#i dont think the way i write lends itself to that style & it felt very amateurish/childish

[northern-passage]

i wrote a 500 word dynamic poem for neo-twiny jam :-)

i rewrote this in a few different ways with a handful of different drafts before settling on just doing a poem; this originally came from a full branching narrative i've had stewing for a while, and i might come back to it one day. but for now i enjoyed channeling that into this poem, which has also been very influenced by the fact that i've been writing hungry vampires for almost 2 months now.... it was also my first time messing with audio in twine, which ended up being way easier than i expected (i'm sure it helped that i only used one audio sample tho)

faith does contain sexual content, and while not super explicit, it is the main theme of the poem.

anyways hope you enjoy and check out the other entries here!

[roughentumble]

oh, another silly little detail for the ficlet(that like no one saw so this probs isnt of general interest lmao) was like. i couldnt stop thinking of just how fast things can move in animation

specifically scenes of archery and battle in princess mononoke, and a variety of scenes by satoshi kon. i remember seeing a mini-documentery about satoshi kon that talked about how he managed to compress a lot of information into his scenes, make actions quicker and punchier by removing frames and such in a way you simply can't with live-action films. scenes could have entire seconds shaved off of them(which is a lot, in film), not because quicker is always better, but because when utilized correctly it makes everything weighter, gives it its own feel and pace. one use is making sure punchlines land in a snap, with beautiful comedic timing, for example.

it always felt to me like the images were practically overlapping-- they happen so fast, all at once, one moment ashitaka is there, the next he's jumping, suspended in air for a brief moment of stillness-- then suddenly, all at once, in no particular order, the arrow has found its target, and he's landed, and the tower is knocked over or a man's been dismembered or a wolf's head comes to life. like it all happened in the space of one breath

its just really fascinating to me. the pacing of it, and i always liked how it seems to line up with panic, too. in a fight, in a panic, order of events(at least, for some people) can get really jumbled and confused, things seem to happen at once, it's all over quickly. the style lends itself to telling the story of that feeling, i guess? idk if that makes sense

i feel like it might be unique to that form of storytelling. in the same way you can't remove frames or compress action for a live-action shot of a human, i feel like that sense of all-at-once action, that extremely quick punchline, the removing of a few frames of information, cant really be translated into writing(or at the very least, not by me). i would love to read it if it could be, but i think that it's impossible to make it an exactly 1-to-1 transfer, and i suppose that's alright. i could just see it in my head, played out like that, image after image, frames clipped, action compressed, i could hear the air being sucked out of the room as time slowed to a stop in one moment of stillness before sudden, incomprehensible action, and like...

none of this is to say i captured any of that, or to imply my idea was particularly inventive, or to try and say i think myself among the weighty titles of terry pratchett, ASOUE, ghibli, or fucking satoshi kon, but just. that they made me think, i guess. i dont think i showed anybody what i saw in my head(and since i saw it not in words, but in pictures, i dont think i ever could translate it perfectly), but that's. what i was thinking about

just. the way satoshi kon worked is so fascinating, man. his films are such a joy to watch.

[nelson-riddle-me-this]

Six Movies I Can Always Watch

@hildy-dont-be-hasty tagged me

Thank you Lucie! :D Always a pleasure to hear from you!

Sorry it took me so long to finish this, but a lot happened this week. I started at my new first job, crammed an audition video for college transfer, hosted one of my movie parties, and finally got sick..

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

There are so many reasons I love this film. The casting is brilliant. Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katharine Hepburn are magic individually - together they’re just a dream. And THE VOICES! I love doing impressions and between Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn’s mid-atlantic accents and Jimmy Stewart’s ‘marbles-in-the-mouth’ drawl this film is accent/voice porn. Franz Waxman’s score to this film, though it doesn’t get to do much, always makes me happy. I love the descending direction of the theme.

The characters are great, particularly Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). I identify with her.

Rear Window (1954)

This is the movie that got me into Hitchcock and classic film in general. I first saw it on BBC America when I was in 6th grade. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but I knew I loved it. It made me feel smart. Still does.

Lisa *Carol* Fremont (Grace Kelly) is gorgeous throughout the film in her iconic Edith Head wardrobe, Stella (Thelma Ritter)  with her down-to-earth wit and “home-spun philosophy” balances out Lisa, while Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) is the charming and persistant (if at times cold and a jerk to Lisa) glue that holds the plot together.

