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Talks to Brannan Lane |
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Talks to Brannan Lane |
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Brannan Lane
To Earth and Back
Relaxing Effects of Water
Sleep Cycle
Lost Caverns of Thera
Caribbean Dream
Caribbean Dream II
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To
Earth and Back:
AV: Most everyone has a beginning to their love of music; can you trace it back to a particular point in your life when it struck you that music was going to be a motivating factor during the rest of your life? BL: Both of my parents are musicians as well as my older brother, so I was exposed to music from day one. At a very young age, I thought that if I could do this for the rest of my life, how cool would that be?! AV: Have you ever had any formal training in music or is your output from natural abilities and lots of practice? BL: I took piano lessons for about 3 years starting at age 9. Then I changed to drums, because there was no piano in the school band, and I seemed to have a lot of natural ability and rhythm. I'm sure the piano lessons helped. Then at college age, I was fortunate enough to get a full music scholarship to Autin Peay State University. I was a percussion and piano major. AV: What are your thoughts on having formal training in music and does it hurt or hinder what you do as a musician? BL: That's a very tough question. I don't think I have an answer for that. I do know that the formal training sure helps you understand about music theory and technique. But, music to me is more about a vibe, feeling or emotions. That's something I'm not sure you can learn from a book. Music equals emotions. AV: What instrument(s) did you start with during your early days and what have you added to your repertoire since that time? BL: Well, like I said earlier, I started on piano, then drums and percussion, and I even play a little guitar now, too. Little meaning very little. AV: When was it that you felt the call to take your love for music and move it into a more professional or career oriented arena? What were some of your first gigs like and did it make you feel any better about your choice to pursue music as a career? BL: At age 13, my first gigs were with my Dad's big band and jazz combo. Then after two years of college, I was feeling the strain of late night gigs and early morning classes. So, the following fall, I didn't register for school again, because I was working as a full time musician, and that meant sometimes leaving town for days at a time. I wanted to continue doing this, learning from these experiences, and I knew that I couldn't do both this and school, so I chose the work over schooling. AV: When did you move to Nashville and what result did this have on the music you made and the styles of music that you were involved with? BL: Well, I have actually never lived in Nashville. I live 35 minutes northwest of Nashville, right up I-24 in Clarksville. I can almost throw a rock and hit the interstate from my house, not that I would want to. :o) I ended up in Clarksville, because it's right next to Ft Campbell Army Base. My Dad was the band director there for 25 years. My Mom taught art in an elementary school. I like living right outside of Nashville, so I never moved. I do all my music business there. You asked about what result did this have on my music. It didn't have any result on my personal music, but it has provided gigs that are available no where else. I enjoy just working as a side musician, a hired gun. I worked for 14 years on The Grand Ole Opry. AV: Was electronic music always at the forefront of your musical interests or is this something that evolved over time? BL: No, it was not. I have only been listening to electronic music for about 3 or 4 years now. Before that, it was jazz, rock, latin music, etc. AV: You said that you have only been listening to electronic music for about 3 or 4 years now, what was it that moved you to not only listen to the genre but become involved in it in a big way through your own electronic releases? BL: I had been in bands that had come close to getting record deals and various things, but it always fell through because of conflicts with band members. The reason I turned to electronic music, is because it's the only type of music I was capable of making and recording all by myself. I greatly enjoyed the electronic music, that I had heard at that time. So, having a percussion and piano background, I went out and bought some electronic keyboards and started experimenting with sounds and textures. AV: Who were some of your earliest influences in regards to motivating you to pursue electronic music? BL: The first electronic artists that I heard were Gregory Kyryluk, Robert Rich, Richard Bone and Dino Pacifici. Since then, everything I see or hear influences my music. AV: Tell me about your involvement with the music scene in Nashville and how it figures in to your overall musical direction. BL: I mentioned some things earlier. Another way that Nashville has helped is I have a brand new CD on Space for Music Records. It's Tony Gerber's label, and he's in Nashville, so he and I have become