20 Bands and Counting: An Interview with Jon Modell
Drummer, multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, and musical handiman Jon Modell is all over the Orange County music scene. Under the cover of darkness he’s been holed up in his studio making solo music under the name good nothing for over a year now. He’s contributing two tracks to the Start Thinking About Someone Else Vol 2 compilation, coming out this Friday on Pacific Nature Records, so we asked him some questions to go along with the premier of his new track “Raspberry Kisses”:
You grew up playing baseball. How did you end up being a drummer in a zillion bands and a recording engineer?
Haha honestly, the two aren't really related. I played ball competitively till I was 19, but i always felt like an outsider amongst those guys. I got my first drum kit at 14 and started looking for people to jam with right away. I just kept going and met more people. I love collaborating with new folks.
What's the current count of bands/projects you regularly participate in? Any guesstimate of how many bands you've been in and out of the last three years?
Let's see. There's The Human Machine, Panoramic, The Stereo Soul Movement, The Secret Smooth Band, Honey Syrup, Puppy Soul, The Paternal Jazz Ensemble, Good Nothing.. I hope I'm not missing any! I've also taken part in Talk Tired Thanatoid, Galactacat, Matt Sturgis's band, benno va, Yukon Territorial Expansion, gooop, Grand Air, The Ashing Velvets, El Montaña Negra, The Gloriosas, Purge Solenoid, The Blacksher Project.
You did all the recording and production on your tracks and Kiki's tracks in addition to playing on both. What do you like about self-recording and working on recording in yer own space?
I first tried crudely recording myself when I was 16 and I just keep getting deeper and deeper into it (I'm 23 now). I love having my own space because I have time to experiment and I'm always ready if I get inspired. Working with Kiki was ideal because I love her songs and she allowed me lots of creative freedom in the production.
Rumor has it that The Human Machine is working on two albums. What's coming up in the future for THM and for you personally with recording and other projects?
Ah yes, The Human Machine has two albums in the mix/master phase. I'm very excited for y'all to hear, definitely our most raw material yet. Omar A. (Rosehip Orchestra, Transporting Planets, Kittinger) contributed some guitar on both of them.. Besides that I'm occasionally making songs for good nothing. I hope to do some recordings with the m3owz. I also hope to do more improv recordings with Jake Ingalls for his new label Searching Records.
The Start Thinking About Someone Else Vol 2 compilation features 13 secret/side/solo projects by folks from across the west coast DIY music community including Walter Etc, Christian Oyen, Kiki Ruiz, Jaake from Get Married, Josue from Struckout and more! It will be released on November 11th by Pacific Nature Records. Pre-order the tape and digital download on bandcamp.
