Weekly > Interviews
Jon Jones And The Beatniks Movement
With any band that you feature it’s nice to see how they develop over a period of time, this is even truer of local bands as you also have a local pride element as well. We’ve featured Jon Jones And The Beatniks Movement a couple of times on this site previously and were keen to talk to them as they continue to grow in stature playing gigs around the UK with the likes of 80’s Matchbox and The Horrors.
We caught up with lead singer Irish Joe to find out about their new EP Engine Power, which is released in June, how they were getting on with their latest new instrument and if Patsy Kensit would be an option as a groupie when they make it big!
The name isn’t the easiest for people to remember but it’s a huge step up from just shoving ‘The’ in front of an object, who came up with it and is their any particular story behind it?
Yeah, the name was decided on before the band was even properly formed, before some of us had even met, actually! Way back in the day, way before the band we are now had even been thought of, it’s two most founding members, Bob (drums) and Stefan (bass), were stumbling there way through the fields of V Festival, when they met a friendly hippie named Jon Jones. They sat together for an entire day just talking and laughing in the sun. Obviously, a bond had been formed and to prove it Bob and Stefan promised Jon Jones that one day they will name their band after him. And they did!
And that’s the story of Jon Jones! Ha ha. The funny thing is, Jon Jones himself probably isn’t even aware of the band, never mind that it is named after him!!
You’ve had a line up change or two in the time you’ve been around, are things settled now or are you open to additions to the band?
When we became a four piece in late 2007, we were given the opportunity to work things into our set that we weren’t able to when there were 5 of us, due to sound levels and whatnot. It’s safe to say that instrumentally, we have come on a lot since then and which in turn, has helped the set become more of a whole rather than just a list of random songs.
It’s also safe to say that at this moment, as both band mates and best friends, we’re closer than we have ever been. This is also why we are not looking for any new members at this time.
I understand you’ve got yourself a new instrument to play with in the band recently, how do you choose what you are going to incorporate into your range of instruments and how does it impact on your overall sound.
Yeah, the lap steel is going to be great once we get the opportunity to really sit down and practice with it. We generally look to instruments that will give the sound that extra depth or extra kick. These are the same reasons why we brought a strobe-light into our set at certain points, for impact.
Nothing says “Listen to this and like it, or get the fuck out!” better than three instruments at their heaviest and a great big flashing white light!
You’ve recorded a few demo’s over the last year or two and you’ve now got a single coming out in June, do you have to be wary of experimenting too much in the studio sound wise when you know its something you are going to have to recreate live?
Yeah we finally finished the EP about two or three weeks ago, after a few songs had to be remixed and we are really happy with it.
When we’re in the studio we do tend to experiment with different sounds and effects, in some cases whole new instruments! For the recording of our song ‘Rope’ for the EP, we have added the extra part of an organ. Something that only we with the prior knowledge or those with a very good ear would notice. It works really well, giving the song an extra lift, but as it blends in so well, it means there are no worries about having to recreate it live.
Can you tell us about the EP that’s coming out and any other tracks that are going to be included with it?
Well on the EP there will be the first track ‘Engine Power’ a driving rock tune which is then followed by ‘Rope’, which along with the last song on the EP, ‘Screw Loose’ has been up on our myspace for the past few months. There is a track off our last demo named ‘Cheers Jimi’ on there and finally, a new recording of one of our heavier tunes named ‘Pushin’, Fuckin’ which in our opinion is our very best recording. It’s got real balls.
From the outside looking in it looks like things are starting to get really exciting for you, you’ve gone from playing to 50 people in the Love Apple in Bradford, to supporting your favourite band in Leeds and headlining shows in places as far flung as Brighton and Middlesbrough, are you aware of how far you’ve come already?
It’s great when we think about the distance we have travelled and how the band has come on in general, both musically and otherwise. We are proud of what we have achieved so far. The only thing is when you first start your scrappy little punk band with the soul intention of having a laugh whilst doing something you love, expectations within the band are pretty low. But over the past year or so, with all that’s happened, and with all the work we have put in, I’d be lying if I said we didn’t want more.
Weblinks
- Jon Jones And The Beatniks Movement
- Rockers And Rollers Club Night
- Picture Courtesy of Chris Dearnley
You look after a lot of things yourself as far as sorting the gigs etc, that must be hard to do with you all still working in your day jobs?
Being in a band costs a lot of money so it’s essential that we all have at least some money coming in but the band is definitely the most important thing in our lives right now. We’ve all had such a passion for it since we started that it isn’t a chore to do all the admin work. We enjoy looking through the club nights and bands we’d like to play (for them at their club night Rockers and Rollers) and play with.
Myspace has made this a lot easier for us like it has so many bands. Getting in touch with venues, promoters, even your favourite bands is all possible through Myspace. It’s given unsigned bands a lot more power and has made it a lot easier for them to get big and gain fans all over the world.
It sounds like your set has evolved quite a bit over the last 18 months, are you constantly writing new songs and if you do, how do you decide as a band which of your old songs you drop?
We love to write new stuff. We’re always writing riffs and parts to songs we could possibly use just in our own time. When we come up with something good, we’re not afraid to drop one of the weaker songs from the set and replace it. No matter how great you used to think a song was, if it’s dragging your set down, you shouldn’t be afraid of giving it the chop for something new. It seems harsh but it’s how you grow. That’s the case for us anyway. We can all tell when something’s not right with the set and we rarely tend to disagree about when a song has to go.
The more you practice the better band you become and we practice a lot, so what’s the point in us clinging on to a song we wrote when we were a lesser band?
As I mentioned earlier you’ve already supported 80’s Matchbox, if you could put together your dream bill who else would you want to play with?
Queens of the Stone Age would have to be on there, Josh Homme is one of our biggest heroes and they’re probably our favourite band making music today, we listen to all of their albums a LOT. Nirvana (are we allowed bands from the past?) would be a good choice, we all love them and people are always making comparisons with us and their brilliant album, Bleach. Then maybe sneak us on there as a cheeky little opener. We’d also only charge a fiver on the door so bum’s like us could actually get through the door!
Early days obviously, but as things progress do you feel you’ve got sufficient grounding to stop yourselves from throwing in 15 minute harp solo’s when you reach your third album and turning down Patsy Kensit when she’s looking for her 14th rock husband in a few years time?
Right now, it’s hard to see us writing a song that is longer than 5 minuets but I can see us experimenting in the studio given the chance. We would love one day to have the opportunity to take our music as far as it will go but as for a harp solo, I think you’re safe. We’re fans of loud as fuck, knock-yer-socks-off rock and roll and that’s what we love playing and I can’t see that ever changing. It’s about as likely as Patsy Kensit giving me the opportunity to turn her down!
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