Jason Khaw Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: As a professional musician, I am what one would call a late starter. I had a day job that took me to different countries and paid the bills. Music was and still is the passion that maintains my earthly sanity. I had an eight-month classical guitar training in my youth that taught me important fundamental fingering techniques. The rest came from just listening to records. My appetite for listening was and still is relatively broad. My influences are folk, blues, jazz, classical, soul, rock, pop and everything else in between. From Bowie to Beatles, Miles to Monk, YoYo Ma to Al DiMeola, Bob Marley to The Police, Paul Kelly to The Waifs, Bob Dylan to Luka Bloom, Van Morrison to Aretha Franklin. It may be recognizable that the musicians named are mostly from the ‘60s and ‘70s, maybe ‘80s - to me the golden years of popular music. In Malaysia, where I was born and spent the majority of my living years in (so far), I played in and fronted a rock and blues cover band while keeping that day job. We made it to the finals of a national competition, Top of The Pubs. That band was named Stormy Weather. It was there that I cut my teeth on performing live. In Cologne, Germany, where I was stationed (for work) for a few years, I further expanded my repertoire of influences when I joined a performing community classical choir - The Songlines. Today, I still have a day job, albeit with less time commitment, therefore giving me the time and space for more music. Now in Melbourne, Australia, besides my solo work and gigs, I am with a latin-funk-reggae cover band - JingoBa. My debut album was cathartic in a sense. It has unlocked the floodgates for my own writings and creations. Freedom Badge is the springboard to my professional musical journey.
Q: What inspired you to make Freedom Badge?
A: It is an album waiting to be made from a long long time ago. The songs were stewing in my pot - so to speak - for years. To put what I mean into perspective, some of the demo recordings of those songs were first put on cassettes! Covid lockdowns and today’s recording tools and techniques are what finally prompted and enabled me to put them on a CD and digital platforms we now are familiar with. The creative inspiration for Freedom Badge is from personal experiences. As it is my debut album, I tried to encompass the myriad of styles that represent me, musically, onto 10 songs. Each song is a personal story. Each of them deserves at least a page of preamble.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: Folk and blues are the bedrock of the album’s theme, though it may not be obvious from the first few tracks. On top of that, I layered jazz, classical, “jungle,”funk, gospel and good old rock n’ roll. As a predominantly acoustic finger-style guitarist with some vocal ability, folk and blues would dominate the album. However, my subconscious musical mind, pregnant with different influences, would insist that other styles should land on the album. For example, when I wrote "Halfway There,” on constant repeat play on my CD player was YoYo Ma, Peter Finger (excellent German finger style guitarist), Santana’s “Caravanserai,” Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and the iconic “Friday Night in San Francisco.” I do believe that there are bits of each of them in that song. This leads into the next question.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: A song typically starts with a concept, mostly a subject matter or an experience that would strike me. A chord progression may follow thereon. Sometimes, it is the other way round but mostly the former. An acoustic guitar is the main tool of creation for me. In some cases, the eventual “sound” of a song developed in my mind during the writing process could not be articulated with an acoustic guitar. Case in point being “Ain’t No Double O Seven.”What is heard on the album was what I had in mind when I wrote the song. I am thankful that I found friends and musicians who were able to transpose that idea onto the final product with such natural ease. In the case of “ Ain’t No Double O Seven,” it was beyond serendipitous because the drums and bass were the first take ( I just gave hand signals on when to change up / down) and when it was done - I said “that’s it boys! That’s how it should sound.”
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: This is my first album. The backing tracks (drums, bass and some guitars) were recorded in my friend’s (Fernando and Andre Ricardo’s) home studio. Will ( William Base) and Andre would sit with me while I showed them the song with my acoustic guitar. I explained as best as I could what I wanted the final product to sound like. Like I said, it was like a miracle to me that these two chaps were able to play it very very close to what I want pretty much on the first take. Was I that clear in my explanation or did they read my mind? All credit to the talented and well-informed Andre and Will. They could have re-played multiple tracks and pick the best of the lot as would be their modus operandi but I instantly liked the energy and the feel of those first takes and opted to keep them, buzzing guitar strings and all. Due to Covid lockdowns, I picked up learning to use DAW ( ProTools), hooked up a good audio interface and a good condenser mic for my guitar and vocal parts. Most of the acoustic tracks were therefore recorded at home. The backing vocals were an interesting endeavor all of their own. I basically created the melody, phrasing and positioning myself, recorded it and got a few immensely talented ladies to give it its soulfulness, based on my demo tracks. They added their own interpretation on some parts which did eventuate really nicely in the final product. I wrote “Halfway There” with a cello in mind but could not find a musician to record it until just before the mix. The tremolo guitar
(mandolin-sounding) I had added in initially as a replacement for the cello part which I couldn’t source prior to the mixing date. But when I did finally find Kay-Lin to do the cello part, it fell perfectly in place with the tremolo guitar as if the two were meant to be together.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: First I would come up with an idea, a subject matter or an experience. The lyrics sometimes would be written out first, like poetry, before committing chords and melody to them. All of these topics are almost always borne out of personal experiences. The lyrics tend to flow once the topic is picked. A couple of songs did take a longer tour of the mind to write but most of the songs on Freedom Badge were one sit-down session outputs.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Most importantly - Freedom Badge - is a start. I am working on my second album now and I am really excited with what’s coming out. I have more real-life stories to tell. To me, folk and blues, are borne out of life experiences. Being a late starter perhaps helps in this regard. Not just the lyrics, but the delivery of the story through song usually sound more meaningful (for the lack of a better word), when it has been lived through. You can be the judge of that when the second album comes out. :)
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: As a professional musician, I am what one would call a late starter. I had a day job that took me to different countries and paid the bills. Music was and still is the passion that maintains my earthly sanity. I had an eight-month classical guitar training in my youth that taught me important fundamental fingering techniques. The rest came from just listening to records. My appetite for listening was and still is relatively broad. My influences are folk, blues, jazz, classical, soul, rock, pop and everything else in between. From Bowie to Beatles, Miles to Monk, YoYo Ma to Al DiMeola, Bob Marley to The Police, Paul Kelly to The Waifs, Bob Dylan to Luka Bloom, Van Morrison to Aretha Franklin. It may be recognizable that the musicians named are mostly from the ‘60s and ‘70s, maybe ‘80s - to me the golden years of popular music. In Malaysia, where I was born and spent the majority of my living years in (so far), I played in and fronted a rock and blues cover band while keeping that day job. We made it to the finals of a national competition, Top of The Pubs. That band was named Stormy Weather. It was there that I cut my teeth on performing live. In Cologne, Germany, where I was stationed (for work) for a few years, I further expanded my repertoire of influences when I joined a performing community classical choir - The Songlines. Today, I still have a day job, albeit with less time commitment, therefore giving me the time and space for more music. Now in Melbourne, Australia, besides my solo work and gigs, I am with a latin-funk-reggae cover band - JingoBa. My debut album was cathartic in a sense. It has unlocked the floodgates for my own writings and creations. Freedom Badge is the springboard to my professional musical journey.
