Full Q&A along with links and a stream of Lost Time below.

https://soundcloud.com/dirtyblondetunes/lost-time

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I’m was born in, and still currently reside in Chattanooga Tenneessee; a city big enough to give a kid dreams and small enough to have a thriving hardcore scene while I was growing up. I would call my style of music, “Generous Pop.” Pop Music that doesn’t want to sacrifice lyrical depth or musical creativity for popular appeal, but strives to have all of those elements exist together in perfect harmony.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?

I’ve always loved creating music and at some point I realized it’s really the only thing I could see myself doing long-term, so right now I’m just putting in a lot of handwork and shooting for the stars.

Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?

Kanye West is definitely a huge inspiration to me creatively. He always has a really unique vision for both the music and art for all his albums and the lyrical content is also always deeply, deeply personal. Those are all things I try to strive for in my music, so it’s awesome to see someone doing that.

Growing up I was into a lot of Classic Rock and Hardcore Music while at the same time playing and writing a lot of Folk. Then in college I studied Classical and Jazz, majoring in Jazz Guitar; outside of my studies I also got really into all things Pop and Hip-Hop during that time. At some point I realized that all of my favorite bands/artists were electronic so I decided using synthesizers and sampling were the way I wanted to make music now. Even though the music I’m working on right now is very much in the Pop Electronic world, I think all of those influences play an enormous role in the shaping of the final project.

How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?

All of the other music I’ve released with the bands Family Airplane, Creek Bed Choir or just solo material under Chad Caroland has always been Folk Music, so Dirty Blonde is a enormous stylistic departure from older projects. I’ve tried not to rely on the guitar as a main instrument, but rather just use it to accent the music like a cherry on top of an Ice Cream Sunday. With Dirty Blonde I’ve also tried to be much more personal and honest with myself and the listener than on things I’ve put out in the past.

Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?

I think social media has helped a ton with artists getting information to people in a quick and accessible manner and its working well for me right now but with more and more platforms charging “promotional” fees to get content out to your fans I’m worried the future for independent artists.

How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?

I hope at some point to do a Vinyl pressing of my upcoming album and maybe a small cassette run, but as an artist and music consumer I love streaming. The revenue from recorded music is much lower than it has been in the past, but the price point to get in it is also way lower so I think I’ve benefited from it.

Where can we follow you online and hear more music?

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the obvious ones, but following Dirty Blonde on Soundcloud and Spotify are also great ways to make sure your up to date on all the latest releases.

Anything else before we sign off?

Watch out for my debut album, Chasing Skies coming out Dec. 2nd and if you like it I hope you’ll share it with a friend!