Auckland City Limits. Congrats!

Thank you! We’re very stoked with that and looking forward to it.

How does it feel being on a line-up with people such as Grace Jones?

Yeah absolutely ridiculous. I can’t wait. Even on our stage is Thundercat, George Ezra and all these people that I’m very excited about.

Who are your favourite NZ musicians?

My favourite NZ musicians would have to be, I have a few of them. I’m really digging a lot of the stuff NZ's put out.Unknown Mortal Orchestra, well Reuben, he would have to be one of my favourites. Then Lawrence Arabia, Gareth Thomas, Liam Finn and all those characters of the world. Yeah just anything. I really love the indie pop rock scene in NZ and of course all the classic songwriters too.

What music do you enjoy listening to?

Just a bit of everything I suppose. I’ve got a wide range of influences from indie rock and indie pop, right through to 90's hip-hop. But at the moment I would have to say Unknown Mortal Orchestra and people like that are some real faves.

Yeah I always find that question really interesting because you get people who like play blues music for example but then they say they listen to Metallica and heavier music.

Yeah totally. I like to keep my listening quite broad because I’m aware that probably subconsciously it reflects it in my writing. I like to think that my writing has some originality to it. I like to draw influence from all over the place.

What were you doing before you launched into music?

Well music has sort of been my thing since about halfway through high school when I realised I didn’t really enjoy much else to the same level of music. If I was going to follow my passion it would be music. I’ve always done music. I’ve played in lots of different bands. I’ve always played drums in a few different bands and worked in a few different projects so yeah. The Jed Parsons solo project I guess is just a culmination of all that stuff I’ve done before.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren't performing music?

Not really. I guess that was the thing that through me into it you know. You sit down and analyse what you like in life and music was always the main passion. If it was anything else, it would have to be creatively inclined like all my brothers. I’ve got 3 older brothers and they're all creative in 1 way or another. I think it runs in the family and I’d definitely have to be doing something arty or whatever.

How would you describe your music?

I’d put it under the broad umbrella of indie pop. I would say that I’m influenced by classic song writing. I really love Neil Young and those kinds of guys. But with a modern twist of production. I think with the way I approach song writing I enjoy pop formulas, accessible formulas but with an interesting twist. Yeah, I guess that’s how I’d describe it.

Where do you get your ideas for your music videos? I just watched your video for Get Lost and it’s got so many different elements to it.

Yeah, it’s pretty wacky. I came up with the concept a wee while ago and it was always quite aesthetically driven. I knew how I wanted the shots to look and how the shots would be cut together in quick succession. And then a vague concept of the juxtaposition between a person living a boring life or whatever, well the real-world life, juxtaposed with him in an alternate reality or a dream of what he wanted to be doing. Then the production company Ruffell productions, they took it to the next level.

Yeah when I first watched the video I didn’t look into too much what it was about, but I totally got that from the video.

Cool, that’s good. Yeah, the song is from probably quite a personal point of view of analysing as a young musician, analysing your place in the world. You know you always hear as a musician “are you going to get a real job?” and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, the song is about I guess just leading a life that is a little bit unconventional. Specifically, Get Lost is obviously about getting out and travelling and seeing the world a bit as opposed to settling down and working a 9-5 and doing a standard life. So yeah that’s reflected in the music video too.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you while playing on tour? Though you’re about to go on tour so this answer could change.

Oh yeah, okay awesome haha. I played drums in a couple of bands and 1 band I was playing in, we did a massive gig just after the earthquakes. So, there was nothing much to do but get on the road. We played with this very bizarre band, who shall remain nameless, but one of the guys in the band thought he was a bit of a Rockstar. A guy in our band accidentally broke a glass in the hotel room we were staying in and that guy said, “oh fuck it that’s alright” and he preceded to empty the kitchen drawers and break everything in sight including the big 50-inch TV. It was absolutely horrendous. But yeah, we were rolling out the next day and there were cop cars outside taking notes and stuff. Yeah it was a very bizarre tour.

But yeah playing places like Stewart Island and pubs in the middle of nowhere, often to very small crowds, was kind of where we honed our craft. So, it was good for that.

What can you never leave home without when you’re going on tour?

