Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Seven questions with ... Snoqualmie Falls (Alicia Merz & Jeff Stonehouse)



I connected with Jeff Stonehouse recently after I spoke about Snoqualmie Falls' initial release ... we conversed on twitter and, me being me, I asked if he'd be up for answering a few questions. He went one better and spoke with his musical compadre, Alicia Merz, and they answered the questions together.

This is what they had to say ...

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1) Who are you and what do you do?
We are Snoqualmie Falls. We are based at opposite ends of the world and we make music that fills that space.


2) What are you working on at the moment?
We are working on our second album, which will be in a more conventional format than 'Dream Sequence' in that it will be comprised of a number of separate pieces as opposed to the long form. In a few months we will be releasing a 3 track, 10" EP on the Oscarson label.


3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.
We come from different musical backgrounds, so it is difficult to think of one artist that inspires us both. But I guess Arvo Part would fall into that category. Basinski too.

- Name place that has inspired you.
Ngarunui Beach in New Zealand.

- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
The full moon in the star filled skies.

Our music is sometimes inspired by dreams, sometimes by life experiences, both happy and sad, but mostly by the natural world and the Universe we exist in. The chirping of cicadas in Tequesquitengo, the call of the Tui by the Waikato River, the rolling hills of the South Downs and the sound of rain in a forest.


4) What drives you to do what you do?
We love what we do. I guess that is what drives us.


5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
We just hope that people that hear our music are nourished by it, and take something positive from the experience.


6) What role does community play in what you do?
None really. Apart from the few lovely people that have helped and supported us along the way, we tend to work in isolation.


7) What is next for what you do?
We just want to carry on working together to try and bring a little more light and beauty into the world.

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Thank you both for your considered responses!

This is what I say about "Dream Sequence":
All in, "Dream Sequence" by Snoqualmie Falls is a soundscape that needs to be experienced as much as heard ... it needs to be felt ... and, given time and patience, it will reward those who experience it. It has rewarded me.
I highly recommend it ... especially for ambient fan who love their music longform. Have a listen below:


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