Sound Off! 2020: Searows

Searows is an indie pop/folk/rock project created by Alec Duckart, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon whose lush vocals and reverb-drenched soundscapes could soothe the most savage listener. Alec began writing music in middle school (in lieu of doing any schoolwork) and never seemed to be able to stop.

• Full Sound Off! Schedule & Tickets: MoPOP.org/SoundOff

Here's what Searows had to say heading into their Sound Off! 2020 performance, which is set for Saturday, February 22 at the Museum of Pop Culture.

What was your reaction when you found out you'd be part of Sound Off! 2020?

Searows: I didn't remember that I applied to this. I definitely thought I had forgotten to submit it and that's why I never heard back. But I was really excited and in awe that people listened to my music and liked it. It was kind of crazy.

What excites you most about being part of Sound Off! 2020?

Searows: I'm from Portland, so I don't really know anyone in the music scene [in Seattle]. But I'm really excited to actually get to meet people and talk to people and feel like music is a real, valid career and thing that I can do.

How would you describe your sound?

Searows: From what I've heard from other people, it's the kind of music that makes you sad in a good way. I appreciate that. I like it. But it's just me and my guitar and my voice.

What artists do you look to for inspiration?

Searows: I really look up to Phoebe Bridgers, all boygenius, and artists that kind of have their own sound that's just the barest, stripping away everything else and it's still so beautiful.

Why do you make music?

Searows: I don't know, I just can't seem to stop. I have always done it. I've played guitar since I was 11 or 12, and I like to listen to music, so I thought I could just make more music for me to listen to on my own. And I'd like it because I made it, so I just kept doing that.

How does music make you feel?

Searows: It makes me feel like a whole human being. I feel like it's kind of a weird answer, but it's the way that I know how to be vulnerable. It's the best way that I know how to feel like I am a person, I'm living, and I'm feeling emotions and I'm making music out of them. That is good. I think it's pretty.

What are you hoping to achieve through your music at Sound Off! 2020?

Searows: I want to meet the people that are here and that are doing the same things I'm doing and that care about the same things. To just learn, because I think I've been kind of on my own with music, just sort of making it by myself. So I feel like I really have been wanting to be able to reach out and try and do stuff with other people. So, hopefully I can meet some cool folks.

If you could describe your sound or your music as an animal, what would it be and why?

Searows: The first thing that came to my head is a garden snake. Like a snake that's not poisonous, but just kind of slithers around.

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