Los Angeles

INTERVIEW | Jacob Mann

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Multi-talented musician Jacob Mann is the driving force behind the Jacob Mann Big Band and Shrek Is Love.

– Where is home for you?

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, and then, aged eighteen, I moved to Los Angeles for college, and I’ve lived there ever since. The two cities are pretty close together, so I consider them both to be my home — Vegas is my hometown, and LA is my city of residence.

– You wear many hats: you’re a composer, arranger and bandleader, but you’re also a talented pianist and keyboard player both for studio recordings and live performances, and you also seem to love the production side of things. Is there one hat you wear more than others? Is there one hat you’re most comfortable wearing? Is there a hat you long to wear?

I really enjoy the variety that comes with being a musician. Some people ask what a normal month looks like for me, and I laugh and say I have no idea. If I can wake up and spend some part of the day thinking about music, regardless of the context, it feels like a victory. So I guess I’d say I enjoy all hats equally. Some hats I’d love to wear in the future would be writing for a full orchestra; scoring a TV show or film; playing in the house band of a talk show; and touring under my own name.

– Tell us about your latest album with the Jacob Mann Big Band, Greatest Hits Vol. 3 (2022).

I had the goal of releasing a full-length big band album before my thirtieth birthday, and I wanted to record two completely different big bands, in order to get more musicians involved. I tend to write music with specific people in mind, so having two separate bands was a nice opportunity to write different types of tunes. Each band recorded four charts, and we tracked the whole album in one day, which was exhausting, but a lot of fun – the bands brought this music to life in an incredible way; I’m really happy with how it turned out.

– What’s next for Jacob Mann?

Right now I’m working on some collaboration albums that I’m very excited about. I’m excited to keep writing, arranging, and playing whenever I can!

Visit Jacob Mann on Bandcamp to hear Jacob Mann Big Band’s new release, Greatest Hits Vol. 3.

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INTERVIEW: SARA DEE

Interview

 

Sara Dee has been described as “a hybrid of Patsy Cline and Madeleine Peyroux”. The L.A. based singer-songwriter talked to The Prickle about her new Christmas single, ‘Christmas in California’.

 

How did you get into singing and songwriting?

Sara Dee: Growing up there was always music on in my house — a pretty balanced diet of oldies, rock ‘n’ roll, standards, and classical.  I always gravitated toward music, and as a kid would stay in my room for hours, teaching myself instruments, and analyzing my favourite songs.  So I suppose the singing and songwriting came as a natural part of my obsession with imitating what I admired.

What inspires you to write?

Sara Dee: I love to write about conflict. And love! Really I find inspiration in anything I’m willing to pay close attention to. But conflict and love are pretty powerful motivators.

Who are your musical heroes?

Sara Dee: There’s so many; if I have to make a short list: Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Beach Boys, Queen, Ella Fitzgerald, Over the Rhine, Lianna LaHavas, Dr. John, Janelle Monet. I mean, I could go on…

Tell us about your new single.

Sara Dee: I wrote ‘Christmas in California’ basically in one sitting, which doesn’t always happen. It was Christmastime; I was on my bed looking out my window; and it looked like summer outside. I felt no ‘holiday spirit’, and honestly, it was kind of sad! I love the subtle rushes of holiday magic, and when I looked around I didn’t see one sign of winter or Christmas. That’s when the lyric, “Christmas is a state of mind”, popped into my brain. From there, I just started thinking about all the imagery of experiencing winter in an endless summer town. And really, the hardest part about that was whittling down which ones to leave in — there are so many! And it was also a great way to pay some hommage to my city of Los Angeles.

What’s next for Sara Dee?

Sara Dee: A couple more singles before the big album in February 2019, In Joy, Vol. 2. It’s my third full-length album, and I’m really excited about it! But first, this is the perfect time of year to check out my Christmas single.

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