INTERVIEW: Blue Apollo

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

We’ve been well! Life is good, and we’re plugging away at our craft, writing new songs, rehearsing old ones and playing shows in Dallas.

Can you talk to us more about your new single “Circles”?

So, Luke our lead singer wrote “Circles” a year or so ago when he was trying to decide whether or not he needed to breakup with his girlfriend because they were on different life paths. He was really torn, felt he needed to break up her but didn’t want to, thus the name, “Circles.” The song is about making tough decisions and all the emotions that come along with that process.

Any plans to release a video for the single?

Yes! We released a music video for the song back in July. We hired the guys over at Cinderblock (a production company in Dallas) because we knew them and they do a lot of good work for musicians on the Dallas scene. We are super pleased with the way the video turned out.

The single comes off your new album Light-Footed Hours – why naming the record after the band?

We think of the single as more of a standalone follow up or bonus track. Light-Footed Hours is the name of our first EP we released in April 2016. The name is a Shakespeare reference, and we decided to call it that because we felt it encompassed our experience of making music. The hours we spend on our music in rehearsal after rehearsal and show after show go by so fast. We’ve never sat down and calculated all the hours, but when you rehearse three times a week for an hour-and-a-half plus shows on the weekends, and time in the studio, it’s a big number, but it feels small because we love what we do.

How was the recording and writing process?

A lot of fun! We love being in the studio, and we love writing. We look forward to getting time to write songs as band between shows. Often times, the pace of rehearsing for shows can put a damper on our new song production so we love when we spare time to write new stuff, and we especially love when we get to record new stuff in the studio. There’s something special about having your music out there for everyone to hear and being able to point to it and say, ‘I made that.’

What role does Dallas play in your writing?

I’d say the people of Dallas probably have the biggest effect on our writing. Most of our songs are based on experiences we’ve had in Dallas, and all of us went to school in the city so we’ve all done a lot of growing and learning here. We feel very thankful to be in this city, and we love playing music here.

How has John Mayer and Stevie Wonder influenced your writing?

Lyrical quality, bluesy motifs, fat grooves, and strong melodies are all things we take from guys like John Mayer and Stevie Wonder. We’re all about making people dance while offering something to think about. All of our songs are based on our experiences: things that keep us awake at night and things that make us smile. We feel people connect with songs about honest emotion, so that’s what we write about about.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?

Luke writes most of our songs, and most of the time he gets ideas for songs when he’s driving. A melody or lyric will pop into his head and then usually he’s got the bones of a song done within a few hours. After that, he’ll bring it to the band and we start adding parts, refining the structure, and experimenting with dynamics.

Any plans to hit the road?

Hmmm, we’d love to, but right now we’re focusing on building our brand in Dallas. Obviously, if the opportunity comes to play outside of our hometown, we’d love that, but we’re not desperate for shows, and we think that building a strong base here in Dallas will help us when we start moving beyond the city limits.

What else is happening next in Blue Apollo´s world?

We are going to Nashville to record three or four new songs this January! We’re super excited to get back in the studio and record new music for our fans. We feel we’ve done a lot of maturing as a band, and we’ve got some really good stuff up our collective sleeves. Stay tuned for new stuff throughout 2018.