interviewtion

[interviewtion]

Slumbers Interviewtion

Slumbers is a dream-pop band originally from the Rochester, NY area. The band is made up of Claire McClusky, Sabrina Nichols, and Emma Willer. They craft super catchy songs about relatable - and sometimes dark - themes. In this interview they talk about writing together despite the long-distance relationship of the band, touring throughout American and Europe in support of their album, and recording their next collection of songs.��

Q: You just recently finished up a pretty extensive tour, so what was it like for you to get to play your music for people all over America and other countries as well?

A: It was great to meet new people who like and have been listening to our songs. People were very supportive and it was inspiring, you know. It was nice to see that there are spaces and groups that make fun shows happen pretty much everywhere. Even in tiny towns people would turn out and maybe know one person playing or who put things together, but they are down for anything. It just was nice and kinda surreal to feel so welcomed and appreciated.

Q: What was the most interesting experience you all had while on this recent tour?

A: Probably that someone got our album art tattooed after hearing us play for the first time.

In Toronto we played a really fun show with this awesome band called Quaker Parents. It was in the basement of a big venue, and upstairs one of our favorite bands, Bellows was playing. It was weird and funny because you could hear their show well from the bathroom. Anyways there was this group of kids that came and were very excited to see Boyscott. Then the next day, one of these people messaged us asking if we’d mind if they got a tattoo of our album artwork. They did it and we shared it on our insta if you wanna check it out. So wild and we are very honored.

Q: It’s been over a year since Come Over was released, so what has it been like to hear the reactions people have had to those songs, especially since they’re so personal?

A: We are happy to hear people relate to our songs. Makes us not feel like weirdos and a little less lonely. It is weird to hear reactions from people we know and have known for a while now but we are getting over that. We are lucky that this many people have heard our songs too, it’s crazy that anyone listens to us when there is so so much music in the world, but we are really happy people do.

Q: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that your songs usually start with one of you making a demo then sending it to your bandmates to help flesh it out. Do you find it hard to collaborate with each other when you’re physically separated, or do you like the process of working digitally to lay the groundwork for new songs?

A: Sometimes it is easier to see how a song is forming when we work digitally, it also gives each of us space and time to think about it and learn it a little bit better. However there are times when we are all together practicing and we throw out ideas and they work on the spot too. We like to think we are all very similar, but maybe we have just all known each other for a while. Either way, we can normally trust each other to lay down cool parts for song ideas that come from such personal parts of us. It’s not too hard to collaborate when we are physically separated because we are very open with each other and communicate frequently through messages, demos, video calls, and documents and stuff.

Q: Do you ever write lyrics for songs and then end up backpedaling on them? As in, do you ever write something that might be a little too personal and uncomfortable to share, or do you try to be as honest as possible no matter what?

A: I think we all change lyrics at times, especially since we tend to write very personal things about specific feelings we’re having. Although sometimes we leave those things in because we like to be honest and we have been finding that people really relate to lyrics that are honest and deep. Sometimes we aren’t ready to share that much though.

Q: On first listen, your songs sound like happy pop-rock songs with sweet melodies, as long as you don’t pay attention to the lyrics. There’s a contrast of music that sounds happy-ish and lyrics that deal with some dark themes. Was this an intentional decision or does it just come naturally in the way you all write?

A: I think it sort of comes naturally. We all have gone through some rough patches, being in college can be tough at times and even though our lyrics can be dark, we write happier melodies with them because sadness is only temporary and you need those dark times to enjoy the good ones. Happy melodies definitely help distract you from sad feelings too. A lot of times when we go to play music and write something it is to try to feel better about something we are going through.

Q: What was the process of recording Come Over like?

A: It was very very fun but also stressful. We recorded it in Nashville, where Emma goes to school. Scott Hermo, of the band Boyscott, recorded it all and mixed it all. We recorded in his house (which is actually Emma’s house now, because of a turn in power after a long and tiresome war, a war that tore the community apart, but ultimately was beneficial for the entire state) and did 7 songs over 4 days. The songs were written already and we had been performing them for a while so it was easy for us to get through them, although it was the first time we’d ever recorded so it was definitely a learning experience. It was a hot week in August and we sweat a lot and splashed in rain puddles.

Q: Do you have plans to record some new songs soon? What’s in store for the future of Slumbers?

A: YES! We are planning on releasing a full length album in spring/early summer of 2018. We’ve already recorded 8 songs over this past August but plan to record some more over winter break. We’re recording again with Scott Hermo (very lucky he is helping us). We’re really excited about this album because it features some songs that were written quite a while ago, and some songs that are actually still in the process of being written. We’ve also become more creative in the recording process and it’s been very fun. Since we’re all finishing up college this year it might be tough to play shows until we’re out of school, but once we are, we’re hoping to keep touring and spreading our music.

Be sure to follow the Slumbers hive-mind over on Twitter and like them on Facebook! 

[interviewtion]

Alex Napping Interviewtion

Alex Cohen is the mastermind behind the dream-pop band Alex Napping. Their latest album, Mise En Place, is one of the best albums that’s been released so far this year. In this interview we talk about her love of music videos, the collaborative writing process in the band, and her dreams of writing a YA sci-fi novel.

Q: One of my favorite aspects of your music is your lyrics. How do you usually go about writing your lyrics? Is it a very intentional process where you say, “I’m going to sit down and write a song now,” or do you have a journal that you draw from when you’re feeling musically inspired?

A: It’s a process that is always evolving and changing for me! I would say, for the songs on this record, the lyrics came as I wrote the music and accompanying melodies. All of the songs were very reactionary to things that were happening in my life at that point in time and I wasn’t really drawing from any past experiences, but rather responding to my current state of mind. But, that’s not really the case with the ‘Trembles’ singles or the record I’m currently working on. Q: You just returned from an extensive tour and you’re setting out on another tour in a few weeks. What has it been like for you to play this new batch of songs from “Mise En Place” for audiences all over the country? A: Touring is super fun and very exhausting and so many other things all at once. It’s been partially strange to be touring off of songs that were written as early as 2014 and recorded in early 2016 and that have been part of our live repertoire for a while now, especially since we have a ton of new material we’re working on, but it’s obviously fresh for pretty much everyone else, so that helps to keep it fresh for us too. We also did finally get to add a live version of 'Wife and Kidz' to our set in May which has been fun to perform and one of my favorite moments in our set right now.

Q: It seems like on this album the songwriting was a highly collaborative process, so did you have any trouble arranging these songs for your live sets? Was it something that you had in mind while you were in the studio to make sure you would be able to recreate the songs live?

A: The album was about half and half in terms of things that we had been performing before recording and vice versa. It was challenging, but both fun and rewarding to figure out how to perform songs live once we’d finish making the record. In those instances, a lot of pieces may not be present, but I almost prefer for live performances and recordings to be completely difference experiences from one another. I also don’t like to limit us in the studio by being concerned with how we’re going to figure out the live version. I feel that we’re an innovative and adaptable group and we will end up figuring something out that not only works, but is different from the recording in a special way.

Q: You recently released a music video for “Fault,” which is one of my favorite songs of the year. You wrote and produced the video, so was it a challenge for you to put visuals to such an emotionally intense song? A: Thank you so much!! Making music videos is one of my favorite auxiliary aspects of being a musician. I think in another life I would be a filmmaker. Coming up with the idea was actually a very natural process for me and I knew early on that I wanted to parallel the guilt and blame over the crumbling of a romantic relationship (what the song is about) with the guilt and blame experienced with having an eating disorder (what the video is about). The original concept was something that was pretty different than what we ended up with (due to things like budget limitations, etc), but the same emotional thread was always present and even as the loose “plot” adapted and evolved, I always knew the feelings I was hoping to move people through as they watched the video. Having Eleanor Petry, the director, on board helped streamline that process even more because she was spot on in interpreting all of my ideas visually and just generally did an amazing job bringing my vision to life.

Q: What was it like working with Father/Daughter Records to release Mise En Place? A: Working with Father/Daughter was amazing! Jessi, who runs the label with her dad (hence the name!), is one of the hardest working people in the music industry right now and she cares so much about her bands and her projects and their interests, which is extremely refreshing and rare.

Q: According to your bandcamp, Trembles Part I and Part II are based on a short story you wrote. Have you ever published your stories or have you only put your lyrics out into the world? A: I haven’t published anything! In college, I used to make a zine filled with poems I wrote, but that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to publishing anything. There’s going to be a big storytelling component of the next record and I’m working through what that’s going to look like when it’s released and if there are going to be any companion pieces. I also have big dreams to one day write a YA sci-fi novel. Q: What’s in store for the future of Alex Napping? Does the new record you’re working on build off of the sounds and style found on Mise En Place and your earlier material, or would you say as of right now that it’s taking a bit of a different direction?

A: I’ve been working on writing and arranging the next record for the last year now and we’ll be recording that in December/January. I think there are aspects of Mise En Place that it is derivative of, but it will sound completely different. I’ve spent the last couple of years developing my abilities as an arranger and producer (mostly through another project of mine) and that has inherently bled its way into this next record. Be sure to follow Alex Napping on Twitter and give them a like on Facebook! 

[interviewtion]

Niku Gutfuck Interviewtion

In this interview I talked to Texas-based musician Niku Gutfuck about the role of ambient music as a healing tool, the inspirations for their new EP, and the process of focusing on addressing mental health.  Q: You’re extremely honest and outspoken about your struggles with mental health. How have those struggles informed and inspired the music you make, especially on this new EP?

A: I've had these issues for a long time but never bothered to talk about them. I never really knew how to. That said, I didn't know how to make art about them either. I didn't even know I had bipolar disorder or OCD until I was diagnosed this year. It all made sense after I was diagnosed, but finding out I just...gave up. I stopped caring. I skipped class, I never went outside, I avoided other people. I just kinda existed. 

Relating this to the EP, someone very dear to me who had been a very big part of my life for about two years tried desperately to help me. They tried their best, but the issue is I didn't. I instead, pulled the stupid pity party card multiple times and found myself being like "well, this is just life. Whatever," rather than growing the fuck up and taking the initiative to make things in my life better. Suffering took zero effort. That's why I decided to just be miserable. Eventually, these issues of mine took control. 

I said things I didn't mean and acted in ways I never thought I would, all to this person that has always been there for me. I hurt them badly. We ended up going our separate ways. I didn't realize how much their company meant to me and how much I had taken them for granted until they were gone. It was too late. I grew the fuck up too late. I did everything too late. 

I found myself remembering that this person always told me that I was one of the few people who truly cared about them. That I was always there for them. That I was very important to them. And in return I gave them a big "fuck you" without even realizing it because I was so clouded by my own self loathing and selfishness. It fucked me up. I considered this person family, and honestly still do. But because of me they are gone. It pains me more than I could ever explain. 

This EP is about that. It's about me grieving over losing this person. How much I miss them. How sorry I am. How I decided to start self harming because I couldn't live with myself. How I became even more of a shut in because of my actions. And finally, realizing that I need to change. 

It's entirely ambient because I feel like droney ambient music is best at giving off intended emotions. Ambient music is very personal, I feel like lots of people don't realize that. The message behind the EP is "look into yourself, see if your problems are becoming you, and change it before it comes at a price that you would have no choice to pay." 

I don't want my listeners to be like me, I want them to learn from me. I don't see myself as a role model. I see myself  as a colossal fuck up that's trying to change their ways and NOT be a colossal fuck up. I care so much about all of my supporters and their well being. To be honest, I want to make that person proud despite everything. I hope I am. Take your mental health seriously. You don't want to find comfort in your problems. That's a path that leads to a very dark place.

Q: In your essay on your latest release you talk a little bit about Tamakichi Anaru, so how has his visual work inspired your own music? A: Snuff films used to really interest me in the sense that I never really got what motivated people to do such acts. Anaru-san's work is very very violent and, to be blunt, fucked up in nature ranging from the most heinous acts of violence to straight up gore porn. I find Anaru-san's work to be in a sense some of the most human shit. To explain, we're fucked up. 

I have a writer friend named Noah, who once told me that he believes that humans are naturally born evil. Though it isn't as black and white as that, there is some truth to the statement. The human race in general is just fucked up. We spread the message of loving each other through media outlets or to strangers passing by, yet we hurt each other every single day. Slavery, genocide, war, oppression, even things that are on a smaller scale like bullying. This is the shit we do to each other. We make each other miserable. 

I feel like, in a way, Anaru-san's work is a manifestation of that. It's fucked up, and in no way do I condone any of it, but at the end of the day all of us have the potential to be fucked up. Some people just choose to hide it behind a mask. Q: What made you end the Midori Kida project in order to start releasing music as Niku Gutfuck? A: Niku Gutfuck started last year, actually. I was releasing very violent harsh noise music, it was straight up a wall of power electronics. The project initially was started because of my experiences with anger issues and obsessive compulsive disorder. 

It was meant to portray a feeling of anger. As a society, we look down upon anger. Anger is painted in a negative light all the time, people with bad anger issues are often demonized, and looked at as violent people that just want to inflict pain on others. For the longest time, I shamed myself for it because of that. I believe that we shouldn't be judged for our emotions, but for our actions. Anger is human. We tend to think of humanity as whatever the media portrays humanity as. That feeling of being an outcast due to my issues was initially what inspired Niku Gutfuck. 

Midori Kida, however, wasn't at all as deep as that, nor do I think it ever could have been. I was catering. It was me not being myself. It felt like I was making music under someone else’s project. That's a very harmful way to look at doing something you like to do, but it's the truth. I didn't realize just how personal Niku Gutfuck was until very recently, so I decided to keep the name and take the project to new places, while still keeping the themes that were personally significant to me.

Q: How did you choose the name Niku Gutfuck for this project? Are you worried at all that a name like that might turn some people away from listening to the music? A: Originally I just picked it because it sounded violent and angry enough for the context of the music, but after I got tired and upset with Midori Kida, I realized I had some personal connections to it. Like I said, Anaru-san's films depict the ugly fucked up side of humans that we like to pretend doesn't exist. Well, one has to be ridiculously fucked in the head to commit such heinous acts of violence upon another person. To me, it's giving in to your mental health problems. Letting them take control and change you. You're no longer yourself, you're your problems wearing your skin and passing off as you. It makes you harm people, break others, destroy them because your mental health problems grabbed you by the collar and you didn't have the willpower to force them to put you down. Just like I did to my best friend. 

Like I said before, I want to make music so people learn from my mistakes, I don't want people to be like me, I want people to LEARN from me. Mental health problems can be fixed with time, willpower, and effort. It takes courage. Something I lacked. And in turn I hurt someone who was very important to me. Niku Gutfuck is supposed to symbolize that. Not even being yourself anymore. Becoming a costume that your paranoia wears to look like you. 

I was worried about the name at first, and in a way I still am, but the more I thought about the personal aspects the more I felt like I had to. I'm so obsessed with people being happy honestly. Happiness is the best thing in the world in my opinion. Just seeing someone, anyone, happy makes me emotional and happy too. But while that's something I wanna do with my art, at the end of the day I need to do this for myself too. I do this for other people, but I also do it for me. Art is the only method of self expression that I have. I want to make things for people who need it, but how can I expect my art to help others if it can't even help me first?

Q: What is the appeal of ambient music for you? A: My friend Warren (he makes music as Foxes in Fiction) once described ambient music as "audio xanax". I think that's very accurate. To me, ambient music is the epitome of emotion. A lot of ambient and drone-y experimental music doesn't have a ton going on, and I normally see that as a common complaint with the genre. I, however, think that is fine. There is this science where certain frequencies and tones can make people feel certain emotions. Music can be healing. That inspires me a lot. 

Ambient music is a genre I always find myself going back to, especially when things start to become overbearing. You don't have to worry about any drastic changes, it's pretty much just music to remember things to. I enjoy that. I'm a very sentimental and sensitive person, so I remember things in my life a lot. Good and bad. Ambient music tends to be my soundtrack for that.

