Archive for February, 2011

Tampa's folk troubadour, Victor Florence, hasn't been in the scene long. He has been playing music for most of his life, but only recently started working on his own songs. Shows are still rare, a manager is lacking, and finding recording studios with a tolerable price is not the easy for a startup. With these obstacles in mind, we thought we'd help Victor's cause with an introduction to his music.

With around 15 songs, Victor tells his stories with captivating peculiarity. His lyrics bear a distinct style, with influences like Rimbaud and Ginsberg. His intricate meshing of words leaves the listener engaged but wondering about the exact underlying message. Florence's live performances are charged with energy and emotion. His recordings haunt listeners with his abrasive voice, blue notes, hesitant words and sentimental hooks.

Victor recently uploaded a new home-recorded demo called "Winter" which, as Brasky would describe it, is a tamer version of his first demo "Trapeze Artist" (and, according to the artist himself, an improved and better rendition of his music). You can download his two releases on his BandCamp page, and you can sample his music below. Continue reading to see Brasky's interview with Victor.

BRASKY: You've cited Vincent van Gogh as a point of inspiration; in what ways does a visual artist inspire you to write music? Are you influenced by any other art muses?

VICTOR: It hard to say, I really like how the impressionist painters portray the world and their emotions and I try to do that with my own lyrics. I really like the way van Gogh looks at the world, he has this peculiar sense of urgency. I try to aspire for that but I'm not actually sure if I have succeeded yet. It is definitely one of my goals to do so.

BRASKY: You've also mentioned being inspired by the poet Rimbaud. Likewise, we feel that your lyrics are complex and embed hidden meaning; would you consider yourself symbolist?

VICTOR: I barely consider myself a poet! It's just the way I write. To me, it's pretty hard writing a straight-forward song. As for Rimbaud, I think it's brilliant how he paints these vivid landscapes with words. Just like van Gogh, there is also this sense of urgency in his writings. Poets and painters such as Van Gogh and Rimbaud are mentors to me. They inspire me to keep working on lyrics. I really like writing and that's really what I want to focus on, more so than the music. Words are very powerful, they are beautiful, just so fucking beautiful. I get obsessed with words. I remember how I was obsessed with the word "thunder" over the summer. It held so much power that it frightened me. I'm terrified and fascinated by the power of words.

BRASKY: One of our Brasky contributors likens your music to that of Neutral Milk Hotel. Would you consider them an influence in your music?

VICTOR: That's such a compliment, thank you! I am a big fan, but I don't really think about them when I write music. To try and replicate what they've made would be disgraceful. I was mostly influenced by whatever writers that came my way. I was particularly fascinated by the works of James Joyce and Dylan Thomas when I was working on "Winter." However, Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan also influenced my music during that time period. It's pretty obvious that Smith inspired the chord progression in the song "Strings and Gears". I had to change it up a little just in case that a Elliott Smith fan would find out and hunt me down!

BRASKY: You seem like a very busy person. How do you find time to balance your personal life with your developing musicianship?

VICTOR: I try my best but usually I just find myself drinking coffee and spending tremendous amount of hours in the library. I mean I should be reading right now instead of doing this interview. Trying to find time to write is hard but it is something that I enjoy doing so I make time for it. Writing means quite a lot to me and I find that I'm the happiest when I'm scribbling down sketches for songs in between classes. It's something I would love to do for a living but it's going to be a challenge to do so!

BRASKY: We recently saw you perform "Fields of Wheat" (off the new Demo compilation "Winter") and felt like it was a moving performance with a lot of channeled emotion. What was going through your mind while performing this song?

VICTOR: Thank you! I try my best to put all I got when I perform. I got to make sure that people get what they pay for. When I'm up there, I try to get into the same frame of mind that I was when I wrote that song. I see songs as pictures that capture an emotion of the writer. I just try to replicate that picture when I'm up there performing.

BRASKY: Your recording compilation "Winter" and your EP "Trapeze Artist" are very different. It seems that "Winter" is more subdued than "Trapeze Artist." Would you agree?

VICTOR: Yes, "Winter" is, in some ways, more tamed than "Trapeze Artist." "Trapeze Artist" was more based around emotions than song-writing. "Winter" was me trying to create something that was all mine. The reason "Winter" is not as emotional as Trapeze Artist is that I recorded the songs in the middle of the night and I didn't want to wake up my roommate. I prefer Winter over Trapeze artist because it's something that was mine. There were no covers or anything like that. I think I improved as a songwriter in Winter, too. Both projects took about the same amount of time to write all the songs for. I recorded Trapeze Artist with my friend Neil Pepi in his studio/dorm room last winter. Recording with him was a great experience and the guy knows what he is doing. For Winter, I recorded it on my little 4-track recorder in my room.

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