Interview: KinderCrowdControl
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What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? Edem: Hearing Baba O’Riley by the Who coming through the door of a friend’s room during my time in an English boarding school. As far as what would I be doing today otherwise, who knows? Everything is a path, so I can’t say…
Brett: My elementary school had a great music program which encouraged students as young as 8 years old to learn how to play an instrument. We would learn to play classical as well as contemporary pieces and once I made the connection from radio to ear to string to hand I was hooked. I’m not sure what I would be doing today had I not gotten into music, but I can say that it would have a strong creative element.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
Edem: I am a fairly well known fine artist. Both my art and my music walk hand in hand. They are just different dialects of the same language.
Brett: I enjoy photography and woodworking. There’s something about color and light as well as shape and texture that appeal to me. I’m able to connect creatively through both sight and touch which feed my brain with the input it needs thereby giving my ears a break.
How long has music been your career?
Edem: I’ll have to agree with Brett’s input. See below.
Brett: I can’t say that I view music as a “career”. For me it’s a necessary passion and I’d be doing it anyway.
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
Edem: I was born in Southern California, but raised in British Boarding schools. British radio was more eclectic, Southern California more rock and roll; both approaches have greatly influenced my output.
Brett: Southern California. If you were to ask someone where the music capital of the world is, Los Angeles may not be at the top of the list but it would rank very high. As such, there is so much music coming into the area that you can’t help but be influenced by it.
Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.
Edem: Many best shows, very few worst.
Brett: I’ve never thought about things that way so I can’t answer this. We’ve had many memorable performances for many different reasons. I savor them all. Good or bad.
Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Edem: The Palace, Los Angeles; The Roxy, Los Angeles; The Whiskey, Los Angeles; The Wiltern, Los Angeles. Would love to play the Hollywood Bowl!
Brett: Ditto! However I’ve seen concert footage from some unbelievably beautiful venues across so many different parts of the globe, from places that I would like to experience firsthand, that if I were to create a list it would seem endless.
If you could play any show with any lineup who would be on the ticket?
Edem: Hard to say. Our music would fit almost anywhere.
Brett: Hard to pick a star out of the sky when it’s full of stars. I would enjoy playing with one of the legends, but I also love hearing what’s new.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music?
Edem: Develop your sound. Live big, practice as much as you need to.
Brett: Keep moving forward and don’t dwell on the past. Make sure that you give more to your listener than you get. If you lift them up, they will lift you up in return.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Edem: Have faith; life will give you what you need.
Brett: May 16, 1997 Amazon goes public. Invest in Amazon. Regarding music- nothing.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Edem: We always love our latest releases. So that would be “Rhapsody in C19”. We use music as our vehicle for expression musically, socially, environmentally, politically, emotionally. This piece is about the current paradigm of Covid 19, and people's reaction to the narratives being disseminated.
Brett: “Airborn”. It’s the first song off our first release. Our journey’s first step.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Edem: Hard to say.
Brett: We write so much that it’s hard to say.
What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music?
Edem: Very organic. I love to play guitar, and I let inspiration and ideas flow through. My subconscious leads mostly. The journey inspires.
Brett: Inspiration comes from so many different things. The ways in which we connect with the world - sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – opens an infinite wellspring of inspiration. The trick is to capture the moment that inspires us and to record the result. So often we get the spark of inspiration only to become lost through a hurricane of sensory input. The trick is to get it down before it disappears.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Edem: As we progress into uncharted social history, anything we feel that is an important topic for people to ponder. We plant seeds and see what sprouts- hopefully! But if I was to be absolutely specific, I would have to say “remember your freedoms and individual voice”.
Brett: Not so much a message, but a feeling. We like to give our listeners something that will inspire them.
Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?
Edem: Not disagreements. Different approaches to the concept we are writing about. I would have to say that Brett and I know each other well, and have learned how to collaborate and cooperate. We celebrate our different viewpoints. This is what makes for unique mixes and juxtapositions.
Brett: Sometimes, but we always work things out. I think most of the time we act as a catalyst to one another whereby my input elevates and inspires Edem, and vice versa.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Edem: Keep writing music and putting more energy into Social Media and getting the word out. Bsquared has been wonderful. We’re enjoying the ride and are excited to see what develops.
Brett: Keep moving forward. Learn, adapt, implement, deliver, do it again.