Welcome to Issue 7!
One of the best things about having a music project such as Signal Source Unknown is discovering other interesting music artists along the way. Previous issues featured Glass Pavilion who explained why he has learned to make guitar music without guitars, up and coming singer-songwriter Martin Mullady, ambient composer Westheart and China based post-rock artist Anouâr G.
This issue features Nowhere Near Hollywood a indie folk pop duo from Los Angeles, California.
Can you tell the readers a bit about yourself and your music?
We’re an indie folk pop duo from Los Angeles, CA, blending synths with acoustic instruments. Our music journey began when we started writing music for TV and film in 2018. Despite the creative outlet that writing for TV and film provided, we decided to explore being an independent artist, and from there, Nowhere Near Hollywood was born.
What are your ambitions for your music?
We hope to make music that connects with people; therefore, we have begun to perform live at backyard shows, venues, and release our music on streaming platforms to reach more people. One of our goals for the near future is to start to build a live band to enhance our live performances. With more exposure, we hope to one day make a living off our music.
What’s the best thing about being based in Los Angeles?
The best thing about living in Los Angeles is being inspired by so many talented, creative people, who create spaces for artists to enjoy and engage with art in every form. Whether it’s hanging out at a bar with live music or walking through an artist’s pop up shop at the farmer’s market, the community of artists is alive! Aside from the art scene, LA has amazing food!
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
The biggest challenge is definitely dedicating enough time to the craft after working a day job to pay the bills. Even when we’re tired after work, we have to push through to make music or rehearse because it’s what brings us the most joy. Working on music for just a few hours a day makes a huge difference not only in our skill but in our mood, too.
Your latest release is Like a Mystery. Can you tell us how this track came together and how you recorded it?
Like a Mystery came about during a writing session earlier this spring.The song started out when we were jamming with an acoustic guitar. Since the song is more upbeat we decide to give it an electro pop feel but still keep the acoustic guitar in. The dichotomy of the organic feel of the acoustic mixed with electric pop production is kinda becoming our signature go to. We recorded all the vocals and instruments in our home studio and Ryan added some other synth production to the track to finish it off.
Is there a story behind Like a Mystery?
After brainstorming some ideas for the type of feeling we wanted to portray in the song, we came up with this fun, upbeat song about getting away with a lover. And of course, we had to sprinkle in life in California, specifically Los Angeles, through the lyrics, with mentions of driving along the coast and Hollywood.
How would you describe your style of music?
When we first began Nowhere Near Hollywood, our sound was leaning towards indie folk, but overtime, it morphed into a mix of indie folk and dream pop. The dream pop influence can be heard in some of our latest releases, such as Euphoria and Halo Light, with dreamy synths and lush harmonies. Most of our tracks are fully produced while at live shows, our sets are mostly acoustic, but we’re slowly incorporating Native Instruments, Maschine into our sets.
Which artists inspire you?
Some of the artists that have inspired us lately include: Better Oblivion Community Center, Shovels and Ropes, Lana Del Rey, Oliver Tree, and Cigarettes After Sex. These artists have definitely influenced our sound.
What is the most surprising fact you’ve learnt about yourself?
Throughout our time making music together, what amazes us the most is reflecting on how far we’ve come, not only in our skill producing and performing but in our dedication to building up our space for creating. We started recording music in our closet six years ago, and now we have our own home studio, Hummingbird Studio, that helps facilitate our creativity.
How do you structure your week?
We structure our week by dividing our time between creating new music, rehearsing for live shows, and creating content for our socials. We dedicate about 20-30 hours a week. So a typical week looks like: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are reserved for rehearsals, Making music is sprinkled throughout each day with two fully dedicated days -- Saturday and Sunday, and creating content is also sprinkled throughout each day.
If you could record your music in any studio with any producer, where would it be and who with?
We have so many favorite producers, but right now, for the type of music we’re making, it would be really cool to work with Jack Antonoff and Labrinth. As far as studios, it would be a dream to record either at Blackbirds Studio in Nashville or Abbey Road Studios.
Is there another artist you’d like to give a mention to for our readers to check out?
We’re playing with two great indie pop bands, Miss Not Ma’am and Ginkgo Balboa, at our next show. We definitely recommend both of their music.
What’s your book recommendation?
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is one of our go-tos for motivating us and hacking your brain for productive creativity. For pure enjoyment, some of our favorites are The Alchemist and the classic, Catcher in the Rye.
What’s next for Nowhere Near Hollywood?
We’re opening up for two other bands from the LA area at the Oracle Tavern in Downtown LA on July 18th at 7pm! We also hope to work on another music video for one of our releases soon. And of course, create more music, play more shows, rinse, recycle, and repeat.
Do you have any upcoming releases?
We’re always working on music, so we definitely have something in the works. Our next release is coming out mid July, and it’s got a fun, summer vibe feel with some pop influence. The release date for Dancing in the Moonlight is July 15!
Thanks Rebecca, they are really good!
A great read, and I've just really enjoyed listening to 'Like a Mystery'. :D