Joe Finstrom is releasing a debut album, Mountains. The lyrics are evocative and the sound is summer mellow. You can hear him play the music live at The White Squirrel on July 29.
Please tell me about yourself and how you got into music.
Like a lot of musicians I didn’t get into music, it got into me. I’m not sure exactly when that happened but I do remember listening to the oldies, classic rock, and light rock stations in the back of my parents’ cars at a very young age. I started playing music as a cello player in the school orchestra at 11. This was followed soon after by the bass guitar, guitar, piano, and drums. After spending high school in the orchestra and jazz band I went to Augsburg College (University now) to study music. I also attended the Institute of Production and Recording. My passion for music and audio has grown in every direction since I was a kid and continues to grow today. My current projects include my solo work, an ambient music duo called Smoking w/Baby, and my studio (Peachy Gnome).
I am also the father of three young kids and a dog who sometimes share my love of music. I love personal fitness, a good sauna, and getting outdoors. I am currently training for the Maple Grove Triathlon again this year and I am enrolled in St. Kate’s PTA program, in part to support my passion for music.
Your debut album, at least under your own name, is called Mountains, which seems unusual for someone from the Great Plains. How did you decide on that name?
The songs for this album were written post-divorce. Although the songs aren’t directly about my divorce experience or my previous relationship I used songwriting as a way to find new paths forward by providing honest reflection on past events and current situations. I wrote about 12 songs then and 5 of them ended up on this EP.
My continuing realization during that time was that like most humans I create my own suffering and circumstance through sustained personal narratives and choices. I wanted to get in touch with myself then but in order to do that I had to get honest with myself. I needed to reframe some things and normalize others. I had to understand that my problems were not mountains, they were ant hills and pebbles, if anything at all.
I love the imagery in Do you Know Me? It makes me feel like I’m in the room with you. When you wrote the song, which came first, the lyrics or the music?
The music and lyrics took a walk together on this track. I started writing Do You Know Me while I was at the Music Lab in South Minneapolis where I teach cello and bass lessons. I had a gap in my schedule so I picked up a guitar from another studio. Most of the song is based on a repeating D major, C Major, G Major chord progress. Because it starts on D and moves to C the progression seeks resolution. The lyrics I added were similar; words and ideas looking for comfort and familiarity. I landed on the familiar imagery of morning routines and time spent outdoors. I also found familiarity in the classic-rock inspired aesthetic that I landed on. To me it’s a fitting and personal way to portray that we sometimes call ourselves home.
Please tell me about the inspiration before Love is a Simple Thing. It is the song on the album that just seems filled with untainted joy.
I could say alot about this song but I’m not going to. I worked at a local fitness club at the time that I wrote this song. It’s a nod to all of the beautiful people there and the more than superficial role our bodies play in the world. You never know when you look at someone for the first time if you’re going to make a friend or if you might fall in love.
Please tell us about your upcoming album release.
The release show is Wednesday, July 29th at 9:00 at the White Squirrel Bar. Flutes & Low and Boots & Needles will be opening. No cover. It’s going to be a great show!
For more information here is a link https://whitesquirrelbar.com/event/joe-finstrom/
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