musical mondaze

With their five-song EP “Overgrown” set to enter the world tomorrow, Ottawa’s Write Home has crafted a compelling debut meant to spread a message of perseverance that is reflected through the lyrical processing of their own struggles.

We recently sat down with guitarist and vocalist Billy Melsness to discuss the band’s growing fanbase, the Write Home song that means a lot to him, and why they wanted to make it clear that they were more than a one-genre band.

TrunkSpace: You guys are set to release your debut EP “Overgrown” tomorrow. What emotions do you juggle with as you’re preparing to release new music to the masses, especially when for a lot of people, this will be their first introduction to who you are as a band?
Melsness: It’s a little stressful because we definitely experimented with new sounds to create something that we truly love and think is unique, but I think ultimately we’re just feeling very proud and excited of the product we’ve created. Hopefully everyone enjoys it just as much as we enjoyed creating it.

TrunkSpace: For a first-time listener, what do you hope they take from listening to the new EP? What does it say about Write Home and the band’s overall sound, both currently and in terms of what the future holds?
Melsness: I think with this record we want to showcase that we listen to a vast array of music, and we want to blend everything that we enjoy together to make something that’s fresh, unique, and ever-changing. We’re not into just playing one genre and we wanted to make that clear from the debut release.

TrunkSpace: Did you guys accomplish everything you set out to do with “Overgrown” when you decided to head into the studio?
Melsness: I definitely think so. We came out with five tracks that we’re overwhelmingly proud of that summarize exactly what Write Home’s sound is at this stage. I think we’ve created something that is unique and our own, and that was ultimately our biggest goal.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the EP as a whole?
Melsness: I’m really proud of how far the three of us have come as performers and creators. I think our musicianship and chemistry together has really flourished throughout the creation and recording of this album, and is only going to improve with every release.

TrunkSpace: Where is the band currently when it comes to songwriting? Creatively, have you already moved on from the songs that are on “Overgrown?”
Melsness: We still very much love the songs, but we’ve definitely begun writing and conceptualizing the next project. I wouldn’t say that we’ve moved on from the sound of the “Overgrown” EP necessarily, but we’re very excited to build upon the sound we’ve created and push it to new heights.

TrunkSpace: What does the Write Home writing process look like? How does a new song come together from inception to completion?
Melsness: I typically will compose and record the instrumental in my bedroom. Carter (Peak) and I will then sit down and rework the drums so he can add his touch to them, and then we move into Robin’s (Parsons) room – we all live together – and we’ll brainstorm vocal melody ideas and lyrics together. Typically myself or Carter will already have something in mind for where we want the song to go lyrically. A big part of the finished product comes with the help of our producer Nick Scott as well. He’s a great songwriter and always adds super cool electronic embellishments to the songs that really bring them to life.

TrunkSpace: We love great music, but we also love great lines – lyrical snippets that stick with you beyond the macro of a song or album. What is your favorite line from “Overgrown” and why?
Melsness: I think my personal favorite is a repeated line from the songs “Sow” and “Reap.”

“I’ll leave this pain I sought, recollect my thoughts and start anew. Waiting for the break of dawn, holding on ‘til sunrise, I will bloom.”

That line (as well as all of “Reap”) mean a lot to me personally. I wrote the lyrics to that song when I was going through a period of some of the worst anxiety and depression I’ve ever had to deal with. “Reap” is a hopeful song about pushing through those feelings and putting everything you’re feeling into a creative outlet. The lyric repeated at the beginning of the album as well as the end to reiterate one of the main themes of the record: perseverance. Reminding the listener that whatever they’re going through, they can make it out. Find something that sets your heart on fire and pushes you to live another day. That’s what music is to the three of us.

TrunkSpace: Is there something creatively inspiring about working within a band atmosphere? Does creativity inspire creativity and put you all in a position to be better in the room?
Melsness: Absolutely, being able to collaborate always allows you to see things from new perspectives. Once we get going we’ll often work on a song for hours and just finish the whole thing that day. We definitely aren’t short of ideas. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What’s been the highlight of your “Overgrown” journey thus far?
Melsness: I think the ongoing highlight is seeing how interactive and interested the fans are with us on our social medias. We’ve never really had this kind of a fanbase that was this dedicated with previous bands. They treat us like literal pop stars and we adore them.

TrunkSpace: Finally, we’re on the back nine of 2018 now, but what’s on tap for the rest of year and what should fans be on the lookout for heading into 2019?
Melsness: Number one priority right now is to get on the road and start playing as many shows in as many places as we can. We miss being on tour more than anything, so we’re going to make sure that’s what we’re really focusing on going into the new year.

“Overgrown” is available Friday October 26.

Singer/songwriter Zjál is not afraid to put everything she has into her music, both emotionally and financially. In fact, she feels it’s necessary in order to turn a dream into a reality. After an exploration of creative self-discovery, the Australian-born R&B artist released her debut EP “Home” into the universe, and while putting herself out there induced its share of fluttering butterflies, she’s ecstatic by the response her music has received thus far.

We recently sat down with Zjál to discuss the meaning of success, reinvesting in herself, and why she went through a personal rebirth.

TrunkSpace: Your single “Home” was just released. The title could mean a lot of things, but what did it mean to you and why did you feel it deserved to mark your debut?
Zjál: Well, as the sayings go, “Home is where the heart is,” “There is no place like home.” Home for me represents both the safety and protection I feel in the arms of someone I love, and also my inner sanctuary and place of comfort and stability – a place where I can release all inhibitions and love fearlessly. I wanted to debut with “Home” because it allowed me to showcase a part of myself which is honest and truthful. I wanted to lead with something real. I wanted people to know me as openly as I could show them… and vulnerability is something I’ve always struggled to share, but with vulnerability comes bravery. So leading my debut with “Home” is an accomplishment for me not only musically, but personally also.

TrunkSpace: So much of an artist goes into creating an album – creatively, emotionally and physically. How much did completing the album, calling it a wrap, mean to you and your journey in music thus far?
Zjál: It was a huge relief actually. Emotionally the whole process threw me around a bit. As an independent artist you go into something like this with EVERYTHING on the line. This isn’t just a game. It’s literally risking everything for a dream no one can see but you. And you just hope that the people you are working with understand that fact and don’t treat you like just another client, or just another song. There are no guarantees that you’ll even have a quality track when you’re creating. It’s literally a process of expression with no boundaries and no guarantees. Then you’re faced with the choice of either staying true to your art or doing whatever just to make a dollar. It’s really scary. This is my whole life, I have nothing else to my name right now except my career. All my money goes straight back into investing in my music. It’s all about letting go and trusting yourself, so once this project was wrapped it was a huge accomplishment for me.

TrunkSpace: Did you have butterflies releasing the single into the world? Was a part of you hesitant to let go of it and allow the universe to take control over it?
Zjál: When you release new music it’s like exposing yourself to EVERYONE and EVERYTHING and that has always given me butterflies. It takes strength to be vulnerable and to give yourself over to the world. But I think it’s taken so long for me to get to this point that I had to make myself completely detached from the release process. It sounds strange, but I had to completely surrender and allow the process to happen without putting any expectation or fear into it. On a level I guess I was kind of numb. Everyone was asking, “Oh my gosh, how do you feel? Are you excited?” And as much as I was excited and happy, I couldn’t allow myself to think too much. I had to trust that the release would take on a life of it’s own and I was just a bystander in the whole process. As long as I love what I’m doing and I’ve stayed true to myself then whatever else happens I can deal with. It also feels natural like I’m on my path and taking it all in from a different level. I’m so grateful for all the love that “Home” has received I still do not think it has even hit me yet, to be honest.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with “Home” and everything that went into making it a reality?
Zjál: Knowing I had creative control over everything is the thing I’m most proud of. My manager and I discuss everything in detail before I’m comfortable to release anything, we workshop it all openly before making any major decisions. I’m so grateful to have someone who puts my well-being before anything else. The fact that I have the last say in everything I do means everything to me. Another thing I am proud of is seeing my song being received with so much love. As an independent artist it is really satisfying to release a project and have it reach people so positively. Because I went through a complete overhaul and operated in the past as Yasmine Amari, some of my loyal fan base stuck with me, yet I’m mostly rebuilding myself as an artist from scratch. Through operating as my new title, Zjál, I’ve needed to work extra hard to rebuild my career from the ground up, which takes time. I feel as though to even get to this point is a blessing and I am grateful I have had the support and wisdom from people who truly care about me to keep me focused on my path.

