You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has expanded their creativity over such a multitude of formats and outlets like Pablo. From tapes to zines to podcasts to a plethora of digital releases, Pablo creates his own experimental world that invites anyone and everyone to explore and get lost in. Read our full interview with the underground Charlotte superstar after the jump!
Tell us about who you are and what you do.
My name is Pablo and I’ve recorded music under a variety of names. Within the It’s Whatever moniker I’ve made music since it was in a band with friends from my high school days. Now It's Whatever is my primary mode through which I make music which is mostly solo. Other than that I’m just a guy in Charlotte tryna take it one day at a time.
When did you start getting into making music?
I alluded to it a little just now, but I’ve made/recorded music since the summer before I was a high school freshman (2010). Me and some friends were really into the White Stripes and were basically a Stripes cover band with a bassist. Then the bassist left and after that the other guy, Alex, and I formed a dreamy, psych-pop band named Mary Loves LSD (with a “@MaryLoves____” cadre on Twitter haha) that lasted into 2013, a few months after our first album. After we decided to wrap that band up I formed Its Whatever with my friend Camille, then we lost interest. That name sat dormant for a bit while I did some more stuff in Charlotte and in my time at UNC Asheville with different people and under names. Now I’m back in town to finish school and here we are!
What was the process like creating An Experiment In Crossing Folk Forms Vol. 1?
It was a fun project to work on! It kind of came out of my increased proficiency in digital production and my history of just loving so many different types of music, more particularly regional sounds and styles that have developed in this country. We’re lucky to be the pioneer generation of music consumers with almost complete access to the catalog of recorded music. We remember life where CDs, cassettes and records were all *the* ways to listen to music, had to use Limewire due to being a targeted demographic by the music industry that lacked the means to have true purchasing power, and now as we approach the prime of our adult lives have a legal means through which basically the preservable audio recordings from the 20’s onto now at what’s basically pennies. That position has allowed me to quench my endless thirst for finding and studying a ton of different types of music. As a musician, I’ve always incorporated my influences heavily into my music but it was never the “point” of a body of work I would put out. This release is basically a research project on how to meld as many seemingly disparate styles of music as possible while maintaining some semblance of fluidity. If you listen for it, you’ll probably hear aspects of gospel, free jazz, pop-punk, southeastern rap styles (new and old), and a whole lot more. Some of these songs had been partially recorded before this concept was conceived, most came about intentionally over the last few months.
What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to songwriting?
What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to songwriting?
Lyrics are sometimes difficult to come by because of how easy it is to second guess your own words and how well they capture your thoughts and whatnot, but the most consistent struggle is also the most fun to me which is the mixing process! I look at the sound design of a musical work as an equal player in the storytelling process to the instrumentation and the words! In Mary Loves LSD Alex did most of the engineering but afterwards I had to teach myself how to do all of that. Figuring out exactly why a part of your song sounds good but kind of “off” is one of the hardest tasks in my process. Somehow, fixing those flaws is even harder! But it makes it all worth it when I can feel like I’ve left my signature stamp on my music.
You also make zines, talk about that whole side of your creativity!
Sure! I’ve been doing these things almost as long as the music. Pretty much I have been making these handmade, mini magazines that cover a variety of topics. In the past I did more of a fanzine of the communities I was a part of. Now the series’ I’ve worked on and released have been more extended, multi layered confessionals than fanzine. Xeroxed, cut-and-paste stuff that I’d say draws a bridge between middle school kid humor and profound self-reflection, and synthesizing my take on the Earth through the filter of all of that. Get in touch and I can send out copies for the cost of printing to anyone who wants one! I’m working on one right now that pays tribute to 20th century forms of technology that I think are still extremely useful (like iPod Nano’s for example).
What’s one thing you hope to accomplish with your creative endeavors?
At the end of the day I just want make fun music that pays homage to those that came before me while letting other people know that, provided they make use of their own wells of creativity, they can just as easily make something personally meaningful. I honestly would love for some kids in 2030 to just happen upon my bandcamps (ancient technology for the real crate diggers at that time I’d imagine) or my podcasts and be super inspired by what I’ve done. I really like the idea of a legacy serving others rather than the subjects own ego.
Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations?
Oh boy, do you have a couple of days!?!? In terms of inspirational figures I always have running in the background, my living and passed, elder family (blood or not), emotional extremes that give me a reason to even want to express myself, the beauty that is encountered while simply being an observer and taking physical rest to think, and so on and so on. I see all of these things and everything else as what makes up the Divine, and that’s from whence I receive life in all its manifestations! But on a closer to earth level (lol), for a while I’ve been influenced by everything from soul, to pop-punk/punk-punk, to rap, to jazz, to indie rock, to afrobeat, to metal, and all the infinite derivatives of these things.
Music you've been listening to lately?
In terms of new things I’ve been actively learning about, this new wave of SoundCloud rappers have been really cool to me. Shout out to the Elevator-wave folk and my buddies Cali and the TUFLIFE squad, all based here in Charlotte. Interestingly enough, also been bumping some Berber folk music too! I love the way they meld melody and rhythm in a lot of that stuff. Oh! And Hollie Cook, a dub/lovers rock singer from the UK. She’ll be on the East Coast soon for a mini US tour.
Favorite place to eat near you?
Charlotte has a large Vietnamese population so there’s tons of pho places to choose from out here. I really like this place named Pho Quynh on the eastside. Pho Quynh and Morazan, which serves Central American foods, are some of my favorite independent places. I also love Noodles and Company for sort of fast casual stuff. To be honest I mostly just whip up stuff at home; I’m kinda sick in the kitchen!!!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Like Juicy J said in a random ustream video “get drunk, have a good time, fun is for everyone!” Let’s all work toward having compassion, love and a generous heart for ourselves and everyone else. Politics are bullshit... how you treat the store clerk or the person you meet at a city bus stop means a whole lot more and can affect the political realm in ways you (we) might not even be able to conceive of. Many thanks to the Cool Sounds crew! Peace, love and light!!!
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