Interview: San Antonio Artist Jeremy Parsons Discusses His New Single "Tragedy"
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“Sometimes my greatest accomplishment feels like not losing myself in an industry that can take that from you. I’m proud I’ve been able to do this without a label or anyone trying to tell me how my art should sound. ”
Who are some country artists/bands that you listened to growing up that motivated you to teach yourself how to play the guitar and become a musician?
From the earliest days it was Classic Country in general with Hank Williams Sr. being the standout. The first time I heard his song “Kawliga” I was hooked right in. It wasn’t until I was 17 that I picked up a guitar and started playing. It never occurred to me that it was something I could do even with all the inspiring Texas Country acts that were out at the time.
Going to shows to see guys like the Randy Rogers Band, Reckless Kelly, Jack Ingram, and Pat Green really sparked something. I got hooked on the craft myself at that point. I started writing and just couldn’t stop. I would then go on to discover artist’s like John Prine, Jason Isbell, and Guy Clark who would make want to grow and think differently as a writer. There’s so much great music out there that was built to inspire.
What are some things that inspire your creativity when developing new music in general?
The short answer on this one is life. I like to go out and watch the world turn. I often joke that people watching is my favorite sport. We all have emotions and events that cause these emotions that overlap. If you can write those stories and empathize with folks it does so many things. For you as the artist and for the listener as a person. At that point you’re just writing your experience so other people out there going through similar things might hear it and realize they’re not alone. A person writing songs for people.
We're huge fans of your new single "Tragedy"; tell us about your creative process for the development of this song, and how you connected with Michael and Caleb Flanders.
I’m super glad y’all dig the track! This song found me when I was sitting there strumming the chords I had just come up with and asked myself what I thought it sounded like, what it made me think of, what it made me feel. 'Tragedy' was the word that popped into my head. I immediately looked up the definition, though I already knew what it meant, and used that as the structure. I wanted to take the definition and create examples of the feelings that might come with dealing with and working through a “Tragedy.” I wanted to set scenes and paint pictures of loss and struggle.
This song comes with a heavy dose of reality and no happy ending but it does come with the knowledge that you are not alone. Tragedy finds and strikes us all in life. I had a thought at some point too that this would be setup, storyline wise, as a prequel to my first single “Burn This House Down,” from my last LP, “Things I Need To Say.” It would be the “Tragedy” that leads up to the inevitable end of things. I wouldn’t say I’m completely set on that now but it did help in bringing this song to life. Having that extra added inspiration can aid in making it personal and really drives and embeds the intended emotion into the song.
I got to make my last record, “Things I Need To Say,” with Michael Flanders and loved it so much that when I was ready to go back into the studio it just made the most sense to reach out to him again. He actually set up this whole project for me. He’s been a great friend, supporter, and mentor to me over the past 5 years. We have all grown so much since then as creators and I believe that really stands out on this single and entire project.
I think Mike’s son, Caleb Flanders, had a lot to do with that as well. That whole family is full of multi-instrumentalist geniuses. Watching Mike and Caleb work together on this as father and son was truly wonderful. They respect each other as individuals and artists. It will always be an honor to get to stand and create in a room with those two gentlemen.
Can we expect to see a music video for "Tragedy" and/or hear it on an upcoming EP or album?
A music video doesn’t seem likely at the moment unfortunately. The current Covid crisis gets in the way of that for me with my best video guy being in Nashville and me being down in San Antonio. The silver lining is that there is an entire album that “Tragedy” is just giving you a peek into. The album will be called “Things To Come” and will contain 10 tracks. It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever made and I’m stoked to share it with y’all. As of now the release date is set for January 2021!
What would you say has been your greatest musical accomplishment thus far in your musical career?
This is always such a tough question for me. I always keep trying to grow and keep moving forward. All of my accomplishments to date have just seemed like necessary steps so I can keep doing the thing I love to do more than anything.
I got to open for George Jones, I had a song on a Grammy nominated Bluegrass album, I won a Texas Music Award, I got to go overseas and play my music for sold-out audiences. It’s all been so wonderful!
Sometimes my greatest accomplishment feels like not losing myself in an industry that can take that from you. I’m proud I’ve been able to do this without a label or anyone trying to tell me how my art should sound. I’m lucky.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and do you have a favorite song to play?
The live performance aspect of this job is the thing that originally got me hooked. There’s really no other feeling like it. The absolute high of feeling that you got the emotion of the song across correctly and watching people in the crowd connect with you.
Sometimes it’s difficult to describe. It’s almost like being strapped into a crazy roller coaster ride of feelings that you are in complete control of. It’s exhausting, it’s exhilarating, it’s everything.
“Tragedy” is among my most favorites to play out with a close second being my second single off my last record “Why Is The Bluebird Blue.”
Stream and Share “Things I Need to Say” on Spotify
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