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Jonathan Boulet: Spending Time In The Garage

Jonathan Boulet is the newest addition to the Modular Records family.

Posted 12th January 2010, 5:38pm in Interviews, by Jasmine Phull
Jonathan Boulet Jonathan Boulet is the newest addition to the Modular Records family. Although the Sydney skate kid believes his real talents lies in the skate-park he has more than proven himself as a budding musical talent. Cheerful tunes coupled with a killer melody and wonderful instrumentation, cue the maracas, followed the 21-year-old and his three band mates on their 2009 tour with Perth shiners Tame Impala. Boulet produced and recorded the debut self-titled album of uplifting indie songs that reminisce back to those summer road trips where it was more about the journey than the destination. The album 'Jonathan Boulet' was released through Modular Records last December.

Your first love was: skating or music?
Music. Skating has only really come around in the last 1-2 years for me, so I don’t know if I can call it love yet...

Do you find a correlation between the two?
Sometimes yeah. I’ll come home after having a really fun skate and really want to write some music.

During your 2009 Tame Impala supporting tour there were photos of the band jumping out of the van and enjoying a skate park or two. Does a good skate help clear the head?
It definitely does. Much like a therapy session. Just last week Watty (our drummer) concussed himself and almost lost his memory, so you could definitely say it clears the head.

Was the whole album recorded in your Castle Hill garage?
One of the songs was recorded in the study upstairs. One day I decided to set up all the gear in a different room because I was spending too much time in the garage.

I read that you wrote, recorded, produced and played almost every instrument on your self-titled debut. But throughout your tour with Tame Impala you had band members Ravi Gupta, David Rogers, Tim Watkins and Rebecca Shave join you. Will they be involved in the recording of the next album?
Originally this music was purely a creative output. I think it still is so I’m not sure if I will get them to play on the next album. They will definitely be helping with vocals though (you’ll see what I mean).

You’ve supported Tame Impala and El Perro Del Mar. The vibe on those respective tours must have been quite varied. Was there much difference?
Yeah it was very different. Tame Impala was just fun; mates hanging out having a good time, playing music. El Perro Del Mar was a bit different. We didn’t meet or talk to her at all, and basically the crowd was probably the opposite of a Tame Impala crowd.

You’ve said you were influenced by the sounds of Sufjan Stevens. ‘North to South East to You’, also sounded like it drew some inspiration from Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Were there many bands that influenced the album?
I’ve never really been one for hearing an artist and thinking, ‘I should try to write more like that’. Instead I try to take the vibe that I get from listening to an artist like Sufjan or Sigur Ros and recreate it with something else. I’m sure there are hundreds of bands that have influenced the album.

Any favourite bands at the moment?
Yes. I am really loving this guy called Siriusmo. He was picked up by Modeselektor and is one of the few artists making really good electro music.

Your other band Parades is more melancholy involving ethereal vocals, electronica and synthesised beats. The sounds are quite different; is this just another side of your musical palate?
In Parades I play drums and sing a little. It’s where I first started out. Like the other guys in the band we all have heaps of styles and bands that we listen to, so it all comes together when we play. I don’t think it’s uncommon to listen to a lot of different music, it just helps to stay on top and be able to write music that we at least think is new.

The press release described the album as "born out of a world of endless campfires and tribal jam sessions." Are tribal jams and campfires something that was heavily involved in your Sydney lifestyle?
I really like jamming but it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. As for campfires and such, that rarely happens.

Where do you see yourself recording Jonathan Boulet’s next album?
In the garage, where else?
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