Photo Ladies 2/22/21 Photo Ladies 2/22/21

INTERVIEW: Mensa Deathsquad

20200902 193617 MENSA DEATHSQUAD_HiRes.jpg — **Mensa Deathsquad**

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

Having spent much of his life as a part of the Kansas City music scene, whether as a musician, band leader, label owner, or label manager, to name a few, Brandon Phillips encapsulates many different genres of music as a musician. From the ska-punk sounds of The Gagjits, the more aggressive, rock-based punk of The Architects, the Motown-flavored 60s pop sounds of Brandon Phillips and The Condition, or the alt-electro sounds of Other Americans, he has spent the past 25+ years steeped in the music industry. Most recently, Phillips has embarked on his first solo project, the darkwave/alt-synthwave band Mensa Deathsquad. With the past few years spent in and out of the hospital fighting illness, he released his first Mensa Deathsquad album Patient Zero in the winter of 2019-2020. He faced a challenging feat in releasing and promoting an album following post-operative infections and a pharmaceutical haze. The only thing he had to look forward to in the absence of tours, live appearances and music videos was the release date and album premiere. Although the emergence of Covid soon after dampened what should have been a successful album release, Phillips, upon release from the hospital, holed up in apartment to write his follow up album, Cyclist. The isolation and illness that he emerged from resulted in a garage-rock take on darkwave that is a perfect continuation of Patient Zero. He has released two singles from the upcoming album, due to be released on February 23rd. The first single he released was "Nothing Is Ever Enough", followed most recently by "Famous". “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have some weird chip on my shoulder about famous people. I won’t pretend to be so urbane and sophisticated that I no longer have any use for people who are both great at what they do and well known for doing it,” says Phillips, when asked about the basis for "Famous." “That said, I loathe, detest and revile celebrity influencer culture so thoroughly that I believe it should be garroted to death at the earliest possible time and pushed into an unmarked grave,” he continued with a smirk, gritting his tightly-clenched teeth. Cyclist carries both a powerful music punch, a cultural rummaging through pop culture, and a run through his ever-evolving intellect. A knowing wink to fans of the seminal vampire flick The Lost Boys, “Join Us, Michael” is at once a seething appraisal of a world scorched and defiled by an older generation and a musical love letter to that pivotal ‘80s vampire movie soundtrack. “Leap Year (Chaos Reigns)” which began as a Siouxsie & the Banshees-inspired jam serves as Cyclist’s true north – the story of a drug-fueled wrinkle in time that brought the entire cyclical nature of existence into visibility one fateful night. “End Of The World” is a dance-floor nihilist electro-rock blending angular post-punk guitar with the nostalgia of neon synths and electroclash drums, while “Takes One To Know One” slowly approaches the thunderstorm of toxic relationships, soulful vocals, tech house kick drums, and grimy-as-hell bass. As a fitting conclusion to the tour de force through his psyche, Cyclist closes with yet another two-track charge, the swaggering post-electro sneer at celebrity social media, “Famous” followed by the throbbing Giorgio Moroder-via-Tech House cover of Iggy Pop’s classic “The Passenger.” “It was important to me that I cover ‘The Passenger’ as a letter of intent,” says Brandon. “The electronic music that I daydream about always has that Stooges layer of dirt and shop grease on it. That’s what I wanted for Cyclist.” With plans for a live stream event and the hope of some outdoor shows when the weather turns warmer, Phillips is ready to get back to touring. You can connect with Mensa Deathsquad and stay-up-to-date on the upcoming album via the following links:

You've had quite a journey in sound as a musician over the years with your various bands, doing all different kinds of music. With regards to Mensa Deathsquad, what led you to want to go the EDM route?

Ok. So, the list of things I've always wanted to do but have never done is mercifully not that long. It's kind of a shortlist. The other things that were on this list, at one point or another, it was like I'd love it if I could come back in my next life as a party rock MC. Like a total Mike D style, or MCA...just that kind of MC, right? I just love it, but I won't do it. Like, I won't do it in this lifetime. There are just some pools I can't bring myself to jump in, either because I'm a coward or some other reason (laughs). Or, like, I'll never take up the violin because I'm aware that's a lifelong pursuit and I'm already a little long in the tooth to take up a new instrument. But with this, it was just doing something by myself, with just drum machines and a bass guitar and a keyboard. Can I do that? Of course, I can do that! And then there was a pandemic and it was like yeah, it's all I'm doing. That was just a thing I always really liked and I felt like there was certainly room for my voice there.

What was it like for you to do a project without any other band members since you have always been in bands?

That part is kind of fucked up, honestly! There's a membrane there that you kind of have to push through, or at least I did. And I'm going to go ahead and call myself out for using the editorial you when I actually mean me. That's like a thing I need to stop doing (laughs). So there was a membrane there that I needed to push through. In a band, you defer to some kind of democratic structure. There are votes and it's like nobody but me gets to vote on the lyrics but other people get to vote on this or that part of the arranging, or whatever. It's weird to suddenly have all of the decisions come down to me and it's unsettling. It's like I'm making these decisions about drums and it's like "You may not be the right guy but you'd better become him and grow into him real fast" (laughs). It was really weird because suddenly you can't just look and gather from the look on your bandmate's face whether or not what you're doing is cool.

You have said your love for the sounds of EDM was kind of hampered by the festival EDM formula that kind of bored you. Can you talk a bit about what it was you didn't like about EDM and how you went about creating a sound that was more you?

I kind of looked at festival EDM as a problem that I needed to solve. And I don't mean like I'm trying to solve this problem for the world like the world needs my version of EDM or whatever, but I needed to solve it for me. I don't want to pick on anyone in particular, but I could listen to somebody's set from some festival and it's like everything follows this pattern. It's like a shitty suburb. Every house is built on the same fucking floor plan, using the same stones and foundation and exactly the same stucco and countertops or whatever, and you end up with a whole neighborhood that looks like a Home Depot showroom. That's exactly how EDM was feeling, like that festival big room house. It felt like that to me and it felt like people were just hiding behind this architectural blueprint. It just lacked songiness. You'll have EDM producers that have awesome musical ideas but the musical idea that was awesome is about 4 seconds, so you don't really get a lot of development and there doesn't tend to be much of an arc, except for this really predictable romantic comedy or shitty action movie arc. I just found that really boring. Songs can do more than that and music can do more than that. A good song has a story arc that's kind of like a movie. There's a false defeat and you don't just go from tragedy to triumph. You go through phases of it and songs do that, but just DJ-produced EDM doesn't, usually. It's just "we're just going to keep recapitulating this drop". Which is like "Well, fine. But you're only going to have me for like 10 minutes", and then I'm sick and tired of it and I want to hear something else. In order to make it work, it's like I love those sounds. I love gnarly-sounding synthesizers and gigantic, stupid, in-your-face kick drums. Those things sound great to me. I was just like "Somebody has to make songs with this. I can't keep listening to non-songs.

You were in the hospital at the start of last year as your debut album Patient Zero came out. What was it like for you to try to promote the album at that time and then to right into Covid and the ensuing shutdowns that happened as a result?

It felt like getting mugged and it was the point in the mugging where you just have to, like, cover your head because they're just going to keep kicking you and you don't have a chance. Just cover your head and try not to take many shots to the face and hope that nobody shoots you or stabs you and that all you take is an ass whipping (laughs). It was like "Ok. Well, I'm fucked. I'm just going to cover my face and when the muggers are gone, I'll check for broken bones or whatever." That was pretty much how that felt, and that sucks. I hadn't really begun to recover from all of that, and it was really a mercilessly protracted process of one shitty secondary infection after the next, and going back to the hospital then back home then back to the hospital. I had barely started to recover from that when Covid hit and was like "Oh Jesus". I was already tired of being in the house and wearing sweatpants and all that kind of shit (laughs). I had already been essentially quarantined for like 4 months before Covid hit, and then Covid hit and it was like "Oh, wonderful. What do we have to do now?". I was like "I'm at least going to be quarantined for a few more months, so I guess I'm making another record. What else do I do with all of this pent-up energy but make a record?". I finished this record then was sitting on it like "What the hell do I do? Do you release a record in the middle of a pandemic?". It didn't really seem like anybody cared about entertainment that isn't like a Netflix series that will kill three nights of boredom. I wasn't sure if it was smart or not to put a record out in the middle of this disaster and sat on it as long as I could before I was like "I can't stand it anymore!".

How do you feel that the new album compares to Patient Zero?

Hmmmm. I can tell the difference between the sorts of compositions that I was attempting on Patient Zero and the sorts of compositions I was attempting on Cyclist. I feel like Patient Zero was an experiment and I was really trying to make them work. It was like whatever I had to do to make it work, like "I don't quite get how this works but I have to figure it out." I don't think I did a shitty job. I think I did a fine job. It's cool and it's a good record. But I think that what I learned from Patient Zero was what works really well...which parts of this idea of Mensa Deathsquad actually work well and which parts are still not quite baked. On Cyclist, I just tried to go with stuff I knew worked well. It was like "Ok. I really like this, so I'm just going to go with that and I'm not going to do some introspective journey of trying to figure out if it's actually good or what the artistic merit is." I was just going to do it because it works. It made it a little bit easier because now I'm not second-guessing everything I'm doing. I'm just doing it because it was cool.

You have said that you are as close to being a professional patient as one is likely to find and that those experiences are reflected in the darkness of the music. Do you feel that doing Mensa Deathsquad has helped you as far as being an outlet for those feelings and experiences and having a darker arc of music than some of your other projects?

Yes! I do. It's kind of a...I'm about to say it out loud, and as I say it to myself in my head, it sounds like super Jewish guilt. I want to do something where I can talk about anything...any dark thing...I can deal with all of this dark, difficult, uncomfortable material and I'm not dragging any bandmates with me. I don't have to ask anyone else to cosign stories of trauma or of illness or of death decrepitude. I don't have to ask anyone else to sign off on it. It's just me. If I can work up the courage or the moxie to do it, it's just me. Because sometimes...I know in the past, in different band situations, I would definitely second guess whether something was appropriate for the band. It was like "Well. I don't know if I want to say that, because then everybody else has to agree with it and I don't want to ask them to do that". Do you know what I mean? I'm just by myself now, so I'm just going to say what I want to say.

You did a cover on Cyclist of Iggy Pop's song "The Passenger" and have said that you covered it as a letter of intent. How do you feel it personifies the kind of electronic music you want to play?

So, somewhere in the arc of punk and alternative music...underground music starting with The Stooges and The Standells and whatever we would call underground right now...somewhere in there, the dancing got lost. Dance became, like, something you feel guilty about. You can get punk kids to dance to PYT in a bar. They will dance. If you put on Michael Jackson, there will be punk people and they will dance to it, but they won't dance to, like, Gang of Four. To me, Gang of Four is like a punk band trying to sound like Michael Jackson's Off The Wall. You know, like trying to put a weird Quincy Jones disco thing on punk music. Trying to make their own kind of jerky angular dance music, right? But people don't dance to it and it drives me crazy! I don't know. It seems really unfair. There are these normies who go to Ultra Fest. They're the ones who get to dance and enjoy that release of dancing in a giant throng of sweaty, dancing people and, like, us weirdos...we're the ones who invented this shit. Dancing doesn't have to be some, like, cleaned up and polished Ultra Fest kind of thing. Dancing can be greasy and dirty and grimy. Probably the coolest dancing you'll ever see in your life happens in some filthy shack in the middle of nowhere. So, yeah. I don't know. I want dance music that exudes that dirty, Stooges-y, MC5-y vibe. I want dance music that exudes that kind of like sad, slushy Gang of Four thing. It should do that. It should be able to do that. It's plenty flexible enough for that.

You just released your new single "Famous", about the celebrity influencer culture we live in and more specifically about Trump having been our social media influencer-in-chief. What can you tell me about writing that track? How do you think we got here and why do you feel so many people get swept up in that and in a sense controlled by it?

You know, it's insidious, but before social media showed up and became so fucking important, we were all primed for it anyway. We were all hungry for it, even though we didn't know that we needed it. We were hungry for something and were ready for this thing to come along and basically tell us to monetize our social connections and to start measuring them. Keeping track of how many likes and thumbs up vs love vs care vs whatever reactions we got. Now we're supposed to count that shit, which even if we're not earning a dollar, that's still monetizing it. We've still turned it into a transaction. So now every friendly exchange we have, casual or intimate, is a transaction. So naturally, when people come along who can get 60 million people to follow them on Twitter, they must be super good at this and we should listen to them. They are an authority on things and they should be worshipped. And yes, they are a God Emperor that we should elect to 15 terms, or whatever it is. If it's that or if it's Gwenyth Paltrow telling women to steam their vaginas. You know, we created this bubble inside which all of this really unhealthy mold is going to grow.

People get so obsessed with celebrities. It's bizarre!

Yeah. There's this idea that, like, "Oh. Gwenyth Paltrow. I loved her in the movie X, Y or Z. So obviously I should go to her with questions about gyno health. Obviously, if she has something to say about how to feed your baby, I want to hear it." It's like, well no. She's not a doctor or a nurse. She's a movie star. But we assume because somebody is saying this that they know about shit and they know better than we do. I mean, how did they get famous, right, if they didn't know better than us? It's like, "I hate to break it to you, but they got famous because they are really lucky. They won the genetic lottery and look a certain way and happened to get cast in something and got lucky. That's it." They aren't smarter than you or better than you and you don't owe them your attention. It's just gross to see the ways in which celebrities, and I really don't just mean Trump...literally 75% of all the blue check marks on Twitter are in some way abusing the power dynamic they have with their followers. And that is just disgusting. That's the sort of thing I look at and I would be happy to light the match that burns that entire empire down. We're better without it. But I don't know. Somebody else might say that I am making too much of it. But I really see it as a nasty, metastasizing cancer on the world.

You have talked about how for you, going forward post-pandemic, that a new normal is going to mean a new underground. What does that look like for you?

I don't know. I wish I knew. I don't have the blueprint for that, but I know that's what I'm hungry for. I want spaces for weirdos again. I want spaces where no one is being gatekept by scene kids or by media voices or by celebrity influencers. I just want spaces that are absolutely weird-positive. If you're not hurting anyone, be as weird as you can and as weird as you need to be comfortable. I recognize that those spaces probably need to be below ground because it's always better and safer and more fun for us if we're doing this shit without anybody's microscope. So, I don't know how that works. I don't know if we just go back to doing barn parties. I just don't know. But it has to be something. We can't pick up where we left off. It's just not going to work.

