Having already been dubbed a virtuoso by many industry reps, Jay Seeney headed to Nashville this year to to record his Debut EP. Under the watchful eye of Dark Horse Recording and with an all star A-List Nashville Band Jay created, The New Black album. We caught up with Jay to ask him about the recording, how he writes and his live shows.
NL: Your EP, The New Black was recorded with Dark Horse Recording. Tell us how you came to work with them.
I had a couple of recommendations from a few of my industry friends about some studios in Nashville, Dark Horse just happened to be really easy to work with and the tracking was a breeze!
NL: What was the preproduction process like? Did you have a bag of songs ready to go, or did you head to the studio with a blank canvas?
Pre-production for this EP began 5 months before the recording in Nashville, during this time I did a stack of writing with a few great artists and songwriters including Drew McAlister. It was a great opportunity to explore a number of different topics and work on developing my song writing skills. We started with 20 demo tracks and whittled it down to the best 6 which are the ones on the EP.
NL: You’ve said that the band chose not to “limit” yourselves heading into the recording of the album, what did you mean by that and how did it play out in the studio?
In the band, we’re not afraid to push the boundaries of what you would normally hear in country music. We’re definitely not strictly a country band. I’ve learnt so much from across many genres of music including rock, metal & blues that it would be crazy not to draw on that. The band I recorded with in Nashville were fantastic, they did a fantastic job of encapsulating the sound I was chasing whilst adding some brand new elements which brought so much life to the songs.
NL: What comes first for you music or lyrics?
For myself, it’s always the music. Every single song I write will always start with a good melody or guitar riff.
NL: How has Drew McAlister inspired your sound?
I’ve looked up to Drew for a number of years back when he was performing with McAlister Kemp. The songs always had the ability to connect with people. I knew that if there was one person in Australia that would help me write some great songs, it would be him. Drew definitely brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the songs on this EP.
NL: You’re headed to Nashville. Beyond being the capital of country music, what is it about Nashville that country music artists are drawn to?
Although Nashville is a city of over 1 million people, it has a real small town community vibe. All through the town, people are willing to help each other out. Many of the most talented musicians and creatives in the world all converge on Nashville and this has created a place unlike any other around the world. Creativity is absolutely bursting from the seams there.
NL: You’re playing Schecter Guitars. What’s your go to model for writing and recording?
There’s two of my guitars which I like to record with, the first is my Schecter Solo 6 in white, loaded with active EMG pickups. It really helps to create that thick ‘wall of sound’ which is crucial to the Jay Seeney Band’s overall sound. The second one is my Hellraiser Hybrid C-1 with Floyd Rose System in Trans Black Burst with Seymour Duncans. This guitar is still pretty hot, pickup-wise but has a bit more of a creamier quality which works well for certain songs.
NL: You’ve performed at the Gympie Music Muster. For someone who’s never been to Gympie, can you describe it in one sentence?
The Gympie Muster is like nothing you will ever experience anywhere else, it has its own unique vibe and is one of the must do Australian music events!
NL: We’re loving the video clip for “Any Love Before”. Where did you shoot it and who did you work with on it?
We shot this clip with the very talented Josh Favaloro from Filmery. Josh has a real knack for producing incredibly polished clips that really get inside the song and look at it from a number of different angles. This clip we shot in the old abandoned brewery in Mittagong. We shot it over three stories inside the building, it was an experience to get all of our gear up and down in there!
NL: Tell us about you on stage set up.
These days, my on stage set up is comprised of my Line 6 wireless direct into my Fractal Audio Axe-FX XL+. I’ve played a stack of different amps over my time and the Axe FX has the ability to perfectly re-create all of these tones in the one box. It gives me the ability to change from a raging heavy metal sound to the cleanest Fender style tone at the touch of a button without having to take 2 or 3 different amps. My main rhythm preset is a blend of a modified Marshall JCM 800 and an Orange Rockerverb to help thicken up the mids. All my effects come from the unit also, I generally keep these very simple, just delay, reverb, compression and the occasional touch of chorus.
You fan find out more about Jay by heading tho his Facebook page, and website.
