Your new track “Another Summer” explores the intricate dynamics of human relationships. What inspired you to delve into this theme for your new release?
In general, I like exploring universal themes and the kinds of experiences we all go through at some point in our lives. For me, this track speaks to enduring love and the sense of uncertainty when it seems like you’re drifting apart. It’s a recognition that there are challenging times and that it’s common to overlook each other more as time goes by. Still, it also speaks to how braving the occasional cold spell can lead to renewed growth and beauty in a relationship.
Can you tell us more about your creative process when composing “Another Summer” and how you translated the theme of enduring love into music?
When I begin writing, I usually don’t have a clear direction. I often improvise on an instrument until a particular progression or melody resonates with me. From there, I expand and refine around this central idea. I enjoy the freeform exploration and try to stay attuned to my instinctual responses. “Another Summer” began on piano and all I knew was that the progression made me feel something. When the line “Will we have another summer?” emerged while singing random syllables, it struck a chord with the music’s emotion, and started guiding the song’s theme. I think translating the theme into music, in part, has to do with being willing to be vulnerable in public, to dismiss “what others might think” thoughts in favour of diving deeply into how you feel about the subject matter. My goal is to be in a zone where I’m just responding to what I’m hearing moment to moment intuitively – wether it’s a creative twist or a technical tweak. I love when the process becomes a wordless dialogue between myself and the sound I’m shaping, balancing gut feelings with musical craftsmanship.
You’ve had an impressive career in both television composition and music production. How do these two aspects of your work influence each other?
With my musical work I’m committed to keeping up with the production schedule of the show and trying to garner approvals on music that meets someone else’s barometer-of-awesome. Kodiak Arcade is more of an open ended exploration where my own inner voice has the final say. When I’m following a trail of creative breadcrumbs it feels like that part is its own reward. The acknowledgment from the professional world has given me the freedom to create without constantly feeling the need to seek validation from others with every new piece.
Your musical projects span across genres, from Kodiak Arcade’s indie electronica to neo-classical compositions with Cabin Fever Orchestra. How do you navigate between these different styles and what do you find most fulfilling about this versatility?
Ultimately, music is music, and the more of it that you make, the easier it is to speak musically in any genre. These projects allow me to actively develop my creative voice instead having my progress guided only by what I’m hired to create for others. I think Cabin Fever Orchestra and Kodiak Arcade allow me to express very different sides of myself. I grew up loving popular music, and fell in love with film and television score as I developed my craft. The idea of open-ended exploration in each genre still excites me. Both projects also function as a way to connect with an entirely different set of listeners and collaborators.
With your extensive experience, what advice would you give to emerging musicians who are looking to make a mark in the music industry today?
I’d probably say: learn the tech of your time without much regard for the narratives around it. When I started writing full time, older musicians in my orbit sneered in the direction of the younger crowd’s use of samplers and mainstream DAWs, arguing that no “real musician” needs these things, that I should be hiring players for every demo and paying a recording studio to record to tape instead of a hard drive. These things only made sense if you were economically established. I saw visual artists maintaining that any use of Photoshop is “cheating” and again, that a “real artist” wouldn’t need these things to succeed. As you might expect, most people making these arguments became functionally irrelevant shortly thereafter, unless they were so established in their career that they could pay others to understand these things for them. I think the current narrative around AI oriented creation is similar. To me, AI tools seem like the most profound potential shift in artistic creation within my lifetime. I’m already on a path of my own, with the tools and practices that have brought me to where I am, so I’m not all that likely to reinvent my processes in the short term, but I’m excited to hear the music of the younger crowd that has a vision for what they can do with this new technology and watch how they maximize its potential. I can’t wait to hear something truly compelling, made in an entirely new way, especially if it involves the collaboration of human and machine minds.
Can you share any upcoming projects or future plans for Kodiak Arcade that your fans can look forward to?
I’m looking to create immersive visual content that complements my music for a deeper experience. I’m exploring methods of producing music videos in VR using a mix of generative AI tools. I think the future of this kind of expression is bright.
