motel void

MOTEL VOID: You’re from NYC. How would you describe the current indie/lo-fi music scene there? Do you feel that you’re part of it?

ALEXEI SHISHKIN: NYC is interesting — it’s so vast, and there’s so much happening that it feels like every “scene” has its own pockets and spaces. To be clear, I’m not from NYC, so please take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
While art is certainly flourishing here in many ways, it definitely isn’t the same as pre-pandemic (lukewarm take, I know). Even in the eight short years I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that the same story plays out again and again: art space/venue/what-have-you is created, 2) that space gains momentum, 3) that space is forced to shut down.

I guess that’s not special — every city sees that sort of thing. In NYC, however, the cycle feels expedited. Hyper-capitalism will do that to ya.
And as far as being a part of the “scene” goes… I don’t know. I’m adjacent to it, I guess, but I don’t play live or have a band, so I think my group of music people is more online than IRL.

MOTEL VOID: Your favorite local venues and artists?

ALEXEI SHISHKIN: I gotta say, I don’t really go to shows all that much (blasphemous, I’m sorry). I really enjoy going to The Keep whenever they have jazz on. There’s a guy named Welf Dorr who plays there (Sunday nights, I think?), and his group are so fun to watch.
Other venues I’ll shout-out are Alphaville, Our Wicked Lady, and TV Eye. And Knockdown Center for the annual Halloween show.
Artist-wise, I’m not really super close with any other musicians in NYC. I discovered this guy recently who makes music as RIP Dunes; his stuff is great.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released your new single ‘Bermuda’. Will it be part of your new album? And could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of your songs?

ALEXEI SHISHKIN: Yes, “Bermuda” will be part of the album Open Door Policy which will be out on June 28th. There’ll be another single from the album called “Rose Gold” dropping on May 31st, so keep an eye out for that.

Generally, my writing and recording process is very scattershot. Sometimes I’ll start with piano chords or guitar chords, sometimes I’ll start with a drum loop, sometimes I’ll start with bass — it really is quite haphazard and directionless.
From those chords or bass lines, I’ll feel out a vague structure, or discover a few sections at least. At that point, I’ll improvise melodies on guitar, piano, or vocally. And eventually, I’ll string enough melodies together that it’s a song. I’m really not precious at all about the tunes — going from nothing to a mostly complete demo takes me about 3 hours. I’m an anti-perfectionist.

All of my solos and most of my lyrics are improvised. I also never take the time to write down or memorize any of my chords or melodies, so of all the songs I’ve written, 10 albums worth, I think I might know how to play a few parts of a couple songs. Not something to be proud of, but it’s the reality of the situation.

Recording-wise, every album I do is different. Some I do at home using certain kinds of drum tracks I get online. Others I’ll do most of the stuff but hire a few remote players to do parts. Open Door Policy was a bit more conventional. I was lucky enough to track the album at Big Nice Studio in Rhode Island with the amazing Bradford Krieger (who not only produced it and played on it, but also mixed and mastered it — the guy is a genius). A lot of others helped, but a special shout-out to Graham W. Bell who played on it and was (and still is) generally a guiding light.

MOTEL VOID: You draw inspiration from artists like David Berman, Doug Martsch, Dean Wareham… who is your biggest inspiration right now?

ALEXEI SHISHKIN: Yes, definitely respect and admire all of those names. Um, let’s see, right now… it’s tough. I don’t think I’m necessarily inspired by any certain musician. I don’t see myself as one of them because I don’t rely on music for a living (nor do I care to). I’m just a guy who tries to make art for a hobby.
Recently I’ve been listening to The Clash, Piero Piccioni, Stereolab, and The Cleaners From Venus, but I don’t know if those are inspirations necessarily. I’m most inspired by sleeping in, playing soccer, eating good food, and drinking good drinks.

MOTEL VOID: Your plans for the rest of 2024?

ALEXEI SHISHKIN: Here’s a quick list of what I’m currently working on:

I have another album that’s ready to go, just needs to be mastered. Tentatively it’s codenamed Magpie. It’s seeking a home, so if there’s any label reading this that wants to put it out, please get in touch.

I’ve started hosting a radio show on Brainrot Radio (every Wednesday 11pm Eastern, tune in at brainrotradio.com), and I’m loving it, so I’ll keep that going as long as I can.

I released my first feature length documentary earlier this year. It’s about the value of music, being a working-class musician, and working to grow an arts community in a place that isn’t necessarily receptive of it. It features a lot of artists, but the biggest name is Built To Spill. It’s called PLAY BY EAR, and you can watch it for free here:

I’m currently working on a board game that’s like an easy-to-play tabletop roleplaying game where you’re a “creative industry” professional trying to work your way through a bunch of unruly projects/jobs.

And finally, I’m excited to watch Copa America and Euro 2024 in the balmy, New York summer with friends and beverages in the backyard!
Thanks for having me do this interview!