The solo work of J-M, iNTERMITENT went 'off-grid' to focus on ethical living, finding that lifestyle was also conducive to ethical composing and production.
With an approach to songwriting and recording that employs a 'use what you have' mentality, the instruments heard are mostly gifts or borrowed from friends and family.While vocal booths consisting of blankets and ladders are set up in unique locations around Australia. Using a 12-volt off-grid battery as a power source gives J-M the flexibility to record on the road and in remote places such as a national forest, motels, half-built homes and the back of cars.
iNTERMITENT's newest single is titled 'Seventh', a track recorded and mixed with ARIA Award-winning Lachlan 'Magoo' Goold (Midnight Oil, Powderfinger) that invites listeners to look at the darker aspects of ourselves that we often ignore and mask over.
Who is iNTERMITENT... A band that consists for now of just me, J-M. I write, perform, record and produce it. I've recorded almost all of my music off-grid using a very minimal set-up with mostly gifted or borrowed instruments with a DYI approach.
My sound draws on the righteousness of late '60s era folk-rock and the acoustic leanings of noughties alt-rock. The '60s influence was a conscious choice, the noughties alt-rock was just what came out.
I sound like... Some people have described us to sound like Incubus, John Butler, The Beatles and Cat Stevens. But I find it tough to describe what I sound like as I'm too involved in it. So I'm happy to hear what others think I sound like.
Our first gig was... As iNTERMITENT, I haven't played a gig yet as I've been living a hermit-type lifestyle lately and just focusing on the creation. But I am looking forward to getting a band together and playing live some time as I love jamming with others.
I'm also keeping open that anything can change as the world moves through these vast shifts, but I love making music and I will continue to do that.
When did you settle on the group's name... I came up with the name just under two years ago. I was feeling into a name and the word intermittent just kept coming up in my life. So I read the signs and went for it as I feel it represents the in-between times we are in as a planet.
In the studio I usually... Party, party, party non-stop! Booze cascading down the walls like a waterfall that you can just make out through the blaze of smoke. But in reality, it's just me sitting in a quiet corner somewhere, sweating as I have blankets strung up around me for sound dampening.
If I could tour with anyone... I've always loved the channellings of Kryon from Lee Carroll. Very empowering messages with a strong, emotive voice. To engage with him as a crowd it requires calmness and quiet, so I don't know how that would work accompanying a live music scene. Fun thought though.
Social media is... A great way to connect with people, but I feel is akin to an addiction now by many. It can also seperate us from reality, so being aware and cautious with its use is good practice for me.
My favourite app at the moment is... I'm really enjoying the calculator app at the moment. It's great for adding and subtracting numbers as well as multiplying and dividing. Very useful when working with numbers.
To date my most embarrassing moment was the time... I thought I had control over my ego and would walk around for years embracing myself on a daily basis.
Life on the road can be... Great for explorative reasons. Seeing new life, new experiences and being in different cultures has given me a greater perspective. But after time it can be a little dissociative and I can feel that pull for home.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that our rider contains... My body can't even handle a sniff of wheat anymore without ballooning out and my bowels turning to concrete. So over the years I've refined my diet to what my body wants, which is a gluten free, dairy free organic, vegetarian diet.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... One of the most scariest scenarios I've been in was the time I was exploring a forest in the South East of France, and found myself moving cautiously down a slate cliff. I thought I was sure-footed, but slipped a few metres down and just managed to grab hold of a rock while half my body was hanging over a 30-metre cliff.
I thought to myself 'f..., I'm f...ed. . . f...'. Slowly, I was able to get my whole body back on to a stable ledge. I took six very deep breaths and said to myself 'ok I get the message, slow down, calm down', then VERY carefully made my way down the cliff because going back up was not an option due to my slip down.
I got to the bottom and walked another 20 minutes to meet my Mum. "How was your walk?" she asked. "Great, beautiful calm nature right," not wanting my Mum's heart to give out. There was that time I was locked up in a Lebanese prison after having a gun pointed to my head, but that's for another time.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... If Nikola Tesla was still around I would love him to be my spokesperson. Not because I think he represents the music but because if he was to be the spokesperson, it would mean I would at least have one encounter with him so I could hear his thoughts on frequency, vibration and energy.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? I enjoyed my time in Zagreb, Croatia, as I found people there worked to live rather then live to work, which gave the place a more relaxed environment.
There was also a lot less commercialism and visual pollution, which was cool. But these days I enjoy the presence of nature over concrete.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Buddha, Yeshua (Jesus) and Mary Magdalene. The history of these three is varying, which often happens over years of time but all that aside, they seemed to have reached certain stages of heightened consciousness which I would love to ask them about that.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? A slow-cooked vegetable stew with rice and a fried egg covered in yeast flakes and parsley.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? Love 'em. Most of them just want to be loved, play, eat and chill. What's not to love about that?
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Loving you.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... When I walked past one and looked in about a year ago.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? The dishes can get a bit tedious, but thankfully I wash them outside with an amazing view of nature, which takes the edge off.
Do you have any phobias... I have been working hard over the years to acknowledge my fears so many of them have gone now. One thing that keeps popping up though is the fear of us destroying our own mother, Planet Earth.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I wouldn't partake in one I don't think. Or I'd have to hear the idea of the show first as the majority don't interest me.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I would hope to lift them up with laughter instead! I've always enjoyed pretending I'm from a radio station inviting them to play a game to win a prize.
Best local takeaway joint for a 2am feed that will leave you with a food coma? Ha! I'm lucky to make it past 10pm these days!
Which fictional character best describes your personality? Tallian the sledgendry cockatoo because of his cheeky ways.
Last show you binge-watched? The late '90s to early 2000s episodes of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway'. I love the raw improv comedy as it's real and hilarious. Sometimes I find I'm just watching very funny friends mucking around in their lounge room. I love to laugh, especially during these times.
