Ochs rocks; Hoboken musician does it all

Meredith Ochs, the lead singer, song writer and guitar player of Hoboken’s twangy roots-rock-pop band Candy Jones, does not wait tables or sell used records. She does not mix drinks or flip burgers. Unlike most struggling musicians, her day job is a dream job. The Hoboken resident is the rock and pop editor of Sonicnet.com, MTV’s recently acquired web site. I met with Ochs last week at Sonicnet’s loft space on Park Avenue South in Manhattan. Following a brief peek at the company’s web site (replete with late-breaking news, music videos and interviews) and a tour of the actual site (replete with dozens of scrumptious scruffy men hunched over colorful iMacs arranging the late-breaking news, music videos and interviews onto the web site) we settled into Sonicnet’s circular conference room. I quickly gleaned Ochs’ background – she grew up in Westchester, N.Y.; studied political science and history at the University of Massachusetts; and moved to Hoboken in 1993 – and then I asked the dreaded question: Would you give all of this up if you could support yourself playing music? “I knew you were going to ask me that,” Ochs said with a nervous smile, suggesting she is probably more comfortable on the other side of the interview. “It’s a dream to be a songwriter and make money at it, but I think I would miss working here. I’m not saying I wouldn’t scrap it all, but I’ve always been an obsessive record collector and I’ve always enjoyed writing.” Ochs began playing music when she was in her single digits – “I begged my parents for piano lessons and they bought me a guitar.” After performing bass and guitar in a series of unsatisfying bands, Ochs recently hooked up with fellow Hudson Countyites Rob Crow, Pat Walsh and Lawrence Ochs – the slide guitar, lap steel, mandolin player is also her husband – and revived her former band, Candy Jones. “People will tell you, ‘Never join a band with a married couple,'” she said. “But it hasn’t been an issue with us because we like each other, both inside and outside of the band.” Endowed with copious chocolate brown curls and ruddy freckled cheeks, Ochs spoke with the eloquence of an editor, until I asked the second dreaded question: What bands currently inspire you? “When I interview musicians, I always ask this question,” she said, twirling her tendrils. “But now it’s hard for me to think of something.” After several seconds of silence, she removed her hands from her hair. “The Jayhawks,” she said. “And The Schramms. I love The Schramms. They’re also from Hoboken. And Steve Earle, and Shelby Lynn, and The Glands and Sun Volt. by Sun Volt is one of my top 10 desert island perfect albums. His lyrics are beautifully obtuse but still emotional. The album has bluesy feel and his voice is incredibly soulful.” Unfortunately, my “What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?” question didn’t incite the same enthusiasm. “Guilty pleasures are relative,” she said, hands back in hair. “A lot of people listen to N’Sync. I don’t. But if I did, that would be a guilty pleasure to me.” After I shared my love of Gordon Lightfoot’s lite FM classic “Sundown,” Ochs begrudgingly conceded that she too likes “Sundown,” although she prefers the hipper rendition recently recorded by alternative artist Elwood. But her real guilty pleasure is to occasionally indulge in “crappy” TV, like the late night dating-show Change of Heart. “I listen to an ungodly amount of music,” she said. “Being really analytical about music all day long helps songwriting. It makes you focus on what you want to say, and you learn a lot about strong structure. But it can also be overwhelming. Sometimes I need to just do something stupid, like watch TV.” Recently, however, Ochs has not had much time for television. Not only does she work more than 40 hours a week at Sonicnet, but she also writes on a freelance basis for prestigious publications and hosts her own radio show on 91.1 WFMU on Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m. “The radio show is so much fun,” she said. “I get to vent for two hours a week. That’s more than most people get. And I’m saving money on therapy. But the most important thing is getting music that I feel really passionate about out to listeners.” Ochs’ vast and varied experience, however, has not allayed her performance anxiety. Without missing a beat, her hair hand free, she tackled my final question: Do you still get nervous performing? “Yes!” she said. “As a bass player, it was easier. I wasn’t singing my ideas and emotions. With singing and songwriting, you’re revealing you innermost thoughts and feelings to a crowd of drunken people. It’s horrifying.” Candy Jones will be performing with Violet Truth at the Liquid Lounge (936 Park Ave., Hoboken) on Friday, May 26 at 9 p.m. For more information call 420-7989.