PJ Bond is one of the peripatetic musicians of this world. His global travels to promote his music sparked a unique web project called “The Year of a Thousand Roommates,” which functions as part travelogue and part reflection on life. His newest album, You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical, lends a window to a unique musical voice.
Who are your major musical influences?
This is an interesting question, as I think it changes greatly over time. If you asked me in early high school, I’d quickly answer with Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Blind Melon. By late high school, my love for Penfold drew me to Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, The Get Kids, and a slew of even further subterranean bands. After years of touring with amazing bands like Paulson and In Pieces I found my interests shifting, and growing made me return to greats like The Beatles and Bob Dylan, as well as find further passion and understanding in Elliott Smith and Wilco. More than anything, now, I find inspiration in people and events, so I suppose a lifetime of tunes has given way to real life.
What is the inspiration behind the “Year of a Thousand Roommates” concept?
I like to think of projects in finite, doable chunks that force me into new territories. One such project saw a friend and I trying one new thing each week for the full week — listen to only jazz for a week, then be a raw foodist the next. One week is not too long to try things, but long enough to see if we felt it were enjoyable and/or sustainable. This got me to think about living in a different city each month for a year, and then eventually to just think about living without a home for a year. I then figured if I did it I should write about it.
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What are your major lyrical influences?
I tend to write a great deal about myself, as I’m a fairly self-centered person. Plus, that’s what I know the best about. I’m not terribly good with following politics, though I wish I were, and I fear nobody cares about my love of food. In all seriousness though, I’m inspired by the people I meet, how they live their lives and are affected by others, as well as how I feel about them, myself, and our interactions.
Between these emotions and loads of great bands I mentioned above and heaps of great authors like Julio Cortazar, Jack Kerouac, Pablo Neruda, as well as my brothers, I have a great deal to pull from.
How did you develop your blend of Americana and indie rock?
I guess I did so by just writing songs I liked and that made sense to me. Growing up playing in alternative and indie rock bands definitely left its impression on me, and traveling so much seemed to instill some kind of wayward spirit. Those two blend well, I think, and come across differently in different people. I come out sounding like me, though I’m often told I sound just like this guy or that, so I guess you can be the judge.
What is the reason behind your nomadic style of traveling around the world for shows?
Another great thought. Well, to be honest, I’ve wanted to travel for just about as long as I can remember. I think my older brother’s nomadic ways and then seeing Penfold do their first tour made me realize I could and wanted to do the same. Once I started traveling I saw how amazing the world is and how unmet friends lay hidden. Now, I feel funny when I stay in one place for too long. So, between living seeing new places and making new ones, wanting to revisit, and loving playing music, it all just made sense to me.
What were your inspirations for You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical?
Song-wise, the record is a direct response to the year or so before I recorded it with references to many people in my life, a great deal of self-doubt, a desire to be a better man, and for things I didn’t have. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to obscurity and wondering if anyone even knew I existed.
What is the strangest travel story you have?
A great deal of my stories are not really family-friendly, but I’m sure I can dig something clean up. Once, after weeks in the car alone — many of which were in snow, ice, and rain — I found myself in a sunny city and basked. I was running late for a show but when I showed up all was well and I was shown the boxing ring in which I’d be playing. The set went well and I headed back to the promoter’s house. It turns out we were staying with his parents, much to their surprise. We got to talking and he told me how during a particularly rough time in his life he decided to distract himself by writing a movie script based on his favorite comic book. The distraction worked and began deepening, finding him emerging from a fog two years later with six near-feature films completed with effects, costumes, full storyline, and him playing almost half the characters, despite having no writing, filming, editing or acting experience. I was pretty amazed and impressed and still haven’t found many people with his determination. But it was definitely not where I saw the night going when I showed up at the boxing ring.