Connecting with Music Across Genre with Isaiah Craig

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You can find Isaiah on instagram @downbythe_willow.  You can listen to his band A Drop of Color on all major streaming platforms, or find them on instagram @adropofcolor_band

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Transcript

Opening

Wren 0:04

You're listening to Magical Moments with Music, the podcast where we share stories about the power of music and how it changes us for good. You'll get to hear how real people use music to express themselves, connect with others, find joy, and so much more. Thanks for tuning in to today's episode.

About Isaiah

Wren 0:34

I'm your host, Wren, and today we'll be talking with Isaiah Craig, also known as Izzy. Isaiah is a musician based out of Santa Cruz, California. After spending his youth learning classical piano, Isaiah continued his classical studies at Cabrillo College, learning more about theory, musicianship, classical guitar, and recording. Izzy has continued to branch into more genres of music and is now the lead singer and songwriter of the indie rock band A Drop of Color. He recently started his solo project on Instagram as downbythe_willow, where he combines his indie rock, folk, and classical influences into his own unique sounds of music. I first met Isaiah in 2015 at Cabrillo College, and we took the music theory and musicianship class series together. I've been so excited seeing Isaiah grow and expand in his music, and I'm so excited to hear more about how he connects with music. Thank you so much for joining, Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:36

Yeah, thank you for having me. Really looking forward to it.

Wren 1:40

Me too. All right, let's begin.

Magical Moment with Music

Wren 1:43

Isaiah, I would love to hear about a magical moment that you have had with music.

Isaiah 1:48

Oh, where to begin? There's so many. Um I think like not really one specific moment, but something that really sparked like the whole world of music for me was film scores. Like as a kid, like the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, the like Star Wars soundtrack, just always felt so big and so like just a whole world was in that sound. And that really like got me into it. Um, and that just kind of like opened the doors of like symphonic, but kind of more modern, but still sticking with that kind of classical evoking imagery type vibe, you know. Um that, and then I think one of the other biggest magical moments was probably seeing this band Modest Mouse. Um, they came to our local Civic Center here in Santa Cruz. And usually I don't like sit-down shows as much. If it's like a rock show or whatever, I like to be in the pit, I like to be up front. But this we kind of were like, we're just gonna sit on the side and watch for two hours. And it was crazy. It was just so much control and like they mastered the stage of just like every single note was intentional and just really, really beautiful. So yeah.

Wren 3:10

That is so cool. I never knew that the Civic Center would have such a range of performers. I've only ever seen the symphony there.

Isaiah 3:22

Yep, but every once in a while they have a random band come through, and it's kind of nice to like sit back and just kind of sit and observe instead of being like super rowdy as a lot of like rock and emo shows are. It's cool to just sit back and you're kind of forced to just you know take it all in.

Wren 3:39

Yeah. How did how did that impact your experience?

Isaiah 3:44

Um, I think I remembered it a lot more. I was able to kind of like at the symphony when you sit down, and if you're a nerd like me, you you take notes sometimes and stuff. And this was a lot like that, where I could just sit down and watch what they're doing and watch how the song just builds and grows and develops into stuff. And like a lot of times, I think some of the most powerful music is like the spaces in between and the pauses and the transitions and stuff. And yeah, it was it was probably one of the best like live music style, live music events I've ever been to.

Wren 4:23

Wow. So I know you like to go to a lot of live music shows. What are some of the other highlights that you have looking back?

