Number One Jockey is a remarkably talented folk artist. His deft talent for traversing delicate yet powerful songs is a highly sought after trait in the world of soft-rock.
Not to mention his lyrics are captivating and intriguing, something reminiscent of the master poets. With an EP under his belt and an album around the corner we caught up with Scotty aka Number One Jockey, to chew the fat.
We caught up with Number One Jockey to chat about his incredible debut EP Blue Sky Blues and the power of the troubadour.
HAPPY: Hey Scotty, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
SCOTTY: Hi Happy. Everything is going well, I’ve been recording a lot and writing a lot, and preparing to release an Album come December. Besides that I have some other things going on, but I can’t say just yet… I’ve gotta keep some things a secret.
HAPPY: We’ve loved Blue Sky Blues! It feels very hand crafted. Is it hard to let go of something like that?
SCOTTY:It came naturally I guess. It started with the Title Track and the rest sort of followed. I had the ideas in my head for the sounds, and I was very new to recording. So I just went along with it and then it just happened. It’s hard to create a sound that only exists in your mind. But you can get close!
It brings a lot of nostalgia now listening back.. I can see my self sitting there writing the songs and then spending hours and days recording take after take to try and make something of it, and sometimes nothing works. But ah, it’s nice to see it sitting there now and I don’t have to think about it anymore.
HAPPY: Tell us a bit about your musical upbringing, who were you’re inspirations as a kid?
SCOTTY: Well, music wasn’t really around for me as a kid, no body in my family really sings or plays any instruments and I kind of had no idea what music was really about until I was about 18 or so..and then all of a sudden I was submerged in it. I was obsessed with vintage equipment and it trickled that way.
HAPPY: White Rainbows is a favourite for us. Can you tell us a little about it’s conception?
SCOTTY: White Rainbows grew out of playing around with those weird chords and licks and the finger picking.. and I originally intended to do the whole thing acoustic, but got attracted to the electric sounds.
I had some crazy things going on at the time and I’d just moved home from being overseas for a while and I’d been finding my place again and yeah.. darker days i guess.
HAPPY: Have you always been into folk and the troubadour ideal? Who is your favourite ‘troubadour’?
SCOTTY: I guess so, i’ve always loved the finger picking thing.. It was just so dam hard to do! Which was attractive. And that’s what a lot of folk is to me. Then comes the lyricism and they tell stories and take you somewhere with that.
As for my favourite troubadour… mmm.. I guess I’ve gotta go with Bob Dylan. He’s the greatest. But then theres those like Elliott Smith and Vashti Bunyan and Nick Drake, and some modern artists like Adrianne Lenker and Jessica Pratt.
HAPPY: Tell us a bit about your relationship with writing music?
SCOTTY: My relationship is never ending haha.
HAPPY: Word on the street is you sometimes go by a different name, ‘John Wesley Gardens’. What can you say of this elusive character?
SCOTTY: So, that guy is certainly elusive. I just love the name, and I love using it. It makes me laugh. And the look on peoples faces when they hear it, they’re just like.. ‘really?’ .
HAPPY: Was there some divine, breakthrough moment when music, life and purpose all come together and made sense to you?
SCOTTY: I think life revolves in cycles, and there are always breakthroughs, and divine moments happening all the time. You just have to keep your eyes open long enough to see them. And you come back around again, and again to these moments. Sometimes nothing makes sense and sense makes nothing.
HAPPY: Tell us a bit about your forthcoming album ‘Flowers In June’.
SCOTTY: Flowers In June’ is a song I wrote for someone special to me, and it grew from there into an albums worth of songs. It’s colourful and a little different to the older stuff which is nice. Perhaps some of my most prized work so far.
I won’t say much more though, due out December.
HAPPY: What’s next for Number One Jockey?
SCOTTY: Experiments
HAPPY: Cheers!
Check out Blue Sky Blues today:
