'Super Earth' is the newest moniker of Lexington, Kentucky based mover and shaker Micah Birch. With new album, Advertisement State, out and doing well and shows on the horizon for another of his musical endeavors, Trevor's Lightning Project; I caught up with the multi-instrumentalist creator to talk creative processes, influences, and more.
Q: "So as a multi-instrumentalist, when you are making music by yourself what does your process look like? Do you start with what is comfortable or do you have a more set order you find yourself adhering to?"
A: "When writing music, I don’t follow any set order. Some songs come from a bass line, a drum beat or chord progression, others might be born from a lyric, a riff, or even just banging two sticks together. If one thing is consistent for me, it’s these random moments of inspiration that kind of take hold, I have to write down or record whatever it is that pops in my head so I don’t forget and can go back to make something from it."
Q: "Not only are you making music on your own now under Super Earth, you are have been working with Trevor's Lightning Project for a while. Have you been a part if any other projects and how do you feel this has influenced your current sound."
A: "Super Earth and Trevor’s Lightning Project are the two main efforts. I’ve learned a lot working with other people, whether it be the guys from TLP or the friends I collaborated with on Advertisement State. It’s certainly opened me up to artists/genres that I wasn’t aware of or hadn’t taken the time to listen to, which can inspire new material. As well as taking new approaches to writing, recording, or mixing."
Q: "What are some of your major influences musically, both for Super Earth and when working with TLP?"
A: "Throughout the making of this album, I was listening to a lot of Swans. There is a tension in their music, coming from rhythm and dissonance that I think influenced me. And of course a lot of neo-psych groups such as King Gizzard, Post Animal, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, etc. I also dug into several Miles Davis albums, Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew, as well as Talking Heads, completely unrelated artists but I took inspiration from all of those groups."
Q: "Your new album Advertisement state is out now. I'm happy to have ended up collaborating with you a bit on one of the songs! I was hoping you could give us some of your thoughts on the concept of the album as a whole and your creative process of stitching it all together?"
A: "Yes! Glad we were able to work on that tune together. There are quite a few different themes explored through out the album, parallels between modern corporatism and the brutality of nature, spiritual experience, occult rituals, the possibility of a higher intelligence, mysticism surrounding illicit chemistry, and the phenomenon of cult thinking, with a particular look at the twisted history surrounding the Manson family. The album was designed to flow, almost nonstop, each song into the next. That decision was made as much for the sonic experience as it was for the themes, far-reaching as they may seem, to also blend into each other. It sort of peers into a different angle of reality and it’s overwhelming interconnectedness."
Be sure to check out Super Earth's new Album Advertisement State on your preferred Major streaming service and available physical media on Band Camp today!
Instagram:
@micah.birch
@soundsofsuperearth
@trevorslightningproject