Hi friends! We’d like to introduce you to Grill Billyenz, an incredible musician and the mind behind the Moon Boots playlist. Read on to discover more about his latest work, creative process, and favorite sci-fi movies.
1. Your most recent release, Granola Pedagogy Academy, is described as a collection of lifestyle soundscapes – what inspired the creation of the work?
G.P.A. was inspired by my cousin who’s an English teacher and being a staple guest speaker in his Creative Writing class. Also, growing up in academia and being surrounded by people who value prestige and acquiring knowledge. I’ve always had the utmost respect for teachers and professors and their impact in society. I’ve wanted to have that same level of influence as an artist and make what I do expand so I thought “What if I created my own avant-garde school?ACADEMY. Yeh, that sounds better. But, it needs to be like a university with a cool acronym-style name…pshhhhh! What about GPA?! Somethin’ something’ Academy. Granola Pedagogy Academy?!” At that point I was locked in strictly off the phonetics of how everything sounded. Meaning behind it was following as ideas started to flood. This “school” isn’t a physical location but more of a state of mind that values self-expression, community, embracing differences, critical thinking, pedagogy, pushing humanity forward, and being a forever student to life. There’s so much beyond this plane of existence and the Granola Pedagogy Academy is a place to explore those unknowns and escape the Matrix. This project is like a thesis of my life.
2. Moon Boots is an all-day sort of strain, what does your perfect day off look like?
Perfect day for me would be waking up with the birds at 6A-7A. Roll sum’ up, meditate, and figure out how I want to approach my day. Eat breakfast—eggs, oatmeal or grits, some fresh berries or smoothie, and water. Spend a few hours doing some design work in Illustrator. Write a song. Read a chapter or two. Play and/or watch Street Fighter 6, CVS2, or Marvel vs. Capcom 2 matches. Twist up with my people and talk life. Take a long walk or drive. I love getting lost in big cities and looking at architecture. Finding a mom & pop styleMediterranean spot to get a plate. Watching an interview or documentary of a favorite artist, writer, athlete, or designer and gain insight on process then try to adapt techniques to my own life. A few more hours creating. Burn one more and call it.
3. How does weed inform your creative practice?
It’s an optimal way for me to enter into flow state. I’m more concerned about being enveloped by the process and experimentation versus being concerned about the “perfect” outcome.
4. Where are some of the places you go for inspiration?
Depends on my mood. There are times I don’t want to go anywhere and prefer to wander within my imagination for raw inspiration. Chicago is my favorite city so being there is ideal. Los Angeles of course. I love a good contemporary art museum. Or, shopping at unique boutiques. Going to big gardens that you can explore is always a good time. Being inspired really is like catching lightning in a bottle so it can happen to me at moments notice—it could be the way a ballpoint pen writes or the timbre in a voice that sparks me creating something.
5. What are some of your favorite places in Normal?
Milner Library, Constitution Trail, and my cousin’s crib honestly.
6. What’s your favorite sci-fi movie?
Hhmm! It’s a close tie between Fist of the North Star and Donnie Darko.