Probably my headphones. I always make sure I have my headphones. *voice in the background* “Girlfriend!” Haha my girlfriend is listening. Girlfriend. But yeah headphones are very important. That’s probably where I do most of my listening, on tour. But yeah, I actually tour very lightly. Most of my touring so far has been playing drums so of course you’ve got your cymbal case as your carry on and you sort of squeeze in some undies and your toothbrush wherever you can find room. But yeah, always headphones.

It’s sort of like what you have on a daily basis like when you’re commuting otherwise it’s that awkward silence on the train or bus.

Yeah exactly. I don’t really mind silence though. I quite like to think a lot. I do a lot of my writing that way just thinking and taking note of what strange thoughts pass through my brain. So, I don’t mind the silence but yeah on aeroplanes it gets a bit too much.

What rumour would you like to start about yourselves?

Oh, that’s a good one! I always thought about, not sure if it’s a rumour or not, I’m quite critical of social media these days. I thought it would be quite funny to do an entire world tour while not leaving the bedroom. So, start a rumour and just post pictures of cities from google images and say I’ve played in Antarctica or just did a sweet gig in some obscure city around the world. I think that would be a rumour to start and just see how far you can push social media. Make it out that I did a sold-out tour of Antarctica, that’d be a good one.

What is the one thing you want people to know about you?

I guess just how dedicated I am to music. It’s funny talking to non-musicians about what you do and obviously they just see the 3 minute video on YouTube and listen to your song on Spotify or whatever and they sometimes don’t realise the years, literally years, of work that goes into one of these projects. Yeah to the non-musicians to know that as musicians we work quite hard I guess.

What has got you to where you are today?

Probably just, I think the fact that I’ve played in so many different projects. Like I’ve played drums in multiple bands and done lots of collaborative writing. I think all that has got me to where I am today because I have been able to spend years observing the front man from behind the kits and observing band dynamics and things that have worked and things that haven’t worked. I’ve seen and heard stories from friends. Yeah just collaborating a lot.

So how does it feel having Get Lost out everywhere now?

It’s really really cool. I’m so stoked with it. There’s been times just having launched my solo career, I’ve been playing live with my band for a good couple of years now and there’s been so many opportunities where we could have rushed it and we could have recorded something early on and released it straight away. It’s always been so tempting. I’m glad people are picking it up and listening to it. I think that’s every musician's dream to have as many people enjoy what you’re doing as possible. So yeah, I’m stoked with the feedback so far. I’m really happy.

What are your plans for the rest of this year?

Yeah cool. So, I’ve got a bit of a tour at the moment, so about 10 dates across the country. But that’s over 2 months so nothing too strenuous. But behind the scenes there’s a couple more singles to go and I’ll be looking to release the album around July.

Well that’s about all I have. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me.

No worries. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me

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Callum (musician): Thank you for having me

Alex: Tell us about yourself. You have an interesting style of music.

Callum: It’s dark folk, or maybe gothic folk. {Aldous Harding} has been using the term gothic folk which works well with what we are doing. It’s storytelling songs; I play mostly acoustic, but Joel Vincent (who does electric guitar) doesn’t really do harmonies, he mostly does textures, same as Sam who plays the violin. We come up with these eerie and sometimes dark and creepy storytelling songs about these people who have lives that go awry.

Alex: Dark and creepy?

Callum: I’m no Taylor Swift, and I don’t know if I will go #1 in the US with that description, but dark and creepy, sometimes fun. Atmospheric is a good term as well.

Alex: That’s just interesting because I read somewhere that you were inspired musically by the Muppets. Who are not exactly dark and creepy.

Callum: I was, and some would say still am. While not dark and creepy, the songs that I remember seeing and hearing on the Muppets as I was growing up, was like when Kermit’s cousin Robin (the littlest frog) was singing this song Halfway Down the Stairs, where he was sitting halfway down the stairs, singing this sad song about not going anywhere. It’s the sad songs that I really remember, the sad melodies that hit a chord with me.

Alex: How long did it take you to get into music after these inspiring songs?

Callum: Ages. As a child, I always believed you either have the talent or you don’t. You’d be in school picking up a guitar and trying to figure out some chords, and then you’d see someone else and they had already figured it out, and I thought that meant I wasn’t talented. I didn’t realise that one of those guys, his dad was a musician, so he had been around music and guitars since he was born. So, it wasn’t that he was more talented (he is a very talented musician), but he’d just been around it more. I never figured out, that if I actually just practised, I’d be okay. I decided I wasn’t a good guitarist or singer, so I went and did something else. In the end, my desire to play was so strong that I just tried.

