In Conversation: JayWood
In Conversation: JayWood
Joel Klaverkamp
Winnipeg’s own Jeremy Haywood-Smith ( aka JayWood ) has just released a new EP called Some Days on Captured Tracks. Recorded locally at House of Wonders by Adam Fuhr the EP is a recreation of an earlier EP and holy damn does it sound great! Beautiful, hooky, intricate and catchy summer fun time jams with grooves that never quit. I got the chance to do a quick video chat with Jeremy and we talked about a few different things but the main focus was on helping you all get to know Jeremy a little better.
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Joel Klaverkamp: So…
Jeremy Haywood-Smith: So…
JK: First one, just to start, just gimme a blip on yourself. Tell me who you are and what you’re about.
JHS: A blip on myself. I am Jeremy Haywood-Smith. I like ramen, that’s like some good food. Big fan of cookies as well. I’m vegan, which I didn’t know was a part of my personality but I know it’s kind of like standard to let it be known if you are vegan for sure.
JK: How long have you been vegan?
JHS: For about 3… Since 20 seven… 2018. Yes yeah, No. 2017. Wow it’s been almost 4 years.
Yeah, what else about me. I like movies, I like anime, I like biking, I like all things nerdy. I’m not afraid to be a nerd for sure.
JK: So were you into Pokemon Go?
JHS: (laughs) I never got into Pokemon Go! I remember when it was a thing, and for whatever reason it wasn’t working on my phone, so I was one of the people looking up, seeing the world. I remember going to the Forks one day when it was at its peak like craziness and it was very dystopian looking around and seeing everyone on their phone, literally everyone was on their phone. I felt like, left out of the biggest craze moment. So creepy and weird to see.
But I’m a fan of Pokemon.
JK: What is your “musical origin story”? Where did it all begin for you?
JHS: Musical origin story. I think it came in sections for me. I was always very much into music as a kid, I always leave that part out. I don’t know why but as a kid growing up I was really exposed to a lot of different music like my mom was really into soul and gospel and R&B and jazz and stuff like that.
I was obsessed with watching MuchMusic when that was on. I didn’t realize how much I loved it and yeah I think that was like the start of me really liking music and in middle school I was always wanting to play every instrument I could and in junior high I went through every instrument in band class and I really liked the drums and then by high school I was playing drums and then I started playing guitar and I learned bass at the same time so from there I’ve just been doing all the things to keep fresh and to keep music interesting for me so yeah I guess it started when I was a kid and just slowly snowballed into what it is now.
JK: So, playing live. Tell me a little about “the band”. What’s your ideal band setup? Who is doing what? How many instruments?
JHS: The ideal band setup is 6 members if it’s possible. Locally we’ve been able to do it of course and that’s been super exciting. The band consists of Ben Stokes on drums, Chenoa McKelvey on bass, Vero Rey on alternative percussion, backup vocals and just a good overall energy and vibe, Darin Rudd is playing second guitar and Max Hamilton is on the keys and synth and I’m singing and doing guitar and yeah, 6 of us is just such a fun time. Obviously it can be scaled down to fit whatever is called for but the energy with 6 of us is just insane.
JK: Yeah I saw you all live at Rainbow Trout. It was pretty great. Preeeeeetttty great!
JHS: (shudders and laughs) Oooh. I don’t remember that performance that well. I remember getting on stage. I told the band “don’t get drunk, don’t get drunk! We’re on at 12 o’clock!” and then it was I who actually got drunk. The second we got on stage I was like “I can’t play this set”
JK: Naw, you guys blew us away
JHS: I love it. Glad to hear it thank you.
JK: I guess on the EP it was mainly you, Adam and Ben and I guess Jen on one track?
JHS: Yeah it was mainly the 3 of us, since it was like COVID, and just in the recording process I just like to do it, like if I’m able to play it, I just like to record it. That’s just how I go about it. But it was nice to just like, do it in a way where it was super personal to me where I was like “oh I know these songs, they’re super close to me, I should probably be the one playing them.” as much as possible. But when I got to the drums I was like “oooh, no I’m rusty, I’m very rusty” so like obviously best to bring in Ben and I’m never gonna complain about that Ben’s an insanely good drummer and yeah doing keys and synth was just split between Adam and I. And he’s trained, he’s been doing piano since he was a kid so he knows where to go. He knows all these things where I just have these things in my ear. Yeah, it was a small crew and Vero also hopped on backup vocals for What You Do To Me as well. Yeah, very small crew.
JK: The original EP was written quite a while ago
JHS: Yep, 2015
JK: So how different do you feel being the person you are now, compared to the person you were when you were originally writing the material?
