We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caleb Sanders a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Caleb, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful (and challenging) projects I have worked on as an artist is Plain Faraday’s most recent EP, Pink Blazer. For context, this is the second EP that we have independently recorded, produced, mixed, and released. However, while our first EP was a reflection of our indie-folk-rock roots, the Pink Blazer project was an exploration into spaces of Neo-funk, jazz, soul, and indie-pop. As an artist, I believe it is very important to always be creating art that excites, challenges, and propels you into new creative spaces. In light of this, I feel like the Pink Blazer project facilitated lots of growth in me as a musician, audio engineer, and producer. While the challenges were many, being able to look back upon a finalized product that I truly take pride in it has been very fulfilling.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Caleb Sanders and I’m the guitarist and singer in the Denver-based indie band, Plain Faraday. Plain Faraday was originally founded by myself and my father, Rob Sanders (upright bass) back in 2017. We started our musical journey playing coffee shops and writing songs in our living room. Over the years, our efforts expanded to a variety of local musicians and developed a heavy emphasis on creative, collaborative, and dynamic music accessible to a wide audience. While my father recently stepped out of a formal position in the band, we’ve expanded to include cellist Katie Burns, drummer Miles Jenkins, multi-instrumentalist Riley Merino, trumpeter Ian Thomas, and trombonist Matteo Bassani.

Plain Faraday’s unique sound lies somewhere between modern folk and Neo-funk. Influences of indie-rock, Americana, jazz, and pop abound. Our quest for meaningful lyrics and dynamic compositions are guided by a respect for wood and steel, times past and present.

In the last handful of years we’ve seen great traction as a band, supporting artists like Run River North, Parker Millsap, The Collection, The Arcadian Wild, The National Parks, and others. We’ve also sold out headline shows in Denver and recently toured the west with our pal Emily Brimlow. We’re excited for what the future holds with this project and are looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in Denver and beyond!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

We live in a world of manufactured perception. At different points in my artistic career, I feel like I’ve become obsessed with controlling the perception of myself (or my band) in the eyes of others. I want to appear successful, put together, confident, and creative. Social media pressures us into this mindset and our societal influences tell us this is the way to make it in the music world. However, I’ve experienced the most fulfillment and reward from my creative craft in abandoning these notions. First and foremost, a dedicated pursuit of anything creative must be rooted in a genuine love for that creative thing, not its success in the eyes of others. At the end of the day, the most rewarding moments for me as a musician occur when I look back on a show, session, rehearsal, or experience and am able to take joy in the shared creativity that emerges from those moments.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When we first started recording music as a band, we quickly learned about the relatively expensive nature of the recording business. In light of this, we decided to pivot towards DIY recording, mixing, and production. This pivot was especially challenging for me (as I was the one leading the transition) and I was very intimidated by my lack of knowledge and expertise in the recording world. That said, after many YouTube videos and much trial and error, I gained the skills needed to create something I was proud of. All that said, don’t be afraid to push and challenge yourself when faced with intimidating tasks! Often times, these challenges will actually enable you to push your creativity to its fullest.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://plainfaraday.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plainfaraday/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plainfaraday
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvj-CB3xss0mDnJOWqdRpRw/videos?app=desktop&sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view=0
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2is8xTrf2ufRO6HfAjk1qi?si=ydT6PcNmROSA1HCvBTV6aQ

Image Credits
Ezra Bram Thomas Irwin Jordan Altergott