The Five Question Challenge with Carly Jamison

Singer-songwriter Carly Jamison is reviving feel good rock and roll with her sophomore album: “Ungrounded.” (Album cover courtesy of Carly Jamison)

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

It is a pleasure to welcome singer-songwriter Carly Jamison to Jake’s Take.

This Do-It-Yourself New Yorker dominated the Internet with several homemade recordings under the name: A Girl and A Guitar.  These recordings caught the attention of Nashville producer Tres Sasser, who helped Carly continue to expand her strong melodies and superb lyrics to a bigger audience with her first album: Everything Happens For A Reason.

After releasing the acclaimed album, Carly and Tres reunited to record a sophomore album: Ungrounded.  Several music blogs including New York Music Daily, Here Comes the Flood and The ‘Spill have given Ungrounded high remarks, which have lead to interviews with Fame Magazine and the rejuvenation of feel good rock and roll music.

In this edition of The Five Question Challenge, Carly talked about how she stands out in the crowded music market and the challenges that she overcame while recording Ungrounded.

Jacob Elyachar: When did you get interested in a music career?

Carly Jamison: I have always been interested in a music career.

JE: Many of today’s artists have decided to take the Reality TV approach and audition/compete on shows including “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “The X Factor.” Why did you decide to not go this route in your career?

CJ: I do not watch much TV and I am not really a fan of reality TV. I miss well-written good, old-fashioned funny sitcoms like Seinfeld and Cheers. I wish there were more of those on TV.  Also, none of the artists whose work I admire gained prominence via contests or competition shows – Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Queen.  They just worked really hard honing their craft.

JE: Can you please describe your songwriting/arrangement style to my readers? How does it stand out in the crowded music market?

CJ: I guess a good way to describe it would be American Traditional Rock. It combines elements of Americana roots genres like blues, folk and traditional country with both classic and modern rock. It is completely different than anything else on the market today. People tell me that it sounds fresh but at the same time extremely familiar.

JE: How long did it take to record your second studio album: “Ungrounded”? What were the challenges that you faced with the recording process and how did you overcome them?

CJ: All totaled, it probably took about 10 days to record Ungrounded. We did my first album in a week and that was only guitars, bass, drums, strings, and background vocals. This time we wanted to add more instruments – horns, piano, organs, et cetera, so it took a little longer. I travel from NYC to Nashville to record Tres has the art of recording an album down to a science. I would never be able to get so much done in such high quality in such short a time otherwise.

For this album, we tracked all of the songs live in the studio the first two days. The third day we added all of the additional guitar parts and overdubs. The next three days after that we spent doing vocals part of the day and additional instruments like horns and keyboards the other part of the day. So, I was there for six days in the studio. Then, I went back to NYC and Tres went back into the studio to add some background vocals and a few other instruments, which took him a few more days.

The biggest challenge I faced when recording this album was the fact that Superstorm Sandy was hitting the NYC area when we were in the studio. Every time that I checked my email or looked at Twitter or Instagram, I would see images of the damages, flooding, and devastation. I was born and raised in the NYC area and I never saw flooding like that in my entire life. Places were under water that should not have been under water. I was concerned about my home, if it was flooded or damaged, etc. It was very stressful and I could not get away from it because everywhere I went, they had the news coverage on the TV – at the hotel, in the restaurants, everywhere.  Even if I pulled into a gas station to get gas and someone saw the NY plates on my car, they would ask me about it.  It made it very hard to concentrate and focus on the work at hand.

JE: What are some of your goals for 2014?

CJ: To have a really good year! To market and promote this new album, work on some new videos, hit the road, do some shows, make some noise. And write more songs.

For more information about Carly, visit her website: http://www.carlyjamison.com/

You can also connect with Carly on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube!