TST Interviews: Curbside Jones

Thought provoking lyrics, captivating instrumentals,and extraordinary concepts is what you will find on Curbside Jones latest project Cherry Blossom Effect:Endless Dream Theory. Handling a majority of the production, almost all of the writing, and even engineering the entire project, Curbside Jones orchestrated an incredible work of art. I had the chance interview him and we discussed the CBE, how the project came about, his favorite songs, and much much more. Enjoy.

TST: Mr. Curbside Jones I wanna welcome you to TST. How is everything?

Curbside Jones: Thanks for having me! All is well on my end, it has been a pretty eventful day for me. School started on Monday so I’m back in the classroom -__-. Good thing about it is, I just have 3 more semesters to go and that BA degree in Social Science is MINE!!!! On a lighter note I purchased Street Fighter III: Third Strike today on my PS3!! I’m over here practicing a little at the moment. Aaahhh….the joys of life lol

TST: Well I hope those 3 semesters fly by! We will get back to your joy of gaming in a bit,but you recently dropped a project entitled “The Cherry Blossom Effect: Endless Dream Theory”. What can you tell us about that?

Curbside Jones: Yes, tis true! I released the album August 15th for free.99 and I have to say…I’m proud of it! The album was a thought that I had been dwelling on since 2009, maybe early 2010. The idea was to drop 4 EPs..one for each season. Each of the EPs would embody the mood or feel of the season it was being released in. An example of that would be sad, gloomy music in the winter because that’s the season reflects to me. Sadly i lost my focus and drive to create so I put the idea back in my brain and pondered on it for a while. I already had some of the production down and everything…just no inspiration at the time because I had just dropped my 1st self produced LP “Endless Waltz”. During the time frame in which I was working on “Bum Life: The Semi Epic Tale Of Curbside Jones” I was working on another project at the time and it was supposed to be dropped in the place of The CBE…buuuut let’s say I lost interest in that idea mid way lol. But let’s fast forward to Jan 2011, almost a year after the idea of The CBE was conceived.

The project was originally supposed to be produced by a producer who shall remain nameless because I do not want to start any drama to this blog. I won a contest that Back2Pluto.com was hosting and the prize was to get an EP produced by the producer who held the event, I was hella apple pie about this because it would’ve been my 1st time having someone else handle all the production for one of my projects. Things started off well…but then went downhill because the producer that I was working with wasn’t as passionate about the project as I was. It was one of those situations where one person’s ego was bigger than their work ethic. I went to this person…as a man…outside of music and tried to talk to him…he didn’t want to listen or put forth the effort, so in turn, I dropped him from the project and deleted the few beats he sent me. In doing so the clothing line that was supposed to be sponsoring the project (which shall remain nameless) dumped me without telling me and well…let’s just say I voiced my concerns with them and cut them off as well. After having wasted time with these two individuals I started working harder to compile beats, so I worked day and night on beats and etc so I could have a good presentation. 8 out of the 10 tracks were produced by me, and that I can say makes me very proud. The name of the project still holds true to the idea of the seasons, so…The Cherry Blossom Effect part of the title represents change. Just like any flower, cherry blossoms bloom in season and we as people go through seasons. The Endless Dream Theory subtitle was added because I took a philosophy class and it really opened my mind to abstract ideas and theories. One of the theories about how each individual perceives his or her reality the way the see fit…meaning through experiences and etc. So it hit me…what if my reality was actually the result of subconscious ideas that I’ve compiled. Or what if we all were living in white space and everything around us was a dream and we never really were awake to begin with. I took those thoughts and made them into songs…each being open ended allowing the listener to determine what it means to them…Fantasy, reality, or time wasted.

TST: Sounds like quite the roller coaster ride getting to this point. Now something that is very interesting about CBE is how you presented the project in small doses. Phases is what I think you called them. Can you explain these phases and why you presented the project that way over the usual release of a single and music video.

Curbside Jones:Indeed it was man, a lot of ups and downs along the way. But the phases were employed because I wanted this project to be an experience. I wanted to offer people something outside of the mundane audio experience. Not saying that’s not the way to go, but I didn’t feel that it was the way to go for The CBE. Phase 1 of my diabolical plan was to release a short clip of cherry blossoms and Japan and have a snippet of “Pink” playing behind it, which I called “Sakura’s Interlude”. This was just a little something to get people wet and let them know that I’m working over here. Phase 2 was the release of the singe “Pink”…this allowed listeners to get the full version of the song, which lead to them seeing and hearing the vision. Phase 3..oh boy…this is my FAVE phase!

