“This was my Iast hurrah. I poured in every ounce of effort and creativity, countless hours and every penny I had. And then Covid hit us...”
Recorded and mixed at Island Farm Studio, Jim Mason’s sub-basement walk down space near Kingston, LOST SOUTHERN SOUL is an album defined by the space from whence it came, the creative vibe and occasional, accidental magic across two distinct periods of recording.
But it nearly never saw the light of day at all.
“I felt I really had something with this batch of songs and wanted to capture and present them in the best way considering my limited musical ability. I’d been to various pro studios over the years to make record company demos – never felt good or ended up with anything I really liked or could be proud of. I’d got to know Jim though various local bands – we’d done a few gigs together – and we liked a lot of the same stuff. Easily persuaded with the offer to come in and cut some rough acoustic demos, we put down early versions of most of the LSS tunes – and they sounded pretty good.... My biggest hang up was with the vocals. I’m songwriter first, guitar player second – and singer far behind in third. Jim really encouraged me in a way that gave me the confidence to get my tunes across”.
Fortified with newly found belief and a dap-bag full of decent songs, Mason booked drummer Joss Wills from his Ska band Launchers – and after a couple of rehearsals, set about recording the basic tracks.
“We got the drums down in two days, with me and Josh working the tracks from the bunker floor and Jim upstairs in the loft capturing the magic. And they sounded awesome. Josh is great drummer – with a great ear not just for the song – but also for the sound of each piece of the kit. I was in awe...”
Guitars, Bass and guide vocals (some of which ended up in the final mixes) were put down quickly over long hot summer nights and work days off - and with the addition of some basic keyboard parts, the tracks started to really come together.
Wilson then junked a couple of tunes that really weren’t working – and replaced them with an old song ‘Feels Like Winter’ and a brand new composition which gave the album it’s title.
“Lost Southern Soul was originally a play on words for the music and vibe we were creating in the bunker – just trying to avoid all the usual genre labels like ‘garage’ and ‘low fi’. It was a tough period for me personally but I was holding it together and the record was the outlet I needed. Then sadly, my Mum became ill and died a few months later. The song came very quickly after that – and we recorded it in two takes. But I was truly lost for a while...”
And just when things were really coming together, the world stopped turning – and we all went into lockdown. END OF FIRST CHAPTER!
Thankfully, everyone involved with Lost Southern Soul came through - and started rebuilding lives.
“Most of the bands we all played in every weekend hadn’t played a note for two years. Two people we knew from our last gig sadly died shortly afterwards. We all had young families and bigger priorities. We’d occasionally talk - but the heart had virtually gone out of the project really”.
“I’d pop ‘round to Jim’s to pick up pieces of gear that had been gathering dust for 2 years and we’d agree‘we really must get going again – and get it done!’. But we’d both just kind of moved on. It had been a really intense, collaborative effort between me and Jim. And were just ... spent. I’d written nearly two albums worth of new songs during lockdown (on the only guitar at my disposal) and was much more excited by them than anything on LOST SOUTHERN SOUL”.
And that was almost that. Finally, just before Christmas ‘23, with sediment resting on the wreck, the duo got back in the room ‘just for one last listen’. A fresh coat of paint and a few new pictures aside, Island Farm looked the same. Mason lined up the opening track It Ain’t Easy (When it Comes to Love) - and within seconds the vibe and the magic in the room was back. And crucially, so was the desire to get the record done and out in the world.
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Dina Tamenta