INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.

Hi, I'm John Reidar Holmes. I'm a musician based in Malmö, Sweden. I play ambient, drone and experimental music on guitar, modular synth and tongue drum.

What's your musical origin story? (when did you start? What inspired you?)

Pre-covid I mainly played in blues, rock and jazz bands locally. I've always been interested in music from a young age and have lived through the transition of cassette, CDs, digital and streaming. A child of the 90s, CDs are my preferred format for listening.

What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?

Growing up it was to me and a way of expressing myself. I grew up in a family that was both Swedish and English and music was a way for me to process that and to absorb the wider world in a creative and enjoyable way. In my 20s I played in bands but began to need to play solo in order to keep up momentum and continuity rather than restarting every four years because the band fell apart. Synths, modular and ambient became my new music and I was able to use incorporate previous musicianship into my new solo endeavours. At present, I play locally when I can, host listening parties and release music frequently on Bandcamp and less often on streaming services.

MUSICAL IDENTITY

How would you describe your style of music?

Originally a guitar head, synths and modular have become valued additions and opened up a new musical landscape.

How is your personality reflected in your work?

A strong need to focus, zone out and escape the hum-drum of daily life is infused in my music. I seek this escape daily.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

Key to my creative process is to begin and finish a track in one or max two sittings. Playing a lot of solo music has taught me to listen to my inner music and to not force things.

CURRENT WORK

What is the name of your latest releases?

'These are The Days of Burning Books'

What was the inspiration for that release?

The current state of the world and rise of populism/fascism in multiple countries across the globe. I haven't included a lot of politics in my music so far. My music is instrumental so if it's going to have a political edge it needs to be in the title. This album is bordering on Dark Ambient and I thought it fitting to nudge it toward an anti-fascist message.

What challenges or unexpected moments did you encounter during the writing/recording process?

I had some difficulty getting the acoustic guitar loops to sit well on the mix. Bass is always tricky to get right too.

PROMOTION & ENGAGEMENT

What strategies do you find most effective for promoting your music?

There is no one effective strategy. I post my releases on multiple platforms and send them off to bloggers and radio stations. Promotion is hard because there's so much static and content being pushed at listeners continuously. Getmusic has proven to be a good place so far as my music doesn't sit comfortably in one genre but has several influences that take the listeners to unexpected places hopefully.

How do you engage with your fans online and offline?

Through:

• Posts about my music
• Discount code offers on Bandcamp
• Listening parties
• Responding to requests and questions

What upcoming promotional activities or releases are you most excited about?

The listening parties are a new thing for me and I'm going to start going live on Bandcamp and Youtube sometime this year hopefully.

How can folks contact you (socials/email/websites etc.)

You can always get in touch at johnwork113@gmail.com