Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Violet Cluster
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
When I was about seven or eight years old, I heard two of my musical influences on the radio that have marked my life. One was listening to the wonderful Tina Turner on the radio, and the other was watching the band Europe on TV. My family wasn’t very passionate about music, and I think that made me want to know more about what I saw and heard. A few years later, I was playing at home with guitars I made out of wood and cardboard, pretending to be a rock guitarist and trying to play those songs that thrilled me back then.How did your passion for creating music begin?
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What’s the story behind your current music project?
The Violet Cluster emerged from Yolanda Pedreño’s and my (Patxi Navarro) desire to make the music we’ve been passionate about since our teens. We’re passionate about Southern Rock, Soul, and Blues. After playing together in another folk band, which we
had to put on hold for a long time, we decided to return with this new project, and we’re very proud of its reach and the public’s reception.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
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It’s an organic sound, very intimate and full of passion, reminiscent of the 70s. The vocals are the main focus, reminiscent of the wonderful Janis Joplin, with compositions based on a very current blues rock sound, ranging from modern indie to a soul reminiscent of the most authentic Stax Records.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Well, it turns out that what has led me to change my approach to making music is listening. Listening to those around me who give me advice, learning from others. Learning from their suggestions about my compositions and trying everything that can enrich my creations. Not being afraid to make mistakes and learning from them. The world is full of wonderful people we should listen to and learn from.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? Reply
Just my guitar and a tape recorder where I have thousands and thousands of ideas that I later develop or discard; it’s with those I discard that I learn the most.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
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There are several, but among the most notable we can mention are Larkin Poe or Tedeschi Trucks Band
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision? Reply
My whole life has been connected to music. I’ve always been very interested in songwriting, and I love analyzing the songs I like by my favorite artists and seeing how they work. It’s quite an experience.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work? Reply
I simply hope you enjoy it and that it makes you feel good, just like when I listen to songs that give me good vibes, whether they’re happy or not, but that you can feel good when you listen to them.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
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Knowing how to listen, I don’t just mean listening to the songs themselves, but to everything behind them, including everything that has led to that composition being the way it is, from the arrangements to the opinions of those who help improve the songs.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
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All venues are wonderful. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t enjoy playing on big stages, but the smaller ones, close to the audience and where you can talk to them after the show, are simply marvelous. They’re full of emotion and usually attract wonderful people who thank you after the concert. They’re all incredible.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? Reply
There are so many reasons I wouldn’t know where to begin. But one thing is clear: I would have loved to have been at Stax Studios, not for what they released, but for the camaraderie among those who visited the studios in an adverse social climate, and yet they grew and composed together without regard for skin color or political or religious beliefs. For that reason, and many more, I believe music is wonderful.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links) Reply
on all platforms, such as Spotify, YouTube, our website thevioletcluster.com, …
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
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Being selfish, in my vision of the future I only see music, guitars, and concerts with the band and our families. Everything has its place, but always with music. Composing is my passion.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? Reply
Just enjoy it.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
I’m leaving you two links to our Live Studio Session that we just released, a fresh take on two of the tracks we recorded on our LP Five Are Coming. It’s a live recording that you can watch on our YouTube channel, with no added production, just plugged into the amps and ready to go. Pure Soul and Southern Rock with the powerful voice of Yolanda Pedreño
