What got you into writing music?
I think it was my friends and my family — definitely my family when I was a kid — forcing me through those piano lessons. Then my friends in high school, they made music, and [I] definitely got inspired by that.
When you are writing, is there any main source of inspiration?
When I’m writing, I feel like it’s more of a thing where it’s become an outlet, where it’s something I sort of have to do if I have to get through something. It’s also something that I really like to do. It’s not really planned out, but definitely a huge inspiration is King Krule — and definitely instrumentation wise, I’ll definitely be getting inspiration from other artists.
Are you the main writer (of the group)?
Yes. It’s just me.
Do you have a live band?
Not yet!
When you were writing music for [Good Luck Finding Iris] was there a difference between your writing styles for your personal project and the band?
Not really. Obviously, with the band it’s more collaborative. A lot of times with the band I was bringing in songs that were basically done and then handing it off like ‘okay, how do we feel about this ending loop’ and they’d add… small progression things, and they’d do their own parts and everything. There were more collaborative songs in the band where we would get together, maybe someone would focus on lyrics or whatever, someone else does the riff, another guy does the lead guitar. On the other hand, it’s just me.
How long have you been writing?
Probably since I was a kid, maybe like writing piano songs and stuff.
How do you feel your writing has changed over the years?
I think… I don’t know any music theory, so with piano… it’s basically — everything that I know, like if I know any chords, I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re from the 5 songs that I decided to cover, either on piano or on the guitar. So when I started on the guitar, I realized that all my chords are basically King Krule chords. So that’s where I get all my jazzy voicings and then I’m just making up stuff.
Do you play any other instruments?
Guitar, piano, & when I was a kid I played the flute ’cause my mom said I couldn’t play the drums in the elementary school band.
What’s your writing process like?
If it starts with guitar — if starts with chords or guitar — it’s something catchy that I just find a little loop, something to start off of. Then maybe I’ll just start singing anything that’s on my mind, or I’ll pull from my notes app, I feel like every artist has a notes app filled with lines, so start from there — piecing things together. Or I’ll have like — sometimes I have written words — I’ll have a melody, and I’ll put chords to the melody. Whatever happens
You said you don’t know music theory, right?
No — I wish I did now, but also, I don’t know.
So is there anything you think would be important for musicians to have or know? Or what do you think is the most important thing to have as a musician?
I think for me personally — I don’t know how to speak to everybody ’cause music is used in so many ways, it does so many things — but for me, it’s nice when it’s an emotional… I’m trying to pull an emotion. That’s what I think when I think of my favorite music. They pull the emotion out of me like they have the best lyrics or the coolest melody or the weirdest texture and it just pulls my ears back and I’m just like ‘yea!’
Do you have any advice for younger artists?
Probably… Actually, I’m trying to work on a Youtube video — it’s kind of like this delusional nature of being an artist. You kind of have to be delusional — be self aware, but believe in yourself because I think I’ve heard it in like interviews & podcasts, like psychologically, the people around you are, unfortunately, probably not going to be your believers at first because they’re seeing you the way they’ve always seen you. So you got to be kind of delusional in relation to the people around you, and be willing to be ‘the fool.’ I think of the Tarot card, The Fool, I think it’s the first one, but it’s like you’ve gotta jump, you’ve gotta do it, you’ve gotta be willing to be seen as a failure. Because I think that’s what it is, like this undocumented process — the not-glamorous process — of just grinding and building, little by little.
What’s your favorite film?
Oh, I think it’s [Everything Everywhere All at Once], I was sitting there like ‘wow, this is literally like the best film I think I’ve ever seen,’ or at least in a long time.
Do you ever get inspiration from films or books, or other sources of entertainment?
Yeah, definitely. I went to film school for a couple years ’cause I was kind of interested in that, and I did take some classes in… doing sound for films, and there were some really cool things within film… I forgot what it was, but… like in horror films… [like The Exorcist], the guy mixed in with the violins kind of eerie noises, like the car and truck horns from… the sound [from] the off street or whatever, so it was just this nice, eerie, natural mix, and I think just that ambient stuff, that’s pretty cool.
If you were stuck on an island and could only have pizza, what would your toppings be?
Prosciutto crudo and mushrooms. Yeah — I just — just my Italian roots.
What do you hope to leave behind as an artist?
Good music that lasts that has good messages that last. People just make art their own, so as long as I have good messages that last.
Ghost Alley Magazine 