I love the experimental feel of the film’s singular courtyard setting, particularly in that the music is all diegetic (it exists in the world of the film and can be heard by the characters). Franz Waxman’s music for the film is gorgeous and I really think the main theme Lisa deserves more attention than it gets. Also the setting would, I think, lend itself very well to a stage adaptation. It would be a challenge ,certainly, but I would love to see a proper stage adaptation.

The Incredibles (2004)

I normally hate choosing favorites, but I might be able to say this is my personal favorite movie of all-time and it has been since I first saw it in theaters when I was in 2nd grade. As with Rear Window I didn’t know what the heck was going on the first time, but I knew it made me feel smart and that I loved it. 

It’s a wholly fresh take on the mythos of superheros, looking at the reality beneath them by asking questions like “Where do they get their costumes?”. There’s something in film I call relative realism which this movie’s a perfect example of. Yes the superpowers are unrealistic, but if we accept that ‘what if’ and work from there, it's a very believable and grounded plot.

Michael Giacchino’s score is amazing. It’s the soundtrack that sparked my interest in film score. It also was my gateway to John Barry’s scores for the James Bond franchise, which were a huge influence on this score. I’m not just talkin’ instrumentation or style, I mean there are specific cues modeled after 60s Bond cues. I’ve written about them in detail for projects before and I’ve bored my friends lecturing on it time and time again. I might write a masterpost about it sometime.

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)

If you pay a lot of attention to my blog you might already know this, but this film has special personal signifgance as I used it to help come out to my parents. 

Over two years ago now, it was my first semester in college and I had begun really come to terms with being gay. I had only told two gay friends in our music department and I knew I had to tell my parents. But how? How do you tell your parents you’re gay? How do you ease into it? How do I tell them? There’s already so much stigma atatched to being gay, I need to tell them in a way that reminds them I’m still the same son they love. First of all, when are we all actually together? And when are we relaxed -not arguing or just vegging out? Pasta-movie-Sunday. Now what movie to show? I can’t show just anything, I need to plan it. I need to show something that relates, but it doesn’t need to be something that’s specifically gay. I need to tell them myself, not let the movie tell them for me. How do I talk about it without talking about it?

This movie was perfect for telling my parents. I ended up telling my dad before the movie while we were waiting for my mom to get home from work. His reaction wasn’t great and l felt hollow. At this point the movie was more to soothe me than anything else. 

I told my mom after the film and she seemed to react better, though she kept asking how I knew I was gay. I dunnow mom, how do you know you’re straight?

Katharine Hepburn is my all-time favorite actress. She breathes life and warmth and intelligence into every role she plays, this being no exception. This film has so much to say about marriage equality and love in general. I also really love some of the sentiments expressed about parent-child relationshps in John Prentice(Sidney Poiter)’s argument with his father. Though not amazing, Frank DeVol’s score is effective and I enjoy both The Glory Of Love and De Vol’s theme for the film.

The Graduate (1967)

This movie is two years of film school in two hours. It’s such a different, fresh, and artistic film - even fifty years later. It says so much about ‘the establishment’ - living outside of it and the pain of giving into it.

I also like the different use of music in this film. No traditional score - just Simon & Garfunkel and some source music by Dave Grusin. 

Thunderball (1965)

I first put A Streetcar Name Desire (1951) down here but then I realized I’m not always in the mood for something so heavy and dark. On the lighter side is my favorite James Bond movie Thunderball. 

Though Goldfinger (1964)’s more iconic and You Only Live Twice (1967) is more archetypal, Thunderball stands out. It’s an interesting moment in the Bond universe. This is the 4th Bond movie and it shows in a good way. Everybody knows what they’re doing and they do it well. They’re experienced but not trite yet, they’re still in the groove. This movie has clever writing, fun performances, great action sequences (the Junkanoo chase and Kiss Kiss Club sequence are my favorite), to-die-for production design by Ken Adam, wonderful music by John Barry. Lucianna Paluzzi and Claudine Auger are two of my favorite Bond girls. Can I also give a shoutout to Connery’s wardrobe? Can I give a shoutout to Connery? Sometimes I’m self-concious about my body hair and he reminds me I shouldn’t be. 

