Local music maker Patrick Galactic will be releasing his debut EP, Running From The Sun, this coming December 2nd and you will surely want to lend an ear, or two. It’s a gem of a record that had me wishing it was a full on LP throughout the entire “sprawling, cinematic 17-minute auditory experience”.

Written and recorded in a time of profound loss, the 5 song collection is at turns fiery, mournful, and reflective. Says Galactic, “My life felt like an existential country music cliché. I was divorced from my partner of 15 years. My grandmother died. My band broke up. Many things came to an end at once.”

Make sure to see Patrick Galactic when he plays the Sunset this November 17th for his EP release! I had the chance to chat with Mr. Galactic about his new EP, the “very bloody” music video for album opener “Center Of Command”, an enduring love of The Monkees and KISS, making mixtapes and I learned about a GalactiGun.

the mixtape: What are you doing right now besides answering this question?

Patrick Galactic: I’m reading about the hellscape that is American politics. I try to stop but it’s like the worst reality TV show. I know it’s bad and will only disappoint and/or infuriate me but I can’t look away.

tm: Your debut solo EP, Running From The Sun, is to be released this coming December 2nd. It’s a fantastic album that had me engaged throughout from my very first listen. Is this completely solo in regard to you playing all instruments, writing, etc.?

PG: Thank you. I wrote the songs and brought them to the studio with just the acoustic guitar and vocals. Madison Levine from CTPAK Records produced the album and was invaluable to me as a collaborator. I played the guitar, bass, and some of the keys on the EP. Madison created the atmospheric textures, played drums and generally told me “no” when I tried to overdo things.

tm: Where did you get the name Patrick Galactic? It totally fits with the sound of your EP Running From The Sun. I’m assuming it’s a stage name but if it’s your real name, then that is AWESOME.

PG: My Earth parents did not name me Patrick Galactic. It wasn’t their fault, though. They didn’t know that I was Galactic long before I was Patrick. A moniker can be very useful when you are trying to find your artistic voice. I love Bowie, Iggy Pop, artists who channel their creative id into an exaggerated version of themselves. Patrick Galactic is an unencumbered, more theatrical version of me.

tm: On your website you describe Running From The Sun as “a new way to hear my songs”. What do you mean by that?

PG: I’ve experimented a lot with presentation. When I first went solo, I performed alone. After we began recording the EP, I started playing with an amazing drummer, Justin Pascua and violist, Brenden Smith. The band performed a lot the last year but, because of the timing, they are not on the album. So the arrangements on the EP are brand new with a darker, cerebral edge.

tm: You have a brand new -and I believe very first- video dropping soon for your song “Center Of Command”. Tell me a bit about your experience filming the video and what your fans can expect from the visuals.

PG: I was obsessed with MTV from the time I was 6 or 7 until they stopped showing music videos (LAME). I’ve always preferred videos that tell a story. Bonus points for videos that tell a story related to the song. John Theroux of CTPAK Film Crew directed the video and was another invaluable collaborator. We came up with a plot that would also have some strong visual performance footage and filmed it over two days. My co-star in the video is Cole Ibach. He was amazing. I don’t want to say too much about the plot itself because it will ruin the surprise but it’s dreamy, slightly whimsical….and very bloody.

(VIDEO: Patrick Galactic Live In-Studio @ 973 KIRO Radio, “Center Of Command”) tm: What I’ve gathered from your website is that you’ve been making music for at least 20 years. What first got you interested in making your own music? Do you think you’ll be making music for the next 20 years?

PG: Blame The Monkees. Nickelodeon started re-running The Monkees when I was in kindergarten and I became obsessed. I liked Mike Nesmith best (I mean that hat is freaking everything) but I wanted to be Davey Jones the most. I saw their reunion tour in ’87 at the Puyallup Fair. I was pissed that Mike wasn’t a part of it but he had also abandoned the hat so really, Mike was dead to me. After that, I got in to The Beatles and that opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I’ve been exploring it ever since.

I don’t know how to live without making music. It is my guiding light. It has helped me understand the world around me. It has helped me understand myself. As long as I am a living, breathing human life form, I will write and perform.

tm: Do you have a memory of either making a mixtape for somebody or receiving a mixtape? If so, what were some of the songs on that tape and what were the conditions for either the making or receiving? Love, friend, bro, sis, etc….?

PG: Oh yeah. I am not against MP3s, playlists or any other form of listening to music but tapes were special. You had to put a lot of effort in to making a mixtape and even more effort to do it JUST RIGHT. I made themed mixtapes. I made greatest hits mixtapes. I made tapes for girlfriends, bandmates, my Uncle (who was and is one of my biggest supporters and turned me on to a ton of bands). I would listen to how songs began and ended and try to visualize how they would transition into the next song before I hit “record”. I recorded songs from the radio that I liked. I recorded my earliest demos on a boom box with an internal microphone to tape.

My Uncle made me a KISS mixtape when I was around 15. I would go on long walks and listen to it over and over. There are probably 20 total KISS songs that I like and all of them were on that tape.

tm: If Patrick Galactic was an action figure what accessories would you have?​