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Spraygraphic Interview with Yellow Minute’s Sean Brennan
By Spraygraphic | January 16, 2008
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Spraygraphic Interview with Sean Brennan
SG: Please tell us about yourself and your band?
Sean: Well this whole thing kind of spawned from my travels through Europe. I played in a pop rock group called Ember Coast for around 5 years, and after we split up I decided to hit the road for some inspiration. I went to Europe and traveled to 13 countries for about 3 and a half months. I brought along a travel guitar a good friend of mine lent to me, and started writing music that I wanted to write without any outside opinion or expectation from anyone. I also had a powerbook where on my downtime I would program beats to the songs I was writing on guitar. Some hostels I stayed at had pianos, so I started writing on those as well. I came home with an arsenal of ideas, so a lot of positions would need to be filled in order to expose my true ideas. Since then, I’ve had a whole collective of musician friends come in and help me with parts. Now the yellow minute EP being recorded consists of myself, and Chelsey Nelson on violin, Dave Maroney on cello and bass, Erik Techman on drums.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
Sean: I currently work at 3 roots coffee house where I slang crack juice to local tempe folk including Chuck b. from Spraygraphic. I live in tempe as well in a house with two of my best friends Jason Hardy and my brother Jake.
SG: How did you come up with the name and what does it mean?
Sean: The term Yellow Minute is actually from the croatian words junta minunta. Croatians would use yellow minutes as a way to describe the feeling of spontaneous creativity. I found that this is one of the few languages which describes that feeling. I think most people can relate to a yellow minute when they are about to fall asleep, and they think of a great idea. Usually they fling out of bed and write it down, or play guitar, or do whatever it takes to get it out of you. I learned all about this through a beautiful, young croatian artist named Dora, whom I met on the bus heading to Split. She invited my friend and I to stay in her house with her dog and talented mother. Her mother was a violin player for an irish band in Croatia. She invited me out to play some of my songs with her at a festival she was performing at.
SG: What instruments do play?
Sean: I have been singing since I can remember. So I guess I’ve always mostly just been a singer. When I was 12 I picked up a guitar from my uncle and started playing around. To this day, I have been playing the same guitar and have advanced to a level I can write songs with a guitar and play comfortably. I have been very fond of the piano the last couple of years. A friend of mine gave me his old 88 key piano that I play everyday in my house. I write a lot of songs usually on one or the other and then add piano or guitar parts over them after. Piano has also helped when it came to using a computer as an instrument. Using synths I can program pretty much any sound or part I want using a piano template. All in all, I sing, play piano, guitar, organ, synths, hand percussion, and programming.
SG: What kind of music does your band create?
Sean: I would say that the major goal is to write melodies that are all moving and breathing together. So some sort of melodic category. I tend to take small forks in direction when it comes to writing, so depending on what I’m into at the time, I tend to write something like it without completely ripping it off.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
Sean: I too thrive off of the yellow minutes more than anything when writing. It usually just comes to me and from there it can take a many number of directions after that. Whatever it is, it’s usually never consistent
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
Sean: I usually take one of two routes. Get completely knocked off my block drinking, and smoking. Or do something active and fun to take my mind off everything for a while.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
Sean: Listening to music with headphones, reading, love and sex. I think a lot of the inspiration on the record sprouted from traveling, being homesick, and seeing friends move away at my age in life.
SG: How many albums do you have out and what label are you on?
Sean: We are finishing up our first EP ever. Not sure what the title will be yet. It has 6 beautifully put together songs with some sounds from around the world. We are working on a label deal right now with a small company called Good Form. We will see, as long as my rights are not stripped as an artist and there are possibilities of lots of people hearing it, that’s all that matters.
SG: Where has your work been heard?
Sean: Everywhere I have traveled, and through some demos floating around out there. I have played a few shows in the valley too, with myself and a friend. Our first full band live show was on Jan 11th 2008 at Alice Cooperstown.
SG: What is your dream concert?
Sean: Playing with people that I admire. I like the theatre feeling, so it would be nice to do a theatre type tour someday.
SG: What is your favorite kind of music?
Sean: I love music of all kinds, so it really depends on what kind of mood I’m in. I literally have a lot of world, reggae, punk, folk, electronic, hip hop, rock, soul… pretty much any category at Warehouse I listen to some of it.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
Sean: I would have to say Bjork, Radiohead, and Beck would have to be my favorites. All of these artists constantly evolve and keep me interested because it’s always so good. They perfectly knit beauty with insanity.
SG: What cd/mp3 are you listening to this week?
Sean: I’ve been listening to Wolf Parade a lot this week, along with a Esquivel… this old strange jazz cat.
SG: Where is your favorite place to play out?
Sean: I have been lucky to play the Marquee a couple of times and that is by far the best stage sound I have ever heard. All in all my favorite would have to be a place called the Peace Tree House. It’s literally a house that hosts a suggested donation show once a month. You can BYOB and they cater with delicious mexican food. Everyone in the audience is extremely attentive and you know they are really there to listen, not to just hear music but to truly listen. It’s a beautiful experience. I’ll most likely be doing a CD release show there come March or so.
SG: Any final words of advice?
Sean: Don’t eat the brown acid. And drink more tea. Try and make things positive, instead of looking at them askew.
Topics: Artist Interviews, Music-bands, Sprayblog, You Tube videos |
January 20th, 2008 at 2:17 am
I Love Sean Brennan!!! He is a fabulous musician and I hope he is discovered because his talent is truly beyond words!! Everyone should go and see him the next time he plays. I never miss a show!!
January 21st, 2008 at 6:11 pm
And he makes a great cup of Joe…