Tell us a little bit about your yourself?

CF: My name is Charlie. I comprise Magnetic Dust Collectors along with my friend and former college roommate Brandon Chopp. I enjoy making music, writing short stories, and trying my best at various video games.

When did you first start to develop a passion for music?

BC: When my new stepdad immediately shamed me for having Blue Öyster Cult and Black Sabbath CDs and that I should be listening to country like him.

Charlie Franz: My passion for music stems from the first time I heard Hard Day’s Night and Sgt Pepper sitting on my dad’s lap. I also loved listening to oldies and classic rock radio in the car.

Which artists did you listen to while growing up?

BC: My favourites were Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and the soundtrack to the first Guitar Hero game, which I was gifted for my 9th birthday.

CF: I loved The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Yes, Led Zeppelin, etc. I got into indie rock more in high school: bands and artists like Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, and Animal Collective, as well as more experimental groups like The Velvet Underground.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard you before?

BC: Space is the place.

What music have you recorded and released to date?

CF: We’re working on an album with varying shades of space rock and psychedelia. One single we’ve released is very heavy and a bit metal: the other is more acoustic in nature.

Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?

BC: The biggest and most obvious group as an influence would be Hawkwind, but I have also been voraciously listening to Van der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, and Throbbing Gristle as of late.

CF: I’ve been really into the Grateful Dead and Neil Young recently; I also really enjoyed Improvisations: Live in Concert by R. Carlos Nakai and Peter Kater. These influences mainly trickle down to my solo work, although you can hear traces of world music and a softer Youngish introspection in some of Magnetic Dust Collectors’ work.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

BC: C.W. Franz. I hear he’s a swell guy.

CF: Who else but Brandon Chopp?

What are your plans for the future?

BC: Get my partner to release tracks I sent him in December.

CF: Finish those tracks Brandon sent me in December and release three solo records.

You can find the band’s music by checking them out on Bandcamp at https://cwfranz.bandcamp.com/.