Q/A: John Church

Posted by Sandra Schonenstein in Music

John Church is a 20-year-old  music student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Church plays numerous instruments and also sings, and composes.

Jackalope Magazine: How did you first get involved with music?

John Church: Both my parents play the guitar and sing, and my dad also plays piano. Both sides of the family are filled with musicians. My uncle is a professional jazz musician; my dad’s sister teaches piano. My mom’s father played the harmonica and the accordion—he was in a polka band, which was awesome. One of my cousins plays in a metal band, which has been a big inspiration.

JM: How was it for you growing up in this musical environment?

JC: Growing up I always appreciated and enjoyed it, but I had never considered making a career out of it until later. I think music hit me by surprise but it was a good surprise, not like one of those ‘your dog died’ surprises.

JM: Could you explain how it hit you by surprise?

JC: I initially had ideas of going to school to be a lawyer. Artistically, I was drawing a lot and I also had considered doing that professionally. When I started getting involved with music, I just thought it was a distraction from everything else, and now music is what I concentrate on.

JM: Do you remember how you felt when you created music for the first time?

JC: I made melodies for the fun of it when I was younger. It’s a vague thing but it felt neat. I didn’t really know why I did them. When music started speaking to me more, I barely knew how music was constructed. I did it to get things out of me and to realize what I could actually do; I was wrapped in the pure creativity. There was purity about it that I really enjoyed.

JM: What kind of things would you get out of you?

JC: I had depression back then and I got that out, and also the gratitude that I felt in my life. I got out what I thought were the primary components of what life was like. I wouldn’t try to write, play or sing about the everyday experiences, it was more about the everyday conditions. I was back then and still am a spiritual person.

JM: When did you start playing instruments?

JC: I didn’t get actually involved with creating music until I started taking piano lessons in the fifth grade. And I didn’t like that because it was something that my parents made me do, but as I got older I started to appreciate things more and then music just stuck with me. I started to use the knowledge that I had gained from my piano lessons to experiment more and then I got lost into this world.

JM: Tell me in chronological order what instruments you learned to play.

JC: I started with piano, then I thought that if I really wanted to be a musician I had to play another instrument. I can’t really explain why I felt that way, but I started with the harmonica. After half a year I got a mandolin and as I was playing these new instrument,s I thought that those were new sounds that my art could use. These were new hues in my palette. In that mindset, I got a sitar and a banjo and a ukulele.

JM: Did specific artists inspire you at that time?

JC: A band called Switchfoot inspired me, and then I was in the biggest Beatles kick; who doesn’t like the Beatles?  I liked the Beatles for their music and Switchfoot for their lyrics.

JM: What musicians do you admire now?

JC: Bach, because every thing he did was very technical but it was still very profound and emotional, and I get really mesmerized by him. I like Monteverdi as a composer and folk artist Jon Foreman.

JM: Do you also compose?

JC: I’m doing a few film scores for some of my friends in the film department. I am trying to emulate what some of the film composers are doing: for example, trying to write concertos, piano pieces and choral pieces.

JM: Can you describe your composing process?

JC: I find an emotion that I feel I want to get out, but sometimes I have an agenda and I force myself to write. If I’m writing songs, I will write the lyrics and the music separately. I’ll go through my lyrics and see which ones match with the music. Once I have something that fits, I will make sure it sounds clean. When I write instrumental music, I usually come up with a melody by accident and try to expand on it.

JM: What do your parents think of what you have accomplished so far?

JC: I think my parents are really proud of me. I’m sure my mom wanted to do what I’m doing now, but I don’t sense jealousy; I think she is really happy for me. My parents have been a huge resource of support. They have helped me with college and I am really grateful.

JM: What do you want for yourself in the future?

JC: I don’t want a lot. I want to be happy with what I’m doing and with who I am. In a professional context, I want to have a roof over my head and food on my table. I’m OK with it just being an apartment and the food being basic and not extravagant.

JM: What music genres move you?

JC: Acoustic music more than electric, and not because I think electric is gross. I think acoustic has this rawness that I really like. In the realms of acoustic, I really like songwriters, composers, and folk music. But I also like classical music. I’m really moved by this earlier classical renaissance choral music done by choirs that are very serene. They are soothing and calming.

JM: Do you want to create the same impact with your music?

JC: I want to create and compose; I do all these things just for the sake of creating.