Q: Who are some of your personal favorite ambient/drone/noise artists? Do you have three albums in those genres you would recommend to people who aren’t familiar with them? A: An artist that has always been there for me is Yuko Imada. In fact, Yuko Imada's "Untitled (Moon)" was pretty much 99% of the inspiration for Everything is Gone. On Seeing has been my favorite song for years, I listen to it when insomnia keeps me up. I Am A Lake of Burning Orchids has also inspired me a ton as well. I also can't go without mentioning Watashi no Koko and Apollo Knives. Since I have quite a few influences for this album, I decided to give five recommendations instead of three, simply because there are a lot I recommend. Yuko Imada - Untitled (Moon) I Am A Lake of Burning Orchids - Summer in My Veins Apollo Knives - The Harshest Winter Watashi no Koko - まごころを君に Nobuto Suda - Modest Calm I also want to point out that the Yume Nikki and .flow soundtracks are fucking fantastic. They inspire me a lot, both of those games are so dear to me.

I really wanna talk about some of the other artists that inspire the album I am working on. Not ambient artists, but I really feel like I should point them out because of how much they all mean to me. 

One of my biggest influences is Halsey. She's honestly one of my favorite artists of all time. Her music is so important to me and she's somebody I really really look up to and view as a hero. Her lyrics hit very very close to home to me, I relate so much to them. Reading interviews with her and seeing that she also deals with bipolar disorder makes me feel like I'm not alone. I usually feel like I'm an outcast because of my BPD. Like I shouldn't have anybody close to me and I should remain in solitude cause I'll just end up hurting them by accident. She showed me that my mental health doesn't have to define me. She influences me in so many different ways, in my opinion all of her music is perfect. I honestly can't stress enough how vital Halsey is to me and how much I look up to her haha. 

I feel the exact same way about Meishi Smile. Meishi Smile has been one of my favorite music projects for so so long. The amount of raw emotion in the music is so breathtakingly beautiful to me, I've viewed Garrett Yim as a hero since I was a Junior in high school. I've always been obsessed with his countless projects (nono., and the previously mentioned Yuko Imada) and honestly he is one of the reasons I ever started making music in the first place. 

Meishi Smile and Halsey both make me feel like somebody gets it. Every day I wake up and feel like I am inhuman. Like, my mental shit makes me some monster that deserves to have nobody. They show me otherwise. I wanna do that for somebody at the end of the day. Show someone that they are not alone.

On another note, I am also very inspired by J-Pop. I really love the works of Yasutaka Nakata, whether it be Perfume, Capsule, or Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (the queen haha). J-Pop just has this sound to it that really makes me gravitate towards it. It sounds very happy on the surface, but if you look deeper it's a very dark genre, a good example being Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's music video for Kira Kira Killer (one of my personal favorite Kyary songs) exploring themes of death. 

Tyler the Creator is also a colossal influence on me, he's helped me a lot when it came to dealing with my anger issues and shit. And of course I am also very inspired by Porter Robinson and Madeon, they are also heroes to me. Also, anime haha. Stuff like Danganronpa, Anohana, and Madoka Magica fill me with this weird urge to recreate how those franchises make me feel and how they sound to me. 

But I get most of my creative inspiration from my personal experiences. I do lots of venting through art. All of the upcoming album is me doing that. Venting.  I have a lot of emotional scars and have so many regrets. This new album is so personal. One song is about how in my state of feeling torn up over what I've done I turned to drugs as a coping mechanism and ended up having this mental breakdown after getting super fucking high. Another is about my dependency issues with self harm and how I've become addicted to cutting and burning myself. It feels weird, honestly. Makes me feel kinda naked, you know? At the same time it feels so good putting feeling into my music. Letting out all my regrets, grudges, and anxieties into a tangible form just feels...good. It's something I wish I've always done rather than make music I'm not proud of. I'm hoping I find myself while making this album.

Q: It seems like video games are an important component of your life, so do you ever see yourself soundtracking a game? A: I've actually thought of this quite a bit. I'd love to in all honesty. I'd soundtrack any game really, but I'd really love to make the ost to a Yume Nikki fangame. Yume Nikki is such an important game, it's amazing that Kikiyama was able to create such a dedicated fanbase over a simple little RPG Maker game. I still visit Uboachan, though not too frequently. 

I first got introduced to video games in the Gamecube/Game Boy era, so growing up games like Pokemon Silver, Sonic Adventure (both of them), Super Mario Sunshine, and my favorite game of all time Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess took up all my time. I remember maxing out the ingame clock in Twilight Princess haha. From there I graduated to PC gaming, and now the game I've been playing the most of is Overwatch. I'm pretty garbage at it but competitive has been helping me get better. I'd also like to point out while we're on the topic of video games how much Danganronpa means to me. It's one of my favorite games and makes me hella emotional. There's a song on my new album about it haha. Q: What do you have planned for the future of this project? A: I have a new album coming out at some point that’s named Stay. Niku Gutfuck is split into two different styles: The ambient, droney harsh noise side such as Everything is Gone, and a very J-Pop inspired electronic music side. The topic of Everything is Gone is gonna be elaborated on in a few songs, as well as other topics I want to get off my chest. I am not sure when this is coming out, where I will release it, or if I will fuck with any labels at all, I am just trying to get my emotions out in audio form as of right now. I'm ultimately trying to improve as a producer and musician as much as I can, music production is honestly something that I just adore fucking with and I can't see myself stopping no matter how discouraged I get. 

There's this fire in me that won't let me stop, and I am so glad it's there cause it keeps me going. I'm trying to find an artist to work with to make the album cover, especially since I love working with visual artists. The feeling of two artistic minds that focus on different art forms coming together to create something is so inspiring to me and one of my favorite things about making music.

Be sure to follow Niku Gutfuck on Twitter to keep up to date! 

[interviewtion]

Mouse Trap Interviewtion

Jackson Eudy is a lo-fi music maker from Arlington, Texas. His music is intentionally hard to penetrate both sonically and lyrically, but when you put the effort in you’ll find some beautifully crafted bursts of indie-pop music.

Q: What was your process for recording your new album?

A: I entered into the recording process with the songs just partially written and only a vague concept of the album structure. The acoustic tracks were recorded to a Sony TCM-200DV 1-track tape recorder. The rest were made on a Tascam Portastudio 488 8-track. I tracked the drums first, bass and guitar next, then keyboard, and finally vocals. 

Q: How did you get into playing music? Have you been involved in making music since you were young?

A: To give you an indication of how prominent of a role music played in my childhood, my middle name is Neil, after Neil Young. In my adolescence, I formed a band with friends of mine who lived in my neighborhood. I seem to recall us failing miserably at trying to be The Strokes. We simply used a boombox for all of the recordings that we made, and our sole public performance was at a school talent show. By the time that high school began, we had become disillusioned with the concept of becoming rock stars and disbanded.    

Q: Who are some bands that you look up to and have inspired your own music-making?

A: I did not entertain the notion of making my own music until I moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas from Arlington, Texas for college. It was there that I became acquainted with the band Swimming, who were instrumental in my choosing to start making music of my own. Brian Kupillas, a member of the band, encouraged me to record and develop my songwriting. It is inspiring to have someone who you look up to care about your music. Swimming is not currently active, but Brian performs as Wandering Lake and plays in a band called Wished Bone with his partner.

Q: Your songs are extremely lo-fi in their recording quality. Was this intentional on your part to add a more intimate feel to the songs?

A: I would welcome it if the low fidelity of my recording allowed someone to have an intimate experience, but that was not intended. There is a pressure in society to have the current technology, and I made a conscious decision to counteract that force by using as obsolete of equipment as attainable. I tried to make the noise difficult to discern, because I wanted the listeners to have to fill in the blanks. When sounds are difficult to distinguish from one another, an effort is required in order to connect the dots. I appreciate the warped and weathered quality that is inherent to recording on cassette, and I think that there is a certain chaos to tape hiss that cannot be replicated digitally. I am not the first person to choose to record on cassette in lieu of higher fidelity equipment. Following the success of Bee Thousand, Guided By Voices were given an advance to record Alien Lanes in a studio. Robert Pollard instead opted to let Tobin Sprout record the album to tape, as he had with the previous release, and he used the advance to financially support himself after quitting his job as a teacher. I do not presume to be a pioneer of the recording technique, but my intention is to take the concept to a new extreme. 

(above photo by Todd Hanson)

Q: Do you have an aspiration to play any of these songs live, or is it solely going to be a recorded project?

A: I am not capable of recreating the songs in a solo performance, and I do not think that a live band would be able to translate the album to a live setting. I could be receptive to being apart of a band moving forward, but I would want to record in a manner similar to how we performed. The debut Swimming release was recorded live by Joel Paul, who would go on to be a bassist in the band. There is a sense of reciprocity in those recordings that can only be attained though a group of musicians responding to one other. The band members have a reciprocal relationship with one another. That action and reaction is what attracts me to playing live. It is difficult for me to find other musicians who I can collaborate with, but I believe that playing live has the potential to be a form of performance art.

Q: What themes do you find inspire your lyrics? When you write your songs, do you find that writing lyrics usually comes first or creating the music?

A: The lyric writing was inseparable from the music writing. The stream-of-conscious nature of the words allowed the lyrical themes to remain universal. Similarly, the improvised instrumental performances gave the music a sense of spontaneity. The songs were written for a specific person, who I will not name to spare them embarrassment. The album was originally conceived under the delusion that it would make said person fall in love with me, but their response inevitably fell short of my expectations. 

Q: How has moving to Fayetteville, AR from Arlington, TX impacted your own music?

A: In comparison to Arlington, Fayetteville is relatively isolated. While Arlington is centrally located in the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex, Fayetteville is surrounded by nothing except for the Ozark Mountains. Secluded environments rid their inhabitants of certain distractions that are inescapable in a developed area. Being enveloped by hills, Fayetteville lends itself to introspection. A limitation that moving imposed on me was that I could no longer play loud music, and did not have space to store equipment such as drums or large amps. This drove my music into an increasingly acoustic direction. I have since acquired ample room for musical equipment, but it was a valuable experience for me to have to approach writing in a stripped down setting.

Q: Most of your songs are short in length. What is the appeal of short songs to you?

A: The brevity of my songs is another aspect of my music that is heavily influenced by GBV. Pollard made me want to convey complex emotions in concise compositions. I have always questioned why songs have been structured a certain way for so long. What I strive to create are songs exempt from requirements of what is considered to be a socially acceptable length and quality. I rid myself of preconceptions concerning what a song should be and trust my intuition. I believe that a musical concept is pure at the moment of conception and any further development is unnecessary embellishment.

Be sure to follow Jackson on Soundcloud to stay up to date with his music-making! 

[interviewtion]

gobbinjr Interviewtion

Emma Witmer makes intimate bedroom pop music under the moniker gobbinjr. It’s as dreamy as it is raw. She’s just released her EP “vom night” that’s as dreamy and fun as it is raw and dark. In this interview she talks about moving to New York, crafting her new EP, and using comedy to find some light when things get dark.

Q: What made you decide to title the new EP vom night?

A: The EP was actually made during a period of my life when I was trying very hard to get myself to vomit. It was a pretty crazy (and, looking back, scary) time in my life. I had a lot of dark feelings that I wanted to purge of and somehow I convinced myself that vomiting would help. You always feel so much better after you vomit. Anyway, during this Pursuit of Vom, my bestie/roomie Hayley Livingston and I were joking about the eventual Vom Night and came to the conclusion that that's what the EP should be called. It made sense because the EP was a different form of emotional purge for me. The actual Vom Night did occur though, on July 15th, which happens to be Hayley's birthday.

Q: For the new release Sophia Foster-Dimino created a comic to accompany the release. Was that your idea? What do you think it helps listeners understand about the EP?

A: The whole minicomic thing was completely Jordan Michael's idea! I was actually pretty against the idea of doing an EP but he came to me with this idea and it was so cool that I went along with it. Jordan showed me Sophia's work and a few others' and told me that Sophia was shooting the highest. She agreed to it pretty fast though. I think our works just really vibe together and she made the comic to accompany the EP perfectly. She personified the feelings I was trying to evoke. 

Q: After growing up in Wisconsin, how has the DIY scene in New York affected your life and the way you write music?

A: I could write a book on this! They are entirely different worlds and I often feel both at an advantage and hindered because of my scene origin. I feel like everyone in Wisconsin was striving to go for the same pristine sound while everyone here seems to celebrate all possibilities and individualities. There was also very little DIY in Wisconsin, especially for teens and all, so it's been very liberating coming here.

Q: How has it been performing these songs with a live band? Was it difficult to transition these songs that you had recorded on your own to that setting?

A:  Transitioning from writing and recording these songs to a live setting is very tough. It's like I have to rewrite everything. Lately I've been working with really good musicians that I know well so I've been trying not to order them around too much, otherwise I would just end up passing out sheet music to everyone. This makes playing with a band so much more fun because I get to see how my friends interpret my music and what it sounds like to have other personalities mixed in. 

Q: You talk about extremely personal experiences in your lyrics, so have you ever been writing lyrics to a song and gotten rid of something that crossed a line for you somehow?

A: I don't really ever swap out lines when I go too far. The songs that have crossed a personal line come super easily, so they're usually finished soon after I sit down to write them. Those songs are put away. Some of them I'm waiting to see if I reach some sort of personal closure and maybe eventually share those songs, but some of them get really dark and I won't revisit.

Q: One of my favorite parts about your music is how you don’t limit it to one genre. Is this something intentional, or do you just write in whatever style you’re feeling at the moment?

A: I never really try to sound like anything, so I guess what comes out is whatever I'm vibing on. I try to just write whatever I would listen to.

Q: I love the way your songs are mixed (for example, the subtle pacman sound in firefly). Did you teach yourself how to record, or was that something you picked up in your time at NYU?

A: It was a big mixture of things. When I was in middle school I started teaching myself. Eventually I got bored of taking piano lessons and asked my piano teacher to teach me more about mixing and production, which is something he would do for this audio software company Mixcraft. I took a couple classes in high school on music technology, then I picked up some more at college. I took everything everyone taught me with a grain of salt though, because if I did exactly what they said I would end up with something that's been done a million times before. I guess that's kind of where the corny noises come in, but I try hard to pull them off in an unobtrusive way.

Q: When you record do you have your songs written out, or flesh them out as different instrumental parts come to you?

A: The whole writing, recording, mixing, and producing process is just a big jumble for me. I'm very bad at working linearly. I couldn't just do each of those steps one by one. It's part of the reason why I'm so determined to keep the entire process to myself; if I have to organize my process I'm not sure the product will come out as special.

Q: Do you have any hobbies that inform or inspire the music you make?

A: I don't really do much besides music. I really like hanging out with dogs and cats but that's not quite a hobby. Right now the songs come from a very internal place, although I would like to start going back to school or educating myself or SOMETHING so my songs can be a bit more multi dimensional.

Q: What has it been like to hear the reactions to your music once you’ve release it into the world, especially since the songs are so personal to you?

A: It's very strange to me. It was always my goal to make my music applicable to a listener's life so, although I'm singing about something very particular that happened to me, someone else hears the same lyrics and thinks of someone they know or something that they did. Although these songs are very much about me, once I release them I want them to be about the listener. That being said, I do always flinch when someone tells me they like "the dead girlfriend song". 

Q: How important is comedy and goofiness in your lyrics? Is it intentional to balance out some of the darker lyrics?

A: Comedy is important in the lyrics because it's important in how I deal with my feelings. When I'm angry, I'm usually also laughing. I think when I feel feelings that are scary for me, I use comedy to alleviate that pressure on myself and those around me.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who have gone to through some of the same things as you?

A: I think the most important thing is to be aware of how you affect other people. No matter what you've gone through, you should be working to make sure that no one else has that same negative experience. I've found focusing on other people helps me work through things I've gone through too, so it's sort of a win-win thing.

Q: Looking into your crystal ball, what’s in store for gobbinjr?

A: I still don't really know what I want. I would love to have this be a career for me, so I don't know if that means expanding to something bigger than gobbinjr or simply expanding gobbinjr. But one thing I can confidently say that another full length is coming and it is the best songwriting I have ever done.

Be sure to like gobbinjr on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to stay up to date with all the gobby goodness! 

[interviewtion]

Depressica Interviewtion

Jessica Mayuga makes heartbreakingly beautiful music under the perfectly chosen moniker Depressica. Her music will probably make you cry and leave you with a strange sense of nostalgia in the pit of your stomach. In this interview she talks about moving to Seattle, transitioning between life phases, and turning negative tension into incredible music.

