10 Quick Ones with SEAN JOHNSON of MY LIFE ON FILM – April 2017
We get Sean Johnson of My Life On Film to answer our 10 Quick Ones…
1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?
The latest release was our first with this line-up and I think it showcased a very unique yet nostalgic sound. We did everything we could without digital manipulation, no beat mapping, no drum sampling. We didn’t pull a Foo Fighters and go full analog, but we wanted to write a rock record and I think we pulled it off.
2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?
I think the moment I realized I wanted to be a musician was listening to classic rock in my dad’s pick up when I was a kid. When I realized I wanted to do it full time and play crazy shows was when I was a teenager and I saw Brand New at our local college. It was insane! MLOF later played that same stage opening for Panic! At The Disco.
3. Who would be your main five musical influences?
Motion City Soundtrack, Foo Fighters, Saves The Day, Bayside, Man Overboard
4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?
Justin from Motion City Soundtrack. He’s a musical genius!
5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?
We always joke about this. We used to just tell people that it was “pop punk”, and the most common response was “like The Wonder Years?” and we sound nothing like TWY. Now we tell people it’s what they used to hear on MTV in the early 2000’s or anything from the Drive-Thru Records roster.
6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?
It’s the best stress reliever in the world. Everyone talks about their payday as when their direct deposit hits, but my payday is taking out all of my anger on stage or even in the rehearsal spot on my instrument.
7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?
Myself and SG are definitely the cooks. I mean, all of us can cook, but we’re two big guys who love to cook! John loves his drinks. There have been plenty of shows where John is very quite when we first show up and he’s the life of the party by the end of the night. Mike is definitely the one who is more likely to talk music when we are together.
8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?
I’ve always wanted to be a florist. I even have a shop name, “Two-Lips”!
9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?
We were doing really well, we were just getting the masters back from our latest release and we were shopping it out to whoever would listen when we got hooked up with a manager. They seemed to know what they were talking about and for the most part they did, but they had a mold they wanted us to fit into that just wasn’t us. It took away about two months of momentum from us and I’d say that would be our “do-over” if we could have it.
10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?
That’s a tough one. I watched the “Sound City” documentary and I think just going back and being a fly on the wall for some of those recordings would be amazing!
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Category: Interviews