In the landscape of contemporary music, a new and compelling voice is emerging, known as "Stark Contrast." This pseudonym not only encapsulates the artist's unique style but also symbolizes a journey of transformation from a mocked poet to a confident musician. Stark Contrast's story is one of resilience, creativity, and an undying passion for music, which started at the tender age of 14.
The Birth of a Poet and the Emergence of a Songwriter
Stark Contrast's artistic journey began with poetry. At 14, while most teenagers were navigating the complexities of adolescence, Stark Contrast found solace and expression in poetry. However, this early venture into the arts was met with mockery from peers, a challenge that would shape the artist's future endeavors. The ridicule, instead of dampening the spirit, led to a significant realization: song lyrics were a form of poetry that garnered respect and appreciation. This epiphany marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to songwriting.
First Strums and Melodic Beginnings
The transformative moment came with the acquisition of a guitar at 16. The very first day with the instrument sparked the creation of an original song. Despite being a novice, Stark Contrast's dedication and willingness to navigate through the unknown laid the foundation for a prolific songwriting career. Over the years, more than 500 songs were penned, each a testament to the artist's evolving skill and profound creativity.
Overcoming Reluctance and Embracing the Spotlight
For years, Stark Contrast wrestled with self-doubt and the fear of rejection, reminiscent of the days of being mocked for poetry. This internal struggle is akin to the character of the dad in "Back to the Future," pondering over the point of releasing creative work. However, a decisive turning point came, and Stark Contrast chose to overcome these fears, gearing up to release over 100 original songs in 2024.
Self-Production: A Skill Honed in Isolation
The COVID-19 pandemic, a period of global crisis, became a time of introspection and growth for Stark Contrast. It was during this time that the artist delved deep into music production, mastering the skills to independently manage all aspects of the music creation process. This self-sufficiency not only signifies artistic growth but also represents a full-circle moment from the days of writing poetry in solitude.
The Anticipation of a Musical Odyssey
As Stark Contrast prepares to unveil a treasure trove of songs, the music world awaits with anticipation. Each song is a narrative, a piece of the artist's soul, offering listeners a glimpse into a journey marked by resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of music. The release strategy, ambitious yet heartfelt, involves sharing two songs a week, making each release a moment of connection with the audience.
The Legacy of Stark Contrast: A Message of Hope and Artistry
The story of Stark Contrast is not just about music; it's about overcoming adversity, embracing one's true self, and the relentless pursuit of artistic expression. For aspiring artists and anyone facing self-doubt, Stark Contrast's journey is a beacon of inspiration. It teaches us that creativity, when pursued with passion and resilience, can lead to remarkable outcomes.
In conclusion, the emergence of Stark Contrast in the music scene is a narrative of transformation and self-acceptance. As the world prepares to experience the eclectic collection of songs, one thing is certain: Stark Contrast is not just a name but a symbol of the stark difference one can make by choosing to embrace their true artistic self.
Discovering the Songwriter Within
The pivotal moment came at 15, when for fun, Stark Contrast sang his poetry without any instrumentation. The positive feedback from friends on his demo recordings sent using a late '90s desktop computer mic was the spark that ignited his path to songwriting. Acquiring a guitar transformed his journey, allowing him to experiment with notes and melodies, evolving from instrumental pieces to lyrically rich songs.
Artistic Identity Shaped by Challenges
Despite being mocked for his poetry during his teenage years, Stark Contrast's love for punk and emo music, particularly bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Dashboard Confessional, deeply influenced his writing. His status as neither popular nor unpopular in school, he says, didn't directly impact his writing but shaped his emotional landscape.
The Essence of Stark Contrast
His project, aptly named Stark Contrast, reflects his approach to songwriting - diverse, genre-defying, and emotionally nuanced. While his lyrics often lean towards the sadder side, they're crafted to be accessible and universal, allowing listeners to imprint their own experiences onto his words.
"Looking Up": A Debut Marked by Optimism
The first song he chose to release, "Looking Up," written in reaction to a friend's challenge for a happier song, marked a significant milestone. It represented a shift from simple demos to more polished, fully-realized tracks.
Impact of Music Production on Creativity
Learning music production has been transformative for Stark Contrast. The ability to immediately record ideas and experiment with arrangements using tools like the chord track in Studio One has revolutionized his songwriting process.
Overcoming the Challenge of Freshness in Songwriting
With over 500 songs written, maintaining originality has been a challenge. He overcame this by expanding his instrumental palette, incorporating piano and synthesizer options, and drawing on others' experiences for lyrical inspiration.
Balancing Creativity and Production
Efficiency is key in balancing the creative and production aspects, especially with a demanding release schedule. Recording vocals in blocks and mixing in quieter moments helps manage this balance.
Evolution of Musical Style
From a focus on live performance fidelity to embracing studio creativity, Stark Contrast's music has evolved significantly. His early work, centered on acoustic guitar and vocals, has now expanded to include a variety of genres and instruments.
Defining Success in Music Release
Success for Stark Contrast is about connecting with listeners he's never met and sharing his music with a broader audience. The joy of having unknown individuals enjoy his work is his primary motivation.
