WEBVTT - ITS Home Edition: X Ambassadors 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:05.320 My Heart Radio presents Inside the Studio. I'm your host 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:20.040 Joe Leading. Now. The Aretha Franklin fans among you probably 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:25.480 remember her great hit Who's Zooming Who, which these days 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:30.640 has taken on an entirely new meaning. Everything from work 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:35.319 meetings the cotail parties. The interviews for this podcast has 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.640 migrated over to Zoom, which is part of the reason 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:41.800 that the Inside the Studio team has put together this 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:44.880 home edition of the show, bringing you into the bedrooms 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:47.400 and living rooms of your favorite artists to find out 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:50.199 how they're coping with lockdown and how it's impacting the 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:54.560 way they make music. This week, our Quarantine correspondent Jordan 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:58.240 ront Hog caught up with Sam Harris from ex Ambassadors 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:00.520 to talk about how the pen dam it has been 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.639 affecting him and how he put together his excellent new 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:08.959 song Zen Over Zoom with Ka Flay and Grandson. And 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:11.840 just to make sure your Zoom never runs out. Once 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:14.480 you've checked out this episode, give a listen to the 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:19.280 I Heart Radio podcast that Jordan's hosts, rivals Music's Greatest Feuds, 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:32.679 which is available wherever you find your favorite shows. Hello, everybody, 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:35.440 my name is Jordan run Tug. But enough about me today. 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.520 I'm joined by Mr Sam Harris, composer, multi instrumentalist, activist 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.280 and lead singer for Ex Ambassadors. The band followed up 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.360 their latest album, twenty Nineteens O'Ryan with an EP in 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:48.520 March called Belong. The three song collection bears the influence 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:51.880 of soulful icons like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Joe Cocker. 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.560 In May, they released the song Zen, which was written 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.720 and recorded in Lockdown. It's a track about finding peace 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.120 among the isolation of quarantine and uncertain me of COVID nineteen. 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:03.560 Thank you so much for being here. It really is 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.400 a pleasure. Thanks particularly. Yeah, man, No, it's it's it's 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.320 my pleasure. Uh. Now you recently teamed up with ka 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.480 Play and Grandson for the song Zen, which gave voice 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:14.320 to so many people who've been having a really hard 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:17.760 time with the isolation of quarantine. How did that song 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:20.720 come to be? Because I'm having a really hard time 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:24.519 with isolation in quarantine. You know, uh that that song 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:27.680 came about, it was really nice. It was very as 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.360 organic lee as things happened these days. You know. It 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:35.360 came about because I had a session of virtual session 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.400 booked with Grandson and I was like very real with him, 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.440 and I was like, man, I don't know how good 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.560 I am at doing, you know, writing songs over zoom. 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:47.120 And he was like, you know, it's all good. You 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:48.919 don't have to put the pressure on ourselves. We can 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:52.600 just write a dumb little song about you know, these 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:54.640 uncertain times they were living in. And I got off 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:56.200 the phone with him and I just had that line 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:58.880 in my head, someone give me fucking zen. And so 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.040 I came up with just this rough, little acoustic demo 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:04.760 and I sent it over to him and he immediately 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:07.839 came back with like a whole verse. And then I 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:10.639 suggested getting our friend Christine on it because she had 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:15.240 come up in conversation, and it just, like, I don't know, 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:19.120 fell into place from there. It's amazing social distance songwriting. 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:21.240 I've never really heard of that. What is How is 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:24.320 that different? It's honestly not too different from the way 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:28.239 we've operated already. You know, like the last time Christine 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:31.120 and I collaborated on something, we were on tour and 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.000 she was just emailing me her parts, uh, And it 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.000 was the same deal with this, you know, like I 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.560 I would you know, we kind of have like back 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:41.880 and forth they someone would send, you know, a lyric, 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:45.200 idea or melody. I mean actually, for the most part 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.200 this song, it was just like they both came up 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:52.200 with what ended up on the record right off the bat. 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:57.840 Um so uh but yeah, I mean when we're working, 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.720 usually it's ailing files back and forth with people. I 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.520 it's rare for me to ever, you know, it's rare 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.920 for me to create something with someone that comes out 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:09.920 where we're in the same room together. It's always like 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:13.520 postal service style. Yeah, how do you find zen in 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.839 times like this? What keeps you grounded? Man? It's hard. 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:20.560 It's hard. Like some days or some days are okay, 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.880 some days I can do my regular routine, you know. 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:26.159 I I try to have a couple of things that 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:29.560 I do in the morning that that ground me. Um. 