Name: Havemeyer
Members: Jan Ebert (guitar), Dennis Jüngel (guitar, vocals), Kevin Kuhn (drums), Maik Vleurinck (bass)
Interviewee: Jan Ebert
Nationality: German
Recent release: Havemeyer's Slacker is slated for release on Crazysane March 3rd 2023.
Recommendations: - Baby In Vain - See Through; Foreign Fields - Anywhere But Where I Am

If you enjoyed this interview with Havemeyer, visit the band on Instagram.



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

I was passionate about music since I was a young child. In Kindergarten I loved to sing and got a keyboard at the age of four or five which I didn‘t learn to play. But I spent a lot of time with it checking out the different sounds it got.

It really kicked off in my teenage years. When I was about twelve years old I started to play guitar because some of my friends already did. To play together with them was always fun. So it was about making music and having something to do instead of just hanging around. At that time, after school, it was great to play some songs that I liked, or to search for some chords with a sweet sound in it.

It was always a lot of work for me to remember or learn songs from another artist that I liked. So instead of learning songs from someone else which might get me frustrated, I decided to write my own songs.

To hear and play music was and is always something very immediate. That is what I love about it.

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

I can‘t explain in general what happens in my body when I listen to music. It depends on the occasion, the mood I am in, the time of day and so on. What I can say is: it gives me always something that moves me. There is music I want to dance to, to think about, to just enjoy, etc.

When I listen to music that I like, I sometimes try to find out what it is that moves me. And I try to find out if there are elements that could be interesting for me to use in my own songs. The funny thing is: I think it is more a thing in my mind because I have the feeling the songs I am able to write have always kind of the same signature.

In return, that is the thing that keeps me going; to play something I have never played before even if it is similar to music I already have written.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

As I said before when I started making music, I was always surrounded by friends who also played guitar, bass or drums. To play with other people was maybe one of the reasons I started playing guitar in the first place. For me that was the best way to express myself on an instrument.

Because I have never been in a music school or took guitar lessons, I was right from the beginning able (some would say damned) to find out for myself what I think is important about playing music.

For example, I am very bad at music theory but I never had the feeling that this is a reason for me being a bad musician. I spent hours and hours with the guitar in my hand, exploring which sounds work well. I think music is something emotional or practical rather than theoretical.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

In every situation where people come together there are different ideas about how things could be done. This does not imply that some ideas are better than others. They are just different. If my idea is not the one all could agree on, I am totally okay with it. That does not mean that I do not fight for my ideas. But before I start an argument, I calculate the importance for myself if it is worth it. I think I am a calm person and this is how I make creative decisions.

For me a creative process is not about egos or being in the limelight. It is about having fun while doing it and enjoying the result.
 
What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

Mostly I enjoy music and art on an emotional level. All kinds of art could be an inspiration for me. I am open minded and search for things that awaken my interest. For example, I read a lot of books and listen to a variety of music.   

When I make music, I am open minded, too. For me it is more interesting to try different ways to write new music. In the past few years I played different instruments in different bands which all had a different sound, varying from post rock to punk rock and indie pop.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

I don't really think in categories like these. Originality and innovation don‘t compete with timelessness and perfection, it can actually go hand in hand. For me it's about the song itself and not from which decade it is. If I like or don‘t like a song has nothing to do with it‘s origin and style or if it is an expensive or new way of production.

When I make music myself I do not (and partly am not able to) follow such categories. In some ways it is a trial and error process in which I find out what works for me and what does not.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

It was a total game changer to record music digitally on my laptop and work with a DAW. I can quickly record, edit and try out new things. There are almost no limits and I can add as many tracks as I like (as long as my laptop is not working against me).

It is also great to be able to quickly record ideas on my phone when they come to my mind and I am not at my workstation or practice room. Sending files and pieces back and forth with other contributors, no matter how far away they live, makes it very easy to work together on songs, too.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

I have a day job which dominates a lot of my routine from Monday to Friday. I work at a Kindergarten and try to introduce the kids to music, make them interested in melodies and instruments in a playful way. I try to show them that the most important thing is to not hold back but just go with it - when it comes to making music, there is no "wrong".

When I come home from work, I usually pick up the guitar just to jam a little. On the weekend you mostly find me in my practice room where I can focus on my music and spend endless hours recording.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

For the upcoming album Slacker of my band HAVEMEYER I started recording some demos on my own in my practice room. Most of the time I started with an idea on the guitar. This feels most comfortable for me. From time to time I sent the other three guys in the band (Dennis Jüngel on guitar/vocals, Maik Vleurinck on bass, Kevin Kuhn on drums) what I got. After listening to the demos, we picked our favorites and decided which songs we would like to record for the album.

We recorded the album live at an old railway-station which was rebuilt as a space for creative people. That was the first time we played the songs together. The demos became bigger and more nuanced because everyone brought their own unique style to the songs. I definitely would say this is a band album.

Dennis recorded and produced Slacker which made the whole recording process even closer to heart.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

Both are legit approaches and both work for me.

But playing music with other people in one room is always my first choice. I like to get creative input by others and work with their ideas. Unfortunately this is not possible all the time. So for most of the time I make music on my own. Which is also a lot of fun to me but I sometimes get to a point where I am not sure where I am heading to. Even though I am able to play all the instruments for demos, I do not have a large variety on drums or bass to give the songs the range they deserve.

Getting input from others is an important step in making the songs whole.  
 
How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

It's a tough questions to answer, and I can only speak for myself. I can't imagine a world without music, it's a big part of my life, on a daily basis.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

Music can give different perspectives on things and how you see them. In some ways this has helped me to get through some of the big topics.

At the same time music can give the exact formulation for a feeling or problem you have got but did not know how to name it. This could also be helpful to get a clearer vision about yourself or how to handle things in your life.

Music gives me the opportunity to sink right in the feeling I am already in.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?  

I'm aware that creativity and science are linked, but for me the connection doesn't really play a big role. Most of all, music is an emotional thing for me.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I would say that if I am in a creative process, it is something I choose and it is something I want to be totally focused on. Many things in my daily life I handle in a more multi tasking way, and I am mostly not interested in finding a creative way to do it because for most parts it is not necessary. For me making music is to articulate an emotional side of me which is usually not that present or needed in my daily tasks.

I think it is possible to be creative in a variety of things but it is always my decision if I want it to be creative or if I just want to get from A to B in a straight line.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

In my opinion the fact that sound comes in waves is the answer to that question.

Waves come in a lot of shapes, intensities, different volumes and so on. At the time they reach your ear they create a ripple effect causing all kind of emotions and associations.