, but as long as I feel that every album says something new I'm going to keep on doing it. When I started doing music I had the goals to make like 30 albums, now I have the goal to make three, I have a dream to be able to make like 5 or 6. That would be great. You never know when inspiration ends. I have songs for a third album and some of them are among the best I've written this far and I'm very pleased with that. I will do a few of them on the upcoming shows.
Having said this, my biggest personal goals in life lies outside the music. I just think that I'd need some time as well to sort out some other things in my life. More or less, I have this feeling of guilt that I really want to get rid of and that's the most important thing. I think what I'm trying to say for an answer to this quite hard question is that I want to accept myself and I want to feel OK with what I'm doing. I also care for my girlfriend very much and my future with her are without doubts the single biggest dream in my life. So I guess I just want to feel happy as everyone and I'm definitely think I'm getting closer to that every year. I hope the answer makes some sense. I tried to be as honest and extensive as I could but it is a tricky question. I could've answered it just with "being more happy than sad". Yeah.How do you look upon growing up?
When I was a kid, I enjoyed being alone a lot. I still am. I've always been somewhat of a daydreamer and songwriting is definitely a kind of mature daydreaming. I've always needed a lot of space and time on my own. I've enjoyed growing up and see how life have changed with age. The childhood was good and safe, the teen ages were a little tricky of course. I felt that I needed to switch direction in life and I needed something to identify myself with, to be seen. But I think that's just a description of a common teenager. Later I did experienced some things that really was a wake-up call for me and that I'm still affected by. However, although I don't want to talk about that episode closer, I must say I have learned that some of the best experiences I've ever made has sprung out of dark times.You wrote you live again in the town where you come from. Where did you live inbetween and, more important, why did you move back?
This town Grums is a jar someone put over me. You have to understand that I lived here most of my life and I can't help being a part of this town, both in body or mind. I lived in Grums until I was about 20, then I moved a couple of years to different cities, such as Gothenburg, Motala and Karlstad. I moved back because I've moved together with the girl I was seeing at the time and I also had the band and the record company nearby. I simply felt that I had some records to do, that's very important to me and to be able to complete those the best way was to live here. I'm very dedicated to the recording work when we're making the albums. We've got a city nearby which always have been an air-pocket to breathe when Grums is feeling like choking you. However, no matter how convenient it would be, I can't stand the feeling of staying here. 'Cause I honestly don't belong here.By whom were you influenced most on music?
I'd like to mention Dylan along with The Beach Boys, Bonnie Billy and M Ward as early influences that was very important to me when I got serious about my music around 2001. For the melodies and the content. Emmylou Harris too, Emmylou is maybe the most important influence for my singing. Just ove her. This year, M Ward once again became my big hero. His new album "Transistor radio" is my favourite album of the year and one of the best all time. I like music that combines the dark and the bright. I think we had some black humour going on that really enriches Barely Touching It. I think music that's really touching me often offers a strange twist. I'm putting most of attention on the lyrics, but I think a lyric is wasted if it's not accompanied by a equal good melody. I'm writing about personal things and I'd like to be seen as an entertainer only and not a "preacher". No matter what I write about, the meaning of the songs are to give the listeners a good feeling.How did you come in a position to record albums?
I did my own recordings first and released four self-released EPs between summer 2001 and spring 2002. Later, I sent away a promo sampler to three or four record companies and got in touch with Kite Recordings. So all happened very fast, I got a record deal about half a year after I recorded my first self-released EP. Without going into details, my record company is paying all expenses for the recordings and releases.How where you able to form such a terrific backing band?
The history about forming The September Sunrise is also quite simple in fact. A series of lucky circumstances. First Kite's runners Carl Edlom and Tomas Lindberg, musicians themselves, wanted to put some support on the record and they've joined the band. Then after things made progress we got the feeling it lacked something. So Carl & Tomas appointed two more of their friends, Fredrik Wilde and Henric Strömberg. We're working very good together and we've become very good friends. They've made a significant impact on the recordings and they are even better live. I love both the band and the solo shows and I'm going to keep on doing both if possible.
Are you part of a music scene in Sweden? Which bands or artists do you relate to?
You have to remember that I come from and live in a little factory town in the woods. We don't have a scene here. Nationally however, I guess you can call it a small scene, we're some guys and girls struggling with this kind of music, folk, alt.country,singer/songwriter. Like Nicolai Dunger, Jose Gonzalez and Christian Kjellvander. So I guess I'm a little part of that scene.What amounts do you sell in your home country?
I don't have any exact figures. It's not extremely much, a couple of thousand, but it still is some people. Of course there are many people who are downloading the songs. I myself is a real album-junkie, I need to have original albums. I have no big problems with people downloading songs, but I hope they're considering buying it if they like it enough. If everyone should download the record, I wouldn’t be able to release new ones.How is the interest in your new cd in countries like the UK, the US and Germany?
The interest for my music is bigger outside Sweden and I've taken a big step and many contacts for every release. I think the right way for me to work is to build something from the ground instead of aiming for the stars. I think that's the way to build something solid in the end. I don't expect there will ever be a Denver-hype and that's not important. I think what I have to do is keep on struggling. I'm in the position now at least when I can tour on the album and I've got good reviews for both the albums and the EP and that's a good sign. I've got a real good feeling for the touring on Barely Touching It and I have an even better feeling when thinking of the material for the third album.What is your relation to The Netherlands?
Netherlands has without doubts a special place in my heart and I'm not saying that 'cause you're Dutch. I did my first tour outside Scandinavia in The Netherlands back in autumn 2004 and I got in touch with very much friendly and helpful people and promoters. I also had a great time when doing the tour, I was very inexperienced and insecure back then and it felt great to have booked such a tour on my own. I had a fantastic week even if I experienced some kind of breakdown when the pressure was leaving and the tour was done. I had put so much energy in it, it was no wonder that I was feeling very empty after the show at Take Root Festival. At times I'm thinking about the possibilities to maybe move to the Netherlands for some time. It would have been great. You've got such a friendly little country with great cheese! Great football team and beautiful scenery and architecture. Of course I've only been in Netherlands for a week all in all, but I got a very good impression. I'm looking forward very much to the solo tour this week and the band tour coming up in March.And last question: if you had to choose between your music and your girlfriend, what would your choice be?
Haha, I wonder if I dare to answer that question. Seriously, that's a very hypothetical question. I can't see what situation would demand that choice. Especially since one of the best things with our relationship is our mutual interest in music. We're actually starting a 7"-label together this spring. But if I had to choose, of course my girlfriend is more important than any music. It isn't more complicated than that...Thomas Denver Jonsson treedt tweemaal – solo – op tijdens het Eurosonic Muziekfestival.
Een recensie van zijn laatste cd vind je hierrr.