TrunkSpace: As you just mentioned, you recently went through a personal rebirth and discovered your voice. What prompted that creative change of gears?
Zjál: Two reasons motivated the change. One, I was going through a lot in my personal life and needed to cut out everything and anyone that wasn’t serving my highest good. I needed to completely start again. Becoming Zjál was my new beginning. Two, creatively, in my past, I felt like nothing was coming out like I wanted it to. A lot of the time I felt like no one really ever understood my vision, or couldn’t grasp what I was yearning for. I believe you become your surroundings and the genres I was surrounded by never felt right for me. It was hard to find producers who could satisfy my craving and produce the sound I wanted. I didn’t feel as though my intention was being understood by the environment I started in, I had a different vision compared to the prominent musical styles of Australia, that’s when I decided to take my chances and booked my ticket to LA, literally risking everything to seek people who I felt could help me generate the product I’d always been hoping for. People are so lucky if their upbringing and environments compliment their artistry, but I feel like I was always like a fish out of water. That’s what prompted me to truly discover my own voice. It is something that is still always evolving and developing though. It’s a process. I finally feel as though I’m on my path. This is only the beginning.

TrunkSpace: Life is all things… all emotions. “Home” strikes us as that kind of emotional melting pot where the ups and downs are reflected throughout the listening journey. Was that something you set out to do in creating the EP?
Zjál: Yes, I always make sure to put my heart into everything I do and hope it resonates with others. The overall EP focuses more on the ups rather than the downs. There are a variety of emotions incorporated throughout. Love, playfulness, empowerment and strength. I wanted to completely build a new foundation based on positive vibes. I feel like my mind is constantly exploding with concepts and my heart is overflowing with emotions, but this EP is a perfect blend of how I wanted to enter the industry. Everything I write is inclusive of personal experiences and feelings, I can’t work any other way. I usually write every lyric on my own, but for this project I collaborated with some great songwriters, but even then, I always make sure every single line I sing aligns with how I feel and who I am as an artist. If something doesn’t sit right, it doesn’t get used. This is something I am fierce about. (Laughter) And personally, I only really listen to music with meaning. I love songs that resonate with me on a deeper level, so in my own music I love to give back that same energy, in the hopes of connecting with like-minded people.

TrunkSpace: With that said, lyrics are clearly an aspect of songwriting that you have a great connection to personally. What does your writing process look like and are you someone who is constantly creating? Do you have a hard time shutting off your brain?
Zjál: I have a very hard time shutting off my brain. Unfortunately, I’m an expert at overthinking… something that I am overcoming day by day. My mind never sleeps. If I hurt, I write it. If I love, I write it. Everything provokes me to put my thoughts into lyrics and poetry. That’s where meditation kicks in. Or sometimes when I cant stop thinking, I have to distract myself with a movie or completely turn everything off, like literally be in silence. I go through everything completely sober, so music forces me to express myself as a healthy outlet for everything I feel. Yet another thing that comes with sobriety is you can never numb your emotions, you must feel every single aspect of everything you go through. This is how I choose to live and I’m proud of it but it definitely takes super human strength in mastering ones mind, which is why I choose to infuse everything through my creativity. Poetry is my healing. Music is literally my therapy.

TrunkSpace: What is your favorite lyrical snippet off of “Home” and why?
Zjál: My favorite line of home is the opening line. “I just wanna get up out the day, and into YOU.” The literal meaning being, I’m so done with all the noise, all the distractions, fakery, small talk and drama of everyday life. I need to jump into the sanctuary of your arms where all my pain goes away. I need to listen to your heartbeat, get into a place where I feel safe and content. Where my energy feels balanced, where my heart is most at peace and I feel is the safest place in the whole world. Nothing means anything without this love.

This is literally how I feel every single day…

TrunkSpace: Outside of the music itself and the concept of creating, what is the most important skill an artist needs to be successful in today’s busy world?
Zjál: If we are talking on success in the music industry per se, I would say ‘business skills’ are the most important thing to master aside from your creativity. Even though an artist should always focus on the art, I feel it is necessary to be aware of how the business side of things work and what you could potentially be dealing with when building your career. I would always say learn as much as you can about the industry your stepping into regardless of how much of the business you’ll be involved in or not. In order to protect yourself and your art it’s always best to be aware. On a deeper level though, I suppose the term ‘successful’ will differ based on how one defines success. For me, I feel like I am successful when I’m living unapologetically and fearlessly in my truth no matter what it is. So in my case, some traits I try to live by, are authenticity, bravery and vulnerability. A lot of obstacles can come up and throw us off our paths, so I feel like being honest with ourselves through creativity and in our personal lives is necessary to survive in such a turbulent society. If you define clearly what ‘success’ means to you, and work every day to master yourself and your skills, you will always succeed.

TrunkSpace: Creative people tend to be hard on themselves and their art. Where are you hardest on yourself and how do you overcome creative self-doubt?
Zjál: (Laughter) Great question. I haven’t overcome self-doubt, it haunts me every step I take. I am an absolute perfectionist and am honestly way too hard on myself, but I manage to find a way to act in spite of it through working on self-love and self-acceptance. Again, meditation helps with that and gets me to refocus on my higher purpose. Writing also helps release any self-judgment or criticisms. I get sooooo self-conscious over the dumbest things, like facial expressions when I sing, to overthinking what I say in videos, to even filming myself singing to post online then deleting it because I never feel like it’s good enough. That’s the reality of what most artists go through if their art means a lot to them. I love the quote, “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” (Robert Hughes)

I think the doubt comes from fear… and fear is there because we love what we do so much it terrifies us. But that’s a good thing. It helps us know how strong we are and what we do means something. So I’m still working on overcoming self-doubt every single day…

TrunkSpace: Beyond the single, what’s next for you as we finish out 2018 and look forward to the new year?
Zjál: I’m really looking forward to traveling and continuing to promote my debut single, “Home.” Soon I’ll be in rehearsals in preparation for my live performances, which I’m really excited about. I’m eager to get back on stage and connect with everyone who has been showing me all this love! It always means a lot to me to be out and about meeting people. Then I’ll be dropping my next single off my EP in the new year so I can’t wait to share that! I’m continuously writing, so getting back in the studio is something I’m really excited about, too. But I’m literally just going with the flow and enjoying riding this wave and feeling blessed to be able to live my dream!

Artist. Musician. Philosopher. Lonnie Holley is all of those things, and with his latest album “MITH,” the lyrical craftsman has created a visceral album that he had to make, not because the world demanded it but because the world inspired it. It is a free-flowing record reflective of the times filled with a haunting voice that has something very important to say, and we are listening.

We recently sat down with Holley to discuss seeking answers as an artist, finding them as a human, and why he has a PhD in material.

TrunkSpace: Could you have conceived “MITH” 10 or 20 years ago or is it uniquely influenced by the current social and political climate we’re living in?
Holley: I think it is definitely influenced by the times we are living in and I’ve changed so much as a musician in the last 10 to 20 years, but the ideas on “MITH” are not new to me and things haven’t just gotten bad for many people in America. We see more struggle now, but it’s not a new problem.

