Joshie Ingham talks about the glam-infected pop origins of new project, Blonde-Dog in this revealing new Q/A!
Hi Joshie, how are you today?
Absolutely wonderful, as per usual I’ve spent the afternoon chatting music with the regulars of the bar/art gallery I work in – Arthouse. We’ve been on a bit of rabbit hole of Pavement, Bull and Neil Young.
What creative inspirations are motivating you right now, think specific people, places, movies or games, for example?
I have recently been on my first solo trip to Krakow and the entire trip has been inspirational from partying with an Orchestra in Kazimierz on my birthday, seeing the jazz hip hop fusion band Kosmonauci and walking round Auschwitz.
What would you say your biggest challenges are as an artist now?
I’ll be honest, it’s figuring out the content creation side of the industry, I don’t want to be someone who follows the trends within TikTok/Reel content creation, I want to figure out a way to experiment with it and make it an artistic endeavour.
How important is the visual aspect of what you do?
The visual aspect is always at the forefront of my mind, I’ve always been obsessed with bands who dress the same re use their image enhance the music: I’m talking The White Stripes, Fire The Unstoppable Force, Perspex – things like that.
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How does Blonde-Dog challenge you in new ways, compared to your work with Stuka?
The exciting and challenging aspect of The Blonde-Dog project is going back (pre-STUKA) to having total control over a project which is in equal parts intimidating and exciting. It’s all to common for artists to become a 4D aspect of controlling their business and artistic endeavours. Compared to STUKA where I had artistic control but had my band members to share the administrative workload.
Talk us through the lyrical ideas behind Eye Of The Eastern Lights?
The lyrical themes of Eye Of The Eastern Lights is a simple image expanded upon. It’s someone I’m sure everyone experiences, it’s a moment in time where you know it will be a key memory and you simultaneously want to freeze it right there but not lose focus so you can experience just the beauty of it.
‘Frame it now,
Every word,
Hang it up,
When it’s still a work of art.
And you could catch her and you could catch a spark’
Talk me through some of the best experiences you had making the track?
Truth be told it was one of those songs where I’d written it in such a flurry it felt like I wasn’t writing it and then when it was over I was nervous about touching it and my own recording capabilities and I specifically remember adding a low level string hum for texture and a little vocal lick (which is out of my comfort zone) and I knew it was coming together in that moment.
What’s coming next for Blonde-Dog?
There’s lots coming next for Blonde-Dog, I’m a singer-songwriter who writes a song-a-day because my mind is always switched on, but when being in a band (Which is called Rothco. who will be playing The Sesh Stage at Humber Street Sesh on the 3rd of August) I have to slow it down so we can craft the set together and have everyone’s input. So with this project it’s beginning with some acoustic solo sets and some lovingly crafted live videos which are NPR music desk-esque. But as it’s a concept project there will be more releases and a backing band involved round the corner.
Is there anything else you’d like to plug before we finish?
Rothco will play Humber Street Sesh on 3rd of August! And, Soundsphere (which is one hell of an music publication)
Thanks for your time!
