Jodi, Aaron, and Nici at The Odeon in Cleveland

The Short Cut with Aaron Nordstrom
A few hours before the Gemini Syndrome concert in Cleveland (read the post), I was thrilled to speak with Aaron Nordstrom, lead singer for the amazingly talented band.

Aaron has spent his entire life surrounded by and involved in music, whether he’s writing, playing, or singing. His six-year journey with Gemini Syndrome has led him to play in cities all over the country. Aaron has a calming presence and is quietly hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Aaron because he shared special information that taught and reminded me to:

• Ask for signs; they often lead us to where we need to be.
• Use writing and music as a tool to release the negativity.
• When traveling across the country, make sure to have killer transportation!
• Capture beauty by taking lots of pictures, and use Instagram to make them look great.
• Find a personal message. Aaron’s is: “I am the messenger of Gemini Syndrome. I am a student of philosophy, religion, martial arts, semantics, psychology, and all things beautiful.”

To learn more and to hear Aaron’s own personal playlist, keep scrolling to check out The Journey with Aaron Nordstrom!

The Journey with Aaron Nordstrom

How did you get started as a musician?
My mom is a singer. She sings opera, gospel, big band, and jazz, so I was raised in that environment. I started singing when I was very young. Before I can even remember, I was singing in the car with her. She put me in lessons with her vocal coach, and then I started taking piano lessons when I was about 3 years old. I was in choirs as a kid… played in school and private choirs. Then I got into guitar when I was in my early, early teens, like 11 or 12, and got into rock music. I couldn’t wrap my head around jazz piano, so I gave up piano. It frustrated my brain. Looking back, jazz piano is really hard. And, for an 11-year old kid, it kind of makes sense. I picked up guitar and got into Soundgarden, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and the whole grunge scene. That led me into some heavier stuff, like Pantera, death metal, black metal. I was into electronic music for a really long time, picked up the drums at about 13.

How did you meet the members of Gemini Syndrome?
Through a series of events. Mutual friends and people looking for bands and musicians. We all lived in LA at the time, migrated to LA to pursue music. We had all been doing it for a long time, in other bands. So, we just kind of came together that way.

Did you ever have another job?
I’ve had tons of jobs. I’ve been a mentor for kids, a martial arts instructor, worked in restaurants. I’ve been a telemarketer, a stock boy. I’ve done landscaping, maintenance, and managed a music store in LA for four years.

What inspires you to write and play music?
Originally, it was just what I liked doing, so It was a natural progression. I didn’t want to sing at first. I always played guitar and bass. I’ve been in bands for 20 years, and this is the first band where I don’t play guitar. When I was approached, they were looking for a front man, and I was in this transitional part of my life. I was between Chicago and Los Angeles and didn’t know if I was going to stay in Chicago or move back to LA. I was just in this soul-searching place and kind of praying. So, I got an email from a mutual friend asking if I would be interested in singing. You can’t really ask for a more of a sign than that. I checked it out, and I ended up moving back to LA. In the beginning, I just enjoyed playing music. As time went on, it became more of an outlet for negativity and depression.

Nici and Aaron

How do you feel when you are on stage?
It’s hard to describe. It’s weird. And it’s changed over the years. In the beginning, it was very nerve-wracking and adrenaline-filled. As time has gone on, I’ve gotten more and more used to it. I won’t say the nervousness goes away because it doesn’t; I think you always have that. But you definitely become more comfortable the more you do something. So it’s different than it was 5 or 10 years ago. If it’s a good show and the show is going well, I feel great. It truly is a magical kind of thing. And if the crowd is responding, you feed off of that. If everybody is in that moment together, it becomes a very Zen-like experience. If things are going wrong, like in the show where I was sick [with an infected voice box several tours ago], it can be a frustrating experience because you’re stuck there. It can be very nerve-wracking because there is no escape. That was the opposite of Zen! But the show must go on. So, for the most part, it’s very relieving. I talk on stage that it’s 23 hours of bullshit and one hour of this. That’s why I keep coming back.

Do you write most of the music and lyrics?
I have a hand in everything. The band is very hands on. All of us. It’s definitely a collaborative effort. I would say I write 95% of the lyrics. On this last record, [drummer] Brian [Steele Medina] had some ideas that he wanted to get out.

What inspires you to write?
Everyday life experience. Things I go through in this world.

