Interview No. 18
Interview By: @The-Great-One
Today's guest is a wonderful artist that can be heard through the Newgrounds Audio Portal. He has made enchanting songs such as The Picture Player, Farmland (True), as well as The Elder Scrolls. He is at works in making his own company Boutista Entertainment. He is none other than Jon Babb a.k.a. @Bosa.
Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?
A: I first joined Newgrounds back in 2004. I believe I found the website after seeing the tank logo on a flash game called 'Ghost Motel.' After visiting the site and falling in love with the amount of interactivity and user submitted content, I signed up.
Q: Your first submission to the Audio Portal would be Patch_Bell. What was the process in creating this song and looking back are you still proud of it?
A: Patch_Bell needed only two things: an audio mixer and a violinist. Well, I happened to have them both. It was actually one of my first steps into music, so I am definitely proud of it in that sense. However outdated, I still cannot forget where I have come from through the years.
Q: One song by you that one of my personal favorites is entitled Rain Song - A New Time. The use of rain and the simple acoustic guitar. Is there more to be said about this song or is everything that can be said already said within the song?
A: I remember how difficult that track was to make and how many times I wanted to just give up and move on to something else, but I'm glad I didn't. I remember looking out my window and seeing the rain pour down, adding a calm mist to the mountains. It made me fell very nostalgic for some reason, so I just used that feeling in my music - Rain Song.
Q: Speaking of favorites one song of yours that you claim to be one of your personal favorites is the song entitled The 3 Tissues. If it's one of your own favorites then there is probably a story behind it.
A: Ha! Indeed it is, as this was my first look into fantasy/classical type music. After submitting more and more miscellaneous and dance-type beats, I suddenly drew interest in a more classical approach. The 3 Tissues was something I had never made before (at the time) and you might go so far to say that it opened the door to the future of my music; what you are hearing today.
Q: Going through practically every single one of your songs is no easy feat. However after going through all of them one of the oddest songs, but still quite good is one entitled The Picture Player. Where did this somber idea come from Mr. Babb?
A: Oh boy, that was more on my creative side. I think this was the first song that I made with a story behind it, something that would actually be playing during a movie. The idea for the Picture Player came out of nowhere, consequently, and it's pretty much an example of my random imagination. The song was freestyle and I would just add whatever came to my mind until I thought of an ending.
Q: We now come to an interesting story told through music. The first submission in this tale would be Farmland, the second would be entitled Homeward Bound, after this you would go back and work more on the original Farmland to make Farmland (True) and where it would end would be with She's Left the Farm. I have reviewed just about all of these and I've sort of gotten some impression of what each song means, but perhaps the glass wasn't filled all the way. In other words what can you tell us about each of these songs and do they connect in a linear way or in an awkward way?
A: There's a personal story behind these songs. They do in fact connect starting with Farmland and ending with She's Left the Farm. It's a little too personal for me to share on here, but I can say that it was a love story - something Nicholas Sparks would write a novel about. People on Newgrounds don't always realize it in my music (as only few people do), but a lot of my songs are written based on my own life. I'm not saying my life is filled with drama and it should be on HBO, but I get my inspiration from real life experiences. Farmland was based off my life here in Tennessee, and it represented the daily toil and work. Homeward Bound represented a turn of events in my life that caused me to travel - it was a song about being homesick. She's Left the Farm represented a woman I once knew, and I'll leave it at that.
Q: I am quite lucky to get to ask this. Your latest song is entitled The Love of Marion. This is a collaboration song by you and our very own Hania. I interviewed Hania and her husband James Lee in the past and they are talented people. How did it come to be that you collaborated with Hania and how did it feel in doing so? Also what do the lyrics mean?
A: Working with Hania Lee was quite an experience, and it was a privilege to be able to use her voice in my music. When I contacted her about the song, as I've been wanting to work with her for quite some time, she agreed to collaborate right away. I felt that her voice had a very gentle and reflective feeling to it, so I wanted to see exactly what she was capable of. I ended up being quite surprised and impressed. I don't know what the lyrics mean, as I didn't write them. Hania Lee was in charge of that department, so she would know.
Q: What tools and processes do you take in writing music?
A: I usually use Sibelius to write all my music. I then use East West Quantum Leap products to perform my scores. I've sometimes had the honor to use a live orchestra, and I try my best to use live instruments as much as I can in my music. East West's new PLAY Plug-ins work wonders in music production, and I'm well served with the amount of musical magic at my fingertips.
Q: What is Boutista Entertainment and what is The Quest of Eve?
A: Boutista Entertainment is a newborn entertainment and artistic team devoted to flash, music, art, and anything else in the category of creativity. Quest of Eve is our first project, being a flash adventure game set with some RPG elements and settings. The game will be split into two parts, and it will feature the famous "Be who you want, play as you want" method of gaming.
Q: What can we expect from Bosa in the near future?
A: More music, of course. You will definitely see more collaborated submissions between me and Hania, as she's already drawn further interest in working with me. When Boutista finally kicks off, you can expect a new term for creativity. But as always, I'll continue submitting to Newgrounds as long as people don't grow tired of me.
Bosa is a gift to us all. He makes splendid music, and one can only hope that the music never stops. It is in my opinion that many people can learn about music from Bosa. I can only hope that others will look at his works and know what creativity truly is.