Alli's Articles
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, CULTURE PIECES, MUSICAL RAMBLINGS.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t imagine that this hobby of mine is very uncommon: I am obsessed with looking into other countries’ music scenes. Whether it be Danish electronica, French indie pop, or even Italian metal, it’s always interesting to me to listen to music that can sound so similar, but vastly different, to what I’m used to with the artists popular in the US. I use that phrase because I enjoy many bands and artists that are well known in America that are from different countries or even speak different languages. When I talk about these little musical excursions, I mean going on a full-on deep dive to reach things that never broke the seal of their mother countries. The main subject of this article was completely coincidental, and brought to you by the sheer algorithmic powers of Spotify’s Discovery Playlist. I must say, they always truly hit all of my niches in the right places every time, but clicking on a song called “Slug Song” by a band I’ve never heard of called The Clean was something of a divine intervention. I had to check the title as it started playing, because at first I thought the playlist gave me some sort of Guided By Voices b-side. As I looked at their profile, I discovered that The Clean were in fact “one of the most influential New Zealand bands of the post-punk era.” Being an absolute sucker for that genre, that opening line of their biography made my heart leap. We know about the 80s-90s American scene (all the Pavements and Built to Spills) and our Brits (literally everything. The Smiths. The Clash. What else do I have to say) but we don’t hear enough about the Kiwis. The Clean’s sound goes along with those groups in perfect harmony, and probably inspired a number of acts that came from NZ and beyond, but the hype for them is lacking. None of the bands originating from the country seemed to take off internationally, and a lot of acts probably got lost in translation somehow while transferring over from the great blue sea that separates New Zealand from most of the world. Despite this, when I started exploring bands similar to The Clean, I started hearing the perfect blend of American and English post-punk. A lot of the fuzzy distortion that the guitars of Pavement and GBV produced was curated and experimented with, and the subject matters of Britpop acts were also heard. It seems that NZ has their middle-class anthems and showcases of the working folk that “Common People” by Pulp and “Parklife” by Blur could be for the people of Britain. One song that I stumbled upon that captured this essence for me was by a band named Blam Blam Blam called “There Is No Depression in New Zealand.” The media here in the U.S. usually portrays New Zealand in a positive light, with screenshots of news stories announcing their successful containment of the Coronavirus, a successful female prime minister, and their almost automatic ban on military grade semi-automatic rifles after the Christchurch mosque shootings. NZ is a model for us, an example to the rest of the world of the things that can go right when we challenge tradition. However, that’s not to say that they don’t have their own internal issues, and that their society is completely flawless. “We have no racism”, “We have no sexism”, “There is no depression in New Zealand” are just three of many sarcastic lines in the song, mocking anyone who wants to perceive the country as perfect. It came along in 1981, a time of extreme economic struggle in the country. Life seemed to go on, with a giant rugby tour happening as planned that same year. It became a protest anthem in the ignored civil unrest that occurred in the country, one that I’ve never learned about. Artists like Blam Blam Blam and The Clean were part of this ever-growing indie culture in New Zealand in the late 70s and early 80s, a scene which would be known as the “Dunedin sound.” The sounds of the movement highlighted the lo-fi-ness that was happening overseas, and it became the catch-all term for the college radio-type music that was coming from the country. As I was doing my research about all of this, I found a list of artists outside of NZ that confirmed my claim of this era inspiring more bands than I expected. R.E.M., Pavement, and Mudhoney are just three well known acts that cited the Dunedin sound as a major influence. Another band in the scene I enjoyed was 3Ds, a noise pop group that carried the “jingly jangly” guitar style that was a trademark of this time. After opening this whole portal to the world of the NZ underground scene, it made me feel happy (as discovering any niche music genre does) but also disappointed. After paving a good portion of the way for many famous rock bands from the 80s and 90s that we still appreciate today, these bands simply faded into obscurity, only to be discussed by the people of New Zealand and bored American teenage girls with music blogs. What famous New Zealand musical acts do we even know today, as listeners across the ocean? I do love Kane Strang, a modern indie songwriter from Dunedin who had a hit with “My Smile is Extinct” a couple years back. I was reading an interview with him to inspire me to write this article, and even he was discussing the hidden problems of the country in the spirit of Blam Blam Blam. When asked about the music scene of New Zealand, he said that “It has its problems like everywhere else – like a lack of safe spaces and venues in general – but there are always heaps of people doing really positive things.” Like mentioned earlier, I don’t think about the bad side of NZ because of its positive media reputation; I even downplayed its existence before writing this. It sounds naive of me to say, but this little adventure truly made me realize that even the countries America aspires to follow has its own issues (even though they handle some of them better than we do).
You can learn a lot about the history of a country through its music, especially music that was written during a time of economic struggle, like the Dunedin sound in this case. These artists created a movement, a movement that would later have its own name and place in the country’s history, which not only defined New Zealand, but musically influenced countless bands around the world. I hope this article educates some of you on this strange blurb of knowledge, puts you on to some quality music, and also inspires you to take the journeys that I have. Living through history at this current moment has made me realize that I want to educate myself on what goes on beneath the inner workings of my own country, as well as outside of it. What better way for me to do that but with music? If there’s a time period or location that you want to learn more about, I encourage you to look into the music scene. You’ll always find more of a story than you expect.
