Particle Kid

By starrymag | July 22, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I try not to, honestly. I tend to side with Alan Watts when he says, “Only words and conventions can isolate us from the undefinable something which is everything.” In other words, we try so hard to use verbal language to define the universe when that only serves to further separate us from the universe. If I felt words were the best way to express something, I would write a book or poem…But for those undefinable emotions, we have music, thankfully. I try to let the sound speak for itself, as only the sound can.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) The EL Sneaky Burritos…. Richard Cheese… Side B…. MIND 45… The Nerfs. Definitely Lana Hawk. You know, the classics.

 

Q) During the current quarantine you’ve been dropping tons of content for fans through social media and even recreating hits such as “Tell Me Why” by Neil Young. Where do you get your ideas from covers?

 

A) Sometimes a song randomly just pops in the noggin or I wake up with a refrain floating around for whatever reason and I feel like I need to play it and share it in order to release it from my head or something. The Radiohead one “No Surprises” happened because we had been up all night preparing to be decimated by a tornado and it was a very stressful several hours. Fortunately, the tornado missed us although it came close, but we didn’t end up finally getting to sleep until around 7:30am. My mental state was all about, “Please no more no more, just give me silence and calm and give us a break.” And when I woke up, I had “no alarms and no surprises” looping in my head because sometimes there are songs that narrate your life and these moments tune them in like a radio.

 

Q) When it comes to your music, is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) It’s pretty random. It works both ways, all ways. I don’t have any specific process. sometimes lyrics come first sometimes music. Sometimes it’s just a little melody or refrain or a particular rhythm I want to explore or just one line of lyric and all of those things can be rabbit holes that take me on a journey. Sometimes the rabbit hole is more of a ditch and then I have to leave it alone for a while until maybe another rabbit hole takes me under where that ditch was and maybe I can connect the tunnels together. They are all connected somehow, so for me it’s about finding the entry points and seeing where they lead. Following the creative underground mycelial network in the mind is fun and it takes a lot of patience.

 

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

 

A) Both hands

 

Q) You recently participated in Farm Aid. Why was that such an important concert for you to be a part of?

 

A) I’ve been participating in Farm Aid since I was born actually. There has maybe been only one Farm Aid I’ve missed in thirty years. Farm Aid is important to anyone who eats food, which is everyone. It’s one of those things that is a joyous tradition of celebrating family farmers who are the backbone of this entire thing we call a country, but also a massive bummer because we have to actually have a fundraiser every year just to keep them on their land because they are constantly battling a giant corporate mega globalized factory farm industry run by toxic chemical companies that want to bury them all. So, the message is to vote with your dollar and buy local organic food as directly from local family farmers as possible and strengthen the systems that sustainably support local diversified organic agriculture as opposed to massive conglomerate companies that make giant monocultural factory farms which abuse animals, poison the soil, poison the water, poison the air and cause pandemics…and cause pandemics…and cause…pandemics…

 

Q) As an artist that enjoys performing live, what inspired you to create the #SaveOurStages movement?

 

A) I didn’t create the #saveourstages movement. I saw Bonnie Rait post something about it and I reposted it and signed their petition to get funding to support small venues who are totally screwed if people aren’t allowed to go out to see live music for much longer, especially if at the same time these small businesses aren’t getting any financial aid during this absurd increasingly Orwellian chapter of the USA’s history. So, NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association) started the #SaveOurStages movement.

https://www.saveourstages.com/

 

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

 

A) Flying Lotus

 

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

 

A) At the moment as I type this, I am listening to J Dilla “The Jay Dee Tape.” I’ve been getting into cassette four track analog loop based experimental beat music and making my own a lot recently…Live-processed analog/digital weird-loop based music…combining lo-fi cassette sounds with slightly more hi-fi tascam 388 sounds with hi-fi digital sounds and also lo-fi digital sounds….Seeing how it all could alchemically work with edgy guitar song based music. Some of the tracks on the new Particle Kid album I am working on I have been approaching with this idea of like if J Dilla crossed genes with Dinosaur Jr. I think it actually might kinda work sometimes. Either way, it’s a fun experiment!

 

Q) What else can fans expect from you for the rest of 2020?

 

A) I don’t even know what to expect for the rest of 2020. I’d like to be playing shows again in some capacity??? In the meantime, I will be at home gardening and working on new video for “Question Song” from the Window Rock That should come out sometime this summer maybe. Also working on animated art film with Neil Young for re-release of his 1982 dystopian sci fi rock opera “TRANS.” Putting out a little video performance for my friend Sunny War’s “Food Not Bombs” campaign. Maybe I’ll do some more live-stream concerts. Otherwise, just growing food and dreaming up ways to stay alive.

 

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

 

A) Well… it’s instant broadcasting to all of them at any time, from anywhere…Kinda the only way right now to stay connected with fans

 

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

 

A) Thank you!