SAMMIES • Jules Burn

All-time favorite song?

02.11.20

This question is impossible to answer. Here are the few I can think of right now:

“Give Me All Your Love” by Alabama Shakes
“Don't Let Me Down” by The Beetles
“Country Grammar” by Nelly
“Smoking Song” by Mick Jenkins
“Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys
“10 A.M. Automatic” by The Black Keys
“Special Affair” by The Internet
“Four Kicks” by Kings of Leon
“Rigamortus” by Kendrick Lamar
“I Hate This Question” by Jules Burn

As a child growing up, music surrounds us. What type of music did you hear the most back then?

02.11.20

I grew up with '80s and '90s alternative rock, with some hip-hop sprinkled in. I mainly listen to hip-hop now, but I also listen to everything. Inspiration can come from anywhere if you let it.

Can you describe a moment in your career, where you felt like you truly reached somebody or made a difference?

02.11.20

I played a show at Holy Diver once. The last song I did was called “Take Me.” It’s a little more pesonal and emotional than my other songs. It’s just about family and life and death and the struggles we all go through. After the show, a guy came up to the merch table with his son because his son wanted a shirt and an autograph. He explained that the boy had lost his mother a few months back and that my song really had an effect on him. He just told me that he connected personally with some of the lyrics and that they helped him with what he was going through. I just gave them everything I had and signed it all.

Do you have regular gigs around town?

02.11.20

I’m here and there. I always love performing and I do shows but I'm kinda reclusive. I tend to stay in the studio recording and making videos. I might pop up on one of the open-mics around town with some a cappella though.

Favorite colors?

02.11.20

Purple, green, yellow and periwinkle.

Favorite guitar player?

02.11.20

I'm changing this question to “Favorite Bass Player.” Bass players don’t get enough love. And the answer is Les Claypool.

How did it first start?

02.11.20

There was no start. It was always music. It was other things at times. But it was always music. T.Rex said it best, “I was dancing right out the womb.”

How do you describe your music to people?

02.11.20

Grunge funk rap. But sexier than that.

How do you feel about musical award competitions?

02.11.20

Mixed feelings. The SAMMIES is dope. It's a good way to showcase Sacramento’s music scene and a great way for artists to connect with their city and gain more local support. But at the same time, music is subjective. The same music can affect people in different ways. It’s kind of impossible to judge who’s music is or isn’t worthy of an award.

If you could be any character from history, who would it be?

02.11.20

Genghis Khan.

If you were a movie, what movie would you be?

02.11.20

Pulp Fiction.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what animal would you be?

02.11.20

Polar bear.

Name a pet peeve.

02.11.20

The term “pet peeve."

Name a recent personal food trend.

02.11.20

Way too much damn ice cream.

Tell us about how you first started gigging.

02.11.20

I first started on the drums with a band called The Teeth. Just friends playin' music. I played through a couple other bands before doin' the solo hip-hop thing.

Tell us about your best gig in Sac.

02.11.20

A few years back, a couple friends and I entered the battle of the bands at Sac State. One of the friends worked at the radio station at the time so he was able to get us on the lineup no questions asked. This was especially important because we had no music to show because we weren’t even a band and half of us couldn’t play an instruments. We dubbed ourselves “Smegma Johnson and The Dirty Boys.” We had one practice before the show. We walked onstage wearing the stupidest looking things we could find. We essentially just jammed out three different songs mostly improvised on the spot while the “singers” shouted whatever came to mind while throwing crayons and condoms out to the audience. The last song we just kept jamming until they cut our mics. We did not win. But we had a damn good time. I believe there is still a grainy clip of this performance on YouTube.

Tell us about your worst gig.

02.11.20

I played On the Y with one of my bands before I was 21. Since it was a bar, they drew big red Xs on my hands to tell the bartender not to seve me. No one showed up and we essentially just played for the band that was waiting to go on after us. After we were done playing they said we had to leave.

Tell us about yourself.

02.11.20

The first rap I wrote was in fifth grade. It was about going to the Arden Mall to see Santa. Most of it was Santa, in the first person, talking about his life’s frustrations while insulting the children. My subject matter has matured, but I’m not sure if my humor has. I write, rap and produce under Skylit Music, a music studio/artist collective here in Sac. I was hit by a car during recording of my album More Feel. I broke all the bones in my face and forehead and some in the base of my skull. The impact caused a hematoma on my brain to form as well. It took about six months to get back to somewhat normal. I came back to finish the album and after I did. I've accomplished more musically then I ever had before. I make music because music is the most powerful tool we have as humans to change the world for the better.

What are your musical goals?