Isaiah 4:33

Um so I go to a lot of festivals, which I think is for me a lot better, like price-wise, because you get to see 50 artists plus, depending on the festival, for like the price of some two or three other tickets, you know. Um I think like I went to Riot Fest a few times in Chicago, and that was really cool. Just like the atmosphere and the community that can be built around a love of a type of music is just crazy. And it always blows my mind that like you go to these events and everyone is there for the same reason, and you know, everyone has the same passion, and it's like you already have that commonality with tens of thousands of people around you, and it's just it's crazy. It's like music can really bring you together, and that's why I really love the like the festival scene and stuff. Um, I've gotten into like EDM music a lot, and I'm sure we'll touch on this later, but kind of the taboo of loving electronic music as a classical student. And like it took me a while to like set aside some prejudices I'd learned to be like, oh, that's not real music. I'd be like, well, actually it is, it's just a different, it's a different form. Like it is music. Like, yeah. Yeah. So just festivals in general. Um, lightning in a bottle is a festival I've been to a few times. Go with a big group of friends, and it's it's a whole experience. Like it's the music, it's the community, it's the art, it's everything combined. Um, and then I like a lot of like underground emo hardcore shows, like here in Santa Cruz and Bay Area. We have a really good scene, like it's great. There's dozens of just awesome bands that you can go to like a $5, $10 a ticket show and have the time of your life there. And then also, like aside from that, more like classical stuff, like going to the symphony. Um I'm actually gonna go see, I might butcher her last name, Dobet Gnahoré, I believe is how you pronounce it. Um, she is like a like indie pop artist from Africa. And yeah, she's apparently really big over there. She's gonna be at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Um, yeah, so just trying to dip my toe into all the different kinds of music there is and just absorb it all, you know?

Wren 7:01

Yeah, that's something I I really love about your music and your sound is the way that you are like so open and so excited to incorporate different genres of music into your like not only you're playing, but you're listening just all over.

Isaiah 7:19

Well, thank you. Yeah, I feel it really like expands, obviously, it expands your knowledge and stuff, but it also like sometimes listening to music that you might not necessarily like, but almost listening to it as a study to be like, I'm gonna sit through this and see what I can gain out of it. Like, I think last year I went through a little phase where it's like, I'm gonna pick a random album like that I've never heard of and just force myself to sit through it. And like I found a lot of music that I didn't think I would like initially, and afterwards I'm like, okay, I get it now.

Wren 7:53

Yeah, and I I think music across genre, there's I mean, there's there's things that stay consistent among music. Like there's I mean, it's music made by a human, so hopefully by a human. So yeah. So that's a whole 'nother but so there's there's some heart to it, there's some emotion. Um there's of course, you know, sound and rhythm. But I I I think one of the uh ways I love to think about it is if there's like a really good song, a good song can be played in any genre, and it's still gonna make you feel something.

Isaiah 8:36

Yeah. For sure.

Wren 8:39

So how did you first branch into playing in new

Classical Music Roots

Wren 8:45

genres?

Isaiah 8:46

So uh to answer this, I have to kind of go back to my origin with music. Um, so I started like classical piano or classically inspired piano because we would do like some pop songs and some Latin stuff here and there. Um, but I started that pretty young, I think around like seven or eight, something like that. And at first I really hated it. I was like, this is boring. I have to get up early before school and like go do this every week. Like, what the hell? No. But luckily, my parents like forced me to stick with it. And I'm so glad they did. Because I think around the time I was like 13 or so, I think my mom was like, All right, you don't really have to continue this like we want you to, but we're not gonna force you to. And that was right around the time I was like, I'm starting to get kind of good at it, and now it's fun. And so that I think between like 13 to 16, I really just pursued it a lot. And around that time, I started to also like listen to other music and listen to like Breaking Benjamin and stuff like that, where it's like, oh, this is completely different, but it's cool, and I like this music and I like rock and this and that. And then I just started like playing with one of my friends. Um, and we would play together, and I was like, I'm gonna pick up guitar because I'd already done some classical guitar, but I was like, I want an electric guitar and just kind of trial and error, and started branching out and started with rock music, then got more into indie and then like branched into like emo, and but then also keeping in the back of my mind like classical and learning jazz and blues progressions that kind of bridge that gap between like classical and rock. It's always been kind of almost a mix of both, but not quite either, you know. And yeah, just experimentation and stuff and building little by little on different things and jamming with different people and like the project we're working on, kind of pushing yourself to like think outside the box and go outside your comfort zones and just try it. Like sometimes it doesn't work, but a lot of the times you you find something there.

Wren 10:59

Yeah, I love that. I think sometimes the I feel like sometimes the the most magical moments in music just come out of just trying and opening yourself up and just being vulnerable to the moment in the music.

Isaiah 11:15

Yeah, for sure.

Wren 11:18

So tell me a little bit more about your classical experience. It did you just play piano? Did you play any other instruments?

