The word independent– indie– gets tossed around a lot, sometimes without people knowing what exactly it means– or, rather, what they mean. Are we talking about the form of the art itself, or the avenue of its creation? We’re obsessive classifiers; compulsive cataloguers. I suppose it helps to label things as a way to keep our shelves (and lives) from being in total disarray, but sometimes we don’t do ourselves justice.

There is a sound sneaking through Jeffery Straker’s music that I had trouble identifying. While on the surface Step Right Up feels very much like a pop record– bright and catchy– I think I see now my initial trouble. I was guilty of a prejudice: I believed that pop music was manufactured in a place we shall call the Pop Music Factory.

In my mind the Pop Music Factory was an impeccably landscaped corporate facility with dark windows, sitting on a quiet lot; on the outside it was the picture of orderly calm. But what was happening inside would horrify a music lover: its soundproof walls concealed a whistling, shrieking whatsit, a machine of Seussian complexity that dwarfed all who stood before it, clanking and shuddering and never in need of maintenance, noisily digesting whatever myriad of raw materials– musicians, usually– were fed into it, producing a predictable, shrinkwrapped novelty: this was Pop Music. Oh, what sad times are these. While I had heard of Indie Pop, I was certain it was a figment of our imaginations. There could be no such thing. It was an oxymoron.

What creates those types of prejudices, I suppose, is lack of vision, on the part of both those making the music and those listening to it; Straker suffers from no such lack of vision, and his real trick is reminding you that pop music can be both independent and marketable.

Jeffery Straker grew up in a tiny town in Canada and fostered a love of music that was somewhat at odds with the hockey-going community; after years of accomplished piano study, he decided to pursue non-musical interests, only returning to music on his own terms. And now, he’s the purveyor of bright and boisterous piano-pop as heard on Step Right Up. Whether he’s actively refusing to follow stale precedents or he’s lucky enough to have distinctive tastes it’s hard to say, but there is definitely a nonconformist of some degree at work in songs like Special K— a diabolical waltz that in its climax soars to TSO-levels of bombast— and Flat Lines, the quirky and clever tale of a girl who will never, ever fit in. Both sensitive and scrappy, his music brims with memorable lines and characters that share space like an ensemble cast. They tell stories of joy and pain; subtlety and melodrama; frustration and victory. In an iPod era, where music is consumed ala carte, here is an actual album.

And though he is sometimes compared to a young Elton John, has slept at Jim’s Joint, and has more than the rest of us in common with a man named Beethoven (keep reading), he is not owned by these associations; the same way that the characters in many of his songs seem to unknowingly share a piece of the same soul, each fighting forces outside of themselves while trying to maintain an identity, sometimes when you grapple with labels and identifications you lose the big picture. Sometimes you need to just let go and enjoy the ride. In this way, Jeff’s ahead of the curve.

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You come from a rural farm town in Saskatchewan, a place that may seem to a casual observer to be worlds removed from the business of making music– when you were growing up and honing your craft, did the location itself affect your development as a songwriter/performer in any way? What creative outlets did you find for yourself? How did you get your music fix?

Yes, I grew up on a farm beside a little village that has 250 people. It was a neat place to grow up in that you knew everyone and actually knew quite a bit about everyone around you. But for me as a guy with an artsy/music leaning I ran against the grain a little. The main things to do were hockey and driving around in your car. Neither appealed to me. So many of my friends just hung out, you know? And I just wanted to play the piano. I couldn’t see the point of hanging out. I think, in hindsight, the point was that there was no point. Maybe? I did play hockey too – but sucked at it. When I was 14 or 15 there was a glitch in the town’s demographics and there weren’t enough boys to make a team for my age group. Thank god for that. So that was the year that I had the perfect excuse to just play the piano more. And then to never play hockey again. How totally, utterly un-Canadian. It was great. I think the main way that this all influenced me musically was that my music making was more solitary vs doing it with others. So I think that planted the seed of being a solo singer-songwriter vs gravitating to being in a band. There just wasn’t a thriving arts scene in the little town, so forming groups/bands didn’t quite happen. In grades 10/11/12 I drove to the nearest city to study piano at the conservatory and practiced 3,4,5 hours a day. I really loved it. I met a lot of other music-geeks there too so it was neat to know they were out there. Now I know they’re everywhere!!!

Your piano training began at age six and culminated with a degree in piano performance at Trinity College of Music in England. Is it jarring or difficult to move from classical piano into the realm of pop music? Do the skills translate well, or is it like learning something altogether new? Do you prefer pop over classical styles, or is it perhaps that pop is simply more marketable?