Q: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?

A: You'd think that I, a person who often has to describe my music to people who have never heard it before, would have an easier time answering this question. I struggle between describing how it sounds and describing how I think it makes people feel. Aurally, my music might not make any sense (or at least it doesn't to me) because I have such a wide variety of influences, so I don't really know where I sit! I think for the most part my music sounds like some kind of a familiar angst, but what that means to you, I do not know. 

Q: What spurred you to make your newest album Distance Makes the Heart Grow Somber?

A: Distance came naturally, I think. I found myself in a weird time of transition and uncertainty and so I wrote a lot, not necessarily about transition and uncertainty, but about the situations and feelings that come with transition and uncertainty. (A lot of it revolves around how I felt about the people I was interacting with at the time.) Eventually, I realized that I had written several songs and that there was some semblance of a theme between them. Thus, Distance Makes The Heart Grow Somber was born. 

Q: How long have you been playing music? Did you study music in college at all?

A: I think I've been tinkering with different instruments since I was about 4? I remember writing a short thing on the piano around that age. I didn't start playing guitar until the 8th grade, but I had a good run on MySpace as A Summer Project during the summer after middle school and a little into my high school years (which is still up and running somehow). I've been putting my music out in the world for almost ten years now and I think that is a very sad fact. I studied music for a hot second while I was in college for classical vocal performance. Choir was enjoyable and I stuck with it, but I dropped my music major before I even took a theory class. 

Q: What was your process for recording the new album?

A: When I record, I am sprawled on my bedroom floor drinking ginger ale, playing around with borrowed instruments and singing into a USB microphone that sits on boxes instead of a stand. I always do the layers and layers of guitar over metronome before messing around with various digital drum kits on Garageband. Vocals are last and always the worst part of recording. It will take me somewhere between 2 days and 2 weeks to record depending on the song and I am never completely happy in the end. 

Q: Who is your dream musical collaborator?

A: Would I be terrible if I said that any collaboration at all would be a dream? I think Mitski and I could make cool music together, but I would also be in awe the whole time and contribute nothing to the process. Acid Ghost would be extremely cool! If I'm allowed to be ambitious here, I would say Lorde, Hozier, or Sia. Their musicianship is something I've admired for a long time and I'm sure I would faint if I were graced with that honor. But mostly I want to collaborate with my other musician friends because I really love all the things my friends do.  

Q: You've recently moved to Seattle, so how has that affected you musically?

A: Moving to Seattle has been somewhat of a roller coaster! It's smooth sailing now and I'm just now starting to get to know the city, but I find myself having to spend most of my time on grad school activities, which is what I'm here for. What that means is that I haven't had time to sit down and write new material at all! I've been jotting down my itching thoughts in my phone and on random scraps of paper, waiting until I have time to pick up my guitar. The other thing is that I really only write music when I'm feeling less than great and I'm very happy with all the things I'm doing here, so maybe it's a good thing that I'm not writing :-) 

Q: What's the backstory behind the cover art for your new album?

A: The cover art! For my album! Was actually done by a friend of mine whose name is Cliff Fields (his Instagram is @clifffields). I tweeted something ridiculous like "Album artwork is hard" back in March and he came to my rescue. From there, we discussed a lot of the thematic elements of Distance (back when I only had three tracks conceptualized) and after a little bit of back and forth, he came to me with the final product that I thought was just AMAZING. He said to me once that the inspiration for the dog was "that wild passion to get to someone no matter the distance," which is what I feel now every time I look at it. I want it on a shirt. 

Q: How has it been for you trying to self-promote your music?

A: Self promotion is difficult! I rely almost exclusively on the engagement of others to help promote my music. I'm still trying to find the balance of adequate promotion without feeling like I'm talking too much about myself or appearing self-absorbed. And it's hard! But the weird thing is that two days ago, some random YouTube channel with something like 35,000 subscribers who enjoy lo-fi music uploaded Fondly (possibly illegally and definitely without my permission) and I can't even be mad because they're helping me reach a MUCH wider audience that I could have reached on my own. 

Q: It bums me out that I've noticed there's still usually a lot more men than women at indie shows, etc. Is this something you've also experienced? Do you consciously feel a drive to help change that scenario? 

A: I agree that shows are probably more male than anything else, but before I notice the gender imbalance, I notice how white the shows are. I am a fan of more female artists than male for the most part, which is empowering, but more often than not, white artists are the ones being lauded for their musicianship. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that! But I do struggle with feeling welcome in indie music for being brown and then for being female. I don't consciously feel a drive to change that situation, but I know that existing and being visible can at the very least contribute to an ongoing conversation. 

Q: Do you play live shows at all? If so, do you have any plans of touring in the near future?

A: NAH. I've never played a live show as Depressica, but one day I'd like to. Grad school has me extremely busy! I'm actually mostly afraid of playing shows and I'm afraid that no one would take me seriously (a silly fear, I know), but I also don't have a band. I'm sure having a band would remedy or at least quell that fear. 

Q: Is music a tool that helps you cope with rough periods in your life? I know for a lot of people writing provides that sort of emotional release, so is that something you relate to?

A: I can't say I actively seek to write when I'm in times of trouble, but I do tend to write more when I am feeling a negative tension. It does feel better in the end because I know that the act of writing and the process of recording is constructive and it feels good to put my energy into something that people can enjoy or relate to. 

Q: What are your plans for the future of Depressica?

A: Right now, I'm hoping to fall into another writing kick! There are a lot of exciting things happening around me and all I can really hope for is a spurt of creativity to help channel my feelings into some type of song. I'm also trying to muster up the courage to play live one day, but right now I am laying very very low. 

Be sure to follow Depressica on Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud!

[interviewtion]

moving in Interviewtion

Jordan Fox is the lovely bedroom pop hit-maker that releases music under the moniker moving in. He recently released his debut EP Sunburn via Z Tapes, one of the best lil’ labels out there today. It’s music that sounds like sunlight being filtered through dust kicked up in a carpeted bedroom. In this interview we talk about recording music at home, learning how to work through an eating disorder, and working with Z Tapes to release the new album.

Q: What was the process for recording your album? What was it like getting Warren Hildebrand (who has touched so many albums I love) to master it?

A: I would usually have an idea for a song somewhere strange like in the middle of a grocery store or while in a room full of people. I would immediately pull out my phone and hum it into my voice memos and then later in the week or in the day (depending on my motivation), I would set up my mics and record in my bedroom. My house can get pretty loud at times, so for vocals I would set everything up in my tiny closet and record them in there! It was a pretty comfortable process though, minus the cords all over my room, I hate that so much!

Having Warren work on my music was incredible. He has mastered some of my favorite albums ever, and he has made some of my favorite music! I spent weeks trying to build up the confidence to email him about it and I’m so glad I did. Warren is such a sweet person, it really felt like I was working with a friend and he gave me so much confidence in my music, he brought so much life to the EP that it didn’t have before!

Q: Have you always lived in Fort Worth, Texas? How do you think that environment has influenced your music?

A: When I was very young I lived, like, twenty minutes outside of Fort Worth, but most of my life I have been here! Downtown Fort Worth specifically has influenced my music a ton, I’m not too sure why, but there's something special about it that inspires me so much. Some of the experiences I wrote about on the EP happened there, some of my favorite memories are there too! So I would say it definitely has played a part in my music.

Q: You recently made a tumblr post about your eating disorder. Do you think that music has helped you tackle some of the feelings that have stemmed from it? 

A: I feel like listening to music has helped a lot. Certain songs or words can make me feel confidence in myself and that is very important. I’ve written so many songs about how it has made me feel and I feel like in writing songs I help myself feel like I’m worth something, which helps so much. I want to write more about it in the future because it has had a huge effect on my life, but not necessarily as a way to cope. I want to write about it so people can understand that this is something other people go through and that no matter how badly you want to feel like you’re crazy for feeling this way, you aren’t. Another thing that helps me so much with music is hearing that people like my stuff or connect with it in some way. I am still genuinely surprised that people care about it, but it helps me so much with that and other problems I may be having. Its amazing, it makes me feel incredible!

Q: How do you feel about being categorized as a “lo-fi” musician? Do you feel like what reviewers call “production value” is currently weighed more heavily by reviewers than songwriting itself?

A: I don’t mind moving in being referred to as a lo-fi project at all, although I don’t really feel like its completely accurate. Lo-fi started as a term that had to do with quality and turned into a genre, kinda like "indie" meant independent at first, then turned into a genre.

I think not only reviewers, but even some musicians care too much about production! In my opinion the focus of being a musician should be the quality of the writing, not the quality of the recording. I completely understand why people would want to focus on it, but for me personally I want to put more of a focus on the music itself. Some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard was recorded with low budget equipment! In the future, I want to focus less on the quality of the sound and more on just having fun and creating meaningful music.

Q: Where does the name of your project come from?

A: moving in is supposed to be a play on words of "moving on". Sunburn is about me reliving memories I had made in a relationship and accepting that it was over and moving on from them. Before I started recording it, I realized that I was only one step away from starting to move on, and that step was the album, so I thought it was a nice representation of that. 

Q: One thing I absolutely love about Sunburn is that it creates such a coherent atmosphere that’s so easy to get lost in. Were you intentionally trying to create that sonic mood, or is it something that just naturally happened?

A: I love that it made you feel that way because it was definitely something I was going for!! When I was writing those songs, it felt natural for me to have a lot going on with the music. There are a lot different vocals harmonizing, some tracks have multiple layers of guitar parts and keyboards too! With this project I just really wanted to have a full sound, I wanted people to be able to get lost in it!

Q: How did you get connected with Z Tapes? What was it like working with Filip (the founder of Z Tapes) to distribute the album?

A: I’ve been listening to artists on Z Tapes for a while now, I’ve always been a big fan of the label. Me and Filip had messaged a few times before I even put out music with this project, and when I put out my first single he was super supportive with it. When I put out sunburn I saw that he bought it and I messaged him to thank him and he brought up releasing it with Z Tapes, which was huge for me. I had wanted to be a member of the family for such a long time, so I was really excited. 

Working with Filip has been amazing. He is such a sweet and genuine person and he has made me feel so welcomed. Everything has been super comfortable and I love that, he makes it feel like it’s more than just a label, its like a family. I truly believe that Z Tapes is putting out some of the best bedroom pop music there is, and its so nice to know that the person behind it genuinely cares about not only the artists involved, but the supporters! I am so happy to call him a friend and to be able to work with him. 

Q: What are the main influences on your music, whether bands, artists, life, etc.?

A: I draw influences from so many things! As far as music goes, right now my biggest influences are John Frusciante, The Magnetic Fields, The Cure, A$AP Rocky, Elvis Depressedly, Animal Collective, Drake and Midori Kida. Outside of music; memories, the beach, October, run down dollar stores, libraries and anime all inspire me more than I can really understand! 

Q: Besides music, what are some of the other things you like to do to occupy your time?

A: I’m not very good at anything else, but I love to make origami, doodle, collect cute things, take photos of things that make me feel warm & fuzzy inside, read manga and obsess over the paranormal. Astral projection is fun too! 

Q: Do you feel that music and spirituality intersect in any way?

A: Spirituality is interesting for me. I’m not religious at all. I follow science and focus on what science can prove is real for my beliefs, but at the same time I know I have seen and felt spirits around me all of my life, so in that sense I am very spiritual. I think spirits and trying to figure out what a spiritual afterlife could be if there is one at all is a huge part of my daily life, so it definitely ties into my music. I believe that when you are aware of spirits around you, they can have an effect on what you’re doing (in my case, music) even if you’re completely unaware that they are doing it. I hope to write a lot more on the topic of spirits or what I believe the afterlife could be in the future!

Q: How has it been for you to hear the reactions of all these people listening to your music, which is something so personal for you?

A: Hearing the reactions has been absolutely incredible. I honestly NEVER expected to get this much support. When I put out Sunburn, I expected it to get maybe 100 plays on Bandcamp in a few months. I figured maybe my family would listen to it and maybe a few friends... So when so many people started telling me they liked it and so many people supported it I felt this feeling inside me that I’ve never felt before. A feeling of happiness, confidence and honor that my life experiences were touching people in any way at all. I have always had the mindset that I am nothing special and never thought anyone would care about anything I do, so it blows my mind that people care, I still don’t understand why, but I’m so thankful. Its one of my favorite parts of being a musician. In the past few weeks I have felt more confidence than I have in a very long time, and I owe that to the people who support me. 

Q: What are your plans for the future of moving in?

A: As for moving in, I’m not sure. But, I can say that there will be new music from me within the next few months that I am very excited to share! Also shows, and maybe some merch too!

Be sure to follow moving in on Twitter and tumbl with him on Tumblr!

[interviewtion]

Furnsss Interviewtion

Brendan Dyer is the super rad mister behind the fuzz pop band Furnsss. They’ve recently embarked on an extensive Fall tour across America with the wonderful Bread Pilot. In this interview he talks about recording a new album, playing live with rotating band mates, and planning the tour he’s currently on.

Q: One interesting thing about your band is that you have a rotating cast of people playing with you when Furnsss plays live, so what’s it like getting to play these songs with all kinds of different people?

A:  It's very frustrating but can be equally fun. It's very interesting to see what a person's musical background can do to our music/how they bring their own touch. Although it can be fun, sometimes I wish I had a steady band. 

Q: What was the first concert you ever went to? Did it have a big impact on you?

A:  The first concert I attended was The Rolling Stones in 2003. It was pretty shitty honestly - we were about a million feet back at a football stadium in the hot sun. I don't think it really had much of an impact on me except maybe it sparked the desire to attend more concerts.

Q: How long have you been playing music? How did you get started?

A: I started playing music when I was 10. My parents told me that if I learned the violin I could get a guitar. We know that any idiot skateboarder 10 year old doesn't want to learn violin, so that quickly fell through, but I was lucky enough to have a cool uncle to buy me my first acoustic guitar. From there it kind of exploded thanks to him and my dad also getting a Fender strat. 

Q: What is it like to look back on the first album you released as The Ferns four years ago? How do you think you’ve evolved musically since then?

A: Every once in a while I might listen back on that release. I think it's a pretty fun imprint of where I was musically and mentally at 15/16. I think that my music taste has changed very drastically since then, so it only makes sense that my own personal writing style has shifted since then. 

Q: You recently went down to Virginia to record a new album, so what was that process like? Is it different from the way you’ve recorded in the past?

A: Going to Virginia was terrific - it was just Jeremy & I on the recordings, with the exception of some friends filling in on drums and bass, whatever. It was a very different experience because we had a time restraint this time - 6 days. Also, we had our friends produce us as opposed to how we usually do it - self produced. It was very interesting to get to see someone else's take on recording and also to get to have some butlers to do all the hard work for us :)

Q: Where did your band name come from and what made you change the spelling to Furnsss from The Ferns?

A: Our band name is partially from my street name, but also because when we were first starting out we would practice at The Nye's and look out the window and see fern plants growing everywhere. It felt very natural. We started as The Ferns but we ended up as Furnsss because there were many bands called Ferns and also it was kind of a thing where we were putting out a new record and noticed how we had matured since our last release and The Ferns represented a younger era and we wanted to start fresh but have the same feeling/pronunciation. 

Q: When do you usually feel most inspired to write a song? Do you ever sit down with the very specific intention of writing a song or is it something that just suddenly happens at random times?

A: Night time is when I like to work on writing - bonus if no one is home. Most of my stuff comes stream of consciousness. I usually don't work on a song for much longer than a day or two of working out the kinks before laying down a demo.

Q: What artists have been the biggest inspiration for your own music?

A: Starting off, we were definitely influenced by bands like Arctic Monkeys, Deerhunter, & Modest Mouse. As we started to play out more we started taking influence from some local legends. Lately I've been more influenced by artists like Elliott Smith, Michael Jackson, Porches, & Yo La Tengo. I don't know if any of those really translate into my music, but I definitely feel like I pull a lot from them. 

Q: You recently announced a massive tour with Bread Pilot, so how did that come about? What’s the relationship between Furnsss and Bread Pilot?

