From: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org (jewel-digest) To: jewel-digest@smoe.org Subject: jewel-digest V6 #637 Reply-To: jewel@smoe.org Sender: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jewel-digest Saturday, December 1 2001 Volume 06 : Number 637 * If you ever wish to unsubscribe from this digest, send an email to * jewel-digest-request@smoe.org with ONLY the word * unsubscribe in the BODY of the email * . * For the latest news on what Jewel is up to, go to * the OFFICIAL Jewel web site at http://www.jeweljk.com * and click on "calendar" * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: jewel-digest V6 #xxx or the like gives fellow list readers * no clue as to what your message is about. Today's Subjects: ----------------- [EDA] Kilborn tidbits ["Karacostas, Derrick W." ] [EDA] Kilborn ["Amanda" ] [EDA] kilborn:( [Pixi42@aol.com] [EDA] Access HollyWood on NOW! ["Amanda" ] Re: [EDA] Kilborn [space_bandits@webtv.net] [EDA] vanity fair ["Jewel Fan" ] [EDA] Kilborn: the good and bad ["Karacostas, Derrick W." ] Re: [EDA] NJC: Harrison [space_bandits@webtv.net] [EDA] Craig Kilborn ["Jewel Fan" ] [EDA] NJC: Fame, Ha! What it good for? (Absolutely Nothing) ["Larry G." <] [EDA] kilborn/tv quide channel ["now and zen girl" Subject: [EDA] Kilborn tidbits Kind of surprising only 2 posts have come in within the past 5 hours...this is the slowest the list has been in awhile. Anyway I was just going through some old video footage from the past year, and realized the last time Jewel was on Kilborn (11/24/00), she didn't even sing at all. It was just to promote her book, so this could be why she was the first guest and she got the 5 questions. The Foo Fighters were the musical guest that night. I think she may have been on the show once (or twice) before then though, singing that time, but I haven't found that tape yet. Also, interestingly enough, Craig played the same intro song for both Jewel, and Dido (a month later) when they were on. Some song that has a part that goes "Ready to take a chance..." blah blah...sung by some guy, sort of sounds like it could be Barry Manilow. It's one of those cheesy late 70's or early 80's songs....something only Kilborn would play as intro music. :-) Then a few days later last year she sang Face Of Love on Rosie, promoting her book again, and also the then one year old Christmas CD. So who knows really...with the passing of George Harrison yesterday as well, and how Jewel has been known to change songs at the last minute, like she did with Angel Standing By one year at the MTV awards I think it was...anything's possible for tonight!!! LOL The show doesn't even start for another 10 minutes here...weird scheduling I guess. So if everyone gets this after she's been on, that's why. But as of the time I'm typing this, I haven't seen the show yet. I think she could be playing anything ranging from Break Me (I'm hoping), to Face of Love, yet again, to maybe even Angel Standing By, in memory of George. Or even an acoustic Standing Still...but I still think that's unlikely. Or she could surprise up all with Serve the Ego! Afterall, she has done this one before on late night tv. :-) It should be interesting. I also watched a little of her appearance on Politically Incorrect from last November...even though it was just one year ago, she's really changed quite alot in her appearance I think. I guess I had kind of forgotten. She actually looked pretty good last year at this time. At least on that show she had minimal makeup, simple straight hair (darker at the time, which has always looked better on her I've thought), and just looked healthier all around. Not sure what it is now, but she just looks like she's aged alot more than one year to me. Hmm...hope she's doing ok...I mean her well-being. Or maybe it's just Ty wearing her out...hehe....just kidding. ;-) Oh well, guess I'll be back once I've seen the show to contribute my summary of it along with the many others I'm sure the list will be seeing over the next day or so. Derrick ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:39:35 -0500 From: "Amanda" Subject: [EDA] Kilborn Incredible. Webber was hilarious... i laughed. To jewel, who doth make me drool. anyway, she sounded amazing. she looked amazing, wow. that was wonderful. the interview was long, althought a lot was communication with her and webber LOL. anyway, i wont ramble any longer. just wanted to say wow :) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:47:43 EST From: Pixi42@aol.com Subject: [EDA] kilborn:( i totally missed the begininng when she was introduced:( i put it on while she was singing the second line to jesus loves me! for some reason i thought she was on conan so i was watching that instead, although she was on it last week........ anyway, did i miss anything? was there an interview?? heidi }:}i{:{ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:55:26 -0500 From: "Amanda" Subject: [EDA] Access HollyWood on NOW! Hey everyone, i just saw a commercial, Jewel is on Access HollyWood... ummmm this channel Kilborn was on. All it sais was "What happened to Jewel and can she regain her crown?" if anyone gets it.... