Every once in awhile, you discover an artist or album that resonates with you, a voice that hits your heart. Olga Nunes is a singer, songwriter, and designer from San Fransisco, whose deep lyrics and intense sound make every listening experience a moving, musical adventure. She’s also an incredibly talented storyteller and she has combined all of these skills for her latest project, LAMP.

LAMP received funding about a year ago on Kickstarter, and I was so excited to help out. Not only is Olga a wonderful musician, but she’s a sweet person too and this project is one from the heart. It was an honor to help her achieve her goal.

Plus. She gave out the best awards. Check it out!

So really I just wanted to write this post to show off the awesome necklaces and other goodies Olga created. And, of course, to tell you all that you need to go listen to Olga’s music and follow her LAMP project. Because both are epically awesome. And you should follow her on twitter too because, well just because. And read her blog. You want to.

Enjoy! Also, the first post of the New Year! Yay! And this is the first post of a kind-of new series based on the old Music!Inspire interviews. Because I love music and you should too.

Ash wants to play the drums, and I’m a somewhat horrible guitar player (the guitar is based on my own, so it actually turned out better than the drum set did). Hopefully I’ll be able to get a few more illustrations churned out soon. It definitely makes me feel like an artist again. So what do you think?

Have to finish up some comics. I’ll do that this week. Ash and I and the pups are driving to Tennessee tonight (and the better part of tomorrow I suspect). It’s a 16 hour straight shot, let’s see if we can do it. Have a great Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it (and have a great weekend to everyone else).

The other reason for this post. This:

Because there’s always that slim chance that someone has not seen it, I thought I’d post it (again? I think? I’m pretty sure I already posted this when it first came out but I can’t find the original entry).

Come on. Felicia Day? In character? Hot. (Also, be sure to check out The Guild. Funny stuff.)

Gaya’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Gaya Kessler
Website: gayadesign.com
Twitter: @gayadesign
Design Song: Taken by Vultures
Song by: HORSE the band

What’s your favorite genre of music?
I for one do not believe in genres, I am not the one to place a band under a flag, but hey the whole world is using it right? I believe the tag any band should have is their own, because every band sounds different in my eyes. But to answer your question: I like all kinds of music, some are; Hardcore, Metalcore, Deathcore, Mathcore, Post-Hardcore, Old school indie / emo. Oh and 8-bit! The favorites are the heavier ones most of the time.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
When designing I listen to all kinds of music. Loud music gives me energy and soft easier music gives me peace. I have my playlist on shuffle so anything will do. I tend to listen to softer music in the evening though.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
One band inspires me a lot: HORSE the band. Check them out and give them a chance.

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
With bright coloured websites comes happy up tempo music. Dark websites get music that sounds dark by itself. When I am designing something clean, softer music would fit.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
Hmm, there are many music players I use. No particular one though. But there is always an application running in the background to keep track of my listens; Last.fm. A really amazing service and gives me bands I’d like to listen to, and he’s right in many cases!

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
I’d rather drop design than music. But the choice was a hard one. It’s just that I can’t live without music and I am almost always listening to music when I get the chance.

Cristina’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Cristina Assenza
Website: darth-cena.net
Twitter: @darthcena
Design Song: L’Arena
Song from: Il Mercenario

What’s your favorite genre of music?
I don’t know if it’s considered a genre, but my favorite is soundtracks. Whether they have various artists or it’s a movie score, I like them all! If you look at my Last.fm profile you’ll see that Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings), John Williams (Star Wars), and Thomas Newman (WALL-E) are my top artists, all of which who compose movie scores.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
I like to listen to music that doesn’t have any singing, which mainly is my movie scores. I find that if I listen to something I can sing along to it’s distracting.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
In general, not really. If I am working on themed design – like a Star Wars design, for example – I’ll listen to Star Wars music to get me in the mood.

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
I think so. Again, I find that calmer instrumental music suits me best than songs I can sing along to.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
I just use iTunes! A lot of times I have it on shuffle through soundtracks.

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
I can’t live without either. Bother are a HUGE part of who I am and what I do.

Meggan’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Meggan Gunter
Website: oipom.com
Twitter: @meggan
Design Song: Starálfur
Song by: Sigur Rós

What’s your favorite genre of music?
Metal. That said, I listen to everything from alternative indie pop stuff to scary things in other languages, so I am pretty open. I listen to a fair amount of black metal (Borknagar, Opeth), industrial (Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein), folky Nordic metal (Storm, Otyg), goth/doom metal (Type O Negative, Sisters of Mercy), alternative (They Might Be Giants), indie (The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel), and pop (Lily Allen). I tend to have favorite bands rather than favorite generes, because I listen to so many different kinds of stuff.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
Not generally. If I have a particular song stuck in my head, I will listen to that, but I think most stuff I listen to is too abrasive for thoughtful work.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
Sigur Rós! Their stuff is so amazingly perfect for design or development work. It’s symphonic enough to be calming, but has either a beat or is loud enough that you get a rhythm going in your work. Plus, depending on the album, the lyrics are either in Icelandic or a nonsense language that mimics Icelandic, so you don’t get too caught up in what the vocalist is saying and can focus on your work. Phenomenal and totally recommended. (If you’ve seen The Life Aquatic, Starálfur is the song that comes on when Zissou & co. are in the sub and they see the leopard shark. LOVE IT.)

