We were lucky enough to catch up with Jammin Dose frontman, Pablo Márquez, after the release of their highly anticipated album, Gravity, to find out about his thoughts on the music industry, who he is inspired by and why he chose to sing in English.
Inside The Setlist: What drew you to the music industry?
Pablo Márquez: I just wanted to play music. I dont know if we are in the "industry," but that´s not the point. We´re gonna make music, keep on recording and playing no matter if we are in the industry or not. It´s more about the need to make music for us.
What made you decide to sing in English?
I´ve been listening to music in English, since I can remember. So it is natural for me, although my English is nothing special, It does sound good to me. Whereas singing in Spanish is very hard, but I'm trying...
Which musicians do you admire? And, why?
Hard question. I have great memories of the music I listened to when I started playing guitar. Mike Oldfield and Oasis were my favorite musicians when I was 10 and, I think they somehow, marked my way of listening and making music. I have some clear references that are Soulive, Tool, RATM, Stevie Wonder, Steel Pulse... And there is a lot more I really like. I know I´m influenced by: Björk, Vulfpeck, Bon Iver, Jamiroquai, Destinys Child, O´funk´illo, Extremoduro, Triana, Serrat... By the way I admire Dave Grohl, but... who doesn't?
Which famous musicians have you learned from?
With Jammin´ Dose, we have been very fortunate to collaborate and play with O´funk´illo. We always admired them, and they help us a lot, whenever they can, so we are very grateful to them. But the musician that really blew our minds with his knowledge and his feeling is Tony Romero, He produced our last album, Gravity. He´s a fucking genius and we´re proud to have him near us.
Do you think you could get any better as a musician? And if so, how would you achieve that?
A musician never stops learning, and we are not virtuous. So yes, we SHOULD get better. We do our best with every single chord. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we play better. Music itself is ALIVE, but you need to study and practice, there´s no other way around it.
The music industry is hard, and we can only keep on making music and hoping for the best.
What are your fondest musical memories?
The people, the band. Thats where my memories count. The music industry at our level, is an strange world and it is nice to have people to work with. We are a kind of family now and we exist together.
Were you influenced by old records & tapes? if so, which ones?
As I said before, Mike Oldfield. I was amazed by Tubular Bells II. It was, and still is, an interesting album for me.
My dad has a copy of Stevie Wonder´s Songs in the Key of Life on vinyl and I love it. If I have some groove, it´s because of that album.
This one is not so old, but the first album of Screaming Headless Torsos was like, a punch to my face. We opened a show for them 2 years ago, and it was a good night...
Which bands/musicians are you currently listening to?
I´m currently listening to Vulfpeck, Bon Iver (I love it), Snarky Puppy, of course and some reggae too. Also, I´m amazed by Jared James Nichols, I love the way he plays. I´m also discovering some songs from Dirty Projectors, Clean Bandit, Knower, Tom Misch, which I like. They have structures and other things which I am trying to understand and learn with each listen.
The moments in the studio with the guys are....priceless.
How do you balance your music with other obligations - friends, children, job?
Personally, my philosophy is "music first", but it´s easy to say when music is your work. I play in some cover bands to earn some money, as I can be easily balance them with my own musical project. But there are people in Jammin´ Dose that work a lot, and have children, and it´s admirable how can they manage it all, without missing a rehearsal.
What do you enjoy most about being a musician? And, what do you hate the most?
I enjoy to play, of course. But I really enjoy being in the studio, recording and making a full album, without any hurry. I love the great moments which materialise from being with the guys in the studio. Those moments are priceless.
On the other hand, I hate the things that are related to music, but are not really the music, For example, You have to wear this or that, or you have to speak to the audience, you have to be funny and interesting etc...To be honest, I'm not made to be a showman.
If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be and why?
We don´t like to be crying or moaning all day because the industry is hard. It is what it is and we can only keep on making music and hoping for the best.
Gravity is available now via all platforms and to keep up to date with news, tour dates and all things Jammin Dose, please visit their Facebook page.
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