Isaiah 11:27

Um, I just did, I mostly did piano, like that was my main focus. Um, I think piano is a little side tangent, but I think piano is a great, if not the best, instrument to start on. Like all your notes are laid out there. Great idea of like tonality and relationship between notes. And then I started um at Cabrillo, I started doing the classical guitar ensemble because I wanted to get into guitar in that way. And it was great. It was just it was hard for me because I had really drilled into piano, and then the idea of you have the same note at multiple different places to play it. That just like I still struggle with that. Like, but there's one sound, but you can get it off of like three different spots on your guitar. Um, so yeah, so that was a little hurdle to get over. And then obviously, through the musicianship classes that helped a lot with like recognizing tonality and singing and matching. And that was really about it as far as classical. It's mostly just been the piano, it's been like my one true love.

Wren 12:35

Yeah, I completely agree about about piano. I feel like it's so foundational to be able to see all of the notes. And if you're learning piano, most likely you're also learning some basic Western music theory at the same time, too. And that just sets you up for anything else. Um, I have I took piano lessons for only two years as a kid, but those two years set me up for all of my years in band on well, my two years on clarinet, but my seven years playing French horn in high school and college. And it I mean it really set me up for the musician that I am today. So I so relate to that.

Isaiah 13:19

Yeah. Yeah, that's one thing I wanna like pursue is I would love to play trumpet or sax or something, get more into that realm of instruments. I just haven't made the leap yet.

Wren 13:30

Okay. What would making that leap look like for you?

Isaiah 13:35

Um honestly, I'd probably like sign up for some lessons just to get good technique down first. As and like buy an instrument, of course. Um, because I have like I've been looking for like a trumpet player because in our band, there's a few lines I've written out like melodies for trumpet, but just have no one to play them and I can't play trumpet like great at all. It's it's a lot. I just I've tried a few times and like, how do you get a sound out of this? Um, so that's still that's still in the checklist of to do. Um, but yeah, hopefully at some point I will delve into that. Some point too.

Wren 14:17

Yeah, I would, I would love to see you do that. And as a brass player myself, I think there's something so special about playing a wind instrument and the way that you are so embodied when you play it too. Just by playing with your breath. Uh and I think it's uh because I've gotten more into piano now as an adult. And I really think that the the aspect of learning to really deeply breathe with music has also transferred back to the piano. And I'd be really interested to see how even just some beginner trumpet would impact the rest of your experience as a musician because it's all connected.

Isaiah 15:02

Yeah, for sure. I feel like it like it kind of combines like singing and your piano thing because you're like you're using your voice and your breath, but also having to be mindful of the technique of an instrument.

Wren 15:16

Yeah. What would you say are some of the pros and cons of having a classical music background?

Isaiah 15:24

Ah, yes. Okay, let's start with the pros. I think that having the theory and technique of classical playing has been one of my biggest helps. Like, it's been so nice, like to guide my melody writing and like what's gonna sound good together and progressions and stuff. And like, I know you can obviously do that with other instruments and other styles of learning, but I think classical really, really pushes like tonality and like leading tones and like how to really build tension and great melodies. Um, and of course, like sight reading sheet music is is huge. Like being able to do that and being able to write sheet music is a big plus. Um, I think it also teaches you a lot of like restraint and control, and like you end up being very metered in how you approach things and like analytical in breaking down, like there's this, say you're starting this huge piece. Like, I think for one of my uh piano recitals at Cabrillo, I did Flight of the Bumblebee, and I remember just little like note by note being like, okay, da-da-da, and just working your way through the whole song. Whereas other like types of learning, like through chord sheets or tabs, seems a little more like not quite as intricate, you know. Um, but I think one of the cons with it is the improv. Like, not for me, not being able to improv was really like a setback at first. Because I start to jam with people and I was like, what do you mean we don't have anything written down? Like, what are we gonna play? Like, I need notes in front of me, like hand me a sheet of music and I'll read it. But they're like, Oh, we'll just we'll play it A minor and then G. Like, but what do we play in that? So that that was a big hurdle, and it still kind of is, where a lot of times I go to a jam session and I'll be like, all right, I need to have like a backup of ideas and stuff that I've flushed through that then I can apply to that situation. But I think that was one of the biggest things, and then trying to be in like the indie emo rock world and communicate with people from a lot of different musical backgrounds, and some people are like phenomenal musicians, but have no idea how to sight read or no idea how to read music, and it's just I think classical training kind of makes you like it, kind of has this insinuation that that's not real music or they aren't learned properly or whatever. What I've come to realize is that there's so many different ways of accessing music and learning it that no one's like relationship or learning structure is gonna be the same, but that is not like I don't know, it doesn't like disqualify you from being a great musician just because you don't know this style or that style or whatever. I think in some ways, uh classical music as a whole can be a little like elitist or like a little like hard to access for a lot of people, and just kind of breaking out of that, but also like keeping what it taught me has been the biggest uh hurdle, a pro and a con in some ways.

