Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Red Lennon

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

Josh: My first memory of playing music was banging on pots and pans while my uncle played Led Zeppelin songs on his guitar! That’s when I knew I wanted to be a drummer and eventually a songwriter.

Zane: My Dad is a singer/songwriter and he would always play guitar and sing to me and my sister growing up. 

How did your passion for creating music begin?

Josh: My passion truly began with listening to CD’s in my Dad’s truck. Whatever he had in there was what I was listening to. It ranged from things like Pearl Jam to Stevie Wonder to Jeff Buckley to NSYNC and sooooo much more.

Zane: I got a guitar when I was 10 and it claimed the rest of my life. 

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Josh: Zane and I have been making music together since high school. We are now in our late 20’s and still writing/producing in our studio in Nashville, TN. We both moved here from upstate New York and the dream has followed us all the way to music city.

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

Retro-futuristic indie rock that channels youthful urgency and allows you to recall simpler times in ways that are as familiar as a perfectly worn-in leather jacket or a box of old photographs.

Artists we take influence from include The 1975, Kings of Leon, Catfish & the Bottlemen, and The Neighbourhood.

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

The biggest thing we realized along the way is that people want to know your authentic self. There’s no point in making music if it’s not for yourself.

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

Pro Tools, Native Instruments, Universal Audio products, guitars, synths, drums, bass. You know, all the stuff that makes noise. 🙂

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Josh: I’m loving the Nashville band “In Color.” Their vibes and aesthetic are so well thought out and cohesive. The music itself is absolutely killer. Their song “Big Deal” is currently my fav.

Zane: I’ve been super into more folk-y stuff lately like The Milk Carton Kids and Gregory Alan Isakov.

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

As far as personal experiences, I think both of us attending music school at The College of Saint Rose was a huge stepping stone in our musical journey. We didn’t just perfect our musical knowledge, we also came to understand how the music industry works in real time, as well as how fast it changes day by day.

As for our artistic vision, The 1975 has remained a masterclass in branding and musical identity. We’ve been fans of them since the beginning and their existence has provided us with so much inspiration in many different areas of our musical lives.

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

We want people to feel every emotion while listening to our music. The main message seems to always be “don’t be afraid to be yourself and speak the truth no matter the consequence.”

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

Don’t be afraid to take chances.

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

Glastonbury, Coachella, The Ryman, a sold out show in our hometown.

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

There are too many to count, but Jeff Buckley makes the top of that list.

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

@redlennonmusic on all socials.

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

On the realest level, the short term goal is to keep releasing music, hire a manager, and hopefully land something like a distribution deal.

Long term, take over the world and be the biggest band ever. No big deal.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

We’re hoping that everyone just gets to know us as we are. We like to laugh, we like to make art, and we like to have a good time. Community is really important to us and we want to build a solid fanbase that is just as invested as we are online and in the real world.