How Howard Jones keeps the music playing

It is nearly impossible to imagine that the New Wave era was more than 20 years ago, as more New Wave artists are returning to the public eye and ear, if not continuing to command cult-like following.

Pinoy fans will be treated to iconic New Wave music come Oct. 10, as Howard Jones — also touted as one of the defining figures of the synth-pop sound of the early to the late-’80s — shares headlining duties with Human League (Together in Electric Dreams, Human, Don’t You Want Me, Mirror Man, etc.) and Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s (Head Over Heels, Turn To You, We Got The Beat, Our Lips Are Sealed, etc.) in a retrospective concert at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Jones told The STAR in an exclusive phone interview that, amidst the changing musical trends and technology, he has never stopped making music.

“I’ve never been away, you know. I’ve been working the whole time, always making albums since I started in 1983,” said the British singer-songwriter.

Jones also has a packed touring schedule ahead. Right after his Philippine show, he will embark on a concert tour in North America. This comes on the heels of the successful shows he just had in the US.

Last July, Jones played at the Sandy Amphitheater in Salt Lake City in Utah. The promoters were hoping for 1,500 ticket sales but it turned out to be a complete sell-out with 2,750 tickets sold and hundreds had to be turned away, a media release read. This was followed by a show in Las Vegas last month, gathering the biggest audience so far of the 2011 season to the Fremont Street Experience.

He said, “It was really fantastic. Even outside the venues, there were a lot of people singing. It was great!”

Jones’ first two albums Human’s Lib (1984) and Dream Into Action (1985) lived in the upper reaches of the album charts in the UK, US, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia and many other countries. He actually re-mastered those two now-classic albums recently and played them live in their entirety in gigs (including those in Vegas and Utah) since late last year.

Among the hits that Jones churned out are New Song, Pearl In The Shell, Hide & Seek, Everlasting Love, Like To Get To Know You Well, What Is Love?, which became part of the Supergirl (1984) movie soundtrack and the quintessential No One Is To Blame, which charted No. 1 in the US.

Aside from pioneering synth-pop, Jones has also been called the godfather of modern electronic dance music. A classically-trained pianist, Jones employed such synths and instrumentation as the Roland Juno 60, Jupiter 8 and Moog Prodigy, among others, and made the reputation of triggering sequencers live on stage during high-energy performances in the ’80s. He continues to operate on cutting-edge technology like the Roland Fantom G8 and Sequential Pro-One while creating and playing his music.

He explained how and why he adopted this avante-garde attitude towards his craft: “I think it came from the desire to create music and do something different to what has been done before. The bands of the ’60s and ’70s, they did music the complete rock and roll way.

“In the ‘80s, we had this new technology made available so it seemed like a really good idea to make use of sounds completely different to what has been done before. And I’ve been always interested in how you can create music in different ways using the latest things.”

The STAR also asked Jones regarding the inspirations behind some of his hit songs like No One Is To Blame and Like To Get To Know You Well.

On No One Is To Blame, of which a re-recording was produced by Phil Collins, he said, “I think the song is saying that it’s natural for us to be attracted to different people, but that you have to be careful, because if you go too far, you can really ruin your life. The inspiration actually came when I was in San Francisco, California. I met up with an executive from a record company, and he said to me something like, ‘You can look at the menu, but you don’t have to eat everything.’ It came from that simple conversation.”

For Like To Get To Know You Well, also known as the “unofficial” theme of the 1984 Summer Olympics, he said, “It’s a very simple song with a very simple message: Everywhere you go, make a friend. Yes, I had hoped it would become an Olympic theme. It became the unofficial one.”

Expect these songs and more in his Oct. 10 show; the Philippines is the only Asian country he will be performing in. “I’m bringing to the show the whole of my career, including the big hits in America and the UK. I’m very excited to perform. I’ve met some great Filipino people but I’ve never been to the Philippines. It’s hard to imagine that people from the other side of the world know my music. I’m very touched.”

In the next few months, apart from touring extensively, Jones will begin work on his new studio album, which should mark his return to “full electric mode.” He will also be collaborating with young artists, including the Scottish dance whiz Grum. Speaking of the younger generation of artists, he also expressed admiration for Laura Marling, the 21-year-old English folk musician who was recently named Best Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards, as well as the English synth-pop duo Hurts. 

In between gigs and recording, Jones is also involved with the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a UK-based, non-profit organization set up to protect the rights of featured musical artists, particularly in the digital age.

He’s also an active member of Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist movement. His beliefs are evident in his latest studio album Ordinary Heroes (2009), which features a string quartet on every track and one of the best Welsh male choirs, The Morriston, on the song Soon You’ll Go.

He said, “I’ve been practicing Buddhism for 18 years now. I chant every day. It has affected my music very profoundly, as it teaches you to create value from any situation. For every trouble and difficulty, it’s an opportunity to create value, to move forward and to enjoy all aspects of life. It was a very good friend who introduced it to me. I was really impressed by him and how he conducted himself around people. In the music business, what happens is that you can really get high and you can really get low, and Buddhism has helped me manage my life better.”

(The Human League, Belinda Carlisle and Howard Jones joint concert in Manila is being presented by Ovation Productions and Smart in cooperation with etc, 2nd Avenue, Universal Channel, Jack TV and The Rockwell Club. Get your tickets via Ticketnet (tel. no. 911-5555). Tickets are sold at P7,000, P6,500, P4,500, P3,500, P2,500, P1,500 and P500.)