0 Comments
Let’s flashback to November 2019. Coronavirus isn’t even a thought in the Americas, house shows are still going strong, and the Alli page of Twilight Collective was flourishing with New Scene, New Paltz interviews. November was also the month where my favorite article ever was written and published, the Skatehouse write-up. Out of all of the New Paltz-related blurbs I’ve posted, I think it’s safe to say that this was the one that propelled me into the discourse of the scene the most. It got an amount of attention that I’ve never gotten before, and a lot of new waves of readers talking. It was current news, it was fun to research, and I had an amazing interviewee who gave me more than everything I wanted. That person was Connor, who, not only was in charge of most of the operations regarding the shows during the fall semester, but is an artist himself. At the time the interview was conducted, Connor had a couple of songs put on SoundCloud under the name Mono Neko. Since then, he released his first official single, titled “Aristotle,” on streaming platforms just this Sunday. The song is amazingly well-produced, with a unique indie, coming-of-age type sound and story. I was also a fan of the sun-bathed guitar melodies and the single cover art that just seems to fit it perfectly. I got to talk to Connor as the Skatehouse curator, but I knew that it was time to get to know him as an artist as well. Hey Connor! First of all, how has quarantine been for you? What have you done, and worked on music-wise? Hey Alli, quarantine’s been surprisingly okay. I’ve been working on a lot of songs on logic and just kinda multitasking with my music. I really like your new single, “Aristotle.” I feel like it’s very powerful and personal, in a sense, just listening to the words. Were there any specific events or aspects in your life that inspired the lyrics, and why the name “Aristotle?” Is the song connected to the philosopher in any way? Thank you! I’m happy you like the music. Regarding my lyrics for Aristotle, I used phrases that helped describe a sense of letting go of all these physical attributes and that, like external things or people can’t really affect me. Aristotle said “Happiness depends upon ourselves,” so I kinda took that and rolled with it. While we’re on names, where does the moniker “Mono Neko” come from? Mono Neko is a name I came up with and when I popped it into Google Translate the only thing to come back is Thing Cat! Also, it’s pronounced like “mo-no-ne-ko.” I also remember during the Skatehouse interview, we talked musical inspirations. You cited a lot of spacey indie rock, and basically whatever you were listening to at the given moment. What have you been listening to lately? Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of The Dead Pirates, Empire Of The Sun, Neon Trees. How do you feel your music has progressed from the singles you put on SoundCloud last year to now? I think I’m more familiar with my music style and it took me some time to get comfortable with it compared to like a year ago. Since the Skatehouse article from November, do you have any further updates on the house? I can only imagine how confusing it is with Coronavirus thrown into the mix, but could it possibly be brought back if shows are allowed? Your performance at the 10/25/2019 show was one of my favorite sets at a New Paltz house show yet, and now that you are releasing more music, I would love to see you live again in the future. The house! Oh yeah, we’re all moved out of there. Yeah, the place probably isn’t doing shows anymore unless the new tenants were really ambitious, but I can only imagine the new places that host music for 2020. What’s next for you music-wise? Any thoughts on other singles, or maybe a bigger project in the future? I think right now I just want to keep making things and working on a song until I finish it and then just repeat the process. What’s the main message you want people to hear from your music? The main message I want people to hear from my music is to just keep listening and enjoy! ~ A huge thank you to Connor for taking the time to answer my questions! Listen to “Aristotle” on most streaming platforms now! Follow Connor on Instagram! I shouldn’t even have to start off this article with an introduction to the current state of the world. It’s impossible to not be aware of what’s happening in the United States right now, since we are now on the third week of Black Lives Matter protests that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota. The continuation of police brutality in this country is absolutely unjust and despicable, but the glimmer of hope through it all is the small steps towards reform and change that is beginning to happen through donations, petitions, and the spreading of information through the sometimes-lovely powers of social media. Along with sharing ways to help, a lot of people I follow have been sharing media resources, such as movies to watch, things to read, and music to listen to that highlights both black struggles and excellence. This is something I knew I had to do myself, especially music-wise. I constantly feel like I’m not showing enough support to artists of color, and that my Spotify library is wildly disproportionate. I began at the roots of it all, a continuation of my education that was inspired by a History of Rock class last semester that highlighted some of the black legends that started the genre. My boyfriend made me a playlist of some of his picks, and during my first listen I noticed a song called “Dancing in the Street,” by a group called Martha and the Vandellas. I realized that I have heard this song before...David Bowie and Mick Jagger made a cover of it, but of course, since their version is the more commonly-heard one nowadays, I didn’t even think of it to be a cover. Many legendary white artists have been exposed for ripping off of black artists and taking a majority of the credit that the originals deserved. An infamous example of this is Elvis. Many of his hit songs were not written by him, but by a variety of lesser-known rhythm-and-blues musicians that weren’t getting a dime for the movement that he seemed to create globally. This trend of white artists somewhat stealing the fame of black artists was very common during the popularization of rock-n-roll, from the 50s all the way to the 80s. Another example I was shocked by was Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” being covered and propelled into the mainstream by Eric Clapton. Listening to the two versions back to back, the cover just seems stripped of most of its original Jamaican identity and became mostly guitar-driven, fitting in with many of the rock artists dominating the charts during the early 70s. (I also should probably mention that Clapton has a pretty extensive past of being blatantly racist, so this adds up to me). If you’re familiar with the term “whitewashing,” this appears to be a perfect example of it; Taking a piece of work and altering it to seem more familiar or appealing to white people. Whitewashing seems to be the most probable diagnosis for all of the examples I’ve mentioned so far. Whether it’s a scheme by the record companies supporting famous white artists to try to squeeze another hit without going through the hassle of recording a new original song, or the famous artists trying to pay tribute to the black artists in question, most of the time it results in the white musicians getting more attention than the black musicians, the ones who came up with the song in the first place. Once I made the “Dancing in the Street” connection, I decided to go through an old playlist I made filled with my favorite cover songs, mostly in the indie genre, and saw how many of them I could trace back to having a black creator. Almost immediately I was able to find one, in the song “List of Demands (Reparations),” by indie punk duo The Kills. They released the song as a single in 2018, and I remember hearing it a lot on Sirius XM’s AltNation station. As I looked back into the roots of the song, I found out that the original was released in 2004 by a black punk/hip-hop artist named Saul Williams. The original version was a lot more fast-paced and angry, and as I looked through the Genius annotations, I clearly saw that Williams meant for the song and lyrics to have a “F**k you” attitude. The Kills’ version is significantly slowed down, and drastically more chill and mysterious. I see no problem in covering a song in a way that fits the artists’ sound, but the Kills version of “List of Demands” has 5 million Spotify plays while Williams’ version only has 2 million. On top of that, The Kills has over 600,000 monthly listeners, while Williams only has around 50,000. The YouTube video of the song (below) also has less views than the cover. The majority of listeners probably haven’t looked into the song and are only hearing the lyrics portrayed in the aesthetic of The Kills. It’s easy to see that the cover had more of a reception than the original, and even though the band most likely covered the songs to pay homage to this anthem, it just goes to show how unfortunate it is that there is a whole world of black artists aren’t getting the attention they rightfully deserve under the surface of white covers. It’s only fair to acknowledge that this isn’t the case for all white covers of black songs. Some songs are already legends, staples in the soundtrack of society that makes them impossible to become overshadowed. Examples of this from my covers playlist include “Africa” by Weezer, “I Will Survive” by Cake, and even Red Hot Chili Peppers’ version of “Higher Ground.” Those songs were already well-known before, so I would say that mostly everyone is aware that those aren’t the originals (even though I do recall some people that really thought Rivers Cuomo wrote “Africa” when their version was getting some airtime). Those are truly just paying tribute to legends, who are already acknowledged as legends, without stepping over them or stealing their rightfully-earned credit.
