We recently got the chance to interview Fifth Lucky Dragon, an awesome up and coming band from Indianapolis. Have a read and take the time to follow the links at the end to follow the bands social media and listen to their music.
Hey! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview with us! Can you introduce the band members first of all?
Thank you for being interested enough to ask some questions. We are called Fifth Lucky Dragon. My name is Louis Imperiale, I sing and sometimes play piano/trumpet, Nathan Roseboom plays bass, and Michael Homan plays drums.
What do you feel is the best song you have made so far that you feel people should
check out and what do you like about it?
The best song I think we have made so far is on my hard drive and not yet released. But I think the song “Closest I Can Get” seems to be one that the people who have listened to the album “Asymmetric” gravitate towards. It was very intentional that that particular song ends the album because it feels like a sonic finale and is lyrically important to the narrative of the album. I like that it has some major chords in it. Sometimes I rope myself into using too many minor chords because they sound dramatic.
What kind of topics do you normally write about?
The roots of most of my writing tend to be topics I don’t necessarily feel comfortable bringing up in everyday conversations. Not that I don’t think talking about uncomfortable topics is important and something I need to get better at, but it’s easier for me to collect my thoughts and try to get an understanding by writing or talking to myself first.
“Asymmetric” is about my observations and experiences with temptation to cast a version of yourself that you aren’t. The term “asymmetry” refers to unequal sides or an imbalance. To use an example that I think is relatable and might make this make more sense: I think a lot of us have a hard time letting someone know when we are struggling. Despite knowing that talking to someone could help, the go-to response when anyone asks if we are okay is to lie and say everything is fine. In my trying to understand why we as people do that, it helped me to use the term “asymmetric” to identify all the times I felt like I or someone else demonstrated that dishonesty. It isn’t all heavy stuff like that though. I also talk about helping my mom with her iPhone.
You have an unusual sound, how would you describe your genre?
Michael and our good friend Sam Ramirez who does most of our mixing/mastering both independently came up with “cinematic pop” as a genre to work with. We definitely struggle to categorize it, but I would much prefer to use something like that than “pop” without a modifier. I hear a lot of bands or artists say they don’t fit into any genres; and occasionally I sort of agree, but most of the time I think they’re just trying to sound unique or give the impression that they are making a totally new type of music that no one understands. And I don’t want to come off that way. We definitely fit into a subgenre of pop and probably alternative (whatever that means).
Who is your favourite current artists?
The three of us have somewhat different tastes in music. We do have points of overlap (for example; Nathan and I [Louis] both listen to Tame Impala and Radiohead). I definitely derive production influence from pop music. Michael draws influence from Vulfpeck, Nate Smith, and Cory Wong. But I think the diversity of our influences shows in the recordings and live.
I have a lot of current least-favorite artists. And I think that actually influences how I make music more than any artist that I like. I hear a lot of songs and think, “I definitely don’t want to do that.” I probably should keep most of these to myself, but just to give an example; G-Eazy.
From talking to you I know your have some opinions on current music, what do you feel
is wrong with music that currently makes it to the charts?
I wouldn’t necessarily say there is anything wrong with the music that makes it to the charts. That stuff makes it there for a reason whether it be catchiness or an expensive marketing campaign or whatever. I just don’t find listening to songs that I feel I have figured out after the first few measures particularly stimulating. And I do actually keep up with the charts. Some of the stuff on there is decent. There are certainly times where I listen passively and maybe just want to hear a good beat.
With that being said, my favorite type of music and the music I find myself listening to over and over again is music that makes me think. That could be a lyric that I have to think about to try to understand, a chord progression that confuses me, a part of the production that strikes me as intricate, a harmony that doesn’t sound like it should work from a music theory perspective but somehow works in the context of the song, or anything like that. And I don’t hear a lot of that when I listen through the charts.
If there is anything you could change about the music industry, what would it be?
First I would kick Charlie Puth and the Chainsmokers out of it. Second, I would send all
my friends that make music to the top of the industry. I wish I could weaken the “assembly line” process of making music that seems to dominate the industry. The process of thinking first, “what is going to sell?” and making a song with the sole purpose of fitting whatever the answer is. But that won’t ever change. If anyone reads this who is actually in the industry they’ll think I am naive. Who knows, maybe it’s inevitable and I’ll give into that temptation someday.
Are there any songs you like to cover live?
We covered “Karma Police” by Radiohead for a while. We have a recording of it online. Recently we’ve been playing “New Light” by John Mayer.
What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
Having a creative outlet to turn to when I feel like I don’t have a whole lot else is something that I greatly appreciate. When I can’t sleep, I can play some piano or write a song or something. And I definitely take that for granted.
What’s been the best live show you have done so far and why was it so good?
We played a benefit show for the middle school that I attended to raise money for music lesson scholarships. It was the most fulfilling show yet because of the aim of the benefit: To know that it might make a difference, even just a small difference for a couple students, made the work of putting on the event very worthwhile. Plus we had a sweet stage and lighting set up. And having the gymnasium reverb on our side never hurts. I hope to be able to do that again and get more people to come.
What’s the music scene like in your area of the States?
I don’t really have an understanding of it. I am currently in Indianapolis and I am not sure of what the endgame is for most of the other artists/bands here. I think I’ll have a better understanding if we are able to play more around here.
What’s next for Fifth Lucky Dragon?
We are working on new music. A second album is in the works. I think we will probably release a couple singles to preface while we work on trying to find out if there is a group of listeners who resonate with the music. I don’t like to give a timeframe because I wouldn’t forgive myself for not hitting that timeframe, but certainly sometime in 2020 we will release some new music.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, we hope everything goes well for the new music your working on. We really like the Asymmetric album and hopefully more people will check it out, it’s well worth a listen! Please follow the links below to find out more about Fifth Little Dragon!
https://www.facebook.com/fifthluckydragon/
https://www.instagram.com/fifthluckydragon/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/fifth-lucky-dragon/1271145549
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