I kind of burned out on classical music by the end of my studies. I think I brought it on myself by practicing so much. But I also realized that I just wasn’t cut out to be a classical pianist. And my last professor was pretty hardcore and really only ‘ate/slept/breathed’ classical. So realizing I didn’t want to pursue classical music made me think I should just stop piano. However after university I discovered this ‘other land’ where I could pursue music. Like pop, folk stuff. And it was a rebirth in a way. It wasn’t that messy – no umbilical cord or anything. No screaming or pains. But it took some getting used to. Mostly in relying on my ear to play more / vs [reading] notes. Luckily my musical mother passed me a really good ear! Bless her. And with time I saw that the technique I acquired from all that classical study was invaluable. And the theory and music understanding has been great too. I still listen to a lot of classical music (love Bach and Beethoven). But I just simply prefer pop to perform and listen to most of the time. The pop I made on my last recording has a wee bit of a classical influence – in the instrumentation and in some of the piano parts. It’s not Britney pop that’s for sure. Pop is such a BIG land. Pop is Madonna and pop is Broken Social Scene. They are miles apart. Jesus I don’t even know if I answered your question.

At one point, burned out on piano, you acquired a degree in plant biochemistry, claiming that you felt you needed to study something completely different. Eventually you were pulled back to writing and performance and found your interest revitalized. Do you think it was good to take time off from musical pursuits? When you returned to writing and performing in earnest did you find your sensibilities, or perhaps style, had changed at all?

My first job after my degree was a research stint with Canada’s national research council. I hated it. I wanted to poke my eye out with a test tube. Bloody hell. I recall working one summer with a professor who had tomatoes going up on the space shuttle. Frankly – I didn’t care if they were going to be eaten by the astronauts or thrown out the window as space junk. It was horrendously boring to me.

I quickly switched to a job in marketing and quite liked that. But I was playing the piano all along and started writing and singing and realized what felt the most comfortable. I think the time away from music was necessary for me – maybe in a way to realize how important it was to me. Self-inflicted deprivation perhaps. I’m glad you asked me this because I realize now that that’s exactly what it was. When I came back to it, I approached the piano in a whole new way vs. thinking of it as just a classical sort of thing.

It occurs to me that a singer/songwriter just starting out usually has the luxury of being able to walk into a gig with nothing but a guitar case in hand, and often might have several guitars to choose from in his home. A piano is more of a commitment: it’s not feasible to have a half dozen pianos in your apartment to pick from. How does that work? Did you (and do you) haul one around with you everywhere you perform, or do you try to scrounge one up when you get to the area? Do you have a favorite piano?

I take a digital piano when I perform, if the venue doesn’t have a real one. And honestly, sometimes the venue ‘has one’ but it turns out to be really shitty so I end up using the digital one anyway. I quite like my Yamaha P-90. It was weighted keys that mimic an acoustic piano really well and the tone is really good. Many of my piano playing friends who travel have one. It’s kind of heavy though and I’m a bit wimpy. I hate lugging it around. Everytime I pick it up I say “I wish I’d have studied the piccolo.”

Regarding arrangements, how do you write your songs— do they start off entirely as piano compositions on your own? Do you write with a band in mind?

Great question! This changes all the time. In the past I’d write complete or almost complete songs on piano and then take them to my band for arrangement work. The musicians in my band are really creative. They’re so creative in fact, that currently I’m writing song chunks, and then taking these bits to them and jamming it a bit to see what comes out. I don’t think I’ve used their talents enough in the past. Lyrics are still mine – and the core of the tune is still mine – but how it pieces together and flows is way more in the collective ether. I want to muck around with that a bit. Two heads are better than one…sometimes. We’ll see.

Who or what influences you musically? It’s hard to monitor yourself in this way, but do you feel yourself growing into or out of any particular styles or sensibilities as you continue to grow as an artist? What artists/songs do you feel you’ll be forever indebted to?

The comparison that I get the most is to Elton John’s early material – at least with my latest recording. I think it’s just my vocal timbre and the fact that I’m a guy playing the piano and singing that makes people draw the comparison. It’s kind of obvious to draw that conclusion. Maybe there’s something else? I get it all the time though. And I find that OK – my god…I could be compared to worse! Maybe it’s because I usually toss “Tiny Dancer” into my sets? Who knows. People often come up to me after a show and say (usually apologetically) “I know you likely hate being compared to people but, you really remind me of Elton John in his early days.” I usually say thanks – and don’t really know what to do with it. I do love his early stuff. I think it’s incredible. It’s defining stuff. It shaped music as we know it as far as rock/pop goes. But I also have some cabaret influences – and I don’t even really know where those came from. Not in all my songs. It just appears in some of them. There’s so much music out there. I listen and surf around on MySpace a lot and hear so much. I think it all seeps into you somehow – however that happens. I don’t think I’m ‘mainstream’ per se despite getting some mainstream radio play. And I’m fine with that. My music is what it is. Ever since I started this as my full time career 3-4 years ago I’ve said “you don’t pick music, music picks you.” And on the same token, you don’t really pick the genre/leaning/style you feel the most natural performing. It just kind of comes out of you. The muse is the mysterious part.

