In Conversation with Cavetown
[UNPUBLISHED:] What songs are you most looking forward to playing live?
[CAVETOWN:] I always love playing new songs!! It can get repetitive playing the same stuff after a while so getting to play something fresh is always really fun. It’s the first time we’re playing Fall In Love with a Girl and Smoke Signals live, and there’s also a new song called Frog which we’re having a great time playing.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a pre-show ritual?
[CAVETOWN:] Aside from my usual vocal warmups, it changes every tour. On the last tour, my band and I would do a crossword together to get our minds all focused and calibrated, and on this tour, we’ve started singing a song together which is basically just us all screaming “YOU ARE CAPABLE YOU CAN DO IT” at each other.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Is there any specific place you're looking forward to visiting on this tour?
[CAVETOWN:] I’m excited to go back to Seattle! It’s been a long time since I was last there and I remember really enjoying it. I also fell in love with San Diego recently so I’m looking forward to going back there and having some nice beach time.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Now that you’ve progressed musically, how do you feel looking back on your older songs?
[CAVETOWN:] Kind of embarrassed because it all sounds terrible to me now, but it also helps put in perspective how much I’ve grown during times when I’m feeling self-critical. So many times I was very close to deleting some of my old stuff just because of how badly it’s mixed and how different my voice was, but I’m really glad I didn’t.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a songwriting process?
[CAVETOWN:] It’s all over the place, my mind kind of does what it wants and I can either be super productive or end up getting really frustrated at myself!! The best work usually happens when a song just falls out of me in one go.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What’s your best memory in the recording studio while you were making a song?
[CAVETOWN:] I just work at home on my own so there’s not really much to make memories out of!! It is always fun going to another studio to track drums or something though.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has your music style changed since you first started making music?
[CAVETOWN:] I’d say it’s probably gotten a bit more polished and I’ve experimented with more and more different instruments. I think the overall essence of my style has stayed pretty similar though. It’s important to me that it still has a little pinch of homemade warmth to it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you like your music to be left up to interpretation or do you want people to take away a very specific intention when they hear your songs?
[CAVETOWN:] I really don’t mind. Once the song is written it’s done its job for me, whether that’s getting something out of my system or processing something I’ve been struggling with. I think it’s really cool when people can find their own experiences in my music even if it’s not what the song was originally about. That’s a huge part of why I even share it in the first place! But I don’t like it when it gets to a point where people start to gatekeep what a song is about and who it’s for. My music is for everyone, whether they just vibe with it or want to connect with it on a deeper emotional level.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Who are some of your favorite artists that have been inspiring you lately?
[CAVETOWN:] I’ve been listening to some Andy Shauf and Big Thief recently! I adore a soft tiny drum sound.