Music can do a number of things. It can inspire (example: Queen). It can make you dance (example: Michael Jackson). And yes, it can make you levitate (example: Jeremiah Nelson).
Don’t believe me? Have you heard Drugs to Make Your Sober? Every damn song is complex enough to stump the Schwab, yet the perfectly-precise overlay of instruments and ambient sounds makes for an eargasmic experience. What more could you need? Forgot to add: Nelson is a lyrical mastermind who produces electro-acoustic soundscapes as a hobby.
Jeremiah Nelson. August 11. The Frequency.
Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song? Is a song better if it really happened to you? Like “Good As Gone,” where did you write that? And who is it about?
“I don’t know… In short, I’d say no, no, and no. Honestly I think I write best when I am happy and feel like I am at a good place in life. If I’m not, I’m generally focused more on how to improve my situation than on writing tunes. I know there’s that whole idea about artists needing to be miserable to create their best work and I just think that’s complete bullshit.
“It’s hard to anticipate the type of song you will write next. I usually don’t go into it with a preconceived idea about what it is that I’m trying to get out. I tend to start with a few solid lines to jump off from and go from there. A big challenge is just to let ideas come out with out thinking about them too much and getting too analytical about it right out of the gate. As I get older, I feel like there’s a lot more stewing going on and songs slowing taking shape. Some lines and ideas I’ll have sitting around for months, even years before they are committed to a permanent form.
“‘Good as Gone’ is super old, like 2009 or so, written in Madison. The bridge is in 7, which is kind of cool. It’s a tune I would have been happy to leave off but it seemed to function as a well-needed breath between some of the more weighty material.
“I feel like the ultimate goal is to make something that will age well. I feel like I’m still working at it and every time it seems like I get a little closer. I think as a guitarist I feel like I can do that but I still have to wrestle with my voice a ton before it’s remotely listenable. Lately I’ve been drawn to working on instrumental stuff way more than anything else.
“Chris Porterfield’s new songs have really redefined my entire way of thinking about songwriting. Listening to those guys (Field Report) lately has really made me want to work harder as a writer. It’s amazing to me how some tunes can be so intensely personal and so universal at the same time.”
Drugs to Make You Sober splices genres like genomes. Rustic vocals top off “Skin to Touch” while “Soundscape 082510” flows alone as a titillating mind-rush. If you were to create a “perfect” song today, what would it be like?
“Genomic genre splicing! I like the sound of that. A perfect song of me today… hmm… I don’t know… I have been unable to get ‘Route 18’ by Field Report out of my head for weeks. I am about to go into DNA [Music Labs] here with Dietrich Gosser so I’ve been thinking a lot about his sound lately, and Dan Kuemmel — who’s drumming — his super-crazy unconventional approach to writing beats. I guess I just love being a part of the creative process, whether it’s one of my own projects or lending a hand to someone else’s vision.
Indeed, creativity is where music begins and ends. Outside of music, what’s new in your life?
“Well, I’m in the process of moving to Minneapolis. I’ll be up there full-time starting next month. So that’s been a big transitional thing that’s been going on. It’s kind of felt like split life living between Minnesota and Madison lately. I’ve been going back and forth a ton. I’m looking forward to getting up there though and just getting into the mix and starting some new projects.”
Do you see vision yourself remaining a solo act?
“That’s a good question. I feel like right now solo stuff is not my priority. Every time I get to put a band together, it just completely recharges me and reminds why I love doing this. So I’m looking to do more collaborative band stuff at the moment. I think I will always have solo things happening because that’s just what I do and have done forever. I’m always working on something. I guess I’d like to do less solo performing even if my name is on it or whatever, you know?
“I think what’s going to happen is I’m going keep writing and recording for a bit and then whenever it’s done, if that’s in a month or a year, take a listen and just be like, ‘how can we pull this off live?’ and assemble the appropriate band.”
On an unrelated note, rover Curiosity landed on Mars the other night. What’s your stance on extraterrestrial life?
“Right! So I was told it takes 17 minutes to relay audio waves from Mars. That’s incredible. If extra terrestrial life exists, I firmly believe we need to get up there and bomb the shit out of them. Safety first.”
Evidently, with Nelson, there’s no fiddling around.
He plays the guitar.