Where are we talking from today?
Denver, Colorado.
How is 2018 treating you so far?
It’s been really hectic and exciting professionally. I’ve published my first novel, three albums of original music, and about 40 YouTube videos on my channel.
How did you get involved in music?
I was a musician by the time I was six. My mother was a professional violinist so I was surrounded by it my whole upbringing. I took piano lessons as a kid, then played the viola for eight years, and then started singing and playing the guitar later in high school.
When did you make music a priority?
College was when it became more than something I was required to do. I knew I wanted to be some form of artist and music was something I’d grown up doing, so I started writing songs and poetry. After I decided I didn’t want to major in english, I decided to major in music because I didn’t like other people telling me how to write.
What inspires you daily to write and record music?
I think playing music is one of the most healing things we can do as human beings, so it would be an important part of my life even if I weren’t doing it as part of my work.
Name 1-2 highly influential musicians that you listen to and respect
Duke Ellington and Bob Dylan.
When it comes to how the music enthusiast listens to your album, do you prefer they buy or stream and why?
I think owning a physical copy of a record is the way you actually express your care for the artist. If censorship or some electronic catastrophe happens then the streaming world dies. So buying a physical copy is a way of ensuring that work lasts beyond the moment of streaming.
I’m not anti-streaming at all. In fact, I think it’s a great way to develop a casual relationship with an artist, but when you want to express an appreciation for the depth of their work I think it’s important to own the physical copies.
Do you have an album/Ep out now that readers should check out or are you about releasing singles?
I have two albums and an EP I re-released this year under my last name Ecke:
“Change of Mind” is a singer-songwriter album about my own need to change my mindset to grow and become a better person. It’s stripped down and all of the takes are raw, live performances without any overdubbing, but the lyrics are the best I’ve ever written.
“Turbulence” is a collection of melodic-instrumental-electronic-chillwave style tracks I developed several years ago, released under a pseudonym, and am now releasing under my actual name.
“Transcendental” is a mix between the two, including some singer-songwriter elements along with more electronic instrumentation. It’s probably best described as Dream Pop or something like that, but I think genre definitions have gotten a bit out of control.
Musicwise, what are you working on?
I have another album’s worth of material I’d like to record in a more traditional rock-style band format, but I’m thinking about using these songs for a film I’ve been cooking up. That project probably won’t happen for a while, but we’ll see what happens.
Do you have any plans to tour?
If it comes up I’m willing to consider it, but right now I’m building out my base in Denver.
When you are not making music what else do you enjoy to do?
I write, I make films, I play sports, I like going hiking, and I read. I used to party, but I’ve dialed things back quite a bit to save money and build out my company.
I published a novel in March about the CTO of a massive tech company getting kidnapped by a fanatic serial killer in order to use the company’s technology to murder people. It’s called Moral Panic and promoting that has been taking up a good amount of my time.
I also make short films, comedy skits, and some poetry performance videos for my YouTube channel: The Dream Flow
Where are you @ online?
My website is the central hub for all my stuff: www.TheDreamFlow.com
I’m also on YouTube. Channel name: https://www.youtube.com/thedreamflow
All my music is on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7ak7MC87H3itmaQiexa87b
My novel is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Panic-Cautionary-Vigilante-Justice-ebook/dp/B079TJL9RQ
And the novel is available on Audible as well: https://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Moral-Panic-Audiobook/B07CYD3HRW