{"id":342,"date":"2015-07-20T21:49:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T21:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevirtualcavern.com\/?p=342"},"modified":"2015-07-20T21:49:46","modified_gmt":"2015-07-20T21:49:46","slug":"interview-with-falling-ups-jessy-ribordy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualcavern.com\/?p=342","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Falling Up’s Jessy Ribordy"},"content":{"rendered":"

As stated numerous times in the past, Falling Up is a pretty big deal here on TVC. I\u2019m sure many of you have seen several of the other pieces we have written regarding them alongside various other artists, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve personally made it clear that Falling Up has remained my musical favorite for quite a long time now.<\/p>\n

I recently had a chance to ask \u00a0Jessy Ribordy of Falling Up, various questions regarding the bands past, and present, and most importantly, their upcoming Final Album!<\/p>\n

I am very gracious to have been given an opportunity to have this interview, so a big thanks once again to Jessy for speaking with us!<\/p>\n

I hope you guys enjoy it.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Glake<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Falling Up has been making music for well over a decade. For those who may be new to your music, how would you describe yourself as a band? What do\u00a0you<\/b>\u00a0feel makes you unique within the music industry?<\/p>\n

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Jessy<\/i><\/b>: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0I think alternative rock would the best overall description. We play with a lot of electronics, but that field has evolved into a different beast nowadays than how it started out, so we just stick to the alternative genre.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0I\u2019ve always held myself to a standard of creating songs that are first and foremost melodic. I try not to create a song to be heavy or soft or electronic or organic, it\u2019s always just about the melody of the song first and then everything else falls in place around it for support. For us, it\u2019s a mistake to go into writing hoping to achieve a certain style.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Glake<\/i><\/b>:<\/p>\n

A big part of any band with vocals is definitely the lyrics. When writing lyrics, for both past and present music, how much of an influence do the non-vocalist members of the band have in regards to what gets written and what doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

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Jessy: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve always let me pretty much do whatever I want, ha! Which is really nice and I\u2019m so thankful for that. I\u2019ve never felt like I was restricted to write about certain subjects or stray away from certain topics. And I think that many people might think, that because of that, the lyrics are more personal to me than the other guys, but I would disagree. When someone in the band is having an experience, good or bad, I try to listen to those things and add them into certain emotions in parts of songs. It\u2019s a great way to add perspective into otherwise very inward lyrics. But that\u2019s not to say that every song is about a particular subject in my life. Some of them are just created stories, and others I write just for the phonetics. I really like phonetics. \u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Glake<\/i><\/b>:<\/p>\n

I feel like I should have brought this up earlier, but since we\u2019re sort of on the topic of band members; who are all of the current members, and what are their roles within the band?<\/p>\n

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\"965303_10151654094375971_2131547041_o\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessy: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Josh and Jeremy and I are the only original members from when we started in high school. Josh on drums and Jeremy on bass. And then Nick Lambert, who\u2019s been a good buddy for a long time, joined up to play guitar 3 years ago and Dan Elder, another good buddy, on guitar as well. The dynamic with the group is a lot different now than it was in the past, as far as recording goes. We pass tracks back and forth and have time to mess around with them on our own. Everyone has recording equipment and can track and edit. It makes it nice to not have to be restricted to a certain block of rented time in the studio. \u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Glake<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0As stated earlier, you guys have been around for quite a while, a little bit over a decade to be exact. As a band, how do you feel your overall outlook towards music, and writing has changed since you first started out? Was there any particular goal you had as a band when first starting out that you either have or have not reached?<\/p>\n

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Jessy: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0Music and writing for me is continually growing and changing. Every time I write, I learn something new about myself. I love to write, it\u2019s such a journey.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0With Falling Up the main goal was to present a world that we created and allow people to decide how far into it they want to travel. We never wanted to make any song something that can be broken down to a specific one subject. Even our most face-palming, old tracks still had a way of eluding specificity. My songwriting will always continue, I\u2019ll always learn new things and always try to one up my songs as my career continues beyond Falling Up. But with our whole discography I\u2019ve been very happy with the way we\u2019ve presented our self to the music world. Even in the past when we were muzzled by the label or the genre we were placed in, we\u2019ve always managed to find a way to be ourselves. This new album is a celebration of that. And I feel like as Falling Up we\u2019ve achieved exactly what we set out to do as a band.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Glake:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s touch on your recent release, as well as the upcoming album before wrapping this up.<\/p>\n

