What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
Music came to me long before privacy. My two older brothers were taking music lessons when I was four or five years old. So, OF COURSE I wanted to take lessons too. We all started studying music as part of a program called “Project Music.” Where the city of Stamford, Connecticut took over a dilapidated old high school that was literally falling apart and where only one of the floors was safe enough for us to use. And the city brought in these fantastic and dedicated teachers at no charge to the community. Because someone recognized how important music is and they wanted to make sure that any kid who wanted lessons could get them.
The privacy work came years later after getting a degree in human rights law and trying to figure out what to do with it. Turns out that studying human rights was a great introduction to privacy.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
I found myself sinking into the monotony of the pandemic just as angry crowds were starting to set fire to west village streets as part of the BLM protests. The mood in NYC at the time felt decidedly mid-1970’s. Drinks, Drugs, Religion and Video Games started out as escapes but ultimately became traps. Music was once again the way out – at least for me.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
It’s funny. I feel like I sound nothing like most of the bands I grew up listening to. I’m told that “my sound” (whatever the fuck that means) is 80’s and 90’s influenced — and there’s certainly something to that. I’m trying to create my own lane.
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
I’ve heard some fantastic bands playing in and around NYC and the bay area over the past few years. Every decade or so, New York creates a musical movement that tends to change everything.
I’ve played a handful of these songs out live – both doing solo shows and with my full band. But I’m now doing that after the fact – after we’ve recorded the songs. That’s not ideal – some of my favorite albums were recorded after the songs had been played a bunch while the band is on tour. But with everything going on in 2021, we weren’t really playing out much for a while. So we needed to make some tradeoffs. Overall, I’m really happy with how everything came out.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
Book – Assuming I was going to be on the island for years, the Infinite Jest. Otherwise, the Grapes of Wrath.
Movie – Stop making sense. Just watched it again in a theatre in Brooklyn. Just makes me feel so happy.
Album – Have to go with the Beatles anthology.
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
They’re really different things. In my view, there are four distinct things that one does as a musician: (1) songwriting, (2) recording, and (3) performing. The fourth thing is social media – but I just don’t have the time or energy for too much of that. So for me, I think my favorite thing is the act of songwriting. Just sitting by myself on a piano and coming up with a set of chords that words. So much fun! And then to find a phrase or two in a chorus that really works. And somewhere along the line, a song is born. It’s never all that easy. And maybe the fact that it’s so difficult is one of the reasons it’s so satisfying to me.
Recording is so different. Because for me, that includes taking some ruff demos that I’ve put together by myself and bringing them into my band. And that’s fun – and also maddening. As there’s always a bunch of things that seem to work great on a demo but don’t when you’re rehearsing or playing the songs out live. Or worse, you think something is great but then you hear it under the microscope of an actual recording studio and it’s complete shit.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
My wife is originally from Nicaragua so we spend a lot of time there. Nicaraguan folk songs are rife with tall tales and bold characters. My wife, her family and I had just spent a beautiful day on Iguana beach in Nicaragua drinking and dancing until the sun went down. But who would drive us back to San Juan del Sur? The good news – Little Harry was sober and he volunteered to drive. The bad news – he was only nine years old. This is an ode to my nephew Harry in the Nica folk tradition. (Don’t let the minor key fool you. It’s supposed to be funny…). This is one of my favorite songs on the album and it’s a shame that it could never be considered a single. I hope it finds an audience.
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
I’ve got two right now. The first is “Grow Old with Me.” I’ve played that out a bunch as a solo artist when I out touring supporting the Gin Blossoms.
Every once in a while, a song comes to me in a dream. I didn’t dream up the whole song – only a snippet. Here was the scene: I was at a rock concert of a band that featured an ancient looking hippie as lead singer who was also playing a violin. He was floating above the stage and singing – “grow old.” With that, I wrote this song and dedicated it to the love of my life. I really dig how Ann and Lorenza give this song an Americana vibe while the Crush Boys’ vocals throw in a dash of the 1960’s.
My second favorite is: “I Used to Say this Could Never be Me.” I really like this one because – like “Little Harry” – it gives me an opportunity tell a story that may or may not be entirely true in order to make a broader point. Here’s the idea for that one…. When I was in high school, my friends and I once rented out a hotel room in Stamford, CT. We had a very loud party, and I remember that the ice from our beer keg melted and leaked through the ceiling of the room on the floor below us. Eventually, hotel security banged at our door. At the time, I couldn’t understand why all the adults were so upset.
More recently, in the houseboat community of Sausalito, a group of college kids were having a huge party in the houseboat next door. It was really loud – so much so that it woke up my wife and baby. I couldn’t understand why those kids were so inconsiderate. Funny how the concept justice may depend on your perspective. While the shoe was clearly on the other foot, the irony was not lost.
The next single is “When the Music Plays Again.” As a songwriter, all you want is for people to hear your music. And when the ability to perform goes away for a while, you learn to live on the fumes of hope. That someday you’ll be able to perform again. I love the guitar work throughout this song – and Lorenza Ponce’s violin takes the chorus to a new level.
Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
Playing out live is also a ton of fun. My solo shows tend to be much more about storytelling than when my full band is playing. My full band has much more power and depth. I’ve started to notice that I get different people to come out for my solo concerts than I get for the full band.
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
You work in the tech space where every company seems to be trying to cash in on AI. What are your thoughts about AI and its potential uses as well as abuses in music?
I love this type of question as it allows me to talk about the tech industry as well as sharing my thoughts as an artist. We’ve already reached the point where AI is disrupting copyright law. I remember reading somewhere recently that a handful of artists were suing a gallery for taking their art and making AI enhanced derivatives of that artwork available for sale. We’re almost certainly going to see more and more of that in music. And the ongoing labor disputed in the film/TV space have as much to do with AI and digital rights as anything.
Eventually, someone is going to make millions by asking AI to “write a love song as if it was written by Taylor Swift and John Lennon.” But I don’t think we’re there yet. Personally, I’ve played around with AI tools a bit. They are interesting if you have a phrase in your head and you want to understand whether it’s really unique (i.e., do any other songs contain this phrase). But as of today, AI is closer to a modern version of auto-tune. It’s an interesting tool that some will use as a gimmick and others will eventually use in a way that’s more artistic and that opens the door to even more creativity.
Also, the closer we get to perfectly polished music for the masses, the more that other listeners will want to experience the imperfections and raw jagged edges of music. I’m betting my musical career on that latter group of listeners.
Photo Credits: Aysia Marotta
Curated by: Christos Doukakis
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