Q&A: (Jose Gonzalez)

Born in 1978 to Argentinean parents and raised in the southwest region of Sweden, Jose Gonzalez grew up listening to a diverse array of music.

He lived in the country's second largest city, Gothenburg, which is situated along the western coast with a population of more than 800,000 - a metropolitan area home to a large immigrant population. Off the coast of the city sit a group of car-free islands known as the Southern Gothenburg Archipelago.

As a child, Gonzalez was influenced by his father's taste in Latin American sounds along with American and United Kingdom pop music.

Gothenburg is the center of a music genre known as melodic death metal and bands that reflect it such as At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and The Haunted. It also boasts pop and indie rock spots as well and is home to the group Ace of Base. Coincidentally, Gonzalez was a member of several bands, some of which reflected the city's music scenes.

Gonzalez recently signed with Mute Records and the label re-released his highly acclaimed album “Veneer” April 4.

The work, originally released on Hidden Agenda Records in September 2005, went gold in the UK.

In 2004, Gonzalez won a Swedish Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Gonzalez initially signed with the London-based label Peacefrog, which put out his debut “Crosses” and “Veneer” in April 2005.

Critics have compared Gonzalez to Nick Drake, primarily, but also Cat Stevens and Elliot Smith.

The music, stark and minimalist folk, gives each song its deserved negative space. Gonzalez plays classical guitar-influenced melodies and has a great sense of his stringed device, aware of the diverse tones that arise from finger picking, strumming and a hollow cavity that can come in handy as a makeshift percussive instrument.

The songs, quiet and gentle, feature Gonzalez on vocals and guitar with the occasional percussion work. Trumpeter Stefan Sporén is the only other musician on the album. The most notable quality about Gonzalez's voice is its sense of emotional urgency reminiscent of the legendary Bill Withers while his most striking lyrics come from the song “Lovestain.”

Gonzalez wrote the music and lyrics of each song on “Veneer” with the exception of The Knife's “Heartbeats.” The Knife is a Swedish-based electronic pop group.
The Beach Reporter talked with Gonzalez by phone about his album and his thoughts on Withers.

The Beach Reporter: You have a very unique style and make good use of the guitar. How did you learn how to play?

Gonzalez: I started playing guitar when I was 14. I started by teaching myself but after a year I went to a private teacher to learn how to play classical guitar and I did that for three or four years. That's how I learned all of the techniques.

Do you think playing sparse music has taught you to be more creative on the guitar?

Yeah, playing classical guitar, a lot of the time, it's just one guitar and it's about how to make the most out of it. At least the pieces I like to play are kind of like two melodies playing at the same time, I always like that aspect.

Do you listen to Bill Withers?

That's so funny because I was listening to Bill Withers when I called you. I really like the way he sings in combination with the drums, it's just amazing.

Can you tell me about how the Bossa Nova-influenced song ‘Remain' was created?

It is just guitar and vocals but there is one line that is repeated in a style of music I heard about six years ago, and I wanted to kind of copy it. I don't know exactly what I wanted it to mean, I just put words in the melody that I found.

So the melody sets the tone of what you'd like to write about.

Yes, exactly. I always start with the guitar. The melodies come pretty naturally and then I write the words. It's more like the mood of the music that sets the standard.

You selected the song ‘Heartbeats' by The Knife. What is it about this song that prompted you to cover it?

It's one of my favorite songs when it came out in 2003. I already knew their music from before and I thought it was fun to take something that I really liked and something that was a fun thing to do but mainly because it is in the top 10 of my all-time favorite songs.

The album features the trumpet player Stefan Sporén. Where did you find him?

I didn't know him, I just called around and asked people if they knew a trumpet player. The only thing I said was that I wanted it to sound a bit Chet Baker-like. He recorded in my kitchen in two hours and it was done.