I'm sorry, I just can't handle this.
31 May 2015
04 January 2015
11 March 2014
14 February 2014
01 February 2014
31 January 2014
Fast Forward to 2014
From Top to Bottom, L to R
1. Meghan Farrell, portrait, photo. Abby Wright
2. Eye Love You Ring, 14k Yellow Gold and Black Onyx
3. Jaws Shark pendant, Sterling Silver
4. Meghan Farrell, portrait, photo. Abby Wright
5. Forever After ring rendering
6. Eye Love You Pendants
7. Meghan Farrell, portrait, photo. Abby Wright
8. Eye Love You Ring
9. Flight Bracelet in 18k yellow vermeil, and Beat Bracelet in 18k rose vermeil
10. Collection of rings, MF and Vintage Filigree Ring
11. Locked Lips Ring, 14K Yellow Gold
12. Meghan Farrell, portrait, photo. Abby Wright
13. Just Love sticker, found in NYC October 2013
14. Meghan Farrell, portrait, photo. Abby Wright
26 December 2013
One on One: Flynn Wheeler of Taxes
Taxes' Back of the Car Collection has an epic, worldly composed sound with hints of beat and synth reminiscent of a song from an 80's soundtrack. When I stumbled upon the project several months back I was pretty taken aback-- for the overall composition and sound was unlike anything I had ever head before.
Australia born and bred composer Flynn Wheeler is the sole force behind Taxes, and officially released his EP back in October this year. I had a chance earlier this month to ask him about life, love, and his music- read more below!
Australia born and bred composer Flynn Wheeler is the sole force behind Taxes, and officially released his EP back in October this year. I had a chance earlier this month to ask him about life, love, and his music- read more below!
MF
What instruments do you play?
Flynn Wheeler
I started on the piano, then moved onto clarinet and saxophone for about 10
years, but my main instrument is guitar.
MF
Your earliest memory with a musical instrument?
FW
Chipping the piano key with my tooth when I was about 3. Turns out mum was
right about running in the house.
MF
How has your upbringing and where you have grown up impacted your music?
FW
My two oldest brothers played the clarinet and the saxophone respectively,
and I kind of just wanted to do everything they did so I got into them as well.
Also my Dad was a drummer and singer in a band which meant there were always
instruments and stuff lying around to play with.
I grew up in Canberra, which is a fairly small city designed for public
servants – there isn’t much to do there except play music or smoke pot. Music
was the free option.
MF
Can you talk a little about your songwriting process?
Do you write the lyrics before or after you write the music?
FW
It really depends. I will always write the music before the vocals, but a
lot of the lyrics are adapted from some stuff I’ve written down at some other
time when I’ve been trying to sort my head out.
MF
What sorts of things do you draw inspiration from in your work?
FW
Musically I generally hear a song and want to write something that makes
other people feel the way I felt listening to that. Not quite plagiarism, but
certainly inspiration. Lyrically it is always personal experiences. I like to
try and write so that the meaning is crystal clear but the subject is
indecipherable. It is the only way I feel I can be truly honest, and that is all
I ever want in lyrics.
MF
How did the "Back of the Car Collection" come to be? What would
you say is the driving inspiration behind it?
FW
I have played in bands for a long time, and being a collaboration there has
always been a compromise when it comes to authorship. These were the first
songs I really allowed myself complete authorship to. I wanted to write the
songs that I have always wanted to listen to but hadn’t heard yet. I went back
to the music that destroyed me and made me feel. I have a playlist of those
tracks, it’s about as hard to get onto that playlist as the moon.
MF
Three albums that impacted your life:
FW
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
Blink 182 – Dude Ranch
The Strokes – Is This It
MF
Eight songs you couldn't live without?
FW
Too hard, I’m going to change it to 8 of my favourite rock/pop songs…
Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Say It Aint So – Weezer
Vapour Trail – Ride
Vapour Trail – Ride
To Here Knows When – My Bloody Valentine
The Modern Age – The Stokes
King Of The Rodeo – Kings Of Leon
D’yer Mak’er – Led Zeppelin
Marquee Moon - Television
MF
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
FW
The person I would love the most
The person I would love the most
MF
Film you could watch over and over again:
FW
I’m embarrassingly obsessed with Jurassic park and Harry Potter. As in the DVDs
are wearing out...
MF
What do you recall to be the first song you ever wrote?
FW
A song called ‘Sporadic Feelings’ with my friend Dave for a band called
Polarmoose. It turns out he ripped all the lyrics from songs by The Ataris.
MF
Artists you admire?
FW
Cormack McCarthy.
MF
The most important thing about music is:
FW
Truth
MF
Your last "oh my god"
moment
FW
When I realized I owned a cat
MF
Every day I:
FW
Struggle
MF
What do you wish to accomplish with
your music?
FW
Truth
MF
If you weren't a musician you'd be a/an…
FW
…paranormal investigator.
MF
Your most recent memorable dream:
FW
Partying for two days straight
MF
The most difficult lesson you have
had to learn?
FW
Don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to lie or keep secrets.
MF
A piece of advice you have for artists:
FW
Create what is simultaneously good for you and your audience.
MF
Does music tell a story?
