Describe your sound in 3 words
Lo-fi, Boom Bap, Vibey
Tell us a few things about your new work
Primal is a project that feels like you’re getting a peak behind the curtain of an unapologetically underground artist fighting for a dream. As a creative parallel to my personal story with music and self-expression, I pour out my thoughts over lo-fi soundscapes that transport you to my universe. I recorded city noises with my iPhone and throughout the album, those familiar surroundings faint into the blurry background. Whether it’s a car alarm that I turned into a riser for a transition or an ambulance siren tucked in the back of the mix to provide ambiance, my city’s fingerprints are all over the production of this album.
Which song of the EP is your favorite?
That question is like asking a parent who their favorite child is! I really pride myself in the fact that I think the project as a whole acts as a cohesive unit, but I will say TOTEM and EMPIRE both really hold special places in my heart. TOTEM’s lyrics poured out of me like bursting of floodgates and the instrumental ties it together into this love letter to hip hop. EMPIRE captures the confidence that I’ve felt myself acquire and grow into due to my relationship with my lady. I also really am proud of the musical switch up that I tried to seamlessly create at the end of EMPIRE in which I put myself out there vulnerably asking my girlfriend via song “Can we build it from the ground up?
Favorite album of the past decade?
I think my favorite album of the past decade is a tie between Kendrick’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” and Tame Impala’s “The Slow Rush”. Kendrick’s prolific gift as a poet shines through so perfectly on TPAB. I think the fact that I can feel the pain, passion, grit, and turmoil of the black experience in America even though I’m white speaks volumes to Kendrick’s ability to communicate personal experiences in a universal way. Kevin Parker of Tame Impala blew me away with “The Slow Rush” because of the production- I mean those drums are so nasty it’s not even funny. Lyrically the album hones in on a simple concept: the passage of time. But the way that he attacks that idea from so many different angles and explores how it impacts different facets of life is genius to me.
Can you share something funny that happened during one of your gigs? And what would be your dream performance venue?
I think it about 6 years ago, I remember performing at this small basement venue with my friends. This particular venue didn’t sell any food or drinks. So maybe 20 minutes before I went on stage, I went to Taco Bell and bought like $50 of stuff off the menu and threw them (fully wrapped) to members of the crowd. By the end I’m not sure if they were cheering for us or for the Taco Bell but either way it felt like a success.
As far as the dream venue goes, I love the Old National Centre in my hometown Indianapolis, IN. There’s a 500 cap basement venue there called the Deluxe that I’ve performed at, but the upstairs venue holds I think a few thousand people and it’s called the Egyptian Room. I’ve seen tons of my favorite artists play there when they were touring nationally so that would be a surreal moment to see my name on the marquee.
When not writing music, how do you spend your time?
I live with my lady and my cat Archie so I spend a lot of time simply doing life with them. I truly love cooking (my signature dish is sweet and spicy chicken wings). If I’m not at home chefing it up with my lady, we’re out exploring downtown Indianapolis, travelling with our friends, or getting competitive in whatever rec league sport is available during the season.
You’d give up making music for…
Nothing.
Thank you!
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