Cover songs are meant to be fun, because it is entertaining to listen to the work of one artist in another artist’s style. I don’t want this article to read off as “Covering songs by a black artist while you’re white is racist and cultural appropriation!” because, obviously, that isn’t true. Artists should feel free to pay their respects to their inspirations any way they feel, including performing their songs, but when unoriginals are getting more attention and recognition than the song itself, it’s kind of unfair. When you reflect upon all of the black ideas, artists, and sounds that are sewed into rock-n-roll, and how many of their genres we have “borrowed” over the course of time, this is just another example of their hard work and effort not being honored in the spotlight it deserves. You might be asking yourself now, like I did once I made this entire discovery, “What can I, as a nonblack person, do to fix this?” The easiest answer won’t stop this issue right away, but it sure can help. Just support your favorite POC artists, especially if they’re small or just starting out. Shout them out. Promote their albums and songs. Put them on playlists. If you’re able to, you can even buy their music on sites such as Bandcamp. I love sharing music on my social media. I love promoting my favorite small artists, and I know that they appreciate it. My friend Birgitta even put together a playlist for our Music Collective club at school of POC indie/punk bands and singers that I recommend listening to. Doing what I did and retracing the black history of rock has been a great way to start educating myself during these times, because I definitely feel like that is one of the most important things for me to do as a young white individual. I hope that it’s clear to see that the point of this article isn’t “Cover songs = bad,” it’s “Black singers and songwriters deserve more credit for all that they have done to the modern world of music.” In this age of easily accessible streaming platforms and even more widely impactable social media platforms, we have the power to change that, and it truly starts at the bottom. Black Lives Matter. This movement is much bigger than this. Here are some resources to check out: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ https://moreblminfo.carrd.co/ https://linktr.ee/blacklivesmatter As we approach the 2 month mark of the state-induced stay-at-home order here in New York, I can’t help but wonder what all of the artists I’ve talked to during my first year at SUNY New Paltz are doing now. One particular artist I thought about was Brian Casey, known as BZA, a rapper in my year. We met up on campus back in January to talk about his first EP, Life of Brian, that had just come out. He had said that he recorded most of the songs on that EP up at school, so I was curious as to how he was going about recording and songwriting at home. Being in quarantine has given every artist loads of time to write and record music, and this unique experience could definitely be used as fuel for future releases. This proved to be the case with Brian, who put out a new single “EYE OF THE LION” this Tuesday. It’s reassuring and inspiring to see musicians continuing to put music out during these strange times. Somehow it makes everything seem a little more normal. I talked with Brian about his new single, how he’s been taking the quarantine, and future plans post-pandemic. Has quarantine affected you, both personally and the way you make music, at all? Not really, it’s been a great time to reflect on my first year of college and to start making more music. Are there any differences between the writing process of Life of Brian and the new single? The difference in writing this song and my EP was that I put a lot more energy into it. While making “EYE OF THE LION,” I’d blast my speakers and try to create that spark I’ve never had before in my music. Also, I took my time with it. There was a lot of editing and planning so now I’m excited to finally show everyone. It’s now been almost 5 months since your first EP came out. Looking back at it, how do you feel about it now? To be honest, I wish I held off on releasing it. But on the other hand, those songs resembled what I felt at the time, so if I released it at any other point it wouldn’t have sat well with me. Has being away from New Paltz affected the way you’ve made music at all? Not really, I actually have more privacy making music in my basement than I do in the dorms. But one thing I do miss is showing all my friends the music in person. Sending them links just isn’t the same. I wish I could see their reactions. Would you want to do any live performances in the future, when the virus dies down? Yes! I can’t wait till I can perform. I’ve only done it a couple times but it’s hands down the best part of this whole process. Are you thinking of releasing another EP in the near future? We’ll have to see what happens! Thank you Brian for answering my questions! Listen to BZA’s new single, “EYE OF THE LION,” on SoundCloud now! Follow BZA on Instagram! The COVID-19 outbreak that is currently ravaging the globe is not only wreaking havoc on normal day-to-day life, but also the livelihoods of musicians and careers of bands as well. I thought about this as April 3rd came around, the release date for the debut album from beloved New Paltz indie band, GREENHOUSELAKE. (And no, I’m not just capitalizing their name because I was so excited, that’s actually how it’s stylized.) This group, made up of Elijah Bloome, Caleb Couri, Joe Leonardo, and Nico Caro, is no stranger to the blog, as I reviewed their first single from their first full-length release, “ALLCAPS/NOSPACES” in February. I'm not the only one who appreciates GREENHOUSELAKE's comforting, joyful indie-rock sound with thoughtful, emotional lyrics: They have a huge fanbase in the town of New Paltz that go wild for it as well. Home-grown in the basement of house show venue Crossroads, they’re always the main act and put on a show so invigorating that it almost guarantees a mosh pit at the end of every performance. Despite school not being in session on campus when the album was released, support from students and other members of the DIY community shone through on Instagram, with dozens of story posts with words of praise and Spotify links to their page popping up on my feed that day. Although I was upset that I didn’t get a chance to talk to the band in person, I still wanted to reach out through Instagram and talk to them about their album. Just this Friday, the New Paltz Oracle posted an amazing article written by Elijah himself further explaining the history behind Crossroads and a first-person look at the inner-workings of the DIY community. Seeing the community get excited over the piece further proved to me something I was beginning to see throughout this quarantine: The semester might have been cancelled, but the New Paltz music community is still going as strong as ever virtually. **
What is the significance behind the band’s theme of capital letters and no spaces seen in your name and in the title of your debut EP? Joe: I believe this came to fruition after rehearsal one night. The all caps has been a trendy thing in music but I’ve personally always loved the look of it. At the time we were transcending from Absolute Zeros to GREENHOUSELAKE so we were still refining things such as the band name and our general vibe/sound. We agreed that the band name would be all caps with no spaces and shortly after we found “ALLCAPS/NOSPACES” had a ring to it. Elijah: We wanted to be bold! Loud and proud! Where does the name GREENHOUSELAKE come from? Elijah: We also wanted the name to be meaningful. Caleb and I grew up in a little town called Bloomingburg, NY, and we used to hang out after school at this lake between our houses (Lake Nashopa). There was this abandoned green house that was practically falling into the lake that we would explore (hence the pseudonym we invented for it), and thinking about it always brings me back to a very important time in our friendship. Who are some of your musical inspirations? Joe: Artists that have had a major impact on me: Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Emancipator, Bonobo, Mac Miller, Lettuce, Kid Cudi, DeerHunter. Elijah: Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel, La Dispute, Sonic Youth, Pinegrove, Alan Watts (his voice is pretty much music to me at this point) Caleb: My music tastes go all over the place, and I’m a big hip-hop head and jazz fan, but a lot of the musicians both Elijah and Joe listed are what I hone into a lot when I think about writing GREENHOUSELAKE parts! Personally, when I listen to your music, I feel very comforted. A lot of the lyrics on “ALLCAPS/NOSPACES” are very caring and I feel almost at home. Is this the vibe you want to give off with your music? Are there any other feelings you want listeners to feel? Joe: That's really amazing to hear. When writing, our intention was to create songs people could jump around and dance to. Elijah is an incredible songwriter and storyteller. As an individual