Some seek fame and fortune, but Basil Jones just wants to sing.
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by Chris Vlahonasios
In the heart of Frankfurt, Germany, 29 year-old Basil spends much of his day writing, practicing his vocals or recording a cover song. When he’s not working on music Basil loves watching films from his massive collection, especially English-language blockbusters, which helps him with his English studies at university – or so he says!
Music has always been his passion from a very young age, ‘I always had the urge to play, create and feel music’. Yet, it was not until the age of seventeen when he started to get more serious and enrolled at a private music school. After three years of exhaustive study, armed with a keyboard and an old borrowed acoustic guitar, Basil started to write his first songs.
Under the name of Aietes Music, Basil works on creating his unique sounds. He’s main influences are Pop, Electro-Pop and instrumental music, which lean heavily on beloved film soundtracks and classical music. His musical repertoire is inspired by the works of artists and bands, such as Vangelis, Muse, Ryan Adams, t.A.T.u, Stephen Warbeck, Yanni and James Horner. Armed with these influential sounds and his musical education, Basil adds his own distinct flavour plus incorporating lessons learnt from personal experience. ‘For me, experiences are the food for my creative creations… [a]n unrequited love, hurt feelings, a success, a dream, a friendship…[have] attribute to my own poetical creation’. Having written over sixty of his own songs, Basil has decided to focus on twenty songs which he considers worthy to produce. He hopes this will become a reality in the very near future.
However, Basil’s music is not only inspired by his favourite artists. His musical direction has also been greatly guided by his Faith.
My faith is very important to me as it shapes and regulates my world view. [Although] I do not incorporate my Faith directly into my music, but since music comes from the soul, it unavoidably is speaking of my love for God and His greatness [or] at least I hope so.
Although baptised a Greek Orthodox Christian, it was not until later in life that he returned to his Faith based on early childhood memories that spurred this awakening. For the first six years of his life, Basil lived with his deeply religious grandparents in Greece.
[These] experiences in the innocent years of my life left a big mark on my soul. [I]t helped me rediscover Orthodoxy two years ago, because I was always searching for this feeling of love, truth and hope, which I knew from my childhood. I finally found it in the Orthodox Church and my soul has found peace. All the glory belongs to God for guiding me back home.
With the strength of a spiritualised life, Basil has always relied on his Faith to direct and protect him when working in the music industry. When asked for his thoughts on the industry, Basil sees it very much as ‘superficial and short-lived’. Furthermore, Basil also feels the entertainment industry in general is one of competing private interests and agendas; this makes him quite uncomfortable. ‘[It’s] contrary to the very nature of music, art and everything that is true. Of course, not everything that comes out of the music industry is an insult to our souls, but most of it, is.’Yet, he does not think it is impossible to have a career in this environment. By concentrating on his music and soul, Basil believes he can still be a songwriter and maintain his values. He does have hopes to work within the industry, but not be consumed by all its soul-damaging influences.
For now, Basil is not interested in the rock-star lifestyle, he just wants to publish his music. Whether it be with a group or as a duo, he does hope to get more time on stage, but within moderation. To Basil, he knows where his priorities lie, ‘I have no desire for fame… I just want to perform and share music that both I and others love. To me, that’s bliss.’
In conclusion, after going through everything he has in both his musical and personal life, I asked Basil what piece of advice he could give for other young Orthodox musicians:
‘To be always true to their self, to preserve and protect their dignity, to believe, foster and share their talents, which are God-given, and they have a responsibility before God to use those talents to the fullest. Finally, have no fear, trust in the Lord, and live as a good servant of the Almighty.’
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OFA blog would like to thank Basil Jones for kindly giving up his time to do this interview. OFA wishes him every success in his musical career.
To listen to some of Basil’s music & join Aietes Music’s SoundCloud, click the links below:
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