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:58:47 -0500 (EST) From: space_bandits@webtv.net Subject: Re: [EDA] Kilborn She sang 'Jesus Loves You', my favorite studio track on "This Way". Really, really great too! Sean ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 23:23:56 -0800 From: "Jewel Fan" Subject: [EDA] vanity fair Hey!!!! Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Vanity Far Magazing?!?! I went everywhere trying to get it but they said since its last months... they don't have it. If anyone can help me out, PLEASE let me know! Thanks! :) ~Jewel Fan~ http://www.angelfire.com/sk/killorgeteven (long story about the name of the URL. It's a Jewel Page) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 01:33:18 -0600 From: "Karacostas, Derrick W." Subject: [EDA] Kilborn: the good and bad To make sure this isn't biased with other posts, I haven't read any other comments about the show yet...on purpose. - ------------ Hmmm...did we just witness the first TV performance of the new single? I sure hope not. Maybe it was just a one-off thing like when she did Serve the Ego. To keep things fair, I'll make 2 lists...one being the postive aspects of the show, the other being the negative. Of course, this is all only my opinion, so save your time and fingers and don't send flame letters. Good things: 1.Serve the Ego being the first track played on the show...before the first commerical break 2. Serve the Ego being the only track in which a portion of it was played twice. This didn't occur with any other song...yay! 3. Maybe that's a sign (I hope) that it will be the 2nd single. 4. Jewel "talks *and* sings"...as the announcer put it. Almost seemed like they were treating her as some circus act, but it's nice they did allow her some talk time. 5. Nice stage banter with that dufus of an actor they had on first, and Jewel. Lighthearted humor I guess...it was ok. 6. *Acoustic version* of "that song". (focusing on the acousitic part only here) 7. Not changing the lyrics to be politcally correct. (although I'm sure there's bound to be some backlash as a result...stay tuned to the entertainment news show) 8. I'm trying hard here....um....no backing band. 9. She didn't plug her Christmas CD or book yet again. One year's worth was enough I think. 10. That other actor yodeling. Ok, that's it for the good things. Bad things: 1. She looked like a ghost. 2. Her hair was um...she's needs to do "something" with her hair, quickly. 3. Doesn't look very healthy overall, compared to this time a year ago. Almost doesn't even look like the same person anymore. Kinda sad. 4. She played "Jesus Loves You"...one of my 3 least favorites on the CD. At least it was acoustic though...slightly better than the CD version I think. 5. Craig made her yodel...for what, the 3rd of 4th time at least? Ok Craig...move on, PLEASE. That's just beyond old now. 6. Seemed like she was holding back alot in her singing...some parts were even hard to hear I thought. Kind of had that weak type of voice...which I've never really liked most of the time. She doesn't sing it that way on the CD..why now? Some things I'll never know. 7. Looked like she hadn't slept in days...something with her eyes, I don't know. They were almost closed most of the time it seemed. 8. Didn't like the outfit...especially the shirt. 9. She didn't play Break Me or Serve the Ego. :-( 10. I wish Craig had asked her more pertinent questions...like when she would be touring, what her plans for the holidays are, etc. Rather than spending the time asking her to yodel yet again. Netural things: Yall ever notice how she *always* looks down when a talk show host shakes her hand? Just one of those little observations of mine. Almost like she's embarrassed or something. Well that's my review. Guess I'll look forward to seeing Shakira tomorrow night now in what I'm sure will be a much more entertaining performance. :-) Derrick ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:23 EST From: Lizali16@aol.com Subject: [EDA] NJC: Harrison My heart is broken. I can't describe how much it hurt me when I awoke this morning to find him dead. George is a great inspiration of mine. He will be sorely missed. I just needed to air off a little pain to others. ~*Liz*~ Hreatbroken and silent angel. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 02:27:29 -0600 From: "Karacostas, Derrick W." Subject: [EDA] Anyone? Did anyone see the Kilborn show? So far we've had 4 (out of a possible 384) posts. Not a very good percentage. Did everyone fall asleep before it came on or something? LOL Cymbie, Alisa, Sean, Kevin, Kelli, anyone? What did everyone think about. There was alot to talk about so the feedback should be quite diverse. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 04:11:48 -0500 (EST) From: space_bandits@webtv.net Subject: Re: [EDA] NJC: Harrison Yes, I know. His suffering is over. He is now at peace. Those are the words that put his death into perspective for me. I can't say anything else my dear, except that his music shall live on. Forever. I am sorry for your pain,and I know because I feel it too. God bless his family. Sean Received: from smtpin-102-6.bryant.webtv.net (209.240.198.43) by storefull-616.iap.bryant.webtv.net with WTV-SMTP; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 00:04:29 -0800 (PST) Received: by smtpin-102-6.bryant.webtv.net (WebTV_Postfix+sws) id 5C435247; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 00:04:34 -0800 (PST) Delivered-To: space_bandits@webtv.net Received: from smoe.org (jane.smoe.org [66.89.201.78]) by smtpin-102-6.bryant.webtv.net (WebTV_Postfix+sws) with ESMTP id 13347153; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 00:04:32 -0800 (PST) Received: from smoe.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by smoe.org (8.12.0.Beta16/8.12.0.Beta16) with ESMTP id fB183PRj014851; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:03:25 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost (daemon@localhost) by smoe.org (8.12.0.Beta16/8.12.0.Beta16/submit) with SMTP id fB183Li3014848; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:03:21 -0500 (EST) Received: by smoe.org (bulk_mailer v1.10); Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:48 -0500 Received: from smoe.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by smoe.org (8.12.0.Beta16/8.12.0.Beta16) with ESMTP id fB182gRj014773 for ; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:42 -0500 (EST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by smoe.org (8.12.0.Beta16/8.12.0.Beta16/submit) id fB182fuD014772 for jewel-outgoing; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:41 -0500 (EST) Received: from imo-m06.mx.aol.com (imo-m06.mx.aol.com [64.12.136.161]) by smoe.org (8.12.0.Beta16/8.12.0.Beta16) with ESMTP id fB182WRj014758 for ; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:33 -0500 (EST) Received: from Lizali16@aol.com by imo-m06.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v31_r1.9.) id p.53.f538cbb (30963) for ; Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:23 -0500 (EST) From: Lizali16@aol.com Message-ID: <53.f538cbb.2939e88f@aol.com> Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:02:23 EST Subject: [EDA] NJC: Harrison To: jewel@smoe.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 10 Sender: owner-jewel@smoe.org Precedence: bulk My heart is broken. I can't describe how much it hurt me when I awoke this morning to find him dead. George is a great inspiration of mine. He will be sorely missed. I just needed to air off a little pain to others. ~*Liz*~ Hreatbroken and silent angel. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 01:44:31 -0800 From: "Jewel Fan" Subject: [EDA] Craig Kilborn I abosolutely loved this show!! It was like... ALL about Jewel! It was great! She was obviously in a good mood, joking around and everything. Veryyyyy funny!! =) And her performance was soooo good!! But Derrick... i'm afraid you're not a psychic for your predictions were wrong about her performing Break Me! :) Anyway... all in all.. GREAT show! :) ~Jewel Fan~ http://www.angelfire.com/sk/killorgeteven (long story about the name of the URL. It's a Jewel Page) (sorry if this gets sent twice...) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 01:58:25 -0800 From: "Larry G." Subject: [EDA] NJC: Fame, Ha! What it good for? (Absolutely Nothing) "I never asked to be famous, I just wanted to be successful." -- George Harrison R.I.P. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 10:40:38 +0000 From: "now and zen girl" Subject: [EDA] kilborn/tv quide channel wow!! what a great show!! i just saw jewel on craig kilborn, and it was sooooooo great! she was hilarious. i loved how the guest before her couldnt stop talking about her, he was so funny! anyway, it was WONDERFUL!!! and so was jesus loves you... quite the treat!! and i saw quite a large bit on her on the music profile thing on the tv guide channel, as someone mentioned earlier. its a good interview. nothing we dont know, but still good to hear. alisa - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 02:21:27 -0800 From: "Larry G." Subject: [EDA] Jewel featured in Music Connection Magazine I haven't seen this on the list yet. Jewel is featured in the current issue (November 9 - December 9, Vol. XXV. No. 24) of Music Connection magazine (basically an L.A. local music magazine, mostly for professional musicians; well regarded). She's on the cover, and there is a four-page (well, 3-and-1/2 page) interview with her. Her interview on the Kilborn show was basically a "Cliffs Notes" to this longer (and flattering) interview. You can contact the magazine at . I don't know if the interview is on line. - -=-Larry-=- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 03:21:37 -0800 From: "Larry G." Subject: [EDA] The "Music Connection" Interview "Jewel" - - by Michael Mollura In the relative silence of a two-year cool-off period that began with the tour that followed Jewels 1998 Spirit release, this precocious young artist has been anything but quiet. Once she adjusted to her move from California to the country prairies of Nashvilles Music Row  and rodeo life with current boyfriend Ty Murray  Jewel has been busy writing new songs while recording others. In 1999 she released a compendium of her favorite Christmas tunes for a CD appropriately titled Joy: A Holiday Collection and has been acknowledged by her peers as being one of the most gifted, accomplished, and admired young women of our time. Over the years, Jewels considerable accomplishments as a singer, songwriter, and performer have represented just a fragment of her much-larger-than-real creative life. Her first book of poetry, A Night Without Armor, was published in 1998 and has had 29 printings while selling over a million copies. Jewels second book, Chasing Down The Dawn, a collection of her journal writings, short stories, and photographs, was published in 2000. If that isnt enough to tire most artists, Jewel made her acting debut in director Ang Lees 1999 Civil War drama Ride With The Devil. Soon after, this radiant Renaissance woman was named one of Glamour magazines 10th Anniversary Women of the Year for her dedication to humanitarian goals. Later that year Jewel received the Founders Choice Award from the non-profit Time For Peace organization, an achievement which resulted, in part, from the creation of Higher Ground for Humanity, a non-profit foundation  created together with her mother/manager Lenedra Carroll  dedicated to promoting global community and individual action to inspire positive change. Taking the current disconcerted global climate into consideration, the release of Jewels latest album This Way may seem like the by-product of some Atlantic Records marketing genius. The fact remains, however, that there is no better time than the present to receive a new record by this remarkable angel with a guitar. Upon listening to many of the songs on this new CD, it almost seems like many of the tunes were written after the September 11 attacks. One listen to her latest single, New Wild West, proves how this insightful artist, like a Native Indian shaman with an ear to the ground, could sense danger on the horizon. And, as a result, the artist asserts in the following interview, I wouldnt have changed a word or a note of what is on this record. In this sense, Jewels auspicious and pertinent This Way drops like one of Gods own love bombs, helping in the fight against gossip, hostility and fear. After listening to this smart, sweet and thought-provoking performer discuss art, publishing, technique, and industry dos and donts, there is no doubt that Jewel remains a rare gem who can help us rise from the ashes of uncertainty. The big question is whether or not the fickle record-buying public will be wise enough to rediscover her in time. Music Connection: Talk about some of your early experiences playing clubs and coffeehouses as an unsigned artist. Did you play L.A. at all? Jewel: I opened up for Graham Parker a long time ago, but even while I was in San Diego, I stayed away from L.A. pretty much. I think the coffee shop Im most famous for playing was in San Diego  a place called the Inner Change. Thats where I got discovered. MC: When did your performing career actually begin? Jewel: Ive been touring since I was eight years old, my dad and I had a duo. We sang in Veterans clubs and bars and traveled