Discover more from Volatile Weekly
Interview: Pulsar Radio
[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="151737"]
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Music runs in my family. My Great grandma (on harmonica) and grandpa (on ukulele) used to perform Irish folk tunes on the radio in Hollywood in the 1930's. My mom started out as a drummer and gave me her sticks and drum pad and encouraged me to play drums at the age of 10 by buying my first drum set. She was also the lead singer and played harmonica in a rock n roll cover band in the 90's which influenced me greatly. My Grandma also got me involved in Drum Corps when I was 16 where I got my start touring. I also received a full Jazz music scholarship to Bethune Cookman College thanks to my hard work in high school jazz band and my kick ass band director Frank Williams. If I wasn't in music I would probably be a visual artist or animator for Dreamworks!
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I like keeping up with current news about space travel, watch the show Cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson or star gaze in the summertime. I feel it inspires me to think about how we are all just tiny specs in the grandeur of the universe. This ignites my creativity and humbles me and my songwriting.
How long has music been your career?
20+ years
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
Started playing music in Tampa Bay, ATL and NYC and currently living in Los Angeles. This city is a very creative and an inspiring place to live. So many talented people, great music, culture, history, and passion comes from here! It's inspiring to live in the middle of all that and it influences my songwriting a lot!
Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.
Best Shows: Performed at amazing venues through the years on past tours with the bands I've been in, Jazzfest in high school jamming with jazz legends in the hotel lobby. I also really enjoyed performing on a ship venue with Christian Death in Budapest and in Lima, Peru the crowd was on fire! Opening for Manu Chao with Outernational in France, Rock El Parque in Bogota and Rock Por la Vida in Guadalajara for a good cause meant a lot! Performing and singing Power To The People with Tom Morello at John Lennon 75th Bday celebration concert at Madison Square Garden in NY and seeing everyone including Yoko and Willie Nelson in the audience singing along was amazing and most epic!!! https://youtu.be/IVw9R92ZEuM
Worst Shows:
I don't feel that I've had the worst show. Yeah we all have good and some bad shows from time to time. At the end of the day the show must go on. I feel every show is a gift to and being able to perform for a live audience is priceless especially after a pandemic!
Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
I really loved performing at Jannus Landing in St. Pete, FL where I grew up. I went to so many great shows there from Bad Religion to Deftones to Rancid and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Seeing those bands as a teenager and also performing on that stage with my bands in my earlier days Nine 2 Life and 28 Gates is still the most magical place for me. I'd really love to play anywhere in Japan someday as I've never performed there yet!
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Bad Religion and Pulsar Radio would be stellar!
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music?
After being a music educator myself in between touring I'd say:
First, figure out what instrument you would like to play. Get involved in bands in school, marching band, jazz band, concert band, rock band. Learn how to read music and compose. Start your own band. Take private or group music lessons. Listen and learn from all the greats from Jazz to funk to rock to punk! Write lots of songs. Get out there and tour/gain fans. If offered a show or a tour opportunity don't ever pass it up. Try to do all of this DIY if you can, CD Baby, Sonic Bids and Reverb Nation are great resources online. Form a strong team of people behind you that believe in your talent, music and artistic vision, because like the great Joe Strummer once said "without people, you're nothing!"
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Write more songs and set aside more time from touring to spend quality time with the ones you love most!
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
I think my first single Sea Of Dreams means a lot to me because it's about losing someone you love, like when I lost my Grandma in 2014 and my Uncle last year at the beginning of the pandemic. The song is a dedication to their memory, life and love. No matter what happens their memories will live on and remain as timeless as the sea.
The song also features an amazing guitar solo from my friend, former bandmate and epic guitarist, Jonny Marquez!
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Most requested song is Freebird unfortunately haha lol, seriously though Sea Of Dreams, a cover of Radiohead's Lucky https://youtu.be/ShB-2fUttHE or Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen.
What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music?
My creative process usually starts in my home studio with an acoustic guitar and pen and paper in hand and my inspiration comes from life experiences I've had whether it be my time spent touring in bands on the road, space exploration or just going to the beach and swimming in the ocean with the one I love.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
I think my music helps people think more outside the box and think more about space and science. Pulsar Radio transmits musical messages of hope, a sense of escaping fear and feeling more positive through life's hardships.
Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?
It can be tough being in a band sometimes but I've found that if you can work past any disagreements the songs that can emerge from collaborating can be some of the best songs ever written!
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
The plan is to release a few singles within the next few weeks, the first being Sea Of Dreams, which is available now on Spotify and iTunes, the next singles We Are Not Alone and Interstellar Sunday by mid October followed by a 5 song EP release entitled Interstellar Sunday by mid January 2022! Then with the help of a fine team of people at BSquaredMGMT, tba start touring locally on the West Coast March/April, regional touring and festival stops in the summertime and start the tour off with a possible show or two at SXSW I hope! Then work on a new album after the tour, release new singles in the fall and release a second EP/LP by the new year!
Social Media Links:
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/Pulsarradio
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pulsarradiofans