TrunkSpace: We read that the song “I Woke Up in a Fucked-Up America” sort of served as the springboard for the album as a whole. Since that concept first came to you, do you feel like you’re waking up with more clarity on the state of things or more confusion?
Holley: I feel like both. Sometimes I think I’ve started to understand things and think that it’s as bad as it can get and then I hear about my country locking up babies. I travel a lot and meet so many good people. The country and the neighborhood I wake up in is a good place, filled with good people. I was just at AfroPunk in Atlanta and I met some wonderful people. We have to live where we live and try to make those places better for all of us.

As an artist I’m always seeking answers but as a human I don’t always find them. So sometimes I have to create them for myself.

TrunkSpace: We live in very divided times. Does music – art – help bridge those divides?
Holley: Art and music have always been the salve for the times we’ve lived in. I’ve said it before, but my mother and father, and grandparents and their grandparents woke up in a fucked up America. Our idea has always been that we have a great idea about a country, but we haven’t always been able to achieve what we set out to build. Art helps us understand the whys and why nots. Sometimes it’s all we got.

TrunkSpace: Was “MITH” an album that you had to make? Was there a sense of personal contemplation and possibly even emotional healing in seeing it brought to life?
Holley: Yes, but I think that’s true for every piece of art and every piece of music I make. I had to make it. And it heals and soothes and comforts, but soon it’s time to get back to work. “MITH” has been a long time coming. It takes a long time to put out a record. And it lasts forever so you want to get it right. It may sound weird but I listen to it a lot. I wasn’t making something just for other people. Mostly that stuff is for myself first. And I listen and listen and even I learn things I didn’t hear at first.

TrunkSpace: From what we understand, you never do the same thing twice when it comes to a song. With that said, how do you view what we, the audience, hears on “MITH?” Is it a blueprint for a bigger Lonnie Holley journey that we can discover by digging deeper into the art and man himself?
Holley: My art and music is like a continuing story. A lot of the ideas on “MITH” are ideas that I return to. My friend Matt Arnett (who I’ve known since he was just about a boy, because his father collected my work and was really the first person to understand my art and what I was trying to say) has helped me share my music with the world. He encouraged me to share it. He produced the record with me. When I have an idea and we wrote it down, he always says, “Is that a big idea?” Which forces me to think about what I want to say. When I feel like the idea is big enough, it makes me want to keep exploring it.

And I’ve got a great band I play with a lot and we sometimes come back to some of the songs, but they’d never be the same. I don’t want them to be the same because I’m not the same man who sang that song last year or last month or even yesterday.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the album?
Holley: All of it. I’m most proud that Jagjaguwar really made the outside and the inside and all of the package look exactly like what’s on the record. It feels like it sounds. It was a lot of music. It took two albums to fit it all, and even then there were songs that didn’t fit. But they made it so beautiful that sometimes I just want to sit and hold it and I forget to actually listen. It takes a team to make something like “MITH” happen, and my name is on the side of it, but there are a lot of names inside of it. I’m most proud that I got to work with all those great people.

TrunkSpace: You’re 68. Is it a bit of a trip to think that the next generation of voices are listening to yours, absorbing what you’re saying and applying it to what they’ll be voicing 10 or 20 years from now?
Holley: I made a record that I needed to make. I hope those songs help people to better understand things. They helped me. I’m always surprised when people tell me they’ve heard my music. I never thought they would or even expected they would. I put my words into physical things like my art. My friend Thornton Dial said once that, “Art ain’t about paint. It ain’t about canvas. It’s about ideas. And I got ten thousand left.” I understand what he meant. And I ain’t ready to stop.

And if my words can help someone else find their words, then I’m pretty contented with that.

TrunkSpace: Is one of the benefits of difficult times – periods of national/international contemplation – that artists have more to say? That they become the voice for those who don’t have a platform?
Holley: In a word, yes. No one is born to be an artist. Our times make us that. I didn’t know what art was. I don’t remember ever hearing that word. So if you’d have told me when I was 10 that art would save my life, I’d have wanted to meet this Art guy.

TrunkSpace: Where do you feel most at home creating? Is it in a visual capacity? A musical capacity? Do the two intersect?
Holley: I think of my music and my art as being Siamese Twins. I go back and forth and do both together. I’m always making art and singing. If I sing and it isn’t recorded, there is no record of it. But if I make something, it exists and I can see it. And touch it. But I sing about the things I make art about and I make art about the things I sing about.

TrunkSpace: You make art out of things that others discard. People themselves often feel that way – pushed out from society. Outcasts. Do you have a connection to those things that you use in your work that goes beyond what your artistic eye sees in them?
Holley: I think all humans are like butterflies, in a way. I sang a song about the lifespan of a butterfly and I asked how much we could do in the lifespan of a butterfly? But I think I’m also like a bird making a nest. I pick up materials that other people think have lived their cycle and are finished. I then use that material to make something beautiful or ugly or whatever. Art isn’t always beautiful to look at. Sometimes it best not be beautiful if the message it needs to tell isn’t beautiful. My art is like a nest or a cocoon. It comforts and soothes me. And hopefully makes someone else think. The materials I use in my art have been great teachers throughout my life. When I didn’t always have a parent there or someone to teach me about the world, the material did that. I earned a PhD in material.

“MITH” is available now on Jagjaguwar.

Toronto-based Like Pacific crashed into the punk rock shores with their 2016 debut “Distant Like You Asked,” only to roll back in two years later with the impressive follow up, “In Spite Of Me,” available now on Pure Noise Records.

We recently sat down with guitarist Greg Hall to discuss the recording process, how inside influences continue to inspire them, and why they’re always surprised by what songs their fans gravitate towards.

TrunkSpace: “In Spite Of Me” is your second album. What did you guys take from bringing together your debut, “Distant Like You Asked,” that you applied to this one in hopes of improving the creative or the process itself?
Hall: The overall process between DLYA & ISOM were almost opposites. We really did “In Spite Of Me” the way we wanted to. We got to take our time and work with amazing individuals we have always wanted to work with, where DLYA was a rather rushed process.

TrunkSpace: “Distant Like You Asked” was released in 2016. No one is closer to the music than you guys, so we’re curious, where do you hear the biggest differences or growth between your first album and this most recent offering?
Hall: I feel like the overall maturity of ISOM is the biggest growth for us personally. We really weren’t trying to go for any specific style or sound. It’s a very accurate and honest representation of us as musicians.

TrunkSpace: As a band are you constantly writing or was there some creative time off between “Distant Like You Asked” and “In Spite Of Me?”
Hall: I feel like there is always a little sigh of relief when a record is finished. There’s definitely a little off time once we finish a record as most of our time is spent rehearsing the new material.

TrunkSpace: Like your first album, this one feels very personal, as if you’re putting all of yourselves and then some into the lyrics. Are you band that has to write from that very personal space in order to feel connected to the music you’re creating?
Hall: I’ll have to answer this one for Jordan the best I can. Jordan always writes from a very personal space, and opens himself up in order to put the most genuine content forward. You could say it’s a cathartic process.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with “In Spite Of Me?”
Hall: The entire thing.

TrunkSpace: Do you feel like you were influenced from any outside sources or other artists/bands that you can hear reflected in the songwriting on “In Spite Of Me” that may not have existed in your brain at the time of “Distant Like You Asked?”
Hall: Not necessarily! However, as I mentioned previously, we had new individuals (Alan Day/Derek Hoffman) involved in the creative process of “In Spite Of Me.” So you could say that would be the biggest influence from an outside source, even though at the time they were technically inside sources.

TrunkSpace: Many people say that music is a form of therapy. Is it that way for you?
Hall: 100 percent.

TrunkSpace: Is there something creatively inspiring about working within a band atmosphere? Does creativity inspire creativity and put you all in a position to be better in the room?
Hall: Absolutely! We all get hyped on each other when we figure out something sick and/or work something out that we were having trouble with. We isolated ourselves in a cabin-in-the-woods type setting to finish writing ISOM, so creativity was just flowing the entire time.

