vocals and trumpet for the Heard Eye
Can you tell us about your latest project? What inspired it, and what can your fans expect from it?
This latest project is an album called Funkalypse. It was inspired by a variety of things, probably most seminally by re-connecting with a long-time creative partner, drummer Atma Anur. It was during Covid, we re-connected online, and he asked if I’d been writing any songs, said he’d love to lay down some drum tracks. I had pretty much abandoned original music and had been focusing on morphing into a sort of modern Chet Baker type artist, the cool trumpet player/crooning jazz vocalist, playing and singing standards and classics from the jazz canon. But I did have a couple ideas for original songs sort of incubating, and I polished them up and it took off from there. Next thing I knew, I had an albums worth of material! What fans can expect from it is, a fun and funky journey through a whole Universe of musical styles and moods, music to groove to, dance to, sing along with.
Songwriting can be a cathartic process. What emotions or messages do you hope your music conveys to listeners?
It varies from song to song, really, but I would hope that threads of joy and love and wonder and hope run through them all.
How has your musical style evolved over the years, and what do you hope to convey through your music now compared to when you first started your career?
Well, I started out playing straight up punk rock, so this has definitely evolved from there. But I also had a jazz background, even in the punk days, having been a brass player in junior high and high school, and that shines through, for sure. I was looking for a way to incorporate my trumpet playing into what I was doing as a song-writer, and it naturally progressed into a funk direction. But the rock roots are still there, as well as the jazz foundation and other world music influences as well.
Many fans look up to their favorite artists as role models. What advice do you have for aspiring musicians who hope to make a name for themselves in the music industry?
Don’t quit your day job. Seriously. Be able to keep a roof over your head and food on your table, if you’re able to make enough money through music to do that, great, but if not, keep it together with a day job, cuz I have messed up enough to where I didn’t have that, and the struggle to get back to a stable reality can consume your entire existence, to the point where the music disappears, and it’s hard as hell to get it back. Also, don’t get addicted to drugs or alcohol. I’m not saying don’t party at all ever, Lord knows I’ve done my share of that, sometimes to the point of distraction, no doubt, probably set me back a bit, but never to the point where a demon or a monkey was on my back, controlling the show. Don’t need that, folks.
In the age of streaming and digital platforms, how do you navigate the challenges of making a living as a recording artist, and what advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to break into the industry?
Hmmmm….. well, in all honesty, I can’t say that I am making a living as a recording artist, I still work a day job and put my money into my music. It’s tougher than ever, probably, because, like you mention, streaming and such, no one buys records or CD”s much anymore, it’s all free on-line. I’m amazed that some people are still able to be financially successful in the current paradigm, honestly. Not sure how they do it. If there’s a manager out there who reads this and DOES know how to make that happen, please contact me via our Website, www.theheardeye.com, and let’s talk! My advice to aspiring musicians would be to find your own voice and express it as authentically as you can through writing songs that tell your own truth. Learn something about the recording process, and listen to the great artists in whichever genre best expresses who you are. Listen a lot, and listen carefully. Most of all, be your authentic self, and don’t give up. The music itself will sustain you, even if the success doesn’t ever arrive. It’s the music that matters, not the success. Although I wouldn’t turn it down if success finally did come knocking, I can’t say that I’m going to quit if it doesn’t. Cuz I won’t.
Your image and style often become part of your brand as an artist. How do you approach your personal image and fashion choices to express yourself and connect with your fans?
I try to find clothes that I like scouting out thrift shops and such, stuff that will look stylish and cool onstage, almost like a costume for a character without being outlandish. But who knows? I may try to go outlandish at some point, too. I guess I’m still searching for that iconic personal trademark look, maybe I’ll come up with something.
The future is always uncertain, but what are your long-term goals and aspirations as a recording artist, and what can your fans expect from you in the coming years?
My long-term goals are to keep writing and improving as a musician and vocalist. I’d like to say I’m aspiring to write and record a song that takes on great personal meaning in the lives of many people and helps them to cope, to feel happiness, to find who they are, and to be inspired. I’d like to get some songs into a movie or TV or other dramatic content, and have it be a meaningful part of that film or whatever it is. Fans can expect that I will keep working and writing and reaching for my own personal best, with the support and encouragement of my mates. In fact, Atma and I have continued working on new songs even as the efforts to promote Funkalypse and get the Heard Eye off and running as a performing act have been paramount priorities. We have around 20 or 25 songs already demo’d, with keeper drum tracks ready to be built up with the rest of the tracks, bit by bit. And I’m looking forward to that process! We’re already incorporating those songs into the live presentation one by one, we try to add a new one every month or so and add it to the sets, play it at whatever gig is coming up, and soon we’ll start tracking them. I’m hoping to get a new single out before the end of 2024, so fans can look forward to that, for sure.