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 | Jeff Pearce: "Vestiges" Interview (AmbiEntrance© - 1998) The AmbiEntrance welcomes Jeff Pearce, the man behind the decidedly un-guitar-like sounds of Vestiges, his latest release. Pearce is not only a guitar man, but a family man, and we're glad to have him here. (Photo contributed by Jeff Pearce; Photoshopped by DJO) |
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Link: What can you you give us as a little background bio info? Introduce us to Jeff Pearce.
Pearce: Well, I've been playing guitar since 1980, and I started out like a lot of people- playing things I heard off the radio. A few years later I took some classical and jazz guitar lessons. These lessons introduced me to a whole different field of music than what I heard in my day to day life. And then it was on to playing in a college jazz ensemble, listening to as many different things as I could. I came across "Music for Airports" by Brian Eno, quickly followed by "The Pearl" by Eno and Budd. Those recordings really resonated with something inside of me. From there, everything was downhill, I guess! Link: For the uninitiated, how would you describe your overall sound ? Pearce: There are elements of ambient/space music, for certain, but as far as describing the music, it's a little difficult. I COULD say that it is guitar based music, which it is, but there are so many preconceptions (and misconceptions) as to what "guitar music" is. And my music really doesn't fit in at all with what gets called "guitar music". What I tried to do with Vestiges was suspend time and space for a while, and give the listener very few "sign posts" as to where the music was progressing to. I wanted to create music that could survive multiple listenings and still possess mystery. Link: Vestiges is your latest (third) release; and all we're hearing is electric guitar? What are you doing to those instruments to coax out such non-traditional sounds? Pearce: Yes, all you're hearing is electric guitar. It really isn't difficult to get the sounds- using a simple volume pedal and a digital delay with a guitar will get you about 75% of the way there. However, there IS a lot of thought that goes into the signal processing and sound sculpting. I don't mind doing it, but it is quite time consuming, setting things up to get a really good, clean sound with the guitar. So, for that reason alone, I probably won't be someone that will release five CD's of new material a year! However, I've had people tell me that the sounds and music on my discs are a refreshing break from the status quo in this field, and I'm grateful to hear those comments! Link: Is there any picking, strumming or other "normal" guitar playing techniques happening here? It sounds much too fluid. Pearce: On the song "The Outer Circle", there happens to be some more "standard" type of guitar picking. Really, I enjoy listening to AND playing "standard" guitar. However, with Vestiges, I wanted to stretch the boundaries, so to speak, of what an electric guitar was capable of in this area of music. Link: Do you play standing up or sitting down? I can't visualize any stereotypical guitar posturing to accompany your sound... (y'know, no Pete Townsend leaps, or AC/DC antics, or those spinning guitars ZZ Top had in the '80s.) Pearce: I almost always play sitting down- the floor is usually covered with volume pedals, expression pedals, switches, etc... and I REALLY need both of my feet to make things happen with my gear. Ironic that my feet are sometimes doing more than my hands with my music! (You ask really good questions! I've never had anyone ask me if I sit or stand to play!) Link: Is a guitar still called an "Axe" when used in this more delicate manner? What kind (and how many) do you use? Pearce: Vestiges was performed entirely on my main guitar, a modified Fender Strat. There are so many sounds capable on that one guitar, that it wasn't necessary to use any others. I guess that you can call the guitar anything you want, regardless of the style being played! The fact is, I'm sometimes hesitant to even call it a guitar at all! And, besides, despite the delicate sounds, I'm actually fairly violent with my guitar- shoot, I even take a knife to it on "North Refuge" and "Eastland Nightfall"!!! Link: A knife!? That does sound vicious, but the tracks don't reflect it. What are you doing to your Strat with a knife? Pearce: I'm gently bowing the strings. The thing about using a metal knife on metal strings is that it creates this other-worldly resonance. I tend to use this very sparingly. Link: And while we're talking about Vestiges... M. Griffin (of Hypnos Recordings) did its art and design. How'd you get mixed up with that guy? Pearce: About a year ago, out of the blue, I got this e-mail from Mike Griffin, saying how much he'd enjoyed "The Hidden Rift", and saying that he had a web site to check out. I sort of half-heartedly checked it out, and I was blown away! The quality of his art was (and is) outstanding, and as we communicated more and more, it turned out that he and I had a lot in common- it was quite frightening, actually! He was a natural choice to do the art for