RR: We’ve talked about the concept of time quite a bit. Let’s look into the future. You’ve mentioned Particle in the past tense a couple times (laughter)…so, well, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard and point that out to you, but what’s—

SM: It was a moment’s lapse. (laughs)

RR: Exactly. What’s the future of Particle? And where do you see your own individual music going in the next year or two? For example, you have been in the studio, working on various music, for most of this week. What visions do you have? Is it still tapping into the unknown, or do you have some sort of grand design?

SM: Well, recently, I’ve been writing and recording a lot of new songs. It’s funny. I’ve tried not to censor myself in the songwriting process. I’ve tried not to think that I’m writing for any one genre or band. I’ve just tried to get the music that was in me out. And, sometimes, it would be blues ballad, and sometimes, it would be drums and bass. I mean really it’s been all over the map, so now, I’m sitting on probably two or three albums worth of recordings, and I’m starting to see which of these tunes go together, put them into groups and then, I expect to release a bunch of this music and tour with some of it in the next year. I think some of it will be played in Particle, but I think a lot of it will be my own music that I pursue.

And, as you mentioned, I’ve also been doing a bunch of recordings, so that’s been really exciting—composing music for film and video games, and I’ve been enjoying exploring that side of creating music. That is something else that I’ll probably be doing, but the truth is I’m really trying to keep an open mind because things come out of left field and I found that it helps to be open to trying new things. You’ll always learn something new from that experience. I have some shows coming up with Eve and DMX that I’m doing. It might seem like a stretch to go from playing “Terrapin Station” (laughter) to, you know, playing hip-hop with Eve and DMX, but really it’s not. I learn something new every time I play. I’ve always felt that if it feels good and it grooves, I’ll play it. I’ve never really wanted to limit myself to any one genre.

Looking forward to the future, I just want to continue to learn and grow and try new things, musically. And as I mentioned there, recently, I’ve just been writing a ton of songs. For me, songwriting has always come in waves, and, recently, I’ve just been on a real recording kick, and I’m just looking forward to putting out a bunch of the music I’ve recorded and also touring behind it.

RR: Perfect. Perfect, Steve. Well, this is why I do these things right here.

SM: I appreciate your time. I think it’s really important what you’re doing—being a glue for the scene and being a through line and a place where people can go and stay tuned in and tapped in. It’s a really special thing that you guys are doing. It’s a cool thing and I think it’s cool, too, that you took an improvisational approach to this thing. (laughter) That’s pretty crazy—just let it roll. That’s really funny that I asked you “you’re not really going to transcribe all of this?” Thanks. That’s very generous and I appreciate it.

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