Q&A with Bomethius
It's not often that you come across a song, or anything really, that in four minutes can make you laugh, cry, break down into an existential mess, and also feel bizarrely hopeful. It is, however, the talent of singer-songwriter Bomethius to do precisely this, and his new album' Seasons of Limbo' contains 11 fascinating examples of all the above.
'Seasons of Limbo', out March 26th, dances from comedic darkness and insightful observation to songs about marriage, hell, and the tornados that left Dallas so devastated in 2019. Jonathan Hodges, the man behind the moniker, has a profound ability to write about the world around him and make even the banalest seem simultaneously hilarious, tragic, and heartwarming. In contrast to his previous work, this is a remarkably hopeful record. "I endeavored to write sincere songs that made me feel better; that ministered to my hurts and anxieties… What I hope this record does is exemplify the innermost struggle to remember the big picture", he explained.
I find this record's strength is that it really does just make you feel something. There isn't a song that goes by that doesn't have at least one lyric or moment that makes you stop, think about what he could be meaning, and then want to begin the song again immediately. Impressively, this album is also much more than a collection of clever lyricism and witty turns-of-phrase. Hodges tells us that while he wrote the album like all his others on GarageBand and with a single microphone, this was actually his most collaborative work to date. Through working with ten other artists, his musings are set to a wide variety of easy-going and excellently executed musical performances. There really is very little you could dislike about this album.
In a revealing and characteristically amusing conversation below, we touch upon a wide variety of topics. From inspirations to Jonathan's process as an artist, the stories behind the artwork and music videos, and mastering the skill of becoming a multi-instrumentalist. After all," Why be mediocre at one instrument when you can be mediocre at many!"
IndieWavves: Your lyrics are so quirky and interesting. Each song left me with a dozen questions. When you write, do you always start with the lyrics and then build the instrumentation and production around them? Tell us about your process as an artist!
Bomethius: Wow, thanks! Sometimes there's a sound you can't get out of your head, and sometimes there's a funny thought or turn of phrase. Either way, I write it down or record those little bits, and later on, when I've collected enough phrases, or when I've become sufficiently interested in a chord progression, I end up with a form (musical or poetic). Then there are those few moments where it all happens at once — the spontaneity and excitement lead to the whole thing being completed in close to one go. But that's rare. My albums are loosely autobiographical, so whatever I'm wrestling with or thinking about at the time tends to define which songs appear on the album, and the order of the tracks, etc. I don't tend to outline my albums far in advance and then formulaically write the songs. I much prefer that they unravel before me with the continual passage of time. Every conscious moment contains the potential for a call (to engage), and all of my music is merely a response to the calls that seemed loudest in my head — keeps it a bit more exciting, but also, I hope, a bit more sincere.
IW: In the "Traffic" video, you play all the instruments! What is your musical background? Have you always been a multi-instrumentalist?
B: Thanks for watching the video! Due to Covid-19 restrictions and the vision of the director, Jordan Gracey, I did play all of the instruments in the video, but I didn't actually play all of the instruments in the recording. Matt Shaw played drums, Jeff Tullis played bass, and Luke Blase played the guitar solo — I actually had to learn Luke's part on set for the video, haha! On a lot of my previous releases, I tended to just do everything myself because it was expeditious, and I didn't really like relying upon other people. I still don't, but I've learned that there is a beautifully organic component to working with and trusting other people to create exciting performances, and by extension, better recordings.
I began studying the violin when I was three, and I majored in violin performance in college. I started supplementing the violin with self-instruction in piano, guitar, and eventually vocals in my early teens. Violin can be an exceptionally frustrating instrument, so at first, I was just searching for instantaneous gratification, but there grew to be a higher purpose. I didn't just compose for the piano and guitar merely because they were more manageable. But because I had things I wanted to say, I either wasn't yet competent enough to communicate through the violin or simply couldn't express through the violin. Being a multi-instrumentalist is kind of a two-edged sword. It can, at times, be detrimental because it's a serious temptation to isolate yourself entirely and just play everything alone. But then it's also an asset because it supplies you with the knowledge you need to communicate your vision coherently — either through multiple instruments yourself or to the studio musicians playing with you.