Vestiges, because he could translate my music into graphics. Link: From where did your muse originate? How did you happen upon this particular form and what made you know it was "yours"? Pearce: There are many different things that can inspire music- nature, memories, paintings, etc...and I've been inspired by all these things at one time or another. Usually, the music flows best when I'm in a state of peace in my life- yes, even some of the music that doesn't sound particularly peaceful! With "Vestiges", what I did was try to isolate myself for a year, musically, from what was going on in this particular area of music. I listened to Arvo Part, Hildegard von Bingen, Samuel Barber- a lot of chant and classical music. If someone sent me a new release in the space/ambient genre, I'd try to listen to it once, but I was very careful not to absorb that kind of music, because I didn't want "Vestiges" to sound like anything else that was out there. Link: On the track, "The Outer Circle", one can actually recognize some guitar work. Isn't the Outer Circle the name of your studio? What's the story here? Pearce: "Outer Circle" is what I call my studio. On the CD, I thank Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana for inspiring the title "The Outer Circle". This mostly had to do with the fact that both of them had used the word "circle" in some of their songs, and I didn't want them to think I was ripping them off!!! However, I think that "The Outer Circle" is a pretty appropriate phrase, because, at times, especially in this field of music, I do find myself in the 'outer circle'. And this mostly has to do with how I approach the music using only electric guitar. On occasion, there are those listeners/DJ's/magazine people who simply won't listen to my work because "it's guitar music". Yes, I've actually heard those words! It's puzzling as to why any listener in ANY genre of music would like to hear the same sounds over and over. It's become a sort of formula to some people; "space music=synths, keyboards, and the occasional didgeridoo", and anything outside of that formula is dismissed. My opinion had always been "if you don't like my music, that's fine; there's a lot of music out there to like". But if someone won't listen to music SIMPLY because of the instrument it's played on, then I think that's a close-minded attitude. And that's really the LAST thing that ANY field of music needs. Luckily, I've also heard from many people that have enjoyed my music- those comments are blessings! Link: Feedback is good. What are others saying about your music? Give us some choice descriptions. Pearce: Other people have been quite kind about my music! There was a very nice review in Wind and Wire, that had comments like "Vestiges is the work of a true artist and a visionary musician". In the most recent New Age Voice, the review of Vestiges had comments like "Radio programmers and retailers searching for great ambient electronics should seek out this exquisite release". Link: Vidna Obmana, in his recent AmbiEntrance interview, when asked who he was listening to, listed you. Are you incredibly flattered, or what? Pearce: That's a really nice thing of him to say, and anytime that ANYONE takes the time to listen to my music, I'm flattered! But Vidna mentioning something like that is quite nice. There's definitely a desire by any artist to be respected by his or her peers. It's a great thing to have someone that you personally admire really connect with your music. However, I also have to remember that not every one of my "peers" is going to get into my music. That's ok, too! It's important to realize that most of the time, someone's "muse" will often take them down a path that is much different than the paths that even those we admire think we should take. Link: Tell us about your contribution to "This Splendid Place" from VO's recent "Crossing the Trail". Pearce: I supplied Vidna Obmana with some sources, and he really warped and mutated them! And that's perfectly fine with me! I was really pleased with what came out of that, "This Splendid Place" is a wonderful track that closes out a wonderful CD. And it served as a sort of introduction to the idea of Vidna Obmana and myself working on a full length project together. Link: What can you tell us about your work-in-progress with Vidna? Pearce: The collaboration between Vidna Obmana and myself will be titled True Stories and ought to be released in about a year. The music has turned out quite nicely, and is a great blend between what Vidna does and what I do- which is what a collaboration is supposed to be, really. Link: You've self-released Vestiges. How is that whole process working out for you? Pearce: Like with a lot of things, it can move slowly at times. The immediate downside to a self release is that you clearly don't have the funds for advertising and promotion that a bigger label does. However, and upside is that you have complete control over the music, and you don't have to deal with "shady" labels. And there are some out there, it's sad to say. A disturbing trend with some of these labels is a type of "vanity press" attitude- the artist puts up a set amount of money, and