SD: It seems like you’ve had a busy past few months. What’ve you been up to? Where does music fit into your life priority-wise right now?
Jimmy: I've definitely been keeping busy. Over the past 6 months I got engaged, quit my job of 4+ years, moved from Boston to Northampton (MA), then got married a few weeks ago. After we moved, I took the summer off and wrote songs everyday for about 3 months straight.
SD: What happened to Orca Orca? Why the change this time around?
Jimmy: There are a few reasons for the name change. First, I was really never fond of the name. I didn't expect it to turn into a full band and when we'd be on tour and have to tell people our band name, I never wanted to tell them. I did like getting Killer Whale figurines from people though. The timing for the change was also deliberate. Since I moved away from where the rest of the live band members lived, it wouldn't feel right playing shows under the name Orca Orca even though the songs are all still solo recordings.
SD: I loved the spontaneous Field Mice cover you put out. What’s the songwriting process like for you currently? Do you just let it come to you or do you pressure yourself to put out a certain amount of work?
Jimmy: Thanks! Every now and then I'll be playing something that sounds too familiar and I'll realize its already a song. That's what happened with the Field Mice cover as well as a Katy Perry cover I recorded a few years ago. I've learned to not put pressure on the writing process because I've done that a couple times rushing to get on a compilation or with costly studio time and it always ends poorly. Lately I sit at home and watch movies while playing guitar until I stumble upon a guitar riff I like. Then I loop it into a pedal with a drum machine and loop other guitars over it.
SD: The muted styling of your work is intrinsically understated and detached. Is this “less-is-more” delivery more out of deliberation or necessity? (I know you record everything from home.)
Jimmy: The minimalism of the recordings began out of necessity since I had next to nothing in terms of recording gear. After a while I just got comfortable with my set up. Most of the Orca recordings were done in a day or two because I didn't have anywhere to record. I either recorded in my practice space while the bands next door were quiet enough or drove down to my parents house and recorded while they were away for the weekend or something.
SD: The new demos (and even The Shallows 7”) feel quieter, cleaner, and altogether clearer than earlier Orca Orca works. Would you say that Lost Film is outgrowing its lo-fi “bedroom pop” aesthetic? Is this intentional?
Jimmy: The minimalism of the recordings began out of necessity since I had next to nothing in terms of recording gear. After a while I just got comfortable with my set up. Most of the Orca recordings were done in a day or two because I didn't have anywhere to record. I either recorded in my practice space while the bands next door were quiet enough or drove down to my parents house and recorded while they were away for the weekend or something.
SD: The new demos (and even The Shallows 7”) feel quieter, cleaner, and altogether clearer than earlier Orca Orca works. Would you say that Lost Film is outgrowing its lo-fi “bedroom pop” aesthetic? Is this intentional?
Jimmy: I'm definitely outgrowing the bedroom pop recording style. My next release will be a big step away from that in terms of production and arrangement. I want to do something really big sounding. I have about 13 new demos written and I'd like to get to 20 and bring them into a studio to work on them with some friends.
SD: Your modest and dreamy guitar tones suggest suburban imagery. How much of that has to do with your locale and environment?
Jimmy: That's actually something I've never heard before. I grew up in the suburbs and loved it. I moved to the city for about five years and grew tired of the noise and dirt so now I'm somewhat back in the suburbs. The city felt lonely to me. The 'burbs feel more like home.
SD: Your modest and dreamy guitar tones suggest suburban imagery. How much of that has to do with your locale and environment?
Jimmy: That's actually something I've never heard before. I grew up in the suburbs and loved it. I moved to the city for about five years and grew tired of the noise and dirt so now I'm somewhat back in the suburbs. The city felt lonely to me. The 'burbs feel more like home.
SD: How’s the local music scene right now in Northampton?
Jimmy: The music scene is a big part of moving out here. In Boston, over the past two years, the cops really cracked down on DIY shows but they are still prominent out in Western Massachusetts. It's really cool how people put on shows in small towns. It feels like it means more to them because they're more of a rarity out here. It feels like when I was in high school and we'd drive an hour just to see our friends play in a VFW.
SD: The cover art for the demos really befits your sound. Where does that come from? Did you just create collages for the releases or is that something you did regularly?
Jimmy: I began making collages for show flyers a few years back and grew to really like it. It's a lot of fun to start with a blank slate and have no idea what the collage will be and to see where it ends up. Its similar to the way I write songs: I take a bunch of riffs I have lying around and see if they fit together.
SD: What’s next for you? Any upcoming releases on the horizon?
Jimmy: Like I mentioned, I think my next release will be a full length LP since I've never made one before.
SD: Thanks, Jimmy! Could you leave us with three albums you’re digging right now?
Jimmy: Thank you! This summer I almost exclusively listened to Ryan Adams, specifically Love is Hell. My friend Tyler (Funeral Advantage) made a really good record that I've been listening to a lot. And the new Foxes in Fiction record (Ontario Gothic) is something that I put on almost every morning.
Jimmy: I began making collages for show flyers a few years back and grew to really like it. It's a lot of fun to start with a blank slate and have no idea what the collage will be and to see where it ends up. Its similar to the way I write songs: I take a bunch of riffs I have lying around and see if they fit together.
SD: What’s next for you? Any upcoming releases on the horizon?
Jimmy: Like I mentioned, I think my next release will be a full length LP since I've never made one before.
SD: Thanks, Jimmy! Could you leave us with three albums you’re digging right now?
Jimmy: Thank you! This summer I almost exclusively listened to Ryan Adams, specifically Love is Hell. My friend Tyler (Funeral Advantage) made a really good record that I've been listening to a lot. And the new Foxes in Fiction record (Ontario Gothic) is something that I put on almost every morning.
[You can download the Lost Film demos here name-your-price]