Wren 18:57

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I feel like the pursuit of excellence in classical music and uh learning to like really focus in note by note and really practice until uh near perfection is such a double-edged sword because like you said, it was such a gift to have something that taught you how to approach music and approach music in a way where you're trying to make something sound good that you're really proud of, but also that's a lot of pressure. So uh when you do make music with other musicians who don't have a classical background, how do you find yourself communicating about music differently?

Isaiah 19:52

Um I think most people, regardless of classical background or not, have a good idea of structure and like one, four, five, or like just common progressions and common like key tonality. And even if they don't know how to like put it into words a lot of times, they play it and you're like, okay, that's this progression. Um, so just like kind of setting a foundation, but allowing yourself room to explore out of that, be like, all right, we're just gonna start simple. Like at first, like all you need for a lot of songs, especially in like the rock world, is two chords. Like with two chords, you can do so much, and there is so much room for improvisation and building and releasing tension. And like, you don't, it doesn't need to be super intricate. I think that's another thing I've learned is that as my my writing with emo and indie music, I think has gotten better once I've stripped it back and doing like I'm trying too hard, like I'm trying to put in stuff because I'm like, oh, it has to be more complicated, like this is too easy. But it's like a lot of like great songs are simple, and that's why they work is because they're simple and straightforward and like accessible, you know? Yeah, and just being able to communicate that with people just kind of has like the same mentality of just strip it back to the basic and just build off of there. And sometimes you feed off of each other and you get something that's really complex from starting simply, and yeah, just always start simple and you can always build off of it and like don't go in with too much of an expectation.

Wren 21:33

Yeah. Yeah, I and also too, even in uh even in some of the most complex works out there, uh it's the most simple things that we really feel the most deeply. My favorite example is uh in Swan Lake. Um there's this moment where all it is is just a descending major scale. And every single time I hear it, I it's like I just almost have to clutch my heart just because I feel it so deeply. And I remember uh I got to see Swan Lake with the Indianapolis Symphony and the Indianapolis ballet uh last year. And I remember just thinking, gosh, how can something so simple make me feel so much?

Isaiah 22:34

Yeah, for sure. Especially just like I don't know, leading into like having a leading tone or something that just pulls you back to your tonal center. Like that's what it's all about. That's what the people want.

Wren 22:50

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I think there's there's a certain expectation about music and almost like even if even if you're not a musician and you don't understand what's happening, it's like your brain and your body still yearn for that. We still want to go back to the tonic, we still want to go back to a certain note, and we feel so satisfied when that happens.

Isaiah 23:14

Yeah, even like even if you can't explain it, you're like that that sounds good.

Wren 23:18

Yeah, absolutely.

Isaiah 23:20

Yeah.

How Music Shaped Isaiah

Wren 23:22

So something that uh you mentioned in your guest survey was that music has shaped you as a person. I would really love to hear more about how how that looks like for you.

Isaiah 23:37

Yeah. Um I don't know. I feel like as I grow older and as I evolve as a person, like one thing that luckily for me has always been there has been music. So it's like it's always been something that I can turn to when I'm like feeling stressed or feeling down. It's like every time I play, no matter what, no matter what it is, I feel better. And it's like it's kind of like this almost like existential like friend you have that you're like, oh, I'm feeling down. I'm gonna go like commune with the music for a minute. And I just think that and like the dedication to it and stuff really like has pushed me to I don't know, take more chances in it and just be more like involved. And I think it's also guided me. Like, I've met so many of my friends through music in one way or another, like had so many good experiences and life experiences that I wouldn't have had if I wasn't involved in music, from like I said, going to festivals and shows and just yeah, knowing the importance of like community and just yeah, a lot of um a lot of the shows I go to, like emo, indie, hardcore, small shows, a lot of community-based stuff. They'll have like Gaza fundraisers and little free markets, and a lot of the shows will have like Narcan stations and just to help people be informed and be safe. And it's great. I I love it. I feel that I've been very lucky to find like a niche of community and music where most of the time everyone's a really good person, and it just it encourages me to be a better person and be more involved and like stand up for people, you know. And I don't think I would have that mindset if it wasn't for music. So I really I owe a lot of where I am in life now to that.

