Cherub Talks About Canada and Music Production at Corona Theatre [Interview]
At the start of November, I met with disco infused duo Cherub to hear about what makes these two musicians work so well together.
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, both Jason and Jordan have expanded their roots into sensational pop music that catches anyone’s ear on first listen.
Check out the conversation that unfolded below where we cover everything from Montreal’s French Culture, the music making process, and hotel rooms.
Alex: Hey guys, what has Cherub been working on music related since the release of your last album, Year of the Caprese?
Jordan: We’ve been touring a lot and just finished a two month tour called Champagne Showers. It was our most successful tour yet, which is really exciting.
Jordan: By the end of November we’re going to start working on new music because we’ll be off the road. We’re looking to have a new album done by January or February.
Jason: We tend to do our writing when we are at home where we can separate ourselves from everyone. Yet this last tour we had a lot of fun because we had our bus and our producer Nick with his to help with getting our ideas out. While we were on the Champagne Showers tour we set up a mini studio on the bus, which was sweet.
Alex: What are you both most proud of from the success of “Doses and Momesas”?
Jordan: Well that was the song that we weren’t even going to put on the album. We weren’t that excited about it at first, but it’s always the song that people are sharing.
Jordan: It’s opened up a lot of doors for us though, we probably wouldn’t be on Capital Cities tour if it wasn’t for that song. We met these guys at a radio festival where they came to our show and Simon their trumpet player would come jam with us.
Alex: Do you think it’s possible with a well-planned marketing idea to create another commercial success or that popular singles are sometimes completely spontaneous?
Jordan: I think they’re really spontaneous, I mean we could try to make another similar song, but there’s no fun in that. I’d rather make a whole new batch of songs and then if something hits, awesome.
Jordan: There’s no way I’d want to craft a song in the vein of another song just because it was successful. We need to keep making new sounds and hopefully one of those sounds connects.
Jason: First and foremost, we write these songs because we enjoy making them. It’s fun for us, what inspires us, and what feels right at the time. So there’s no point in trying to force something to feel right if it doesn’t feel right.
Alex: From playing in countries like Switzerland and Latvia, are there any particular language problems that you’ve found yourselves in?
Jason: It is amazing to find out just how uncultured Jordan and I really are. When we travel it’s an incredibly humbling experience and we’re really lucky to get to travel as musicians.
Jason: Yet when we’re travelling to other people’s countries there is a huge language and cultural barrier. We meet so many people who speak three or four languages and know everything that’s going on in the world. We realize just how little we know, but we get to see all these things and want to learn so much more.
Jason: For instance, there is France and then French-Canadian, where everyone speaks French but they’re completely different cultures. Somethings are similar while other things are completely different. It’s cool to be able to even see that.
Alex: How do you find coming back to North America and playing party central cities like Montreal?
Jordan: Every single time we’ve come through Canada, expect for Osheaga, we’ve always headlined, but they’ve been really small shows. It’s really cool now opening for Capital Cities because they’re songs are more international than ours so we get to play these bigger venues. It’s good to be here in Montreal and tomorrow we’re playing Toronto.
Jordan: We’re doing a short set tonight though, on our past tour we had almost and hour and half of live music every night because we were headlining. Now we’re going to be doing forty five minute sets so we’re going to have to cut our set in half.
Alex: When your set time gets limited are you that much more exclusive about picking your popular songs?
Jordan: We definitely think about our song choice longer. When we play shorter sets we usually make them more upbeat. I hopefully will not talk too much either, I’ve gotten into the habit of talking a lot of shit on stage.
Jason: When we’re picking out songs for shorter sets we try to cater to a crowd who doesn’t necessarily know who we are. We aim to play a lot of fun music for people who might be seeing us for the first time. They don’t need to know the words to our songs, but hopefully can get into our music.
Alex: Yeah, definitely. Are there any major towns or cities that you two feel super comfortable performing in and will get a little freakier with your fans?
Jordan: Any major city in the States at this point really. We like playing all of our stuff because people will come out to hear cuts of the album. If we’re speaking specifically in Canada, well we’re still making new fans here. So we definitely want to keep our show lively.
