Music Helps: A Q&A With Mount Pleasant Resident Brendan Burdick

Story by Vinny Layer

Photo courtesy Brendan Burdick

The pandemic has changed every aspect of life today. From the way we interact with each other, to how we go to school, to even how we think or express our emotions. Music is an integral part of our human experience.

Music can cause one to feel happy, sad, excited or reflective about a particular time in a person’s life. The pandemic has shed light on the importance of music and just how it can help get a person through the toughest of times we are in now.

Below is a Q&A interview with Mount Pleasant resident, Brendan Burdick, who discusses how music has helped him get through the pandemic, how he looks at music differently now and why music is important to him, especially now.

What type of music have you been listening too during quarantine and throughout the pandemic?

I’ve been listening to a lot of hip hop, rap, and pop music in an attempt to keep my myself upbeat and active since I’m spending so much more time at home.

Has music helped you get through the tough times during the pandemic?

For sure! I find myself with almost too much time to myself and I constantly have music playing in the background. It’s really helpful to keep myself productive and inspired to keep moving.

What artists are your go to when you are down or are looking to boost your mood?

It changes all the time but over the last few months I’ve found myself gravitating toward Little Simz, Leikeli 47, and Lana Del Rey.

What are your top three songs that have helped get through the pandemic?

I feel like all of the music in my library has been helpful in some way or another during the pandemic and I value different songs in so many different ways that it’s hard to decide which have helped me most. I think Might Bang, Might Not by Little Simz has been great for keeping me dancing around feeling confident. Nice to Have by 070 Shake has been a constant feature in almost all of my playlists recently. Shake’s entire Modus Vivendi album has a way of getting me in touch with my feelings and Nice to Have just speaks to me for some reason. Every once in a while, I just need some relaxing music to help my brain take a rest and I think Perdida by Biig Piig is just what I naturally come to.

Have you discovered any new artists during the quarantine/pandemic so far that you haven’t been aware of pre-pandemic?

I actually was just recently introduced to 070 Shake and she instantly became one of my favorite new artists. I was blindsided by how much I really appreciate her work.

What are your top three songs you are going to blast at high volume when the pandemic is over?

Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Soundsystem has such a nice beat and the transition in the middle of the song was practically made to be played at max volume so I’m sure that’ll be played more than once. I like playing Hooch by Kelis whenever it’s really sunny outside because it just kind of makes me feel free and present in the moment, so I can see myself celebrating freedom from quarantine with this song playing.

Is there a particular song or lyric that you feel rings true the nature of the world today or that you connect too?

I think Moving Mountains by ANIMA! does an excellent job of illustrating the flaws of the world that we have created for ourselves as a society. It shines a light on the hard work people are putting in to create a life for themselves while invisible forces (economic inequality, value of money over human life, etc.) are driving us to the point of exhaustion instead of fulfilling our hopes for a happy life. I think this has become much more visible during the pandemic and the song just kind of calls on society to recognize the power we have to change that.

Do you feel that music has helped you get through this pandemic in a way you haven’t thought of before?

Not entirely, I’ve always been relatively dependent on music to get through my day. I’ve definitely had more time to focus on the ways it has affected me though and I never really noticed the extent of how much my emotions can flare one way or the other depending on what I’m listening to. Sometimes it’s helpful, and sometimes it’s counterproductive.

You can only listen to one artist and song for the rest of your life, what song and artist are you choosing?

This is honestly a terrifying question but I ask myself it all the time. I’m so indecisive that I never arrive at the same answer. If I had a gun to my head right now, I’d say 070 Shake is the artist I’d choose. If I had to choose a song of hers, I’d probably choose Microdosing.

The pandemic is over, and concerts are back, who is the first artist you are going to see or want to see?

FKA Twigs, the last concert of hers I went to was just incredible and I want to feel her energy in person again.

What have you learned about your music preferences during the quarantine/pandemic?

That my range of music tastes is wild. I have so many genres of music in my library that just don’t seem like they would blend but I find myself fully invested in them all. I never really thought I’d be a folk music kind of person but every once in a while, an EDM song is followed up by the sound of banjo strings and I’m still rolling with it.