In
Conversation with
�
Rena Jones �
May
2007
A
little background:
I had somebody ask me the other day how do I keep going
With all of these interviews I constantly pour on for �Setting Sun�
Month in, month out for just over 4 years now which has now
Included something like 90 odd interviews now.
I must admit I cannot remember the first part of my answer,
But the second part of my answer involved simply I enjoy
Discovering new music and 90 odd interviews later, my
Passion for this still carries on.
Latest person to be interviewed by �Setting Sun�
Discovered through my trawls on myspace.com is Portland
Based �Rena Jones� whose third and most release album
�Driftwood� is described on her myspace.com page
�weaving cello, violin, woodwinds, electronics and rhodes
through unique instrumentation. �Driftwood� was
given the honor of the sixth most essential album of 2006
on
NPR Echoes Radio. She has also released several tracks
with such reputable international labels as Iboga, Spun
Records,
Aleph Zero and Native State Records.�
Although Rena�s music is certainly �Down-tempo / Ambient / IDM
As described on her
myspace.com it is certainly music for fans
For �The Aphex
Twin� (in his more listenable mood), Boards of
Canada, Brian Eno,
Tortoise, Sigur Ros but if I�m honest
Goes completely
beyond electronical / post rock music �
Giving it a vibe
that I feel is rarely seen in music.
For more
information on Rena � please visit her on her
Page on myspace.com
which can be found at:
Many thanks to Rena for the interview.
Regards
Andy N x
Setting Sun:
How are things and what�s happening at the moment?
Rena Jones:
Well I must say it has been a long winter. I just moved from
San Francisco, CA up the coast to Portland, OR. and the winters
are much longer here. It's been good though, I have just finished
building my new studio including a new computer and many
more instruments added to the mix and plan to dive in deep soon
to work on the next album, an E.P. and a few smaller
collaborations which will all hopefully be done this year. I also
have an extremely full summer of shows around the US, Canada
and the UK.
Setting Sun:
Next can you tell us a little bit about the history
of your music etc � i.e. � who fired the starting
pistol etc?
Rena Jones:
Well, my history with music goes further back than I can
remember. My family started me with piano and violin lessons
when I was very young.
When I was in my teens, I started playing with other musicians
in various bands and did that for about a decade before I
went solo.
As far as my solo works, I have been doodling around on 4 tracks
and 8 tracks for several years before I got a computer and
began an apprenticeship at a large recording studio in the \
mid 90's and eventually got a Bachelors in Sound in San Francisco
years later. After completing my degree in sound I was very
excited about putting a record out and playing out live. My first live
solo show was based around a few compositions I did for a dance
troupe in San Francisco. I didn't really have the nerve to perform my
works out live until I started working with the dance troupe and
then the rest from there was just history I guess.
Setting Sun:
Musicwise, what are your influences and what are
you listening to at the moment?
Rena Jones:
I have so many influences it's hard to name them all but
here's a stab...
Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Mum, Efterklang, Air,
Murcof, Tipper, Bluetech, Talvin Singh, Telfon Telaviv,
Amin Tobin, Shpongle, Lamb, Boards of Canada,
Mr. Projectile, Plaid, Autechre, Lemon Jelly, Aphex Twin,
Jaga Jazzist, Lusine, Helios, Tortoise, DJ Shadow,
Richard Devine, Colleen, The Leaf Label, Ninja Tune,
Marconi Union, Sigur Ros, Radio Head, Mark Deutsch,
Deaf Center, Steve Reich, Dimitri Shastacovich, Kruder
and Dorfmeister, Tosca, Goldfrapp.
As far as what I am listening to now, I turn off the radio
and my ipod when I start a new album. I find that I am too
influenced by other people's music. I tend to get really
excited about new music when I am done with an
album and spend about 6 months listening to everything
I can and then I turn off the stereo and listen to my inner
radio...
Though I will say my favorite album of the year so far is
Trent Moeller's "The Last Resort" and the new Amin Tobin album.
yum yum yum...
Setting Sun:
Have being
listening to your tracks on myspace.com
recently. I think my favorite track so far (anyhow)
has being �Driftwood� � Can you tell us a little bit
more about this track also?
Rena Jones:
Driftwood is the title track of the album. It is the only track
on the album that has a guest musician. I was lucky to have
Laura Scarborough grace this track with her amazing skills
on the Wurlitzer.
