Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Interviewee: Liam AKA Bloom/Pool
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| Here is the cover of the Bloom.Pool's upcoming album: M/usic F/or H/ives. It will be released in September, so keep an eye out for it! |
Hello and welcome to the Artist Ant Interviews People Summer Series! Welcome to another edition to my latest talks with local and global creatives that are alive, hustling and thriving in their respective crafts! Today I have a special guest that I came across on the digital landscape known as Instagram. I first came across his page sometime last year through a specific hashtag that I was following. What was the hashtag that I consistently followed? Simple, the hashtag was a hashtag for the band: Radiohead. Anyone that personally knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of that band and their entire discography.
Naturally I would see posts that came up on my feed due to the hashtag, so sometime after watching the band play live at Madison Square Garden with my co writer Jose Sanchez and his cousin Rico, all I wanted was to relive that moment. Eventually, I came across a variety of people covering Radiohead songs, which I was thrilled to see and then suddenly, I came across two guys that really caught my attention due to their guitar playing, and technicality as guitar players, matching the likes of the legendary Johnny Greenwood himself. Both of them I happen to interview for this particular blog of mine. As a matter of fact, for this entry, one of them will be the focus of this interview! So who is this particular guest? Ladies and Androids, Cyborgs, Avatars and Robots, please welcome my guest from the UK, Bloom.Pool! ( I felt like Jools Holland with this intro hee hee).
Q0. Who are your inspirations?
BP: Thom Yorke/Radiohead, Oh Hiroshima, Idles (I'll give you those three for now as the list is endless!)
Q1. How did you get into art, most notably writing music?
BP: When I started secondary school, I started listening and watching videos on youtube of Led Zeppelin, Most notably the 'Song Remains the Same' show in New York. I told my dad I wanted a guitar and eventually got one around the age of 13? After that I met like minded people in school and was in a band all throughout high school. We never wrote music, only did covers. But being competitive within the band and in the school, really built my skills and stage presence. This inevitably led to studying music at university, which is where I began writing my own music.
Q2. When did you take playing and creating music seriously?
BP: Playing music was serious from the moment I got my first guitar. I would spend hours learning riffs. I would repeat them over and over again, reading tabs off my laptop, until it was perfect. The band in high school was always serious too, it was a big deal to all of us for sure. Creating music has always been serious, but especially in these past couple of years when I've started releasing it. If something I write is going to be released, it needs to be perfect in my mind. I would never release anything I wasn't proud of or happy with. Music that I have released that I feel could be better, I take in my stride for the next thing I release and learn from it.
Q2.1. From your body of work, is there a particular piece or instrumental that you're proud of and why?
BP: I think the first track I ever released 'Shark.Bite' is the one I'm most proud of. It was the first track I had written alone, as well as produced and wrote all the instruments for. Before I released it I felt so exposed and obsessed with getting it perfect as I had never done anything like that before. I was so concerned about what people would think despite not even having any Spotify listeners or anyone interacting with anything! Looking back now, I'm so proud of it. It doesn't sound out of place, or really badly done to me and it's been close to 2 years since I released it.
Q2.2. From your 2018 UMI EP, to your current project Nectar, which of the works do you tend to play the most?
BP: If I'm honest, I don't really listen or play my music very often at all. I don't play live at the moment either, so there's not much reason for me to pick up my guitar and play. I think because I spend so much time writing, and then mixing, and then listening over and over again, by the time it's out I'm kind of done with it! Although I'm currently burning some music from the EPs onto CD's so I've tested them out in the car. Listening to the UMI EP really takes me back. Especially the title track... I think I should listen to that more...
Q2.3. Which tracks from your body of work would you recall, as the most challenging to create?
BP: On the first EP I tried to 'remaster' Shark.Bite. and it was such a pain. If I'm honest, I don't think I got it right. I was after this certain sound but I just couldn't hack it. I'm pretty sure I re-recorded the guitar like 10 times in one week?
Q2.4. When creating the self titled track "Nectar", what inspired the creation of that track? Was there any experiences that lead to the creation of the track?
BP: I was having a long stream of writer's block. I wanted to write something different as I felt a lot of my tracks had the same structure (quiet intro, build up, big loud bit, quiet outro). WIth ‘Nectar’ I just turned my mac off so it felt less clinical, and just jammed with my loop pedal. I kept doing these weird trills and slides with the delay pedal and it sounded great! This led to ‘Nectar’... Listening back and after reading a youtube comment, i think some Radiohead was coming through subconsciously.
Q2.5. Although Nectar is primarily a cover album, you have a range of artists that you covered for this project. You cover Radiohead, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Cigarettes After Sex, Alt J, Joji, and Beabadoobee among a few artists. Why did you pick the selected tracks to cover? What did you envision as the overall tone and atmosphere?
BP: I just love chill and ambient music and I just love doing covers. So I wanted to kind of blend my instrumental/ambient style with some tracks that might sound cool that way. Cigarettes has been my favourite one to do as it gets such great feedback. It also works so well! Then there's tracks like "I Love You' by Billie Eillish which I just had to do.
Q2.6. What was the process like when creating your original track "Queen Bee"? How long did it take to create that track?
