Post by blade on Feb 7, 2018 8:40:32 GMT
Source:
theseventhhex.com/post/170417757965/juanita-stein-interview
Text:
Juanita Stein Interview
2nd February 2018
Photo by Rob Loud
She’s seen the world Americanize, gentrify and divide like a broken heart during a decade of touring the globe with her band Howling Bells, now Juanita Stein returns with her first solo collection of songs about a pre-apocalyptic America. This isn’t the America of goofy teen movies, Twinkies and Trump. It’s that shattered dreamland Hunter S. Thompson went looking for… It’s somewhere beyond the pines of Twin Peaks at a crossroads where Badlands met Paris, Texas. A dustball in a once great land, reimagined whilst daydreaming as the towns and plains filtered through the grainy dirt. These are songs from a dark-hearted country, where the lights of Nashville twinkle in the distance as the siren song leads you into the eternal night… We talk to Juanita about nostalgia, touring with The Killers and downtime in Brighton…
TSH: Knowing that being musically curious has allowed you to venture outside of our limitations with your album ‘America’. How do you feel in the wake of this release?
Juanita: I would say any kind of exploration is very liberating and that’s how it feels for me. It feels even more rewarding when you’re not that aware yourself of how desperately you need to explore outside of your comfort zone. It’s only once you’ve done the exploring that you find out how necessary it was.
TSH: Also, each song kind of dawned on you afterwards that they were in some capacity about America culturally. Was the afterthought of your subject matter satisfying for you?
Juanita: Yeah, it was very much a free-flowing recognition that felt very rewarding for me. The record in some subconscious form became about my utter fascination with the country of America. I was happy to be able to have so much imagery to draw from.
TSH: The surroundings that came to mind for you included wider open spaces, the desert air, the open American roads…
Juanita: Oh, it was all of those things and more. The surroundings of various American locations were a huge influence on the album, whether they were tropical or desert landscapes. I was also very much influenced by America’s political and historical history too. It felt so cool to find an endlessly fascinating well of resource and influence to find inspiration from.
TSH: How proud were you of the writing process that you put yourself through with this album?
Juanita: I was so proud of myself and proud of how my process played out in the time I spent making this album. I’m very eager to do it all again straightaway. Once I got a whiff of this creativity, I felt very encouraged.
TSH: What’s the basic foundation for a track like ‘Stargazer’?
Juanita: The writing process was very organic for me with this song, it came about very quickly. I didn’t really labour over the song at all, which was the case for most of the album actually. This song consisted of an instinctive process and only occasionally would I fight against the tide, but I tended not to get sucked in.
TSH: What does ‘Not Paradise’ signify to you?
Juanita: This song takes me back to when it was made. I remember that one was written on the piano. I’m not a piano player but occasionally I do write on the piano. I feel that this track was a little bit more aggressive in the initial stages, compared to the final result. To me, it’s a very delicate number.
TSH: Are you still the type of individual that’s not attracted to futuristic elements, instead nostalgia is something you lean towards?
Juanita: Yeah, I just prefer how things were back in the day I guess. However, I am realistic, but I’m also nostalgic. I’m naturally drawn to age, history and the past. I suppose there’s a level of fear and uncertainty with our future, especially the future we’re facing at this time. I’m not attracted to how life is looking like - it may pan out ok, but, right now, it seems like a bleak future. So yeah, I feel that there is a lot of romanticism and comfort in the past. However, I’m not the type of person that scours over Austin novels or Shakespeare - my romanticism with the past is to do with the revolution of the 60s and 70s, as well as intellectual awakening and the women’s movement. I find all of these things powerful and inspiring.
TSH: With the fast evolving world of technology at the forefront of everything nowadays, does it feel like information overload for you at times?
Juanita: Yeah, it does. You know, I think that I’m no different to anybody else and I definitely find it all overwhelming with this information era. I’m a grunge baby so I was kind of caught in between the technological explosion; we didn’t have computers in school, but my kids will have them. This digital era is overwhelming and it’s not something that I’m settled with, because it hasn’t been around long enough. Nonetheless, I’m fascinated by it and I’m very eager to learn about it.
TSH: What was it like to tour with The Killers once again?
Juanita: Yeah, it was a great tour and I was so pleased that I got to acquire new fans from The Killers crowds. When you open for such a huge act you hope that their fans find some element of your music and your presence that they can connect with. Touring with a mammoth band like The Killers is always an eye-opening and fun experience.
TSH: How do you opt to spend your spare time in Brighton?
Juanita: Spending time with my daughter and family is super important to me, especially when you’re on tour so much. Obviously I love being in the water in my spare time too. There are a lot of big nature reserves near where we live and I like going to those places too. Overall, I mostly like how Brighton is very community driven, there’s a lot of art, music and food scenes around that are very exciting.
TSH: Your anniversary with your husband falls around Christmas time, does this result in an extra jovial and blissful period for you each year?
Juanita: Haha! You’ve done your research. Well, everyone is having so much bliss and harmony at that time of the year and it’s a little extra special for me because of my anniversary. It’s definitely one of my favourite times of the year.
TSH: Does the notion of offering variety and changing the conversation define your direction as you look ahead?
