A Chat with Jody Prewett (25.07.24)
A seasoned performer delving into various genres from rock to indie-folk, singer-songwriter Jody Prewett is a man of many talents. A newbie to our ears, this is our introduction to the talented artist (for what he does is art) and we’re eager for everyone to delve into the UK-based musician’s masterpieces. We speak with Prewett about his new album River Songs, weird food combinations, future plans and more.
OSR: A cliché question, but what drew you to music? What made you decide to pursue a musical career?
Prewett: Hopefully this doesn’t sound at all clichéd! It started during childhood and the discovery of my father’s vinyl collection. I remember being really fascinated by the sleeves of records such as ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’. I then worked out how to play them and the sound seemed really intoxicating. That led to me learning to play chords on guitar. I’d strum the 12-bar blues along with my father playing the piano at home; he wrote a song for me called ‘Jumpin’ Joe’ which was about my hyperactivity. So, songwriting and performing have always been a prominent thing in my life from a young age. I decided there and then that I wanted to be a guitarist in a band. I then got heavily into grunge, courtesy of my older brother and I became obsessed with Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged performance which I used to study on VHS every night, working out the songs. I’ve never really thought too much about music being a ‘career’ as such; to me, it has always represented a reaction against the rigid routines of everyday life. It’s always been an escape from reality for me.
OSR: Your musical background includes various genres like math rock with TTNG to folk as a solo artist. Do you think your musical preferences have changed over time and what is the impact of these potential changes on your current project?
Prewett: I’ve always been drawn to the acoustic guitar so I think that’s remained pretty constant throughout. I started in a kind of Alanis-style pop-rock band in my teens which in my head sounded like PJ Harvey but probably didn’t to other people. That era really gave me a good education in the aspects of performance and navigating the industry. We used to go and play in London toilet venues on school nights. I then wanted to play music more like the stuff that I was listening to in college and at University which was becoming more leftfield: stuff like Mogwai, Aphex Twin and also Kid A. So, I fell into the flourishing post/math rock scene around Oxford at the time and was in about 6 bands simultaneously at one stage. But I always had a real soft spot for more tender music like Hope Sandoval and Fionn Regan.
As I got better as a player, I started exploring open tunings and the fingerstyle techniques of Bert Jansch, John Martyn, and Nick Drake etc. I then started inventing my own tunings many of which I use on this album. In the bands I was in, TTNG, Jonquil and Trophy Wife, we always explored folk and acoustic styles quite a bit anyway. Nowadays, I lean primarily towards acoustic folk music in my listening. So, I’d say it’s always been present but it’s risen to the top as I’ve got a bit older. Which is probably a natural process of becoming less belligerent and mellowing.
OSR: You have performed as part of bands and as a solo artist. What are the pros and cons of being in a band and working independently?
Prewett: After quite a prolonged and wholly necessary break from playing music, I decided to join a soul covers band to try and recapture my love of playing and then also a freeform jazz-fusion band but the logistical side started to grate. Trying to get everyone together is challenging and hauling stuff around in under-sized cars becomes quite an effort after a while. To play a show now, I have a small amp that I sling over my shoulder, one rucksack and a guitar so it’s a lot easier and costs less money. However it can be quite a lonely pursuit sometimes, the camaraderie and in-joke banter of the band is something that I certainly miss. Less so the industrial alcohol intake and waking up in the footwell of a splitter van in a city centre.
OSR: You recently released your album River Songs – an album recorded on the banks of the river Avon. What made you choose to opt for the rather different setting and the live production?
Prewett: Well, without getting too technical, the main reason I chose the studio at New Cut was because it had a Neotek Essence desk from the studio of producer John Wood. Apparently, they were used to record the sound effects for the first Jurassic Park movie. It also had a tape machine; I was looking to capture the warm analogue sound of 1970s folk records. So, we fed each performance through a restored Struder A80 reel-to-reel machine to give the songs an organic glow.
In terms of the river Avon; these things often have a funny way of falling into place. I noticed that a lot of the words in the songs referenced water and rivers. I then became aware of the studio’s proximity to the river Avon. It therefore seemed inevitable that the album should be called River Songs. I toyed with the idea of calling ‘Catch Another Dream’ ‘Catch Another Bream’ but stopped short on the river references after ‘To The Waterfall’ and ‘River Song’ itself. My last release, ‘Trails’, was recorded entirely at home, so I was keen to take my music into another setting and work with an engineer to capture a different kind of performance. And of course, I had access to an array of nice-sounding microphones rather than the solitary microphone I have at my home.
OSR: If you could change anything about River Songs, what would it be and why?
Prewett: That’s a dangerous question. I’m overly critical of my songs in general so I’ve already decided that I should’ve added another guitar part and a vocal harmony on one song and swapped another song out. I try not to listen to it now because I end up deciding I want to change something or do something better. The thing about this album was I wanted it to be very spontaneous and live sounding so it’s rough around the edges by design, the whole process was quick and centred around moving quickly, capturing live takes. The next album I’m going to go into supreme detail on the arrangements, use tons of reverb and probably spend a year forensically crafting and sculpting each song.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Prewett: I try to paint pictures and scenes with words and melodies so I hope people get transported to a place similar to the one I imagine in the songs.
OSR: Random questions: I’ve known people who collect stamps, shot glasses, postcards, etc. Do you collect anything or if you could, what would it be?
Prewett: I collect old editions of National Geographic from the sixties and seventies which I then cut up and make collages out of.
OSR: What is the weirdest food combination you enjoy?
Prewett: Linguine alle vongole.
OSR: Do you have any advice for upcoming artists and what would it be?
Prewett: Write and perform as much music as you can and join as many bands as you can until you find the right formula which, when it comes together with the right people, is the best feeling. Once that happens you will naturally find your audience. So don’t overthink stuff and just let it grow.
OSR: What can we expect from Jody Prewett in the future?
Prewett: I’ve already started sketching new songs for another release, probably an EP next year. There’ll hopefully be some more live shows from September and into next year. I’d love to play at least one festival next summer.
Many thanks to Jody Prewett for speaking with us. Find out more about Jody Prewett on his X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to folk tunes on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
