Day 5: Emily's Favorite Interviews of 2017
One thing that has always been difficult for me on some level is the effort that face-to-face communication requires. So, interviews have never really been my favorite. I can remember in January when we interviewed Del Water Gap in a Dunkin' Donuts before their show, I was begging Dylan to sit in on it with me so I wouldn't have to keep a conversation going alone.
Fortunately, practice makes perfect, and with each interview I've done, I've managed to inch my way out of my comfort zone to a place where I feel almost content. I know how lucky I am to have been given the opportunity to sit down and talk with some of the people I have, so I don't intend on wasting it.
I've narrowed my choices down to a top three of my favorite interview to date:
1. Danny Black on Adventure Soundtrack. Dan is such a cool guy, and I've been a fan of his work since I discovered Good Old War back in early high school. He's got such an amazing stage presence and naturally raw talent that makes him impossible to take your eyes off of while he's performing. We met him in Manayunk to talk about what drove his early 2017 solo record, and that was such a revealing conversation. Dan's an outdoorsman and adventurer at heart, so learning about blending two of his passions - travel and music - into one was really telling of his character. He and his wife, Annie, took a looooong road trip during the Adventure Soundtrack's writing to help hone inspiration.
2. An Intimate Evening With Del Water Gap. To date, this was one of the coolest nights of the year. This was our first ever Sofar Sounds show, and it absolutely blew us away. And it was our first time finally seeing Del Water Gap in person. We'd worked out this interview on a whim, and it turned out to be one of the posts that I'm the most proud of. I loved hearing their story from them, I loved watching them interact and really grasping what they meant to each other. Moments like that, where you're let in, only for a moment, are irreplaceable that you could never achieve through an email interview.
3. Seth Carpenter of Bucolic. If you don't know Bucolic by now, then you definitely haven't been paying attention to us. Bucolic has been our year-end obsession, and I am so grateful we found Seth when we did. His music has been the soundtrack to our winter, and listening to his songs, I knew he must have an interesting story to tell. The fact that he's a solo artist creating such intricate and deep sounds intrigued me from the start, and his music is hauntingly beautiful, just like his personality. He's a quiet guy with a lot to say, if you let him.
Tomorrow, we're going to talk about our favorite experiences of 2017, a post that's been a long time coming. Check back then!