Sages, a Sacramento-based rock band known for their distinctive and impactful sound, has been putting the final touches on their new self-titled EP. With their powerful songwriting and infectious blend of musical elements, Sages have captured a loyal following around Sacramento and beyond.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sages about the AI, choosing a favorite song of all time, the latest music, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

AI (aka Artificial Intelligence aka Chat GPT 4.0)… How is it changing the music world? What are your thoughts about this new trend?

This seems to be a pretty big focal point these days. I’m going to do my best to keep this brief because there’s a million different scenarios where AI could be a good thing in music, but also a bad thing, and we could spend hours going through many of these scenarios so I’m just going to touch on the topic very briefly here. Basically, I don’t see any difference between someone hiring a team of writers and producers to help craft songs for them, and someone just using AI to help them. It’s just a different method of doing the same thing, except with AI, everyone is going to have access to that creative assistance, not just people with connections and a recording budget, and in my opinion, that’s an amazing thing. Of course, there will be downsides to AI in music too but I think whether it ends up being a positive thing or a negative thing is situational and will depend on who’s using it and for what purpose.

Can you choose a favorite song of all time? Or is this an impossible task? If yes, what’s the song? If no, what’s your current Top 3?

I’m going to have to go with it’s an impossible task, haha. I can definitely share a current top three though. 1. Starset – Earthrise, 2. Gojira – Amazonia, 3. He Is Legend – The Prowler

What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?

I’m just proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together. We’ve all helped each other grow so much as musicians and as people, and I’m just proud to be in a band with these guys. The main goal with this release was to just put some new stuff out and have a reason to connect with our friends and fans and reach some new people.

What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?

To me, music is like a language. It’s a way of communicating things and expressing things that words alone can’t do; it can make you feel things that words alone can’t make you feel. And if you know the language of music, you’re going to speak it, and it’s going to speak through you, and that’s just the way it is. I can’t not create music. I’ve tried.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?

This is a hard question because it’s like, would I rather collaborate with Jimi Hendrix or John Lennon? Would I rather collaborate with Robert Plant or Sting? Jeff Buckley or Chris Cornell? Freddie Mercury or Michael Jackson? That’s tough! All I know is that it would be an experience beyond words to collaborate with any of them.

What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?

The last song I listened to was “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley.  Favorite all-time bands/artists:  Van Halen, Metallica, Joe Satriani….

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

Instagram:  @wearesages, @dinovidovich. 

I appreciate Your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways?

That’s all I got for now, I appreciate you taking the time to do this today, thank you.