Jon McLaughlin – HuffPost 9.12.11

Mike Ragogna: So, do you have any advice for new artists?

Jon McLaughlin: I feel like the game has already changed a bit from when I started because when I started, there still wasn’t a Facebook and Twitter trend. There was Myspace, but you didn’t quite have the instant connection that you can have these days. Today, if you’re a huge fan of Taylor Swift or Ben Folds, chances are you could get on your phone and interact with them that second, which is kind of crazy to me. But if you’re a new artist, you have to be on board with stuff like that from the start, you know? I would also say that the sooner you figure out who you want to be as an artist, the better. It took me years to make this record, and I would like to think that if I was left in the studio alone years ago, I could have made this same record, but I don’t think that I would have been able.

MR: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

JM: That question has always been really tough for me, and I don’t think it’ll ever change. When people ask me what kind of music I play, it’s hard for me to describe it to them. probably because when you’re listening to an artist, it’s easier to classify them as a certain type. But if you’re the one making the music, you can only hear all of the influences that went into making the song, you know? Ben Folds is, for instance, one of my idols along with Elton John and Billy Joel. I build my music off of them. So, first and foremost, I’ve always wanted people to say that I am a piano player. But if they say that they think I’m a singer, I think, “Well, I’m not really a singer, I’m a piano player.” It all stems from that. I just always tell people that it’s kind of “piano rock.” I think the shows have always been a little more rock and the records have all been a little more pop, and I hope that this new album will bridge the gap between what you hear live and what is on the records. This one is definitely the best representation of my music that I’ve done yet, and I’ve never really been fully happy with any of the other records that I’ve put out to date. It’s always been a little bit of a compromise with the songs that I put on each album that I’ve made, and this album was just me and my band in my house recording in my little studio on our own. We finally got a chance to do exactly what it is I’ve always wanted to do.