Jason Campbell
Whether plying his trade as a solo artist or with his renowned
band Signal Hill, Nova Scotia’s Jason Campbell might be the busiest musician in
Atlantic Canada. Recently
we spoke with him about his passion for his profession.
What is your own background?
I was born and raised in Newfoundland. Many generations back my
family was Scottish and British.
When and why did you start
playing music?
I've always sang and it wasn't really a conscious decision to be a
musician. It's all I've ever done for a living. I'm just naturally driven to be
a better player, singer, performer; I wish I could give a better answer. My
father was a singer/drummer in bar bands when I was born.
Are they the same reasons you
do it today?
I suppose the difference now is that I have to play to support my
family, mortgage, business ventures, etc. I still love it though, I find myself
more and more drawn to do things like jazz and solo original projects to sort
of push the boundaries of what is expected of me with Signal Hill.
How have you evolved as an
artist since that time?
I started as a rock drummer, and moved to being front man singer in
many bar bands, until I decided to study Jazz at Mohawk College in Hamilton,
ON. Since then I've become a piano and guitar player, and pushed my vocal range
a lot. Hopefully I'm not done though. There's a lot left to learn.
How would you describe your
sound today?
For my original music I'm not really going for any style in
particular. It's really all over the map. I usually trust Cory Tetford, my
producer to turn the songs and performance into something modern, but for me
it's really about getting the best songs and performance on record. My solo
album, Missing Signals is a Rock / Jazz / Pop / Dance record. I get the best
musicians I can and let them do what they do best.
What are the challenges
involved with the vocation?
Time management; I play over 200 shows every year. I kind of need a
clone. But seriously; doing what you want vs. what will fill the bars, halls,
tents and arenas. That's the challenge. I try to always find pleasure in what I
do musically. If it has to be covers, than at least I will make them my own and
push the limits of my range and improvisation. One night I can be playing to a
sold out crowd of 4000 people in PEI, and the next, 20-30 at my weekly jazz gig
at the Halifax Distilling Co. I love both experiences for different reasons. I
could look at the big crowd and complain that I have to play cover songs, or I
could be bummed out that I'm singing jazz for 20-30 people...but instead I try
to be thankful i get to do it at all. For me it's all about the audience
feedback. If they love it, so do I.
What are the rewards?
The music business has been good to me. I have been lucky enough to
not need a day job. It makes you feel like you're doing something right when
you can hop on a plane and travel to another province or even another country,
play a bunch of crazy sold out shows and then come home to cap it all off with
one more on Sunday night at the Lower Deck in Halifax. A lot of cats wake up
every day and write songs, but I'm more into playing live. I've been doing it
in bars and clubs since I was 15. Right now I feel most rewarded though, that I
get to perform and record with so many great musicians.
What have been some career
highlights?
Playing in Moscow a couple of times, the Dominican Republic and most
arena shows really stand out for me. My Missing Signals album release show at
the Schooner Room was definitely a highlight. We had an amazing 12 piece band
with strings and horns, played all of my original songs from the album and some
really cool covers.
Is your creative process more
'inspirational' or 'perspirational'?
My songs are written from
personal experiences and are usually true and trying to express something about
that. My goal though, is to still try and make the lyrics as universally
relate-able.
What makes a good song?
Lyrics, Melody and Harmony that make you feel something....any
emotion, is a functional song. The ones that do that and really stay with
you....those are the gems. It doesn't matter if the writer's intended meaning
of the song, and what it means to you are two completely separate things...as a
writer I just love that. Most of my songs seem like romantic relationship songs
but several of them are not that at all. How people interpret and mishear or
misunderstand lyrics to suit their own memories and emotional situations – that
is what really intrigues me.
What are your thoughts on the
current state of the music scene in Atlantic Canada?
From my point of view the music scene in Halifax is better than in
most parts of Canada, in a sense that you can make a living from playing live.
Jazz and Indie / Original music have a lot of fan support but it can be a
struggle, even for the most amazing writers and performers. If you're not
connected to the main management companies and/or have skills at writing grant
proposals, you are at a major disadvantage. The pub scene of course is booming.
How can this be improved?
I would like to see more support for the venues and individuals who
try their best to keep original, indie & jazz music alive and relevant.
Having said that, in larger centers like Toronto the cost of living makes being
a full time musician very difficult. We are lucky to live and play on the east
coast of Canada. There is grant money available to some artists, but I don't
see much in the way of support for the venues who provide employment for real
live gigging musicians. There is far more revenue generating potential in 2017
for the live performance aspect of a musical career than there is for recording
and releasing songs and albums digitally or on CD's / LP's. I would like to see
the Music Industry do more to recognize this shift, and help those who drive
it's growth. Making an honest living from music in any way, should have merit
in the measure of our music industry as a whole.
What do have on tap for 2018?
Signal Hill seems to expand its touring every year. With the loss of
HMV, we have no plans to record any more albums but we do have a lot of live
video to release. As long as the crowds keep growing, we'll keep playing! My
solo career has moved towards live jazz. My biggest goal so far for 2018 is to
re-launch live jazz at the Halifax Distilling Co. with a Back Alley Big Band
show. As a Big Band arranger, this is a huge thrill for me. I believe the show
will be on April 14.
