Strings of Atlas/Chords of Eve
Interview conducted on April 10, 2020
by Dan Locke
Chords of Eve is an American music project created in 2019 and consisting of multi-instrumentalist Atlas cage and various female vocalist. Featuring the debut of singer Casey Ardmore!
What is your upbringing?
I was born in Germany about 600 miles from the Chernobyl meltdown in progress. Not sure how that shaped my path but I suspect it has made an impact. From there I moved to the states a child where I was raised by a single mom.
How did you discover music?
Rock and roll was the soundtrack of my childhood. My earliest memories include my mom playing the likes of Billy Idol and Jimmy Hendrix on vinyl. Rob Zombie was one of the first bands I tried to imitate. As I got into college, my music tastes and experience continued to grow and evolve taking in all that I could.
What was your first band?
It was a metal band in high school called Megaton. We mostly played original music but had a couple of good covers.
What is trip Hop?
Trip-hop takes the groove and beats of hip hop, slowing it down and accenting the calmer chill-out vibe while integrating jazz and electronic instruments. It’s a state of mind as well as a genre.
You are based out of Austin, TX. How has the Austin music scene had a chance since there was no SXSW this year?
The Austin music scene is feeling the same impact as it is worldwide. When SXSW canceled it was the first time the COVID threat started feeling really real. Live music has taken a real hit – it’s almost like the scene was frozen in time with the closure of bars and venues. But a lot of artists continue to find outlets online. Music is still strong but it’s taking a different road right now.
How did you get your band’s names?
Strings of Atlas came from a time that I started writing songs that were inspired by real life. They came from the heart strings – hence Strings of Atlas. Chords of Eve was a play on that theme, but one that reflects the different vibe of that project.
Your new release, how did you come up with that title?
“Dear Engineer” is the title track of the Chords of Eve debut. The album is framed as a sci-fi story. That song is performed from the perspective of an android asking her maker for guidance and understanding of her meaning and purpose. I think it’s a feeling we’ve all had at different times in our lives.
How long did it take for you to create the album?
From songwriting to release it took about a year.
It seems to me that the album has a theme. Is this correct?
There is a whole storyline that underlies Dear Engineer. The origins story and debut album of the Futuristic Psych Pop project “Chords of Eve” couldn’t come at a better time. Technology is advancing faster than it ever has before, meanwhile, people are more depressed, more divided than ever before. Androids and GAAF Tech can be found in most homes these days and our connection to the digital world outweighs our connection to each other. Humans are becoming more and more isolated.
The album touches on topics of mental illness and depression with the song “Evelyn”, craving a meaning or a clear path with “Dear Engineer” and employs the use of positive sonic reinforcement with “Rebuild Ourselves Tonight” and “Brightside”. We want those who listen to our music to feel connected, even in times where they could feel the most isolated. We want people to feel as if someone understands them, that they have been seen.
What could the future of the human race be like now?
Humans are resilient creatures. Once the impending machine takeover happens, I’m confident humans will adapt admirably to their new underground mole-like habitats.
Are you into Sci-Fi? Which one would you recommend?
Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. They’re Not new but they are timeless. Of course, any book by Phillip K Dick would also be a great choice.
What is the story behind Evelyn? Do you think you will make a video of the song?
Evelyn is titled in honor of a woman that no one had ever heard of, until she jumped to her death from the top of the empire state building and her suicide photograph was featured in the May 1947 issue of Time Magazine. The song is about the letter that she left to her family and fiancé, and the struggles that we as human beings face with mental illness and general feelings of self-worth and connectedness. I’ve come to recognize among people around me a common unspoken feeling of loneliness, not being good for the world, or maybe just not mattering at all. This song seeks to capture that dull persistent anxiety or sadness so many of us feel. Most people have either dealt with these types of issues themselves or know someone close to them that has and it’s never going to get better if we are afraid to talk about it.
What do you think of Barry McGuire “Eve of Destruction”?
It’s got some ideas that feel just as relevant now as when it came out.
How do you go about creating a piece of music?
It usually starts with one idea, either a central theme, lyrically, or a riff I have in my head, and I build it up from there.
What are you feeling about streaming music?
I like the fact that you can reach such a wide audience around the world and provide a soundtrack to the important events in people’s lives. I do think it’s hard on musicians in that, even though it broadens the audience, it takes away the sale of the music.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Yes.
Any plans to tour?
Not currently. We have larger plans in the community that we are working on.
What is your favorite club to perform in?
It depends on the music I’m performing. It may be a big venue packed with energy or a small intimate hole in the wall.
How do you feel the COVID-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
In the future, who can say? Maybe it gets better and we all get to return to some degree of normalcy, rebuilding what we have lost in terms of art and business. Maybe it gets worse and we all have to learn how to keep in touch online, driving our art in a new direction.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
Currently no. Because of the style that Chords of Eve use, we have reduced the number of shows that we do and increased the number of community events. We are trying new ways to impact our community.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Expanding Sky Titan to include several artists and mentoring them to get them where they need to go. Chords of Eve will be writing a new album as well as a few surprises here and there for fans.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting us, especially Chords Of Eve during their debut album. Every stream, follow and like helps our music become a blip on the algorithms radar and helps to spread the positive vibes of music.
Website:https://skytitanmedia.com/chords-of-eve
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/chordsofeve/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chordsofeve/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/chordsofeveYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/skytitanmedia
Website:https://skytitanmedia.com/strings-of-atlas
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/stringsofatlas/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stringsofatlas/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/stringsofatlasYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/skytitanmedia
