SeagateCreative had a chance to catch up with Santa Monica bred, indie pop band Cayucas during FUN FUN FUN Fest to talk about some of the creative inspiration behind their music and the role that hard drives play in that creative process.
SeagateCreative: What is one creative idea you had recently which actually surprised you?
Cayucas: Well one idea that has surprised me recently was going back to songs I had written about 5 years ago and getting inspired. I’ve been writing some new songs for a little side project idea thingy I’ve been chipping away at, and in the middle of writing a song I realized I could dig up these old tracks I wrote and use them now.
These are tracks that I never thought I would revisit because the beats are a bit cheesy and MIDI synths sound like MIDI but I realized they would work perfect as little snippets for a mixtape. It really surprised me. These are tracks that I couldn’t have cared less about a week ago. It’s a lesson to never throw anything away.
SeagateCreative: What musician has inspired you? Is there anything about their work that you feel has shaped you as an artist?
Cayucas: One musician who has inspired me recently is Beck. I saw him live in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago. He was headlining the Life is Beautiful Festival that we got to play as well.
What blew my mind about his performance was the fact that I knew almost every song he played. I consider myself a fan but not a diehard or anything and I still new every single song he played from an hour and a half set.
What I like about Beck is that his catalog is so strong and versatile from Odelay to Sea Change to his newer stuff it’s all these different genres mashed up but still really cohesive as an entire picture.
I’m inspired by that because my tastes are always changing and I tend to write songs based around what I’m inspired by at the time, so it’s nice to see that in another artist doing it right.
SeagateCreative: What’s your process in the studio?
Cayucas: The steps I use in songwriting are usually:
1. Come up with a song idea usually a song title
2. Depending on the song I usually start with a looped sample or a riff on guitar or bass line. I very rarely write an entire song with changes until later.
3. I try to write lyrics, but this usually takes me a long time. Or I’ll write 70% of it and then leave it to finish later
4. The final step is recording a basic demo on my own so that when we go to the studio to finish we all have a clear idea of what it sounds like & exactly what I want to play.
SeagateCreative: What role do hard drives play in your creative process? What Seagate products do you use?
Cayucas: I use Logic Pro to compose & record music on a MacBook. I have hundreds of ideas/songs stored on my hard drive as well as an external Seagate. It’s really important for me because I have everything stored on this old laptop so if it does decide to die one day I’ll be okay.
Learn more about Cayucas and catch up on news and tour dates through these social channels:
Official Site
Facebook
Twitter
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