The Record Life Interview

1) Who was your biggest musical influence? The Beatles, hands down. I'm fully aware that it's 100% cliché to say that nowadays, but it's also 100% true. As far as songwriting goes, they were and still are unprecedented in my opinion. So I figure, why not shoot for the stars? If they were the best, I might as well try and do what they did. I might not succeed, but I should at least give it a try.

 

2) Where did you learn to play many different types of instruments? I had a lot of free time in high school, and my family had a bunch of different instruments lying around the house, so I guess it kind of came naturally. There were a couple of years when I spent more time in my room with a guitar or a bass in my hand than I did doing anything else.

 

3) According to an online bio, the muse behind many of the songs was a woman who gave you a false story you met online.

a) Is that true? Totally.

b) How long did it take until you found out the truth? Seven months.

c) After you found out about her lies, what did you do? The only thing I knew how to do - I wrote about it. A few of those songs made it to the record, and a few have never and probably will never see the light of day, but it felt good to write it down regardless

 

4) What was the most difficult part about making your debut album, Into the Sea of Something Big? At the time we were making the record, I was totally broke. Going into the studio every day to make music was easy; figuring out how I was going to eat afterwards was hard.

 

5) What is the meaning behind the title to that album? If you've ever felt like you were stepping into a world full of unknowns and uncertainties, that's what it's about. It's about becoming familiar with the unfamiliar and facing your fears. It had a lot to do with my move to Los Angeles. I had no idea what to expect. It was a huge, unfamiliar place, and it scared me. After I got here, I realized the only way to deal with that feeling was to face it full force.

 

6) What is your favorite song on the album and why? I'm going to have to go with "Step On Your Own". I feel like, on that song, I really captured the feeling I was trying to convey in a couple of verses, a chorus, and a bridge. I figured out how to say what I wanted to say. That's not easy to do.

 

7) What sets you and your music apart from all the other artists out there? I think The Record Life is a throwback to music that hasn't been around for awhile with an undertone of what's going on currently. I put a lot of work into making sure that I gave homage to all of my favorite artists without becoming an absolute derivative. I've noticed a trend in the music scene that revolves around bands sounding like other bands and succeeding for a minute or two, and I wanted to do something I felt could break that cycle. I'm going for longevity.

 

8) If you had the chance to perform with any artist or group from past or present, who would it be and why? I know it's not a single artist, but if I could play any show ever, it would have to have been the 1969 Woodstock. There were so many great bands there and it was an event that was on the forefront of a revolutionary movement. It was a super important show not only for music, but for humanity in general. I would have loved to be a part of it.