Light Warriors Interview
Q: Your music emits positive vibes. I can’t help but feel there is a spiritual component behind the music. Even the titles of the songs like “Truth Exists Inside The Moment” sound like they could be muttered by a spiritual teacher like Eckert Tolle. Can you elaborate on this?
A: Thank you for feeling the positivity. I've read a lot of Thich Naht Hahn (who Martin Luther King Jr nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in the late ’60s) and other authors with similar schools of thought, in addition to doing light energy work like Reiki and Harmonyum over the years. I studied mediation and zen philosophy in college which grounded me and prepared me for adulthood.
There was definitely something spiritual and energetic happening during the recording. I was ending a long period of being a corporate guy and freeing myself from that discipline and routine. During that process of release, it felt natural to just be a vessel for music to flow through. In letting things come vs. trying to make something happen, a little magic happened. “The Devil's Angels” was written in 30 minutes, no edits to the lyrics. I wish it was like that every time.
Q: Your music is varied. You can hear different styles like reggae and eastern music. What are some of your influences and how did these disparate style emerge on Survival Of Joy?
A: I have musical A.D.D. I can't get enough styles, time periods, sub-genres. I've always loved music that had variety in it. The radio always had classic rock (Beatles, Floyd, etc.) and Motown/Stax soul and funk playing. But metal was my first musical obsession somewhere around fifth or sixth grade. Iron Maiden was epic, with tons of movement and variety of moods in their music. And when speed metal came along, I was all in.
I'm also a huge Allman Brothers fan. The Mountain Jam is pure telepathy. Their jazz influences led me to Miles and Coltrane and my next passion for free jazz, which has always had a spiritual element in addition to the cacophony of sounds that's similar to what extreme metal produces. Sun Ra has been a staple in my collection since the early ‘90s. I saw tons of experimental/improvisational music in NYC then, the John Zorn scene and William Parker/Matthew Shipp, Other Dimensions In Music, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards were simply brilliant. That led me to indigenous folk music and world music. In the ’00s I fell in love with roots and dub reggae, touring in a progressive reggae band called Trumystic.
Throw in a heavy dose of ’70s Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On,” the ultimate spiritually socially conscious statement, into the listening rotation and songs like “Truth Exists Inside The Moment” and “Soul Breaks” emerge. In songs that are structurally simple, like “So Goes The Story” or “Times Are Hard,” I try to keep it musically interesting with sound and instrumental interplay in the way that free jazz musicians play over a mode. Ultimately, I love melody and interaction and that all comes together on the album.
Q: Your songs are dense with instrumentation. What is the songwriting process like?
A: All of my songs start with acoustic guitar. Sometimes I have lyrics and melody first and other times it's a rhythm. When recording, I usually start with guitar and vocals at the same time all the way through. I want to capture that live feeling, so I don't mind if every hit or beat isn't on the click. I then let the music take shape intuitively. As the core bass/drums/keys/guitar is laid down, I'm looking for different textures...synths, percussion, apps to fill out the sound. A lot it is experimentation and choices based on taste, which is shaped by my influences. I really like to blend sounds, so I am always looking for complementary instrumentation to play the same or harmonized line. It ends up sounding maximalist, which I stumbled on recording A Butterfly Emerges for my cuebrane project in 2013.
I simply love the process. And it's beyond satisfying when you listen through and don't hear a single thing you want to change or add or adjust. I suppose that's the beauty of being an independent artist... you can take all of the time you want to get to that level of fulfillment.
Q: Can you talk about some of the other musical projects you have been involved in?
A: Definitely! I love improvisation and experimental music and have a few projects. My cuebrane project is started out as lo-fi cut and paste with live playing but has evolved into pure meditation, one or two takes with minimal edits. The first album Drill In The Brain, released in 2002, was where I learned how to blend styles, sound design and improvisation into a cohesive instrumental. It was a true labor of lo-fi love. A Butterly Emerges came about when Matt Chambliss, who did the cover art for Survival of Joy, and I had the idea to put music to art which became the cover for the album. We have a lot of ideas to still explore together.
Ecstatica is a project with my friend Drew Moss, who plays drums, that came together when he wanted to do a tribute EP to friend who had died. We just put out a seven- song album on Soundcloud called The Deeper Side of the Great Uplifting Release Blues. Our approach is mostly a warts and all, let it fly spontaneous musical conversation and then try and make sense of it with some structure and instrumentation. Drew's energy is amazing and the music lives up to the band name. It's not for everyone, but we love it.
Greg Coffey, my nephew who plays bass in a great indie band called Zuli, and I have a Sun Ra-inspired project called Other Planes of There. We have a completed album that we need to release and are in the process of recording the second album. I've done some work with a great reggae artist named Ruff Scott. He's about to release an album I contributed guitar and some other random instruments to. We also have about eight songs we wrote together that we are finishing up. We'll probably release a few in the coming months. We do some acoustic shows together from time to time and are looking to blend our live shows with a full band.