Also a shoutout to  Ken Adam, John Barry and Terence Young

shoutout to Dustin Hoffmann, Ann Bancroft, Mike Nichols, Simon & Garfunkel

shoutout to Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poiter, Stanley Kramer

shoutout to Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Bird, Michael Giacchino

shoutout to Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Thelma Ritter, Franz Waxman, Alfred Hitchcock

shoutout to goddess Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart again, Franz Waxman again aand the fabulous George Cukor

Shoutout to all of you for just helping me feel cool, helping me get back in action and getting me to magically be my best again. Because that’s ultimately why these movies are on this list, because they help me be me.

I’m tagging @tyronepowerbottom, @n2ninvisiblegirl, @reluctant-martyrs, @passez-une-adventre-avec-moi, @adamsberg, @thevintagious, @littlehappyrock @alwayseleven

and if I didn’t tag you but you wanna do this, please do! I’d love to hear from you!

[kaseybadgley-blog]

James Victore biography & analysis

Kasey Badgley History & Theory of Graphic Design Project 3  4 April 2017

James Victore is a well-renown designer in the industry for his stark, controversial, and expressively minimal designs. He was born in upstate New York in 1962, and eventually moved to New York City in his young adult life. James’ education in the arts and design field was very non-conventional compared to other designers we were encouraged to learn about in that he dropped out of two institutions of learning and took it upon himself to establish himself as an independent artist and designer. He also learned under Paul Bacon in that time period, who pushed him into the graphic design field despite his unique and traditionally fine arts approach to designing.

In 1990 Victore started his own graphic design agency, James Victore Inc., in Brooklyn, New York. They produced several important designs in the early years of James’ work for several clients around the city. One of the most notable of his early works, and in my opinion, the most exemplary of his personality and body of work, is his poster for Columbus Day. He depicted Columbus in a less-than-favorable light and it generated a lot of buzz around the city. It got so much negative attention that the police ended up taking them down. James said that it thrilled him to cultivate that reaction of the viewer and that he’s a rebellious artist and designer at his core.

James has had several works in notorious museum exhibitions. He has work in the permanent collection of the Lourve, as well as pieces in the Library of Congress in D.C. and the design museum in Zurich. Coupled with having museums display his work internationally, there are big clients that have sought his creative consultation such as TIME magazine, The New York Times, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and SVA: New York. James Victore has become a professor at the School of Visual Arts: New York, and dedicates a lot of his time to public speaking and creative instruction. He has also won several awards for his work including an Emmy Award for television animation and The World’s Best Environmental Poster given by Helsinki Julistebiennale.

One of his most notable projects is his monograph of the survey of designs from his first 25 years of work called Victore, or Who Died and Made You Boss?. It was designed by famous designer, Paul Sahre, and included a foreword from Michael Beirut. It was published by Abrams in 2010 and was shortly followed by the satirical parody book, In and Out with Dick and Jane: A Loving Parody. These books feature a body of work with design simplicity, but an emphatic importance in concept and personality. James Victore has himself claimed that personality and personal feelings and impression were more important to design than how the viewer would feel about it.

James is a public speaker and runs several platforms that are dedicated to answering questions and sparking the creative process in young designers and artists. He has a newsletter and youtube channel that feature content on how to refine your creative process, but also how to first and foremost trust your concepts and feelings about things. James offers a lot of insight on how to create successful design, and most of it includes abandoning the typical process for graphic design. He encourages young creatives, and forces his own students, to step away from the computer and draw and sketch their ideas out with their hands. He thinks our reliance on technology has made design about organizing and less emotional. He believes that design is about hands and creation rather than the brain and thinking.

His philosophy and process is rooted in the idea that you can create striking, memorable design work, and much less about actually creating it. He firmly believes that design is deeply personal, and to create work that is memorable and emotional, that you have to create ideas and designs that evoke a reaction out of yourself. One of his tips for creative people is to, “never learn the taste of shit.” This reinforces his idea of making self-satisfying work and to not just follow what other people want or whatever the status quo is because that is often what is taught in applied design. In his own creative process, Victore uses a sharpie and piece of paper and often sketches his ideas on spare sheets of paper or napkins, whatever is in the proximity. He thinks it’s charming and inspiring to use materials that weren’t intended for sketching and ideas. He also mentioned that he never brainstorms or sketches in his studio. His studio is a place for work and not for creativity, and he encourages people to keep those places separate and to let your mind wander.