the label releases the CD. Yes, the label may get great reviews for the release, and a lot of airplay, but the artist has put themselves in the position of having to sell 6000 CD's JUST TO BREAK EVEN! Labels that do this, in my opinion, do not have the best interests of the artist in mind. The reason I released Vestiges myself is because I plan to be around for the long haul, and I knew that, at this point in time, no one would treat my music better than I would. Link: Will Jeff Pearce music only be releasing Jeff Pearce's music, or do you plan to add others to your label? Pearce: This is strictly for my own music. I don't feel bad- there's a lot of labels to release every one else's music! Link: Are you working on a new solo project? If so, can you tell us about it? Pearce: Right now, I'm not actively working on a solo disc, however, I am always writing and experimenting and composing. I personally feel that sometimes, in the desire to be prolific as a musician, people might overlook the "quality control" aspect of what they are doing, and release material that isn't quite ready for prime time, so to speak. I would rather release one CD every two years or so that has the absolute best that I can do, than to try to put out many CD's a year that contain only a couple of strong tracks. Link: Besides creating atypical guitar sounds, what do you do with your time? Will you introduce us to the other Pearces, the women in your life? Pearce: Regarding what I do with my time, I read a lot, exercise, and spend time listening to music, whenever I get the chance. I also like to cook, although I'm not as good at that as a lot of people. I have a weakness for British comedies, and enjoy a computer game or two from time to time. The women in my life keep me grounded- and I mean that in the best possible way! My wife, Anastasia, is my biggest fan. But she will not let me believe my own hype (whenever that may occur). It's kind of like "Yes, that's a really nice review you got- now, when are you going to mow the yard?"! And that's fine with me- the last thing I want is to be married to a sycophant, someone who'll spend all day saying "oh, you're the ambient artist of the century and all centuries to come". My daughter, Thalia, is energy incarnate. I simply do not have time to feel down when I'm taking care of her. She's just over a year old, and I can say that having her in my life has really given me perspective on this whole music thing. I love to make music, and I always will, but no piece of music will ever give me the fulfillment of what it's like being a father. Link: Besides being your biggest fan, Anastasia is the "Executive Producer" of Vestiges... is she really qualified, or is it just because she's your wife? :) Pearce: Well, I personally feel that she's qualified for this for no other reason than she knows my music. She's also brutally honest with me! During the process of recording Vestiges, I would play for her the music I was currently working on. If something wasn't any good, she'd say so! But her criticism was also very constructive- she'd make suggestions about making one song sound brighter, making one song shorter, etc... Where Anastasia REALLY helped was with the closing track, the 24+ minute "Eastland Nightfall". She's not a fan of long tracks, and I must have written and re-written that thing a dozen times before she was really into it. It was a challenge to me to write a long track that she could listen to, and maintain interest in listening to. So when she was enthusiastic about the final track, I knew that I had achieved what I set out to do. The bottom line: she made the music better with her advice. I think that the last thing that any musician needs is someone close to them that thinks everything they do is perfect. With someone like that around, you could easily end up believing your own press! Link: Thalia recently had her 1st birthday; if she shows musical interest, will you steer her toward it, away from it, or what? Pearce: If she shows a true interest in music, I will definitely support that. But I'm more concerned about her finding a passion in life. If there's ANYTHING that she's truly passionate about, I will support her, unless she's passionate about dropping acid or something like that! Link: What about when she's 17 and starts receiving gentleman callers... how will you deal with that? (Of course, maybe the boys won't cause too many problems after they see Dad taking his knife to a guitar...) Pearce: I've told my wife many times: I have about 13 years to develop the reputation of being a gun-toting maniac! |
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Seriously, by the time gentleman callers start coming around, I know that
she'll be the kind of person that will make great decisions- she's like her
mom in that area. Just as long as she doesn't bring any guitar players
home!!!!
Link: Well Jeff, we appreciate your input and look forward to hearing more from you. Please keep us posted, and thanks! Pearce: Thanks for the insightful questions!
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This interview posted July 14, 1998
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