I stopped thinking of myself as a musician or a guitarist or a songwriter and started thinking of myself as an artist, a few years ago.
Of course all of these words are open to interpretation and no word describes something perfectly. I don’t like to label myself in any such way but when people ask what you do it’s better to have an answer that can at least point them in the right direction.
If I call myself a musician or a songwriter, they probably have a pretty clear idea about what a concert is going to be like. Maybe they try to get me to say which genre I play or maybe they hear my songs and expect the concert to sound a lot like what I’ve recorded.
But I want each show to be it’s own unique experience and I don’t want to just play my songs the same way every time. Sometimes I may jam for most of the set and sometimes I will experiment more than actually play music.
So when people ask what genre I play, I say “Something like folk or indie rock or psychedelic but I’m experimenting with a lot of other things”. Not so simplistic an answer that they have clear expectations, but not so vague that they have no idea what I am saying.
This is less to build intrigue and more to manage expectations, although it probably does both. Don’t come if you are expecting it to be like something else or completely unique. We won’t know until it happens. Come if you are a little bit intrigued by what you’ve heard and want to watch me challenge myself to do something similar but different or maybe completely different.
I think it appeals much more to the performance art scene and so I guess if I have a niche right now it’s that, although I am focused on making music that sounds somewhat like music so eventually I think I will be able to build my own niche centered around people into a variety of underground, experimental and so-called “world” music and folk.
“Acid folk” some people say though I was only just introduced to this term recently and I don’t think I sound a whole lot like the artists I’ve heard. Perhaps its fitting though since it’s a pretty wide genre and some of my influences (such as Animal Collective, Bon Iver, and Xiu Xiu) are probably considered Acid Folk.
I guess I still don’t love calling myself by a genre because their influence on me is limited to the approach or philisophy to music (playful experimentation) and the fact that I like some of their songs…. but sonicaly, I don’t see much of an overlap.
I guess I am a bit opposed to the idea of falling into one scene too. People can be rather snobbish with their taste (I get it but…..) I’d like to belong to a few and carve out my own over time.
I never saw the idea of a tribe as a bad thing, but sometimes we get into disputes based on outrstrong tribal identity, and forming an identity based on labels and identifiable features is an idea I am less fond of. I’d like to be more inclusive towards anyone who respects the vibe I am trying to create.
That’s really what I aim to do with live performances, to create a vibe. I aways feel music so much more at home with headphones and no distractions, but live performances can curate an entire experience, and so I think to make it all about the music is a bit of a wasted opportunity. I hope to create moments that give birth to new possibilities.
It sounds a bit grand or vague, like it could just be empty words. I don’t think it is though. I will have to prove it to you, and I will.
“Mirror” by I+Everything MV