The first Victore piece that I’m going to look at is his poster for the film Double Justice (1993). I personally think this piece is very powerful, and while when you see the concept, you realize it probably was not difficult to reach that solution, Victore’s simplicity makes it look clever and very powerful. The poster is about lynching and how black people have paid the price for the racism in non black people in America. His style doesn’t exactly mirror mine in any way, but I like how expressive but purposeful his body of work is, and I think this piece specifically is a very good example of this. His use of Sharpie is definitely successful in this piece and delivers a very strong message, it shows stark contrast, bold lines, and handmade qualities that reinforces the subject matter and makes the viewer feel something.

The next piece I’ll be critiquing is a lettering project of his, done in Sharpie pen that reads “The things that made you weird as a kid make you great today.” I think he has a really unique, interesting quality to his handmade type. I don’t see very much conceptual development in this piece, which is a little disappointing, but I can see how very simplistic pieces like this really aligns themselves with his own design philosophy. It was probably more of an introspective piece for him, and he didn’t see a reason to add any more to the piece than what was absolutely necessary. The most important thing I personally take away from this piece is how successful and personal handmade elements can be when delivering a message.

In this next piece, Victore uses practical objects to send a funny and ironic message. He writes “In case of emergency, sleep” on a pillow in black and red. Again, I don’t think this is very conceptually developed, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s fun and playful, and intended to showcase his handmade lettering. I think that’s successful, but I felt like pieces like this pillow that were presented on functional objects seemed a little bit commercial, whether that was his intention or not. This creates a disconnect with viewers who would know or learn about him because that is the antithesis of what he actually believes in. Conceptual indescrepencies aside, I think the pillow is simple, successful, and difficult to form very strong opinions about.

In the piece Racism, Victore is portraying the act of racism as violent and destructive, not only through the way in which he rendered the silk screen, but he also chose to represent the “c” in racism as a mouth with sharp teeth. This piece was in response to the blind hatred and racism between Hasidic Jews and Black Americans in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 1993. I personally really like this piece, and I think it’s a piece with a clever, clear, and strong concept. I also think pieces like this are important because it’s good to see people use design for humanitarian purposes rather than commercial. I think his style and type of mark making lends itself to rebellious or inherently political works.

The final piece I’m going to look at is a photo that Victore posted on his personal twitter and is very relevant to our present day situation. The piece shows a silhouette of Donald Trump’s head and has the words racist, bigot, and sexist written on it followed by the word president with a strike through it. I think the without knowing his process for the specific piece, it seems a little bit cliched and overdone. With all of the political tension and unrest, we’ve seen very creative solutions to protest signage, and I don’t think this is one of them. I think it’s well done and has his personalized quality to it, and as I mentioned before, I think weaponizing graphic design and illustration to send a political or humanitarian message is important. I just find it to be very lackluster, especially for a designer that seems to have a lot of personality and notoriety.

I really admire certain qualities of James Victore’s work, and his Youtube channel is actually filled with very interesting and helpful content. It’s inspiring to see designers utilize their talent and skillsets to protest or convey a message of that significance. James Victore’s work stands out from the other designers on the list for that reason. It’s edgy, handmade, and definitely makes the viewer feel things using very little effort. His work has a lot of personality and made me want to not only see more of it, but also to explore him as a human being as well.

Works Cited

http://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/james-victore. Accessed 04 April 2017

James Victore: Don’t be a Design Zombie. Glei, Jocelyn K. 99U. http://99u.com/articles/6944/james-victore-dont-be-a-design-zombie. Accessed 04 April 2017.

The Best of James Victore, Design’s Rebel With a Cause. Kuang, Cliff. Co.Design. https://www.fastcodesign.com/1662292/the-best-of-james-victore-graphic-designs-rebel-with-a-cause. Accessed 04 April 2017.

James Victore, Burning Questions. King, Alex. Huck. http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/art-2/why-i-do-what-i-do/james-victore/. Accessed 04 April 2017.

[stephanmasnyj-blog]

Kevin Morby on Getting Famous, Los Angeles, and What It Means to Be an Artist

“Hey sorry I missed your call” is the first thing that slips out of Kevin Morby’s mouth as we begin our phone conversation. It’s Memorial Day and Kevin is getting ready to begin his US tour at The Observatory in Santa Ana. The tour will take him throughout the United States until August, where he will then tour Europe for the remainder of the Summer. Throughout our conversation Morby is refreshingly thoughtful, often pausing mid-response in order to articulate his thoughts correctly. This sense of articulation and thoughtfulness have helped his songwriting abilities grow exponentially, with Singing Saw quickly becoming one of the most beloved records of 2016. Below is our conversation — as well as photos from his recent show with his band at The Observatory — for your viewing pleasure.