TrunkSpace: There’s so much music out there – most of which is accessible in just a few clicks. Can that be an overwhelming thought when you consider your music is being released into a crowded landscape?
Hall: I feel like that would be an overwhelming feeling only if you let it worry you. You’re right, there’s so much music out there and the scene we’re in is constantly evolving, so all you can do is your best and what’s most genuine to you. That alone settles any worry for me.

TrunkSpace: We saw you ask fans on your socials what their favorite songs off of “In Spite Of Me” are. Are you constantly surprised what people connect to and what they don’t?
Hall: Definitely! Especially since we see the songs change drastically from start to finish. You always have a preconceived idea of what your fans will like the most, but we are always surprised by what they want to hear.

TrunkSpace: Finally, we’re on the back nine of 2018 now, but what’s on tap for the rest of year and what should fans be on the lookout for heading into 2019
Hall: We’re gonna be up to some fun stuff for everyone when we get home from The Hopeless Noise Tour. Keep your eyes peeled!

“In Spite Of Me” is available now on Pure Noise Records.

With “Pre Strike Sweep,” members of the Los Angeles-based GØGGS, which includes Chris Shaw (vocals), Ty Segall (guitars), Charles Moothart (drums, guitar) and Michael Anderson (bass), are leaving very little to the imagination. While there was plenty of sharp edge to cut your brain on with their 2016 self-titled debut, the follow up has gotten “nastier” according to the frontman, which he feels is reflective of how much the world has changed since the group first began writing together.

We recently sat down with Shaw to discuss the growth of GØGGS, why you shouldn’t buy the album if you’re “cool,” and the fan who helps bring it all full circle.

TrunkSpace: The members of GØGGS all stay pretty busy outside of the band. How do you guys prioritize time for this particular project and ultimately decide what aspects of your individual writings become GØGGS tracks?
Shaw: All the songs for “Pre Strike Sweep” were written together as a band, although Ty (Segall) probably had some riffs he was saving for this particular project. I also had started saving lyrics, but nothing really comes together until we all put our stamp on a song. It’s true we are all pretty busy, but in a way that makes it easier to get things done with this project. There’s no time to waste.

TrunkSpace: “Pre Strike Sweep” is your second album. Creatively what changed between the debut and where you were at when conceiving the tracks that are the follow up?
Shaw: We grew as a band. Played live shows, went and took our music to the East Coast. A band really doesn’t evolve until you play live. You also get more comfortable creatively the longer you work with someone. I’ve been working with Ty in the studio for the past six years now. We trust each other. The world got shittier, so our music got nastier. “Pre Strike Sweep” isn’t an album that leaves much for interpretation. It tells you what it wants from you.

TrunkSpace: Focusing on the songwriting itself, is there an overall theme to this album, a particular headspace that is reflected in the tone and messaging of the songs themselves?
Shaw: I suppose the theme would be GØGGS is back and they’re pissed. I don’t want to shroud the album in some cloak of dumbass philosophy to make me sound more intelligent. It’s a lean, mean, fucked up album. Don’t buy it if you’re “cool.”

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the album?
Shaw: I think this album has some of the best lyrics I’ve ever written, specifically the song “Burned Entrance.” The second verse is probably some of my finest work. I wanted to connect with the listener and tell them exactly how I feel about love, society, death and rebirth on this album and be direct as possible. I think I accomplished that.

TrunkSpace: Again, we know you all have different projects happening, so what is your personal journey like when you call wrap on a GØGGS album? Do you feel the need to step away from the band atmosphere and wrap your creative brain around a different focus?
Shaw: I am always on to the next thing, but I don’t really ever step away from music because it’s always around me. I also don’t do well without a schedule. I had to realize that about myself because sometimes I expect others to be that way and that approach doesn’t work for most people. It works for me. I’m not a method actor, so I don’t turn on my GØGGS brain, so to speak. All the shit I do creatively bleeds into each other. At the end of the day, I’m the same person no matter what I’m doing. That being said, I don’t define myself by anything I’ve done creatively. I feel like that would be an incredibly boring way to live.

TrunkSpace: What do you get writing and performing within a band, and this band in particular, that you can’t access from a solo mindset? What are the benefits for you personally in having a group of people fighting the fight alongside of you?
Shaw: It’s personally rewarding for me to work with other people in creative relationships. I have always seen the importance of community and creating something with like-minded individuals. All of my most meaningful relationships have come from music. But then again, me “solo” would probably mean you reading a book or article I’ve written. Being in a band is fun, but self-actualization is also important.

TrunkSpace: There are number of songs on the album that clock in at under three minutes, and two that come in at under two. We hear filmmakers talk all of the time about how there is a different approach to storytelling with short form content in the digital age. Can it be the same with music? Is there a different approach in writing a song like “CTA,” which is just over a minute and a half?
Shaw: Punk songs are supposed to be short. “CTA” wouldn’t work if it was longer, and why should it have to be? If I can inflict as much aural damage in 30 seconds as someone else can in three minutes, why would I be the one who needs to change something?

TrunkSpace: We love great music, but we also love great lines – lyrical snippets that stick with you beyond the macro of a song or album. What is your favorite line from “Pre Strike Sweep” and why?
Shaw: “Young dumb writer burning out on the road, never knows which way his story goes, personality crisis for a home, chewing down his boredom to the bone, everywhere that he goes.”

Self-deprecation is a fun way to pass the time.

TrunkSpace: Are albums a bit like chapters in your life? Do periods of your life become defined by the music you were making at any given moment?
Shaw: Yeah, for sure. Not all chapters have happy endings either. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What is the single greatest music-related moment of your career/life thus far and why?
Shaw: Henry Rollins being a fan of Ex-Cult and GØGGS is probably the coolest thing that’s happened to me. Black Flag changed my life. They will always be my favorite band.

TrunkSpace: Beyond the release, what’s next for the band and its members as we finish out 2018 and look forward to the new year?
Shaw: We will come back when it’s time, but don’t expect us to be on your schedule.

“Pre Strike Sweep” is available now on In The Red.

Future tour dates can be found here.

Marty Friedman never expected to be a rock ‘n’ roll icon, an international television star, or an Ambassador of Japan Heritage. As a kid he was interested in sports, but it was music that proved to be an inescapable love. Now with “One Bad M.F. Live!!” due October 19 on Prosthetic Records, the guitar god has amassed an impressive 14 solo albums, and with the studio continuing to woo him after decades in the business, he’s showing no signs of slowing his songwriting roll.

We recently sat down with Friedman to discuss the biggest surprises of his career, how outside influences help him to create, and why his albums are like visiting yearbooks filled with old friends.

TrunkSpace: You’ve had such a vast career spanning all of these different avenues, many we would imagine were never expected. With that said, what has been the biggest surprise for you, that thing that 16-year-old Marty would be all wide-eyed about?
Friedman: Lots of things in Japan are like that. Of course playing music was what I was probably originally intended to do and that was a natural and even that kind of blew my mind to how much I would wind up playing music. But coming to Japan and first doing a lot of television, but then actually just last year being appointed to be an Ambassador of Japan Heritage is just absolutely beyond the realm of my comprehension. There’s a lot of surprises and I’m just very, very lucky with a lot of things along the way.

TrunkSpace: And that’s probably the kind of stuff that you couldn’t have even conceived as a teenager.
Friedman: Yeah, definitely. I mean, at the time I probably barely knew anything at all about Japan and then had much less interest in it. I was really more interested in sports than anything else. And things move along and you just become a new person every six months or so, and next thing you know, you’re doing things that were very unexpected things and it’s all good. It’s all worked out for me. Mainly whatever I do, as long as it benefits my music to some extent, then I’m happy with. I don’t see me doing anything that’s so weird that it takes energy away from making music. I probably wouldn’t wind up doing it.

