Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
I have a corporate gig by day, and enjoy producing music as a side hustle and passion. For as long as I can remember, music has been a key pleasure in life. Born in 1970, my earliest memories are sitting on green shag carpeting in the family living room and listening to Beatles records. Later in life, as a teen, I would discover the Big Band era of the ’40s and fall in love with artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman. My tastes would soon range from prog rock bands (in the day) like Rush to new jazz acts like Chick Corea and everything in between. Every time someone asks what kind of music I like, I have answered the same way for the last 30 plus years: good music is what I like. It can be any genre so long as it’s good.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Rye Catchers”?
My plan for growth is to continue to develop as an artist and keep outputting the best possible music. The music industry today is so different from decades past in that small indie artists have the ability to self-publish and have their music heard without being signed by a major label. That cuts both ways as now, indie artists must be not only musicians, but producers, graphic designers, social media experts and marketing experts. The ancillary stuff is necessary, but are also distractions. Yes, I make sure to have a presence on some socials and YouTube, and I try and pitch my songs to playllisters and even radio, but my core belief is that really good music will find an audience. With that in mind, most my efforts go into the actual material as opposed to garnering Spotify streams.
For new listeners, my memo is, I hope to create one of your favorite songs, even if that song is not yet written. Hang with me as lots of cool stuff is on the way.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
That is a loaded question as there are so many supremely talented artists past and present. Lots of people like to point to a certain decade and say THAT was when music was really at its best. I say great music persists in every era and we continue to see amazing work crafted every year. There is no one great, but many. My inspiration comes from so many sources – from every great artist before me, along with my own inner sensibilities. The most recent awesome artist I stumbled across is Magdalena Bay – what a cool young duo! Check them out.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “Little Things.”?
This is such a long story so here is the quick tour: Originally “Little Things” was a full LP of roughly a dozen plus tunes. I recorded them all locally after many years of being musically dormant. I released the full album and kept producing new songs after that. I quickly became a better producer and realized most the songs from “Little Things” could be better, so I took down the LP and opted to retain only two originals, and supplemented those two songs with three remixes; one EDM remix and two Lo-Fi versions. All others I ended up retooling from scratch and those will soon be released on a new album. Thus, the ‘Little Things” EP was created after some trial and error.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
Distinctive.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Little Things”?
See prior answer. The two core originals were written and produced in 2019, and after much evolution, this is a unique album as it is more a retrospective as opposed to new material, though the two Lo-Fi additions were created this year, in 2023.
The songs were recorded locally and live. With the pandemic, that model changed and I now record remotely with artists from abroad. Really, for me, that was one positive that came from the Covid years – it forced me to be more resourceful which led me to a greater host of artists and collaborators I’d not have found locally.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
I always try to avoid being banal with the lyrics and messaging. I often go back to love and longing and nostalgia, but I try to deliver those themes in new and unique ways. Those themes come through with the two “Little Things” tunes, with “Little Things” centering on modern life getting in the way of our own human dispositions that are rooted in nature and space, and “Sepia Tones” harkening back to simpler times and classic romances.
The ultimate goal as an artist is to have that one elusive hit song. Just one will do. (The name Rye Catchers is a nod to author JD Salinger who had just one success with his ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ novel.)
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
I am blessed as I already have the pleasure of doing just that. In the last few years, I have worked with some of the most gifted artists on earth – from legendary bassist Timothy Lefebvre, to multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ryan Whyte Maloney, guitar virtuoso Niels van der Steenhoven and six string shredder Sean Williamson, pianist and multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Giarratana, vocalists Nikki Simmons, Victoria Bigelow and Nekane (all unique and amazingly gifted with their own styles), fusion drummer Mayowa Ifah, EDM remixers Maze X Mxtreme, Lo-Fi artist VZNK, Latin bassist Isaias Elpes, Latin guitarist JP Mourao, and the list goes on… all gifted artists that are not household names, but who are masters at what they do. I am a lucky man.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
Do it if you love it – expect the worst and do not anticipate any actual success or viral hits. It is a total grind where the only vehicle that carries you is raw (and refined) talent. Do not output just a single tune and expect anything. Be prepared to write dozens of songs and keep making more after those. Collaborate with the best talent you can find. But always stay true to your own vision – in the end, being genuine matters.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
Stay away from the world of corporate banking – it’s boring. And don’t release tunes until you have listened to them for a few months – you will always find revisions that should have been made. Finally, buy up Amazon stock – as much as possible – in 1997 when it first went public for $18 a share…
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