This was the phase where I released my short film “Sakura’s Eve”. This was my 1st short film ever, it was directed, edited, and scored by me and shot by Knatasha Chambers. I had to go out and purchase a $844 camera to get this film done because I didn’t want to wait around and depend on others to get the job done. I had to put in a lot of hours on the pole to get the money…but from that shame spawned victory!!! lol The film was a representation of the idea the album was based around. Phase 4 was simply stating the drop date of the album and adding a lighter tone by having a video to go with it and some comic relief. The last phase was the most unimportant one…that was dropping the album…yeah I know…not that crazy right? lol

TST: Can we expect more short films in the future? As far as CBE goes it doesn’t feel like a traditional hip-hop album,would you personally put it into any particular genre? Also, when it comes to CBE, do you have a favorite track that really stands out to you?

Curbside Jones:Yeah I know…HELLA bread was dropped that day lol. Another short film?? hmmm…I have some ideas for some stuff but at the moment I’m not too sure how I would put them together. However I do plan on working on film now that I’m taking a break from the music scene to help me sharpen my skills. I keep hearing that the album isn’t hip hop…I honestly don’t know what hip hop is anymore because it seems to change everyday lol. I guess because I chose to sample things that weren’t soul related for the project. 6 out of the 8 beats I made for tracks (not including the interludes) were from anime OSTs. If I was to place this in a genre it would be Snorlaxism…that’s my philosophy…so why not make it a genre right? Snorlax Jack is the alter ego of Curbside Jones…and he showed his hind side on this album lol. And I guess my fave at the moment would be “ZombieKing3000!”, I said at the moment because tomorrow it could be something different. The reason why this is my favorite right now is because of what the song stands for. I took the idea of Plato’s Cave Theory and crafted it into a new age, sci fi version. If you’ve never read or watched a video about Plato’s cave you NEED to, it’s mind blowing.

Let me break it down real quick…In the song I talk about myself (Zombie King) coming back to life and seeking revenge on those who killed me. Throughout the song I give hints on why I was killed, and those reasons range from me being an individual to me trying to give knowledge to those who have been brain washed by this metropolis society that I was originally apart of. Now that we’ve touched on that, lets go to Plato’s Cave for a minute then we can go back to the song. Plato’s cave is simply about the 3 types of people that make up our society, the cave dwellers, the ones controlling the cave dwellers, and those who escape from the cave. The ones that are cave dwellers have been inside this cave their whole life, bound by their arms and legs, and can only see what’s in front of them, which happens to be shadow puppets. These shadow puppets become all that they know, and in turn, become their truth and reality. The person who is controlling the cave dwellers is the one who is behind them holding the puppets up to an open flame which projects those images on the wall. The ones who break free and leave the cave begin to gain knowledge of the world around them, and begin to see the world for what it really is. The ones who leave the cave can never come back because those who are controlling the cave dwellers do not want them to know that there’s a world outside the cave, so these individuals get banished..or killed. If someone outside the cave does talk to someone inside the cave, they will be seen as an outsider or liar because the ones in the cave only know what they have been forced to know.

Back to the song now…I…the Zombie King used to be one of the cave dwellers before I found out the truths of the world around me. I started to stand out and because of that…the ones who control society tried to keep me silent and killed me. The line “Went back to where I was crucified in a suit and tie/I guess it’s true what they say, either you do or DIE”. These two lines are so important to the story because it shows you that I was made an example of for being an rebel and an individual. While i was roaming the land as a zombie I was the person outside the cave trying to spread knowledge to those who are still being blinded by societies tricks…and because I’ve already died I won’t make the same mistakes as I did before. Once the homie Be Right sent me the beat it was official…I HAD to put these ideas into effect! I think it took me like a day or two to compile all the lyrics…and to think Be Right thought the beat was just a “throw-a-way” lol

TST: How you incorporated Plato’s Cave Theory into a concept for a song is pretty genius. It go over a lot of heads. Now correct me if i’m wrong, but CBE is your 7th solo project? If that information is so correct, then why the break from music? Any particular reason?

Curbside Jones: Thanks!! I do what I can when I can lol. And yeah it is my 7th solo project, I feel old now dang -___-. I decided I’d take a break because I currently have no more ideas or things of value to speak on in my music. It’s very hard these days to get your music heard, you have some bloggers that won’t give you the time of day and you have some people that won’t give you an ear for a good 30 secs. The indie music game…is starting to become all about cosigns and smoke and mirrors. You have ninjas paying to get blog posts in 2011…like…come on man! lol I seen someone charging $24.99 for a months worth of posts…that’s a damn infomercial price for crying out loud lol. Music is just stressful…so I’m stepping down to relax my mind and work on film. When I return I’ll have new stories to share with you all.

TST: Well personally I think CBE is a great project to drop before taking a break, and hopefully you will come back sooner than later. Off the subject a little, I wanted to ask you about gaming, more so the song Hot Chicks x Arcade Sticks. How true is the story told in that song,and would you consider yourself a hardcore gamer,or more causal off and on gamer?

