Paul Cafcae Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I attended what was called in the USSR a "music school" starting at the age of 6. Four days a week after school, I learned theory, harmony, solfeggio, rhythm and music literature, as well as how to play accordion and piano. When the iron curtain finally came up and a lot of Western music started pouring into Eastern Europe, I listened to a lot of "old school" music - Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Elton John, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, CCR, John Lee Hooker, etc. At 15 I picked up my dad's old guitar and started learning to play it on my own. I remember being greatly inspired by Eric Clapton's Unplugged; I still consider it a true musical masterpiece, so genuine and pristine. Back then I dabbled in some songwriting, but because I was so young and inexperienced, it never really took off. I still wanted to do my own thing, so instead I started to reinvent popular songs such as "All My Loving" by The Beatles, which I played as a 6/8 time signature ballad. In the early 2000s, I grew more interested in arrangements and production, using DAWs to overdub myself playing various instruments and singing harmonies. I also experimented with electronic music, but that never really took off either. It wasn't until I arrived in Canada in 2009, when I was singing and playing guitar for some party bands, that people started telling me I should write my own material. I wrote a couple of tunes for a rockabilly cover band that I was in, and when they received good reception, I realized that I should write more, which brought me to the release of my first album Sophisticated which was released back in January. There's a lot more in store!
Q: What are some of topics and themes you explore on Sophisticated?
A: It's a little bit about myself and my history. There's some stories about immigration and nostalgia, as in "She's My Town,” some about relationships with friends and family ("Wonderful Day"), some about people I've met (“Sophisticated," "Single Flower in Her Hair") and of course about society - how we all dream of "making it" and how we should never give up on that dream ("Outlandish Graces"). Generally, I think the theme is love in all of its forms - love for your birthplace, for your friends, for your significant other, for the work that you do. Musically, the theme is variety. I wanted the song to represent my eclectic taste in music - from the ’60s vibe on "Single Flower in Her Hair,” to the homage to Nirvana on "Wonderful Day,” to the old country-folk balladeers on "Three Days,” to the cheerful reggae vibes on "She's My Town" and finally to the merciless country and western shuffle of "Bury Me Not.” Of course it's a challenge to take such a variety of songs and keep the overall sound of the record consistent. Another challenge on the record was giving almost all the lead solos to Brian, the keyboard player. I usually play lead guitar during live performances and I wanted to give audiences a different sound than they were used to when they come see me play live.
Q: I loved the way the album sounded from an engineering perspective. Can you talk about the process?
A: This will sound crazy, but we only rehearsed the songs as a four-piece once - the night before the recording. I've known Cam the bass player for several years, Justin played the drums with us live for a few months, and for Brian on the keys, it was literally the first time jamming with the band. That was enough to gel the band for us.
The studio itself is literally a tiny single-car garage in a residential area near the University of Toronto campus. It could barely fit the four of us and the engineer, Matthew. Everything was recorded live off the floor, and everything bled into each other's mics. Each track obviously had to be great from beginning to end, because we couldn't re-record individual instruments, but I told the guys I appreciated their individual interpretations and just set them loose. We were just having a great time jamming together. We recorded the whole album in one go, never doing more than three takes per song, which is why it sounds under-produced, but genuine. One of the songs, "Bury Me Not,” we didn't rehearse at all. I told the band the three chords and to watch me for starts, stops and solos. We did two takes and after the second one we all said, "This is it!". That's the beauty of sharing the space- - we made eye contact and gestures, which you cannot see on the record, but it was all really well-orchestrated right there in the room. Later that same day, after the guys left, I did a couple of overdubbed harmonies for "Outlandish Graces" and "Wonderful Day,” and then Matthew just did his engineering magic mixing the tracks.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I attended what was called in the USSR a "music school" starting at the age of 6. Four days a week after school, I learned theory, harmony, solfeggio, rhythm and music literature, as well as how to play accordion and piano. When the iron curtain finally came up and a lot of Western music started pouring into Eastern Europe, I listened to a lot of "old school" music - Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Elton John, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, CCR, John Lee Hooker, etc. At 15 I picked up my dad's old guitar and started learning to play it on my own. I remember being greatly inspired by Eric Clapton's Unplugged; I still consider it a true musical masterpiece, so genuine and pristine. Back then I dabbled in some songwriting, but because I was so young and inexperienced, it never really took off. I still wanted to do my own thing, so instead I started to reinvent popular songs such as "All My Loving" by The Beatles, which I played as a 6/8 time signature ballad. In the early 2000s, I grew more interested in arrangements and production, using DAWs to overdub myself playing various instruments and singing harmonies. I also experimented with electronic music, but that never really took off either. It wasn't until I arrived in Canada in 2009, when I was singing and playing guitar for some party bands, that people started telling me I should write my own material. I wrote a couple of tunes for a rockabilly cover band that I was in, and when they received good reception, I realized that I should write more, which brought me to the release of my first album Sophisticated which was released back in January. There's a lot more in store!
Q: What are some of topics and themes you explore on Sophisticated?
A: It's a little bit about myself and my history. There's some stories about immigration and nostalgia, as in "She's My Town,” some about relationships with friends and family ("Wonderful Day"), some about people I've met (“Sophisticated," "Single Flower in Her Hair") and of course about society - how we all dream of "making it" and how we should never give up on that dream ("Outlandish Graces"). Generally, I think the theme is love in all of its forms - love for your birthplace, for your friends, for your significant other, for the work that you do. Musically, the theme is variety. I wanted the song to represent my eclectic taste in music - from the ’60s vibe on "Single Flower in Her Hair,” to the homage to Nirvana on "Wonderful Day,” to the old country-folk balladeers on "Three Days,” to the cheerful reggae vibes on "She's My Town" and finally to the merciless country and western shuffle of "Bury Me Not.” Of course it's a challenge to take such a variety of songs and keep the overall sound of the record consistent. Another challenge on the record was giving almost all the lead solos to Brian, the keyboard player. I usually play lead guitar during live performances and I wanted to give audiences a different sound than they were used to when they come see me play live.