Alex: Was the guitar your first choice?

Callum: As a child, my dad got me onto the piano, but I had a brutal piano teacher, and that was me done. I’d like to go back and do a bit of piano, but playing guitar and singing are my first choices. Lyrics were a big part of it all. When I got started with song writing, I knew I was okay at guitar, but I was really good at working with words, and I love the poetry of it. Words were the first focus when I started writing music.

Alex: How do you come up with your lyrics? Are they personal anecdotes?

Callum: Weirdly it’s from walking around. Conversations pop into my head as I walk around. If I’m having trouble writing, I’ll just go out for a walk. Sometimes works sometimes doesn’t, but it tends to work when I’m on the move. Touring is great; it may not be walking, but I’m driving and still moving, so things pop up in my head. Other than that, I sometimes snoop on people conversations.

Alex: You mentioned touring. You’ve gone to a lot of small venues in small towns. What drove that decision?

Callum: A few reasons. I’m a big fan of a band called {The Eastern}, who are based out at Lyttelton. They were touring monsters; every night of the week, almost every week of the year, and they would play anything. I realised that I want to play. I don’t want to save myself, like some artists do; strategizing, and only playing key events and venues, with the goal of playing Spark Arena one day. I’d rather just get out there, play and see places. Playing small venues in Auckland is a quick road to having people not turn up anymore because all your friends have already seen you. Touring, getting out on the road, seeing places, meeting people. People in smaller towns do often come out because there is a gig on.

Alex: Any favourite spots?

Callum: Barrytown, near Greymouth in the South Island. It was a dream. One of those weird iconic places; why it’s on the map, nobody knows. But it’s amazing, Fugazi (American punk rock band) and Townes van Zant (American singer-songwriter) had played there, and nearly every New Zealand artist I listened to had been there. It was a huge thrill when we got to play there last year. In Auckland, I love The Wine Cellar; I love the sound and the people, and what Rohan Evans does with the sound there.

Alex: You did a show there a couple of weeks ago? Did it go well?

Callum: Yeah. It was great. Played with {Being.}. If you get a chance, catch her shows, she is a great musician. The crowd was great. A lot of people came in who were new and just saw a gig was happening and decided to give it a go. One American guy saw that I was going to America this year and wanted to check me out, and he loved it.

Alex: You’re heading over to the States.

Callum: Uncle Donald still has to stamp the visa properly. One of the forms I had to sign did state that “if the administration changes its immigration policy at any time before or after arrival…”, which fair enough, it’s interesting times in America. Apart from getting that one little bit of protocol done at the consulate, it’s all set up and ready to go.

Alex: What made you pick the States?

Callum: Partly because I could. The visa came up, and I get a one-year working green card, which is ace. I don’t have to sneak in, I can go legitimately and work, tour around for a full year. Apart from that, childhood dreams? I’ve always wanted to visit and be an artist in New York. To see the places; go to Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Seattle. Even going to places with no music scene, but to see friends.

Alex: You have a farewell tour?

Callum: Just a small tour. The Wine Cellar show was the first We have an afternoon show at Leigh Sawmill on March 11^th with {Mice on Stilts}, the day before on the 10^th we are at Eggsentric in Whitianga because the guys wanted to go to the Coromandel. The weekend after on the 16^th we are at The Refinery in the Paeroa area. That will be the last gigs I’ll be playing with the current band for a while unless I can get 10,000,000 listens on Spotify in the next couple of months and I can afford to fly them over to the States.

Alex: Tell me about your writing process.

Callum: There are two ways I go about it. One is that I’m just screwing around, and find a couple of chords that sound good, so I work something around it. The other way is when I’m learning someone else’s song, learning a cover, and I screw it up, and again it sounds good, so I work something around it. I was trying to learn a fingerpicking style, and it wasn’t the exact way that he plays it, but it was a variation on Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, it was interesting and different, so a song came out of that. It’s fun. I love to trip over songs.

Alex: How long does the song writing process take?

Callum: Two parts to that question, how many songs do I write, and how many do I finish. It depends on a lot of factors but over a month I may write 5-10 different song ideas, whether it’s a lyric or melody. How many do I finish to the point that it’s completed and I’m happy with it? Maybe one a month. It takes a while because I like the process. I like to look at the structure and make changes and work on them. Only once have a sat down written a song and recorded it and it was done. It was okay, and I still play it live, but it was the only time that has happened that fast.

