Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up in southern California, always wanting to travel and discover new places. Though I took a particularly inspiring trip to New Mexico, travel was limited so I used to go to the public library and check out CDs so that I could learn about music from around the world – from Kentucky to Qatar to Japan. That set me on a course for musical discovery.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Tone Ranger”?
A: Our music is intended for the adventurous listener. People who like to find secret doors in our shared reality. Bridging the sonic world with the visual can help with storytelling and Tone Ranger is at its core, a film project. We just shot a longer-form film project for the album Confluence (parent album for Channel / Wonder), where people can step into this world in a more guided way.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I find what Lord Huron is doing on the cinematic / music front to be particularly inspiring. I find inspiration in architecture, landscapes, dreams, films, in conversation with friends, and of course in the actual process of writing and production.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind this new A/B side single, “Channel” & “Wonder”
A: They are songs celebrating the joy and mystery of new life. The way I played instruments here – marimba, glockenspiel, guitar, the Omnichord – is more intuitively led than composed, lending a childlike playful atmosphere. My daughter features prominently in spoken word and laughter as she convinces me to give her dessert and plays a game of jumping frogs with her mom. Our doula, Elena Shelton, has vocals woven throughout Channel and in Wonder, bells from outside her home are heard as we go into a deeper, more meditative space
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Transportive
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording this release?
A: It’s never a problem to bring a lot of ingredients to the table. It’s always more of a process of refining exactly what needs to be in there and fine tuning the levels of ingredients in the soup.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I’d like to connect people with the natural world around them. I’d like to help people access a dream space that goes beyond our mundane reality.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Rene Magritte
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Carve your own path. Do what matters to you. And do it a LOT!
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Do what you love