around Alaska. Ive been a road dog forever. MC: Did you start by doing covers? Jewel: Yeah, I always did covers and my dads music. I started writing songs on the guitar when I was 17. It wasnt until I was 18 before I started playing my own music live. I played the bars, clubs and coffee shops. MC: How did you package yourself to get attention from the industry? Did you record demos and send them out? Jewel: I stayed away from making demos at the beginning. I think demos are good for you as a songwriter or for people who are coming to see you, but a lot of times what theyll do is just end up sitting on someones desk. I havent heard of many people getting signed off of demos, have you? MC: Music Connection does see kids get signed from using demo tapes. We have a Demo Critiques section and the artists often get contacted by A&R reps as a result. Jewel: Thats great. But I still think if youre a singer in a coffeehouse, the best thing you can do to help your career is to just be the best you can be in the club or area that you perform in. MC: Creating a word-of-mouth vibe is so essential. How did you choose the Inner Change coffeehouse? Jewel: I actually chose the Interchange because it was an out-of-the-way coffeeshop. It wasnt on the main strip in San Diego. But it was a great choice because I got all the door money and because I was living off of it. I mean they had no walk in crowd and I had no following at the beginning, so together we kind of grew. It was my choice to charge three bucks to get in and eventually it started being like two shows a night with a hundred people standing outside to watch through the window and thats what drew the attention of the record labels. MC: Did you go after the labels to come out to see you or did they just come? Jewel: Pretty soon after playing long enough, record label heads like Danny Goldberg from Atlantic were driving four hours to come see me sing. MC: Did you sign with Atlantic because Goldberg was the highest bidder? Jewel: Danny is a really good singer/songwriter guy. As anyone in the business will tell you, hes really great at selling art because hes authentic. He really seems believable when hes talking to you. MC: What other considerations did you entertain when you were being courted by the labels? Jewel: I didnt want to have a record deal where there was a kind of pressure on my first record. I wanted to be developed, I wanted the long-term career. With all those kind of goals in mind, Danny really understood that I had to develop as a songwriter. Most importantly, he understood that they couldnt capitalize on me with my first record. He saw it as a long-term vision which is what I saw. MC: With your mother being your manager, was Atlantic Records the choice made by the two of you? Jewel: It was all me. It is my life and my career so I have to be the one who lives with these kind of decisions. But surrounding yourself with reliable people is important. I encourage every artist to know everything they can about the business. The only way to give yourself creative freedom is to make sure that your business is handled in a way that insures certain liberties. Im a very business oriented and active person which actually frees up my art. MC: Whats an example of how being business savvy worked for you? Jewel: I could have gotten a huge signing bonus, but I only took very little money up front. As a result, I got more mechanicals and royalties. I bet on myself, if you know what I mean. I made it cheap for the label to own me. MC: That is so important for young artists today to learn. Integrity is essential. Jewel: After I was signed I still toured solo, didnt have a tour bus, kept driving a rental car. I kept things really inexpensive so that I could survive the whole time when I didnt have a hit  and I really didnt have a hit almost the whole first year Pieces of You was out. I really believe that one of the reasons why Atlantic stuck with me was because I was very cheap. Then when Pieces broke big: A  I didnt owe any money back to the label; and B  my label was able to be supportive until I had a hit. MC: Most artists dont realize they have choices once a label offers you money. Jewel: Many people think theyve got to screw the label for all the money they can get. Really theyre just screwing themselves. MC: What kind of publishing deal did you sign? Jewel: I actually didnt sign any publishing deals until almost the end of the Pieces run. I held on to publishing as long as I could to get the best deal. I suggest trying not to sell off your publishing as long as you can if youre a songwriter; since thats really your money, you want to have the