friends. We hang out some, and go to lunch. He's a very talented artist and musician. I also have another CD coming out this month on Tony's label. It's a collaboration between Zero Ohms (Richard Roberts) and myself. Nashville is also hosting Space for Music Festival coming up April 13 with Spacecraft, Robert Rich, Giles Reaves, Ma Ja Le, Zero Ohms, Aashid Himons, Umlaut, Fognode, Matt Borghi and little ole me. I also work with a blues and zydeco band (Delicious Blues Stew) from Baton Rouge/New Orleans that conveniently lives in Nashville, now. Members of the Stew won the KBA award this last year. Nashville is also great to be close to, because of all the mastering studios and CD plants available. I don't have to do any of this by mail. I can go right to the person's office and handle it with a personal touch. As you can see, I'm involved in a lot of different styles of music. That is what it takes in order for me to be a full time musician and pay the mortgage. But my label (brannanlane.com music) only releases ambient sound scapes and world music and I offer a FREE CD with every order from my website. I also have a new collaboration that I hope will be ready to ship next week with Vidna Obmana. AV: Lets talk about your latest release, To Earth and Back. Where did the title come from and what is the theme of the music contained on this release? BL: With the title, I wanted to leave question or mystery in one's mind. To Earth and Back........the destination is earth, but where are you coming from and returning to........another planet?, another solar system? What is your origin? I hope the music represents the same thing, a long journey from an unknown destination to a familiar place and back again. AV: Do you have an idea of where you are going with a project from the minute you conceive of it or does it form as you move through the music? BL: For me, it forms as I move through the music or creative process. AV: Walk me through the birth and creation of a project like To Earth and Back. Once you have a brilliant idea for a CD how do you go about taking it from your mind, into the studio and out the other end as a finished CD that you are happy with? BL: You mean you want me to give away my secrets? ...ha ha :o) I don't know if I can walk you through step by step as it takes me about a year to complete or be satisfied with a project. It almost always starts with me just improving on the keyboards. Basically I'm like a sculptor. I take raw material and chip away until a piece of art is formed. AV: Do you do everything associated with one of your releases or is there someone that you turn to for a second opinion on works in progress? BL: When I am working on the project from the inside, sometimes it is hard to step back and get a true perspective of it, so I always send out my unreleased work to a handful of friends, who are artists or reviewers, for feedback and comments. AV: In regards to feedback on a project that is not yet done, how much weight do you put on negative feedback as to what you are doing? If you received feedback that pretty much shot down the project in its present form would you scrap the idea and start over or would you press ahead to completion? BL: If all the people who heard it shot it down, I would scrap the idea and try a different approach. ...or maybe I should just send it to more people! ...ha ha :o) AV: Through all of your tinkering and tweaking on projects that you are working on, how do you know when it is done and can't be made any better? BL: There's a lot of things involved in writing and recording. I can't really pinpoint it down to one thing or a group of things. Basically, whenever I feel a 100% satisfied and have gotten positive feedback on it, then I know it's ready. AV: Are you happy with the way To Earth and Back came out and was it what you had originally envisioned when you started the project? BL: I am happy with the way it turned out. I feel very fortunate to have it released on Space For Music Records. It did go through a lot of changes to reach the finished product. But I did keep the same vision from beginning to end. AV: You mentioned Tony Gerber and Space for Music earlier and I wanted to ask you if there is a difference in the way a record label runs when it is headed by someone who is also a working musician rather than an executive who is not involved with performing at all? BL: Oh it's great! Tony know's where you're coming from as an artist. He's walked in your shoes. He's gone through alot of the same things that you have as an artist. Tony takes great pride and care in this label. It's his baby. He's not just a hired executive. He's the man, the guy! AV: How different is it for you as an artist to release through someone else's label as opposed to doing it yourself on an in house label? Tell me about the good points and the bad points if any. BL: Releasing through someone else's label I think may give you more creditability. It allows you to reach more fans. The record label as a whole will have a lot more fans than I have by myself. So, it's a great opportunity to make some new fans. The bad point I guess is that you have to split the profit with somebody. :o) ha ha! Working with Tony has