INTERVIEW: Smashing Satellites

Smashing Satellites gives us the scoop on their new EP SonicAluzion (A-side) which is to be released on September 30th. We also discussed the story behind the music video to their song "Hounds" and more!

How would you describe your sound for someone who hasn't listened to Smashing Satellites yet?

Modern retro. The influences for Smashing Satellites are everything from The BeeGees to Placebo, Michael Jackson to Pink Floyd, Bob Marley to Nirvana. I grew up just listening to great music. I have two older sisters (10 and 12 years my senior), so I remember being a kid and listening to Placebo while my friends were listening to Hanson and the Spice Girls because I was getting my music from an older generation. My parents also loved bands like The BeeGees and Elvis, and those types of songs were always playing in my house. I couldn't help but be influenced by it all.

What do you think makes your sound unique?

The lack of boundary within each song, and from song to song. When I set out to create this band, I wanted there to be absolutely no boundaries when creating sonic landscapes and songs in the studio. I didn't want to be put in any boxes. I just wanted to create great music that came from the heart. You might listen to a song like 'Calm Me Down' and then hear 'Hounds' and be somewhat dumbfound that it is the same band. But that is what makes this band special and unique. The minute you put a musical label on your music is when the creativity dies. Smashing Satellites doesn't try to genre fit. We just make truth through song. Take it or leave it, but this is who I am as a writer, creator, performer, musician and person.

Smashing Satellites is releasing their Debut EP “SonicAluzion (A-side)”on September 30th. Can you tell us a little more about it?

This body of music really highlights a period of time and all the struggles, joys, sorrows and revelations I had during that period. I suffer from insomnia, and the affects of this include mood swings which can affect my perception of a situation. It's almost this feeling of bi-polar where one minute I can feel really great about something, and the next not at all. All due to my lack of sleep. But, I've learned to live with this and use it to my advantage. In these moments I'm usually very vulnerable and somewhat defeated, and I find it very easy to surrender to music. It is a release. So this record to an extent has a bi-polar vibe to it. You can feel and hear my ups and downs in the songs.

What is your usual writing and recording process like when making a record?

I really like to write on the beach. The ocean is so powerful, and it just really amazes me. It gives me this feeling of strength and perspective. I never sit down to write a song. I let the song come to me, and then I seek out a place to construct it. I never put boundaries on my writing, so it creates this endless flow of ideas because I allow myself to go anywhere. At the end of the day, I have to love what I create or I will never be happy, so I strive to create what I hear in my head, and this can many times include a vast range of influences. When it comes time to recording these songs, I literally just spend days and weeks recording one song. I am constantly digging and searching to create the sounds I hear in my head. So I experiment with many different instruments and sounds until I get where I need to be.

You released a music video to your song "Hounds" off of the EP, what was the story behind the video?

'Hounds' in particular has a pretty interesting story behind it. It isn't just a random song and video concept. 'Hounds' is a song I will never forget creating, because it created itself. I was lying in bed in my apartment in LA, just staring at the ceiling, thinking about the direction of this record… where I wanted to take it, and where it needed to be. The next morning I had a writing session to attend in Malibu and I was anxious over the fact that I didn't have any fresh ideas floating through my head. Suffering from insomnia, I have extremely obscure sleep patterns… at times, it can be psychologically painful… even physically. For once though, this handicap somewhat paid off… After many nights of literally no sleep, on this night I fell into a deep trance… one of the deepest sleeps I have ever fallen into. This cinematic-like dream began to unfold in this comatose state I was in. In this dream-state, I was laying in an open field looking up at a full moon. When I looked down at my hands, they were large with long finger nails… I began to touch my face, forehead and chest, and noticed there was fur everywhere… as if I was part wolf… a beast of the night if you will. I then looked to my right and beside me was a beautiful woman. In this dream she was of the same species as me… covered in fur… looking through me with these giant green eyes… seducing me. I crawled closer to her and began to touch her and sang "Hounds… we're hounds… two animals tangled under the moon… I howl for you." And that was it… I woke up completely startled. I recorded the melody and words on my computer and went back to sleep. The next morning I woke up and headed over to my writing session in Malibu. When I walked in, the producer I was working with asked me if I had any ideas. I said "well I had this really weird dream last night. Do you wanna hear it?" And the song was written. That day we finished writing and recording 'Hounds.' The majority of the song was recorded in that one day, including the vocals. If you notice, the vocals on that song are almost quivery and hesitant, but we kept those takes because they were recorded in the moment and were a true representation of my unsettled feeling from the events of the evening past. I wanted the video to depict my dream, but my dream never had a chance to end because I woke up, so I got to create and ending in the video. Also, that is my car (her name is Helene) that makes an appearance in the video and also Maxim beauty and friend Arielle Reitsma playing my werewoman.

What song, besides "Hounds", are you most looking forward to showing your fans?

Definitely 'Calm Me Down.' That song is a really deep one for me both lyrically and musically. I look forward to seeing what it does for those who end up listening to it.

Any tours in the fall?

We're in the process of one offs right now, but we will definitely be a touring machine very soon. Everyone can definitely count on that.

Anything else you would like to add?

Love is what makes the world a beautiful place to be. Share it and be willing to receive it. Peace. Love. Unity.