Daily Inspiration: Meet Alan Earwood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Earwood.

Alan , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started playing guitar at around 5 years old because my dad played music and had all this guitar gear around. When I was 10 I got a 4 track cassette recorder and started writing/recording my own songs. I found it was more fun to write and record my own stuff than just do covers. I later got a laptop and loved garageband. I played in punk, blues, and psychedelic bands and that eventually turned into my main project Sonic Blossoms.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Sonic Blossoms was born out of our previous band the Poppy Seeds that had a female lead vocalist on recordings. In that band I wasn’t the front person, but the person that was singing couldn’t always make it to shows. I was covering lead vocals most of the time live – like a different band. With this new project I wanted to make myself the front person, not because I wanted to, but because it was a necessity. Robert Smith said he didn’t want to sing in the Cure but kind of had to since no one else was going to do it. That’s a similar thing that I went through.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I sing, play guitar, and do most of the songwriting in Sonic Blossoms. I also mixed and co-engineered the recording of our debut album with our drummer Raymond Duke. We did all the tracking and stuff at his place in Sierra Madre.

The most popular song on the album “Mordecai” was not tracked by us though — we did that at SGV sound. It is a song I wrote about our old bass players pet goat named Mordecai. I took some liberties though and made him a killer goat that listens to doom metal! Hahaha

I think what sets us apart from others is that we take what we do very seriously and this comes out in our live shows. It is a special experience like what it must have been like seeing the MC5 or Velvet Underground in the 60s. I am not saying we are as good as them but you cant fully experience our live performance on youtube or an instagram reel. In person only.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Definitely that your bandmates are your biggest allies. It is really important to treat them right and not take them for granted. Be friends with them — ask them how they are and spark a connection. We went on tour recently in the PNW and we all got to bond and go to museums and share living spaces together. It was really cool.

I have played with many many people over the years and I am so grateful to have this solid lineup for the past 2-3 years. It is not typical in the bands I play in for 5 members to all stick around for 2+ years. It means they really believe in the project and that means a lot to me.

Pricing:

• $28 Self-titled debut vinyl record https://www.slouchrecords.com/sonic-blossoms-artist-page

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sonicblossoms.band
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonicblossomsofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonicblossomsofficial/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/70XbR88_pR4?si=aQKKRbSnuL-Y_kVA
• Other: https://www.slouchrecords.com/sonic-blossoms-artist-page

Image Credits
All photography by Dug Moore
Album cover designed by Brandon Eden
Sonic Blossoms logo designed by Alan Earwood and Jessica Rosales