TrunkSpace: Has your various ventures into television, as well as other aspects of your career, enabled you to have the freedom to make the music that you’ve wanted to make?
Friedman: Actually, that’s a good point. It’s weird. It’s kind of a very fine line sometimes. If I get too many responsibilities doing things other than music, like television and things like that, I start to naturally start to… not resent it, but get a little bit frustrated that I’m not making music. And at the time it doesn’t feel too good. But then when I return to making music, if it’s like, “Oh, this is what I’m supposed to do,” and it seems so easy and so fun at that point. I remember the first time I really felt that was when I was doing a record called “Loudspeaker.” That was when I really first started getting into television and it was all new and very overwhelming and very time consuming and energy consuming. And it was quite difficult actually, doing it in not my native language and just… there’s a lot of learning curves as you go, kind of thing. And I was like, “Why am I doing this?” Sometimes I knew everything was going great, but I was still like, “This isn’t music. This is like somebody else’s life here.” Then when I got into the studio to record “Loudspeaker,” it just flowed out so easily and fun and things started to come out really good. And then I was like, “These outside influences really tend to help the music.”

I think if I was constantly doing only music I might get a little bit bored of that, so it’s good to have something else that takes energy.

TrunkSpace: What’s the longest period of time you’ve ever spent away from creating new music?
Friedman: If I’m touring or if I’m doing anything after the record is done, I’m usually not writing and I’m completely not even thinking about it. But ever since I got an iPhone with a recorder in it, even if I’m not supposed to be writing, I’ll just keep ideas in it. So I’m still constantly writing, just knowing that it’s so easy to store ideas. I’ll just store everything in it, so I’ve got a whole bucket load of stuff that I normally wouldn’t have had if I had not been carrying around this recording with me all the time. So I guess that’s good. But if I’m on tour, I like to concentrate, enjoying the shows and making the shows better and not really think about the next album so much.

TrunkSpace: Technology must be playing a big hand in musicians not losing those little gems that come to them… a riff or lyric that would otherwise disappear if they weren’t able to record it in real time?
Friedman: Oh God, you’re so right! I mean, that whole getting it down… sometimes you just have an idea that you know you’re going to make something out of and if you can’t get it down, at least on paper or something better to have it down on tape or a recording… man, if you lose that moment, you just kick yourself because you knew you could make a song out of it. I love it the way it is now.

TrunkSpace: Your 14th solo album, “One Bad M.F. Live!!” is due out on October 19. Do you have a different connection with a live album than you do with a studio record because of the experience of playing that particular show, which in this case was Mexico City?
Friedman: Yeah, absolutely. I play so differently live than in the studio and usually I’m way, way more satisfied with what I do in the studio because I can sit there and nitpick and do layering of guitars and just all kinds of perfections, just making sure that there’s nothing that I would ever want to change and just kind of put it down for posterity on the record. But live, you’ve only got that one moment and it’s a completely different energy and sometimes it’s better than the studio environment and sometimes it’s worse because you didn’t play it as well as you’d like to or whatever. But it just feels so different. And it got to the point where I was just really enjoying working with my band and touring with my band and seeing the excitement that was happening. I just wanted to document it on a live record and get that completely different sound, get it down and get it out there just for posterity.

TrunkSpace: Do you experience excitement in sort of putting together an album beyond the music itself? The cover art, the roll out of it… does that still excite you?
Friedman: That’s always been the hardest part of it. The easiest part of everything is performing it and everything else is just so much harder. And I can’t remember a single project in my career that hasn’t been a royal pain in the ass and it’s always been everything but the playing. The playing has just been a joy and even if I’m getting anal about stuff and taking a long time to do things, which definitely does sometimes happen, it’s still a joy. With the other things, sometimes they come together quick and sometimes not. And the graphic art especially, when it’s my record… it’s not a band it’s mine, so I have to have the final say. Sometimes having the final say is a pain in the ass, so that’s always hard. But luckily I’ve had great people to work with and it’s just a matter of dealing with the fine details and trying to explain art and a few things. But at the end, when it’s tough, you forget about how much of a drag it was.

I never was ever excited about that. That’s always been a chore, but I’ve always been very excited when I finally approve everything and it’s all a package and it’s done. That’s very, very exciting and I love that. But the process of everything but the playing is just it’s like pulling teeth and I can’t wait to get it done.

TrunkSpace: With such a big body of work, do you view albums as chapters in your life?
Friedman: Absolutely. It’s really like a yearbook every single time I do it because it’s such an intense undertaking and for some reason it’s gotten more intense over the years. You’d think that you’d get lax and you just let it go, but it becomes more of this kind of… not an evil genius type of thing because I’m neither of those things, but that kind of intensity. I’m stricter on myself and it becomes more of an undertaking each time. And so when it’s done, it’s a big relief. And then when I look back on an album or two to three albums ago, I see the names of the people involved and it always brings back really great memories of people who’ve really worked so hard on making this what it was. And so it’s very much like a yearbook and chapter of my life and it brings back specific memories of what was going on in my life at that time, and then the tour that accompanied the record. Definite yearbook feeling.

TrunkSpace: Finally Marty, we started the conversation talking about the surprises of your career. There are kids out there in the world today who are being inspired to pick up a guitar because of you. Is it difficult to wrap your brain around that aspect of your career… the part that has your music touching others?
Friedman: It’s not necessarily hard to wrap my brain around it because I think I’m doing something of some value to someone. I don’t think I would have done it this long if nobody got anything out of it. If I was the only one enjoying it, then I don’t think I would continue. But I think it’s of some value. I’m very flattered. I can totally wrap my brain around people picking up things from it and hopefully getting inspired because I get inspired by so many things that I’ve listened to from my entire career, when I was a kid through now. I’ll hear something that I never heard and be influenced by it and be somehow affected by that tomorrow, so it’s an ongoing thing. It never ends that circle of influence. So I’m flattered more than anything else when people choose to take parts of my music and they want to make it their own and do their own variations of it. It’s flattering more than anything else.

“One Bad M.F. Live!!” is due October 19 on Prosthetic Records.

Featured image by: Maria Debiassi

Music doesn’t have boundaries. It doesn’t require a passport. It exists in every nook and cranny of the world, swirling and twirling into creation. This can be seen firsthand in the work of Exploded View, a trio of international artists with different points of view all uniting on a singular path of conception. Even they will admit that the process isn’t always pretty, but finding common ground, that point of convergence where they mingle musically, is truly magical.

Exploded View’s latest album “Obey” is available tomorrow on Sacred Bones Records.

We recently sat down with Berlin-based Annika Henderson, vocalist for Exploded View, to discuss how the first album came about almost by accident, why “Obey” was more focused in its execution, and the reason she sees comparisons between the band and “The Wizard of Oz.”

TrunkSpace: “Obey” is your second album and it really seems like there was a different approach to recording it than your debut. As a trio, what did you want to do differently in the studio at the outset and do you feel like you accomplished all of your goals in bringing the album together?
Henderson: We learned a lot from the first record and knew what we wanted to do differently or at least try, given a second chance. The first album was a total jam and came about almost by accident. So to go in for a second round, things are obviously less accidental. It’s never possible or even desirable to re-create, so it’s a good opportunity to try new things, develop and learn from challenges. The first was roaming freely, the second seems to have a clearer sight. For some of the songs, we started with a really stripped down approach, with Hugo (Quezada) on acoustic guitar or with drum machines, and Martin (Thulin) on bass or keyboards. Taking the drums out of the room, allowed us to physically get closer together and respond to each other in a very different way. It changes the dynamics entirely.

TrunkSpace: Each track has a distinct feel, setting the table for a specific emotion or mood to be tapped into via the listener’s subconscious. Was that a goal in bringing these tracks together? Were you looking to connect with your audience on an emotional level?
Henderson: From my point, I never really know where things will end up ‘til they’ve ended there. You lay out all the stuff and just keep playing ‘til suddenly, without even realizing, you’re on the same tracks and holding this thing up together. That’s a very special feeling. I feel like with many of these songs, they are still in progress. They are snapshots of a time. This project is very free. The emotions normally reflect where we are, at that exact moment of recording and considering they took place over three sessions, months apart, the emotions vary significantly. Songs for me are like a mirror to the soul. I can’t hide anything. We are a very emotional bunch and the songs reflect that I think.

