We're All Just Passing Through - Sound In The Signals Interview
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You released Bedroom Recordings Volume 1 on Bandcamp. I was wondering what the recording process was like for that record and what about the three songs made you choose them as an introduction to listeners?
Bandcamp was one of the many websites we released our album, “Bedroom Recording, Volume 1”, through. We also released the album through iTunes, Amazon, Napster, and many more sites. The recording process was extremely simple for this album. I recorded everything on my own, in my bedroom (drums were the only instrument recorded outside of my bedroom), and with my own recording equipment. Having played in a band for years, where the record labels always sent us a studio to record, I wanted to revisit the simple approach of recording outside of a fancy studio. I wanted a real basic sounding album, free of studio tricks such as auto- tune, and without the ability to patch up minor mistakes. I then sent the tracks to my friend, Tyler, who lives in California, and he mixed and mastered the recording. Another friend of mine, Dan, served as my producer and second pair of ears on this recording. I had ten songs written, knew I only wanted to release an EP as an introduction to the band, and had Dan choose what he thought were the three best songs for the album. It truly helped to have someone else make that crucial decision for me.
Your music is described as being very influenced by your own life and the experiences you’ve had. What made you want to approach songs in the manner? Is there anything you’ve written a song about that you wondered: Should I have told people that?
For me, writing songs about personal experiences is extremely therapeutic. It was never a decision I made, but rather the only way I know how to write. I use music as an avenue to express feelings and emotions. There have been many songs I have written, about experiences in my life, that I have kept to myself. However, I am sure, little by little, these songs will be released.
You posted a video not too long ago of you playing a song that you wrote for your wife called “There Comes A Time” and you played it on your wedding day. Can you tell me a little about that song? Will it be on a future release?
I was married on October 8, 2010. From the day I got into music, I promised myself that I would write a song and play that song for my wife on our wedding day. “There Comes A Time” was written a few months after I met my wife in 2006. The day I woke up and said to myself, “Wow, I am going to marry this girl”, was the day I wrote the song. At the moment, I plan on releasing this song on “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 2”, which I am recording right now.
For anyone not familiar you are siblings. What is it like being in a band with your sibling and what encouraged you to start a band together?
My sister, Alexa, is the other half of We’re All Just Passing Through. We’ve really enjoyed the experience of being in a band together. When I began putting the pieces of We’re All Just Passing Through together, I knew I wanted to have someone with a completely different voice then mine, to accompany and sing with me. Growing up, Alexa and I always sang together and played music together, so starting this band together made complete sense. It’s also easier to coordinate band practice when the only other full- time member is in your immediate family!
A lot of the music you make is acoustic based, or at least it on the EP, what made you decide to do more acoustic based writing over electric guitars?
I’ve only written and recorded on an acoustic guitar for We’re All Just Passing Through. Growing up in a house that was always filled with music, a large number of the artists my parents listened to were based around the acoustic guitar. I’ve always appreciated the sound of an acoustic guitar. I think it can sound more powerful than an electric guitar.
You’re new video “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City” came out not too long ago. What was the video shoot process like and where did you guys shoot the video at?
We released a music video for “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City”, the first single off “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 1”, in late September 2010. The video shoot was very similar to the recording of the EP. It had a very laid back, low- key, and fun vibe. The drummer in the video is my brother-in-law (who played drums on the EP), the other singer is obviously my sister, and the bassist is my good friend, Tyler, who mixed and mastered the album. My wife shot the video and I edited it. We’re all great friends which made the video an absolute blast to make! We filmed the video at a friends house in Centerport, New York (the beautiful town on Long Island that I grew up in).
What were some of your biggest influences that you had when you were working on the album?
If you’re referring to musical influences, I was and still am most influenced by artists such as Neil Young, Tom Petty, Gram Parsons, and John Prine. Outside of music, I completely influenced by where I was in my life. I was at a point in my life where I truly wanted to record and release an album. I had been writing and playing shows under the name We’re All Just Passing Through for a couple of years, and finally felt I was at a place where putting out an album was a smart idea because I finally felt as if I had songs people would enjoy listening to.
For those who are not familiar you used to be in a band called The Goodwill. I checked out The Goodwill’s Wikipedia before I finished this interview. It talked about how you guys never released an official statement as to why the group disbanded. I wondered If you could our readers some insight?
Before this project, I was in a band called The Goodwill. We had years of success together. We had the opportunity to release two full- length albums nationwide and tour with the biggest artists in our genre. It was a true blessing and an experience I would never trade. I wish I had an interesting story as to why we disbanded, but I don’t. We got to the point where we accomplished everything we had wanted to accomplish. Because of this, we were getting a bit restless and the band stopped being fun. We figured we’d just quit while we were ahead and call it a day. We never announced that we disbanded and we never even played a final show. I guess at the time, we didn’t want to put a total end to the possibility of the band starting up again someday. Obviously, this is only my take on the situation.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
I want to sincerely thank Truman and Sound In The Signals Magazine, and everyone who is reading this article! It has been a dream come true to be playing music as We’re All Just Passing Through and I could not be doing it without support. If you’d like to download a FREE copy of our debut EP, “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 1”, you can here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1mmumkuamwz
Also, be sure to check out the music video for “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City”, right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YodMmjMU7Dw
You released Bedroom Recordings Volume 1 on Bandcamp. I was wondering what the recording process was like for that record and what about the three songs made you choose them as an introduction to listeners?
