Jeremy Enigk, solo Artist, front man of The Fire Theft, and former front man of Sunny Day Real Estate takes time to have a chat with Solo Artist Kevin Earnest of An Eiffel Sky.

Fronting Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft, and moving forward with a collection of solo albums, Jeremy Enigk has been one of the most influential singer/song writers of the last two decades. In the early 90's Sunny Day Real Estate emerged in the Seattle scene with a sound of their own only to be branded with the back handed compliment of being the "God Fathers of Emo." The band wrote music with dynamic break downs, intricate guitar melodies, and vocals that could stop on a dime only to ricochet from screaming to perfect pitch falsetto that later was branded "emotional." The only problem was the music was great, the lyrics werenít too self deprecating, and the vocals were in key; by those three standards alone, Enigk has been the furthest thing from what today's standards would classify as "emo."

Kevin: What have you been up too lately? Have you been working on a new solo album?

Jeremy: In December of last year, I went to Spain for six weeks and recorded a solo record. It's not completely finished now, but I am hoping to release it in October.

Kevin: Well I am sure a lot of people are looking forward to that. Now during the recording process of "World Waits," you were a self proclaimed perfectionist during the mixing process rather than the actual tracking. This time around with the new record, did you find yourself with the same mentality?

Jeremy: Yes and no, because of that experience of being so hands on with "World Waits" and all the previous records, I definitely consciously wanted to try to put it in the hands other people as much as possible and not rack my brain over it. I wanted to sort of free myself of that burden. So while there are things that I think are unfinished on it, I still have to redo some vocals, there were two producers on this album that I pretty much just let them have their way with everything. Even if I had a strong opinion I would just kind of let it fly and let it create itself rather than choke it.

Kevin: Did you find that that process could have alleviated some anxieties you have had in the past?

Jeremy: I don't know if it alleviated anxieties, but it created a different type of album that I would have never done, which is cool because I am at the point in my music writing where it's hard for me to step outside of the box of what I am used to doing. So it was nice because they took charge and just pretty much created a sound for me. It might have alleviated immediate anxieties while being in the studio because I really didn't have to work as much aside from vocals of course.

Kevin: As far as the location, what was the deciding factor on going to Spain?

Jeremy: Well my friend Raemon, who lives out there, invited me. He said, "Hey, what do you think about coming out to Barcelona and recording a record? I'll supply the producers, the studio, the location, everything. All you have to do is pack your bags and jump on a plane." It was an offer I couldn't refuse. It was also exciting because I have never recorded a record outside of the country, and Barcelona and the area surrounding is beautiful.

Kevin: I know it can be difficult to describe in a few words but what is this new album all about? What would you say would be the overall feel?

Jeremy: Well it's really eclectic. You have some very heavy hitting songs. I haven't done heavy songs like this in a really long time. There are probably four or five with full on drums and rock band, and then it breaks down to what you might expect from me, you know, typical Jeremy Enigk slow songs with a bit of a fantasy vibe. There are also some departures, there are some songs that I really haven't tried before because when I went there (Spain), I only had a handful of songs, I didnít have a complete record. So I wrote half of those songs right there on the spot. The result was like, "Wow! That's interesting. That's something I've never tried that before." So it varies from heavy to light, to songs that arenít really dynamic. Usually I'm really dynamic with my songs, some songs in this record just stay even, they don't rise or fall. So yeah, It's hard to describe (Laughs).

Kevin: As I thought it might be. Your work is definitely eclectic, maybe even a sound of its own. I have noticed your progression from Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft, and to your solo records. One thing I remember is picking up "Return of The Frog Queen" and being blown away with the deferent orchestrations and just the overall dynamics in the song writing. It was something very new to me at the time. I guess my question for you is, at that time what artists were you listening to that could warrant that influence of such a unique sound?

Jeremy: I have always had a certain number of artists that have inspired me. During that time the sort of goal that I was trying to achieve was taking a page from the Beatles and how they integrated orchestra into their songs. Usually they would have a very small chamber orchestra with strings that would be very close up and intimate. But the strings weren't in the background they were always in the forefront just as loud as their vocals. I defiantly wanted that sound. They were probably the most influential band during that time. Albums like "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Sgt. Peppers" were huge influences because of the orchestra and also because of the fantasy vibe that they had with the carnival esq. song like "For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" and really getting into character. So that was a big influence on the overall sound. The emotional content was based on a lot of other musicians like U2 who have also been very spiritual and emotional in their music. Even Sinead O'Connor "I Do Not Want What I haven't Got" is a very emotional record and also Irish.

Kevin: As your albums progress your vocal rage, your falsetto, and your vocal layering are just outstanding. When working on an album, are the vocals your favorite part of the recording process?