Finally, given the election, I produced and dropped a verse on a song concepted by Isa Asante of Intellectually Transmitted called “Two Party System,” a classic reggae dub-style jam. We did a fun video poking at and critiquing this ridiculous election and current state of affairs. I came to know Isa through a remix I did for him in 2014 featuring Ruff Scott called “Arise.” I love doing remixes because it takes me out of my own head and challenges me to come up with something new, like the Godbody track with Groove Vandalz called “Best Beware” on my Soundcloud page.
Q: What are your live shows like?
A: They vary. I do a lot of solo acoustic shows with Sofar Sounds in NY. What an amazing music community! The organization is in over 250 cities around the world. If you haven't been to one, you should definitely go. They're disrupting the industry for the live music experience and it's beautiful...like going to a jazz show where people are there to just listen.
In this past year, I've had a three-piece to a five-piece for club shows. I have one final show this year in NYC where I'm hoping to have a seven-piece band for that one. The songs are templates for the talents of the players involved and I like to give them room to shine. Sometimes we will improvise to freakout noise and other times we will just play the songs. It all depends on the musicians and the moment. But no set is ever delivered the same way twice. I guess that's a bit Dead-like but steering clear of the purposeless-ever-searching-endless noodles they were sometimes prone to. I love the Dead but I like to keep the jams moving and high energy.
Q: What’s the future hold for Light Warriors and your other projects. Any hope we can get a new Light Warriors album in 2017?
A: Yes, I'm looking toward a May release for the second album in addition to finishing and releasing the music from my side projects. I'm in the process of finishing the recording for what will be titled Raise The Frequency. I'm lucky enough to have a great producer/engineer named Jim Scott helping me with the final mix. He has worked with the greatest names in music, winning a Grammy with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, working with Johnny Cash, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Santana, Wilco, Tom Morello and many more. I'm still in a state of shock and bliss that he loved the last album and wants to work with me.
I'll probably do a couple of videos for this one, which I didn't do for Survival Of Joy. Hopefully, I'll be able to do some touring and play summer festivals in 2017 in support of the next one.
And if time allows, I'd like to do an acoustic tribute EP to Bob Dylan in honor of his 75th birthday and Nobel Prize. Lyrically, there is no one better. I think my favorite line is from “Po' Boy” off Love & Theft which goes "the game is the same it's just up on another level.” I keep searching for new levels. It's always exciting.
Q: Your music emits positive vibes. I can’t help but feel there is a spiritual component behind the music. Even the titles of the songs like “Truth Exists Inside The Moment” sound like they could be muttered by a spiritual teacher like Eckert Tolle. Can you elaborate on this?
A: Thank you for feeling the positivity. I've read a lot of Thich Naht Hahn (who Martin Luther King Jr nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in the late ’60s) and other authors with similar schools of thought, in addition to doing light energy work like Reiki and Harmonyum over the years. I studied mediation and zen philosophy in college which grounded me and prepared me for adulthood.
There was definitely something spiritual and energetic happening during the recording. I was ending a long period of being a corporate guy and freeing myself from that discipline and routine. During that process of release, it felt natural to just be a vessel for music to flow through. In letting things come vs. trying to make something happen, a little magic happened. “The Devil's Angels” was written in 30 minutes, no edits to the lyrics. I wish it was like that every time.
Q: Your music is varied. You can hear different styles like reggae and eastern music. What are some of your influences and how did these disparate style emerge on Survival Of Joy?
A: I have musical A.D.D. I can't get enough styles, time periods, sub-genres. I've always loved music that had variety in it. The radio always had classic rock (Beatles, Floyd, etc.) and Motown/Stax soul and funk playing. But metal was my first musical obsession somewhere around fifth or sixth grade. Iron Maiden was epic, with tons of movement and variety of moods in their music. And when speed metal came along, I was all in.
I'm also a huge Allman Brothers fan. The Mountain Jam is pure telepathy. Their jazz influences led me to Miles and Coltrane and my next passion for free jazz, which has always had a spiritual element in addition to the cacophony of sounds that's similar to what extreme metal produces. Sun Ra has been a staple in my collection since the early ‘90s. I saw tons of experimental/improvisational music in NYC then, the John Zorn scene and William Parker/Matthew Shipp, Other Dimensions In Music, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards were simply brilliant. That led me to indigenous folk music and world music. In the ’00s I fell in love with roots and dub reggae, touring in a progressive reggae band called Trumystic.
Throw in a heavy dose of ’70s Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On,” the ultimate spiritually socially conscious statement, into the listening rotation and songs like “Truth Exists Inside The Moment” and “Soul Breaks” emerge. In songs that are structurally simple, like “So Goes The Story” or “Times Are Hard,” I try to keep it musically interesting with sound and instrumental interplay in the way that free jazz musicians play over a mode. Ultimately, I love melody and interaction and that all comes together on the album.
