An Interview with Jonathan Nicholson

Download the songs "Chasing the Moon" and "Emerald" (right-click and "save as") by Jonathan Nicholson!

IC: For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music?

Jon: Introspective, Emotional, Subtle, and very Delicate. I guess I would like to think that it is music that’s more about beauty and emotional balance, rather than technique or flash.

IC: It's very beautiful to me... the sort of music where you can find meaning in every note.

... What inspired you to play the guitar, and how old were you when you first started?

Jon: I had several friends when I was 15 that were picking up the guitar, and at that point I was noodling on the keyboard quite a bit. I was really into transcribing video game music over to keyboard. Then one day one of my friends asked if I would like to play his guitar, and it was a feeling that I had never felt before… I still get it every time I play. But I’ll never forget that first time; it was like I had just drawn breath for the first time.

My first guitar was a Texarcana that my parents were kind enough to buy at a pawn shop. It was very stiff and very difficult to play, but I loved it dearly. I think that because it was such an obstinate instrument, it only helped my development, stamina and determination in the long run.

IC: I've heard of that before.  I think steel-string acoustic virtuoso Don Ross developed his strong style of playing in part because his first guitar was so tough to play - it promoted a lot of finger strength.

So who were your initial influences?

Jon: I grew up listening to a heavy mixture of 70’s and 80’s rock and New Wave. Kiss was the first group that made me fall in love with music. And then, as a young teen, I heard The Cure and I fell in love with their textures. “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” and “Disintegration” were two incredibly influential albums for me. Peter Murphy’s (the singer of the Bauhaus) “Deep” album was also something I would put on for hours on end. I loved the atmosphere, the storytelling… I still think that album is pure genius. I’ve always been a big Depeche Mode fan; so I would have to list “Violator” as an influence as well.

As you can tell, there isn’t a whole lot of acoustic guitar music that I listened to! However, there is an instrumentalist that really helped me understand what I was subconsciously trying to do, and that is Patrick Ball (he’s a Celtic Harpist). A friend of mine took me to a concert of his at a very pivotal time (I had actually quit playing guitar for several months!), and I went home that evening and played for about 6 hours straight. Never had I been part of such a magical evening. Between his grace with the harp and his skill as a storyteller, I felt that I needed to continue… and that what I had started doing musically truly had value, even if no one else at the time understood it. He truly saved my life that night. I eventually emailed him and told him the story, and thanked him profusely.

I also listen to a lot of pianists now (David Lanz, George Winston and Phil Aaberg being the major three), but I’ve also fallen for the music of Hugh Marsh (a mind-blowing electric violinist). As far as guitarists go, I’ve really come to appreciate and love Will Ackerman’s music. My wife and I both think that he must have the most beautiful heart, because of the music he composes. I think so many people are so focused on technique, that they lose sight of what an amazing composer that guy really is. His music makes my heart sing.

IC: Wow, I'll have to check him out!

Okay, what led you to play instrumental music?

Jon: I truly don’t know! When I started composing about a month after I picked up the guitar, I just naturally leaned toward instrumental pieces. I didn’t know for many years that there were other guitarists doing that; I just was never exposed to it. That’s not entirely true; I heard the song “Dee” by Ozzy Osbourne’s late guitarist Randy Rhoads, and I think I was in shock for about an hour or two. It just floored me. But as far as I was concerned, these were very isolated side projects or filler for albums, and I wanted to do more than that. Those little interludes and oddities were always my favorite parts of the albums I loved, and I wanted to pursue the feeling of making those types of pieces more important. To me that’s were the genius appeared with my favorite artists; in their quietest moments.

IC: Could you tell our reads a little bit about your previous releases?

Jon: Well, the first album “Calliope’s Burden” came out in 1999 and was a demo that was never meant to be released. I’m a terrible engineer and have learned to work with sound engineers that understand my perspective and can portray it better than I can on my own. This was meant to give to venues as a sample of what I do, to try and get performances. The cool thing was that several owners of these places were so very supportive, and had told me that if I could put the songs on a CD (no matter how poor the sound quality), that they would purchase for themselves, and help me sell them! And that’s what happened. My dear friend Sam Smith drew what would become the cover when I was performing at an open mic years before, and I felt it was so fitting… Calliope’s Burden was also the stage name I was using, and would end up using up until about a year after my 3rd album came out, and then I started going under my real name. One of my favorite compositions “Chasing The Moon” ended up on this album, and I still am asked to perform it at almost every show.

“Beautiful Dreams” came out in 2000 and was a B-Side collection of music that I had also recorded around the time of the 1st album, but none of the songs seemed to fit. Once again, I didn’t plan on releasing it due to the terrible sound quality, but I was asked once again to release the material locally, and I did. An interesting note: the first song I ever wrote, naively titled “In Our Youth” (I wrote it when I was 15) appeared on this CD.

My 3rd album “90 Days” was released in 2002. This was 19 songs, and was written when my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife) was studying in France for 3 months (hence the name 90 Days). I hired an engineer, and the sound was a lot better, but not quite what I wanted.

