Rice brings nature-influenced rock to Jesse Auditorium
Jonathan Rice, a wannabe "sharkologist" turned rocker, will open for Rilo Kiley.
Published Sept. 11, 2007
Folkie Johnathan Rice will be making a stop at Jesse Hall tomorrow as an opener to get the crowd revved up for Rilo Kiley.
Although Rice has lived just as much of his life in Virginia as in Scotland, he still has a nice, Scottish accent that accentuates his easy-going and down-to-earth demeanor. That is nice to find, especially considering he has an impressive list of accomplishments already under his belt.
For starters, he left Scotland for New York City to hone his musical chops when he was only 18. Lucky for him, his parents were supportive of his decision.
"They had put up with the noise in the basement for a while, so they were quietly relieved when I left," Rice said.
Rice didn't always want to be a singer, though. He used to want to take a career path less traveled.
"I used to want to be a sharkologist, but there is no such position," he said. "So that's when I decided to become a singer."
Rice uses an infatuation with nature to help create his songs.
Plants and animals inspire him just as much as other musicians do.
Because he loves the environment and hates being bored, a common time-killer while he is on tour is watching the BBC series "Planet Earth."
"I'm willing to bet that it's the greatest achievement in TV history," he said. "It's interesting to see what animals the world had but doesn't have anymore. We'll be lucky if we have any cats and dogs in 25 years."
Although Rice has only one other album, 2005's Trouble Is Real, his songs are still receiving plenty of attention in the world of teen dramas. Old powerhouses "The O.C," and "Smallville" have both featured his songs.
"I've never seen any of those TV shows, but my little sister was excited about it," he said.
Rice tested his own acting skills in the Oscar-winning movie "Walk the Line," playing '60s legend Roy Orbison.
"Make sure you don't blink or you'll miss me," he said, and laughed about his small part. "I don't look like that anymore, either. Now I'm going for the Jesus look: long hair, 'cause I don't care."
Rice said he plans on his movie role being a one-time thing.
"I don't imagine I'll do movies too much," he said.
Rice does like to be on stage, and he said each performance evokes a different feeling.
"Some nights it'll go great, and other times, they'll scratch my heart in two," he said.
Celebration is in order when a performance goes well, and perhaps, drowning sorrows with a pint is the solution if it all goes poorly.
The music industry is often portrayed as one big party. Sometimes that's true and sometimes not, Rice said.
"I go to the clubs, yeah, but I could take it or leave it," he said. "Some days you feel like a pirate and other days you feel like a party clown."
For Rice, it's important to have a balance in life.
"It's important not to spend too many days as any one thing," he said.
Rice's second album, Further North, comes out today.