(Photo Credit - cleopatrick)
We had the opportunity to interview Canadian alt-rock act cleopatrick! The duo of Ian Fraser and Luke Gruntz have been making waves on the alt scene having played Lollapalooza and Shaky Knees! Check out their music and check out our interview!
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it?
"Music was always a thing Ian and i loved and shared together. When we were 8 years old our families got us matching acoustic guitars for Christmas and that really catalyzed everything. From there on, we were always playing together. We are 22 now so i guess its been 14 years."
2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"The process is pretty random. some ideas come from jams, others from my acoustic guitar - we’ve written a lot of dope stuff by sending voice notes back and forth on iMessage. There’s no formula for us. Every song just has to pass the “is this cool / would our friends like this” test at varying stages of its growth."
3. What artists have inspired you in your career?
"In the beginning it was all the classic guitar bands that our dads liked. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix etc. as we’ve gotten older we have continued with our love for guitar music, but the inspiration comes from way different places. Drake, The Districts, Show Me The Body, Denzel Curry, and Brockhampton to name a few."
4. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story on them?
"We still use essentially all the same equipment we started the band with. There’s lots of sentimental value in our gear. I saved up many birthdays worth of money to buy my Gibson Les Paul. Ian did the same with his Gretsch drum kit. I’m really into pedals - not in a NAMM-nerd “is that germanium or blah blah” way, but in a “that noise is cool” way. Every time i get a new pedal we always write a few sick new songs."
5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Our live shows are what I’m most proud of as an artist. We have a fucking awesome crowd we’ve curated. Since we started this band we always focused on making rock music for kids - not old people. Our shows are dope because I feel like I’m friends with everyone in the room. There’s this really special energy I can’t explain but I’m forever grateful for. We are working really hard with our team to make sure this vibe scales with us. We don’t want to lose it."
6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
"New rock mafia."
7. Do you have any upcoming projects you would like fans to know about?
"LP1 coming soon."