PRESS RELEASE

When did you start songwriting and recording “Scenes”?

Following Meaning Maker, which was a very intensively planned album and release, I found myself writing songs with no plan at all. It felt great to write for fun and experiment with new sounds, different genres, and production styles. In the summer of 2023, I found myself with a collection of 6 songs that fit together into an EP and decided to go for it. “Scenes” is the first release that I have written, recorded, mixed and mastered every song. It was a little intimidating, but I’m gaining confidence each year in my ability to produce myself!

What are some of the themes in “Scenes”?

There are a few themes stirring around the pot. The general theme is the cinematic quality of life - how our life unfolds in scenes with changing characters, plots and events. When I really connect to a character in a movie, I find it easier to connect to myself and understand the myriad of twists and turns I’ve been through - that we’ve all been through. There’s also this idea that we may be mistaken in considering ourselves the main character in this big movie. I actually find a lot of relief and freedom if I consider myself a minor character or a supporting role - or even a nobody. It’s nice to know that everyone is essentially living in their own movie and not caring about me. It frees me to pursue what I want, I suppose. This theme is explored in “An Extra Like You”

There’s also a theme around embodiment and coming out of the movie that is constantly running in our heads. I ALWAYS have some plot, dialogue or scene in my head and it tends to draw my attention more than my actual environment or real-life situation. That’s getting old, and I write about the desire to movie out of this movie and into actual life moments. I want to get engaged with something real, and spend less time projecting movies in my noggin.

What music or musicians inspired you during the creation of “Scenes”?

Well, you’ll hear that there are a couple different genres in this EP - although the songs are all generally in the ginormous ballpark of “indie”.

“Packed In A Minute” is inspired a bit by midwest emo and math rock. You can hear that a bit in the odd rhythm during the verse.

“Scene-by-Scene” has inspiration from dream-pop bands like Beach House and our local band Homephone.

“Moviehead” is just piano and vocals and is inspired by lots of artists who make ballads.

“An Extra Like You'“ is inspired by the likes of Andy Shauf and Kurt Vile. Its kinda indie-folk and very narrative driven.

What is your history as a musician?

I started playing music around 14 years old. My brother played guitar and I that’s how I got my hands on one. I was super blessed to have a whacky, awesome music teacher who refused to teach me how to read music. Instead, he dove straight into music theory, songwriting, improv and just having fun! I released my first album “Confidently Be” in 2013. I was a college student at the University of Cincinnati at the time, so the whole thing was recorded in a dorm room. I’m surprisingly still happy with how it came out! I released my second album “In the Background” in 2016. I quickly got sucked into professionalism and “the grind” though so I didn’t give the album its best chance to be heard. In late 2019 I started writing songs that ended up in “Meaning Maker” which came out on October 7th, 2022!

What do we need to know about the upcoming release of “Scenes”?

Scenes comes out on Dec 1st and will be streaming everywhere!

There is a FREE release show on Nov 30th at the International Artists Lounge in downtown SLC. I’ll be playing with Michael Hockman, Rachael Jenkins and The English Budgies. Show at 8!

Sooo. . . what’s next?

Big things. Well, one big thing. “Scenes” is a bit of a side project that I scooped together in some free moments I had between working on a much bigger project. In 2024, I will be releasing a collaborative 12 song album that features 12 different Utah musicians. I’m over the moon about this project and can’t wait to start rolling it out at the start of next year!

CREDITS

Photo by Paige May (PLEASE INCLUDE PHOTO CREDIT IF YOU USE THE PRESS PHOTO(S)). Album art by Erika Wilson.

 Download song, press photos, and album art.