We’ve written about Major Spark a few times over the past couple of years, and most recently we reviewed their single, ‘Birds Aren’t Real’. The utter bop of a track belies the serious questions we should all be asking ourselves, and if we’re not asking ourselves those questions, then maybe we should be asking Major Spark. So we did.
Hi there thanks for talking to us today! First off – are birds real? And why or why not?
Are birds real? We know birds used to be real. We simply ask people to look into birdsarentreal.com to read up on the issue – and then to draw their own conclusions.
Who inspires your music and sound?
Well. We are addicted to hearing new sounds, songs, artists – so we listen to college radio, new music playlists… and actually read about music. Our favourite new songs are ‘Pool Cue Vigilante’, by Northern Portrait, ‘Find It’, by Bass Drum of Death, and ‘I Saw’, by Young Fathers. ‘Birds Aren’t Real’ was not initially inspired by a specific artist, however we definitely discussed the B-52s vibe in the verses. And – we consciously aimed for the Laurel Canyon sound with the chorus vocals. The Byrds and Beach Boys could be considered inspirations for that type of thing.
Sticking with inspirations, who inspires you in your every day lives?
We are inspired every time we hear creativity in new music. We are also inspired by stories of people who overcome obstacles to achieve goals whether those are small goals or major accomplishments. Several songs on our debut, ‘Beautiful Noise’, are about “seeing the mountain” and finding the inspiration and tenacity to “climb the mountain” – whatever the mountain may be. Check out ‘Turn It Up‘ for an example of that.Â
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions and if so, can you share them with us (mine is to go outdoors, no matter the weather, every day this year)? If you don’t make them, why?
Brian and I aim to complete our 2nd full length album in 2023. We have a few songs completed, and we have a concept for how we want the album to sound.Â
What’s next for Major Spark? What can fans expect from you this year?
Well. Brian’s studio Zippah Recording burned to the ground last year. He produces bands in a couple of studios around Boston, but we have paused Major Spark recording until we have a new studio. We are quite close to getting a new studio operating. Brian is truly grateful for the outpouring of support from musicians and friends in the New England area who contribute to a fund to help rebuild the studio. I wish I could give more details on the new studio, but we do not want to make an announcement until it’s a done deal and operating.Â
Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in and interview, and what’s the answer to that question?
That’s a very good question. Your questions are good. The historical questions are interesting. A friend of mine used to write a major piece for The Washington Post called My Top Ten. He interviewed people like Paul Simon, Frank Black, David Bowie, and even Barry Manilow and simply asked them which 10 songs influenced them most. He’d bring a tape player to the interview and listen to each song with them. “Tape player” might give you an idea of the era when this was done. I can’t go into detail on each song. But for me… I remember hearing ‘Waiting For the Man’ by the Velvet Underground for the first time. Blown away. And then I heard The Violent Femmes ‘Blister in the Sun’, and I thought, “Well, I’ve got to do this…” I heard Camper van Betthoven’s ‘Take the Skinheads Bowling’, and that influenced me to push the boundaries of lyrics. Pavement’s ‘Range Life’ – same thing… the lyrics are great.
More recently – I heard Sofi Tukker’s ‘Best Friend’ – and that influenced us to take a crack at writing Pop… and that’s how Major Spark was born.
Watch the video for ‘Birds Aren’t Real’ below and find out more about Major Spark and their music online on their official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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