In our next band spotlight, we chat to former Allusondrugs guitarist, Damian Hughes about his new alt-rock venture, Hypnosister.
[like_to_read][/like_to_read]S] Talk us through what you’ve been up to since leaving Allusondrugs?
As soon as I left Allusondrugs I started putting Hypnosister together. I wanted to carry on with the original vision I had for Allusondrugs whether I was in that band or not. I’ve just been writing constantly. Writing at home, collaborating with other artists and writing on tour. I’ve still been touring with other artists. I can’t keep away from it for too long, it’s part of who I am.
S] Do you miss the band vibe?
A band is like a relationship, and if a relationship isn’t working you get out. You don’t look back on a bad relationship, wishing you were still there. I’m not interested in wallowing in the past, I’m only interested in what I’m doing now, carving out a future for Hypnosister.
S] What places and people inspire you as a songwriter, what about games and movies as well?
I get inspiration from a lot of things. New places are always make me want to write, and I always feel much more open when I’m near the sea. I get a lot of inspiration from dreams, I dream up whole songs sometimes.
I like to have dreams that are so disturbing and twisted that they make me feel uneasy for days afterwards. It puts you in a place in your mind where you’re not comfortable and you react to things differently, like putting your consciousness in a different brain for a few days, It’s great for writing music. The people in music that really inspire me are the people that don’t follow any beaten path and just do what they feel. People like Tim Smith (Cardiacs), Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine, Bjork, Tori Amos, Annie Clark (St Vincent), Steve Albini (Shellac/Big Black), Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta/At The Drive In) and Michael Gira (Swans).
S] What are your biggest challenges as a musician?
The biggest challenge for anyone that makes music is to keep evolving. It’s vitally important to keep finding new ways to express yourself. It’s so easy to just find something you’re good at, and then get comfortable with that.
A lot of people become complacent that way and their creativity just sort of tapers of and they end up running out of ideas and becoming a parody of themselves. Any good artist is constantly evolving, exploring new areas, always out of their comfort zone.
S] What is your mission statement with Hypnosister?
Hypnosister is here to hold a mirror up to the world and show you who you really are.