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.640 I journal, you know, I do three pages in a 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:36.599 journal every day, and then I make coffee, and I 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:40.800 make breakfasts, and I walk my dog and and you know, 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:45.800 doing those those things every day helps ground me a 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:48.440 little bit. But sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it you know, 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:53.839 it takes a little extra work to ground myself, you know, 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:58.719 as much as possible. Getting getting outside is really important. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.520 Just walking around my little neighborhood. I'm actually today is 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.359 the first day of a week of quarantine of like 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.159 real self imposed isolation before we get tested so that 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.560 we can go visit my brother and my um my 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:16.440 nephew and my sister in law because he's immuno compromised. 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.240 Um so, uh yeah, I mean it's gonna be extra 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:20.800 hard for me to find them this week. You know, 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.440 the isolation is hard. It's it's it can really take 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:25.640 a toll on you mentally. And something really awesome that 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:28.119 I've seen you do on Instagram was have meditation time 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:32.279 with fans, which is so cool. Yeah, it was, you know, 0:05:32.320 --> 0:05:35.159 it was an experiment. Uh. You know, it's something that 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:39.040 I have, I have worked into my daily practice. I've 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:42.280 kind of I've been on and off with it, um 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.400 but I thought it would be a nice kind of 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.520 thing to share with with our fans, and and um 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:51.120 yeah it was. It was interesting. It was really interesting. 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:55.280 Um I I loved doing it every morning and being 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.800 able to meditate and play a song for for everybody. 0:05:57.839 --> 0:05:59.600 That was a lot of fun. Meditation is one of 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.039 those things I've tried so hard to get into, but 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:04.760 I just I can't stop my brain. I can't do it. 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:06.479 It's never really, I've never been able to get to 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:08.360 that place. What would you say to someone like me 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:12.120 who's really struggling to incorporate meditation in their life. Well, 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:15.400 there are some tricks, UM, And I think I think 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:21.440 that one part of it is too allow your brain 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.240 to do what it's going to do. But just acknowledging 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:27.480 that moment of like, oh, my brain is is going 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.760 all of these different places when you have that. Whenever 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:33.640 I have that moment of acknowledgement of like oh I'm 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:39.920 thinking about death or I'm thinking about my bills right now, UM, 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:45.320 acknowledging that brings you immediately into the present. And so 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.680 I would say, if you sit down for five minutes, 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:50.560 close your eyes, try to count your breaths, you know, 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:55.480 inhale exhale one, two, three, four, up to ten, and 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.280 just repeat that. That's kind of a nice trick to 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:00.599 to use. That's what I do. UM. But yeah, you 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:05.520 know there are apps that people use, Insight Timers one. 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:10.040 I use Headspace, UM. And guided meditation is always really 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:13.080 helpful to have someone's voice. They're kind of reminding you 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.600 to come back. Oh definitely, no, I gotta I gotta 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:18.440 give those a try. Man. The songs in came out 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:22.200 just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, and then 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:27.960 within a short time later, George Floyd was murdered. And 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.000 since then you've been very active in in demonstrations on 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:33.480 the street and using the band's digital platform online to 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:35.920 amplify voices. I'm just wondering if you could talk a 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:38.240 little more about about that, the activism that that you've 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:42.000 been doing. I've always looked at ourselves as a band 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:46.000 that's not afraid to show our activism and show our 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:49.640 support for movements like Black Lives Matter or you know, 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:54.840 abolish ice or any of these cultural moments that are happening. 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.280 You know, we are paying attention to and and um yeah, man, 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:03.760 look I it's been a really really tough and challenging 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:08.200 couple of weeks for the whole world. Um, and we're 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:11.440 looking at ourselves differently. A lot of you know us 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:15.240 are are reevaluating how our privileges have have worked into 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:18.760 our lives and and uh, and the injustices that have 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:22.520 existed and especially in this country for for so so 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:26.040 long that you know we have just as you know 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.400 that I, as a white person, I've been blind to 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.760 you know for for a long long time. UM. So 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:36.120 right now, what we're trying to do is see where 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:39.960 we can focus our energy best UM to make concrete 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.959 change and and UM it goes from small scale stuff 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.280 to big scale stuff like you know, we live in California, 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:50.880 and uh, I'm I'm really curious about this guy who's 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.880 up for d A here, George Gascon. You know, our 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:59.200 current DA, Jackie Lacey, has been really really she's kind 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:02.839 of done everything hand in hand with the police union 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:06.400 and and the police the lap D here and has 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:11.040 done nothing to UM to help stop the murder of 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.040 