“Sojourn” was released in 2004, and was an amazing experience. I was in an amazing recording studio, and the whole process was a fantastic one. Some of my favorite compositions were written for this album, “Emerald” and “The Night The Light Went Out” being the first two that come to mind. This has probably become my favorite I’ve released so far, until the new one comes out.

“Calliope’s End” came out in 2006, and was a chance for me to re-release my favorites from the first 3 albums (the Calliope’s Burden years), and give these pieces a chance to live again. It was very important that I was in the right studio so that these songs could be captured the way they were meant to be, instead of by my feeble recording efforts years before. I was also rewrote several of the songs to reflect where I’m coming from now, as opposed to just rehashing the past. The whole experience was wonderful; and I feel like we really did a great job bringing these songs to life. “Chasing The Moon” reappeared, and finally sounded the way it always should have.

IC: It's a great song; thanks for letting us make it available for download!  What projects are you working on currently?

Jon: I’m currently in the midst of my new album “Whispers”. I feel that this is the most important thing I’ve ever done musically. I love every single song deeply, and I think I’ve been growing quite a bit the last few years as an artist, and these pieces reflect this growth. This is a theme album… a modern-fairytale and love story set in a fantasy setting… through someone’s overly idealistic and skewed mind. It also is a mix of pure solo acoustic guitar, along with other pieces that feature collaborations with vocalists, keyboardists, percussion, etc. I’m very excited about it.

IC: Cool, let me know when it's out!

Could you tell us a little about your guitars? Do you have a favorite brand or luthier?

Jon: I love Taylors. My main guitar is a Taylor 510 that I’ve had for about a decade. I have a very deep connection with that guitar. I just picked up an A & L 6-string. I really love the contrast in tone. Let’s see… I also have a beautiful new Taylor 12-string that I just can’t put down, as well as 12-strings by Washburn and Alvarez. I also have a 25+ year-old Gibson Classical guitar that my wife gave to me. It’s an absolutely exquisite instrument. Mostly, I’m definitely a Taylor guy. I do love the sound of a good Lowden, though.

IC: What other gear do you use (do you endorse any companies)? And what kind of tone do you strive for?

Jon: No endorsements yet, but that’s my publicist and manager’s plan for this year! I only use Elixir Polyweb strings for my 6 and 12-strings. There is no sound or feeling quite like Elixirs. I just adore them. As for gear, I use a lot of L.R. Bagg’s pickups (the I-Beam in my Taylor 510 and in my classical), and I also have their GigPro Preamp that I use to refine my tone that extra little bit. I’ve also been very impressed with the pickup that Taylor has designed, and which is installed in my Taylor 12. It just brings it to life. Other than that, I use a lot of different speakers, but I do plug in a Digitech Digital Delay pedal for just a hint of presence. A little bit goes a long way, and subtlety is a sacred sword for me.

My tone is all about striving for subtlety, texture, and flow. Nothing too harsh, just very flowing, almost like a dance. I’m very particular about this; I really believe in trying to get the natural nuances of the instrument out in the best possible way, and bringing the softness of the wood out. There’s a lot of dynamic range available on an acoustic guitar, and I believe in taking advantage of that range with subtlety, so that listener is taken for a smooth journey with its ups and downs, but not in a jarring sort of way. To help achieve this, I use my fingertips instead of nails.

IC: What instructional material did you use to help develop our technique when you were younger? Did you have any favorite instructional books or videos, or a teacher?

Jon: I’m actually entirely self-taught, so most of what I’ve learned has come from reading those Mel Bay beginning guitar books early on, and just playing and experimenting as much as I can.

IC: How much time do you spend practicing and playing nowadays, and how does that compare with your practice schedule when you were younger?

Jon: When I first fell in love with the guitar I would literally play until my fingers bled, then tape up my fingers, and play some more! My parents thought that I was crazy. I would get home, finish my homework as quickly as I could, and then spend the next 4-5 hours playing non-stop. Every time my friends came over I would still have the guitar in my hands, and I just couldn’t stop playing.

I probably still play a minimum of 2 hours a day, but if there’s something that needs to get out, I won’t sleep until it does. There are many nights that I’ll begin playing early on, and then play through until I see the sun rise.

IC: Could you describe how you typically go about practicing?

Jon: I just feel a pull deep inside of me, and know that it’s time to play. I never have anything planned out; it’s just usually me in a quiet space letting it all go.

IC: Are you a guitar instructor as well as a musician?

Jon: No, I don’t have the passion for teaching that I do for composing and performing. I have taught, and felt I was doing my students a huge disservice, since I just wanted to play, write and jam the entire time.

IC: Have you previously released any instructional material, and do you have anything planned in that department?

Jon: No, but I have been asked to release songbooks and transcriptions of my material, so I am currently exploring those options.

IC: I know this is kind of a though question to answer, but what is your creative process like, and what inspires your songwriting?

Jon: Songwriting is a very involved process for me, and very emotionally draining. Sometimes pieces come out of nowhere as an improv, sometimes something inside is trying to tell me something and I need to let it in its own time. There are some songs that I will rewrite over and over, and others that are completely done the first time I play them.