most leverage you can. The quicker you sell out, the less leverage you have. Although, if theres a lot of hype over you  you sell your publishing first, and if your record ends up as nothing on the market, you still end up doing well. Its a gamble. MC: Which publisher did you choose? Jewel: I went with Warner/Chappell. MC: And which rights organization? Jewel: I went with ASCAP. But it was really just apples and oranges to a certain point. To me, its just an auto-function really. They do their job and I do mine. ASCAP is what really collects a lot of your money and then your label collects the publishing money that ASCAP didnt collect and then it goes to your publishing company and they give it to you. MC: What is it that you feel that musicians are least prepared for when dealing with the business of being a signed artist? Jewel: I think they really need to understand where their money comes from, what mechanicals are, what royalties are, how many records you have to sell to make back what you owe. I also think that its important to understand that nobody will look out for you the way you look out for yourself. You have to realize that you are in a partnership with your label. It is a business relationship and I see a lot of managers hurting artists by picking fights. And its not necessarily the fights you need to pick. I think its important to know which fights to pick, which are the important things to let go of and which things are just ego. Realize that its your ego that wants a huge signing bonus, but if youre thinking about a long-term career you might be a little more willing to let it go of it, knowing youll get it back in the end. I dont think an artist should just trust a managements decision. I think you should really be involved because it has to be your career and it should look like youre going to have longevity. The business is made to harvest youth and once that youth is harvested its hard to have a career beyond that. MC: Youve been fortunate to have your mother be there for you as a manager. Jewel: Shes an artist, too, so she knows what it takes to nurture creativity, which most people dont know how to do. MC: Turning attention to your new album This Way, was it difficult for you to gather your creative thoughts after being away from the recording world for two years? Jewel: Not at all. I mean the business is full of mythology and they say you cant leave for that long. I think you have to do whatever supports your creativity, and I needed a rest My goal has always been songwriting and longevity, so its important to take stock, see what youre doing, how you are doing it and not to get in the habit of trying to outdo yourself every time. I kept writing over the last two years, I did shows, I just didnt do the big glamour-sized gigs. MC: Whats the process of songwriting like for you? Jewel: I tend to write in my head. I hear the chords. Like on the new record theres a song called Jesus Loves You, which I wrote while I was out walking in the woods. For me the process of songwriting 90 percent of the time is like reading a book. I just see it in my head, the song is already done. The music is done, the arrangement is done. The words are done all right away. And then Ill just go back once I get to my guitar and Ill just basically copy it down. MC: Are you saying that the lyrics and music come out of you naturally together, fully formed? Jewel: Yeah, the lyrics and the melody always come together and the bridge is usually in there. Whether its a dissonant chord or a major chord under it. Sometimes its a little bit blurry. Like I cant quite see the words in my head. Its almost like water dripped on the page Im reading in my head and the inks a little bit blurry. MC: So you dont write in fragments, like a main melody first, then a lyric, then come back to it with a bridge? Jewel: Very rarely does a song come to me without the lyrics and the whole song being with it. Its mainly just a feeling, a very specific emotion and every word that I put to it  the only criteria that I have is that the word can not dilute that emotion. So when Im singing it to you, youll feel it just as poignantly and with as much hurt or longing as poignantly with as much hurt or longing as I felt when it came to me. MC: Was there a creative or philosophical shift that went into This Way? Jewel: Co-producing the record or producing it yourself is really important for an artist like me on the issue of control. MC: When did you decide to self-produce the new record? Jewel: I dont know. Its just something I decided to do for this record. I mean theres a learning curve involved in the studio. Ive been a live