BIOGRAPHY
Jack J Hutchinson has been gigging and recording for 15 years. Mixing guitar and vocal duties for a long list of bands, he is now putting the finishing touches to his debut solo album, ‘This Is Not Here’.
Hutchinson’s early influences were the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. He explains: “Exile on Main Street was ingrained from year zero! I remember my dad playing Revolver and the red and blue albums pretty much constantly. Then when I was a teenager I discovered Jimmy Page, bought some dragon flares and never looked back!”
Thankfully Hutchinson paid more attention the Page’s guitar work than to his wardrobe. He broadened his musical education, predominantly through session work and gigging. “I remember my uncle John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (ex-David Bowie, Spiders from Mars), warned me how tough this industry is. I was only 14 at the time but it didn’t dissuade me then, and it doesn’t now. So long as you are enjoying the music, nothing else really matters.”
His new collection of songs are psych-folk-rock at its best. Multi-dimensional guitar work meets sweeping vocals on melodic tracks that pull the heart-strings. De-camping to the Abruzzo mountains in Italy, armed with nothing but a notebook, acoustic guitar and iPad, Hutchinson set to work penning the songs that make up his new album. He comments: “It was important to get a little peace and strip everything back. I really wanted to focus on the melodies, both vocally but in terms of the instruments. I sketched out the ideas and started to digitally piece them together. The aim was to paint a different landscape.”
His latest single ‘Carry Me Home’ epitomises this approach. “I really felt I hit the mark with that tune,” he says. “There are a lot of hidden messages and spacey sounds on there, from birds singing and snow falling, to theramins and backwards guitar. I guess that’s my Deadhead coming to the fore! However, the melody and message of the tune remain the focus.”
2013 has got off to a flyer, with Hutchinson releasing two singles and an album and tour scheduled for the summer. He is also providing guitar duties for David James Herbert’s Vive La Rose. “It’s gearing up to be a memorable year. I can’t wait to release this set of songs and play them live. I certainly think it’s the best material I’ve ever put out. Fingers crossed other people will too.”
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