How did you first get into music?
I've used song writing as a way to process my feelings for as long as I can remember. As young as kindergarten, I'd write and perform elaborate musicals, picking up some guitar and keyboard along the way to accompany myself, but I'd seen this process as mostly private; I hadn't shared my music with many people before the pandemic. When I started working with my bandmate, Nick in 2018, he encouraged me to share my songs with him. During the height of the pandemic, we began working on a collection of demos I'd sent along. We'd send drafts back and forth virtually, with Nick working on production and instrumentation from Kingston, NY. It was incredibly helpful to have the Pon Far project as an outlet during that time, and these demos became the basis of the EP, 'Count On Me', we're currently in the process of releasing. When it became safe, Nick and I reunited in Bushwick, and we added our friends, Meghan, Pete, Max, and Henry into the process. More recently, we've been experimenting with including them into the song writing process!
What is your creative process when making music?
It looks different every time I'm writing, but it often looks like taking a chord sequence or synth patch I like and pairing it with notes I've written in my phone about an idea or feeling that resonates. I see the creative process as more of an emotional working-through and try not to think too much about structure or refining when I'm in the "ideas" stage. I send Nick some vocal lines, guitar, and keys, and he fills out the instrumentation and works on production. Then we go back and forth adjusting until a song feels right.
What interests or hobbies do you have outside of music?
Outside of music, I work as a therapist, and I draw a lot from psychological concepts when I'm writing. Nick skates and graphic designs, Meghan's interests range from whittling to gardening to making life-changing focaccia, Pete's a mixologist, Max is currently designing a video game...the list goes on and on.
What are your plans in the coming months?
We're playing a few upcoming shows in New York City and have two singles coming out in the next few months, all culminating in the release of our first EP, Count On Me. Check out our Instagram for updates if you're interested. :)
