Interview Exclusive – Jonny Hetherington – Art Of Dying
Jonny Hetherington of Art of Dying revealed a diverse creative process in a recent interview New Transcendence, highlighting a blend of old and new material in their upcoming releases. The band is exploring a wider sonic palette, revisiting past ideas while simultaneously creating fresh tracks.
Hetherington’s songwriting has also evolved, with a shift towards lyrics-first composition, contrasting his previous method. Thematic exploration remains organic, with “hopefulness” as a recurring thread, even when addressing darker subjects, emphasizing the listener’s role in interpretation.
I caught up with Jonny of Art Of Dying, after release of, “Weekday Night” along with a couple collaborations including, “Through You” with Rick Dejesus of Adelitas Way, ” That was a fun one writing with Rick,” says, Jonny. Check out the rest of what Jonny had to tell us:
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): Art of Dying has a history of evolving its sound. How would you describe the sonic direction of the new music compared to your previous work?”
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): It’s a real mixed bag. We’re revisiting a ton of ideas from the past and writing brand new stuff at the same time. The song we have coming out in April (Ocean) was written last month, where as the song we just released (Weekday Night) was written in 2022. I’ve been going back further to some 2015 ideas that I never had a chance to finish while we were on the road.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): What are the primary themes or messages you’re exploring in upcoming new songs and collaborations?”
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): I don’t really preconceive themes – I pretty much let the vibe dictate where the theme is going. It usually comes half way through writing the song. “Hopefulness” has been the most common thread throughout our career, so its still pops up quite a bit. Although, I think hope can be found even in examining doom. So no hope can be hopeful too. It kind of depends on the listener to be honest.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): Can you discuss the songwriting process for your upcoming releases? Were there any new approaches you took?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): I’ve actually started writing lyrics a lot more as the starting point in some songs. It’s historically been the opposite for me where lyrics come last, so I’ve flipped that lately.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): Are there any particular songs on the horizon that you feel are especially significant to you?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): Each song is special. That’s what’s so great about being a song writer. You get to birth these ideas into the world.It’s an amazing feeling each and every time.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): How has the band’s dynamic influenced the creation of this new music?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): The biggest change is Tavis’ roll deepening as producer. He’s really become an effective and talented producer, which allows our ideas to come to life pretty quickly. He and I know each other so well, that we usually don’t have much to say about direction or mixing… it’s usually what the other guy was thinking anyway. So, from song writing to final master has become a streamlined symbiotic partnership.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): In what ways have current events or the state of the world influenced the new music?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): Well, there’s a lot to write about, that’s for sure. Honestly though, it’s the same old, same old. Every generation seems to have these angels and demons politically and we all just keep on keeping on. I’m not saying things are insignificant right now, just maybe that musically we always have a ton of material to grab from the state of affairs in the world.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): Are there any future collaborations this year that you’re excited about?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): We actually have this great guy from Toronto on our new song Ocean, Charlie Edward. He’s up and coming and we thought more people should hear him sing, so we invited him to jump on that tune. He knocked it out of the park! Collabs are amazing. I personally love em.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): How do you feel the new music reflects the band’s growth and evolution?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): It’s exactly that. Who we are now is the music we are now.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): What are your hopes for how listeners will connect with the new music?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): The connection listeners feel when they hear the music is so important to me. It’s one of the most satisfying returns from being a song writer and a musician.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): With the ever changing music industry, how are you approaching the release and promotion of new music this year?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): We are planning to release a song ever 8 – 12 weeks. That seems to be the sweet spot for how much we can get done and it keeps our fanbase excited about a consistent flow of new music.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): Looking back on Art of Dying’s career, what are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): Always have fun. At the end of the day if you’re enjoying the process whether its song writing, recording in the studio or touring it needs to fill your heart. If it’s not, then what’s the point? We learned that early on and deliberately decided to make sure we were having a good time. Making the Warner record in 2009 was probably the most representative of that. We were coming in hot with no apologies. I mean put 5 fun loving Canadians in the Oakwood for 3 months in LA to make a record and you can imagine how much fun we had.
Toney Emmons (New Transcendence): How has your personal musical taste evolved, and how has that influenced your own songwriting?
Jonny Hetherington (Art Of Dying): I listen to a lot of jazz and blues, but I don’t think that’s effecting my writing directly for Art of Dying. Actually, my nine year old daughter just finished her 6th opera (This last one was a big deal, as she played the title roll in the Canadian premier of The Little Prince at the Pacific Opera Victoria – youngest person to ever take on the role world wide – follow her on instagram @jakeapricityhetherington)
So, needless to say I’ve been listening to a lot
Awesome talking with Jonny Hetherington of Art Of Dying, we look forward to the next collabs and new music on the horizon, don’t miss it!
New song “Weekday Night” out now!
Official Lyric Video here:
For more information visit Art Of Dying on their website
https://www.artofdyingmusic.com