When I write and perform, I typically see a lot of imagery and color in my mind, and I sometimes tend to almost lose track of my surroundings. It’s almost as if I’m transported somewhere else. It’s a very pervasive and overwhelming series of feelings that fills me, when it’s finished I am drained, or energized (or both).

Also, there’s a very important tactile element. With the tunings I use and the chords or notes that my come out, there’s a physical connection. I taught a good friend of mine how to play one of my songs, and he told me how good it felt to play, and that the fingering itself was enjoyable and flowed with the song.

Usually personal events are the basis for my songwriting (especially my lovely wife), but also the vivid dreams that I tend to have make their way into my songs quite a bit.

(Jonathan live in Spokane, 2007 - Photo by Penny Nelson)

IC: Do you listen to your own music for personal enjoyment very much?

Jon: It’s very hard for me to listen to a recorded piece of mine, because I tend to pick apart the recording or a split second of a performance and lose sight of what’s important: the song. Plus, for me there’s the whole experience of me playing the piece at that moment that just isn’t there. It’s why I love performing so much.

IC: How important a factor is improvisation in your music?

Jon: Improvisation is a huge factor. “Just A Little Bit” from the Sojourn album was an improv from beginning to end, and was written on the spot. Also, I feel that music is very organic, and doesn’t need or want to always be the same. If a song feels different one evening, then it needs to change. People change and evolve over time, and I feel that their art needs to as well.

I’ve actually performed 2 hour performances that have been nothing but improvisation, because I wasn’t feeling that certain songs just didn’t feel like being played. They were amazing nights for me.

Nights like that are rare, but I do always have a point in the evening where I improve for a song or two, just to connect into the energy around me.

IC: Do you have a favorite song of yours to play live, and do you perform any covers?

Jon: I do not play any covers; it’s a steadfast rule of mine. I do have several favorites of mine, though. “Emerald”, “Chasing the Moon”, and several others top my list. There are several off of the new CD I’m working on that I just love performing. In fact, the new song “From Across the Room” may be my favorite song I’ve ever written, and it’s an absolute joy to play live, as is a new piece called “Musing in the Shadow of the Unexpected.

IC: Is there anyone you'd especially like to play or collaborate with someday?

Jon: Sure! I would love to write and perform with Will Ackerman, Robert Smith of The Cure, the New Age pianist David Lanz, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Hugh Marsh, and Loreena McKennitt to name a few…

IC: Since this is an instrumental guitar website, what instrumental albums have you heard recently, and which are your all-time favorites?

Jon: “Returning” by Will Ackerman is an absolutely fantastic guitar album. This next one is not a guitar album, but “Fiona” by Patrick Ball is one of the best instrumental albums I’ve ever heard, and features my favorite song of all time, which is his rendition of Carolan’s Cup. It’s so heart-rending and beautiful. Anything Pierre Bensusan releases is always a joy to listen to, and I’m starting to listen to a little bit of Andy McKee’s music.

IC: Andy's stuff is great, as is everything I've heard from Bensusan. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Jon: I think the most important thing is to find your own musical voice, and to not focus so much on technique. I compare music to painting; technique helps make up the colors in your musical palette and is very important, but by itself it means nothing. So many people focus on what’s in the palette rather than the picture itself…

IC: What are your musical aspirations?

Jon: To write songs that move people, and let the music be as personal to them as it is to me. I write music for people to enjoy, not just for other guitarists to dissect. I always want to improve my craft, and to continue to be a learner!

IC: Are there any guitarists who you still look up to?

Jon: Quite a few! Alex DeGrassi, Will Ackerman, Michael Millham (a friend of mine and huge inspiration), Don Kush (another friend and amazing talent), and Pierre Bensusan.

IC: I keep hearing about DeGrassi, so I guess I'll have to check his music out! 

What non-guitar oriented music do you listen to?

Jon: I still love The Cure, but I find myself listening to the Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard’s solo work quite a bit. Also, Fleetwood Mac is a mainstay on my stereo. Anything Loreena McKennitt releases is always on my stereo as well. Also, I really like the band Mae. I think these guys are amazing and have so much talent and heart.

IC: If you could visit any musician or group in history, who would it be?

Jon: The Celtic Harpist Turlough O’Carolan would be at the top of the list. His music just fills me with wonder… and I would love to travel the countryside with him, and play music for all of the right reasons.

IC: Do you still play any other instruments besides guitar?

Jon: Just a smattering of piano and bass.

IC: What are some of your hobbies outside of guitar and music in general?

Jon: I LOVE videogames, and am also an avid reader (especially Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror). I love being in nature, and my wife and I enjoy going on many long walks together.

IC: I'm a big gamer, too.  I think I developed my calluses from holding a video game controller before I ever even started playing guitar!

So last question... What's the one thing you want people to know about you?

Jon: I would love to be remembered as someone who wrote music that meant something to people and was very personal for them, and had a positive influence in their lives.

Essential Jonathan Nicholson links:

www.jonathannicholson.com

www.myspace.com/jonathannicholson

... and don't forget to buy "Calliope's End"!

 -- Dave B.