Early morning here in Central Florida , as I prepare to wake up my youngest so we can get out to Cocoa Beach before it turns 97 , I’m playing some new surf sounds from Jelly who are out of Nashville . Like us, this band loves the beach and who isn’t down with that. Very cool singer-songwriter style going on , reminds me of the 70’s when people wrote songs that you could sing along to and maybe a little hand clapping along the way. Surf music to me has never gone out of style , it’s always been here it’s just that kids are rediscovering how cool it is and with Bands like Jelly spreading the coolness of surf,it won’t take long for the emo kids to quit cryin and head to the beach for a little fun in the sun….
Meet – Jelly
for those unfamiliar with your bands history, can you tell us all how you all met up and decided to start a band ?
My name’s Will Aiken. I started writing surf-influenced songs and creating the concept of Jelly in the summer going into the 2014 fall semester at Belmont University. I started recording in dorm rooms at Belmont with buddies including Pink Slip (https://soundcloud.com/pinkslip), Matt Kelvington and Dan Asip. Together, we recorded ‘Beach Sounds’ EP & released it in June 2015. Then, Pink and Matt traveled to Australia this school year so I started recording Jelly’s second EP with Dan at the helms of production & my brother Chuck on drums. We released ‘Greetings from Jelly’ EP on June 13th. We recorded this one our house in Nashville, TN (my brother and I live together).
who would you list as your musical influence?
Steely Dan, Mac Demarco, Tame Impala, Beatles, Beach Boys, AC/DC, Zep, Wax Fang, Blackbear & the Surf Bums
whats the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a band since you started up?
Recording a single (“Lunch”) at Columbia Studio A in Nashville where Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash recorded “Girl From the North Country.” Dylan also recorded his great album ‘Blonde on Blonde’ here. Great vibes in that room.
what are your hopes and dreams as a band for the next few years.
Get a large fanbase in Nashville as well as online with indie rock fans. Start touring fairly extensively.
what are some of your favorite albums from the past few years?
tame impala’s ‘Currents’
mac demarco’s ‘salad days’
chance the rapper’s ‘acid rap’
Do you see any real use for social media , or is it all just a pain in the ass to keep with?
Yes. I dig twitter and instagram. Jelly has a facebook, but to be honest, I think facebook is lame. good place to post official news like touring and merch info though.
Do you pay attention to reviews or comments from people about your music or do you just turn that noise off.
Somewhat. I obviously like when people can vibe out to my music, but I’m never gonna switch up my style or songwriting just to please certain critics.
If you could tour anywhere in the world , where would you want to go.
Hawaii, Australia, Alaska, art museums throughout Europe
Can music save the mortal soul or is just a good backbeat to your life.
Naah hahaha
But music is great. It makes our lives better. It triggers certain emotions. It allows us to escape our normal, day-to-day lives which is undoubtedly be a good thing in my opinion. Break up the monotony.
Any last thoughts for your fans?
I think you’re really gonna dig ‘Greeting from Jelly’ EP. New shows, merch and singles coming this fall. Enjoy the tunes this summer!!!!
more tunes!!!