TrunkSpace: You all have different musical influences and backgrounds. How does that directly impact your sound and what Exploded View ultimately creates? Does it make for a sonic melting pot?
Henderson: That’s one of the things I find so special about this project. We all are REALLY coming from a different standpoint and also often looking in different directions, so to find that place where we come together, it’s really magic. Sometimes it feels like the “Wizard of Oz.” Surely Hugo is the lion. I think we’re all a bit lion in the band – that can lead to heavy clashes sometimes, but with it comes a lot of love. It’s positive to learn how to compromise and therewith learn from others and also teach others. Exchange is a special thing.

TrunkSpace: On the opposite side of that creative coin, your diverse influences and backgrounds also shows just how powerful music is and how it can connect people in ways that other things in life can’t. Where do you feel Exploded View is most on the same page creatively? Where do you all intersect?
Henderson: 80’s Postpunk, Alice Coltrane, Lee Hazlewood – actually our musical taste is quite similar but we each have a different collection. That’s why I love to DJ together because each song is like a golden nugget and the other says, “Oh great, I love this!” or, “What’s this?!! I want it!” or, sometimes, “Whaaaaaat were you thinking…”, but I don’t remember ever saying that. Maybe only when we get drunk and the guilty pleasures come out… even when I start playing drum and bass or jungle, Hugo’s into it. Maybe Martin not so much. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with “Obey?”
Henderson: That we had the guts to try again and reconcile, despite our differences. We almost all walked away but then realized what binds us is stronger than that which divides us.

TrunkSpace: After you put so much of yourselves into creating something, is it easy to let it go out into the world where you relinquish control over it? Will letting “Obey” go on September 28 be a difficult experience in the sense that one step in the album’s journey is over?
Henderson: No, it’s positive to look forward, always. Plus the thing with releasing art or projects, is that through this giving up of control, it begins to develop further, in ways you could never foresee. The way people interpret it, adapt it for their own need or sometimes things become clear, that you put into it that you hadn’t even realized you did. It’s like reading the psychiatrist’s case notes.

TrunkSpace: This album feels like it could be very therapeutic for a listener. Many artists/songwriters say that music is a form of therapy in the creation process itself. Is it that way for you?
Henderson: Yes, certainly. It’s good to find a positive outlet for your emotions. Music is great for this and also a great way to share things with others – for every emotion, whether it be joy, love, understanding, empathy or so forth. Music has always been therapy and can bust bad moods better than anything! It’s also a great tool to bring people together.

TrunkSpace: Are albums a bit like chapters in your life? Does it become, “Those were my ‘Summer Came Early’ years, and this is my ‘Obey’ period?” And if so, what does that say about this particular period of your life as it relates to “Obey?”
Henderson: Yes, for me “Obey” was about a very specific period. I’m happy to have lived it but I’m also happy it’s over. And now it can be a light thing, shared in the form of music.

TrunkSpace: There’s so much music out there – most of which is accessible in just a few clicks. Can that be an overwhelming thought when you consider your music is being released into a crowded landscape?
Henderson: I think it’s useless to think like this. That’s always been the case. You could ask that about everything in the universe. What’s the point of trying because there are so many others out their doing the same. In the end, you just have to do your thing, for your reasons and be happy doing it and hope to share that happiness.

TrunkSpace: What do you consider success to be in the world of music, and based off of that definition, do you feel as though you have achieved it?
Henderson: Everyone has their own goals. Success is achieving those personal goals. Each time I achieve one, I set another. It started with standing on a stage and singing. I had never wanted to be a lead singer of a band, I was far too shy. Even at school I only ever got the silent parts in the play because I froze in the auditions. I remember the first time I was on stage was a cameo with Beak> in London in front of loads of people. I just sang and ran off stage and it did cause a lot of pain because of the complete angst, but I realized I had overcome a life-long fear. Taking on fears and overcoming them is a great feeling. You realize the world is a lot bigger.

TrunkSpace: Finally, we’re on the back nine of 2018 now, but what’s on tap for the rest of year and what should fans be on the lookout for heading into 2019?
Henderson: Exploded View have a US tour in the fall, which will be our first time visiting the States. The album is out 28th Sept.

“Obey” is available Friday on Sacred Bones.

With a new EP due next week, our favorite soulful, soul-baring singer/songwriter Ellisa Sun is sharing her latest single, “Just A Little More,” with TrunkSpace. Come for the song, stay for the chat below!

TrunkSpace: We spoke earlier this year. Are you in a different mindset – creatively, emotionally – than you were when we chatted back in May?
Sun: Absolutely. I’m still the same person, of course, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the past year and a half. I’ve grown not just as an artist, but as a businesswoman. And I’ve built a band I’m insanely proud to have. I’ve learned to collaborate and create this EP with my band from the ground up. With my first album “Moon & Sun” (released in April of last year), the songs were pretty much written and arranged ahead of time. With this EP, I worked with my band to create five pieces of intricate music, inspired by my personal experiences with love and loss. Emotionally speaking, I haven’t changed much – I’m still the crazy person I was back in May! But I have been lucky enough to find a partner since May, Ken Michienzi, who serves as my rock through the insanity of navigating the music industry and touring the USA in a 30-ft RV.

TrunkSpace: How do those creative and emotional changes directly relate to your new single “Just A Little More,” which we are premiering here today?
Sun: I’ll just go ahead and be super open with you: I wrote “Just A Little More” when I was first dating Ken, my current partner. When I first started dating Ken, I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted. I knew I liked him, but I also wanted my freedom. I was conflicted, and I talked to a lot of my friends about it. Nowadays, with all the dating apps and the ability to pick up a person with a single tap of your finger on a screen, it’s easy to throw people away. I was afraid of getting hurt. I was afraid to take the leap and admit I liked him. Suffice it to say, it worked out and we’re together still! But, this song is about that chaos of being afraid to admit your true feelings for someone.

I wrote the song and brought it to my band while we were on a band retreat in Watsonville, CA. We had the weekend to hang out by the beach and it was a beautiful and peaceful place. The song came together over the course of a day, as my band members added their parts organically. Over the next few months, the song grew even more into what it is today! This is a testament to the creative changes I’ve made over the past year and a half. We worked together as a group, and this is something I’ve always wanted: a harmonious band that communicates effectively, works hard, and creates fearlessly.

TrunkSpace: The single is from your upcoming EP of the same name, due September 21. Would you say this is a new chapter in your creative life, and if so, what does the EP say about who you are as an artist in 2018?
Sun: Well, here’s the sad part of all this “harmonious band” talk: my band broke up after we created this EP. Nothing bad though! One member needed a break to focus on his family, one moved to New York, and as for me: I was ready to leave the Bay Area. It’s all good – I’m so grateful we ended things peacefully, there was no drama and we still keep in touch (we’re even doing a full-band reunion tour in Boston, NYC, Philly, and DC at the end of September!)

I left 1 month ago to embark on a year-long tour in my 30-ft RV with Ken. This is DEFINITELY a new chapter in my creative life, because I no longer have my band. I am being forced to focus on my craft alone, with Ken to play the Cajon for me, which is really nice. But I’m being challenged to improve my guitar skills and songwriting.

The EP is both a showcase of me and my band’s hard work, and a sort of “time capsule” of my life in the Bay Area since this was our last project together before taking a break. I’m using this solo tour as a time of reflection, to figure out what I want next: where I want to live, what types of sounds I want to create, and how to make a full-time living off my music – cause I am hellbent on making that happen!