Wren 25:42

How do you think your life would have been different if you had quit the piano at 13 when you had when you had the opportunity to?

Isaiah 25:52

Oh, good question. I think I'd be like really bored, really bored and a lot like angrier. I don't know. I think that it's a great channel for your emotions and it's a great, like I'm a generally pretty anxious person, and anytime I'm anxious, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna go strum the guitar or play the piano a bit, and then it usually goes away, and it's like something to do. But if I didn't have that outlet, I don't know. It's kind of hard to picture like what I would be like, but I don't think I don't think it would be better. Yeah, I I think it would be a lot uh much less colorful life for sure.

Wren 26:34

Yeah. Well, I know it certainly would be less colorful because you would not be in a part of your group, A Drop of Color.

Isaiah 26:42

True.

Wren 26:46

So speaking of your band,

A Drop of Color

Wren 26:48

A Drop of Color, how did that, how did your band come to be?

Isaiah 26:53

Uh so one of my closest friends, Jacob, has been through with me through all of the crazy band stuff over the past like eight years at this point. Um, we had multiple projects before this, and me and him were kind of the constant that like stayed through it. And then eventually, like the past two years, maybe three years, we really just solidified our sound and like all these songs we've been working on and all these ideas really came together. And yeah, it's just it's been a crazy trip. It's been a little, a little slow the past like six months to a year, just because everyone's busy. One of our main venues we play at a lot, um, closed down. So it's like we don't have that outlet anymore. But it's great. We still do practice at least once or twice a week for a couple hours and always always making new stuff and just yeah, trying to trying to record our EP now. And we have a few singles out on Spotify and Pandora and all the places, you know. Um, so yeah, it's been it's been really fun. I like having a project that I'm not like I'm the main like writer and stuff, but it would not be what it is without the other guys' input. Like I usually come to them with like a riff or an idea, or mostly the lyrics and the melody. And then everyone kind of collaborates and just makes something out of it. And there's so many times where I have an idea of where it goes, and then I hear the other ideas, and I'm like, that's so much better. Like, let's incorporate that and like scrap what I said, like forget it. Um, so yeah, just being creative, being having fun, playing shows. We've done done a few uh did like a little mini food festival up in Modesto, I think it was. That was really cool. Just getting out and like we're obviously a small band, so it's kind of cool to be able to just play little coffee shops and play just like the random tiny little venues, and you you learn so much from that, and just like seeing other artists that you open for and stuff, like admire what you're doing and be like, Oh, that was cool. It's it's really fulfilling, and it's like kind of gets rid of that like imposter syndrome because a lot of times for for a long while I was like, I don't know, I just I feel like it's not good enough, or it's like I'm not, it needs to be more intricate, it's always that classical, like be a little more complicated, and then like seeing it be well received is like, oh, it's very like validating, you know? Yeah, and yeah.

Wren 29:37

I love how how organically it sounds like your collaborations with your band members just come to life, and I think it really speaks to what a good group of people you have together to all uh be able to riff off of each other and create something that is like even better than what you envisioned.

Isaiah 29:59

That's that's the dream, isn't it? Of to have a great idea and then realize that it can be like so much better.

Wren 30:06

Yeah, and to have people who understand and see your vision and and have that ability to build off of it is so special.

Isaiah 30:18

Yeah, and that was kind of the whole point of like the name and the band as a whole would be like it's a really shitty world, and there's a lot of really rough stuff happening, but to be like a drop of color and just like a spot of like joy and hope and fun and just kind of recognizing that the world sucks a lot of the times, but that's what music and art is for, is to like keep life and like hope alive, you know?

Wren 30:50

Yeah, yeah. I think music reminds me how it feels to be alive, and I I really relate to that.

