Field Notes Interview #26: Gregory and the Hawk, Marmoset Artist

Meredith Godreau (aka Gregory and the Hawk) gets personal with her music. Be it in her bare-boned folk songs, or her crystal clear vocals, her music cuts right to a resonate emotional core that quietly requires reflection after listening. 

Godreau’s songs are pretty damn stirring, and carry a weight with the space that she creates in her sparse tracks. Her song “I’d Rather Be Traveling” was recently featured in the film “#theSocialMedium by filmmaker, Stone Alvaro. It gently guides the beautiful imagery and let’s the visual story breathe.

Not only is Meredith an extremely talented songwriter, she’s also kicking ass as an intern here at Marmoset. We chatted with her about her writing process, the importance of making creative goals as an artist, and how her music affects film.

---

M: When did you start writing music?

MG: So I would say early high school is when I started to discover writing music in my own style. I grew up singing improvised tunes about the things around me, as a sort of style to navigate through daily life I think.  Around the age of 14 I began listening closely to recorded music, organizing my thoughts into prose, censoring the bits that didn’t make sense, and learning guitar.  

M: What does a day in the life of a working musician look like for you?

MG: For me, everything revolves around natural bodily rhythms, knowing when to expect my creative energy, and being open to it when it arrives.  When I have many days off in a row, I make goals in my head for what I would like to accomplish creatively, deeply internalize those wishes, and then try to explore the world around me trusting that wherever I travel (mentally or physically) I am keeping that end goal in mind.  It helps to be near to recording equipment and instruments, but it isn’t always necessary. Most of the songs I like best, I’ve written in my head over days of walking around, just to sit down and finish in an hour at the end of an afternoon.

M: What role do you feel music has in film?

MG: Music is to film almost what body language is to conversation.  It can highlight the subliminal messages, support the heavy feelings, give you the go ahead to cry your eyes out.  It kind of makes the two-dimensional film seem three-dimensional sometimes to me.

M: How do you feel your song complimented the Stone Alvaro’s film?

MG: It is absolutely wonderful seeing this song with his film. It made me emotional when he talks about forgetting his fears while shooting at great heights, as the song is based on the concept of letting go when you’re out of control.

M: What are you excited about for the future?

MG: That I know nothing about it and anything could happen.  I’ve been considering learning karate, and finishing a new album.