I love getting emails from musicians who want me to check out their work ... I check out every single one I receive and 9 times out of 10 I like what I hear.
Case in point is A Day For Strange Birds ... an ambient, post-rock project from San Antonio, Texas. Maybe I'm a sucker for 'out there' names but I really connected with 'the sound between the noise' and really recommend it.
Anyway, I got talking with Andy, the man behind A Day For Strange Birds and asked him to complete my wee blog interview ... this is what he had to say:
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1) Who are you and what do you do?
I am Andy PS, a guitarist, bassist, and general noisemaker based in San Antonio, TX. The latest project I have been working on is A Day For Strange Birds (ADFSB).
2) What are you working on at the moment?
After finishing my first full length album for ADFSB, I’m plotting what projects to undertake next. My creative process usually works in concepts, which unfortunately either come very quickly or operate on a geologic time scale. Hopefully I’ll put some more craziness out into the ether sometime in the next couple months.
3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.
There are so many! While working on A Day For Strange Birds I’ve found myself drawing on influences from Lou Reed, William Basinski, Sigur Ros, Godspeed You! Black Emporer, and Brian Eno. But, primary among all of these is my father who is an amazing guitar player.
- Name place that has inspired you.
I think some of the desolate sounds that I’ve made come from my Midwestern upbringing and seeing the ruins of once great cities.
- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
Talking to other musicians or people that appreciate music. It’s amazing to see what people love, what they can’t stand, and what they have memories tied into.
4) What drives you to do what you do?
For me, creating something out of nothing and watching it take shape is one of the best things in life. My family and friends have always pushed me to keep going and not be afraid to try new things.
ADFSB is completely different from any of the previous projects I’ve worked on, and I want to continue to see what I can come up with next.
5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
When I started A Day For Strange Birds it was an exploration of the intricacies of sounds guitars can create. Some of the tracks build on top of old recordings I’ve done by myself or with others and I wanted to use it as a representation of where I started and where I’m going.
Everything I’ve put out with this project has been available for free. I realized that putting a valuation on music can limit its reach and wasn’t really something I was comfortable. So the approach has been to create it and release it into the wild.
Overall I’ve been operating on credo that one should strive to make art, make noise, be active, be the worst at something or the best at something but enjoy what you do.
6) What role does community play in what you do?
Community has always been a big part in playing music for me. Making friends with fellow music makers and supporting each other is what it should always be about. When I was a kid I hung around, and was involved in, the music scene in my hometown (Mt. Pleasant, MI); which was cool because everyone sort of did their own thing but we would all meet and share it at whatever venue we could get (sometimes it was a church, sometimes it was the record store, other times a coffee shop or someones house).
Now, I’ve found a similar community online through social media and music sharing sites and it’s really encouraging to see when people enjoy the noise I’ve been working on.
Some of the pettiness that I see from a lot of mainstream artists completely goes against what music should be.
7) What is next for what you do?
There are some ideas rattling around in my head but really I want to see where it takes me. It will either be a concept album of music based of my cross country travels or some sort of noisy guitar and bass symphonic experiment.
Something I’d really like to try my hand at would be working on soundtracks.
The uncertainty of what’s next is kind of exciting/terrifying but I really want to continue to grow and continue to sonically evolve.
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Thanks Andy!
If ambient, post-rock soundscapes are your thing ... then I would highly recommend 'the sound between the noise' which is available for 'pay what you want' on Bandcamp.
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