Today, we sat down with James, Mandy, Oliver and Landon from Nightbird Casino to talk inspiration to write music, heroes and much more! Be sure to check out their music from their band Nightbird Casino on Spotify below after the interview!
Interview:
What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your
surroundings?
James (vocals/guitar): Sure, to a degree it is. As the vocalist, most of my lyrics aren’t “about” me but rather from the POV of a character, who may be an amalgamation of myself, people I know, fictional characters, or just things I’ve observed. I read a lot and listen to a lot of other music, and I think that’s where I draw a huge amount of inspiration. Every now and then, a song just “happens” – you go back and listen later and it feels divinely inspired, like “I didn’t write this, did I?”
Mandy (keys): The quiet and simple spaces found in nature inspire me. I’ll try to replicate birdsong in my music, for example. I play music I feel in my bones. I’m a dancer and I naturally feel music pull and push me. If it doesn’t pull or push me, I scrap it.
Oliver (drums): I make music because what I want hasn’t been made yet … and I want to give back to all the musicians who gave to me.
Landon (bass): My literal dreams. Also all the music in the world that breaks the rules while sounding amazing.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
James: Depends on what point of my life we’re talking about – when I was a little kid, I listened to a lot of classical because that’s what my parents listened to, also I was really into The Beach Boys. I was a teenager lots of 90’s alternative – grunge, pop-punk, post-punk – I was super into Our Lady Peace in high school.
Mandy: My grandmother used to listen to Glenn Miller and the like, so 1920s-1950s big band jazz orchestras really impressed me at a young age. My father also had an impressive classical collection we would play often. By high school, I started listening to 90s alternative and ambient electronica. Those four different genres still continue to influence me today.
Oliver: 90’s alternative, hip-hop, and electronic.
Landon: Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Elliott Smith, Neil Young. When I was really young The Beatles, Beach Boys, and CSN.
Is there someone you looked up to as a hero?
James: Thom Yorke, Ed O’Brien, Johnny Greenwood, Paul Banks and Daniel Johns. The latter two as style icons as well. I guess those are my biggest “musical hero”, although I don’t like that term.
Mandy: There are so many “heroes” I have looked up to along my path to making music. The Planets by Gustav Holst was a childhood favourite of mine; and the albums “Play” by Moby and “To The Faithful Departed” by The Cranberries were crucially influential to me when I was younger. They still are.
Oliver: Kurt Cobain and Chad Smith.
Landon: Johnny Greenwood and Elliott Smith.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing today?
James: Assuming I pursued another creative avenue, I’d probably be doing something in the arena of film production, which is something I’ve dabbled in before.
Mandy: I’m enjoying my side hustle as a wine wench in southern Oregon right now. Working both front of house and behind the scenes in the winemaking process has been incredibly fun, informative and rewarding. I love to work with my hands so anything that gets me closer to nature is awesome. Especially if it has anything to do with rocks.
Oliver: I work in construction right now, so probably the same thing – just without the music. Hopefully someday, it’ll just be music.
Landon: No idea, maybe physics or engineering.
What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create
music?
James: It’s easy to stop yourself before you get started out of fear that it won’t be good enough, or you don’t know how. But don’t let a lack of technical know-how or expertise stall you – being able to “shred” isn’t nearly as important as being able to transfer the music you hear in your head to the real world. Just keep pushing.
Mandy: Literally anyone can create music; we all create music everyday without even realizing it. Honing it into something mesmerizing and intriguing can be challenging but also deeply satisfying. My advice? Find something that pushes and pulls your bones.
Oliver: Practice your ass off! And play along to and nail down all your favourite songs!
Landon: Don’t listen to the haters, make what you enjoy. Also, creativity is far more valuable than virtuosity.
Music:
