Concert Crap: Who is Ships Have Sailed?
Will Carpenter: At its core, Ships Have Sailed was conceived and created by myself (Will Carpenter). While I do most of the songwriting and production, and am the driving force behind the project and its growth, we do play live with multiple members, usually as a duo or a trio! On our upcoming east coast tour, we will be playing as a duo with myself on vocals and guitars, and my dear friend Art Andranikyan on the drums.
CC: Where does your alternative rock sound stem from?
WC: Musically, I draw inspiration from many different genres and artists alike. I feel my broad range of musical taste lends itself to keeping the creative boundaries open, and hence we tend to have a pretty diverse sound, which keeps it interesting for our fans.
CC: Being a band from Los Angeles, do you think that being in the city has helped or hurt your band because it is so rich in music?
WC: Los Angeles is a bit of a mixed bag. In one sense, it’s amazing to be in a place where there is so much musical talent, so it can be really inspiring, and there are always great shows to play and attend. That said, ‘rich’ can also translate into ‘saturated’, so definitely you have to be aware that it’s a competitive scene. Still…I love many aspects of this city, and like anywhere you have to take the good with the bad…so no complaints!
CC: What has been your 2016 highlight?
WC: This year we were incredibly honored to have Pat Monahan of “Train” discover our music and feature us several times on his show ‘Train Tracks’, which airs on SiriusXM ‘The Pulse’. I would have to say that’s our highlight this year, and we’re incredibly thankful for the opportunity and exposure that has provided. At the same time, I have to mention the touring we’ve been doing as well – every time we show up in a new city and find that people actually come out to see us play, it’s an amazing feeling. Getting to meet so many new fans has been incredible, so I’d be leaving something out if I didn’t include that on our highlight reel!
CC: What do you hope to accomplish in 2017?
WC: I think 2017 might just be dedicated to creating more music in the studio. Like I said, we’ve been out on the road a bunch during 2016, and it becomes a balancing act when you’re totally independent – do you tour, or do you record? Oftentimes, there’s not enough energy or time for both, and I’ve been feeling some ideas just itching to be born, so I think that might be what 2017 is about. That said, you never do know…I don’t think we planned on touring so much this year either, and things kinda just worked out that way…so we’ll have to see!
CC: Who takes most of the band’s Instagram pictures? When do you/they decide when something is Instagram worthy?
WC: Mostly I handle our social media, although Art definitely has a great eye for photos and he helps source images for Instagram and Facebook. We’re actually collaborating on a project at the moment to sort through all our tour photos and collect them into a big gallery that we can share with our fans…I think that will be a really nice way to close out the year, and show our appreciation to everyone who’s been so supportive to our touring efforts!
CC: Besides your band name, what would your band hashtag be?
WC: Hah, great question! We’ve actually never been asked this before…I guess I would have to dedicate this to our fans, who have branded themselves (very early on in our social world) as ‘Sailors’…so I often use that online when I’m making announcements…‘Get ready for _____ #Sailors!’
CC: Why should people care about Ships Have Sailed?
WC: I suppose for the same reason anyone cares about anything…because it speaks to you on a deeper level. Music has that power to transport you to a different place and time, and get you to think or see from different perspectives. It’s an amazing thing, and I’ve been blessed to find that this music that I call ‘Ships Have Sailed’ touches people in that way.
CC: Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans or anyone else reading this interview?
WC: Art and I are very close to hopping on a plane headed east to play a series of shows across New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island…come out and see us if we’re in your area!!
Tour Dates: facebook.com/shipshavesailed/events
November 2 – New Brunswick, NJ – The Court Tavern
November 4 – New York, NY – The Bowery Electric
November 5 – Putnam, CT – Charlee Bravo’s
November 6 – Burlington, VT – The Radio Bean
November 8 – Providence, RI – Shelter Arcade Bar
November 9 – Cambridge, MA – The Plough & Stars
November 10 – Somerville, MA – PA’s Lounge
soundcloud.com/shipshavesailed/if-only-by-ships-have-sailed
All questions answered by Will Carpenter.
ENTER TO “HAVE A DRINK WITH SHIPS HAVE SAILED” HERE!
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Post and interview by Corey Kleinsasser
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