C. SHIROCK – All We Have is This Moment

By starrymag | May 28, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I describe it as “alternative pop.” I’ve always loved great pop music…the melodies, rhythms, the hooks… But I’ve also always loved great song writing – stories, and songs that feel vulnerable and real.  I try to straddle those two worlds.  Mostly I hope to make music that connects deeply with people.  I love anthemic choruses, tension, driving rhythms, honest writing.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Peter Gabriel has always been a big influence for me.  He balances his work between art and pop in a special way.  I also love Prince, U2, Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode, New Order, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen. Some of the more modern artists I love right now are Troye Sivan, The 1975, Maggie Rogers, Bleachers and Tove Lo.  I grew up playing piano and have also loved diving into both Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds beautiful work.  It’s stunning if you haven’t heard it.

 

Q) You have lived all over the place from Philippines, Scotland and Nashville. How did your time in these locations effect your music?

 

A) Each place seems to have found its way into my work… I lived in the Philippines until I was eight years old or so and I remember certain rhythms I would hear in the traditional dances.  I think my love of rhythms and drums might have started there.  I live in Aberdeen, Scotland until I was about thirteen years old.  I remember the openness in that place. There was a feeling there that finds its way into a lot of my music.  The expansiveness, and anthemic quality…I think the landscape in Scotland has that feeling.  Also, side note – I have a song I’m working on now that might end up having bag pipes in it!!  So, that’s a not-so-subtle influence from Scotland.  Nashville taught me how to write songs. It gave me a love of performance and showmanship, musicality…so much.  Everything I learned about music, from when I was eighteen on, came from Nashville and being surrounded by incredible musicians and producers that believed in me, took me under their wings and helped me to grow.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “All We Have is This Moment.”

 

A) “All We Have Is This Moment” is a special song to me.  I wrote and recorded it in Nashville with Thomas Doeve, working between our two studios.  For me, it’s a reminder to live immediately – to stay present.  I have missed so many moments in my life because I was always looking forward to the next step or to the next goal.  I don’t want to keep making that mistake, and this song serves as a sign post of sorts…to remember that I will never have this very day – this very moment again and to be wherever I am fully.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think it’s the same thing I connect to in it…The reminder to stay present and to live in the moment.  Especially in a time like this with quarantines and so many questions and fears about what the future will look like, I think on some level we all need to be reminded of that right now.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I’d love to make a video for this song, but as of now we haven’t been able to move forward with one because of the current virus and quarantine situation.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) My process really changes depending on the song.  My favorite songs seem to come all at once.  I’ll usually hear a melody in my head and immediately record a voice memo of it.  Sometimes a few lyrics find their way into the melody and, as quickly as I can, I get to a piano and start figuring out what I’m hearing in my head.  Sometimes the melody inspires the lyric, other times a synth or guitar sound might capture a feeling and that’s the beginning of the lyric…for better or worse, every song feels in some ways like starting over.  With time you get better at getting into the creative headspace.  Some songs happen quickly and others linger for years!  Sometimes you just have to get out of the way of a song – there’s a few that seem to just show up, and you have to be ready to bring them to life.  It’s a beautiful and sometimes scary process.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I’ve always been very involved in the production of my music – often when I write, I hear other melodic instrument parts and rhythmic elements…I grew up playing piano and I love using the music in a recording to complement the lyric and vocal melodies…Sometimes doubling or using counterpoint (a classical music way of having opposite melodies work together).  In some of my favorite music, the song landscape helps to create the atmosphere where the lyrics and vocal can live…It kinds of sets the stage for the song and the emotion.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes!  I am incredibly excited to see all of the recent releases together on the album – it’s called Evidence of Things Unseen and I’m planning on releasing it later this year.  I’m finishing the up the last three songs for it now working remotely with my co-producer in Nashville while I’m in Los Angeles.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I love performing in two extremes – large rooms or festivals are an amazing experience.  The music takes on a new life when it’s played in large spaces. Some of the songs feel like they were meant to be heard in big venues.  I love that feeling!  The other extreme is very intimate shows – the songs take on an entirely different life when it’s just me at a piano or acoustic.  What might feel like a big anthemic song on the record, all of a sudden can feel like an intimate glimpse into my life or my experience.  The focus switches from the large production to the most vulnerable portrayal – just a lyric, vocal and one instrument.  Those kinds of small performances can feel really special to me.  I feel like I’m sharing what much of my song writing process is like…just me and a piano.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I love working with producers that push me – the get things out of me that I didn’t even know I had in there.  Emotions, vocal performances, etc. Some of the great producers I love are Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois – both of those legends would be incredibly inspiring to work with.  Lately I’ve been really inspired by a lot of Jack Antonoff’s work – with various artists, but also with his band Bleachers.  I think he’s brilliant with capturing feelings in songs.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) I listen to so much different music – I constantly switch depending on what I’m doing.  When I’m by myself driving, I tend to listen to artists that inspire me. Sometimes it’s artists like U2, Peter Gabriel or Sting.  Other times it’s artists like Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith or The 1975.  I’m always learning from all of these artists…  When I’m cooking at home, I love to put on old Jazz – Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) With the current virus and quarantine, I think social media is the only way for me to connect with my fans.  But, to be honest, I’ve always had a struggle with social media.  It has never felt natural to me…But, on the other hand, I love I can connect with people directly from all of the world in places I have never been.  That I can share my music and thoughts with them and in some small way be a part of their lives from thousands of miles away – that is such an honor for me.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you. Thank you for listening, for sharing, for writing me and letting me know how my music has been a part of your life. Sometimes I need those messages to be reminded why I started doing this in the first place!  And it’s the greatest honor for me, to know that you take these songs and make them your own, and that they become a part of your life.  There is so much more on the way and I hope the new music continues to find a home with you. – CS