Jersey Budd Interview

I catch up with Countesthorpe's own Jersey Budd at this year's Big Session festival...

Rosanna: How are you finding your day so far?

Jersey: A good atmosphere yeah. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to look around the festival.

Rosanna: Is it the first time that you’ve played it?

Jersey: Yeah it is at Big Session. We played last year at the Summer Sundae and then obviously a few dates with Kasabian at the end of the month, indoors. I’m really looking forward to it, it should be good.

Rosanna: I’d say your music is a bit rockier than a lot of the acts here, which is mostly folk- so how do you think this is going to compare to things like Summer Sundae and your usual gigs?

Jersey: Well I’ve got a three or four song acoustic set in the middle of my rock ‘n’ roll set so I think that’ll go down well... try to cater for everything.

Rosanna: And are you coming back to Summer Sundae again this summer?

Jersey: Not playing this year but I shall be here just watching the bands like The Zutons. So I’ll be here for that but I got asked to do this and ‘cause I did the Summer Sundae last year, I thought I’d do something different.

Rosanna: And how did you find your support slots with Kasabian earlier this month?

Jersey: Awesome. We got there about 3 o’clock on the Friday afternoon and basically just camped out here for the weekend- three nights. It went down really well with the crowd reaction. The Hours went on first and we went on before Kasabian... went down really well and got a good reaction, it was just amazing, playing in your hometown.

Rosanna: It was a good crowd wasn’t it? I was there on the Saturday.

Jersey: Ah right, I think that was my favourite of the three of them.

Rosanna: Are you going to be supporting them at any point again do you think?

Jersey: I’ve heard rumours they’re playing in September down here, so hopefully, I’ve got to ask Serge... I’ve been waiting to be asked. I’m sure we’ll sort something out.

Rosanna: Is it weird, considering you’re such good friends with them, seeing them getting a number one album and everything?

Jersey: It’s not weird now no. When they first started kicking off and they were on Radio One and all over the radio it was a bit weird then but now, you come to accept it. They’ve worked really hard for it and they’re probably the best band in the world now, of the young emerging bands. There’s the Kings of Leon and Kasabian and I don’t think there’s anyone else touching them like that. They’re just fantastic what they’ve created.

Rosanna: What do you think to their new album?

Jersey: It’s unbelievable. It’s probably the best out of the three of them, it’s my favourite. I love them all but it’s like they keep getting better and that can only be a good thing can’t it? He’s a talented bloke Serge is.

Rosanna: So are you playing any other festivals this summer?

Jersey: Yeah, we’ve got Glastonbury next weekend, playing the Saturday and the Sunday there and then the week after is Warwickshire with the Happy Mondays and Supergrass, and I’m sure The Charlatans are playing so that’ll be good. And then the week after that is playing with The Enemy, at Somerset House, with Reverend and the Makers, so it’ll be top, it really will be. I’m looking forward to a nice big summer.

Rosanna: Obviously, because you’ve had the new album out and it’s to promote it. How did your tour go?

Jersey: It was fantastic. We started here at the University, it’s been a long time, but yeah it’s been fantastic. We started off here with a big one, then we went to Scotland and then back down, basically doing the whole length and breadth of the country, and we ended up finishing in Brighton on the 22^nd at a little packed out, probably 200-capacity, venue.

Rosanna: It sounds really good. And what would you say made you decide to use Bandstocks to get your album produced?

Jersey: Well me and my manager, we were talking to some major labels, that are still showing interest now, but they wanted to mould me into something that I’m not and I didn’t like that, at the minute, when I’ve got enough songs to make an album (and probably enough songs to make an album number two) and I just didn’t think it was right- they were trying to change me and I thought, well I don’t wanna be changed at the minute. [Laughs] The time might elapse when I say, okay, do what you want, but not at the minute no, it weren’t for me. And Bandstocks was the only sort of deal that enabled me to keep control of my music, to choose what songs to put on the album. I chose the ten songs and I chose the singles.

Rosanna: So how does it work? People invest and then they get some profit back?

Jersey: That’s right yeah, if the album’s successful, and you get privelage gig tickets- all your tickets get put on exclusively to the Bandstocks members, so they can buy them before anyone else does, for five years. So touch wood if you ever do a big gig, the Bandstocks members are in... they don’t have to worry for tickets. And obviously the most important thing is the relationship between the fans and me. So the people that invest, not own a part of me, but instead of going and buying the album off the shelf at HMV, they’ve got it... you’re a part of getting the album out- recording it and getting it out worldwide, well nationwide anyway.

Rosanna: And lastly, your real name’s not Jersey Budd is it?

Jersey: It is now.

Rosanna: Ah, well how did it come about that you got the name, ‘cause it wasn’t originally Jersey Budd was it?

Jersey: No, I was born Joe, but my old man, he’s got a nickname for everyone, he’s a bit of a joker like that. And I’ve always been Jersey Joe. It’s after a boxer in the 1950’s: Jersey Joe Walcott. I think he thought Rocky Marciano and I should do a little bit of research on that ‘cause I get asked that question quite a bit. But that’s where it came from yeah, but the trouble is he calls me Womble as well, so I don’t know what to believe. Jersey’s better than Womble so...

Rosanna: It’s a bit cooler isn’t it... a bit more rock and roll.

Jersey: [Laughs] Yeah.

Rosanna: Well thanks very much for your time and it was really nice speaking to you.

Jersey: No worries.

www.myspace.com/jerseybuddmusic

To watch the interview...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Diz5f4nzk

By Rosanna Pound-Woods