Alex: A bit of a perfectionist?

Callum: I’m not saying it’s a good thing. I remember Neil Young talking about writing After the Gold Rush, and how it took almost half an hour to come up with, and that was a long time. I don’t know how he does it. I guess he is just playing over and over, all the time, every day.

Alex: You’ve mentioned a few artists that have obviously inspired you. When you pick your band members, do their tastes in music come into consideration?

Callum: I generally just go with whoever wants to play with me. I’ve got lots of buddies who play music professionally, and I’ve got them to sit in and lay down some tracks. On one hand, they are really busy, and on the other, I approach things really differently; it’s not a conventional structure. Some musicians find it a bit weird, so I went with Sam and Joel because they didn’t look at me weird. I don’t dictate things, I just give them the vibe, and I let them contribute how they want. You don’t tell them what to do, you find out what they have to offer, to give to the song. Same goes with anything else, I’m working with a lady called Hayley on some videos, and I give her a couple of ideas, but I want to know what she hears when she listens to the song. Generally, what she comes up with is way more interesting than what I came up with because she knows what she’s doing with videos. Those guys know what they are doing with their instruments, so let them put their input in.

Alex: What are they like to tour with?

Callum: Good, actually. Last year we did a big tour, from September until November, and then did a solo tour in Australia. We were stuck in the car with all the gear for quite a while. We nailed the South Island and did a jaunt around the North, and I figured it would be great, as we could share the driving, and picking the music, doing the phone calls. In the end, I realised I liked the driving; from Dunedin to Greymouth in one trip, and I drove the whole way. I’m far happier and relaxed doing an eight-and-a-half-hour drive, than if I’m in the back seat. It was good for the other guys who preferred to chill and relax. We did all take turns picking the music to play and discovered some amazing new artists along the way. Sometimes not. If you ever get the chance to check out Puce Mary (Danish experimental artist), some really interesting and inspiring stuff, but I will listen to something else now because it’s full on.

Alex: How was the Australian tour?

Callum: I did my first Australian tour in May of last year and was over for a whole month. A New Zealand solo touring artist, I figured nobody was going to turn up, but it turned out really well; people turned up, some gigs paid really well, everyone was respectful. It went so well that I immediately booked the next tour. Only ended up being there for five shows for that November tour. I was knackered. I literally played a solo set the night before getting on the plane, I was drunk and thought I was screwed and going to die in Australia. It was weird, I got to Australia and went straight to the venue, and they greeted me, offered me a beer and a feed; it was great that all these people were happy to see me because I’d come all the way from New Zealand to play. I played a great show at Castlemaine, and another at Saints and Sailors in Portarlington; I’ve played there a couple times now doing three-hour sets. Fully recommend it. If you want a beer and feed they are great, but if you are a musician you should get hold of them.

Alex: Three-hour set?

Callum: Yeah when I first played there with another artist there were three of us each doing an hour each. I went back another time, and I really needed the cash, so I did the whole thing myself. I worked hard, with three hours of originals with some covers thrown in here and there. I was hoarse by the end of it. I know people who have done 4-hour covers gigs, and I can imagine what that final hour would have been like.

Alex: Your album was only available as a physical copy?

Callum: Yeah it was either through Bandcamp or as a physical EP at the shows. Partly I was overwhelmed. I had done the album, booking a tour. I knew I could get the digital rights, but I just wanted to get out on the road, and I’m happy with that. I figured it was time to get everything on Spotify. I had a single up there and it was pretty lonely, so I figured I would put it up on all the platforms to clear the library before I start putting up the things I have been working on in 2018.

Alex: Was the success of Australia what pushed you to look further abroad?

Callum: Partly yeah. The idea has been in my head for years but going to Australia was me venturing out. I was in Paris when I first started playing music, and went to London, but was too nervous to really play. I’d played around New Zealand a few times, and I was ready to do this. Having it done, the visa was available, and if I didn’t do it, the opportunity wouldn’t come about again. So, I took the jump.

Alex: That’s all the questions I have for you today. Are you going to play a song or two for us today?

Callum: Since you asked about the EP, I’m going to play the lead song off the EP. And for the second one, I’ll toss a coin.

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