A: The tour is something me and Steve from Bread Pilot have been working on/planning since December of 2015. We all decided it was something we wanted to do, so why not do it together? We played a few shows together in 2014 and decided summer of 2014 we wanted to do a mini tour. I wanted to do it with another band, so I reached out and it turned out they were thinking the same thing. Since summer of 2014, we've done 2 other tours together and have grown very close -- 1 big family :) 

Q: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to you before?

A: Hott garbage / fuzz pop. Party pop. Whatever - genres are limiting, I like to bend around a bit if i can. 

Q: What was it like for you to start out as a band in Connecticut? What’s the music scene like there?

A: We played some family/friend/school/etc. shows for a few years before an old friend of mine asked me if we could throw a basement show at my parents house back in December of 2010. The show was great and very eye opening to 14 year old Brendan. Said friend showed me my way into all the bands that were popular in CT at the time. 

Q: What are your plans for the future of Furnsss?

A: Future plans - keep progressing n having fun :) 

Be sure to follow Furnsss on Twitter, Tumbl with them on Tumblr, and like them on Facebook!

[interviewtion]

Flossy Clouds Interviewtion

Will McGovern makes transcendent bedroom pop music under the moniker Flossy Clouds. He also just released a new single, Arrow, today, so be sure to check it out! His music seriously transports me to a different place and I always feel like I should be driving through a desert on a starry night whenever it’s on. In this interview he talks about the influence of Santa Fe on his music, the musicians he finds inspiration in, and the ways music has helped him in his own life.

Q: Where did the name “Flossy Clouds” come from for this project?

A: I think “Flossy Clouds” comes from a few different things. Living in Santa Fe, you are always surrounded by 60 miles of sky in every direction. It’s always around you, and so are the clouds.

So, when I first moved down here I would watch the clouds in-between classes at school, totally in awe of the sky and clouds, thinking that the clouds looked a lot like cotton candy. At some point, in that first September, I found an obscure Harry Nilsson song on youtube that has this beautiful line

"The flossy clouds like sugar spun / I’d happily forget them all”

Which, for me, perfectly captured the clouds in New Mexico. I guess the name sticks in my mind because the clouds are this constant presence that has always helped me get out of my worried head and focus on something beautiful, which, deep down, is what I want my music to do for people. I want it to be like the sky and the clouds.

Q: How did moving to Santa Fe for college from Massachusetts impact your songwriting? Did you find the different landscape and culture influenced you in any way? 

A: The move was a really formative experience for me, in a couple ways. I think growing up in Massachusetts was on the one hand a very supportive creative space: I was encouraged to sing and play instruments since I could talk and I was always seeking out new music. On the other hand, I was always afraid to write my own music and instinctually very self critical from a young age. This anxiety got a lot worse in high school, because high school is nonsense. I actually went to a very competitive, very caustic "arts high school" outside of Boston. When I was there, surrounded by young people making very accomplished art, I began to see songwriting, the art I wanted to pursue the most, as something that required a certain aesthetic ability that I didn’t have. I didn’t want to allow time for growth, time for processing, because I was afraid and impatient.

Moving to Santa Fe after high school I met my friend Darian, who was in a similar boat in terms of songwriting anxiety, and we started sharing song ideas with each other, both aware of the pressure to “make good art” or whatever. I remember I felt immediately comfortable with him and my ideas because we were just excited to have these ideas and someone to listen. I stopped caring so much about how others would hear my songs because I had support from my friends like Darian and Clint and Rowan. These people are like personifications of Santa Fe to me: I think Santa Fe has a really defined sense of place, it has a character of openness and a little mystery that reminds me of the people I’ve met here. I had never met anyone like these friends and I had never seen anything like New Mexico. Everything is brown and gold and softly curved but always vast, extreme. My friend Joey says: “New Mexico is only kinda America .” I think that’s true: it’s too weird and too beautiful.

Q: On your latest release “Moon Lighting” you put dates before the lyric notes of each song on your Bandcamp page. What was your reasoning behind this?

A: I did that to try to show people how disparate the songs were in terms of when they were written, since choosing to use old and new material was a new thing for me. Like, on the first record, I arranged and recorded some of the songs I had written over my first year in Santa Fe. I had the whole summer to record it, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. So I ended up learning a lot with this group of songs and this big chunk of time to think about them. I had a bunch of equipment and help, too, from my friend Luke, and I didn’t worry about, like, production quality all that much, because I was effectively making the record in another person’s studio and they were much more in control of the production side of things in a technical way.

For “Moon Lighting,” though, I was back in Santa Fe at school, trying to write and record and go to class all at the same time, not to mention the fact that I had really shitty equipment and no money. Basically I was feeling super dejected and I couldn’t write much. So what I ended up doing was trying to focus on recording and arranging more and writing less, like, I would sit doing was trying to focus on recording and arranging more and writing less, like, I would sit down with Ableton, a borrowed guitar (mine had been accidentally smashed by a friend) and the internal computer mic, and I would just try to figure out my way around Abelton. That’s how I came up with something like “Moon,” which was all twitchy and sample based and really different than AHFTS, in an exciting way. At this point I started playing with a drum machine I had borrowed from a friend and I bought my first synthesizer, just learning my way around them and taking notes. I knew that when I got to go back to Massachusetts and record with better gear and another person I would be able to work with more attention to detail.

It was around Christmas that I got to come home and into Luke’s studio again. We had a week to make something, so I showed him my new demos and I would spend the nights looking through old demos to see if there was anything else that reminded me of this new sound I was playing with, just in terms of feeling or mood. I found “Ring,” “Soften” and a really early version of “Slug” all of which stuck with me in how much their mood was reminiscent of this newer, different thing like “Moon.” Long story short, the whole process was really complicated compared to the first record, with a lot of the material being culled from the past. I guess I included the dates so curious people could see into my head a little bit, into the process.

Q: One thing I love about your music is that almost every song seems to capture a snapshot of a specific event, which when combined with your other songs all weave together a bigger story. Is this an intentional decision on your part?

A: Yeah I mean, all of my favorite music feels lived-in, meditated-upon, or whatever you want to call that feeling when an album or an catalogue becomes a world. I remember being so enamored when I first listened to “Zentropy” and “Slow Dance in the Cosmos” in high school, because those records talk to each other in this super vivid way. Like, as a listener, just hearing those songs made me feel like I knew Ronnie and Frank, or their myth, or whatever. Like, "World of Echo” is another perfect example of this interconnectivity, and that album can tell it’s story to you awake or asleep, because Arthur is just that good. I realized that “connection" in my songs after I had recorded a few of them: I kinda stepped back and looked at the bigger picture. I think making a bigger story between the songs it’s just part of the process for me: I’m drawn to that sort of storytelling.

Q: What is the local music scene like in Santa Fe where you are based out of? Do you eventually want to move to a bigger city in order to focus on your music more?

A: The local music scene in Santa Fe is full of great people, but there’s a limited network of venues for people to play and even smaller amounts of people to play for: the city is so small. It’s getting better, though. Having Meow Wolf open this year has been awesome, because there is finally a “real” venue that puts on shows everyone is psyched to see. I saw Frankie Cosmos there and it was awesome, I’d love for us to play there some day soon. But, because of how small things are here, I’d really like to move away to another city after I finish college to focus on music and, well, everything else. I might move back east, I really like the sense of community that artists have in New York and Boston, not to mention places like Richmond and Asheville, which are small but creatively supportive. We’ll see, I guess.

Q: Do you think studying plays and literature has been a factor in changing how you structure the songs you create?

A: I think anything I study helps me write, but I don’t know if I really attribute like, a direct causal relationship between my studying western philosophy and literature with my songwriting style. I think its a much more spiritual, diagonal relationship. I mean, I’m not Dan Bejar, you know, I’m not writing songs like “Farrah, Straus, & Giroux” and trying to alienate people with references they can’t understand, like overloading them with personal, univocal information. I’m much more impressed with poets like Anne Carson and William Carlos Williams, people who are, on the one hand, trying to deal with massive ideas, but on the other hand, trying to craft something like a miniature, something digestible. I’ll never know who Carson’s talking about with the “Red” character or whatever, but I’ll know what she’s talking about.

Q: I always find it interesting to see where other people’s musical influences lie. What are three albums that you consider “perfect” whether or not they have influenced your sound directly?

A: Well the first one that comes to mind is “World of Echo” by Arthur Russell. That album is perfect to me because it helped me experience how an album can exist on multiple levels at the same time. On paper, it’s a simple concept for a record, and its songs are almost miniatures of songs, ideas for songs. It’s a edit of a series of live performances featuring Arthur’s voice, cello, and echo. But all of these seemingly simple characteristics of the performance actually end up informing its complexity when you hear the music. It turns out that his voice, cello, and echo are tools for him to express the most impressionistic feelings, pure id, like he’s in an ecstatic state, just repeating “California, here I come” for two minutes and you’re there too. I recommend listening to that album in the summer with headphones on, alone in the dark, lying on your bed.

The next one I can think of is “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush, which is perfect because she totally has her cake and eats it too. She produced it herself, in her own studio, after not having a proper hit in like seven years, and she managed to make it her way, because side one is like, all top twenty hits in the UK and side two is a twenty minute song cycle about death. So people like me buy the record expecting “The Big Sky” and get way way more than we bargained for with “The Ninth Wave” on side two. But it works so well because at that point, after hearing the first side, you’re totally on board for anything. I can listen to it for days and catch something new every time, yet the moment I hear the drums at the beginning of “Running Up That Hill” I feel like she grabs me, and she doesn’t let me go 'til the whole damn thing is over.

The third record is one that hasn’t influenced my “sound” as obviously as the other two, but has influenced me probably more than the others in terms of actually producing music, and that album is “Yeezus” by Kanye West. This album is really important to me for a few reasons: I remember being very, very, obsessed with it when it came out because it was so damn hype, I was totally fascinated in how hype it was. In Boston at the time, that shit was everywhere: it was in the water. You would hear it at every party, and my friends and I would play it so much you’d think that shit was only available for a limited time. Like, it was pretty clear from the first notes of “On Sight” that it just hit perfectly. So, as a producer it means a lot to me because it’s on the one hand this super visceral and blunt album, and Kanye feels very unhinged as does the music. But on the other hand, Kanye and Rick Rubin basically worked backwards on the thing, and spend a bunch of time just cutting shit from the beats and shortening songs, so it ends up being the only exercise in production restraint, or minimalism, in Ye’s shortening songs, so it ends up being the only exercise in production restraint, or minimalism, in Ye’s whole catalogue. Front to back it’s air-tight, so much so that it’s really claustrophobic in some places, like that one part of “I Am A God” where Kanye’s just breathing heavily into the mic, in-between these terrifying screams.

Q: What do you use to record your music equipment-wise? Do you feel that if you had the option to record in a studio you would still choose to self-record?

A: Equipment has always been a inconstant thing for me, like, because I’m so broke from student debt. So I always used to just hold out to record at my friend’s houses with their equipment, which was super inconvenient living in Santa Fe. Until recently, I haven’t used any of my own stuff to record my songs: mostly I would just plug Ableton into my friend’s mixers and go from there. For the new record, though, as far as I can tell, I've made a really serious effort to buy all of my own gear and record at my new house by myself. So this album is sort of experimental, i guess, because I’m just learning how to use all of this new shit I bought for myself. But, if you want like, a specific piece of equipment that I use a lot, that would be the SM7-B, which is this kind of strange microphone that was traditionally used for broadcasting, but I got turned on to it seeing people like Connan Mockasin and Dev use it. It’s just the best microphone, no doubt, for everything, and everyone should have one.

Q: I know writing is an important part of your life, so do you have a journal of ideas for lyrics that you go back to pick from and edit? Or do you sit down with the very specific intention of writing a song?

A: I never ever sit down with the intention of writing a song. I’m not Neil Young, I’m not a fountain that can turn itself on, or whatever. I’m of the belief that nobody can really write a song if they sit down and say to themselves: “Ok, I’m gonna write this song now.” Like, in my experience, there has to be an idea that comes prior to any real intention to write a song. The first and best ideas I have for songs come pretty subconsciously: I mostly just journal in my notebook or on my phone. The phone is good for the audio aspect: like, usually I just come up with a vocal melody at work or in the car, or in between places, and I sing it into my phone. Same goes for instrumental melodies and drum ideas, I’ll write them down in my notebook.

Q: Is there a certain sound or atmosphere that you are trying to create with your songs, or do you try not to limit yourself in regards to the style of your songs?

A: Most of the time when I’m writing I try to create a sense of space in the songs, either through the narrative of the lyrics/arrangement or otherwise. With my new record, I've recorded and found a bunch of sounds that I’ve incorporated into the songs in order to put the listener more directly into the record’s space. There’s a geography to the album: the geography of my familiar haunts in Santa Fe. Generally I want to capture a listener some way or another, and I think that you have to write an atmosphere into each song and album in order to really make something that a person will stop and listen to and hopefully to have an intimate relationship with. Keying into a consistent sound or mood is what makes my favorite albums so important to me, so I don’t consider working with a definite palette of instruments as a “limit,” but rather as a condition that ensures my doing better work.

Q: In your description for A Hit From the Swing you say you’ve always found catharsis in music. How has making music helped you deal with some of your anxieties and personal struggles, whether making or listening to it?

A: As a person with chronic, sometimes crippling social anxiety, making and listening to music has always made me feel away from whatever harm my anxious mind is imposing upon me. I remember there was a point in my first year of college in which I felt so incompetent as a student, artist, and person that I didn’t sleep for days, skipped all my classes, avoided people, ect ect. I was doing this because I felt like I had been doing a shitty job in all these different ways, but really I was just torturing myself. One day when I was trying to sleep I put on this audio/visual piece by Arthur Russell and Phil Niblock called Terrace of Unintelligibility, which is basically a half-hour of Arthur playing his song “Answers Me.” After 15 minutes I fell asleep and felt rested the next day. That might have been the first time I didn’t feel tired in weeks, all because of Arthur Russell cooing with his cello. So music is like medicine to me, sometimes kind of literally.

Q: You tag your music as “devotional” on Bandcamp? Do you think of your music as spiritual, at least for you personally, or was this just an inside joke?

A: Yes.

Listen to Flossy Cloud’s new single “Arrow” and be sure to follow Flossy Clouds on Twitter!

[interviewtion]

Eddie Golden III Interviewtion

This is interviewtion’s first ever video interview, so feel free to watch it above or read the transcript below! Eddie Golden III is a musician that likes to verge on the spooky side of things. Between his solo releases, the Hiya Dunes, and The Guru he’s released 11 albums within the past 5 years. I met up with him in a graveyard to talk about his songwriting process, where his inspirations lie, and whether or not he actually wants to be a pirate.

Q: Where does your fascination with these “spooky” topics you write about come from?

A: I’d have to say the spookiness of Eddie Golden III comes from where I’m from. I am from Watertown, CT, so you’ve got a lot of history here. Beyond that my family is really into getting spooky. Say, if a family member dies, they get very superstitious. Like, if a book gets knocked off of the shelf it will be because of the family member that died, definitely, in the household. I feel like that just carries on with my psyche of just that the spookiness is all real to me, I believe it, and bring it on.

Q: For your solo albums you usually write and record the albums by yourself, so what’s that process like for you?

A: The process is different every time. For the most part I usually, these days, write a whole song before I record it. Sometimes I just press record with a drum track and by the end of the day I have an entire song that I’m ready to release and put on the next album. But like I said it’s just a different process each time. I’ll even use my iPhone very often like a lot of people do these days and just bring it around town and record track after track of myself singing, “It’s gonna be like this for this part then it’s gonna be like this for this part…”

Q: Do you like the process of writing music by yourself or with a band better?

A: When I write music it kind of just happens naturally. So...if I’m hanging out with my friends who happen to like making music as well we will naturally make music. Even if we’re not in a band together it just kind of happens and it’s happened over the years. I’ve been in bands like you’ve said, The Guru, The Hiya Dunes, and we’ve done a couple albums. But at the same time writing alone...there’s kind of nothing like it because it is very personal and very spiritual. I think it’s the most rewarding because at the end of the day it is all you and it is all your heart and soul. I’ve had to make compromises with my music in the past that I wasn’t exactly the most excited about, so not having to make those compromises definitely feels good sometimes.

