Interview: Chris Caulfield
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Music has just always been a draw, as long back as I can remember, it’s always been a big part of my life. That said, it was ultimately the need for an outlet, for a release, that brought me back into creating it.
Just as music has always been such a draw, so has been my general drive to create, to have creative outlets, and to control those – so when I’m not making music, I’m running my own business. I’ve been an entrepreneur for the last 12+ years, which has been an exciting journey, with many parallels to this one.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I have a lot of energy and have focused that on creating over the last many years, so I’m always working on something. Most of the time, it is music, or working on projects within my business, which also involves a lot of creative thinking, strategy, things that allow me to really immerse myself, and think creatively, and research, and experiment – much like music. I think this allows me to chase down my ideas with more ease, accept more risk, etc.
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
I’m based just outside of Toronto, Canada – have grown up in various spots in the province, and am originally from Quebec. There’s a lot of great music that comes out of the city, and Canada in general, and a lot of diversity in that music and I definitely think that’s shaped some of my influences and sound, and definitely enabled that experimentation with sounds that can make for some really cool blending of different genres, styles, etc.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
The name combines my first name with the last name of a well-known literary character, Holden Caulfield, featured in JD Salinger’s works.
There were some connections I felt to the character, and the content, around themes of isolation, mistrust, angst – but moreso it was the manner in which JD Salinger was able to portray himself, and explore his thoughts, feelings, and concepts, via a fictional character – and was able to tell stories and build around that – so it sort of connected on a few different levels for me.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Because of how personal my recent projects have been, this is actually a tough one to answer. Of the ones out right now, I’d have to say my most recent, Feelings, as it’s been a project that’s been through a few stages and have worked with a few exciting collaborations and opportunities around it, so it’s been a next “level” unlock kind of song, and one of my personal favourites.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Some songs are written to explore a particular feeling, experience, something where I may be trying to convey a specific emotion that users can connect with, from an honest viewpoint, not always from the perspective of a stand on that topic, but just my own honest experience with it. In those times it’s an outlet, it’s therapeutic. Other times it could be exploring a hypothetical outcome to a real-life event, or exploring feelings in a more exaggerated, or even sarcastic, manner, wherein these are more of an energy release, catharsis, which altogether circles around the themes of mental health, medications, etc, that are focused on in these new projects.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Lots of stuff in the works, notably, my new single, “Feelings”, is being remixed by a Grammy-nominated EDM producer for release in the coming weeks. I am working on a couple of new collaborations, as well as my first single release with a UK-based label I’ve recently started working with.