Hi, how’s it going? Could you tell us a bit about Pilgrims’ Dream and Flo Perlin, your story?
Flo Perlin and I are both solo artists. London born and bred, we met each other at an open mic a few years ago, at a pivotal time in our lives. Both of us were suffering with chronic illnesses and through our friendship found meaning, which is reflected in the music we write together.
Flo is a singer-songwriter with Iraqi and Belarusian heritage. Having busked around the Middle East, USA and Europe and toured around the UK, in 2019 Flo won a songwriting mentorship with The Nest Collective (BBC Folk Club) in 2019 which lead her to support artists such as Peggy Seeger and Sam Lee.
Pilgrims’ Dream is my solo project. I left the Marines a few years ago to focus on music full-time and have since played gigs and festivals all over the UK and Ireland and Europe.
Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
We both gain inspiration from a combination of artists some of which are the same and some of which differ. We both really enjoy Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell, Angus and Julia Stone, I’m also into bands like The War On Drugs and Fleet foxes.
Are there any particular artists or albums that have stuck with you?
For me Beatles albums have been a soundtrack to my life, and ‘Pet Sounds’ by The Beach Boys has also stuck with me especially. Such melancholy beauty.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing songs?
For ‘Life Lives Inside’ we drew inspiration from each other. It was the first time we had written together, and the first time we had really written anything with other people at all. It was a really exciting experience and in some ways easier than writing on your own.
Could you tell us about the writing/recording of the ReverbNation winning track “Life Lives Inside”?
We wrote and recorded it all in Flo’s living room. Influenced by the uncertainty around us, and the desire for solace, it all came together very quickly. I think we had written most of it in a day. I then brought my recording stuff round and we recorded most of it there, getting the vocals in just before the first lockdown, then sent it to a great double bass player to add the strings, and that was pretty much it!
The video for Life Lives Inside was created by using Stop Motion, what inspired this choice?
This was Flo’s idea and there’s just something so evocative and beautiful about Stop Motion which we thought would really suit the peaceful simplicity of the song. Flo also knew a very talented artist called Eliza Veretilo who does Stop Motion who did an amazing job creating it.
What have been some of your favourite venues to perform at?
For me personally playing at festivals in the open air in the countryside is my favourite. A lot of my inspiration comes from nature so it suits my music to be played there. Flo plays some really cool gigs and festivals for The Next Collective; they do them in beautiful outdoor venues, and concerts by fire bowls at night and things like that which I know she loves.
Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists do you have anyone to recommend?
Great, yeah here are a few: Mungo Parker, Chriz Gabriel, Dan Caleb, Harry Quinn, Georgia Maria, Belle Mt.
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
Lots more writing, some recording, and hopefully live gigs!
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