The Maker Band Interview – Jonny Amos - Written by Trashy T
NF/  Hi Jonny how have you been?

J/ Heya, Yeah pretty good ta. I’m in a good
mood today.

NF/ How would you describe your music to
someone who hasn’t heard it before?

J/  It’s a new genre that I believe I have
created called ‘portable rock n roll’. I
combine rock, beatboxing and hooks that
grab the heart. I’m a digital one-man-band.
Onstage all I use is two mics, a guitar, a
harmonica and loop sampler. I have fused
recording and performing as one art.

NF/ Cool,  You are off to America soon, do you think you will get a positive response from people over
there?

J/Yeah, I hope so. I feel that the west coast market are ready for me but the east coast maybe not just yet.
Each state is like a separate country and I have different expectations from different states. People are less
reserved in California and it’s my desire that the maker band be launched there.

NF/Do you have any plans to visit any other countries in the near future to play any shows?

J/ Well, I wish to take the maker band to numerous European countries and also to the east, to Japan.
Hopefully I will get the chance to do this although as I currently speak there are only plans to play in the
US and the UK. If it works out my way and it will then that’ll change.

NF/  Has doing a solo project been something you have been thinking about for some time?




















I almost played there with the rebels but it never happened in the end.  One day I will take the maker band
there and it’ll be very special when I do.

NF/ Has working on a solo project allowed you to experiment more with material than being in a group?

J/Yes because it doesn’t turn into a mothers meeting when a newly composed song is ready to record! My
old band mates were talented lads and were more than capable of making something sound good which is
why I have to very careful when making big decisions on the production values of the maker band cos they’
re not around anymore. It’s not my desire to seek assistance or reassurance from anyone. Nobody
understands what I’m doing like I do, that’s why I produce everything myself and I’m more than happy
doing that.

NF/Which song is your favourite you have recorded so far and why?

J/Am I allowed one?! Haha! Ok, it would be ‘Is This All There Is?’. It’s my favourite one to do live cos its
fun to be a part of how the song grows. The track just builds and builds. I must admit actually the
recording process with the maker band is a much more positive experience than any other recording I’ve
done before. I record using portable hand held devices and I can record in any room in the world. I have
recorded in my brothers loft, I have recorded in a farm outhouse and I’ve even recorded one song in a
church! There’s a producer inside of any songwriter and the maker band has helped bring that side out in
me.

NF/  Regarding the 1st live show you performed at recently, what was the reception from people like?

J/  It was overwhelmingly positive yeah...it was kinda weird watching people’s reaction. At most gigs you
go to you expect to see like...a solo act, a band, a duo maybe but it must be odd to see somebody on their
own that makes a whole band sound live in front of your eyes. I vary the arrangements in the songs every
time I do them so it never gets predictable and so that it keeps me on my toes. I usually start off playing my
guitar and then loop the phrase I’ve just played and then loop a bass line, a beatbox loop, a harmonica,
backing vocals, etc and then break the song down and build it up as it goes on. Everything is done live.
There’s no trickery or backing tracks or anything naff like that!

NF/ That’s wicked,  What will we get from seeing you play live?

J/ A completely and utterly new entity that has not been done before. I’m not the first person to use a loop
sampler that’s for sure but how I go about it was not inspired by anyone or anything I’ve ever seen, it was
a vision that I’ve had in my head for years that has only recently become technologically possible.
NF/ Finally, what are we likely to see and hear from you for the rest of this year?

J/ Well, I’ll be playing dates around the UK until the end of 2008 and then I’ll be playing US dates until
from January 2009 through til March. After that I’ll be back in London and I’ll be looking to release ‘Based
On True Stories’ which is the debut album that I am recording. The album is a self explanatory concept
with every song being a completely true story about either myself, somebody I know, somebody I can
relate to or in some cases somebody or something that has inspired me to emote my own feelings about
what I’ve witnessed. I think people appreciate sincerity and honesty and I feel it’s the key way of
communicating new music to people that want something real.

NF/ Thanx for all your time Jonny lovely to catch up with you. You too!!! Great talking to you again!