Here’s the thing: writing music is tough. Writing good music is even moreso. Then there’s the daunting task of making sure that good music finds eardrums that are open and willing, in the hopes of standing out and claiming your own corner of the massive music market.
Songwriter and bassist Ole Kirkeng has been able to accomplish all of that and more. How? That’s what we’ll explore here. Thankfully, we had the chance to speak with Kirkeng and become better acquainted with the man himself and how he wound up touring with singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews, as well as releasing his warm and endlessly inviting EP, ‘People and Places.’
Step 1: Writing
Folk phenom Sam Beam, better known by his performance pseudonym Iron & Wine, has said that he has to write in the morning, or else he won’t get any writing done that day. Kirkeng relates to that sentiment, but not entirely.
“My favorite time for writing is definitely in the morning, but I don’t omit other times of day. I love waking up really early before the sun comes up, because I feel like those hours are really still and there’s no one demanding any of your attention. Usually I would sit down by my typewriter or with a legal pad and let the song be guided by a lyric seed, but lately I’ve been trying to work with a melody first and then come up with lyrics later.”
And in the same way that one can immediately tell that indie pop band The XX writes and records almost exclusively at night, listening to Kirkeng’s silky tunes very quickly reminds the listener of those early hours, filled with blue light and feelings of excitement and potential. And this brings us to the next stage in the process.
Step 2: Recording
As any professional musicians out there know, recording styles can vary widely. John Bonham recorded the drums for ‘When the Levee Breaks’ in the entryway of the Headley Grange manor in the English countryside. The White Stripes famously recorded albums like ‘White Blood Cells’ in just three days.
So how about Mr. Kirkeng? What’s his style? Well, for one thing, he says that he very much feels at home in the studio.
“I love being in the studio, honing the track until it captures the feeling one wants to convey to the record. Hearing your own playing through mixing consoles and great speakers helps you learn a lot about your own playing. Recording is all about details and subtleties.”
And in this way, Kirkeng’s recording process resembles the methods of many visual artists, in particular those of sculptors who do their best to maintain a single, clear vision in their minds, all while going through the strenuous process of making that vision a reality.
“I recorded ‘People and Places’ in two different studios in Brooklyn. On the first session I worked together with engineer Lily Wen at a studio called Chambers of Commerce. We were trying to capture an intimate and human vibe, so we did it all live without any overdubs. So basically all of the guitar songs are either first or second takes. For the last song on the EP [‘Loser in the Rain’] I worked at a different studio called Figure 8. At Figure 8 I was engineering as well so I would have go back and forth between the control room and live room.”
This careful attention to detail was undoubtedly formed with the help of producerSusan Rogers, who, back in the 80s, worked with Prince and the Talking Heads on some of their biggest and most forward-thinking records.
And though many of these tiny details may go unnoticed to the average listener, the overall effect is stunning. It’s one of painstaking care and craftsmanship. Unfortunately, nowadays many artists and producers simply listen for the latest trends, then figure out how to achieve the same sound, leaving little to no room for experimentation, personality, or heart. In short, conveyor-belt production often eliminates the human element in recorded music. And at that point, can it even be considered creative expression anymore?
Kirkeng’s work is something entirely different. It has that special power of making the listener reflect on their own experiences, revisiting old memories and inspiring them to make plans for the future, to live a little bit more openly.
Step 3: Performing
Then there’s the front lines of the musical experience, live shows, which, apart from being a wonderful way to experience the music of your favorite artists, is also one of the best ways to discover and experience new artists for the first time.
Lately, as we mentioned earlier, Kirkeng has been touring with Courtney Marie Andrews, all around this great big country of ours. And when embarking on such a huge tour, the question arises of how exactly to carve out time for yourself while on the road.
“I’ve always loved traveling, since I was a little kid, so touring came pretty naturally to me. It is definitely pretty exhausting so it’s really important for me try to stay as healthy as possible when I’m touring.”
And all the while Kirkeng likes to stay on top of his own projects, letting them develop over time into ideas that he’s excited to take into the studio at the earliest opportunity.
“Songwriting is like a muscle, so for me it’s really important to write as often as possible and keep that muscle in shape. Sometimes one song needs to be worked on over a period of days, and sometimes it comes out in a couple of hours. But keeping the creative mind active and ideally writing every single day is the most important for me.”
Throughout each of these stages of the creative process, Kirkeng infuses everything with his unique personal style, and when combined with his enduring determination and honest love of sharing music with others, the result is something truly special.
