Teen Daze, the solo project of artist Jamison (no last name), has recently released a new full-length album entitled, Morning World. I caught up with him to chat more about his previous projects, musical history, what he’s listening to and ….dinosaurs. Cause, why not, right?! Here’s what he had to say:

Lauren Ignited: I understand that your EP, “A Silent Planet” was inspired by a seven-week stint in the Alps while studying Philosophy and reading C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet. That in itself sounds like an incredible experience. What propelled you take this trip, study philosophy and pick up Out of the Silent Planet?

Teen Daze: The trip was a part of the program I was in at school here in Abbotsford, BC. The three-month trek took me to several different places of spiritual discipline (monasteries mostly), and one of those spots was the spot I was at in Switzerland. The “school” aspect of life there was a self-directed study, and the majority of the students focused on philosophy or theology. I would meet with an advisor once a week and discuss what I had been reading; for the most part I read a lot of novels, in an attempt to wrap my mind around the effects of fiction in pop culture, but I also read a lot of books on postmodern philosophy. it was actually Perelandra, the second novel in Lewis’ space trilogy, that seemed to have a buzz about it amongst my peers. I thought I would read the whole series, and I was completely floored by the first in the series, Out of the Silent Planet. Even Morning World, my newest LP, draws inspiration from the series. I’m always so impressed when creators can truly create something from nothing. These books created such a real, vivid world, it was hard to not be inspired by it.

My desire to study philosophy, or theology (which is what I studied in college), came from growing up in a household with a large library (I assume). I’ve always been the sort of person who has a big library, but has only had the time to read half of the books. My love of learning started with my love of books. I think that love was bound to have an effect on what I created musically. I also grew up with a lot of music around the house, whether it was instruments or records, and the two always went hand in hand.

LI: Your first full-length album, All of Us, Together, was also somewhat inspired by a book you picked out at a thrift store. This time it was Utopian Visions. What was that book about, what piece of it inspired you?

TD: Utopian Visions is a part of a series of hardcover books exploring some of the “weirdness” of our day-to-day lives. It was put together by Life Magazine, so there’s lots of beautiful images, and a lot of inspiring concepts of utopia. I thought it could be a source for interesting images, that I could potentially use in some design work I was working on. I think concepts of utopia, or heaven, are something I wrestle with a lot in my music. The optimistic, idealistic side of me loves it, and the cynical, realistic side of me thinks it’s a waste of time. It’s a good concept to explore.

LI: Which producer or musician are you listening to most these days?
TD: I’ve been catching up on all of Floating Points’ singles and EPs, which are all pretty beautiful; my friend Simon introduced me to Emmit Rhodes, and that record has been getting the rounds. I also picked up a few CDs when I was in Japan last month, two from Laraji and one from Ashra, and they’ve been getting lots of plays in my car.

LI: Do you have a favorite dinosaur?
TD:  Robbie, from the 90’s TV show, Dinosaurs.

His brand new full-length album Morning World was another passion project that happened after months of personal reflection, meticulous work and studio time. If you’re in Houston, you’re in luck. Catch this musician / philosopher at Rudyard’s on October 1st.

Connect with Teen Daze on bandcamp, soundcloud, tumblr, facebook or twitter. 

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