he is genuine and very empathetic which shines true through his writing. Elijah: I wrote this album during a pretty manic episode; it was a relatively natural release of emotions and thoughts that I’d been repressing for awhile. I wanted to phrase them in an almost feel-good mannerism, inspired by bands like the Pixies and the Monks. Looking back I often wonder how the lyrics are received by others; that’s pretty cool that they make you feel that way! Were you nervous about releasing your debut EP during this period of self isolation and quarantine? How has the pandemic affected the release? Joe: I felt we had to release it no matter what. It’s been a pretty long time coming and we were all excited to finish this project and move on to the next. The biggest bummer was the cancellation of the release show and many other gigs. Caleb: I agree with Joe. It was definitely the time to release it, and I think that now if our music being publicly released can help anyone through this time, then that's a huge plus! It is disappointing to have to cancel the planned EP release show. Hopefully once things have recovered we can find a way to properly celebrate. When I reviewed your first single, “GOOSEBUMPS,” I remember reading that it was mixed by a member of the band, Caleb, at Crossroads. First of all, I just wanted to say your mixing is very impressive, the quality is spectacular! What was the mixing process for this EP like? Have you mixed other projects in the past? Joe: Caleb is basically a Wizard. Haha. Well I’m sure Caleb can describe his experience in the mixing booth best but I give him a lot of credit. He made it clear to us that he wanted to mix this record and that he would invest in the equipment necessary to do so. He kept his word and was in it to win it. It made me really happy to see him take initiative and pursue something he felt passionate about. Working with him was amazing. The nights spent listening and refining the tracks in his room were an all time hang but bottom line I trusted him on delivering a sound we all desired. He would keep us up to date on any changes made to the tracks via text and audio links where we were able to continue to collaborate. Elijah: I agree with Joe in every way, I couldn’t be more proud of Caleb. We recorded the majority of it over two twelve hour days in January and he spent countless hours in his room mixing and refining things. I would come up with detailed notes and corrections and he’d always find the perfect fix for every little detail. It really blows my mind that this was his first project, I hope he will continue forward as a producer! Caleb: Thank you! While I've always played around with music and producing, this is my first proper project in Pro Tools! My workflow was pretty typical of most band recordings, but what made this special was recording the majority of it in the living room of Crossroads! Vocals were all tracked in my bedroom in front of a sleeping bag hung to the wall. This is also where I mixed the record, before we gave it to our friend Jake Albi from Armless Man Records! I got to learn a lot from spending time recording Joe, Elijah, Nico, and the 6 other housemates who generously provided their voices on the record. There's a special ambience to the house that Elijah & I have lived in, and I like to think a lot of it was successfully captured onto “ALLCAPS/NOSPACES”. You guys definitely carry a torch in the New Paltz music scene, a well known headliner at many of the house shows at Groove Grove, Crossroads, and etcetera. What are your favorite things about the scene? Joe: New Paltz is incredible. I feel at home there. Seeing the boys start Crossroads at their first house on Harrington street and to witness it come to fruition was special. They took a relatively simple concept (hosting shows) and gave it their all. I remember saying to myself how cool it was to see them taking this more serious than they had to. Creating “Crossroads” and the original cat logo. Decorating the room to create a warm cozy feel. Promoting people’s business cards on their bulletin board in their kitchen. Handing out free earbuds in a giant bowl so people wouldn’t destroy their ears. Hiring New Paltz videographers and photographers to properly promote shows and support their peers. Everything they have done has been so organic and supportive of the community and I’m proud to call these guys my friends. Elijah: Well of course I have my biases, being so heavily involved with Crossroads in the New Paltz scene, but the three years I’ve spent in this town have been the best of my life (I wrote an article reflecting on that time in this week’s publication of the Oracle, if I may plug that!). When I first came here, it was so refreshing to see how much people genuinely cared about local music; how excited they were to go to house shows and mosh to their favorite bands. Teaming up with Groove Grove, Sanctuary, Sanctum, Skate House, Crazy Dan’s, the Crevice and anyone else who wanted to get involved resulted in one of the most collaborative music scenes New Paltz has ever had— we created a welcoming and safe environment for newcomers who’d never felt comfortable at house shows, emphasized the importance of including women performers, organized more DIY events than the town had seen in a long time, and made every effort to put the artist first. We recognized that New Paltz was small enough where we didn’t need to compete with one another the way other scenes do; we could book shows on different nights so that we weren’t stepping on each other’s toes, and as a result bands could perform for literally hundreds of people! I think it’s easy for people to sit home and talk badly about this music scene, maybe for the sake of clout or maybe for philosophical differences, but there’s actual value in stepping up and making a change. Now that this chapter is over, I hope to see individuals doing exactly this and picking up where we left off! Caleb: There is nothing like New Paltz! It would not be without such a diverse, open, and all-inclusive music scene that the Hudson Valley continues to be a popular tour stop for bands all over, and while I am grateful that mine and Elijah's parts in Crossroads and the DIY New Paltz scene have positively encouraged others to step up and start their own venues, it wouldn't have happened without the people who parade in mass every Friday night to see the bands in the basement. It's been a truly magical time seeing, dancing to, and working with so many gifted artists in this little college town. What are your plans for the band post-COVID? Elijah: That’s hard to say right now, especially after hearing that live shows may not even be allowed to happen until next year. We’re going to be writing new songs to the best of our ability, and I’m excited to get working on the next project! *** Thank you so much to GREENHOUSELAKE for taking the time to answer my questions! It’s your kindness that keeps this community going and inspires others! Listen to “ALLCAPS/NOSPACES” on BandCamp as well as Spotify, and most streaming services! The other day, my friend Rachel texted and asked me if she could ask me some questions about music for an assignment she was doing for a class. Of course, I agreed, and she sent them over to me so I could type out my answers. I realized how fun it was, and how much I enjoyed talking about my musical experiences. My favorite thing about interviewing musicians is seeing them get in depth and passionate about their music, inspirations, and goals. So I asked myself: How do I do a whole article of this without seeming like too much of a crazed narcissist? With quarantine preventing all social interaction and with me running out of fun activities, I decided to do something I always wanted to do with this blog: I asked my Instagram followers to submit questions about music for me to answer. At this point of an interview, I would give a short overlook about the artist I was about to interview, but I think everyone knows all there is to know about me already from this blog. In case you need a refresher course: I’m Alli, 18, from Staten Island, freshman at SUNY New Paltz, I like all types of music, run this blog, do a lot of interviews, I have a radio show. I sat down at my computer at my desk on April 20th, and typed up the answers to questions my followers and friends gave me. == What inspired you to start Twilight Collective and what are your goals for it? (@bmlc._) Starting the blog was Liah’s idea in the beginning. It was her proposal and she asked me if that’s something I would like to be a part of. I thought it would just be fun to write about what music I was listening to and the concerts I saw. We started the blog near the end of my freshman year, and during that period I discovered a lot of new music I needed to talk about. My early articles are mostly concert stories, reviewing some albums, and basically talking about myself and my musical life. It was very personal for me in the beginning, and I never was expecting it to get to the point of interviews like it is now. I know our joint goals are to