Aaron Maine, aka the musical mind behind the band Porches, dropped by GQ Presents on Instagram Live today to play a few tracks from his new album, Ricky Music. But before he kicked out some the jams from his Lower Manhattan apartment, he talked to GQ’s Sam Hine about how he’s filling his hours. Here’s what he’s up to while he’s “hanging in, hanging out.”
1. Missing Tony Soprano
At the moment, Maine is watching Sex Education—he was stoked to learn that Gillian Anderson of X-Files fame was part of the cast. But he wishes he hadn’t gotten “super obsessed” with The Sopranos last summer, because it would’ve been the perfect binge right now. If you’re looking to get engrossed in a prestige program, that’s his strong recommendation.
2. Practicing Good Hygiene
Difficult as it may be while living alone in a NYC, where the coronavirus continues to spread quickly, Maine believes it’s important to maintain a normal-ish schedule. Every morning, he says, “I get up, shower, shave, do my hair, and put my scents on even though no one is smelling me. I just want to feel good. That stuff makes me feel good whether I’m alone or with someone. I’m trying to just impress myself, I guess.”
He’s been practicing the New York Times seven-minute workout to get a semblance of exercise in, and is sticking to his style staples: Dickies, Champion, Levi’s, and Ralph Lauren.
3. Making New Music
Despite the fact that his latest EP debuted a mere two weeks ago, he’s back on his grind. “I’ve been recording a lot,” Maine says. “Thankfully, I have my setup here… What I’ve been doing more than writing new stuff is going back over these songs that I’ve been working on over the last few months and producing them, getting the sounds really nice, and revamping them. That feels good—that part of the process is one of the more patient, peaceful ones. You spend a lot of time in the songs making these warm songs, then walking away and listening to it.
“It’s also nice to revisit the very recent past where I was outside, people were outside, I was hanging out with friends and the world was functioning,” he continues. “It’s comforting to get a little bit back in that headspace and spend some time in that world while I’m in this world.”
4. Performing Live on Your Phone
The Porches tour is cancelled, so Maine, like plenty of other entrepreneurial artists, has been playing shows on Instagram Live. He has no idea what the future holds there.
“Everybody’s trying to figure it out in real time,” he says. “This [Instagram] Live thing is kind of hectic right now. It’s very cool that it’s available, and it gives a way to have a somewhat intimate interaction with your fans, but it’s also such a crazy time and literally the entire world is taking this massive hit.”
“Long story short, you could buy a record or stream the shit out of an album. I don’t know how to navigate asking people to donate if I do a live show or whatever. I haven’t really wrapped my head around it. There are so many people that are struggling right now, where shit has really, fully hit the fan for them. I’m okay for now. The tour is obviously a financial blow, but name one person who hasn’t taken one in the last couple weeks.”
Stream Ricky Music below and follow GQ on Instagram to catch the next episode of GQ Presents
