Q&A
Astral Samara BY LIV MARTIN Alex Adkinson, who performs under the moniker Astral Samara, has a lot to say about the interconnections between music, feelings, and philosophy. Adkinson, a UMN graduate who studied kinesiology, is creating his own type of experimental music. Read on to learn how he conceives of his psychedelic, sad boy pop: his inspirations, feelings, and creative process.
: When did you start making music? Alex Adkinson: I have young childhood memories of playing the guitar and singing songs about my dogs. I think it’s a natural compulsion of my body. In college, I just had a band with my friends and we started recording demos and having shows. It wasn’t really until college that I started taking it seriously.
: What is the meaning behind the name Astral Samara and why did you chose it?
16
AA: I kinda got it from a mushroom trip I had. It’s kind of some weirdo hippy sh*t where I kinda think about it as myself moving through space… being organic material. A samara is the part of a plant that allows it to be transported, like the fluffy part of a dandelion. The name is about traveling through space.
OCTOBER 9—18