Having been such a big part of the music industry for so many years, in all different capacities, what do you see the industry and state of music looking like post-pandemic? Are there any changes that have happened over the past year that you see as positive?

I think a lot of artists kind of had to double down on themselves and I think that's really, really important. That's a place I kind of got to a few years ago where I just realized "I have to be the one who bets big on me and on what I want to do." I can't ask people to get on my level. I just have to do what I want. I kind of see a lot more people doing that, or at least tilting in that direction. I find that kind of heartening because that means artists are not all a bunch of solipsistic dicks (laughs). Some of us are still kind of, like, oriented towards truth-seeking, or whatever the hell it is we're doing. So that's positive and cool, and artists have been really, really good and have stepped up and been incredibly giving and generous with their time and their resources in their craft in order to try to help other people and other marginalized communities. All of that is really super cool and positive. But by the same token, you look at the high level of the industry and they are doing a lot of marketing. They're trying to do a lot of reputation rehab right now and not look like the rapacious predators that they've always been, like "Oh, well the music community has been impacted and that's why we're asking Congress for the whatever." It's like, you're asking Congress for the whatever and you're probably going to get it and are asking people to sign this petition under the auspices that it's going to benefit individual musicians and union stagehands and whatever, and it's not. It's going to benefit you and you're going to keep all of the fucking money." Warner Brothers and Live Nation and AEG are going to keep all of this money that they are asking for from Congress. I will see not one dime. Most of my friends will not see a dime of this. Certainly, if there are stagehands or artists in the blue-collar end of the entertainment industry, they are not going to see a dime. So, I don't know. You've got to kind of take the good with the bad. The bad is that all the people who were dicks are still dicks and the good people are at least stepping up and being good and are not letting themselves sink.

Aside from working on new music last year for different projects, I read that you also worked on some writing for a couple of different film projects. What can you tell me about that?

Yeah, I do that and I don't know. I'm maybe 30 or 40 percent good at it (laughs). I'm not great at it yet. It's a thing that enormously rewarding to do and if I ever get to the far end of producing any of these projects, that would be fantastic and you will absolutely see me strutting like a peacock, shouting it from the mountaintops! But right now, I just kind of hammer away on these projects that are just, you know, totally speculative. I've done some cool things and some things I thought were fun. I wrote a horror movie that I like and I wrote a pilot about ecoterrorism that I thought was really cool, and I wrote a libretto for a ballet that I think is really neat. It's a really rewarding hobby and it's really rewarding to learn another craft, but I have better chances playing scratcher tickets than I do with a screenplay.

You did some Mensa Deathsquad remixes on the new Other Americans EP. What was it like to incorporate Mensa Deathsquad into your other band?

I really love doing remixes and I'm really grateful that my bandmates in Other Americans were amenable to me doing that and haven't really put the kibosh on any of my remixes yet, which is great (laughs). It's hard to ask people to trust you with their song. At least, that's a hard ask for me. I know I'll do my best, but it's still hard to ask, like "Hey. Let me reorganize and reimagine your music." But it's great and I've been doing remixes for other people now that will slowly start trickling out this year. I've done 3 or 4 remixes for other artists now and I'm trying to do a lot more of that. It really is fun and it's a completely different orientation to making music than composing or writing or anything like that.

What's next for you? Aside from the new album, what else do you have coming up?

I'm going to do a livestream thing. Mensa Deathsquad and Other Americans are going to do a livestream show together later this month at the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, KS. I think it will be cool, but I don't know. I've never done a produced livestream event for anything because it was never a thing you had to do before. So, I'm doing that, and then it kind of remains to be seen what else happens. I don't know how other cities are, but I know in Kansas City we have at least one place that's doing an outdoor, socially-distanced venue thing. Once the shitty weather goes away, my hope is that will come back and be strong enough that I can at least play a couple of shows. Under any normal circumstances, literally, all I'd be doing is just booking shows in every shitty chicken coop and public bathroom from here to Florida. It's really weird to not be doing that and to release an album and have no emails or phone calls involved because there's nobody to bother about going on tour (laughs). I can't do anything. I have to stay home. Things are going to change and absolutely will improve. At this point, anyone who's still saying that they are being patient is just a liar. No one can be patient with this anymore.

Photo Ladies 2/5/21 Photo Ladies 2/5/21

INTERVIEW: Elise Eriksen

Elise Eriksen - credit Mikkel Eriksen.jpg — **Elise Eriksen**

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

At just 17 years old, emerging pop star Elise Eriksen is already creating a buzz with her fun and fresh pop sound. Having discovered a love for music at a young age, she spent years playing the piano, honing her songwriting capabilities and refining her vocal skills. Her varied musical inspirations range from Stevie Nicks, Alicia Keys, and Don Toliver, leading the young artist to emerge with her own spin on fun and feel-good pop. Born in Norway, she moved to New York City as a young child and is currently based in Los Angeles. As the daughter of GRAMMY-winning producer Mikkel Eriksen, one-half of renowned producers Stargate (Rihanna/Katy Perry/Coldplay/Jay Z), Elise had the distinct advantage of growing up around a wide array of the world's top artists and songwriters. As a result, she was instilled with the hard work and dedication she would need to succeed in her own career. In December of last year, Elise released her debut single "Less", co-written by Julia Michaels and featuring guest vocals by Shoffy and Blu DeTiger on bass. The song is about growing apart in a relationship, and with its shimmering textures and bass-heavy grooves, “Less” finds Elise and Shoffy trading off verses as they reflect on the increasing distance between two partners, creating a track with a mix of bittersweet lyrics and an upbeat tempo. After overhearing her father working on an early version of the track, Elise felt immediately grabbed by the melody and was determined to rework the song. With Julia Michaels’ blessing, she then reimagined “Less” according to her own distinct vision, and quickly caught the attention of Shoffy and Blu DeTiger.

“The first time I heard ‘Less’ I was really struck by how the chords were sort of jazzy because I have such a huge appreciation for jazz,” says Elise, who names Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James among her all-time favorite singers. “It’s such a perfectly crafted song, and I love how there’s this new meaning to it now everyday life has been so drastically altered. I think everyone can relate to feeling isolated, and just wanting to connect and be together again.” Today sees the release of Eriksen's second single "Smile", which was co-written by Sasha Sloan (Charli XCX, Camila Cabello, Anne-Marie, Katy Perry) and shows a different side to Elise who also plays piano on the track and speaks to putting on a façade and smiling even though you’re not okay. “Smile" is about putting on a façade and trying to seem happy even when you’re not,” says Elise on the inspiration behind the song. “As a teenager, I really connected with the idea of feeling like you can’t always be completely yourself, which I think is something that a lot of people experience. I want to speak about things that are meaningful. It felt important to put out something that will leave people feeling more in touch with themselves but also more hopeful and uplifted, especially because it has been such a tough year.” With plans to release more music, music videos and engage in collaborations with other artists and different genres, I think it's safe to say that Elise Eriksen has a bright future ahead of her and is definitely an artist to watch! You can connect with Elise Eriksen via the following links. Photo credit: Mikkel Eriksen.

You are originally from Norway and moved to NYC soon after discovering your love for singing. What can you tell me about growing up in Norway and discovering that love?

I'm extremely thankful that I got to grow up in Norway. It was great because you're surrounded by down to earth people here who don't care where you're from or who you are or what you've done. They just care if you're a genuinely good person. Norwegians are also a lot of fun… I mean, we're Vikings, so what do you expect? My childhood was fantastic and I travel back every summer. It’s the best and the people here are great. There's hardly any focus on the superficial, which I really appreciate.

My dad has always been a part of the music. My grandmother, too. She was really huge in the theatre world and performed all over France and in different places in Europe. She also sang in bands and was incredible. I think that, because of her, my dad was so exposed to music and I’ve been lucky enough to experience it through him.

What was it like for you to move from Norway to NYC? What were your first impressions of the city and how did living in NYC influence and shape you as an artist?

It was a culture shock. I was just a kid, but I remember starting school there. I had to do my ERB's and try to speak English when I did not know what I was talking about at all. New York is probably my favorite place in the whole United States. It's filled with such diversity and there are just so many different types of people who come from all different backgrounds, and who have an interest in all different types of things. So many people go there to do something great and that's what makes it so interesting because you're just surrounded by talent. It really humbles you. When there are so many people who are good at things, then you ultimately have to work 10 times harder. LA is similar, too. It’s more laid back, but the whole vibe of LA is just a melting pot as well. You have so many people in the creative industry around you that, for the most part, want to help you and want to do great things as well. You meet so many people that can assist you in your journey… And there’s better weather.

What can you tell me about your decision to move to LA and how the scene in LA compares to that of NYC? What do you love and find inspiring about living in LA?

It wasn’t really my decision to move away as I was in fifth grade and don't know how much I really could have done, but we wanted to kind of change things up because we had lived in New York for such a long time and the creative industry was really blossoming in LA. In LA, I think, you really get inspired because of all the creative people that are there. If I hear someone say something interesting, like a little phrase or a couple of words, I'll write it down and maybe use it in a song. There's so much in your daily life that you can take inspiration from, or take little phrases from, that you can use in your music. I've also gotten a lot of help from teachers to really perfect my craft, and to learn how to perform and to sing live. I would say it's a really creative place to be. I really, I really enjoy living in LA.

Your father is Mikkel Eriksen, GRAMMY-winning producer and one half of uber-producers Stargate. What was it like for you to grow up in the studio, surrounded by the world's top artists and songwriters? How has having a father in the industry, as well as the exposure to so much talent growing up, helped you to navigate the music industry in the pursuit of your own music career?

Growing up with him in the studio and around all those people was inspiring to say the least. It was incredibly humbling as well because you see these people in a whole new light. You see them when they're not wearing makeup and they’re in their sweatpants at, like, two in the morning working their ass off just to make something cool. It really shows you that they’re real people who do put in the hours and the effort to be something great. It shows you how they really earned what they did. Growing up with my dad taught me that it isn't just the fun things, like release parties, or the GRAMMYs and award shows, or TV for that matter. It is those long nights and those drafts and the 100,000 takes. That’s what you’ve got to do to really be one of the greatest and that’s something that I’ve learned.

I’ve also learned that you have to accept help too because nobody does it by themselves and dictates everything. It’s always a group effort. The most successful people take inspiration and then take advice. That’s what makes these things great.

What is the best advice you have received over the years?

Collaborating is one of the most important things in music. Sitting there and starting from scratch with nothing other than a piano and a piece of paper and isn’t how it really works. I mean, sometimes you can do that if you’re lucky, but I think that accepting help and knowing that other people can contribute as well is really important advice. You realize that there are so many moving parts to this industry and all of those parts contribute to your journey. So, I would definitely say to start by reaching out to people and seeing if they want to make something. You don’t even have to use what you create but reaching out to people and working your butt off are the two most important things for sure.

What can you tell me about your recent single "Less", co-written by multi-platinum songwriter Julia Michaels? What inspired your decision to re-work the song as your own and what was that process like?

“Less” is a funky and upbeat song that can speak to a lot of people through his message, I think. I wanted the song to reflect who I am as a person, even though I haven't had a crazy amount of relationship drama myself. I want to really be able to stand for what I’m singing, so that’s why I used the production I used and interpreted the song in a different way. The production is a mix of all the genres that I really love and the elements that I find really cool about those genres. I just wanted to make this on my own by changing up from the original composition so that it really did become something of my own and something that I'm proud of.

What was the inspiration behind the music video for "Less" and what was it like to work with Shoffy and Blu DeTiger? It looks like it was a fun video to make!

Working with Shoffy and Blu was amazing. Shoffy is super, super nice and Blu is awesome and inspired me to start learning bass.

I wanted the video to feel genuine, so we shot it in locations that I've grown up around with the people that I've grown up around. It is a really personal video to me because it is in my hometown and has my closest friends in it. I wanted it to be fun and uplifting. It’s just a happy, quirky video with a bunch of colors and liveliness, different outfits that contrast with settings, and all things that I find really fun because I wanted the video to show my personality.

At just 17 years old, what has it been like to have a career in music at such a young age? Do you feel as though juggling schoolwork with writing and recording music presents a challenge? What do you like to do for fun when you aren't working on your music?

I've wanted to be a part of the music industry so long and I really worked on myself and my craft. I’m still growing but, for right now, this felt like the right time. It has truly been a fun journey, but juggling everything has been weird. Half of me focuses on the music side but then I also have statistics homework to do the same day, which is kind of weird. It hasn't been awful because music doesn't feel like a chore at all. It feels like something that is a hobby for me, but with the pandemic I've had a lot more flexibility in my schedule. I've been able to focus more on the music side. I've had the opportunity to really, really work on everything because I dropped all the social stuff.

When I’m able to, I ride horses and I'm really interested in fashion. I love taking pictures, spending time around animals, going on walks, being outside, and swimming – just not in the ocean, I’m not a fan. I do love spending time with my friends and doing things with them, but it has been very limited.

You have said that over the years, you have learned what it takes to create the perfect pop song. What have you learned? What does a good pop song look like to you?

I think I've learned that pop can be a lot of different things. A common association with pop is that it needs to be middle of the road or vanilla for it to be successful, but pop can really be something really interesting if you merge it with a lot of other things and a lot of other genres. I’ve also learned that, although they may sound simple or easy to sing, it's not as easy as it looks. I've done covers of other songs my whole life, but once it really becomes your own you want to present your best work. You want to present something you're proud of. I've learned that it does take time to really make something your own.

I would say a good pop song just tells a story. If it tells a story that people can relate to, or that people can understand, and it’s conveyed in an interesting and descriptive way, I think that that really makes a pop song good. If it becomes personal, then people can connect to it and if it's happened to you then a lot of the time it's something that other people have experienced as well.

What can you tell me about finding your sound as an artist?

I think that we're constantly on the hunt to find our sound. I think that's a never-ending process, almost. Particularly for me, there are so many different things that I'm interested in trying out and that I want to do. My voice is my sound somewhat, but I'm really open to trying other things and seeing what works best for me. I want to be able to have variety in what I do.

