Today, we are speaking with Black + White TV.
Can you give us a little background information about the band?
Our band is a music collaboration between Henry Reed and myself, Zane Hauck, that has been going on since 2006. Amongst our many creative projects, this was one that took form as Black + White TV quite a bit later. In the summer of 2020 we officially recorded our music and gave the project a name.
How did you ultimately come into creating music?
Henry and I met at Belmont University where we started writing and producing music together. When the pandemic happened in 2020, it was a bit of a wake up call to actualize our music in a more concrete way. To turn it into something we could share out wide with a lot more people.
We connected with Seattle singer Tom Connolly who had the powerful and unique voice that would perfectly match some of our new songs. The three of us collaborated and composed remotely to produce our next EP consisting of Song 60, Aliyah, and Tear it Down.
What does your recording set up look like (e.g. what do you use to record, what are your favorite tools)?
Usually the beginning starts with iphone voice memos, and webcam recordings of one of us playing something on an acoustic guitar. With Henry living in Los Angeles, and I’m in Seattle, we trade those back and forth and then do a zoom video call to flesh it out further. Then when we feel good about the tunes, we track in a proper studio. We have a killer team right now with our tracking engineers in Seattle, and mix engineers in Nashville.
We would record 7 to 10 guitar track layers in the studio for all three songs, drums, bass, and harmonies. The third song, Tear it down, will have a more electronic modern style to it with the use of synthesizers.
How did “Aliyah” come to be?
The song Aliyah, lyrically throws you into a struggle of seeking bliss and fulfillment amidst an exhausting climb upward. Musically, we wanted to craft the feeling of tension rising, leading to a huge chorus drop that just feels like summer and good times.
Aliyah, as the song is titled, is described as a goddess in the sky above, looking down at the duality of a city in ruins, and a beach like cosmic paradise. The artwork seems to suggest that all of us are hanging in the balance, having to choose which life we want to create and which world we want to inhabit.
What does the lyric video for “Song 60” add to the overall message you’re conveying with the track?
We grew up connecting deeply with the lyrics of the songs we love, so we thought a lyric video was really important so people could relate to our music on a deeper level. Song 60 is a journal entry of the writer’s last day on earth. Put to music, the song is a self-reflection. It explores the thought process of justifying or regretting decisions you made throughout the course of a lifetime. It’s a ‘looking back on life’ story that everyone will someday experience, and this particular song is the writer’s message on judgement day.
What will your June release “Tear it Down” add to the story that is Black + White TV?
While Aliyah is uplifting in conveying the message of “letting go to find bliss”, and “Song 60” is about your final life reflection on judgement day, “Tear It Down” expresses hitting rock bottom and coping with tragedy, the internal challenges people have towards the pursuit of finding bliss at the end of their lifetime.
How has the current pandemic changed your approach to creating music?
Like I mentioned above, we do a lot of development of the songs through video chats and remotely. It’s not quite as fun as in-person, but we’ve learned how to adapt. During the mixing and finalizing of the tunes, our singer Tom had a baby! He dove head first into the life of parenting amidst the pandemic, and somehow still managed to give mix notes, and record supplemental vocals or guitars on a few of the tracks that needed it.
How can interested NeuFutur readers locate samples of your music?
Check us out on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube!
Finally, do you have any additional thoughts about life and the universe for our readers? Expect more story telling, life experiences, and artwork through our music and on our social media platforms. We plan to collaborate with a variety of artists…
Thank you so much for your time.
Black + White TV’s Instagram
