Ian Mellencamp – Come Clean

By starrymag | August 24, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) In a way it represents my resistance to conformity. It’s me blending my abstract sound with today’s musical landscape; vocals, lyrics and storytelling are first and foremost. The sonic sphere is built with syncopated rhythms, sub bass and waves of sweeping synthesizers…it’s 2018 new wave meets psych rock meets deep house.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) I can’t stress enough that I listen to EVERYTHING. Classical piano, bop jazz, trap, vintage country, metal, soul, dub, every style and every era. I consider myself a producer just as much as a singer-songwriter, so I try to learn from anything that happens to be playing.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Come Clean.”

A) It was one of those magic moments where a melody and some lyrics appeared in my mind as soon as I woke up that morning. I immediately started working out the rest of the song on piano and started recording it later that day. The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory.

 

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

A) It’s about opening up and shedding all of your fears and desires. That’s what the paint and powder represent: One person’s struggle to reveal and share their true selves and the other person’s struggle to accept and internalize what’s being revealed.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Ian Mellencamp performance?

A) It’s always different. Currently I’m singing, playing guitar, different midi instruments and DJing at the same time. It gives me leverage for a consistent sound while leaving room for improvisation.

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

A) I like small sweaty venues where the crowd and I really get to connect on an intimate level and share in the experience. Quiet “showcase” style rooms are nice in that people are REALLY listening, but I always love to have a crowd who’s rowdy so that we can share in a really cool energy exchange.

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

A) I’m currently producing tracks for Jazmin Grimaldi, who has an incredible voice and lets me put my signature production sound on it. I’m also looking to collab with some trap and hip-hop artists. I’d love to work with some similar artists like Trent Reznor, Daft Punk, Kaytranada, etc.

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

A) Too many specific artists to mention. But for me it’s jazz for melodies, classical for arrangement, house/techno for sounds and hip-hop for lyrics

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

A) It’s a direct, no filter pipeline to the world. I think that’s valuable in seeing who people really are and how they want to be portrayed without a middle man filtering the message.

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, Thank you! I really am very grateful to each and every one of you who support my music. Songwriting is a very intimate thing for me, so I feel a direct connection to each person when I hear stories of how they like a song or dig my music.

 

 

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Mellencamp has graced the stages of famed venues like Highline Ballroom, The Bowery Electric, and The Viper Room.  His self-produced debut EP, Visions, was released in 2013, and his sophomore EP, Free AF, was released in August 2016. In 2015 and 2016 he performed at Farm Aid, along with Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Alabama Shakes, John Mellencamp, and others. Rolling Stone declared him one of the “10 Best Things We Saw” at Farm Aid 2016.

 

 

Watch The Video For “Come Clean”: