"The first thing I do is to try not to put any thought into it" - An Interview with Jerry Castle
“ I’m certainly no authority on great songs. It’s kinda like sex, you might know what gets you off but you don’t know when it’s going to happen”.
Throughout the course of this rather tumultuous year known as 2020, Jerry Castle has emerged from being acclaimed by those in the know to becoming a renowned name within the Americana community. His most recent album “Midnight Testaments” which was released last week has already received substantial media attention and the highest streaming stats of his career to date.
Here at Run That Again, we leapt at the chance for the opportunity to talk to him more about the making of the album and his career.
What about Americana as a genre appeals to you?
There’s not a whole lot of “production magic” with Americana. Most successful artists in Americana can play multiple instruments, sing, write their own songs, and a lot of them can record their own music as well. That’s certainly not the case with most other genres. With all of that being said, I guess I love the authenticity of the genre.
What's the first thing you do when you're about to make a song? lyrics or melodies first?
The first thing I do is to try not to put any thought into it. I find more and more that the start of most of my songs comes without an instrument in my hand. I usually have a melody and then a few lyrics before I ever pick up an instrument.
What was the moment you knew you wanted to be an artist as a career?
I always knew. My support group didn’t always know, because I sucked, but I always knew. There was a lot of push-pull but at 20, on the weekend that I got my first guitar, I knew. I’ve doubted myself a lot along the way but at the core, I always knew.
What do you do to relax when you're not making music?
You’re asking a question that assumes I have healthy outlets outside of music. Pre-COVID, I always made sure to get 40 min of cardio 4-5 times a week. Right now, I’m doing a piss poor job of accomplishing that. I love my kids and I love the ocean. Those are the things that bring me the most peace. Obviously, your kids can be challenging but for me, they truly bring me my purest sense of happiness. I grew up fishing with my grandfather and I got away from doing it for a long time. This summer I picked it back up and I really enjoyed it, so maybe that’s going to become the thing that I do to relax.
You've said each song should have a life of its own, could you elaborate further?
Did I say that? I think American Songwriter said that and I certainly took it as a compliment. For me, it means that you have to be open to a song becoming whatever it is supposed to become. If you’ve written a particular type of song that has brought you a certain amount of success, you’ll likely be tempted to bend and direct your new songs to fit into that particular box. I’m a songwriter first and it’s just not like that. Sometimes I get frustrated that a song idea comes along that’s not the type of song that I want to write. At this point, some song ideas just will not go away for me, so I feel like I’m forced to write them. In the big picture, it’s a blessing, in the short-term; it can certainly feel like a curse.
A lot of our readers are aspiring musicians what would be your words of advice?
Focus on writing songs, regardless of your instrument. If you’re a great piano player, use that skill to write songs. If you’re an average bassist, use that skill to write songs. The pursuit of great songs opens the portal to magical things happening but it takes work. Do not get caught in the trap of editing your songs too quickly, just capture the inspiration and write it down without judging it. Editing can stymie all of your creative energy. There’s plenty of time for editing. Do it at the end, after you have lyrics, a melody, and a working structure.
What can people expect from Midnight Testaments?
It’s an album of songs that focus on the art of writing songs. They’re country, they’re Southern Rock, and they’re heartland-rock but they all come from the heart.
What lessons have you learned from the previous two albums that you've applied to this one?
I’m proud of both of those albums for different reasons. On the 2016 album, “Not So Soft Landing”, we were really careful and precise with the sounds that we were getting. There was a lot of warmth, a lot of reverb and delay, and a focus on not overkilling the compression. On the 2018 album, “Brand New Hello”, I wanted to be more experimental and less careful with the parts for the songs. As far as “Midnight Testaments” goes, it’s all organic, with a focus on writing and recording the best songs possible without a whole lot of effort on manipulating the sounds or production. These songs just are what they are. I guess that doesn’t really answer the question though, huh? I’d say I’ve learned to let songs be what they are.
You were raised in rural Virginia, with your music taking you to live in Los Angeles and then Nashville, how do the three worlds differ in their approach to music?
Growing up in Southwest Virginia, music was all about emotion. L.A. was all about the production and presentation. Nashville is all about musicianship and song craft. All are important in making a great song but if you overly focus on any of these things, you’re destined to have a half-assed song for different reasons.
The music video for Calm was gorgeous, how did that come about?
Oh thank you so much! I love compliments when I don’t have to look the person that’s giving them in the eye. I was at the beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida when I came up with the storyboards for the video. I would literally sit on the balcony and watch the seagulls, dolphins, sharks, and pelicans, living their daily lives, and I molded the story of the song around that for the video. I really connect with the ocean and I’m probably at my best, as a human, when I have a heavy dose of salt water in my life.
What's your favorite snack or meal you love making?
My wife says that I’m a breakfast guy but that’s easy for me. I most enjoy making vegetable soup, potato soup, and chili.