Review Fix Exclusive: EREZ Talks ‘The Rose of Jericho’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter EREZ, who discusses his new album, “The Rose of Jericho” and goals for the future.

For more on EREZ, click here.

Review Fix: What has inspired the sound of this album the most?

EREZ: It goes without saying that the songs dictate the arrangements, the tones and the overall sound of a record. The songs on “The Rose of Jericho” are intimate and personal, so I knew I wanted to get a warm sounding album, and it had to be effortless and organic. I’m a big fan of music from the 60s and 70s, and I was thinking about the sound of The Band, Neil Young and some other folks from that era. I decided to record and mix to tape with a fully analog production, knowing that the tape sound would add that vintage warm tone to the music.

In addition, the process of recording to tape is quite different. You can’t rely on studio tricks, you basically get what you played. I like that. I like how you have to be committed to what you do, and at the same time throw caution to the wind, creating something that’s entirely rooted in the moment. You can’t plan that stuff – it’s priceless. After we had dialed in the tones of the drums and the guitars, we basically tracked it live. The whole process was very simple in a way. I didn’t want to focus on the details; I wanted to focus on the feel of the songs.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

EREZ: My sound varies with the different songs that I write. I always try to accommodate for what the song needs. If I’d have to describe my genre, I’d say it’s mostly folk-rock, but some songs have a mellower vibe and some are more upbeat. Some gravitate towards Blues, while others flirt with Jazz. Other than my voice, of course, there are some elements that stay the same: lyrics are a very important part of what I do, they’re never there to “fill in the blanks.”

Music is like a conversation. It’s all about making a connection; first and foremost with oneself, and then with the people you play with and with the audience. I believe that you shouldn’t play if you’ve got nothing to say. You need to play only when you feel like you can contribute to the “conversation.” I also think that space is an extremely important part of playing music. Space creates a separation between sentences, making sure that the message doesn’t get lost. It’s like punctuation. Nothing exists without it, or at least nothing we can make sense of. It’s like the chaotic state in which the earth was in, prior to creation. The biblical creation, without getting into religion, was essentially about creating that separation between things like the heavens and the earth, and between light and darkness.

Review Fix: How was the track “The Way to Louisiana” written? What inspired it?

EREZ: “The Way to Louisiana” was the last song I wrote for the album. Like most songs, I wrote it in one sitting. It may sound a bit strange, but I don’t write from a place of consciousness; I try to flow with it, to channel what needs to be said. I believe that songs, at least from my experience, are written for a reason. That reason only reveals itself to me after the fact. I’d write a song, and later I’d realize what inspired it. It’s like there’s a row of songs waiting to be born, and I just help the first one in line come out. It’s first for a reason. It gets that priority over others, because I guess there’s something unresolved, or something that bothers me, that I might not even be aware of, that that song captures. I had never been to Louisiana when I wrote “The Way to Louisiana.” I guess that Louisiana symbolized some sort of utopia for me, a place of peace that you never quite get to. The song takes place on the road, we’re always on the road to somewhere, but we never quite get there. The song talks about regret and loss, and tries to reconcile between our necessity to keep moving forward and the pain that we endure as the people that we left behind keep drifting farther and farther away. Memories take different shapes, distorting the actual experience until all we’re left with is a thread of sorrow that we desperately try to hang on to, since it’s the only true connection we have to that love that disappeared behind the mountains of darkness. I don’t need to talk about my personal experience, like I said, my songs have that space in them – that’s where the listener can come in and claim the song for themselves, filling it with their memories and personal experiences.

Review Fix: Is there a song on this album with a great story behind it? Can you share?

EREZ: As I mentioned, I don’t usually tend to tie a song to a specific story. These songs are alive, and they too change. I could play a song that I wrote a few years ago, and discover things that are relevant for me now. My songs are always based on something true, whether it’s an emotion or a story or a thought. But like drops of water that get mixed and become inseparable, dreams and tears also get mixed together in songs, and I believe that the song represents a mixture of things. It is by no means more important than the experience, since it’s merely a reflection of it, but while doing so, it reflects other things as well.

Review Fix: How has this album changed you as a musician?

EREZ: I learned to trust myself more. I learned to let go. Making this record was a very positive experience for me. I have the tendency to try and control everything, and I learned to let go. But even more importantly, I learned to love it. I feel like this record made me a better musician, a better performer and a better bandleader.

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

EREZ: Each in their own personal way. I would hope that these songs are going to help people connect with their own personal stories and how they feel. My favorite songs and songwriters have done that for me. They helped me understand things and live a fuller life. Music comforts me, and it would make me very happy to know that my music can do that for others as well.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this album?

EREZ: I think that I achieved the “artistic” goals for this album as soon as I made it. In the grand scheme of things, it helped me grow as an artist, and definitely serves as a landmark and a stepping-stone for what’s to come. Commercially, I hope it does well, but it’s just one frame out of an entire film. I think that my biggest goal is what I mentioned above – I hope that it’ll resonate with folks.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone listen to this album?

EREZ: I think that anyone who appreciates this kind of music, and anyone who’s interested in exploring their own emotions and their own lives through music should listen to this record. It is not a pop record; it’s not for casual listening. The best way to listen to it would be either when you’re driving at night, or just sitting in your room, dimming the lights. A nice glass of fine scotch could go well with it too. But not when you’re driving.

Review Fix: What’s next?

EREZ: I’m going to continue playing some great clubs here in Austin, and in addition, going to start touring extensively. I want to experience America, meet people and embrace everything that the road has to offer. Recording wise, I have more than enough songs for four more albums, and I keep writing. It’s the things that I don’t plan that I’m the most excited about – curious to see what happens next.