We recently connected with Geoff Hodsman and have shared our conversation below.
Geoff, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My most meaningful projects have been the releases I’ve done with my project Nachtmuse. The reason for this is, as a songwriter I’ve always written about various genre specific themes and whatever concepts my bandmates want. Nachtmuse however is a project all for myself and so I’ve been writing about my feelings, my life, the things that bug me, the things I need to get off my chest. And in doing so I’ve been being much more melodic and varied with the music as well (I have a background in extreme metal mainly), which is another way I’m putting myself out there when most people familiar with me as a musician wouldn’t expect anything like that.
Every Nachtmuse release is very personal. I’ve been able to make myself at peace with things in my life after putting them into my songs,
Geoff, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Geoff Hodsman, a multi instrumentalist, songwriter and music producer. I started in my teens playing bass, then guitar. It was metal music from the start. Then I got into song writing, which required using the computer to create songs, so I began to learn music production as well as drums (a result of programming drums while having a drum kit nearby to try things on).
Entering adulthood I played in various death metal bands in the Toronto area. I eventually became competent enough with music production that I began to offer my services to others as a recordist/audio engineer.
Nowadays I occasionally record others where my busy life allows, my recording ‘company’ is called Ecliptic Recordings. I also continue to play in death metal bands however my main musical endeavour is Nachtmuse, a more melodic and symphonic project. Nachtmuse’s music is very personal to me. It is mainly me though I do take help from other talented persons, mainly when it comes to the area of singing. Someday if people should show a demand for it, I might try and form an actual band for live performances with Nachtmuse.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I find the act of creating incredibly satisfying. It really is something I require in life – if I’m not creating then I’m simply just living, in the basest way. Life is much better if I’m making progress. I can listen to my own songs over and over again, not only because I love them and they are the way I want music to sound, but because it reminds me that there’s something I can do right and therefore I’m alright.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Being a creative can be entirely consuming. I’m not trying to be lofty when I refer to non-creatives as ‘normal’ or ‘everyday’ people but for the purpose of discussing this topic it fits: I find I often don’t have as much common ground with normal people as they would expect. I can’t discuss normal things like what’s happening in sports or what TV shows are currently worth watching, which video games I like, because these things simply aren’t part of my world. I am all in with what I do, it’s nearly all I think about. That’s how I got to be where I am now. Honestly it has made me quite imbalanced as there are some areas in life where I’m like a child in my ignorance – thankfully I have a wife to be the adult in our house when it comes to these things!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nachtmuse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NACHTMUSE/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nachtmuseband806
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0qA1nEdwEBkgub7rGquNzE
Image Credits
Cover art for ‘Solemn Songs of Nightsky & Sea’ David Lanham Small logo by David Lanham Cover art for ‘darker skies’ by Varises Otak