Having honed your songwriting craft over the years, what was your process like when you first started writing songs and how has it evolved over the years?

When I first started writing songs, they were just poems. A song is kind of a poem, really, but it was mostly just phrases and random words that I wasn't able to complete. Over time, I've gotten significantly better at being clear in my storytelling and using real life experiences to tell stories. Storytelling is one of the hardest but also most important things to do in music. So, I think that writing songs started out as being really difficult, but you have to write 100 crappy songs to get one okay one and then 100 more to get one good one.

Who are you listening to right now? Who are some of your favorite artists? Are there any new artists you've discovered that you feel like people should know about?

Right now, I’m really loving 21 Savage’s new album with Metro. I love, love, love that one… And I'm always listening to Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac, those are two of my favorite bands. A new artist that I actually thought was really cool is a band called Hotel Ugly. One of their songs has 2 million streams and I think it is so good. I really want people to hear them because I think they have something really cool. I’ve become a new fan.

What's next for you?

I just released a new single called “Smile”! I’m also working on a body of work and we're filming interesting videos, which is super exciting. I think I'm just going to keep working at what I do, collaborating with more people, and seeing what's out there and experimenting with genres!

Photo Ladies 1/19/21 Photo Ladies 1/19/21

INTERVIEW: Elder Island

2020PressImage(NoLogo).jpg — Elder Island

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

Electronic-pop trio Elder Island traverses the sounds of many genres. Based in Bristol, they blend electronica, indie, pop, and neo-soul to weave together a sound that threads together poetic lyrics, unique instrumentation, and synth-heavy dance beats. The trio met six years ago in Bristol while attending university to study fine arts, photography, and graphic design, with the city's diverse music scene providing the inspiration and opportunity to play music together. Although the trio started out doing casual jam sessions at home, things took off for them when their 2014 self-titled debut EP gathered steam amongst the public, allowing the band to focus more seriously on their musical endeavor. Their follow up EP, Seeds In Sand, saw the band finding and becoming more comfortable in their sound. Where their debut EP had been an ambient soundscape of field recordings, loops, and percussive elements, the follow-up was a more cohesive collection of five dance-influenced tracks. Their songwriting process adds to the magic of their sound, with each song starting out as a jam session in which various ideas and instrumentation are mixed together to create a song. 2019 saw the release of their album The Omnitone Collection, described as ten tracks that are rich tapestries of tiny moments in time, but also sweeping soundtracks weaved with ambition. The band created bespoke artwork to accompany the album, describing The Omnitone Collection as an “integrated concept”. This form of commitment is evidence of the hands-on, DIY approach the band undertakes in many aspects of their music. 2019 saw Elder Island take The Omnitone Tour to Europe and North America twice, with over 60 dates. This included sold-out shows in New York’s Bowery Ballroom, El Rey Theatre in LA, and an electric, sold-out performance at London Roundhouse. Capturing their dates on their Omnitone Tour, the band released a short documentary last year that not only documented the unique, immersive quality of the band’s live performances – which have inspired sell-out shows at iconic venues around the globe – but it also heralded a raft of new tour dates for 2021. A remix of the album was released last Spring, featuring remixes by fellow musicians and admired artists such as Shigeto, Matthew Dear, and Dirty Nice. The band recently released their latest single and accompanying video for "Feral". A dramatic track, it builds towards a crescendo with inexorable, synth-lead force. “It's got a driving aggressive sound that's quite dark, and then this light bossa nova beat that goes along with it,” explains bassist Luke Thornton. “The song is inspired by childhood memories of fear, so the track has become a juxtaposition between darkness and light.” In a nod to the classic double-sided cassette and vinyl singles, Elder Island also release B-side “Absolute.” Juxtaposing the intensity of the A-side, “Absolute” is the antidote to “Feral,” a drifting synth-led track floating melodically through soft, choral vocals, which nevertheless maintains an unrelenting 4/4 beat. Reminiscent of a short film, the music video for "Feral" embraces the paranormal and the sinister discomfort of vast, desolate landscapes. Directed by Jordan Martin who has worked with the likes of Fontaines DC, IDLES, Heavy Lungs, Two Door Cinema Club, and Bastille, the video centers around a flickering fireside and the band as cult-esque figures, barefoot and shrouded in the dark. Filmed on the outskirts of Bristol, it moves between haunted outhouses, vacant grounds, and Hitchcock-styled chiaroscuro driving scenes with a permeating sense of dread, visually exploring the burden of childhood nightmares. With a new album in the works, Elder Island is definitely a band to follow into the new year! Elder Island is vocalist and cellist Katy Sargent, bassist and beat maestro Luke Thornton, and guitarist and synth master David Havard. You can connect with Elder Island via the following links.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud | iTunes/Apple Music | YouTube | Bandcamp

Luke and David- You knew each other growing up and met Katy while attending university, recruiting her to play with you when you heard her playing the cello. Early on you preferred folk tunes over the synth sounds you now play. What can you tell me about those early days of playing together and the evolution of your sound?

David - When we started playing together, we only had a few instruments at hand. It started with an acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, a cello, and a very basic drum kit. We had a 2-channel interface, one microphone, garage band and would experiment, teaching ourselves how to record, trying different things out. It wasn’t long before we got a copy of Ableton which really helped open things up. We were still mainly using acoustic instruments but were learning to manipulate them and loop in time together to start creating beats. In the years leading up to us making our S/T Ep we had managed to accumulate quite a few more instruments and effects from bargain eBay purchases and making DIY equipment. We would play together when we found the time in between work and it was these early sessions that would be the foundation for that EP. When we made that record, we intentionally played everything, recording directly into the arrangement. We didn’t want to use Ableton for the instruments, just to record and produce the record. I picked up a Pianet T, which was quite a crucial instrument for me as it’s when we started to use keys, not just stringed instruments. I found an old Yamaha PSR-21 keyboard, which was hidden in a cupboard at home, which was the only synth on the record, as it was all we had, but ultimately added to the lo-fi nature of the recordings. After putting that record out and seeing its response, we started to take things a little more seriously. We had a lot to learn, trying to translate that record into something that worked in a live environment. I think every show we performed for a couple of years had a technical issue of some kind, but it’s where we refined our instrument choices and found the basis for how we perform today.

Your process for writing music tends to involve marathon jam sessions. What do you find inspiring about these sessions? Are all of your songs a result of these sessions or do you ever find yourself with specific song ideas going into them?

Luke - I believe the inspiring aspect is getting lost in the moment. Most of the time when this happens, something unique ends up being created. There is nothing more special than that.

You started out writing, recording, and producing on your own in your basement studio in Bristol, but with your first LP, The Omnitone Collection, you worked with Ali Chant at his studio, Play Pen. What can you tell me about the process of doing everything yourself vs working with another producer and what led you to reach out to him? You have said that the album had more of a songwriting focus and that working with Ali led the songs to be more sculpted. What can you tell me about the process of making that album?

Katy - Producing at home is a double-edged sword. You have all the time you need to realize tracks and get them right but there is a tendency to agonize over decisions and things can take a lot longer. It's always hard to know when to stop. When working in a studio you have to be more prepared and because ‘time is money’ you have to make quicker decisions. There is also someone present who can guide and offer a second opinion. Alternatively, these aspects can cause you to rush and the additional person sometimes means another link in the chain of production, having to explain your vision before you can enact it. I think with the Omnitone album we had got the tracks to a good point in our own studio but were struggling to finalize/ finish them. Ali really gets our long processes but as an external producer has the power to chivvy us along a bit and say is this your final decision? It's what we needed.

What can you tell me about your love of old school equipment vs digital gear and your aim to mirror the level of care that goes into the production of old artifacts in everything you create?

Luke - The biggest pro of doing things digitally is that the process is always faster. It's incredible what can be achieved now with digital equipment and the development is never slowing down. The good thing about old school equipment is that it was built to last and if treated with care can last forever. Our goal is to use whatever gear old or new as tools, then see if it inspires us to create something with it. So far it has yet to fail us.

You recently released your new single "Feral" and the accompanying music video. What can you tell me about the inspiration behind the song and the idea behind the video, which brings to life the uncomfortable dread of childhood nightmares and the anxiety and fear of what awaits you when you finally fall asleep? Was the song based on real-life experiences?

Katy - Sonically there’s a contrast in the track between the lightness of the Bossanova / mambo beat and the darker ominous driving bass. A sense of foreboding with a naive twist. Lyrically I was exploring a time in my childhood when I was testing the boundaries of what was right and wrong. A fear of things you don't understand but also the exhilaration in this fear. I reference films that I had watched at friends' houses whose parents did a little less censoring than mine. Late Night horror movies, Candyman, and satellite’s delight ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark’ (a North American kids horror television series). Watching these things elicited not only a fear of what I had visually seen but also a deeper feeling that I’d watched something forbidden. These feelings as a child are way more prominent than those of an adult. Everything is interwoven into your imagination and thus your everyday. I didn't sleep much as a child but I certainly didn't sleep much at these horror house sleepovers. I could dedicate some of the sleepless aspects of the video to these long nights awake believing there was something ominous drawing closer.

The video is described as a spooky cinematic seance. What led you to shoot the video like a short film and what was the filming process like?

Katy - The short film probably comes from us trying to squish as much into the video as possible without bursting its seams! We ended up with way more footage than was needed and it was a definite ‘Kill your Darlings’ scrapping certain sections, but the video benefit as a whole from these decisions.

What can you tell me about the different locations in which the video was filmed?

Katy - We filmed in two main locations with a few extras for B-roll. We were looking for classic eerie settings. Dusty cobwebbed barns and creaking outhouses. As per we called in a few favors. One sight was with some incredible friends of ours who live on the outskirts of Bristol. It’s a semi-rural, slightly wild, and sprawling place that I love. The other was near Gloucester where Director Jordan Martin's grandparents live. A fitting location being a place he had spent a lot of his childhood. They were also the owners of the small well that we hung Luke over and the fantastic Saab 900 convertible that I got to drive.

You have said that the video pays homage to the horror films that broke your childhood. What were those films?

Katy - It's a great talking point as everyone has one or two shows they saw as a kid that stayed with them! I think mine was watching MJ’s Thriller Video for the first time and then also watching Candyman way too young. Really shook me up. I also asked Luke and he said Chucky. Dave coincidentally mentioned episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark but then started talking about a scene in a film he had seen with walls closing-in and spiders pouring out. No idea what the film was but it seems to have had a lasting impression.

With an upcoming album in the works, what can you tell me about the process of recording your second LP compared to your first? What can listeners expect sonically? What else can fans look forward to in the coming months?

Luke - It has been a shakeup to how we've written previously. For the first album, we had songs that were created around the same time as “Seeds In Sand” that were being finished and incorporated into the album. With this album, we started from scratch a few days after our London Printworks show. The lockdown happened, so we put our heads down and pretty much spent the entire year making the music and discovering new instruments and equipment. Without giving too much away, expect to hear a sonic landscape filled with the new instrumental discoveries we’ve made. It is an album reflective of the year it was created whilst having an anomalous charm. We’ve had to move live dates on so that our first shows will be the UK and IE tour in May & June. Fingers crossed. We are however hoping to record some live performances to put out in the interim. Looking forward to the challenge of transforming the new tracks into a live show.

Photo Ladies 1/12/21 Photo Ladies 1/12/21

INTERVIEW: Good Bison

Good Bison

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

Alternative artist Pablo Alvarez has found his voice as an artist after years of experimenting with multiple genres. Born in Bogota, Colombia, he and his mother emigrated to the culturally diverse city of Miami, FL when he was a young child. Alvarez discovered hip hop, Star Wars, and skateboarding, cultivating his internal creative self and later earning a spot in The Guinness Book Of World Records for the Longest Consecutive Rap, freestyling for 26 hours straight in a live broadcast. As a young adult, he moved out West to Los Angeles in an effort to start a music career and formed his latest musical project Good Bison. It was in Los Angeles that Alvarez feels as though he truly found his voice as an artist. Combining elements of surf rock, pop-punk, indie rock, and hip hop, his music is creative and unique without sounding chaotic. Good Bison has released 2 EPs in recent years, 2016's debut EP Buffalo Roots, which explored indie-rock, lo-fi pop, and electronic sounds, and 2017's hip-hop leaning mixed tape That's Bodhi, influenced by acclaimed producer Jeremy Hawkins, whom Alvarez met shortly after releasing Buffalo Roots. 2019, however, saw Good Bison move back into an indie and rock direction. For Good Bison's latest EP, Scattered Storms, due to be released later this month, he wrote and recorded all the music for the EP with Mauri Viladegutt and Slightly Stoopid producer George Spits. Largely acoustic and rhythmic in sound, the 4 song EP showcases his ability to twist melodies and hooks on a dime and embraces organic instrumentation, such as percussion instrumentation from a kid's toy set and a Colombian rain disk. “I want my music to help people feel less alone in the world, as cheesy as that sounds,” he laughs. “My favorite songs speak to the shared human experience. We may all live wildly different lives, but we go through so many of the same feelings and emotions, and in a way, music helps us understand that we’re all in this together.” In November of 2020, Good Bison released their first single from the EP, "Can't Predict The Weather", a song about loss and learning to be ok with it. Most recently, "Lunatic", the second single from the EP, was released. "Lunatic" is the second song I wrote on guitar and it was inspired by multiple trips out to Joshua Tree in the middle of the night," says Alvarez about the making of the song. "One time, I was walking around the desert at two in the morning and genuinely started to feel like I was lost. Nothing looked familiar, and I had wandered pretty far off the main trail which is super dangerous and not something anyone should do. I was lucky enough to eventually find my way back to the campsite, but that feeling is something I carried with me while working on this track. I'm still not sure if I've made it home yet, but at least I'm not lost in the desert." "The lyrics to me are really about being patient and not letting yourself get overwhelmed with anxiety," he continues. "Even if life isn't exactly how you want it to be right now, there's still plenty of time for things to change. But you also can't be so caught up in getting to the finish line that you miss out on the ride." Combining bits of Beck’s Odelay, Weezer’s Blue Album, The Front Bottoms’ self-titled debut, and the tongue twists of Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, the new EP is ambitious and self-assured, a solid EP from a solid artist. “I credit this morph to a re-found confidence, and the desire to create something that was representative of myself, rather than something that sounded like what is already coming out. I wanted to make something that was true to me.” You can connect with Good Bison via the following links.

