Bailey Jordan-Neil exploring his sound
Rotary Arts Centre hosting release party for Pasadena-born artist's two new singles
Every homecoming is special for Bailey Jordan-Neil.
The 25-year-old musician hails from Pasadena but currently resides in Toronto.
Each Christmas, however, he takes a couple weeks off to head back home and unwind.
“I love Newfoundland, I love the culture, I love my friends and family that I’ve known my whole life,” he told The West Coast Wire. “It’s just so peaceful. Some people don’t like it, it’s a slower place, not as fast paced as the city, but I need to get out there every now and then. I just need some peace and quiet and Newfoundland definitely provides that.”
This year, Jordan-Neil’s homecoming will be extra special.
The timing was perfect for a release party for his two new singles, Theft and The Truth, which will be held form 8-10 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Rotary Arts Centre in Corner Brook.
“Because I have the songs ready to release, because I’m from Newfoundland and because I have a bit more of a following there as well as all my friends and family, I really wanted to do it there,” he explained. “And I have a good relationship with the Rotary Arts Centre. I played a few shows there before, so I really wanted to do it in a nice intimate space that I’m really comfortable in.”
The new tracks are his first releases since he put out an EP in 2018.
During the show, Jordan-Neil will also be playing some of his old material and plans to introduce some new material that he’s working for an album, which he’s hoping will be out in 2024.
“It’s going to be a solid mix of obviously my new singles, my old music and then some new stuff that people haven’t heard, and I’m excited to share,” he said.
Jordan-Neil will be accompanied by his acoustic guitar and loop station to create a dense layer of sound.
His executive producer, James Dunbar, who he met through the Toronto music scene, will also join him on stage opening the show and accompanying Jordan-Neil on a few songs.
“He’s a wonderful jazz pianist,” Jordan-Neil said.
Theft and The Truth were produced by John Capek at his studio in Nashville in September and were released earlier this fall.
Both songs document personal experiences.
“Essentially, they are snapshots of a night or evening or feeling or a story,” he explained.
He says Theft is a story about a past relationship where he felt there were certain things he could have done better.
“It was just like a snapshot of that emotion of ‘I’m sorry about the way things went,’” he added.
The Truth is an “in the moment story” that he wrote just out of a relationship about a year ago.
“It was just kind of realizing I spent too much time not doing what I should have been doing,” he explained.
Jordan-Neil describes his music as folk pop.
He writes all his songs on an acoustic guitar, an instrument he started playing when he was 14.
At the time, he was inspired by the example of Ed Sheeran.
“My parents went away on a trip for like a week, and I kind of had the house to myself,” he recalled. “I just picked up my dad’s guitar and was watching videos of Ed Sheeran playing live, because he plays by himself, too, with a loop pedal. Up to that point, I thought that you had to have like blue hair and skinny jeans and play an electric guitar really well to be a musician. Then I saw him up there in a hoodie and jeans, just playing an acoustic guitar and singing songs that he wrote and I was like, 'That’s what I want to do.'”
Watching those videos on repeat, he continued practising on his father’s guitar.
In a matter of weeks or months, he was playing family parties.
Eventually, he dropped out of school and went to St. John’s, where he played gigs on George Street.
In 2018, he moved to Toronto, where he was gigging until the clubs shut down during the pandemic.
Pretty much from the time he started gigging, he was writing his own songs.
While at a Corner Brook grocery store, he recalls he bumped into local musician Sherman Downey.
He says Downey told him if he wanted to be a musician, he would need to start writing his own songs.
“So, I went home and started writing songs,” stated Jordan-Neil.
He had discovered his calling. Jordan-Neil takes inspiration from many songwriters, including Sheeran, but he wants to share a voice that is entirely his own.
“I really am just excited to work with talented musicians and work with talented producers to create awesome music,” he added. “I’m excited to explore my sound more and see what it will become.”
A website www.baileyjordanneil.com is in the process of being launched. Currently, the page says “launching soon”, but visitors can share their email to join the mailing list for all updates on Jordan-Neil.
He can also be followed on social media for updates.
Both Theft and The Truth can be heard on streaming services.