Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Cotton Caves

Finding joy in music, back like when we were kids, building forts made of cotton.

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

My dad had a beat up old piano laying around our house and when I was 7, I started to play a bit. By the time I was 9 he had taught me all the songs he knew, so he knew it was time to get me a music teacher.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

Honestly, it was the first thing I was good at. I was never good at sports, and not very good at school. But by the time I was 12 I could play a Mozart Concerto on the clarinet. From then on I spent all my free time playing music. And when I was 13 I discovered Nirvana, which unlocked a huge range of emotions in me. So I taught myself guitar and started playing in bands, while continuing to learn classical music on the clarinet, and jazz as well.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Cotton Caves is the first project where I decided I wouldn’t care what other people think. Every other band I’ve ever had, I tried really hard to make something that other people would like. And they never really did. So it’s funny, that now I’m making music just for myself, and it’s the first time other people really seem to like it.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I’m trying really hard to make sure that I include a sense of joy in each new song. The concept behind Cotton Caves is to get in touch with my early childhood. Cotton Caves refers to forts we all make as kids with sheets to play in. So it’s that feeling, played by someone who grew up loving 90s alternative music, and who also has some music school chops on a bunch of different instruments.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

To stop hoping that my friends and family like the music I make.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

I’m a gear slut. I love everything about every piece of music equipment out there. I cant get enough of all of it. But for the first time, with Cotton Caves, I’m not using any digital instruments. No midi. No virtual libraries. I’m playing and recording all acoustic or electic instruments. So the essentials for me on this project are guitar, drums, bass, clarinet, piano, and percussion… and of course voice.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Great question. I just discovered a new artist Cooper Wolken. His new record Ovular Infinity is excellent. I’m also obsessed with Phoebe Bridgers.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

I write what I know. My dad is a professional photographer, and his whole life he has taken pictures with a post apocolyptic theme. So I’m constantly thinking about that. And my lyrics tend to be focused on the end of humanity.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

Music is the best way to connect with other people, especially when there are not enough words for the feeling we share. When I listen to Phoebe Bridgers I feel like she wrote her song just for me. It makes me feel like I’m not alone, and that someone else knows what it’s like to be stuck in my brain. I hope someone out there can listen to one of my songs, and feel like there’s someone out there who understands how they feel.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Patience in the process. Im not good at all the instruments I play. Sometimes I have to play one beat over and over again for 4 hours until it’s good enough to record it. Most of the time I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it. And magically, our brains somehow figure these things out. If you want to do something in life, but cant do it yet, do it over and over again a million times, and all of a sudden you’re able to do it. It’s incredible.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Anywhere. I haven’t played any shows yet with this new project. But I’d love to play in an old church.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Johnny Greenwood, Johann Johannsson, Weyes Blood. Because they are all incredible, but I also think I have a different perspective that I could offer to each one, and we’d make something unusual.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)