Intersections of Art and Music

Wren 31:02

You mentioned um art as well. Earlier you mentioned that you kind of opened up into the music world because of film scores. I love the world building and just like that deep emotion. I mean, film scores are meant to make you feel something, of course. Um do you have any memories where you felt very moved by a film score?

Isaiah 31:33

Um, I'm a big nerd, so I have to say Lord of the Rings. Like I have the Lord of the Rings tattoo, I have all the books, I've read every scrap of Tolkien there is out there. So I think that having that motif just be used over and over in so many different ways. Like, I don't know how much you're into it or how much you've heard it, but just like starting the Fellowship of the Ring with just really simple, it's the hobbits, it's the Shire, it's very organic and stuff, and you have that melody that just sticks with you, and then later returning it as like a big score with trumpets and like all this stuff, it just shows that like that melody or a hook can just be like a whole world in itself, and it can be used in so many different ways. And when it's an octave higher and played by a clarinet, it's a totally different thing.

Wren 32:33

Yeah,

Isaiah 32:33

like I think it is so moving and so like powerful to be able to create like a whole like world based off of a few notes that you string together, and suddenly it evokes a whole feeling and like a fandom of just as soon as you hear that, you're like, it's it's a whole vibe, I feel, you know? Yeah, and I think that that is just so moving for me to the idea that a few notes or a simple line can mean so much to so many people. Yeah.

Wren 33:06

Absolutely. So aside from the film, are there any other favorites you have in terms of intersections of music and art?

Isaiah 33:18

Um I think let's see. I I really like music videos of all sorts of different kinds because I feel that one it's like it's a great intersection of music and art. And a lot of times you hear a song and then you see the music video for it, and you get a whole new appreciation or understanding or perspective. Um, I think that's really cool. One of my favorite things to do with uh some of my friends is we'll sit down and we'll put on just random music videos with no sound, and then we will like do a playlist or an album under it of a different song. So it's like the music video, and almost every time it somehow syncs up to work with whatever goes over it just because of the meter of things, and I think that's so cool, and it's it's a really fun way to see that spanning across many different genres of music and of visual art, they line up and they have this ebb and flow to them, and I think that's like really cool, and then yeah, and just being kind of like having to take on a role of like social media presence and art for a band of being like, okay, now I gotta figure out cover art, I gotta figure out merch, I gotta maybe do pictures, maybe do videography stuff, and just like learning that just in today's climate, if you want to be a musician and you want to put yourself out there, you kind of have to be a jack of all trades and at least like have a fundamental understanding of like even how to just make a flyer for a show. And it's like that's kind of hard at times because like I I totally get you talked earlier about not wanting to use like generative AI and stuff, and that's that's huge. Like, if especially in the Santa Cruz scene, if you use AI in a flyer, you're not gonna be getting a show, which is awesome. It's like there are so many artists out there and so many people you don't need to use a AI machine to like make art that people can make and are making. And I yeah, I think it's it's cool that music kind of pushes you to explore other avenues of art as well and just be like be more creative, be like, all right, I have these songs, but what do I want the album art to look like? Like, what's the name of the EP? Like all of this, like it's not just music, it's creating a whole artistic idea and an artistic like um like point of view that you wanna you wanna show from your music, which yeah, the intersection is kind of endless, I feel.

Wren 36:10

Yeah, absolutely.

Isaiah 36:12

Like so many things are intertwined with it.

Wren 36:14

Yeah, yeah. And I think that music, uh music is just such a prime medium to be mixed with other forms of art. Especially in its ability to really make us feel something. Yeah, and then like you combine that with a visual art of some type or dance or something like that, where it's like you have multiple like forms of art working together to create something bigger than any individual part of it. And I think that's that's really sick. And that that's something I love like about film scores is that that that is it. Like it's taking the music but then applying it to the film and the scenery and stuff, and it just it all comes together to create like a greater whole. Yeah. Yeah, and it wouldn't it would not be the same, it would not move us if it if it weren't for music.

Isaiah 37:18

Yeah, for

Music Collaboration Discussion: Carmilla

Isaiah 37:19

sure.