Q: So in terms of songwriting, you’re pretty prolific. I mean between your solo stuff, The Hiya Dunes, and The Guru you’ve released 11 full albums in the past few years, so how do you keep motivated to keep writing all that music?

A: Well, now that you’ve put it into perspective like that I just didn’t even realize how many albums and projects have piled up over the years. Like I said, for me it’s one of those things that’s too natural to do that if I were to stop at any point it would just feel like my life is being wasted and I’m wasting time in not doing what I’m meant to be doing. I do feel kind of like when I’m helping myself, in some ways I’m helping somebody else too. I love to make music!

Q: After making all this music, does it matter to you that you haven’t gotten any larger recognition past the local music scene?

A: I know we out here in the graveyard and I’m acting a fool, but when it comes down to it the recognition I’ve already gotten has been so mind blowing that I can’t believe that people actually care in the first place and that they’re actually letting me know that they care and letting me know that it affects them in a positive way. What I’m trying to say is the recognition I’ve already gotten surpasses anything I could have ever imagine, so anything else would just be icing on my freaky cake.

Q: So on your albums you’ve covered various random songs like, Plastic Jesus and Life’s a Gas so how did you go about picking those covers?

A: Picking covers is kind of a big deal because we record so many covers - when I say we I mean my bands and I - record so many covers that it just turns into a joke. We make spoofs usually, it’s usually not covers it’s a goof of the song. There are some that peak through, like Plastic Jesus, that was one that the Hiya Dunes and I recorded back in the day. That was a lot of fun. It’s one of those things, like I said, we all listen to music and we all really like it. For that song we really like the movie [Cool Hand Luke]. Check it out, we got Paul Newman singing that song in there and we really dug that, so we just decided to make a cover. With Life’s a Gas, that one is a little different. That one was more of a request, I mean I love Marc Bolan and T. Rex. My girlfriend, before we got back together because we were separated for a little bit - just a little bit - she asked me to cover that for her and I’m really happy I did because it meant a whole lot to me after I covered it. I would hear it in places and at the right time it would just speak to me and I’m happy about the way it came out, you know?

Q: The music tech nerd inside me has to ask this, what kind of gear do you use to record? It sounds really great when you listen back to the tracks.

A: Thank you! I mean I’m in my own little room in my house right now. It used to be my brother’s room, but he doesn’t really use it anymore, so now I just kind of threw all of my recording gear in there. I started out using just a laptop, you know what I mean? Throughout until maybe four years ago that’s what I was using. Now I’ve got a Pro Tools rig and a setup. I’ve actually been investing a little bit more time and money into recording, such as getting a whole bunch of mics to mic up my drums ‘cause I only would use two mics before on my drums and now I kind of want to see what it would sound like with a bunch of ‘em.

Q: A few years ago you released an album called Life of a Pirate, so have you always wanted to be a pirate, or at least had a fascination with the seven seas?

A: Well this kind of goes along with my other album, Halloween All the Time, it’s kind of the same idea as just, “be what you will.” I mean, be who you are and don’t give a hoot. Like if you want to be a pirate just feel free. Tell people that you are and just be happy about it. If they’re not happy about it then whom care? I mean when it comes down to it I feel like my music reflects that because I’m trying to be completely honest with myself. I’m not trying to make pop music, alright?

Q: Do you ever have aspiration of touring or do you think you’re just going to keep doing this in the local area?

A: Well, I have toured in the past and it’s worked out very well. I mean every time we’ve gone on tour we haven’t lost any money, so it only would make sense for me to do it again. At this point in my life, you know I took a long hiatus, I took maybe two years off from playing in general. Now I just played a show the other night for the first time with my new live band, so we’re trying to get a bunch of new shows going on, like something in Boston maybe coming up. If we get the chance, if all of us can take off a week of work, we’ll do it, we’ll go on a tour. I’m excited.

Q: When you played with the Guru what made you decide to play drums and sing live? It’s not something you see a lot. Why don’t you do that with your solo project?

A: Well the Guru did start out as just a two piece funk band, me and Col. It was just me on drums, him on guitar, so really I wasn’t the singer for the Guru until we kind of decided that, well, it’s just gonna be us, so who else is gonna sing? I had to sing. It was no problem for me because when I was really young I would love to beatbox and hum at the same time, so I feel like that would just always kind of be on my mind. Whenever I would come up with like groovy melodies, I would just think back to my old days.

Q: You definitely have a penchant for surf music, especially with the Hiya Dunes, so has that just come listening to a lot of surf music, or have you spent time by the ocean yourself?

A: Unfortunately I haven’t spent enough time by the ocean. I just appreciate the style and the vibrations that surf music gives off. I mean what can I say? It’s like watching skateboarding or watching surfing because everyone’s skateboarding, everyone’s doing the same tricks, but they all have different style and that’s just what I love about it. It’s just rock ‘n roll at it’s heart when it comes down to it minus all the reverb and stuff like that. When you add the reverb, when you add the spooky element, it’s just the perfect combination of everything.

Q: One thing I love about your music is that you kind of try to write about topics that are a little out of the ordinary, like fairies or hot air balloons, so how do you decide on topics to write about, or do you just try not to overthink it too much?

A: I try not to overthink it too much because I do come to giant walls when writing lyrics and stuff like that. I mean these days I consciously try not to write about boring things, like there was a period when all I would write about is girls and then I realized that, so it was a conscious effort to not write about girls and write about fairies and write about hot air balloons and stuff like that. I feel really good about it because it’s made me more excited about just making music. I feel like it adds another layer to the song of surprise. Even if I were to sing about a girl these days it would be okay because now I have all these other topics I write about and that’s kind of my thing.

Q: So looking into your crystal ball, what is in store for Eddie Golden III?

A: Well the crystal ball tells me that good things are in the future. That because I’ve played this recent live show that more shows will happen soon, that more recordings will happen soon, more collaborations. Like I said, I want to tour and really what it comes down to is that there was honestly a time where I wasn’t so active. I moved to Cape Cod with my girlfriend, we tried that for a while. I did a little bit of music out there, at the bare minimum recorded music by myself. It’s been so long that I feel like I can come back full force and I really want to, so it’s about time!

Make sure to like Eddie Golden III on Facebook to keep up with all his spookiness!

[interviewtion]

Here’s my video review of the lovely little folk pop album Pseudocide by John Parker, Jr. that’s helped me get through a lot of rough nights. 

[interviewtion]

Camp Howard Interviewtion

Camp Howard is an indie psych-rock band from Richmond, VA. They just released their outstanding self-titled debut album. It contains ten tracks that are filled to the brim with catchy hooks and amazing musicianship. In this interview they talk about recording the album, being a band in Richmond, and choosing a name for the group.

Q: I’m honestly blown away by how well produced the album is, so what was your process for recording it?

A: We recorded it at an analog studio called the Virginia Moonwalker with Russell Lacy. Bryan Walthall mixed the album at Stereo Image Productions, and Allen Bergendahl mastered the album. 

Q: A lot of your songs have really interesting instrumental interludes and the arrangements throughout the album are amazing, so do you write your songs collaboratively? Or is there one person that does the majority of the arranging?

A: The songs are arranged collectively. Usually one of us comes in with a rough idea for a song and we all write different parts around it. Some little things on the record we wrote in the studio while we were tracking.

Q: One of the things I love about the album is how varied the songs themselves are. Who and what are some of your biggest influences musically?

A: It wasn't necessarily our intention to have the songs be as varied as they are but that's just how it turned out. Probably the most basic main influences on this album were The Beatles and Nirvana. 

Q: The musicianship on the album is incredible, so what are your various musical backgrounds? How long have you all been playing together?

A: Two of us are in Jazz school at VCU. Three of us started playing music together in early high school, but as a band we've been writing and playing for about a year. 

Q: From watching the few videos you have on your Youtube page it seems like being tight live is important to you. While you were recording did you have it in mind for these songs to be playable live with your current lineup (ex: not a lot of overdubbing)? In what ways do you think studying jazz has helped you carry these songs over to a live setting?

A:  I think we played all of the songs live at shows before we went into the studio to record them. Also we were recording to an 8 track tape machine so we were limited to what we could overdub if anything. I think studying jazz has made Matt and Brian tighter and more knowledgable musicians. 

Q: Since you’ve put out the album what has it been like hearing the reactions people have had to it?

A: The album has received some good feedback in Richmond which is nice. It's always good to hear praise for something you put effort into. Its reassuring to hear that people are enjoying the music, but at the same time we value our own opinions. 

Q: Nic released an album in 2014 called, Too Many Days Ahead with some instrumentation done by current Camp Howard members. How do you feel that Camp Howard’s current incarnation has worked off the ideas established on that album?

A: I don't think Camp Howard as an album worked off of Too Many Days Ahead much at all. The process of writing and recording the two was almost entirely different. Too Many Days Ahead was really just a little experiment. Most of those songs I've forgotten how to even play. 

Q: Where does the name Camp Howard come from and what made you decide it was a fitting name for this project?

A: The name comes from a place we went to last summer. It's a small cabin by a river near West Virginia. The guy who owns the property's name is Howard, and he calls it Camp Howard as a bit of a joke. I'm not sure it ever was or ever will be fitting for the band or album, but I don't think it has to be. It's a name that we didn't hate so we stuck with it. I think with any band name people eventually become accustomed to associating the name with the music and vice versa. 

Q: What has it been like working with Citrus City Records, Crystal Pistol Records, and Bad Grrrl Records to release the album? How did you get connected with all of them?

A: It's been cool working with those labels. They're all basically just friends helping us out, and they're all really nice. We met them all playing and going to shows in Richmond.

Q: What is the music scene like in Richmond?

A: The music scene is great in Richmond! Tons of really great bands in all shapes and sizes. We've made a lot of good friends through music in Richmond. Everyone's very supportive of each other as well which is cool. 

Q: How did you decide on the cover for the album? Did you have a plan for its creation in mind or is it a photo you saw and decided to go with?

A: We debated the album cover for a good bit and couldn't decide on anything until we talked about this one photo that our boy Henry Archer took. He takes a lot of our pictures as well as pictures for other bands/labels. It was one album cover that we all thought could work, so we rolled with it. 

Q: Do you have any plans for the future of Camp Howard?

A: We've already started writing some new music and have some vague ideas for the future, but at the moment we're not solidifying any plans. I think it'd be good for us to get out of town a little more in the near future. Mainly we just want to keep working on making music that we are all excited about.

Be sure to follow Camp Howard on Facebook to stay updated!

[interviewtion]

Brooke Johnson Interviewtion

Brooke Johnson is the co-founder of the small indie label Deadplant Records. When they aren’t managing the release of some amazing lo-fi albums, they make music under the name of Father Truck. They are also a visual artist with an emphasis on illustration. In this interview they talk about what it’s like running a small label, making music in their bedroom, and creating fun cartoon worlds.

Q: How did you come to start Deadplant Records? Are the artists that are on your label friends that you knew before you started it or people you discovered afterward?

A: My friend Aaron and I started Deadplant randomly one day when he texted me, "Do you wanna start a record label?" I talked with him before about releasing tapes of local bands to try to promote them and just start a custom mixtape business. We started by releasing some local bands we found on Bandcamp who were interested! Aaron makes music under the name of Glitter Glue and we release all of his stuff. We didn't really know anyone when we started, then about a week in we started to get bands from all over the world trying to release stuff through us!

Q: What has it been like trying to make it as a small label? What would your “pitch” be for bands who you would be interested in joining your label instead of trying to self release their music?

A: It's been exciting and really challenging. We're both teens working out of our bedrooms and some people don't know that! Our main focus is to promote small artists and keep everything DIY. If they don't have the resources or enough support that's what we're here for! We try as hard as possible to shed light on talent like musicians and artists/designers alike.

Q: What are the primary mediums that you work in? How do you find inspiration for your pieces and doodles?

A: I work mostly in pen and ink on scrap paper or from my sketchbook! I also make a lot of collages with doodles here and there and I collect old National Geographic magazines (that are very dear to my heart, I have the biggest collection ever!) I do lots of graphic designing and I print stickers too. Sometimes I make hand drawn stickers, but it just depends on how i'm feeling. Most of my inspiration comes about from daily things in my life. Like if I see something that I think would look cool as a drawing, I make it! But I would have to say my biggest inspiration is my best friend Geneva. We do literally everything together and I just imagine what we do in real life (or something even cooler) on paper and I draw it! I doodle a lot on my notes for class too, I don't bother to pay attention because sometimes the cartoon world I create is much more fun.

Q: In your mind do you see yourself trying to start connecting the art you do with specific music and bands as much as possible in the future?

A: Yeah I think connecting my art with music and bands would be amazing. I always try and reach out to people first if I really like their sound or who they are. I'm not used to people coming to me first (which has happened a lot now), but it's something I'm gonna have to adjust to and it's always exciting making something for someone you really really like. It makes me happy too that they'd want me for whatever they wanted!

Q: When people submit their music to you how do you decide who you're going to support? Is it hard saying no to bands when they send you their work?

A: Aaron and I try to decide what bands would appeal to our label (and most of the time our own music tastes). We both have differing tastes, so it's hard for us to decide who likes what and if they're good or not. I think we're pretty open to anything though, as long as we can see that the bands have the potential or are willing to work with us to get it. I haven't really approached that situation of saying "no we don't like you," but sometimes I'll just have to be straight forward and try not to let them down in a harsh way? If that makes any sense haha.

Q: Are you mainly working with digital releases right now? Do you plan to start doing physical releases like cassettes or CDs anytime soon?

A: On Deadplant our main releases are cassettes, but also more bands are trying to go digital, which is awesome too! I'd say it's half and half at the moment. But if digital is more accessible to people, then I think it wouldn't hurt us to go that route. I mean, our whole catalogue is up for download on Bandcamp right now!

Q: You make your own music as Father Truck, so do you ever plan on releasing your work on your label?

A: Yes I plan on releasing my stuff through my label! Once I have enough music to call a whole "album" then I'll put it out. Or I can just do what Teen Suicide did and combine two eps into one and call it an album!

Q: You’re currently working on an LP to release as Father Truck, so is it going to stay in the same lo-fi vein as the other work you’ve released under the name?

A: I do think that my music under Father Truck will stay lofi or as much as I can get it to be. I just appreciate the genre and I think my sound fits perfect for it.

Q: Your artwork has a pretty distinct illustrative/cartoonish quality to it, so do you have any aspirations of creating an actual serialized comic or cartoon? Or does your art live mainly in a one piece realm?

A: I've always had dreams of making comics, and I think I'm at the point in my life where I've finally decided that's officially what I want to do. I know I'm still young, but I feel like I have a lot of potential in that whole part of the art world. Creating an actual cartoon is also on my wishlist, but not anytime soon since I want to focus on making comics first!

Q: What kind of projects have you done in the realm of film? Do you plan on using your film talents to make music videos for some of the bands that you have signed?

A: Well I mostly shoot on 35mm film for now (like still photos), but I want to get into sort of a VHS kind of vibe for actual videos. I’m currently going to record some music videos for some Glitter Glue songs and I feel like I'll always be open if any of the bands want me to shoot music videos for them too!

Q: Have you found it hard to make an impact with your label? Do you ever get discouraged or are you hopeful that people will keep discovering the music you release and the work you do?

A: Surprisingly, not that much. I have a lot of support from the people I know in my music scene or even just in my community. Plus, the internet nowadays is literally the key to everything in getting our label and the people we've signed out there! I'm pretty hopeful I would say. Ever since I’ve started this thing it's only been a positive thing! Not only for me, but for others too. I'm sure that people will continue to discover the music we release and things that I do! I'm not sure how long in the future that will last because we're still a baby label, but I know we'll stick around for quite some time.

Q: What parts of the creative process do you help the artists you sign with? In other words, what’s your role as a small label for them?

A: Well as a label we put out their music of course, but we also do many more things for them! Usually we can get someone (me most of the time) to create merch designs for them or book a tour or show to get them more known! We also have a friend that owns a recording studio, so we have all the hookups any band could want or need.

