By Jason Barnard
Elizabeth Anne Jones a.k.a. Elfin Bow is a singer-songwriter whose captivating music spans genres. Whilst rooted in folk there are shades of psychedelia and electronica that make her music unique. With a forthcoming show at the Fruits de Mer 17th Dream of Dr Sardonicus festival and new material promised, Summer 2019 should be very special.
Where are you from and where do you live now? Does that impact your music?
I grew up in the outskirts of Liverpool and after a couple of years in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, spent most of my adult life in South Liverpool. After a period of ill health, I made an impulsive and instinctive move to the beautiful and quaint town of Ruthin, North Wales two years ago, with my family, in search of some healing green space – and we certainly found it!
My surroundings have always influenced my music. Even in the hustle and bustle of the city, I have always had an affinity with nature and the greater intelligence found therein. My paintings are often premonitions and I feel like I painted myself into my life here. Images of figures in starry nightscapes, under a big full moon, with hills and trees, first rendered on reclaimed wood are now my real-life experience. In terms of songwriting, my home here in the hills affords me time to think, to dream, to reflect and to venture into new territory, musically, artistically and in life.
When did you pick up your first instrument and when/why did you start songwriting?
I grew up with music all around me. Our pianola piano was a prominent feature at home, with rolls by all the great masters, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and some popular songs from the early 1900’s. I started writing little two-handed ditties at four years old and my mum persuaded a family friend to give me piano lessons. When I turned seven, I started violin at school with my grandfather’s violin. He had died long before I was born, so I felt that in some way, it gave me a relationship to a man we only heard stories about (he was a composer and pianist too.) Frustrated by formal and restrictive teaching methods, I sought opportunities to improvise and write my own music. A new music teacher at school breathed life into a tired curriculum and at GCSE we worked with an Avant Garde minimalist group called Gemini, performing at the Tate Gallery, Liverpool. She also set up some basic recording studios in school, which not only became a refuge in the chaos of high school, but also lit a fire inside me, to express myself through music.
How long have you been making music?
You know the phrase, ‘Jack of all trades?” Well, I have always been torn between my art and music…an evolving cycle of art, music and teaching, like a rolling stone, gathering more experience, insight and learning with every rotation. I would often wonder if I had my fingers in less creative pies, and just focused on one skill, would I get really, really good at it? But I have come to realise that one discipline feeds the other and occupies a different creative space. I have heard, felt and made music all my life but there have certainly been times when it was on the back burner, like when I was doing my fine art degree. Now, however, since leaving my teaching career to become a freelance artist and musician, music has come to occupy a more central role. Art supports my music in so many ways; in the design work, the crazy outfits I make to perform in, stage sets, crowdfunding campaigns and more.
I once sat on the floor in Borders bookshop, reading about a 90-year-old Icelandic woman, who was writing songs on her keyboard, burning them to CD, creating sleeves with card and felt tips and placing them surreptitiously in record shops. I loved that! And I remember writing in my notebook, ‘Today, I am embarking on my 60-year music career.’ I’ll be making music until the day I die.
What artists, past and present do you admire – as a songwriter and performer?
I grew up in quite a strict, Baptist household in the 1970’s, where popular music was heavily frowned upon, in favour of classical and church music. Not that I begrudge my parents for that, it was just part of the cultural landscape they chose for us. They instilled a deep love of music in me and an appreciation of melody, harmony and romanticism.
However, being the quiet, unsuspecting rebel, I did find ways to venture off on my own musical adventures and there were some artists that just blew my mind. I have very eclectic musical tastes (don’t we all?) but I’ll pick a ‘moment’ to describe for you. In the early 90’s, amongst all the indie, grunge and Britpop, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Bjork were blazing a relentless trail, which struck many chords with me. They opened the door for me to feel that I could create whatever I want. As I have followed their careers, I haven’t loved everything they have done but I deeply appreciate that they don’t stand still creatively.
I’m still discovering music every day and it’s an instinctive journey. I discovered the world of folk clubs in 2010 and more recently, I have loved working with Fruits de Mer, as it has opened up another door to music I may never have found.
How did you acquire the Elfin Bow name?
