Jeremy Simon, guitarist and singer of Dylan Trees

dylantrees.com

When did you write your first song? How would you describe it?

It was a broken-hearted country ballad called Balcony Chair, written when I was 18. I wrote it on a balcony looking out over a train line in Shadwell, East London. I had been listening to The Byrds' 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' a lot while drinking cups of tea, so it was a country song in the style of Gram Parsons, with some Kinks thrown in. The band I was guitarist with at the time ended up using it as a secret track at the end of their CD. I was a bit offended - I saw it as more of an album opener.

Is it easier for you to write chords, a melody or lyrics?

None of it comes at all easy. Most songs start as a single lyric or idea, which comes from a personal experience or a news item or something like that. That gets spun and spun like candy floss until it's a fully formed song. The words, melody and underlying chord structure all come from the same single idea. It's a pleasingly organic way of song writing, but it takes a very long time. That's probably why it took 18 years to write my first song. I've sped the process up a bit since then, thankfully.

What about your current practice space do you find most inspiring or useful?

We share the space with two other bands. I love that every time we go into the space we never know what we're going to find. One day there'll be a pair of pajamas and a half-finished bottle of Colt. Another day a Wurlitzer piano and a horse mask. We used to practice in an apartment, when we were a whisper-quiet folk band. It was very tranquil. Now our neighbors in the rehearsal space are a couple of metal bands, so we've had to plug in and turn up. That was the main reason we started playing loudly. Nothing like teenage metal bands to make you raise your game.

Have you ever had a major change or experience that influenced how you write songs?

Moving to America five years ago was the first big amazing thing that happened. London to Los Angeles wasn't so much a culture shock as a culture cataclysm. It unleashed a lot of creativity and ideas. The second big amazing thing was meeting my incredible band. They are the most talented people I have ever worked with, and have allowed me to evolve Dylan Trees from a folk singer alter ego to a full-on psych-rock experience.

What instrument would you like to see disappear from music for ten years?  (question asked by Rick)

The ocarina. It's become so over-used in indie music it's practically a cliche. I blame The Strokes.

Would you want to see it make an triumphant comeback ten years later?

Absolutely not. I never want to hear another band break out an ocarina solo as long as I live. It's indulgent and tedious. Come on people, let's move on. Woodstock was 40 years ago. 



Jeremy's favorite songs:
(stream these songs over at 8tracks.com) 

1. that you were part of the recording: Dylan Trees - Topanga [a cover of a song by Kathy Smith that we recorded for Beat LA: A Benefit for Haiti]

2. from before 1970: The Kinks - Animal Farm
3. classical piece:  Frederick Delius - Sea Drift
4. to listen to at high volume:  Mercury Rev - Carwash Hair
5. best heard in live performance:  The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Heart Show
6. in an odd time signature:  Talking Heads - Found a Job
7. that has the sound of jingle bells in it:  Blur - For Tomorrow

8. to dance to:  The Associates - Party Fears Two 

9. for riding bike:  Belle and Sebastian - 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light 

10. sung in a foreign language:  Serge Gainsbourg - Initials BB 

11. from a lesser-known artist:  Grey Ghost - Hot Mess