SM:Thanks so much for taking the time to talk today. You’re beginning your tour at The Observatory this week right?

KM: Yeah so this week; on Thursday.

SM: Excellent, well we're all very excited to see you there. It feels like Singing Saw compared to your other records has gotten more acclaim and recognition compared to your other records. Do you notice that on tour? Do media reviews or things like that validate the process?

KM: I mean a little bit. It's like you can't not notice you know? I just did my first tour on the record in Europe and it's just... the amount of people at the shows compared to my last tour there has gone up in most cities by around 400 people or something. It's funny usually at most shows I'll say "Who here by a raise of hand was at the show last year when we were here?" And like four people will raise their hands. So that makes a huge difference.

SM: It’s funny how that works. I feel like sometimes all it takes is one song or one thing posted on the internet and immediately people latch on and think "Wow I gotta see this guy."

KM: I know it's funny how that works it's like you can tour, tour tour, and then you get a certain acclaim from one publication and people automatically start paying attention.

SM: A big thing I noticed about this record compared to Harlem River and Still Life, which were both a bit more intimate and smaller sounding, Singing Saw seems to have a much more grand sound in terms of instrumentation. I know you worked on the record with [producer] Sam Cohen this time around as opposed to Rob Barbato (who produced the first two records). Was that a conscious decision when you went in? Did you want to achieve a grander sound? Did working with Sam Cohen help that?

KM: For sure. Going in to this record I almost wanted to make a gospel-sounding record and I knew that Sam... I guess it's kind of a taste thing. I knew that Sam and I would see eye to eye on that and help make the bigger sound I was looking for.

SM: You also worked with Sam Cohen on The Complete Last Waltz, which was a big tribute for The Band. I know you're a big Bob Dylan fan and I was recently listening to your cover of "Temporary Like Achilles" for MOJO Magazine. Was there a reason you chose that song as opposed to any other choices on Blonde on Blonde?

KM: MOJO chose it for me. To be honest that's not my first choice. I love that song but it's not what I would've picked so it's interesting it's kind of like homework in that you get assigned something like that you know so suddenly you're learning the song inside and out. And it's funny I just kind of did it on a whim and I just got back from a press tour [in Europe] and they were saying "We need this right now if you're going to do it." and so I just recorded it kind of in a couple of takes.

SM: It sort of has a stripped down feel. It sounds like it's raining in the background and that it's a very spur of the moment thing which adds a lot to it. Which song would you have picked if you could've chosen?

KM: Oh wow. Uh you know... you can try and tackle Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. I think I would try [that]. I mean if I really had time to work on it, I think I would choose that track. Who ended up doing that one?

SM: Jim O'Rourke. Which I honestly would expect to be this very proggy, elaborate recording with a bunch of moving parts like his solo work, but it ended up just being him with a sparse acoustic guitar and a very airy-sounding vocal take to create this etheral feel to it

KM: That’s cool. Man I haven't even heard that I have to listen to it. Where did you hear that?

SM: I had a hard time finding it, but my brother is part of this big Bob Dylan fan club and he was able to track down a recording of it. If you want I can forward the recording to you.

KM: Oh man I would love that. I know Mojo should be sending me a copy but I would love to hear that.

SM: Sure! Moving on, so Harlem River has been seen as your "New York" record. Still Life was written on the road so it's seen as your "In between" record so to speak. Do you feel like that living in Los Angeles and being a part of the scene there was a big influence on the songs and lyrics for this record?

KM: Yeah for sure. Absolutely. It just gave me the time and space I needed to sort of just... I don't know get into a different territory than I have been in before.

SM: Did the new environment lend itself to your writing style? Are you the type of person that rights in starts and fits? Or when you write are you more the type that can get a bunch done in one sitting and it pours out?

KM: It’s kind of a pouring out kind of thing. I dont know I feel like my best songs come out at a whim, like I'm not even knowing I'm doing it and then I look and it's like "Oh I've been doing this for awhile." There's definitely no structure in to how I write songs it's always a bit all over the place but it's about getting in a relaxing enough environment so you can just sort of channel it and you meet it somewhere in the air. I've been able to do that on tour and I've been able to do that in New York. And in LA it's sort of like I felt like I had all the time in the world to do it. It's funny since I've left New York I feel like I stopped listening to less aggressive music and I started being more interested in Bill Callahan for example. In New York it never worked for me listening to him you know? In New York I wanted to listen to The Velvet Underground. Living in LA and being in Mount Washington (Morby's home) and it being sort of rural to a New Yorker... I don't it makes everything a little more mystical in a way that I hadn't experienced before.