Haha! I’d love to be able to say that I could speak Elvish, or that I’m a master craftsman of poisoned arrows but alas, I stumbled across it in an old sketchbook one day. I was getting married and changing my name from Kearney to Jones – neither of which I felt reflected my creative self – and I was looking for inspiration. I saw the name, Elfin Bow, nestled next to a drawing, and it just felt right. For me, it’s a name where there is room to grow, to move and change, however I want to. I like that.
What generally inspires you to write, do you start with a musical phrase or lyric?
My senses are always tingling and my brain cogs are always whirring! When I go quiet in the middle of a crowd, or when I look like I’m daydreaming, there’s usually an inner intensity of an idea being worked out. Often something I see, feel or experience begins as a lyric and then it gets married to a musical phrase, riff or idea that was born in another moment. I’ve written songs in dreams, I’ve written a lot in the car… the momentum of music or travel, or even doing repetitive, menial tasks, seems to allow me to reach into a different conscious space where creativity can flow. Then it’s a case of trusting the process. Sometimes a song falls out fully formed, other times it takes days, weeks or even years to bring it into being.
How has your sound evolved since you started?
For years I had what I call a music or song ‘sketchbook’…lots of ideas that felt small, not fully formed. When I did start performing seriously, in various bands, about 8 years ago, I did pluck up the courage to build some of these ideas into gig-ready songs, but it wasn’t until I began the production process for my debut album that I gave them the time and attention they needed. I was fortunate to be surrounded with amazing musicians, who were excited by my ideas and loved the opportunity to experiment in the studio until we were satisfied. I find the whole process very intuitive and exciting, because often a song will tell you want it wants to be. Sometimes, I’m just the gardener, gently creating the space for ideas to bloom.
There’s also nothing greater than getting your hands on a new instrument, or changing the tuning, to inspire new ideas and ways of playing. I once wrote a riff on a banjo in a guitar shop and had to buy the banjo so I could work on the song and add it into my set. Also, despite playing the piano a lot as a child, I have never performed with it until very recently. Last year, we got hold of an old, honky tonk, baby grand and I’ve written lots of new material. That in itself is forcing me to find new directions and I’m excited about where it is leading, especially with some new musical collaborations on the horizon.
What songs that you’ve been involved with are you most proud and why?
It would have to be Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Sandy Denny. I collaborated with producer and composer, Gary Lloyd, and for us, it became our love letter to one of the greatest songwriters of all time. It was a whirlwind of a project in that it flung me far beyond my comfort zone but it was also a rich collaboration that was full of beauty and meaning. It was my first vinyl release on Fruits de Mer Records (hopefully not the last!) and we were truly humbled by all the amazing reviews.
I also cherish all the people who support me and invest in my creative endeavours. This song represents all the love and excitement from fans all over the world, who helped us crowdfund to record with The Scottish Session Orchestra in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. That was an amazing experience.
‘Sister O Sister’ is a song that I’m proud of for very different reasons. I wrote it about my mum and her sister who was living with Alzheimer’s at the time. When she passed away last summer, my mum asked for a copy of it and I was asked to perform it at the funeral. I remember saying to her that if the only reason I had ever written songs was so that I could bring a little bit of comfort at such a difficult time, then my musical career was complete in that moment.
How did you link up with Fruits de Mer for the ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ single then?
By walking into the smallest record shop in the world! When I moved to North Wales, I stumbled across VOD records in Mold. Colin Trueman started selling my album and introduced me to Keith after telling me that one of his customers was playing my songs on his psych radio show. His website had a link to Fruits de Mer and I asked about it. Before I’d even driven home, Colin had sent him an email and a conversation began from there.
My musical life has been full of serendipitous moments. I describe it as finding the end of a thread. You pick it up and pull it and see where it takes you. Before you know it, you realise that it’s connected to many more threads, more adventures, more opportunities.
I was asked to perform at last year’s festival in Cardigan and, in my best golden ram’s horns headdress, I took to the stage to open the show. The whole weekend was fantastic from start to finish and some exciting collaborations have come out of that. I’m really looking forward to this year’s 17th Dream of Dr Sardonicus festival where I’ll be playing some of my new material and discovering more great music too.
Thanks so much for your time Elizabeth.
For more information please visit the Elfin Bow website.
