![\"Shotgun](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Shotgun-Jimmie-High02.jpg\")
<\/a>Despite being plugged in with some of Canada\u2019s most prominent indie musicians, Shotgun Jimmie recorded his last album, 2013\u2019s Everything, Everything<\/i>, alone in a small cabin in the woods. One January he headed out armed with a 4-track recorder, a briefcase of half-finished songs, and a stack of firewood. Three months later he emerged with a record that wears its lo-fi heart on its sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery songwriter\u2019s impulse is to remove themselves from the world,\u201d he says. \u201cA cabin in the woods is a cliche for making lo-fi indie records: getting out of the city, out in the woods, free of distractions and all that. But it\u2019s a cliche for a reason. I was able to be really focused on writing and taking the time to see ideas through.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spent each day recording songs that were already written; in the evenings he would write new material. Despite the lo-fi aesthetic of the album, he was meticulous about getting each song right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d do tons of takes for each track,\u201d he says. This simultaneous writing and recording gives the album a cohesiveness that is sometimes lacking from recorded-in-the-garage type albums.<\/p>\n
His previous album, Transistor Sister<\/i>, was long-listed for the Polaris Music prize and was his first studio recording. With Everything, Everything<\/i>, friends urged him not to do another lo-fi record. \u201cThey said, \u2018Once you\u2019ve gone hi-fi, you can\u2019t really go back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
But in true indie tradition, Shotgun Jimmie was more interested in producing an authentic record of his feelings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it might be not the best career move to go lo-fi, but for aesthetic reasons I wanted to,\u201d he says. \u201cI just thought it worked with the songs, and I\u2019ve always found comfort in the lo-fi sound. I wasn\u2019t consciously trying to make a lo-fi record, I was just trying to make something that I liked the way it sounded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Displaying a characteristic modesty, Jimmie delights in not taking his own achievements too seriously. He admits that he doesn\u2019t feel \u201cprecious\u201d about his own songs at all these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a breakthrough years ago where I realized that you don\u2019t need anything to make songs,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can make them up out of thin air.\u201d<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t to say that he doesn\u2019t work hard at his craft. But he approaches everything he does with a lighthearted experimentalism. \u201cI\u2019m willing to try anything as a starting point,\u201d he explains, \u201clike stirring up the pot a little bit. The moment I really shine is when I react to what\u2019s already happened in the songwriting or in the studio. I like it because it kind of removes you from the authorship. You\u2019re giving a chance for the cosmos to have an effect on the process, like a writing credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he still sees himself making music in 20 years, Jimmie gives an enthusiastic yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, there\u2019s no turning back now,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m too deep in. I\u2019ve dedicated quite a bit of thought and energy to making this whole thing sustainable. I\u2019m sure I can do it for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n