In this interview spotlight, we chat with Thomas Charlie Pedersen about influences, the newest project Second Hand War, the digital world and more.
Full Q&A along with links and streams below.
Subscribe on YouTube where you can stream the new project.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create?
I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. Beautiful city. I like it here and when I need some other input I travel up north where my band has its own studio. The place is really good for writing, rehearsing, recording and just hanging out. My band, Vinyl Floor, is currently hard at work finishing off a new album which we hope to release this year. The album will be very rocking with a variety of expressions but all the songs anchored in the foundation of rock music. As a side project and just for the fun of it, I launched a solo project last year (Second Hand War, 2016 album). My main motivation for doing so was to clean the shelf a little bit and get rid of songs I’ve been carrying around for some time now. Those songs didn’t really fit into the band and suddenly the time felt right for getting those properly recorded. It all just happened so quickly. I’m very happy that I got around to do it. I actually have a lot of those quiet, acoustic songs in my drawer. Maybe more of those will see the light of day at some point, I don’t know.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
For me, it always comes down to the fun and thrill of it and the need to create. That’s the only motivation. It’s something I need to do to keep myself happy. If I didn’t write I would feel like I didn’t contribute to this world properly. I feel lazy and tend to get restless easily if I don’t work on something. Also, I will never get tired of writing. It’s impossible to describe the feeling you get when you create something that wasn’t there 30 mins ago. Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s not, but at least you tried to make a difference. Songwriting is still a mystery to me and that´s also what keeps me interested. The strangest part of it is that you can’t control it. You never know if or when it happens.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
It was actually very liberating just focusing on the songs without all those hopes and goals I usually have when the band puts something out. I didn’t really care about what others would think of it ‘cause I know what it means to me. It was all very personal to me and it was something I needed to do in a quick manner without too much second thought put into it. It needed to be fresh. When I work with my mates, things are way more arranged and orchestrated. Which is also cool since that´s what works in the band. ‘Second Hand War’ is a mellow and very ‘naked’ album.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
Nah, I used to think that I was born in the wrong time and all that crap but I’m here right now so I need to make the best of it. Much of the music I listen to is probably not what most people would call ‘modern’. In some ways I don´t really feel part of the digital age, modern age or whatever that is. The main thing here is that I don´t really trust technology that much. I’m a ‘hard copy kind of guy’ and right now I have a hard time accepting that our new album is on a couple of hard discs, digitally. I can´t help but get a bit uncomfortable if I can’t see it or smell it. My bandmates laugh at me for this! This aside, I must admit that the digital platform is pretty useful for a band like ours. It´s easier to communicate. It´s just that it´s a jungle out there which can be hard to figure out.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Second Hand War is available for streaming on YouTube in full length and my band Vinyl Floor has a Facebook page. I currently do not have a page for my solo stuff. Working on it!
Anything else before we sign off?
Keep an eye on Vinyl Floor this fall as we will release our fourth album. An album I’m very proud of. I guess that’s it for now. Thanks for having me. Cheers!
