The Obelisk Questionnaire: Ross Hurt of Burial Waves
Posted in Questionnaire on March 4th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Ross Hurt of Burial Waves
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
It’s funny, when it comes to daily life, the older I get, the more time feels limited… As a young musician I somehow had hours to play, hours to party, and still found time to work AROUND that. These days, everyday life is very routine and task driven, and I play around my work schedule and family.
I like to try to operate on schedule and within a structure. I guess as a result, I feel that over the years as a musician I have been more inclined to ONLY want to work outside of the “normal” writing and tendencies of rock. Like only pick up the guitar if I am determined to let go of the wheel a bit. I stopped writing verses and choruses, stopped trying to do solos, and really even stopped trying to make the guitars and bass sound like traditional guitars and bass. I can still write (what I think is) a good song, but I have to surrender to the actual process of letting go.
I had to accept the fact that I am not a shredder. I am not a “jammer.” I am not a theory wiz… There were always Rock bands that seemed to go to their roots for inspiration… Be it blues, jazz, folk, or any genre that was spawned off those. I love some technically proficient players, but that’s not me. I became obsessed with the folks that danced outside the lines of tradition: Brian Eno, Tom Morello, Stars of the Lid, and plenty of film score composers. There’s a happy place in between straight-ahead rock (or any of the thousand subgenres) and the weird, and I’ve found comfort exploring that area as my own place to play around outside routine and guardrails.
Describe your first musical memory.
Hearing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” when I was a toddler. Jumping around on my bed playing air guitar completely naked. I didn’t have MTV or anything like that at the time… I had never seen a live show. All I knew is that it made me want to play guitar and get lost in it.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
My parents were always passively supportive of my bands in high school and stuff… But never had a reaction of “I love this song” and they probably didn’t know the title of a single song I’ve ever written. When Black Clouds was writing our debut album, the goal was to make a “loud massive bummout.” We had garnered a fair amount of attention locally for our live shows, so my mom asked to hear our album before it was out to see what it was all about. I could tell she was trying to understand it, but by the time the album closer, “Santorum Sunday School,” had the vocal sample kick in, she was visibly disgusted, upset, and worried… That was when I knew that I had made the album that I was really most proud of at the time. Since then, it’s only gotten better with each recording.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I think anytime a band has broken up… that’s tough for me. I always invest an obsessive amount of creative energy and emotion into each project, admittedly to a fault. I am usually the last person to see the writing on the wall that spells out the demise of a band, so I am usually last to find out or most surprised by it. I’ve always felt like there needed to be a sendoff or farewell to have one last reflection or moment to celebrate our efforts, but it always ends up being rather unceremonious… and maybe that’s because I believed what we were doing was way more important for everyone outside of my head than it really was hahaha.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
I think it depends on what your personal creative goals and expectations are. Some folks want to be the best at their instrument, some folks want to write the best song, and some folks just want an excuse to hang with their friends and have beers. For me it’s the excitement of continuously moving the finish line.. You run a mile, now run a 5k. You run a 5k, now run a marathon. Most folks that run like that know they aren’t going to win, but they do it for the continuous challenge. For me it’s not building my chops, being a better guitarist… it’s having a better understanding of what I am good at as a songwriter, and using that in new ways (without sounding like a one trick pony). Progress is the continuous understanding and application of my skillset, not the advancement of it.
How do you define success?
Surprising people. Surprising myself. I like to write stuff for me first, and audience second. If something I like comes out of that: success. If someone else likes it: bigger success.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Aside from the last four years, the Wikipedia page for A Serbian Film.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I would love to score a film in a collaborative way. Working with director and writers about themes, moments, motifs, reservation, and more. I’ve grown to love the visual accompaniments of music more and more… intense stage productions and beyond. I think film and television can often make music better, and music often makes film and tv better.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Challenge. I don’t think you are always supposed to like every bit of art at first listen/glance. But I think if it sticks with you and makes you think, challenges or tests your nerves for better or for worse, then I think it is serving its purpose. It’s an expression ultimately. If it gives you pause, heightens your awareness of a subject, or triggers and emotion, then I think the artist has accomplished the essential goal. No artist wants their work shrugged off, and it starts there. I think that sums up it’s function for the audience, but the same applies to the artist… You have to challenge yourself and WANT the challenge of finding the best way to express whatever it is you are aiming to express. If you think you have accomplished that en totale, you’ve failed. If you did something great and people responded, then you’ve successfully started your journey as an artist.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I have been doing a great deal of creative writing outside of music. Storytelling, scripts, and treatments. Having conversations with people I deeply respect and admire for guidance and feedback with this stuff is a dream. As cliche as it is to say, art is an escape for me. Going to the movies was a mini-vacation. Going to shows was always inspiring. Going to restaurants and trying new things is important… I can’t draw worth shit, I am not a good cook, I don’t have the funds or time to dive into photography, but I do get a kick out of engaging with an audience. Whether it’s through music, writing something funny, or occasionally writing something moving, I love feeling like I am giving someone that same kind of escape that I cherish. I’ve also learned that first drafts are always shit… so working with other folks, rewriting, and embracing that challenge is almost just as exciting as making music.
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