Jol Muholland: Hot out of The Oven

Jol Mulholland performing live

Sought-after musician and producer Jol Mulholland has taken time from his busy schedule of collaborating to complete his second solo album, writes Lydia Jenkin.

The Lab Studios in Mt Eden, there's a small rabbit warren of rehearsal spaces, recording booths, and studios, and if you climb one narrow set of stairs, leading to a small wooden door, you'll find yourself face-to-face with Jol Mulholland, in his homely studio, fondly known as The Oven. It may be hot in summer, and cold in winter, but it's remarkably soundproof, and happily houses Mulholland's many treasures.

There's a drum kit in one corner, several racks of synthesisers in another (he owns maybe 15), a serious assortment of guitars and basses, leads and pedals and gadgets covering the floor, and of course various microphones set up, with a laptop and speakers and a desk completing the space. Plus he's just acquired a couple of violins, discovered in a Salvation Army store for $45.

"There was a guy behind me who was pretty keen on taking them home too, but the ladies at the shop agreed I was the first interested party, so I got them!" he laughs.

It's a fitting creative haven for a guy whose name is credited on many, many local albums as both a producer and session musician (Liam Finn, Chris Knox, Andrew Keoghan, Anika Moa among them), and whose own musical output is extensive, with releases under multiple names - from his early Christchurch-based groups Fuce and petrol Cowboy, to The Mots (with his brothers Eden and Will and bassist Greg Hillier), to solo works.

He's known for his curly mop of hair, droll sense of humour, and enthusiasm for Dire Straits, but it's his impressive musicianship and ability to learn any instrument at the drop of a hat that makes him so sought after.

So sought after in fact that his own solo releases often take some time to complete. His first solo album, 2011's Eugene Told Me You Were Dead, didn't quite get the recognition it deserved because Mulholland was off to America soon after its release to tour with Liam Finn.

Things worked out well in New York, and he got to work on some great projects, but he did miss The Lab.

"I seriously missed this place. Not that I mean I take being in The Lab for granted, but I had nothing like this for most of the time I was in New York. I seriously was a bedroom recorder, in this tiny little room, hunched over a tiny little table that we fit into the bedroom, with headphones on, and I'd think, man I wish I was up in The Oven.

"I seem to thrive when there's a drum kit and an amp, and space, and things are mic'd up, and you can just have a go".

This new solo album, Stop and Start Again, was all written and recorded by Mulholland almost entirely on his own this time, starting with basic demos on classical guitar and MIDI keyboard, taking advantage of the peace and quiet of his mum's place up north, then adding layers in The Oven, before heading downstairs to the main room at The Lab for some refinement.

"I worked really hard on it. I think the guys here would attest to the hours I put in. I was going for whole takes a lot of the time, and I'm not a drummer, so I'm pretty proud of the fact that, even though it's probably simple drumming, for me, I'd do 17 takes say, and gradually refine the parts, strip it down to what I could physically play.

He's come up with another armful of top-notch songs which balance romantic notions of a life of good times with the realities of day-to-day existence, filled with strong hooks and rhythms but never letting his abundance of clever ideas get in the way of the simple appeal of a song which makes you feel something.

"I've heard myself described as off-kilter pop" he says with a laugh, when considering where he fits in the genre spectrum.

"That fits with me. I try and put a twist on things. And there's a bit of rock 'n' roll in there too, from growing up and playing in bands in Christchurch I think, and that definitely comes across live."

Who: Jol Mulholland
What: New album Stop And Start Again
Where and when: Moon, Wellington, Oct 2; Whanganui Savage Club, Oct 3; St Peters Village Hall, Paekakariki, Oct 4; Wunderbar, Christchurch, Oct 9; Chicks Hotel, Dunedin, Oct 10; Lot23, Auckland, Oct 17.

-TimeOut