Jen from Music, Why Not! caught up with the band Stop Light Observations from Mt. Pleasant, SC at this years SXSW (2018). They have played numerous music festivals including Bonnaroo, Firefly, and Summerfest. The band is now set to release an ongoing series of digital 45s, each with an A-side and B-side, entitled The Volume. Stay tuned for that and for now check out our interview!
Jen: Thank you for stopping by with Music, Why Not! We’re here with Stoplight Observation, please state your name and what you play.
Stop Light Observations:
Will Blackburn – Lead Vocals
Cubby – Songwriter, Piano, Synth, Vocals
Louis Duffie – Guitar, Synth, Percussion
Luke Withers – Drums
Jen: So you just got to South by South West, correct?
Stop Light Observations: We did.
Jen: What was the state you guys came from?
Stop Light Observations: We were in New Orleans yesterday. We just stopped by to hang out for a little while. We’re from South Carolina.
Jen: Can you walk me the process of that?
Stop Light Observations: Lyric wise, I had a dream, I was dreaming the song? It was the only song I have ever dreamed. But, I just dreamed it. And then I woke up and wrote it down just to make sure I didn’t lose it. That’s it.
Jen: As a band, when you compose your music, what comes first? Lyrics or music?
Stop Light Observations: Just depends, like, we’ve done it so many different ways. It might be somebody is jamming something, might be our song Vanderlight, like Luke got a beat he was just playing.
Could be a drum beat, or a vocal melody. Or like, it can start with anything.
It can start with somebody playing like two notes, like tuning their guitar, then playing two notes. And someone else starts in and like we record a lot of stuff too.
Inspiration though definitely has to start with inspiration.
Jen: How did you guys get together?
Stop Light Observations: Just through school.
Jen: Like do you guys go way back?
Stop Light Observations: We go way back. I think middle school-ish? Yeah, middle school. Us three go back, we’re like childhood friends. We’re talking like, really young, like 3,4,5. We’ve all grown up together throughout school. We’ve shared like memories of life so, yeah.
Jen: With your music, what has been your favorite state to play in so far?
Stop Light Observations: New York, Brooklyn.
Jen: Why New York specifically?
Stop Light Observations: Just the energy there. It’s the place…wow.
Jen: What’s your favorite song off the album?
Stop Light Observations: Mine is Idle Hands.
Mine is it depends show to show…if the show is really crazy Acqurius Apocolyptic, but if it’s a really uh, like, if it sounds really good and it’s docile, kind of low energy, 50 Ways or Dinosaur Bones. Because people always sing the last chorus, that’s always…when people are singing along that’s always the best.
Jen: Where do you guys draw inspiration from? Who were your heroes in music growing up?
Stop Light Observations: There’s a lot of them.
Jen: Who would you say creatively?
Stop Light Observations: It’s not just one…like The Beatles and Zepplin and The Stones, but then there’s like Charles and Sam Cook and Etta James and Aretha Franklin. There’s all these different…
I guess over the years we have studied so music and listened to so many artists that it’s not like one…it’s all kinds of music have just inspired us, you know in tons of ways.
Jen: *How did you guys get into play music, was it personal was it?* (rough time hearing this)
Stop Light Observations: I think for all of us, we’ve kind of banged on pots and pans. You know?
I think my most memorable memory was I was in 5th grade and got a guitar and I’m this skinny little white kid, I was like you know what, girls aren’t gonna be interested in me if I don’t do something with my life so I picked up the guitar and started strumming chords.
Believe or not this dude is Jaguar. A Stallion.
Jen: So, where do you guys see yourself after this festival? Where do you wanna go next?
Stop Light Observations: Shaky Knees.
Jen: Shaky Knees? That’s enjoyable. Lastly to wrap things up. Anything you’d like to say the people who are going to be reading this?
Stop Light Observations: Love you guys, thank you for this and listening to our music, appreciate that.
By: Jennifer Machuca | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not! | All Rights Reserved |
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