definitely get some interviews with bigger, more legendary bands, because why not? I want to definitely make more of a profit off of this blog in one way or another. It would be cool for this thing to get bigger and for us to travel to different festivals to write things and interview artists. I definitely aim to have some sort of reputation and credentials in the broader music industry, for sure. What about live music is most appealing to you? (@mattmotherway) Mainly...the connection. The connection between the performers and the audience, and you and the other audience members. The kinship you feel with them, and the freedom you feel to just act crazy and mosh and scream things because you know everyone else is just focused on losing themselves temporarily in the moment. I’ve felt this connection at all GA concerts I’ve been to before college, but living in New Paltz and going to small basement house shows where you can really tell that the artists are passionate about what they’re doing definitely made me more appreciative of live music as a whole. I just love going. Everyone’s a family, everyone’s happy, and you get so close to the musicians spiritually (and very, VERY physically). Also I love live music because the artists can improvise and switch up their songs. I just think that’s a very special experience for them and the audience, like a little secret piece, a shared moment. What was the first band you fell in love with? (@ciaramolumby) This is a tough one. I think I have to go with Arctic Monkeys. Like any teen that made a Tumblr account in 2014, the holy trilogy of introductory alternative music was them, Lana Del Rey, and The Neighbourhood. I hold their album I Love You. so close to my heart, but Arctic Monkeys were a band that I was fascinated by. They taught me how to love a band, I think. When I heard “Do I Wanna Know?” on some small college radio station on our family vacation to Vermont, I just couldn’t believe people made music like that, at the time. It was like a whole new portal was open when I heard AM, and in the later years, I discovered their other older albums which I regard as masterpieces. How do you find time to run a blog on top of schoolwork, activities, and etc? (@lily.eyesinheart) I’m honestly surprised at how I manage to do this sometimes on top of everything, too. I don’t put this in front of school work, and I make sure everything I have to do for the day school-wise is done before I start typing things up, because I would just feel irresponsible and hate myself for a couple hours. I also don’t like to do work and then immediately type stuff for the blog, so I work on articles and stuff when I have an abundance of free time. This semester, I had a lot of free time between classes and on Wednesdays I had off, so that was nice for this. Being in college also has made me better at schedule planning and keeping track of things, so I manage to schedule interviews and give myself time for everything a lot more easily now. The best thing about writing for your own blog is that there are no deadlines, so I can pump stuff out often, but at my own leisure without anyone yelling at me. I know that’s gonna change when I get older and start working for actual publications, so I’m enjoying it while I can…... Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? (@avaakalikas) I change my idea of a dream life, like, twice a month, but there are some constants. For certain, I want to do something in the music industry. A huge inspiration career-wise at the moment is John Peel. I’m fascinated by his live sessions that he had bands come into his show and do, and his connection to his audience as a radio host. His legacy has taught me that you don’t necessarily have to be known for making music to have an impact on the world of it. Press, and the people who promote the music being made, are also very important. Doing college radio makes me want to have my own show so badly. I also would love to travel the world and explore different types of music, and talk to musicians and learn about them like I do now. I see myself being some sort of radio journalism figure in that way, hopefully. How much has music influenced your life, and in what ways? (@ashleyytudor) Oh gosh, literally every way. When I first started really getting into music, I felt that just listening to it wasn’t a good enough, productive hobby for me. I always loved writing, whether it was short stories, news reports for school, and just Notes App ramblings. Music has definitely helped me enhance this hobby and has made me a better writer. If it wasn’t for the help of this blog, I’m not sure I would have fully realized my passion for my future major, Journalism. It also has brought me closer to my friends and, if I wasn’t deeply into it, I’m not sure if I would have ever met some of them. Everyone loves music, everyone has their favorites and enjoys listening to it, and it shapes and influences everyone’s lives, but if I didn’t have the curiosity to dive past the mainstream, I would definitely be a weird, different shadow of myself today. What’s a music group you listen to on a bad day? (@peteringenito) When I need comfort or to accept my sad feelings, I turn to The Drums, one of my favorite bands ever. I love their discography, because Jonny Pierce has written some of the happiest and saddest songs I’ve ever heard. I think it’s important to be able to capture a wide range of emotions in your music, so you can connect with your fanbase during the good times and the bad. He also is just so unbelievably vulnerable and honest in his sadder songs, which is very comforting for me. His songs tell stories, stories that you can tell are very close to his heart, which just makes me feel more when I listen to his band. When I’m in bad moods, I tend to get very theatrical and I want to listen to extremely emotional music. The Drums are perfect for that. How do you find new music? (@halieejade) I really like this question! I don’t know if my processes are interesting but they’re fun. I’m a Spotify user, so I just like letting the radio play after I finish a song or an album of a band or artist I already like. I also like to mess around on the “fans also like” tabs on Spotify. When NME magazines were still being published, I got a lot of my music taste from there. I also have a lot of stuff I listen to because of friends’ recommendations. Whenever I’m bored and need a new band, I’ll think of a certain genre I want to get into and go on Spotify and click on the similar artists for artists I already like from that genre in order to get deeper into obscurity. Also, sometimes I’ll just get really weird urges to check out a strange genre. The other day I discovered Italian post-punk, and damn…..it slaps, I will say. Thoughts on what indie rock culture will be in the 20s (and why will it be the Garden)? (@chazkat) Funny enough, I was just looking through Wyatt from the Garden’s Twitter the other day because he tweets interesting short stories. He tweeted this a while ago and I think it fits this question really well. I’ve been following them since 2018, and it’s interesting to see how much they’ve made their impact on the indie, surf-rock, SoCal drum and bass scene. They definitely fit in with the whole Brandy Melville/skater fashion and music scene I see coming up on social media for the 2020s. They’re definitely next up.
What was the first band you remember hearing? (@that_one_whitedude) When I was younger, I hated music. It’s hard to believe but I would tell my mom to turn off the radio when I was in the car. That weird resentment faded eventually, and was gone by the time I was 8 and started taking art lessons at ArtLab on Staten Island. There, my teacher played some pretty legendary alt records. There was one particular song that I thought was funny, because it went “If you want to destroy my sweater…” I remember laughing with my friend in the class because we thought that was silly, who sings about sweaters? I told my mom when she picked me up about this lyric and she turned on The Blue Album by Weezer. I wouldn’t pick up Weezer again until the 7th grade, but that discovery started it all, and was the first memory of hearing a band I still love today. == This was very fun to do, and I only feel a little narcissistic at the end of it. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and it was fun to be the interviewee for once! I hope everyone is well and is staying safe during this mess. I promise, this will all be back to normal soon! If you want to follow me on Instagram, it's @alliidempsey ! As seen here on the blog, rock and indie musicians and bands make up a large percentage of the New Paltz music scene. However, there are many other types of musicians and people who have different roles in the distribution of music in this community that also deserve appreciation in the spotlight. I took a look into the rap scene with BZA, and it was enjoyable and interesting to talk about a genre that I’m still learning about myself. This week, I dove into a field that I really know NOTHING about, and that is DJing.
