ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Mei Semones calls her music pop. And the weather of pop – a catchy melody, a hook – they’re all there in her music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”)
MEI SEMONES: (Singing) Could not care if I attempted.
SCHMITZ: However they arrive at you in matches and begins, they usually’re sprinkled with quick, improvised, instrumental interludes which can be steeped in jazz. The top product – light-hearted songs which can be laborious to categorize as a result of there aren’t many artists on the market making this type of music. Instance – the lyric, cannot get my thoughts off you, may sound like a cliche love tune lyric, but it surely’s the best way she delivers it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”)
SEMONES: (Singing) Cannot get my thoughts off you. There’s nothing I am petrified of. Why would I be?
SCHMITZ: I began my interview with Semones asking the place she got here up with these songs, what sort of music influenced her.
SEMONES: I believe the primary bands that I actually acquired into that had been, like, actually my very own style had been Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GEEK U.S.A.”)
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS: (Singing) Lover, lover, let’s fake we’re born as innocents, solid into the world with apple eyes.
SCHMITZ: And she or he was additionally into jazz.
SEMONES: My favourite of all time is John Coltrane.
(SOUNDBITE OF JOHN COLTRANE’S “BLUE TRAIN”)
SEMONES: I’d say I additionally actually like Monk.
(SOUNDBITE OF THELONIOUS MONK’S “‘ROUND MIDNIGHT”)
SEMONES: The opposite aspect was studying some bossa nova tunes, like “Lady From Ipanema” and “Corcovado” and “Wave.” Like, these are the primary three that I believe I realized.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GIRL FROM IPANEMA”)
ASTRUD GILBERTO: (Singing) Tall and tan and younger and wonderful, the lady from Ipanema goes strolling. And when she passes…
SCHMITZ: And she or he simply talked about a bunch of songs there, but it surely was “The Lady From Ipanema” sung by Astrud Gilberto that Semones channels when she’s buzzing over her guitar melodies.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TORA MOYO”)
SEMONES: (Vocalizing).
SCHMITZ: I caught up with Semones at considered one of her final tour dates on the Ottobar in Baltimore, a punk indie rock membership. Her viewers there was kind of like her music, a wide-ranging demographic. There have been 20-somethings, middle-aged of us, mother and father with their youngsters, all buzzing alongside to their favourite elements of her songs.
Earlier than the live performance began, Mei was on stage, arms outstretched, performing a sequence of wrist workouts. Months of touring and a nightly routine of intricate guitar enjoying have taken their toll. She took a break to take a seat down with me backstage to speak about her music. I requested her to interrupt down considered one of her hottest and technically troublesome tracks referred to as “I Can Do What I Need.”
SEMONES: I believe it did begin with the refrain half, which is sort of just like the extra easy a part of the tune. It is simply two songs, after which there’s, like – I am enjoying harmonics in between the chords and singing together with the harmonics. I believe it began with the hook.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”)
SEMONES: (Singing) Cannot get my thoughts off you.
With that tune, I used to be actually wanting to write down one thing that was laborious for myself to play as a result of the few songs I had written earlier than that, I felt like had been, like, not essentially the most difficult. And so I used to be like, let me return and attempt to write one thing that is, like, really laborious. That is a number of the explanation why that tune sounds the best way it does. It is, like, a number of strains and time signature modifications and stuff like that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”)
SEMONES: (Singing) I am not scared. I do not thoughts. In the event you take a look at me, I’m going…
SCHMITZ: So what drives the concept to attempt to make issues extra complicated?
SEMONES: Yeah, I believe it actually comes from a spot of – an important factor to me in music, and in my music particularly, is that I get pleasure from enjoying it and that it is enjoyable for me and that I prefer it and that it is difficult. And so I believe that is the primary factor is, like, I do not need to really feel bored enjoying my songs. Clearly, like, the only tune may also be essentially the most troublesome tune. Like, everybody is aware of that. However I believe for me, I actually like, like, difficult myself on the guitar ‘trigger that is what is enjoyable for me in music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
SCHMITZ: When do you determine to make use of English versus utilizing Japanese in these songs?
