New Westminster, BC, Canada is my home and has been for most of my life.
It’s been a bizarre experience as I imagine it has been for most people. As scary as the whole world is right now, I’ve tried to take the opportunity and create as much art as possible, but I feel the pressure of being alone all day, every day. Music has been a welcomed therapy throughout this time. I really feel for the people that don’t have an outlet right now, but I do think this has been an opportunity for people to pick up new hobbies, so who knows, maybe the world will get some amazing new music that otherwise would never have been created.
I started playing guitar when I was about 8. My friends and I really got into AC/DC, so I naturally wanted to be Angus Young. 3 of my now closest friends and I started a band called ‘World Is History’ and wrote little rock tunes to play at our school talent show every year. Our big moment was a town hall meeting for the closing of our elementary school. We begged the teachers to let us play, and when they said yes we got together and wrote a song about what the school meant to us. The school’s still open to this day, and we all take full responsibility for it.
I started Grapefruit about two years before I ever finished it. Believe it or not, it started as more of a Lenny Kravitz rock type song that I never thought would see the light of day. When I came across the unfinished idea years later I was really into Harry Styles’ first solo record and “Wilderness” by Snow Patrol. I can never put my finger on one influence for a song but those two records definitely played a large part in influencing Grapefruit’s writing.
It’s not like me to start a song and then revisit it after so long, but it was Grapefruit’s concept that lent itself to finally being finished. It was originally about a super fresh breakup I had gone through, and how hard it was to forget them or move on from everything we had built up together. When I came around to finishing the song I had some clarity about the situation and could complete the writing as someone looking in on it rather than being surrounded by it. Weirdly enough finishing it after so long did give me a certain sense of closure.
Where can we listen/buy?
Everywhere you stream music, Spotify, Apple Music etc. The video’s out now on YouTube as well.
You can expect to cry, to dance, to sing loud! What I love about this EP is that it spans pretty much every corner of music I love. Every song has its roots in storytelling, but each has its own sonic personality.
I did a lot of pre-production and demo stuff at my home studio in New Westminster but we did the bulk of the final recording at my executive producer Howard Redekopp’s studio “The Menagerie” and some live room stuff at “Monarch Studio” in Vancouver.
I wrote and built a rough production of all of the songs myself before I brought a haul of songs and ideas to Howard’s house. From there Howard, Stefan Nowarre, and I refined the songs into what you’ll hear them as now.
We kind of did the normal process backwards. We started with the demo I had made at my home studio and re-recorded what I had written before we brought it to Monarch Studio to record live bass, drums and some guitar. I had Max Cunningham (bass), Ian Browne (drums) and Braden Williams (guitar) playing together over all of the guitars and production I had already recorded. It was a bit unorthodox but it gave Stefan (engineer) and I the opportunity to really fine-tune the drum and bass sounds to what we had already recorded.
What programs/instruments did you use?
While writing the songs and building the demos I used Logic Pro and midi drums/bass to build up what I heard in my head. When I met up with Stefan and Howard we switched over to Protools and recorded guitar, drums, bass and vocals.
I grew up dancing with the BC Métis Federation at events to showcase our culture. Starting at a young age I’ve had the opportunity to see how important storytelling is in our community and culture, that’s ultimately the reason I love songwriting so much. Over time I’ve found a love for music production and sound design but storytelling will always be at the heart of my writing process.
What do you like to do away from music?
That’s kind of like asking a fish what they do when they’re not swimming. I can’t say I’m ever 100% “away” from music but I enjoy all different forms of art. I love painting, drawing, fashion, sewing, playing soccer and running when I have the time.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Right now I’m obsessed with the new Tame Impala record “The Slow Rush”, Harry Styles’ “Fine Line” and “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers.
I’m always looking for the next thing, I’m always writing new music and working towards a project. I don’t like to set anything in stone before it’s decided but I can say that this EP won’t be the last you’ll hear from me in the next couple years.