Honestly, this was the first track that formed the whole
concept of the album for me. I knew that I wanted to
have this album feature woodwinds, Rhodes and strings
but this song came out so fluid and clear that it made all
of my previous concepts of the record just click.
I finished the track in just over a day and from there on I had a
clear vision of what I wanted for the entire album and ran with
that concept from then on.
Setting Sun:
Am also interested to see you have worked with
dance troupes such as �Dance Mission� and video games
and even films such as �Boom the Sound of Eviction�?
Can you tell us a little bit about how your approach
changes when doing things for different mediums in
contrast to your solo stuff?
Rena Jones:
Well that depends on the project. Syncing to picture can be very
difficult and it tends to be a more technical and precise side
of writing but I enjoy the challenge.
The work I have done with dance troupes was interesting
because it was based on a series of movements that they had
planed out and then I would video tape them, take it to
my studio and write music based on their movements.
The games were very brief clips of audio 1-2 mins at the
most so the challenge there was creating a hook and an
entire story line of a song in 1 minute.
Each one of these experiences has been totally different
and challenging but I appreciate these experiences the most.
I hope that these experiences are just the beginning and I
can work on a larger scale with future projects.
Setting Sun:
Also cool to see you play concerts / gigs/ How do
these vary from your recordings? Is their one you
prefer over the other?
Rena Jones:
I love them both. I feel like they fuel each other.
The studio can get very lonely and overwhelming at
times but so can the road. I often feel like the shows
are mini vacations that I get to do in between studio
projects.
I do think my shows are a bit more lively than the
recordings. I tend to play more in depth parts on the strings
live and I tend to take more risks live than I would in the
studio. Also from time to time I have an amazing
percussionist Jamie Janover play with me when we can
make our busy schedules work together.
I am also planning on working with a VJ from Canada and having
the visuals tied to the music. It may not be until the fall time that
we will be able to showcase that part of the show though.
Setting Sun:
What�s next for yourself? Do you have any more
recordings / projects / gigs planned?
Rena Jones:
Well like I mentioned, I am about to dive deep into the new
album, there's an amazing video coming out that was made
by the super talented artist Phidelity, I have about three tracks
coming out this summer on Alpeh Zero, Iboga/Sofa Beats
and Spun records. I am working on a few random collaborations
with different artists and I also have an E.P. that I am working
on that is a little more geared towards the dance floor and a
nice little summer tour for the US, Canada and the UK. I think I
may be able to find sleep in there somewhere, wish me
luck.... ;)
Setting Sun:
A few more light hearted questions to finish off
with, first of all what would your ideal job if you
were not a rock and roll star?
Rena Jones:
Uh, job? You mean 9-5? hehe...
No really, it's hard to say. My last two jobs I thought would be
dream jobs. I worked in a beautiful studio as a Sr. Sound Engineer
and after that I was a testing engineer for Protools software.
One would think that those jobs would be great but in the end
I have to say I am very disenchanted with America's corporate
structure and how employees are treated.
To answer the question I am not really sure but I know that
I prefer to work for myself and make my own hours. I guess I
would have to say doing what I am doing now but having bigger
and higher paying commissions for film, games, etc...
Setting Sun:
Seem to recall you are from Portland, Oregon -
What�s the music scene like over there? Have you being
to any good gigs recently?
Rena Jones:
Portland is a nice town. There are several artists here who
have retreated from the big city life (LA, NYC, SF) and
settled here. It's a perfect town for an artist. There is
also a nice community of people dedicated to bringing
good electronic music. Just recently Plaid came for a few
shows here and I was lucky enough to be the supporting
artist for them.
Last month, Air and The Books played and it seems
there is a steady flow of artists coming through here which
is nice.
The music scene is pretty nice here I must say, small but nice.
There are several indie lables and a wide variety of music as
well. There's just enough going on here that I don't get bored
but it's slow enough that I can retreat and relax when needed
which was always a challenge in San Francisco.
Setting Sun:
What would you like to be doing when you are 60?
Rena Jones:
Who knows, I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that
I just turned 30 last week. I have to say this lifestyle is very
tough and not very sustaining. I am sure I will always
play music though. It's such a deep part of who I am.
Setting Sun:
Lastly, what will you be doing when you are 60?
Rena Jones:
Hopefully sipping on a Martini on a tropical beach.....