Jeremy: No, the vocals are actually the most difficult part for me. It is really crucial that you capture the true essence of the song. If I am not necessarily feeling it that day when I am behind the mic, it comes across. It's very apparent that your not feeling it. So When I'm singing, I'm almost a slave to my mood. Sometimes I get behind the mic and I just wont have the feeling so I have to just put it down and move on to another song until Iím ready. The vocals are the biggest challenge because that is the one thing that I want to be conveyed correctly because the voice is what moves the listener.

Kevin: I agree. One thing that I wanted to ask you, is how did you first get involved in music?

Jeremy: Well I always sang as a kid. My dad had a huge record collection and would always play music around the house and sing with me. Around the age of twelve or thirteen I had heard "Joshua Tree" by U2, and it was the first time I had heard any music like that and after hearing that I decided that music is what I wanted to do. Fortunately I had some friends that at that age were pretty incredible musicians. They were in a band, and they asked me to be the singer. For about a year, every weekend I would go to their house and record these demos as a singer. Shortly after that I picked up a guitar because I needed music to sing to when they were not around, and I just wanted a little bit of control.

Kevin: Are you still in the Seattle area?

Jeremy: Yes I am

Kevin: The reason I ask is that I have just recently moved to Seattle and so far so good. This place has a great music scene and the people are actually friendly. It's a much different vibe than Los Angeles. Since you've been here all of your life what is your overall perspective of the city?

Jeremy: I don't think I would ever want to move away just because all my family and friends are here. Every time I go to a different city like Chicago, which is one of my favorite cities I'm like, "yes I want to move here." But if I'm outside of Seattle too long I go crazy, I need to go home, I need to smell the clean air, and look at the trees. They just don't have these kind of trees on the East Coast. Seattle is alright though, its just the place where I hang my hat.

Kevin: It's no secret that you are a spiritual person and these past few years you have seem to become a lot happier with life. Within the respectable boundaries of your spirituality, overall, do you feel this happiness constantly growing?

Jeremy: Yeah, it's constantly growing, and it's constantly changing. It's difficult when you get down to religion because of the dogma, but there's always in me a desire or conviction to do the right thing and make the right choices. There is always a longing to be filled up and overflowing with joy, happiness, and love as much as possible. I don't necessarily always listen to my convictions, but it is always on my mind.

Kevin: Very well said. One thing that is very admirable about yourself is that you have the ability to do what you love for a living and yet you are still trying to do the right thing and listen to those convictions. If we take music out of the equation, where do you think you would be in this life?

Jeremy: I don't know, that's a tough one, because music has been apart of my life for so long now. There are all sorts of hobbies that I am interested in that perhaps I would excel at if I were to concentrate on them as much as I have with music, but I don't know, I really don't know. Honestly I'd probably be working as a dishwasher somewhere enjoying the time I have with my family and friends because that is where I get most of my joy with the people that I associate with. Um, Iíd be golfing, playing baseball, and playing video games. Just the fun casual stuff in life ya know?

Kevin: Do you have any plans to be hitting the road?

Jeremy: Yeah, in mid August I got a couple of confirmed shows in Anaheim and San Diego. Then I am going to play a few shows in Texas for some reason, I don't know it just happened (laughs). Then I'm going to lay low until after the release of the new record and then do a full on world tour, well as much as the world as I can. There's a lot of space to cover. I might go to Spain in October and do some promotional shows, then in November the US tour, and hopefully Australia, Japan, then hopefully Egypt (laughs), no just kidding.

Kevin: Well you could play Egypt, why not?

Jeremy: I'd love to.

Kevin: Now with Lewis Hollow Records, is this something that you set up just for yourself or do you have plans to sign other bands and artists?

Jeremy: Primarily I set it up to catapult my own music, just to get away from any connections to record labels. Cause we are living in a time where itís a lot easier to get out there. Now it's getting to the point where I am really interested in signing other artists but starting a label has proven to be really financially difficult. I'm ready to sign other artists, I just want to make sure I could be a good backbone for the artists or bands. Its something that I'm working on with my manager. There are some guys that we do want to sign but the deal would be so mellow, I donít know if it would be worth it to them.

Kevin: With how labels are now, it seems that the only way to spark an interest is how many records have been sold and fan base. As a musician that has grown tired of label mentality who also happens to own a label, are you more interested in how talented the bands or artists may be?

Jeremy: I prefer to sign a band that I absolutely love and believe in. First and foremost that is what is most important, because the music is what it is all about. I think that if I recognized a band that was really good or amazing, but I really didnít like their sound or listen to their record, I would still be interested in signing them because I could appreciate the music. There are a lot of bands and artists out there that I do not listen to but I can still appreciate and respect what they do and their abilities as musicians.

Kevin: Well I just wanted to thank you for your time and congratulate you on all your success. Keep on writing great music as I have enjoyed everything you have done thus far, and I'm sure this new record will be amazing.

Jeremy: Well I will try (laughs).

Kevin: As long as you try, that's all we can hope for.

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