Friday Fascination/Interview: Summer Heart

Back in April of 2012 I stumbled across a stellar track titled "I Wanna Go" by Summer Heart and never have I ever fell in love with a song as quick as I did with that one. It was a track that kicked off freshvibesmonday #2, and to this day I still hear it when I'm out and about. Not much was known about Summer Heart at the time, besides the fact that he has the recipe to cook up something that's equal parts dreamy and catchy. 

On Facebook he describes his genre as "Summerwave // Lo-fi dreamin' // Homemade // DIY." Could music sound any better than hearing a combination of simply those terms? Didn't think so.

Since 2012 he's released a handful of gems including "Sleep", "I Wanted You to Stay on the Other Side", "Thinkin of You" and most recently "Beat Of Your Heart" (which premiered over on Noisey with a proper music video directed by London based director Kyle Macfadzean.) When I first found out David Alexander aka Summer Heart would be at this year's SXSW - I felt the same rush of excitement when I first heard "I Wanna Go" & was pleased to hear that he wanted to answer a few questions for Let Your Ears Decide. Read/listen below. 

1. Introduce yourself and give us a brief description of who Summer Heart is & how did it originate?

Hi, I am David and I live in the south of Sweden, creating music under the name of Summer Heart. Well, it all started a couple of years ago when I lived with my dad. His flat was filled with guitars, synths, drum machines and other instruments that I started playing around with until I had created the first Summer Heart tunes. After that things happened quite fast and I started playing live shows around Europe. The first shows I played alone, but now Summer Heart has turned into some band-ish kind of thing for live shows. 

2. This is your first time performing at South By Southwest (SXSW), but have you ever visited the US to play shows?

My SXSW shows will be my first US shows ever. I was supposed to do a couple of shows before SXSW, but today I found out that I won't be able to do them because of various reasons beyond my control. That sucks big time! I really don’t want to let down all the people who've bought tickets and waited for this, but at least both shows have been rescheduled for summer, and maybe that is a slight form of comfort for them. 

(Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn 22^nd of June and Piano’s NYC 23^rd of June)

3. Does a festival such as SXSW take place near where you live? Or is this an event that’s absolutely new to you? I'm sure the emotions are going to be racing or maybe this is something you're used to. 

Actually, there’s really nothing like SXSW near where I live, and I haven’t attended anything like SXSW as far as I can remember. I am pretty open-minded and am trying to take things with ease, so I’m just going to go there and see what happens. 

I bet whatever happens at SXSW will be lots of fun and a memory for life.

SXSW Dates for Summer Heart 

March 18th - Official SXSW Showcase @ Red Patio 7 – 7:30 PM – 8:10 PM
March 19th - Official SXSW Showcase @ Iron Bear – 12 AM – 12:40 AM
March 20 - When The Gramophone Rings and Mostly Junk Food Showcase @ Javelina - 1.40 PM
Reverb Nation Party @ The Tiniest Bar in Texas - 4.45 PM
March 21 - Eye in the Sky Collective / Texas Takeover @ Shiner Saloon - 1 PM

4. You’re playing quite a handful of showcases, but if you had the chance to catch a band or two while you’re in Austin, who would they be?

I would especially love to see Alvvays play. I am big fan of their music. 

That makes two of us David *prayer emoji hands*

5. What essentials are you packing in your suitcase in preparation for your trip to America?  Will you be playing solo during SXSW or will you have a live band performing with you? 

I just finished packing my bags and they are mostly filled with musical equipment actually. Other than that I am bringing some random clothes, my camera and my laptop. If there is one thing I’ve learned from touring, it's to not bring things you don’t need. You’ll have enough things to carry anyway, haha. My friend Frederick will be joining me on stage at SXSW. He's from California, but living in Sweden at the moment, (he also plays in the great band Sameblod.) 

Side note: I checked out Sameblod, and instantly fell in love with their dance vibes. "Flourish" is an instant hit, visit their SoundCloud page to hear more.  

