Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Humbird
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest musical memory is singing meal-time prayers with my family before dinner, everyone joining in, holding hands, and delighting in messy harmonies.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I actually don’t remember a time without enjoying making up melodies and silly songs. I am told that even when I was really little, it was incessant and at times incredibly annoying.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Humbird is a music project I started as an outlet for my more personal songs and experiments during a time when I played in various bands and collaborations. Slowly, it grew until it became my main musical focus and it has been a winding, strange road ever since. I’m really lucky to be doing it.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I would say it’s singer-songwriter indie folk, heavily inspired by Neil Young, The Beatles and Sheryl Crow.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Around my 30th birthday, I had to learn (through some hard lessons) that my whole life and identity needed to be more than just music music music. I needed to widen my perspective and be curious and open to other passions and possibilities. I’m still working on reframing my mind and heart every day, but in many ways I feel that diversifying and challenging myself in other areas has enriched the music I make as well.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
First and foremost, a notebook and a satisfyingly inky pen.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Hmm. “Indie” can mean a lot of different things. But lately, I’ve been listening the Charif Megarbane most days and deeply enjoying it. It gets me dancing around the kitchen!
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
They are the foundation of my work and vision.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope people take away a sense of comradery, honesty, steady optimism.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
That things change.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’ve always dreamed of playing at Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik after attending it as a research fellow in 2013.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
According to family lore, my great great grandpa ran an apothecary and when the shop was empty he’d step out on the street to play his fiddle for passersby. I’d love to sit with him and learn from his songs and life.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/humbird)
and anywhere you stream your music.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I would like to keep going, keep learning, keep offering up performances that move people.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I prefer to be pretty private, but I hope people discover things in the music that enrich their own lives.
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