Q: I loved the way the album sounded from an engineering perspective. Can you talk about the process?
A: This will sound crazy, but we only rehearsed the songs as a four-piece once - the night before the recording. I've known Cam the bass player for several years, Justin played the drums with us live for a few months, and for Brian on the keys, it was literally the first time jamming with the band. That was enough to gel the band for us.
The studio itself is literally a tiny single-car garage in a residential area near the University of Toronto campus. It could barely fit the four of us and the engineer, Matthew. Everything was recorded live off the floor, and everything bled into each other's mics. Each track obviously had to be great from beginning to end, because we couldn't re-record individual instruments, but I told the guys I appreciated their individual interpretations and just set them loose. We were just having a great time jamming together. We recorded the whole album in one go, never doing more than three takes per song, which is why it sounds under-produced, but genuine. One of the songs, "Bury Me Not,” we didn't rehearse at all. I told the band the three chords and to watch me for starts, stops and solos. We did two takes and after the second one we all said, "This is it!". That's the beauty of sharing the space- - we made eye contact and gestures, which you cannot see on the record, but it was all really well-orchestrated right there in the room. Later that same day, after the guys left, I did a couple of overdubbed harmonies for "Outlandish Graces" and "Wonderful Day,” and then Matthew just did his engineering magic mixing the tracks.
Q: How do you approach songwriting?
A: Gingerly (laughs). Well, at least at first I did. I think it's a skill, requiring honing and training. The ideas are usually not a problem; I just write about my observations or experiences other people have shared. I start with the lyrics but I don't always write sequentially. Sometimes I splatter bits of imagery all over the canvas, so to speak, and then try to connect the pieces. Since English isn't my first language, in the beginning I used to rely a lot on a thesaurus and rhymezone.com, but not as much anymore. When the story is ready I grab my guitar and start jamming, figuring out the progressions and the melody. Sometimes the musical theme can evolve so much that it ends up having a completely different vibe or melody; sometimes even the lyrics change. A great example is the title song, “Sophisticated." I started writing it on the guitar and it just wouldn't come together. I was stuck on the first verse and couldn't find the chorus at all. So I put the song off for a time (a couple of years, in fact), and then one day I just sat at my little piano at home and started playing it. It all just exploded and I finished it in an hour, complete with another verse, chorus and a bridge.
Songwriting is hard, you have to get 'in the mood' and be 'in the zone' for it, and sometimes the hardest thing is to start. Lately I've challenged myself to write a new song every week. I know that at this pace they can't all be great, but that's the only way to get all these thoughts and emotions out of the system (laughs).
Q: Can you describe the energy of your live set?
A: This is a tough one, simply because I like variety and I like trying new things. Typically I start and finish with upbeat tunes - that's the rockabilly rebel in me- and I'll have a dip in the beginning of the last third of the set. But I also play to the audience and their mood. It's important to find a bridge to your listener, to make sure that you are creating something unique together and that they're not just watching you perform for them. It makes it easier for me to feed off their energy as well.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I don't know if it's great or even good, I don't know if I will "make it,” but I will keep doing it because if even a few people like it and connect with my music, I'm able to make that connection with them. I'd love to meet them. I'd love to be able to get to know them better, and let them get to know me. I am sure we will become good friends. I have thoughts, feelings and ideas that can only be expressed through music, and I think if I ever lose the ability to make music, it will be a very dark day for me.
A: Gingerly (laughs). Well, at least at first I did. I think it's a skill, requiring honing and training. The ideas are usually not a problem; I just write about my observations or experiences other people have shared. I start with the lyrics but I don't always write sequentially. Sometimes I splatter bits of imagery all over the canvas, so to speak, and then try to connect the pieces. Since English isn't my first language, in the beginning I used to rely a lot on a thesaurus and rhymezone.com, but not as much anymore. When the story is ready I grab my guitar and start jamming, figuring out the progressions and the melody. Sometimes the musical theme can evolve so much that it ends up having a completely different vibe or melody; sometimes even the lyrics change. A great example is the title song, “Sophisticated." I started writing it on the guitar and it just wouldn't come together. I was stuck on the first verse and couldn't find the chorus at all. So I put the song off for a time (a couple of years, in fact), and then one day I just sat at my little piano at home and started playing it. It all just exploded and I finished it in an hour, complete with another verse, chorus and a bridge.
Songwriting is hard, you have to get 'in the mood' and be 'in the zone' for it, and sometimes the hardest thing is to start. Lately I've challenged myself to write a new song every week. I know that at this pace they can't all be great, but that's the only way to get all these thoughts and emotions out of the system (laughs).
Q: Can you describe the energy of your live set?
A: This is a tough one, simply because I like variety and I like trying new things. Typically I start and finish with upbeat tunes - that's the rockabilly rebel in me- and I'll have a dip in the beginning of the last third of the set. But I also play to the audience and their mood. It's important to find a bridge to your listener, to make sure that you are creating something unique together and that they're not just watching you perform for them. It makes it easier for me to feed off their energy as well.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I don't know if it's great or even good, I don't know if I will "make it,” but I will keep doing it because if even a few people like it and connect with my music, I'm able to make that connection with them. I'd love to meet them. I'd love to be able to get to know them better, and let them get to know me. I am sure we will become good friends. I have thoughts, feelings and ideas that can only be expressed through music, and I think if I ever lose the ability to make music, it will be a very dark day for me.