Chicago-based up-and-coming indie musician Olivia Hudson is the free-spirited chill friend that everybody wants to have. From her carefully crafted single and album covers to her uplifting guitar melodies, she is truly an artist that only has pure passion for her music and puts a lot of thought into every word she sings. Expressing herself, wether it be through her songs or her wicked fashion sense, proves to be a talent of hers. Shortly after the release of her debut album 'The Ninth House' on November 29th, we got in contact with Olivia and asked her some questions that broke down her amazingly put-together lyrics and what she wants to convey with her music as a whole. Your Spotify bio says that you want to make music that “comforts people.” What music comforts you? I’m comforted by songs I have good memories attached to (so, for instance, “Need A Little Time” by Courtney Barnett or “The World At Large” by Modest Mouse). I’m comforted by songs with relatable lyrics because they make me feel less alone. And I’m comforted by songs with soft instrumentals and layered harmonies. My name is Allison, so obviously, I must to bring your song “Alison” up. Is “Alison” and the struggles they go through based on someone you know? Yes, “Alison” is about a good friend. I originally wrote it as more of a poem (I tend to do this a lot). A few months later, while playing around with chord progressions, I found the one that I used in the song, thought it deserved lyrics, and decided to turn the poem into a song. I knew that the struggles that this person went through were familiar to a lot of young people, including myself. I know I always need to be reminded that I have time to discover myself and that I don’t have to have everything figured out, and I figured that other people should be reminded of this too. Your song “Bloomington, IL” tells the story of a young person feeling restless in his hometown. Did you ever feel a similar way? Absolutely. “Bloomington, IL” is also about a friend, but I used some of my own experiences and feelings when telling that story. The 9:30 Club always seemed like a cool venue to me. I always see the artists I like that play there wearing their shirts and eating the cupcakes they have. What was your reasoning for choosing it as your setting for the song “The 9:30 Club (Sorry)”? The 9:30 Club has really good cupcakes; one time when I went, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! gave me and other people that were waiting in line cupcakes since we’d be waiting in line for…hours. Lol. I chose this venue as the setting for “The 9:30 Club (Sorry)” because I thought that the name was really cool; it just felt like a great song title to me. I also chose it as the setting because the show that’s referenced in the song was at the 9:30 Club. What is your favorite part about being a musician? I love being able to express myself in a way that feels so natural and inherent to who I am. I’ve always loved music, and I’ve been writing lyrics to express myself since I was a kid. I also love being a musician because music connects everyone, and I love being a part of that. What instrument represents your personality the best? A piano; they’re really expressive, just like me :) The piano was the first instrument I learned how to play, and I’ve always felt like it was an extension of myself. Does your music reflect on your environment? Yesyesyesyes. So many of my songs are about where I am in the world. I called my album “The Ninth House” because in astrology, the ninth house symbolizes travel and journeys. A lot of the songs are about living in Chicago and moving to a different environment and processing that. But I think environment can also be internal, how you’re feeling. So I reflect on my emotional environment even, and especially, when its messy in my music and on this album.
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Hello, readers of Twilight Collective! Today we bring you an interview with our favorite Washington DC indie rock band, the aptly-named Colonies! Their frontman, Pete Stevens, took the time to answer the following questions for us. Where would you most like to play a concert in the future? It would be amazing if one day we could play The Anthem which is the largest venue in DC that's not a stadium. I've seen so many cool acts there like The War on Drugs and I'm seeing Gary Clark Jr there in March. What’s the best venue you’ve played at? The best venue we have played at so far is the 9:30 Club. It's a legendary venue in DC and their owners also own The Anthem. We opened for St. Lucia at the 9:30 club in November which felt surreal as I had seen many cool acts there. Which of your songs has the most personal meaning to you? Why? I like the meaning of Think About All You've done from our second album One of a Kind the most. I feel like the message is to motivate me to keep working hard and I certainly have since we released it. I love the jam at the end of it a ton, it's probably the highlight of that album for me. Name a few artists you’ve been inspired by. We are ALWAYS inspired by The Strokes but other bands like Dr. Dog and Wilco inspired Bound To Be Something Good (The album not the song). What is the main message of your new album? What do you want your listeners to get out of it? I think the message of Bound To Be Something Good is about change. We're all seniors in college right now and when we graduate we're getting real jobs which is definitely a big change for us. I think the change that's coming will be something good and it will be good to The Colonies as well. Name one person you would add to your band’s lineup. Our old piano player Gibby transferred schools so I would add him back in a heartbeat. What’s your favorite colony out of the 13 original? My favorite is Connecticut because that's where my family currently lives and where I go visit on breaks from school! Does living in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, affect the way you hear and play music at all? I think living in DC we've been inspired by a lot of the local bands in our area and there is definitely a very friendly music scene here where everyone is trying to know one another. Obviously also politics plays a big role in our lives there but I don't think politics specifically affects our music. You can support the Colonies on Spotify and most other streaming services.
You can follow their Instagram as well: @thecoloniesdc |
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June 2019
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