You’ve got some interesting associations in your musical DNA– during the recording of your album in LA, you stayed at room #32 at the Alta Cienega hotel— Jim’s Joint— where Jim Morrison stayed in the late 60s. Perhaps more interesting, you’re only six degrees separated from Beethoven through teacher/student lineage. Is there anything substantial that comes out of brushing up so closely to that kind of history— any influence, any gravity— or is it just trivia? Was it a weird experience staying in room #32? Any lingering ghosts?

My lord that motel room was funky and weird. There are photos on my myspace and website of the inside – and of the motel itself. It’s in Hollywood at the corner of La Cienega and Santa Monica. A lovely little lady runs it and keeps a tight ship. If I were a betting man I’d say that Jim’s spirit comes to visit that space a lot. He was there from ’68-’70 I think. And those were formative years for the Doors. Honestly I didn’t stay in the room very long – but I definitely cannot imagine living in the room for 2 years. He apparently had a drunken fling with Janis Joplin in LA. When I was lying in bed – I wondered if it was in that room? Oh if the walls could talk…speaking of the walls, they are covered in graffiti and it’s become a shrine, like his gravesite in Paris France.
My Beethoven connection is in fact true. If you go back six degrees through my piano teachers you land at Beethoven – seriously. He is famous for his driving compositions. Strangely, when I was competing in classical competitions back in the day, the judges always said I had a real knack for performing Beethoven. My highest scores in competitions were always from performing Beethoven sonatas. Take from that what you will!

What’s been your biggest thrill thus far in your performing career?

Oh lord. I was asked to open for Melanie C (from the Spice Girls) at her outdoor Toronto performance last summer. So playing to her 10,000 fans was great. However not completely fulfilling for some reason. I also just love seeing people come back to their second or 3rd show. That’s likely the coolest thing.

Step Right Up exhibits a noticeable cabaret influence, though it’s so seamlessly integrated with the pop sound that it’s a beautiful marriage— what led you to start experimenting with the style? Was it a natural addition to your sound, or something that you chose and honed?

I don’t even really know where the cabaret influence came from. Likely just a lot of the music I’ve been listening to. Rufus Wainwright has it too I think – and I like his stuff. I think a lot of what I listen to has bits of it. And my classical leanings, when mixed with pop – likely come out of me as more cabaret. Perhaps. Pop + classical + me = cabaret. Something like that.

You recently shot a video for “Hypnotized” in Toronto that involved circus performers, fire spinners, dancers, and contortionists— sounds like a wild production. How was the experience? Had you done anything like that in the past?

It’s going to be out soon – and a link will be on my website for sure. The production was a completely hilarious and excellent experience. It was a first. The performers were incredible and it makes for a real visual experience (I’ve seen a rough edit). There is a bit of a ‘love’ story in it too – but it’s really subtle and a bit mysterious. And the circus/carnival suggestion came from the director/producer. He saw it in his head after hearing the song “Hypnotized” from my CD. There was actually a guy at the shoot that drove a nail up his nose with a big hammer – like a side-show type of thing. I don’t think that made the final cut. We were just messing around with all this great carnival imagery at the shoot and then it really came together in the edit. It was fun to be in downtown Toronto, playing an old upright piano on a street with a burlesque dancer sitting on top and can-can dancers high-kicking beside me. And then add in a “Thriller-meets-West-Side-Story” group dance routine that the choreographer put together. It was pretty nutty.

What inspires you other than music– any favorite books or movies?

I really gravitate to underdogs. I love the stories of underdogs making their way. I also am really inspired by people who make their way through life in unusual ways. I find that really inspiring. Whether they choose business, the arts, or whatever. If they take a path that they need to make on their own – that’s so cool to me.

In terms of books – I recently read “Are you somebody” by Nuala o’Faolain, and “Magical Thinking” by Augusten Burroughs. Both delightful! Currently I’m reading the last 2 Malcolm Gladwell books, “Blink” and “Outliers.” (I read “Tipping point” a long time ago so need to get caught up) So I’m a little all over the map with my reading but I find little nuggets in all of it. Malcolm Gladwell is so neat because he’s made sociology interesting. I took a Soc. course in university and it put me to sleep. He’s breathed new life into it and I’m sure sociology profs the world over thank him for his writing.

What are you working on currently—is there another album in the works?

I’m just getting into really working on some new material for a new album! The last album was quite a process. Through 2007 as I was touring, I wrote the songs that I recorded in Dec 07/Jan08 in LA, for “Step Right Up.” Then the mixing/editing/mastering was completed in early 08. Tour prep started and then late May I was out the door. 80 shows later it was December and I had been so busy touring and doing promo stuff that I hadn’t had time to write much. I captured a bajillion ideas – lyrics, little melodies, rhythms – on my hand mp3 recorder all along the way, but had no time to work anything out, to smear it around and see how it felt. So that’s what I’m doing now.

www.jeffstraker.com