6. I noticed your Instagram bio mentions “music+photo+things” and let me just throw it out there - your Instagram account is visually beautiful, do you have a background in photography? What type of camera do you use? Did you get into music or photography first?

Ah, thanks a lot! I don’t have a background in photography or anything like that and I don’t really know much about cameras and lenses and those things. I just love taking photos. My sister is a photographer, and she is a great inspiration and mentor to me when it comes to both photography and other things in life. But yeah, for Instagram I’ve been using my iPhone 4, but I recently updated to an iPhone 5s. I have a Fujifilm XE-1 as well, a great and handy little thing. The photos I take with that one end up on my photo blog (mysummerheart.tumblr.com) together with some of my iPhone photos. 

7. Just from observing your Instagram, I almost feel a complete connection between your use of imagery and the sound you produce - do you draw most of your inspiration from your surroundings? 

Actually, I think a lot of my inspiration comes from inside my head. Sometimes I just get very inspired for no obvious reason other than having a good feeling going on inside, and that is a great thing. Nice weather, or other forms of art like photography and literature also inspire me a lot. My surroundings can be a source of inspiration from time to time as well. I love to travel to new places, I love to visit the beach, and big cities are inspiring as well.

8. You have a long flight ahead of you - what will you be listening to while traveling to Austin? 

To get into the right mood I will be listening to some of my favourite summer hits. 
Listen to the playlist he curated for Let Your Ears Decide below!

 

Summer Heart Instagram
Summer Heart on Twitter
Summer Heart on BandCamp

LYED SXSW WISH LIST 2015

So last year I made a wish list for SXSW 2014 already having the idea that I wouldn't catch as much as I wanted since I strictly went during the tail-end end of it (aka when SXSW is filled to the brim with humans and every venue is at capacity.) What I ended up with was a completely different experience that wasn't disappointing, but felt "just right" for the situation. Although I didn't consume as many tacos as I had dreamed of, I discovered a love for acts such as Tacocat, Royal Blood, Cashmere Cat, and many others (that unfortunately didn't have the word cat in their band name) through random showcases that I stumbled into until it eventually became a Lonestar infused blur. (If you're not a fan of Lonestar or Tito's vodka, prepare for a rude awakening.)

This year I'm expecting to make a repeat of my first year, and catch as many acts as possible (or at least attempt to) until I fall apart. 

A couple words of advice from a somewhat veteran:
If you don't have a wristband or a badge, your chances of getting into official showcases are as difficult as herding cats, so don't be shy! Ask around or take the dive to purchase one. Believe, me, it's worth the $$.
Wear comfortable clothes/shoes, seriously. This isn't the kind of festival that you can run back to your campsite when it gets too hot, because you're most likely staying in an AirBnB that's outside of Austin. Also, as much as you want to hop around to see all of the different artists/bands on your lists, sometimes the best bet is to just keep it simple and stay for the entire showcase that you've miraculously made it into. Who knows, you could find your next favorite act by doing just that. 
If you don't have a bicycle or live in the vicinity of downtown, have cash on you at all times because who knows how many petty-cabs you'll end up riding in, (and they don't come cheap so pay attention.) 
Tacos is a lifestyle. 
Pace yourself, because both official & unofficial showcases most likely go on until the wee hours of the morning. Don't make the same mistake that I did two years ago and miss Merchandise perform on a bridge in the middle of the night, ughh. 
Rally. Rally. Rally. 
Now it's time to unveil who I'm rooting for, and I kept it simple - 18 acts in alphabetical order. Each artist/band has a specific style or set of characteristics that draw me to them significantly, so definitely give this playlist a good solid listen or seven. My top 5? Definitely Meg Mac, Summer Heart, Torres, James Bay, and a certain someone I'll mention later on in the mix, but let's be real - you can't go wrong with any of the acts below.  
Hope to see you there! 