02.11.20

My goal is to shift the present paradigm hip-hop has fallen into. The genre has become so shallow and superficial that a subgenre dubbed “conscious rap” had to emerge. I don’t think I have to tell you what that implies about the rest of the rap. I'm tired of feeling self-conscious about telling people I rap because the bar has been dropped so low. I want to make music that changes the way people think about hip-hop. I want to make music that inspires people to be better to themselves. Music needs to be rescued from the clutches of materialism by those who are willing to see its utility for life. I also wanna make some slaps.

What artist or band are you a little embarrassed to love, and why?

02.11.20

If you love something, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. You should embrace it.

What did you want to be when you were 7?

02.11.20

Michael Jordan.

What do you sing in the shower? (Be honest.)

02.11.20

Black Keys or Alabama Shakes. Brittany Howard can make me cry. Straight up.

What drives you to keep interviewing even though the music industry can be so harsh?

02.11.20

I love music. I won’t stop ‘til I’m dead. And after my physical self is again received by the Earth—the music I made will live on.

What message do you hope to give with your music?

02.11.20

Each song I make has its own message and its own story. If I had to pick a common theme, I would have to say that it's to be yourself. It only sounds cliche to people who don’t know what that really means.

What was the first song you learned to play?

02.11.20

I don’t remember the first song I learned on guitar or drums. But the first song I memorized all of the lyrics to was “Country Grammar” by Nelly. There wasn’t websites with the lyrics at that time so I listened to the song on repeat and wrote down a couple more words each time. I still rap the whole thing when it play on the radio.

What's next for you?

02.11.20

I just dropped a new single called “F.T.C.K.” We’re planning the video right now. My last video “Eggnog and The Whole 9” was calm and clean. This next one will be the opposite.

What's something most of your friends don't know about you?

02.11.20

I used to be an exotic dancer.

What's the best part of this experience?

02.11.20

Connecting with fans. Its always cool to see how many people really come out to support you when you ask.

What's the story behind your stage name?

02.11.20

It's derived from my full name, Julian Button. It also sounds like Jules Verne who was known for his keen forethought and articulate imagery. It just kinda fit. I did find another rapper going by Jules Burn online when I was starting, so I contacted him and instigated a battle for the name. We were both suppose to make a track and my friend was going to put it on his college radio show for people to vote for the winner. Well after a week, I got impatient and put my track on YouTube. A couple days after that, he forfeited the name.

What's the worst part of this experience?

02.11.20

Answering all these questions. This is taking forever. Totally joking. This is really great.

What's your favorite jam from the '90s?

02.11.20

“Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys.

What's your favorite local artist/group?

02.11.20

There was this badass blues rock band called Wolfhouse that was playing around Sac for a while. I think they went on hiatus. It would be dope to see them again.

What’s your favorite song to perform live right now?

02.11.20

“Last Call.” It gets the people goin'.

When did you play your first gig in Sac?

02.11.20

Naked Lounge on H Street. I was drumming for The Teeth. The Skylit studio in the office building there at one point. We got kicked out.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

02.11.20

Playing music, maybe touring. Starting a family. But who knows? One day, your riding your bike home, the next, your brain is bleeding out and your face is smashed. Anything can happen. It’s a wild ride we got here.

Who are your biggest influences?

02.11.20

My family and my friends and my team.

Who first inspired you to play music?

02.11.20

No one. The desire was always there.

Who is your secret star crush?

02.11.20

Alicia Keys.

Words to live by?

02.11.20

Be yourself. No one else can.

You're given a magic wand. What do you do with it?

02.11.20

Break it in half and drink the wand blood.

Jules Burn

Q & A

All-time favorite song?

As a child growing up, music surrounds us. What type of music did you hear the most back then?

Can you describe a moment in your career, where you felt like you truly reached somebody or made a difference?

Do you have regular gigs around town?

Favorite colors?

Favorite guitar player?

How did it first start?

How do you describe your music to people?

How do you feel about musical award competitions?

If you could be any character from history, who would it be?

If you were a movie, what movie would you be?

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what animal would you be?

Name a pet peeve.

Name a recent personal food trend.

Tell us about how you first started gigging.

Tell us about your best gig in Sac.

Tell us about your worst gig.

Tell us about yourself.

What are your musical goals?

What artist or band are you a little embarrassed to love, and why?

What did you want to be when you were 7?

What do you sing in the shower? (Be honest.)

What drives you to keep interviewing even though the music industry can be so harsh?

What message do you hope to give with your music?

What was the first song you learned to play?

What's next for you?

What's something most of your friends don't know about you?

What's the best part of this experience?

What's the story behind your stage name?

What's the worst part of this experience?

What's your favorite jam from the '90s?

What's your favorite local artist/group?

What’s your favorite song to perform live right now?

When did you play your first gig in Sac?

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Who are your biggest influences?

Who first inspired you to play music?

Who is your secret star crush?

Words to live by?

You're given a magic wand. What do you do with it?

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