Eliot Bronson – Empty Spaces

By starrymag | October 9, 2020

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Folk music, I guess. Seems like labels have more to do with selling music than what it actually sounds like. I’m just trying to make something that moves me

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences that inspired Empty Spaces? 

 

A) Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson, Big Thief, Lyle Lovett, Angelo De Augustine

 

Q) One of my favorite songs on the album is the title track. Tell us the story behind Empty Spaces.

 

A) Thank you. The whole album is really the story of that song. I made an unapologetic breakup record. I think all of the stages of grief are in there. Empty Spaces boils them down somehow. It’s acceptance and sadness all rolled together.

Q) Recently you released a video for “Let Me Go.” How did you develop the concept for the video and in what way has the pandemic affected the way music videos are created?

 

A) It was a spur of the moment idea really. I toured a lot last year, all over this country and in Europe. I decided to stitch together a travelogue and let the visuals tell a story of their own. I had no idea if it would even work. I’ve never made a music video before. It took me a couple solid days, doing nothing but editing. I can’t really speak to the way videos are being made in general. I know that I’m learning to do a lot more things on my own these days.

 

Q) Empty Spaces not only documents heartbreak in the sense of person-to-person relationships but also your relationships with the places you have lived, as indicated by the song “Atlanta.” Name a place you lived that you can’t wait to visit and reminisce.

 

A) Norway, definitely.

 

Q) Which song on Empty Spaces was the most personal to you?

 

A) I’m not sure how to answer that. They are all equally personal. “Mountain in My Mind” touches something the others don’t. It’s not more honest, but it does point to something very difficult to put into words.

Q) You co-produced Empty Spaces with your friend and longtime bandmate Will Robertson. In what way did working with him influence the overall sound and outcome of the album?

 

A) This would be an altogether different record without Will Robertson. Besides the songwriting, we worked on every single element of this album together. I have no idea what Empty Spaces would sound like without him. It wouldn’t be this though. It would be an entirely different piece of art

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from Empty Spaces?

 

A) I hope they hear something of themselves in it. I hope it allows them to feel things they need to feel.

Q) On Facebook Live you host a show called “I Love Your Guts,” where you have dedicated time to playing virtual shows that focus on particular genres or artists for 90 minutes to 2 hours. What has been your favorite episode to do so far and what upcoming themes can we look forward to in new episodes?

 

A) My favorite was the week I played Empty Spaces front to back. I like learning songs by other artists, but if I wasn’t a songwriter, I probably wouldn’t even play music. Writing the songs, I need to hear is still the reason I do any of this. That said, Punk Rock week is going to be fun, when we get around to it.

 

Q) Last month you held a virtual listening party for the release of Empty Spaces. While social media still provides you the ability to share your music, what do you miss most about performing live?

 

A) I miss everything about playing live shows. Music connects people in a way that nothing else can. It’s not just a mental thing. Its physical. It’s in our bodies. It’s an energy that binds us. We need it and we find a way to make it happen.

Q) Via YouTube I enjoyed how you used the pandemic in a creative way by writing “Coronavirus Cancelled All My Shows.” Aside from writing that particular track, how has being at home in some form of lockdown helped to fuel your creative juices? 

 

A) Thank you so much. I use music to understand difficulties. Creativity arises out of constraints. In a way, this is the work I’ve always been doing. I’ve just been a little busier lately.

 

Q) Social media has become quite essential not only during this time but as a whole for artists to market their music. What do you think are the pros and cons for music going to a more virtual platform?

 

A) It’s hard to say because this is all I’ve really known. Artists morn the days before streaming and downloads, but there’s no guarantee I would have been one of the lucky ones with a career back then either. On the whole; however, I think social media is doing a lot more harm than good these days. We don’t know how to be alone with ourselves, much less with each other. I think a lot of the meltdown we’re seeing in society is a result of technology that is outpacing our humanity.

 

Q) What is one album you can’t live without?

 

A) Late For The Sky, Jackson Browne

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) Thank you. Thank you so much.

 

 

 

 

Empty Spaces:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq0lRHLbsYg&feature=youtu.be