black people in in this city and people of color 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:16.160 in this city at the hands of the police. I 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:19.720 want to try and elect a new DA who will 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:23.920 take a look at what's going on and think about 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:28.839 defunding the police and think about restructuring and trying to 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:32.560 think of a new way to UM create a safe 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:36.080 community here in l a UM and then also thinking 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.840 about big picture stuff like you know, voting and voting rights, 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:40.880 and you know, with COVID, it's gonna be really hard 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:43.480 unless we get enough money in some one of these 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:47.400 stimulus bills to UM make it so that voting from 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:53.199 home is actually plausible. Um, it's going to be really 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:55.880 hard to to get voter turn out to where we 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:57.840 need it to be for the selection in order to 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:00.640 elect someone you know, for the general role and for 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:04.280 in the in the House, and people who will actually 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:08.440 fight for reform, not just reform like the big sweeping change. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.480 You know. It's someone said this to me the other day. Uh. 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.960 And and I'm I'm paraphrasing here, but this is what 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:19.360 we're experiencing right now. Is is is not just uh, 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:21.800 it's not just a moment. This is this is really 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.560 a revolution, and this is really an uprising. And I 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:27.160 think we have to be very you know, transparent about 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:30.480 that and calling it what it is and uh um 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:33.760 and doing our part. We're going to continue doing our 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:37.680 part in whatever way we can. And uh, I don't know, 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:39.600 it's it's weigh and heavy on me this morning. Man. 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:42.480 I'm listening to you know, the news and listening to 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:46.600 the reforms that that the Democratic Party is trying to 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:49.080 fight for, and those are going to be met with 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:53.040 resistance by the Republicans. And these reforms are like, you know, 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.240 they're just not enough. We we really gotta I think 0:10:56.360 --> 0:11:00.320 aim aim a lot higher. Uh, you know, and and 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:04.480 that's the only way to actually get tangible and reforms 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.880 to pass that will make a difference in people's lives. 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:13.120 Aiming kind of like being like realistic has been kind 0:11:13.160 --> 0:11:15.200 of the m O of a lot of the Democratic 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:18.920 Party for a long time, and that's just gotten us nowhere. 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:23.160 I think, aiming high and and and really like embracing again, 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.600 embracing that this is a revolution that we need. We 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:29.040 need major, major change in this country in order for 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:34.000 people to be safe and to not die. It's so real. 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.760 But you know, back to using the band as as 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:41.839 um to try and make change. I look at it 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:44.679 as an imperative and I, um, I don't know, it's 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:46.719 just on my mind all the time, you know. So 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:48.960 if if it's on my mind all the time, I'm 0:11:49.000 --> 0:12:03.640 gonna be speaking out about it and taking it back 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:05.920 to zend the song Zen for a moment. The message 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:08.360 of the song is self care. In the face of 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:13.360 these grave injustices, systemic racism, police brutality, self care tends 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:15.600 to become less of a priority, and you're almost tempted 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:19.200 to sort of view it almost as selfish or something 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:21.840 to feel guilty for. What are good ways to balance 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.160 self care with community action. Um well, if you think 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:27.080 about it like getting you know, this is a this 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:31.840 is a long, a long fight that we are all in. 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:35.160 If you are for the Black Lives Matter movement, if 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.760 you are for social justice, here for you for equality, 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:41.760 if you're if you're for you know, self governance and 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:46.559 and people and us collectively finding ways to dismantle the 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.200 systemic racism in this country, then it's a it's a 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:51.400 you got a long fight ahead of you. So if 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:53.680 you want to be able to be at your best, 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:56.200 you gotta take care of yourself. That's how I look 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:58.920 at it, you know. But it's look, it's hard. It's hard, man, 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:02.480 It's hard. You know. Like first thing in the morning, 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:04.800 I want to I want to know what's now, what's 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:08.120 going on in the world, and and what what's the 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:12.400 next fight? And uh, I have to keep reminding myself 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.920 to uh, you know, wake up, to take a shower, 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.000 drink some water, because I'm just going to be a 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:21.640 mess if I don't, And I'll be more effective if 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:24.240 I if I'm you know, if I'm taking care of myself. 