Tired Cossack
Tired Cossack is a sleepy, jittering, celebration of life’s anxious desire and the comfort in loneliness and longing nostalgia. Influenced by Neil Young, the Cure, and various post punk artists, his honest, introspective musings on friends, family, and loss combine with heavy and haunting riffs to put the listener surprisingly at ease in its meandering dissonance and catchy melodies.
Pea roll along
Tired Cossack, bei uns vielleicht noch etwas unbekannt, veröffentlichten vor einigen Tagen ihre/seine neueste Single
"Pea roll along". "Pea roll along"?, da war ich doch ein wenig hilflos zu Beginn muss ich gestehen. Der Text spiegelt ein
Volksmärchen wider, von dem es seinen Namen hat.
Es handelt sich um einen Jungen, der aus einer Erbsenschote sprießt und mit Hilfe von drei magischen Kosaken eine Familie vor einem Drachen rettet. Dieses Märchen wurde von Stephen Halas aka Tired Cossacks im Genre des
Alternative Rock in Szene gesetzt, mit leicht “Grunge-esquen“ Post Punk Elementen versehen und auf eine Reise durch die Welt geschickt. Gekonnt bedient er sich in den 80ern und 90ern und bleibt dabei doch in den 20ern des neuen Jahrtausends. Überzeugend assoziiert er verschiedene Genres und lässt diese zusammenkommen um als neues Werk in Erschinung zu treten. "Pea roll along" by Tired Cossack an Alternative Rock Fairy tale you should listen to.
Q&A
Tired Cossack is...?
Tired Cossack is me, a solo project from Winnipeg, Canada. I chose the name as it reflects my Ukrainian heritage, and a favourite work of art of mine called "Cossack Mamay" which is a famous image of a Cossack resting under a tree, playing music, with his wine, tobacco, and other possessions laid out around him. I like this image because it reflects the place playing music has in my life, a place of rest and pleasure.
Who inspired you to make music in general?
I have always been making music and get inspired by all sorts of things, from listening to others' music to nonsense melodies that pop in my head when doing something menial. However, I owe a lot to my partner, as she really encouraged me to start putting my music out there, being a musician herself.
...and especially to the song "Pea roll along"?
Pea Roll is a song that came together when I went on a recording retreat out to my family's small cabin north of the city. The lyrics reflect the folktale that it takes its name from, which is a story about a boy who sprouts from a pea pod and goes on to save a family from a dragon, with the help of three magic Cossacks. it's a pretty wild story!
The Song is the first single off an upcoming album, what can we expect?
The album is going to be a mix of more laid back, twangy sounds like that in Pea Roll, and more heavy, driving post punk/dark wave sounds that I've been toying with. The concept of the album is a celebration of the superstitions and folklore I grew up with. In a Ukrainian family there are countless superstitions and this often blurs the line between magic and religion.
Not being religious myself, I still find this kind of "hocus pocus" religion fascinating and it is a big part of my growing up. That's why the album will be called Hocus Pocus. The songs all focus on some sort of whimsical, folkloric, or superstitious element of this concept.
"Pea roll along" sounds like a great rock mixture, alternative meets art rock meets post punk, are those your main roots?
I'd say so yeah. I listened to all types of rock growing up, especially alternative. I was really into punk and post punk in my 20s. More recently I've learned to love country (besides always loving Johnny Cash). I'm always finding more music that I like too, and I feel it's only natural to hear something you like and try something similar, so that's probably why my music sounds the way it does.
What is your creative process like?
It depends. There are times where I am lucky enough to set time aside where I say "ok, I am taking these 2 days to only write music" and then I'll do my best to not procrastinate and get some demos done. Then there are time where something will pop in my head, and I'll have to record it right then, even if it's just humming a voice memo into my phone haha.
The process is definitely one of bursts though, rather than long and steady sessions. I have had times where I've written an entire EP in a day, and then will go for months without writing anything. I just try and maximize those creative bursts as best I can, and forgive myself when I have no desire to do anything new, so I don't get too hard on myself and get mad or sad.
When do you decide that a song is ready for a release?
Maaaaaan, that IS a good question. I used to try and get things out as soon as possible, because i would be so over the project, or just wanting to move onto something else. Now I'm not mixing my own stuff anymore and working with other people has given me a way better insight into planning release, although it still does just boil down to picking a day eventually.
Do you remember your first ever self written song?
Lol yes, I was when I was super young, like 4 or 5, and I'm pretty sure I just made up the lyrics as I went every time. Tbh that's something i still do to this day when writing songs.
What was the first ever Pop/Rock/... song you listened to?
The first CD I ever went out of my way to get was Nevermind by Nirvana. I did that because it was the first time I had a heard a song and been like "woah, I want this all the time." I also remember opening the CD case for the first time and seeing Kurt Cobain flipping me off and thinking, "this is so cool!" hahaha
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
I like both! I like live live shows because its an energy you can't replicate anywhere. Playing with a full band is always a treat too, and you get to bring your songs to life. Studio sessions are more fun because my process is most self-recorded, so I can really take the time to work on things, tweak them, and ask myself hard questions like, "is this good?"
What’s next for you?
Put this album out! Then try and get some local shows in Winnipeg, and some small festival spots hopefully. I'd love to tour as well this summer but one step at a time!
Photo credits: Scott Kereliuk, Jodi Plenert, Christian Schelander
