Many thanks to Justin for his time!
1. Well, obviously for those who know your project this question is aimless. However, why ‘Expo’70’? And how did it start?
I wanted to work on more organic music and needed a platform to showcase that. At the time I was in a band, which was really great, I had many more ideas flowing through my veins and needing a way to execute them, this is what become Expo '70.
2. Your project name has a special design that, if I am not mistaken rarely changes. Am I right? Or is it just an optical illusion? Do you feel a certain aura hovering about every record you make (because I do)?
I'd say each record has it's own aura and mysticism in place. I try not to create the album twice, one may think it's going to be the same at first listen, but it reaches further into it's own design.
3. Tell a bit about the local community? What stuff can you recommend for checking out? What gigs you’ve attended lately were exceptional?
The last show I went to was Acid Mothers Temple, it was part of a local music festival, mostly indie rock stuff. I also played with Woodsman and Dustin Wong, that was an exceptional show. The local community is very sparse for good experimental music, most are just bar bands. There are a handful of great groups here though like Umberto, Snuff Jazz, Vor Onus, Carnal Torpor, Monta at Odds, Goodwillies, Shawn Hanson, Plante, Sounding the Deep, Christopher McFall, Scammers...everyone sounds very different and unique from one another.
4. Since the improvisation is the base of your music, how would you describe the difference between what you feel while playing live and while recording? Do these schemes somehow affect the improvisation approach or technique?
While playing live I have to keep in mind it's for an hour straight, not much room for error. Recording, I can do as much experimentation as I need to get where I am going. Live setting and recording I try to put myself mentally in the same place so the music will flow the same.
5. You run your own label ‘Sonic Meditations’. What was that that pushed you to put out your first release?
I think it was having a lot of great local music with no platform and a way for me to re-release my music on different formats. It has since grown into handpicked music I feel needs to be heard or feel I want my personal stamp on it.
6. You’ve recently released a cassette by one of my favorite artists James R. Moore (Cloudland Ballroom) and it’s truly amazing! How do you decide what to release? Do you receive lots of demos or you rather work with your friends or those who you know?
James and I have been talking for a few years now. I was really impressed with his Black Mountain Transmitter release, "Theory & Practice". So I decided to have him do an album for me. It's a really great release, I think he did an outstanding job on it. I do get many demos, but I try to hand pick things that I search out, it's very rare I will release something someone sends to me blindly.
7. Next question I will ask to every person in DDb interview series. What have changed in independent music world with the developing and spreading of the Web?
Well, there are less independent shops, more web-based shops, so I don't really have a place in my town to go shop for the music I like. I have to drive about an hour away or just order online. Now, anyone can be heard making music from their bedroom, which isn't always a good thing. I think stores are more competitive and don't take too many risks these days. You can pretty much hear any music on the web now, so for new bands that's great for getting listeners outside of their region.
Any positive improvements? Any negative repercussions?
It's saturated, I'm surprised sometimes how popular Expo '70 still is with so many other great artists out there, but also glad since there are so many new comers to the genre of music I am associated with.
8. Tell about your relationship with vinyl collecting. Do you collect anything?
Well, I used to collect way more than I do now, I used to buy just about everything on vinyl I could afford, but having been down and out in the past, I have sold over half my collection. Now it's only records I feel deserve to be owned by my, my very favorite records or ones that are more affordable. I also get lots on tour from other bands and also with trading.
9. What about your day work? Does it affect your ideas in music? How does it correlate with your music life?
I guess it does, more so that now I'd say. I have too much free time now and think I have more structure it would give way to producing more music.
10. Please share your future plans? What are you working on? And what’s next?
I am making plans now for a European tour with Ancient Ocean, we will head over seas mid September for the tour. I have an album coming out on Blackest Rainbow and Ancient Ocean and I will have a split LP for the tour. I have also been working with a 3 piece band version of Expo '70 and we have a side of an LP coming out on Record Store Day and will be recording early May for a release on Essence music.
