Twin Shadow Interview
Twin Shadow aka George Lewis Jr. has been making a name for himself among the blogosphere.
Photo by Andrew Strasser
Reasons you may know Twin Shadow:
- His debut album, Forget is co-produced by Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear).
- His album is the first full length LP available through Chris Taylor’s label Terrible Records.
- In just a few weeks he will kick off on a tour supporting Jamie Liddell.
- In February 2010, Stereogum.com premiered his track ‘Castles In The Snow’.
- TimeOut NY rated George Lewis Jr. one of the most stylish New Yorkers.
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Why might someone think they know George Lewis Jr. aka Twin Shadow? “Because the internet told them so.”
Where are you now as we kick off this interview? “Sitting in my bedroom. In Bushwick.”
What are some of your favorite life sounds? “Snow underneath a new boot, that’s a pretty good one. The sound of a blow-dryer, I like that a lot. The sound of getting your hair washed at a salon is pretty great, but that is a mixture of elements.”
What is a word or phrase that you haven’t heard since childhood, but that rings dear to you? “In my family people would say “Doma A Nyonyolla“ – cuddle with me. But, I am not sure exactly how to spell it and it is certainly something that I never ever hear. It’s a very Dominican phrase.”
*please note the phrase is not spelled correctly and needs proper translation.
How does your Twin sibling play a role (if any) in your music life? “I admire my twin very much. Just growing up that close to someone, well – we shared a room for the better part of our young lives, we are very close. She is more of just a life influence, when I started to play music – our lives became a bit separate.”
It’s about the end of 2010 so everyone is going to be making their best of lists. What are two songs you would put on your list? “This is tough, because when you are making music you tend to focus on mainly that. But, I would have to say ‘Surrounded By Your Friends’ by Hurray For Earth and ‘Friday Night’ by Ariel Pink.”
What is your fantasy land, for example Neverland, Oz or a place in your mind? “If I could combine the Dominican Republic with Berlin that would be kind of sweet – that would be kind of like Oz for me.”
Who is your go-to artist of comfort? “Bob Dylan and anything of his between 1964-1974. Whenever Blonde on Blonde came out, start 1 record before that and that is my comfort.”
You have created an all around feel good and sexy album, what is it about Forget that makes you feel good? “Now it feels good to play the songs live, I feel happy that I can play something that is documented. When I was making Forget and finishing every song that made me feel really happy. It’s sweet to have something that is permanent and paid attention to that I made, it makes me happy.”
If you were to road-trip cross country with any musician, who would you go with and why? “Hmm, who would cause a lot of trouble? It would need to be someone who would stir up some trouble with me. I would have to say, I would bring Frank Sinatra back to life and go with him. I would drive, and if Bob Dylan came as well, then he would definitely have to sit in the back.”
What did you teach Chris Taylor (producer and Terrible Records owner) and what did Chris Taylor teach you in your experience working together? “Chris taught me how to be more mindful of the combination of the sounds that I put together to make things fit a bit more. He basically taught me to be more puzzle like. I taught him the opposite, how to smash things together and make them sound good.”
What are your plans post-tour with Jamie Liddell? “I think more touring. We are going to be going to Europe. I would also like write my new record. I expect that Twin Shadow is going to be hitting the road a lot next year.”
What was an eye opening experience you had this year that took your mind off music? “A really good friend of mine died this summer, which was really shocking and a big moment. I hadn’t answered a bunch of his calls and he was a great friend of mine who lived in Boston, his name is Brian – he passed away very out of the blue. He was just a close friend who I had lost contact with and then his death was so sudden – this has changed me now.”
What is something you find cute? “Lykke Li performing ‘Just A Little Bit’ live on Jools Holland. It makes me turn into a little ball of tears.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy7ugH15oqQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
What is the cutest noise on the Twin Shadow album Forget? “Probably on ‘Tyrant Destroyed’ (the 1st track) there is is a really scrapping string noise, just me plucking on a violin. If you can find that then you may hear something cute.”
On the subject of cute: George (aka Twin Shadow) hooked up an adorable photo of him as a little one, feast your eyes on this cutie:
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Now that you are better acquainted with Twin Shadow, drop by his blog for official updates and new music. Forget releases on September 28th.
Twin Shadow ‘Slow’
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