Dead Defined – Rise and Stall

By starrymag | December 24, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I like to describe my music and sound as Pop/Rock/Industrial. I have way too many influences when it comes to narrowing myself down to just one musical style so more or less it’s an amalgamation of many genres and artist influence. The reason I chose to create this solo project was also to be able to experiment with different plug-ins/sounds to bend the mold when it comes to my own typical rock n’ roll writing style.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) I have way too many influencers to list and most come out subconsciously through writing music, but I’ll name a few of my favorites! I grew up listening to the late 90’s, early 2000’s commercial Hard Rock scene. American Hard Rock/NuMetal was a huge part of my musical influence even if that doesn’t transpose to my own style of writing. I do take a few things here and there idea wise but try to compose music that’s more relevant for today’s listener. Growing up it was bands like P.O.D., Sevendust, Staind, Korn, Creed, Alter Bridge, Nirvana, etc.

Q) Toronto has become a great place for up-and-coming musicians. What do you think it is about the city that has made it so popular?

A) I think the influence from major artists in the industry has really helped to build Toronto’s reputation as a music hub. Drake, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, just to name a few, have all got there start in this city which draws attention to music overall. There are also many underground Rock and Metal acts still kicking ass but are lesser known in the mainstream media sadly. It seems to be an always evolving cycle of new musicians breaking out to mainstream which is great fuel for any up-and-coming musician.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Rise and Stall.”

A) “Rise and Stall” came from a place of self learning and appreciation. I’ve been watching a lot of inspirational speakers as of lately and the thing that really stuck out to me is they want you to learn self love and self care. I’ve always had a bad habit of speaking cruelly to myself over the past years and decided it’s a great topic to write a song around. The lyrics portray an inner monologue and how it is speaking to oneself in a self care type of way. You need to take care of yourself and your mental state because no one else will do it for you.

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

A) I’m hoping they can connect with the lyrical content as I always write to speak for people that don’t have a voice of their own. Being a Mental Health Advocate, I always try to incorporate some type of meaningful accountability when writing my music.

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

A) For this video we wanted to really hit home and not break eye contact with the camera. It’s the first type of video I’ve done this way as to try and really connect with the person watching. We actually experimented with this song by having my actions and movements look very sharp and sped up. It was actually a little experiment we did on set to see if we could get it to work by recording this whole song in halftime then ramping it back up to normal speed. It’s a little trick I saw online and thankfully it turned out great! It’s always fun trying to incorporate new styles and ideas on the fly. My videographer, Luke Camozzi, really killed this one!

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

A) I get this question quite often and the answer is actually not really ha! It’s different all the time. Much of it comes out of humming something in my head, then recording it onto my phone. It could be the notes on guitar to a hook for a chorus. I’ve started to write songs many different ways, usually on the fly or out of boredom. I seldom sit down and tell myself, “Okay, I have to write something right now.” It usually comes out of nowhere when I’m already occupied doing something else. Thankfully, we all have phones now that we can record on anywhere 24/7.

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I’m actually not much of a “techie,” to be honest. I don’t know my way around a soundboard or recording program, but I do make sure to always be in studio with my producer/engineer though when piecing the music together. I always have to have a hand in the production side as I can express my ideas verbally but not through technology. Luckily, in this day in age there’s thousands of different samples and sounds to bridge the music together to make it your own. That’s the really fun, but tedious part about studio technology. I’m hoping to learn minor recording practices in the next year though to be able to at least record my ideas in studio and not just to my phone. [laughs]

Q) “Rise and Stall” is your eighth single. Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) I don’t have any plans on recording an EP at the moment. The way the music industry and music consumers are in this day in age are completely different from when I first started recording and releasing music years ago. It’s an always evolving industry and with all forms of social media nowadays you have to keep an ear to the ground at all times learning and watching how music is being released and consumed. I typically try to release a new single every three to four months to keep the ball rolling and attain interest. This year’s been a bit different as I’m also building music studios to open in 2022. Sadly, it consumes most of my time at the moment, but I’ll be back on track to write and record new music very soon.

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

A) My favorite places are the dive bars and smaller stages. I love the more intimate and grungy settings of these types of venues. I find the crowd is more into the music and being closer to everyone really helps evoke the energy you want through your music in that moment. It’s hard to not be the center of attraction as well in these venues and it’s a great way to interact and build a fan following. Open and spacious venues I find are distracting to people in this day in age. With such short attention spans you really want to engage with the audience and hold their attention.

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

A) At the moment I’m currently hoping to collaborate with another Canadian Hard Rock band called The Veer Union based out of British Columbia. I’ve been a fan of their work for many years and would love to collaborate with another amazing Canadian Artist. I’ve sent a message to their management and hoping for a response by the end of the year.

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

A) My go to for awhile have been a rock band from Sweden called Smash Into Pieces. They carry a similar style to mine but have a lot of great production and are really consistent releasing videos and new music. I strive to do more of that in the next year but when the time is right. They have a hard rock edge but also have a soft side that they do really well. I first met them in person in Toronto when opening for In Flames a few years ago. It was their first tour in North America.

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

A) Social media is everything for a musician these days. If you do not use it or interact with friends and fans daily, you’re pretty much dead in the water. The music industry gauges your social media presence as to where you are in your music career. I didn’t start really engaging until 2019 when I became aware of how much social media really plays into people’s everyday life. Just because I didn’t use it as much does not mean someone who’s a fan or follower uses it in the same way. People have many different habits when it comes to social media is what I’ve learned. I try to post daily and engage daily on posts that matter to me and posts I want people to engage with and be aware of.

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

A) Thank you! People don’t understand how much we really rely on our fans and followers to help us build our music careers. All the shares and likes and listens mean everything to us musicians. It’s very hard to garner interest and traction in a world with so many other distractions and avenues pulling our attention in every which way. So, for the people that actually take the time to listen, share and engage with my music and other artists on social media it means a lot and does not go unnoticed! Much Love!