By Gianni Poglio
Submitted by Sai
Translated by me
He comes from the underground scene of the East Village of New York, the new American prophet of psychedelia. "Grace" is a record that does not leave much room for meditation, it can be loved or hated at first listen, but does not arouse indifference. Mr. Buckley, twenty-seven years old, of California origin, likes to define his music "a small dreamy particle of the psyche." And it could not be otherwise for an artist who still suffers the fascination of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma."
"It is undoubtedly the album I heard most in my life along with the soundtrack of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and the early records of Bob Dylan. On my first album I could not not pay tribute to a master like Leonard Cohen. I hope he can listen to my version of 'Hallelujah'. In general I am very attached to the music of the seventies. At that time, boys got in the evening to play or to listen to music. Today there is red light pay-TV and MTV. The power of television, the suggestion of the image are the true new facts of this decade. The words of the songs no longer have any importance, only the visual aspect counts. Through MTV the record industry can control the tastes of millions of people. After Kurt Cobain's suicide everyone had the chance to know, through the media, every detail of his private life. It is something that struck me a lot. I never met him in person, but at that moment I realized how pressure on the leader of a band as well known as Nirvana could be sufficating. Talking about bands, on the other hand, there are also the 'false alternative.' Can Pearl Jam be called an alternative band? In my opinion no! They play excellent rock'n'roll but nothing more. I do not think they invented anything new."
Although originally from California all the stages of your career were held in New York. Did you think that in the "Big Apple" there were more possibilities for a musical genre like yours?
I left home at the age of 17. For some time I played around America with rock and reggae bands, then in 1990 I decided that New York was the right city for me. In the 'Lower East Side' I feel more at home than anywhere else in the world. It's the place I've always thought of belonging to. I can be what I want. I could not do it anywhere else where I lived as a child. In a short time I found the right musicians to create the sound I had in mind.The first one I met was the bassist, Mick, at the end of a concert at Columbia University. We immediately went to my house and started playing what can be called 'two in the morning music'. He had all the qualities I was looking for. There are a lot of bass players that sound good technically, but his style is really unique.
In the songs of your first album there are many references to the typically British sound of bands like the Smiths or Siouxsie and the Banshees...
Maybe, but I can not say that they were decisive in my musical training. Unlike many musicians who are tempted to insert themselves into a genre and then live off private income, I think only of music as it springs from my brain. I can not stand the idea of being labeled. I leave this task to journalists and record companies. There will not be two identical Jeff Buckley records. I want to experiment with different solutions and not just in the studio. Anyone who has seen two or more of my concerts knows that every show is different. Every time I go on stage I do not know how long the concert will last. Music can not become routine for me. The job is to convey to people what you're really feeling, not what you pretend to be. It's happened that I felt like not wanting to leave the stage any more, but also there were some situations where after ten minutes I wanted to be somewhere else. The recording room is a place I do not like very much, but I have to say that during the recording of 'Grace' everything went smoothly. I was lucky to work with a very experienced producer like Andy Wallace. It prevented me from forgetting to eat. When I'm focused on music I lose track of time.
Submitted by Sai
Translated by me
He comes from the underground scene of the East Village of New York, the new American prophet of psychedelia. "Grace" is a record that does not leave much room for meditation, it can be loved or hated at first listen, but does not arouse indifference. Mr. Buckley, twenty-seven years old, of California origin, likes to define his music "a small dreamy particle of the psyche." And it could not be otherwise for an artist who still suffers the fascination of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma."
"It is undoubtedly the album I heard most in my life along with the soundtrack of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and the early records of Bob Dylan. On my first album I could not not pay tribute to a master like Leonard Cohen. I hope he can listen to my version of 'Hallelujah'. In general I am very attached to the music of the seventies. At that time, boys got in the evening to play or to listen to music. Today there is red light pay-TV and MTV. The power of television, the suggestion of the image are the true new facts of this decade. The words of the songs no longer have any importance, only the visual aspect counts. Through MTV the record industry can control the tastes of millions of people. After Kurt Cobain's suicide everyone had the chance to know, through the media, every detail of his private life. It is something that struck me a lot. I never met him in person, but at that moment I realized how pressure on the leader of a band as well known as Nirvana could be sufficating. Talking about bands, on the other hand, there are also the 'false alternative.' Can Pearl Jam be called an alternative band? In my opinion no! They play excellent rock'n'roll but nothing more. I do not think they invented anything new."
Although originally from California all the stages of your career were held in New York. Did you think that in the "Big Apple" there were more possibilities for a musical genre like yours?
I left home at the age of 17. For some time I played around America with rock and reggae bands, then in 1990 I decided that New York was the right city for me. In the 'Lower East Side' I feel more at home than anywhere else in the world. It's the place I've always thought of belonging to. I can be what I want. I could not do it anywhere else where I lived as a child. In a short time I found the right musicians to create the sound I had in mind.The first one I met was the bassist, Mick, at the end of a concert at Columbia University. We immediately went to my house and started playing what can be called 'two in the morning music'. He had all the qualities I was looking for. There are a lot of bass players that sound good technically, but his style is really unique.
In the songs of your first album there are many references to the typically British sound of bands like the Smiths or Siouxsie and the Banshees...
Maybe, but I can not say that they were decisive in my musical training. Unlike many musicians who are tempted to insert themselves into a genre and then live off private income, I think only of music as it springs from my brain. I can not stand the idea of being labeled. I leave this task to journalists and record companies. There will not be two identical Jeff Buckley records. I want to experiment with different solutions and not just in the studio. Anyone who has seen two or more of my concerts knows that every show is different. Every time I go on stage I do not know how long the concert will last. Music can not become routine for me. The job is to convey to people what you're really feeling, not what you pretend to be. It's happened that I felt like not wanting to leave the stage any more, but also there were some situations where after ten minutes I wanted to be somewhere else. The recording room is a place I do not like very much, but I have to say that during the recording of 'Grace' everything went smoothly. I was lucky to work with a very experienced producer like Andy Wallace. It prevented me from forgetting to eat. When I'm focused on music I lose track of time.
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