Photo credit: Seth Caplan
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I no longer have a vehicle because I was asked to open tours as a solo artist so much last year that I just ended up riding around in other people’s buses/vans.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Eating healthy is a priority for me on tour because it’s the only way I know how to keep my body energized and running with such a crazy schedule! I usually make a big stop at a supermarket (hopefully Trader Joe’s!) and stock up on healthy snacks that don’t need refrigeration. Then it’s on to YELP reviews once we land in the city that we’re playing. If I can do one meal out per day, usually after soundcheck, I’m quite satisfied!
How often do you have to fix or replace your instruments?
I’m mostly a keyboardist and my Nord keyboard has been serving me well going on 8 years now! No replacements necessary.
Where do you rehearse?
I live in a loft space in Brooklyn with nice high ceilings and great acoustics and my neighbors don’t mind my constant music making! This is my rehearsal space.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I wrote “Shadow in a Daze” when I was 17 – “she sits like a muse, waiting for her call. She’s got her cigarette in hand, legs crossed, head tall. She owns the space around her, every man’s gaze. Clouds of smoke surround her, she’s a shadow in a daze”. What a little ham I was! Not much has changed.
Describe your first gig.
My first “band” gig was when I was 18, at the Bitter End in the West Village. I was so nervous that I kept forgetting all of my lyrics! I couldn’t believe that one of my favorite singers, Donny Hathaway, had made one of my favorite live records in that very club! I definitely played “Shadow in a Daze” that night.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
When I’m not making my own music I’ve been lucky enough to help score many documentary films with the composer Paul Brill. But during the pandemic I’ve also picked up some new songwriting students over zoom. It’s great fun to dig into their new material.
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
I make more income now from live streams and live shows than I had in the past, not just from music licensing income. I hope that this new trend can continue into the future as live streaming becomes more and more popular. It’s very neat to be able to access so many of your fans at once, and so often!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
I finally produced my latest record myself and it took me years to gain the confidence to not only arrange but also engineer my own stuff. If I knew how much I’d eventually love the recording process, I would have started collecting recording gear much earlier on. I studied film scoring at school, but I probably would have studied music production instead.