In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nashville residents John and Joe about their latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A long with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We are from the pacific northwest, a small mill town in Washington State called Camas, just north of Portland, OR. We would classify ourselves as retro-alternative.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
We just write what comes naturally to us. We love the music of the 80’s and early 90’s, coupled with the fact that we have a knack for coming up with catchy melodies and guitar riffs, it was a great fit for us. We enjoy the challenge of writing something that is poppy but trying to throw a spin on it so that it keeps us out of our comfort zone and writing the best songs we can.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Since moving to Nashville we’re trying to raise the bar for ourselves. We’re surrounded by incredible musicians and songwriters, so we are trying to make every song better than the last. In the past we would write songs fast and just go with the first thing that sounded good, this time we’re really trying to push ourselves and be more creative and thoughtful in our songwriting.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
I’d say, its much harder to get people to care. With everyone creating social media DJ, band and singer songwriter pages, it can be hard to get people to take you seriously. The flip side is that we save a lot of money doing things like recording ourselves. I’d say, overall we’re happy with the digital age and what it has done for us.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Lost in the Supermarket” The Clash. “Allison Road” The Gin Blossoms. We have 2 answers because there are 2 of us.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
In a perfect world vinyl is our favorite, just throwing on a record and listening all the way through is a great way to immerse yourself in music and nostalgia. However, streaming is the most practical, we drive around a lot and discover most new music just by throwing on a playlist from Spotify while driving to work.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
We prefer Spotify. The interface is easier and they seem to be more thoughtful about indie artists and letting you be in control on their service as far as your profile goes.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Instagram, we usually post clips of new songs in our story and that’s the best place to interact with us!
Anything else before we sign off?
We’re in the process of completing our next EP so be on the lookout for that! We are also starting to play a lot more shows so keep up with us on social media for dates!
