There is something so magical about spending time getting to know the artist behind the music instrument.. The person generates the creativity behind the music..
This has definitely been the case as we have spent time with Brighton, England based songwriter.. musician.. avid gamer and philosophical and conceptual thinker, Leo Aram-Downs.
Leo joined us for the below interview to discuss the release of his single, Dashcam, which is coming to you as a part of his EP, ‘We All Have Our Place Part 2.’.
As you begin to listen to Leo Aram-downs’ track, Dashcam, immediately, you are faced with a beautiful and artful simplicity.. The kind of simplicity that makes you stop in your tracks and intently listen.
The track starts with the sound of ukulele and the beginning of a vulnerable and heartfelt story as told by Leo.
The story is one of getting completely and intentionally lost and then the journey that it takes to gradually find your way back.. in the process, to find yourself.
There is no doubt that as you listen to the track, you will find yourself deeply lost in thought as you start to imagine finding your own journey back to yourself.
As well as ‘Dashcam’, Leo has also released two other singles from the EP, A Life Abbreviated and White Noise.. We absolutely look forward to hearing the full completed EP of ‘We All Have Our Place Pt. 2’. Be sure to follow him on social media to be notified of the release!
You can have a listen to ‘Dashcam’ below:
Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself?
Sure!
My name’s Leo, I’m a guitarist and songwriter based in Brighton, England.
I’ve been playing the guitar for 17 years, and it’s kind of been the through-line of my entire being really.
I’ve been writing music for about the same amount of time, and it’s been a wonderful journey!
What was it that first inspired you to begin a career in music?
There were two albums growing up that I think made me want to pursue songwriting as an artform, which were Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix and Demon Dayz by Gorillaz.
When I was younger, I think those two albums were just perfect examples of using music to say something which isn’t expressible in any other medium.
In many ways those albums are still the standard I’m striving for both as an instrumentalist and a conceptual songwriter, but I’m certainly not there yet!
As for being a working musician, there wasn’t a point specifically where I decided that was what I wanted to do, that just felt natural almost? Like, I always knew I was going to be making music for a living in one way or another, and knowing that from such an early age allowed me to lay the groundwork to make it a reality. And I’ve been lucky in that sense to have a decent career up to now!
What does life look like for you, outside music?
Nothing out of the usual, really!
I’m an avid gamer, I think games and music have a special place in my heart as experiences that can’t be replicated by other media, so I really enjoy a plethora of games.
I got deep into chess over lockdown, and I’m trying to keep that up now regular life is returning.
I’m also a competitive Super Smash Bros. player, which has been a great time since I picked the game up in 2014. That is, when I have the time for any of these at least!
We just got a puppy, and she’s taken up a great deal of energy haha! When I’m not working on music, I’m probably training her at the moment.
How would you describe the feel of your music?
I’ve been asked about genre a lot, but not feel! That’s an interesting one.
I think I’ve always had an affinity for “cold” sounding music, which is a difficult term to communicate, but I think I’ve always tried to give my music a cold feeling, like those crisp winter days where there’s blinding sunlight but a deep quiet.
That was a very artsy answer, I apologise!
You have recently released your single, ‘Dashcam’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this track?
Stylistically, I was deeply inspired by Sufjan Stevens, and I wanted to be up-front about that, hence mentioning the state of Illinois in the first line. I think it’s important not only to be inspired by people but to cite your inspirations. The more of those you can combine, the better in my opinion!
As for the narrative of it, this is the conclusion of a three-song arc that has spread over the two EPs. It’s a road trip out of Canada and through the States, in song form. For the curious listener, all the songs in We All Have Our Place that are in the key of B are narratively linked. I know what I wrote them about, but I’d be equally interested in what listeners think that little sub-plot of the EP is about.
‘Dashcam’ is part of an EP that you are releasing (We All Have Our Place Pt.2).. what does the EP mean to you?
We All Have Our Place is, as the title suggests, about our sense of place. The term I was running with was “Geographical nostalgia” when I started writing it.
I’m reaching the age when certain places have a strong feeling of memory tied to them, and that’s a new sensation. My grand ambition when I started writing the EP in 2019 was to go to all the different locations in question and record/film the music/visuals there.
As the pandemic kicked off, it simultaneously became about not having access to these places, which was an equally novel experience. So I guess this EP is as much of an outcome of the last year and a half as it is sort of timeless to me.
Where do you find your inspiration for your songs?
As you can probably tell, I’m heavily driven by a sense of concept. I usually write best when there’s something I want to explore. This can be something abstract like an emotional state, or my response to a piece of media, or it can be something quite technical like a new tuning or recording technique.
As well as being a singer/songwriter, you also get involved with film composition and musical theatre.. What has been your inspiration to explore these areas as well?
I started writing for film thanks to one of my nearest and dearest friends Lara Diamond, who is an insanely talented film director. While we were both in school I’d score a lot of her film projects, and that was a great way to get on my feet.
Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a couple of other indie directors as well as a game soundtrack, which has been a huge learning curve. I also just had the opportunity to write music for an HBO comedy special, which was an unbelievable experience.
As for theatre, playing shows as a pit musician was initially a career decision. It felt like the best way to utilise my skillset to make a living when I first left uni. I’ve not had the privilege to do it yet post-rona, but it’s certainly a job I love doing and I’d be thrilled to take the opportunity up if it came my way again.
What would success in music look like for you?
When I left university, the main goal for me was “sustainability”, and that was all I really cared about. My prime objective back then was to ensure I was doing this for a living, because I felt like the rest would follow after that.
Since then, it’s really just been about artistic fulfilment for me.
I want to be able to make the best music I can, and for each release to be better than the next really! And if the listener-base can grow exponentially, that would be equally amazing, but as long as I can make what I want, uninhibited, to the best of my ability, that’s the real success for me.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt along the way?
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned, especially over the last few years, is that you can’t be a good musician without being a good listener first. That’s the same with any artform really, but if you’re able to identify what you love about someone’s art, it’s that much easier to borrow those ideas and use it to find your place in the musical universe as it were.
The other big lesson is that you can be the most talented person in the room, but it’s all for nothing if you’re not a nice person.
You can find more of Leo Aram-Downs at:
https://www.facebook.com/thelegendofleo
https://www.instagram.com/thelegendofleo
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.