Sunday, April 13, 2014

Indie Ville TV #8 Look What I did lead singer Barry Donegan

Written By Beau Cooper


Look What I Did is the musical representation of chaos, and I mean that in the best way possible. Yet amongst the dissonant, genre clashing mayhem, this band gives the listener a fresh melodic center to grasp onto. This center may be hard to find, but Look What I Did does this by design. “We make it hard to listen to on purpose,” said vocalist Barry Donegan. Their intention is not to give you the easy route; a three and half minute song focused around basic structure and harmony, but to instead give you a gut wrenching journey that may or may not follow up with a pop song hook. It’s the process of struggle and reward, and Look What I Did is great at doing this.
            The group moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s due to the “stagnant” music scene existing in Nashville at the time. But Nashville has stretched its ears and opened its mind to a new scene, and for the past seven years Look What I did has continued what it originally began in music city. With a recent show at Exit/In, Nashville has definitely shown a new musical shift, and an interest in even the most niche styles as of music. With the exception of a few technical difficulties, Barry Donegan considers the show an overall great time and success. “If anything goes wrong, act like you did it on purpose.” This is a great piece of advice, especially when encountering the downfalls of technology.
            Looking forward, Look What I Did has a new album on the way, and it’s not just any album. Oh no, this will not be the twelve track, conceptually disconnected, “every song speaks on its own” album we might expect from most bands. Instead, this will be a rock opera. The album will be based on a cartoon skit from the band’s first music video from their first album. Following in the footsteps of their prog-rock ancestors, it will be a plot-driven rock opera that is “inspired by all rock operas”, with no specific influence in mind. The band’s new album will feature surprise special guests, and a guaranteed theatrical sound and performance. The album is expected to be released on vinyl.
            Look What I Did doesn’t care about what’s in, out, cool, or not cool. Their only concern is creating music they enjoy for people that share their musical like-mindedness, even if it is a niche crowd. Singer Barry Donegan says, “We make music that goes against each other.” While their music clashes within itself, it also goes against what is typical in the mainstream and even most local scenes. With a recent show at Exit/In under their belts, writing in the process, and a rock opera on the way, people have a lot to look forward to from Look What I Did. Indie Ville TV

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