Going to Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub on Main Street on a Tuesday, Friday, or Saturday is a pretty popular pastime of New Paltz residents. There are many DJs on the bill each night, but a fan favorite by far is Lorenzo, most commonly known as DJ LoHex. Patrons love the songs he plays, and his catchphrase, “Oh my God it’s DJ LoHex,” are six words that are etched in New Paltz's vocabulary. I wanted to know what went into the process of DJing, and what goes through his mind every night behind that gigantic laptop and booth. We planned to meet up a couple times before SUNY New Paltz unfortunately got shut down for the semester due to COVID-19, but we were unable to. We went back to old TwiColl times and we talked through Instagram DMs this week, and I finally got the answers to some burning questions Murphy-goers have been wondering for years. At what age did you start DJing? How did you get your start? I started DJing when I was 16. I got interested in DJing when I started watching festival videos on YouTube and was mesmerized how someone can control the crowd with music. What is the origin of the slogan “Oh My God It’s DJ LoHex?” Who is the voice behind the clip? The origin of my slogan, haha. It came from my friends teasing me in a good way, like gassing me up thinking that I was hot shit but I’m not. I went with it because I started thinking about it and it’s a perfect slogan that can get stuck in your head if you hear it long enough. The voice behind the clip is my friend Paige. I literally asked her to record a voice memo out of nowhere and she said yes, and it stuck! What are your favorite songs to play? Why? My favorite songs to play are really anything that can get you moving, or that you can vibe out to. When I started DJing, it opened up a whole new world of music for me and made me realize there are way more genres of music out there to be enjoyed. So, really anything that gets you moving or singing with your friends or random people you just met. Do you make your own music/beats? If not, would you want to one day? Yes, I do make music when I’m not DJing. I usually focus on making beats for other people, but I do make my own songs here and there. I actually have a couple of them up on my SoundCloud and some on other streaming services. Do you DJ elsewhere besides Murphy’s? If so, where else do you DJ? I do DJ at other places when I can. I know that if I wanna grow in the industry I can’t get locked down in one place. I DJ in Newburgh, NY at a couple of spots like 50 Front and Coyotes. I also DJ in Boston once or twice a year, same with Long Island. In Boston, I’ve been able to DJ right in the heart of the area like Hennessys, and Tavern Allison. And in Long Island, Public House 49. How do you feel about the community of New Paltz? I grew up in New Paltz! I went to school here, etc. I’ve always loved the community. A lot of people are friendly and nice and good people that just wanna have a good time. And I like how it’s a diverse community too. Good vibes. How do you feel about people asking for requests? Ahhh requests, haha. To be honest, I’m really open to requests. I don’t mind people asking for a song because sometimes I forget certain songs and it reminds me to play them. But they really do start to get annoying when people that I don’t play their requests right away come back and repeatedly ask for a song. Or, when people think they are hot shit and give attitude when I don’t play their song. What I would want to say to people is be patient and don’t be constantly asking. I will fit it in when the time is right. I can’t just switch over a song just like that because it ruins the vibe and the energy. For example, if I’m playing “One Dance” by Drake I can’t switch it over to “YMCA.” You have to work your way to that. What’s your favorite thing about DJing? Why are you so passionate about it? My favorite thing about DJing is really playing music and making people dance and have a good time. It feels good that I know I’m the reason people are enjoying their night and making new memories with each other. I love DJing because I love music and being able to share that with people. Making memories with people is just an amazing feeling. Bars and clubs would not be the same if there were no DJs. iPods can’t replace the human factor that goes into it. Thank you DJ LoHex for taking the time to answer my questions! Follow him on Instagram to watch his quarantine DJing live streams on weekend nights! Check out his mixes on SoundCloud! Staten Island: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Not the biggest music scene. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll always be my home, but one of the reasons I wanted to go away for college was to meet new kinds of people, maybe ones that were more musically-inclined. What I never expected, however, was to meet people from the same place as me that were infinitely cooler than any Islander i’ve ever come in contact with.
I’ve talked about On Pink before on the blog, in my “First Skatehouse Show” article. Something about them immediately fascinated me. Whether it was their crazy live improv jam sessions, their unique lyrical content and album art, or even their what seemed to be cult following in the area of New Paltz, something was drawing me in. From August, it was a goal to talk to them for an interview. The band is made up of Tom Giuzio, Joe Ippolito, and Danny Eberle. Tom and Joe are SUNY New Paltz students, while Danny attends SUNY Purchase. This past Saturday, I got the chance to sit and talk with the band, along with hearing some bits and pieces of drum practice before their performance at New Paltz house venue The Groove Grove later that night. Alli: At what ages did you guys get together and start making music? How would you describe the early years of the band? Joe: I think we were 12, and Tom was 11. Tom: We met in a Saturday program at the music school that me and Joe went to. We’ve been playing, not as this band, but we’ve been playing together since 6th and 7th grade. It’s been a long time. We used to play covers and stuff. Joe: It’s pretty much the same band as it was back then. *laughs* Tom: Yeah, and then eventually it just turned into writing our own music. Alli: Who are some of your biggest inspirations music-wise? Danny: We definitely have some of the same influences as a band, but we also have a wide array of different influences. As a band, it would be Daughters, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard. Joe: Yeah, like those are the collective bands that we all listen to. I feel like we have separate influences as well. Alli: Hmmm. Yeah, I definitely hear some Zeppelin in your music. What is the meaning behind the name” On Pink?” Danny: So, I was just chilling at the crib with my friends watching Mean Girls. And, originally, we were like a whole different project me and Tom were making. Joe ended up joining once we did the Saturday project. My friend was making artwork for it and was like “What do you want to call it?” And I was like “On Pink We Wear Wednesdays,” cause, Mean Girls. Alli: Ohhh..OHHHH! Now the name of your first EP makes sense! Danny: Yeah! And then we became a more serious band, we were starting to think about songs and stuff. We were like, we can’t just have a long-ass, annoying band name, so we shortened it. And On Pink sounded cool, so… Alli: Yeah, it is really cool! I can’t believe I just put that together. Joe: I love watching people put it together. Alli: How do you feel about the New Paltz music scene? I was excited to ask you guys this question because most of my interviewees are freshmen and newer musicians, but you guys have been in this scene for longer. Every time I ask this question, people go off about, like, serious problems! And it was something I’ve never expected. Joe: There’s a lot of reasons for people to be going off and there are a lot of issues. Tom: It’s not like the city. It’s not like where we’re from at all. It seems a little too organized at times to be a real “scene.” Everything seems, like, “This is how it’s supposed to be. We’re gonna play our music with the same sort of bands every weekend, and that’s just the way it is. It’s not very loose. Joe: Everything’s super scheduled and overlooked. Everything has to run smoothly, when, in the end, it’s just people playing in a house. It should not be taken that seriously. Even what Tom was saying, too, about the same bands. It’s inevitable in a scene as small as this one, but there’s so many bands around the area. These are just houses. You should just be able to be like, “Show tonight, come through!” And the payment thing too…if you don’t have money, you can’t listen to the music? Like what? Tom: Yeah, and as a band I think we’d all agree that we’d rather have that person that doesn’t have a dollar but wants to support us in any other way. Of course, any musician’s gonna want that, so why turn them down? Alli: Yeah, no, I 100% agree. I feel like a pay-what-you-can system would be ideal. Also, I’ve been agreeing