Alli's Articles
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, CULTURE PIECES, MUSICAL RAMBLINGS.
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!
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