Wren 37:20

So we have been uh working on a really fun collaboration uh that is an intersection of music and art. Uh so there is a 1870s sapphic horror gothic novella about vampires. And um and it predates Dracula. It was the very first uh really successful uh vampire novel back in the day. And so Isaiah and I have both felt very inspired by it. I am a huge lover of horror, and my book club picked it, and I've been thinking a lot about it, and I pitched the idea to Isaiah to make some music based off of it, and it's been so cool so far collaborating. Um, Isaiah, do you want to share a little bit about how you came up with the the original, like the first round of the piano music for it?

Isaiah 38:18

Yeah, I'm really excited for this. I this I love doing this um quick side story. I'll I'll be quick. Um so a lot of times when I'm going to write a song, me and my friend Jacob will sit down. He's our bassist in our band. Um and he has like so many great ideas. And he will sit down and he'll be like, hey, there's like this book. And he was talking about like Animal Farm and to Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men. And I hadn't really read, like I read some of the books, I hadn't really read them all the way, didn't really know them that well. And he gave me like a synopsis of all three and was like, let's write a song about it. And like one of our favorite songs we've written, and we haven't put it out yet, but it's still in the works of recording, was Of Mice and Mockingbirds. And it's just like this conglomeration of all three of those books. And like as soon as you said the Carmilla, like you wanted to incorporate a book somehow, I was like, let's do it. Like this sounds so fun. And yeah, I'm excited. Um, I think like it was funny when we started to talk about it. You you're saying kind of like dark and gothic. And immediately I was like, okay, D minor, like D minor. I haven't done too much with that in my own personal writing, just because it's kind of a hard key to like work in, I feel, at least personally. It's kind of hard to match that vibe if it's not gothic, like classical -ly type music. Um, so yeah, I think establishing D minor and just having a kind of piano-inspired piece, and we'll we'll see what comes of it. We're still working on it, but I'm excited with where it's going.

Wren 40:06

So you watched some videos about it, you read about it, you listened to, had previously listened to a podcast that talked a lot about it.

Isaiah 40:15

Yeah. Yeah. So I I had heard of Carmilla a few times here and there. And then I think a few weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast about horror just in general, and she came up and I was like, oh, that's really cool. And then they delved a little into it, and then I read some of the links you sent me. And yeah, she seems like a very complex character. And I really like that, especially from that era where a lot of men that write women characters give them no depth. Or yeah, I just I think it's really cool. And just like you, I am a big horror fan. And so yeah, I'm excited to see where it goes and to bring Carmilla to life.

Wren 41:00

Yeah, me too. I'm really excited. Isaiah's starting with some of the piano parts of it, and then I'm gonna come back with some lyric ideas, and I'm really excited to see how things go. A big part of this podcast for me is getting to collaborate with other artists and uh just expand with music, and it's been so fun so far in working with you. And I think something that is unique to my experience with working with you is that I know that we for a fact have the same background and understanding of music theory and musicianship. And I think it's been really fun because it in a way has inspired me to go back to the basics in a way. And I think now when I make music, I'm not as much thinking about the theory behind it. It's more I'm just creating out of my heart and then I'm gonna and then I'm gonna make sense of it after. Um, but it's been really fun to work in a little bit of a different way and feel like I'm kind of going back to to my roots with that.

Isaiah 42:22

Yeah, I know that that makes total sense because I was kind of in the same background of like, or like kind of in the same thought of like, we have the same background. We both know, like we've been through.

Wren 42:34

We we went through page 10 together.

Isaiah 42:37

We went through page 10 together. That's all that that's all that matters. Oh, that's so funny. Um, but yeah, and like what one of your comments, like you said, was like, add the C sharp, make it really D minor. And like that was much needed because I went with the idea of dark and stormy. It was like it's kind of missing something. It feels it doesn't feel classical enough, you know? And then adding that C sharp makes all the difference. And it's like, ah yes, we need our leading tone.

Wren 43:10

Yeah, and I I loved uh I loved your just like your attitude toward towards all of this too, and your your enthusiasm. And like I never felt weird about sharing how I thought that something could be different, and I think that really just speaks to your collaborative attitude towards music, which I I find very admirable.

