Jay Jay Pistolet

You moved to London when you were 19 - have your new surroundings inspired your songwriting or are you still drawing on experiences from your past?

I think when I first moved to London I was quite wide-eyed and my music did become London-centric for a little bit. I just went out and played, making a few mistakes at gigs to begin with, having run into things pretty much head on. London kinda influenced me for a while and then it just stopped! Now I'm quite good at romanticising about things I don't really understand...

I read on your blog earlier in the year that you were ashamed of your writing on your first single 'We Are Free'. Do you have the same feeling now or were you being unnecessarily harsh on yourself?

Most people probably wouldn't have jumped into it all so quickly. I'm happy I did the single, and I'm really happy I did it with Chess Club, but the actual songwriting shows that it was a bit too early for me.

Do you have similar feelings about your other early demos as well?

Definitely, yeah, all of that stuff. The ‘Happy Birthday You EP’ is the first recorded material I’ve got that I’m really proud of.

You’ve re-vamped 'Hooked Up On Us' for the EP though, and that’s been around a while…

I actually wasn't gonna put it on there as I wasn't that fond of it, but someone who I really trust thought it would be a good one to have on there.

Do you reckon your development as a songwriter is one of the reasons why it’s taken you this long to put a second release out?

Definitely, I just didn't want to rush into anything again. There doesn’t have to be any rush at all, I want everything to grow organically and slowly, and no-one’s on my back really - I'm not signed to Stiff Records to do an album or anything, so the future's a blank slate!

How have the songs from Happy Birthday You been received on your latest tour with Laura Marling?

Pretty well I think, from what people have said when they've come up and spoken to me! I think some people don't listen to the songs when they see you play, they're just judging whether or not you're good, full stop. Maybe if they think, "Ah, this guy's got a nice voice", then they'll start listening to the songs. Overall though, I've been really happy with the reception on this tour.

And you toured with Katie Melua as well…

I did in the summer, and then did one night with her at the O2 Arena recently.

The O2 Arena? Bloody hell, how was THAT?

Kind of mental and scary, but really fun. I was onstage one hour after doors and I'm not gonna lie, it wasn’t full, but there were certainly more people in there than I've ever played to before. You only need it to be half-full and you're playing to 10,000 people! It's colossal.

Charlie Fink produced your EP, and interest in folk music seems to have snowballed again over the past year. Does the success of acts like Noah & The Whale surprise you?

I always loved them so I knew they'd be popular on an underground level, but I was pleasantly surprised when they crossed over to the masses.

Do you worry that, from the outside looking in, there might be a view that you're just another folk artist on the scene?

That's gonna happen, of course, but I think that's just lazy. Complaining that there are too many singer-songwriters is like complaining that there are too many bands.

It's certainly not in people's interests to dismiss someone new before they've even heard them.

Exactly.

You recorded a version of 'Winter Wonderland', which surfaced about a year ago. Any plans in the pipeline for some more Christmas-themed treats for your fans?

I've got to learn a Christmas song this week actually, for a radio session. You've just reminded me that I haven't learnt it yet! 'Winter Wonderland' was fun to do though. I was thinking about doing 'White Christmas' this time but it's so cheesy isn't it? And Christmas seems a bit far away yet.

You'd be amazed how much people are already talking about it…

I love Christmas so I'm not gonna complain!

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EXCITING MUSIC RELEASES


Artist: Jay Jay Pistolet Title: Happy Birthday You Released: 17/11/2008 Buy Now \| View Details

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Justin James Hayward-Young was personally asked to support Laura Marling on these London dates at the Scala and it's no surprise, because he provided the perfect start to a haunting night of pop-folk music.

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Jay Jay Pistolet on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/jayjaypistolet

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Jay Jay Pistolet at Last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/Jay+Jay+Pistolet

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Stiff Records' website
http://www.stiff-records.com

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