What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
Middle school was a rough time for me. I remember a moment one night of feeling acutely alone, pulling my father’s cassette of Pink Floyd’s The Wall out of the rack and pressing play. I’ll never forget the first time hearing that whispered organ intro burst into those drums and that sweeping, grand, melancholy guitar line. I felt saved. If something this gorgeous and transportive exists, the world isn’t all bad. I didn’t know if I could ever make something that epic, but I knew I wanted to start creating.
Being in lock down during the pandemic shook up everyone’s life, mine included. I felt inspired to finally start making music again – took out all the old gear, set up a makeshift studio in the basement, and started recording after hours.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
The upcoming album Breakers is the result of a lot of late night recording sessions over the past six months. It’s about suddenly having nothing but time to dig into your past and reflect, wrestling with loss but in that process finding hope, seeing some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
I lived in Brooklyn in the early and mid 2000s, and the result is there’s inescapably a lot of DNA from The National, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol in the music. Bowie has always been my north star for pushing yourself to evolve and that feeling of lift and poetry that great music can give you. My grandmother was a puppeteer and a mystery novelist – she’s always been a huge influence on me as an artist.
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
I think what sets us apart is a unique vocal approach, a contemporary indie sound that isn’t afraid to steal from the 90’s alt rock I grew up on, and lyrics that don’t aim to be clever or ironic – trying to be as earnest and direct as possible within the poetry of it all.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
Movies:
Tarkovsky’s MIRROR, Assayas’ PERSONAL SHOPPER, Pakula’s ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
Albums:
Cocteau Twins HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS, Siouxsee and the Banshees JUJU, David Bowie STATION TO STATION
Books:
TRANSIT by Rachel Cusk, GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS by Max Porter, THE OVERSTORY by Richard Powers
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
I’m a one man pandemic studio band right now – but I can’t wait to play these songs in front of people one day when it’s safe to do so.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
My 8 year old son got inspired to start making music once he saw me doing it – he’s making stuff that sounds like Aphex Twin fronted by the Beastie Boys. He’s way more avant garde than I’ll ever be. I love it.
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
Astra is a track that started with a small, gentle beat, and every time I added to it it got bigger and bigger, until it ended up being the most sweeping song sonically and structurally.
Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
Excited to finally release my first album later this fall. It’s been a crash course in finding my stylistic voice as well as learning a whole range of technical methods with recording, mixing and mastering that’s been incredibly fun but exhausting. I can’t wait for these songs to be out in the world, take a break, and then start writing again. And when the time is right I’ll be thrilled to get this music in front of a crowd.
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
There’s an important conversation going on right now about how to best support artists when they can’t tour and their income streams are taking a hit. I think we should use this moment as a jumping off point to address the larger inequities that have resulted from the takeover of the streaming model. Forcing artists to be lumped into one giant pool of listeners and revenues might be great for the streaming companies, but it makes zero sense for the artists and their audience. We should be advocating and working relentlessly for a model that has an artist / fan relationship that’s closer to 1:1 in terms of direct support.
Curated by: Christos Doukakis
Recommended listening:
.
.
Connect with Idler Wheel:
https://www.instagram.com/idlerwheelmusic/