Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Chicago’s The Peace Accord. Together we discussed their name, Greendale Community College, their recent album “Imposter Syndrome”, and so much more!
1. Mustard is thankful to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?
I am thankful to be here! I am doing well and hope you are doing the same!
2. Is there an event that inspired your artist name? Or was your name inspired by a tranquil moment in a Honda?
I wish I could have had this serene Honda experience, but it was not meant to be. I have played in a few bands, but The Peace Accord came to me years ago as a band name that I would like to use some day. No events have inspired it other than the hope that the world could use a little more peace.
3. Can you recall your first experience with music? What is your favorite music-related memory?
I think I had a Mickey Mouse drum set when I was very little. My favorite music related memory was probably the first time I recorded in a studio. That said, it must have been very annoying for the engineer.
4. In your Instagram profile you state “Let’s do some arting!” Could you share with us your relationship with art?
Before I played music, I was doing art. I have been doing art since I was a child and it blossomed into an art scholarship that led me into playing music. I still do the occasional album cover for a friend here and there.
5. You’re tasked to create a diorama with one of the members of The Greendale Six and a side character. Who do you create a diorama with and why?
First off, why does a community college have so many dioramas? While the tendency is to ask Magnitude, it would make more sense to ask Professor Professorson himself. Sean Garrity would be the perfect choice because he could help add the right dramatic calls to the diorama that would help me get the most meow meow beans.
WAIT A MINUTE, do more people listen to you because you are mustard? This would make so much sense.
6. Who (or what) influences you?
A good song influences me… experiences, stories untold… Wake The Watchman influences me. The Song Club Radio Hour influences me.
7. What is your creative process?
It depends on the project. Sometimes, it is a challenge created to make a song based off of certain prompts and parameters. More often than not, I’ll come up with a music idea first and then create the lyrics and vocal melody around it.
8. You appeared on “Close To Me: A Tribute to The Cure.” What was it like to be on this project? Do you have a favorite Cure album?
-That was a fun project. My friend Guilherme Wolf (a fantastic Brazilian musician), pulled that together and had me do a song and an album cover for it. “Boys Don’t Cry” seemed like the right choice and it was fun to give it a different spin. I do wish I had more time on that one to have made the vocals not sound like Pinky (from Pinky and The Brain), but I got to capture a moment and pay tribute to a foundational band in my life.
Disintegration is great!
9. You’ve been approached by a Hollywood Executive to bring your Imaginary Movies to life. Who do you cast? Who is the director?
That’s a loaded question. I would cast my friends and other musicians if I could. As far as picking out a director, Spike Jonze would be a great choice. -I’m sure he clearly has heard of me? Right?!
10. What do you think a Ghost Town Comedy Club would look like? Who is the headliner?
I assume it would be a run down bar with an area that was clearly not raised but designated as a stage. I don’t think I would be the headliner as I assume that people would show up for the headliner. People would definitely be talking and drinking or just getting in for the headliner during my set. Perhaps the headliner could be someone like Rob Goraieb.
11. Mustard at times feels imposter syndrome. How did imposter syndrome help inspire your newest album? Do you also feel imposter syndrome? How do you handle it?
No matter how much I have done or accomplished, I feel like an Imposter artistically. I definitely don’t want to feel this way and have experiences/friends that would argue otherwise.
I don’t necessarily take that as a bad thing though. The longing to be more or feeling of not being enough is very human and it comes off in the songs on this record. From songs about almost drowning, to friends not being able to get past their own demons… we have all tried and have been beaten up by life in some way. Because we have been beaten up by life, we almost expect it to happen again. That doesn’t make you an imposter, but it could sure make you question.
As far as dealing with it, I try to make more and more songs. It is my coping mechanism.
12. Our stories help make us human. Is there a quote from a story that you admire?
Our “stories” do make us human.
To say “story” could imply that the quotes might be perceived as fictional, whereas the best quotes come from life lived. No immediate quote comes to mind, just the friendships along the way and the examples that I admire.
13. What is next for The Peace Accord?
The past 13 months I have been releasing music every month building up to a proper record in Imposter Syndrome… I have not made any immediate plans other than to slowly write for the followup -which I hope to get out at the end of the year. That doesn’t mean things won’t be happening until then, I love collaborations and they come up often.
*coughspeoplecangetaholdofmetocollaboratecoughs*
14. Where can readers listen to your music?
The most across the board way I could think of is to post:
Music Shelf With Mustard 