San Fermin frontman talks artistic process

On Jan. 13, the Brooklyn-based band San Fermin released the second single, “Bride,” off of their forthcoming third LP, Belong. The band, the brainchild of Ellis Ludwig-Leone, was founded in 2013. Since then, they have released two studio albums, toured North America as well as Europe, and received critical acclaim from the likes of  NPR, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Come this April, San Fermin will once again be on tour in support of Belong. This week, Ludwig-Leone was gracious enough to take time out of his schedule to discuss life on tour, his creative process, and how San Fermin continues to evolve with the Newsletter.

Writers often find it difficult to label San Fermin’s music. If I had to describe it, I would say it’s modern alternative with traces of Ludwig-Leone’s background in classical composition, which he studied at Yale. With this in mind, I asked him how he would characterize San Fermin’s sound for those that haven’t heard their music.

“I’ve heard that question many times. I don’t think I’ve ever come up with a really satisfactory answer except for to say ‘It’s a rock band, but there’s more instruments than you’d expect and there’s more singers than you’d think. There’s two singers and the arrangements are big and important to the songs.’ I’ve heard people call it different things, baroque pop, chamber pop, but I really don’t like those terms. I’m not out to trick people into listening to classical music or anything. I’m just trying to write the music that I know how to do. Basically, I happen to know how to write for all these instruments, and I also happen to not be able to sing very well. So, those were my limitations and my strengths going into it, and then I wrote these songs,” he said.

On San Fermin’s first record, Ludwig-Leone relied on writing through the lens of a male and a female character, whereas with Jackrabbit and Belong, he has gradually embraced drawing from more personal material.

“I think when I was a little younger everything felt like the be-all end-all when I would write it, and I was very prone to being kind of melodramatic. So, whenever I’d try to think about my own life, I would get that way, in a way that was often not great. As I’ve gotten a little bit older, there’s a little bit more of a sense of perspective to everything I’m writing. I feel confident enough as a songwriter and in who I am as a person that I’m able to see the kinds of things that trouble me on a day to day basis or that are interesting to me personally with a little bit more perspective and insight,” he said.

According to Ludwig Leone, San Fermin’s experiences consistently touring together have lent a new kind of cohesion to Belong.

“The first record was made and recorded before this was even a band, so it didn’t have any sort of band feeling to it at all, or very little. The second record had a lot more of that, but it was still kind of figuring itself out. This was really the first time where it was like ‘Hey, we have literally played hundreds of shows together, and I know all of you really well, and I know your voices and your instruments. I really am more comfortable writing for you than anyone else in the world,’” he said.

With regards to what it’s like to play different kinds of venues and what makes a great show, Ludwig-Leone emphasized the key role that the audience’s energy and enthusiasm often plays.

“It definitely changes from night to night. Often it has to do with the crowd, and how much energy seems to be in the room even before you play. If the audience is already kind of there, it’s a lot easier to really have a fun time and play really hard because you’re getting a lot of feedback from them, so that’s really cool,” he said.

Even on the nights when they’re feeling relatively worn-out, San Fermin strive to put forth a great show.

“I think our band does a pretty good job even on the down nights; I mean, the goal is to always bring the best show you can bring. I try to remind myself that every time we play the fact that people come is great. It’s kind of a miracle, so every time that happens I try not to take for granted the fact that there is an audience and to make sure that they go home thinking that they’ll come see us again,” Ludwig-Leone said.

As for what continued success for this project looks like for him, Ludwig-Leone is focused on maintaining the quality of San Fermin’s music while simultaneously continuing to grow their fan base.

“Success for this project for me is continuing to be able to write the music that I want to write and continuing to have a fan base that cares about it and that supports us and hopefully continuing to grow. It’s an eight person band, and they all need to eat, so it’s important that the venues keep growing and that the shows keep getting better. Really it’s just making sure that the music itself is good, that I’m happy I’m writing it and that basically it seems to be relevant enough to people’s lives that they care about listening to it, ” he said.

In the midst of their success,  Ludwig-Leone and the rest of the band remain humble by keeping things in perspective.

“A good way to keep humble is to play summer rock festivals like Lollapalooza or whatever. You go there, and if you think you’re doing well, well Eminem is playing later that night, and he’s on a whole other scale of that. It’s helpful to basically remind yourself that there’s a long way to go. You want to bring the music to as many people as you can, but you also want the music to be true and good music that is coming from somewhere honest. It’s hard to write good music like that if you’re kind of up your own ass,” he said.  

Making the time to pursue one’s creative goals can seem overwhelming amidst our chaotic schedules and obligatory commitments, yet Ludwig-Leone emphasizes the importance of doing so.

“My advice would be to always prioritize your creative work. It’s easy to be like ‘Well, I’ll make this painting after I finish my homework, or I’ll write this song after I go to work to make money,’ or whatever. I think you obviously have to do what you have to do to get by, but it’s really easy for people to think of their creative work as a secondary thing, and as soon as you start thinking about it that way, it’s a much harder road. So I would say always prioritizing the work, and always prioritizing your time so that any time you can, you’re working on it. It’s a competitive field and a lot of people want to do it, so you just have to want it more,” he said.

Be sure to check out Belong when it’s released on April 7th and catch San Fermin live at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. on May 10th.