Bedouine chats about the "romantic notion" of being a touring musician

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

5'5", brown frizzy hair, homey. I’ve been writing songs for a while but it was only recently I started to spend more time with it. I tend to play in finger-picking patterns on an acoustic parlor guitar. My songwriting has surely been influenced largely by '60s folk and country as well as bossanova.

How do you feel about the reaction to the record?

It’s the proverbial cherry on top. I was really happy with the way the record turned out and I made a point to not get distracted should I get a negative reaction. Nevertheless, I’m so grateful that people are giving the record the time of day. I appreciate that anyone would sit down with a song start to finish nowadays.

How was the album put together?

Gus Seyffert produced the record after I implored him to talk tape with me. Because we were in his studio we gave it a go on a whim and recorded "Solitary Daughter". From then on we recorded in our free time, on and off, over the course of the next three years. It was truly a passion project.

Do you think the process shaped the overall sound in the end? What changed along the way?

What we lost in the lack of cohesive sessions we gained in the luxury of time. Because there were no deadlines we had laid down the bones of some 30 songs. If a song wasn’t revealing itself to us, we moved on. We had the luxury to cherry pick the 10 best songs when Matthew [E White, head of label Spacebomb] became interested in releasing the record.

There's a calm in the music that's hard to miss - does this translate to your day to day life?

I hope so. I try to live minimally and consciously. There’s a lot I struggle to understand and I’ve definitely waded in anxiety and depression. Thank goodness it’s gotten better. There’s nothing more rewarding than feeling calm in the present moment so it’s something I value at the very least.

"Solitary Daughter" was one of the first songs we heard from you - how did it come together?

It came to me one night after I snapped out of an affection I had for someone that related to me strictly on his terms. It’s one of my favorites too and sometimes I worry that it wasn’t really me who wrote it. It just poured out of me so it’s as if I can’t take responsibility for it! I remember thinking that I wanted to write something both simple and complex, maybe stay on a chord for longer than usual and use imagery that was just out of reach.

What kinds of records did you grow up listening to?

My parents played Middle Eastern music and I had just a few random albums when I was young. It wasn’t until I started meeting music lovers that introduced me to British invasion - and later '60s folk - that things started seeping in.

What was the last album you bought? How do you feel about that record?

The last record I bought was the latest Roger Waters record, Is This the Life We Really Want?. I feel it responsibly carries the burden of art in the context of life. He doesn’t cut any corners and addresses all the devastating paradoxes in the modern world especially regarding politics. He is the melodic voice of the resistance.

You're very well travelled, but have you been to the UK before?

I’m not super familiar with it! A friend I grew up with in Saudi Arabia has settled there and so I’ve visited her on extended layovers to the middle east. Otherwise, it’s pretty new to me and I’m looking forward to traversing it.

How do you feel about playing here in October?

I’m thrilled of course! Touring that extensively is new to me so I’m curious to see how I’ll do for long periods of time. The idea of being a travelling musician to an audience that may be familiar with the record is a romantic notion. With that said, I’m expecting a lot of fast food and bloating in a passenger van but nonetheless, I don’t take it lightly. I require a lot of quiet time so I’ll need to get creative about retreating.

You're playing the Spacebomb Revue in October as well - how do you feel about that?

I mean, how often will I be able to play with a symphonic orchestra? It’s rad to realize the record in a live setting.

What should we expect from the show? How will it be different to your headline shows?

I’ll let you know when I find out! We’ll be meeting a few days before to run the set. I imagine the label has a couple songs in mind they’d like me to play with the full orchestra. I’m looking forward to spending time with the Spacebomb folks and hearing what they’ve been up to.

What's next for Bedouine?

Packing my bindle and hitting the road. I’ll have some downtime before then so I’ll try to get in shape. That way when tour undoes it all I’ll at least be back where I started.