Jim Baumer: I’m definitely influenced by mid-90s bands like Guided by Voices and Swearing at Motorists for their DIY sound. There was a great deal of that very stripped-down, minimalist sound during that era. Just before Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ changed the college radio and indie landscape. I was doing a college radio show as a member of the community and had access to all kinds of bands and artists recording on four-tracks. Sebadoh, and a guy from New York, F.M. Cornog, who went by the moniker East River Pipe. A lot of what I’m trying to do now is to recreate that four-track aesthetic using a DAW and laptop.
Aldora Britain Records: In 2022, you released a fantastic album called Living in Some Strange Days. This was the first record of yours that I heard, so it holds a very special place in my collection. How do you reflect on this album now? Is there anything that you would edit or change with the benefit of hindsight?
Jim Baumer: I was coming out of a dark period, still grieving the loss of my son, and then COVID locked us all down and made live music impossible. I was holed up in my basement, writing a bunch of songs about cancel culture and how our leaders were working their divide and conquer plan. I started with some songs, then laid down tracks, and before I knew it, I had a cohesive batch of material. There are times I wish I had a band and bandmates to bounce ideas off. I’m forced, as a veritable one-man band, to create a larger sound all by myself. That means using a drum pedal and multi-tracking guitars, although some sounds, like ‘You Don’t Love Me (You Don’t Care)’, were acoustic rockers with just drums and one acoustic guitar and vocals.
Aldora Britain Records: I love your alternative indie rock foundations with a strong singer-songwriter inclination at play too. It makes for a great sound! How would you say your style came about, what goes into it for you, and who are some of your biggest influences and inspirations as an artist? I have a feeling it could be quite a broad selection.
Jim Baumer: I mentioned Guided by Voices and Robert Pollard’s songwriting as an influence. I also hark back to 70s artists like Marc Bolan and T. Rex. Maybe Lou Reed.
I’m a huge fan of current bands like Car Seat Headrest, Gold Connections, and the Canadian band Sloan.
Aldora Britain Records: Earlier this year, you released a follow-up album entitled Home Sweet Home. I have recently listened to this record for the first time and it has already left a strong impression on me. What are your memories from writing, recording and releasing this LP, and how would you say you have grown and evolved since Living in Some Strange Days?
Jim Baumer: That one came about as an effort to complete a project for the RPM Challenge, which challenges artists to record an EP or LP during the month of February. I didn’t quite hit the mark in 2022. So, this year, I was determined to get something to the finish line by the end of the month. Originally, I was planning on a five or six-song EP, but the songs kept coming and they were longer tracks. I was experimenting with some alternative tunings for the guitar. ‘Info War’ uses a Swervedriver tuning. They’re a British shoegaze band I’ve thought highly of, and these different tunings really shaped some of the songs. That, and listening to a bunch of post-rock, shaped the sound of my most recent release.
Aldora Britain Records: Just before we finish, I would like to pick out two personal favourites. Let’s go for ‘Love Makes the Word Go ‘Round’ and ‘Kick the Darkness’. For each, what is the story behind the song and can you remember the
moment it came to be? Did anything in particular inspire them and what do they mean to you as the writer?
Jim Baumer: Both are the most ‘radio friendly’ tracks on each of the last two records. ‘Kick the Darkness’ is a line from a Bruce Cockburn song, ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’. I used that as a jumping off point to write a song that wasn’t quite as dark as the other stuff on Living in Some Strange Days. On the new record, ‘Love Makes the World Go ‘Round’  was me basically saying enough of all this love shit that everyone talks about. It is never really backed up with anything tangible. The blues shuffle is copped from T. Rex in ‘Bang a Gong’ and it works in this song.Quickfire Round-
AB Records: Favourite artist? Jim: Paul Westerberg, Silkworm, Big Star. A three-way tie.
AB Records: Favourite album? Jim: Silkworm, Firewater.
AB Records: First gig as an audience member? Jim: Kiss, 1978.
AB Records: Loudest gig as an audience member? Jim: Engine Kid, 1994.
AB Records: Style icon? Jim: Johnny Rotten.AB Records: Favourite film? Jim: A Star is Born, 1954, with Judy Garland.
AB Records: Favourite TV show? Jim: NYPD Blue.
AB Records: Favourite underground artist? Jim: This one is impossible to name. The underground doesn’t really exist, in my opinion, due to the internet making everything accessible, even the most niche artists.