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
Hm. I’ll say that if I really get on a roll, I want some pumping music behind me. That’s more for development, I guess, but Rammstein or NIN are great for that. When I’m thinking, or working on fiddly designy things, I prefer something more mellow like The Decemberists or Neutral Milk Hotel so it doesn’t get in my way. I think my designs and my development needs influence my listening rather than the other way around.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
iTunes. I don’t use Pandora since we’re not allowed to stream music at work, and then I forget to use it once I’m home. I usually prefer to listen to a whole album at once rather than a party shuffle or something, so I like iTunes for that because I can play things by album easily.

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
No, and no! ALL THE BEAUTY WOULD BE GONE FROM THE WORLD. I just rediscovered this article on A List Apart called “In Defense of Eye Candy” and realized it’s more or less what I wrote my thesis on in college. People perceive attractive things to work better and to be more trustworthy, and it’s the function of the designer to facilitate this experience. I’d be so sad without that!

Nicole’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Nicole Charshaf
Website: ncharshaf.com
Twitter: @ncharshaf
Design Song: Call Me
Song by: Shinedown

What’s your favorite genre of music?
I pride myself on being very well rounded in my taste of music. I do not care for classical music, or rap, but that’s about it. Even though I do not care for those, I am sure I could find songs in both genres that would interest me. Today, I tend to stick to hard rock / metal music, but I still enjoy all of the music that I grew up with. To me, music triggers memories, and I can remember what I was feeling, and a time in my life when I hear those songs again. Having a large range of music that I like, has allowed me to be a sponge, picking up pieces of musical taste from everyone around me.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
I do not always listen to music while designing, but I do always need some sort of background noise going on. I get antsy if it is too quiet. When I do listen to music while designing, it is typically one of my Pandora stations that I will turn on. I tend to get sick of my own music quickly, so I am not a huge fan of buying music. My primary Pandora station which I have had for years is my “Godsmack station” which ironically plays little to no Godsmack, and instead plays a lot of Audioslave, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Metallica. I interchange this with my “Bush – Glycerin” station which is a bit more alternative rock than the Godsmack channel. I find that between these two stations I get a pretty good variety of music, especially with the nature of Pandora on finding new music.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
No, I am much more drawn to songs, than artists. I may like one song from an artist, but not others. I would not say I have a favorite artist or band, there are too many to choose from.

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
I have not noticed a difference in my style based on music or vice versa, but this could be a fun experiment to see if I could get myself to explore different styles through different music.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
Pandora, or iTunes.

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
No, both give me extreme joy in life. I do not know what to do with myself without design, and the challenge of coming up with new options always keeps me going. Music closely ties in with phases of my life, and the memories that I form. I have as vivid memories of the music that I was listening to, as I do the events that actually ahppend for many phases of my life.

Rachel’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Rachael Acklin
Website: caffeinatedelf.com
Twitter: @caffeinatedelf
Design Song: Stronger
Song by: Kanye West w/ Daft Punk

What’s your favorite genre of music?
I’m going to say Dance, although bagpipes or bluegrass get my heart rate up just as often as a bass beat.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
It changes a lot! It depends completely on what mood I’m in that day. If I don’t feel soothed or energized by my music, I can’t create like I want to. I’ll go from heavy rock to Beethoven if I’m in the mood for it.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
Not unless that’s what I’m in the mood for. I have days where all I want to listen to is Bob Dylan, or U2, or Nightwish. Some days it’s all Beethoven or all Enya; but usually I can’t listen to only one artist for a long period of time unless they have some kind of variety in their music, and I have more than one of their albums.

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
I do find that when I want to design in bright or bold colors, I need something loud and energetic. If I’m using muted tones, I’m probably going to listen to something classical or calming. I also find that when I’m feeling tired, I choose more energetic music so that I don’t FEEL tired while I’m being creative.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
I’ve been using iTunes, and sharing the iTunes library between my two work computers so that I always have the same music no matter where I am; I’ve tried different music players (Songbird, J. River Musicbox, Winamp, etc.), but none of them seem to have the capabilities that iTunes has. It’s somewhat bloated and uses plenty of RAM on my less-powerful machine, but I still like it.

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
No, and no! Music makes me feel alive, it helps me express my mood or feelings with something that is on the outside of me. And design is such a part of my makeup that I doubt I could NOT design. It’s subconscious.