SM: I know you used to play some shows at The Smell with The Babies. I don't know if you've heard that they recently announced that the venue is being demolished to become a parking facility...

KM: I know it's a huge bummer I just posted something on Instagram the other day cuz The Babies had one of our first releases which was a "Live at The Smell" tape that a small label put out which was big for us.

SM: Is there anything about that scene or that venue that you'll miss? It seems like such a big LA institution to me.

KM: It’s one of those things where... it's like in the past two years I've been to The Smell maybe twice. But when something like that closes down... it's kind of like when you go back to your hometown and you find out that your favorite bookstore closed down or something. Because I've become more and more busy as a professional musician I've gone to less shows when I'm back in LA. I don't want to say I've moved on cuz that's kind of the wrong way to describe it. I guess I've just kind of moved on to play bigger venues and do other things. But what makes The Smell so tragic is I just envision that there's some scene of kids that I don't even know about that probably have their thing and rely heavily on all-ages spaces like The Smell and no longer can have it you know? I feel really bad for those kids. It did something for my life that it now won't be able to do for other people's lives. I hope something else opens up to take it's place. It's like [venues] in Brooklyn those closing there hit close to home because that's where I played all my first shows and that's where I saw all my first shows in New York. The Smell is a lot like that.

SM: Was the move from New York to LA sprouted from this idea that the scene in New York was starting to be edged out by people coming in and the growing commercialization of the place? A ton of artists have moved from New York to LA.

KM: Absolutely. There's so many people here from San Francisco and New York. New York sort of became this place where it went through stages. The first stage was where it was super cool, and then the second stage where it was like places that were really uncool but there was still enough cool to balance it out. And now when I go back it's like ‘Oh this place is horrible.’ And not all of New York there are cool places around New York, but just in the neighborhood that I spent time in and everything I loved about then is now different. That's another thing it's like when I go back I just feel like an outsider. It's like being in a mall, and I hate the mall (laughs).

SM: So your career started in New York as the bassist for The Woods, and then as a frontman/co-writer for The Babies, and finally now your solo career in recent years has become more successful. Do you feel more confident as you go forward in the process? Do you feel not as nervous going on stage or thinking about the next record?

KM: I mean there's always a tinge of nerves before going on stage or before putting out a new record. But as time goes on you sort of become more used to those kind of environments and experiences. partly because I feel like I've been doing it for so long. I joined Woods in 2008 so its been almost 8 years.

SM: As you've gotten bigger you've had bigger artists praise your work. I know from radio shows I've listened to that members of The Black Keys love your work and Jeff Tweedy is a fan. Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with in the future?

KM: Oh man I don't know. You know this isn't a collaboration thing but Bill Faye is on my record label and -- are you a fan of Bill Faye? Have you heard of him?

SM: I’ve heard of him but never delved into his stuff

KM: He’s huge he's a huge influence. He's one of those people where I started making music and people were like, ‘You sound like Bill Faye you should check him out!’ and I did and was like ‘Woah I do’ and I became obsessed with him. He's also a huge Tweedy influence. He's written a few emails to people at my record label saying he likes my new record and that means a lot. I was covering one of his songs for awhile [live]. But anyway in terms of collaborations I don't know I feel like those sorts of things happen sporadically like I collaborated with Cate Le Bon [on Harlem River’s ‘Slow Train’]. It always comes out of something like ‘Hey come by the studio,’ and something natural comes out of it you know?

SM: Totally. Okay, one last question for you. It’s meant to be a little open ended; so feel free to say whatever comes to your mind: What do you feel is the most important part about being an artist? Do you feel like you've accomplished that so far?

KM: I think the most important part of being an artist is... I can remember a time where I was in New York and I was working so hard and I was working all these jobs while trying to maintain being in two bands and stuff and... [pauses]. It got to a point where I just really decided where I was like 'I'm just going to quit my jobs and I'm going to just make this work.' And I think the most important part about being an artist is fully throwing yourself in... like almost shackling yourself to it in this way where you think, 'I'm just going to live the ups and downs.' I don't know for me it's almost a non-choice. It's what I do naturally and without it I might as well be dead. You know what I mean? To be an artist is to follow your vision and know that it's a lifelong thing and letting it guide your life.

[This interview has been condensed and edited]