Interview with Change Your Plans
Who is Change Your Plans? Where does the alias come from?
I’m Greg Dorris, a 19 year old college student from Brooklyn, New York. Change Your Plans was totally born out of necessity. I had been making some mashups for friends and eventually someone asked me what I was going to call myself. There were a couple of precursor names but eventually I settled on Change Your Plans.
How long have you been mashing and how did you start?
I’ve been making songs for about a year at this point. I ended up having a lot of time to kill second semester senior year in high school and I was getting tired of some of the mashups that I was listening to (I had worn all of ‘em out by this point). Really though, it started with me wanting to hear certain combinations of songs that I couldn’t find anywhere so I figured I’d try to make them myself.
Software? Hardware?
Definitely an Ableton Live man. Not a unique answer but hey, it’s popular for a reason.
How long does it take you to make a track?
That’s a tough question just because it can vary so much track to track. Sometimes I can get into a weird sort of flow where I’m hearing the track play out before I even throw down any samples. Obviously when that’s going I can get songs done quickly; takes probably about four or five hours over the course of a couple days. Other times I’ve spent up to ten hours on a track. It varies a ton.
What inspires your song choice?
Song choice is totally inspired by the music I like to listen to. I’m aware that mashups’ popularity hinges on their recognizability, but most of the time I’d much rather spend a bunch of time working with a sample I love that people may not be that familiar with than a played out radio/ringtone jam.
Favorite song you’ve made?
Favorite song I’ve done is either Forget the Titans or Disaster at the Bouncy Ball Factory. Both of those are off of my latest album, Demoing the Salsa, which I think is a bit tighter than Pushing and Pulling.
Favorite sample you’ve used?
Favorite sample has got to be When They Fight, They Fight by The Generationals. It’s the first sample on They Like to Fight off of Pushing and Pulling. They’re just such an awesome band that not enough people have heard. If anyone goes out and listens to a bit of The Generationals after hearing that sample, I’d be so psyched.
On the Generationals note, what music have you been listening to lately?
Music wise I’ve been listening to a ton of Theophilus London, Kid Cudi, Cool Kids, Mickey Factz…this cool new class of rappers that I’m really pumped about. Also I’ve been digging The Black Keys and The Felice Brothers a ton and I’ve been on a big Elvis Costello kick lately…I’ll listen to anything.
Do you listen to other mashup artists, or do you just like to make mashups?
I used to listen to a ton of mashups as a source of inspiration but as I started making my own stuff, I moved away from that a bit. I got into mashups after listening to guys like Girl Talk and E-603 along with a ton of other artists.
Favorite mashup you haven’t made?
It’s gotta be Feel Me Now by E-603 off of Torn Up. It’s so high energy and is the perfect way to end an album. He’s dope.
What do you do in your free time?
As a college student, my schedule is pretty work heavy but I’m still having a blast. I’m also part of an improv comedy group on campus (some of the other members helped me come up with a few track names for Salsa), which has been awesome.
What can we look forward to in the future from Change Your Plans?
I’d watch out for some potential shows in the North East in the next couple months and perhaps a new album at some point. It’s all pretty up in the air right now.
Favorite pizza topping, candy, and color?
Pizza: Sausage and onions. Reese’s and green.
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