Basement: How did you get your start in music?

Snow: I’ve been playing in bands since I was 12 years old. Like a lot of other people, I kind of just started playing a bunch of goofy Journey/Train covers with some friends of mine (with one of their stepdads on drums... LOL) and took it from there. I started playing guitar when I was 10 and learned how to play drums and sing in the years after that.

Basement: What influences your sound?

Snow: There’s really a lot of influences - I think the most obvious thing is the very pop punk/emo delivery of the vocals which stems from my love of The Starting Line, Blink - Basically all those bands that remind you of like, puka shell necklaces and driving around the ‘burbs mid-summer. But beyond - that there’s been a degree of influence from indie rock bands like Built to Spill, Pavement and such; some of that twee kitschy thing mixed post punk/new wave that bands like The Drums did; and some of the 90s emocore stuff too. Early Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, Knapsack, all that. 

Basement: What does your songwriting and recording process look like?

Snow: Ugh, my songwriting process is a total crapshoot honestly! Usually I’ll think of a combination of a vocal melody and chords underneath at any given point during a day - usually while I’m driving or at work. I’ll come home, just plug my guitar into my little 2 channel interface and record that without any lyrics. I try not to think too much about it - I usually just roll with whatever the first idea I have is for any given parts. Once I’m done with the instrumental I’ll try to incorporate the vocal melody I’d thought of and just draft up some lyrics… Aaaand usually I don’t even end up changing the lyrics after that LOL. They just work and I can usually find meaning in them retrospectively.

“Lol hey dude the lyrics mean nothing but is this melody fire??” 

Basement: What themes and narratives do you notice/ hope come across in your work?

Snow: For this EP, I really just wanted to establish some kind of mission statement. Part of identity is where you live, and I’ve always been in this weird place where I’m a total burbs person through and through even though I do spend so much of my time in Chicago proper, and I think that’s super clear in my musical output. Like you can hear the suburban pop-angst of a band like Blink and also hear how maybe there’s some more angular “indie rock” traits as well. It feels a little like an EP for people who fall outside of either geographical stereotype y’ know? I know a lot of people who live in Chicago who won’t admit they bumped Enema of the State endlessly as a teen and a lot of suburban kids who think Duster is the whackest band to ever play a note. I guess the point is to see if there’s anyone out there who relates to me on being in the middle. 

Basement: You have a very defined and specific pop-punk emo sound- how did you find this niche and what attracts you to making this type of music?

Snow:  I mean, I feel like making these types of songs that have this specific sensibility is just (for better or for worse) in my blood. Like, I don’t think I can write a melody that doesn’t at least sound a little like it’s from an American Pie soundtrack. I mean, when the first song you remember liking as a kid was What’s My Age Again (from that Now That’s What I Call Music 3 CD) , you’re sort of just cursed to always write this way! I’ve grown up around that sound.

Basement: You just released your debut EP- can you tell me a bit about this project and what listeners can expect from the release?

Snow: Yeah! So, it’s called Suburban Indie Rock Star (totally bombastic title, I know) and it was just born out of a place of boredom and frustration, really. I wrote, recorded, and mixed it all within like... 9-10 days? It was just one of those creative streaks where you kind of just snap and look back like, whoa. I guess I did that huh? It just felt cohesive to me as a whole so I figured it would work well as a little 5 song unit. The title refers back to those geographical musical differences I was talking about earlier - it’s a line from “To Some I’m Genius” which is the first song on the EP. I would say people should expect to feel like they’re watching a teen rom-com from 2001, LOL. Most of the songs have that upbeat instrumental paired with some pretty self deprecating lyrics. It’s a pretty honest form of expression, especially for someone like me who just kind of word-vomits on the page for lyrics and calls it a day. 

Basement: Has being a musician in Chicago impacted you as an artist?  What do you think makes the scene unique?

Snow: Chicago music is pretty wild. I’ve always grown up in the Chicagoland area but getting involved in music strictly in the city and not in the burbs was a great move for me - it showed me that not every band in Illinois was a pop punk band (LOL) and that we really do have a thriving and relevant scene nationally. We have more influence and relevance than some outside of IL think. Also I met my best friends through the scene so, I can’t complain at all.

Basement: What’s on the horizon for you post-release?  Anything else in the works?

Oh boy, I mean - I’m always working on music, and I’m trying to decide on if I should just release stuff like a Soundcloud rapper or not. Like just constant singles until something hits. Beyond that I’m just waiting until it’s safe to play shows so I can get this in front of peoples’ ears. For my next release I want to come out swinging with some wild visuals. I’ve been toying with doing a series of music videos that are only filmed vertically so they’re built for how most people watch on their phones.  Outside of my own stuff I’m working on recording and mixing an album for a band called Kirby Grip (also a Chicago band). It’s been fun. :) 

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