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With their highly anticipated debut self-titled album set to be released June 24th on Captured Tracks, Donovan Blanc have certainly been on quite the musical journey the past few years. The result has landed them at one of the coolest labels around and now, with their unique, laid-back 60’s vibes, they’re back to show us a real example of how pop music is begging to be redefined and recalculated. The duo, Joseph Black and Raymond Schwab, are just the ones to do it.
GroundSounds shared their single a few weeks back and we’re on the edge of our seats in anticipation for what the album is going to sound like. We recently had a quick chat with them to talk about their history and their tastes in music, among many other riveting topics. For those who love awesome answers to questions, just keep reading!
First off, congratulations on getting signed to Captured Tracks! They’re truly one of the most creative, innovative labels that I know of today. Tell us about the events that led up to this awesome milestone in your music career.
Before getting on Captured Tracks, we had been corresponding with the label. Right before getting on the label, when we were not yet on the label, we were doing things that we thought would help us get on the label. The things we did, must have helped us, because after we did them, we were on the label.
You’ve spent the last few years making dreamy pop music as Honeydrum. Under that moniker you released quite a plethora of music. For those who are just discovering your music, describe your sound back then and how it has developed over the years into the current “Donovan Blanc” sound that we hear.
Honeydrum was a creation made by Donovan Blanc. If Honeydrum was a dream, then it was Donovan Blanc who woke up from it.
I’ve been exploring some of your older releases as Honeydrum. As I’ve been listening to them, I can’t help but notice these underlying sunlight-drenched themes: soft, washy vocals, goofy synths, chorus-y guitars, and subtle percussion hits. All of these elements really gave your music an interesting personality that make it enjoyable and relaxing. How did the two of you initially come together and begin working on this music? What made you want to make music like this?
What’s interesting about my partner in this music job, Ray, is that we both make music together. I haven’t always known Ray; the majority of my life I did not know him, but then a few years ago we met. When we met, we realized that music was something that we both had an interest in. We decided after meeting and becoming friends that if I made some music and if he made some music, we could put it together and have new music of our own.
Too common a question, but nonetheless an important one, what’s the story behind the name “Donovan Blanc”? (It’s awesome and fun to say!)
Donovan Blanc is the quiet brother of my neighbor Guy Blanc who owned a carpet store by my old apartment.
I really love your debut single “Minha Menina.” I really like the way it begins with that light acoustic strumming, followed by some brighter guitar licks and nice, clean overlapping bass lines, leaving room at the top for those soft vocals to come into the mix. How long had this song been in the works and what were some of the main influences behind the writing and production on this track? Can we expect this same vibe throughout your upcoming album or does it vary?
The song isn’t very long but it took longer to write than it does to listen to. I don’t remember how much longer, but a good amount longer. We wanted it to sound good for the people who may listen to it, soft and good, like a custard. Some of the notes in the song, we have heard before, in other songs. There are also only so many notes to use, so some are repeated here and there. We wanted all of our songs to sound good for listeners so we tried to make the whole album that way.
Which artists and bands (current and/or classic) are you currently listening to? Are there any artists that you would like to tour with or collaborate with in the studio?
The greats such as Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Gershwin, Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong. In the studio, we would like very much to collaborate with someone who doesn’t play music, a movie director or fashion star.
What are some of the festivals or venues on your bucket list to perform at? If you had to pick a foreign country to tour, where would you go first?
If we had to pick a foreign country to visit, we would pick a country like Mexico for a few reasons. Here are some of the reasons 1. It isn’t too far away so we wouldn’t have to worry about packing too much. We could only bring a suitcase so close is better.
Your debut self-titled album comes out this Summer. What are your plans leading up to that and for the rest of the year? Can we expect some more singles or a music video? West coast tour?
We have some plans before the summer and some plans after. However most of our plans are for days not far from this one. One of our plans is to finish up two music videos that we are working on.