You grew up in Miami after emigrating there from Colombia as a child. What can you tell me about growing up in Miami and learning to integrate and fit into a new culture? You have mentioned that your first real sense of belonging was within the skateboarding community. What can you tell me about discovering skateboarding and finding a sense of belonging within the skateboarding community?

When I moved to the United States, I didn’t speak a word of English, but Miami has such a huge Latin culture that the adjustment was easy for me, especially since I was only seven years old. We landed in the US on July 4, 1999, and my mom told me the fireworks were to celebrate our arrival. I remember I was scared that people wouldn’t be able to understand me, but to my surprise, pretty much everyone spoke Spanish. I like to say I learned English listening to The Marshall Mathers LP on repeat, which isn’t entirely true, but I was obsessed with Eminem from the moment I first heard him rap. I memorized all his lyrics, even before I fully knew what he was saying.

A friend of mine gave me his old skateboard for my eighth birthday, but it took me a few years to really get into it. I didn’t hang out with a lot of people, so skateboarding was great for me because it was something I could do on my own. I’d force myself to go to popular skate spots, and pretty soon I had a crew who I would meet up with literally every single day. We called ourselves Soda Skateboards. We weren’t anywhere near as good as the other skaters in our scene, but using my camcorder we’d shoot ourselves skating and I would edit the videos. I used “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring for my first skate part. Skateboarding gave me something to do, and people to do it with.

What has your journey been like of exploring many different styles of music to try to find where you fit in? What have you discovered about yourself as an artist in the process?

I used to fantasize about making music, but never considered the possibility that it would happen. When I started recording, rap felt like my only option, not only because I loved the genre but also because I couldn’t sing, and I couldn’t really play any instruments. But I could write. Lyrics always came naturally to me. My first songs didn’t even have choruses. They were just long verses. Eventually, I started adding hooks and exploring melodies. After high school, I was in a band called Dinosaurs ‘N Disasters, and for a while, I just saw myself as the group’s rapper. But thanks to that experience I developed as a songwriter, and I realized that I could and I wanted to do more than just rap. With Good Bison there was a lot of experimenting to try to find my lane. “Buffalo Roots” had a much more indie-pop feel, and then “That’s Bodhi” once again leaned into my hip hop roots. But releasing that mixtape and breaking the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle pushed me in a completely different direction. I lost my passion for rap. I wasn’t writing lyrics anymore. I was kind of lost. Around this time, I started playing more guitar, and I became a huge fan of ’60s and ‘70’s Rock. When I felt motivated to make my own songs again, I didn’t want to follow current trends or try to fit into any specific genre. I decided that I wanted to follow the music wherever it took me. Like when I was 17, writing songs without choruses, getting out whatever it is I needed to.

What inspired you to move to LA six years ago and what were your first impressions of the city? What do you love and find inspiring about living and making music there and how do you feel that being there has helped you to find your voice as a musician? Having settled in LA to find your own version of the American Dream, what does that look like for you?

In 2014, my band Dinosaurs ‘N Disasters was playing all over South Florida and we were finishing up our second EP. We were in the middle of planning a tour when two of the members decided they wanted to pursue their own careers. That same night, Mauri, Sebas, and I decided we were going to move to Los Angeles. We scrapped the EP, stopped planning the tour, stuffed all our belongings in a car, and drove west. I had never even been to LA. I was immediately blown away by how many different scenes there were in the city. It felt like anything you wanted to do was fair game. I was also able to connect with some incredibly talented people who helped elevate my music even further. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I got here. I didn’t have a place to live, or a job lined up. But I was willing to do whatever it took to make living in LA a reality, and six years later I’m still here.

You have said that when you bond with someone musically, that bond lasts a lifetime. What can you tell me about your friends/bandmates Mauri and Sebas and how you met and began playing music with them? What was it like to move together to LA and what has it been like to have played music together for so many years?

Good Bison is, and always will be, a collaborative project, but it’s not a band in the traditional sense of the word. Mauri, Sebas, and I started this when we moved to LA, but there are so many other musicians who have contributed to the sound. JHawk Productions, Psolomon Williams, George Spits, Sean Magill, Abraham Mendez; just to name a few. I’ve known Mauri and Sebas since I was 13, but our relationships really started to develop when we bonded over music. Mauri was there when I recorded my first song, which led to us writing and performing together. Sebas joined Dinosaurs ‘N Disasters not too long after that. Moving to LA together was an incredible experience, and for years the three of us lived in the same house. But in a lot of ways, leaving Miami felt like one giant step forward and a million tiny steps backward. The only way Good Bison was able to progress was by opening the doors and letting other people get involved. Mauri and Sebas will always be a huge part of Good Bison, but I’d say the lineup is in a perpetual state of flux. For ‘Scattered Storms’, all the music was written and recorded by Mauri, George, and myself. But the last song I released before this EP, “Nowhere To Go”, was made by Abraham, Sebas, and I. I feel incredibly lucky to have so many talented people willing to contribute to the vision.

Aside from music, you are also a writer! How did your interest in writing develop? You have called writing the gateway drug that got you into music, so having written for publications and online websites such as LA Weekly, Miami New Times, and GUFF, what was the transition like for you to writing songs? Do you still write for publications and websites or are you focusing more on music right now?

I’m pretty sure I’ve been writing for as long as I’ve been able to hold a pen. I have countless notebooks filled with stories and poems from when I was a little kid. I don’t even know how it started, I just know I’ve always loved it. I thought I was writing novels when I was 10 years old, but looking back on them now my ‘chapters’ were not much longer than a paragraph. Writing is the only reason I started making music. I figured if I could write stories and poems, I could probably write lyrics too. The big difference was that when it came to music, I wasn’t writing fiction anymore. I was writing about myself. Later I got the opportunity to write for magazines like Miami New Times and LA Weekly, and I focused on covering music as much as I could. I loved interviewing artists and reviewing shows, but nowadays I’d say almost all my writing is for Good Bison.

You have said that it took a while for you to understand that songs were more than what you were putting down on paper. What have you learned about your songs over the years and what they mean to you?

Since writing is such a huge part of who I am, lyrics have always been at the forefront of my understanding of music. Listening to hip hop, I didn’t care about the beats. I was in it for the raps. No matter what genre I was currently into, the only thing I was listening to was the words. I couldn’t pick out guitar riffs or bass lines, or differentiate drum patterns. That started to change when I was in a band, and even more so when I learned to play guitar. Suddenly I found myself getting blown away by the bass in a song, or waiting for specific drum fill. I also learned to understand that the instruments conveyed just as much feeling and meaning as the vocals, which made me pay way more attention to those elements in my own songs.

What was the inspiration for your latest project Good Bison? What was it about going into this project that made you embrace a timeless sound rather than something contemporary and what made you decide you no longer wanted to do rap?

I didn’t necessarily decide I didn’t want to rap anymore, but I did decide I didn’t want to overthink what I was doing so much. In the past, I would focus a lot on whether I was writing a melody or a rap, and if I was rapping, I felt like it had to measure up to some imaginary bar I had set in my head. But listening back to my music, I realized my favorite songs were the ones where it wasn’t immediately clear if I was rapping or singing. With this new EP, I just let things flow as seamlessly as possible. I also didn’t care if the music sounded like what people are listening to right now. My biggest inspiration going into ‘Scattered Storms’ was ‘Pet Sounds’ and Brian Wil

You recently released your new single "Can't Predict The Weather", which you have said is about loss and learning to be ok with it, but that you didn't necessarily realize what the song was about as you were writing the lyrics. What can you tell me about the song and when did you realize what the song was about?

I don’t usually think about what a song is about while I’m working on it. I’d say my writing style is more of a stream of consciousness. The hardest part for me typically is figuring out what the first lyric should be. “Yeah, I know I should’ve said less, but I felt that pressure building in my chest.” Once those words came to me, the rest of the lyrics just flowed naturally. I only realized what the theme was after someone asked me about it. It’s not that I consciously wanted to make a song about loss, but that seemed to be a recurring theme in the lyrics. “I’m scared I burned my bridges, my feet are covered in ash.” “Nothing looks strange anymore.” “I don’t fit in and I’m so bored.”

"Can't Predict The Weather" was originally supposed to be a part of an acoustic project. What can you tell me about that project and what led you to take the song in a different direction?

I originally wanted the entire EP to be acoustic because it felt like something I could accomplish on my own. I wanted it to rely on real instruments, but I wasn’t sure who was going to want to be a part of the project, or what resources I would have available. Guitar and vocals felt feasible. But working with Mauri the songs started evolving as we added bass and acoustic percussion, and then George took them to the next level by playing the drums. I don’t feel like the EP went in a different direction from my original vision. I actually think Mauri and George’s contributions helped me reach what I was always aiming for.

Your upcoming EP Scattered Storms is a blend of many different sounds and that you credit the morph to a re-found confidence and the desire to create something representative of you. What caused your loss of confidence and how did you gain it back? How do you feel that the EP is a representation of you as an artist and what message do you hope it conveys?

In 2017, I released ‘That’s Bodhi’ and I also officially set the Guinness World Record for longest consecutive rap, but instead of following up on that success I completely shut down. I wasn’t doing anything creative, and I wasn’t even really listening to music. My social life came to a halt as well. I didn’t have any direction, or the drive to figure out my next moves. Sebas moved back to Miami and Mauri and I wasn’t working on new songs. I had lost a lot of my passion for music, and life in general. It felt like I was just going through the motions. Towards the end of 2018, I went to my first live show in a long while, Cal Jam, organized by Dave Grohl. It was such a cathartic experience seeing bands jamming on stage in front of an audience. I was near the front for Robert Plant’s set, and when he performed “Going To California” I absolutely lost it. I couldn’t believe I was seeing him live. Singing about California. In California. I remembered why I moved to Los Angeles. Why I started making music in the first place. It felt like something inside me woke up. I spent all of 2019 organizing monthly shows featuring local and touring up-and-coming musicians at different locations around LA. Good Bison would always perform before the night’s featured artist. Those events also pushed me back into writing, and before I knew it I had a bunch of new songs that I didn’t know what to do with. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to continue the shows in 2020, but that was exactly the motivation I needed to get back in the studio. The lyrics in “Scattered Storms” feel as honest and raw as the stuff I was writing when I was 17, but the music is a culmination of all the genres I’ve experimented with. It’s something only Good Bison could have made. The message I hope “Scattered Storms” conveys is to enjoy the good times, but also appreciate and learn from the bad ones. Life is full of ups and downs. All we can do is strap in for the ride and make the most of this rollercoaster. At least music makes the trip more entertaining.

The EP is a testament to the love you've grown to have for instruments. What can you tell me about that love, as well as the non-traditional instruments you used, such as percussion instruments from a kid's toy set and a Colombian rain disk?

I’ve been obsessed with ‘Pet Sounds’ for the past two years, and thanks to that obsession I decided for the next project I wanted to rely less on production and more on real instruments. I think there’s a warmth that can’t be recreated, so for this EP, I was determined to only use what we had available. Mauri had a ‘Band In A Bucket’ playset that came with shakers and a tambourine so we used that. And the Colombian rain disk is something that has been hanging on my wall for years, so I figured it could come in handy.

You have said the songs on the EP are of a more vulnerable, personal, and introspective nature. What was your songwriting process like for the EP and what led you to write from a more personal and introspective nature? What can you tell me about working with Slightly Stoopid producer George Spits on the recording of the EP?

I wrote the guitar for two of the songs on this EP, and the lyrics for those came easier to me than any words I’ve ever written. I felt like I unlocked something inside myself, and it was an ability I was able to carry over into the songs I wrote with Mauri too. I was able to let go of a lot of doubts that I had been holding on to, and I allowed myself to write about whatever it was that I was feeling. I also stopped worrying about what other people might think. If it felt right to me, I just went with it. Working with George was amazing because he immediately understood what I was going for, and I fully trusted him to do whatever he thought was necessary to get the songs where they needed to be. He not only played drums on all the tracks, he also mixed and mastered the entire project.

What can you tell me about the message behind the upside-down smiley face sticker?

Going into this EP, I partnered with Krölhaus and they have been handling the visual direction for ‘Scattered Storms’, and Good Bison overall. It’s been a game-changer for me because, for the first time, I feel like the presentation is at the same level as the music itself, so the songs, images, and videos are all perfectly aligned. The upside-down smiley face is a reminder to maintain a hopeful attitude, even when things aren't going that well. It’s an optimistic sadness or sarcastic happiness. However, you want to look at it.

What's next for you?

I really want to start playing live shows, as soon as it’s safe to do so. I would love to go on tour and perform these songs in front of an audience. And I want to get back to organizing my own events. Also, more music. There are things that didn’t make it onto this EP that I’m eager to release, and I’ve been writing a lot too. So, there’s definitely more new stuff on the way after “Scattered Storms”.

Photo Ladies 1/7/21 Photo Ladies 1/7/21

INTERVIEW: DECOUPLR

HPD studio group pic.jpg — DECOUPLR

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

With a unique blend of electronica and trip hop, Philadelphia duo DECOUPLR, comprised of Bailey Walker and Adam Laub, recently released their first single "Cold Sweat", a track that aims to convey their message of a technology driven lifestyle. “I used mellotron flute samples to create the main synth line mixed in with 808 drums and other digital sounds to give the modern electronic sound a vintage feel,” says Laub. “The tape hiss cutting in and out over the track with the sub drop of the kick drum also serves to create the dissonance between electronic and physical.” “I thought about the concept of distance in a modern technological world," explains Walker. “To me, "Cold Sweat" is an intersection of the whirling uncertainties of this year colliding with a desire to be vulnerable with our closest friends.” The duo have announced the release of their debut album, DIGITAL BONFIRE, in February. Formed in West Philadelphia in 2019, DECOUPLR blends Walker's long history of live vocal performance and Laub's experience with electronic sounds to create their own unique sound. A staple in the Philadelphia music scene, Laub met Walker when she moved to West Philadelphia from Savannah, GA and they connected musically in a surprising way that led them to collaborate. With influences ranging from Trent Reznor, Sylvan Esso, and Flying Lotus, their music contains a mix of dreamy & sweet and punchy & playful sounds. Although people are more connected than ever in this modern digital age, DIGITAL BONFIRE explores the increasing feelings of loneliness that have ensued. You can connect with DECOUPLR via the following links and stay up-to-date on all upcoming album news.

