Hopeful Monster is a psychedelic orchestral pop piece
currently based out of Toronto, On. A project that crosses genres,
and brings a twist to sixties music that has been one of the few
Canadian acts to be featured on CBC's the Great Canadian Song
Quest. We had the chance to talk with orchestrator Jason Ball about
the inception of the project, moving it in between Halifax and T.O,
the importance of a team and what the project has on the go for the
future.
How did Hopeful Monster come to be?
I was living in the country outside Halifax in 2000. My room mate and I were from Nova Scotia but had been living in Toronto, playing in bands together and collecting recording gear. We wanted to make recordings with a lot of orchestral and experimental elements and we couldn't afford to do that in a studio, so we rented a cheap place with an awesome view and spent a few months recording our songs — I called my album Hopeful Monster, and then put a band together to try to play it live. We had wurlitzer, guitar, pedal steel, vibes, bass and drums. Mostly friends from Halifax bands that had also recorded albums at our place.
How has the band grown from its inception to present?
I moved a couple times between Halifax and Toronto, and every time I'd put a new band together. Different people would be available, and my vision of the live show kept evolving, so I'd want to assemble different instruments. I guess fundamentally it's always been a solo project, in that I use the studio to figure out what the arrangements are. But I always try to flesh it out live, it's so much more powerful that way. About three years ago I started playing with a string section instead of a rhythm section — mainly because I was writing scores for the album I'm working on now, but also because I was playing most shows in tiny, intimate venues. Plus everybody seemed to like the orchestral elements on the record, so I wanted to make that a key element in the live show.
What influences do you draw from and incorporate into your own music?
Well I love the classic 60s stuff but I've always tried to put a somewhat modern twist on it, both in terms of writing and production. I also really like lots of current bands and stuff from the 50 years in between. And classical, folk and country too. I get inspired by my musician friends, especially when it comes to songwriting. It's almost competitive. Also, I like my records to have a range of genres and sounds, with common threads but not necessarily sounding like the same band throughout. I'm basically a studio guy, every song is a little art project.
There is quite a gap between your first album and second album. How did that break effect the process of recording and writing your second album?
During that time, I was moving between provinces; I got married and my daughter was born. I was constantly recording, wherever we lived, but I had these big things going on in my life so it took a few years. I wanted to have Metatasking mixed before Zola was born, and I did a mix but it wasn't right so I mixed it again with a friend in Halifax, when we were living there. I released it myself, which took some time because I did hand-painted packaging. Then it was re-released on an indie label about a year later. It adds up fast.
What process do you use when song writing or preparing to record?
Songwriting takes me a really, really long time. The album I'm working on now has songs that I wrote between 5 and 12 years ago. I didn't really demo my first two albums, I just started recording and the arrangements evolved as I went along. I wouldn't know how to fill holes in the music till they presented themselves. For the new album, though, I did extensive demoing beforehand and I'm working with a co-producer/engineer — it's actually one of the band members, Jose Contreras. He's been playing with me since the last album and we started developing the songs for performance, before considering them as part of a recording project. We play with a string section, Randy Lee and Alex McMaster. It's really rich live, but still very intimate. It has been invaluable, having these core elements well worked out before starting the recording process. It's a first for me.
How important is playing live shows and touring to you?
Our NxNE show was the first time we've played as a band since NxNE last year. I love playing live, but since I don't do it terribly often there's always a lot of overhead, in terms of rehearsing. So recording has been the focus for the last couple years. When the new album comes out we'll play a release show, hopefully with a rhythm section and lots of other extra players. I'd like to start playing a lot more local shows with the quartet this year. But full-on touring is pretty much off my radar, unless people in other places get involved. I can't break even on a solo tour, let alone with a band. I have to choose between spending time and money on recording or touring, and recording always wins. To tour with the band I'll need business people in those places to help make it happen. Hello foreign labels? Festivals? I have a killer new record coming out..!
How do you balance family and music?
I work in my studio while my daughter is in school. My wife works evenings so I've been a stay-at-home dad for the last six years. Routine has become extremely important, it's the only way I can anything done. The most important stuff bubbles up into my life on both fronts and I try to engage in that stuff, in full detail, as directly as possible. For the stuff lower down the list, I'm learning to know when to nip a problem in the bud, when to sleep on it and when to just let sleeping dogs lie. Balance is a good word. Good judgement, an open mind and time management are key. Being realistic about material and spiritual needs is important too.
My wife and daughter and I play a little music together. Always will I hope.
How did it feel when Hopeful Monster was chosen to represent Nova Scotia in CBC 2’s Great Canadian
Song Quest?
It was a very touching vote of confidence. It's really easy to feel unappreciated in the music business — income is elusive and it can seem like nobody cares if you make your art or not. The Song Quest gig came with a commission fee and a production budget, which always makes a huge difference because everybody involved is able make it a priority. It's rare for an indie artist to have national airplay pretty much guaranteed before a song is even written, so production decisions were easier than usual because we knew exactly what the outlet would be. We were creating for a known format — another first for me. CBC has been amazingly supportive, not only playing the Song Quest song but other Hopeful Monster songs too. And they did a live recording at one of our shows. Unfortunately, this is the kind of support they are being forced to stop providing, since the Harper douchebaggery went down.
What can we expect from Hopeful Monster in the future and how will the band continue to evolve and
maintain a constant presence in the music industry?
Jose and I are mixing in July, as soon as he's finished mixing his new By Divine Right album. It really does take a team to make a band happen, and I have a feeling labels and agents are going to take an interest in the new album. CBC is likely to play it (fingers crossed) and that may give industry people the confidence to put resources behind us. I've always put everything I have into my music, so to a great extent the scale of Hopeful Monster's presence is up to fans and investors. We'll be playing as often and as far afield as we can manage, of course. I'm trying to adapt to the new music industry paradigm, without devolving into mediocrity the way so many do. I have some ideas for online content that I think people will like. The forecast is good, I think.
You can find more Hopeful Monster at the links below as well as watch the
hopefulmonstermusic.blogspot.com/
Interview By Karlee Bailey