Isaiah 43:34

Yeah, yours as well. Like it's it's great working with someone that just like spills it all out and is like, I have all these ideas, I'm gonna send you a voice note that's like two to four minutes long. Like I love that. I love that so much. Like, because that's that's how I that's how I work too, where it's like, here's an idea, here's like I'm just gonna brainstorm about it and just think. And a lot of it is just planning. And like we we have the tools and the technique to do it, but it's like, can we create together? It is, it is a bit of a new experience for me creating something with someone remotely. Because it's it's a big difference when you're like there in person, able to work together. But I think it's it's good. It makes it a little challenging. Um kind of pushes me to like record better and like try to get better sound. And I'm I'm glad I've been a little like pushed into that corner of like, oh, I want to make this like sound like really nice. And it's kind of pushed me as far as my uh recording abilities and stuff. So yeah, I'm stoked with the challenge.

Wren 44:42

Yeah, and I'm I'm excited to see just where things go. And I think as we are both, you know, moving past some of our some of the things that we both internalize from classical music, I think something that keeps coming up for me is that I'm just excited to see what we come up with, whatever that is, in the time frame we have. And know that it's not going to be good because we put heart and effort into it. And it's just one piece of music.

Isaiah 45:20

It's just one piece of music, it's just some notes. Yeah. I really like also that we kind of established early on an idea and a direction and a storyline, but kind of left our genre vague. And we're like, this could be kind of folky, this could be kind of classical. Like, I I like having structure but not limitations, you know. I think that's really, really important. Build a structure, build so we're on the same page, but the page is blank and we can do whatever we want as long as we're on the same page.

Wren 45:54

Yes, I absolutely love that. The whole song and a little bit more about the behind the scenes of it is gonna come out next week.

Isaiah 46:04

Cool. I'm excited.

Wren 46:07

Me too.

Giving Flowers

Wren 46:08

Well, Isaiah, thank you so much for being here today and sharing about all of the amazing ways that you connect with music. I so enjoyed talking with you. And before we go, I have to give you your flowers. I want you to know that I feel so inspired by your uncompromising passion for music and your immediate excitement and eagerness for collaboration just made me even more excited than I already was. I also want you to know I I love how you you stay true to the music. And I love how you just you don't let genre define you and define the way that you make music and art. So I I really can't wait to hear more. Thank you.

Isaiah 46:53

I appreciate that.

Wren 46:54

Yeah. And I I can't wait to hear more from your band, A Drop of Color. And I'm so excited to see how you continue to grow and expand as a musician on your solo Instagram project.

Isaiah 47:07

Yeah, likewise.

Closing

Isaiah 47:09 Wren 47:09

So where can people find you?

Isaiah 47:12

Um, so yeah, uh Instagram's probably the best way for like connections and stuff. Um, I have my new solo project, Down by the Willow. It's down bythe _willow. Um, that's just me. And then I have my band, uh, which is A Drop of Color. Um, and we're at @a drop of color .band on Instagram. I also have a BlueSky for my um Down by the Willow. That's just getting started. Haven't really posted there much, but I want to kind of expand into that social media platform. And yeah, that's about it. I mean, our music you can find. We have a few songs out from A Drop of Color on Spotify, and everywhere you find music, you'll you'll find it. There's some obscure YouTube videos of us live. No if you want to find those, but they're out there.

Wren 48:04

I know what I'm gonna be watching later.

Isaiah 48:07

Yeah, sound quality wasn't great, but we we had heart.

Wren 48:11

Yeah, that's what matters.

Isaiah 48:13

Um, so yeah, and once again, thank you for having me on here. This has been great. Really excited to work with you more on Carmilla.

Wren 48:20

Yeah, awesome. Is there anything else you wanna share before we end?

Isaiah 48:26

Um, I think that's about it. Just I don't know, leave the world a better place than you found it. Like that, that is my that is my like mantra for my music. It's just I just wanna add some light to the world and just leave it better than you found it. You know, if everyone did that, we'd we'd have a much nicer place to live.

Wren 48:47

Thank you, Isaiah, for bringing some extra color into this world with your music. So links to Isaiah's music and social media can be found in the show description. Thank you again for joining. Bye, Isaiah.

Isaiah 49:00

Oh, thank you, Wren. Bye.

Wren 49:08

If you'd like to share your own magical moments with music here on the podcast, fill out the guest interest survey. You can find the survey, social media handles, and links related to today's episode in the show notes. Thanks for tuning in. Now go make some music magic.