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I think my first question would be, like, how did you get into music? I've kind of been playing music my whole life. My dad's a musician and so is my sister. And we had a band, which they'll do, and I kind of been playing with them my whole life and I really grew up around it.
And then I started writing music a couple of years ago, and here we are. That's awesome. Do you have any artists that were an inspiration for you when you started? Definitely my dad.
It's a little like corny to say, but it's true. Also, I'd say a lot of folk artists, both like when you were more older, I like Philoque a lot and Bob Dylan. As well as, I like the band, Saint Seneca. They're a more recent folk band.
And yeah, I just think artists like that. Also, I don't know if it really contributes to my sound a lot, but my favorite band is the Ramones. I know I don't really have that kind of sound, but I take a lot of inspiration from them, I think. That's awesome.
I mean, I feel like when you said that, I was like, yes, because I'm a weird mix of like, I love punk music, but I also like folk music. That's definitely like happened for me, like, since I started working here because my boss, Pete, loves folk music. So he was the one who sent me a EP. And the EP is fantastic.
I mean, do you want to talk about like how that came together? Like, what was it like? Yeah, so it started a couple summers ago. What I wrote, Piper was the first song that I wrote for the EP.
Okay. At that time, it was the first song I'd ever finished, but I could kind of tell like, because there's something, because I've written songs before that, but Piper gave me a specific feeling that that song was going to be finished. So I really kept working on that one. And then over the course of the next few months, I wrote all the other songs.
Right where you are was the last song I wrote. Yeah, then we started recording eventually in like November of last year, I think. And the space and time was the first song we did because I just performed that one. Oh, wow.
Yeah, it was really, it was a really cool experience. It took about a year all the way through to get through all of the recording and everything, but I really loved every minute of it. It was really incredible. And I was so grateful to be able to hear my music, you know, but he was able to play it.
It was so cool. And I mean, I've got to be trippy hearing it when it's like done, you know what I mean? It's weird. I would have known to because I heard every, you know, stage from the first references, like the ones I made on my computers and like the final recordings.
And it took a while for them to not all sound the same. It was kind of weird. But then when I finally heard the final one, I was like, oh, there it is. It was really cool.
Um, so you said Piper was the first song you wrote. Yes. And right where you are was the last one. Do you want to talk about like what inspired right where you are?
Yeah, I think right where you are. It was interesting because the chorus wasn't originally those weren't like the lyrics at all. It was because I was playing with my dad and he misheard them because it was it was something I put in a filler course because I couldn't figure out what to write there. And I had the lyrics ready and it was I wasn't quite sure what it was about, but I knew it was something that kind of, you know, hit close the home for me, I guess, even though I wasn't 100% sure what it was.
So I put in a filler course that I think was like stars where have you gone? I was like, I hate that, but I'm just going to put it in there. So I have something to sing there. And my dad was writing a drum part and he goes, I really like that line.
It starts right where you are. I was like, that's not in it at all. But we'll just add it. So we did.
And it kind of the song kind of molded from there, I think. I love that. I love like Miss her lyrics in general. I think they're so funny and I love that that was actually how the song happened for you.
And especially that it was your dad, you know, yeah, that actually kind of leads into something else. I wanted to ask you, like, so you said you've been like performing with your dad and your sister for a while. Have you noticed anything different about doing your solo stuff? Like I would imagine there's changes.
Yeah, it's interesting because even though it was like my solo music, they were still like my sister singing background vocals on a lot of the songs, like the backing vocals and like Piper and all the other songs. Like that's her and sometimes it's me. She did a lot of back vocals and my dad plays a lot of the guitar and drums on all the songs. So but it did feel very different, even though we were all still playing together.
I think playing the songs that like I wrote made a big difference. And it was pretty, it was really fun. And I just like to get to hear them. I mean, that's awesome.
I love that they're still like so involved for you. And it sounds like you really enjoyed playing with them as like Her because I can't believe sing it. But I think kind of getting to like grow up there, you know, really kind of forms like the person that I am and like how I do my music. Because my sister taught me how to like harmonize.
I was like very, very little. And my dad taught me guitar. So I'm just very involved with my life. Yeah, it sounds like it.
But like especially with performing and everything and that's really cool. We talked about Piper, but my other question about your songwriting was when you write, do you start with melody or lyrics first? Usually. Usually I start with like it's kind of confusing because usually I start with chords and then right there.
So then kind of mess around on a melody because a lot of them have and they go through a lot of like stages and I have a tendency to like, you know, just kind of very nitpicky. So I kind of each section gets rewritten over and over and over again. Yeah. And also if I write a guitar part that I like, I tend to write a bunch of songs over that guitar part and then decide on one that I like.
So I'll have like lyrics and different melodies that go over it. OK, decide which ones, you know, the good one. And sometimes I just have guitar parts. I don't have anything for it because I decided that none of them are good enough.
That's a good thing. You know, you got like options and like maybe you can pull it back out one day. Like if you ever find something. Well, right.
Where you were with kind of Frankenstein, I think actually from that's yeah, I don't know why it's always that one. But it's I took some lyrics that were originally in space and time that I took out and I put them in there because I thought that I'd still fit the message of the song. But I liked the lyrics. It didn't work for space and time.
So I use them and it's different song. I love that you use the word Frankenstein. That's such a fun description of things. Yeah.
Like anytime people use it, it makes me Google. I do know that it's not the that's not the master's name. I do know that. Not proper use, but I love when people remember that.
I mean, that's like I literally had a conversation with my dad about that the other day. Yeah, I'm a misconception. Everybody thinks that especially with like a movie that came out, you know, like people are thinking about Frankenstein. I got a couple more questions, but one of them is if our listeners want to like know more about you, they can go on your website, right?
Yes, I have a bandcamp has information and as an Instagram, but do you want to say what those are? You just look up Ellis St. John Bandcamp and or the St. John family hour, which is my family's band.
But then if you look up their bandcamp, you can find me on there and you can buy the EP, which would be very nice for me. Because you can't listen to it, but you can also buy it and it comes with a PDF booklet. Oh, I buy for $5. And then my Instagram is Ellis St.
John songs. If anybody's listening and wants to check all this stuff out, please, please do. She's so good. My other question for you is, are you working on anything new?
Actually, I was in the studio today. Ooh, with my new band Midnight Blue, which you're not really something yet, but it's coming. So watch out for lucky. I'm excited.
Eventually coming eventually you heard of your first. We will definitely keep an eye out for that whenever it happens eventually. That's I love the CP. I really love the CP.
I think our listeners are going to like it and we're excited to hear whatever else you come up with. Thank you so much. I'm very excited to have this opportunity. So thank you.
Yeah, of course. And one more time. Can you just remind us what your bandcamp and your Instagram are? Yes.
You find me at being a camp. I am Ellis St. John and you can find me on Instagram at Ellis St. John songs and you should go follow and you should buy the EP if you want to.
You totally should. It's it's wonderful. Piper is probably my favorite, like I said, but space and time is the name of the EP. The whole thing's so good.
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