Based in Portland musicians Jay Clarke, also known as Black Ash Bufflo, became a busy man. For years he has played in bands like Grails, Dolorean, children saints, and the standard, and noting in theater and dance. Just last year he composed the soundtrack of the award winning documentary Marwencol, which won the Jury Award at SXSW. Now, he is drawn to Andasol a wonderful attack with conventional, radio-friendly melodies and a gesture towards music endless possibilities. I recently took the time to answer some of my questions.
How involved in music?
“Music, music,” I started when I was six. The piano. “Banda music,” I started when I was 17, playing in a nice bar, very nervous, cleaning and doing a lot of money. Everything has changed.
What brought you to Portland?
I moved to Corvallis for graduate school and lined up to teach at a university in Tunisia after finishing my time at OSU. I woke up one morning and somehow I was sure I was going to Tunisia and I was going to Portland and do God knows what.
Portland is a musical cornucopia. Who is your greatest local influence, or that you are now a fan of?
I have the luck to play with great musicians in recent years. Emil Amos, Al James, Ben Nugent, Jesse Bates, Dan Wilson, Rob Oberdorfer, Alex Hall Billy Slater, Jon Neufeld, James Adair … these names can not distinguish the casual listener into or out of Portland, but they formed the core of my musical life and very influential in this city. Without them, Portland horn-of-many of which you speak would be a simple horn-of-a-very good value for money, and I would be playing in a place, but would be suspected of playing music … music or suspect.
The disadvantage of playing in a band (Dolorean, Grails, etc.) is obviously affected by this album more. What’s going solo helped shape your sound?
Well, I’ve been all alone, that is old and not travel so much. Y is a matter of differentiation. Dolorean and Grails with unique presences: noise level, visual, feel, and the environment in general. Do not want to ride the coattails of the banda. I can not force the situation to be different requirements, but there are decisions to make along the way where I thought, that’s a little too on the nose, the taper on the left here.
Repairs in helping with the sound, I think I’ve done to Dolorean helped a lot when I have to do it for my own stuff. Grails has a kind of recklessness that appreciation. They cover a lot of land and the almost-ass.
Outside of Portland, and throughout his life, which became an important musical influence on you?
You know, when you’re 15 and in the shower and I dream of the day he made this question and have found Toweling as you say Lenny Bruce and Carl Stalling and Rush and Ernest Hemingway, it seems the best question asked any be able to. Now, it makes me sweaty palms. I’m not even sure why. There is so much pressure placed on the influence, which are to be referenced. Oh, shit. Paul Bowles is safe, James Salter, Lou Harrison, Ed Ruscha, Kubrick, John Carpenter, John Barry, The Art of Noise, John Zorn, William Goyen, Morricone, Malick, and Gary Numan. Seriously. Gary Numan.
What made now the time to become Andasol? What inspired you to make this album in particular?
I had been wanting to do my own thing for a while. I had no idea what will be, just me enough and the frustration of wanting to branch out and do everything by myself. I play with the band, the camaraderie, the community that high, etc, but making music is often a small part in the life of a banda. When you have a good band, you need to find good players, and they have good players, there are many ideas …. You are required to sublimate some things for more thrust. However, I believe that the main source of inspiration was the desire to fix a broken view of myself and I’m a fiction writer failed. I have not fixed the point of view, but I sleep better at night.
Andasol fund rewards the listener, both for repeated listening and attention. On my third or fourth lap, I began to pick up a subject or theme of the tracks, but not really determine the premise. What would you say is your main issue when making the album?
I’m reluctant to say much here, but left after a short walk the other way. Past the edge of my robe, right? The advantages of instrumental music is more meaningful stupidity. I can not sing or not sing, so you could also use role correctly.
For me, the power of music without words is as much space is left to the imagination of the listener. Hand us a lot these days, so the information is so easy, that the mystery and mystique of the music is all but dead and buried. I’m frustrated with the modern band (or artist) willingness to put all his cards on the table, if they thought it was the only way to really sell the album. All told, it is important to say something, right? So the main thread throughout the album is violence, of all colors, and perseverance through service to others.
In Marwencol, the soundtrack seems to be working with two different levels, a score for the documentary itself, and other points are to the world that Mark created. Especially the scene where Mark describes his marriage to Anne, and declare that he could not remember her real wedding. The music of this scene is tragic, since it incorporates the nuances of Marwencol fun of her marriage to the tragedy of losing his memory. How do you go about merging the two layers of film excellent, and how to make the influence Andasol soundtrack?
I think it’s a good question. Talk more with the strength of its director, Jeff Malmberg, that I, though. He has the best sense of the narrative and rhythm of anyone you ever met a deep tone and sensitive. One of the repeated conversations we have about music is that you must be close to scoring the mind and it is necessary to help delineate the movie too. The scene in which we are talking about is placing more eggs Jeff speculation in the mind (not a metaphor for you) about playing both sides of the road (Mark of the experience and the mind, and the narrative of the film, or what the public sees) once, at the same time.
All this is as Andasol are most affected as well: the sense that I have to pay attention to stimulation and a piece of music itself can mean something, and the nature where it fits into the album, also means more. The two things can exist at the same time for the listener. There is a metaphysical argument here, but my wife is sleeping next to me and I will not wake him.
Andasol has a very dramatic feeling, and combines the quiet, pastoral tracks like “Summer Night on the cutlery” less busy tracks like “Ghosts Go’way old” to great effect. How is your work in theater and film affected the way they made this album?
I think I have a predisposition toward narrative music, so writing music for theater or film naturally-mail very well. It is much like a work of fiction. With the theme, a kind of setting, character development over time, a peak, and end. I think it was Maupassant said rod in hand and you can only pull once. Maybe it’s Babel. I do not even know what I’m trying to say here. This is a great idea, however, which has a significant shift in its power and it is better to take the saved. That happens in an album. In Andasol is that “Go’way old ghosts.” The pulled the lever get there, I think.
Play around with many sounds and instruments. What is your favorite instrument to play?
I started playing piano when I was six. Tell any other instrument at this time is not easy. However, this is a controversial marriage. I struggle with this thing over 30 years. Do not do what I want and not always done right by them. We have moments of sympathy. Ultimately, the only thing I really own this planet, and perhaps the biggest lie to myself and others. I have enclosed my identity in this area for a long time. Piano I do not think he cares if I touch it anymore. However, bending notes, has baggage too attached and may be the instrument that’s easier to fall into parody. Yes, I realize that I could describe, yet this is what I know, how little I know. Till death, etc..
Do you plan to tour to promote the album? If so, how this album was a live show?
I work in my underwear, cup of coffee nearby. I want to play the live album, and I was thinking about that, but I do not want to interfere with just putting your head down and work. There is still much to do.