Bio
“I’m a recovering perfectionist, and the battle with the inertia that perfectionism causes has been a theme I’ve been wrestling with in my writing, performing and recording.” So muses singer-songwriter Joel Bain, on his current musical project There or Thereabouts, and the journey that’s led him to this new creative space. “I heard or read the phrase There or Thereabouts randomly one day while I was still thinking through what I want to do musically, and I really liked the ring of it.”
For the perfectionist (even recovering ones), just the thought of falling short of flawless is enough to cripple any creative effort. The challenge is to embrace the kind of authenticity and appeal in the flaws and vulnerabilities that, although they may not take us all the way to “perfect”, still take us somewhere really good. In other words, creative journeys that take us “There”. Or at least “Thereabouts”. As Joel goes on to clarify, “For me, There or Thereabouts captures with a sense of hopefulness that what I’m offering is good, even though it’s a work in progress. There or Thereabouts is a part of me and bigger than me at the same time. It’s a container that I can pour a lot of creativity and work into, with the help of some really accomplished musicians, to make music that is distinct but accessible.”
For Joel, coming from a musical background that included studying at Jamaica School of Music, being front-man for Christian rock band The Few, and releasing two studio albums, this looser, stripped down approach to music is still new. “I’m a naturally controlled person,” he confesses, which makes learning to let go and just follow the music an especially interesting challenge. How There or Thereabouts originated should have been the first clue at the changes ahead, since unlike most of his previous projects, There or Thereabouts was conceived and took on a life of its own almost without his permission.
“An open mic performance with me singing and playing guitar alongside a friend on keyboards planted the first seeds for There or Thereabouts.” From there, his respect for the intimate, “acoustic soul” format grew until it became the foundation for where next he wanted to take his music. “It influenced how I decided I wanted to approach music, expressing ideas and writing songs that have a great sense of completion with only guitar, piano and solo voice.” While opting for minimalistic instrumentation does help to push their music to another level, there is another brilliant benefit embedded in this approach. As Joel explains, “I wanted a performance format flexible enough to be sustainable in the Jamaican market. That’s why There or Thereabouts is built to work as just a duo, but with the option of being scaled up based on the occasion.”
It’s that kind of organizational and commercial savvy that continues to show itself the more Joel expounds on his ultimate vision for what he sees for the future of There or Thereabouts.
“I want to foster as much interaction with the There or Thereabouts fan base as possible, to figure out what really works. I’d like to do one-take recordings and give away the best of them, as a great way to build a fan base and to experiment with the songs. My goal is to establish a strong niche presence for There or Thereabouts here and a strong web presence with international appeal. I think we have a lot of potential for making music for film and TV so I’m hoping to eventually break out that way.”
But even with those impressive plans ingeniously integrated into the very structure how There or Thereabouts plans to perform and promote, Joel is not without a few pre-game jitters. He explains, “My songwriting is a deeply personal expression for me, even when it’s not about me. It’s still hard to put it out there for people to like or dislike. But I’m working hard on doing the songs justice- seeing if I can get myself into them and pull them out as a singer, the same way I pour myself into them as a writer.”
There are many words we could apply to the There or Thereabouts project, and Joel laughingly throws out three, “Terrified, excited, and hopeful.” The moment is light, but his next words are obviously chosen with the same level of introspection, thought and care as all his words are, “As a songwriter, I’m constantly trying to capture moments, emotions and thoughts. I’m really hoping I’ll create a product that people will listen to… the kind of listening that requires slowing down and going on the journey that it’s taking you on.”