Staying Motivated and Overcoming Doubt
In a competitive field, he stays motivated by supporting fellow indie musicians and accepting his unique voice and style, while continuously improving his craft.
Memorable Songs and Collaborations
He shares stories of collaboration, like writing songs with Matt Austin from Days Away, and emphasizes the importance of letting listeners interpret his songs' meanings.
Advice to Young Artists
His advice to young artists is to embrace criticism for growth but to remain true to their unique voice and style. Recording every idea and being open to inspiration from various sources are crucial tips.
Engaging with the Audience
Building a community around his music is a new venture for Stark Contrast. He plans to network with other musicians and actively promote his music, including using business cards for a personal touch.
Message to the Younger Self
Looking back, he would advise his younger self to relax and not take life too seriously. Authenticity, he stresses, is key to finding one's place in the world, both as a person and an artist.
This reflective article captures the essence of Stark Contrast's journey from a teenager discovering his voice to a multifaceted songwriter and musician. His story is one of growth, resilience, and the continuous pursuit of creative expression.
Interview with Stark Contrast
What was the moment you realized that your passion for poetry could be channeled into songwriting?
When I was 15, I started singing some of my poetry without any instrumentation for fun. I didn’t realize I could sing until that point. I recorded demos with that terrible computer mic that came with all desktop computers in the late 90s and sent to a few friends. Their reaction was more positive than expected and that put me on the path to get a guitar.
Can you describe the emotions and thoughts that went through your mind when you wrote your first song?
My first song was instrumental and I didn’t know what I was doing yet and this was pre-youtube so I just kept trying different notes until it sounded right to me. At one point my Dad came upstairs and said something along the lines of “I can’t take you playing that same thing over and over you have to learn something else.” I then started writing my first song with lyrics probably 5 days in to having a guitar.
How did the experience of being mocked for your poetry shape your artistic identity and resilience?
I definitely would have described 16 year old me as a hopeless romantic. I have always been drawn to punk and emo music especially the early Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, Far stuff and then once Dashboard Confessional hit the scene I was extremely drawn to that sound. I was never extremely popular or extremely unpopular. I sat in sort of a status purgatory and that worked fine for me. I don’t know if being mocked directly influenced the writing beyond my general emotional sense of being that age and the music I was listening to.
What are the key themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music as "Stark Contrast"?
I was very happy and honestly shocked that the name Stark Contrast was available as I feel that it represents my writing well. Over the years I have tried to not be genre or style specific and jump all over the map. I tend to write lyrics that are on the sadder side but accessible and not overly specific to my experiences. I want folks to be able to listen and have their own thoughts and feelings on the words. I have made a conscious effort to write a few songs that skew on the happier side just because I am generally a pretty happy person in real life. I sometimes channel stories that folks have told me about their life experiences or something I see a character experience in a show or movie into lyrics as well.
Can you talk about the significance of the first song you will release and why you chose it?
My first song release was a song called “Looking Up.” I originally wrote it in 2009. My friend Mike had been heckling me (in a friendly way) that I don’t have any happy songs and this was written as a reaction to that discussion. Post college I moved to a new area and my first friend I met in the area I ended up doing a lot of recording with for fun. I worked with him back then to flesh this song out a bit and add drums and better sounding guitars. It was the first song I had worked on that felt more like a song than a quick 2 second demo to send to a couple of my friends. When I decided I wanted to start releasing music for real in 2024 I felt that it was a good place to start.
How has the process of learning music production impacted your approach to songwriting and creativity?
My answer to this is a resounding YES. My biggest struggle was I work very fast when it comes to writing and I always felt frustrated as I was dependent on others for different pieces of the recording process. I can go up to my recording space and immediately record any idea I have and then see if it works. Additionally, I use Studio One as my DAW and they have something that is called a chord track that is unbelievable and has completely changed how I now write songs. You can map out chords at the top of a track and then drag those down to midi tracks and it will write out a full bar of that chord. So then I can try different instrumentation playing the chords and/or change chords without ever having to pull out my guitar. This allows me to map out a song in tempo before I hit the record button.
Are you thinking about licensing your music for synchronization?
If a party was interested in this I certainly would be as well. My immediate hope is to get ears. I am proud of the music I am creating and I think if folks were to give it a shot they would enjoy it. I am a huge fan of TV & Movies and hearing one of my songs pop up in one certainly would fulfill a dream of mine.
What challenges have you faced in keeping your songwriting fresh and original after writing over 500 songs?
I had a period of time where every one of my songs was just me and an acoustic guitar. I did feel like I got in a bit of a rut where all my songs sounded the same. I think being able to play piano a little bit opens up a lot of doors with the amount of synth and piano options that exist now as software instruments. I have always had a natural ability to write lyrics even from an improvisational standpoint. I used to have friends yell out words ala whose line is it anyway and I would make up a song on the spot. I think that a lot of songwriters feel that something has to be deeply personal to be good and I have found that pulling from others' experiences and emotions can be powerful as well. I do recommend for everyone to record EVERYTHING. If you have an idea, pull out your phone and record it. I have a folder with thousands of these and sometimes I don’t listen again for months but if I am lacking inspiration I occasionally find some gems in there.
