In this interview spotlight, we chat with Somewhere South of Midwest about their newest project, influences and much more.
Full Q&A, links and streams of their music can be found below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
We have all been big fans of the folk/americana genre for some time. Groups and artists such as Nickel Creek, Trampled By Turtles, David Ramirez, and Delta Rae have been big inspirations to us. There is often such a uniqueness that you don’t find in many other genres. Also, as all three of us are classically trained, we feel as though the genre allows for a larger exploration of musicianship.
How did Somewhere South of Midwest form? Why this name for the band?
In a way, our name tells the story of how we met and formed. All three of us are from the Midwest area of the US. Rob is from Minnesota, Kelly is from Illinois, and Kyle is from Iowa. We all attended The University of Iowa, but didn’t all know each other. It wasn’t until we all met as teachers at an international school in Mexico City that we began playing and sharing music together.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
Our first public show was in the Spring of 2015. At that point, however, we were mostly working with covers as we hadn’t yet found our sound. By the fall of the same year, we had written and collaborated on over a dozen of our own songs and began sharing those with the public as well.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
In addition to constantly finding new artists and songs, the process of collaboration with each other often influences and motivates us. One of us can create a song, bring it to the group, and almost immediately see the song grow into something when each of us add our own individual expressions to it. It’s a very inspiring process, and makes writing/creating music that much more rewarding.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
As this is our first album, I think that we just wanted to introduce people to our sound. Though we had many songs, we picked these five for our first record as we felt as they most accurately showcased our range as musicians and artists. “Maps,” our favorite song on the EP, has a strong americana sound with very present harmonies. “Dead Man” has a much edgier, darker sound. “You’ll Still Be” is a heavy, emotional ballad, while “Unspoken Words” has a hint of bluegrass influence and “Tonight” feels very folksy.
What was the last song you listened to?
The Tallest Man On Earth – King of Spain
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
As all three of us are living internationally and can’t always bring physical items with us, our personal preference is MP3’s. We all agree that we love the sound of a good vinyl, though!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
We are most familiar with Spotify and Apple Music. They both offer great services for exploring and finding new music. However, as streaming services are beginning to be the new “norm” for listening to music, we would love to see an overall greater level of support for the artists themselves through these services.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
In general, finding our way on to people’s playlists! We truly believe that many people would enjoy our sound if they heard us. So our biggest challenge is getting our music to a location that listeners can find us in the first place. There is an overwhelming amount of great music out there, so finding that “in” proves very difficult.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
Yes! We haven’t done much recently as the three of us just returned from Summer break. However, we do small gigs around the city quite frequently, and will occasionally host a larger event. As far as live streaming, we’re hoping to get that going very soon for our audiences that are in the US! We are also hoping that this coming summer we can do a small Midwest tour. Stay tuned!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
You can connect with us through our FB page (Facebook.com/somewheresouthofmidwest), instagram (@somewheresouthofmidwest) and though we don’t us it much, twitter (@ssomwband). All of our music is available on all of the digital mediums (Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, etc).
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Just a big thank you to MTM for giving us this opportunity. And to all the new artists, keep on rockin’!