FW
When Springsteen sings it does.
MF
Do you plan to tour?
FW
At the moment it is just me, I need to put together a
band, but yes touring is absolutely on the cards. I am planning on doing a
small tour around Germany in February 2014.
MF
Hidden talent:
FW
I can solve a Rubik’s Cube
MF
Favorite lyrics:
FW
L.A. Woman
MF
Where and when do you look for inspiration?
FW
Where – great art from great people. When – Whenever I need it/always.
MF
What do you think is the most important thing about songwriting?
FW
At the risk of sounding like an echo of myself, truth.
30 September 2013
One-on-One: Bat and Ball
Bat and Ball is like a dream: undeniably hypnotic, mysterious, and enchanting... and upon a first listen of the band's first single when it was released a mere month ago, I was completely floored. For such a young band, "We Prefer It In The Dark" is everything you want out of a song: set to a mindfully engaging beat, layered with a perfectly syncopated melody, and soulfully stirring vocals. A recipe for perfection and that sounds like a lullaby of a love song, the song has been a keeper on pretty much all of my playlists ever since!
If it's one thing I'm convinced of, it's that this quintet is pretty much set to be the next big thing. And I'm completely in love.
British born and bred, the brother-sister fronted band (Abi and Chris Sinclair) have poured their hearts into their debut EP for a few months, which is set to be released on October 14th!! I of course couldn't help but jump on the opportunity to ask them a few questions about life, art, and their process and inspiration!
How did you start writing music?
ABI
When I was small, I used to sing
constantly--making up my own little tunes and lyrics all the time! They were
pretty bad! So when I started to learn the guitar, I remember I would just sing and try to put
some chords underneath it. Writing songs quickly became something I truly loved doing.
MF
Where
are you from? How has this impacted your music?
CHRIS
Abi and I are from Plymouth [England] but we
moved to London for University. As a musician, London has a lot to offer-- however, it is just as overwhelming as it is stimulating!
I think we still sincerely both draw a lot of
inspiration from our youth in Plymouth: Being surrounded by sea and
moorland... the sound of seagulls crying... the warships in the Dockyard blowing
their foghorns... These things just stuck with us and I would say, definitely influence our music today.
Moving to London brought us closer
together musically-- and of course, we met the rest of the band there!
MF
What do you recall to be your earliest memory with a musical instrument?
ABI
Our Great Grandma was a
piano teacher... I think Chris and I got some lessons from her when we were very
young! I got scolded a lot for banging the keys, which I of course thought was much more fun. I
still can’t really play the piano now, but I love trying.
MF
Can you talk a little about your songwriting process? Do you write the lyrics before or after you write the music?
ABI
Our writing process is
not something that is set and fixed-- it's always different! Sometimes we write together and other times, apart. But for the most part, the chords and melody usually come first... and then we to try fit the lyrics to the melody. On many occasions,
Chris will write a verse, then will show it to me-- and I write the next one.
We try to interpret and follow on from what is already there! But we never
fully explain our songs to each other.
MF
Can you talk a little about everyone involved with your band,
its development, etc? How did you all meet? How many band members do you have?
CHRIS
There are three additional members of the band: Harri,
Jamie and Ed. All of us met at Goldsmiths University, where we studied music together! Prior to meeting those three, Bat and Ball was really just an experiment. We had recorded
one song-- just the two of us-- which was cool, but we really wanted to push our music forward! Bringing in the rest of the band was a natural development. We always wanted to
be a live band and the others brought what we were doing to life.
MF
What sorts of things do you draw inspiration from in your work?
ABI
I take inspiration from my own
everyday experiences, characters in books, my favorite artists, people
watching, and my cat.
MF
What about any specific artists you admire?
ABI
I have been obsessed with Ryan Adams
for years; I swear I have everything he’s done, including the heavy metal
stage! I love Patti Smith for her music, spoken word and poetry. PJ Harvey is
also a huge favourite of mine- she refuses to define herself. She taught
herself piano for an album and it’s all amazing.
CHRIS
At the Drive In.
MF
How did the song "We Prefer It In The Dark" come to
be? What was the driving inspiration behind it?
ABI
"We Prefer It In The Dark" was one of the of the first songs that Chris
and I wrote and recorded together-- and this was before meeting Jamie, Harri and Ed. It started
as a simple song on the piano. We both wanted to make a song that was driven by the melody,
but also step out creatively with a driving, fragmented beat. We recorded it during a daylong
studio session in Plymouth PMC studios. It was like research really, but it was
something that defined our sound.
MF
Why
the name "Bat and Ball?"
CHRIS
That's a funny question--- We can’t really say! But it makes a
lot of sense to us. We like alliteration. People still ask ‘who is Bat and who
is Ball?’
MF
What
was the driving inspiration behind the forthcoming EP We Prefer it in the Dark?
CHRIS
It’s about fear. It is unconfessional
but secretly sometimes confessional.
MF
What are your future plans with the band? Touring? An Album?
ABI
We have our debut EP We
Prefer it in the Dark being released next month on the 14th October
and our launch gig at Madam Jojo’s on the 15th October. From there
it’s more shows, more places and more songs.
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