Brindl Interviewed by Gina Micek  for the Sacred Rose, September 2008


GM:   So you just released Acoustic Heart April 13th, 2008 – what was that process like?

Brindl:  Oh man, what a process.   Amazing and hard. 

GM:  Did you get signed or do the work through a studio?
Brindl:  Well, it was recorded in my home studio. At a certain point I realized I needed to have the ability to have control over my recording and invested over the years in getting set up to do that.  I wanted the flexibility to record when songs were new and fresh, which is a big part of capturing that authentic  flavor that I love about certain recordings.

GM:   What was the hardest part of the process?

Brindl:  Trying to get the recording to sound close to what you hear in your head, and how you experience the song.  But the truth is that is never is right on, and you have to let go of that need to it to match your experience, and be perfect. That’s the hardest part, letting go of what you wanted it to be.  It was physically painful to say I could do more but I am putting it in the mail, it’s done.

GM:    What did you learn about engineering a song?

Brindl:  How you lose the energy really fast by beating a song to death with too many takes. It was interesting, to listen to the difference of take 1 to take 8, or even 4.  Some of the magic is lost along the way. And the whole purpose of recording this project myself was to keep that magic; to do whatever it takes to keep that alive and have it translate into a recorded piece of music. Because so much of what I hear has lost that magic along the way or it didn’t translate.
GM:    How are you distributing Acoustic Heart?

Brindl:   It is available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby.  In order to promote and distribute Acoustic Heart, I started my own label, Moxy Music (www.moxymusiconline.com).  While I was doing all my research on how to be  a successful independent artist, I kept wishing there was a site that had some resources for independent artists, and MoxyMusicOnline.com was born out of that.  So right now it is a growing online resource for independent artists.  Maybe one day will bring on more artists..we’ll see.
GM:    You went to UC Santa Cruz, I was an alumni from 1990-1994.

Brindl:   Yes, I went there from 1995-1999. 

GM:   So we just missed each other!  What did you study?

Brindl:   I originally went to be a writer – a creative writer.  The realization was that I didn’t like the process of writing . It was a subtle difference, but with music I felt like I could exhale, be in my body, be closer to my authentic self. Writing was too left brained, and by sophomore year I was gravitating more towards art and film. But stories and poetry have seemed to  find their place in all the songs I write, so in a way it way I am still working on the same themes, just in a different medium.

GM:    What did you end up studying at UC Santa Cruz?

Brindl:   Film Production.  It  was a roundabout way of still developing my ear and music, because I got to learn how to record and edit sound, and create moods and soundtracks.  I took some music classes which were useful in some ways but I was coming to music from a completely different place.  I spent a lot of hours in the piano practice rooms during that time, and played a lot of guitar at home but didn’t feel the need to play out yet.  I feel like something was incubating.  I was trying to hear what was even coming through and develop it without  the harsh light of public performing at that time.
GM:    I have an MFA in film production – yet another thing in common.  Are you currently working on any film projects?

Brindl:   Going from being an art student to working in the film industry was a shock. And eventually I just gravitated into doing music more and more, and finding ways to make a living that supported that.

GM:    What led you away from film?

Brindl:   It is a very external process in some ways.  You have to justify every decision to others and the creative process itself is external and public.  And it is expensive and  the projects are massive. Music seemed so much more immediate and manageable.  I don’ t think I ever found my true voice in film. I definitely never found my place in the industry, although I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had for anything, it was more of a question of how do I want to spend my days.  You have to be really committed about what you are sacrificing a lot for, and it became more and more apparent that music was the direction I kept moving towards.
GM:    What led you into performing music finally?

Brindl:   It was time. I graduated from UCSC, moved back to the Bay Area, put a very expensive Martin guitar on a credit card and went to an open mic and played. My hands were sweaty and shaky and I barely got through it. But that went away pretty fast.  I think the power of that creative force kind of overtook any nervousness.  And it is a practice, to get up on stage and just switch gears, tune in, be there to receive.  Be open.  If you are too much in your head,  you can’t connect.   But the practice is doing it over and over again, there isn’t any shortcut really. It’s taken me years to learn how to perform, to be vulnerable and relaxed and truthful in front of people.

GM:    What inspires you with your writing?

Brindl:   Everything!  Other music, other creative people and artists doing their thing.  I guess I do write a lot of songs about love.  Acoustic Heart deals with a lot with the theme of the archetype of love but also the source of love, what is below all of the story lines.  To be able to acknowledge that deeper constant source of all of it, and to be connected to that.

GM:    What makes a good song?

Brindl:   Songs that have that grain of truth, that magic that comes through.   My favorite songs that I have written have come though so fast I could barely write them down fast enough.  So sometimes they feel like a cover almost.  I listen after I write a song and see all the layers of meaning.  Love Has Come To You felt like it came from another place and it was just what I needed to hear at that moment.
GM:    How do you feel your music contributes to the concept of community and being connected?

Brindl:   I am all for having intention with creative work.  But ultimately, the creative process for me is only about letting the mind quiet down  and making space for something to come through.  And sometimes it is dark or shocking, but whatever it is always softens through the process anyway, so art is really a transformative act. And you hold that space for other people in performing or in general, adding that into the energetic soup…

GM:    What’s it like to perform?

Brindl:   It’s just like playing alone, except you have exponential amount of energy to play with.  It is a shared musical experience.  I think a good performer becomes a conductor of that energy, and a mirror of it. That’s why I don’t like to have strict set lists, because it is nice to go with the feeling in the room. Good nights can be like group catharsis.  But then you also have to deal with what it is like when the energy is not like that, or there are distractions that are making it an externalized experience. But a lot of it is finding the right venues and creating the space  for what you have to offer.  A  listening audience is helpful.  But all you can do really is just be present for whatever the circumstances are and move on to the next experience. And ultimately  none of it defines you. Early in my 20’s I went through a series of traumatic things that shaped my whole approach to life.  My father died and I had a host of health problems including severe chronic pain that kept me from playing guitar for two years.  And when I got back to playing and got my health back, I really was able to came to music from a place of gratitude and light heartedness.  And feel really lucky to get to do something I love and let go of all the rest of it.