When I was in school, our orchestra conductor once remarked, with a tinge of melancholy, that the orchestra members played as if they were merely good instrumentalists instead of good musicians. That stuck with me. In one sense, there's a "Why be mediocre at one instrument when you can be mediocre at many!" Being a multi-instrumentalist, once you outgrow the need to prove something, forces you to think more about the music and less about your instrument. Not because you're necessarily super mature — you just don't have time for much else, haha! I would much rather harbor a sense of community around my music than try to prove that I can play a bunch of things alone. Even though I could have done most of it myself, I'm glad I could work with other people on this record.
IW: In the “Traffic” music video, you're holding a sign 'Where are my people?' What is the reason behind this? (Besides being the last track on the album.) The video also looks great! Where did you shoot it?
B: It looks like you already got the reference! Basically, we wanted the Bomethius character holding the sign to represent that outcast person, the one everyone ignores (until it's too late) in the lyrics. So we figured having that on the sign would simultaneously be a fun reference to the final track and help communicate the video's character. I don't know if we were successful, but that's kind of what we were going for.
Thanks! I blame Jordan for how good that video looks, haha! He actually called Glen Rose, Texas, and they graciously permitted us to shoot on their town square. Then, in the second half of the video, we were given permission to shoot at the Outlaw Station, a 1930's speakeasy ruin. We drove down early on a Saturday morning and did the whole video that day.
IW: What artists do you draw inspiration from? Does any other form of art inspire you? Writers, poets, painters, etc.?
B: Andrew Bird, Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), Elliott Smith, Randy Newman, Sufjan Stevens, Tom Waits, Haruki Murakami, Søren Kierkegaard, and David Bentley Hart. Recently I've been listening to Lucy Dacus' record Historian. I like it very much. I wish I knew more about visual art, like paintings and sculptures. As it is, art museums tend to make me dizzy and confused — a far cry from inspiration.
IW: Tell us about the recording of the album. How long did this take? Where was it done? Was the album performed mainly by yourself, or did you work with collaborators at all?
B: I began recording the album after the pandemic had begun. I'd started work on writing the album in mid-2019, but at the time, I was in the midst of writing and recording my 4th album. So I didn't really have time to bother with recording these songs — I also didn't feel like I was ready to record them. I needed time to process them. I recorded the album the same way I've recorded all of my work: at home, with a single condenser mic and Garageband. However, on this record, I collaborated with more musicians than I ever have before, and though I still wrote the record alone. I was blessed to work with Travis Carroll, Matt Shaw, Jeff Tullis, Phil Hodges, Chris Stubblefield, Ricky Roshell, Luke Blase, Aaron Hauser, Caroline Davis, and Michael Minkoff — each of whom brought their ideas to the table with their parts. It definitely wouldn't have been the same record without even one of these people, and I'm incredibly thankful to know and have made music with each of them.
IW: The album artwork is cool as well- it looks like a fine piece of commissioned art. Is there a story behind this?
B: Glad you like it! It may have been near the start of 2019, and I played a show at Opening Bell Coffee here in Dallas, and there was a watercolor artist in the audience. After the show, I saw this painting she had done of me in her little book. It really struck me, and I bought it from her. Her name is Merry Fuhrer, and we used to see her all over Dallas, painting portraits of performers. What with the pandemic and all, I haven't seen her in a long time, but you can see more of her art on Instagram — she does wonderful work.
Photos by Barbara Brands
IW: I really enjoyed listening to the album from start to end. How have you found being an artist during COVID? Some people have told me that they have discovered creativity hard to come by without ordinary life experiences. In contrast, others have spoken of how being at home and around instruments constantly has meant that they've produced a lot. I feel that, because you have such a way with words, even if nothing happened, you'd be able to write a witty and beautiful song about it. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.
B: Wow, that's wonderful to hear! So glad you enjoyed the whole thing. Being an artist during Covid is what it was for most people probably: frightening, frustrating, confusing, and tragic. I managed to stay pretty productive, but I had had my work cut out for me way in advance — I finished the songs, and I just had to record and arrange them. I took a small break from recording after 'Inadiquit' was released, but once quarantine's boredom began to set in, I got to work.
That's really generous of you! I suppose I did write a song and name it "Nothing," haha! I took a break from writing for a bit after I was finished with 'Seasons of Limbo', but that didn't last very long. Examining my life, and what I believe, is the source for a lot of my inspiration, so as long as I have something compelling to read, I tend to have some new ideas. Still, it isn't effortless. Things have to percolate, and it's pretty important to be interacting with other people. I'm not sure anyone could write much of anything good in a vacuum, but I would probably try, haha!
Written by George Barnett