Over the past few years, JATK’s debut album Shut Up And Be The Light came together as a purely collaborative affair. Matt Jatkola’s name sat atop the figurative masthead, but the songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist led a creative vision that included many of his friends and colleagues, taking what appeared to be a solo record on the surface and exposing something far more communal and intimate with the peeling back of each sonic layer. In April, Shut Up And Be The Light hit the streams alongside a CD release; this month, the LP gets the vinyl treatment, and the release is marked for the occasion with JATK’s debut music video for album standout “Conscious Wonder.”
And like the album, the video is yet another collective affair, with Jatkola teaming up with a host of creatives: Longtime collaborator in director and editor Shaun Clarke; his partner Aneleise Ruggles and 12-year-old niece Amelia Geddes; and Emerson College Graduate Advanced Cinematography students working together as a class project under their professor Clarke. The video was filmed in two segments: In the studio in April with the Emerson students on 35mm film, and then digitally for the vibrant field and car scenes in July. The colorful video for “Conscious Wonder,” the third of six kaleidoscopic singles from Shut Up And Be The Light, swirls around a few different themes – primary colors, balloons, donuts, “and a loose idea of a celebration... for what, we don't know,” says Jatkola – to bring the power-pop song to visual life.
Blood Makes Noise caught up with Jatkola to ask him about JATK's origins, his songwriting process, and the music that inspired "Conscious Wonder" -- compiled into a curated Spotify playlist.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
JATK: It started in 2019 with a handful of songs I'd written that I wanted to be played by a loud rock band. I didn't have a band at the time and in some ways, I still don't. The album has a different line up for every song. It's just all my friends and me playing together in various configurations.JATK (pronounced "Jack") is the first four letters of my last name, Jatkola. People look at my last name and don't know how to say it. At a certain point, you gotta own it. The band name is a little bit about taking that weird and difficult part of yourself and just putting front and center.
First concert that you ever went to?
I don't remember specifically. I guess the ones that really shaped me were the DIY shows that happened in and around my hometown growing up - around the time I was in high school. I didn't realize you could put on a show of your own until I saw kids a year or two older than me doing it. Figuring out through a punk rock mentality that you can do anything was a revelation and is pretty much how I live every aspect of my life now. If you want to do something, do it. It won't be done for you.
What's your writing process like?
I try not to go into songwriting with expectations because you can almost never fulfill them. I don't try to chase a song, I just let it come out and honor what it is. Sometimes it's loud, sometimes it makes you move, sometimes it makes you sit still and think about life. That process shaped the album because the songs on Shut Up and Be the Light bounce around and don't fully sound like each other genre-wise, but they still hang together well. It's an extension of that songwriting mentality.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
That list would be pretty eclectic - and long - in order to do it justice. There are a bunch of songs and artists that come to mind specifically for "Conscious Wonder" which has always felt like a song that sums up the album. We just released a music video for it. It's upbeat, jangly, introspective, and existential. Some of the other songs on the album rock harder or pop poppier, but there's something about this one that feels quintessential.
Jenny Lewis "Wasted Youth"
This is the one song that directly inspired "Conscious Wonder." When I first heard it, I really liked it but I thought the "do-do-do-do-do" refrain didn't fit the song. It sounded too tight for what she was singing about. I wanted it to be like "ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh!" instead. So to satisfy myself, I just wrote my own version with an adjacent vibe and subject matter. That song is "Conscious Wonder."
Strangepride "Daisies and Blue"
I was the touring guitarist in Strangepride when this album came out in 2019. "Daisies and Blue" is a song Anthony wrote for his mom and it's beautiful. It certainly shares some DNA with "Conscious Wonder" lyrically, plus Anthony graciously sang backing vocals on the CW, so it's all come full circle.
George Harrison "I Live For You"
Put most simply, CW is a song about existentialism, and you can't get more existential than George, "the spritual Beatle." Plus, the slide on this song! Full of CW vibes.
The Byrds "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
The lyrics! The jangly-ass guitars! Turn, turn, turn it up!
The Smashing Pumpkins "...Said Sadly"
Love this polar opposite B-side to "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" written by James Iha - a duet with Nina Gordon from Veruca Salt. It's vaguely country-tinged, which is how I'd describe "Conscious Wonder" and indicative of some of the collaborations on the album. I think some of the slide melodies on Conscious Wonder are kinda ripping this off too. Oops!
Judy Garland "Over the Rainbow"
There were draft lyrics I wrote for "Conscious Wonder" that had references to The Wizard of Oz. The story is an allegory for so much in life, which is why it endures. The wishing, longing, and dreaming in this song have everything to do with "Conscious Wonder" as a song and a concept.
Jackson Browne "Running on Empty"
First, it has an awesome slide guitar! But mostly this song informed the CW music video. "Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels" is what I wanted the video to feel like on some level. I kept telling our director Shaun Clarke that. So we literally shot stuff in the car.
Arlo Guthrie "Last to Leave"
The song starts with the lyrics "Lonely sunshine" and goes on to ponder life, loss, and the journey. That's basically what "Conscious Wonder" is -- "My baby says you don't die / My baby says it's all right / I'm chillin in the sunshine / Freezing in the sunshine."
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
What I've talked about with my bandmates as we've started imagining this project in a live setting is the idea of subtractive and additive live arrangements. More often than not, I've run into subtractive arrangement in my experiences playing in live bands. By that I mean the band must omit or simplify parts that were on the recording because there simply aren't enough hands to play them or voices to sing them. That's fine and often necessary. However, with JATK, I want to do as little of that as possible. I want it to be an additive approach. I don't want to omit the third guitar part because there are only two guitars. So let's add a third guitar. I don't want to sing the lead vocal only, I want the three-part harmony that's on the recording. In fact, one reason we haven't played more is because I'm not willing to compromise on this and we just haven't gotten there yet. But we will!
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? worst shows?
We played our first show over the summer and it was fun to dip a toe in the water and say we did it - it can be done! There will be more in the future. As far as touring experiences in the past - I always forget the best shows. The worst ones are what I remember. It's just so ridiculous the circumstances you find yourself in as a touring band. I guess one I remember fondly and not-so-fondly is breaking my toe on stage at T.T. The Bear's (RIP) in Cambridge, MA. I just turned to my drummer and was like "I think I just broke my toe" and kept playing. I made it through the set, my toe is forever fucked up, but that's just rock and roll!
What's up next for the band?
As I mentioned, we just released our first music video for the song "Conscious Wonder." There are more music videos to come. One is already filmed and being edited. There are a couple others in various stages of pre-production. Other than that, getting the live band together and getting back in the swing of writing are both priorities.
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