Today we catch up with JR Mcintire (Arctic Char, Sleepybeard) to talk about staying appreciative in tough times and his new solo project Daughterman and the debut EP Fugaces Nunc.
Postcard Editor: Hey JR, how’s things?
JR Mcintire: Good Mat, surviving here. I’ve been taking things day by day. Really helps. I have a lot to be thankful for.
PE: That’s a great attitude and an important one to have these days for sure. I know other than the general state of things you’ve also been dealing with some health issues this year too. Everything good on that front?
JR: Yes, I have a rather large DVT in my left leg. It causes very painful external ulcers and basically the gnarliest of varicose veins. I’m having surgery on one of those next Friday so good news right now. Makes me appreciate every day to be sure. I’ve grown accustomed to most parts of it, the painkiller roller coaster is not made for getting used to.
PE: Was that the inspiration for the instrumental track that opens the new album “Tough Week”?
JR: It definitely broke the camel’s back to say. I had to face the fact that I was going to have to deal with months of this again. Losing sleep, not being myself, it’s certainly tough. Felt like everyone was having a tough time, and still are. I have a great mentor in my life who tells me not to let events control me, so I succumbed to that one, and let it out.
PE: How much did that chronic pain and the pain meds affect your writing and recording of the EP?
JR: A great deal. It was straight up therapeutic. It helped more with coming off of them before this last flare up. Coming back to the earth, being reminded of the gifts I have and should be using.
PE: Speaking of your gifts, you’ve always played in a variety of bands and projects over the years – Arctic Char, Sleepybeard, Spyclops to name a few – but this is your first all in solo project, right?
JR: Correct, aside from my oldest daughter’s help with the lyrics on “Cornered” it’s all me. Everything. Part of the therapy as well if I’m being honest.
PE: Speaking of your daughters, obviously that’s where the great band name comes from. How many do you have?
JR: I have three flowers, Dahlia Blue is ten, CeCilia Rose is six and Lorelei Violet is fifteen months old. They are the best part of me, one million percent. They have a LOT of questions right now, which is to be expected, we are all learning together for the most part. It’s an interesting time to be a human. Part of me enjoys that they want to be educated at their age, another part of me wishes they cared about riding their bike more than politics.
PE: Oh man, yeah, I can’t even imagine being a parent right now. Tricky stuff for sure. Other than the therapeutic / using your gifts while you can, was there something you wanted to do with this solo project you haven’t done with previous collaborations?
JR: Yes, I had two big itches I wanted to scratch. I had started to jam with some friends playing guitar and singing again and it felt really good. I’m super into guitar pedals and had something to say so when it didn’t go anywhere I felt like there was a loose end I needed to tie up. The second was having control of my art and getting something out. My main gig (Arctic Char) has been done tracking our record for about a year and we have no control over the mixing and mastering process. Our producer has an important music job and also with the pandemic it’s been a lengthy struggle to get the album done. I wanted to be at peace with it. This helped greatly. I also had to deal with imperfect takes etc. That way I would be ok waiting for the album we took a magnifying glass to. It’s a bit insane I’m sure now that I’m saying it, but it was where my heart was.
PE: I think you can hear that immediacy in the EP. It has an organic energy to it that makes it feel like something that was captured at the moment of full realization as opposed to meticulously recreated.
JR: You aren’t the first one to say that and it means a lot that I got that point across through the music.
PE: Musically the EP has a sound that is somewhere between Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. Is that something you were shooting for or just how it came out?
JR: The musical concept of “My Friend” was if Kurt didn’t die and Nirvana didn’t implode, Dave would’ve written songs for them eventually. That was the idea before I wrote lyrics. I think it comes across. I really didn’t mean for the record to sound so 90’s but I guess that was just me being me? I knew a few sounded like some of my biggest influences and unapologetically to be honest (Deftones, AAF, Blood Brothers, SOAD). It was part of the exercise to let that go and get it out there.
PE: Yeah, there’s definitely a Deftones element in there too. I think there is a resurgence in 90’s music happening right now, or rather those influences. I hear it in a lot of newer bands like Wife Patrol and Extra Medium Pony for example – two bands we’ve recently posted about on the blog both have heavy 90’s influence, from grunge to that classic 90’s jangly guitar alternative like Pavement or Built to Spill. It’s not just the ripped jeans and flannel that’s back.
JR: Failure, Faith No More, Hum, all had new albums recently. It’s a resurgence I can get into. Shiner, Deftones, Tool. All still relevant, important.
PE: We can definitely get into it too. Ok, so to wrap this up, what’s next for Daughterman? Do you think you’ll continue on with this solo project or is it time to get back to sending passive aggressive emails to the Arctic Char producer?
JR: The emails will continue until you hear the release, I can promise you that. I had five songs for the next Daughterman EP ready to start tracking and the friend who penned the band name Daughterman gave me the idea for the intro last night so that makes six songs. I hope to release the next EP in early 2021. I am helping my musical partner finish his solo record right now and then I will begin tracking. This one will have former bandmates and much less immediacy. Look for it.
PE: Great news and can’t wait to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to catch up.
JR: Thank you, great to talk as always. Stay safe, my friend.
You can pick up Daughterman’s new EP here.
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