A CONVERSATION WITH... DOOM CANNON
Before heading to SXSW 2023, we chatted with Doom Cannon, a jazz musician bursting out onto the London scene. He told us about his journey to SXSW, his love for community, and his influences on his music.
picture of Doom Cannon (credit: Doom Cannon on Instagram)
WHEN DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC?
At quite a young age. Actually, no, that's a lie! I've always loved music, and so has my family. My dad has a whole array of records from Marvin Gaye to Herbie Hancock and Bikini Faso, and a bunch from country music artists. But when I was 17, I really started to study jazz and understand the intricacies of it all, and that's when I was really like, oh, damn. Music is pretty damn incredible. And now, I have the worst work-life balance sometimes because I love it so much, I don't even realise it's work. And it wasn't until I met my partner that I realised I focus on it too much. But from 18 until now, I also realised how much I enjoy just listening to music and appreciating all the micro-practices involved with music.
So, in and outside of music, how would you describe yourself? So not only as Doom Cannon but as Dominic, too.
Without sounding like I've got a massive ego, I'm probably too self-aware. Hopefully, this makes sense, but I'm like a show like Blackish or Married with Kids. There's a deep message behind it, but you sometimes forget it within the laughing and joking, and you don't even realize that you've ingested that deep meaning. That's how I’d like to perceive myself, because when I'm with my friends, I'm playful. But when I'm with my music, there comes the meaning behind it and it's very intense. My friends and my family would say, I love food. I love finding recipes online and seeing how I can make them vegan.
Why do you create music and continue to perform? Like, what keeps you going?
The joy that music brings me, regardless if I've played a song one time or one thousand times. Playing music with your friends is such a communal activity. And even if you're playing solo, there's an aspect of you giving something to people. And it's giving me a path to myself to speak my truth. I want to tell a story of many different things but put it in a way that it's digestible.
That's a beautiful answer. So it's digestible, and you've said before that your music is accessible. What does that mean to you?
Sometimes people see me as just a jazz artist, and people just assume what they'd hear. But anyone who appreciates music can just have a quick listen and get lost in the music. You know when you don't realise you're processing your feelings in a song because of how much it resonates with you? I'd like to think that's what accessible means. People have come up to me and said they get lost in a song every time I play it. I love when people at shows have fun, and you can see it in their faces after. I really just want to keep bringing people into my world to get lost because they love the lyrics, the vibe, and the instrumental.
That's exactly what happened to me when I was listening to your music. So how would you say that your experiences shaped that accessibility and your music in general?
I know it sounds cheesy, but first, I am a person. I'm a human. We all have these traits and we all have these experiences we go through. I don't think about the different experiences different people have, I really just focus on "What's this song telling me?" And then I link that to something about my life. And my life is the life of a young Black man, whoever that is, being followed around the shop because I haven't bought anything, or because someone's crossed the road because I look a bit shady. My music is a reflection of my experiences. So without realising it, it just happens. So, going forward, I obviously would want to expand on different things. Not to say that me being a young Black man is finished and passed now, but there is more to the story. I am a young Black man, but also I'm a man who has feelings, and struggles with different problems as well. That's what I explored in Renaissance, and I'll continue to explore in the next few records.
who would you say that you create music for?
For Renaissance, it's to cast away the shadow of the feelings of a young Black man. But going forward with the new stuff, it's more about being open with myself so people can be open with each other. It's about making sure that people understand that it's okay not to be okay. And you can feel great and love yourself and that's absolutely fine. There's like two sorts of ways it can go. If you listen to the album, you'll get one. If you come to the live show, you get another, and they kind of go hand in hand.
Wow, I love that. So speaking of live shows, SXSW. What was your experience finding out that you're going to SXSW?
I was meant to go twice already: once with Celeste but they asked me a week before, and once the year of the pandemic started so that obviously didn't happen. So when Jazz Re:fresh asked me to go, I didn't believe it at first. I didn't start to believe it until last week. But stuff like this is making it feel more real. Whether it's to three people or a full crowd, I'm just excited to go out and play and meet so many people. I've never been to the US so it's gonna be exciting to explore, too. Bringing new twists to old songs and showing off new songs to a whole new country is surreal.
What's a surreal moment of joy you want to share but hardly get to?
My headline show. It was such a good mixture of my family, friends, and supporters and it was just beautiful. There was one point where I actually almost cried, but I'm an ugly crier so I just got really teary-eyed. And it just felt great to be seen by those people, you know? It actually felt great to be seen.