Breaking It Down With Jon “Soda” James of Coventry Carols
To call Jon "Soda" James multifaceted would be an understatement. He's one of the most interesting guys you'll ever, ever meet. He's a legit humanist and caring person. And he's fiercely dedicated to his principles, artistic and personal. He unapologetically lives life on his terms. His band, Coventry Carols, not surprisingly hews to the same principles, and you'll quickly see that in this interview. This guy is real.
But rather than our introduction, let's hear from Soda himself.
Hi everyone! I'm Jon Soda James or just, Soda. I'm a longtime musician, writer, artist ... masochist, whatever. I do not care or wish to sell myself in any particular way any longer. Make of it what you will. I wear glasses, my closet is a sea of black tee shirts I still have a wallet chain and as much as I want to hide under a rock I want to show you everything at the same time. "It is what it is" couldn't be more accurate. And my band, Coventry Carols, I love it and I love spending time with those guys and just being honest and creating songs that we can all sing together if you choose to join us.
Let's get to it.
How do you define Coventry Carols and what genre would you consider yourselves?
Define Coventry Carols? For me and these guys it's honestly pretty simple at this point. We've been in bands forever, played music forever...this band was almost a fluke thing, and we lucked out to have it. I think sheer will power and perseverance and a whole lot of honesty is at the core of this band. We're just 3 idiots who love to share and create a positive place that is real and transparent. There is nothing fancy here. We all wear glasses, love music and movies, collect toys, make all sorts of art. As far as genre: we're alternative. We like noise and the 90's and it comes across.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Does the music or the lyrics usually come first?
I usually come to the guys with ideas, whether very realized or in baby stages and we kinda just go from there. I'll often write on the spot too. Now, Coventry Carols now is definitely a more team effort. Lyrics usually come after or even during building up a song. I used to write more at home, but building in the room with the guys is a lot of fun and I can get lyrics rolling pretty quickly.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both within and outside the alternative scene, and why?
I always want to rattle off a zillion influences, because there are. I just love to absorb. Some true favorites always and forever are: Jellyfish, Mineral, The Cure, Seed, The Age Of Electric, Nirvana, Spookey Ruben, Jeff Buckley, Ours, Limblifter, Tears For Fears, Wig, Aimee Mann, Prince... as far as why? I mean, these are important artists. I don't care how big anyone is. If someone is moving me, I'm paying attention. Popularity is obsolete.
What's the most challenging aspect of being an independent musician in the current music industry landscape?
Social Media is a shitshow (editors note: spot on). I/we definitely don't use it right and we don't even necessarily care. It's exhausting. The entirety of being an indie artist is just overwhelming. There was a time when I wanted to be a big shit rockstar and now I almost just want to disappear. Everything is challenging. My band has no schtick. We just DO Coventry Carols as we DO Coventry Carols and hope that someone will give a shit. The "industry" is broken and we are broke financially and at times as basic living creatures. Right now, the record we are working on now is shaping up to be something very special. I'd much rather pass off a demo tape than have a dance off with a talentless stranger on Tik Tok for views and likes and shit like that. I'm a grassroots basic bitch. When I see our videos on Youtube with like, a thousand views and then a fucktard on the internet farting with millions of views on their video and probably more money than I'll ever have it's just gut-wrenching. And the saddest thing, I cannot compete with that.
As a strict vegetarian arising from your ethical principles, how do your beliefs and lifestyle choices influence your music, if at all?
As far as beliefs and lifestyle the band is not pushy but we do, often, politely voice our opinions. More in a live setting, because, say something on social media and you'll get trolled or have to battle someone in a landscape where you cannot ever really read emotions or whatever. I'd rather just keep my mouth shut at this point and sing my songs and let that speak for itself. Again, my exhaustion also caters to my lack of patience which is worse than ever. So, why get involved? And that's another thing about this band, we're not going to fight or compete with anybody. If anything, SugarBear (our bass player) will scare the shit out of someone, cause I certainly do not.
What were your main inspirations or goals behind your latest release?
