Stop Codon, the latest release from Boston, MA’s Linnea’s Garden is like an off switch for your DNA. In the song, Stop Codon is a metaphor for cutting off bad habits, toxic thought patterns, and exercising free will. Only you can release your own personal weight of the world.

“This is Linnea Herzog from Linnea’s Garden,” she says as she head s off on her take on Why I Love. ” I’ve taken the opportunity to include several artists that inspired our new single Stop Codon with some of our own songs featured in between.”

RHCP & PRINCE

The first band I fell in love with was The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their energy, the sound of John Frusciante’s guitar, their sexuality, the highs and lows of their story all drew me in from a very young age.

Growing up in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Prince was always part of the backdrop. The band had an emotional visit to Paisley Park during our first Midwest tour after driving all night from Milwaukee to Minneapolis. I watched the sun rise over this homecoming on my own terms and that was when I caught the tour bug for good.

Linnea’s Garden – Comeback:

IGGY & NIN

Iggy Pop ripped his shirt off seconds after taking the stage last fall in Boston. It doesn’t matter if he’s 28 or 78, he keeps evolving while staying true to himself and that is the biggest inspiration of all. Lust for life.

When I consider the non-musical influences behind Stop Codon, I think of dystopian fiction like 1984 and Brave New World, sci-fi movies like The Matrix and Minority Report. For me, Nine Inch Nails exist in that same breath. Trent Reznor’s music describes a world that is cruel and all too real. And the songs keep finding new ways to come true.

Linnea’s Garden – Pathological Liar:

MASSIVE ATTACK & THE MARS VOLTA

Mezzanine by Massive Attack is basically a perfect album. It is a hotel room I often check into. After multiple rescheduled dates, I’m still incredulous that I got to see them perform live in 2019 for the Mezzanine XXI Tour at the Wang Theater in Boston. As a DIY punk rocker who regularly attends smaller local shows, there is something special about dressing up for the theater. Hearing “Teardrop” with Elizabeth Fraser and my personal favorite, “Inertia Creeps,” was incredible.

One artist whose live energy, prolific collaborations and commitment to writing have inspired me in my own journey as a guitarist and band leader is Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta. He always goes to interesting places in his guitar solos, and has such a distinct effects rig and playing style that I can always tell it’s him, even when I don’t know what song I’m listening to.

Linnea’s Garden – Chaotic Bisexual Summer:

PORTISHEAD

Portishead was one of those bands I always loved but assumed I would never see live. In 2011, I had the opportunity to see them perform at Jacques-Cartier Pier at the Old Port of Montreal. The lights, the wind, the heart-wrenching magic of Beth Gibbons’ voice stretching over the buildings and crowd on that cold fall night, were a singular experience. I frequently put on Dummy and think about that night.

Linnea’s Garden exists to play live. We’re always working and trying to get better so we can share our music and message with more people in new parts of the world.

Our thanks to Linnea for the insight into the influences that bring a song to life.

Press photos by Carissa Johnson / Fuel Heart Productions

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

Linnea’s Garden: Website

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