Cayucas – Jessica WJ

By starrymag | October 25, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I think our Wikipedia page says Indie Pop. Though that it is pretty broad, sounds about right.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Too many to name really…when you ask someone what music they listen to and they respond ‘everything but country’ it’s kind of a generic answer, but it’s also true.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Jessica WJ.”

A) That song was one of the last songs written and recorded for this album. The song was built around the drum and bass, very minimal. I had the lyric Jessica WJ / playing bass riffs / 1998, from another song that didn’t end up getting used to copy/paste and it seemed to fit.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) People tend to connect to the nostalgia. It’s a very powerful feeling, that everyone can relate to.

Q) How will the video for the track play into the message behind it?

A) There is no video yet, we’re working on it.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) It varies from song to song. They usually start on piano, guitar or bass or a cheap Casio synth. Always a real instrument though. I’m very into production, once there is a basic riff I can flesh it out in Logic. Once the riff is fleshed out, I can start building lyrics on top. I’ll reach into my lyric ideas via notes on my iPhone and slowly chip away line by line.

Q) Talk about working with Dennis Herring on the production of your music.

A) We would open up a song (demo) on my laptop and transfer all the stems into a new session in Pro Tools. Then, Dennis would listen deconstruct and reconstruct the layout of the song kind of on the fly. Sometime a lot would change sometimes a little. Once the bones of the song felt good, we would either re-record parts or leave them or enhance them. Maybe he would throw an effect on the keyboard or Misha (the engineer) would beef up the synths or we’d record new guitar parts. Once the song was mostly finished we would get into recording vocals. This was the basic formula for us and it was very productive. In the past we always re-recorded the demos from scratch in the studio which we realize now isn’t necessary.

Q) What can fans expect from a live Cayucas performance?

A) Our live show is getting better and better. It’s bigger, more full sounding and just fun. Plus, we have a fog machine.

Q) Will there be a full EP or album coming in the near future?

A) Yes, the album will be out Feb 1st of 2019.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) The west coast is always nice, from Vancouver to San Diego. We grew up in California and will always feel a little more connected to this side of the country.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) I’m not sure, if at some point a collaboration with someone makes sense that could be interesting. I’d love to sing on a Daft Punk track or Mark Ronson funk.

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) Tyler the Creator, Travis Scott, Arctic Monkeys, reopened Surfs Up & am learning “Til I Die” amongst others on piano. Digging into Quincy’s catalog… Also, Jonny Greenwood & the music for Phantom Thread. The list goes on & on.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s really interesting to see how relevant social media is these days. It’s quite daunting as an older millennial trying to keep up. We prefer quality of quantity, though that’s not the trend.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years, we really appreciate our fans.

 

All Questions Answered by Zach Yudin