LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Q&A with Blueprints & Elements
Article by: Miranda Woody-Martin Photos courtesy of Olivia Beach Tell us about yourselves. Who are you and how did you get started?
Hi! We’re Blueprints & Elements from Covington KY! Currently we’re performing as a two-piece band. My name is Elijah Batson and I (attempt to) sing and switch between playing guitar and drums. Hunter Haney has been playing bass guitar with me for a little over six months now. The band has been around in several different incarnations since 2015, but it has always primarily remained my own project.
In high school I self-produced and released our first demo under the name Blueprints & Elements with a handful of friends. It ended up sounding pretty rough but it was a good starting point for me in terms of songwriting, recording, and taking music seriously. In early 2017 we had a pretty consistent 3-piece lineup and started releasing a couple EP’s and playing shows locally, but that group fell apart too when I went away to college. Hunter has been one of my best friends for several years, so when he asked to be in the band last winter it was a no-brainer. We’ve been making it work as a duo ever since!
How would you describe your “sound”?
At it’s core, I just try my best to write catchy indie-pop/rock tunes, although at times my songwriting also tends to lean a little towards prog-rock. Some of my favorite bands include Arcade Fire, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, WHY?, and mewithoutYou though, so diverse instrumentation and layered musical arrangements have always been a big influence on my songs as well. If you listen to our new album, there’s a bit of french horn, glockenspiel, electric organ, accordion, djembe, tabla, and even the sound of me dragging a drumstick across the back of a wooden chair hidden in there.
Any albums or EPs coming out soon or that you’ve released in the past that you’d like to tell us about?
Yes! In June we put out our first full-length album! It’s called The Architecture of Anarchy and we’re super proud of how it turned out! It’s on all major streaming services as well as Bandcamp. We also have a music video out on YouTube for the album’s lead single, “Architecture.”
If so, how would you describe those projects?
I’d probably describe our new record as wordy and ambitious indie-rock. That’s pretty much the same direction that we’ve always had for our music, but this album is definitely a major leap from our first couple EPs. I focused a lot on trying to make strong hooks and melodies, and the production quality is miles above what i’ve tried to do in the past. Everyone’s cool hipster friends are sure to love it!
What are your upcoming shows/tour dates?
We just finished a short tour, but we have two more shows to close out the summer: Dayton Ohio on July 28 and Lexington Kentucky on August 2. After that, it’s back to the drawing board to book some more shows for later this fall and winter. We’re excited to keep spreading the word about our new album, so you can expect us to be back on the road soon!
What shows stand out most in your memory/were your “favorite” sets to play?
Our favorites are always house shows and parties. Everyone is always super cool and there’s a lot of energy. I have to give a shoutout to a DIY house venue in Akron Ohio called Bless This Mess for not only having a great crowd and being super nice to us (a lot of moshing occurred and at one point I climbed on top of my drumset), but also for having one of the most organized shows I’ve ever played. We were the last band on a 5-band bill and we started around 11:15, which still blows my mind to think about. They were also super accommodating and let us spend the night. I can’t say enough good things about that place. If anyone wants us to play a show at their house party, don’t hesitate to contact us!
Tell us something interesting; anything!
Relating to our band, one interesting fact is that the final song on our album, “Anarchy,” begins with the sound of a door slamming. The particular door we used was an extremely heavy classroom door at my University. The long hallways made the door sound very loud and echo a lot, but in order to capture the sound, I had to sneak into the building late at night, which was an interesting experience to say the least.
Another fact that doesn’t relate to the band (but is still very interesting) is that we found an eight foot tall monument to Ronald McDonald outside a truck stop in the middle of Ohio. It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. A hidden wonder of the world, to be sure. Blueprints & Elements can be contacted and streamed online via any of their social media accounts. https://blueprintsandelements.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/blueprintsandelementsband/ https://www.instagram.com/blueprints_and_elements/ Contact: blueprintsandelementsband@gmail.com
