We’re excited to be speaking today with acclaimed singer and songwriter JD Hinton; greetings and salutations JD and welcome to Vents Magazine! Before we amble down the proverbial musical Q&A pathway, how is 2024 treating you and yours?

Thank you for asking. I’m happy to visit with you today. This year’s been good. I have great friends. There’s a lot of creativity bubbling around.

Major congratulations on the upcoming June 28 release of your freshly-minted new EP Five Smooth Stones! Starting at the top, can you talk about what inspired one of the very best EPs of 2024?

I hoped this EP would be a VISIT… a way through songs where we see how our feelings and our personal stories can be very similar. I keep discovering neighbors I did not know I had.

FIVE SMOOTH STONES is a reflection and a response to finding myself in a place much different than where I thought I was going. My changing circumstances had an impact on how I see the world and who I wanted the world to see when they looked my way. (An ongoing process? Yes.)

Five Smooth Stones marks your fifth EP collaboration with rightly lauded producer Justin Glasco! What is it about working and collaborating with Justin which brings you and your music so much joy?

Friendship is now the answer, but that developed over the course of working together. On every song, I find out more about how good a musician Justin is… how creative he is in the studio. I learned he could understand or interpret my intentions as a songwriter in a way which served the song. I learned he respected the way I work. He trusted my opinions. I trust his. He laughs at most of my jokes. I should have mentioned that sooner.

In your humble opinion, what differentiates Five Smooth Stones from the Distinguished Competition on the 2024 music scene?

As a listener, the words always drew me into a song. If you like the music, the rhythm and sound of a song, you’ll want to listen to it again. I think the words are the reward – the pay off when you hear it again. You hear a lyric you didn’t hear the first time. You hear a line that might have another meaning you hadn’t thought about. Five Smooth Stones has some layers in the lyrics I think you’ll enjoy. The variety of styles in the music are also interesting to me. It’s not just a slow song and a fast song. Each song has a different atmosphere.

We’re big admirers of the first tune on the Five Smooth Stones EP, Ready to Begin! Can you talk about what this relatable & very personal track means to you and what made it the perfect song selection to kick off this five track opus?

Life is full of starting over times. Maybe it’s a series of starting over moments. You decide to get back up and dust yourself off, but of course the question “Why should I even try?” shows up. In matters of the heart, I think the stakes get higher, more personal. We make our choices, but the other person also has a choice to make. That’s the moment I wanted to capture: Knowing what I know… knowing what we both know… I’m ready to begin… again.

Who are you inspired by, musically speaking?

My list always starts with Paul Simon… and Bob Dylan. Then, I know Jimmy Webb, Nilsson, and Brian Wilson are absolutely in the mix. Of course, Lennon & McCartney along with the Brill Building and Motown writing teams. ALL of this started because as a kid I found some Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry records.

With the June 28 release of Five Smooth Stones, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit in the coming weeks and months?

I’m hoping to announce a Los Angeles show in the next week or so. Austin and Houston Texas are on my radar for this fall.

What’s coming up for you after the release of the new EP? Is an LP release somewhere in your near-future?

I think you’re going to love what’s coming around the corner. My next EP is called Traveler. It moves!

As a singer and songwriter, which generally tends to come first for you: The lyrics or the music?

The lyrics are “generally first” for me. Ideas turn into words and lines. I write them down and follow up to develop the song. Starting first with music requires one or two more steps for me. I have to find a quiet place so I can hear. I need a guitar or piano close by. Because of the extra steps, my songs generally begin through lyrics.

You had the honor to perform at the Vatican for the Pope. Any special memories of that amazing event?

Christmas Eve at Vatican City is wonderful. After late afternoon rehearsals, I wanted to see what Christmas Eve was like in Rome. It was about 3 or 4 pm. Walking around, the locals I passed began to look directly toward me. Once they caught my eye, they said “Buon Natale!” I smiled and nodded. A few more steps down the sidewalk it happened again. “Buon Natale!” It kept happening until I got it. Merry Christmas. These Italians looked like their whole mission in life that day was to find me, look into my eyes… and wish me Buon Natale! Merry Christmas indeed. I’ll never forget it.

Any final thoughts you might like to share with our ever-inquisitive readers about your beautiful new EP Five Smooth Stones?

The songs I heard as a kid made me want to hear more songs. The songs that kept coming along gave me a way to see what life is and can be. Good songs are good anytime. Songs that matter matter all the time. I hope you find your songs. I’d be honored if mine could be on your list.

JD Hinton Online

INTERVIEW: JD Hinton

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