been good for me, and we've only just begun. AV: You also have another release out that is relatively new as well. The Relaxing Effects of Water. What were your goals in releasing this CD and how are they different from any other release that you have done? BL: This release is different, because it's the most minimalistic release I have done, and it has very little electronic sounds on it. My goal was ...you know those miniature electric water fountains where water laps over rocks or some type of formation, that have gotten popular over the last few years. You see them in offices, kitchens, living rooms, and even in restaurants. Well, some fans had mentioned to me that they wanted to sleep and/or relax to the sound of the fountain, but they could'nt hear the fountain well enough unless their house or apartment was very very quiet. They also wanted to listen to it while they worked on their computers, but their fountains would be in another room. So, I thought why not record relaxing and tranquil sounds of water gently flowing and dancing over rocks and formations. Then the volume could be set at whatever level you desire at that time. You could even listen to it in your car or hotel room if you wanted to. Relaxing Effects Of Water is mostly water sounds with ambient tones and drones floating in the background. AV: Have you changed the way that you approach each new project over the years as you put more experience under your belt? In what ways is the process the same and in what ways do you do things differently now? BL: Things have not changed much. I would say about 90% of my tracks/songs starts off as an improvisation. They usually start with a pattern or harmony that I like. AV: Do you see a pattern of growth to your work from your first release to your current work in progress? Could you give us your perspective on where this growth is leading you? BL: I don't know where it's leading me, but I hope I have progressed in the past few years. I'm more familiar with ambient, space and tribal music than I ever have been and hopefully that shows in my work now. AV: When it comes to collaborations how do you decide who you will work with? BL: Whoever is desperate enough to have me. ...ha ha :o) No really, I have just contacted artists that I really enjoy. Presently I've collaborated tracks with Ashera, Jason Sloan, Vidna Obmana, Zero Ohms, Tom Larson, and Lane Formschlag. Two other artist that have expressed an interest in collaborating with me are Tony Gerber and Byron Metcalf . I would also like to work with James Johnson someday. AV: How does the process of creation differ when you are working with someone else on a project as opposed to doing the same project all by yourself? BL: Well, for me, it's usually the same. I still start just by improvising. I like working with someone else. I feel like the tracks always turn out better than what I could have done on my own. Two heads are better than one, I believe. Of course, my head is not that good to begin with. :o) AV: Do you have any favorites from the CD's that you have released so far as an electronic musician? BL: Yea sure, I have some favorite tracks from each cd. AV: Do you do any live performances of your electronic material and if so what can we look for from you in the coming months? BL: I will be performing live for the very first time at the Space For Music Festival in Nashville on April 13th (Sat.). I hope to get invited to perform more places after the Festival. AV: Tell us about some of your upcoming projects and what new directions you might be exploring with coming releases? BL: Upcoming releases are: DEEP UNKNOWN, Brannan Lane / Vidna Obmana, will be out April 2nd, and it's a deep ambient space soundscape. SOUNDFALL TO THE INFINITE, Zero Ohms / Brannan Lane, will also be out April 2nd, and it was recorded mostly with acoustic instruments. I have a tribal ambient CD entitled TRIBAL SPIRIT coming out in May with a great percussionist by the name of Tom Larson. I also have a new solo project, HYPNOTIC DRIFT, that will be released in July. It's a very deep ambient soundscape. I think it's my best solo work yet. I sent a copy to Steve Davis at Hearts of Space and he went wild over it, so that made me feel really good. The deep space with Vidna, the acoustic stuff with Zero, the tribal ambient release with Tom, and the best solo work I've done are all new directions for me. AV: To close out this interview, what are your thoughts on where ambient music is headed in the years to come and do you see yourself playing a larger role in this progress as time moves forward? BL: I can't say where ambient music is headed, and with all the other great artists out there. I don't see myself playing a large role in the progress of ambient music. I would feel very fortunate to have any role at all. I would like to take this time to thank you Michael and Ambient Visions for asking me to do this interview. If I'm getting your attention, I must be doing something right! Thank you Michael for your interest and support of my work and all the other artist like me out there. Thanks! AV: Thanks for talking with us Brannan and I do wish you much success as your career picks up steam over the next few years. |
