Jarboe – Jarboe, Herself
A haunting voice, a guest spot by Mr. Anselmo, and a new album out on The End Records. We just had to have a word with Jarboe!
1. Be honest…what do you think of SMNnews.com and have you ever been to the site?
Yes, I have been to the site! It is full of detail and variety and holds the interest.
2. What’s the worst band you’ve heard in the past few weeks?
Hmm.
The serious answer is: I‘m not the judge but I’m diplomatic.
The playful answer is : If I were to name it, the other worst bands would be jealous.
3. As Jarboe, what does your day to day consist of?
Multiple projects. Constantly collaborating. I work all the time. And even when I am running or mountain climbing or meditating, or reading a book, or watching a film, I am working.
4. Out of your inspirations for your hauntingly beautiful music, for many of the dark undertones, would you consider any “vices” to be part of that inspiration?
Thank you! Well. I like what artist Chuck Close said: “Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” Vices? I don’t do drugs but I did evocations in a Solomonic circle for some of this music.
5. Probably asked about a thousand times…but Anselmo – how did that come about?
“The Elements Are Overthrown.” Philip Anselmo was chosen to sing Overthrown because to me , he was the one to give voice to this song about the destructive force considering he lives in Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina had as an elemental force given us a reminder of wrath, Mahakali speaks of the aspect of Time and Change. Destruction and Compassion. A theme is “the elements” and the aspect of Global destruction of war and environmental disaster. If you are asking me how we got along, we got along very well. The first thing he said to me was that he had my work in his iPod ! And I absolutely consider him to be one of the greatest vocalists in the world.
6. You’ve been one for collaborations over the course of your career, how did those on “Mahakali” match up to past experiences?
It is all about an open mind and an adventure. I love collaborating and it is always a journey of rediscovering yourself and also learning from others. It can be a mirror and it can also be a bright light into unknown territory. It was an honor to work with such great artists as the ones involved with the Mahakali album.
7. Poetry, spoken word, music – what is your favorite to perform?
I love creating a massive wall of sound now more than anything else. I am excited to bring a version of Mahakali to the stage in 2009 and I am excited to begin the follow-up album to it as well.
8. What does Barack Obama’s win mean to you as a person, as well as your music?
The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is significant to me on many levels. He is energetic, elegant, refined, eloquent, intelligent , and sincere. I grew up in the South and I feel that the election of the first African American as President is a major triumph for the civil rights work of Martin Luther King, Jr. I also feel that Barack Obama is a voice of redirection from greed to compassion in this country. I believe health care is a right, not a privilege and I believe the middle class must not disappear into a country increasingly consisting of the rich and the poor.
“The elements, they are overthrown !”
9. What’s the biggest misconception with your music?
Perhaps that it can be limited by definition or that it could be anything other than who I am.
10. What do you make of all these recent ‘big band’ reunions?
Uh oh. Any question with reunion in it usually leads up to the question about a reunion of a certain seminal NYC band so I will redirect:
It isn’t Led Zep without Robert Plant !
Pink Floyd even massively reborn after Syd cannot be without Rick Wright.
Van Halen was never Van Halen after the brilliant multi-faceted ‘Diamond’ David Lee Roth.
If the MASTER Peter Gabriel worked in Genesis again after 33 years and it toured, well that is another matter entirely.
11. I read that you are currently composing the soundtrack for a horror game entitled The Path? Can you tell us a little more about that?
This is based on Little Red Riding Hood pre-brothers Grimm (who cleaned it up). Find more out at: http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/
12. What does the rest of 2008 have in store for you?
I am preparing to do shows in Europe and the U.S. in 2009 for Mahakali.
I am also recording a song for a soundtrack companion compilation cd of the songs of Scott Walker. I am also recording for a project of 5 women musicians. It is called Aeaea. I am also completing a 2 cd audio documentary called The Sweet Meat Love and Holy Cult. I am also completing a DVD of a show I did in NYC. It was professionally filmed and multi-track recorded. There is more…
13. What about early 2009?
February and March etc should find me doing live shows.
14. How will you follow up the release of “Mahakali”? Any live performances?
As for the next album, it will feature heavy rock instrumentation as well as cello and violin and will be done in part in San Francisco as a counterpoint to Mahakali which was done in New York.
15. Top 3 metal bands of today…name them…
I have no top 3 are but I will tell you 6 that I enjoy regardless of today !
Nachtmystium, Moonspell, Negura Bunget, Secrets Of The Moon, Watain, and Endstille
16. What’s your biggest pet peeve with today’s industry?
Misdirected resources.
17. Any final words?
ex animo !
(+10 rating, 3 votes)
Leave it to a woman…
ask her for 3 and you get 6. derrrrrrp.