With a brand new single under their belt and a host of live shows and festivals to antic[pate, we were blessed with the chance to interview the songwriter and front-man of Manitoba’s Myles From Home. We talk about the new release Nearest Star, the creative process in general, live shows, and the changing music industry over the past decade or so. Here’s the conversation in full.
Hi Myles – thanks for the interview! Loving the new single. For those new to your music, what first inspired you to pick up the guitar?
Happy to hear you’re digging the new single! Well my original motivation to play the guitar was that I wanted to play in church, that’s right, the “Praise and Worship Team.” Needless to say, half a lifetime later a lot has changed, but I still love playing the guitar.
Tell me about the story behind Nearest Star – what was that process like, and how does it feel to listen back to it now?
This song arose from a disastrous romantic vacation in Guatemala. After retreating to the coast I woke up before dawn daily to surf. I noticed the last star of the morning looked exactly like the first star at night, until I remembered the Sun is truly the last (and nearest) star.
Listening back to it reminds me about one of the best parts about being a musician – taking a bad experience and turning it into art.
The guitar sound and vocals are brilliant on this release. Do you produce your own music, or was this a collaborative effort?
Thanks! The guitar is a 12 string hollow body Gretsch, recorded in stereo from a Vox AC30 and Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb. I wanted something that sounded like both campfire acoustic and a stadium electric.
We do quite a lot of pre-production and then record at Monarch Studios with Tom Dobrzanski here in Vancouver, Canada. Huge shoutout to Tom for the production, he also helped a lot with the harmonies and played all the organ and synth.
Given the organic band sound of the recording, what’s a live show like from Myles From Home, and where can people catch you playing in the coming months?
We just got this review on a show, which I think summarises it well: “Finally the headliner came on!
Myles from Home, headed by the aforesaid Myles with a long mane of hair, steady gaze, leather vest, 12-string Gretsch guitar. Immediately breaking into lively arpeggios on the guitar and progressive chords. Seemingly impossible on the instrument he’s playing. They sounded almost Afrobeat even though they were all white guys. Myles played along to us clapping for a minute. They got almost festival rhythms going right away.”
As for upcoming shows, we’ve got a 7 day Canadian Tour booked in Fall including stops in BC, Alberta and Ontario. Check out mylesfromhome.com for more details!
How long have you been playing shows and releasing music, and has much changed in terms of the scene and industry at large where you are?
I’ve been playing shows and releasing music in various projects for exactly half my life (17 years). I mean, clearly the hugest change has been the internet. There are bands that become successful before becoming successful on the internet, but it’s rare. That being said, the live aspects that I love about music haven’t changed and will never change. That feeling you get when you’re watching live music that makes you want to dance or sing along or just lose yourself. Seeing people in the crowd doing that is why I play shows.
Are you primarily a guitarist, or a multi-instrumentalist?
I’m definitely primarily a guitarist. Although I definitely also consider vocals an instrument. That
change in thinking and dedication has really helped me improve my singing.
The song has a distinctly catchy, anthemic hook. How important is that trait to you as a songwriter, and how do you make sure to balance authenticity with broader audience appeal as a modern artist?
That’s an interesting question. Honestly I didn’t write the chorus thinking about “broader audience
appeal” at all, I just felt like that’s how I wanted that line to sound. At this point in my music career
I’m completely focused on writing songs that I want to perform live, about experiences that have
affected me deeply. I try to avoid ever thinking about if people will like what I write, though that’s
very difficult at times.
What else are you working on at the moment?
We are working on our debut album. As much as I would like to save it all up and drop it all on vinyl
for the first time, it’s just not how it’s done in the music industry these days.
Everyone says “a new single every two months”, so we’re doing it. And you know what, I kind of like it! Every song gets so much focus, you can use social media (see earlier internet comment) to tell all the stories, post all the pictures and hype up the one song. Then you drop it and take a week off and do it all again for another new song. So yes, we’ll be releasing a new song every two months (ish) until our debut album comes, we already have three more recorded and are finalising the mixes and another four in pre-production.
And of course shows, tours and very soon we’ll be working on festival appearances for 2024. I’ve been a huge music festival enthusiast for my whole life and playing festivals is a huge priority for us.
How different is your mindset when pouring emotions into songs, as opposed to directing nuclear fusion strategic partnerships, and how do the two unique disciplines intertwine – if at all?
That’s a difficult one to answer. On one hand I would say it’s clearly very different – nuclear fusion is an incredibly difficult process to master on Earth and humankind’s eventual discovery of how to do it for commercial power generation will literally change the world forever, and writing songs is about feeling something and wanting to create something. For me, however, there’s definitely cross over.
“Concepts from science often inspire lyrics and the management side of my day job requires the same kind of organisation and perseverance as music management does. And music has definitely helped me establish personal relationships with strategic partners – showing up to various types of partner’s facilities with a guitar has been a big hit.”
What’s your biggest ambition right now?
Myles from Home World Tour 2025. You heard it here first.
What’s something about you that would surprise fans?
I’m also really into snowboarding, surfing and mountain biking. Though if you knew I lived in BC that wouldn’t be surprising at all.
Is there anything else we should know?
Follow us @mylesfromhome in all the usual spots. We’ve got lots coming up and some things I can’t talk about yet 🤫
Find Myles From Home on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok & his Website.