Q: Obviously you’ve released a lot of music with Deadplant Records, so what are your personal top ten favorite songs that people should check out from your catalogue?

A: Not in any specific order (it was really hard for me to choose!):

Tall Man - Pause Pause I'm Irene - Chad Hates George People Keep Telling Me It's Ivory (I keep telling them it's soap) - The Freejays Spacehead - Glitter Glue Lately - Ben Floats Fry, Bacon, Fry (die pigs) - Chad Hates George Seamless - Zac Bron WoWoWo - Serpent Courtney (valori)- Glitter Glue Midnight Blue- The Big Wave Beach Day

Q: You also do a lot of photography. I’m always to hear different opinions on this topic, so to you personally what makes a photograph great?

A: It's always the subject for me! Or something I find aesthetically pleasing. Colors stick out to me the most. Also if you can feel the emotion towards whatever's in the photo, it just makes everything more real.

Q: Looking into the future, what do you see for you and your creative endeavors?

A: I don't really think about that, I just follow the flow and hopefully I can go on a bunch of adventures and make new friends along the way!

Be sure to follow Deadplant Records (and Brooke) on Twitter and like them on Facebook!

[interviewtion]

Honus Honus Interviewtion

Musical madman Ryan Kattner goes by the stage name of Honus Honus. He’s best known for being the mastermind behind the experimental pop band Man Man, but he’s also a member of the supergroup Mister Heavenly. He recently announced his debut solo album Use Your Delusion (album cover above by Mustafa Shaheen), which is going to be released in September. In this interview he talks about why his next project is a solo album, the harsh realities of trying to “make it” as a musician, and his twisted children’s album that still hasn’t seen the light of day.

Q: How does your upcoming solo album differ from being a Man Man album and when you were writing these songs did you have it in mind that it would be solo material, or did it just kind of evolve that way?

A: Yeah going into it I knew it would be solo material. As far as difference, you know, I don’t tend to differentiate like, ‘this is for Man Man and this is for solo stuff’ because all of the stuff I’ve ever written has just gotten into Man Man. Unless it was Mister Heavenly, in which I was writing with Nick. I was just in a situation where we had some time off and I figured I didn’t want to waste any time being inactive, so I was going to make a record.

Q: Since the songs are all recorded, what it’s been like trying to figure out how to play these songs live? Do you have a special stage show planned for the tour? How did you organize who is going to be playing with you?

A: I have a very eclectic band right now, but my “musical director” and also the reason why I made this solo record is my buddy Cyrus, who pushed me to make the solo record and then helped me get this band in shape to play shows. So far we have less than half a dozen shows under our belt and I can tell. It’s really exciting. It reminds me of when I first started playing music because there’s so much immediate potential for a wild-ass live show. I mean we’re only five shows in and it’s already crazy. It’s very invigorating. It feels like a new baptism into weirdness.

The players in my band are super eclectic. Cyrus, he’s just probably one of the most brilliant musicians I’ve ever met. He really can play anything and play it exceedingly well. My buddy Kevin, in a lot of ways spearheaded the acceleration of putting together the live band because I didn’t know what I was going to do. It seemed overwhelming to have to put together a brand new band because I don’t know how long we’re taking a break with Man Man, so I was like “ugh I gotta put together another band” and Kevin is a buddy of mine, so he just said, “send me the songs and I’ll learn how to play all the bass parts. We’ll just take it from there.”

So I sent him the songs, then the next day he was like, “Okay I learned all the bass parts.” Then I said, “What? I didn’t even know you played!”

Kevin is really funny because I never knew what he did for the longest time for work, ‘cause I met him as a friend of a friend and then now we’re really good buddys. You know, I asked him, I was like, “What do you do for work, man? To pay the bills?” He was real embarrassed and he wouldn’t tell me at first. Then real sheepishly he told me, “I’m on Days of Our Lives.” So he plays a drug dealer on a soap opera.

Then my buddy Cully, who is playing drums, we’ve been friends forever dating back to when Man Man, I think in 2005 before Six Demon Bag came out, we opened a tour for Okkervil River. I think it was around that time that I met him. He wasn’t playing with Okkervil then, but I met him through those guys. He plays with Okkervil now though. He plays with Cursive. We became better friends on the Cursive tour that Man Man did with them like years ago. We’ve been talking about it for years and we both live in L.A. and he was finally like, “Alright sure I’ll do it.” He’s such a badass drummer. Joe Plummer plays drums on the record, but he couldn’t see anyone but Cully play those parts.

My buddy Casey, this is another situation, where like I wasn’t expecting to have a baritone sax player, but I got him to play sax on the record. Then he just kind of started wanting to come to rehearsals and now he’s playing with us. He’s amazing.

My friend Yuumi is our hype woman. I don’t even think she’s human. She’s this insane alien person She and her husband Tomoki started out as Man Man fans. They’re from Japan, they live here, and when I found out they lived in L.A. I was like, “Hey I want to be friends with you, you guys are weird like me.” So we became friends, she sings on a song on the record. I had her sing at our first show on that one song. Then she was so amazing I said, “Hey the next show do you want to sing on like every song or just do something?” So now she’s in the band.

Yeah it’s a really weird crew. It’s like a good/bad acid trip.

Q: Recently you’ve been posting a lot of “behind the scenes” photos of your music video shoots for some songs on the album, so do you plan on making a lot of videos for the songs you’re going to be releasing?

A: Basically this great company called Jash, they’re a Youtube channel and it was founded by Tim and Eric, Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Reggie Watts. They came to me and said, “Hey we’re interested in producing and giving you money to do a music video. We don’t have too much money, but if you’re into doing that with us then let’s do it.” Nobody was coming to me to be like, “Hey I want to produce your music video.” So I said, “Absolutely! Please, let’s do it.”

Then they gave me the budget and I came back at them with a, “...could I do three music videos with this budget?” They were kind of blown away because I think in their minds it was enough to maybe do one music video. So they told me, “Sure if you can do three with this then go for it!” Then I came back with a, “...could I direct two of them?” So yeah I’m directing two music videos. My buddy, a different Casey, he just directed one. So we have two in the can. I directed the Heavy Jesus one and Casey did a music video for this song called Red Velvet and they couldn’t be more different as far as the vibe, the tone, and also the songs themselves. I’m still putting together logistics for the third video.

Q: Along those same lines your videos for both Mister Heavenly and Man Man are some of my favorite music videos. I know you weren’t personally directing them, but I’m sure you were involved with them. It seems like the visual aspect of your music is super important to you, so did you ever study film in the past or is it just a passion thing?

A: Yeah that’s like my horrible deep dark secret of what a waste I’ve turned into. I went to film school. I went to school for dramatic writing and playwriting. This Heavy Jesus video is I guess officially the first video I’ve directed like where I got to wear a blazer on set. I showed up on set I had my 1970’s blazer and my director’s glasses. It was a blast to do and I was excited that Jash not only allowed me to direct my own music videos, but trusted me with confidence. It was fun. Logistically a nightmare, but it was a blessing and I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.

Q: Speaking of people who helped out at one point you were calling out for random specific people to help on Facebook, so what was it like working with fans to make the video?

A: Well I mean most of the people in the videos weren’t fans. I had to do a random call for heavy metal dudes and gymnasts who could flip. One of the hardest things was I had to find a bird handler, but fortunately I had a friend who ended up being one. They had to find somebody who had a dove. It was pretty involved, but I’m very happy with how it turned out. It’s one of those things where if you pre-order the record you get that single.

Q: You’ve been making music with Man Man for a long time now, over ten years. What’s it been like trying to make a living from doing what you’re doing as a musician?

A: It’s tough. I mean if I was going to tell anyone who wants to play music as a “career” just stop now. You should play music because you love it not because you expect to ever make any money from it. As far as being in Man Man the only way we were able to sustain any sort of career is just from non stop touring. If we don’t play shows we’re making no money. I was kind of forced with that because we weren’t playing any Man Man shows, so I had to figure this solo thing out. I’m not expecting to make...I don’t know, it’s a strange one. I just want to keep making music because it’s fun. The minute it becomes a thing where you’re biting your fingernails because you need to make your money...I think it ruins the spirit of it.

Q: One of my personal favorite albums over the past few years was the one you made with Nick and Joe as Mister Heavenly. Do you guys have any plans to record any more music together or is that kind of on the back burner right now?

A: Well it’s one of those things where we have the entire album demoed. We’re just trying to find someone to put it out. That’s basically where it stands right now. We’re not in a situation where we can afford to pay for the recording of the record. The flip side of it is that we’re debating self releasing. The only reason I’m self releasing is because the album was already recorded. The whole reason I’m doing a pre-sale campaign it’s not like Kickstarter or other crowdsourcing. I don’t need people to give me money to inspire me to go make something. That’s bullshit. I mean honestly I think that’s bullshit. For me it’s like I had a record that Cyrus and I put together and I just wanted to be able to pre-sale the record to see if anyone gave a shit. Then from that I could raise money to pay for the manufacturing. It’s expensive to press CDs and Vinyl, I mean that’s the only reason you use a label. That’s the whole reason I did the pre-sale thing. You’re going to get a product, the record is fucking recorded. It’s mixed. I don’t need your money so I can go to the corner cafe and sit down with my latte and write fucking lyrics. All of it’s done, you know? You’re just buying the record basically. Alright I got on my soapbox, sorry. To each their own, I know some people have to do that to make their art or whatever, but I’m just not that person. If you’re going to like pre-sale or pledge, there’s a product. You’re just buying it in advance is all it is.

Q: This is just kind of a random question that I’ve always wondered, but how the hell did Michael Cera end up being your bassist on the Mister Heavenly tour?

A: Well Nick is friends with him. We were in Portland for three weeks, just Nick and I, we were house sitting for Joe. He was on tour, I think with the Shins at the time. So we were house sitting and using that time as a writing session before we went in to go record outside of Seattle in Bear Creek. I think we had finished writing Pineapple Girl and we were going to go blow off some steam and go see a movie, so we went and saw Scott Pilgrim. After we left the movie I was joking with Nick, I was like, “It seems like Michael can really actually play the bass. Who is going to play bass on tour?” So Nick texted Michael and was like, “Hey man you wanna play bass with us?” That was pretty much it! Ironically in some weird cosmic whatever, unrelated to my relationship with Michael, Mary Elizabeth Winsted sings on my record and she played Ramona in Scott Pilgrim. It’s so weird how that turned out. Totally unrelated. I didn’t meet Mary through Michael, I met her through some other friends. My buddy Justin, who is going on the Islands tour with us in June with his wife Jamie to drop a documentary about “Honus starting all over again.” He directed a short film that has Mary and I in it. Mary is the lead and I’m in it for a little bit.

Q: For you what’s it been like to make music in L.A. specifically? Did you just move to L.A. recently or have you been living on and off there for a while? How is that different from where you were making music before?

A: The only reason I was able to make Rabbit Habits, Life Fantastic, and On Oni Pond is that I didn’t live anywhere permanently that entire time. I had my stuff in storage for seven years and I pretty much lived out of a duffle bag. I didn’t have the money to settle down anywhere. During that period I would come and I’d live in L.A. for like two or three months at a time. I’d sublet. I’d house sit for people, like friends who are really cool. I moved out here over three years ago, finally. I’ve been trying to move out here since I finished college, basically. Then I got “distracted” by starting a stupid band [laughs]. It was a long coming to move out here. Even my first year living out here, a friend of mine she had an extra room that she rented me, for the first year I lived here I still slept on a couch. I had a couch in my room just because, I think psychologically, I didn’t want to get comfortable because I’ve had the bottom drop out so many times, which sounds crazy. My old roommate though in my old place I lived she was like, “Really, you should get a bed! You can live here! Get a bed! You don’t have to sleep on this couch!” But I had to psychologically.

Q: So what was the appeal of moving to L.A. for you?

A: I mean my background is writing, so I wanted to get back to that. It’s one of those things where yeah you can write scripts anywhere, but it’s just a waste. You’ve just got to go where it’s happening. It’s like I feel like if you’re a young band starting out, even in the age of the internet, if you really want to do something, move to a major city. You’re wasting your fucking time living in the sticks. I know there’s rare examples of people who like lived in the sticks and made it big, “big” I mean it’s all relative these days. If you’re a young band starting out, just like suck it up and move to the big city by you. By big city I don’t mean like, Knoxville. I’m not knocking Knoxville, I love Knoxville, but move to one of the big cities. Figure it out. It’s going to suck, but you’re going to learn so much. Just give it three or four years and see what happens. If you really want to do it, get out. It’s the same thing, like if you really want to work in the movies or whatever you’ve just got to go to where it’s at. You’ve got to go to the source. You’re deluding yourself otherwise. That’s the name of my record. Use your delusion.

Q: The other thing you’ve been doing lately is writing a column about concert etiquette. So how did you get involved with doing that? Was it a situation where you always found yourself onstage getting pissed off at random things and you wanted to write it? Or did someone ask you to write it?

A: Good question, I would like to clarify all of this. So my friend asked me if I would be interested in writing a bi-monthly or monthly column. I said “Yes.” She said, “Pick your topic.” I was lazy, I didn’t pick my topic in time. I was assigned my topic. Honestly, I don’t give a fuck what happens at our shows for the most part. You know, except for extreme examples, I don’t want anyone to be sexually assaulted and people throwing drinks at musicians sucks. So it’s been a real delicate balance where I don’t want to seem like some grumpy grandpa bitching about everything. I mean, you’ve been to a Man Man show, I don’t really care for the most part as long as people are having fun and they’re not hurting anyone. So that’s how that happened. I like the challenge of having to write and my friend who believes in me as a writer, she keeps pushing me. As much as I hate the fact that she’s like, “Okay, it’s time to hand in the draft.” It’s good because it forces me to be productive. I think there’s nothing worse than a mind that isn’t productive. For me, especially, I have to keep making stuff otherwise I go crazy.

Q: Along those lines, what are some of the strangest things that have happened while you’ve been on tour? I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of strange shit over the years you’ve been on the road, so what stands out to you?

A: Well, the other day we just did two shows with Mariachi El Bronx, if you don’t know them check them out because they’re amazing. We played a show in San Diego. My story’s not about that, but it’s a little backstory. My friends who are going to be documenting the tour wanted to shoot some test footage. Their DP was backstage, Reuben, he also was the DP for my “Heavy Jesus” video. He was shooting me telling a story, which I regret telling on camera because I don’t want to be associated with it. However, I will tell you now since I’m not on camera and this will be in print. We had just finished a show in Birmingham at this now defunct venue called the Bottle Tree, which was one of my favorite venues. This guy comes up to me. I’m not by myself, there’s other people around. We’re literally just rolling off the stage and he says, “Hey man, I really want to show you my long balls.” Well, what would you do if someone asked you to look at his long balls? So I was like, “Okay, man.” Then he said, “Really man I want to show them to you!” So I said, “Okay man let’s see em.” So just in front of people he just like whips out his balls. All I could be like was, “Yeah those are very long. You should probably get them checked out.” They were seriously like the length of my forearm. They were probably a foot long. It was a medical condition, he should get those tucked. He was covering up his twig and he was just letting his berries dangle, but it was intense. He was so determined to show me his balls. Now I must add this disclaimer, I do not want to see people’s balls ever again. So if you have a long ball condition, or a no ball condition, or three balls, or only one ball, I don’t care! Keep it to yourself! That’s the one and only time I will check out a dude’s balls in the company of other people.

Q: Looping back to the album you’re coming out with. You said it was all recorded before you launched the pre-sale, so what was your process for recording it?

A: Well like I said earlier it wouldn’t have happened unless my buddy Cyrus was pushing for it to happen. We first became friends about three years ago. I was coming out of On Oni Pond touring and I was really burned out and he wanted to work on something together. I was like, “Dude, I’m totally burned out, let’s just record something and see what happens.” So I recorded a one minute song called “Ants in My Bed” because I was having problem with ants in my bed. Well, at the time, ants in my couch. After it was done I was like, “Oh yeah that’s pretty cool! Rather than me have to worry about writing serious lyrics and whatever, why don’t we just do this project that I’ve been wanting to do forever, which is I wanted to make a thirty one-minute album. So, thirty, one minute long songs. It turned into our kids record. We made thirty songs that are each one minute long and the band is called Booger Bubble. We made this amazing, weird, twisted kids record. Not educational. Adults could appreciate it. We don’t know what to do with it, we’re still trying to figure it out. That was like two years ago and then he was like, “Are you ready to start working on your solo record?” Then I said, “Sure!”

