Hiya Paulo, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
Hey, thanks for having me! I’m not sure I can remember life before music if I’m being honest. Neither of my parents were musicians, but they were both huge music fans and it’s always been a huge focus throughout my life. Some of my earliest memories were sitting with my dad and listening to his vinyl collection and we had a few cheap keyboards and guitars they thrifted that I always wanted to play with.
What’s the live music scene like in Raleigh right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
I’ve been really surprised with it recently. I don’t think too many people think of Raleigh as a music city, but there’s a lot of potential. I’m still pretty new to the scene and trying to plug in as best I can, but it’s been much better than I thought. It’s very different from NY/NJ, but it has a very intimate feeling to it.
As far as who to look out for, I’m still trying to meet people myself, but I found an audio engineer online and he just happened to be located here. His name is Eric Von, and he’s one of the most talented engineers I’ve worked with (I’ve worked with A LOT), and he’s done a great job of building a community of local artists together. Almost all of the people he’s worked with that I’ve heard are amazing. @stratosphererecordsofficial on instagram is full of posts with some of the best local talent.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
If I’m being honest, it’s my least favorite part of my job, but you’re right and it is important. Personally, I don’t use social media at all and I really only use my artist profile when someone at the label yells at me for not posting. I typically just let the label tag me when they do a post, but I’m trying to set time aside every few days to hope on and at least connect with fans. I think that’s the only part I enjoy is getting direct connections with fans and getting to hear their stories.
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
Poorly? As I mentioned before, I just never enjoyed social media. It’s just never been something that interests me. I really just treat it as part of the job and have started blocking out 15 mins or so every couple of days to sit down and go through as much as I can. With this new release I’m planning on posting more content and trying to be engaging.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
I think like most things it has its ups and downs, but overall I’m happy to be someone who has been able to make music a full time job. Some of the best and worst people I’ve met have been music industry people. I’m very fortunate to be where I am now. The team I have is amazing. I think we’re really at a place where artists aren’t as desperate to get a deal as they used to be and it’s making it a little harder to take advantage of artists because of that. On the other hand, I think we’re seeing a lot more scams now when it comes to marketing.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I think everyone on our label is in a good position. We all own our masters still and I’m happy with the focus on where the growth is placed. Nobody is foolishly chasing streams. Nobody on the roster is a household name or charting, but there are a few artists who are fully supporting themselves with just music. This release will be another huge step forward. We have a great sync rep who’s doing a great job with this record already and this will also be our first release with a bigger physical distribution deal.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
I think just showing up to do the work everyday. I quit my day job back in 2020 to do music full time and the growth I experienced in those five years far exceeds the previous couple decades. When you do it everyday, creativity becomes so much more natural. The amount of music I’ve been able to create is higher than I ever thought possible. In the last year alone I’ve written 2 full LPs and 3 EPs as well as written and produced songs for many of the other artists on the label. When I was only doing music part time I’d suffer from writer’s block a lot, but I haven’t had that since 2020.
What was your best experience on stage?
Any time I’m able to get out of my head. I have terrible stage freight and just don’t really enjoy being the center of attention. Every once in a while I’m able to let go and just be in the moment, but those times are pretty rare for me. That’s one of the main reasons why most of our photo shoots and music videos are animated. It wasn’t until this year that I uploaded a real picture of myself on our Spotify profile.
What was your worst experience on stage?
As I mentioned, I have a lot of stage freight. I don’t think any of my worst experiences would be from messing up live or having technical difficulties,but more after the performance. I had a conversation years ago after performing that’s always stuck with me. A fan came up and asked if I was doing alright personally because I looked so sad on stage.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
Most people are surprised to hear that I played very competitive hockey growing up. Looking at me, it’s not hard to picture me as an artist. I’m really laid back and I’m not the biggest guy, so everyone is surprised to hear that I played (and still play).
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Yeah, we have our second full length album coming out July 11th. The first single “First of the Month” is out on the first of May. I’m really excited about it. I really liked our first album, but it kind of felt like we were still trying to figure out what defines our sound. With this album there was a much clearer vision and it feels more like an album. Grewing up I was into so many different genres that I’d start a band and after a few months be bored of the sound and want to start a different kind of band.
That’s what really got me interested in writing and producing for other artists. It kept things fresh. With this album I feel like I was really able to draw in a lot of my influences into a cohesive sound. My first love in music will always be classic R&B. From Motown all the way through the early 90’s, that’s what I’ve always really been into. I also really love hip-hop, classic rock, and 90s alternative rock. I feel like we were really able to incorporate all of these influences into this record.
What was the recording process like?
I formed this band during the pandemic, so we’ve been really good at working remotely and did so for this album as well. The band works very similar to something like Steely Dan. I use a lot of session players. My process is always the same. I usually start by writing and recording the demo myself. Once I have the main harmony, melody, and groove down I bring in Bruno Migliari. He’s one of the greatest bass players I’ve ever heard. I like to bring him in as early as possible while I’m still working on the demo.
We’ll meet remotely and I’ll show him what I’ve done and we’ll work together on some of the smaller details. Once we’re done I’ll schedule sessions with the rest of the guys. I always bring Adam Alesi on drums and João Paulo Drumond does all of the percussion. I’ll usually play guitar, keys, synths, and bring in Vitaliy Tkachuk for additional guitars and Antônio Guerra for additional keys. Pedro Silveira was also brought in for some additional guitars.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I wanted to move quicker on this album, so I really learned to trust myself and others. I’m not sure if this is a term that’s well known or if we made it up ourselves, but we try to avoid “demoitis”. Basically, what that means is sometimes you can be too close to a project and the more you listen to it, the more set you get on the current version. I mostly get it when we get to mixing.
By the time I send things to Eric for mixing I’ve heard the song so many times it’s hard for me to separate that from the mix. As the producer, I’m so aware of every element that goes into the song and sometimes I want them all front and center. I try to trust Eric. He’s coming in with fresh ears and I try to trust him as much as possible. I also try not to over think things. You can tinker with so many little details for weeks and at the end of the day the only one who will notice these details is myself.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
No, I’m really happy with it.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Just how grateful we are for everyone that’s supported us. This band has been so much fun and I’m so glad people are connecting with it. It makes it possible to continue to make new music. If you’re reading this, follow us on instagram. We’re doing a huge giveaway to try and show how much we appreciate your support!
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