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:27.160 The last three months have just been so transformative on 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:29.640 a micro level and a macro level. What have you 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:34.840 learned about yourself in this time? Oh? Um, Someone's asked 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.200 me that question already, and I still don't really have 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:39.560 a good answer to it. I think I'm still figuring 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:42.800 a lot of stuff out about about who I am, 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.320 and I I think that, Um, this has been an 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:51.160 oddly productive time for for me. So I've had the 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.720 distraction of my work, you know. But the thing is, 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:58.320 like my work is is my life, and my work 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.080 reflects my life. So you know, one thing that I 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:05.120 am learning about myself is that I'm a little afraid 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:09.200 sometimes of saying no to things. I'm I'm saying no 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:12.000 to to more things now and and and really kind 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:15.080 of reprioritizing what I want to what I want to 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:17.240 work on, and what I want to do, and and 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.000 the music that I want to make and who I 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:21.680 want to make it with. I think what this this 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.360 is all reminding us of is that life is short 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.240 and at time that we are given here on this 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:29.200 on this planet, how are you gonna spend it? What 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:31.120 are you gonna do? You know? Like I want to 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.520 make stuff that's exciting to me and that I really like, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:35.800 and I want to work with people that I really 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:40.440 like and really admire, and I don't really give a 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:44.400 ship about the rat race so much anymore. I still 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.240 do obviously when it's when it's right in front of me, 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.840 when I'm faced with it, and then I I spiral 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:52.640 out for a second and then I But what I 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.160 always lately have been coming back to is like, look, 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:57.760 I only got this one life and this one time 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.360 here on my planet. I can't predict anything. I can't 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:02.800 really control anything. The only thing I can control is 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.520 like how I'm spending my time and who I want 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.800 to spend my time with, and uh, and what I 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.520 want to make. So that's been something that I've I 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.960 don't know if I've learned about myself. But um, over 0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:18.240 the last months, two months, two and a half months, 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:21.560 how long are you in this something like that? Well? 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:23.880 What what work are you prioritizing? What are you working 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:26.080 on now that you're really proud of? Well, we're finishing 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:28.880 up you know, we finished up our new record, which 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.640 I'm really really proud of. I think it's really cool 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:36.560 and really different, and uh, we are working on a 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:42.400 narrative podcast that that goes along with it. So it's 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:46.600 a concept record and and the podcast and the album 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.760 are are going to be coming out around the same time. 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:52.240 And it's it's cool, it's in the it's in the 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:57.080 gestation period right now, but we're working with an amazing 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:59.640 company and we want to do something different. You know, 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.320 my other and I grew up listening to lots of 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:05.120 books on tape together, and he listened to a lot 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:08.000 of radio dramas, and you know, that was one form 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:12.200 of entertainment that we could really share together because you know, 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:16.240 when we're watching movies, unless they were descriptive audio films 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.840 like he wasn't really getting much out of it. Um. 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:23.200 So this was a medium that that we shared growing 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:27.920 up and that I'm really interested in in now how 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.760 people are using it, and I I feel like it 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.440 hasn't been used to the degree that it could be, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.360 so working on that. I've been working on a feature, 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:41.480 writing a feature with a partner of mine, writing partner 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.400 of mine, old Buddy, and working on that new album, 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.760 working on new music with a couple of different artists. 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.480 Two artists in particular have been working with lately, an 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.840 artist named Jensen McCrae. She has a song out called 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:57.200 Wolves right now, another song called The Plague and another 0:16:57.200 --> 0:16:59.000 song called white Boy, and those are the only three 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:01.840 songs that she's put out. And she's absolutely incredible. She 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:05.800 reminds me um kind of of like um Phoebe Bridgers 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:08.960 and a little bit of Tracy Chapman. I don't know. 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.800 She's so unique and so cool and and uh and 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.960 her voices insane and the lyrics are insane. So I've 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.520 been working a little bit with her and another artist 0:17:17.640 --> 0:17:22.600 named Terrell Hines. Um. Terrell Hynes is also incredible. He 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:27.439 put out new songs recently called The Promise or Promise 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.120 I think, but he has an EP out and we've 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:31.800 been working on some new music with him that we're 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:33.719 really excited about. We took him out on tour with 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:37.160 us in in Europe right before this whole thing hit 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:40.159 the Fan. Also just writing some new X Ambassadors stuff. 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:42.600 But like that's you know, like that kind of stuff. 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:46.360 Like I'm I'm prioritizing artists who I really genuinely like, 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:51.720 I love. I love these artists. I think narrowing that 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:53.840 list is helpful for me because then I can really 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:56.560 put like a lot of my time and energy into it. 