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The Soundscapes of Here We Go Magic.

Here We Go Magic released one of my favorite albums of 2010, the lush soundscapes of “Pigeons.” Lead singer-songwriter Luke Temple recently wrote in to discuss the connection between music and painting and his advice to up-and-coming artists.

You were a muralist before you formed Here We Go Magic. Has painting impacted the way you make music? 
I suppose that my heart doesn’t know the difference, only my eyes and ears do. Internally it’s the same process, I think of music in terms of color and shape and of course composition. I get confused if I do too much so I needed to pick one or the other.

Do you make your own album art as well? 
Yes.

How old were you when you first started writing songs?
I was probably 24-25. somewhere in there.

Do you remember what you wrote your first song about? 
The first song had something to do with equating a one night stand with a circus.

What are some of the hardest aspects of songwriting? 
Non judgment. You need to let yourself be who you are most naturally, especially at the beginning of an idea. A lot of times the best ideas will get squashed at the onset by external voices all existing in your own head. It is important to be able to distinguish between these voices and your own intuition.

What in your life helps to inspire your sound and lyrics?
Who really knows, just awareness I suppose, the more insular I am the less responsive I am to the world around me. Happiness is the best tool for creativity for me. It’s funny though that in retrospect the dark times seem to be some sort of re-fueling for the inevitable springing forth of carefree happiness. It’s all important in the end.

Do you follow a certain process for creating tracks?
No just feeling it out as it comes and trying to know when to stop.

How has your sound grown and changed since you first started releasing albums?
It’s become more confidant I think, I have discovered more comfortable ways of expressing myself. I let go of a lot of should’s and should not’s and realized that it’s all there anyway, there is nothing new, just an endless well to pick from and throw in any direction you like and in the end it all goes right back to be used by someone else.

What made you decide to sign with Secretly Canadian? 
They are good buds and I trust them.

Have you found it a challenge to flesh out your sound onstage? 
At first but it quickly grew into its own. I think at this point the studio needs to catch up with the live show.

Do you have a favorite gig you’ve played?
Premavera festival in Barcelona was pretty epic.

What’s been your most embarrassing moment onstage? 
We had a few shows where our drummer couldn’t play because he was sick so we got a replacement. The first show we played with him was in Burlington, Vermont, we had had no rehearsal with him and he said he felt comfortable enough having had listened to the record. Long story short, he had no idea what he was doing and out of nerves sped every song slowly up to death defying tempo’s. The room started with about 50 and ended up with about 10. It was awful.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists? 
If it is burning in your gut then don’t give up. If you are doing it because you don’t know what else to do then get naked, rub yourself thoroughly with vanilla cake frosting and parachute from a tall building in a very public space and then go back to veterinarian school.

For more info on Here We Go Magic, check out http://herewegomagicband.tumblr.com/