Adam- You have been an integral part of the local Philly scene for years, having played in several bands that encompass pop, electronic, trip-hop, and ambient sounds. Bailey- You began making music in Savannah, GA, later moving to Philly to play with the neo-soul group Likebirds. Did you always know that you wanted to have careers in music? What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

Bailey: Until a couple of years ago, I was really shy and not particularly interested in making music though it had been a big part of my life. I grew up singing in church, took some piano lessons here and there, and played saxophone throughout high school, but was only ready to step out on my own in late 2017. I was invited to practice with a group in Savannah who perform as Rich Animals, which is an experimental indie rock project. They are dedicated to creating space for new artists in town to grow and helped me over some creative hurdles. They encouraged me to pick up several instruments, I mostly sang and played saxophone. While in Savannah I met Sean and Brendan Kelly, members of A Fragile Tomorrow and recent project So Sure, and became friends over shared musical taste and a passion for social work specifically in the disabilities community. I recorded my first EP at their studio, Low Watt, shortly before making the jump to Philadelphia.

I didn't know music would be a career path for me. I have seen the groundwork, vulnerability, and dedication this craft takes and would often be overwhelmed at the thought of stepping into my own! Moving to Philadelphia brought a different attitude, though. In my first year here, I spent some time taking myself to open mics and finding shows at local venues to just get an idea of what was happening around town. I am still completely floored by the talent in this city, I am humbled to make music here and continue to meet new people.

Adam: I knew that I wanted to have a music-related career from when I was about 14 years old. I did live sound for my high school theater and got a cheap interface and mic set for my birthday. From then I started recording my friend’s bands in my parent’s basement much to the chagrin of my mother. She was very patient and let me play loud drums and guitars in our basement for hours on the weekends. From there I ended up going to Drexel for Audio Engineering and opened a studio with some of my classmates called Sleepless Sound Studio.

What can the two of you tell me about your childhoods and how they shaped your respective love for music?

Bailey: My parents were touring musicians for most of my childhood, so I became familiar with everything ranging from doing homework on the road to learning how to complete a proper soundcheck before I even made it to middle school. I was taught to be a curious listener, identifying parts of songs or albums that I liked and why. i.e. What instrument is being used and what is its history? What is making me connect to this piece of art and how did this art reflect the time? It's always been a part of me, I love interacting with music because of how expansive it is. There's always an opportunity to learn something.

Adam: My family is from the NY/NJ area so Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen were always on heavy rotation with my dad. My mom tended to listen to more of the 80s pop hits as they graduated high school in 1985 and were very immersed in that culture. I started piano lessons when I was 9 years old and maintained a pretty rigorous competitive performance schedule throughout my childhood into high school. In high school, I switched teachers and moved away from the classical training and got a teacher that taught me blues scales, jazz chords, rock piano improv, and all of the fun stuff that they won’t teach you with a classical teacher. At the same time, I was getting very into digital production and learning Logic and Reason. I still use Reason for all of my music production.

How did the two of you meet and what led you to decide to form DECOUPLR? What can you tell me about your sound, which merges the intricate digital elements of trip-hop and electronica with the live elements of soul music and vocal performance?

Adam: We met each other after Bailey moved to West Philadelphia from Savannah, Georgia and after I heard her vocal style, I knew that she would be the right fit for some of the beats I had been working on for years. We got into the studio and laid down some rough vocals over the demo of Cold Sweat and a couple of other songs that ended up on the record and from there it all flowed naturally. I always had a cold sounding electronic production style and blending in Bailey’s vocals bridged that connection from the electronic to the live in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

Bailey: Growing up as a saxophone player, I tend to lean toward warm vocals and strong melodies. Adam brought a few ideas to me that were previously written with a rapper in mind, the beats were well constructed and could stand on their own. I felt that my task was to provide vocals that supported the framework he had built and add an emotional component. Sade is an artist I drew inspiration from, in the way that she brings a warm, thoughtful vocal and is not limited to a specific genre.

You recently released "Cold Sweat", the first single from your upcoming debut album DIGITAL BONFIRE, which explores the concept of distance in a technological world. What can you tell me about the song, as well as your use of music/sound to mimic the stacking emotions of a dissociated anxiousness?

Bailey: The original track for Cold Sweat was a project that Adam had worked on previously, there was a vocal sample on the track that kind of led me to the melody. The song was introspective and complex, each phrase beginning is accompanied by a sub drop followed by arpeggiated bells. This wave-like, contemplative sound reminded me of uncertainty, which is what I tried to explore in the lyrics. As the idea formed, we began stacking sounds with an intent to accentuate the dizzying concept.

Adam: DIGITAL BONFIRE is 11 tracks, of those 11 tracks, 5 were beats that I had made in the past with no specific purpose. I had released trip-hop and experimental electronic music under the name <radioaddict> in the past and didn’t feel that these tracks were right for that project. In fact, most of the tracks that we used from my archives were meant to have a rapper on them and there are demos of the tracks with rappers on them that didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. After we started working on DECOUPLR, I saw a new perspective on the potential for some of these beats after getting Bailey’s vocals on it. From there we wrote Cold Sweat, which is all about the loneliness of the digital age and the rest of the songs followed suit with similar themes.

On Cold Sweat I used a Mellotron sampler that I have to create the flute sound and give it an organic feel. I really like this Mellotron sampler because it is made from extremely high-quality samples of a real Mellotron, which I feel give it much more authenticity in the sound than a lot of the other Mellotron samplers that I have played around with.

You have said that the digital age is a tether that keeps people connected no matter where they are. Your upcoming album explores the greater message of a technology-driven lifestyle and the ever-increasing feelings of loneliness associated with this new connection. Can you talk a bit about making the album and the broader message you are trying to convey? Why do you feel that people are feeling so lonely despite so many ways to connect?

Bailey: I noticed a pretty distinct learning curve with some technology in my personal relationships when COVID-19 began. We were experiencing an abrupt lifestyle change, processing fear, and trying to adjust. It takes a bit of effort to learn new forms of communication, and the frustration for some is very real. Most can accomplish check-ins or birthday parties via Zoom or FaceTime, as we all found out this year, but it is still isolating. This experience as a whole is like no other in history, and in a lot of ways we are collectively grieving a time when things were “normal.” There are still many unanswered questions, lost loved ones, and no clear idea of what our future looks like right now. Those of us who are not comfortable knocking out these topics over a Zoom call have a lot to sit with and sort through. How do we open up like we used to? What are the new routines that keep us in the community together? Connection and care are available to us right in our pockets, and a lot of us are learning as we go about how to wield that power.

Adam- You are an up-and-coming producer, songwriter and engineer who wants to develop smaller local acts. What can you tell me about Sleepless Sound Studio, the studio you started with other local producers? What led to your interest in production and engineering? What can you tell me about the local Philly music scene and your love for helping local artists?

Adam: In college, we all played together in a band called OhBree. OhBree is a large band with 8 members and a focus on getting literally as many tracks on the recording as possible. We would record 24+ horn tracks, 15 vocal tracks, piano, guitar doubles, bass, drums, synths, special effects, and more on one song. Working on OhBree in college with Bob and Luke (my two partners at Sleepless Sound) really helped us grind out our editing and mixing skills. After college, we all knew we wanted to continue working on production so the three of us got a plan together to open a small studio. We scraped together a modest starting budget with the help of family and friends and found a little spot out in Germantown where we started Sleepless Sound. The pandemic has affected our business dramatically as it is not really safe to have sessions in a small unventilated room with outsiders, but we have been running for close to 7 years now.

I love finding small artists and working with them to make their projects better than they thought it could be. I have always been of the school of thought that it is much better to take the time and care to edit and mix thoroughly and consider the artists’ taste than to have expensive equipment and push something out quickly. For years we did the editing for free because we wanted our artists’ work to shine no matter their budget. I know that a lot of studios can be cutthroat with pricing, and show off their flashy gear but in the end, they don’t always take the time to work with local artists who can’t necessarily afford the dozens of hours it takes to make a record sound professional. Our stance was to always try to help the musicians that came to us even if we didn’t necessarily profit from it.

In general, I love the Philly music scene. I have met so many loving and warm people who care deeply about even the smallest local act. I spent countless nights in basement shows that were packed out wall to wall with local fans. I feel like you don’t find that kind of accepting and engaging musical community everywhere and it was one of the things that drove me to continue working in the Philly music scene for so long.

What can you tell me about your musical projects you are involved with outside of DECOUPLR?

Bailey: I got my start singing with the local neo-soul darlings called Likebirds, they began writing and performing in 2017. They are a well-polished project that believes in equal contribution to the sound, they are true collaborators. Dani Gershkoff brings an impressive skill set both vocally and instrumentally, Joe Perullo is a multi-instrumentalist who writes, plays drums, and occasionally features on keys, and Christopher Thornton thoughtfully weaves between the band creating an atmosphere like no other. There are talks about a music release from them soon, so stay alert!

Adam: I have played drums and produced in OhBree, a wacky art-rock band that featured an 8-piece costumed band with a horn section, since 2011. OhBree has been a bit quiet in recent years but we still have some new material in the wings and someday we will return to the Philly music scene to play way too loudly for you in a small concrete basement.

I have played in a noise/ambient project called Tidal Archive with my close friend Tyler Mack who just released a solo EP under the name Samurai Mack that you should absolutely listen to if you like prog rock and trip-hop. Tidal Archive has released over a dozen ambient and noise records over the years and every year we do a live-streamed 24 hour-long noise and ambient performance where we get local experimental musicians to join us for blocks of the improvised performance. We have done the livestream for 7 years running; however, we will be skipping this year due to covid which certainly makes me sad. Hopefully next year we can come back strong and who knows, maybe we will force ourselves to do 48 hours to make up for the missed year! Tidal Archive has also scored postmodern dance pieces for the Temple Dance Masters Program as noise and ambient is the perfect backdrop for these kinds of performance art pieces.

I also have made electronic music and trip-hop beats under the name <radioaddict> and collaborated with the now-defunct Glitch Squad record label to release a few EPs and songs for compilations through them. <radioaddict> started as an electronic singer-songwriter project in the vein of Caribou or Panda Bear but over time moved towards the trip-hop instrumental style that we ended up using for DECOUPLR.

How have you been navigating the musical landscape as artists during the Covid pandemic? How has it altered the music scene in Philly? What do you think the music industry will look like on the other side of this?

Adam: The pandemic has essentially completely killed the local music scene in Philly. With so many venues shutting down forever like Voltage Lounge and Boot and Saddle along with many DIY house shows not able to operate, live music is basically gone from the city. If one good thing has come out of all of the venues closing and real-life interactions halting, it’s that it has forced a lot of the musicians I know to explore new directions for their music. I have seen a lot of friends making new projects at home in a different style. An artist that I work with at the studio frequently, Jameel Farruk, is taking the time to learn recording software at home and trying a new direction for his music and I have several other friends that are putting out some of their most unique work now that they have the time and focus to work on something different.

I hope that after covid is quelled, things will return to normal. I doubt that venues that have closed permanently will be able to re-open but I hope that the house show venues come back in full force and new venues open to replace the closed spaces. I am sure that once we all feel safe going back out into the world, there will be a huge demand for live music and concerts and I am hopeful that the passionate people in the Philly music scene will cause everything to bounce back stronger than ever.

Who are you listening to right now? Who are some of your favorite Philly artists?

Adam: As far as Philly staples, I have always loved The Extraordinaires and Man Man. I also love Kyle Press’s solo work that you can find on Bandcamp at kylepress.bandcamp.com. He is an amazing saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist that you should definitely check out. Also, I love Vince Tampio’s solo music and the band he plays in, You Do You.

Outside of local music, I have been listening to a lot of modern classical like Nilhs Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds. Also, I love Bonobo, DJ Shadow, Tyler the Creator, and I have had the new Sylvan Esso record on repeat since it came out a few weeks ago.

Bailey: Some of my favorite Philly artists are Rosalie Swana, Werwe, Likebirds, Upholstery, Sam Rise, Martronimous, Suzanne Sheer, Taylor Kelly, Sleepmonster, Secret Nudist Friends & Lauren Scott. I love this city.

What's next for you?

We have a music video for Cold Sweat coming out from Drew Mercadante and Matt Keppler over at SUPERVOIDtv. They are amazing visual artists and I am so excited to share the work that they have done on this music video. After that, we have a couple more singles, some more videos, and a full-length album coming in February 2021!

Photo Ladies 12/30/20 Photo Ladies 12/30/20

INTERVIEW: The High Plains Drifters

Lawyer turned musician Larry Studnicky never pursued music growing up. A self-proclaimed nerd in high school, it was during that time that songs started writing themselves in his head. In the 1990s, he started working with recording artists, songwriters, record producers, labels, and music publishers, which gave him a deep appreciation for the hard work that goes into making it in the music industry, especially for older artists. A bit deterred to take the leap into music himself, in order to prove to himself that the songs he had been writing were good, he ultimately decided to go for it. As the lawyer who, at the turn of the millennium, structured and closed the landmark label and publisher deals that ushered in the world of digital interactive radio (enjoyed today by listeners of Pandora, Spotify, etc.), he made the decision to pursue his true passion: music, thus forming his band The High Plains Drifters. His band is comprised of veteran musicians Charles Czarnecki (producer/songwriter, keyboards, lead & backup vocals), John Macom (rhythm & electric guitars, lead & backup vocals), Mike DoCampo (rhythm & electric guitars, backup vocals), Kyle Cassel (drums, backup vocals), and Dave Richards (bass, backup vocals), most of whom are lifelong friends. Before coming together as The High Plains Drifters, the group's members worked alongside an array of legendary acts and artists including Pete Townsend, Brian May & Roger Taylor of Queen, Suge Knight of Death Row Records, Fred Schneider of the B-52’s, and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. John Macom’s music has been showcased in indie movies and TV shows, including Dawson’s Creek, Party of Five, and Felicity. Last year saw the release of the band's debut self-titled album, which takes the listener through various genres, such as pop-punk, mainstream rock, and ballads, conceptualizing a listening experience of a sonic road trip across the country. The band has most recently released their latest single, "Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!", a precursor to their sophomore album to be released in 2021. Produced by Greg Cohen (Robin Thicke, Nile Rodgers), the track tells the story of a distraught man who seeks solace in drinking after having his girlfriend stolen by Santa Claus and blends traditional and contemporary sounds such as marimbas, acoustic guitar chords, and horns. The band also released an accompanying animated lyric video to go along with the song. With the song's release, the band hopes to bring some much-needed Christmas cheer to a world that has been beaten down by crazy events. With a new album to be released next year, you can connect with the band via the following links to stay up-to-date with all upcoming news.

