Album Release: Jess McIntosh & Aaron Smith

Bluegrass Chicago (virtually) sat down with Jess and Aaron to talk about their new work. Take a listen to one of our favorite tracks, Cider, while you get an inside look at this musical partnership (and the story behind the gorgeous album cover!):

You have been playing together for many years. What inspired you to finally record together?

Jess:

It just felt like it was crazy we had no documentation of us as an old-time duo. It was once (pre-lockdown) how we both paid most of our bills – weddings, parties, bars and brunches “Jess and Aaron”. Without glitz or hype, we’d play up to four hours of music without repeating a tune providing the backdrop for other peoples’ good times. And we liked it that way, because we’re having a good time too! But then the end of the night would roll around and inevitably a handful of folks would wander over and ask where they could buy our music, and though we’ve each released albums with myriad other projects, we had no record of exactly what the two of us were honing all those hours.

Aaron:

We both do so many “jobbing” types of gigs around Chicagoland, and while this duo essentially started playing out as a way to sweep up a few more of those bar/restaurant/wedding/event/etc. types of opportunities, the music that we make has always felt more meaningful and personal to me than the majority of other one-off groups. Chuck [Cox] was the one who initially proposed making the album to us, and we were on board immediately. To me, having an album to present really solidifies this duo as a project (as opposed to a sort-of-arbitrary-grouping-of-musicians-who-share-repertoire) that we’re excited to share with people.

What makes this album special?

Jess:

I think we’d both agree that our favorite part about this record is how alive it came out feeling. Our goal at the start, with the help of our producer Chuck Cox, was to preserve the spirit of what we were used to creating at live shows. It’s playful, imperfect and sometimes I get lost in it. Listening back to this one is a different experience than almost every other record I’ve made as an artist, because instead of hearing the hours of toiling away mixing levels and overdubs and wishing I’d have used a different take somewhere, this record actually makes me laugh. It brings me true joy to listen to because I can hear myself playing–like, kid on a snow day, first day of summer break, it’s finally here: Playing.

Aaron:

I think it’s a really honest statement and, for me, a refreshingly laid-back one. I’ve spent so much time in rehearsal rooms and recording studios fussing over the most granular of details. And while I actually love this kind of process, often when I complete a project this way I feel like I’ve already listened to it so many times by the time it’s printed that I don’t get to experience the sense of discovery you get from hearing a new record. This album, having been recorded live without us attempting to iron out any imperfections, still gives me that experience, and I feel like I hear something new every time I put it on.

What do you like about working together as a duo?

Jess:

Working with Aaron has always pushed me to be my best and reminded me not to take it all too seriously. I had the chance to work with him on a few non-traditional projects before we really connected over fiddle & banjo tunes, and he showed up more prepared than I’ve ever experienced, brought copious unique, game-changing ideas to the table, and yet existed in the practice space with humility and humor. I have to say it was severely intimidating at first! But that’s the kind of person I now feel inclined to surround myself with – he sets a standard for the people he works with and it’s an honor to create with someone like that. It’s led us to work together on film scores, string sections on other artists’ albums, writing music together and more. There’s a trust that nothing I bring to our communal working table is out of reach. Beyond that, our goals and past experiences just kind of line up. We’ve both played a lot of other styles of music, love singing harmony, and still can’t get over the bare goodness of a fiddle and banjo duet. 

Aaron:

I’ve loved working with Jess from the first day I went to her apartment to track upright bass for her debut album (with the group that ultimately became Joybird). I spend a lot of time around bluegrass musicians and, while I think the music is a blast to hear and play, one of my main gripes with the culture of bluegrass is that instrumentalists (especially modern players who often dip their toes into virtually every style of music available) can have a tendency to lean too heavily into the technical side of their ideas. In the five-ish years I’ve spent working with Jess as a songwriter, singer, fiddler, banjoist, etc, not once have I heard her express herself this way. Her ideas are always intuitive, musical, and listener-focused without compromising or pandering. It’s an approach that I’ve been constantly inspired by and that I think musicians of all stripes can learn from. When I realized we both loved playing old-time, it was a no-brainer.

What is your favorite track from the album?

Jess:

I honestly don’t think there is one. Some people think all old-time music sounds the same, and though I’m too deep in it now to agree, I’d have to say it all makes me feel equal portions of goodness. The music is grounding and mesmerizing, and makes me feel deeply connected to other people across time and space. I am really proud of how weird Shakin’ Down the Acorns got, though.

Aaron:

If I had to pick one it would probably be “Little Billy Wilson.” There are other pieces on the record that I think are more accessible to listeners and/or more interesting to me as a player, but this is one of the tunes we’ve been playing together the longest and I think that shows on the recording. The tempo is quick, we turn out so many cool variations in such a brief time, and we sound like we’re having a lot of fun with it. In that way, I think it exemplifies what we were trying to achieve with this album.

Anything else you want to share about this project?

Jess:

There’s a lot to be said about where these tunes come from. Our playing does not pay homage to a single region or style, nor is it traceable to a single version of any one of these tunes, and that’s as much a choice a musician makes as it is a product of their surroundings. I’d say there’s bits of conservation and conversation in every traditional player–conversation meaning, what that individual real person has to add, has to express, has to grieve, through that tune. We’re grateful to the hardest-core preservationists because we wouldn’t have the beauty of this music without them, but we also run pretty heavily on the other end of the spectrum. No student of this music would disagree. We’re just doing it the way we know how. That said, I’m currently drawing shaky lines back through my sources for each of these tunes to be listed on our Bandcamp page April 2nd. There’ll be some fun stories there and my best guesses to where credit lies, for those who are curious.

Aaron:

The cover art! Jess spent almost an entire year steadily working on this latch-hook rug with our names, and subsequently photographed it and designed the album cover around it (with a little help from our friend Dan MacDonald). I think it looks totally awesome, and the homegrown, DIY approach is really in keeping with the spirit of the album. Also, Chuck Cox recorded and mixed this at his apartment in Logan Square, and we were blown away by the quality of the sounds he got for us.