more varied questions...
Tell me a little bit about your first bands?
There is not much to say unfortunately. The bands consisted of friends from high school of the garage/punk rock variety. Nobody, myself included was that talented at our instruments at the time. We didn't last for very long etc.
Where do you draw most of your songs from?
Hmm mostly observations from everyday life and personal experiences, it's of course all filtered through my personal lenses. Sometimes dreams can inform them and other times I have no idea where they come from...the wind.
There is a sensitive streak to them.
I suppose I can't help that part of me I'm afraid. I believe in being honest as much as possible and it's hard to separate honesty from myself when it comes to art, be it a song, poem, painting whatever.
Are there some more general themes?
Oh sure be good to each other and things like that. I mean the realization of any horrors or misdeeds be they emotional, psychological or historical are meant to convey an accurate portrayal of human behavior and the hope is the listener will not make the same mistake as either the author or the subjects of the songs.
I hear a Joy Division influence, is that accurate?
In some of the stuff I've done for sure. Sinsuality live has a been compared to Joy Division meeting Nirvana by a friend of mine. Lyrically I suppose too, I have tremendous respect for Ian Curtis as a lyricist.
What about your father? What sort of relationship did you have with him?
Oh he's an influence musically in the sense that him playing the piano around the house probably stirred up some musical interest in me. He never gave me lessons though beyond chord shapes. Otherwise I have been self taught. Mostly I suppose his record collection has been an influence. Overall, we have a pretty good relationship it's very friend like as we talk about pretty much anything, except emotion to a large extent.
What does being a songwriter mean to you?
Oh I rarely I think in terms of being a songwriter, it's just getting stuff off my chest really but I would say yes I qualify as one, I just don't think about it all that much.
You grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, what was that like?
Pretty serene and uneventful really. A fairly suburban middle class upbringing. I had a fairly supportive and normal family and yet I can remember wanting to often escape. So far I have briefly with a study abroad in Italy, college in a small town called Platteville for two years and also briefly living in Portland Oregon. I miss the northwest and I'd love to move to Washington or some place like that or retire to some cottage in the woods.
There is not much to say unfortunately. The bands consisted of friends from high school of the garage/punk rock variety. Nobody, myself included was that talented at our instruments at the time. We didn't last for very long etc.
Where do you draw most of your songs from?
Hmm mostly observations from everyday life and personal experiences, it's of course all filtered through my personal lenses. Sometimes dreams can inform them and other times I have no idea where they come from...the wind.
There is a sensitive streak to them.
I suppose I can't help that part of me I'm afraid. I believe in being honest as much as possible and it's hard to separate honesty from myself when it comes to art, be it a song, poem, painting whatever.
Are there some more general themes?
Oh sure be good to each other and things like that. I mean the realization of any horrors or misdeeds be they emotional, psychological or historical are meant to convey an accurate portrayal of human behavior and the hope is the listener will not make the same mistake as either the author or the subjects of the songs.
I hear a Joy Division influence, is that accurate?
In some of the stuff I've done for sure. Sinsuality live has a been compared to Joy Division meeting Nirvana by a friend of mine. Lyrically I suppose too, I have tremendous respect for Ian Curtis as a lyricist.
What about your father? What sort of relationship did you have with him?
Oh he's an influence musically in the sense that him playing the piano around the house probably stirred up some musical interest in me. He never gave me lessons though beyond chord shapes. Otherwise I have been self taught. Mostly I suppose his record collection has been an influence. Overall, we have a pretty good relationship it's very friend like as we talk about pretty much anything, except emotion to a large extent.
What does being a songwriter mean to you?
Oh I rarely I think in terms of being a songwriter, it's just getting stuff off my chest really but I would say yes I qualify as one, I just don't think about it all that much.
You grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, what was that like?
Pretty serene and uneventful really. A fairly suburban middle class upbringing. I had a fairly supportive and normal family and yet I can remember wanting to often escape. So far I have briefly with a study abroad in Italy, college in a small town called Platteville for two years and also briefly living in Portland Oregon. I miss the northwest and I'd love to move to Washington or some place like that or retire to some cottage in the woods.