NOWAFTERNOTHING What do you think is the mark of a good remix from the perspective of both the artist and the remixer? I suppose the easy answer is whether or not everyone is happy at the end of the collaboration. For the “Sick Fix (Microwaved Mix)” by Gabe Wilkinson, I just told him to do whatever he wanted to it. I was just curious to hear how someone would approach the song. When he sent it back it was so drastically different from my own remix, but I thought that was great –it’s like, whywould I want two versions that sound the same? Anytime I have done remixes for others, I always ask the artist if they have a vision in mind or if they just want me to run with it. I personally feel much better going into a remix if I know that I have carte blanche. It allows me to have much more fun with it and I tend to take more risks and try more things. How much does literature or the visual artis (painting, sculpture etc) play into the inspiration for your song writing? On a conscious level, not a whole lot. I’ve always identified my “songs” more by the music itself and less by the lyrical content so for me a song always starts with some kind of emotion that I’m trying to relate. This is always inspired more so by my own personal experience than anything else. When I do get to lyrics, it’s similar in that I’m more inspired by my own personal experiences than I am by other types of art. I’m sure that I’ve been subconsciously influenced though by books or film though in some ways. Some artists have resorted to using AI for the likes of cover art and even videos. What’s your feeling on that? Do you think that it’s already gotten out of control and maybe is an excuse for lack of creativity? Or do you think people are still inserting a bit of human/organic quality into what’s being produced? I’m certain it’s both of those things though I hope it’s more of the latter. For me personally, I enjoy doing some video and graphic work for Now After Nothing but I also know my limits and when it’s time to collaborate with others who are maybe more skilled and/or tuned into conveying a story or emotion from a song into a visual medium. I choose not to work with AI for that very reason – I really like putting my own thoughts, ideas, and interpretations into the band’s visuals and working with other creative individuals. It’s much more interesting to me. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 14 - I actually looked into doing just a quick AI visualizer video for one of my earliest singles but dropped that idea immediately when I saw what AI was actually producing. It all just looked terrible - very stock and paint-by-numbers feeling. It was that same anime style, zoom-in-while-the-image-morphs on a big loop. Very boring.When used in that sense, it does feel like an easy out for a lack of creativity. To be fair though, I’m cognizant that not everyone has good design software or can hire people to collaborate with or whatever the case may be. And not everyone is visually creative. I suppose I couldn’t really fault someone for using AI in their visuals if they are organically creating really interesting music but don’t have the means to visually support it without resorting to AI. If I could find the right way to use AI to produce something I can be happy with, I would consider it but only as a means for expressing my ideas and not just a crutch to produce something generic. Now, with all of that said, the idea of using AI for music/ songwriting though… an absolute travesty. Like so many cookie-cutter songs spewed out with the corporatization of the music industry, it’s just so wrong on every level. What plans do you have for the forthcoming months? The biggest thing coming up is the release of our first official EP scheduled for the Fall and some show announcements! Thanks for the questions and Thank You to everyone reading. I greatly appreciate all of the support! William ZIMMERMAN For More Information: https://www.instagram.com/nowafternothing https://www.facebook.com/nowafternothing https://open.spotify.com/artist/ 26KhwetisDzHdx22OLK6ZG
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