One of South Africa's pioneering rock ‘n roll groups, Just Jinjer, has returned with their first new album in years. Ard Matthews, frontman, answers a few questions about the album, the band and life.
Hello, Ard. How are things these days?
Very well, thank you. We are all in a really good space right now and happy as ever. Hope you are too.
Photo by Daniel Craig
Congrats on the release of Everything Since Then. The last time we spoke on LitNet was just after the release of your debut solo album, First Offerings. How did you experience the difference in dynamics of writing and recording when working with the full Just Jinjer group again, after having done the solo album?
The three of us have been together for very long, so we are still very comfortable around each other. Honestly, it didn’t feel too noticeable for me; it was just like making dinner with the family again.
What are the most enjoyable elements of doing an album with JJ again and what advantages were there to the solo product?
The friendship for sure. We truly dig each other and we continuously love laughing and making jokes. It really is quite a cool time. We’ve been through a lot, so gratitude is very present at all times.
It was important for me to be selfish with my solo product so that I could be so open to a collaborative creating process again.
Would you like to explore that again, or is it full-time JJ for now?
I think it’s vital that we continue to do our thing outside of the band now that we know the power of what happens when we connect again with our combined life and musical experiences to draw from.
If I'm not mistaken, it took quite a while for Everything Since Then to be completed – one of the singles, "Bright Light", was released more than a year ago. Considering it is Just Jinjer's first release in a long time, I suppose you guys wanted to make sure it's perfect in terms of what you want to achieve with it? Were there any specific goals you set out to reach with the writing and recording of the album?
You’re not mistaken. We just wanted it to be authentically us.
Any variations in the "traditional" JJ sound you wanted to explore as fully as possible?
No, we just wanted to be as open to anything as necessary so we could have fun with this album.
Considering the long break since the previous release, in what ways did you want to show your evolution as musicians, as well as your skills in the studio?
I think our openness and lack of fear and obsession about the end goal were key to this record. We had all had quite a lot of performing and recording experience outside of Jinjer. Denholm Harding has produced some seriously good works with Prime Circle, Gangs of Ballet and Jesse Clegg etc etc, so when we came together with all our experiences it was bound to be powerful.
The album is quite varied – it feels like almost every track could be from a completely different band. For instance, the electronic elements on a song like "Something about her way" is something one wouldn't think of first when thinking of JJ. Conversely, "Thanks for the trouble" re-establishes JJ's ability to produce a thumping rock anthem. Was this diversity on the album something you had deliberately set out to create, or how did the songs grow in that regard from the moment you'd finished writing them to the way they finally sounded on the recordings?
Awesome! Most of the songs were written and recorded on the spot, so the variation was once again very authentic to how we were feeling about each song right in the moment!
Did you take a different approach to this part of the production process from usual? What remains exciting to you, after all these years, about this part of the process?
What was very exciting was that we did our first true co-writes on this record. We wrote and recorded six of the tracks in six days, so that was something very new and fresh for us and an indication of how much fun is yet to come!!
The above having been said, there are also a few tracks that feel quintessentially Just Jinjer, like "Wonderful world", "Stand by you", "Bright light" and "We'll fly away". How do you view the evolution in your own songwriting abilities and skills since the debut album All Comes Round, waaay back? In what ways have you consciously challenged yourself in this regard, and what is the dynamic like within Just Jinjer in terms of open criticism and constructive workshopping regarding new songs (on the press release for "Wonderful world" it's stated that "parts of the new song have been around for quite a few years")? How does that process work?
We have always been very open to criticism within the band, simply because we truly know and trust where we’re coming from with each other. After 20 years there’s no trying to one up each other or cut someone down in a condescending way. We are quite true to that process and promise. If something is not working yet, it can wait … like "Wonderful world". There was no rush, it just wasn’t time.
In a piece about the new album on the website recordingstudios.co.za, you're quoted as follows: "We feel we have pulled off a minor miracle given the circumstances, obstacles and time restraints we had to overcome." What were these circumstances and obstacles the band needed to overcome? What are you proudest of regarding the finished product?
Our schedules and geography were about the hardest things to overcome, so once we figured that out, the rest was a breeze. I think we’re most proud of the fact that we acknowledged that we needed to do this and made a plan to get it done. Even though it was in the middle of the Joburg winter we knew we had to do it, and we did. No one paid us to, there was no money involved between us – in fact, we spent a lot of personal money to get the job done and we’re most proud of the result!
Having been around for almost 20 years, Just Jinjer must certainly be acutely aware of how the South African music – and particularly rock – scene has changed and evolved over time. What would you say the strong points of this growth have been, and where has South Africa faltered in this regard? In short: What's great about being an SA-based band (having had a short stint overseas), and what sucks about it? How would you like to see it change in the years to come?
What’s great about the current state of South African music is that the quality has improved dramatically. It’s almost impossible to hear the difference between a local and international band anymore, whereas in the past it was usually immediately obvious (especially the snare drum sound). The only problem is that our market has stayed the same, if not got smaller, in numbers, so it’s still quite a challenge to sell decent numbers of records that make any impact on a global scale. It remains true that the successful bands are the ones who have a great live act to support their music, otherwise their options can be quite limited.
As stated above, Just Jinjer has been active for nearly two decades. It might be a difficult question, considering the sheer amount of gigging, touring and recording that you've done, but are there any particular highlights that stand out when you think back? Any experiences you'd rather forget? Perhaps a strange behind-the-scenes incident or two that people find hard to believe when you tell the stories?
Highlights would include playing at two of Madiba's birthday celebrations and to have met all the wonderful big stars along the way. Obviously for me the anthem story is something I would love to forget, but that is my cross to bear and it’s interesting to observe people's intellect around the letting go of that (including me).
Behind-the-scenes stories will probably remain just that: behind the scenes. We don’t usually kiss and tell and anything that happens in private usually stays that way if we can help it.
What does the near and far future hold for Just Jinjer, and for Ard Matthews, as far as you can control it?
Well, one thing we know for sure is that we can’t control everything entirely, so we are resigned to the journey more than the outcome at the moment. We said a long time ago that as long as we’re having fun we’ll carry on making music. We’re still having fun, and with a little bit of luck more people across the world will be able to join us!
What is the meaning of life?
Love.
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