Brian Green (seeyouinsleep)

Feb 7, 2009

Topic: Featured | Tags: , ,

The video posted on CDM of you playing the guitar with two iTouchs attached – is that something you came up with?
Well my best friend Joseph got me into this software called Ableton Live.

You use Ableton Live to loop the bowed notes then you use Bloom?
That’s only part of what I do. Some of it is adding a bunch of delays so it’s not even looped, it just goes on for a while. But i don’t do too much bowed stuff anymore. That was something I started for kicks. I saw a guy take a guitar and add a guitar hero neck to it, so I got the idea from there and went with it. I don’t really do the iTouch thing anymore becasue it was just a thing for the world.

So what are you doing now?
I just put out a release on the fifth and it’s kind of soundscape and atmospheric. Ambient, but more minimal in a sense.

Do you compose as you go or write the pieces ahead of time?
Compose as I go. I was up until five in the morning yesterday finishing the record before it went to the CD press.

Who did you work with to release a CD?
This is my first actual CD that wasn’t burned on my own computer and it’s a local company called Electric City Records. Damon Downs does CD pressing and he has a studio that’s also a music venue at night called Reverb.

Last night I was contacted by a small label out of Chicago. I’m not looking to be tied down and lets face it, if someone’s taking a cut out of your CD sales, and cd sales are already hard enough, its too much. But this guy limits the release to 200 copies at a time so I won’t be attached to him.

Ever urge to add other instruments, new sounds? Or are you limited to the guitar?
I play some keys, guitar, but don’t really know either of them formally. I have a lot of handmade synths that either friends have made or I’ve made. I’ll use pretty much anything – there are even a few kids toys I’ve added, so there isn’t a whole lot I’m against. For Saturday’s show I’m actually using contact mics and tupperware.

Have you given any thought to hooking up with a filmmaker?
I do want to score film. Speaking of filmmakers, I just talked to Robert Heishmen, he’s from Kansas City, Missouri and did work with Radiohead and Sigur Ros. He is doing a music video for me based on my release. So I’ll send Robert a copy and he’ll make the video as he interprets the music. That’s what I did with the album art too – I gave the aritst the music and she interpreted it.

I’d think that’s an accomplishment. You must be the rare artist that’s good at promoting themselves.
I started promoting myself so much because I thought, I live out here, no one’s going to come along and find me, I’ve gotta do something. A lot of musicians are so bitter about MySpace, think it doesn’t help, but I think the internet has been a huge help. I’ve gotten some great shows because of it. Electronic music, in general, is an older crowd, so I guess that may be why they look at Myspace as a burden. But ‘ve struggled, messed around for the last three years. I take what I can get when I get it.

So what is the biggest challenge of making music?
This area that I live in, South Carolina in general. In Greenville it seems that unless people can drink, they really don’t care about supporting music. They realize that Reverb’s an all ages space, and they won’t go to a show. Also, working on your own is hard, but I’d rather work on my own because I don’t have to worry about a peice of equipment showing up. Or a band member.

Also, I live on ten acres. You could look in any direction and you’ll never see another house, which is great for writing, but it’s far, about forty five minutes from Greenville where I play shows. Though I do like that about Greenville, you can be in the city, but drive a few mins and you’re back in the country, versus places like Boston; city after city after city.

Because the scene’s like that, do you do this full time? And do you see yourself moving somewhere more receptive?
This is all I do full time and up until now, I’ve had a lot of breakthroughs. I’m trying to get my CD out there, play a ton of shows, but like I said, the support is lacking. It’s obviously not as probable to do this full time as I’d like it to be, but Ill keep trying. One place I would like to go is Berlin, but convincing my girlfriend of that is another story. Upstate NY is sounding good right now. I really only wouldn’t go to Virginia.

Watching the videos you’ve posted, I notice similarities to El Ten Eleven. Have they been an influence?
I’m sure I am but I can’t recall them. My main influence is this guy from Berlin named Greg Haines, and he’s the guys that I adapted the salt technique from. I really like a lot of the music coming out of the UK, and the Icelandic guys, Sigur Ros.

My friend Joseph has helped me out alot. He’s studied at the Berkely School of Music and he’s a big influence. I would have been lost in the dark, getting started wise, if it wasn’t for him. He’ll work third shift, come home, make music for a few hours then sleep. It’s a shame because he’s such a talented musician. He should be on a major label selling hundreds of records. But again, we live in possibly the worst spot to be making electronic music, aside from middle of nowhere. I lived in Michingan and wish sometimes I was back there, but it’s a majority techno scene, so I really still wouldn’t go over well there.

There is a great artist out of Brooklyn, he makes hardware out of old kids toys, named Pete Edwards. That’s something I’m getting into too, but I’ve only started to dabble in it. Building gear and modifying other gear. He’s my main influence for that and I was lucky enough to talk to him to gain insight. That’s another thing I’m grateful for. All my main influences and people that I strive to be like, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to or become friends with. A band that I really look up to, Arms & Sleepers, just booked a show with me on the 24th.

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