We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Barcelona duo, JARPS to find out more about the up and coming musicians, their time in London, how they balance their lives, and what makes them tick.
Inside The Setlist: What inspired you to make music together?
JARPS: It was the affinity we had. Of all the friends we had in common, we always had the best time with together, playing music and of course, as friends. We like the same music and the same guitars, We can talk about a lot of stuff which we could hardly talk with others. It was a natural process to come together and form a band.
Who are you inspired by?
By anyone whose work is clever, interesting and appealing to us. It doesn’t have to be necessary a musical inspiration. Everyone who creates, knows that inspiration can come from any kind of source, music is just another way of expressing one-self, like no other.
In 2015, You went to London and performed on the English stages, Do you have any plans to go back?
We’ll definitely go back, but we want to assure of a great time and that the job we do there is worth it. We want to go back to play, promote the band and the album. We’ve already done the hard stuff and of course, it was fun, but pretty darn tough as well.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Our music has evolved A LOT. We’ve managed to create much better songs with a deeper meaning (the lyrics have improved SO MUCH). The funny thing about it is, we feel less confident about the songs we write at first. There is definitely more thinking and worries about if a song is good enough or not, and it didn’t happen as much before, but we think it is a positive. We take it more seriously and we still have a lot to improve.
Is there a hidden meaning to any of your music?
Roger: We all have something to hide, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad, there are just things that you want to keep private. You can say certain things with a double meaning or you can create a character or object, in order to tell the history without compromising your own personal life. Everyone wants the same, so at the end you gotta find your own way of expressing it.
Jorge: I, personally don’t like hiding things because in the end I am a pretty straight forward person.
As Roger says, we have created characters, on more than one occasion, to talk about our life experiences, or used the double entendre, because as much as we like being frank and open about ourselves we also love privacy, and there are many ways to sing about your life and problems without making it so obvious. We enjoy doing it like that because, It's fun to be mysterious and to intrigue and confuse people. Our message is mostly about loving music, life, friends, and to stand up and fight if something’s hurting you, and to be open about it. There's nothing wrong with being honest and sincere, and to swallow the bad feelings for long periods of time, is never the answer. In one word.....be REAL.
We want to be happy in what we do and make people happy by listening to our music......
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Roger: It changes every week and, that’s the good part about it. I’m never stuck with the same thing, right now... I’m into Anderson .Paak, Jamie Callum, and any new artists who are changing the scene. I’m also into Dean Martin, Kurt Elling, Ray Charles, who are some of the greats. I also have a special connection with Big Band music. When I was a teenager, I was mostly into rock all the time, but I’m done with that, good music is just good music and I don’t categorise it anymore, if it’s good and I can feel it, it’ll be mine.
Jorge: I’m listening to Leiva A LOT, since I bought two tickets for myself and my girlfriend to go and see him live. I’m also discovering the late Mac Miller. I listen to a lot of eighties music (who would have thought haha!). I’m intrigued by the production and the songwriting process because it’s still so relevant, and also rock music from Argentina. To be honest, I’m listening to a lot of stuff that I already know about, and sometimes it gets hard for me to find new things that are worth it, but I’m discovering new great bands everyday through Tiny Desk and several other places. to be honest, In Catalonia and Spain we have such great artists, who need a lot more recognition.
How do you balance your music with other obligations?
There’s not much to think about. We are thinking about music and the band 24/7. To be honest, our deepest worries are about how to put the band on the map and to be heard and, to be seen as much as possible because we believe so much in ourselves and, in the music we make and it’s so hard to find a place in the music scene these days. that really is one of our main concerns, if not the main one. Of course we think a lot about other things, such as our close friends, family and partners and to think of them and to think of ways of spending time together and being happy are not obligations. We try to not have many non music obligations because believe us, there are loads like, how to make ends meet.
What do you feel is the best song you've released to date and why?
Hard question....Our songs are like our babies, and we spend lots of time on each one, so we really can't choose just one song. But some of the ones we like especially would be "Dreaming Far Away," "Flamingo," "Run And Hide" and "Weak Become Heroes." This is because of the message or the quality of the music in itself. Also, we like to listen to our fans and these four have been some of the 'chosen ones,' oh and we can't forget to add the single, "Everybody Shines" into the mix.
Which musician/s would you like to collaborate with and why?
Roger: Wow, isn’t this kind of dream for most musicians to be able to play with one of their heroes…I would love to collaborate with Sting, John Mayer, Ennio Morricone, Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge. I talked about Anderson .Paak before and I’m not obsessed with him. I just enjoy his music very much though, it’s because he had found a marvellous musical formula and I really appreciate him for that.
Jorge: There are so many. John Mayer would be one of my main preferences because, I honestly think he’s so great and writes great music. It would be hard to say no to him. Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl or Leiva are on the list too. I would also like to try and write one of those big hits with Alessia Cara or Bruno Mars or, basically anyone who is talented and passionate about writing music, honestly. I think that what we are looking for when we collaborate, apart from the final result, which is not THAT important sometimes, is to have a great time, to learn from the other person and, to feel we’ve done a great job too.
Anything you would like to share, from new merch to upcoming shows/tours?
Definitely. As some of you may know we just released our new album, Barcelona, and it’s full of good songs we’ve work hard on. We’ve got some new march too, which you can get at our live shows. Unfortunately, we cannot announce any live shows just yet, because we’re preparing a tour, but you'll be the first to know!
What is your ultimate direction for the band?
Roger: We want to get enough recognition to be able to travel around the world, nowadays there are a lot of good musicians and good bands everywhere you go, so you need to highlight everything much more than the others in order to be heard.
Jorge: To be happy with what we do and, to be heard and loved by as many people as possible, and to make them happy with our music, honestly, and not to desist.
Barcelona is available via all platforms. For more information or band updates, head over to their Facebook page.
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