Q&A With Jake Ballard
On November 15, Jake Ballard is releasing his third album, Silver Bloom (Photo: Nicole Cecile Holland).
Jake Ballard has had a full year, releasing three standalone singles—Wildcard, Lazy Days, and Pretend (the latter accompanied by a music video directed by Nicole Cecille Holland). On November 15, he’ll cap it off with the release of his third album, Silver Bloom, a departure from his usual blues-rock sound. He’ll celebrate the release with an album launch at Woodside Tavern that same night.
What can you tell us about Silver Bloom ?
Silver Bloom is a project that I started working on back at the end of 2023. I started writing the songs then, and it was based around some cerebral ideas, architecture, based a lot of it off a book called Poetics of Space, which is kind of like a far-out read if you ever get a chance to check it out. I spent all of 2024 writing the tunes and gearing up with the band to hit the studio in July. Then I crushed out the bed tracks there, overdubbed the rest from here in my home studio in Dartmouth, and planned all through the fall to get the final product done, which will be coming out on November 15.
Are there any recurring themes throughout the album?
Memories and a lot of imagery of the East Coast. There's a bit of beach imagery on there, and it's a bit of a sad album. A lot of people know me for doing more blues rock kind of stuff, so this is a very different vibe for me. It's a lot more spacious and has a lot of reverb, and it's a very warm-sounding album, which I'm happy with. But, as far as themes go, I guess it has a forlorn memory vibe, you know?
How would you say this differs from your previous two albums?
This is the first album that I finally got a chance to really perfect in the studio, which is nice. I took my time crafting all the sounds, and Laura Merrimen, a fellow Halifax artist, helped me produce it, which was really helpful. She's got a lot of wicked music, too, which you should check out. So this was a lot more fleshed out, and I did it in such a short time span that I feel like the concept is really cohesive. I took a long time to make the other albums, and sometimes, you can lose your grip on what they're about. But on this one, I had a clear image of what I wanted to do. So it's different in that sense, and it's the first album that doesn't really touch on more roots rock, bluesy stuff. It's a little bit more of a 90s dreamy vibe, which separates it from the other two.
You mentioned finishing the album at your home studio. Where did you start making the record?
With Franc Lopes at Ocean Floor. He was so awesome helping us out. He had a big hand in making this album, and we collaborated a lot on the mixing. It took a long time to mix, which I was happy with because it was the first time I felt like I released something that there wasn't a single song I wish I had changed something. It felt like a very perfected final product, for me at least.
Can you tell us more about the collaboration that went into this album?
Collaborating with Laura was really helpful, but I really have to give a hand to my bass player, Ben Matthews, and my drummer, Adam Coveyduc, who helped me arrange the songs. Their input was so valuable across the album. I think the three of us together really made the tunes, and I worked with them really closely. They didn't come into the studio and lay down their stuff; they were there helping me plan all the tunes from day one. Ben, Adam, Laura and Franc were my main team, and there was a lot of input from everyone who helped it become the final product.
Can you share more about the single?
I just released the one single, which was Silver Bloom, the title track for the album. We picked that one because it had a really cool melody and vibe that showcases the sound of the entire album really well. We did a short little promo video and shot it right here just to give people a little taste of what's to come. My girlfriend and I did that here, and I think it turned out well. It wasn't a full music video, but it was something to showcase the flavour of the tune.
Can you tell us more about the album release show?
The album release show will be on November 15th at Woodside Tavern. I managed to get West Ave, which is a band that I've been playing with since my first few shows in Halifax. They're based out of Halifax, and they're from Sackville, New Brunswick, and they're a cool indie rock band. They're very high energy, very loud and a lot of fun, and they're great guys. We also have Shadow Folk, who I just met this year. We played a gig together at Bearley’s, which went well, and they just released a single, Past the Third Mountain Side, which is such a wicked tune. It's got Garrett Mason playing on it! So, I was really happy to line up those two acts to help me support the album release, and Woodside Tavern is a really cool spot. It's got a lot of character and cheap beer, pool, and stuff… so I think it's going to be a good night.
What do you hope the listeners will take away from the album?
I hope the listeners connect with the songs because of the sound I created; I feel like it wasn’t something I had heard before. Maybe other people can compare it to other artists, but I hope people can connect with the tunes… and it's kind of a melancholy time we're living in right now, right? A lot of the tunes have a bit of a melancholy vibe that I think people can connect to these days. I've written sillier stuff in the past in other bands, and I feel like this one is a little more serious. I hope that people feel the work that we put in and enjoy the spacious new sound that we created together.
How will it feel to have this album out in the world?
It'll be a big weight off my shoulders, for sure. We put so much work in, and I rerecorded the vocals and guitars a lot and tried to perfect everything. So it will be nice to have that out and move on to the next thing. I think people will appreciate the new vibe, and I think that it'll be different for me to have something that I'm really, really proud of out and that I can stand behind now - not that the other two albums weren't, but I think this one's special for me.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
Check out the album when you get a free second. This has been a good learning process for me. If you like this, I think you'll like the music I’m cooking because I always have something cooking, you know? So there'll be more tunes to come out in 2025. I hope to keep collaborating with other artists, enjoy my time with other musicians and producers, and keep the train rolling.
Jake Ballard’s third album Silver Bloom will be available for purchase and streaming on November 15.
Stay up to date with Jake by connecting with him on Instagram, Facebook and his website, jakeballardmusic.com
Tour Dates
November 15, at The Woodside Tavern in Dartmouth, N.S.
November 18, at The Shoebox Cantina in New Glasgow, N.S.
November 20, at Ducky’s Pub in Sackville, N.B.
November 22, at Truro Brewing Co. in Truro, N.S.
