Summer 2015 Musical Guest: Winter
This month’s musical guest is Winter. Editor Amanda Miska checked in with frontwoman Samira Winter for a quick chat. Rock out to their music video “Crazy,” then tune into the Q&A below.
First music show you ever went to? Most recent show you went to?
A little embarassing but Avril Lavigne was the first show I went to. I thought she was really cool when I was thirteen. Haha. The most recent was two nights ago at a warehouse in Los Angeles watching the local bands Liphemra, WALTER, and The Buttertones.
Surprising influences on your music?
Brazilian music! I grew up in Brazil and my mom is Brazilian so I love a lot of “tropicalia” and “mpb.” Artists such as Os Mutantes, Jorge Ben Jor, Gal Costa and Marisa Monte. More obvious influences are shoegaze bands Ride and My Bloody Valentine and indie rock jams such as Pedro The Lion and Alvvays.
Other hobbies besides making music?
I work as a barista, and I’m a huge coffee lover. I also love making collages and VHS movies for fun. Basically using my hands to create things in any way. It feels good to have an aesthetic in mind and then execute it.
Favorite venue you’ve ever played at?
There Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. It was my first big show and it felt so empowering to be up there playing my music. The sound was amazing, the bands were so good, there was even a wedding proposal and the crowd was mainly younger teenage girls which I ideally would love to play for more. It was so fun!
Summer plans for you/your music?
Winter will be working on demos for our second full length. In the meantime, I’m always writing and now also have a solo project under “Samira’s Infinite Summer” where I get to explore more DIY-drum machine-experimental aesthetics.
Last book you read?
Bluets by Maggie Nelson. Everyone should read it! So inspiring.
(Editor’s Note: I agree!)
Make us a quick 5-song summer playlist?
Splashh – All I Wanna Do
Alvvays – Agency Group
Beach Moon Peach Moon – Kite Without A String
Nic Hessler æ Please Don’t Break Me
Peach Kelli Pop – Princess Castle 1987
Where did the idea for the “Crazy” video come from?
It came from a brainstorm. The director (Kevin Kearney) and I realized we wanted to use VHS as a format for the video and then I had a flash back to the Foo Fighters Mentos music video. So then Kevin realized it’d be cool if it was ’80s-themed and then the magic happened.
If you didn’t work in music, what other career would you choose?
Graphic Design. I hope to one day have the time and motivation to learn graphic design. I think it’d be really fun and a stable career—at least more than music :)
What’s your songwriting/creative process? (Lyrics or music first? Simultaneously? Where do you draw information—a melody that gets stuck in your head or a line?)
I first start with a melody. Sometimes it comes to me or it’s from playing chords on my guitar. I’ll have the melody guide the chord progression and after that establish some structure of verse and chorus. Lyrics are then the last thing.
Best advice for other up-and-coming musicians?
Listen to music. Watch inspiring films. Read books. Notice the world around you and find what touches you the most. Write as many songs as possible.
Purchase Winter’s latest record, Supreme Blue Dream, here.