Part 2

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

8:00 AM Wake up and talk to Tim and my cat Bomba in bed.
8:10 AM Get out of bed and bring some light into the apartment.
8:15 AM Make coffee. Drink a homemade green juice.
8:30 AM If it seems right, I’ll meditate for 15 minutes.
8:45 AM Go into my office and read for an hour and/or do any writing that needs to be done (such as this interview).
10:45 AM Check my e-mail.
11:00 AM Exercise. Face Yoga. Vocal Exercises.
12:00 PM Have lunch.
1:00 PM Run any errands that I may have.
2:30 PM Do any admin work (responding to e-mails, drafting news letters, building google docs, setting up a tour, building our website, doing graphic design, editing video, etc.)
3:30 PM At this point, I’m tired. I’ll take an afternoon rest which likely involves snuggling with Bomba and watching some sort of drama (which I find incredibly relaxing) or an online class I’m taking—maybe both! It’s very important for me to recharge in the afternoon because I see my days as working in two shifts.
5:00-5:30 PM As a refresh—I’ll likely take some air. Walk about and meet a friend at Rainbo for a chat and a drink or go have dinner.
6:30 PM Work on music. Sometimes I’ll  paint if I’m in an “in-between” phase. Painting is the only creative thing I do where I’m not critical of myself. It’s very good at clearing my head.

Now. Having said all of this. If Tim and I are about to play any shows, it’s likely we’re at our practice space all afternoon into the early evening, five days a week. After practice it’s not unusual for us to go to a show at the Bottle, Hideout or Constellation. I learn so much from watching others perform. Most of all from a bad show. I always take note of what doesn’t work to remind myself—please try to avoid this, or, think of how I would pull of what they’re trying to do. If a show is great I immediately want to go home and work on music. Can’t beat that feeling.

If we’re working on a record … typically we are not home when this is happening. We enjoy going somewhere more secluded (outside of the city) and spending anywhere from a week to many months being away, working all day and all night on the record. We’re really living to take in the new environment we’re in and integrating it at any moment of the day into our record.

When we’re in these modes the only part of our routine that stays the same is our mornings.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

I really love the record release show we set up for our first record together (Good Fuck- s/t) during the winter of 2019. Tim and I both agree that the best shows are ones that feel like parties. I used to live in a house that would host shows. It was great to be able to put out food, sell drinks, hangout in the backyard, watch some music or dance to a dj in the basement. I don’t know if it gets more fun than that. This record release was the “adult” version of a house show.

Our friend Matt owns a four story building that’s basically three very swanky apartments with curated art on each floor (the top floor is a penthouse studio and rooftop porch). We thought it would be cool to open up two of those floors and have bands playing in tandem on both floors. It was Windbreaker, Mayor Daley, Whitney Johnson & Ben LaMar Gay improv set, Water Ritual, Maria TZ dj-ing, and us.

Our friend Elliot helped us set up a PA system on each floor. Friends from Letherbee, Apologue Liquor's and Middle Brow set up an open bar. Tim and I ran up and down producing the show and eventually playing at the end of the night. It was so wild and fun. Everyone got a free vinyl copy of our record with each ticket purchase. It was really the ultimate. Totally community based and definitely a party.

[Read our Ben LaMar Gay interview]

This is a great example of how I like to work creatively. When it comes to bringing other people into the creative fold it’s almost always a friend. I know my friends, I know what they’re capable of. This makes things very easy because ultimately very little direction needs to be given. I much prefer people to do their own thing than tell them what to do. That really doesn’t interest me. Sometimes someone will need to follow some sheet music if we want a MIDI instrument to be replaced by a real instrument, but still, there’s usually room for flexibility.

When it comes to involving other people I really want it to be fun for them. I might be stressed out here and there, but it also brings me joy. It’s only stressful because putting on a big production is a lot of work, but it’s always worth it.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

I surprise myself with privacy. I’m still easily embarrassed to create new vocal melodies in front of others. I can’t really do it yet. In order to access the most vulnerable parts of myself I need to be alone. Vulnerability is where the gems lie. Especially when it comes to singing. Singing scares me.

When it comes to writing a song, I work very fast. The more I mull it over the muddier and less sure of itself it becomes. That’s another advantage of working alone is that I get to set the work pace and preserve the bubble of creativity more easily. The songs I’ve made fast are the ones I like the most for this very reason. The song sounds sure of itself. Having said that, I DO and WILL spend a long time on songs. This has been happening a lot recently. I tend to contradict myself when it comes to process because I do what I need when I need to.

Collaborating is something everyone should do. It’s important for me to open myself up to other people’s opinions, tastes, preferences, criticisms, praise, etc. It has helped me grow as an artist. I may not LIKE this process as much. It’s a challenge to compromise my own vision, but letting others in is so meaningful. It’s who I want to be. I may not be that person at heart, but I'm trying. I don’t want to miss out on the surprises others bring to a project.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

If music is doing something to your body, your body will send a message to your brain as a suggestion of what’s going on with you. For example: if you hear a song, and there’s a pang in your heart, you might be feeling gratitude or sadness. Music helps us generate a symbiotic relationship between our mind and body.

I don’t write autobiographically anymore. The records Tim and I just finished—he wrote all of the lyrics because he is a better writer. I edited and sang the words he wrote and found it very cathartic to tap into my own feelings through his perspective. The best songs are great stories. This is another reason why Tim is so good because he has plenty experience writing novels, not to mention lyrics for 20 years. I’m happy to follow his writing process, find out who I am through these stories and share them with others.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?  

It would be nice if I could explain the physics of music. It really would.

Music is math, certainly.

Music generates physiological changes, certainly.

Who am I to explain these complex subjects? I have read about them, yes, but I’m not sure I should explain these things. I know that others can do so far more articulately than I can.

Music is a science, certainly.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Not necessarily. When I’m making coffee in the morning I put as much attention into it as I do writing a bass line. I don’t see why one should be done better than the other. They can both be done well.

There is no need to rush movements in moments. Give each act of your day the attention it deserves. Rushing things can lead to messy results and ultimately more time spent from revising the mistake. Some acts you can’t re-do, of course, like walking from point A to point B.

There’s an opportunity to engage all of your senses when you take your time. Each task of the day can be executed creatively (even walking). If I’m thinking creatively, I’m having fun.

I make music with the intent of sharing it with as many people as possible. I am sharing my language with others. I am not trying to share my coffee or my inner dialogue on a walk with everyone. Not all things are made to be shared. I use music to leak secrets from my moments of solitude.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

Well, I know there are small waves. There are big waves. Smaller waves are the higher frequencies that we hear and the bigger waves are the lower bass tones. The better the sound system and where the speakers are in a room the more you’re able to physically feel these waves as opposed to transmitting the message from your head to the rest of your body. This is why I prefer to listen to music through speakers. Lately, I don’t have time to listen to music unless I’m driving or exercising—so I’m hearing music through earbuds, rather nice ones at that, but I never really feel as if I’m totally “getting it”.

Most of the new music I hear is at a show and I like it that way. A couple of my favorite musicians I’ve seen live that created an immediate shift in my mood are—John Weiss, Matchess and itsii.