You are a lawyer who has built a career in the music and entertainment industry. What can you tell me about your decision to pursue your love of music and how has being a part of the music/entertainment industry for so many years helped you as a musician?

The decision to pursue music later in life grew out of the desire to prove to myself whether the songs that I'd been writing for years (mostly unbeknownst to my family, friends, and work colleagues) were any good. It took a large chunk of my life to believe that my songs were good enough to be on the radio. I didn’t grow up with music lessons and never learned to play an instrument, not even later on. I was very much a nerd in high school, which was when the music started writing itself in my head. I can state categorically that I’d have been voted the least likely guy in my graduating class to front a rock band. It was the 1990’s when I was working with recording artists, songwriters, record producers, labels, and music publishers. It helped me to appreciate just how hard it is for anyone, no matter how allegedly talented, to break through all the clutter and get their works noticed. If anything, that realization probably deterred me a bit from jumping into the artist world. Why would anybody pay attention to someone arguably over-the-hill? The music industry is about as kind to older artists as Hollywood is to older actresses. But it came back to wanting to prove something to myself. I knew that the odds sucked and success was improbable. But I felt compelled to do it and see what would happen. The first song that we recorded and released (the single “Get Me Home By Christmas Eve”) made it to radio and, about 9 months after the Christmas it was being played, I received my first tiny royalty check. It was barely enough to buy the band a few rounds of drinks. Yet that was enough...more than enough to motivate me and the rest of the group to keep going.

What can you tell me about your bandmates, who are all veteran musicians, and how you all came together to form The High Plains Drifters?

The first thing I say about my bandmates is that each is an amazingly talented musician, and most are also great singers. I am incredibly lucky to work with them. Most of us have known one another, in varying combinations, for decades. I met guitarist John Macom at a business meeting in the ’90s at a record distribution company. John worked there. I learned that he was an indie recording artist (and he still is, under the group name BINGE and under his own name). I listened to and loved the material he had put out. I helped him place some of his tunes on popular TV shows of that era (Dawson’s Creek, Party Of Five, and others). We’ve remained friends since then. Kyle initially was our recording engineer on the debut album. We learned that he was also a drummer. I asked him to take over on drums when it became clear that our original rhythm section (including the bass player) wouldn’t be available to us often enough. At that time, they were in the band of the JERSEY BOYS musical. Kyle and our bassist, Dave Richards, were longtime buddies. Kyle invited Dave into the group. Guitarist Mike DoCampo (“Doc”) and I met in the ’90s on my first music project (where I was involved as a songwriter). Mike’s band was doing an album, and I contributed 5 songs. It was an insanely fun experience, worthy of a book or movie. For one thing, we were recording at a mob-owned studio (at the outset, we didn’t know, but it became clear very quickly). It was the same mob family that was the basis for The Sopranos. I can tell you this (and I’m half Italian): you have not eaten in an Italian restaurant until you’ve gone to one with a Capo in a Mafia family. Keyboardist Charles Czarnecki was introduced to me by my late law partner Alan Bomser, who called Charles the most brilliant musician he had met in a career in music spanning over 50 years. Charles produced the first half of our debut album before moving to Berlin after getting married. But he still works with us remotely.

You have said that your first foray into the recorded music industry ended in a financial disaster, but you gained the perspective that if you persevere and play your cards right and have some luck you can get a second chance. What can you tell me about your self-titled debut album being your "second bite of the apple"? What fueled your perseverance? In your experience in the industry, how often do second chances occur?

Yeah, that first foray was in the Mafia studio — very costly but extraordinarily fun. And maybe that’s a good summary of how one should weigh any new project in the arts: You’ll probably go broke, but it’ll be a hoot doing so. Ha. Anyway, as I mentioned, I was very hesitant to dip my toes into the artist world. Initially, I asked John and Charles to work with me on just that first single, “Get Me Home By Christmas Eve”. I told my wife that I’d not be stupid, saying, “It’ll just be one song.” Then I added the caveat, “Unless the song gets on the radio. If that happens, we’ll keep recording.” It was a lot of fun when I announced to her, “You are screwed now baby! Our first single is on radio, and now we’re going to do an album.” She just rolled her eyes, but she didn’t try to dissuade me. The thing that fueled my perseverance was really nothing more than this attitude: “Screw it, I have nothing to lose except maybe some people will think I’ve gone nuts. And they can all go pound sand.” My late dad raised me with the firm belief that you never succeed by worrying about what people will think of you if you fail. So, I’ve never worried about failing. As to second chances coming around, in the music industry, you have to make your own second chances. Heck, I had a client whose indie label released what ended up being the final album of Carl Perkins’ career. I met Carl several times during that process. He was warm and humble, yet also charismatic — and damn could he put on a great live show at age 65! But when I met Carl Perkins, he had been without a record deal for years. I was dumbfounded. You’d think the industry would take care of, at a minimum, the few people who gave birth to rock-n-roll. Nope. So, you can’t rest on your laurels (not that Carl did).

Being over 50 years of age, you have said that some of your peers think you are nuts to pursue music at this late stage of your life. What has the experience been like for you, to pursue music as a passion rather than a career?

I am having a blast. I love working with this band, and I’d probably keep doing so even if our songs weren’t getting noticed. I have a ton more songs that I want to get out of my head if only to see how much better they become once these amazing musicians put their magic on them. Plus, doing this lets me torture my almost-14-year old daughter when we’re playing music in the car. We’re always listening to tunes — sometimes it’s what she’s playing from the playlists on her iPhone; sometimes what I’ve chosen from SiriusXM or Pandora or Spotify or — more recently — my new favorite streaming radio station for rock: the NewHD app. Everyone should go download it. They’re playing great rock from all eras. Back to torturing my daughter. I love saying stuff like this to her: “Hey Anne, was that Ariana Grande we just heard on the radio? And isn’t Amazon Music’s Digster Christmas playlist featuring not just Ariana’s Christmas tune but also the new one from The High Plains Drifters?” She never responds. She just rolls her eyes. For decades now, women have been rolling their eyes at me. I’m immune to it.

You have said that in the studio, some songs take on a life of their own and dictate the musical genre, even if you originally heard it differently in your head. How often has this happened to you in the studio?

It happened more on our debut album than it’s happening on the current 2nd one. For instance, let’s go back to our first song, “Get Me Home By Christmas Eve”. It ended up with a very Country-leaning sound. Only later did I learn that the American radio industry calls the genre “Americana”. It didn’t have to end up with that sound. It could’ve leaned more rock. But, at some point during the early recording process, I turned to Charles Czarnecki and said, “I think I hear a pedal steel guitar on this song.” Charles miraculously found, in Connecticut of all places, a pedal steel guy who had recorded and toured with Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., and other huge country acts. That one instrument almost alone cemented the direction of the song. On the 2nd album, we’re taking more time doing fleshed out demos of the songs. To some extent, that’s going to result in a more sonically unified album. Even so, surprises happen. We’ve just recorded the basic tracks for my song “Ruby, Run Away With Me”. This tune was written last summer and was inspired, in part, by the passing of Kenny Rogers. When he was with the First Edition, Kenny recorded and sang the great Mel Tillis song “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”. In my head, the original version of my song sounded like something Johnny Cash might’ve done. Mike DoCampo, upon first hearing the raw vocals, said the same. But then, Mike and I and producer Greg Cohen, working together in Greg’s studio, threw out the arrangement and guitars that were pulling the song in the Cash direction. It’s very different now.

You have said that the lyrics to your songs take a lot of hard work with a lot of re-writing. Do you ever get writer's block and if so, how do you work through a tough songwriting session?

When I get writer’s block, I drink like a fish for days on end, until I forget that I had writer’s block. Seriously, I am lucky not to suffer from much writer’s block where my lyrics are concerned. Sometimes, when working on a song, you just need to take a break from it. I try to get it out of the forefront of my brain, in the hopes that my subconscious will keep working on it. That sometimes works: I hop in the car with the intention of seeing what lyrics come to me as I’m driving around doing errands or whatever. Where I can get stuck, however, is in the writing of a chorus. Some of my songs form themselves in my brain with just the lyrics and melody for one or more verses but no chorus. “Ruby, Run Away With Me” was one of these. I probably wrote and presented three or four crappy choruses to Greg during the writing process. He was clear in telling me that none was good enough. Then inspiration struck, like lightning, during a mid-November conference call with the team at Universal Music Distribution who gave us a distribution deal for “Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!” Valentine’s Day was mentioned as the first post-Christmas holiday that we should be targeting for a single release. A light went off in my head, “Valentine’s Day. Huh. I can use that somehow in the Ruby song.” The very next day, as I drove to Greg’s Manhattan studio (to work on a different song), the chorus came to me — almost word-for-word and note-for-note what you’ll hear on the album. It came mystically, starting with this first line: “Tomorrow babe is Valentine’s Day, don’t leave your love behind.” It’s a miracle that I don’t crash my car when this stuff happens. It’s just so cool that it’s tough to say focused on driving.

You have called living in New York City a maddening experience but that there's no place like it. What do you find to be the most maddening and challenging aspect of living in NYC and what do you find the most inspiring?

Two things above all have consistently been maddening: The traffic and the super-high cost of living. You have to be thick-skinned to deal with those hassles. The most inspiring thing about NYC is the high energy and high spirits of its people. There are people who really do come to NYC for exactly the reason that Sinatra sings in “New York, New York”: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” That attitude attracts, overwhelmingly, people who yearn to be winners and who WORK HARD to be winners (they don’t just dream about it). People like that bring a palpable energy to the streets of New York City. You really do feel it. And it’s really cool.

With regards to your single "Virginia", you have stated that the verse and chorus date back to your single years in pre-social media Manhattan of the early and mid-80s. What can you tell me about that era of living in NYC and why you feel it was such a magical time? How has the city changed since then?

It was magical indeed. Everyone we knew, male and female, was working hard and playing hard. You could go out one night and get put down by several super-models in succession, and then find yourself at brunch the next day (nursing a hangover) sitting next to Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley (That really happened). It was a riot. I feel sorry for today’s youth — from teenagers through their 30’s. Too many have helicopter parents who can and do, with today’s technology, check in on them every damn day. And their every little mistake (whether of action or speech) is put under some online microscope and subjected to ridiculous parsing of meaning and intent. It’s an insane way to live. My generation moved to the City and hardly ever called home. Shoot, back then, calling home (unless it was from Manhattan to the Bronx) meant paying stupid amounts of money to the telephone monopolies for long-distance calling. And when we screwed up, it wasn’t caught on tape or film and broadcast to the world. I think that we grew up faster and better — more self-sufficient. More forgiving of the mistakes of others. Younger people need more privacy to screw up than they have in today’s world. Half the fun of being young is screwing up — and getting away with it! My favorite positive changes that I’ve experienced in the City have been the long overdue, fabulous development of all the riverfront spaces and — at least until the current Mayor came along — the long-term reduction in crime. New York City, under several competent mayoral administrations preceding the current one, became the safest big city in America. That was a huge transformation from the City that I encountered on a trip here at the end of my junior year of college when two hookers accosted me and some buddies in Times Square. One tried to distract my buddies and me, while the other failed in applying her pickpocket skills. Even so, I kind of miss some of the seediness of the old Times Square.

You guys recently released your holiday track "Santa Bring My Girlfriend Back". What can you tell me about the track and the inspiration behind it? What inspired you to write an original holiday track, as opposed to doing a cover, and what can you tell me about the different instrumentation used on the track? Do you have any special holiday traditions?

It never occurred to me to do a cover. I couldn’t touch anything that guys like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin did or that women like Ella Fitzgerald or Mariah Carey did. I don’t fear failure, but neither do I go out of my way to embarrass myself. As to the “inspiration” behind the Santa song, that’s the wrong word. The tune was more “provoked” than inspired. Here’s the story. Two Christmases ago (2018), I was hosting part of my family (the Studnicky family) at my home. On the afternoon of Christmas Day, after much alcohol had been imbibed, there was a bit of family drama — it was like a hurricane hit. I don’t want to go into details. I was the first one awake on December 26th. I was a bit hungover. I was making the coffee and thinking about how such a magical holiday had gone so terribly wrong. This song came to me in a flash — at least, the first few lines did (the lyrics with the melody together): “I’ve been drinking way too much this Christmas. My friends all wanna know the reason why. I’ve been drinking like a fish all Christmas. Well at Thanksgiving my love told me goodbye.” I liked what was in my head. I instantly sang it into my iPhone (Apple should be paying me for saying this!). But I wasn’t immediately sure WHY the narrator’s girlfriend had dumped him and driven him to the bottle. Then inspiration actually did hit: Santa stole the singer’s girlfriend. Once I had that organizing concept, the rest of the song’s lyrics and melody flowed almost as easily as had the booze on Xmas day. The instrumentation on the song is phenomenal, right? John Macom came up with the marimba parts and also plays acoustic guitar (a Gibson J-100). Mike DoCampo played a Gretsch White Falcon. Kyle Cassel handled the drums and the jingle bells. Dave Richards anchored everything with his electric bass guitar. After those basic tracks were done, Charles Czarnecki added some incredible keyboards ear-candy from his Berlin studio. I had written (and Greg Cohen had programmed) some horn parts for Verse 1. We sent the rough-mixed song to two guys in Los Angeles (Michael Cordone and Jessy McGinty, who call themselves The 305 Horns). We told them to play live the programmed horns on Verse 1, and then do whatever made sense to them. This part was a true Christmas miracle: They killed it! Their horn parts put this song over the top. I can’t tell you how many people say how they love love LOVE the horns.

