Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Decorated Time x JAN
My name is Adam McDonald and I’m a multi-genre multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand.
Decorated Time is my solo project where I write, play, record and mix everything myself from my modest home studio in between being a stay at home Dad.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I remember when I was a little kid, sometimes I would walk to my piano lessons after school. One time I arrived a little bit too early, and rather than sit and watch the lesson before me, I went into my teacher’s garden and collected a bunch of what I thought were really cool sounding sticks and rocks. I sat in the grass and wrote my magnum opus, and when it was my turn for a piano lesson I eagerly brought all my percussion inside to show my teacher.
I honestly don’t remember her reaction, but to this day she claims she always knew I was going to be a drummer – long before I’d seen my first drum kit and it became my main instrument
How did your passion for creating music begin?
My whole family has always been pretty musical. Everyone played piano, everyone sang, my mother played saxophone, my brother played trombone, my father played trumpet, and my sister was a violinist.
Music was a constant growing up – even if no one was playing, there was always something on the speakers or someone singing a tune. I found an old acoustic guitar in the garage one day and the rest is history!
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I’ve been in.. just so many bands. Bands that were great but fell apart. Bands that were fun but that just weren’t serious about releasing music. Session work that sounded wicked but I had no creative input in.
Decorated Time was born out of a desire to have something constant I could always come back to, that would stand the test of time and that I didn’t have to make creative compromises over. A project that was entirely me the whole way through and wouldn’t stop releasing music because members left or something.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Eclectic.
But honestly.. probably confusing!
It’s one of those things where I didn’t want to box myself into a genre, but to the point where the release you heard was an indie, alt rocky, metal inspired track my mate affectionately called “djentpop”, and my latest release was looped field recordings I made of birdsong, rain and nature sounds.
I released some lo-fi chill beats, there’s some more indie djentpop in the pipeline, and I’m currently writing some D’n’B and dungeon synthy video game music.
I still don’t know if it’s the worst marketing decision I could have ever made, but because this will be a lifelong project there will eventually be something for everybody, I’m sure!
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Drums have the power to completely and absolutely change the way a song sounds.
I know a lot of musicians that will record the drums first so that they have a foundation to record off of, and I get it! Honestly, just do whatever works best for your own creativity!
But for me and the way I write music, I feel like once the guitar is written, it doesn’t ever really change. Once the synths are written, it doesn’t ever really change. Once the vocals are written, that’s the song. But once the drums come in, I can absolutely change the whole song into a metalcore piece if I want to. So personally, I record the drums last. Not necessarily to completely change the style, but it gives me the ability to emphasise that really cool vocal take that got recorded, or play around that crazy guitar effect that got added accidentally.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
To be brutally honest, I think the shower is the most essential part of my writing process. I’m pretty sure every melody and every lyric was written in that box.
Other than that, the audio recorder on my cellphone is just so incredibly useful. Record the melody and try out different harmonies. Record lyric ideas. Beatbox a funky drum beat. Super underrated tool.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Check out ‘Kiss the Sky’ by TOI! That chorus is just **chef’s kiss**
Also an honourable mention to ‘your eyes are just the same’ by JAN. That track will get stuck in my head for days.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
One of the main things that I remember from some prior bands was really enjoying how a song was written, and then slowly compromising with bandmates about how the chorus should be played, and how I should play the verse, and how the structure should change, to the point where it became a chore to play the song I once loved because I’d kind of grown to resent it. That was the main appeal about having an entirely solo project to always come back to – no creative compromise, just a fun project that I would always enjoy working on.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I always imagined people would get a sense of fun from the project, but everything so far has ended up being pretty melancholic, honestly! So maybe at this point I hope people get a chill down their spine.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
I know it sounds cliche, but music can surpass any language or cultural barriers.
I’ve played with so many people from all different walks of life, and it doesn’t even matter if we can speak the same language or not – when that pocket hits there’s a connection there you just can’t get from Google Translate.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
A bit late to the party but I would have loved to have played Warped Tour or Big Day Out. Locally I’d love to play Homegrown, but I’ve always loved Download.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Enter Shikari, hands down. They have been my absolute favourite artist for as long as I can remember. They’re always so creative and the lyrics are so well written.
That being said, I reckon Dean Martin would be such a fun time.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tS1mHXWUEqe7R8nJx6aQk?si=IIz2NkWRTGuGGMRimhnqHQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DecoratedTime
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@decoratedtime
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/time.decorated/
Those are the main ones! I try to make YouTube videos for all the releases.
Here’s a LinkTree for all the rest:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/decoratedtime/where-the-hills-meet-the-sea-feat-jan
There’s also a bunch more music platforms that my distribution service uploads to that I just don’t follow. Just search for Decorated Time on your favourite – I should be there!
I also do drum covers if that interests you:
https://www.youtube.com/@AdamAndHisDrums
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Being able to play music with my kids one day would be amazing. My 3 year old daughter always wants to play on my piano and guitars, and my 9 month old son is drumming on everything that makes a noise.
Might have to do some Decorated Time features at some point!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I just hope people will be able to connect with me authentically. No gimmicks, no characters. Just a dude who loves making music and that we can always have a genuine conversation if you want to.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
This is the lyric video I made for Where The Hills Meet The Sea, using my Dad’s paintings of the view which inspired the track.