What’s it like traveling across the country in your band’s RV?
It depends on the situation. The van we’re in now? Everything works—we have air conditioning, can store food, be comfortable, and it’s awesome. It’s a trip. Plus, I love snapping pictures. By no means am I a photographer. Instagram makes everyone a photographer now. But I got off of the RV today and saw the water [Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River leading into Lake Erie] and the bridge and thought that’s fucking cool, man! I thought, I’m gonna snap a couple shots of that, and then press the buttons and make it look neat. It’s fun. I enjoy that. I tend to stay up late, so I’ve been seeing the sunrise almost every day on this tour. I love snapping pictures of that and the different terrains and different cultures of people. It’s really cool.

On the converse, if you’re in a vehicle that’s not up to par, it’s a living hell. The past few years, we were in a beat up RV that was falling apart at the seams. The A/C didn’t work in the summer; the heat didn’t work in the winter. The refrigeration system didn’t work at all. It was a nightmare. I guess when you’re younger and a little more tenacious, it’s possible to go through that with a better outlook. Luckily, we’ve put in enough time where we can afford, barely, to be in a nicer vehicle. You’ve got to be able to rest to perform every night. For every job, but for a vocalist in your particular, your body is your instrument, and it needs rest.

We’re not 21 anymore. We’ve been hit with adultism, and it’s incurable. But traveling like this is a great experience. I get to see everywhere, and I very much appreciate that now that I’ve paid my dues. Traveling is hard. It ain’t for everybody. Being away from your bed and your family is not for everyone.

How long will you be away on this tour?
About seven weeks. I’ll be home for a week or two, and then we’ll go straight to Vegas to finish the record. We’ll be there for maybe 2 to 3 months.

When is the new record expected to be released?
Early next year. As soon as we can get it done.

Do you have all of the songs written?
Yes. We might end up writing a few more in the process. But, as of now, we actually have too much material. We’ll have to pick and choose. It’s always been that way. We’ve never had a shortage of material. It seems like we don’t get writer’s block.

What do you do in between tours?
There’s always stuff to be done for the band. Writing a record, making a music video, negotiating the record deal, preparing for the next tour, rehearsing. When I do have spare time, I spend time at home with my wife and my dog, and I train in Chinese Kung Fu.

What does your wife do?
She’s very busy and very ambitious. She’s a very motivated artist. She’s a painter, has done burlesque dancing, does coaching for that and performance art, and she’s creating a group for women who have been through trauma. She has a full plate. So when I come home, she’s as burned out as I am. It’s decompression time for both of us.

Do you ever get to attend concerts?
Sometimes. I tend to miss the ones I really want to see because I’m gone all the time. Every once in a while, though. One opportunity comes to mind. We were in Cleveland actually, and we had a day off last year. I forget what tour we were on, and Sevendust was in town. We called them up and they hooked us up with passes. I ended up going on stage and performing with them. Actually, Sevendust invited me up every night we were on tour with them. Nonpoint invited me up. Five Finger Death Punch. Mushroomhead. All those bands we go out with usually end up having me come up which is awesome. It’s a huge, huge honor for me.

I haven’t seen your ducks lately. One of my favorite pictures in the world is the picture of you with all of the rubber ducks appearing to follow you.
Ah, the ducks. It started with me quoting one of our songs on Facebook, and I was going to say, “Fuck the whole conspiracy.” But my iPhone autocorrected it to, “Duck the whole conspiracy.” So it became a thing. One of our fans, Ryan McKenna, started this, and people started bringing me ducks. I have hundreds of them now. It started off really cute, but then it got really serious on some levels. Some people personalize them. There was a couple on the Shiprocked Tour. Their son had been a huge fan, and he had died overseas at war. He had hand-painted a duck the colors of a Michigan jersey and he had intended to give it to me. So, the couple went to Shiprocked to bring me the duck. That was heavy. But, the ducks are awesome. Very personal.

[Nici’s Ducking Idea: Maybe someone could start a children’s charity called Aaron’s Ducks. Aaron shared with me that he has a small house and the duck population is growing! Rather than giving Aaron more ducks, fans could donate rubber ducks along with cash in Aaron’s honor. What do you think?]

Aaron Nordstrom’s Personal Playlist
1. Silent Machine by Twelve Foot Ninja (the whole record)
2. Autotheism by The Faceless (the whole record, particularly songs 1, 2, and 3)
3. Simple Boy by Karnivool
4. New Day by Karnivool
5. 10,000 Days (Wings Part 2) by Tool (song 4)
6. All 6’s and 7’s by Tech N9ne (the whole record)
7. The Incident by Porcupine Tree