1. Well, obviously for those who know your project this question is aimless. However, why ‘Expo’70’? And how did it start?
I wanted to work on more organic music and needed a platform to showcase that. At the time I was in a band, which was really great, I had many more ideas flowing through my veins and needing a way to execute them, this is what become Expo '70.
2. Your project name has a special design that, if I am not mistaken rarely changes. Am I right? Or is it just an optical illusion? Do you feel a certain aura hovering about every record you make (because I do)?
I'd say each record has it's own aura and mysticism in place. I try not to create the album twice, one may think it's going to be the same at first listen, but it reaches further into it's own design.
3. Tell a bit about the local community? What stuff can you recommend for checking out? What gigs you’ve attended lately were exceptional?
The last show I went to was Acid Mothers Temple, it was part of a local music festival, mostly indie rock stuff. I also played with Woodsman and Dustin Wong, that was an exceptional show. The local community is very sparse for good experimental music, most are just bar bands. There are a handful of great groups here though like Umberto, Snuff Jazz, Vor Onus, Carnal Torpor, Monta at Odds, Goodwillies, Shawn Hanson, Plante, Sounding the Deep, Christopher McFall, Scammers...everyone sounds very different and unique from one another.
4. Since the improvisation is the base of your music, how would you describe the difference between what you feel while playing live and while recording? Do these schemes somehow affect the improvisation approach or technique?
While playing live I have to keep in mind it's for an hour straight, not much room for error. Recording, I can do as much experimentation as I need to get where I am going. Live setting and recording I try to put myself mentally in the same place so the music will flow the same.
5. You run your own label ‘Sonic Meditations’. What was that that pushed you to put out your first release?
I think it was having a lot of great local music with no platform and a way for me to re-release my music on different formats. It has since grown into handpicked music I feel needs to be heard or feel I want my personal stamp on it.
6. You’ve recently released a cassette by one of my favorite artists James R. Moore (Cloudland Ballroom) and it’s truly amazing! How do you decide what to release? Do you receive lots of demos or you rather work with your friends or those who you know?
James and I have been talking for a few years now. I was really impressed with his Black Mountain Transmitter release, "Theory & Practice". So I decided to have him do an album for me. It's a really great release, I think he did an outstanding job on it. I do get many demos, but I try to hand pick things that I search out, it's very rare I will release something someone sends to me blindly.
7. Next question I will ask to every person in DDb interview series. What have changed in independent music world with the developing and spreading of the Web?
Well, there are less independent shops, more web-based shops, so I don't really have a place in my town to go shop for the music I like. I have to drive about an hour away or just order online. Now, anyone can be heard making music from their bedroom, which isn't always a good thing. I think stores are more competitive and don't take too many risks these days. You can pretty much hear any music on the web now, so for new bands that's great for getting listeners outside of their region.
Any positive improvements? Any negative repercussions?
It's saturated, I'm surprised sometimes how popular Expo '70 still is with so many other great artists out there, but also glad since there are so many new comers to the genre of music I am associated with.
8. Tell about your relationship with vinyl collecting. Do you collect anything?
Well, I used to collect way more than I do now, I used to buy just about everything on vinyl I could afford, but having been down and out in the past, I have sold over half my collection. Now it's only records I feel deserve to be owned by my, my very favorite records or ones that are more affordable. I also get lots on tour from other bands and also with trading.
9. What about your day work? Does it affect your ideas in music? How does it correlate with your music life?
I guess it does, more so that now I'd say. I have too much free time now and think I have more structure it would give way to producing more music.
10. Please share your future plans? What are you working on? And what’s next?
I am making plans now for a European tour with Ancient Ocean, we will head over seas mid September for the tour. I have an album coming out on Blackest Rainbow and Ancient Ocean and I will have a split LP for the tour. I have also been working with a 3 piece band version of Expo '70 and we have a side of an LP coming out on Record Store Day and will be recording early May for a release on Essence music.
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