Interview: AstroMike Gordon

We first heard your song “Margret The Widow”. What is the story behind the song and how did you create/write it? Also, what inspired the song title?
Yes! And thank you for that lovely review you gave us. The song is about the day my grandfather Died. He lived a spectacular yet tragic life. He was from a Hungarian upper class family and spoke several languages, fought wars, made art and music, but he wasn’t much of a father. And when he died in Malaga leaving 9 children behind, no one really knew what to feel or what to make of it. I wrote the song from my grandmother’s (Margret Mcewen) perspective which also gave the song its title. A side note; This song caused quite a stir in my family when we released it. One of my uncles, who doesn’t seem to understand the concept of irony, thought of it as an homage to my grandparents and started texting everyone about how I am the only one who understands my grandfather’s greatness. So just to clarify, this song is full of irony and I took a lot of liberty with the story. 


You have recently released your five-song EP, titled Reviresco. What is the story behind the title and its meaning?
Reviresco (I flourish again) is the motto of my grandmother’s clan, Mcewen. In many ways I find it a suitable name for this EP since the opening track “Margret The Widow” is named after her.

What themes does the EP have? Furthermore, how was it written and what inspired it?
The title and its meaning is the theme for the EP. ‘Reviresco‘ is a hint to my family and many of the songs touch that subject. But the meaning behind the motto ,I flourish again, is also a hint to our way of writing and recording music. In this era of algorithms and possibility to polish a production within an inch of its life our will to dive even further into the human condition of recording music has grown. And yes, in this detachment from modern standards we feel that we flourish again. 


If you had to describe your sound, how would you do so? Furthermore, what artists (or other sources) do you cite as influences?
I call it crooner pop which for me sums it up pretty well since our music puts a big emphasis on vocal expression. Something that was more common in the 60’s and 70’s. And I guess it’s obvious that our biggest influences come from that era. Bowie, The Beatles, Nick Drake, Scott Walker, Serge Gainsbourg, even Sinatra and Brel. For me, a perfect song has a great lyric and just the right amount of complexity. The song´s base needs to be strong enough for just the melody and the chords to stand on its own. And those artists all seemed to think like that. On the more contemporary end I would cite Andrew Bird and Alduos Harding as influences for the same reason. 


What have been career highlights so far? And what is on your bucket list that you’d want to achieve?
I love everything about playing with this band. To write the music, bring it to the musicians and mould it into a record with our dear friend and producer Tomas Borgström. To play live and see an audience respond to it. So I could say that every second of it has been a highlight. But to be more precise there are two moments that really stand out for me. The first was a show we did in Hannover a couple of years back. A wonderful little club called Feinkostlampe. There was an indescribable feeling during that show, and a mood in the audience, that made me fall in love with music all over again. The second highlight has been recording this EP. To see everything fall into place and that vision we had in the beginning take shape was almost enough for me. I would love to reach a bigger audience and play bigger shows. But the feeling I get when creating music is what drives me.


If you could be the main support for any living artist, who would that be for and why? Alternatively, what would be your dream live booking?
There are so many artists that I would love to open for. But if I had to pick one I would say David Byrne. I love everything about him. Ignite being part of a show like that. 


What artists have you been listening to? Additionally, who should others be listening to?
I have been listening a lot to Phoebe Bridgers lately. Perfect lyrics and a perfect voice. And I recently discovered a band called Black Sea Dahu that I absolutely adore. Apart from that, people really need to listen to Scott Walker. He is not nearly as recognized as he should be.  

AstroMike Gordon: Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

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