Of The Sun - New Interview - PETE'S ROCK NEWS AND VIEWS.COM

Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)

PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?

OTS: Of The Sun is a mechanism of confrontation. I’m an infidel. Where I see enthusiastic, uncritical, militant belief, I see a trap. This goes for all belief structures: religious, nationalist, classist, etc. They’re all psy-ops, some older than others. Anybody who recognizes this should be sounding the loudest alarm they can find. My alarm is music.

PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.

OTS: I lived on the US east coast for most of my life. Pops was in a series of garage bands while my family lived in MD, and I was obsessed with the energy they created. I bought my first guitar from my cousin on my 10th birthday with all the money I got from birthday cards; $15. It was a frankenstein my uncle pieced together for her as a toy. My father taught me Roadhouse Blues and Electric Head Pt 2 to teach me the mechanics of playing, and the same uncle who put the guitar together showed me the basic chords. My brother, David, decided to pick up bass a few months later, and pops bought our youngest brother, Joe, a starter kit when he turned 7. We played classic rock covers to start with and spiraled out into metal as we aged.

PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?

OTS: Writing music doesn’t come from anything external. It’s something I have to do, or my psyche gets out of whack. The process involves dilating something within in order to stimulate a part of the brain that captures nuance and clarity from abstraction. In other words, very specific details emerge from nothing when I focus a certain way. Maybe when artists create this way, they tap into an aspect of shared consciousness. Maybe not, and it all hangs on a songwriter’s personal psychology. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve felt compelled to give voice to outrage and punch up ever since I started writing songs in earnest back in high school… because fuck being commodified, and fuck those who abuse power.

PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?

OTS: To improve myself through creating, to broaden the scope of my creative process, to reach everyone who feels the same, and to help in the dismantling of capitalism.

PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?

OTS: I’m in the middle of that moment, actually. Remotely assembling and releasing the EP “Pattern Rebirth” from Germany while coordinating with my producer, Sebastian Cure, in Colombia, has been a challenge, but has been an enormous experience in growth and learning.

PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?

OTS: I’ve always been independent, and I always will be. This poses a challenge when it comes to exposure, but if you’re making undeniably great music, it’ll catch on. At least, that’s what we’re lead to believe. The experience of interfacing with social media (which has shifted over time into a twisted model that narrows the reach artists have within their network as a means of capital gain) feels very dystopian. It’s hard to believe that anything but money makes a difference in the game.

PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?

OTS: OTS is a solo project right now. I’m looking for regional musicians interested in playing this type of music, but it’s been rough. I live out in the country amidst Bavarian farmers. It’s crazy. I’m trying to get back on the stage.

PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?

OTS: There’s a lot to consider if you’re trying to dissect it, but I will say that, as a consumer, I’m getting WAY more bang for my buck than I used to. Also, I’ve never gotten a binder full of downloads stolen from my car. However, it’s harder than ever for artists to make decent money through this model. But, as I’ve said before, it’s hard to hate. The access is unrivaled.