What can you tell me about the animated lyric video that was just released?

Hmm . . . . I don’t look like the guy who’s drinking himself to death in that video? He’s a blond. My hair is a very graying brown. It’s a cute video. I enjoy it. That said, in a perfect world (and this only makes sense if you’ve listened to our entire debut album), with an unlimited video budget, I’d have starred in the video (as the drunk) alongside Ms. Jennifer Aniston (as my ex-girlfriend) with Brad Pitt playing the Santa role. At least Jennifer would be smiling in that video . . .

You will be releasing your sophomore album in 2021! Your first album was a blend of many different genres. What can listeners expect from the next album?

Listeners to our 2nd album can expect that there won’t be quite so many genres. As a band, on that album, we indulged ourselves in terms of allowing a lot of our respective musical influences to shine through. On the plus side, for an unknown, unsigned band of mostly older dudes, we got a lot of very favorable press, praising such things as the quality of the musicianship and the band’s versatility. Shockingly, we were compared to everyone from Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Carl Perkins to Simon & Garfunkel (in “their glory days” no less!). On the negative side, the many genres made it harder for that record to find its proper slot at radio stations. One reviewer labeled as “genre-bending”, and the label has stuck. We don’t want to disappoint entirely our fans who enjoy the variety on an album. I mean, after all, we are not like the very young Green Day or The Ramones — too unskilled, or too unsure of themselves, or too enslaved to some label A&R executive, to play more than one type of music. This 2nd album will be more “of a kind” sonically. But there will be few outliers on it. We just finished recording the basic tracks for one song that (per Greg Cohen’s suggestion) was produced as a bossa nova tune. It’s called “How Did I Write This Song”. I could have never in a million years envisioned it as a bossa nova tune. But it’s a gorgeous one. And, once Greg made that call, I managed somehow, in one try, to write a bossa nova chorus. And Greg didn’t tell me to throw it out. It was a keeper.

Aside from a new album, what's next for you?

Ha! I’m going to Disney World! Seriously. As soon as this COVID lunacy is over and we can travel safely again, I am heading south with my family for a well-needed vacation in the sun and so that my daughter can see the new Harry Potter additions to Universal Studios Orlando. And Disney World! Because, on our first trip there, I developed a wee crush on Cinderella.

Photo Ladies 12/1/20 Photo Ladies 12/1/20

INTERVIEW: Model Stranger

ms-ps2-2.20-213.jpg — Model Stranger

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

It's pretty rare these days to find a band that has not only been together for a decade, but one who has their original line-up. Chicago-based alternative rock band Model Stranger is that rare band. Friends since high school, vocalist/guitarist Stephen Francis and bassist Kevin James played in prog rock band together, with time eventually leading them to meet drummer Vincent Joseph. Initially a hired gun for two shows, Vincent soon became a permanent part of the band and Model Stranger was officially born. Dubbed "rock n' roll classicists" and "an eclectic synthesis of psychedelic grunge and classic rock", with variety of influences that range from Muse, Pearl Jam, David Bowie and Tom Petty, the sounds of Model Stranger have appealed to listeners across multiple genres. Upon releasing their debut album Dreams and Bones in 2010, the band spent the next 2 years playing 180 shows and have since showcased their strength as a live band. Their subsequent EP's, 2013's The Changing Score and 2015's Imitation Act, have taken their listeners on a sonic journey that showcases the bands evolving sound. The band recently released their latest album, an LP entitled Phases, which the band describes as the beginning, middle and end of the past decade for the band. Having spent the last several years on the road touring and promoting their music, the band decided to take a break to focus on songwriting, feeling the need to write and record some fresh music. The first single from the album, "Breaks My Heart", shows off the band's range and ability. They shot the music video in a basement in one night, using an iPhone and a single light. The album's second single, "Pick Me", showcases their energy as a band. The trio plans to keep writing and recording and will be releasing more music videos and new tracks in the coming months. You can connect with Model Stranger via the following links:

You recently released your new album Phases and have described it as the beginning, middle and end of the past decade for you guys. Having put out your first record 10 years ago, what do you see as the story of the band over the past 10 years? How do you feel your sound has evolved over the years and how have you each grown as artists?

Vincent Joseph- As a whole we have not only matured as a unit, but literally grew up together throughout the last decade. Our story always revolved around this “analog band living in a digital era” attitude. We looked up to our idols from the 60’s & 90’s and the whole cultural movement amongst them. We toured and tried to make connections with fans one on one and we partied and crashed at fans homes throughout the years. These fans became friends and we all became part of our own microcosm, our own culture. However, throughout the years we have had to adjust and move that into a digital landscape, which is what we are attempting to do now. We have played large rooms and festivals to many people and we have played bars to a handful of people, but we have always connected with those people in front of us- now it is us trying to connect with people through our keyboards and social media. We have experienced a lot of personal changes throughout the past decade from success to personal heartache to loss of loved ones and everything in between- but we have experienced these phases together and that is what we have tried to capture in this new record. The sound has evolved from something raw and angst riddled to something more polished but still with edge. From Rock N’ Rollers to alternative pop rock with an edge and pop sensibility. More importantly, throughout the years we have learned to listen to one another, play with one another and write with one another- that is how we have all grown the most.

You have said that Phases showcases a couple of different sounds that you love while still maintaining a rock sound, with each track complimenting the next while maintaining their differences. What can you tell me about the process of writing and recording the album?

Vincent Joseph- We originally wrote about 50 songs and whittled it down to 13 for recording. Of those 13, 9 made it onto “Phases”. Each song was written from a different place mentally, emotionally and structurally. Some of the tracks were written around a single hook, where others were completed around an entire vocal/lyrical idea. However, across the board on “Phases” we made the bass & drums a cornerstone with which to build the arrangements. This whole album has solid rhythm with sexy guitar work coloring it in.

You have said you had a lot of songs that you had to narrow down for the album. How did you go about deciding which songs to include? Do you have any plans for the songs that didn't make the album?

Vincent Joseph- Out of the 50 or so songs that were brought to the table, we all agreed as a unit what worked together and what did not. However, we consulted some friends, family members, our producer (Noam Wallenberg) and peers in the industry to get a fresh take on the tracks, as we had grown close to them and wanted non-biased feedback. Once narrowed down to the 13 tracks we wanted to record, we ran them through the gamut focusing on structure, arrangement and fine tune adjustments. After recording the 13 tracks, 9 made it onto the album with the other 4 to be released at later dates. The 9 tracks on “Phases” were intentionally placed and sequenced to be listed to as a whole unit; ideally on vinyl.

What can you tell be about your idea to put golden tickets in random copies of Phases for Record Store Day in Chicago this year?

Vincent Joseph- We do not have a massive fan-base yet, however, our current fan-base is dedicated and we wanted to show that to them in a clever way. The people that had went out (or online) for record store day had an opportunity to get a copy of “Phases” ahead of its release. So if people were going to be engaging with us and supporting local businesses we wanted to give them a little treat, or golden lining to this shit year. So to those of you that got the golden ticket, bravo!

It's pretty uncommon for bands to stick together with their original line up for 10+ years. What has it been like to grow together as a band over the past 10 years? As a band that is completely DIY, do you feel that doing everything yourselves over the years has strengthened your bond?

Vincent Joseph- We have spent more time together than most families spend together, so for us not wanting to murder one another and still be productive together says something. It is by no means easy being an independent band; it is not all sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. We pour A LOT of time, sweat, blood tears and money into this. We have sacrificed family, personal relationships, birthdays and milestones to make this work. But when the end result is that we can keep doing this, it is worth it. We get to create music and connect with people in a positive and meaningful way. What else could someone ask for?

What can you tell me about your recent single "Breaks My Heart", as well as the video? What was it like to shoot the video in one night on an iPhone using a single light?

Vincent Joseph- We normally have a heavy hand in the video content (if not all), however, we handed over the reins of the plot to Mat Dimare for this one (he also shot our music videos for “Stare”, “Balance”, and edited “Pick Me”). He had a vision for something in particular and it really worked well with the song. We are used to shooting videos within a day, however, being that this was all on an iPhone made the process go even quicker. Matt really had the story board and concept narrowed down, so we worked extremely efficiently. Plus, a lot of our videos have most of the work done in post-production…I mean we can only look pretty in front of a camera for so long.

You also released the single "Pick Me", the song structure of which is not your usual approach to songwriting but is just the way the song developed. What can you tell me about the song as well as the video?

Vincent Joseph- The song came about quicker than any other song on the album. Stephen had written the guitar riff and when he brought that in everything just fell into place. It is definitely the oldest song that was recorded onto “Phases”. It is just a good slammin’ Rock N’ Roll tune that should get your blood pumping and the whiskey flowing. The subject matter could not be more relevant as we are now all imprisoned on our personal devices scrolling through every day with a stamp of approval only a double tap away...I did not mean to rhyme there. The video is one of my favorite concepts we have down and I can’t believe it actually worked out. We had a show at the end of January (just before the Covid Pandemic took root in the states) that was at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. We had our phones set up on stage recording and then asked the audience to send us any footage that they had recorded. All of the compiled footage was then edited into the “Pick Me” video. I am not only pleased with how the video turned out, but was delighted to see how many fans participated and sent in footage, not to mention the nostalgia of looking at a sold out audience for a live music performance… something we will not see again for some time.

What has it been like for you guys to try to reach your audience virtually during this age of COVID? What have been some of your biggest challenges? Has anything surprised you about trying to navigate this time as a band? What do you see as the state of the music industry once COVID is over?

Vincent Joseph- This age of Covid has been trying to say the least, but we are adapting as best we can. Moving as much into the realm of the internet, social media, streaming and just staying busy with business and writing new music. Model Stranger has always prided ourselves on our live performances and touring and that simply cannot happen right now. We did perform a couple of live streams which were much more fun than I anticipated and the best consolation for not being able to have a proper ‘record release party.’ Those can be found on our Facebook page and Gigmor Live Twitch page. It’s times like these that I am grateful Model Stranger has stayed independent and that we are not indebted to a massive corporation. We are able to break into a new era of the industry that will be forever changed. Overall, the state of the music industry will be forever shifted and the power structure is under construction. I think the music venues will be much more willing to broker a reasonable working relationship with artists moving forward, because they will have to in order to keep their doors open at this point. The future is unclear to say the least, but musicians are learning that we do not need anyone other than our craft, our voice, some hard work and a high speed internet connection to succeed- while the industry as a whole requires us to succeed- so this may be a change for the better. I just look forward to playing live again when the time is responsible and right.

You guys have played a Halloween show at the Elbo Room in Chicago every year from 2009-2019. What was it like to not play one this year and what are some of your fondest memories and favorite costumes from past shows? What did you guys do for Halloween? Stephen-As a lover of scary movies, what are your favorites?

Vincent Joseph- We started that event (Bands Being Bands) over 10 years ago not thinking what it would become: an annual sold-out-party that was always the most fun event of the year at one of the best clubs in Chicago that we have always held close to our hearts. We have been David Bowie (2010), Nirvana (2011), Foo Fighters (2012), The Beatles (rooftop/last show 2013), ZZ Top (2014), Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (2015), The Red Hot Chili Peppers (2016), The Beatles (pre-Rubber Soul 2017), The Doors (2018), Madonna (2019). Although, I would like to say ZZ Top was the most fun, I do not think anything could top our performance last year as Madonna. It was simply magical and we were all different era “Madonnas.” I don’t know where we could have gone from that, but I do know it would have been a blast. At least it came to an end after so many consecutive years of selling it out and so many great memories. It’s better to go out on a high note, right? For Halloween we all did the responsible thing and stayed home, while watching movies. I watched a friend stream his Halloween special: Otto Von Schirach’s “Live from Draculo’s Castle”. For the record- Stephen uses my Shudder account and will watch what horror movies I allow him to prior to putting him to bed. And it is not a fair question. The best “scary” movies vary on genre, time of release, etc. But some top runners across all boards are: Re-Animator, Alien, Night of The Living Dead, 28 Days Later, When A Stranger Calls, Poltergeist and The Little Mermaid.

What's next for Model Stranger?

Vincent Joseph- We will be releasing a few more videos in support of “Phases” and hopefully be able to tour on the album in the coming year(s). Regardless of touring, we will be releasing some new tracks and videos in the winter and spring too. We are continuously writing and recording new content that will all eventually make its way out into the world. We are navigating these times just like everyone else and trying to find the best way to continuously connect with people, so cheers to the unknown!

Photo Ladies 11/16/20 Photo Ladies 11/16/20

INTERVIEW: Molly Moore

Photo credit: Ryan Jay — Molly Moore

The Photo Ladies Interview - by Emily May

Molly Moore wants to change the conversation surrounding the identity crisis society is facing in the age of the internet. The NY-born and LA-based artist has always loved music and graduated from high school 6 months early in order to focus on her music, making the move to LA at 19. Aside from her dreams of creating her own music, Moore honed her songwriting skills and wrote songs for artists such as Jesse McCartney, Steve Aoki and Lea Michele. Formerly part of the duo Cosmos & Creature with her then boyfriend Brandyn Burnette, she also released three solo albums during that time, becoming an accomplished artist in her own right. In 2018, with the death of her father and ending of her relationship, Moore ventured out on her own, focusing solely on her solo career for the first time. Her recently released singles "Identity Crisis" and "Careful", from her upcoming album Voice of The Internet, share the message of being addicted as a society to social media and how to know if what you see on the internet is real or not. The album was written following her break up as she watched her ex move on while she wasn’t ready to do so herself. It is an ode to her journey towards self-discovery and tells of her personal journey through her music. “I was going through the actual separation and embracing myself,” she admits. “I decided to focus on me and give my solo career the shot I had never really given it, because I was always so focused on the band with my ex and doing things with him together. It was healing to be able to make music that showed independence versus being so overwhelmed by romantic pursuits. I tried to break the cycle and adjust on my own, so I could be a whole person the next time I got into a relationship.” “When you hear the record, I hope you don’t need to text or call your ex at three in the morning,” she leaves off. “You could put this on instead. I want you to cry to it and dance to it. I embraced being on my own. You have the same power.” Her latest single "Always Gonna Love You" is one of the more personal tracks on the album and is a bittersweet testament and reminder that regardless of what was and what could have been, the power of love is imminent. “This song is the result of connecting with another female artist after we both had gone through breakups. I had been needing to get this out for a while and we had a long conversation about how no matter what circumstances could've been different, ultimately you can't stop love when it's inevitable,” shares Molly. With a livestream event and more music to release, Moore admits that she is just getting started. This is just the beginning for her and she is looking forward to forging ahead with her music. You can connect with Molly Moore via the following links.

