Let's Play Jumprope
The following article originally appeared in the January 25, 2002 edition of pinoycentral.com
Interview by Mario S. Serrano
PinoyCentral Music: As an introduction, how did the band get together?
Who are the current members of Jumprope?
“Ad: Tom and I were in a powerpop group in the early 90s, but it was winding
down in late 1995 when my sister Noelle moved back to Boston from New York
City. She was into the music scene, had a few or her own songs and said
she had thought about forming a band. Cindy was someone I had met the year
before when I was looking for other people to form a band with. Both were
beginners, but when I heard Cindy's completely amazing songs, I had to play
them. Noelle was the first of several second guitarists we had as permanent
or temporary members. Currently, the line-up is still Tom, Cindy, and I,
with guitarist John Leonard playing with us most recently.”
PCM: Did all you start out with Jumprope? Or were there other bands? What
were they?
“Ad: Tom and I had been in a bunch of bands previously. We were in Miranda
Warning together. Prior to that, I was in Beginners Only and
he was in The Down Staircase -- all in Boston.”
PCM: Interesting. Is everyone musically learned? Did any or all of you
take musical lessons?
“Tom: I took piano lessons as a child.
Ad: I took a year of guitar lessons at age 13, learning to read music and
score harmony. I learned more music theory in college. Cindy is the learned
one, having studied piano in the classical and jazz traditions as a youngster
in Singapore.”
PCM: Wow, I must hand it to Cindy as learning classical piano is a lot
of work. Well, in your opinion, how would describe your music?
“Ad: We make brief, highly melodic pop songs. The odd thing is that we mostly
use complex harmony borrowed from bossa nova. It's the hardest music I've
ever played.
Tom: Samba jazz pop?”
PCM: Yes, Tom your music sound pretty much like that. Who could you say
had a major impact on your musical styles?
“Ad: For me it all started with The Beatles, and I'm still a fanatic to
this day. But really, there is an immense number of artists that we each
listen to, and each of us is very different and would probably agree on
relatively few inspirations.
Tom: Everyone and no one.”
PCM: So officially, how many albums does Jumprope have? Is Suitcase and
Umbrella a compilation of your tracks compiled?
“Ad: We have two full-length albums. Suitcase and Umbrella is the latest,
all-new release. The new compilation that you mention, containing tracks
from all our releases, is Holiday in Brazil and is out in Spain on the Mushroom
Pillow label. Spiritually and chronologically, there was a first album,
but it came out in the form of EPs and compilation tracks. In 2002, we expect
to release these tracks and others from 1996-2001 that are not on either
of our two full-length discs.”
PCM: We'll definitely be expecting that.
PCM: I'm sure that you guys toured a lot. What was the dumbest gig you guys
ever had? Can you tell us about it?
“Tom: Most of our gigs are pretty smart. And not too loud. A fun time for
all!
Ad: Looking at the list, there were a handful of early shows trying to get
established in Boston clubs that we probably never really needed to play
at -- playing with more conventional loud rock bands. We once played a hastily
booked, under-promoted show with Gaze (from Seattle) in Providence, Rhode
Island in an odd venue on a Sunday night that managed to draw just one or
two paying customers!”
PCM: Ha! Well you guys have been lucky then. Anyway, who do you think
is the least band you'd want to tour with? And why?
“Tom: Limp Bizkit.
Ad: Well, at least the Bizkit singer is a self-professed nerd -- that's
cool. I'll just say Thee Headcoats, because a Japanese friend recently wrote
me to say how a friend of hers sponsored their trip to Japan, and they just
got drunk, acted rudely, and broke things wherever they went. It sounds
unpleasant and maybe even dangerous!”
PCM: (much laughter!)
PCM: So which among your songs can you flag as a trademark Jumprope song?
“Tom: Holiday in Brazil.
Ad: It's a tough one. I agree with Tom because it's a duet with both lead
voices (and Tom's third harmony) and I wrote it in a style influenced by
Cindy. She likes it a lot, too.”
PCM: Which country accepts your music most? Why do you think that is
so?
“Ad: From the start, we got a disproportionate amount of interest and offers
from Japan and Sweden. It's related, I guess, because some people felt that
we sounded Swedish, and there seems to be an affinity of the Japanese for
Swedish groups. Pop music like ours is less out of fashion in places like
Spain, Japan, and Sweden than it is in the U.S.
Tom: Hopefully every country likes Jumprope!”
PCM: Well, you can count our country in too. But how about in your area?
How is the indie scene there? Do you usually play at Cogans?
“Ad: We were always a Boston band until late in 2000 when Cindy and John
moved to Washington DC. The Boston scene has always been very big, with
hundreds of active original rock bands and a good number of venues, but
like everywhere, it has been dominated by rock bands in the vein of music
that sells to the commercial demographic known as "alternative".
Cogan's is rock bar down in Norfolk, Virginia, which is the home base of
the U.S. Navy and our U.S. record label, Planting Seeds. We've played there
just once, in November 2001.”
PCM:
Are there any side/ solo projects brewing from you or any band member?
“Ad: I have been in an on-and-off collaboration with an old friend of ours
named Rob, who writes really catchy, witty songs. We recorded sporadically
but not professionally. Just now is it getting really organized. Tom and
I forming a band with him now, tentatively called The Fond Farewells and
will produce an album in 2002. Cindy may do some solo work next year. It's
tough to focus on music sometimes with the daily demands of real jobs. Cindy
may also return to school next year.”
PCM: Thanks for the tip Ad. I'll keep watch for those releases.
PCM: Finally, what are your thoughts on digital music? Do you think this
is where were headed?
“Tom: Digital music is the wave of the future. It is a great way to share
and distribute music, and hopefully it will allow for greater independence
for bands and musicians, decreasing the role of major record labels.
Ad:It's definitely where headed. Virtually all recordings now are mastered
in a digital format. CDs are digital, so you could say that we're already
there. It's a tricky issue, though. Technologically, we're still in the
age of MP3 files, which vary greatly in sound quality and aren't "master"
quality. We'll need wider bandwidth and faster, more abundant storage to
overcome the sound problems. I've discovered a ton of music through MP3
files and I've been able to enjoy music that I would never have bought,
particularly by great musicians of the past. But for artists, it's difficult
when people don't have to buy your music to get it.”
PCM: Well, thats about it. Any parting words of wisdom for start-up indie
bands?
“Ad: If you want to get your music published, do research and send it everywhere
you can find. This may mean hundreds of copies of demo tapes or CDs. Never
mind the initial expense. You'll never know who will enjoy it and will want
to help you.”
PCM: Very well said Ad. It would be every band's dream to find people
that appreciate their music.
PCM: Before we say goodbye, what were the best albums you bought last 2001?
“Ad: David Bowie's debut album from 1967, Birdie Triple Echo and Call and
Response's self-titled debut album. Tom: Lateralus by Tool, XtracKts & ArtifaKcts
by BPM&M.”
PCM: Again, many thanks to Tom and Ad for their patience and time. Best
wishes to all your projects. Here's to more good music!
Photos courtesy of Planting Seeds Records.