Bandcamp was one of the many websites we released our album, “Bedroom Recording, Volume 1”, through. We also released the album through iTunes, Amazon, Napster, and many more sites. The recording process was extremely simple for this album. I recorded everything on my own, in my bedroom (drums were the only instrument recorded outside of my bedroom), and with my own recording equipment. Having played in a band for years, where the record labels always sent us a studio to record, I wanted to revisit the simple approach of recording outside of a fancy studio. I wanted a real basic sounding album, free of studio tricks such as auto- tune, and without the ability to patch up minor mistakes. I then sent the tracks to my friend, Tyler, who lives in California, and he mixed and mastered the recording. Another friend of mine, Dan, served as my producer and second pair of ears on this recording. I had ten songs written, knew I only wanted to release an EP as an introduction to the band, and had Dan choose what he thought were the three best songs for the album. It truly helped to have someone else make that crucial decision for me.
Your music is described as being very influenced by your own life and the experiences you’ve had. What made you want to approach songs in the manner? Is there anything you’ve written a song about that you wondered: Should I have told people that?
For me, writing songs about personal experiences is extremely therapeutic. It was never a decision I made, but rather the only way I know how to write. I use music as an avenue to express feelings and emotions. There have been many songs I have written, about experiences in my life, that I have kept to myself. However, I am sure, little by little, these songs will be released.
You posted a video not too long ago of you playing a song that you wrote for your wife called “There Comes A Time” and you played it on your wedding day. Can you tell me a little about that song? Will it be on a future release?
I was married on October 8, 2010. From the day I got into music, I promised myself that I would write a song and play that song for my wife on our wedding day. “There Comes A Time” was written a few months after I met my wife in 2006. The day I woke up and said to myself, “Wow, I am going to marry this girl”, was the day I wrote the song. At the moment, I plan on releasing this song on “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 2”, which I am recording right now.
For anyone not familiar you are siblings. What is it like being in a band with your sibling and what encouraged you to start a band together?
My sister, Alexa, is the other half of We’re All Just Passing Through. We’ve really enjoyed the experience of being in a band together. When I began putting the pieces of We’re All Just Passing Through together, I knew I wanted to have someone with a completely different voice then mine, to accompany and sing with me. Growing up, Alexa and I always sang together and played music together, so starting this band together made complete sense. It’s also easier to coordinate band practice when the only other full- time member is in your immediate family!
A lot of the music you make is acoustic based, or at least it on the EP, what made you decide to do more acoustic based writing over electric guitars?
I’ve only written and recorded on an acoustic guitar for We’re All Just Passing Through. Growing up in a house that was always filled with music, a large number of the artists my parents listened to were based around the acoustic guitar. I’ve always appreciated the sound of an acoustic guitar. I think it can sound more powerful than an electric guitar.
You’re new video “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City” came out not too long ago. What was the video shoot process like and where did you guys shoot the video at?
We released a music video for “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City”, the first single off “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 1”, in late September 2010. The video shoot was very similar to the recording of the EP. It had a very laid back, low- key, and fun vibe. The drummer in the video is my brother-in-law (who played drums on the EP), the other singer is obviously my sister, and the bassist is my good friend, Tyler, who mixed and mastered the album. My wife shot the video and I edited it. We’re all great friends which made the video an absolute blast to make! We filmed the video at a friends house in Centerport, New York (the beautiful town on Long Island that I grew up in).
What were some of your biggest influences that you had when you were working on the album?
If you’re referring to musical influences, I was and still am most influenced by artists such as Neil Young, Tom Petty, Gram Parsons, and John Prine. Outside of music, I completely influenced by where I was in my life. I was at a point in my life where I truly wanted to record and release an album. I had been writing and playing shows under the name We’re All Just Passing Through for a couple of years, and finally felt I was at a place where putting out an album was a smart idea because I finally felt as if I had songs people would enjoy listening to.
For those who are not familiar you used to be in a band called The Goodwill. I checked out The Goodwill’s Wikipedia before I finished this interview. It talked about how you guys never released an official statement as to why the group disbanded. I wondered If you could our readers some insight?
Before this project, I was in a band called The Goodwill. We had years of success together. We had the opportunity to release two full- length albums nationwide and tour with the biggest artists in our genre. It was a true blessing and an experience I would never trade. I wish I had an interesting story as to why we disbanded, but I don’t. We got to the point where we accomplished everything we had wanted to accomplish. Because of this, we were getting a bit restless and the band stopped being fun. We figured we’d just quit while we were ahead and call it a day. We never announced that we disbanded and we never even played a final show. I guess at the time, we didn’t want to put a total end to the possibility of the band starting up again someday. Obviously, this is only my take on the situation.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
I want to sincerely thank Truman and Sound In The Signals Magazine, and everyone who is reading this article! It has been a dream come true to be playing music as We’re All Just Passing Through and I could not be doing it without support. If you’d like to download a FREE copy of our debut EP, “Bedroom Recordings, Volume 1”, you can here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1mmumkuamwz
Also, be sure to check out the music video for “Nobody Picks A Fist Fight In New York City”, right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YodMmjMU7Dw
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