Ghost Alley Magazine

What originally got you into writing music?

…I was learning songs — like The Beatles and The Strokes and stuff — just all my favorite songs, and I was kind of getting tired of playing them, and I was like, I think if I really tried hard enough, or if I really did this for long enough — just making up my own songs — that there’ll be something that I like listening to as much as these songs that I’m learning. So, I kind of just wanted to mix it up while I was practicing and have my own repertoire of songs that I could play for myself.

How long ago did you start?

Probably… When I was in grade 10 or 11. I would just come home from school everyday and play the drums. And then I started just recording little songs… I think they would start with the drums, and then I would record like really crazy, fuzzy guitar over the top, and they wouldn’t have any lyrics at all.

And when you are writing lyrics, are you coming from personal experience, fiction, or maybe a little of both?

Yeah, I think both but mainly personal experience. I started writing lyrics when I was in university. It took a long time to get to somewhere where I was like, ‘Okay, these words sound good.’ So… When I first started making lyrics, I buried them, I buried my voice, so you couldn’t understand the words or hear my voice, and slowly, & slowly, & slowly — I took creative writing as a minor in school, so I got more confident with my use of words, basically. I was also in a band with my sister called Triples, and I was doing harmonies for her while playing drums, so I was getting more confident with my voice too.

Do you feel you had to become vulnerable to talk about certain things, or were you comfortable [sharing your experiences] right away?

[Right away]. Because we were doing so many heavy workshops in classes — poetry — and I was writing in my journal for a really long time, there wasn’t really a time where I was like ‘oh, no!’

[With the recent release of your latest project] Do you feel your voice has changed from then to now?

Yeah, there have been a couple times when we’re playing live where I’m like, ‘I think we need to put the capo down another fret like my voice is changing’ — I don’t know if I’m going through another puberty or something. But it’s a lot lower for some things, and I’ve also been practicing songs that require a more choral — like really high register — and I used to be in choir when I was a kid, so I like accessing that really high part of my voice too and just having a really big range so I can do anything.

What about thematically? Do you feel themes have remained consistent from your first release to your latest?

They’re always the same.

[With the visuals that are accompanying your recent project] What’s the most exciting thing about that for you?

The most exciting thing about creating a visual aspect… We’re basically creating a visual album. Every song [has] a video. I just really love — I have a team — these two guys that I met in Toronto… I love working in a team to get my vision across, and then this dude Graham, we speak the exact same visual language, and it’s just so satisfying because he’s amazing behind the camera, and I’ll watch the footage back and think, ‘that’s exactly what I saw in my head. That’s amazing!’ So I think it just makes this little EP more of like a fun, exciting event but also gives more of a context [of] who I am, maybe.

And how long was the process between filming and recording?

I recorded and then we filmed. So I recorded the songs… It took me… probably under 5 minutes to record each of the songs. Maybe half an hour for the longer ones, and then we just finished filming this morning [June 3rd, 2022]… I don’t really have a concept of time anymore, but a couple days ago we started filming at like 3 AM.

As a musician do you think there’s anything important to recognize or have?

If you’re making music, I would say there is nothing you need… except, maybe, sadness.

Do you feel that emotion is what drives your songs?

Yeah, I think that’s what I’m trying to say. You just need to be able to feel what you’re feeling, and you don’t really need to know anything.

For musicians just getting started, would you have any advice for someone working on their first project?

I don’t really like giving advice because it’s kind of annoying, but my favorite thing to make sure that I’m doing while I’m making music… Is having fun. As long as you feel better after you play the song. You don’t have to feel like, ‘oh, I have to play the songs live, so they have to sound like this.’ Like you don’t have to think of what anyone else is going to think of the song, just make the song to make yourself happy. That’s why I like making music, at least. But other people have their own reasons.

As an artist, is there anything you hope to leave behind?

No. If everything gets like burned and destroyed or whatever, that’s fine.

Really?

Yeah.

Do you have a philosophy of life or something that that [idea] stems from?

I think over the years, like I went to art school and had all these projects and stuff, and they end up taking up space, like physical space a lot of the time because it was like sculptures and stuff, but also like virtual space [like] on my freaking computer, and then also mental space, so there’s just stuff that I wish I hadn’t [done]… In terms of seeing other art, I guess it only takes up mental space for me… I don’t know, I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but like if it takes up space in your head, and you’re happy about that, then that’s good, but I think when art starts taking up too much space, it can be pretty stressful.

If you could tour with any band, any time period, who are your top 3?

I’d probably say Good Morning again, and then…any time… The Beatles. And… Lil Wayne. Can I say that even though he’s not a band?

Yeah of course… Do you listen to Lil Wayne?

I listen to Lil Wayne, but I also — his documentary, The Carter, follows him on his tour, and it’s just the most intense thing I’ve ever seen… It’s so intense. Like he’s just rapping all the time when he’s not [performing]. I just think that would be amazing to be a proxy to.