He has a studio, so we started last year in January of 2015. It was basically whenever we both had time. My buddy Dan has been mixing it since last August. It’s been finished since last August. Since I don’t have any money, he’s a rad guy, so he was just doing it in his free time and he was playing in Cold War Kids at the time and they were so busy. We finally finished mixing, so it’s very exciting.

Q: What does the future of your musical projects look like for you right now, in your mind at least?

A: I’m just going to see what I can do with the Honus Honus project. The thing about the Honus Honus band is that we’re also playing Mister Heavenly and Man Man songs. I mean we’re playing any songs that I’ve written, and I’ve written a lot of songs. Nothing is off limits. It has been interesting playing the shows because it’s been a very long time, I probably sound like a spoiled brat saying this, it’s been a very long time since I’ve played shows and nobody knows the songs, but it’s also really exciting because it falls into that ethos of you have to sell your songs and assume nobody has ever heard of you regardless. You’re believing in the songs and your performance. You should never get lazy and be like, “Oh people know my songs. I don’t have to do anything. I can just dial it in.” Once you start with that mindset then you should probably not be playing music. I don’t know, that’s just me. 

Mister Heavenly, the record is written, we’re just trying to figure out who is going to put it out. Nick self released his last three Islands records and I’m self releasing mine, so we might just self release the Mister Heavenly record. We’ll see, everything is changing. It’s a full time job self releasing. I’m going to be the one who is physically mailing out all of these albums. But it’s fine. The way I feel about it, is if people are excited without actually hearing a full song, that’s so great! You’re going to be able to pre-order the record up until the release date, which right now we’re aiming for September 9th. It sucks that there’s so much time between now and the release date, but with all the changes in music, unless you’re like Kanye or Beyonce and you can just announce and drop on a streaming service that you’re a fucking partner of. If you really want to do a good job with releasing a record, it still takes the traditional three or four months. Unless you’re like Radiohead or someone fucking huge with a fan base. Or you don’t care. But I want to do it right. I also didn’t want to lose my shirt putting up all this money to put out the record, so I’m glad that people have gotten behind it so far. The cool thing about if you do the pre-sale too is that whenever I drop videos you’re going to get to download those songs too. As you’ve seen I’ve been giving away so much music, all the covers and stuff.

Q: How did you pick out the covers you’ve put out?

A: I have a friend who was doing a box set of seven inches with different bands doing A and B side covers. I’ve always wanted to do the Danzig song and I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the other side, so Cyrus was like, “Why don’t we do this The Nerves song?” So I was like, “Oh yeah, sure!” And that was the first time I heard it, so we just did it. That’s how that turned out. As far as the title of the album, “Use Your Delusion” it’s obviously a joke about L.A. The record is about L.A. and shit, I mean you can still enjoy it without knowing that. It’s a reference to Guns N’ Roses, clearly. But also it’s a reference to the fact that you have to be delusional to do what I do or to play music in general, these days especially, so use it!

If you’re a fan of Ryan’s musical projects make sure to donate to his Use Your Delusion campaign! Also, give him a like on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and stalk him on Instagram!

[interviewtion]

Boyscott Interviewtion

Scott Hermo is the frontman of the indie surf-pop band Boyscott. Not only is the band name a great pun, but they also make some amazing music. Their debut album, Goose Bumps, was released in November and it could easily be the soundtrack of your summer. I was lucky enough to talk with him about the story behind the wolf mask, how Nashville has influenced his sound, and whether or not he really did find bones floating in the ocean.

Q: What’s the backstory for Goose Bumps? How did it come into being as an album?

A: Goose Bumps is essentially just a bunch of different song ideas I've had laying around for a while, some since I was in high school. I've always had really low self confidence and had been too unsure and scared to finish them, let alone put them out. But at the beginning of last summer I met some really, really great people from Memphis, TN, who really inspired me and kind of forced me to quite being afraid and actually take myself seriously. So I spent the rest of that summer finishing and recording the songs with everyone and then in November we put the album out. 

Q: Why did you choose to name the album Goose Bumps?

A: Goose Bumps has been a title I've kind of linked those initial song ideas with since I was in high school. And when I was recording it last summer, I couldn't think of a better name to sum them all up with. I was also still pretty scared and it felt like the most genuine title at the time.

Q: In all your promotional pictures you wear a wolf mask, so what’s the deal with that?

A: So John Lewandowski, our drummer, is actually the the man behind the wolf mask. I forget how the wolf mask theme came into existence. I guess I've always loved scary animal masks. But John wore it during our first show and it seemed to be an image synonymous with how we visualized our music. 

Q: There is a pervasive surf sound throughout the album, not to mention the album cover is a boat tearing through the waves. Is the ocean and that kind of ocean culture an important part of your life?

A: Oh man, yeah. I love the ocean. Specifically the north east's coast. My mom grew up in Connecticut near the water and whenever we would visit I never understood why anyone would want to leave. It's incredible. I've also spent a lot of time at the Jersey shore, in the New England area, Maine, and Nova Scotia. All of those places are beautiful at anytime of the year. But I moved to Tennessee for college and the absence of that culture really made me realize how much I admired it. So I guess writing songs about it all helped me to feel how I used to when I was there.

Q: Since you’ve recorded and released these songs, has hearing people’s reactions to your music helped your confidence?

A: Hearing positive feedback has been unreal. I didn't think anyone would ever really even hear it, and now learning that some people are actually listening has been really great! I'm definitely a bit more confident and excited now.

Q: Who made your album cover on the Bandcamp page and what’s the story behind it? What made you decide to have an alternate cover for your cassettes? For whatever reason it’s one of my favorite covers I’ve seen recently.

A: Oh man, thanks so much! I created the Bandcamp album cover myself, which is the actual album cover. It's an old postcard I found, which I thought really expressed the album visually. Pizza Tapes wanted to make an alternate cover for the cassette, so I sent them a couple other postcards I found and then suggested we just make it just look like a postcard. 

Q: How did you get hooked up with Pizza Tape Records to release your album? What was that whole process like?

A: So I met Noah Miller, of Pizza Tapes, through the Memphis gang in the beginning of the summer and he had just moved to Nashville, so we started hanging out a lot. And eventually I think I showed him some demos I had and he got excited about them and offered to put out the eventual album and then I was like, “Oh shit I gotta make an album.” So it was a pretty nonchalant process! Pizza Tapes is great, they put friendship before anything else. Noah even played bass for us for a while!

Q: You just released a music video for Marco Polo, so what was the process like for making that? How did you decide on a final video concept?

A: Yeah so my buddy Zach Eager had to make a music video as a project for school and he asked if he could make a quick one for us. And he did! Honestly we just kind of winged it and came up with ideas on the spot. We weren't going to release it as anything "official" but we ended up putting it online because it was a fun afternoon to remember. We're hoping to film a real one this summer, which we are excited about!

Q: Has relocating to Nashville changed the sound of the songs you're writing? In other words, will there be more pedal steel on the next record?

A: It's definitely changed our sound for sure, but surprisingly not in a "Nashville" way at all. I've met so many people and bands here that are into a surf-y, "indie" pop, psych rock, kind of Brooklyn or California sound. And they've influenced me in that direction even more than when I was back home. Overall, I’ve been listening to more of Brian Wilson than Johnny Cash since coming here haha. 

Q: Whereas some albums jump around in styles pretty drastically, yours has a very cohesive sonic signature (in the best way possible). Did this come naturally from the way you wrote and recorded it or was it something intentional that you focused on?

A: Yeah, I guess it came naturally from the way we recorded them. The songs always seemed to be pretty different from each other and we kinda felt weird grouping them together at first. But then as we recorded them and I mixed each song we eventually felt the same way - as if they each sonically work really well together! So it was more of a somewhat unintentional, natural process.

Q: What has it been like for you, especially as someone who was initially scared to share their music with the world, to get to play these songs live for people?

A: Playing shows is still weird, but it's nice to hear clapping after you finish playing a song! It's definitely been a moral booster overall, but I think I'll always feel more comfortable recording songs on my own. Honestly the toughest part is just finding time to rehearse with the band, and finding willing people to play in the band. 

Q: There's definitely a contrast between the surf pop of the music and the darkness of the lyrics, which is why Goose Bumps is such a fitting title. Where do you tend to draw the inspiration from for your lyrics? Are they mostly personal or also fictional (I'm guessing you didn't actually find bones floating in the water)?

A: The lyrics are mostly based off of personal experiences and then just stretched in a somewhat fictional direction. Most of them are reminiscent of when I was in high school, although one is about a whaling novel and blondie is about a vampire. But I didn't put much detail into them, so they're very up for interpretation. I'm excited to try and be more detailed with my lyrics for this next album. And so I actually did, kind of, a few years ago haha. I was walking on a beach in Nova Scotia alone for an hour or so and came across a dead seal that was rotting away on the shore .

Q: What are your plans for the future of Boyscott?

A: This summer we're recording an album that we're really excited about and honestly that's as far as I can see right now, but hopefully we'll all graduate this coming year and start playing a lot of shows!

Be sure to like Boyscott on Facebook and follow them on Soundcloud!

[interviewtion]

John Parker, Jr. Interviewtion

John Parker, Jr. is the stage name of Matthew Cassillo, an indie pop musician that makes some incredibly catchy songs that will worm their way into your ears and stay there for months. His debut album Pseudocide was released last year, but he is also a member of the band new-wave inspired band Family Ghosts. In this interview he talks about creating Pseudocide, struggling with wanderlust, and moving to North Carolina as a change of scene.

Q: In the backstory for your latest album you talk about how an underlying escapism is something that has plagued your life. Is this something you’re actively trying to counteract now that you’ve found this out about yourself?

A: It's a difficult thing to reconcile with, and the more time I spend with the notion, the more my views change. I think I was probably being too hard on myself and overly critical when I wrote that essay because I was so deeply immersed in the concept, and was moving to North Carolina in two weeks, restarting this cycle that I had just spent months documenting on the record. The truth is, I think you have to trust your inner compass and you have to know your limitations. It can sometimes be more valuable to know the parts of yourself that are never going to change than to spend your entire life trying to improve upon the best you can do, never allowing yourself to be happy. I think I've definitely become more aware of certain ongoing behaviors that I don't consider to be valuable parts of my personality, and when I catch myself avoiding something that needs to be addressed, I deal with it a lot better than I used to. At the same time, sometimes you just have to let yourself off the hook and do something else. You deserve the freedom to do that without beating yourself up. As long as you use your change in geography as a clean slate and a chance to gain a new perspective, the rest will fall into place. You'll know the things worth fighting for when you see them.

Q: Was it an intentional decision to keep the instrumentation on the album stripped down to only your voice, an acoustic guitar, and a drum machine?

A: The sound world came together pretty organically. When I started writing the material that would later become the first EP, The Joys of Living in the Modern World, I was in a really weird place. I felt like I was almost going through a second adolescence. I was trying to get to the bottom of a lot of things within myself and essentially became an extrovert to do that. There were these really intense situations and emotions I was experiencing, and I felt like I needed to talk about them.  

At the same time, I was rediscovering a lot of the punk music I grew up on, and getting back to the point of why I love writing songs to begin with. What ended up coming out were these short, simple, catchy songs, and because the narratives were so personal, it felt like something I wanted to explore on my own, rather than with a band. I also wanted to be able to perform the songs alone without being too far removed from the recordings. The bass parts are really the only ornamentation on them, and I do miss those melodies in live situations, but I feel like I play more aggressively to make up for them, which is good in its own way.

During the production process, I was thinking a lot about records like Three Imaginary Boys by The Cure, Is This It by The Strokes, some of the early Jesus and Mary Chain stuff. Albums that sort of have these tiny little pop songs on them and a lot of space, and really make that work. Once I recorded the songs and liked the way they sounded, that same design language sort of naturally flowed into Pseudocide.

Q: Where does the band name John Parker, Jr. come from?

A: I'm really into aesthetics, and I've just never liked the way my name looks in writing, especially when people shorten my first name to Matt. I also have a hard last name to spell just from hearing it in passing, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to be remembered, but also to create something that had a little life of its own. I also knew I wanted to create a compelling character, or in a lot of ways, to further explore parts of myself through a lens, and it has been perfect for that. I feel like John Parker, Jr. is just all of the magnified and exaggerated best and worst parts of my personality with none of the boring in between.

Q: Is this your first musical project or have you been in other bands before this?

A: I've been writing music since I was about sixteen, and I've pretty much been playing with the same guys since then. When I was growing up, the scene on Long Island was essentially a bastion of punk, hardcore, and not much else, and that made it hard to find many people who shared any varying music interests. When I met these guys, we clicked right away, because even though we were really into that stuff, we were also listening to bands like Bright Eyes, Weezer, Neutral Milk Hotel, and a bunch of other things that didn't necessarily fit into those categories. We started playing together as Migratory Animals in 2006. The sound was like new wave/surf rock with 60s melodic sensibilities. We released a few albums and a bunch of singles starting in 2011, and those are all still floating around the internet. In 2013, we renamed the band Family Ghosts and started taking things a little more seriously as far as promotion and performance. We put out an EP in 2014 and ended up in Under the Radar Magazine's Best of 2014 Issue for the single "Zombie of Love," which was pretty mind blowing for us, and a huge boost in visibility. At the moment, we've got two very different albums worth of material that we're sitting on, and I think the songs will probably see the light of day sometime soon, but I can't really say when.

Q: So would you say John Parker, Jr. is a stage persona then that allows you to inhabit a caricature of yourself?

A: It’s definitely a way to inhabit a caricature of myself for better or worse, but more so, it’s become a vehicle for self-realization. I think in some ways, we’re supposed to be those caricatures of ourselves. We’re supposed to be passionate and impulsive, and taken fully by the things we care about.  That’s who we are when we’re kids. Of course, we should be critical and logical, and self-preserving as well, but the past gives us baggage that keeps us in place. It’s hard to make a real change when you are who you’ve always been. I think what John Parker, Jr. has allowed me to do is say, “If you could be anyone, who would it be?” and of course, the answer is: myself. But it’s like whittling away all of the nonsense and everyday junk of modern life to get back to that original person. I find through writing a set of songs, I can start to see patterns in my life, and then improve upon what I don’t like. I didn’t know what Pseudocide or The Joys of Living in the Modern World were about until they were written.

Q: You have a pretty unique voice in that it’s in a lower register. Do you ever feel like it’s hard for you to write full band arrangements around your voice without it getting buried, or do you see it more as a special tool in your arsenal that sets you apart from the crowd?

A:  It became a tool when I stopped fighting it and learned how to write in my range. I still think there are times when I could utilize it better, but I find now, if I write something sort of in the outer limits, I have no qualms about adjusting it. If you look at singers like Zach Condon of Beirut, or Matt Berninger of The National, they’ve not only used it to their advantage, but I think it’s actually informed the type of music that they’re making. Their voices are now indispensable parts of their bands' color palettes that give their songs an atmosphere and mood that would be completely lost with someone else singing. I’d like to get to that point someday, but I also know it’s not something I’m going to actively seek out, because I like to keep the writing process as organic as possible. Maybe that’ll be to my detriment. It’s definitely one of those things that other people tend to appreciate more than I do, and if that makes me stand out, good. I’m just working with the tools I have.

Q: Can you talk a little about your album artwork? It’s a pretty in-your-face collage, so what made you go with that as the cover for Pseudocide?

A: The collage idea came together about a week before I put the album out. I had originally mocked up this sort of Sonic Youth ‘Goo’-style, black pen drawing of a man sitting on a bench with a newspaper, trying to look inconspicuous. It’s a bit of an old cliche, and the more I lived with it, I just started to feel like maybe it was too literal and unoriginal for an album called Pseudocide. I also thought it was too clean and lifeless for what this album sounds like. The collage was almost a subconscious decision and really only took a few hours to put together. The main thing was that I wanted it to feature a picture of me, but I wanted it to be hard to click past on the internet without at least giving it a second look, so it had to be something that was up for interpretation. The finished product ended up featuring several versions of me from different stages of life, interspersed with other significant imagery, which in the end I think made it a lot more meaningful. Much like the sentiments on the record, it’s a bit scattered, scrappy, autumnal, a little moody, a little violent. I think it’s a perfect visual companion.