Q: What inspired you to make Freedom Badge?
A: It is an album waiting to be made from a long long time ago. The songs were stewing in my pot - so to speak - for years. To put what I mean into perspective, some of the demo recordings of those songs were first put on cassettes! Covid lockdowns and today’s recording tools and techniques are what finally prompted and enabled me to put them on a CD and digital platforms we now are familiar with. The creative inspiration for Freedom Badge is from personal experiences. As it is my debut album, I tried to encompass the myriad of styles that represent me, musically, onto 10 songs. Each song is a personal story. Each of them deserves at least a page of preamble.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: Folk and blues are the bedrock of the album’s theme, though it may not be obvious from the first few tracks. On top of that, I layered jazz, classical, “jungle,”funk, gospel and good old rock n’ roll. As a predominantly acoustic finger-style guitarist with some vocal ability, folk and blues would dominate the album. However, my subconscious musical mind, pregnant with different influences, would insist that other styles should land on the album. For example, when I wrote "Halfway There,” on constant repeat play on my CD player was YoYo Ma, Peter Finger (excellent German finger style guitarist), Santana’s “Caravanserai,” Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and the iconic “Friday Night in San Francisco.” I do believe that there are bits of each of them in that song. This leads into the next question.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: A song typically starts with a concept, mostly a subject matter or an experience that would strike me. A chord progression may follow thereon. Sometimes, it is the other way round but mostly the former. An acoustic guitar is the main tool of creation for me. In some cases, the eventual “sound” of a song developed in my mind during the writing process could not be articulated with an acoustic guitar. Case in point being “Ain’t No Double O Seven.”What is heard on the album was what I had in mind when I wrote the song. I am thankful that I found friends and musicians who were able to transpose that idea onto the final product with such natural ease. In the case of “ Ain’t No Double O Seven,” it was beyond serendipitous because the drums and bass were the first take ( I just gave hand signals on when to change up / down) and when it was done - I said “that’s it boys! That’s how it should sound.”
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: This is my first album. The backing tracks (drums, bass and some guitars) were recorded in my friend’s (Fernando and Andre Ricardo’s) home studio. Will ( William Base) and Andre would sit with me while I showed them the song with my acoustic guitar. I explained as best as I could what I wanted the final product to sound like. Like I said, it was like a miracle to me that these two chaps were able to play it very very close to what I want pretty much on the first take. Was I that clear in my explanation or did they read my mind? All credit to the talented and well-informed Andre and Will. They could have re-played multiple tracks and pick the best of the lot as would be their modus operandi but I instantly liked the energy and the feel of those first takes and opted to keep them, buzzing guitar strings and all. Due to Covid lockdowns, I picked up learning to use DAW ( ProTools), hooked up a good audio interface and a good condenser mic for my guitar and vocal parts. Most of the acoustic tracks were therefore recorded at home. The backing vocals were an interesting endeavor all of their own. I basically created the melody, phrasing and positioning myself, recorded it and got a few immensely talented ladies to give it its soulfulness, based on my demo tracks. They added their own interpretation on some parts which did eventuate really nicely in the final product. I wrote “Halfway There” with a cello in mind but could not find a musician to record it until just before the mix. The tremolo guitar
(mandolin-sounding) I had added in initially as a replacement for the cello part which I couldn’t source prior to the mixing date. But when I did finally find Kay-Lin to do the cello part, it fell perfectly in place with the tremolo guitar as if the two were meant to be together.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: First I would come up with an idea, a subject matter or an experience. The lyrics sometimes would be written out first, like poetry, before committing chords and melody to them. All of these topics are almost always borne out of personal experiences. The lyrics tend to flow once the topic is picked. A couple of songs did take a longer tour of the mind to write but most of the songs on Freedom Badge were one sit-down session outputs.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Most importantly - Freedom Badge - is a start. I am working on my second album now and I am really excited with what’s coming out. I have more real-life stories to tell. To me, folk and blues, are borne out of life experiences. Being a late starter perhaps helps in this regard. Not just the lyrics, but the delivery of the story through song usually sound more meaningful (for the lack of a better word), when it has been lived through. You can be the judge of that when the second album comes out. :)