Jason: Jordan and I just try to do the same thing every night, whether there’s five people in front of us or five thousand. We get up there and play our music and find the people in the front who are right there with us. As long as we’re having fun together, hopefully everybody is having fun together too.
Alex: What do you think gives Cherub that upbeat element that resonates so well with summer minded fans?
Jordan: A lot of the lyrics are super tongue and cheek. If you make four on the floor stuff people immediately want to groove to it. We use a lot of soft synths, those go really well with the sunshine.
Alex: This question is for Jordan, since you do all the song writing. Do you find that your skills with lyrics have improved since you started?
Jason: I’ll answer that for you, yes.
Jordan: I was so embarrassed to write the first album. I didn’t want to write lyrics and sign them. Now I’m used to it and feel I’ve improved, I have a better mindset for song structure and writing big hooks.
Alex: As a duo, do you split the work or find what each of you is personally best suited for?
Jason: We function like a yin yang. We each have our strengths and then figure out the way we all fit together like a puzzle. Usually when we’re in the studio, Jordan leads the way and I hang back until its my time to put in some input.
Jayson: When we go over into the live setting, it’s a reversed role. I’ll work with our production crew during the day and then come show time Jordan will come up with me.
Alex: Most of Cherub’s work is original songs; do you two ever experiment with remixes or edits in live sets or on your own?
Jason: We like doing covers, there are a few covers we play live. We also do DJ Sets occasionally and play all sorts of remix material, whether of our own music or tracks we enjoy. It’s always fun to take someone else’s music and make it your own.
Jason: Specifically, there’s a Calvin Harris song we play in our set often. When people come to see us for the first time, they might not know who we are and they might not know any of our songs. Yet if we can play something that they would recognize, but then find a way to make it our own, it gives something to people to identify with.
Second segment of interview. Quick Questions: Answer in one sentence each.
Alex: Strangest spot either of you have been recognized?
Jordan: In an airport a lady who worked there that ran up to us with our plane tickets. She printed off new tickets because she recognized our names in the passenger manifest. She came up to us and said, “I know this is super unprofessional, but can you sign these?”
Alex: Longest show ever played?
Jordan: There were a few stops on the Champagne Tour that were two hours long with the encore and everything.
Jayson: When we do DJ sets, we’ll go like six hours or something silly like that.
Alex: What is your second favourite combination of drug and drink?
Jordan: That’s a good question, does the drink have to be a alcoholic beverage?
Alex: That’s up to you.
Jordan: Well I like Xanax and water.
Jason: Give me a blunt and some champagne and I’m a happy boy.
Alex: Last show attended but did not perform at?
Jason: We went to Cannibal Corpse and Suicide Silence in New Jersey.
Alex: What is each of your strangest story’s behind one of your tattoos?
Jordan: I got one in a basement in Kansas City, the lady’s ink ran out or her gun was fucked, I don’t know that was weird.
Alex: Which tattoo is this?
Jordan: This one. [lifts shirt and shows tattoo on ribs] It says “New Twat City Bitch”.
Alex: That really looks like a stick-in-poke.
Jordan: Yeah, people always ask me if it’s pen.
Jayson: I had to get a tattoo covered up, that was bad. Jordan didn’t even make jokes because of how bad this tattoo was. It looks fine now because I got it fixed at a local shop, but the first one was terrible. I couldn’t even describe it.
Alex: First thing you do in a Hotel room?
Jordan: Take my pants off.
Jayson: Order a movie and check for room service. Followed by the pants.
Alex: The best thing you’ve ever had to sign from a fan?
Jordan: A tampon.
Alex: Actually? *laughs* Give that some context.
Jordan: The girl was in line for a signature and gave me her unused tampon. I asked what she was going to do with it? Put it in her room? It’s some weird fetish.
Jayson: I signed a nipple once before. Not a boob, but a nipple, the girl wanted me to specifically sign her nipple. The first thing that came to mind is to put a smiley face on here because it seemed like the right thing to do. That was at Bannaroo.
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