Indie rocker Ian Sweet, aka Julian Medford, plays the Echo every Monday in July, so we chatted about their career so far…

L.A. WEEKLY: When did you start singing, writing, performing, and when did you realize it could be a career?

IAN SWEET: I’ve been singing since I can remember. Some of my first memories are singing Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush  songs with my dad in his car. I started performing when I went to college in Boston in 2012. Before that I was mostly singing/writing songs for myself and my friend in my bedroom.

After going off to college and getting involved in the Boston DIY scene, I got into performing and booking my own tours and haven’t stopped since.
Describe your sound and style…
My sound is constantly evolving depending on the people I’m surrounded by or meeting/the environment I’m immersed in. This has a lot to do with being on tour often, that is where I do most of my writing — in new environments. I always want my songs to bring me to a place of understanding what I’m going through or trying to make sense of situations by framing them in time.
I’m not trying to fit in in anyway with my music, I only make what purely feels good to me. It’s freeing to write a song that has the colloidal guitar feel of My Bloody Valentine but also write a song with a break beat and pitch-shifted vocals. The range is what I love about making music. Because all of it inspires me and I don’t just want to be categorized as one thing.
What inspires your work, and specifically, what’s firing you up at present?
I just got off an incredibly inspiring tour with Grapetooth and James Swanberg — both Chicago bands. That tour is really firing me up to make stuff right now. The energy they brought to their performances was a sight to behold every night! All of my friends motivate me to keep making music. Greta of Frankie Cosmos and Lillie of LALA LALA continually push me in such positive directions.
What can we expect from the Echo shows?
I curated The Echo shows to highlight female/non binary/trans and POC artists! That is the music I am most connected to and want to share with my fans and friends. I’ll be playing some new songs and maybe some covers (wink wink) I am so exited to get to hang out with all of my friends every Monday in July. It’s gonna be a party!
What else do you have coming up this year?
I’m working on a new record and have a west coast tour coming up at the end of August with The Courtney’s!
Ian Sweet plays at 8:30 p.m. every Monday in July at the Echo.

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