Jeffrey Blum (Drip-Fed)
SPB: When writing songs, how do you draw the line between taking influence and mimicking?
Jeffrey: Writing songs has always been and continues to be a frustrating process for me. It doesn't come easy like I see in a lot of people around me. I usually write by messing around on my guitar until I accidentally play something that sounds interesting. Then I just build on whatever I come up with over days or months, often getting stuck or deciding I don't like what I wrote.
Although it's kind of an elementary way of writing music, it does allow any kind of influence to be natural and on the subconscious level. I never sit down and say, "Alright, I'm going to write a song that sounds like this" or "I want to sound like this band." My influences tend to seep through without me trying because I'll be more likely to explore a riff or idea that's a similar vibe to whatever records excite me at the time.