You grew up in a pretty musical household and graduated high school 6 months early to focus on recording music, moving to LA when you were 19 to begin pursuing your career as a songwriter. What was that like for you, to make that move to LA at such a young age?

It was crazy and was quite a transition. I think I was a bit over-confident at that time in my life and it definitely humbled me, which I think was necessary. I was so young and I think I thought I was a lot older than I was. I met a lot of people when I came out here and a lot of people that I kind of already knew from New York were coming out to LA around the same time. It was cool and was a lot of fun and was a wild time. I mean, I don't really even know if I would say that I would go back and change anything because I wouldn't be who I am now. It was definitely a really crazy, kind of tumultuous time for me but was great in a lot of ways. I got to do a lot of collaborating with other people and getting to know different people in LA. That's sort of the name of the game when you get here, just getting to know a lot of different people and hopefully over time you find yours.

You have said that your move to LA helped you to grow into yourself and that being able to work with other people and see their perspective on writing and music helped you to feel pretty confident about your own perspective. How do you feel that writing songs for other artists helped you to find your own perspective as an artist?

That's a great question! I think it sort of led me away from that for a while and then led me to it. I grew up acting and love having different characters and playing different roles. I think that's why I love writing for other artists too. When I came out to LA when I was younger, I think I had a misunderstanding about what it really means to be a great songwriter for other artists. I learned along the way that, you know, it really matters what your perspective is and if you have a voice that people want to align with. I think I was more so hoping to step into somebody else's shoes and become another artist to write for them. But in reality, I realized that developing my own voice is how I can help someone else develop theirs. By having something clear in myself, and knowing how I got there, I could then help somebody else find their perspective of that and what that means for them.

You've written for other artists like Lea Michele, Steve Aoki and Jesse McCartney. When you moved to LA, was your initial goal to solely write for other artists or did you want to write your own music, as well?

I always wanted to do both. I think that I hoped songwriting would help me to pursue my own artist career in a lot of ways. In a lot of ways it did and in a lot of ways it didn't. It's always kind of a mixed bag. When I came out here, I think I wanted to work with other people but didn't know how to get anybody to care about my artist projects. I mean it wasn't only that, but part of me thought "Well, if I'm writing for other artists and working with more people, I can meet more people and just make more songs" and that's kind of what happened.

You were previously part of the duo Cosmos and Creature and during that time you released solo albums, as well. What was it like during that time for you to do both, and what is it like for you now to be able to focus solely on your own music instead of having to go back and forth between the two projects?

You know, it was an amazing time of my life and was, again, a crazy time. A lot of my life has been crazy. There was pressure from other people to kind of choose which one we were going to focus on, if it was going to be our solo projects or the project we had together. What we decided is that it was both and that we could do that. That was a risk for us to take, I think, because it's hard for other people to understand how you can do multiple things at once. But we would incorporate our solo projects into our live sets and stuff like that, which was awesome and kind of helped people to understand what our vibe was. We were like "We're not giving up on our solo projects. We have music we make together and love to perform it and that's it." I definitely was putting a lot of energy towards the duo when we were doing it and were in that relationship, so I think most of my energy was going there. I will say that ever since I started putting my energy back...well, not even back, because I don't even know if it ever was even fully in my solo project. I think I always was excited about making music on my own, but then it sort of grew into this duo that I was also really excited about for a long time. Now, it's like I'm actually focusing on myself fully for the first time and it's amazing. I just feel like I'm growing a lot and it's nice to be able to just learn and apply what I'm learning. I feel like I'm helping other people when I do get into a room to write for someone else. I feel like I have sort of found a place in my own music where I'm excited and feel like I've established how I can use my voice. That, I think, helps everything.

You've talked about your journey in learning how to let go of trying to control when you are writing your best work or when you are super productive and learning to let the work come to you. What has that process been like for you?

It's nice. I think I find more of it in this time period where people aren't doing as many sessions in person and there's not as much fluff happening, I feel, as far as random things being set up. I got into a cycle when I was making my album where I was working so much and really had a lot to say and was the thing that kind of saved me. That being said, in this time I've been able to start even writing on guitar again, which is something I lost touch with in working with other producers for so long. I've been relearning guitar and that's been a lot of fun. I think the ideas that I'm writing now are just...it's opening up because I have now gone through this loss and heartbreak and have written about that. I always will, but I think what I'm writing about now is becoming more about my own process and about love, still, in a lot of ways, both fortunately or unfortunately...however you want to look at it. A lot of the music I'm starting to make now is also just about my own journey, which I think is nice. It's just everything I've been through up to this point.

You'll be releasing your new album Voice of The Internet on November 13th and is an ode to your journey towards self-discovery. What can you tell me about making the album and what you learned about yourself in the process?

Yeah. I learned that I was really angry, listening back to the songs (laughs). I learned that I didn't have to judge myself so much for that anger and that it was ok and was warranted. Maybe growing and...maybe anger and sadness on someone else isn't cool...but I think that making art that's true to what you are going through and accepting that and having sort of an acceptance for the raw versions of those emotions is something that I've really had to learn in this process. There were times when I was like "Ok. I can't do this. It's too much." I was pouring it all out and it's scary, because it's about a relationship where everybody kind of knows who it's about, so it's just scary, you know? Well, obviously not new fans, but the people who have been following my career and the people I'm excited to share this body of work with, as much as new people, as well. I'm really excited for my music to reach new people too. So yeah, there was just a lot of acceptance that went into letting myself express the heartbreak as vulnerably as I did.

You have also said that in recent years the production of your tracks has evolved into a 50/50 mix of having a concrete plan going into the process and trying new things to see what fits. What has that evolution been like for you?

It's always different I find. Everybody's kind of different, unless you are working with the same person consistently, which I have been lucky enough to do on the next body of work. On the first body of work, I was working with a lot of different producers and found that adding live elements like horns and live guitar and live bass helps to bring out the soulful influence that I kind of start my music with. That's something that I have been learning daily, the importance of keeping my sound consistent and evolving too. I love musicians and live instruments and there's just nothing like that. They make every synth for it, that can sound like a guitar or sound like a piano, but when you just really have those instruments, it's something so special, when someone really knows how to play. It's generally not me (laughs).

You have doing 'Voice on The Internet talks'. What led you to want to start doing those talks and how has it been going?

It's been going! I did the first one a couple of weeks back. I have yet to do the next one, but was actually just thinking about that today because I have a friend that I wanted to do it, but he isn't available anymore so I have to switch things up. I've been thinking of doing it with my best friend Maddie for the second episode. It's something I'm going to be rolling out once the album is out. I'm going to be doing a lot more of that. The first one was amazing, as well. Sidney Tipton was my guest and she's an incredible artist and songwriter. We talked about identity crisis and how you can find yourself in an identity crisis when you are a female in the world and in the music industry. Men too. Everybody goes through a time when they feel lost. We kind of just dug into that and expectations and the things we project in our personality as almost like a coping mechanism to get through life. There's a certain point where you realize "Oh. That's not serving me. That's just serving other people." There were just a lot of conversations about that and why and how to break through that and it was a lot of fun. I'm excited about talking openly about that stuff, because that's just my life. It's who I am and I think that's what we should talk about. I don't understand why we talk about the weather or even sports. I don't like sports. It's been really cool to share the this on Instagram. I think I want to maybe develop it further, beyond that platform, so I'm still trying to figure that out to see if I can widen the reach in some way.

Along those same lines, you recently released your two singles "Identity Crisis" and "Careful", which share a complimentary message of being addicted as a society to social media and the idea of how to know if what you see online is real or not. Was there a specific thing that inspired those songs for you and what are your views on social media in general right now and the effect it's having on society?

Yeah. There was definitely a specific inspiration for that, which my whole album is inspired by, which is just, like, how do you get over someone when the internet exists? Especially if they've moved on and you haven't. It's just crazy, and what I realized is that I was falling victim to a lot of things that I didn't think I was susceptible to, in just looking avidly online to see who my ex was trying to date now. It was insane how I started to feel really bad about myself, because I was comparing myself to the types of girls that he liked, which is, like, sick! And so many people do it because it's there for you to do. It's this easy thing and there's no conversation really about it. It's like, it happens and people tell you to block that person and eventually you do or you don't. I realized that I couldn't block him out of my brain and that I needed to realize what I want and not let the world that's been created around me define what I create for myself. I decided to be alone and was like "This is going to suck but I'm just going to be alone and be with myself and figure out who I am and what I want." In that time, I really just realized how the internet plays a role in...either you can really establish who you are and identify with what's real or you can project an image that's a slightly altered version or you can project an image that's completely different. And it's not really received any differently all across the board. There are genuine people and there are really fake people who succeed on the internet. For me, I was just sitting back and analyzing this and realizing that I didn't want to be a part of that. I only wanted to be a part of the internet if I was going to help it move forward and evolve and realized I had to do that in myself. It's really about intention, I think, at the end of the day and realizing you have to decide that for yourself. No amount of memes or posts can tell you who you are. I mean, there are really actually helpful people on social media who are helping to evolve it, and there are great uses to making a funny post and making people laugh and all of that. I'm not hating on any of it, but there's a lot misinformation and I just want people to realize they can think for themselves.

You have said that in recent years you have been able to doing music full time and have been working on your work/life balance. How has trying to find that balance been going for you?

I am finding it every day. I am also realizing the importance of it every day, which I think is a key part to finding it. I lost touch with it for a long time to be honest and still struggle with it, but it is something that I am actively working on and taking time for myself throughout the day. I tend to be an over-worker and get into certain modes of working on certain things and can lose sight of a whole portion of what I have to do because I will funnel in and focus on something. I'm just realizing how much time management plays into taking care of yourself and having a self-care routine and balanced life and all of the success of a business, you know? It's kind of scary, like realizing I failed because of me and not because of anybody else. I'm the business. It's just making sure that I take care of myself and my mental health and my body. I'm literally just now realizing the importance of it, at 28 years old. I actually got sick about a month ago because I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough, and it's crazy to think that can happen and you don't even realize you're doing it. You don't even know that you aren't eating enough throughout the day. I've definitely been working more time for balance into my schedule.

You have also composed children's music for the Hasbro animated series 'Hanazuki'. What can you tell me about that series and how you came to work on it?

It was awesome. The opportunity came through somebody we were working with at the time and it was a lot of fun. We were writing so many songs at that time that a lot of what we were writing actually kind of fit into what the needs were for the music for the show. We also wrote a lot of songs from scratch after having watched the episodes, which was really cool because I've never done anything like that, where I'm getting visual inspiration for music. I'd also never made...well, I guess I've written a couple of scenes over the years where I submitted them for pitches...but I'd never really done it. It was my first time getting to write music for children and having that come out, which was really cool.

You have talked about being raised by spiritual parents and were raised to acknowledge the energy in the world and the universe and what's out there. What are your thoughts on the world right now? I've read a lot of people talking about a great awakening happening right now. Do you feel like that is happening?

Absolutely! There's definitely a massive shift happening. I can feel it every day and every moment. With darkness comes light and with light comes darkness and I feel a lot of the concepts and knowledge that people have really dug into the past year is incredible. It's something that gives me hope for the future. There's a lot of corruption and a lot of imbalance in the world and a lot of pain at the hands of powerful people. I think that is something I hope to be able to work to change in my life, in any way that I can, literally. I do feel like there's a great awakening happening and I feel it's happening to me simultaneously. I feel like I've been able to kind of deal with a lot in the last 6 months that I was running from prior. It's amazing and is a great feeling to not run from things. It's almost like we were all just shoved inside because we were just all running from everything. Or maybe it was just me (laughs). I feel like I have noticed friends talking to me and other artists who feel like they are on similar paths. I know, for me in particular, it's a very personal journey where I feel like I've had to kind of rebuild and with that has come a freedom from a lot of old habits and emotions that I refused to feel for a long time. Simultaneously, I feel that the world is kind of opening its third eye and seeing what's actually happening. It's beautiful and amazing. I've unfortunately been kind of feeling this way for a while about the state of society and not knowing how I could personally make a large enough impact to matter. I feel like every day I'm learning more about how to do that and feel like other people are starting to align with a deeper purpose in life, as well. It's very exciting.

I sometimes feel like maybe all of the slowing down of society happened for a reason, so that people could be more aware of what is really happening in the world.

It's true, because I can't ever imagine a circumstance where this would have happened, outside of this. I'm not saying I'm happy that people have been getting sick and dying. It's really tragic and I'm not trying to say it's a good thing by any means, in that aspect. I do think of it as people not having as many distractions to the impactful things they are dealing with.

You just released your latest single "Always Gonna Love You". What can you tell me about the track and what was it like to write it over Facetime?

It was crazy! The song was written pretty quickly and we just had this conversation where the girl I wrote it with had just gotten out of a relationship, as well. We were just feeling really similarly about it. We still had lingering feelings and it can be hard to let go of that hope that maybe someday it could work out and that things shouldn't have happened the way that they did. We came to this conclusion that we were both always going to love this person no matter what was different about the circumstances, whether it went perfectly or terribly. It's one of those things where you know it's always going to happen and you are going to feel that way. It's sort of liberating in a way and it's true. When you love someone, you really do have that place in your heart for them and it shouldn't ever really go away, if it was real. That's what I'm telling myself lately.

What's next for you, aside from your album release?

I'm doing a livestream on Tuesday with Jam In A Van, which will be awesome. It will be from their YouTube page and I'll be playing songs from my album. I'm also doing a livestream on November 18th and will be playing more songs from the album. Hopefully close to the whole thing. I'm also working on a second album. I have more music coming out after the album and I'm not stopping. This is just the beginning for me! I'm just excited to be able to connect with the people who have been listening more and building that social relationship online, which is the only place we can be right now. And have more conversations like this. I just hope I get to do more of this!