The Record Life Exclusive Interview

I was incredibly fortunate to pick the brain of an amazing up and coming artist, Jake from The Record Life in a recent interview! Jake is a young singer/songwriter who is bound for amazing things within the music industry!

If you are interested in The Record Life, we’ll be running a giveaway soon that will include an autographed poster, so keep your eyes open! Check out the interview after the break!

Sugar Slam: How old were you when you first developed a serious interest in music?
Jake: I’ve been really into music for as long as I can remember, but I think the first time I ever had any kind of feeling like, “I could probably do this for the rest of my life” was probably when I was 15 or 16. I was just way more into the bands I’d get into than anybody else. I remember a band “conference call” when I was 16 and it was made perfectly clear to me that this was “just a hobby”. That mentality didn’t make sense at all to me. If we loved doing it, why didn’t we want to do everything we could to ensure that we could do it forever?

SS: How would you describe your musical style?
Jake: I think, and you can totally correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s a mix between The Beatles, Queen, Death Cab for Cutie, and Jack’s Mannequin.

SS: Do you ever get writer’s block when you’re working on new material? If so, what do you do to get rid of it?
Jake: Of course I do, it happens all the time to everybody. The thing is, writer’s block is only a means to writing something better. I could be feeling more frustrated than I ever have, and all of a sudden, something will pop out after I’ve been sitting at it for a few hours. Writer’s block isn’t the problem, it’s how you deal with it. I usually take a break when I feel it coming on and focus on something else. That usually helps.

SS: If you had the opportunity to get in the recording studio with any artist, who would it be?
Jake: I’d really like to get in the studio with Chris Walla and Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. I think they play a huge role in the production of all their music, and they’ve created something super signature for themselves. It would be fun to see what goes on in a DCFC session.

SS: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
Jake: The Beatles. Period.

SS: Who are you listening to on your iPod?
Jake: Currently, it’s all about the new Kings of Leon record and the new Killers record for me.

SS: Our readers would kill me if I didn’t ask, Harry Potter or Twilight?
Jake: I haven’t read or seen enough Twilight to really make an educated decision, but I’m going to have to go with Harry Potter. Twilight, or what I’ve seen and read of it, is great, though. Ask me in a year. Maybe I’ll have changed my mind.

SS: So say it’s a rainy afternoon. What do you find yourself doing to pass the time?
Jake: Either writing a song on the porch or watching whatever’s on TV. I love watching TV when it’s raining.

SS: Do you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to movies/music?
Jake:I LOVE bad horror movies, I’m not sure if that counts as a guilty pleasure. Like, I’ll go to Blockbuster and spend more time looking at movies like, “SHARKS IN VENICE” than the box office hits. There’s a movie called “Santa’s Slay” that’s pretty incredible. I’ve still got to see “Rogue”. It’s another movie about a giant alligator. I’m sure the acting is amazing.

If you want to check out more about The Record Life, you can check out the Myspace or purchase merchandise here