Dear friends,
Thank you all for signing up to read to follow this blog. I don’t know where it’ll end up, but promise that I will be honest, upfront and always true to myself and to you. Life is far from black and white – as are the people who walk this world. We have good and bad in us all, and I don’t shy away from this fact. I have grown a lot in the last ten years. The more I’ve learned about life, the more I’ve realised how little I know in context of the universe.
So, what better place to learn, grow and make mistakes than here with you all. My hope is that through these words you find some joy, can relate and if nothing else, takes you away from the rat race.
Some great questions came through this week. One such question came through from Peter in Sydney about my influences.
This is a question that comes up in interviews more often than not, yet almost feels impersonal. That’s not to blame the interviewer, but the transactional nature of an interview.
I have found musical influences since before I had any desire to pick up a guitar. I remember sitting on the couch at my Dads house at age 5. He had BobMarley playing. ‘Buffalo Soldier’ played through dirty old speakers and transfixed me.
It felt like a peak into history – a happy song that somehow felt sad. It confused me. A few years later, The Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ made me feel brave and that it was okay to fail.
At 11, I sat with my cousins watching uncles and aunties singing Bob Dylan’s’Hurricane’. It was almost tribalistic.
As a songwriter, I find myself leaning into moments and memories more than anything. Music has and always will be the soundtrack to moments, and it’s there I find true influence.
I have had moments like these throughout the years. One late night as a teenager, I stumbled across The Gaslight Anthem’s ‘Queen Of Lower Chelsea’. It painted a portrait of a world I was yet to know.
Most recently, Saint Victoire’s ‘Foreigner’ felt like time travel. A modern take in classic lyricism. It reminded me how important our history is from an emotional standpoint. This is one artist not to sleep on, go out of your way to check them out!
As a performer finding my feet, seeing Nick Cave perform was a formative experience. He prowled the stage, backed by a children’s choir. When he screamed the words of ‘Jubilee Street’, the crowd were in the palm of his hand.
It taught me to let the devil out on stage – forget shyness and shame, look fear in the eye and let loose. Be unwavering. Be you – whoever that is.
If I said I could summarise creative influence in a single sentence, I’d belying. It is rich, deep and fierce. Above all else, it is personal in every sense of the word. Our moments in life are our influence. They inspire our words, our music and our voice.
I’ve put together a playlist of the above songs and a few more that came to mind, but would be too long to write about in the first blog! Maybe next time?
While I can’t share more about the new album quite yet, I can’t express how excited I am to share it. From a production and performance standpoint, it is the best work I’ve done. From a personal songwriting perspective, is as deep and personal as I’ve ever written. The first taste of the new album will be dropping soon. Long time followers of the live show – this first song is for you!
Keep sending through questions – either via social media or reply to this email (music@jordanmerrick.com.au). I am an open book.
Until then, I leave you with a few lines from the upcoming album.
As a songwriter, I find myself leaning into moments and memories more than anything. Music has and always will be the soundtrack to moments, and it’s there I find true influence.
I have had moments like these throughout the years. One late night as a teenager, I stumbled across The Gaslight Anthem’s ‘Queen Of Lower Chelsea’. It painted a portrait of a world I was yet to know.
Most recently, Saint Victoire’s ‘Foreigner’ felt like time travel. A modern take in classic lyricism. It reminded me how important our history is from an emotional standpoint. This is one artist not to sleep on, go out of your way to check them out!
As a performer finding my feet, seeing Nick Cave perform was a formative experience. He prowled the stage, backed by a children’s choir. When he screamed the words of ‘Jubilee Street’, the crowd were in the palm of his hand.
“I’m vibrating. I’m transforming. Look at me now!”
It taught me to let the devil out on stage – forget shyness and shame, look fear in the eye and let loose. Be unwavering. Be you – whoever that is.
If I said I could summarise creative influence in a single sentence, I’d belying. It is rich, deep and fierce. Above all else, it is personal in every sense of the word. Our moments in life are our influence. They inspire our words, our music and our voice.
I’ve put together a playlist of the above songs and a few more that came to mind, but would be too long to write about in the first blog! Maybe next time?
While I can’t share more about the new album quite yet, I can’t express how excited I am to share it. From a production and performance standpoint, it is the best work I’ve done. From a personal songwriting perspective, is as deep and personal as I’ve ever written. The first taste of the new album will be dropping soon. Long time followers of the live show – this first song is for you!
Keep sending through questions – either via social media or reply to this email (music@jordanmerrick.com.au). I am an open book.
Until then, I leave you with a few lines from the upcoming album.
Don’t look at me so
Don’t want you to think
The devil in me
He’s darker than you think
For the angel on my shoulder
Left in haste
Now I lay in my grave
I think about the chase
Until next week, Jordan