So, you guys recently surprised us with an instrumental EP release, entitled \u201cHouse Full of Caverns<\/i>\u201d. Even as a EP, I feel like it\u2019s quite a journey on its own. Is there a specific concept, theme, or story even that is behind this EP? Based on the cover-art, I want to assume so.<\/p>\n

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\"a2558356423_10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessy:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0Yeah it\u2019s pretty conceptual. I\u2019m most likely going to publish it as a short story as part of the Kickstarter reward. I can\u2019t say much about it, but it has a lot to do with blanket forts. It\u2019s an adventure story, but I also wanted to make the album open for interpretation, so the music is more droning. And really, more importantly, I wanted the EP to allow fans a soundtrack while they create their own things. Hopefully it\u2019s nice music to sit and write or think to; an album that could open up a world of creatively for others. \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Glake: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

We know the final album is currently slated for an autumn release. How has the overall production, and writing process been, both mentally and physically, for the band considering this will be the final album? Is the overall process more stressful? Or relieving?<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Jessy<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit of both. At first it was very stressful. Writing the first few songs was really tough because they sort of navigated where the album was going to sit stylistically. But once those first few tracks were demoed (and not necessarily the first tracks on the album in placement), the rest of the album just kind of poured out. Right now we\u2019re just in the process of getting everything perfect and not missing an opportunity to be as creative as possible with the whole record. \u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Glake: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The past few LP releases have been based around written stories you have wrote, Jessy. Will this final album follow the same format or will it be something entirely different all together?\u00a0 Falling Up seems to do a pretty good job when it comes to surprising their listeners.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Jessy<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

It definitely follows a story, but conceptually it\u2019s done a lot differently than anything else in the past. My goal is to open up a world for everyone and hopefully, on returning to further listens, will continue to expand and discover new details within the album. I really wanted our legacy to be remembered, not in a grand finale type of way, but in a subtle, as time progresses, type of way.\u00a0 I feel like our fans will listen to our other albums\u2014 Fangs, YSDC, Hours, and year\u2019s later comment on details they\u2019ve discovered after multiple listens. This album will be just like that, except to an even greater degree. I think people will discover things about it years and years later and still feel like we are there creating new music and stories, even though we are long gone.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the best part too\u2014 because we will be gone, we won\u2019t be able to answer questions people have about certain parts of the album, and then their minds will wander into their own ideas and the world just keeps opening up and expanding.\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Glake<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019d like to touch on before it slips my mind, are the re-imagining tracks you guys will be producing. If my memory serves me right, the tracks that had the most votes were \u2018Broken Heart\u2019 and \u2018Arafax Deep\u2019, both obviously very popular releases from your first record. Have you guys begun re-production on these tracks yet? What is your overall thought process when doing remixes\/re-imaginings of certain tracks? Will the lyrics be changed up a bit?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\"51sPuISrqNL\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessy<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Those tracks are currently in production too, yes. We are planning on releasing them as \u201cold\u201d singles sometime in the next few months. The<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Lyrics will be exactly the same, although certain parts\u2014 pre choruses, bridges, might not exist and\/or be instrumental so therefore some lyrics might be removed, but nothing will be changed lyrically. Musically we are trying to do something that matches the style on this new album but also honors those tracks and our history as a band.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Glake:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Coming to a close here, I would assume shortly after the final record releases, the band would finally go about their separate ways for the most part. I know a few of you have side projects, e.g.: The River Empires, The Gloomcatcher, Northern Abbey, Paper Astronomer, and perhaps even more that I am not aware of. I know you probably cannot speak for the entire band, Jessy, but do you think we will see continuation of these side projects once Falling Up has come to a close?<\/p>\n

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\"JessyRTheGlomcatcherpiccropped\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessy:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0I already have songs written for a new project; of course it\u2019s on complete hold until this album is out and had a chance to have its cycle. But I\u2019m very excited for this new band I\u2019ve been working on developing. All my attention will be turned on it after Falling Up ends, so I\u2019m excited for others to see what becomes of it. Those other projects\u2014 The River Empires, The Gloomcatcher, will still exist in some form or fashion, but my main focus will be this new band, yet to be announced.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Glake: <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Lastly, is there anything you\u2019d like to tell the readers regarding the final album, or even anything regarding Falling Up in general that you think they should know?<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Jessy<\/i><\/b>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>This new album all takes place within a house\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, there might possibly be a book about our journey as a band from my perspective in years to come\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n