BP: I was listening to loads and loads of a band called 'Battles'. Even though they're not a new band, them and their sound was so new to me. I thought it would be incredible to try to recreate it myself. ‘Queen Bee’ was the outcome of this! The track took me a day to write, but the mixing etc. took around a week...
Q2.7. You've managed to create a discography that ranges from ambient, alternative, post rock, to hues of shoegaze. For your next project, what are you hoping to explore sonically? Is there anything you plan to explore genre wise?
BP: So I'm releasing a full length album at the end of September and It includes all the genres above! I would love to try some more Battles style tracks and I think some Techno-Thom Yorke would be cool to dabble in.
Q2.8. Do you plan to infuse some of your previous metal work into your current ambient, alternative sound?
BP: YES! All the time! I have a Dean VMNT Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) guitar which I always use. I just think the thrash metal tone is incredible and you can't beat it for writing some heavy guitar.
Q2.9. If you have any live shows down the pipeline, when should people keep an eye out for them?
BP: I'm afraid I don't! I'm completely solo at the moment. I would love to pull a band together but I'm also so busy. I know I would be so picky about people's ability as well as personality. I would be an absolute control freak as well so I need to build up to that in time.
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
BP: Just doing something I love that gets supported by people I love.
Q4. What made you the person that you are today?
BP: The music I listen to, the friends/family I have and musicians I listen to.
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
BP: I would just love to sit down with Thom Yorke and just ask him about writing processes and music. I feel he's just someone who has this drive to make incredible works of art. Within one year he's released two full length albums on top of touring and a Radiohead album a few years prior. His songwriting in Radiohead contrasts on every album and with his solo work. The man's a genius as well as the most down to earth gent. He's not soaking up this inflated 'Oasis type ego' as much as he truly deserves to. I honestly just love the bloke.
Q6. If there were any deceased creators , actors, singers, writers, etc that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
BP: I'm not really sure on this one. One that has randomly come to mind is Bowie. I've never been an ultra Bowie fan but I feel he follows similar traits to Thom Yorke and what I love in artists.
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
BP: I would love to go to Japan, I feel that place is just so alien to the UK and the culture I live in. Especially for music like a tour or something. For someone in Japan to be listening and appreciating music I've written is just madness to me.
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
BP: Hitting a wall/halt of creativity and never breaking through it.
Q 9. If you had a superpower what would it be and why?
BP: Invisibility. The world can literally be your oyster and you can switch yourself off from it whenever you choose!
Q10. What catches your attention when you meet people?
BP: I'm not sure but maybe how open they are? I really struggle to make connections with people if they're giving nothing back. (Sorry that's a bad answer).
Q11. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
BP: Listen to Radiohead and start writing music NOW.
Q12. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and why? How did they shape you?
BP: I've never been much a book reader if I'm honest! No book has really had much of an effect on me...
Q13. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice ?
BP: I would love to remake 'The Truman Show' and cut out all the scenes of them 'behind the scenes' so the audience is led to believe that Truman is going insane but he's not? So we find out at the same time as Truman that it's a show!
Q14. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an
album, what album or artist would you pick?
BP: I would love to see a movie about Led Zeppelin IV. I imagine it would be like a Lord of the Rings vibe and the 'Stairway to Heaven' scene would become timeless. Also imagine the ending with 'When the Levee Breaks'...
Q15. Who In this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
BP: Bands and musicians. I think most recently Joe from the band Idles. Himself and Idles have created this following purely though being honest and writing great music. He states at Glastonbury that he was told he's too old to be in a band, but Idles have been so successful. I just think just honestly in artists makes me stay honest and true. Because you can still have success by being a decent person which I think a lot of people don't realise.
Q16. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
BP: I'd love to be still writing music, working within a label and hopefully doing some gigs on the side!
Q17. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on
repeat? And why?
BP: It changes every week but at the moment:
Radiohead - “A Wolf at the Door “ (I just love the lyrics and they can't get out of my head)
Weyes Blood - “A Lot's Gonna Change” (There's this sample thing at around 2:14 and it sounds so so so so cool!!!!!)
Palace - Life After (The Album) - (It's just an absolute masterpiece)
Q18. What color speaks to you the most and why?
BP: I really like the colour white. I think I love the idea of it being all the colours in one and It reminds me of the Pink Floyd DSOTM (Dark Side of the Moon) Album.
Q19: What is your greatest weakness?
BP: Having strikes of inspiration before I'm about to sleep or whilst I'm at work...
Q20. What is your greatest strength?
BP: A passion and drive to make work I'm proud of.
Q21.What's one thing that you're proud of?
BP: Bloom/pool
Q22. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
BP: It's not really a mantra, but I repeat to myself to write music I want to listen to, not what others might enjoy/would be more commercial. Perhaps it's 'Be Honest'
Q23. What is success to you?
BP: Having a sustainable income in a job I love, whilst having a passion for music.You can follow and support his work on these various platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloom.pool/?hl=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4CkMIjFaby08mvoXTeu6xA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloom.pool18/?ref=br_rs
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bloompool18
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04mREZF9mBX2uZGFpbHxur
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloompool
Bandcamp: https://bloompool.bandcamp.com/
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