TrunkSpace: You and your band self-produced the EP this time around. How did that change the process of recording for you? Did having more creative control mean having more of your vision take shape?
Sun: Absolutely. We wrote, arranged, rehearsed, produced and recorded these songs over the course of a year. This is VERY different from “Moon & Sun,” which was recorded at a studio over the course of four days. I wrote three of the five songs, but the other two were started by Niko, my bassist, and Chuck, my guitarist. The songs would start out as one idea and end as another. We had the time to play around with ideas, throw out new ideas, throw away ones we didn’t like, and start over if we had to. We kept shared Google Docs with notes and ideas, rehearsed at least twice a week, and made sure we were all on the same page. It was truly a collaborative labor of love.

TrunkSpace: Last we spoke we referred to your music as “sexy.” Will that sexy vibe carry forward into the new EP?
Sun: (Laughter) Me calling my music “sexy” was a joke at first – I use that adjective too much and my bandmate Niko made fun of me, so I (of course) kept doing it. To me, “sexy” doesn’t necessarily mean the cliché, slow jam, baby-making music you hear on your local late night radio. Rather, it’s a word to describe music that makes you feel something. Sometimes that feeling is emotional – it brings you back to a certain place or time. Sometimes it’s physical – it makes you want to move your body or it gives you the chills. Other times it’s mental – it sparks questions you’d never had before.

But I do want one of my songs to result in a baby being conceived. Just saying. That’s a real goal of mine.

TrunkSpace: We also spoke about the various styles and influences we heard in your music. Did you try to bring anything uniquely new to this project, sonically or lyrically, that you never tackled before?
Sun: Yes! A lot of this is EP is new sonically and lyrically. Compared to “Moon & Sun,” this EP is a lot more upbeat. The songs make you want to move and sway a bit more. Sonically speaking, we experimented with tons of sounds. Quincy, my drummer, tried a bunch of different percussion instruments. David, my keyboard player, tried out piano, synth, and organ sounds with the songs. All of the guys were fabulous singers and came up with their own backup vocal lines.

We created A LOT of demos, test mixes, and versions of the songs before we settled on the final arrangements. I also had the pleasure of working with two horn players, Dan and Ethan, who work really well together and created some truly delicious horn lines in all of the songs. I even sing in Spanish in one of the songs, “Chaos”, with my guitarist Chuck! I speak Spanish and I generally want to sing more in Spanish, but haven’t had the chance until now.

TrunkSpace: When you’re choosing the first single, do you pick the track that you personally enjoy most? The track you think will be the most accessible to a mass audience? What is the formula you use when making that decision?
Sun: I chose the track that is the most representative of the band. “Just a Little More” shows off our band’s many talents and it’s my personal favorite. I have a deep emotional connection to this song because of where it came from and how it grew with the band. It’s easy to sing along to, and hopefully my audience will enjoy singing along to it! Since I’ve been on the road, I’ve played a lot of house shows where the crowd is intimately listening to every word. So I’ve incorporated a lot of sing-alongs with the song, where the crowd sings some “ooos” and the chorus line “break your little heart”. It’s been so much fun!

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the new EP?
Sun: I’m definitely proud of how collaborative it was. We created the songs together and we did the legwork to finish them. It feels so good to know your music came from a place of peace, a place of true love. It wasn’t just some guys I hired to play the chords I wrote, and there was no drama about who gets to play what. We made it together.

TrunkSpace: Do you place expectations on yourself and your music when you release something into the world? Does the “Just A Little More” EP or the single of the same name have personal goals attached to them that you hope to achieve?
Sun: I absolutely place expectations on myself. Ken can attest to that – he has to deal with my constant self-deprecation. I’m incredibly proud of this EP, and therefore terrified to release it into the world. I’m scared of people saying negative things about it, or telling me what I should or shouldn’t be doing in the music business as a result of this EP. But I always try to remember that I’m following my heart and my dream for MYSELF, not for anybody else. I am doing this because I love it and it makes me feel alive.

As a personal goal for the EP, I want people to feel connected to the songs and relate to the lyrics. This EP is all about love: the chaos of love and the payoff of all the ups and downs. All I want is for people to feel something from my music and share it with people they love.

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead into the future 20 years to get a glimpse at how your career played out over the next two decades, would you take that trip? Would you want to know how things ultimately work out, and if not, why?
Sun: This is a very difficult question! I would say, yes. If someone offered me the chance to travel through time, why the hell wouldn’t I?! If I wind up under a bridge homeless and living off dead rats because my music failed, I’d rather know now. And if I wind up living in an enormous mansion surrounded by servants and statues of pure gold, then I’ll know to keep on truckin’.

You enjoyed the songs the first time around, singing along and banging your head to the familiar rock tunes that were accompanied by electric guitars and drums. Now Steve “n” Seagulls have gotten their mandolin-holding hands on them and you’re tapping your foot in a completely different tempo to classics like “Gimme All Your Lovin” and “Panama.” But make no mistake, this is not a novelty band. No, the Finland born and bluegrass-inspired Steve “n” Seagulls are rousing musicians honoring the past in the present, and they’re doing so in an innovative and exhilarating way.

We recently sat down with vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Remmel to discuss where it all began, how they choose which songs to honor, and why a Juhannus album may (or may not) be in their future.

TrunkSpace: If you can start us off on the personal inception aspect of your journey, how did bluegrass find its way into your lives in Finland and then ultimately inspire you enough to not only pursue it yourselves creatively, but to do so utilizing well-known rock tracks?
Remmel: Well, bluegrass probably came with country, which came with other acoustic music and that came along after growing up with music like rock, heavy and hard rock. There is a small but lively country/bluegrass scene in Finland.

But we ended up with this kind of mixture and flavors a little bit by accident and fortune, too. In 2010 when the band was first formed, it was only supposed to do a 15 to 20 gigs run in a chain of restaurants, playing music in country and spaghetti western style. From there it went on as a side project, changed a little bit on the way. This lineup came together in 2013 and after that more acoustic stuff came in and electrics got cut a bit. Somewhere along the way the music changed also from all kinds of pop etc., towards rock and metal. And it’s been fun and also challenging so we just dug in deeper and deeper.

TrunkSpace: Your new album “Grainsville” features 12 tracks, including Pear Jam’s “Alive” and our personal favorite, David Lee Roth’s “Panama.” With so many great songs at your disposal, what is the process of deciding what you will take into the studio? Is it democratic? Does everyone get to pick one? (It must be so hard!)
Remmel: The process itself is most of the times pretty much similar. Someone comes up with an idea to play a riff, beat or something to a song with a different kind of style, vibe or feel to it, then we start to work around this idea together, adding flavors to it, throwing in ideas, and at some point we end up with an idea which is usable or we end up never talking about it again. Or something in the middle. So it’s about fiddling around with your old favorites and finding new ways to pay a tribute or honor them.

TrunkSpace: In the process of recording “Grainsville,” were there other songs that you laid down that didn’t make the cut, but may end up seeing the light of day in another format?
Remmel: There were some. There always will be some that will never see the daylight. Some might too. Some make it to the next album or live set – who knows. But these are well kept secrets for the future. If we told you, we’d have to be so hammered that no one would remember it the next day.

TrunkSpace: Your songs have so much instrumentation – so much energy. Is it difficult to sometimes capture that energy in the studio? Are there songs that have worked on stage, but not in the studio?
Remmel: Yes to both. It is difficult, and still our live set is somewhat different from our albums. Sometimes capturing the live energy in studio is not even necessary, but trying to do it is pretty damn hard. We also at least have had songs in our live set that never made it to the studio. Not sure if we do that anymore. We have worked hard for our live set and it is a good thing that there are both sides to the band, live and studio. We feel that it gives the audience something totally new, too, when they see and hear us live. It’s all about enjoying music, playing and honoring these classic, iconic tracks. That being said, we also do our original stuff live and studio.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with “Grainsville?”
Remmel: That’s a tough one. Maybe the album is more whole. It has more dimensions compared to previous ones. We’re happy and proud that we have been able to take steps forward on each album. We’re proud we made a good album. Huge thanks goes to our producer, Jarkko Viinamäki, recording engineer/co-producer, Jyri Riikonen, recording engineer Petri Majuri, and Tommi Kakko, who helped with lyrics. And many more people we love dearly. And beer and sauna too.

