Chancellor Cochran Interview
Q: You mention that The Things We Carry explores themes of guilt, regret and the path to forgiveness. It seems like a redemption story or a path towards salvation. Are the themes about specific events?
A: Unfortunately, yes. I wish they weren’t. The theme of this album stems from specific events in my life. These events created this overall theme of searching for forgiveness, coupled with this feeling of unbearable guilt. This album is really an apology; to someone I hurt, that I love dearly. I guess, even more so it grapples with this cliché that I seem to hear a lot. “You have to learn how to forgive yourself for past mistakes.” That’s a difficult concept that I struggle with and I think that is an overarching theme that lurks throughout the album. How do you forgive yourself for hurting someone that you love so much? And do you even deserve forgiveness for that?
Q: Can you talk a little about the creative process for the songs on the album?
A: Every night I try to reflect on events or thoughts I have had in my head from the day, usually that manifests in journaling and writing down these ideas. When a line or concept jumps out at me I start to build off of that and sometimes if I’m lucky, that results in a verse and hopefully a song. If I feel like I have something worthwhile, I take it to the band and we critique, rewrite and develop the song. Composing these concepts into songs is something I really struggle with and my band mates, Scott Wilson (guitar), Sterling Spence (bass) and Brandon Seinturier (drums), play an integral part in developing these ideas musically.
Q: Melancholy is an aspect of the music that I felt was essential to the sound. My favorite moments on the album were often what you might consider the most somber. Can you give any insight in that the role that melancholy plays in the album?
A: I guess, that’s just a feeling that a lot of our songs revolve around; to a point where, when people ask what genre our music is I tell them,“melancholy rock.” This melancholy feeling isn’t something that we necessarily aim for, it just always seems to show in our music, and honestly, we just embrace it. I have tried to write “happy” songs, and at some point it just feels really contrived because, when it comes down to it, I don’t sit down and reflect on happy days as much as I probably should. This melancholy role is essential for the album because I want people to feel this, not to bum everyone out, but to be thankful for the things we have and the people that we have in our lives, even if they’re just memories.
Q: Do you feel the album has a narrative with a beginning and an end as opposed to something that is more ambiguous and poetic
A: I do. This album is definitely trying to tell a story. It starts with this idea that everything in this album is intended for someone and hopefully, it ends with a shot at redemption. I wouldn’t say there is a definite end to it yet, but I guess that is the whole idea. This story doesn’t just end; the narrative continues even if the relationship between two people wanes. The album intentionally ends with the song “Serious” because of the main idea of never ending love even through turbulent times, as cliché as that sounds.
Q: Have you guys had the opportunity to play the album live? Are there are any songs that seem to be crowd favorites?
A: We have. The songs that seem to get the best reaction to me seem to be the heavier songs like “For You” or “The Healer.” They allow for the band to let loose and not worry about the technicalities of the music. They are loud, honest songs and they should be performed loud and honestly without reservation. I think audiences everywhere can sense whether music is genuine or not, regardless if they even like the genre, it can be appreciated, because honest music is hard to come by.
Q: The Things We Carry is an impressive debut. What can we expect from the band in the near future?
A: More music and more opportunities to play with my best friends. That’s what all of this was about; starting the band, writing music together, playing together. It’s all about coping with these mistakes and being surrounded by my friends in the process. We hope to be in the studio again soon to put out a more polished album. This was my first recording experience and I learned a lot from it. We are definitely going to build off of this first album and continue to put out honest songs.
Q: You mention that The Things We Carry explores themes of guilt, regret and the path to forgiveness. It seems like a redemption story or a path towards salvation. Are the themes about specific events?
A: Unfortunately, yes. I wish they weren’t. The theme of this album stems from specific events in my life. These events created this overall theme of searching for forgiveness, coupled with this feeling of unbearable guilt. This album is really an apology; to someone I hurt, that I love dearly. I guess, even more so it grapples with this cliché that I seem to hear a lot. “You have to learn how to forgive yourself for past mistakes.” That’s a difficult concept that I struggle with and I think that is an overarching theme that lurks throughout the album. How do you forgive yourself for hurting someone that you love so much? And do you even deserve forgiveness for that?
Q: Can you talk a little about the creative process for the songs on the album?
A: Every night I try to reflect on events or thoughts I have had in my head from the day, usually that manifests in journaling and writing down these ideas. When a line or concept jumps out at me I start to build off of that and sometimes if I’m lucky, that results in a verse and hopefully a song. If I feel like I have something worthwhile, I take it to the band and we critique, rewrite and develop the song. Composing these concepts into songs is something I really struggle with and my band mates, Scott Wilson (guitar), Sterling Spence (bass) and Brandon Seinturier (drums), play an integral part in developing these ideas musically.
Q: Melancholy is an aspect of the music that I felt was essential to the sound. My favorite moments on the album were often what you might consider the most somber. Can you give any insight in that the role that melancholy plays in the album?
A: I guess, that’s just a feeling that a lot of our songs revolve around; to a point where, when people ask what genre our music is I tell them,“melancholy rock.” This melancholy feeling isn’t something that we necessarily aim for, it just always seems to show in our music, and honestly, we just embrace it. I have tried to write “happy” songs, and at some point it just feels really contrived because, when it comes down to it, I don’t sit down and reflect on happy days as much as I probably should. This melancholy role is essential for the album because I want people to feel this, not to bum everyone out, but to be thankful for the things we have and the people that we have in our lives, even if they’re just memories.
Q: Do you feel the album has a narrative with a beginning and an end as opposed to something that is more ambiguous and poetic
A: I do. This album is definitely trying to tell a story. It starts with this idea that everything in this album is intended for someone and hopefully, it ends with a shot at redemption. I wouldn’t say there is a definite end to it yet, but I guess that is the whole idea. This story doesn’t just end; the narrative continues even if the relationship between two people wanes. The album intentionally ends with the song “Serious” because of the main idea of never ending love even through turbulent times, as cliché as that sounds.
Q: Have you guys had the opportunity to play the album live? Are there are any songs that seem to be crowd favorites?
A: We have. The songs that seem to get the best reaction to me seem to be the heavier songs like “For You” or “The Healer.” They allow for the band to let loose and not worry about the technicalities of the music. They are loud, honest songs and they should be performed loud and honestly without reservation. I think audiences everywhere can sense whether music is genuine or not, regardless if they even like the genre, it can be appreciated, because honest music is hard to come by.
Q: The Things We Carry is an impressive debut. What can we expect from the band in the near future?
A: More music and more opportunities to play with my best friends. That’s what all of this was about; starting the band, writing music together, playing together. It’s all about coping with these mistakes and being surrounded by my friends in the process. We hope to be in the studio again soon to put out a more polished album. This was my first recording experience and I learned a lot from it. We are definitely going to build off of this first album and continue to put out honest songs.