Garnering initial fame just over a year ago on Soundcloud, Lostboycrow, a singer/songwriter from Portland, has recently grown his following after his EP “Sigh for Me”. His intimate, soulful sound can be felt through every lyric and note, unleashing powerful emotions for all listeners. A rising star with high ambitions, Lostboycrow pulls much of his inspiration from the places he’s been and the people around him.

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Sean Ritchie: Describe where you’re from a little bit. What’s the atmosphere of your town like? Where you would suggest someone to go?

Lostboycrow: I grew up in the Northwest in the suburbs of Portland. It’s so very green, and very seasonal. It was a good place to grow up. I was able to experience every type of terrain the state had to offer. That’s just the type of climate and terrain of Oregon. I was pretty lucky in that regard. I grew up on Portland, and spent most of my childhood driving back with my family to Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. That type of stretch in the country people don’t normally talk about as a big destination. I was able to drive in that part of the country.

I think that really shaped the way I connect with people, the way that I connect with art, my music and culture. Being in that area you’re surrounded by so many nice people. Nobody talks about North Dakota and Wyoming they’re such beautiful places with rich culture. They’re kind of forgotten along with the indigenous people that have inhabited that land for so long. I felt that it was a really neat opportunity to travel back there and visit all my number one destinations in that area.

Photo courtesy | Maciek Lulko

SR: For sure! Now, North Dakota and Montana — those are your vacation destinations? Did you have family or any kind of relatives drawing you there?

LBC: Yeah, I have family in Montana and South Dakota. So, when we would drive back we would end up going to national parks [there]. That would kind of make the trips a little longer than they normally would’ve been. We’d just take in the views, sights and the land.

SR: What influenced the start of your music career? What kind of sparked your interest? Where did your initial inspiration come from?

LBC: That’s a good question. Well, growing up I enjoyed listening to the Beach Boys and The Beatles on cassette with my parents, and that’s just the way it was. That was my first introduction to the music world. I kind of started in high school I had a bunch of friends that were really into singing. I started listening to more alternative music and it kind of started to lead to starting a band. That’s what you do when you have friends that like that kind of stuff. You have a dream to do something bigger. A few garages and a few bands later and here we are.

It really started in high school when I got into choir. That’s where I really started to pursue music. Before that I was home schooled through eighth grade. I didn’t have much care for school and the traditional sense. I would just sit by the piano all day and figure out Cold Play songs. That’s really when I started to play and get into music that way. So, it came in stages.

SR: Wow that crazy! So, tying it back into travel, how does music and travel connect for you?

LBC: Wow, that such a good question! I want to have a good answer. I feel like both music and travel are both stories. Music is kind of a chance, at least from an artist standpoint, to pull all the sounds, past and present, around you. When you travel to a location that you haven’t been to in a while there a so many vibes/vibrations in the culture around you that can’t really be explained.

I think that’s why people like music so much. It pulls on those senses that you cant really describe. It makes you feel almost immortal. When I travel to Wyoming, or watch the sunset in Montana, I get that same feeling of immortality. I feel as an artist it’s really important to grab that from different destinations, and come across different stories from people that have been forgotten or the stories that haven’t been told yet. The two are definitely correlated, because they’re both inspiring.

Photo courtesy | Ryan McKee

SR: Absolutely, the one thing that stands out for me about music is it’s really an international language. You don’t necessarily need to speak the same language as somebody else, but you can instantly walk into a room, rock out to the same song, be one and have that instant connection.

LBC: Yeah, absolutely! I think it’s because music is vibrations at the core matter of what we are. We’re made of tiny vibrations. It makes sense that music is overloading and powerful. It can control you emotions. It can control things deeper than anyone can understand, because it’s at the core of humanity and atoms. It’s almost like an unspeakable connection, like you were saying. You can be completely different and speak an entirely different language and be a different religion, but you know exactly what that person is singing about. It’s all about that connection. I think that’s why it’s so powerful. It brings people together and I think it’s inspiring.

SR: We already touched on the Pacific Northwest and Montana. Outside of those destinations, where else have you traveled? Anything internationally?

LBC: Yeah, I went to Russia when I was about 14 years old for a couple of weeks with family. That was obviously a life-changing experience. It was an interesting age. I was able to understand everything and really take in everything in my surroundings. I’d love to go back as an adult and kind of experience the cities on my own, especially Moscow. It’s interesting to see that part of the world. America has such a brief history in the grand scheme of things. Russia has such a lengthy and diverse history. The energy is different.

Photo courtesy | Loïc Lagarde

SR: Yeah, it’s like a deeper, more entrenched culture almost.

LBC: Yeah, it’s a deeper culture that has been around for so much longer. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like people are set in their ways. It was very dark, but in a very beautiful way. You can look around and see churches that were older than America — buildings that [have been] around forever. It seems like a very different vibe. It was cool. I feel that it was like many other cities in Europe. I would really like to explore more. That’s really the only place I’ve been outside of the US.

SR: When you travel are you more active trying to discover new things, or are you more trying to relax and chill when you have down time?

LBC: I think it kind of depends on who I travel with and where I am. I kind of like to see new things. Steer away from the Disney World-type scenarios, but I do like to get out and see the type of culture. You spend one night in New Orleans and you experience the entire culture for sure. I like to walk around the streets in the shoes I’m wearing at my show that night. It’s kind of like a pregame ritual — connecting with the earth, the city and seeing what it has to say. I really like to get out and explore the cities, but I guess not in the traditional type of way.

Photo courtesy | Praline

SR: What are the venues that you have to hit before you hang up the guitar or stop singing?

LBC: Oh man, that’s a great question. Not particularly. I mean much more events like festivals I would love to play Coachella. I know this isn’t a festival, but a personal milestone would be SNL. That would be really validating. So, yeah not particularly. I would love to play more in Portland, where I’m from. Also, Chicago, maybe Albuquerque too. No specific venues, but definitely cities I’m looking forward to playing in.

SR: Have you ever hit up New York?

LBC: Not really, that’s definitely next on the list of priorities. My managers would really like to get my to NY. Is that where you’re from?

SR: Yeah we’re actually right outside of NY in northern New Jersey.

LBC: Oh right on, what are your favorite venues?

SR: There’s so many, Gramercy Theater in NYC is dope. If you go down towards Asbury Park you have the Stone Pony, Starland Ballroom. There’s a bunch of old venues in the area that have so much history. They’re intimate settings, kind of small, but still great places.

LBC: Awesome, there is one place I actually just thought of. The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington. I can only image what it would be like to play there. I would love to see myself on there one day.

Photo courtesy | Java Colleen

SR: Lastly, to wrap this up, where’s the next trip? Do you have any shows coming up?

LBC: Yeah, I’m playing South by Southwest in March I’ll be in Austin. Austin is fantastic I’m a huge fan. I’ve been there once a long time ago, but I’ve never been to SXSW. I’m sure it will be entirely different.

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