CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your music, what would it be and why?
PS: Yacht rock for sacred geometry nerds.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
PS: We all come from somewhat different music fandoms, but interconnect on things like prog rock, Steely Dan, and early aughts experimental emo (the kind with the finger tapping and odd meters).
CH.89: What made you want to start a music project and how did you come up with the name?
PS: Everyone in Personal Space has been in numerous other bands since we were middle school youngins. The name was an attempt to evoke the musical vibe we’re reaching for with Personal Space: domestic, luxurious, resplendent with relaxation and experimentation!
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new album?
PS: Most songs originate with either Alex or Sam, and then we bring those ideas to the larger band. We strip the MIDI drums away and let Jesse work his magic, then flesh out guitar parts and vocal harmonies.
CH.89: What would you want people/ the listener to take from your music?
PS: We hope our music helps the listener develop a deeper Hoxhaist analysis and resist milquetoast revisionism. Actually, we just want to produce some groove-worthy tunes with the occasional funny lyric.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
PS: Well, we all have 9 to 5s of varying stripes because it’s not really tenable to live on the east coast and just write music for a living. When we’re not being office monkeys, we get to entertain the “lifestyle” part of artist life by spending time in one of the many amazing studios that are all over NYC (mainly Figure8 or anywhere Allen Tate takes us).
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
PS: This is a hard question! Doing art can be kind of like being an explorer of yore, setting out to discover the new world (minus all the genocide). You want to have an idea of where you’re headed, generally, but as your destination comes more into focus it’s good to be open to changing course if you realize that what you’re headed for isn’t exactly what you thought it would be. Being loose about where you want to end up is probably better than trying to really rigidly adhere to your initial course, unless you’re like a genius wizard or something.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist?
PS: It’s a good idea to lock down a reliable, non-soul-destroying source of income before chasing your artistic dreams.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
PS: As a band full of socialists and fellow travelers, Personal Space recognizes that taste, per se, is expressive of ruling class aesthetics and so rejects the prospect of any kind of absolute or legitimate “good” taste. Having said that, we are aficionados of tasteful, soft strings and cranked snares.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
PS: Maintaining a solid shtick.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
PS: We love having a productive outlet for our antic energy that is net neutral, or maybe even occasionally net positive for our fellow humans.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artists that inspire you in any way?
PS: Artists who start their records with songs longer than six minutes. Also, Scott Walker.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
PS: It’s a blessing and a curse, man. DAWs and the like can be really useful compositional tools, but if the basic songcraft sucks then you end up with a really over-arranged and shitty song… (yes, we are speaking from personal experience!).
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?
PS: Probably not, although it does allow us to make critical remarks about house bands around the world which can be kind of fun.
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
PS: We petition Mexico City annually for a key to the city, which hasn’t quite worked out yet. In the meantime, we’ve contented ourselves with chowing down on chapulines and imbibing a nice tobalá whenever we can hop a flight down there.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
PS: Robert Caro, any book.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your music?
PS: It would be great to get our collective shit together and finish writing our third record. But we do have a tasty EP coming down the pike, so keep your eyes open for that!
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
PS: It means being called “a creative” by non-artists.
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your music?
PS: Best to consume Personal Space tunes whilst supine!
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