LYED Wish List 2015: 

Alvvays
George Maple
Hinds

Laurel
Leon Bridges
Liza Anne

Jack Garratt

James Bay
Meg Mac
Mitski
Shura 
Summer Heart

Tei Shi

TORRES
Viet Cong
Years & Years

Young Ejecta

If I'm extra lucky: I'll be seeing Laura Marling at SXSW this year. She's playing a total of 3 (official) showcases, and to give you a wee bit of personal background history: when I first moved to Texas, I was informed all about SXSW & one of the stories involved Laura Marling herself. A fellow co-worker of mine had randomly caught a performance of her during SXSW 2009, and one of her backing band members was Marcus Mumford (who at the time was practically a stranger) which is crazy to consider his current status. Yes they were dating around that time, but the coincidence of the experience is pretty f*cking awesome from an attendee's view don't you think? She's talented as hell for just barely striking 25, and it's nothing but a confident ride to the top from here on out. 



 If you're not familiar with this Brit, prepare to be impressed. Last summer while I was sitting at one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara, my friend had mentioned that she wished her hair was as blonde as the female who had just walked in the door. As soon as I turned around I immediately had an internal freakout because it was Laura Marling herself. Let's just say for the remainder of my dinner - I didn't have much to say and did my best to keep calm but I was sure as hell nervous from the small. She's a bonafide legend in my book, and I am looking forward to catching her in the SXSW atmosphere this year. 


Now that you're aware of who's on the LYED wish list,
 stay tuned for Round 2: Acts I've Already Seen Live (that will be at SXSW 2015), but Will Never Say No To.

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #55

Photo Credit: @edroste 

Hopefully you've recovered from the holiday weekend, and if you haven't then let freshvibesmonday assist you with tackling the bad vibes. If only this blog could dress up & pretend to be you at work today.

ALSO:

Yesterday I decided to switch it up a bit and let a dear friend of mine (and fellow music aficionado) Elysse Ralph curate a playlist of what she's currently listening to. If you missed it, have no fear! Just click here to listen to her picks. :) 

ICYMI: FVM#54

freshvibesmonday #2

Hope your monday wasn't as manic as mine was. Here's some fresh tunes to get your week going :) 

SUMMER HEART - I WANNA GO

Safe to say: Summer Heart is your go-to for relaxing LO-FI JAMS when you're looking for something new. Diggin' it.

MEIKO - LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON (MORGAN PAGE REMIX)

Two diamonds in the rough, I fell in love with Meiko a few years ago when I first heard "Boys With Girlfriends", check it out if you haven't already. I was lucky enough to catch Morgan Page during Weekend 1 of Coachella. My oh my, he put on a great show as one of the first acts of the day in the Sahara tent. This track is nothin' crazy, but it's something to be crazy about. 

REPTAR - ORIFICE ORIGAMI 

AHHH REPTAR, what a great find. They opened for Phantogram last fall at SoHo in Santa Barbara and luckily had some time to research them a bit before the day of the show. I received a bit of a "Morning Benders" (who are now called POP ETC) feel, but with a definite edge thanks to the lead's voice & an all around synth-pop vibe. You can find this track on their upcoming release "Body Faucet" May 1st! 

THIEVES LIKE US - MARIA MARIE

Always a fan of a track that reminds me of the 80's.... in an aspirational way. Recently released on March 20th, Bleed Bleed Bleed is worth taking a listen....or seven. Perfect for a summer day.

DADA LIFE - AVICII'S EPIC HANGOVER (KAP SLAP BOOTLEG)

There's not much for me to say besides LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT MEOW. Caught Dada Life & Avicii's set at Coachella as well.... unforgettable. 

I could go on for days but enjoy what i've posted for now.

GUESS WHO'S SEEING WASHED OUT ON SATURDAY AT THE MUSIC BOX IN HOLLYWOOD ON SATURDAY? :)

WASHED OUT - GET UP