MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you Jon, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?
Jon Pattie: I’m not really sure what motivated me. I’ve just always wanted to be a musician. I always told my parents I was interested in music since I was really young and the got me my first guitar for Christmas in 2006. I actually picked it up and started playing it in January of 2008 and it has been a great journey ever since!
MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
Jon Pattie: That’s a really hard question to answer because there are so many! First, I’ll give you my current influences. The two most important are Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, but I am also influenced by James Bay, Bon Iver, and City and Colour. The funny thing is that when I was in high school, all of the music I listened to was metal and pop punk! A lot of old school Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, and metal bands like Bring Me The Horizon, August Burns Red, and Animals as Leaders!
MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
Jon Pattie: My ultimate goal is to make a living off of my music and be able to tour wherever I want and just spread my music everywhere. All of the music I write contains a positive message and I hope that my music can help someone out in a dark place.
MuzicNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?
Jon Pattie: The greatest concert I performed was a small open mic night at a bar in downtown Austin. After every song, I got roaring applause and whistles, even though there were only 15 people in the room. I loved every minute of it, and they did too!
MuzicNotez: You’ve been in a band for a long time, and now broke away to release your first solo project. How’s it feel to be the front man? How’s the writing and recording process been different for you?
Jon Pattie: I’ve always deep down desired to be a front man, so it’s a lot of fun! The writing and recording process is a little different just because I don’t have a lot of people to bounce ideas off anymore, but no matter what group I was in, I have always been the primary songwriter, so that hasn’t changed too much!
MuzicNotez: Your first solo EP release is entitled ‘The Home Inside My Head’, how would you describe this release?
Jon Pattie: This release was really a leap of faith. I had no idea how people would respond to it or if I could make my solo career and actual career! It really helped me boost my confidence in myself as a musician after I released this CD and I received a lot of success that I did not expect!
MuzicNotez: You wrote every single part of the EP, each instrumental and vocal line, what’s your songwriting process like?
Jon Pattie: The first musical instrument I learned was guitar, so I pretty much always start with a guitar line. From there I will fit lyrics and a melody line to it, and then finally just sit down, listen to what I have so far, and come up with an arrangement. Throughout that entire process, I am constantly tweaking and changing various things about my song in order to get them on the right path to where I want it to be.
MuzicNotez: What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?
Jon Pattie: I actually just received the final versions of my newest EP, ‘3 2 1’ and I will be releasing it later this year! I went to a professional studio and put a lot of money and time into this EP and it sound fantastic! Watch out for it soon!
MuzicNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
Jon Pattie: Check me out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! And also, a message that I always try and get across with my music: it always gets better. Just hang on. Thanks, guys!