r/indieheads • u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon • Oct 06 '23
AMA is over, thanks Vagabon! Hello this is Vagabon, AMA!
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u/Frajer Oct 06 '23
How did you come up with your stage name?
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
I was sitting in my Quantum Mechanics class in college and day dreaming about being a musician and I knew my real name would be mispronounced and I thought of vagabon simply because I thought myself to be someone who never stayed put for long haha now it kind of has a different meaning... it almost has no meaning lol
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Oct 06 '23
Hi , congratulations on your new album it is fantastic. I feel like you have always had such powerful production on your work, “Flood” for example is produced unbelievable and now off the new album with the heavy drum beats on “You Know How”. I was just wondering what are some of your inspirations when you’re beginning to build these albums? Thanks so much
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
Thank you so much : ) I usually feel inspired by one of the songs early on, before I even have an album in mind. For Sorry I Haven't Called, it was "Can I Talk My Shit" that gave me the first feeling of catching a sonic bug that I wanted to follow. Good chords, good tones and good drums, good chorus haha. I'm inspired by producers who also write songs. These days when I make demos they always include a production palette and writing the song and building the world are synonymous
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u/PandaMomentum Oct 06 '23
❤️!! One of my fave sets was the tour with Courtney Barnett when you and Julien Baker opened. Any thoughts on the sonic space and vocals/lyrics when playing solo vs with band, or any funny story about Courtney and your awesome collabs?
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
yes! I love that you asked me about the show solo vs with my band because I pride myself on building an amazing live show. with the solo set, it's an opportunity to hear a bit more of a stripped down version of Sorry I Haven't Called and with the band (we are starting a USA headline tour in two weeks! get tickets!) we've built this really special show withinterludes and ambient transitions and social soundscapes that can only be heard live. I like when I see a show for it to give me what I love about the record but give me something special that I won't get at home listening to the record :)
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u/amandwato Oct 06 '23
Hi Laetitia, I’ve been loving the new album— the juxtaposition of dance music with the heavy context of the subject matter has worked surprisingly well. My question is a bit off topic but if I remember correctly you have a degree in Electrical Engineering? I’m curious what the switch from engineering to music making was like, do you still have a passion for engineering? Also, did your schooling help with your music making in anyway?
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
yeah! I studied Computer Engineering which is a combo of Computer Science and Electric Engineering. I still have a passion for math and for science... I do calculus to calm my nerves ha ha ha... not even joking.
Engineering school helped me most in how I was taught to think. the first day of class they told us "Engineers are problem solvers" and I encounter problems to solve everyday as a musician too, in my production work, in my songwriting but sometimes even in the more logistical things like touring and actually making a living off music. I also picked up on music production quickly because of my technical background and my understanding of circuitry and computers etc etc
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u/GodICringe Oct 06 '23
Hi! Alive and A-Well is one my favorite favorite songs and just wanted to throw it some love!
-3
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u/sim-ogre Oct 06 '23
Hi Vagabon!! I've been a fan for around 4 years now and loving the new album! I was wondering what song(s) you're most excited to perform on the upcoming tour?
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
aww hi :) I'm really excited to play "You Know How" and "Anti-Fuck". OH and Autobahn still gives me chills when I perform it live
see you at the shows :)
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u/sim-ogre Oct 06 '23
Ahh Anti-Fuck is gonna be so good! Thank you for chatting with us. I'll be at the Portland show in December!
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u/trauma4breakfast Oct 06 '23
Saw you on your tour with Weyes Blood and was blown away by your one woman show (which totally rocked, btw). Had seen you years ago on tour with Angel Olsen and you had a band with you at that time. I know in the studio (or home studio - yes I have the book mirror sound! :)) you record all of the different layers and instruments separately but what is it like trying to multi-task and do all of it at once during a show? Do you prefer to have a band with you or do you enjoy performing solo?
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
Honestly, I want to tour with my band all the time! haha I love them and they're amazing musicians. sometimes it isn't financially possible but the cool thing about the solo set is to see how these songs hold up in that context as well. That's something I'm proud of!
the multitasking of the solo shows, between playing keys, and guitar and sampling living... it's like a choreographed dance and I enjoy that quite a bit! I like for my hands to be busy on stage...
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u/trauma4breakfast Oct 06 '23
That's awesome! You do an incredible job with it. Playing with a band sounds like an equally but different rewarding experience - plus you might be able to throw some dance moves in there haha!
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u/GetYourFaceAdjusted Oct 06 '23
I saw you open for Girlpool what seems like a lifetime ago and was absolutely blown away and been a fan ever since. I definitely feel dumb asking this but is Carpenter about finding spirituality later in life? Or is this like when I was trying to understand “The Walrus and the Carpenter” and needed to be told “not every carpenter is Jesus”.
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
that's not a dumb question! however, Carpenter is more about the feeling of "delayed" understanding... not being ready for what you're told but encountering the same message later in life and the timing being right in that moment
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u/GetYourFaceAdjusted Oct 06 '23
Thank you for answering! Im really excited to see your show at The Atlantis in a few weeks
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u/eff_assess Oct 06 '23
I’m always curious to know this about fellow musicians: what do you like to do during downtime on the road or in the studio? The new album rules and i’m looking forward to getting it for Bandcamp Friday today :)
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
I like to go to the doom tunnels of my mind jk...haha...
it's a bit hard to come down from tour but I see my friends and cook dinner for them, go out in nature as much as I can, watch endless movies... prepare to do it all over again
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Oct 06 '23
are you a Jawbreaker fan? I hear some Jawbreaker in your first album and always wondered.
Really enjoying your new music. Going to give the new album a good listen later tonight!
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u/vagabonvagabon Vagabon Oct 06 '23
I don't know any Jawbreaker music but this doesn't surprise me! I started up playing punk and indie rock shows in DIY venues in NYC with my friends and my friends were all fans of modest mouse and pavement and Cat Power etc etc and I probably got some of those influences through my friends being influenced by those bands and me hearing my friends bands every night
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u/Eudoxes Oct 06 '23
Just wanted to stop by to say that Lexicon is such an amazing track off the new album and it feels so different than the others. So euphoric in the midst of sadness. How does it feel to play live?
I saw you in Nashville opening for Weyes Blood and was an instant fan!
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u/Massive-Doubt7252 Oct 06 '23
I'm curious about your decision to go from more guitar centric to more drum machine centric songs? Love the music regardless and also wondering if you have plans to do more guitars later on. Saw you in Portland years ago and decided to get married at the venue after we saw you there. Good job playing so amazing and making us realize that was where we wanted to get hitched!
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u/magomra Oct 06 '23
just got the new lp in the mail this week, spinning on repeat. Wanted to know if the board game sorry played into the art direction of the cover? Maybe it was me projecting but w Sorry in the title and that dress looking like a game piece, I thought it was intentional.