I just want to start off by saying that I'm sorry for the delay in responding for the interview. Between having server problems and taking care of someone I love dearly as they slowly die has drained me.

yeah, don't worry about it.  it's good to hear from you.and thanks once again for asking me to do this, it's very cool of you.

Where did you come up with the name?

i got it from a gcse biology revision guide.  i was.. i was going slightly crazy at the time.  oh, how i laughed.

Is the band just consist of you or are there others that are

involved?

it is just me, mainly due to my lack of communication skills and the fact that other people tend to think my ideas for songs are stupid.

Do you play all the instruments?

yes i do.  even the egg shaker, yes.

What is your background in musical training? Self taught?

the only thing i've been taught to play is the trumpet.  i have taught myself to play guitar, play piano, sequence drums and such.  you might

say this leads to an individual musical style, or you might say that i am technically crap at everything i play.  whatever.  i am also doing

a-level music right now.

When writing your music, how do you decide what the style and

sound should be?

because i have to write all my songs on my own, i generally write the music as i record it.  i will write an idea on piano or guitar, or sometimes get a sample from somewhere and put it on my computer.  that just has to be a little riff or something, something that sounds nice. 

from here, i can start to work out what i want to do with the song in terms of style.  sometimes the original idea will lend itself to a particular sound, like 'bassrock', for instance. or sometimes, like

with 'can you smell carrots?', i'll just keep adding to the song and see where it goes.  it's usually a pretty random process.

I have noticed that you blend your music from experiment electronic to an accoustic ambient sound. Which do you prefer most?

i listen to more acoustic music than i do electronic... i don't want to become and out-and-out electronic artist because i don't find that kind

of music particularly emotive, and while experimentation is good, if it doesn't sound nice, i think it's pointless.  there is a warmth to

acoustic instruments that i like... but there's also something about my style of music that lends itself to sampled drum sounds and weird

noises.

What is the story about "the ant..." song? It sticks out from the rest.

does it?  it's one of my favourites.  sometimes things just work out well... i think the structure really works, and the loud section after the break came out sounding awesome.  i hope that as i record more songs, i'll make good ones more often.

the title, like a good few of my songs, comes from

www.explodingdog.com.  i found the title after i wrote the song.  it

seemed to fit.

I love "Bonzi buddy". Do you think he'll make a comeback?

haha i see what you did there.  it's a pretty cool song, yeah, but to be honest, i think singing is a bad idea... i had a girl at my school do a vocal track for a pop song i wrote, and it sounded really good... it really made me realise how horrible my voice is. i'm going to try not to sing again, unless it's absolutely necessary.

In songs like "neonloneliness", what thoughts go through your head when you play that? Why is it so short? Why are a lot of them so

short?

neon loneliness was a song that i wrote with a particular feeling in mind... i basically sat down and tried to make sounds that made me feel

lonely.  when i listen to it, it still makes me feel a bit strange. it's short because... i guess i didn't think it needed to be anymore than what it is.

i often use repetitive ideas in songs, and i am a bit conscious of them getting boring.  however, i think that as i record more songs and get more experience, my songs will get longer.  i mean, i don't try to keep them short, it just happens that way.

I picked up on some sampling. What makes you decide to use a certain sound for a song?

sometimes you just hear a sound that makes you think "woah, that's cool.  that should be a song."  there was an advert on tv not long ago for the new chip & pin credit card things... the music was from the last song on 'the beginning stages of the polyphonic spree'.  when i saw that advert i thought the music was awesome, and so 'the ant that will take over the world' was born.  another example is a song i've just uploaded called 'requiem aeternam', it has a lovely tune from a

piece by john rutter that my mum sang at choir.  it's just a really

cool tune.

What are some of your musical influences?

i listen to a lot of stuff, but there are a few particular bands and artists who inspire me... the album leaf, four tet, badly drawn boy, mogwai, broken social scene, modest mouse, the postal service, the beta band, radiohead, godspeed you! black emperor... quite a lot of songs

started off as me just trying to copy those bands.  for instance, 'just keep swimming' = the album leaf, 'i think it's time to forget about you' = four tet, 'dying hope' = gy!be etc.  if you know any of those

bands, you'll know i've failed spectacularly at sounding anything like them, but the outcomes were mostly pretty cool.

How would you describe your sound?

nice post-rock with funky beats and crazy noises.

Where do you want to go with your music as in style?

i just want to be making music that's not already being made by someone else.  although i must remember not to go too geeky and obscure.  also,

i'm definitely going in the direction of instrumental music.  like i said, i don't like the way my voice sounds.

Do you plan on putting out an album?

no.  i will continue to put all my music on the internet for the foreseeable future, and i enthusiastically encourage you to download

it, make cds of it and give them out to your friends, leave them lying around in public places, put them in the rock section at hmv...

whatever.  when i've got a record deal, i'll start putting out albums.but don't hold your breath.

Have you done any side projects or collaborations with other bands?

i am in another band, we just started out.  we are called 'fight fire with water' presently.  we play rock music, and we're trying to be original.  it's a lot of fun.  and like i said before, there should be

a pop song that i wrote up on my site soon, with someone else singing on it.  it will please your ears and brain.

What are the future plans for The Party Mushroom?

i was doing maths revision the other day, and i decided that i want to be a musician.  my plan, therefore, is to go to university and spend as

much time as possible making music, sending things to record companies and generally being creative.  and as little time as possible doing

work.  and also, i'll fit in some alcohol.  yeah, my plans are a bit hazy, to be honest...

i'm going to keep making lots of music.  that's it.

And finally....If you were a mushroom, what kind would you be?

i'd be magic.  like harry potter.

love,

jack.