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Interview by Corynne Fernandez 

Photos by Kayla Fernandez

We had the chance to chat with up-and coming solo artist Banes World in his hometown of Long Beach, CA. Read below, as we sat in the grass in the middle of the coastal version of suburbia, and asked the hard hitting questions like, “Pancakes or waffles?”

How did you come up with the name Bane’s World?

Well, Bane was a nickname my friends gave me in high school; they just swapped the letters of my first and last name. My friend Max, was like “Banes Slanchard, sound like you were trying to say your name drunk. I don’t know where Banes World, came from—I don’t even like the movie, Wayne’s World. So, when it came down to finding a name to put my demos under, I didn’t want to try too hard to sound cool and ended up sticking with Banes World.

 So you have been making music for two years, has music always been a big part of your life? What sparked your interest in making it?

My dad has always played music and my sisters both sing, and music is a big part of my family. I started playing guitar when I was 9, but it didn’t get serious for me until I was 18—about 2 years ago. I was in my friend Max’s band, the kid who gave me the nickname, and he came to me one night and said, “Hey man, I’m recording all this music by myself,”—he was doing the guitar, the vocals, the synth, and everything—and I felt really inspired, which led to me buying my own recording gear and making my own material.

Who or what do you turn to for inspiration?

I get it from a lot of random places. Most times, if I’m in a relationship and something goes wrong, that’s good inspiration for stuff—not that I want that to happen, but it has always inspired me in that way.

Describe a day in the life of Bane’s World.

Nothing super special! I like to eat a ton of really good food, because food is important to me, hanging out with my dog, playing guitar, or skateboarding. It doesn’t change that much, unless I go out for a gig, like to Santa Barbara, but I never really get out of Long Beach.

The writing process is different for everyone, what is yours like? Do you write from personal experiences?

For the album, Drowsy, I would record the music first and then wouldn’t have any idea of what the song was going to be like lyrically. Once I would record the music, I would just sit there a sing little things over it; I can never really write lyrics before I make a song. I don’t have a set process.

You released ‘Drowsy’ last year, is thereany plans to release an EP this year? Or possibly an album?

Yeah! Hopefully by the end of this year I would like to release a full-length album. Somethings brewing, but I don’t know when it’s going to come.

Your sound is unique compared to a lot of music that’s been put out by other artists today. What genre do you identify most with?

I guess it’s just dreamy stuff, but I pull a lot of influence from what I like. My dad is big on the blues, so that sound was kind of instilled in me. I like all types of music—jazz, bossa nova, pretty much anything. Recently, I’ve been listening to neo-soul and in general, if I like it, I’ll try my best to incorporate it into my sound.

Is there an album or an artist that has changed your perspective on music?

An artist that heavily inspires me and makes me want to do better is, Stevie Ray Vaughan. He changed my perspective on what it means to be a guitar player, because he is so soulful. Nowadays, a lot of bands rely on single chords and it gets repetitive.

What was the first album you ever purchased?

The one I was adamant about getting—it’s really funny—but it was My Chemical Romance, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge; I was really surprised my mom let me get it at the time because I was really young. It was either between, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge or Dookie by Green Day.

You have a handful of California shows under your belt, do you have plans on venturing out to more states or abroad?

I would love to, it’s just a matter of planning it out and getting the monetization for that stuff. I don’t know how artists do that or if their label helps them out with tours. Right now, I don’t have a contracted label. In general, I would love to go out on tour; I think it would be an eye-opening and life- changing experience.

‘People Like Me, People Like You’ is a personal favorite of ours, what’s the meaning behind that song?

I am not sure what my headspace was like when I wrote that—probably after something bad happened. I remember listening to a lot of Tears For Fears and loving their electro-pop, synth heavy sound and wanting to record something like that. The lyric, “born to lose…” which is a Ray Charles song, I liked that because it sounded a little melancholy. That song is a bit of a blur.

Dream festival lineup?

Beatles (full band), Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the full cast of the Phantom of the Opera.

Dream collaboration?

I would love to do a song with Mac Demarco or Peter from HOMESHAKE; I’d think that would be really cool.  As far as someone who’s dead, Stevie Ray Vaughan—he’s my #1.

Pancakes or waffles?

I’ll never go out of my way to get either of those, but I do like a good Belgian waffle. My ideal breakfast would include, eggs, bacon, hash browns, —okay, waffles with whipped cream and strawberries—maybe some sausage, and an acai bowl. I can eat a ton of food!

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