How do you plan to balance the creative and production aspects of your music, especially with such a frequent release schedule?
I try to find inefficiencies in any processes. For me the biggest schedule impactor is the recording of vocals. I can mix when my kids are sleeping. I can record electric guitar or piano parts when folks are sleeping. So what I have started doing is doing all the prep work, mapping out songs. Then set a block of time and record vocals on a bunch of songs at once. Then mix down, add other instrumentation and then do vocal comps of parts that need fixes or additional vocals. This has really worked for me. In terms of release schedule I decided in October of 2023 that I wanted to average releasing 2 songs a week in 2024 so I started planning then and getting a lot of songs to a decent state so that I could hit the ground running at the start of the year.
In what ways has your music evolved since you first started writing songs at 16?
I used to focus on my ability to perform a song live exactly as it was recorded and/or written. I learned over the years I get a lot more joy out of writing, recording and being creative than performing. My songs for years were just acoustic guitar and vocals and I try to mix it up and jump around genre wise and feel so some songs don’t even have guitar now which would be unheard of to 16 year old me.
What does success look like to you in this new phase of releasing your music?
To me success is having folks I don’t know listen to and enjoy the songs and to keep coming back and hearing more. The idea of someone I’ve never met or talked to listening to one of my songs brings a big smile to my face. To me that is what it is all about.
How do you manage to stay motivated and overcome self-doubt, especially in a field as competitive as music?
I root for all my other indie musicians. I get joy out of sharing others' music and hope that folks listen! As I get older my confidence has grown that I know what I am doing writing/recording/mixing etc. My self doubt really comes into play as it relates to other musicians that I listen to and respect. I just want to be accepted and feel like they think I am a musician and not just a guy that makes music in his house. A lot of this is in my head as everyone is welcoming and talks respectfully but definitely feel impostor syndrome at times when sharing songs with fellow artists.
Can you share a particularly memorable or impactful song you've written and the story behind it?
There are a few for sure. I tend to let songs be interpreted by listeners and not give them direct meanings. So there are a few that are most impactful that I am not going to get into (but happily would offline). Growing up my one group of friends had a band called “Days Away” who made it quasi big. They were touring the country for years. If you have never checked out their album “Mapping an Invisible World” it is a must! The singer of the band and drummer went on to form “Good Old War” and saw good success as well. The lead guitarist of Days Away (Matt Austin) and I wrote 50 songs together over the past few years. We released two under the name Two One Five and plan to release more in the future. I definitely put my heart and soul into the lyrics for those songs because I have so much respect for Matt as a guitarist and I was thrilled to be working with him. We have two songs that aren’t released called Remedy and The Weight and both have some of my favorite lyrics I have written. Both explore the idea of blame and my/our ability to move on in life from tough situations and thoughts. One of the songs we did release called Puzzle has a line that has sort of changed meaning to me a good bit since writing it but has really stuck with me “I have never envisioned being here, but the how is irrelevant now.”
What advice would you give to young artists who are hesitant to share their art due to fear of criticism?
Embrace criticism, it is helpful. If you only share music with folks you know will say it is good you will never grow. Sometimes it can be hard to hear that your voice sounds bad in a part of a song or that a song is boring because there isn’t enough variation in it. However, that will lead to you working on your flaws. However, don't let one person’s opinion change your work or your feelings on it. You are allowed to have a unique voice and make the music you want to. I have a tendency to enunciate words a little strangely here and there. Not to the level of someone like Tom DeLonge but over the years I have had multiple people tell me things like “why did you sing a word this way” and that is a case where I have learned that I am just going to do what comes natural for me and not force myself to change. Nothing wrong with beating your own drum. I like to say find out what works for you, but never stop finding out what works for you.
How do you plan to engage with your audience and build a community around your music?
This is definitely new for me. I have been writing and recording for so long and sharing with my friends but actually releasing songs and promoting is new. As I mentioned earlier, having friends listen is great but having people I don’t know listen is a really exciting prospect for me. I have been working to build a network of other musicians that I enjoy and respect and that has been encouraging. As the year goes on and I have more and more songs available I plan to really actively tell people about it. I recently created business cards (They haven’t arrived yet) that I am going to hand out to people randomly when I meet them. It is old school and something physical that folks might look at later after they forgot about saying they said they would check out some songs. Here is what that looks like:
Looking back at your journey, what would you say to your 14-year-old self who was just starting to write poetry?
First of all, I would say, DUDE RELAX. Not everything has to be so serious. So much of life is stressful and you don’t need to invent reasons to be in your head. Also, the best way to belong is to not try to belong. Be your authentic self. Find your people. If someone doesn’t like you as a person, artist whatever that is ok. Also using a rhyming dictionary isn’t cheating, everyone does it, that’s why they exist haha. Use the tools that are out there because everyone else is.
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