Interview - Levingstone

          Music is one of my passions and one that I know will be shared by many of you.  I listen to all kinds of genres and especially to musical artists who are either not very mainstream, not widely known, or both.  Through my interviews, I hope you’ll join me on this musical odyssey of not only listening but learning about the music from the artists who love what they do, who are original, who are unique and who take you outside your own environments and give you a different global perspective.

          This week, I caught up with Sammi Su of Levingstone to discuss his music and his life as a musician.

Read the full interview below:

What inspires you to do what you do?

          I don't think I really have a choice in the matter sometimes. I feel static and lost when I'm not creating, or sharing what I've created. Making music with Levingstone is really interesting, and challenging in all the right ways - its a creative outlet for all of us that in the end equals a sum greater than its parts. We're all inspired by a wide variety of music - too long a list to mention here - but I'm also really inspired by artists and writers, like Isabel Allende, Angela Singer and Philip K. Dick.

What are the biggest obstacles for bands in the modern music industry/what have you faced?

          I think the industry at the moment is in a really transient phase - theres a generation of musicians and industry people that didn't grow up with the fast pace of the internet and streaming culture, and there's a generation that did. I feel like people in my age bracket are sort of in between the two - and we need to just keep moving forward and embracing the new things we like, and fighting the things we don't... but only the things that really matter. I think theres a little too much fighting going on in the realm of piracy and copyright thats really anti-evolution. 

          In terms of the obstacles we've personally faced, I think the biggest one would be that some people want to be given a really clear definition of who you are and what you do - they want you in bite-sized pieces, and we don't want to do that. We don't really have any hard and fast rules for what we do or how it should sound, and getting people to be willing to come along on that journey and see for themselves has been difficult for us at times.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing?

          Its evolved hugely! There are some old songs from when we first started writing and playing together that will NEVER see the light of day (or people's iPhone screens)... we all have such different tastes and like (and don't like!) so many different things that it took us a while to settle in to a comfortable place. In the beginning our songs were all over the place in a bad way - now I think they're all over the place but in a way that feels natural and has a flow.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

          Just do it! We're not a punk band by any stretch, but that DIY culture is alive and well in what we do and in what countless other bands are doing. The internet and social media and accessible recording tech means anyone can make music, record it, and share it in a little mouse-click or screen-tap. We can access more music and therefore influences than we know what to do with - it feels like this great stream of colour and sound that we can all just dive into and be inspired by. Its easy to be negative about it (I change my mind daily!), but we live in a pretty incredible time to artists!

How does your music speak for your country? 

          I'm not sure that it does, yet... not directly anyway. Lyrically a lot of our music is about feeling displaced in one way or another. Musically I think Australia has a lot to offer. Our history is turbulent and short, impossibly ancient and beautiful and sad and full of anger and countless other things all at the same time. Theres amazing music and art being made that I think the mainstream isn't ready for yet - but if you dig a little theres some brilliant things being done on very fertile ground. I'd like to hear more music from Aboriginal Australians being given attention - they speak for this country better than anyone else.

What message does it send? 

          "Modern Burials" has a thread running through all the songs that speaks about the way I think we bury ourselves in modern life - the conflict between the inner, primal human and the outer world we've created, as well as Nature's spirit and body being buried under our construction of the modern world. Having said all that, each song really is about so many different things - each line weaves in to a larger narrative but also has its own story, and we really like to leave space for the listener to read themselves in to the music. We don't like to be too didactic about meaning.

To what extent do you believe music can shape global perspective about a people or about their struggles?

          I think music is one of the great conversations - it speaks from a perspective, about a perspective, and shapes perspective. Of course music doesn't always have to be political or intellectual - some of the best music isn't! - but when it is I think its incredibly powerful. In terms of people and their struggles, one of my favourite recent records is Anohni's Hopelessness - aside from being brilliant music its really opened a dialogue about the state of our world and the mess we've gotten ourselves in to. Again though I'd like to hear more music from people of colour being given attention, because their perspectives are invaluable in righting the rampant oppression happening in the world.

Is there anyone you would like to acknowledge for offering support in some way?

          I think we'd really like to thank bloggers such as yourself that have taken an interest in what we do - it really means the world to us and helps us connect with more people. Also community radio has been really good to us, so we'd like to thank all the community programmers that have given our tracks some airplay. We've had loads of people that have helped us along the way - I think being part of a community is invaluable. Its tough out there and we all ready need to get behind each other!

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this post.  Please feel free to comment on this article about whatever you feel like (suggestions, what you think of the band, etc...).  If you would like to contact me for any reason, check out the 'Contact' tab above.  Have a nice day and rock on!