We are VERY hard at work on our next record and have been probably for at LEAST a year. The goal is to make the absolute best record we can. It's going to be more grandiose. When we went in to make our first record my goal for us was to just make a pretty cut and dry no big shit type record. But, I do now, want to make a bigger record, we all do. We even scrutinized some pretty dense demos for this. The songs on this record, if I can be so bold, are all absolutely tremendous. It's a cohesive work that I think will wow anyone who will listen when we are ready to share it, we're getting there. I've never been a better songwriter in my entire life than I am now and I know that, finally.
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and what kind of a track do you envision creating together?
There are many - Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish), Christopher Simpson (Mineral), Spookey Ruben, Juliana Hatfield, Jimmy Gnecco (Ours). In all honesty any creation would be beautiful and an honor. I'd love to show any of my influences what I could bring to the table and how they have inspired me. I'd also want to learn and be open to receive and make mistakes at the same time be able to impress them in some way.
What's one piece of gear—whether it's an instrument, a pedal, or a piece of recording equipment, that is essential to your sound?
I am SO not a gear head. In fact, in Coventry Carols I have scaled down to the smallest set-up I have ever had. My personal finesse lies within using less to its maximum capacity. I've had the same shit for years, I'm just good at using it. Plus, I play weird chords ... that's more my "sound" than anything else.
How do you feel about the role of social media in an artist's career today? Is it a creative outlet, a necessary evil, or something else entirely?
As per a previous answer that I started to get into this above... I mean, for an artists "career", I hate it. It's a vile, endless competition that does nothing for integrity. It's all numbers. I do not have them. Coventry Carols, does not have them. I'd rather post pictures of my toys, get my 8 likes and move on with my day. I guess it's necessary ... but it's all a show, an act. Who is real? It's a competition and I'm in last place ready to sit under a tree in the shade and just eat a fucking cake. I do not care.
Live performance is a huge part of the music experience. How do you approach your live shows differently from your studio recordings? We are the type of band that just cannot be fully captured in the studio. We even put a live record out and it just didn't totally do the trick. Personally I think we are more punk and spontaneous live. Which, I love. I mean, we sound like our records but something just happens with this band, us three dopes, when we get on a stage to give this to people it's just ... different. It's really a "thing". I think so anyway.
If you could give one piece of advice to a young musician just starting out, what would it be?
Any idiot can be an artist at this point. My advice? Be humble. Be real. Don't fall for these traps that are obvious. Don't autotune! NO AI! Don't be afraid to be yourself out of the gate.
What's a song you wish you had written, and why?
Geez, there are too many. Right now, at this very moment, the song that popped into my head is "The Working Hour" by Tears for Fears. It's just got it all, literally, try to find ANYTHING at all wrong with that song. It's unfair, haha.
In a world where politics and social issues feel increasingly polarized, do you feel a responsibility as an artist to address political or social issues in your work, and how do you navigate that?
I feel that anyone who has the honor and opportunity to get on a stage has a voice and a moment and a chance to inspire. I/we don't get overly political. Coventry Carols is a safe place, and we see you. We are a suicide hotline, we are a big brother, we are church. And that all goes well beyond this band. I cannot over emphasize that all I want to do is inspire and maybe save someone. I don't have to be political, we know that stuff is in the gutter. Know that these songs are meant to fill anyone with hope. Even at our saddest, this band is a fucking positive move and we are not afraid to embrace every fucking person that does not feel like they fit. You do fit and you do matter, here especially.
What can fans expect from you in the near future, whether it's new music, shows, or a different kind of project?
A forthcoming beautiful record that is everything we are about, times a hundred. Our shows will always be an emotional rollercoaster and you WILL feel something. We will just continue to be Coventry Carols, all real ingredients.
We've heard stories. Just exactly how many CD's do you own? VHS tapes?
HA! PHYSICAL MEDIA FOREVER! It's never enough.
Coventry Carols:
Jon Soda James - Vocals, Guitars, other shit
Clifford "SugarBear" Catropa - Bass, backing vocals
Terry "TT" Taylor - Drums
We are from Long Island, NY