Written by Hannah Clough
We had the pleasure of interviewing Nay, whose midwest-emo leaning solo project Birchwood has caught our attention lately. We spoke about the Arizona native's beginnings in music, the latest Birchwood release, and more.
For those who don't know, could you introduce yourself and the project?
N: Hi! My name is Nay and I write/record/perform under Birchwood.
Where did the name Birchwood come from?
N: There was a street that I used to live on called Birchwood when I was around maybe 12-14. A lot of things happened to me that kind of changed my life when I lived there, including getting my first guitar and actually realizing that I wanted to be a musician when I grew up.
I also like telling people that birch trees are really boring, and I used to see them all the time when I grew up, so I associate them with myself a lot. Boring, but constant. (laughs)
How long have you been playing and/or writing music?
N: I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13! I got my first Fender then (which I miss, she was a pale yellow which I didn’t realize was my favorite color until this year) and I started just learning some My Chemical Romance and Paramore tabs online.
I was horrible honestly, but any first guitarist is; I still consider myself horrible but sometimes I write a riff and I’m like “yeah maybe I’m okay at this.” When I started actually making and writing my own music is when I was in a metalcore band with my friends; we tried many different variations of that band until one finally stuck.
We ended up breaking up after a year and I didn’t think I’d try to play music again, but then I got the idea for Birchwood and I’ve been doing this for almost two years now. I thought about giving Birchwood up too because at first, it was a way for me to vent and burn off some negative energy since I was going through a rough patch when I started, but I realized I couldn’t let it go yet...so here we are!
The cover art is stunning, what’s the inspiration behind it?
N: The cover art is actually a picture I’ve wanted to use for a long time, so I’m glad you like it! Not a lot of people know, but I’ve been releasing so much music for the past two years and that same window was actually on the cover of an EP I wrote called “Codependent” (which I’ve taken down since I want to remake it).
It was this kind of parallel between light and dark, with the pretty flowers outside and that dark interior of the house. The outside world and nature are so inviting, but sometimes you don’t care about that at all and need time for yourself inside as well.
That was kind of the same process for the self-titled, there’s something so beautiful about the contrast. The bouquet in the middle of the art is actually something I drew, and kind of an homage to my first ever EP, “Warning Signs”. I used that same art on Warning Signs and wanted to show that I’ve grown, while still kinda keeping that symbol to show that it’s still me.
Speaking of that, congrats on the EP release! How do you feel now that the world gets to hear it?
N: I am very very very excited about the release of my EP! I think it’s gotten the most recognition out of anything I’ve ever written, and that speaks very loudly to me like “okay, you have to keep this up.” (laughs)
I’m so excited about how happy it makes some people, and I love hearing what everyone’s favorite songs are on it. I just love making music and this EP will be my pride and joy for a while, so I’m glad it’s out for everyone’s ears to hear. (laughs)
I've described your music as an interesting cross between Movements and Hot Mulligan. Were those the vibes you were going for, or did it just happen to turn out that way?
N: First off, thank you!! Movements and Hot Mulligan are very big inspirations to me, and I don’t think I went into writing this with a plan to sound like them.
I wrote "Caught Up" first, and it was so upbeat and almost too catchy, I didn’t want the whole EP to sound like one big song. So, naturally, I went a little heavier when I wrote "Sink"; I wanted to catch people off guard.
When I finished the EP, I was definitely aware of the similarities between Movements/Hot Mulligan and my songs, so I won’t deny that at all. Movements has been such a big part of my life ever since I got into this genre of music, they were my cross between metal and pop-punk, even if they aren’t considered either of those styles. (laughs)
You sent us an awesome demo, any idea what that will come to be?
N: Thank you! The demo is actually going to be a part of something bigger.
I recently announced that I have a drummer now, so Birchwood is no longer a one-man-band. (laughs) I’ve been trying to branch out into a four-piece for the longest time; Arizona is such a metal-influenced state that it’s hard to find anyone, but my drummer has been my best friend since first grade and after asking him multiple times to join Birchwood he finally said yes.
So, I think that’s where the band is heading, along with the demo I sent! It’s definitely gonna be different, but we’re very excited to try something new and maybe even a little more intense/emotional.
COVID-19 has obviously impacted the music industry dramatically. What has been the hardest part of writing and recording during a global pandemic?
N: You know, when I started Birchwood it was during a rough time in my life, but I think COVID-19 has just made everything so strange. I record by myself, everything that you hear from me is recorded by me in my home, whether in a little closet or just me vibing on my bed with an acoustic guitar. (laughs)
The recording hasn’t really changed for me, but writing definitely has. I haven’t seen my friends or family since February; it always felt like things were starting to look up, and then everything would plummet a few days later.
This whole year has been a non-stop rollercoaster, I think everyone is just waiting for it to end so we can regather our thoughts at least. Writing has always been an outlet for me, and I think being in isolation has made me loathe myself more unfortunately, I’m sure it comes across loud and clear in my music.
Keep in touch with your loved ones and make sure they’re doing okay mentally and physically during these hard times. We’ll get through it eventually!
How many songs did you write for this release? How did you decide on the final five?
N: I write a lot. Sometimes they’re just little riffs that I have in my head, sometimes they’re lyrics that I think sound really well and then I try to go from there.
"Sink" was definitely one that I knew was going to be on the EP from the start, along with "Caught Up." The first words in Sink are, “I burned all of your pictures but kept all of the records you showed me because those songs help me sleep”, and that’s something I thought up maybe a few months ago and just did not know how to put it into a song.
I messed around with it and kind of forgot about it until I made the opening guitar riff, sang along to it and it was just so perfectly fitting that I knew it was going to be a full song. The opposite sort of happened with "Blame."
I wrote the riff and the lyrics after, but it was something I’d been trying for a while. "All We Know" took me the longest to write, but it turned out to be my favorite off the EP.
I feel like it’s the only one that feels like a real song, at least structurally. I had so many unfinished songs, and these five were songs that really resonated with me enough to finish them; I’m so happy that I did.
To finish off our interview, what would you like to say to all our lovely readers at Legends of Tomorrow?
N: Just want to say thank you so much for listening and giving me the time of day that you could give to literally anyone else. (laughs) It means so much to me to have my thoughts heard by everyone, even if I’m just screaming into your ear.
These times are very hard, a lot harder for some than others, but please love each other, be kind to one another, and know that it is always okay to vent or let things out when you need to. Don’t bottle things up, be yourself in every possible way that you can, and hopefully, that will bring some light into whatever situation you’re in; we can only be hopeful.
Lastly, I want to thank you all at Legends Of Tomorrow for giving me this opportunity and more exposure to my music, it means so much to me! Thank you again for having me and hopefully soon we’ll have some new music that I can share with you guys!
Huge thank you to Nay of Birchwood for doing this interview with us! You can support the project by following along on Twitter @BirchwoodAZ, and you can read my full review of the EP here!
What bands or artists would you like to see us interview next? Let us know by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!
Comments