An Interview With Jackson Hollow
An absolutely gorgeous new release from Jackson Hollow brings out an array of acoustic instrumentation that put forth a rustic and natural undertone kissed with southern soul and delivered with loads of heart.
The Roses album is completely Lush with beautiful songwriting and performances and a colorful and honest approach that all give the record such a full body and touching feel.
Throughout the course of this record you get everything from violins that add on a classic country soundscape along with incredibly welcoming vocal harmonies that are cast throughout the entire album and with everything together it feels almost like a concept record of sorts.
There is this wonderful almost cinematic tonality that some of the songs give off and the band has the feel of a live performance at times because it's almost as if the players are feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.
That aspect in itself builds a particular energy and it really works for this group amazingly.
These songs welcome you with open arms and have a way of wrapping themselves around you so that you can swim through them.
After the first few tracks you're completely pulled in and that's a good thing because the rest of the album follow suit which is absolutely refreshing.
One of the biggest things about this release in particular is the heart and soul that obviously went into this and complete love for the craft which shows face constantly throughout the course of the records play through.
The songs touch on personal aspects and tell stories but there's also the element of surprise around certain corners of this album so after a bit you realize that there are some layers that you can peel back.
This is a massive record and it's very easy to become engulfed in it. And it honestly feels great to do just that.
For me, this is an album to be listened to with headphones on but that's just me.
This is also a great record to listen to in the car on a long ride or at home by yourself even. This way you can dance around the living room and sing along to those choruses.
There's more than enough hooks to let the songs become quickly infectious and this is definitely created by seasoned musicians that know exactly how to give off particular feels along with all the bells and whistles that you would want from this soul filled Americana and country release.
Pretty much everything about this album is done with a certain level of gracefulness and you just don't come across that enough anymore.
With the release of such a wonderfully woven album, we wanted to have a sit-down with Jackson Hollow to find out where this record came from and what might be coming up next for them.
Here's what happened.
TSWS: Okay guys, let's start with the "Roses" album. This record was a lush display of acoustic instrumentation used to create these storytelling southern soul-touched songs! How did this album come about?
Tianna Lefebvre and Mike Sanyshyn: Thank you for the kind words!
Well, we’ve always prided ourselves on playing with feeling and really being connected the songs we’re performing, whether it’s live or in studio. It has to be authentic on an emotional and musical level. In our case, the musical level means a modern form of bluegrass that is baked in traditional country flavours but draws on other genre influences as well.
“Roses” has a lot of storytelling in each song and we’re bringing those stories out through the music and sharing what they mean to us. We were not the writers on this album, but we picked ten songs that have strong stories we could distinctively put our own stamp on.
For us, the album is a good showcase for the feelings we put into our music and the sound that we feel is uniquely ours.
TSWS: How did this all start for you guys as a band?
Tianna and Mike: It started after we went to Winter Grass in 2011 and we were inspired by the world-class music that we witnessed. It made use hungry to explore other country music paths, so we started playing bluegrass. Initially we played with friends and that evolved into the group being formed and once Eric and Charlie joined us in 2017, we’ve really discovered our sound.
TSWS: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
Tianna: Life has lots of twists and turns, and general unpredictability. Songs should be the same way. For me, the best songs have a lot of range in the vocals and the melody. I like double meanings, twisting and turning in the melodies, and unpredictability.
Mike: Bringing true life experiences and feelings to songs are the things people will hear and carry with them. When those are translated through vocal melodies and memorable chords, those songs will stick like the moments that inspire them.
TSWS: This album has some great style combinations on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Tianna: Diamond Rio – I find their vocals and harmonies to be really good, their mandolin player also sings high notes, and the sound leans towards bluegrass from a country band perspective. Also – Duane Steele because of his rich, velvety, booming vocals. I’ve always loved his writing and he was one of the writers on “For The Life of Me”, one of our album cuts.
Mike: Rob Hajacos – he changed the sound of country music in the early 1990s to make it more contemporary. He’s also one of my favorite fiddle players from a studio point of view. Johnny Gimble – a legendary country and western swing fiddler but he played with so many different people throughout his career. He had his own signature sound and played on a lot of George Strait albums.
TSWS: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
Tianna and Mike: We’re always working on something music-related for the most part, but when we can tear ourselves away from that, we’re usually spending time with family and friends and our dog, Hank. We also like family road trips but a lot of our travel time is music-based. We also like to see local shows and support the music industry here.
TSWS: Who's in all your headphones right now?
Tianna and Mike: Honestly, between the time spent creating our own music or preparing for gig and studio sessions, we don’t listen to it as much as a hobby. That being said, when we’re on road trips, we do find ourselves tuned to the radio and Sirius XM channels like Bluegrass Junction, Willie’s Roadhouse, or Prime Country.
TSWS: Are you guys doing any live performances right now?
Tianna and Mike: Not at this moment, but we’re looking forward to performing this summer and sharing these songs with people in Canada, and also abroad.
TSWS: Did you record this yourself or hit a big studio for this?
Tianna and Mike: We recorded the album in two locations in the Vancouver area – Zed Productions and Demitone Studio – which were both perfectly-suited to the sound we wanted to create for the album.
TSWS: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
Tianna and Mike: Right now, it’s a busy time with our album release and all that goes into that. Once that settles down, we don’t want the music to stop, so we’ll get back to recording this fall, so you can expect more music from us when the time comes!
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Tianna and Mike: We want to say thank you and how much we appreciate the fans, the radio stations, and the media who have been supporting us. Whether you’re buying your music, listening to it, enjoying our live shows, or sharing it with your friends and family, it all means so much to us!