JHS: I think I feel like the bigger brother to my younger self. Like an older, more wiser, more calm, more put together version of myself. Still growing, still learning, still figuring things out, but I feel like I’m less angsty and less like “Ah everything is a mess” I feel much calmer and I’m like “hey, dude, don’t worry about it”, y’know? It’s a cool relationship to have with that internal version of me and I’m happy to have gotten there because I didn’t think it was possible honestly.
JK: Yeah, people do chill as they get older.
JHS: So I hear! They chill and they get achy and it’s a beautiful process.
JK: It is a great sounding record. It feels really comfortable and loose. What was the recording process like?
JHS: It was super super chill. We just wanted to capture that chill laid back sound and vibe. When we first started recording it, for me, these songs are super old and I know them so well. I had to get out of my own way because they’re new to somebody else.
So when we started recording I was like “Oh yeah, whatever, don’t worry about it” but then maybe half way through kind of getting the ball rolling hearing the first mixes of everything I was like “oh man, these actually sound good!” I should maybe actually give these songs a little more love, and respect and be kinder to them.
Watching them kind of be pieced together and hearing them all just come together was really exciting. It was so nice to do something with Adam. At that point in time House of Wonders had just started so we were excited to just do anything we could. So we thought let’s do this together, let’s have this thing.
We didn’t know what was going to happen, it was in the beginning of COVID so we didn’t know what things were gonna look like, let’s have this cool moment in time to remember and it was just such a fun time and Adam’s a great friend, an incredible engineer and he’s doing some cool stuff at House of Wonders. It was a cool thing to do together.
JK: If you could put together a dream show right now with any bands you wanted on the bill, who would be the first 5 bands that come to mind?
JHS: Any band? Doesn’t need to be local?
JK: No, no. I’m gonna say, just to narrow it down, they do have to be an active band playing live now.
JHS: Ok. Ok. I can definitely do that.
I think I would definitely have to put Kokoko on there, that was one of the last shows I saw where I was like “damn, that was a great time” before the world locked down. They would have a later slot because I think after the whole COVID situation, everyone’s just gonna want to dance and be really vibrant and have a good time.
I would wanna see Nick Hakim live. I think that just looks like such a great set. Every pitchfork video I’ve seen has just looked amazing. I feel like that could be an earlier slot for sure.
I think maybe Jaywood? ( laughs )
JK: Yeah no you’re on the bill, obviously you’re on the bill
JHS: Ok! Yeah I would love to be on the bill for sure, just because it’s been so long. It would be super cool to be giving folks something to dance to, be excited about and have a fun time with.
2 more artists.
Maybe the band Sault?
JK: Oh yeah.
JHS: I’ve been really into them lately.
JK: Yeah they are so so good
JHS: Right? Like holy crap. Yeah they’ve been amazing. They’ve been helping me through the pandemic, that’s for sure.
You know what, let me throw on one more local band, I’d put Super Duty Tough Work for sure on there
JK: Perfect
JHS: I think that bill, ooh, mwah.
JK: Yeah I would be at that show
JHS: I would say Jaywood would open, Super Duty, Nick Hakim, Kokoko!, then Sault.
JK: Alright, last one. What is the funniest story you have from touring?
JHS: Might have been with Lev. I don’t know if it’s a funny story, but I think it’s funny now in retrospect, but at the time it was pretty scary. We were driving through the Midwest and it was in the middle of a really intense winter. The roads were completely snowed over and it got so bad to the point where we had to go to a small town and we got there and we weren’t allowed to leave the town because the roads were so bad.
JK: You got snowed into a small town?
JHS: Yeah it was kinda scary, like horror movie vibes. It ended up being a funny adventure. We stayed there, everyone crammed into a church, we all brought our music equipment in and everyone else was like “oh, there’s a band there’s a band!” they kept joking “you gonna play for us?” and we were like “hahaha” and in the morning Lev was just like “I woke up and I think we need to play for these people” we were like “eh… Lev, I think everyone’s tired” but he was like “we gotta do it”.
We set up our stage setup and everyone’s like kind of gathered around and we played the first 2 songs and everyone was like “whoa this is really cool” but the second a cop comes in and says “hey everyone the roads are all clear you’re good to go” the room immediately clears out, within a second everyone’s “thanks, we’re gone.” Lev was like “should we keep playing the set?” we were like “no, let’s go. Let’s go, it’s over.”
That’s a fun story that I like to think about. Fun times, we got out safe everyone was okay. It ended up being a cool experience nonetheless.