Exclusive Interview and Video Premiere: Indie Pop Artist Rick Warren

AL:  Congratulations on your pending debut album release!  I read that you recorded several songs that you never released. What was that songwriting process like and what finally prompted you to release an album?

RW:  I’ve been collecting the songs for a few years. Half of them came out of a month-long period in which I forced myself to write an hour a night. I figured the better songs are sort of statistical outliers, so if I upped the total number of songs I would squeeze out more good ones. I ultimately picked the songs that fit the theme of chasing after someone you desperately need, or regretting a failure to do so.

So I didn’t initially plan on releasing this record. After a disappointing introduction to the music industry at 18 I decided to make records for the sake of making records, with no intention of releasing them. So I would work my ass off for a year or two on a record, track and mix everything, bring in drum players, strings players, you name it, and when it was all done I would send it to my family and friends and move on to the next record. That process was very simple and pure, but with this record I couldn’t bear to shove it under the rug with the others. I worked too long and too hard, and I’m hoping there are people out there who will get something from the songs. They mean a lot to mean – maybe they’ll mean something to others as well.

AL:  What was the impetus for creating a full-album video?

RW:  Well, I had what I thought was a simple video idea: take a room with bare white walls, illustrate an entire album on the walls of that room (paint, draw, burn, break, etc.), and film it in one big take. Things always end up more complicated than expected, and the video ended up requiring a great deal of planning, but we had a great time all the way. My brother helped me write the treatment and Backslash Bomb Productions shot and edited. It’s a super weird video. It doesn’t already exist, which is nice. A lot of music videos already exist. Although I should mention it is similar to a Bright Eyes video – Easy/Lucky/Free – in which he illustrates lyrics on a glass wall… Ha, maybe it does already exist after all…

AL:  Coming from a musical family, how did that influence your style of music?

RW:  My father is an opera teacher, and my mother was an opera singer, so classical music was always playing around the house. In my teens I got into Metallica. That’s how all of my friends and I learned to play guitar. Just learn all of the Metallica riffs.

I guess the common thread in opera and Metallica is the epic-ness. The emotions are loud and pretty shameless in both genres. I think that stuck with me. I am certainly not playing metal or singing opera, but that epic thing is still there. I always want the song to explode at the end.

AL:  What can a potential fan expect from your live show?

I began graduate training in neuroscience this year, so shows have not been a priority. I am planning a release show, however. I can’t wait to getting on stage with some old friends and make music live again.

AL:  What are your plans beyond the release of your debut album, Proximity?

RW:  So I had this crazy idea of writing songs that aren’t about relationships. There’s this great ‘Elbow’ album, ‘Build a Rocket Boys!’ that’s all about growing up, being a kid, and then losing all of that. I want to explore that theme. As for production I want to do something more cute and innocent, maybe less dramatic. It’s emotional territory I’m uncomfortable treading, as I’m usually inclined towards the epic stuff. I think that’s why I want to give it a shot. I want to make sure I’m not too comfortable in my process – got to keep trying new things.

We have the privelege of presenting the exclusive premiere of Rick’s album-length video on No Depression.  Enjoy!

For more info:  RickWarrenMusic.com