Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Phineas: Hello, my friend and friends. Welcome to Fawks Talks with Phineas Fawks. I am your host, Phineas Fawks. As many of you know, my show has been picked up by the Treequalizer Network, and with that come some changes. So new network, new name, same great host. To start it all off, I'm sitting down for a series of interviews with relatively new band on the scene, Star Forest. They released their self-titled debut album to a modest reception a little while ago. Since then, nothing. Now theyre back with a new lineup, new album, and a new sound. Certainly a lot of new going around today's episode. Welcome to Fawks Talks.
[00:00:41] Fawn: Well, the band is kind of like my baby given I founded it. Hawk had a big presence and we also had a couple of years where we had already grown together as a band. With Twig, we create something really special. He has some great ideas and a lot to contribute. It's just hard.
[00:00:58] Phineas: This is Fawks Talks with Phineas Fawks with me today for her first exclusive interview, Lead Singer and Keytarist Fawn.
[00:01:13] Fawn: That's me. I'm Fawn.
[00:01:15] Phineas: Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you for joining me today, Fawn.
[00:01:18] Fawn: I am so excited to talk with you. There's just a lot of cool stuff in the works.
[00:01:23] Phineas: I heard a rumor that Star Forest are releasing a new album soon.
[00:01:27] Fawn: Man, word travels fast. That's right. We're working hard in the studio and putting everything we have into this next album. I mean, so many all nighters trying to find just the perfect sound. We just felt so inspired and we can't wait to share it with you guys.
[00:01:43] Phineas: In good time. In good time. First, I want to know more about you.
[00:01:48] Fawn: Me?
[00:01:49] Phineas: Yes, Fawn, you. The last time we spoke was when I had you and Hawk on the old show promoting your debut album. We, how do I put this? Didn't get to talk much beyond that.
[00:02:00] Fawn: Yeah, that was a wild ride for sure.
[00:02:03] Phineas: Indeed. I want to know more about what makes you you. So tell me, how did you get into playing the keytar?
[00:02:11] Fawn: Wow. I mean, I've been playing keys since I can remember. We had this old cabinet piano that was kind of out of tune, and somehow seemed waterlogged, but when my dad was home, he'd always put on a little show for us. The second I could sit upright next to him, he started teaching me how to play. And I loved it so much, my fingers being able to produce such beautiful melodies. When I got a little older, I started listening to different kinds of music and got really into rock. My dad got me into Tenacious Tree. Those guys were so cool. And I wanted to be just like him, you know? So he took me into town and found me this sweet, hot, pink keytar. It was perfect. I played it in there, and it felt so magical. I've treasured it ever since.
[00:02:58] Phineas: Where does your musical inspiration come from?
[00:03:01] Fawn: Well, obviously, there were things like classic rock, folk music, sea chanties, you know, normal stuff we all kind of grow up with.
[00:03:09] Phineas: We may have had different upbringings…
[00:03:11] Fawn: Of course, there's all the new stuff. I've come across, like, so many ways to express myself and get through each of life's waves.
[00:03:18] Phineas: So then everything is your inspiration?
[00:03:21] Fawn: Yes and no. I didn't get to travel much, not like my Dad. So when he was home, he showed me the whole world through music. He'd sit down at the old piano, spin a yarn about his latest adventure, and play something he'd heard along the way, like a soundtrack to his adventures. Every time there was. There was this light that just poured out of him. It was magical. I wanted that, you know, I can see why.
[00:03:50] Phineas: Is there any particular genre, would you say, influences your own music the most?
[00:03:55] Fawn: You know, I've never really thought about it. My music doesn't really fit, like, one genre. I like to play around with it, create something new and different to keep things interesting. There are just so many possibilities with music. Why not just explore?
[00:04:11] Phineas: How well does that work out for you? Throwing structure out the window and just hoping to strike gold in a jam session? What does your songwriting process look like?
[00:04:20] Fawn: Well, I've learned that before you can write a great song, you must first find inspirado.
[00:04:29] Phineas: Wait, was that rocky?
[00:04:32] Fawn: Was what rocky?
[00:04:34] Phineas: That tambori…
Oh, forget about it. You were saying?
[00:04:37] Fawn: We. We don't want to keep on moving down the road we've always walked. We want to shoot for the stars. And the only way to do that is by first finding inspirado.
