Artist of the Month is Back! It is May day and Velvet and I thought that we should really tell you guys about a dear friends of ours. He is a singer/songwriter, but probably not the kind of personality you are picturing in your minds right now. Although he dresses the part, with the classic songwriter dress code: beanies plus flannel plus vans, he is really a humble, dedicated and weirdly humorous dude. Hope you guys enjoy what he has to tell you all about his passion!
What instruments do you play, and how would you categorize the types of songs you write?
I began playing piano at the age of 3, and picked up drums and guitar some time during middle school. Through all of it, I’ve just kind of been singing, without any formal training or lessons. In terms of my music, I would say that most of my songs fall under some sort of acoustic singer/songwriter genre. Some days I feel like I’m much more of a folk or soul artist than I actually am. I should work on that.
What kind of music do you listen to? Any favorite musicians or songs?
I listen to music mostly from acoustic genres. My personal favorite, and inspiration for a lot of my song writing, would have to be Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot. But I’ll really listen to near anything. The big deal for me is the lyrics. A song had better be absurdly catchy if the lyrics are about nothing! Some of my others favorite artists are Ed Sheeran, Frightened Rabbit, The Civil Wars, and Damien Rice.
Why are you passionate about music?
I think music can allow people to express something that goes deeper than just the words that they’re singing. I have no idea why it works that way, and I’m not sure I’d want to know. The mystery aspect is definitely appealing. It’s always been an outlet for me as well. It’s interesting to write a song about a time in your life and then look back on that, months or years later, and see it in a different light or see how you’ve changed. It’s also been a great source of community. Many of my favorite moments with friends have something to do with playing music. It just brings people together.
What have been the biggest challenges in being a singer and songwriter? What has been the easiest aspect of being a singer and songwriter?
For me, music’s always just been for my own pleasure. I never feel like I have to write or perform out of obligation. I’ve honestly tried to keep away from letting myself feel too professional or uptight about my music. The easiest part, though, is when the writing kicks off. It can be difficult to start thinking of an idea, but those times that something just comes to mind, a song can appear in a matter of 5 minutes. That’s always pretty freaking cool.
How will music play a role in your future?
I don’t see myself pursuing music as a career. It’s just never really appealed to me. I’m sure I’ll always be writing and recorded, and hopefully performing as well. In the near future, there will be an album coming out, tentatively titled “Five Fingered Faith”. It will be around a 13 track album coming out within the year. The past 5 months have been constant writing and recording for me. I have about 25 song options now for the album and 5 recorded. So it’s been a slower process, but looks to be coming together.
How do you promote your music, and where can readers find it?
I don’t really do a whole lot to promote my music. Usually a facebook status and tweet will be the extent of it. It’s really just about getting it out there for people who want to hear for me. The album will be released on iTunes and Bandcamp. Also, for music that’s already been released, I have a YouTube channel (Ahicks543) with a bunch of my live acoustic covers, some live performances, and a few recordings of originals and covers. So y’all should check it out yo?
Check out Aaron's original song Five Fingered Faith on Youtube!
Yeah.. He is a special one!
- Velvet and Denim
