ZANE CHRISTOPHER TALKS SEDONA

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

What is the meaning of 'Sedona'?

From a metaphysical standpoint, I’m happy to say that I feel like the song is so open that it could mean many different things depending on your perspective. I’m proud that I feel like me and my producer achieved that.

At what moment did you write it?

Well, when I was writing it it kind of spilled quick which is a good feeling. At the time my sister was telling me she was going to Sedona to film something. I was in Boston, writing in my brothers bedroom in winter, where I wrote a lot of songs in 2020. When writing I remember picturing this goddess being that resembled a character depicted in the 'Mind Mischief' music video by Tame Impala.

All your songs so far has been produced by Jon Gilbert. How did your collaboration with him get going?

We reached out to Jon through Instagram DM and sent him my demos. He responded to us and agreed to talk about working together on the phone. We had a call and I felt really connected to Jon. We had a really aligned and common ground in taste of music. I think that’s the most important thing to me. I was really impressed with the sounds I’ve heard him cultivate and I really wanted to commit to a partner for a huge batch of songs that I could trust. I actually moved across the country to Los Angeles like two weeks after that call and we started working in fall of 2021. We basically arranged everything together and hired some great guys to play parts that I couldn’t in drums, bass guitar, and keys. I wanted to stay away from splice and samples and record parts that that were one of one and made for each track. Jon is responsibly for the engineering and missing of all the live stuff. Although on 'Sedona' we did use drum samples for the ending cause we wanted a Yoke Lore or Phil Collins sound. That’s mixed with tape recordings of vocals and guitars to create a really cool hybrid sound in my opinion.

Where did you land first coming out to LA?

I moved from Boston to Venice Beach and lived in a studio that an ex girlfriend and now lifelong friend passed along to me. When I first got out there I was really, really sick. She kinda nursed me to health. I'm blessed to have her in my life. I had kind of fell into some bad habits that I was breaking right when I moved to LA, so my body and mind were going through some pretty intense adjustments. I've traveled back home and am talking with you from Rhode Island right now. It is really interesting to reflect on that time period. Almost a year ago now, and I definitely learned a lot about what I desire and need in my personal life.

‘Young’ and ‘Sedona’ as I understand are both part of a bigger picture?

I’ll share that I am really excited about what I made with Jon, there's lots more in the chamber, and I think it’s getting clearer what these songs mean to me and how I want them to be framed as an album.

Would such an album be far away?

I don’t have an answer for this.

What does it feel like having people listening and connecting with your songs?

That feels cool, for sure. I can not wait to play live for people with the band and travel. I just recently played an acoustic show, in a dingy little spot, but out of like twenty people in there it so happened that two of them knew my music and I got to really connect with those two. That's the power of live shows and I really really want to focus on that this year. Gotta thank the algorithm for putting it in front of people too. That’s the beauty of the internet.

I think what connects with people goes beyond it just being good songs. At the core your writing relates to something that goes deeper which I would argue is a lust for life. A genuine voice that inspires one to see the beauty of life, even in occasionally hard times?

Wow thanks for saying this, that’s cool that it feels like that for you. I like "a lust for life" and I do think that the songwriting comes from an inner voice for me that’s at a base level trying to connect.

Any artists guided you through parts of life?

Yeah when I was a junior in high school it was Mac Demarco and Tame Impala. And when I was a senior it was Weyes Blood and Mt. Joy, who actually once came on in the coffee spot I am chilling at, in my eyes music serves as a soundtrack to each of our lives and it can serve as a powerful tool of association to a specific time in our lives.

Was your own path to music always as clear?

I started to mess around with it in high school and I just got progressively more intrigued with the idea that I was allowed to make music if I wanted to. I think it was always clear that music would be a huge part of my life but I didn’t know it would be my first career path.