Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Almost an artist
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest memory of music is actually my brother playing classical guitar. I wasn’t especially drawn to it at first, but I was inevitably dragged into that world because my teachers assumed I was the “natural continuation” of his classical-guitar success — he was a bit of a star in that realm.
But the first private musical memory that really felt like mine was getting the Top Gun soundtrack on cassette while visiting my dad in Abu Dhabi. I had a Walkman, and that tape lived in it. That was probably the first time I felt a personal connection to music rather than an inherited one.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
When I was 11, I was pushed into classical guitar lessons, and I didn’t connect with it much. A bit, but not much — mostly because my friend had just shown me Nirvana. He gave me Nevermind, and that lit a fire in me instantly.
So I learned the classical pieces I was supposed to, but on the side I started writing my own lines without even realizing I was “writing songs.” It just consumed me. I became obsessed with creating music, and well, I never stopped.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I write music for a living — I compose for film and produce other artists — but Almost An Artist is the project rooted in who I was as a young person enamored with alt music, and other adjacent genres. I was also mad about Joni Mitchell, for instance, and reggae, and punk, and blues, and world music, but yeah … alt rock, which today would fall into indie rock, was my main jam.
It’s also where my film-scoring brain meets my songwriter brain: lots of orchestral elements, intentional arrangements, woodwinds, strings — all woven into something that still feels like songs.
Lyrically, I tend to be sardonic, lighthearted, some have said, sometimes witty, but always trying to remain human, and somehow kind, if that makes sense.
The name Almost An Artist is a philosophical reminder to myself, a bit of a mantra: I’ll only truly know what kind of artist I was on my deathbed. Until then, I’m almost an artist. After death, maybe the project can ironically be renamed An Artist — potentially an amusingly generic thing at that point. But yeah, I wouldn’t want to attain a certain level of popularity, and then not keep evolving. So … in case it happens, I self sabotaged in anticipation, so I would always be reminded – I am almost, an artist …
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Indie rock mixed with film scoring — introspective, cinematic, sometimes baroque, always anchored in songwriting.
Lyrically, I aim for honesty: thought-provoking, human, occasionally sharp, but hopefully with heart.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I’ve learned countless things over the years, but one lesson stands out: collaboration is humbling and transformative.
This project is entirely me, but when I’m scoring films, directors — often non-musicians — suggest ideas that I arrogantly resist at first. Then I realize, when I actually follow through, that 90% of the time their instincts lead to something better.
It taught me that I’m not as good as I think I am, and with humility, I can be better.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Digital Performer is my DAW of choice.
Guitar and voice are my primary writing tools.
I also play and record unusual instruments like the Guitarviol, based on the short-lived arpeggione.
- Also, everywhere I go, I carry my Guitarlele with me. So I write a lot on that. Awesome instrument.
And I rely heavily on the editorial process — writing, rewriting, and rewriting again. One song on this project took me 22 years to finish. I deeply believe in rewriting until a song feels genuinely great. Actually, it’s what I think is the hallmark of a good writer, or artist. Not that they can do it quickly, but that they do it all the way, without compromise, or laze.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Phoenix — their arrangements, vocal delivery, economy, and cleverness really resonate with me.
A more current song I love is “If You Know Me” by Hudson Freeman. It’s been everywhere on socials and is a beautiful example of economical, effective writing. Also, quite the respite for all the digital madness that seems to have taken over life. He’s very analogic. Wooden. Forest like.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Everything in my lyrics comes from my life — themes, observations, philosophies.
The name Almost An Artist itself reflects my personality: I live in the grey, not in binaries, and the project mirrors that.
Musically, I’m genre-agnostic. While this project falls into indie rock/indie pop/baroque pop, at heart I’m just a writer who loves all kinds of music.
Cinema also heavily influences me — the intentionality, the emotional architecture. That’s why strings, woodwinds, and orchestral elements are such a core part of the sound. I like creating cinematic sensations, and with this music, I somehow aim for that a bit. But I also really aim to write songs that can be played by any mediocre player, with a mediocre voice, around a camp fire and kill. For me, that is the litmus test as to wether or not a song is well written. One that doesn’t need production to do the lifting.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I don’t have a prescribed message, really. I don’t think. I just am the thing, capture with clever recording things, and well, kind of hope for the best.
I do hope, though, that people get something useful — comfort, therapy, excitement, joy, clarity, energy, whatever. But the most interesting part – for me – of releasing music is hearing what they think the meaning is.
It’s an experiment: I make the thing, and listeners tell me what it is.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Kindness.
When you strip away the industry, money, performance, and ego, what remains is the simple act of participating in music — which is inherently therapeutic and joyful.
Music lets people disconnect from the darker parts of life, even briefly. It makes people kinder because it lightens the load. They forget, they feel elated, and by extension they often can extend a kinder hand to their people.
That’s a powerful lesson to carry into the rest of life. I think.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I love house concerts — intimate spaces where you can genuinely connect with people. Of places like Sofar Sounds.
Beyond that:
- Le Poisson Rouge in New York
- Joe’s Pub
- Bowery Ballroom
All beautifully sized, all places I’ve always admired.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Uff .. So many…
- The Beatles — for the sheer creativity, enthusiasm, and evolution they embodied.
- Phoenix — meticulous writers with infectious energy.
- Beck — endlessly inventive.
- Habib Khalil — I love world music and would find that fusion fascinating.
- Queens of the Stone Age — I’d love to produce them; I think I could do something special with their sound.
- Dave Grohl — pure force of nature.
- Billie Eilish and Finneas — wildly creative, great sonic thinkers.
Honestly, I find joy in collaborating with many different kinds of artists, especially when they are good writers, or producers, or good at what they want to do.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
- Almost An Artist Site – https://almostanartist.bandzoogle.com/home
- Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/04Ydcz4RR4iz8WI4o4OqIC?si=egxIWmMZQU6m7DTLSnmufQ
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/julian_cassia_almost_an_artist/
- Bandcamp – https://almostanartist.bandcamp.com/edit_album?id=1583098634
- Patreon (coming soon)
- My composer website: Julian Cassia Music — which also links to Almost An Artist content.
All roads lead there.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
To find my 1,000 true fans and make this project self-sustaining.
Everything beyond that is a bonus.
I want to keep writing, keep producing, play shows, and connect deeply with audiences.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Whatever they want.
I’m an open book, and I hope whatever they discover nudges them toward being a little kinder, a little more thoughtful, mindful, and a little more comfortable living in the grey.