[00:04:50] Phineas: Seriously, how do you keep getting in here?
[00:04:53] Fawn: Who?
[00:04:56] Phineas: Moving on. You mentioned your father was a big influence musically. Was he a musician?
[00:05:01] Fawn: Well, yes. Uh, but also, no. He was a pirate.
[00:05:06] Phineas: A pirate?
[00:05:07] Fawn: Yeah. Not just any pirate. He's the greatest of all pirates. Finding buried treasures, stealing from fat cats, bringing it all back to our village, sailing the seas with nothing but his best spyglass by his side. A real hero.
[00:05:23] Phineas: Oh, my. What is it like growing up a pirate's daughter?
[00:05:26] Fawn: It's awesome. I spend most of my time out exploring. It's rare that I'm even at home. I like to keep myself busy, and I'm definitely happiest when I'm outside there's so many places and sometimes it feels like there's nothing but time to see it all.
[00:05:42] Phineas: Are you also taking up the family business?
[00:05:45] Fawn: I mean. I am lady Danger.
[00:05:48] Phineas: Yes. Well, how did you get that name?
[00:05:53] Fawn: Wouldn't you like to know? Unfortunately, my dear Phineas, a lady never tells her secrets.
[00:05:59] Phineas: I'm pretty positive that's magicians.
[00:06:02] Fawn: That's so very true.
[00:06:04] Phineas: When we come back, we'll dive a little deeper into what makes the band work and try to find out more about their recent lineup change. But first, our sponsor.
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Now, Fawn, let's talk about the band. Obviously, we know you play keytar, but instruments aside, what role would you say that you play in the band?
[00:06:55] Fawn: Now that's a good question. Uh, I like to think I'm a bit of a mediator when there are disagreements or Sluuth and Rocky start in on each other.
[00:07:05] Phineas: That sounds juicy. What's going on there?
[00:07:08] Fawn: No, no, no. I just mean they like to annoy each other. There's no bad blood. They just fight, you know, kinda like brothers do. Most of the time it's over. The dumbest things.
[00:07:18] Phineas: It'd be interesting to hear what the two of them have to say about it.
[00:07:22] Fawn: Oh, I'm sure they'll enjoy the chance to rib on each other some more.
[00:07:25] Phineas: What kind of disagreements might occur in the band?
[00:07:27] Fawn: You know, just usual stuff. Like what chord progressions we should use, timing, what to get for lunch…that's a big one.
[00:07:34] Phineas: Would you say you're like the mother of the group, then?
[00:07:37] Fawn: Well, the band is kind of like my baby, given I founded it, if that's what you mean. But no, I don't act like or consider myself to be motherly figure to my bandmates. We all pull equal weight in the band and look out for each other just the same.
[00:07:52] Phineas: Do you spend much time with the band when youre not recording?
[00:07:55] Fawn: Of course. When we say were a band, its so much deeper than just people who make music were as thick as thieves. None of this would work unless we were, if were not making music, were hanging in the clubhouse, having fun around the forest and going on adventures, what.
[00:08:10] Phineas: Would you consider to be the band's favorite bonding activity.
[00:08:13] Fawn: Only the greatest, most wonderful, most challenging game in all of history. Laser tag.
[00:08:20] Phineas: That sounds like fun.
Although surely there's got to be an unfair advantage there, playing against Rocky.
[00:08:27] Fawn: No, we actually let him have a laser gun for every other tentacle.
[00:08:30] Phineas: I bet you all argue over who gets to be on his team then.
[00:08:34] Fawn: Well, here's the thing. He's good if you get caught in his crosshairs, but he's not much of a chaser. If you can outrun him and hide pretty well, he doesn't stand a chance.
[00:08:46] Phineas: You certainly take laser tag seriously.
[00:08:49] Fawn: Oh, my dear Phineas, that's cause it is.
[00:08:54] Phineas: Well, yes, of course it is.
Is that how you got the name Lady Danger?
[00:09:00] Fawn: Maybe.
Maybe.
[00:09:05] Phineas: Right. So what's the dynamic like in the studio?
[00:09:11] Fawn: Awesome. I mean, things are still a little new for us since the band dynamic itself has changed.
[00:09:15] Phineas: With the departure of Hawk and arrival of Twig, you mean?
