In Conversation with Jackie Kalmink of The Fever Haze

The Fever Haze got its start in the early 2010s as a solo studio project by Jackie Kalmink and has been in a state of evolution ever since. Based in Grand Rapids, MI, the band—including Eric Beck, Jim Versluis, Mike Greene, and Seth Beck—has collaborated over more than a decade to release a string of albums blending loud guitars, classic pop sentiments, and earnest lyricism. We had the pleasure of speaking with the band’s founder Jackie Kalmink about music, its latest album ‘Moonbow’ and more!

Thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. For readers unfamiliar with you and your background, tell us more about the origins of the band.

My name is Jackie Kalmink. The Fever Haze started as my own project with a rotating cast of characters and started out as a more garage rock vibe around 2013. I recorded, mixed, and mastered everything I did from the start, and have pretty much done so for every release of this band since its conception. I play guitar and sing mainly in the band but often I’ll have these grandiose ideas for the full scope of the songs, parts, and production, and being the one mixing it has been as much of a pleasure for me as it has being the writer and singer. Eric Beck, Seth Beck, Mike Greene, and Jim Versluis have become permanent members since around 2015 (with the addition of Seth in 2022.) My bandmates do such a wonderful job helping get the songs to where I hear them in my head, and I’m so glad to have found a permanent group of fantastic musicians to work with often. We took a short hiatus for a few years, but came back with Apple on the Highest Branch in 2022, and now Moonbow just this year.

What drew you to a career in music and who were your inspirations? 

I’ve been drawn to music since my days as a toddler when my dad would play classic rock for me and gave me his old 8-track player. I grew up seeing concerts often and always wanted to be a part of it in some fashion. I ended up going to college for a recording arts degree and have been recording and writing music for nearly 15 years at this point. I was a marching band nerd, and my first instrument was a saxophone of all things (though I tried to learn piano when I was young, but didn’t have the patience at the time.) In college, I learned a lot about music theory and composition and also picked up keyboard instruments and drums at that time, though I’d mess around with them in my early teens to try to pick up what I could for my little 4 track recording projects in my bedroom. I also started working at a theater doing light audio and stagehand duties, and getting to work with bands and orchestras really drove into me that being involved in “the show” was somehow my destiny and I loved being a part of the process in whatever way I could. My biggest inspirations for being in a band and working with sound have been my parents and their unconditional support, my recording professors, my old theater boss, and countless bands and songwriters. A few of my favorite artists that really drove it home for me were Bruce Springsteen and The Cure. I’d love to play giant sets of 3+ hours and truly enjoy what I do.

The industry can sometimes seem vast, complicated, and competitive, particularly for young and emerging bands. What have been your main challenges as a band and how have you overcome them?

I’d say the biggest challenges we’ve had as a band are getting our music out to enough people, finding where we fit in a scene and what kind of bands are best for us to play with. In the early days we’d play with a lot of emo bands, but that never really felt like it fit us perfectly, but playing with “rock” bands never really seemed an option either. We’ve always just tried to do our own thing, and sometimes what we come up with seems to fit better into a scene than others, especially with Moonbow being so influenced by shoegaze, the resurgence is real and we’ve met so many cool bands doing cool things within the genre. I think having a label like Graveface on our team has been a huge help in overcoming the hurdles of being an emerging band. I’ve never been one for competing with other bands, but I understand how it feels to be jealous of another band getting success when you wish you could get that same opportunity. Really, just be a kind person, make friends with other musicians, promoters, and other artists, and keep going and believe in yourself. It may sound cheesy, but if you’re happy or stoked about your art, it’s likely others will be too. Don’t settle or force yourself in a box to “sell better”.

To date, what has been the most important lesson learned, and what advice would you give young musicians?

I’d say my advice to anyone wanting to do this is to keep making art that you’re satisfied with yourself, and tour as much as possible, because the people in your own city will not want to come see you every week at the same place. Keep yourself a bit scarce in your hometown to get people wanting more when you DO come to town. Touring is a great way to get your music out there, and making friends along the way is so important. Be as helpful to others as you’d want them to be to you. And lastly, remember to have fun. Remember you likely chose to do this as a career to get out of the regular world of conventional jobs. It doesn’t always pay well, but you can absolutely make it to a point where it’s feasible. Just don’t burn yourself out with concerns of the numbers so much. It is important but it can’t be the be-all end-all focus. Get out there and remember to enjoy what you do!! You’re so lucky!

To date, what has been your most memorable performance, and why?

This may be different for everyone in the band, but a couple that stand out to me are the release shows for “Apple” and “Moonbow”, both put on by the lovely folks at Free Space Shows in Michigan. Both of those nights were so fun and celebratory and meant a lot to me. It was also the first time my partner got to see my band as we were long distance at the time of “Apple” and then the Moonbow show was just so cool because they got to see us play the songs from Moonbow, a lot of the songs are inspired by or about them.

You’ve produced four previous albums, with the last’ An Apple on the Highest Branch’ drawing more on folk and dream pop influences. Please tell us about your latest album ‘Moonbow’ and what listeners can expect.

Moonbow is kind of an ode to original shoegaze and the bands that came before shoegaze was a thing. It’s still very dream-poppy, but much more heavy and with a lot less folk influence. Lots of lush 80s soundscapes and tones, with a nod to bands like Cocteau Twins, The Cure, and Slowdive.

What other projects are in the pipeline?

I’m currently working on wrapping up a music video for the song “Tender Little Sunshine” from Moonbow, it’s been a labor of love, and I’ve been working to learn Blender and 3D modeling and animation to make a surreal video that feels like an early 90s B movie with that kind of feeling of uncanniness. Beyond that, we’re looking to tour more this year and next, but haven’t yet started on the next record. Hopefully sometime soon!

Where can our readers find out more about you? 

Our main feed is definitely instagram, where you can find us @thefeverhaze. We also use that same name for Twitter and Facebook, and you can find our music on streaming services as well as bandcamp at http://thefeverhaze.bandcamp.com