Interview: What Did We Learn? San Diego Musician Jonny Tarr Rediscovers His Groove While Back in Wales
Singer-Songwriter Jonny Tarr — a Pacific Records recording artist, San Diego Music Awards’ Best Pop Artist in 2020, and Wales-native — reflects on how returning to Wales during the pandemic taught him the value of time and space.
What Did We Learn? Is a series of interviews featuring Southern California musicians and industry professionals, discussing their journey of transformation over the past year as a result of the music industry shut down due to Covid-19.
This segment’s musician, singer/songwriter Johnny Tarr is involved with a wide range of projects as well as his own band — The Jonny Tarr Quintet. He attended Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (in which he received his music degree from Sir Paul McCartney himself). Since moving to the United States in 2011, he has opened for such legendary acts as The Victor Wooten Trio, Ozomatli, The Family Stone; shared the stage with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and multi-Grammy award-winning Bebe Winans, and served as the opening act in The Pink Floyd Experience for Foreigners’ Cold As Ice tour in 2019.
Q: Hi Jonny! Let’s begin with - how would you describe your experience over the past year (2020) personally and professionally?
JT: Well, the rug was pulled from under our feet as musicians. For me and the majority of the musicians I know in San Diego and in California, where we make the majority of our living from playing live, it was gone just like that. It was very hard to know what was coming next, and also before the pandemic, the AB5 in California was on our minds, so it was just like ‘hit a kid while you’re down.’ There was some support from the government and the PPP loans, but a lot of people didn’t get all of that, so it was a really scary time as musicians.
I was in a bit of a better position because being British (I’m actually from Wales), we went back to Wales for the year. We were able to rent out our house and we’re staying with family here in Wales, so at least we didn’t run the risk of losing our house in California. But yeah, it was a frightening time. I had no way of knowing if we would be able to keep our house or not, which was too frightening a prospect to bear. So we were very lucky that we were able to relocate for a bit in order to keep our house.
It was a frightening time. I had no way of knowing if we would be able to keep our house or not, which was too frightening a prospect to bear.
Professionally, I started off really strong doing live streams and kind of like, just trying to stay creative while we were still in California. Then when we came back to Wales, it was a lot more difficult, because then we were sharing a house with my family. There is now less space for me to create so the majority of the time in Wales, I haven’t been doing any music.
Q: Thinking back to the beginning of the shutdown in March 2020, how quickly would you say that you were able to pivot and decide what you needed to do?
JT: I think pretty quickly. It was actually my wife’s suggestion. I think we probably decided that we were going to do it by May, and we came back here to the UK in September last year. So it was probably about two months after the pandemic started that we fully put that plan into motion.
Q: Can you describe what you were going through internally for those two months?
JT: Well personally I really enjoyed the downtime because I had been very, very busy. What happened as soon as the pandemic started and we lost all our gigs, I started writing an album — which I haven’t been able to do in quite some time. So it gave me time at home. My wife commented that when I’ve done this before I’ve written some really good stuff. I just haven’t had the time, so the beginning of the pandemic was a very positive, creative time. And in those two months, I was just writing and being in my studio, and it was quite mentally relaxed. I had some space to be creative because I just been gigging constantly for probably about seven or eight years. I had been working hard at just trying to earn a living, so it was sort of quite nice actually to have a bit of free time.
Q: How would you describe the experience since you’ve been back in Wales?
JT: It’s been kind of rocky from a personal standpoint. There’s been a few family things that have happened and a few personal real low points. But it’s also been really positive in that my daughter has been able to go to school the whole time, whereas I don’t think schools in California have been open. My wife, who is American, is experiencing Wales and Europe, and getting to see what I’m about and where I’m from. We’ve only ever lived together in San Diego. She’s building relationships with members of my family that she didn’t have before.
As far as music goes I mean, I haven’t played my guitar in two months, I’ve kind of run out of trying to push myself to do that. I start to get some free time again next week. We changed a few things in our schedule around and I’m going to be setting up a studio here for the last couple of months we’re here. We’re moving back to the states in September to a fully open gigging scene and a lot of work.
Q: How does it feel to not pick up a guitar for a couple of months?