SEMONES: It is not tremendous deliberate out or structured. It is sort of simply no matter feels proper for me within the second and no matter pops into my head.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “DUMB FEELING”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
And it has to do with additionally, like, what phrase matches greatest with the rhythm and melody that I bear in mind ‘trigger usually I’ve the rhythm and the melody first, after which I am becoming phrases to that. So typically, like, one phrase on this language will work higher than that very same phrase within the different language.
SCHMITZ: It sounds nicer.
SEMONES: So yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TORA MOYO”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
SCHMITZ: So inform me somewhat bit about the way you grew up. It appears, particularly out of your newest EP, that your loved ones is an enormous a part of your music, proper?
SEMONES: Yeah, undoubtedly. I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and my mother is from Japan, and my dad’s from Ohio. Yeah, my dad is a musician. He performs euphonium. It is sort of just like the smaller model of a tuba. It is not one thing that he does, like, professionally, however he is been enjoying for his entire life.
SCHMITZ: And he was on – he is on this EP of yours, proper? He is really on a few the songs, proper?
SEMONES: Yeah. Or it is really only one tune.
SCHMITZ: OK.
SEMONES: It is the tune referred to as “Kurage.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “KURAGE”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
However yeah, that is, like, our first piece of music that we have made collectively.
SCHMITZ: Did you strategy him, or did he ask you? Or how did this come about?
SEMONES: I requested him as a result of principally the concept for the EP was to make three songs that had been all collaborations with individuals which can be necessary to me and those who I am impressed by. After which I used to be fascinated with who the third particular person needs to be for the collaboration, and I’ve by no means had a horn instrument in my music, and I believed it will be good to only have or not it’s my dad ‘trigger he is, like, an enormous inspiration in a number of methods and is, like, an enormous purpose why I am right here and why I will do what I am doing. And so it simply felt like the suitable selection.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “KURAGE”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
SCHMITZ: He will need to have been tremendous touched by that.
SEMONES: I believe he is comfortable about it. He was, like, somewhat nervous to document and every thing.
SCHMITZ: Actually?
SEMONES: Yeah, however I believe it went effectively. I…
SCHMITZ: He was nervous.
SEMONES: Yeah (laughter).
SCHMITZ: Fascinating. What sort of music followers, I assume, present as much as your concert events?
SEMONES: It is a fairly wide selection. Like, I really feel like there’s lots of people, like, I believe, my age who’re musicians or, like, simply are into music, after which a superb quantity of, like, youngsters who’re youthful, too. Like, I see a number of, like, Xs on their palms. You understand, like lots of people who’re below 21 – you realize, like, the Xs…
SCHMITZ: Oh, the…
SEMONES: Yeah.
SCHMITZ: To allow them to’t drink. Yeah, yeah, OK.
SEMONES: To allow them to’t drink.
SCHMITZ: Yeah, yeah.
SEMONES: So yeah, youthful individuals, too. After which additionally, like, older followers additionally come out to the reveals. My favourite factor is when there’s, like, a father or mother after which a child. Like, I like that.
SCHMITZ: Oh, wow.
SEMONES: Like, typically…
SCHMITZ: So that you see that?
SEMONES: Yeah.
SCHMITZ: That is actually cool.
SEMONES: Like, fairly usually, really. It is actually, actually candy. Typically it is, like, a younger father or mother and, like, a extremely little child or, like, somebody my age and, like, their older father or mother…
SCHMITZ: Yeah.
SEMONES: …Which is – yeah, that makes me actually comfortable that, like, such a variety of…
SCHMITZ: Cross-generational.
SEMONES: …Ages can pay attention. Yeah. It is actually cool.
SCHMITZ: That is musician Mei Semones, talking to me on the Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “KURAGE”)
SEMONES: (Singing in Japanese).
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