TrunkSpace: You guys are a tireless touring machine. What is it that keeps you on the road and performing these songs each and every night?
Remmel: Well… it’s a way of life. It’s fun! It has to be fun, even though we do not wanna be seen as a joke. It’s more about having fun with music and honoring the songs. When we play live we give our 100 percent. But playing in front of a crowd and getting that energetic feel and being worn out after a show is awesome. We really, really want to thank each individual that comes to see and hear us live. We work hard on our live sets. We want to keep it as tight as possible. We also have a great audio engineer that is responsible for our well-praised live sound. Antti “Ministeri” Laitila, we salute you.

TrunkSpace: What must be awesome about what you guys do, particularly in a live setting, is that an audience can (and probably does) sing along with every single song you perform. That has to be a powerful motivator knowing that you’re thrilling it and killing it before you even step foot on stage every night?
Remmel: Well, to be honest, you never know what’s going to happen. We need to give our 100 percent every night, but it is a blast to see people smiling, singing, having fun and dancing around, and also to have a chat with people after the show. One of the best things in playing live is to see people smiling and just having a good time.

TrunkSpace: What has been the highlight of your career thus far? What is one moment that you’ll carry with you through the rest of your musical journey?
Remmel: There are so many. Making albums. Playing live shows around the world. We never thought we’d find ourselves playing abroad, touring. Maybe our first big festival show in Sweden rock, that is one. Suddenly we were in front of 10,000 to 12,000 people with our instruments. (Laughter) That was a moment we’ll probably never forget – something between being spooked and feeling like a kid again.

TrunkSpace: We’re throwing it out there… we’d love a Steve ‘N’ Seagulls holiday album. What are the odds of that coming into fruition?
Remmel: (Laughter) “Hi, come enjoy Christmas with Steve ‘n’ Seagulls!” We have no idea. Maybe we’ll do a Labor Day album? Or to celebrate Finnish holiday, Midsummer – in Finnish, JUHANNUS! We’ll see about that. (Laughter) “It’s Juhannus with Steve ‘n’ Seagulls!!”

TrunkSpace: Going back to your take on David Lee Roth’s “Panama,” we’ve got to ask, can any of you guys rock the midair splits like the original madman of rock was known to do on stage?
Remmel: Hiltunen gets pretty close. Me and Hiltunen have tried and it seems to be hard to get back up standing on stage while playing and trying to do a split. David Lee Roth had spandex on too, so it’s easier than what we wear. He also jumped pretty high. We jump like logs of wood.

TrunkSpace: Finally, we’re on the back nine of 2018 now, but what’s on tap for the rest of the year and what should fans be on the lookout for heading into 2019?
Remmel: We’re touring the USA at the moment. October and November we’ll tour Finland and December it’s time to do a UK tour. In mid January, 2019, we start our European tour and we go on to France, Germany, Netherlands, etc., for about a month. Seems that we’re coming back to the USA in March 2019. So, touring, videos maybe some new music – who knows. But touring for sure. So we have some kick ass live shows comin’ up. See you there!

Maybe a new hat for Hiltunen.

Maybe new instruments that we’ve never played before, at least one?

“Grainsville” is available now on Spinefarm Records.

With her new single “Back to Bite,” pop artist Taylor Grey has created a track that she hopes will empower people to take back their voices. That motivational anthem, which is out now, is off of her forthcoming EP, a record she says is working hard to be the best representation of who she is as an artist today.

We recently sat down with Grey to discuss her dedicated fans, why a Z-list level of fame is appealing, and the reason she has a weekly mental breakdown when the summer comes to an end.

TrunkSpace: As an artist, you’re always creating in the present. Does that make “Back to Bite” the best representation of who you are as an artist today?
Grey: It is definitely part of the best representation of me! I think it’s hard for one song to encompass an entire person, but my new EP, which has “Back to Bite” on it, is for sure trying its hardest.

TrunkSpace: That being said, can you listen to the single and say, “This is the sound that I want to be creating for the rest of my career?”
Grey: I mean, I love the song but I’d be lying to myself if I said that I’m constantly changing and I would never want to put an artistic barrier on myself. What I can say is, “This is the way I want to feel when I listen to my music for the rest of my career.”

TrunkSpace: Do you feel like an artist is in a difficult position to mature and build off an established sound? It seems you’re damned if you do (people want you to grow as an artist), but damned if you don’t (they don’t want you to venture too far away from what they love about you).
Grey: I completely understand the dilemma. For me, I feel really lucky because I never had a huge fan base with my old music, but the fans that I did have are so dedicated and lovely – I think they mainly just want to hear me be more authentic. They are the absolute best to stick by me. I’m not sure what I did to deserve them.

TrunkSpace: You described your current sound as less filtered and more vulnerable. As an artist, that emotional honesty is certainly the way to connect to an audience, but as a human being, is it difficult to be more open and exposed in such a public world, especially with everyone having an opinion on social media?
Grey: Yeah, it’s really difficult for me. Part of me still gets scared when I talk about topics like feminism or sexual assault with men because, although those are integral themes in my song “Back to Bite,” I still feel like someone might get mad at me. And then I think, “Oh yeah, THIS is why songs like this need to exist – to make these themes more seen and more comfortable, just to have an open conversation about them.”

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with “Back to Bite?”
Grey: When the song released, a really good friend of mine messaged me and told me how much the song meant to her, she said it made her want to fight back against her assaulters. So yeah, I’m most proud of how the song connects to people. I wrote it with the intention for it run the gamut on meaning – it could be someone who is hurting from being cheated on to someone who is hurting from having their control over their body taken away. It’s just an empowerment song to take back your voice.

TrunkSpace: Where are you hardest on yourself as an artist?
Grey: Oh, a lot of places. (Laughter) Sometimes I think I’m a good songwriter and sometimes I think I’m absolute trash. I’m definitely hardest on myself about my body though. I’ve never felt good enough. Not once. So I wrote a song about that and put it on my EP.

TrunkSpace: Many people say that music is a form of therapy. Is it that way for you?
Grey: It absolutely is. But I wouldn’t suggest it be a replacement for anyone struggling; I don’t know where I’d be without real therapy.

TrunkSpace: How important is branding and creating a look and vibe that helps to emphasize your public persona? Is it something you enjoy, creating that extra layer beyond the music, or is it a necessary evil?
Grey: This is a really tricky question.

Well, I hate taking pictures, because I never like how I look, but I do think it’s necessary to create a look that conveys who you are. So with this new music, I’m more interested in creating a look where it isn’t about my body, but it’s about the art and the music first.

TrunkSpace: What do you think the biggest hurdle is for an artist to overcome in 2018? Where do you have to work the hardest to be seen and heard?
Grey: I think it’s really small at the top, and the music industry likes to stay where it’s comfortable – a lot of artists that are already very well known. But I don’t really want that kind of pressure. I’d be very comfortable as a Z-list celebrity with a group of really amazing supporters just doing what I love and jamming out together. That’s the dream.

TrunkSpace: You’re also currently attending Stanford. Internally, how do you juggle your studies and your creative interests? Do they coexist or are they completely separate?
Grey: It’s hard. I like summer… I’m going to miss summer. During school, I drink a lot of coffee, rarely go out, and have a weekly mental breakdown. But that being said, I want the education/degree and I want the music. I love both and wouldn’t change it, so it’s my choice. And my low-key parents because I don’t think they’d be happy if I told them I was dropping out.

TrunkSpace: Finally, we’re on the back nine of 2018 now, but what’s on tap for the rest of the year and what should fans be on the lookout for heading into 2019?
Grey: Definitely be on the lookout for my new EP coming out this year. I’m beyond excited for it!