[00:09:20] Fawn: Yeah, Hawk had a big presence, and we also had a couple of years where we had already grown together as a band. With Twig, he has some great ideas and a lot to contribute. It's just hard being the new one in the group. You know, it can take a little time to feel comfortable finding your voice in that dynamic. Sometimes it means it takes a little longer to bring an idea together, but when we do, we create something really special.
[00:09:48] Phineas: So everyone’s taken to Twig? Well, no beef, as they say.
[00:09:52] Fawn: No beef, no tofu, just love. Twig fits right in. He might have a smaller presence at first, but that's only till you get to know him. Hes got such a fascinating brain. We have a lot of fun all together in the studio and I know you'll feel that in this new album.
[00:10:09] Phineas: Speaking of Hawk, is it true you were in the middle of shooting a music video when he, well, vanished?
[00:10:15] Fawn: Yep.
Wildwood.
It was pretty exciting. You know, our first music video, it was like a. Like a pinch me kind of moment. It feels very rock and roll, like you're really doing it. You're really making the thing. It's there, it exists. The reaction to the first album was small but solid. So it felt like we could only really go up from there. I mean, it's a lot of work and sure, it can get stressful, but it was a really great high for us. It was also so, I don't know, sudden, but also not sudden.
Like, after it was over, it seemed so obvious, but at that moment, it was like a punch to the gut. I like everything shattered apart and I was just floating through the ether, searching for everything, anything.
[00:11:13] Twig: Whisper to the leaves, telling me you're right behind me.
[00:11:23] Fawn: Thanks, Bud.
[00:11:25] Twig: Anytime. Every time.
[00:11:27] Phineas: Oh, my. What a wonderful bond.
After all of that work, making the music video, was there any chance of finishing it without him?
[00:11:38] Fawn: Well, sure. We tried a lot of different ways. Like trying to make a real life Hawk mask. It seemed like a no brainer. We dress someone up like him, slap on the mask, and only film it from really far away.
[00:11:50] Phineas: And that worked?!
[00:11:51] Fawn: The Mask? Oh, no. Well, it worked a little too well, like a little too real. See, it didn't look like Hawk, but it also looked exactly like Hawk. Like if reality was somehow more, uh, real.
I'm pretty sure that thing is haunting the forest somewhere.
[00:12:10] Phineas: At the time when Hawk left, did you ever consider that that was it for the band?
[00:12:15] Fawn: Of course. I had dark days where that was all I could think. What's a band without a guitarist? We knew we couldn't pull the weight that Hawke had been carrying, and none of us wanted to just give up. Though we all believe in the music, we were still chasing the dream. We just had to figure out what that would look like without Hawke. If it hadn't been for Mo’at, we wouldn't have found Twig and we wouldn't be here recording our second album.
[00:12:40] Phineas: You've decided the band will still go by Star Forest, despite his absence?
[00:12:43] Fawn: Absolutely.
[00:12:45] Phineas: I see. That's got to be controversial.
[00:12:48] Fawn: Well, the band is so much bigger than one person. It's a vibe, an energy. The Star Forest is what brought the original us together. And when everything had fallen apart, it pulled the new us together. It never turned its back on us. So how could we turn our back on it?
[00:13:04] Phineas: I I hadn't thought of it that way. You do have a unique way of looking at things.
[00:13:10] Fawn: Thanks.
[00:13:11] Phineas: When we come back, we'll learn more about this new album. First, a word from our sponsor.
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Let's discuss this new album a bit. How has it been working on it?
[00:13:52] Fawn: Everything has been so go, go for this new album, we've really put everything we have into it. I mean, that's not to say it hasn't been fun, because we've been having a blast making it, and we're so excited for this step in releasing the album, the press tours and the marketing. But we've definitely pulled together in the last year to make a killer album, and it's so satisfying to see it through completion now.
[00:14:15] Phineas: Has the sound changed at all with the shake-up on guitar?
[00:14:18] Fawn: I don't think so. I mean, do you feel like folksy, storybook, magical, space rock and synth wave nature pop kind of sound alike?
[00:14:26] Phineas: Um, no. They might literally be the opposite of each other.
[00:14:30] Fawn: Well, my dear Phineas, that's where we're just gonna have to agree to disagree.
