“We’re very excited to be speaking today with Bransen Harper, who is perhaps better known by his well-known moniker, Magic Cabbage. Greetings and salutations, Bransen! Before we dive into the Q&A session about your music, can you talk a little about how you came up with the stage name Magic Cabbage?

Okay, so the incident that sparked the naming process happened when I was desperately trying to think of a name for my new band. I wanted something sort of trippy with two syllables, something along the lines of Pink Floyd or even Tame Impala. So, I ingested several tabs of LSD and went for a walk outside to look for inspiration. I wandered into a grocery store and came across a whole stand of cabbages. They started speaking and singing to me with a huge rainbow of colors shooting everywhere. They opened their mouths and eyes and said, ‘We are Magic Cabbage. Let there be Magic Cabbage.’ And so there was.

Major congratulations on your newly released album, ‘Electric Frequencies’! Can you talk about what served as the inspiration behind this stunning new LP?

For the last several years, I had been working on various albums with songs that I had written at the time, but I wanted an overall concept to tie all the disparate songs together with a meaningful purpose. Then I had the idea that every Song could represent a different vibrating frequency of the universe, of which we are all a part. Each frequency could represent a different radio channel with different musical styles and personas. That’s when I settled on the cosmic title of ‘Electric Frequencies,’ which tied the overall concept together into a psychedelic rock odyssey.

What differentiates ‘Electric Frequencies’ from the competition on the 2023 music scene?

This album is what I feel modern artists should be doing a lot more of: experimenting with different sounds and using different styles to create rich soundscapes that span almost every form of music. I believe that music should be more well-integrated within itself; sounds like metal, grunge, and punk could all blend effortlessly with jazz rock, experimental, psychedelia, and indie music. In other words, it’s a combination of different forms with both upbeat rockers and slower contemplative songs.

How is ‘Electric Frequencies’ similar to your 2020 debut album, ‘Magic Cabbage’? How is it different?

This album is not only of much higher quality but also more ambitious in terms of sound. It includes almost every range and style I could think of, so anyone can listen to it in any state of mind. The first album was much more indie and garage rock, while this one is more refined and psychedelic with several artistic developments. The songs and genres have been streamlined into a formula of music that I call ‘Aggressive Happiness.’

There are beautiful undertones of groups such as Nirvana, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd on ‘Electric Frequencies.’ How important and influential have those three legendary bands been to your own unique sound?

Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles have all been essential to my development as an artist, and I always look to them for inspiration. I appreciate the big, catchy hooks that Nirvana had, and I like to incorporate the vibrant and atmospheric sounds from Pink Floyd while also maintaining the pop sensibilities and positivity of The Beatles.

What was the most challenging aspect of assembling ‘Electric Frequencies’ and getting it ready for release?

‘Electric Frequencies’ took a marathon of recording sessions spanning nearly 3 years. I spent many of the sessions re-mixing songs and even recording new batches of songs, some of which were recorded in impromptu jam sessions and others individually. I even dug up some songs that were recorded over a year or two ago and edited those too.

On the heels of the release of ‘Electric Frequencies,’ can fans look forward to catching you on the performing/touring circuit?

I want to perform more, and now that I have finished working on the album, I might be performing here and there. But maybe fans can expect a new album in a year or less?!

We absolutely love the tune ‘Moon Queen’ off the new LP! What’s the story behind this gem of a song?

The track ‘Moon Queen’ was supposed to be the angle of Magic Cabbage that approached a more atmospheric, lo-fi, and relaxing track that was more artistic and progressive. I even utilized a couple of clips of audio from The Beatles’ Let It Be sessions in 1969 to add a more in-studio feel to that song. This song makes me feel like I am watching the world get nuked on a beautiful day and then, all of a sudden, I am a baby back in the womb again.

When working on new material, what does your creative process generally look like? Is there a rhyme and reason to it all?

When working on new songs, I sometimes record a bit of guitar and then start recording everything on top of that. I structure the song and singing based on that, or I have a sense of melody and write all the lyrics on my phone and then work out the details later. I usually add a bunch of random musical departures on guitar or other instruments and try to find out what works and what doesn’t. So there is usually a lot happening in my songs, regardless of whether the chords are simple or not.

At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners take away after listening to your amazing new album ‘Electric Frequencies’?

I hope people feel reenergized by the fact that there is indeed good-quality and catchy music out there that isn’t all negative. Music can have positive, good lyrics while still being creative and cool, not the same mind-numbing over-processed toxic garbage that comes from mainstream music.

Final, and perhaps silly, question: Favorite movie about the music scene – ‘This Is Spinal Tap,’ ‘Almost Famous,’ ‘Sid and Nancy,’ ‘La Bamba,’ or ‘Walk the Line’?

Oh, these are all good! I love ‘Sid and Nancy,’ and the first one is hilarious. But I actually just saw ‘La Bamba’ a couple of weeks ago and loved it so much that I keep playing Richie Valens’ music because he was such a talented musical prodigy, even at his young age when he sadly died at 17. Tragedy sometimes comes with fortune. Thank you so much for this interview; it was really fun! Cheers!”

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