Ian Janes is back with Episode 5. He brings a sound profoundly influenced by Soul, R&B, and Jazz to the rest of the world.
Born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Janes made a conscious choice not to head out to L.A. or Nashville. Each of those choices would have led to a very different outcome. The married, 41-year-old singer/songwriter has three children, and we're happy they stayed in Canada.
The release of Episode 5 comes with a beautiful 32 page, 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ book printed on 14pt silk card stock full of photos, lyrics, and stories of how the songs came into existence. The book is beautifully crafted and takes me back to the past. Here's hoping this nudges others in the same direction.
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The book was designed by Devin Slater, with photos from Andy Hines and Ian Selig. It was edited by Ian Janes and Kate Bonnycastle. All lyrics, credits, and stories by Ian Janes.
Ian talks about Episode 5
We asked Ian about the writing and recording process for this project. Janes said, "I produced the album myself, so have been working on it for a long while...taking it everywhere I went (pre-pandemic) and squeezing in a little time here or there on flights, in hotel rooms etc. With the exception of a few days in the studio in Austin cutting drums and bass and another part-day cutting drums in Nashville, most of it was done virtually/via email and file transfers. I know a ton of great musicians who have home studios, so I do a lot of my recording by sending parts back and forth like that. I recorded almost all of the vocals, some of the horns and did all the editing and programming in my home studio."
Next, we asked what the singer/songwriter got up to during the pandemic?
"Well, for the first part of it I was finishing off my record, mixing, etc. Then I moved into photos, artwork, making the companion book, making videos, planning the rollout. So lots....but all of it through my laptop & iPhone."We should have asked what he'll be getting up to next!
5 Quick Questions with Ian Janes
A couple of weeks ago Ian released the official video for the lead track Vital Signs.
"Vital Signs is taken from Janes' Episode 5, a project that pairs the songwriters' fifth album with a physical companion book of lyrics, photos and narratives about the writing and recording process.""Vital Signs is the most complex vocal arrangement on the record," explained Janes. "I overdubbed multiple tracks of my voice, in multiple octaves, even slightly disguising it at times to create depth. There are also five or six layers of guitars on this one...all of them adding different layers of interest and ear candy."
The album was recorded in Nashville and Austin, and the songs were chiefly written by Ian, with co-writes featuring Zak Lloyd, Stone Aielli, and Mikey Reaves. Band members include Janes drummers Nick Buda (Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton) and Brannen Temple Jr. (Gary Clark Jr., Chaka Khan), and bassist Nicholas D'Amato, along with keyboardist Glenn Patscha, trumpeter Brad Mason, and singers Zamani and Owen 'O'Sound' Lee.
Ian Janes' Episode 5 is out now and available on all major platforms, with a premium physical edition available on Bandcamp.
Ian Janes - Vital Signs
Episode 5 was self-produced at his home studio in Nova Scotia, Episode 5
The record delivers 11 beautifully crafted tunes, perfect for Spring. Each song makes you want to sing along, move your head, and the sweetness of Ian's voice is the cherry on the top.
Smooth, sultry and sophisticated, Episode 5 does it all.