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.680 And I'm not just it's very easy. In the song 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.760 right her world UM and producer world to like have 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:07.000 a million different starting points with a million different artists 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:11.679 and then just kind of like see what catches and 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.800 go with that. But I don't like having unfinished things around, 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:16.840 you know, Like I'm I have so many of my 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:19.080 own unfinished demos lying around that I want to be 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:20.920 able to if I'm working with an artist, I want 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.360 to be able to really like commit to it. Yeah, 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:25.480 I want to finish it. I want to finish it. 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:28.160 And like, look, if we write a song that's not 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:30.240 great and the first thing, the first thing we write 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.000 is not great. Cool, Let's write another one that's not great, 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:34.919 Let's write another one. You know, you gotta put that 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.040 work in your last album or Ryan from the Fall 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.360 felt to me like such a growth album, turned thirty, 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:44.240 getting married, becoming an uncle. What is the message in 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:46.560 this new album that you're working on now. I've been 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:51.480 really interested in in Um the Youngion idea of the 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:55.280 Um the Shadows self, and uh, it's kind of like 0:18:55.320 --> 0:18:59.280 a Jackal and Hide story, you know, figuring out how 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:03.400 to to grapple with the parts of yourself that you suppress, 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:06.200 the parts of yourself that you were most afraid of 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:10.399 and grappling with that as as broad as that is. 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:13.080 That's that's kind of what the new record is is about. 0:19:13.440 --> 0:19:15.960 It feels very much like sort of a quarantine theme. 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:18.520 Do do you consider yourself a homebody? Do you get 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:21.400 your inspiration from looking in word looking outward? I think 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:23.840 I I think I'm like you know how people are saying, 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:27.720 like I've realized that I'm like a fake extrovert or 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.440 you know the Meyer's Briggs stuff like yeah, I think 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:33.920 I'm a fake extrovert, but I think I'm actually an 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:38.520 extroverted introvert or an extra or an introverted extrovert. I 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:42.159 get an introverted extrovert. I I really like I I thought, 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:44.720 I was like, yeah, you know what, that makes sense. 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:47.040 Like I spend so much of my time like out 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:50.560 in public. You know, I'm I'm I'm putting myself out there, 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:52.399 but like you know, at the end of the day, 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.040 having alone time is really important to me, and I 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:58.399 like being I like having that, you know, these moments 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:00.280 of quiet and peace by myself where I can think, 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:03.440 I like, I do like working by myself, but then 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:06.520 I get a chance to, you know, have like a 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:09.399 socially distant interaction with a group of friends, and I 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:12.520 just feel reinvigorated. And I'm like, what's happening to me 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:15.399 right now? Why do I feel so good? And I 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:18.000 think it's because I'm hanging out with people and interacting 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:20.520 with people. And I also missed the ship out of 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.240 my band. I really missed my band. It sucks, you know, 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:25.879 like we've been a band for over thirteen years and 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:28.280 this is the longest that we've gone without seeing each other. 0:20:28.359 --> 0:20:30.960 And it's really crazy, Like how much I missed those 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:32.920 guys because you were like mid tour right when this 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:34.800 all went down. You were in Europe. Yeah, we were 0:20:34.880 --> 0:20:37.080 right in the middle of it. I mean, granted we 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:38.920 were coming back from we were going to come back 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:40.440 from that tour and have the rest of the year 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:42.280 to finish up the record and kind of be here 0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:44.679 in l A and do a couple of shows here 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:48.359 and there, but mostly focused on that. And um, we 0:20:48.520 --> 0:20:51.280 got what we were were, you know, we got what 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:54.359 we wanted. But now I think it's gonna you know, 0:20:54.560 --> 0:20:57.800 it's it's obviously complicated a lot of things, And yeah, 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:00.399 I miss him a lot. So I think I I 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:02.240 thought I was our own body. That's maybe something I 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:04.159 learned about myself. I thought I was more of a 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:20.239 home body than I than I actually am. What does 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:23.280 the typical work day I feel like for you? What's 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:26.240 the like? I'm always curious like people's creative processes, Like 0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:27.879 did you wake up and you treat it almost like 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.000 going to the office you sit down and get at 0:21:30.000 --> 0:21:31.560 your guitar and get at your piano. Or is it 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:33.800 more of an inspiration based thing where you hear something 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:35.640 in your head and go sit down and work it out. 0:21:35.840 --> 0:21:38.320 It's a healthy combination of both. You know. There's a 0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:41.680 there's a playwright named Jez Butterworth. He wrote a play 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:46.760 called Jerusalem and another play called The Ferryman. But I 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:48.879 listened to an interview recently when he was asked a 0:21:48.920 --> 0:21:51.960 similar question like what's your what's your motive of working? 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:55.040 And he talked about, um, you know, you can't force 0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:58.440 you can't force inspiration to come, but you can always 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.239 you can always keep your antent uh up. You know, 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:03.240 you can work at that. And I try to work 0:22:03.280 --> 0:22:05.640 at keeping my antennas up. You know. By I think 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:09.800