#TunesForTuesday: Silent Racket by Logan Matthew Barnes @Pikkle_Sokks #SilentRacket #LoganMatthewBarnes #SingerSongwriter #TwitchStreamer #NewMusic

Good evening everyone and welcome to another Tunes For Tuesday. Today I’m featuring the fantastic Silent Racket by Logan Matthew Barnes.

Logan (or Pikkle Socks on twitch) is a singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist that I first discovered on twitch through a raid. He has some amazing songs with some beautiful lyrics and quickly endeared himself to his viewers when he confessed to working on his nerves while performing. Logan was kind enough to answer some questions for me about his music, so if you would like to learn more about Logan from the man himself check out the interview below.

You can follow Logan on Instagram or twitch by clicking on the links below.

How To Listen:

Logan’s music is available on most of the major streaming platforms as linked below. His original music isn’t available on YouTube yet but I have included the videos of my favourite covers from him below.

Interview:

Tell us a little about yourself?

Hi there! My name is Logan Matthew Barnes and I’m a songwriter from Virginia Beach. I guess singer-songwriter is the full name or whatever, ooh, fancy. Anywho, I’ve been writing songs for the last three years and I have a lot of ideas I want to share with the world.

 What first got you into music?

Listening to video game soundtracks honestly. I used to solely listen to instrumentals before I got into more lyrical “real” bands. The Tekken 3 and Dark Cloud 2 OSTs stick out to me. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley are the big three who started the diversification of my music taste.

Who inspired you to make music?

In a weird way, myself. I want to leave a piece of me behind with something and doing that through song is not only therapeutic for me, I feel like it’s the best way for me to share my feelings.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

I write various types of music from more acoustic (and sadboy) folk to alternative rock. I’d like to think I could write for most genres, but those two are where I feel the most comfortable. When I was younger, I would make instrumentals of tracks very much like Dark Cloud 2’s. 

What is your creative process like?

Sometimes I’ll sit down and focus on forming idea after idea, others it’s a lyric that pops into my head that I have to make work syllabically in context of the song. Typically I’ll make a chord progression and then mumble melodies until I write lyrics overtop those melodies. After that, it’s off to recording where I come up with more ideas and poorly beatbox the drum parts I have in mind to my friend who magically brings them to reality and how he deciphers them still amazes me to this day. Putting the polish on songs comes after making a scratch track with a single guitar and vocal. Then I find harmonies and just layer after layer add more instruments to make the song more interesting and just as I hear it in my head.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

I’d love to collaborate with Charlie Puth, the way his ideas are always in his mind and his sporadic process of coming up with ideas on the spot is relatable to me. I would also love to collaborate with Dan Avidan, he seems so laid back and his crafting of harmonies is really inspiring. Harmonies and major 7 chords are a weakness of mine in music. So is having a diversity in song-type and Danny certainly has taken part in different types of projects.

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

I feel like Catfish and the Bottlemen would be the best, they’re a British rock band and have had a pretty big influence on my sound. Foo Fighters would also be incredible to open up for, but they’re rock legends at this point, so it’d be a hard gig.

What is one message you would give to your fans?

I’m not the biggest fan of calling the people who listen to my music fans, but for the listeners or endurers; if you’ve got a passion, stick with it, don’t rush it, make it the best it can be and don’t lose hope in yourself or the possibility of creating something truly wonderful. Know there’s a beauty in simplicity as well.

What is the most useless talent you have?

Music… I’m kidding. I suppose my biology teacher wouldn’t like me calling this useless, but I remember the photosynthesis formula. That’s the only thing I can think of off of the top of my head.

Do you sing in the shower?

No, apparently I used to, but as soon as I heard my dad mentioned I did, I immediately cut that out of my life.

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

I’d be a little lost. Writing songs is kind of what keeps me going, I want to turn my experiences and feelings into something that I can hopefully be remembered by. Even if it’s just by one person.

Where have you performed?

Behind a camera in various rooms of my house. I suppose the fanciest venue I’ve played was The NorVA. The band I was in opened up for another friend’s band. I was quite nervous and probably didn’t show the most excitement, but I do love playing live.

What are your favourite and least favourite venues?

One of my favorite places is broadcasting live behind a camera. Not actually seeing faces gives me a lot of comfort and eases my performance anxiety quite a lot. 

Do you have any upcoming shows?

I’d love to get out there more, but for now I don’t really have the equipment required for gigging.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

The internet gives me a platform to really be myself and I’ve made many friends including some who are incredibly talented as well. The internet has definitely allowed me to reach a wider audience than I would have otherwise and I’m really thankful for any and all support from everyone.

What is your favourite song to perform?

I can’t say I have a single favorite song to perform, but one of my favorite things to do is share a new original with my audience and get their feedback on it.

Which famous musicians do you admire?

Charlie Puth again, his ability to produce his own material and actually play his parts. Also all of the members of Wouter Hamel’s band. Vastly underrated jazz musician and a great songwriter. I recently watched his Live in Paradiso concert again and it blows me away every time. John Mayer also is a great talent, incredible songwriter, and phenomenal guitarist.

What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?

I threw bread at someone’s open plumber crack one time and got sent to the principal’s office. Pull up your pants next time.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Be patient.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Giving recognition to artists who actually love their craft and give their all into making something true instead of being in the industry for numbers and clicks. Narcissistic musicians are my worst enemy, I wish I could destroy them.

What’s next for you?

Write more tunes and hope people enjoy them as much as I had the fun bringing them to existence.

Thanks for answering my questions!

Playlists:

You can now listen to Logan and all previously featured artists on two special playlists I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!