Columbia, Missouri based project With Love is led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter E.
Their latest album “Rising” is a very passionate record that wears everything on it’s sleeve. No punches are pulled in the making of the songs and their honesty and energy are inspiring from beginning to end.
I sat down with E to talk about their early musical influences, when they started playing music and the making of “Rising”. Check out the album here.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you as a kid and what artist or band did you enjoy the most?
E-Death Cab for Cutie, both Plans and Transatlanticism are masterpieces and definitely inspire my songwriting. Not only is Ben Gibbard a fantastic lyricist but the compositions and overall mix are really cohesive in every track, my favorite being Brothers on a Hotel Bed. Excited for the 20 year anniversary shows for Plans this year!
CMM-When did you all first start playing music and writing your own songs?
E-About fifteen years ago, I was inspired to start making EDM because of Skrillex. Turns out writing music is actually pretty difficult… but I appreciate my misplaced confidence for getting me started.
CMM-You recently released a new album called “Rising”. What was the writing and recording process like? Any particular gear and instruments you used during the recording sessions that helped inspire you?
E-I took a break from writing music for 2 or 3 years, so coming back to write this was a relaxed process. I wasn’t planning on releasing it while I was writing the album, I was just having fun getting back to making music finally. As far as gear, I switch out guitar pedals frequently to see if a new combination or sound inspires me to write in a different direction. On Rising, I’m working with a telecaster through a ds1 and a big muff for the majority of my tones. My board looks pretty different now, but I still use the big muff all the time for big choruses, it makes power chords sound massive.
CMM-If you could do a score for any film director who would it be and what would the film be about?
E-Very difficult question, I watch a lot of movies in my free time. Jane Schoenbrun’s films do a great job of incorporating modern indie music and making the scene and songs mesh emotionally. If I could go back in time, a big Hollywood musical would be really exciting, something like Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelley. A classic Western with Sergio Leone would also be up there. Going back even further, writing a score for The Passion of Joan of Arc is something I’ve thought about doing on my own– it’s impossible to write something better than the Voices of Light score, but I love the film and it’d be a fun challenge.
CMM-What do you have coming up next? Any new recordings or shows?
E-Lots! Shooting for 3 albums out this year, and several singles to release in between. Trying to get the second album out by June!
