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Monday, 30 January 2006 15:21

St. Louis singer-songwriter Geoff Koch seemingly came out of nowhere last year, releasing a highly acclaimed EP Throwing Rocks at Your Ghost, performing at the Midwest Music Festival, and nabbing some high-profile opening slots. All that, and he's also a damn nice guy. We sat down to find out a little more.

What inspires your songwriting?

Musically, I tend to gravitate toward riffs that utilize as many strings on the guitar as possible. Since I perform solo, I always thought it'd be important if I could stand out by finding richer, thicker textures to the average chords. I don't mess with alternate tunings much, so that forces me to go exploring for cool chords in the key I'm in that aren't so obvious. And even when the song dictates that I use a predictable four-chord progression, I enjoy trying to find creative ways to play that outside of the first position. Lyrically, I like making collages; I basically weave images, concepts, and words that evoke strong emotions into a theme and see if it holds up.

As a musician, who do you most admire?

My admiration for a band is the result of their quality of product, combined with longevity; Wilco is one band that fits that description. Some things they've done I like more than others, but overall, they've been putting out high-quality music for a long time. A 10- or 12-year run for any band is an incredible achievement by today's music standards. There are bands like Centro-matic that I know have been around forever but aren't on everyody's hot list; bands who work hard for a very long time deserve respect, whether you like the music or not.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you about the music business?

Maybe the best advice anyone's ever given me about anything is "Don't major in minors." I tried my hand at advertising once, and the guy who trained me was a really great guy, full of wisdom about life. I was never a good salesman, but that advice really stuck with me. I remind myself about that advice when I have an OCD flare-up and I find myself Windexing my blinds...that doesn't matter as much as me practicing to improve my vocal range.

Who's the most exciting artist/band with whom you've shared a stage thus far?

Last year I got to open for a great band called Rescue, and one of my musical heroes, Bob Nanna, and his band the City on Film. I've been listening to Braid and Hey Mercedes for years, so it was an incredible experience to share the stage with those musical heroes of mine.

What's it about: making music, singing songs, living life? What's your objective?

Ultimately, I think earning the title of "musician" while enjoying and learning from the journey is the key. I'd like to embrace all the lessons music can teach me about patience, sacrifice, and dedication, although a lot of times I'm not paying enough attention. I'm partially motivated by the fear of potential regret if I didn't use the opportunity I've been given right now. But there's another part of me that feels wired to put up with the ups and downs of being a musician, and acknowledges I should use and develop my abilities. I do think that I have some good things to offer and I truly feel like my music now and in the future deserves to be heard, and it's just a matter of telling "Self-Doubt Geoff" to shut the fuck up. This thing is just getting off the ground, and the last thing I wanna do is put the landing gear back down.