with the same sound thing since Man’s Mother’s interview. I’m glad you guys had some critical input. Now, let’s go home...How do you feel about Staten Island and the music scene there? Danny: It’s so weird, because there's just...not a scene there anymore. There’s bands, I guess, but not really of people around our age. There used to be - I’ve talked to a lot of my friends that are much older and there used to be a crazy scene with Dock Street. The only things you could do on Staten Island were take the ferry and go see a show in the city, or just see a show on the Island because there were a lot of emo bands, a lot of pop punk bands, screamo and metalcore. Now there’s none of that. There was even a shoegaze band that a friend told me about. But even then, that was the only band I knew that wasn’t, like, a cover band. Joe: Yeah, there’s a lot of cover bands. There’s not really a scene. We played at Nothing New (a thrift shop on the Island) twice, and there was a crazy turnout both times. If there were shows, people would come to them, but there’s no one really to play the shows. And honestly, I’m not trying to carry a torch around in Staten Island. It’s not really that worth it to try and start shows there. Tom: I mean, music got me off of Staten Island. So, I’m glad there’s not really a scene there. I just feel mostly negative about it. Music is the only thing that got me away from it. They both went to LaGuardia, so they had the city. If it wasn’t for playing music with them, I wouldn’t have even gotten off Staten Island and knew what the music scenes were like away from it, because there, it just doesn’t even exist. Alli: Yeah, I feel the exact same way about the Island. That’s why I’m here! Like, that’s why we’re all here today. I interviewed one band from the Island last year, and kinda met some more “artsy” people when I did a radio show at MakerParkRadio on Bay Street last year, but that’s as far as my SI-scene knowledge goes. Moving onto your recent release, Scarlett, I love how you guys did a “jam band” type song at the end with “An Improv, Yes.” I got Grateful Dead vibes, I got Captain Beefheart vibes. Are you guys interested in releasing more jam-ish type things in the future? On Pink: … Tom: ...Is this an announcement? Joe: Yeah yeah! Let’s announce it! Why not? So, our next record is going to be completely improvised. We recorded it already. We just recorded, like, a ton of improvised music, and we’re gonna throw some lyrics on it, too. All of it is live and written on the spot. That last song is the direction we’re headed, at least for now. Alli: Wow, that’s exciting! I’m glad I read your minds because when I heard it, a part of me was like, “There’s a reason they put this on there. This is the start of something else.” Joe: We’ve been doing it more at shows recently, too. It’s fun! It keeps every show different and exciting. We played a show here recently where we did that. We just jammed the entire time. Alli: I’m gonna be honest here, you guys are probably one of my favorite bands to come out of new paltz. you see the sticker on my phone! it truly feels like you guys have “rockstar status” here, which is crazy amazing for a local band. They laugh. Alli: Nahhh! Like I really mean it! Everyone talks about you guys! People hang up posters, and everyone gets so pumped when you guys play shows. I know you guys do shows in the city and stuff, but are you guys looking to expand/do a more extensive tour anytime soon? Danny: We’ve been trying to do that, but things have gotten in the way of that. It’s also a lot of money, time, and effort to really etch that out and do a two week tour, but we’re definitely trying to do that as soon as we can. Joe: This summer’s probably gonna have more out-of-state shows. I’d like to play more in upstate towns, because they have a lot of cool scenes up there that we’ve yet to discover. I wanna hit Albany, Ithaca, we play at Purchase a lot as well. Alli: Yeah! And now that I know you go to Purchase, Danny, I’m going to improvise this question; How does their scene differ from the one here? Danny: The Purchase scene is great. It’s so sick. One thing that Purchase students are definitely privileged to have is an on-campus venue, The Stood. It’s a beautiful thing, because it really gives anybody that goes to the school a way to showcase their music and perform for their friends, regardless of what kind of following they have. There isn’t a lot to do outside of campus, so when there’s a show happening, people are usually there. People will come out, and people will give feedback and just have fun. Plus, it’s really diverse. There’s bills with, like, a rapper, and then a noise band, and then a punk band. It’s just really sick. Alli: Finally, who is the pig on the cover of “Scarlett?” On Pink: Scarlett! Alli: Oh! So her name is actually Scarlett! I had a feeling...do you guys know her personally? Danny: Yeah! We recorded the record at Holy Fang studios, which is a farm in Poughkeepsie that this dude Oliver Ignatius owns slash literally lives in. Joe: Yeah, it’s his house and it’s a barn and it’s a studio. Danny: There’s a lot of pigs there, but she was the pig we chilled with the most. She’s literally a house pet, like a dog. Joe: Yeah, she’s a pampered pig. She was the only pig that was allowed in the house. Danny: Yeah, we chilled with her the entire time we were making the album, got a picture, and even recorded her voice for the end of the last song! You can hear oinking. Joe: And we almost spelt her name wrong, too. We almost did it with one “t,” had to redo like, the entire cover. Thank you so much to On Pink for letting me talk to you guys! Listen to their new album, Scarlett, on Bandcamp, Spotify, and most streaming platforms now! 2020 is looking up to be a pretty ambitious year for the New Paltz house music scene so far. With winter break coming to an end, the shows are back and better than ever, with collabs from local artists, organizations, and both new and returning artists dominating the lineups. One of the standout events that also proves this is the release of prominent indie rock band GREENHOUSELAKE's first single, "GOOSEBUMPS," which was finally made available for streaming on February 1st.
I've caught GREENHOUSELAKE a couple times live, at venues like The Groove Grove, Skatehouse, and Crossroads. Multiple times they've been my favorite act of the night, with their passion, joy, and good vibes giving whatever basement we were in an electric buzz that lingered throughout the show. The band, made up of Elijah Bloome, Caleb Couri, Joe Leonardo, and Nico Caro, are defined by their Bandcamp page as "Feel Good Rock n Roll." After listening to "GOOSEBUMPS," I have come to the conclusion that that single mantra is extremely accurate. The single starts off slow and jammy, with altrock guitar sounds along with unique percussion instrumentals that make you feel as warm as being near a lake feels on a summer-y day. The first couple of verses help paint this picture as well, with vivid imagery such as "wore your sweater" and "biked to your house in the rain." The repetitive subjects of wanting to feel okay and starting to feel better compliment the cheerful and carefree chords and rhythms. There isn't a sliver of bad vibes or thoughts mentioned throughout the song, and it all seems to be focused on personal growth and living in the moment. The second half of the song is signaled by an impressive tempo-change, and a raw conversation that happens "over a glass of seltzer." Once again, with their poetic lyrics, GREENHOUSELAKE creates a special visual that I, and I'm sure many others, could be able to relate to. I was very impressed by this, along with the amazing production quality of the single as well. According to the Bandcamp credits, the song was mixed entirely at Crossroads, by Caleb, a member of the band. With crucial resources like the ones Crossroads provides for this band, I'm looking forward to seeing how amazing their future releases sound. The remainder of the song consists of an amazing, invigorating guitar solo and a strong ending rendition of the chorus. It made me excited for the live versions of this song, because I could definitely picture some fun moshing happening in that moment. After all of the times I've seen GREENHOUSELAKE, I've always craved some sort of official song that I can show my peers and friends. I've tried to record videos at shows that captured their amazing positivity and live energy, and now I finally have all of that encapsulated in a digital release. I'm glad that the lyrics, production quality, and mastering all fit their live reputation, because I admire this band, and I cannot wait to see what they do career-wise this year. Listen to "GOOSEBUMPS" on the GREENHOUSELAKE Bandcamp! It’s January of 2020, and college winter break has finally ended after what seemed like an eternity. I’m finally back on campus and ready to bring the New Paltz content back to the blog. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for my first artist spotlight opportunity.
