A YEAR FROM MONDAY
- A Year From Monday is currently working on its next single (“Goodbye”) slated for an early January 2027 or late December 2026 release. Also, expect a new album in September or October of 2027.
For listeners discovering A Year From Monday for the first time, how would you introduce the project and describe the musical identity you’ve developed over the years?
The music of A Year From Monday is a blend of bands it really likes from the Indie Pop, Alt. Rock, Folk Rock, and 80s New Wave genres. Some of the biggest influences are: Tears for Fears, America, Howie Day, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, B-52’s, Train, and Oasis.
You’ve now built a substantial catalog of music. Looking back at where A Year From Monday began, how different is the artist and songwriter you are today compared with the person who started the project?
Very different. As I’ve evolved and healed as a person, so have my lyrics and the tone of the music. Early on, A Year From Monday had a tiny bit of anger and depression driving the songs. Today, positivity, human connection, hope, and love steer the compositions.
Your current single “One Day at a Time” deals with living in the present, leaving past mistakes behind and trying to become a better version of yourself. What was happening in your life when that song began taking shape, and how personal is its message?
That song began taking shape a few years back when I had the realization that I am better able to be the best version of myself when I am operating strictly from the present moment. And, that to best make each day its best, working one day at a time is the ideal way to do that. What we do in the present moment essentially sculpts our future, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously. One day at a time, one moment at a time, keeps creation conscious and more likely to manifest that which we desire.
One of the interesting things about “One Day at a Time” is that it acknowledges regret, wasted time and past struggles while still sounding hopeful. Was it important to you that the song not become overly dark or preachy?
Absolutely! A little darkness helps to better see the light. Too much darkness and you cannot find it. Also, preachy comes off as if the author is better than his or her audience, and I want listeners to know that I am neither better nor worse than they are, simply an equal human trying to be the best I can.
The recording features a number of musicians, including Fletch Fletcher, Ivan Gates, Vince Gates, Tom Gordon, Hannah Sloan and Shaolin Gates, alongside Brad McClellan on lead vocals and keyboards. How do you decide which musicians are right for a particular A Year From Monday song, and how much freedom do collaborators have to put their own personalities into the music?
I use musicians who are friends or at least acquaintances. In choosing them, it’s generally my intuition with a dash of inspiration. As for how much freedom, I’d say quite a bit. Generally, the initial songs are very sparse, usually just piano and vocal. So, the collaborators are encouraged to let their creativity flow. Very rarely do I ask them to play something a specific way.
Your official website prominently references 432 Hertz Music. What does 432 Hz mean to you creatively, and is tuning or frequency something you consciously consider when recording A Year From Monday music?
432 Hertz music is a very healing frequency and more in tune with the rhythms of nature. For example, when instruments tune their Concert A to 432 Hertz, the music produced creates beautiful patterns in water, makes plants grow faster, and activates more areas of the brain in both hemispheres.
Your album 52 Ziggurat Avenue includes songs such as “Good Times,” “I Found You,” “Number One,” “It’s Time,” “Like a River,” “The Perfect Drug” and “American Streets.” What ties those songs together, and where did the unusual album title come from?
The threads running through all these songs are striving to love unconditionally (including yourself), operating from your soul and not the fearful ego, and seeing the good in people and one’s circumstances. The album title broken down: 52 = my birthday (May 2) and the number of weeks in a year (from Monday). Ziggurat is a step pyramid. The quest to become our best self is not unlike scaling a step pyramid. Sometimes, we hit the wall before we find the stairs to the next level, always working toward making it to the top: the best version of us. Avenue is the path we walk, rarely straight and flat.
Lyrics seem to play a major role in A Year From Monday’s identity. When you write, do you usually begin with something you want to say lyrically, or does the music come first and reveal what the song needs to be about?
The music nearly always comes first. Then, the mood of the music is deciphered, which leads to the lyrics that best accompany that mood.
Your music is being presented largely through your own website, where listeners can preview songs and purchase high-quality versions directly. In an era dominated by Spotify, Apple Music and algorithm-driven discovery, why is maintaining that direct relationship with listeners important to you?
Generally speaking, I feel the corporate world has put America in a very unhealthy place. So, when possible (and it’s hard sometimes), I try to avoid connecting my music to an energy that I feel is detrimental.
You describe A Year From Monday as indie pop, but the music pulls from a number of different textures and influences. Which artists, genres or periods of music have had the biggest effect on your songwriting—and are there influences listeners might be surprised to hear you mention?
Please refer to question number 2.
After seven albums and a continuing stream of new material, how do you keep yourself from repeating ideas you’ve already explored? Is it becoming easier or harder to write songs that genuinely excite you?
I would say somewhere in the middle. Since humans are always evolving and life is ever changing, new song ideas pop up… just not as readily as when A Year From Monday first started out.
With new music continuing to emerge from A Year From Monday, what comes next? Are you already working toward another album or group of singles, and what would you most like new listeners to explore after hearing the latest release?
- I touched on this in question number 1, but I really hope listeners will visit www.ayfm.space and explore the songs and lyrics there. I believe there is something catchy and/or inspiring for listeners of the Indie Pop, Alt. Rock, Folk Rock, and 80s New Wave genres.