Curbside Jones:Ahhh shuuucks! thanks! The track “Hot Chicks x Arcade Sticks” actually came to me while I was at home one day and I was like…”why don’t girls who play video games have a song dedicated to them?” So the next day I went to the local arcade here in Austin (Arcade UFO) for inspiration and I sat down and played a bagillion rounds of Street Fighter III: Third Strike and came up with the hook. ”Damn babe your attitude is fire/Similar to Ken’s uppercuts in Street Fighter/Yeah, you really push my buttons/Lets go again babe, all or nothing”…then the chant that proceeds this came to me while recording. Me and my gf go on dates to the arcade and we just hang out and spectate or we play a few rounds against each other or she watches me play against others. This was the inspiration for the song, attractive girl…playing fighting games…this is a fantasy for most guys. Some guys may never run across this in their life and there it is…right in my face lol How could I not write about it? So I molded the theme around me playing an opponent that I thought was a guy, but turns out to be this beautiful chick. This is where the chase begins, we continue playing and we’re all tied up, so I propose an ultimatum for her…if I win, I get a date. I’m sure you know who wins in the end lol And later on in the song I dig into her change purse…giggity.

The way the track came to be was so weird though, because right when I gave up making the beat for it, Corey Arnell sent me the beat I used for the song. I’m talking about right when I exited out of FL he tweeted me and said he had a beat for me in my inbox…CRAZY! For the record I’ve never been personally beaten super bad by a female at the arcade, but I’m sure it’s happened online a few times lol smh. I wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore gamer for the simple fact I typically only play fighting games and RPGs…I’d say my skills are like a C+ on an A-F grading scale…not he best…not the worst, but I can hold my own. I’d say I’m that guy who fits right in above casual and under hardcore. My fave fighting game of course is Street Fighter Alpha (Zero) 3. I had it when I was like 9 or 10 for PS1…got scratched up when I moved back to Germany…then I ended up finding the Japanese version of the game for $20 at San Japan 4TW (anime convention) a few weeks ago. I went out and bought a Japanese imported PS2 to play it on, which I might add came with 3 free games. My fave RPG of all time is Final Fantasy X…Pokemon Red gets an honorable mention. Yeah…I STILL play Pokemon on my gameboy pocket and gameboy advance….so what!

TST: Who could give a man flack for playing pokemon red its a classic haha. With all but two songs being produced by you, and 6 of those (excluding the interlude) were sampled by anime ost (anime soundtrack for the unfamiliar) any particular reason why you chose to sample anime ost rather than something more familiar with the masses? And which beat would you consider a favorite?

Curbside Jones:Well…honestly there is no logical reason behind this lol I did it because I was looking for a certain sound while I was making beats and I came across some soundtracks that matched EXACTLY what I wanted. I’d say about 3 or 4 beats contain songs I sampled from the same soundtrack. 2 of the 4 interludes also contain songs sampled from OSTs. The end result gave the production of the project a west meets east vibe…well at least that’s how i felt when I completed it. I also didn’t want the listeners saying “Oh so and so sampled that”…that gets annoying…because the site WhoSampled.com is a gift and a curse for producers. I feel that even without stating that I sampled from OSTs…people wouldn’t have known anyway. I don’t mean that in a cocky way, but the way I sampled them and placed them over the drums would make you think I sampled jazz and soul albums. My favorite beat from the project…hands down would have to be the one I did for “Blind Swordsman”…This was the 1st time I combined 2 unlike elements in one beat. I sampled an OST track…and added vocals from The Harlem Boys Choir…like…man! I’m still shocked I even attempted to do it to be honest. I’m glad it came out the way it did though. I mixed the kick drum in the beat at least 10 different times until it came out exactly how I wanted it. Talk about hard work!

TST: Hard work indeed, and your final product shows that the hard work paid off. Well I feel like we covered a just of the project,so tell our readers that haven’t checked out CBE why you feel its a must listen,also tell them what would be the next best Curbside Jones project that’s been previously released to check out to really get a insight on the kind of artist that you are.

Curbside Jones: For all those who haven’t heard the project…I’m just going to say this…Slap box a hungry panda. For all those who would like to get a feel of who I am…I’m sorry I can’t really recommend a project for you all because I switch styles every project. Which ever one you do decide to gravitate to, I hope you enjoy it!! ^__^. Honestly I like all of them equally for different reasons…but I’m trying not to include my own biases lol Before I go…I’d like to say thank you to all those who contributed to The CBE and to the sponsors Reupspot.com and Back2Pluto.com! These blogs gave me a chance when no one else would back before I was even Curbside Jones lol. Much love to all those reading this, much love to Thesilvertongue, much love to you Yoh, and much love to the supporters!! Dream reality folks…life is what you make it!! Now let me get back to this PS3! Leave me alone! ^__^