Solo Solo is an indie rock, sibling duo. They live in Austin. They wrote, recorded, and mixed their first songs during quarantine in a storage unit. It was really hot in there. Greg's the big brother. He got hit by a car and only has one-and-a-half legs now. Jon's the little brother. He's normal af. Their genre is technically indie rock, but it's really "Early Tarantino." They only speak in movie quotes and they both think they're the lovable anti-hero.
Thank you for taking this interview! What has 2022 been like for YOU as an artist? 2022 has been an intense year for us, so far! We're mixing and mastering, adding the final touches to songs 1 year in the making. These being our first releases, we're just getting off the ground. I think there'll be a time when we'll look back on this time as the dog days, the real work, you know? But this is our favorite part.. where the rubber meets the road. When actual sound is made and recorded. We've been building our sound for the last year and now that we're releasing, we can't wait to get back into recording. Can you tell us how you've transformed from the beginning to now as an artist? I took classical lessons on guitar from ages 5-12 and let my personal tastes in education take over from there. Played everyday. Once I understood the basics, I started working on songs. I never stopped learning about my instruments. I never stopped discovering new ways to make the specific sounds I'm looking for. I've gotten a bit older and a little better at the craft... but I haven't changed much as an artist since the beginning. I approach it the same way. Or try to! My brother, Jon, is the drummer, and he's in the same boat. How did you come up with your latest project? Solo Solo is a pandemic baby. We were locked down like everyone else. The bands we were playing with had all dissolved around the time of the pandemic but we've both been playing our instruments and writing music since we were kids so, because we're family and were hanging out during quarantine anyways, it was inevitable that this project got started. We weren't sure what the band was going to look like, though. We knew after a few months that this was just our thing, so we'd keep it a duo and doing that gave us the freedom to be a little more creative. Beyond that (live shows, social media, releases) we didn't have any plans until we finished a few songs. We didn't even have a name. Since we both "went solo" at the same time, we settled on Solo Solo. And here we are. Where are you from originally? Charlottesville, VA (or thereabouts) Where do you live now? Austin, TX Do you think where you live impacts how your music is made? The raw materials for music are different city to city, so, yes. What was the inspiration to make music your career? Making music is the inspiration to make music our career. It hasn't happened yet, as we both have jobs, but the dream, and I think this might be true for almost everyone in a creative endeavor, is to be able to make a living from the pursuit of our passion. Music makes us happy. It's our thing, you know? Kind of all there is to it. How do you want to shape your career? I'd like to shape my career so that writing and producing stay at the forefront, no matter what. Performing is crucial and exhilarating, but turning a thought into music is oxygen. That's what keeps us alive. That and, you know, real oxygen doesn't hurt either. Do you work on a tight timeline always or do you go with the flow when it comes to your music? We just work, flat out, until we're done working for the day and try to do that as many days in a row as possible. We set expectations like writing and recording a song a week... and we almost always meet them. But certain songs take 5 minutes, others I've been working on for months and I haven't cracked them yet. Making music for us is about working on it whether you can find the flow or not, and irregardless of deadlines. You can ballpark it, but you don't want to spend all your time thinking about time. Helps to have a plan, though. How did your latest title of your music come to be? No Sleep.. We were recording inside a storage unit at a facility on the East side of Austin where a few bands practice all hours of the day, all hours of the night. The only time there was enough silence to record was 6a-8a. So, I started waking up at 4:45a everyday, overdoing it on coffee, and getting straight to work. We set out to write, compose, record, and get a rough mix on one (1) track per week. "No Sleep" was written and recorded in the middle of a 20 song run and the title reflects the state we were in at the time. 4:45a every morning, no matter what.. There's more than a little sleep deprivation baked into the price of this track. Hence, the title/lyrics. But we've always struggled with having snippets of songs, four or five lines written, a random chorus melody, a really exciting intro... and then we'd never finish the song. So the lyric "I never finish anything but I can't stop starting" is painfully autobiographical. So we just buckled down, woke up early to get the vocals and drums recorded before the noise started, kept at it, and the answer to the chorus is that the song is finished. Though the song was in E, we ended the track with a hard stop on Gmaj to give it an unfinished feeling. But it is finished. Is it hard to let go of the music when it is done? Letting go of the music is simple. In the context of reception, how people receive the music and if that factors into the artist's future decisions... I think we'd all prefer that people like what we're working on when we're finished. But to stay true to the music, you have to stay true to your own ideas and your own instincts. And that means not letting anyone else's opinion cloud your judgement. So, letting go of the music is simple as long as you're able to take both criticism and acclaim with the world's largest grain of salt. Do you feel an emotional attachment with your music? I am still moved by our music but I don't feel bound by it now that it's being released, if that makes sense. How would you describe your music in one word to someone who hasn't listened to it yet? Probably Romantic, saccharine as that sounds. Where do they go to listen NOW? https://open.spotify.com/artist/3keBhhbdgCUHELOQICEYnV?si=I9WITJ0mSnqtLh5jo4mKgg What has been the best fan reaction to your music? Couple people called/texted when No Sleep was played on local Austin radio... that was pretty cool. Being fans of Austin radio, it's always like that scene in That Thing You Do when your song comes on. Is there anything exciting coming up for you? We're releasing a single, Pure Graffiti, on November 11th, 2022. Powerful, indie pop ballad. Are you performing the song anywhere LIVE? Not yet, but we're planning on doing some live streams in November. Keep in touch! Give us all your socials and links so fans can link up with you! Thank you for this interview!
IG: http://www.instagram.com/solosoloband
FB: https://www.facebook.com/solosoloband
YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2YW3Yfb7LQ
TT: www.tiktok.com/@solosoloband