Jim Johnston (Comedy Of Errors): „Spirit” – the album with a feeling of hope and renewal
MLWZ: Jim, tell us what the new Comedy Of Errors album is all about.
Jim Johnston: The cornerstone of the album is one long serious piece because the subject matter was so great in importance that the scale of the music demanded it. The thing which had to be avoided was simply joining together a number of separate songs which don't flow and were thematically unrelated. Small units of music had to be used, developing them and revealing them in different ways throughout the album. Musical unity was essential in such a long piece. Rather than separate songs the whole piece has a classical feel to the structure. I think this is why there is a strong arrow of direction in the journey of the album which admittedly is a very emotional and personal piece of music.
I also included a few musical references/quotations which are very relevant to what the album is about. My hope is that people will sit through the whole album at one sitting to get the most out of it. I think if you do this, it becomes very clear that „Spirit” is indeed a concept album - about darkness to light, anger to joy, and despair to hope. Death to Life if you like.
I do have a personal story which inspired the album. However so will everyone who listens to it. I hope that everyone who listens can attach their own personal experience whether it be the death of a loved one or love itself or even of a part of their lives. But whatever that experience, I feel that represented in the music of "Spirit" will be a feeling of hope and renewal.
MLWZ: Where do your ideas come from and how are they developed?
JJ: Ideas come from little groups of notes that occur to me that may be suitable for developing and also then working out a form for the song. The bigger the song, the more unified and thematically and motivically related do I try to make each section. I have a vague idea of what I'm after though from the very first idea.
MLWZ: What is the recording process like for you? Tedious and structured? Or do you allow yourself flexibility to continually create as you record?
JJ: Recording to me is like colouring in. I know what I am after and this is the fun part rather than the graft of trying things out to form the melodic ideas and form of the song. On pro tools I can set out the arrangement and try out the sounds I have in mind for each part and create the basic arrangement with guide parts for all the other instruments and vocals. I work closely with each member of the band individually so that we get a fantastic input from each member. Once we have all the parts recorded I mix, pan and set levels finding space for all the multiple lines. Finally we get the tracks to Aubitt studios where Rob Aubrey fixes any rough edges before we fly down to his studio to do the final mixing and mastering.
MLWZ: Do you get to play live as much as you would like? What do you love about being in front of an audience and what do you hate about it? Any fears?
JJ: I really feel that to call yourselves a band you just have to play live. I love the connection with the audience and I love the buzz I get in rehearsal when things are beginning to gel and you feel something magical is happening. We hope to tour this album next year and we have some exciting gig news that hopefully Joe will fill you in on as it is still to be formally confirmed. As for fears about playing live - only in exposed yet easy passages on the keys and this is only if I haven't played live for a while. A few gigs under our belts and this disappears.
MLWZ: Do you remember the first song you ever wrote, even if you were a kid or teen? Greg Lake said he wrote „Lucky Man” when he was twelve. What about you? And what song in your current catalog do you love the most and feel best defines the sound you want to be identified with?
JJ: I can't remember any one particular song though I have loads of bits of paper with unused material from years ago which I continue to amass to this day - some I may dip into, and some will never see the light of day. That said I feel it's only now that I feel I can write and develop them properly. Even so I still jot down lots of little notes as anything comes to me. The song I love the most and represents what the band have grown into is the music from our new album "Spirit' . This is a more symphonic style because a big scale was required to cover a very big concept, one which is very personal but one which everyone can relate to in their own way.
MLWZ: Any other special news about Comedy Of Errors?
JJ: Well, we’ll be announcing some pretty big gig news shortly. We can't quite yet due to contractual obligations but hope to very soon.
MLWZ: Thank you, Jim.
