S.B.’s Spencer Vincent Debuts ‘Sitting On The Moon’ at Benchmark

On Sunday, November 13, S.B. singer-songwriter Spencer Vincent will play at Benchmark Eatery to celebrate the release of his new album, Sitting On The Moon. Singing and performing for a decade, this is the first time Vincent has distilled his talents into a uniform album, one brimming with classically Californian sunny vibes and plenty of introspective lyricism to make it deeper than just a head-nodder. I spoke with Vincent over e-mail about his new album, the moon, and his travels.

Tell me about your new album. How did it come together? Is it a compilation of the last 10 years of songwriting, or is it a concentration of more recent works? The album spans eight years of song-writing. They are ordered chronologically, from the first on the album being the oldest song, to the last song, which was written during the recording process.

What unifies these ten songs, thematically and/or musically? There is an overarching theme of hope in the songs. Whether it be from relationships, work, or just the understanding of knowledge and history. I like the idea of recognizing hardships and working through them as I write the songs.

Why did you title the album Sitting on the Moon, and if you were able to go to the moon, what would you do there and what would you hope your takeaway would be? What does the moon mean to you personally (since it seems to be a recurring image for you)? The idea got stuck in my head to really separate myself from everything and see the world from afar. The culmination of the entire album ends with the song “Runaway,” and painting a mental picture of sitting on the moon throwing stars back down to earth with hopes to make wishes come true. There is a loneliness that exists with the idea of being on the moon, and sometimes this fuels the creative process. The moon represents life in a sense as well, forever waning and waxing through time, which gave me the idea to order the songs chronologically.

I like your poetry a lot! Do your poems become lyrics, or are they separate entities? Do they tend to begin with a phrase, an image, or in one spontaneous burst? Usually my poetry and songs are separate entities, but they almost always evolve out of a single line or idea that then tends to write itself. I sometimes find the song to end at a place where I didn’t initially think it would go. Some of my best songs happen in a short, but very inspired place in time. Extreme emotional times also tend to be great places to write from.

You have traveled a lot. What are some of your favorite places and how have they shaped your music? Interlaken, Switzerland, Meteora, Greece, and Haolong Bay, Vietnam are some of the most fantastic places I’ve been. They all encapsulate a feeling of otherworldliness, like something out of a book. They have shaped my dreams and the study of their own histories have helped shape my music.

How does it feel now to have this album ready for the world? It’s daunting and a little scary to really put yourself out there. I try to be humble about it, but it does run through my head that lots of people are potentially judging me. In the end, I hope people take away their own interpretation from the songs and enjoy it along the way.

Anything else you’d like to say? From people who are stuck looking at their phones, to mythological conundrums, I want to write songs that are both thought-provoking and relatable. Some songs are meant for toe tappin’ and some are meant to move you. Lyrics drive the songs forward without ever getting too repetitive. It’s a lil funky, poppy, folky, and tells a story with each song. The album will be available on iTunes and Spotify by Thanksgiving.