Kat Harlton
Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Russell Gendron recently released “Homebody“
his third outing under the band moniker Bill Jr. Jr. We had the opportunity to chat with him about the new album, career highlights, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your album “Homebody”?
Bill: I was trying to write songs about Vancouver, where I’m from. I had recently moved to Montreal and found that the distance I had gained from my life back home was helping me shape each song and in turn, shape all the songs as one cohesive-ish body of work. Writing is a way for me to unpack/express my feelings about relationships and I wanted to investigate my own relationship with my home.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the album?
Bill: I hope that through my specific experiences, expressed through these songs and the album art, folks might reflect on their home or where they’re living. I tried to be vulnerable throughout the making of the album, the writing of the lyrics etc…sometimes seeing someone else’s vulnerability/honesty, can open doors in others.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Bill: Having to regularly take the stance that what I make is good enough to be finished and put out into the world. I think a lot of artists feel this way and I think it’s the biggest barrier to accessing our creativity.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Bill: Flying to Athens, Georgia and working with professional musicians to make this record, in a studio that many records I admire were recorded, in felt pretty cool. It both pumped me up and demystified some aspects of the music business.
Kat: What’s next?
Bill: We have unreleased music from those Georgia recording sessions and I’m excited to get that out into the world this year. Next, I’d like to find the time and space to finish some songs I’ve written in the last couple of years and play them this summer (if that’s even possible…).
For more on Bill Jr. Jr. visit: http://www.billjrjr.com