JT: I think it’s been a bit of a relief because you have to be terribly motivated to play music for a living. It’s all day every day, you know, not just playing your instrument but you’re constantly organizing bookings, making content, etc. and it’s only going to get harder because the competition is so stacked.
So it’s been kind of a relief to just have some breathing room, which I needed in order to be able to try and start a creative connection. It’s been two months since I’ve done a live stream. I’ve done a little bit but nothing to any great effect. Next week I’m getting my head back in it, basically.
Q: So next week when you create that space to be creative again — how do you think that process will be for you? Will it be different or the same?
JT: I do a one-man kind of show where I play a few different instruments and it’s quite an involved and technical sort of thing. I’ve got a lot of gear to set up for live streaming. So there is a process to setting it up all perfectly so that when pedals are in the right place my guitar sounds exactly the right way. It’s kind of a meditative, ritualistic sort of a creative process in itself to get ready — to get everything all in place and making sure it’s all perfect. I mean, I was one of those kids at school who, on my school desk, my book had to be perfect right angles to every edge, had to be there, and everything, like it was my workspace had to be completely organized before I could start.
So it’s gonna be kind of nice that I’ve had this break, and then putting it all back together and being entirely ready to create. Like if I get into a car when someone else has been driving it, you put the seat and everything the way you want. Like that.
Q: What do you think the best thing you’ve learned over the last year is?
JT: Well, it’s without question…time is precious, and make the most of your time. Don’t, you know, waste time, because we’ve just had a year and a couple of months taken away from us. Taken away like that, completely. Maximize your time and try to be healthier, so that you’re not tired and you’re able to make the most of your time and the people around you, because it’s constantly running out, and the only time you have left is only getting shorter. I’m not trying to be morbid but it’s a positive spin on, you know, the finality of things, really.
Q: What do you think the most difficult aspect has been for you over the last year?
JT: The most difficult aspect for me career-wise over the last year is not having my own dedicated music space. The other family challenges have been difficult. We intended to move here to Wales and stay with them for a little while, and then rent our own place but it just hasn’t proved possible. We were gonna move into my mother’s rental place but because of COVID, she wasn’t able to ask her tenant to move out. So we then came without the space that we thought we were going to have, you know, it’s difficult when you live on top of each other.
Yeah, I’ve been in that situation before.
JT: Exactly. So, that’s me, that side of it has been the kind of personal part of it, that’s been the hardest part of it. The part not having my own space, and also career-wise not having every piece of equipment that I would normally use to cobble things together a bit more.
Q: Looking ahead, when you come back to San Diego in September, what do you think you’ll take with you from this experience, and what do you think it might be like when you come back?
JT: I think it’s gonna be a party! You know as well as I do that San Diego is a playground for adults. It’s all about bars and live music and entertainment and having a good time. I’ve got a lot of connections, and a lot of dear friends, and a great band, and they’re looking forward to seeing me I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s just gonna be full steam ahead and everybody’s excited to be playing again. San Diego is a very special place, as far as live music and the entertainment thing because not everywhere is like that. It’s much harder to make a living in other places. I lived in London for six years and it’s much harder to make a living as a musician there.
Q: What have you learned most about yourself?
JT: I need rest. I need rest to be creative, and I need space to be creative. I am CREATIVE at heart and I do need to create in order to feel fulfilled. It’s definitely something that I continue to want to do. You know, because there’s a lot of people that have had to move out of music during this time, and possibly not going back to, it’s definitely something that I’m going back to and I’m very excited to do it. So my passion for it has not diminished. If anything it has increased because I’ve had this hiatus to replenish a bit.
I need rest. I need rest to be creative, and I need space to be creative.
Q: And what do you think you’ll take with you the most from this experience? How has this experience changed you?
JT: I think I’m probably a little bit more humble and a bit more grateful for everything that I have. A lot happened in our family while we’ve been here and it’s made me appreciate what we have. And, you know, I was getting to a point where I was so busy and I was gigging so much….it was just like “OMG no, I got to go out and play tonight.” And it all got taken away, so now it’s like, “oh hang on a second, I didn’t have it so bad right!” I’m a bit more grateful, a little bit wiser, and a little bit calmer. Maybe even a little bit more considered perhaps.
Looking forward to seeing Jonny back in San Diego in September, and watching for new music! Check out all his music on Spotify.
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