Jose Gonzalez substitutes songs for science
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2006
Before 2003, Jose Gonzalez focused his attention on scholastic endeavors, content to study microorganisms and the building blocks of life. After 2003 and the release of his debut, full-length album “Veneer,” in his homeland of Sweden, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter now tours the world spreading the gospel of his meditative style of acoustic music.
“It was a really big change when I released the album,” said Gonzalez from his hotel room in London, where he's currently on tour with Zero 7. “I went from studying biochemistry to just doing shows and living from the music.”
Going from biochemist to musician isn't a huge stretch, considering Gonzalez's thoughtful songwriting.
“I was really into being a biochemist,” recalled Gonzalez. “When I started doing music in my teenage years, I had hopes of living as a musician, and I saw that as my future. But then I got into studying, and I always had music as a hobby. I went out on really small tours with different bands, but never thinking that would be my main thing. It seemed like I had forgotten that I really wanted to do music once upon a time.”
With his simple, tranquil songs, Gonzalez is quietly rejuvenating the art of quiet music. His parents fled their native Argentina, settling in Sweden and giving birth to Jose in 1978. Gonzalez's father instilled in his son his love of bossa nova and flamenco music. Jose integrated the nylon string guitar into his music, at times flashing complex jazz chords (bossa nova) and other times emphasizing the instrument's natural percussive qualities (flamenco).
With his Argentine heritage and Swedish background, Gonzalez speaks both Spanish and Swedish fluently. Instead of singing in his comfort zone, the young musician decided he would sing in English, his third language.
“In a way, it's really common for Swedish bands to (sing in English),” said Gonzalez, in his not-quite-Swedish, not-quite-Latino accent. “Most of the bands we hear on the radio are English. I think if I had to choose another language to sing in, I would choose Spanish over Swedish just because of the sound of it.”
Gonzalez released “Veneer” in Sweden (2003), and later throughout Europe (2005), gaining critical acclaim and popularity. The album wasn't released in the U.S. until 2005, but it has reached larger audiences through exposure on “The O.C.” and other taste-making outlets.
“I was taken by surprise about how well-received it was,” he said. “As soon as I put out the album, I got a lot of airplay on radio and television.”
His success with “Veneer” led Gonzalez to Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, otherwise known as the British soulful down-tempo duo Zero 7. The acoustic guitar player and singer performed on four songs on Hardaker and Binn's latest release “The Garden,” including a cover of Gonzalez's song “Crosses,” which first appeared on “Veneer.”
“(Zero 7) contacted me, and they played a little bit of their new material,” said Gonzalez, who plays a show with the duo at the House of Blues Saturday and then returns solo for an Oct. 4 show at the Casbah in Middletown. “I really liked them as people, and I thought they had cool ideas. I thought it was interesting to jump into something completely different and see how other people work.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Jose Gonzalez's album “Veneer” by logging on to http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/288996.
