In our next Band Spotlight, we chat to Brad Hammonds of Brass Against about new music, success and plans for 2020.
S] Hey! How’s it going today?
S] Excellent – thanks for the interview!
S] How do you define success as artist/s?
S] Getting the chance to do what we love as musicians full time. None of us take this for granted- it’s so difficult to achieve and we’ve been profoundly fortunate to hit a chord with fans!
S] What are the biggest challenges in developing tracks as Brass Against?
We don’t rehearse the songs/videos before we record so when we show up in the studio we have to nail it in a few hours. The Tool songs can be disconcerting for sure but so far (thanks mainly to how detailed Andy’s scores are) we’ve been able to execute.
S] How has the band’s mission statement, in terms of the message you want to convey changed over time?
Great question! It has – we all still are fighting the good fight politically, but most of us meditate quite often and that has had an impact on evolving our mission to include much more compassion. We’re not as angry and we used to be and do the work to stay in the now, though proves to be quite difficult. The Tool songs have a lot of this messaging.
S] What motivates you personally, outside of music – think people, places, movies and games etc?
Comedy, Sam Harris, Philosophy, Meditation, Richard Linklater movies, Maynard James Keenan and Wine.
S] You have previously said that there was a desire to do original stuff, how far away is that from becoming reality?
We just completed our first single and love it. We’re going to put it out very soon – we’re mixing now. We’re heading up to a studio in January to complete the EP. We can’t wait to share these songs live!
S] What advice would you give to emerging artists who have been inspired by your work, and want to create an alternative to….the alternative?
Music is so oversaturated and moreover there is so much content out there. You have to be mindful of that, and really ask yourself if you’re creating something exciting. Create content that gives people goosebumps – literally.
S] Thanks for your time today!
Thank you!