[00:14:34] Phineas: I, um. Yes, I suppose we will. Speaking of changes in sound, I noticed that your look has changed up a little bit, too. What inspired this particular look for you all?
[00:14:46] Fawn: Uh, really, I just dress in what I feel most comfortable in. The clothes that make me feel the most me, I suppose the beanie and the hoodie are definitely more of a comfort thing. And then the boots give me that boost of confidence.
[00:14:58] Phineas: Right. But that part hasn't changed. And you certainly do have a distinctive style.
[00:15:04] Fawn: Ooh, I like that. I do like to think of myself as quite a distinctive character in general.
[00:15:10] Phineas: Yes, quite.
I meant more the whole glowy bits.
[00:15:14] Fawn: Oh, yeah. Pretty cool, huh? No idea where that all came from. Just kinda happened one day. I chose to take it as a sign I'm on the right path. Like, more in tune with my aura.
[00:15:27] Phineas: So you don't have someone like a stylist who gets this all together?
[00:15:31] Fawn: No, we all just look like. Well, us. I mean, when you're up there on stage, everybody's staring at you. You want to feel comfortable. My own clothes, well, they make me feel like me. And when I feel like me, I know I can just flow. Like I was born to do it.
[00:15:49] Phineas: Yes. And flow you do. My dear Phineas, you mentioned before that the response to the first album was small. But here you are making a follow up to it. One wonders how you measure success. What does that look like to you?
[00:16:02] Fawn: You know, it's really simple. You have a thing. You want to make you believe in it, and you pour your heart into it. You make the kind of thing that you would want and just trust that there's other people out there that would, too.
[00:16:16] Phineas: Right, right. But as previously mentioned, that was a small amount.
[00:16:20] Fawn: Oh, that's not the point, though. When you put it out there, your people, your tribe, they'll be drawn to it. Maybe sooner, maybe later. But it doesn't matter. Cause you've already won.
[00:16:32] Phineas: How so?
[00:16:33] Fawn: You made the thing.
[00:16:35] Phineas: That's it.
[00:16:36] Fawn: That's it?
[00:16:37] Phineas: How is that quote on quote winning?
[00:16:39] Fawn: Well, there's so many people who will tear you down. Many of them don't know they are. They're just trying to protect you. Others can't see past the thing they didn't make. They're mad at themselves because they didn't bet on themselves. So if you just make the thing, you won, whether you become an interdimensional megastar or only a few people even notice, it doesn't matter. Cause you made a thing, and that's cool.
[00:17:08] Phineas: Well, Fawn, in all things, you truly are a unique person.
[00:17:12] Fawn: Well, you can't make a difference if you aren't a little different.
[00:17:15] Phineas: Is there anything else you'd like to share with my listeners?
[00:17:18] Fawn: Just to be on the lookout for our, oh, and I can't believe I finally get to say this, first music video coming out soon!
[00:17:26] Phineas: What a journey to this moment. Can you give me any details?
[00:17:30] Fawn: Not now. I don't want to spoil anything. My muzzle is muffed.
[00:17:35] Phineas: Oh, come on. Not even the name of it? Maybe a little unplugged sneak peek? Certainly. That's okay.
[00:17:41] Fawn: Okay, okay. I'll give you that. I'm sure Bizz won't be too upset.
Uh, this song is called Beam On.
[00:17:51] Phineas: Well, what a fitting name for the mindset. And, as you say, energy of the band. Let's listen.
[00:18:07] Fawn (Sung): Star Forest is a place far away, but it's getting so much closer every single day.
We started out as a seed for a tree that would reach up to the skyd. And like a golden pegasus, we spread our wings in flight, dodging slugs and glowing bugs. Do you want to take a ride with chocolate soda in your face with ketchup on the side?
Beam on, fly it forward!
Dream on. You can ignore us!
In the forest there's a law, love enough for all.
Did we mention it glows?
Did I mention it glows?
[00:19:39] Phineas: My, what a delectable little sampling. Fawn. Thank you for joining me today.
[00:19:45] Fawn: Thank you, Phineas. It's been real.
[00:19:48] Phineas: Oh, my dear listeners, it seems there is something more to this than just the lineup change. Perhaps there's more I can find out from the others in the band. Don't you fret, good old Phineas Fawks will get to the bottom of this! Until next episode!