Brian Casey is a freshman at SUNY New Paltz like me. He is originally from Oyster Bay, Long Island, and writes and records rap music under the name BZA. I’ve heard his name around, and was interested in getting intel about songwriting from a rap artist’s point of view, so I sat down with him outside of the campus Starbucks on a rainy Saturday afternoon to discuss his new EP, Life of Brian. At what age did you start writing and making music? I think I started writing maybe two years ago. When one of my really good friends now came to my school he was really quiet, but then I found out that he was a rapper and that he would write music. We went on this college trip together with the school and I really got to know him then, and he inspired me to start writing and rapping. Everyday I would write something and send it to him. He didn’t know who I was, really, at first, but then we became friends through the music. I started rapping a year ago, I think. I got a microphone and a preamp, and started rapping from my laptop. People said I was good at it, so I kept going. Who are some of your musical influences? I’m a really big jazz fan. I really enjoy listening to Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra. I’ve also been a Beatles fan for a while. I have a bunch of their vinyls. My dad always had rock on in the house, so I listened to AC/DC as well from a really young age. After that, I became an Eminem and Mac Miller fan. You know, when I was listening to your EP I did hear influence from both of those artists. I’ve been a huge fan of Mac for a very long time. He was the first rapper whose songs I memorized - “Donald Trump” was the very first one. In 5th grade, my friend Jeff and I loved him to death. We would just rap all of his songs. And Eminiem, I just love listening to his music as well. You just released a new EP, Life of Brian. What was the songwriting and recording process for that like? I’ve been writing a lot of music this past year and made a bunch of songs over the summer but I didn’t like how they turned out. There wasn’t really a theme with them, so when I came here I started writing a bit more. One day in this math class I had I left the classroom and started writing a song. That was the first song on the EP, “Just Be With Me.” So you literally left math class and wrote one of the songs that would make it on the EP? That’s great! Yeah! I wrote it in the bathroom! Then I went back to my dorm room and recorded it that same day. I made all of the songs on the EP while I’ve been up here at school except for two, “SHINING” and “Guns & Roses,” and each song was made one after the other. So, “Just Be With Me” I made first, then I made “Upside Down Frowns” the day after. That was kind of a slow, underground hip-hop sound. I tried altering my voice using a higher pitch on both of those songs, too. Then, I went into a drought where I wasn’t really making any music. I only write when I’m really inspired, so for the next song “Running on Beats,” I went to a little park bench in a field near Esopus Hall. I went there with my longboard and I just started writing a song there. I wanted to have fun with it, so I tried rapping really fast over three different beats. I hope it turned out well! It totally did! I could definitely see the combining type of beats on that one. That was probably the most I’ve had fun making music. Then I had “Seo’s Interlude.” That one was special. I felt like most of what I was doing was making music, and I noticed that a lot of artists find their purpose in making music. I found this J Cole snippet where he talks about where he wants to to more than just music. I put that in there, and I put a whole verse in there about noticing different coincidences that go on in my life, and why things happen the way they do. I actually produced the beat, so that was the first beat I actually made that was on a song. I want to do that more, because I feel like a bunch of rappers take beats from YouTube. I do that sometimes, though. I was gonna ask you that next, actually! I really like all of the beats in your songs, especially the one in “Just Be With Me.” I was wondering if you made any of them yourself. So, yeah. I go on YouTube and I just don’t pick a random beat. I have to connect with it on a certain level, and if it gets me going, like I can rap with it and all, I’ll use it. Like, for “Just Be With Me,” I was originally going to use a different beat, but I switched it. I liked the cassette tape in the beginning because it was like, the start of the EP. I have to love them. “Guns & Roses” is a track focused on by the school shooting problem in America. What inspired you to write that song? The Parkland shootings. I think that was like, 2 years ago? That’s when I wrote a verse for it. I had that there, and I discovered that beat that got to me, emotionally. I had another verse about a girl I knew who was self-harming. Hence the title, “Guns & Roses.” Guns for the school shooting aspect of the song, and roses for women and their beauty, but also because of the color, similar to blood. I thought the combination of both of those subjects would be powerful. These things do happen, unfortunately, and we have to overcome that. Yeah, definitely, ‘cause I was listening to it, and I was wondering if anything specific happened to you for you to write those verses. I tried putting myself in the perspective of everything, too. Like, when I talked to that “stereotypical weird kid.” I wrote “Are you wondering if they’re gonna shoot…” Like, why should that thought even come across your mind at all? I was a weird kid in high school, so I don’t know why people have to think that way. People make comments like that, and it just really irritates me. I remember hearing that line, and it stuck with me the most. I was like “Oh wow.” It’s sad but true, the stereotype of the “weird” kid. They’re not the problem. If anything, this stereotype is contributing to the problem. So yeah, I definitely could hear that. What are the things you do first before making a song? I know some singers have their warmups, but I just go right into it, because you don’t want to lose the inspiration. I’ll find that sometimes during a song I’ll lose a line in my head and I’ll get really upset because I had something and then I lost it. So, I try to get it out when I can, or you might never get it out. In the process of writing a song...it’s just whatever I’m feeling. I’ll just say whatever I want to say, and let it all come out. Other times, like with “Guns & Roses,” I’ll have themes before I write the song, and I’ll try to connect them into a story. You seem to be interested in talking about a lot of subjects in your raps, but if there was one main message you wanted to spread to the world through your music, what would it be? Don’t be so hard on yourself. When I make music, I feel like I’m putting all the negative stuff from my life in it. I don’t know if I want to shy away from that or keep doing it, because a lot of things happen in your life that tear you apart, and I use rap to get that out of me. In “Upside Down Frowns,” I say a lot of nasty stuff, and of course that wasn’t to be offensive in any way. It’s a way of getting my anger out. In the song I say “presence peaceful, violently pen it,” My presence in real life is very peaceful, and I try to be a humble person, but in my rap songs sometimes, I come off as very angry. You have to keep your mind in check. Sometimes I get angry at people and I say some mean things. In context, it’s just supposed to be an angry song. And sometimes people don’t understand that. I try to put a lot of thought process into what I’m creating. It's an art to me. Thank you, Brian, for sitting down with me and giving me the opportunity to hear about your music! Listen to BZA's music on SoundCloud! |