Ultrasuoni Special #1: Interview with Judd Stone

We had a chat with Boston-based songwriter and instrumentalist Judd Stone for his latest release, out today on Aura Expansion. Pre-order your copy here. Enjoy! 

Hi Judd, nice to meet you. Thanks you for agreeing to this interview! I remember being really blown away when I heard Complete Works 1981–1983 for the first time, and then trying to find out about you online, with little success. I’d love to hear a bit about your musical journey – at what age did you start playing music and what was your first instrument?

Hi Enrica, I started playing drums at the age of 12 when my parents bought me my first drum set. We also had a piano in our home and I taught myself to play keyboard by ear. In high school I purchased a Vox Jaguar organ and ever since then I’ve split my time playing either drums or keyboard in different bands going back to the mid 60’s. The cover music started with British Invasion and American garage sound, then transitioned into 60’s psychedelic, then in the 70’s to hard rock; then the advent of New Wave. In the 70’s I also played drums in an all black, except for me, cover band playing soul/funk which really opened up my spectrum. In the late 70s I played Hammond organ in an all original hard rock band in Boston “The Johnny Barnes Group”.  In the early 80’s I recorded the Onyx tracks, they reflected my earlier influences and took me into my own musical direction. My music entirely  consists of keyboards and drums (keyboard bass) with some of the newer tracks with Jayde (but not all) using a drum machine.

Have you always lived in Boston? How was the scene when you first started, what are some of your favorite memories of the time?

I grew up in south of Boston in  Attleboro MA, which is actually closer to Providence RI.. and later moved to Boston. Even though I was quite young, I remember listening to the music of the late 50s, Elvis and the like, and the youth society was quite different.. a lot of emphasis was placed on how tough your were, and it was cool to wear your hair as high up in front as you could, all of this changed when the Beatles and bands like that came out.. the songs were more about feeling good, and how long you could wear your hair down in the front and back. The San Francisco based psychedelic sound was also huge when it came out..there were some bands with great organ sounds that influenced me a lot. One album, Country Joe and the Fish “Electric Music for  the Mind and Body” was a big influence. As I mentioned, black music was also big for me and I saw James Brown play live a number of times, I was really influenced by his bass driven highly rhythmic style.

What music did you grow up on? Were there also movies or artists that had an influence on you?

I mentioned some of my earlier influences. When I made the Onyx tracks, new wave bands like The B52’s, Gary Numan, and Bow Wow Wow were making a splash, and I was aiming for that market. I grew up basically listening to records rather than watching TV. From the 50’ until the early 90’s, there always seemed to be something fresh coming out. After that point, for me, most new music didn’t seem to break much new ground.

Was Nu-Age Records yours? Some of the titles from Complete Works 1981–1983 seems to refer robots and space in general. Are you a science fiction fan?

Yes Nu-Age was entirely mine for the Onyx tracks. I guess that I am a science fiction fan, but really didn’t think of promoting that specifically when I wrote and played the tracks.

What has been your experience as an independent musician over the years? Do you have a day job, or is music your main occupation?

I had some brief stints over the years when music was my primary job. Mostly, I’ve had a day job. In the 70’s I had a job at ARP Synthesizers right around Boston. This helped me get started into a career in electronics manufacturing which I have been with since.

Compared to your first productions, are there certain instruments that are back in the mix or out of the mix in the music you’re making at the moment? Has the way you make music changed over the years? Also, if you’d like to share your studio set up, I’m sure there’s more than one fan that would love to hear it 🙂

I’ve folded more organ and some drum machine into the mix on the tracks with Jayde. For Onyx, I used an ARP Pro DGX, ARP String Ensemble, and Roland Saturn 9. For the newer tracks, I’m using a Suzuki-Hammond XK-1, the same ARP Pro DGX, and a Korg Synth. The bass is either done on the Pro DGX or the bass manual in the Hammond. The drum machine is a Roland TR-505.The recording format has pretty much been the same. Except for “Robot World”, I layed down the drum tracks first, then went from there. On Robot World, I laidthe main synth track down first then the other tracks.

Tell me about Magic Spells, I’ve noticed some of the tracks were already on YouTube. When were they actually made?

The tracks were wade between 2014 through early 2018. They were made in three different recording sets .

How did you meet Jayde Lee? I was wondering what your creative process is when you write new music together. I really love her voice and the way she speaks, it feels very organic to the music. It might be the words, but she has this “prophetess” / trance-like vibe”, if it makes sense, and I could easily imagine her improvising. What comes first – the music or the lyrics?

Jayde was simply a  close friend whose natural speaking voice I really liked. Usually the music comes first and then the vocals. I pretty much give her the script and the timing, and then she takes it from there.

From a thematic perspective, I feel like in this records there’s more than one nod to magic and astrology. Is that something you or Jayde are interested in or inspired by?

I think yes to both, but it wasn’t planned in advance that way. 

What are your plans for the future?

More recording for sure. I like doing what I’m doing and having more or less complete control over the content.

Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it. Can’t wait to have the album with me!

Thank you also Enrica and for your interest in the Music!
Judd