My Silent Bravery - Sound In The Signals Interview
First, thanks for the interview!
My pleasure! Thank you for taking the time to interview me.
You've been building your success for nearly a decade and you're about to release your fifth studio album. Tell us more about your background and music for those who may be unfamiliar.
It’s a long story! The short version is that I started making music when I was 18. I wrote my first song for a high school project of all things! I was traveling in Australia a few years later and working out in the gym and ended up herniating a couple of discs in my neck. The injury led me to do a lot of soul searching for pain relief which led to me to spirituality, more specifically kabbalah. As a result of my studies in Kabbalah and working on myself, I realized I wanted to give back to the world at large and music was the vehicle I wanted to use to help spread a positive message. I think everything happens for a reason. My injury was the biggest challenge of my life so far, but from the biggest challenges also come the biggest blessings. The injury helped me recognize it’s important to pay it forward and help others. I want to create music that inspires, helps, and motivates others to overcome their challenges.
You plan to release your album, Breakthrough on September 28th. How did you approach writing this album? How does a song come to you? Does the idea, a phrase, or something else come to you first?
I typically write most of my songs at home when I am feeling inspired. For me, chord progressions generally come first, followed by melody, and the lyrics are always the toughest and like puzzle pieces to a large puzzle. Every song has its own story and inspiration. Most of the inspiration for my songs comes from life experience. I find I need the songs to resonate internally if I want them to resonate with others. I would also say that a silver lining runs throughout this record and a lot of my music and that's intentional.
You had producers including Grammy® Award-winner Mike Mangini (Joss Stone, David Byrne, Smash Mouth), Peter Zizzo (Avril Levine, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Mraz), and Anthony Resta (Elton John, Collective Soul, Guster) work on the album with you. What did they bring to the album? What advice stuck with you?
It was awesome working with such pros. They are all great musicians and people. I feel blessed to have found such talented people to help me bring the music to life the way they have. They bring a great deal to the table. I can tell you that I have a lot of trust and faith and a great deal of respect for all of the guys I have chosen to work with. They are all extremely talented and one of the reasons I have chosen to work with them is that I like their production. I generally let them take the reins on arrangement and production as that is what I have hired them to do. There is a lot of discussion going on during the production process and I of course throw my $.02 in when I feel it’s necessary, or something is out of line with my artistic vision for the song. There was constantly nuggets of wisdom or experience being thrown my way and I was just trying to soak up as much as I could.
You released a video for "Warning Signs" that has quite the twist at the end. You've said it is about "being so caught up in love that you can't really see the reality of the situation. That there are all of these red flags and warning signs that the relationship isn't going to work out but that you are just too blinded by love to see them". How did you come up with this idea? Tell us about filming the video.
It could be one of mankind’s oldest dilemmas in deciding between the head the heart! I think many of us favor our heart as most want to be in love and feel loved. The question lies there in is it a healthy love?! Not always. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and you can usually see the reality of the situation when you are out of it. The filming of the video was really fun as usual and great working with Amanda Zocco and Britany Baldi the lovely ladies in the video. I have worked on the majority of my videos with Vassili Shields out of Boston and I think we keep challenging ourselves to make a better video with each new single. I love how the video is filmed backward and there is the twist ending and no one seems to see it coming!
You've toured with some great artists before. You're getting ready to play a string of dates with Elliot Yamin, Eric Hutchinson, and Blake Lewis. What can fans look forward to at a My Silent Bravery show? Do you have any routines before playing?
Yes! I will be touring this fall with some great artists. Fans can expect a mix of MSB favorites and usually a few surprises. I generally aim to please and play songs that I think that the fans want to hear, usually the fan favorites and current singles. A lot of times I'll usually throw in an interesting cover or two, something fans might not expect. I may do a cover of an old school rap song, which is very different from what I do as an artist releasing original pop/rock music. I think it makes it fun and we try to be as interactive as I can. From the first song, I hope fans are very engaged and that they will walk away inspired.
I understand that you decided to pursue music after a sports injury. It led you to think about the importance of "paying it forward" and you've said one of your missions in life is to help inspire others to do the same. How has music impacted your life? What do you hope fans take away from your music?
Yes! You did your homework! Music has always been one of the biggest inspirations in my life. I feel there is no greater way to unite and inspire people. As mentioned earlier, I want to create music that inspires, helps, and motivates others to overcome their challenges. When I write songs or go out and play shows, I have learned that it’s not about me, it's about the audience. I hope they'll feel more uplifted than when they came. I want fans to walk away inspired knowing they can achieve what they set their heart and mind to. I called the new album Breakthrough because I hope listeners can relate to it with their own boundaries that they are trying to breakthrough.
You're endorsed by Gibson, one of the world's premier manufacturers of instruments and audio equipment. What is it about Gibson that draws you to their products? Do you have any favorite products?
I am a big fan of Gibson! I am drawn to the quality of their product. I like the action on the guitar a lot. It just feels good to me, and as you know, feel is important to a musician not to mention a Cancer. LOL I have the Hummingbird Pro so I am probably impartial to that model!
Thanks for the interview. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
As always, I would like to thank all the #Bravehearts out there that continue to support me. I couldn’t ask for better fans! I am looking forward to seeing some of them on the road this fall! The new album, ‘Breakthrough’, is due Sept 28 and you can preorder it here: http://smarturl.it/MSBBReakthrough . Also, I will be doing a live broadcast on Concert Window which starts at 8:00pm EDT on September 28. Wherever you are in the world, you can tune in! I’ll be taking requests and answering your questions. It will happen at https://www.concertwindow.com/mysilentbravery. Hope you can join me!
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-L.Burden
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