rockyourlyricsHow do you usually write the lyrics of your songs?
I like to write lyrics after I’ve written a good amount of the instrumental already. I’ll start singing random words until I find a phrase that really grabs my attention. I usually don’t even know what I’m going to write about until this point. Once I dive into a lyrical theme I get hooked and won’t do a thing until the whole song is done.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing in songwriting?
Simply enjoying it. I hate having to push myself to finish something that I’m not feeling. If you don’t enjoy creating something, chances are you won’t be happy with the final product.
Are you ever scared of revealing aspects of your personal life/experience to strangers
through your music?
Not really. I like having a private personal life, but personal experiences inspire you. In the words of Mos Def, “memories don’t live like people do, they always remember you”. We currently have one song out and it’s about my friends and I at age sixteen smoking in a treehouse back home. However, I also enjoy writing from an outside perspective. I’ve written about friends going through breakups. I’ve also written songs about movies or even a story I made up. It’s nice to paint a picture.
What is the best lyric that you ever wrote (the most meaningful for you)?
I haven’t written it yet. If I had to choose a lyric from our only single “Fools“, it would be the tagline: “We weren’t fools, we just had nothing to lose“. Like I said, the song is about my friends and I at sixteen running around being reckless without a care in the world. The biggest thing we had to worry about was getting caught by the cops and the wrath of our parents. We acted like fools because we could.
Do you remember the day you wrote “Fools”?
One night, my buddy Taylor and I were drinking at my new apartment in North Hollywood. I was showing him my studio in the living room when I picked up a guitar and randomly played the lead riff of what ended up becoming “Fools“. I immediately recorded a voice memo of it and went to work on it the next day. Everything came together pretty quickly. I had my friend Sam Catalano help out a bit over facetime. I had always wanted to write a song about my friends and I during that summer of 2012, and I knew this was the perfect vibe for it.
What is the best suggestion your producer gave you?
I produced the demo myself and brought it in to Dylan Bauld (flor). He immediately had a vision for the mysterious vibe the whole song has. The demo was a lot simpler, and Dylan brought out such a powerful chorus I never knew the song could have. He threw in some really nice percussion elements and transitions that shaped the song really well.
What are your plans for 2019?
Writing, releasing more music and playing as many shows as we can. We are playing a festival (Boulevardia) this summer in Kansas City and we are all pretty stoked about it. I cannot wait to see what our live show will be like by this time next year.
To conclude the interview a short Q/A session, please answer the first thing that comes to your mind:
- Define in one word your single “Fools”: Nostalgic.
- The best show you ever played: Salt Lake City.
- The one thing that you must have in your backstage: Whiskey.
- The soundtrack of your childhood: Jason Mraz – ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.’
- Your favorite song lyrically speaking, but not written by you: Mac Miller – ‘Best Day Ever.’
- Last question is “unusual”, we want to know your best relationship advice: You’re both on the same team. Love is a lot easier when you realize that it’s not just about the individual. It’s about making both of you work as smoothly as possible.
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