| Claire Morales Session | |
| Violitionist Sessions |
Session Date: January 18, 2015
Posting Date: February 18, 2015
Artist Hometown: Denton, TX
Links: Facebook, Soundcloud
Recorded by: Michael Briggs @ Civil Audio
3 QUESTIONS
ONE: You recently put together a full band. Tell us about what prompted this and how it feels to play with a band instead of by yourself.
I put together a full band together for a few reasons. In the last year or two, I’ve been more drawn to full band music for one thing. It’s generally a bit catchier than singer songwriter stuff, and I just found myself wanting to listen to and make it. I think I also realized that there is only so much you can do all alone. I had it in my head that staying solo meant maintaining an emphasis on strong lyrics and prominent vocals that might otherwise be lost, but I’ve realized that you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice it in order to have a band. Plus, as a solo artist you miss out on the really cool experience of collaborating with and learning a lot from other people.
TWO: You are releasing your debut album this week. Tell us a little about the album and what it means to you. Are there any overall themes in the record?
I’ve been playing music live for a really long time (over 10 years) and this is the first album I’ve released. I’ve tried to record material before and was never really satisfied with the songs enough to want to have them out in the world. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I think that was part of why it took so long to actually finish a CD. To me, this album means finally just doing that thing that I’ve been meaning to do for so long and not worrying so much about it being anything more than what it is. I’m calling it a coming of age album. Maybe that’s pretentious though.
As far as themes go, a lot of songs are about perfectionism! Striving for truth and beauty and stuff like that and coming up short and dealing with it. I think it’s also about trying to figure out what is real and what is imaginary. The album title means unfading and everlasting and refers to a flower that doesn’t exist. Another theme is disorientation in time. Most of the songs are told from perspectives I used to have when I was younger or experiences I’ve never had and only dreamed about or imagined.
As far as themes go, a lot of songs are about perfectionism! Striving for truth and beauty and stuff like that and coming up short and dealing with it. I think it’s also about trying to figure out what is real and what is imaginary. The album title means unfading and everlasting and refers to a flower that doesn’t exist. Another theme is disorientation in time. Most of the songs are told from perspectives I used to have when I was younger or experiences I’ve never had and only dreamed about or imagined.
THREE: You grew up in Denton and have been a part of the music scene for a long time. How do you think the scene is now compared to when you first became a part of it? Can you think of anything that could or should be done to improve it?
When I was first a part of the music scene, I was just playing the exact same show at the exact same coffee shop every week because I was 14 and no one could drive yet and it was fun to feel like we had something to do on Friday nights. So the music scene is much better for me now that I can drive and eat ice cream whenever I like and stay up past 10!
I’m not really sure how I feel about the general music scene. I think it felt more close knit to me a few years ago, but maybe that’s just me. One thing I feel like I ought to do is go out to more shows. Being there when bands play and hearing and supporting good music is something that I enjoy and that makes me feel like a part of things. It’s a hard thing to do when you work a desk job and commute and barely have time to make your own music sometimes, but it’s worth doing.
I’m not really sure how I feel about the general music scene. I think it felt more close knit to me a few years ago, but maybe that’s just me. One thing I feel like I ought to do is go out to more shows. Being there when bands play and hearing and supporting good music is something that I enjoy and that makes me feel like a part of things. It’s a hard thing to do when you work a desk job and commute and barely have time to make your own music sometimes, but it’s worth doing.
– Email interview by Michael Briggs.