Afie Jurvanen is Bahamas
The Singing Lamb: What’s the story behind your moniker, “Bahamas”?
Afie Jurvanen: I was making the record, and I had a list of names that were kind of in the running… Most of the time, I play with a band… and I have kind of a weird name, so the idea of yelling “Afie” three or four times in a loud bar – it’s just easier if we had a name. And as we were making the record, it was just such a relaxed thing – and actually, there’s a lyric in one of the songs that actually said “Bahamas”, so when we finished the record, it was just the name that jumped out of me. And I think it kinda suits the tone, and if anything, I may be bending a little bit more to the name of the band now.
You’ve played with other artists, such as Feist and Jason Collett, to name a few. What were the most important lessons learned from doing that?
Afie: Well, the biggest thing is that I feel like I’m really fortunate in being with all these people that I’ve played with in bands, who were just the sweetest people. And that can sometimes be more important than the music. You’re living with people in really close proximity for months at a time, and if you don’t get along, or you don’t like the smell of someone’s dirty t-shirt, or something like that, it can really get on your nerves. So I’m lucky that I get to surround myself with the people that I get a kick out of, and get along with. And generally, everything else seems more effortless after that.
How has that influenced your music?
Afie: When I made the recording, I didn’t really plan it out all that much. We really just set up, and I invited some players that I really trusted and just trusted their musical instincts… You don’t really have to give people like that much direction… and most people just kind of find the right thing to do without much direction. And I’m a fan of that. And when I’m touring, it’s basically just me and the drummer, and we get along really well. He has a moustache. He has an iPhone, and he likes the same Bob Dylan records as I do.
That’s sweet!
Afie: Yeah!
Simplicity is emphasized in your music. Why is that so important?
Afie: I think I’m just someone who really gravitates towards the song. It’s always about the song, and more specifically about the lyrics. And so anything that you’re adding on to that, in my opinion – I just don’t want things get in the way of that ever. Basically, I just like keeping it lean and mean all the time. And a lot of it, like, on this record, is just bass, drums, and guitar, and we pretty much just play it together. And we left a lot of mistakes on there. And we left all the microphones open. There’s kind of an excitement and spontaneity that comes when you’re recording like that, and listening back to it, it sounds like don’t really need to add a thousand delay pedals and stuff like that.
And you’ve had your songs for over a five-year period-
Afie: Some of them have been kicking around for a while… I wrote a lot of songs while I was on tour and didn’t really have the chance to play my own music or make my own recordings, and so when we set out to do that, I just kind of purged and got that out of my system. So now, it does feel weird being on tour and playing songs that have been kicking around for a long time.
Do you still feel the same connection to those songs today as you did when you wrote them?
Afie: It’s pretty much the same thing, but you kind of constantly have to find ways of keeping it fresh. Like, find something in the song that is your own and that you connect with… I just get a kick out of it now because I wail around with the guitar, and I guess, I don’t take it as seriously as I did at one time… and with the new songs, it’s like, “Alright, I really want to play this one well”, and I work myself up a little bit.
So, you’ve written some new material?
Afie: Yeah, absolutely. I’m kinda always writing, and the last recording experience was just so inspiring, which was really the opposite of a lot of other recordings that I’ve been a part of. Normally, you have no money and no time, and so you wanna be really rehearsed and go in and get it done quickly. And for this one, there was just no plan. We recorded it at home, pretty much. I don’t know; I just came out feeling so inspired as opposed to defeated. But yeah, I’ll make a new record, soon.
Do you think Pink Strat would have sounded differently if you wrote it today?
Afie: Absolutely. I mean, everyone’s taste in music is constantly growing and evolving. Meeting new people, doing new things – all of that kind of goes into it. Like I said, we didn’t really have it planned out. It’s like a document of a time period and of a place that I was in at that moment. If I set up the exact same guys at the exact same place, I’m sure we’d come up with something totally different.
I read about your mysterious knee injury. What’s that all about?
Afie: I had a soccer accident when I was on tour with Feist. We were playing soccer after the show behind the venue, and I just got a really gnarly leg injury. I got to go in an ambulance, and they pumped me full of all these drugs. And I walked around with a big thing on my leg for a few months… with a cane, and I wore my sunglasses on stage. Looking back, I can laugh about it, but at the time, it was really hard travelling around and touring and trying to get out of the bus, getting into the hotel, up the stairs of the stage – it was so much labour. I feel like when I’m an old man, it’s gonna be one of those things like, “Ah, sonny, yer grampa’s knee is acting up today”, y’know?
But is it better now?
Afie: Oh yeah, it’s better now. But every once in a while, it acts up.
How long ago was this?
Afie: A couple of years ago.
Pink Strat is the name of your album. How important is it for musicians to make connections with their instruments?
Afie: For me, it’s totally important. I’m a huge gear nerd and guitar collector… Each instrument can sort of conjure songs… You can just pick up a certain guitar, and there’s something about the way it sounds or feels will cause you to play it differently than another one would. For me, my “Pink Strat” has been with me for a long time, and I was playing it on lots of different recordings, brought it on tour with me, and I wrote a lot of good songs on it. So, when I was looking for a title for the record, it just seemed like a nice way to sort of honour that time and the spirit of where those songs were born.
How old were you when you first got it?
Afie: I was probably twenty. It wasn’t my first guitar.
Do you have names for any other instruments?
Afie: Nothing pretty, like “Lucille” or romantic or anything.
Last question! If you were a singing animal, what would you be?
Afie: I think I’ll maybe be a monkey. I can be a little bit of a goof. I also have a tattoo of a monkey!
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For more Bahamas,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bahamasbreeze
Don’t forget to catch Bahamas, opening for The Rural Alberta Advantage, on November 20th at Lee’s! Tickets are still on sale for $13.50!
