Burlington, Vermont’s Henry Jamison comes from a poetic family. It is to note that in his direct bloodline is 14th century poet John Gower and George Frederick Root, the most popular songwriter of the Civil War era. So it’s no wonder he’s got so much talent to share with us. He really knows how to weave stories into his songwriting, and we’re infinitely thankful that he utilizes his full vocabulary to do so. (Seriously. It’s amazing.) Everything about this man is poetic. (Again, look at the photo above.) We’ve got his track “Real Peach” right here for you to enjoy.
Have you ever heard a beginning to a song so delicate and beautiful? The melody made my lips curl up just slightly, trying not to smile at the undeniable beauty of this composition. Henry’s voice is folksy and light, making the song feel crisp and close. It’s absolutely a love song and it might be a good idea to sing it to your significant other when you’re fighting. (It’ll will totally break up the clouds that drive your bad mood.)
Tell me about yourself.
I’m a musician from Vermont, with an EP coming out in October. I’m interested in synthesizing my interest in philosophy and poetry and my feelings about my relationships into songs. Or I might just say that that’s what ends up happening and I’m interested in the fact that it happens.
What’s the story behind your song “Real Peach?”
There’s a line in the movie The Rules of the Game by Jean Renoir, which is something like: “I want to disappear down a hole. The awful truth about life is that everybody has their reasons.” That’s what I was getting at in this song, though without seeing it as an awful thing, but as a good reason to stop fighting. It’s about coming out the other side of a disagreement with a newly generous attitude and about a person who helped me to do that.
What was the process behind producing the track?
I demoed it first on my 8-track, in a classroom after my shift at a summer camp. I didn’t have all the lyrics, so I just kind of garbled some stuff, which ended up sounding like words that I ended up using. Then I tracked it all with my engineer, Ethan West, in his studio in Goshen, VT. We had tracked seven songs by then, so we had all of our sounds figured out, but the banjo was a late addition.
Tell me about your upcoming EP, The Rains.
It’s a collection of mostly love songs, which went through at least a few versions each before they reached this stage. It took a pretty long time to settle on a sound and I’m proud of it.
What are you most excited for after the EP comes out?
I’m excited to see old musician friends and to make new ones. I’m excited to see the world (hopefully Europe sometime) and to start recording the next thing. I’m most happy to be getting some clarity around my purpose in life, which sounds heavy, but that’s what it is.
What is something you think everyone needs to know about you or your music?
Well, just that if you like my music then keep checking in on it, because I have some tricks up my sleeve.
Who’s your favorite superhero?
I saw the first Iron Man when it came out and I hated it, but then I kept going and I really liked The Avengers movies and whenever Iron Man shows up in them I realize that I actually like him a lot.
What’s up next for you?
I’m doing a tiny tour with my friend Jeff Beam and then I’m working on a farm for a few weeks to get some cash before I go into more touring and recording. I’m also moving in with my parents for a little while…