Jan’s Music!Inspiration

Name: Jan Cavan
Website: dawghousedesignstudio.com
Twitter: @jancavan
Design Song: I Believe
Song by: Blessed Union of Soul

What’s your favorite genre of music?
I actually listen to mostly all kinds of music – country, hip hop, R&B, pop, alternative, classical, rock but I’m not a fan of heavy metal. I also like listening to Britney Spears and boybands. I don’t care what you have to say about that.

Do you listen to that genre while designing or does it change?
Yes. But most of my time is spent in the office working with a team and a different person is in charge to play the music every time. I’m usually just okay with whatever they’re playing but if someone plays heavy metal or something really noisy, I couldn’t concentrate. I usually end up having a creative block and not being able to get anything done until they stop playing it.

Do you tend to listen to any artist in particular while designing?
Not really. I usually just shuffle the songs but I love listening to Michelle Branch. Her music’s not too loud and not too lonely either. It’s just the right beat for me.

Do you find that different song styles or beats influence the style of your designing? Vice versa?
A lot of my time is spent working with a team so I guess I’ve grown to become more flexible so I can still be creative whatever genre is being played – just as long as it’s not heavy metal.

What program/site do you use to listen to music?
iTunes.

And finally, could you live without music? Design?
Definitely not.

—-

Because of the amount of interest I had in doing these interviews, I’m sure I’ll be doing them in the future. I’m thinking once per month? So keep your eyes open for a future sign-up post for the next Design Music!Inspiration interviews!

Now? Now I’m listening to the Innocent Mission and Kate Rusby and basically any female folk singer. My music tastes are far and wide, and Pandora Radio has been my best friend lately. It has broaden my horizons, so to say.

This led me to thinking though. What do other designers listen to? This in turn led to, What would a compilation of designers’ playlists sound like? So I have proposition for all you designers out there: Design Music!Inspiration.

Design Music!Inspiration

This is a project open to any designer. Comment on this post and I will send you a short list of interview questions that have to do with your musical tastes. I will then ask you to choose one song that sums up all the music that you find design inspiration in. In a week or two (depending on how many responses I get), I’ll put it all together in a post that will contain each interview as well as a playlist of the ultimate Design Inspiration.

Ready to begin? Then let’s go! Comment and let me know if you want in on this great great project; this Design Music!Inspiration!

Designers Signed Up:

Jess of Delicious Design Studio
Rachel of Antithete
Cristina of Darth Cena
Jan of Dawghouse Design Studio
Gaya of Gaya Design
Lelia of Lelia Thomas (if she has time)
Meggan of Oipom.com
Nicole of Nicole Charshaf

The best way to get the word out? Tweet this!

(Edit 5/10/09: Smashing Magazine has put a pretty great article along the lines of my post. It’s calledDrawing Inspiration from Music. Check it out!)

Even though I surprised Emi, I’m pretty sure I got the biggest surprise. My dad bought Ash and I and him tickets to see Great Big Sea at the House of Blues in Chicago yesterday! It was unbelievable. We were only a few feet from the b’ys as they played their hearts out and I actually got teary when they came out on stage. I have been trying to see them in concert for the past seven years and I’ve had tickets twice and something always came up and I couldn’t see them. I kept thinking on the drive to Chicago that something horrible would happen and we wouldn’t see them. There would be an accident or the band was sick or our tickets were bad or something. I’m so glad I didn’t jinx myself.

We were planning on going back today, but the weather was pretty bad, so when we were discussing what we should do, Ash suggested we just stay till Friday and then go down and spend the weekend with Ted, her step-dad. Everyone loved that idea so here we are, still in Wisconsin. We’ve already got the week planned and Ash and I are going go see Shelly and the baby tomorrow (we saw them yesterday but only for a short time). We’ll see what else we end up doing.

The dial-up here at the house sucks and goes in an out, but when we head to Shelly’s I’ll bring my laptop and take advantage of her wireless so I can get classes started and possibly get some of my designs that I made up in the shop (and get some stuff down for clients – I haven’t forgotten). It’ll be good.

Today, we’re taking it easy. Yesterday’s concert wore us all out and my legs are killing me from jumping and my voice hurts from screaming and my hearing hasn’t completely come back. Still. It was amazing. Totally worth it.

Team Records Music from Stars

You’ll also note that the sound of one star is very slightly different to the other. That’s because the sound they make depends on their age, size and chemical composition. The technique, called “stellar seismology”, is becoming increasingly popular among astronomers because the sounds give an indication of what is going on in the stars’ interior.

Go to the article and listen to the four audio files. Isn’t it amazing? We can actually hear the stars. We can hear our own sun. Absolutely incredible. I thought it was worth sharing. I think our sun has the prettiest song, but the cluster of stars you can listen to really made my jaw drop. They sound like horns honking on a busy street. Crazy.

So, what did you hear today?

Happiness. Probably the number one most watched video on my YouTube Favorites.

How can you not love it?

What a lucky guy. Wish I could travel the world just to dance.