Juanita: Yes, absolutely. I’ve actually kind of shocked myself with how quickly I’ve made new music. I’ve sat, recorded and completed so much music now. I’m actually sitting on a finished new record, and I’m looking to release it maybe midway this year, so it’s all really positive. I’ve had some great experiences with my recent musical directions and I will definitely be changing the conversation and aiming for a slightly different musical direction with my next release.
theseventhhex.com/post/170417757965/juanita-stein-interview
Text:
Juanita Stein Interview
2nd February 2018
Photo by Rob Loud
She’s seen the world Americanize, gentrify and divide like a broken heart during a decade of touring the globe with her band Howling Bells, now Juanita Stein returns with her first solo collection of songs about a pre-apocalyptic America. This isn’t the America of goofy teen movies, Twinkies and Trump. It’s that shattered dreamland Hunter S. Thompson went looking for… It’s somewhere beyond the pines of Twin Peaks at a crossroads where Badlands met Paris, Texas. A dustball in a once great land, reimagined whilst daydreaming as the towns and plains filtered through the grainy dirt. These are songs from a dark-hearted country, where the lights of Nashville twinkle in the distance as the siren song leads you into the eternal night… We talk to Juanita about nostalgia, touring with The Killers and downtime in Brighton…
TSH: Knowing that being musically curious has allowed you to venture outside of our limitations with your album ‘America’. How do you feel in the wake of this release?
Juanita: I would say any kind of exploration is very liberating and that’s how it feels for me. It feels even more rewarding when you’re not that aware yourself of how desperately you need to explore outside of your comfort zone. It’s only once you’ve done the exploring that you find out how necessary it was.
TSH: Also, each song kind of dawned on you afterwards that they were in some capacity about America culturally. Was the afterthought of your subject matter satisfying for you?
Juanita: Yeah, it was very much a free-flowing recognition that felt very rewarding for me. The record in some subconscious form became about my utter fascination with the country of America. I was happy to be able to have so much imagery to draw from.
TSH: The surroundings that came to mind for you included wider open spaces, the desert air, the open American roads…
Juanita: Oh, it was all of those things and more. The surroundings of various American locations were a huge influence on the album, whether they were tropical or desert landscapes. I was also very much influenced by America’s political and historical history too. It felt so cool to find an endlessly fascinating well of resource and influence to find inspiration from.
TSH: How proud were you of the writing process that you put yourself through with this album?
Juanita: I was so proud of myself and proud of how my process played out in the time I spent making this album. I’m very eager to do it all again straightaway. Once I got a whiff of this creativity, I felt very encouraged.
TSH: What’s the basic foundation for a track like ‘Stargazer’?
Juanita: The writing process was very organic for me with this song, it came about very quickly. I didn’t really labour over the song at all, which was the case for most of the album actually. This song consisted of an instinctive process and only occasionally would I fight against the tide, but I tended not to get sucked in.
TSH: What does ‘Not Paradise’ signify to you?
Juanita: This song takes me back to when it was made. I remember that one was written on the piano. I’m not a piano player but occasionally I do write on the piano. I feel that this track was a little bit more aggressive in the initial stages, compared to the final result. To me, it’s a very delicate number.
TSH: Are you still the type of individual that’s not attracted to futuristic elements, instead nostalgia is something you lean towards?
Juanita: Yeah, I just prefer how things were back in the day I guess. However, I am realistic, but I’m also nostalgic. I’m naturally drawn to age, history and the past. I suppose there’s a level of fear and uncertainty with our future, especially the future we’re facing at this time. I’m not attracted to how life is looking like - it may pan out ok, but, right now, it seems like a bleak future. So yeah, I feel that there is a lot of romanticism and comfort in the past. However, I’m not the type of person that scours over Austin novels or Shakespeare - my romanticism with the past is to do with the revolution of the 60s and 70s, as well as intellectual awakening and the women’s movement. I find all of these things powerful and inspiring.
TSH: With the fast evolving world of technology at the forefront of everything nowadays, does it feel like information overload for you at times?
Juanita: Yeah, it does. You know, I think that I’m no different to anybody else and I definitely find it all overwhelming with this information era. I’m a grunge baby so I was kind of caught in between the technological explosion; we didn’t have computers in school, but my kids will have them. This digital era is overwhelming and it’s not something that I’m settled with, because it hasn’t been around long enough. Nonetheless, I’m fascinated by it and I’m very eager to learn about it.
TSH: What was it like to tour with The Killers once again?
Juanita: Yeah, it was a great tour and I was so pleased that I got to acquire new fans from The Killers crowds. When you open for such a huge act you hope that their fans find some element of your music and your presence that they can connect with. Touring with a mammoth band like The Killers is always an eye-opening and fun experience.
TSH: How do you opt to spend your spare time in Brighton?
Juanita: Spending time with my daughter and family is super important to me, especially when you’re on tour so much. Obviously I love being in the water in my spare time too. There are a lot of big nature reserves near where we live and I like going to those places too. Overall, I mostly like how Brighton is very community driven, there’s a lot of art, music and food scenes around that are very exciting.
TSH: Your anniversary with your husband falls around Christmas time, does this result in an extra jovial and blissful period for you each year?
Juanita: Haha! You’ve done your research. Well, everyone is having so much bliss and harmony at that time of the year and it’s a little extra special for me because of my anniversary. It’s definitely one of my favourite times of the year.
TSH: Does the notion of offering variety and changing the conversation define your direction as you look ahead?
Juanita: Yes, absolutely. I’ve actually kind of shocked myself with how quickly I’ve made new music. I’ve sat, recorded and completed so much music now. I’m actually sitting on a finished new record, and I’m looking to release it maybe midway this year, so it’s all really positive. I’ve had some great experiences with my recent musical directions and I will definitely be changing the conversation and aiming for a slightly different musical direction with my next release.