01 February 2021 - 0 Comments

“Certain chords, certain progressions can spark counter melodies or complimentary riffs or beats and some musicians seem to hear more than others and by simply immersing themselves in the music they create a new aspect to it - a kind of magical way of enhancing a song.” This is one way composer/guitarist/vocalist Jay Clarkson describes presenting a new song to her current Dunedin based band The Containers. “That’s the whole beauty of a band - each member doing their own thing for the song. The song comes first. It’s satisfying and can be even somewhat rapturous, actually!”

The Containers consists of, in alphabetical order:- on drums MIke Dooley (Snapper, Toy Love, Dri Horrors, The Enemy, Pop Up Toasters, The Snares); on keyboards Alan Haig (David Kilgour & The Heavy 8s, The Chills, Snapper, Chug, Verlaines, Song Bong); on bass Tenzin Mullin (Suka, Heka, David Lynch Mob, Lars von Trio). Between them (Jay Clarkson included) they have recorded around 30 albums and 25 singles and been released via 20 record labels.

“After the release of the Over The Mountain album (a collaboration between Jay and musician Johannes Contag; out through Arch Hill) in 2006 and a lovely wee NZ tour with The Matches to promote it I had a bit of a lost patch for a few years - musically speaking...” continues Clarkson “I played mainly solo gigs., not booking any myself but making myself do them whenever I was asked. With the exception of in 2011 and 2015 when I was part of Creative NZ sponsored gigs in New York and then Glasgow and Edinburgh to be honest it had gotten to where I wasn’t writing songs… Then a musician friend, David Glynn, who in 2017 was living round the corner from me in Waikouaiti, said to me one day: “Write a song, Jay. Go on, you know you want to.” And so I wrote one (Wakey Wakey World) and then thought, well, actually, it would be good to hear a band do this song and so the Containers was formed. Turned out we enjoyed playing together so much we carried on and I got back into writing songs. That’s what happens - you start writing for the band. Well, that’s how it goes for me. It’s really good to be in a band again. I highly recommend it!”

COVID 2020. During levels 2 and 1 Jay and The Containers recorded an album’s worth of songs at Hawkesbury Village. They are now adding finishing touches such as backing vocals and acoustic guitar and then mixing will begin in earnest. Powertool is to release the Falling Through album in 3 formats: vinyl, CD and digital. Independent Woman Music is also to release a (vinyl) single Wakey Wakey World/Tangled Up & Bleeding. And, Covid-willing, the vinyl release of Jay’s much-loved 1999 solo album Kindle will happen this March/April through Melbourne based label Rose Hobart.

Jay Clarkson is currently writing her memoirs which will cover a music career spanning 3 decades, and several bands: (Playthings, They Were Expendable, The Expendables, Breathing Cage, The Matches, several duos and now The Containers.) “So much has changed within the NZ Music scene over the last 20 to 30 years. But, hey, I’m no historian so I’m just writing a few yarns dotted with special people and events, my own reflections and probably a few lies.”

Enjoy the new video for Far, filmed by Paul Kean and edited by Sam Clarkson Jay Clarkson & The Containers.

Upcoming live shows (with more to come throughout the year…)

The Galley, Port Chalmers: Friday Feb the 5th (free)

Moon, Wellington: with Cookie Brooklyn & The Crumbs: Saturday Feb 13th
Tickets available from undertheradar.co.nz

The Crown, Dunedin: with Seafog: Saturday March 20th.

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