Q: Your songs are dense with instrumentation. What is the songwriting process like?
A: All of my songs start with acoustic guitar. Sometimes I have lyrics and melody first and other times it's a rhythm. When recording, I usually start with guitar and vocals at the same time all the way through. I want to capture that live feeling, so I don't mind if every hit or beat isn't on the click. I then let the music take shape intuitively. As the core bass/drums/keys/guitar is laid down, I'm looking for different textures...synths, percussion, apps to fill out the sound. A lot it is experimentation and choices based on taste, which is shaped by my influences. I really like to blend sounds, so I am always looking for complementary instrumentation to play the same or harmonized line. It ends up sounding maximalist, which I stumbled on recording A Butterfly Emerges for my cuebrane project in 2013.
I simply love the process. And it's beyond satisfying when you listen through and don't hear a single thing you want to change or add or adjust. I suppose that's the beauty of being an independent artist... you can take all of the time you want to get to that level of fulfillment.
Q: Can you talk about some of the other musical projects you have been involved in?
A: Definitely! I love improvisation and experimental music and have a few projects. My cuebrane project is started out as lo-fi cut and paste with live playing but has evolved into pure meditation, one or two takes with minimal edits. The first album Drill In The Brain, released in 2002, was where I learned how to blend styles, sound design and improvisation into a cohesive instrumental. It was a true labor of lo-fi love. A Butterly Emerges came about when Matt Chambliss, who did the cover art for Survival of Joy, and I had the idea to put music to art which became the cover for the album. We have a lot of ideas to still explore together.
Ecstatica is a project with my friend Drew Moss, who plays drums, that came together when he wanted to do a tribute EP to friend who had died. We just put out a seven- song album on Soundcloud called The Deeper Side of the Great Uplifting Release Blues. Our approach is mostly a warts and all, let it fly spontaneous musical conversation and then try and make sense of it with some structure and instrumentation. Drew's energy is amazing and the music lives up to the band name. It's not for everyone, but we love it.
Greg Coffey, my nephew who plays bass in a great indie band called Zuli, and I have a Sun Ra-inspired project called Other Planes of There. We have a completed album that we need to release and are in the process of recording the second album. I've done some work with a great reggae artist named Ruff Scott. He's about to release an album I contributed guitar and some other random instruments to. We also have about eight songs we wrote together that we are finishing up. We'll probably release a few in the coming months. We do some acoustic shows together from time to time and are looking to blend our live shows with a full band.
Finally, given the election, I produced and dropped a verse on a song concepted by Isa Asante of Intellectually Transmitted called “Two Party System,” a classic reggae dub-style jam. We did a fun video poking at and critiquing this ridiculous election and current state of affairs. I came to know Isa through a remix I did for him in 2014 featuring Ruff Scott called “Arise.” I love doing remixes because it takes me out of my own head and challenges me to come up with something new, like the Godbody track with Groove Vandalz called “Best Beware” on my Soundcloud page.
Q: What are your live shows like?
A: They vary. I do a lot of solo acoustic shows with Sofar Sounds in NY. What an amazing music community! The organization is in over 250 cities around the world. If you haven't been to one, you should definitely go. They're disrupting the industry for the live music experience and it's beautiful...like going to a jazz show where people are there to just listen.
In this past year, I've had a three-piece to a five-piece for club shows. I have one final show this year in NYC where I'm hoping to have a seven-piece band for that one. The songs are templates for the talents of the players involved and I like to give them room to shine. Sometimes we will improvise to freakout noise and other times we will just play the songs. It all depends on the musicians and the moment. But no set is ever delivered the same way twice. I guess that's a bit Dead-like but steering clear of the purposeless-ever-searching-endless noodles they were sometimes prone to. I love the Dead but I like to keep the jams moving and high energy.
Q: What’s the future hold for Light Warriors and your other projects. Any hope we can get a new Light Warriors album in 2017?
A: Yes, I'm looking toward a May release for the second album in addition to finishing and releasing the music from my side projects. I'm in the process of finishing the recording for what will be titled Raise The Frequency. I'm lucky enough to have a great producer/engineer named Jim Scott helping me with the final mix. He has worked with the greatest names in music, winning a Grammy with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, working with Johnny Cash, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Santana, Wilco, Tom Morello and many more. I'm still in a state of shock and bliss that he loved the last album and wants to work with me.
I'll probably do a couple of videos for this one, which I didn't do for Survival Of Joy. Hopefully, I'll be able to do some touring and play summer festivals in 2017 in support of the next one.
And if time allows, I'd like to do an acoustic tribute EP to Bob Dylan in honor of his 75th birthday and Nobel Prize. Lyrically, there is no one better. I think my favorite line is from “Po' Boy” off Love & Theft which goes "the game is the same it's just up on another level.” I keep searching for new levels. It's always exciting.