Does this Friday get any better. The weather is perfect, the Red Sox opening day is here, and Andrew Jackson has asked Stoli to premiere his video for “Enough Blood To Keep Em Coming.” If you are into zombies like I am then you are in for a treat. This track is off Andrew’s album, ‘Feral Familiar’ which is out now at all your favorite digital stores. I am so excited that we should just get right to it with an authentic musician from Canada. Enjoy the video and here what Andrew thinks about Japan, his guitar of choice, what the video is about, and much more!
Stoli: Where are we talking from today and are you excited for summer?
Andrew Jackson: I am at a house on Georgian bay a few hours North of Toronto. You better believe I’m excited for summer, music festivals are where it’s at and I love warm weather!
Stoli: How do you feel when you see the good people of Japan going through such agony & does that put life in perspective?
Andrew Jackson: The situation there is heart-wrenching and I send love daily. I feel for humankind and have studied a lot of history in the past few years which really puts everything into perspective full time. There are billions of people suffering around the planet right now. I see the ridiculousness of getting upset about someone not returning my email because the majority of people have it a lot worse.
Stoli: Is Andrew Jackson your real name and when did you start making music seriously?
Andrew Jackson: My middle name is Andrew and Feral Familiar co-producer John Nazario suggested Andrew Jackson because it fit with a lot of the lyrical content on the the project; I liked it and it stuck instantly. There’s a little (to a lot of) Andrew Jackson in everyone. It’s like, what part do you relate to the most, what part do you admire the most and what are you gonna do about it? I’ve been making music seriously for just over a decade. Feral Familiar was my first solo release; it’s so solo it’s Han and it’s opened important doors. It’s a great idea and very wise to buy Feral Familiar and listen to it, it’s available on itunes, amazon and some other sites, as well as andrewjacksonrock.com
Stoli: How much of your day is devoted to writing or playing music?
Andrew Jackson: I go through phases, I spend from a few moments to all day. I am constantly jotting things down or humming into a recording device. The music comes to me from mysterious places, often at inopportune times when I am busy and unable to work on it. It will be a relief to be able to make it a full time focus, many will certainly benefit from that.
Stoli: What message were you trying to convey with the powerful song “Another Day Of Misery”?
Andrew Jackson: The realization and acceptance of reality can be a trying emotional experience. Far too many simply do what they’re told, even if it is wrong because they don’t think. It’s like mental welfare, they have their thoughts thought for them. Another Day Of Misery, like a lot of the other songs on Feral Familiar gets the personal thought process ignited. Thinking is a life-enriching experience. and it requires very little effort, you don’t have to move at all.
Stoli: What is your favorite guitar to use and how did you learn to play?
Andrew Jackson: My main guitar is a Gibson ES-335. It provides the tone and feel I need and I play through a modified Fender amp to make it sound like it does in my head. When I was in junior high some friends and myself rented instruments so that we could perform live music during a lip- synch contest, you know, to show how cool we were. Well, we couldn’t learn to play anything in 2 days but I kept the rental guitar and started taking blues lessons soon after.
Stoli: What is it about Canadian artists that US fans cannot get enough from Alanis to Sum 41?
Andrew Jackson: Canada can provide an external perspective and yet the two countries are now so closely linked together. US fans seeing through Canadian eyes is sort of like an out of body experience for them, I suppose.
Stoli: Bon Jovi thinks I-Tunes & Steve Jobs have ruined the music industry. I do not agree at all, what are your thoughts?
Andrew Jackson: I think that file sharing ruined the industry but not all music comes from the industry, indie music is in a great position to gain considerably in market share because of services like itunes. People’s attitudes have changed and now they generally don’t feel like they have to pay for music so the big corporations have been forced to continually downsize due to a free-fall collapse in revenue. One problem though is that decent artists lower on the ladder are squeezed out from the labels and are forced to compete in a sea of mediocracy because now even those that are better suited to non-musical activities can record tracks on a computer right out of the box. Fans of music should buy albums from talented indie artists like Andrew Jackson because if they don’t pay for it then there won’t be funds for future recordings and promotion. Feral Familiar is available on itunes. When it comes to indie music, it’s simple: if you dig it then buy it!
Stoli: I am excited to see the new video for “Enough Blood to Keep ‘Em Coming.” Please tell us what the storyline is and meaning behind it?
Andrew Jackson: The story is simple: Zombies! zombies, and more zombies! With blood and me in it too, of course. It’s life, it’s crazy, it’s FUN! Director Chris Lazar did a fantastic job in bringing my concept to the screen.
It conveys dedication, it conveys togetherness and it conveys absolute madness but overall, it’s a little too obvious to state out loud. Most viewers of this video will watch it multiple times because it is simply amazing to behold but that’s no sweat because the song Rocks even after 100 listens.
Stoli: I think music videos are crucial for promotion. What are your thoughts?
Andrew Jackson: Yes, videos, whether pro or amateur, are crucial in getting exposure these days. People like to see some performance with the music and videos can provide that. It gives the fans a better link to the artist if they can watch them doing something while listening to the music and also allows the artist to communicate new ideas or build on those in the songs while reaching people all over the planet through sites like Skope magazine. There are several more videos coming soon from Andrew Jackson at youtube.com/andrewjackson09 There’s already a lot there to see including the acclaimed Another Day Of Misery, directed by Miz Monday and some rad shortys.
Stoli: What is coming up for Andrew Jackson & where can we buy ‘Feral Familiar’ and follow you online?
Andrew Jackson: Some festival dates this summer, off to Europe for a short tour and then likely a campus tour in the US when school is back in. All will be posted soon to the band site. I am also in pre-production for the second Andrew Jackson album which should be available before the end of fall. Feral Familiar is available on itunes, Amazon and andrewjacksonrock.com Anyone who orders from the band website will also receive two bonus tracks with the album: “Sausage with Ears” and the blues-based “I Got To Get Your Name”.
For info on ordering the video contact info@andrewjacksonrock.com or go to
http://andrewjacksonrock.com where, for the month of April, when you donate for the album download you’ll receive the video with it for free!
http://skopemag.com/2011/04/08/stoli-premieres-andrew-jackson-new-video-enough-blood-to-keep-em-coming