act my whole life, I sing better live than in a studio and thats really rare. Usually singers like to take advantage of technology to make themselves sound better in a studio than they do live. Im the exact opposite. My voice usually sounds dead in a studio because I dont know how to sing when theres no audience. So, this time I co-produced so that it would sound like me. MC: What were the considerations in deciding who might be best suited to produce you at this point in your career? Jewel: Hiring a producer is like hiring a painter to do a portrait of you. It's going to be your image on canvas, but its going to be interpreted by an artist. So if you had Manet do your portrait, youd know what it would look like. It would be you, but it would have an Impressionistic brush stroke. This time around I wanted to sound like myself. So it was important that I co-produce this record and whoever Id co-produced it with, would need to be transparent enough without trying to work out their artistry on me. MC: Is that why you went with Dan Huff? Jewel: Yeah, Dan is tremendously skilled and versatile and really wanted me to have a record that sounded like me. While he gave me opinions and advice, it always came down to whether I thought it was right or not. Dan lent me all of his technique and skill and experience and was able to get the band to do whatever I needed them to do. We worked really well together. MC: How did he land the job? Jewel: It was an accident. I was doing a track titled Until We Run Out of Road for a Professional Bull Riding compilation CD and I was just going to do it as a throwaway song. I used Dan as the producer, even though I had never heard of him before. Dan and I ended up doing the song the way it is on the new record [This Way]. We worked really quickly and I just ended up saying that day, Listen, you want to make a record together? And we did. MC: With songs like Break Me and Jesus Loves You, the content on this album seems much more natural and authentic, could you comment a little on your lyrical approach. Jewel: This Way is no more autobiographical than my other albums. Its always me in every song, though much of it is made up. But youre always getting my opinion, even if its masked in a song like Jesus Loves You. MC: Was the entire album recorded live as you had done with Pieces of You? Jewel: Every song was recorded live, the overdubs we did were harmonies and percussion. MC: Right into Pro Tools? Jewel: We used Pro Tools. But what I really had to struggle with was to keep the attitude really loose and raw. I didnt want it to get slick. I didnt mind some flanging. I didnt care if everything lined up perfect, but I wanted a real live good energetic feel, not the sterilized feel you can get in Pro Tools. MC: Did you make a special attempt to perfect your use of harmonies? Jewel: I actually hate doing harmonies. Once I get my main vocal done, Ill start to sing which harmonies I like. Im tremendously impatient. I do my own harmonies just to have a certain sonic sensibility. I tend to pick other notes that other people dont pick, so I tend to have to do them myself  but I hate doing them. MC: You wrote most of these songs before the 9/11 attacks. Are there any tracks or lyrics you wish you could tweak to make them more sensitive to the current emotional climate? Jewel: I said everything I could have ever wanted about how I feel in the song, The New Wild West. MC: Its so appropriate. Jewel: On The New Wild West I wrote about how there is no further west we can go. Weve pioneered all the land we can and somehow weve had this belief that if we put church steeples in remote villages and if we enclose the natives, that well somehow become magically civilized. But church bells do not civilize us on their own. We have to civilize ourselves as people  civilize our own hearts, minds, morals, actions and behaviors. To me, that says everything about what is happening since the 11th. MC: Will the creation of music change now that the world consciousness has sort of been opened up like a can of tuna? Jewel: My work has always reflected social and political environment. To me the best writing thats ever been done has been usually precipitated under political upheaval. During times of discontent I think writers have usually written more poignantly. You can only be frivolous in times of milk and honey when you can afford to. So, its possible, but I certainly dont think every artist will raise their stakes. I do think socially minded artists will. Contact Laura Gold, Atlantic Records, 310-205-7412 ------------------------------ End of jewel-digest V6 #637 ***************************