Q: I discovered your music by pure chance on Tumblr. How do you feel about promotion of your own music? Was Pseudocide more of a project for yourself than something you intended to heavily promote for others to hear?

A: I always knew people would hear Pseudocide, but that was secondary to documenting a period of time in my life, and creating a piece of art that I truly enjoy. Because of that, I think I've approached promoting it with absolutely no expectations at all.  It just doesn't feel like the kind of thing I want to force on people or sell at them. I don't want it to be a blinking banner ad, or something that Facebook recommends to you, or direct messaging people on Twitter. I'm happy when people find it, and I want people to find it organically, whether that's through stumbling upon it or word of mouth. It's a good enough record to speak for itself. I think my feelings also have a lot to do with where I'm at in life right now. I'm not a touring musician or pursuing music as a career option at the moment. I'm in the middle of rural, coastal North Carolina. My neighbors are farm animals. I'm still writing a ton of new material and playing live as often as possible, but I'm here to do some major life maintenance. We'll see how I feel when I come out on the other side.

Q: How did you wind up in North Carolina? Do you think you’ll ever try to seriously pursue music as a career in the future?

A: I think the song Pseudocide lays it out pretty well. I wasn't going to put myself through another winter in the northeast. I had been living in Northport on Long Island the year before and it was nothing like anything I had ever experienced growing up there my entire life. Just soul crushing single degree weather and huge piles of snow to dig myself out of everyday. It made it so hard to just try and live life, and I was like "why am I living somewhere that is hostile to my existence." It really came to a head once I started commuting to Connecticut everyday, and I knew I just couldn't do it again. Once I moved to Fairfield, it got a lot better but it was already the spring, and my mind was made up. So in the fall, I was between jobs and I just didn't have anything stopping me from making the move. The reason I went to North Carolina, and this area specifically, is because I had been coming down here since I was a kid, and it just seemed like the change of pace I needed. It reminds me a lot of the east end of Long Island before it became the Hamptons and wine country, and this sort of exclusive place. It's just farmland and the water, and these tiny little seaside towns. It's very live and let live. People act like humans here.  They're polite and conscientious, they don't beep their car horns, there's no traffic. You have so much space and time down here that you can't really escape yourself, which can be intense. But I think I needed that. I've gained a real clarity I could never get with the distractions and surface things that took up my head space up north. As far as pursuing a career as a musician, I do think I'm going to do a lot more promotion for the next John Parker, Jr. release. I've realized being down here that it's the only thing that makes me happy, and probably always will be. I've already demo’d all of the songs for it, and I can say for sure it's going to be a much more varied and intense album sonically. There will be a lot of sounds on there that people aren't used to hearing on a JPJr release, but I think it'll help to better tell the story and make it more accessible in a lot of ways. The working title is 'Every Day A Hint of Gray' and that's kind of what it sounds like. I'm shooting to have it out by fall.

Q: Family Ghost’s last EP mainly revolved around themes of death, was this intentional when you started writing or recording it?

A: It was actually a writing exercise that ended up going a lot better than we expected. One of my best friends, and co-writer in Family Ghosts, DJ Ryan and I were talking late one night and we somehow got onto the subject of death, and our mutual pre-occupation with it from a very young age. I don’t know if there is any particular event that I can trace it back to, but my parents always say that by the time I was around age 5, it was something that was on my mind a lot. I would kinda just ask them questions and wonder about it, to the point that I actually remember it keeping me up at night. It had been a little over a year since the second Migratory Animals album came out, and we were looking for a starting point for the next thing, and something that would maybe better tie together our distinct writing styles. So we had this moment and realized immediately it was something worth exploring further together. It started off very tentative, and then over the course of the next couple months, we ended up writing 12 or so songs that looked at death from just about every angle. There was the very straightforward and serious side on songs like “Fear of Death”, and then the more conceptual, destructive-relationship-as-horror-film side of things on songs like “Zombie of Love”. We knew it was a turning point for the group, so we renamed the band and put that original set of demos up online as 'Twist and Shout with Family Ghosts' on Halloween 2013. We later re-recorded new versions of our favorite 6 cuts from that collection and put it out as the Family Ghosts EP.

Q: What direction did you go in with the unreleased Family Ghost material you have recorded?

A: It’s a little all over the place. We basically have two unreleased albums, ‘Deadbeats’ and ‘Modernize’. ‘Deadbeats’ was written and recorded not too long after ‘Twist and Shout’, and has actually been around since before the EP. It was another situation where all of this material just poured out of us in a really short period of time. In this case, it was a bunch of sad electronic love songs that sound nothing like anything we’ve ever done. But right around the time we were getting ready to release that, we started getting a lot of attention for “Zombie of Love”. At this point, we had enlisted our very good friends Brad Bosenbeck and David Walsh into the lineup, and we were rehearsing to play the first set of songs live. Now we were going to be adding a whole new, very different set of songs into the equation, and it just seemed like we should take things one step at a time. So we debated it for a couple months, and then did the EP, basically to support “Zombie of Love” as a single, and to have versions of those demos that were up to the quality we thought they deserved. Once that was out, just being the way we are with writing, we started working on the songs that would become ‘Modernize’, so ‘Deadbeats’ got pushed to the side again. Looking at it objectively, ‘Modernize’ is probably the logical next step after the EP. It picks up on the darker side of where Migratory Animals left off. There's a very heavy new wave influence, but it still sits just shy of the sort of straight up synth pop that makes up ‘Deadbeats’. That being said, our moods change a lot, and your guess is probably as good as mine as to how or when we’ll get it all out there.

Q: Who are some of the main influences on your own music, whether musical or not?

A: I don't know if I can really call them musical influences, because I don't think I could ever attempt to touch what they've done, but Dan Boeckner and Robert Smith are the two artists who keep me working to always stay fresh and creative. Dan Boeckner to me is like the model modern working songwriter. He's always busy, between Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, and Operators. He's always writing, and each project fills a different creative outlet for him that, in the end, makes all of the projects better, because they're always something new informed by past experiences. I'm not nearly as focused as that, but as someone with multiple bands, it would be nice to be able to compartmentalize my work better, and I'm trying to get to that point. He just always seems really energized and passionate about whatever he's doing at the time, and it comes through in his work. Robert Smith is more of a spiritual guide when it comes to the actual craft of songwriting. I think The Head on the Door is the greatest pop album ever recorded, but I also love Seventeen Seconds and Pornography, and the entire Cure catalogue. What makes Robert Smith's songwriting so unique is that whether he's writing a radio hit, or is at the depths of the darkest places you can come from sonically, he's always able to make it appealing and different, with his unique stamp. Robert Smith doesn't just write a pop song. It could be the catchiest tune you've ever heard, but at the same time, there's always that little element of weirdness he maintains that is so unmistakably him, and thinking about him makes me work really hard to have a distinct creative voice and design language that comes through no matter what I'm working on.

Be sure to follow John Parker, Jr. on Soundcloud and Twitter!

[interviewtion]

Pet Cemetery Interviewtion

Pet Cemetery is the moniker under which the London based Saam Watkins releases some beautiful bedroom pop music. Listening to Saam’s music feels a little like accidentally opening someone’s diary, but it’s this honesty that is a main component in making his music so compelling. In this interview he talks about the formation of the project, how he goes about writing, and dealing with varying receptions of his music.

Q: How did Pet Cemetery come into being as a band?

A: Pet Cem initially started because I was obsessing over the song Pet Cemetery by Little Lungs and wanted to start a new band like that, so I set up a Facebook page for the name and well never ended up starting that band ha. For me, writing/recording songs is just an activity I do/enjoy doing. Like I'll get home from work and I'll watch a movie or I'll write a song. I think I was doing pc in secret for a year or so before I finally decided to start posting things online. From there the releases started happening, so I started drafting friends in to learn the songs to help me play shows. 

Q: There are a lot of somber themes on your Dietary Requirements EP. Were these brought on by events in your own life or are your songs more fictionalized?

A: I think when I wrote Dietary Requirements I was going through my annual summer life change/reevaluation, so that probably comes across in the songs? Idk. I'm not sure why, but every summer my life seems to shift towards whatever direction it's going to take for the next 12 months and I found myself chasing chaos and misadventures whilst writing the EP. I treat my songs as a sort of scrapbook, like just because one lyric precedes the next, that doesn't mean they have anything to do with each other. So the EP as a whole captures all the things that were occupying my brain at the time. Trying to find the middle ground between a new lush and uncertainties without attempting any sort of understanding, just an acceptance I guess. 

Q: What’s your writing/recording process like? Have all your releases been self recorded?

A: For the most part I record everything in my room because it's easier and because it's free ha. And although I may not have 100% of the knowledge required to make things sound how I want them to, it beats having to explain that to someone else who may have their own vision, but also I enjoy the learning curve. With Dietary Requirements, I recorded that with my friend Dean in his living room and we worked on how that all sounded together. As well as him having an input on the writing process, which was real fun. I have a couple songs coming out soon on a split 10" on Z Tapes (spoilers) and those songs were both recorded in a ~real studio~ which was as enjoyable. It was nice to have almost unlimited freedom to try things out for whatever sounds I thought would work. 

Q: Your songs fit into the lo-fi category, so why do you choose to inhabit that realm? Do you think there’s a special quality that lo-fi sound lends to your songs?

A:  First and foremost, I listen to a lot of 'lo-fi' music, so I guess even without intending to, my songs would lean towards that sort of sound anyway. Then of course there's the practicality of recording myself versus booking and paying for studio time.There's something so pure and - to me - honest about a home recorded record. Like it's real and it's putting itself out there in it's simplest form and I love that. So I guess that's why I do it myself. But like I said I have some full band, studio recorded songs coming out soon too. I like that with Pet Cemetery, as it's my own thing, there's no rules to how it should be and the only person I need to agree with is myself. I plan to keep the project somewhere in the middle. Like I'll do a bedroom EP and then maybe I'll do a release that's done in a studio. Whatever best suits the songs. 

Q: This is more of just personal curiosity than anything, but where does the dialogue sample you use in Birthstone come from?

A: That quote is from I Heart Huckabees. A film I love and may never fully understand ha. Every time I watch it, it gives me something new. That sample is one of my all time favorite movies quotes anyway, but I felt like it accurately summarised where my head was at at the end of writing that EP. A beacon of hope looking over me and the songs. Idk haha, I think it works. 

Q: What has your experience been like working with different labels and distribution places like Z Tapes?

A:  I've played in various bands over the years, so when it came to letting Pet Cem leave my bedroom and tackle the outside world, I already knew a few labels to do things with. Cheesus Crust Records, Art Is Hard, Havana Tapes and Sad Girls Club did the first load of pc releases and are all good friends of mine. Z Tapes was interesting because Filip found me and asked if I wanted to do that EP. Through that we've become friends and already have a whole heap of things planned for the summer. The Z Tapes back catalogue is all golden and I've not met many people with as much and love for DIY music and the running of a label as Filip. He's been real great to work with.

Q: You mentioned that your songs are like scrapbooks to you. Do you generally write your lyrics all at once or do you gather bits and pieces into a whole song?

A: It varies really. Like with the song Champ (on Dietary Requirements), I was just playing around one evening, about to go make some food when all of a sudden I stumbled upon the chord progression and all the lyrics came to me at once. But then I'm always making notes of little ideas that just present themselves to me each day, as I go about my business and sometimes I'll sit down and pool all my favourite lines and piece together some sort of narrative. So yeah I guess for the most part I'll have the words I want to use as they come to me. It's real rare that I'll sit down with a subject matter in mind to write about, that always seems so fake/forced to me. I feel that the ~emotions~ are purer if I just let them work their way out of me. 

Q: What has it been like hearing people’s reactions to your music? Do you ever get scared or self conscious about what you’re releasing into the world, especially music as personal as yours?

A: To be honest I rarely seek out reactions to what I've done. I've lost count of how many times, over the years, I've read a review of something I've written where the author has completely misinterpreted what I've tried for and that's fine, it just bugs me. So I avoid it now. whenever there's been a premiere of a song/release in the past I always get a friend who works in music to do it because I'll trust them to do it justice. And sure when a blog I'm a fan of has something to say I do let curiosity get the better of me from time to time and take a peak, but not often. For me, the realer responses are people at shows who have something to say, or when someone takes time out of their day to reach out and say they're into it. That’s what means the most because those people are just music fans. It's always surprising because music is something I do for me, something I'm compelled to do because I can't not do it ha. So I never expect any praise or anything because why would someone like this thing I did for my own enjoyment? But yeh it's cool and always appreciated. 

Q: Has it been hard for you to convert these songs into a live setting when you play shows?

A: It's actually been really fun working it out. There's been pc live shows sporadically for about a year and a half now and it's always been full band. I have a whole batch of full band songs that'll be working their way out into the world soon enough anyway, so for the most part we've played those. But it's been really interesting to (soy) beef up the quieter songs into a live setting too. I’m lucky enough to have a lot of music paying friends so whenever there's been a show booked I just ask around who's free and assemble some sort of lineup. The album I've been working on is all full band instrumentation, so there'll definitely be more shows happening as that progresses. 

Q: When you’re recording do you generally do all the instrumentation yourself or do you grab some of your friends to help you out?

A: I'd say like 80% of the pc 'back catalogue' is just me and then for a couple releases that were recorded last summer, my pal Dean worked on stuff with me. That was a load of fun. Sometimes the motivation can be hard to find, but I like that there's no pressure with doing this project. Like it's just me when I can and when I want to do things. When I feel it. 

Q: Do you think you ever put any limitations on yourself in terms of instrumentation and arrangement for your songs or do you see Pet Cemetery as a blank canvas where you can make whatever you’re feeling at the time?

A: Yeh I guess it's a blank canvas. Like I said before, it's about what suits the song. I don't often set out with a sound or 'destination' in mind, I just start playing around with whatever idea comes to me and sometimes it'll suit being as simple as possible and sometimes it'll feel like it needs to be built up. I enjoy recording and listening to bedroom stuff as much as I do full band stuff, so I think there'll always be the two sides to Pet Cem. It's like there's two different kinds of urgency, the urgency and momentum you can build and experience from like a 'big' sounding full band song, then the urgency within a home recording like you have this spark and you need to just capture it as soon as possible with whatever you have in hand. 

Q: Why did you name this project Pet Cemetery? Are you just a huge Stephen King fan?

A: I've honestly never read the book or seen the film. It was only within the last 6 months I heard the Ramones song of the same name too! ha. Like I said, I was obsessing over the Hoist Me Up EP by Little Lungs forever ago and the first track on that is called Pet Cemetery. It's just the perfect song. This burst of energy. That's what I'd originally wanted to write songs like but it kind of just became what it is now I guess. 

Q: Do you ever write a song but then hold back from putting it out there because you see it as being too personal? Or do you have essentially no filter in those terms?

A: Writing songs, for me, is like a catharsis anyway, so I think they're probably all too personal already ha. Idk I like songs that feel 'real'. I'm a big fan of emotions ha! So why not put them in my songs? They don't feel too personal to me because even if someone picks up on something i've written about, they're going to perceive in their own way. I have held songs back before because I've thought that they sounded too ridiculous, like I've played around with a sound or genre out of boredom and written something that should never leave my iTunes. That sort of filter is hard to keep a hold on when it's only your opinion dictating it. 

Q: What are your plans for the future of Pet Cemetery?

A: Most of this hasn't been announced or whatever yet, but i've got an EP coming out on the Australian label Swirl Records sometime soon, then Z Tapes has put together a split 10" that I've got two songs on too. Then I'm playing in New York in like 2 weeks (don't tell customs) and trying to book an EU jaunt for the summer. I'm also piecing together an album I guess, there's no real plan with it, I'm just letting it happen. 

Make sure to like Pet Cemetery on Facebook and follow them on Soundcloud!