Bumping Into... is a series of mini-chats with a variety of peeps that you might run into in some of our local music communities. (There's a bit of an intro and my thoughts behind the series here.)
How are you? Where are you?
Couldn’t ask for more. I’m in the heart of my houseplant jungle with a sleeping kitten at my feet.
What have you been up to since March or so?
I’ve been laid off from my day job, so having both time and grocery money makes me feel spoiled rotten. Plus, lockdown is like a lavish loner’s retreat when you’ve spent years actively (and often guiltily) avoiding social gatherings. My usual summertime sadness got a bit out of hand because I wasn’t mentally prepared for everything to open back up, but I got myself in check, wrote an album that I feel pretty good about, and now I’m doing prep work to start the next one.
Have you found any new ways to do old things? How are you feeling about the shifts in how music is being made/shared/listened to?
I was offline for about 7 years, so having home internet has been novel. I’ve been playing DnD (for the first time!) over Zoom with some truly delightful dorks and our DM is the GOAT. They’re friends of a friend, but I wouldn’t’ve met them otherwise since we’re all homebodies in different cities. Making new friends in a new way has been very cool.
I feel bad for the folks who rely on playing live to make ends meet. But personally? I do best in groups of two or less, and find the lack of shows soothing. I haven’t tuned into any live streams because I prefer to just listen. No record stores has been a bit of a bummer, but I have been enjoying a lot of trips to the post office for new records, courtesy of my sweetheart’s essential worker bonus. And Bandcamp day has been dope, obviously.
Any works of art that have been a light for you in these times? Anything that's just been a good diversion?
Out of everyone who’s been quietly hauling ass around me I’ve gotten the most enjoyment out of Saturn City and Gabe Knox. Melissa has been off the hook prolific lately and her stuff is always so strange / pretty / chill. Gabe’s new EPs are also great, as expected. He’s such a cheerful oddball in the mostly dark and gloomy Toronto synth scene. Conversely, of all the (mostly dank rap) records that’ve amassed since March, the Big Ghost side of An Open Tomb... An Empty Casket has been my absolute favourite.
My main diversion throughout the pandemic has been scents. It’s ironic because no one is around to smell me, but it makes me ridiculously happy. My dad and I have had a cross-country sample swap going since June and it’s been fun to discover a new subculture that’s totally in my wheelhouse, but a completely different artform from anything I’ve previously explored. It’s inspiring to see what people are making out of their homes, and I love that it’s something I can enjoy while I’m in the studio. Today I’m wearing something called After Every Ounce Of Joy (Leaves My Body), which is inspired by a car crash. It’s a beautiful, realistic, and surprisingly wearable woodsy concoction of petrichor, gasoline, and pine, with just a hint of burning electrical. I think Chris Rusak might be the William Basinski of perfumery and this EDP is his Disintegration Loops.
How are you feeling about 2021?
Terrified. I knew I wouldn’t be able to be a shut in forever, but I wasn’t expecting a vaccine so soon. I feel dubious about things potentially returning to sort-of-normal, but for now I’m trying to keep my head down, focus on making some fun things while I have time, and not read too much news.
Anything else we'd chat about if we bumped into each other?
I’d apologize for nervously babbling for so long, and ask what your favourite westerns are as there’s been a Raylan Givens shaped hole in my heart since I finished Justifed. I’d also highly recommend you watch How To With John Wilson if you haven’t yet.
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