Today, we sat down with Dan Bibby and The Aesthetic Knobs to talk their inspiration to write music, advice for musicians and much more! Be sure to check out the music of Dan Bibby and The Aesthetic Knobs below on Spotify after the interview!
Interview:
What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your
surroundings?
I don’t think I have a singular answer to this. But generally, song writing is my way of processing what I’ve been wrestling with lately. It can range from a prolonged spell of anxiety, all the way to feeling directionless and stagnant. Usually, I come away from a writing session feeling a little lighter for it all.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
We always had Queen and Bon Jovi blasting in the car for as long as I can remember. Once I started to find “my own” music, I became obsessed with pop-punk and emo. I think you can hear that influence in our material, but it’s definitely been put through the blender with a bunch of other influences from me, and the other guys.
Is there someone you looked up as a hero?
Billie Joe Armstrong was the king for me. Probably still is. It’s hard not to be impressed with the drive and inspiration he’s had with Green Day over so many years. The energy never seems to fade.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing today?
Absolutely no idea. I like to think it’d still be something creative. What somebody chooses to do with their time is super important to things like growth and fulfilment. It’s easy just to laze the day away watching TV, but God knows I still do plenty of that too.
What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create
music?
Just start doing it. You can tie yourself up in knots thinking, “I’ll do it when..” Time moves by much faster than you think, and you don’t need any kind of special permission or skill to start writing songs.
If you need guidance or pointers, I’m positive that there is plenty of stuff online – but I would only use that as a guide. The first few songs you write may be a bit weird structurally, but that can lead to some really evocative sounds. And it’s important to know that that is completely normal. They might even be shit, and that’s fine too. It’s rare that someone can just grasp something perfectly from the get-go. Besides, it’s the imperfections that makes music what it is.
Music:
