Speaker 1: When you're searching for that next big podcast, why not
stop in at Arrow dot net A r r oe
dot net. Not just one podcast, it's twenty different platforms,
one of them being that Voice. I've spent the past
ten to eleven years sharing conversations with those featured on
NBC's The Voice. Catch Up. Now You're never too late.
Arro dot net A r r oe dot net. Enjoy
your exploration, dude, what's going on?
Speaker 2: How you doing?
Speaker 1: I'm doing fantastic. I'm very fired up to share a
conversation with you because you just seem to be that
type of person that says I've got something and I
think it's time that everybody else gets to know and
I'm not afraid to share it.
Speaker 2: That would be a good uh, that would be a
good assumption.
Speaker 1: How did you get tangled up in this? Because I mean,
this really is an expression and I love it that
the you know that you have put yourself in this position.
Speaker 2: Well, so what do you talk about in terms of
releasing music or label work or anything like that?
Speaker 1: See what I mean, Expand everything that you're doing, because
I mean it's like you look at a Google calendar
and you're going, yeah, let's put it on there. I
see a blank area, let's put something in there to do.
Speaker 2: That describes me pretty well.
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, because we both know that creativity takes time.
But the thing about it is, though, is that if
we measure that out properly, we can get a lot
done and it can be, you know, an outreach that
really does go further than what we think.
Speaker 2: I would agree, And you know, I spend a lot
of time not doing things such as sitting around watching
TV the things of that nature. And I have a
recording studio in my house, so that makes it a
lot easier to work on art when the moment hits
me or if there's a project that I need to complete,
I have the ability to do that.
Speaker 1: That seems to be the big thing to have a
studio inside your home. But I got to ask you
a person question in the way of when did you
decide to start putting discipline in that when you can
go into it when you have to be out of it. Otherwise,
if you're going to be like me, you live in
that studio.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's just I just have been. I've
recorded so much. I mean, I've been a part of
either producing or recording I don't know, well, over sixty
seventy albums over the last twenty years, and so you
just start to develop a discipline and a process that works,
and from time to time, depending on the project, I
may alter that process, but for the most part, I
kind of just have a way that I go about
work and that sits me.
Speaker 1: Well, was there ever a time period where you sat
back going, what do you mean? Prince has a catalog?
Michael Jackson has a catalog. Yeah, stuff that we've never
heard of before. And all of a sudden, dude, you've
got a catalog that most of us have not heard
of before.
Speaker 2: That is true. I just was telling someone the other day,
I've got a solo record coming out at the end
of next month, and once those songs are published, I
will be over the two hundred and fifty song MARKO
of songs that I've published that I've either written or
co written.
Speaker 1: Wow. Now, to be that expressive when it comes to
releasing that music, because that takes courage and it takes
a lot of confidence. Because I meet musicians all the
time to say, no, I'm only good for like three
or four songs. Really, have you met John yet? John
doesn't stop at four songs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know, it depends. I mean I
think that there are some projects that I've done where
I started off or maybe it was going to have
eight songs on it. For example, I wrote eight songs,
but then once I go in and actually start get
finished the recording and determine how I want to release
this latest expression, and sometimes that gets whittled down to
four or five songs because that fits the theme of
what I'm going for better. And then other times I'll
set out to where like this latest album, the Blue
album that I finished, it was originally going to be
like a four or five song EP and it turned
into an eight song full length album. And sometimes sometimes
that just happens. So, you know, I may have an
idea of what I want to do from the onset,
but and usually that is what what I see through.
But then from time to time that will change. Either
there may be less or maybe more, depending on how
how the process goes.
Speaker 1: So when you start to expand like that, does it
hit you Like you could be at dinner, you could
be driving in the car, you could be talking with somebody,
and all of a sudden you go, oh crap, I
got another song that's about ready to come out of me.
Speaker 2: That's happened, and then good thing we have iPhones now,
so I just I'll pull open, you know, the memo
app and you know the where you can record, and
I'll hamm a melody line or you know, sing some
lyrics or whatever that may be, and then I have it.
And then that's enough to at least put something down
to where when I listen to it back, I'll remember
it and then I could flush that out further when
I'm in home and in my studio and able to
do that properly.
Speaker 1: One of the things that seems to be evolving, especially
these days with music, is that every generation claims this
is my music. In other words, my you know, there
could be something from the sixties and generation Alpha is
going that's my song. And the thing about it is
one thing that's missing, and I hope to God that
it will come back. Regional music. I totally believe anybody
from New York needs to own their own sound, keep
it for a while, then spread it across the world.
What do you think.
Speaker 2: I think that's a good I think that's I mean,
that's cool. And Cleveland has a pretty robust music band. Yes,
And I think there are a lot of younger bands
that are really developing a sound and making their way
out there in the music world. My friends in a
band rock band called Trust come to mind. Also Kid
Tiger who actually played bass uh for Billy Corgan's solo
tour last year when when he went out did that.
So there's some there's some really good young talent in
the city that is developing their own style that is
that Cleveland sound, and then you know, taking that out
to the rest of the country and some regards the
world with people touring Europe too.
Speaker 1: So then when you when you take on a music project,
does it look to you as being an open door?
Is it or is it one where you have to
go you know what, I need to sit down here,
not as an armchair quarterback, but I need to sit
here as a student, receive this music, now go test
it inside the studio.
Speaker 2: No, I'm pretty willing to take on any sort of
project from a recording standpoint. When it comes though to
actually putting something out on my record label though, that's different.
That's what and I try to take off the artist's
hat and put on the business hat because I've found
that you know, if an artist isn't gonna put as
much effort into building their own following as you would,
then it's not gonna work. And even if the music
is fantastic, if they're not doing what they need to
do on there and to get themselves out there, then
it's that I that I've found that I've wasted a
lot of my time in the past with certain artists,
and I'm not doing that anymore. So I'm really I'm
really more selective on who I sign and the types
of projects that I take on from that. But if
someone wants me to work on recording some songs with them,
that's that's a different story. That's a different animal. That's
that's just you know, creating art and having fun.
Speaker 1: How do you go in there and when they're relinquishing
control to you inside that studio, how is it that
you can keep your vision in tact while listening to
them as well? Because so often I would be in
there going nah, I don't know, guys, I my many
years in radio, I would not have taken that chance.
I feel like, sh shut up, it's their song, dude.
Speaker 2: No. I let the artist always guide that, and then
you know, I try to add to something, you know,
a project, whatever I can add to it. If it's
not something that they think is a good idea, and
it's their choice, they're the ultimate you know, they have
the ultimate decision on that. But you know, I'm not
I'm not so much of a tyrant where I'm going
to insist that my ideas be used. I don't. I
don't think that that's the way art works. I wouldn't
want someone to do that to me. But I have
found that in the past when I have worked with
outside producers, that getting a different perspective and a different
viewpoint on something that is too close to home for
you is a good thing. You don't have to necessarily
take those ideas and use them, but to at least
think about, you know, Okay, they're recommending that I do this,
I'm not going to do that, but that that's a
good idea, And I'm glad I thought about it, because
then it makes it makes the decisions that you make
a little more uh solidified, because you you were forced
by someone else to think about that decision. And if
you decide to move forward with your idea, then you
you're more confident. Does that make sense? It's more confident
with that idea.
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, because when it comes to those decisions making moments,
I mean, when it comes to the rhythm of a
song such as your to Blame, does that fall into
place inside the studio or do you have that locked
down already before you even start writing that song?
Speaker 2: That's a nihilistic song? They that song was, Yeah, so
they I don't know that would be a good question
for them on that particular track. Is it's it was
released long before I was involved with them. Jim Machine
reissued their catalog and so that's that's a lot of
you know, the nihilistic songs go. But they're they're an
interesting group. They they they do what they want, they're
the nihilistics.
Speaker 1: But being that's super close to the music industry itself,
I mean, there's got to be a way where all
of that inspiration from these different bands, including those that
you put in there as studio musicians, everybody's got an inspiration.
Do you feed off that?
Speaker 2: Absolutely?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I mean it's it's just a different vibe that
you get when you jam with people. That's like when
you you know you're in a band that works and
you jam with those people over a period of you know,
months and years, and you get more comfortable and you
build off of what you did before. And then conversely,
it's also nice to jim and write with new people
because there's a different type of energy and that may
bring out different ideas that you know your other band
would not you know, it wouldn't work with them, And
I think that's I think this is why a lot
of artists may have a main project, but then they
also have a lot of side projects too, and that's
kind of I think how that's how I've operated in
my my life with music.
Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with J ten thirteen
coming up next. Hey, thanks for coming back to the conversation.
Let's jump into that talk with J timp thirteen. What
about taking it live? Do you want to be in
a place like CBGB's or do you want to sit
there and jump from festival to festival. It seems to
be the big thing right now. Everybody's jumping on that
festival bandwagon.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it would be fun to play a festival.
I mean, I've played smaller festivals, but I'm always for
the dirty clubs, you know, the CBGB's of the world.
There used to be a club in Cleveland called the
Spitfire and the stage was surrounded by a metal cage,
a steel cage, and it was very old school. And
every time punk bands would come into town and a
project I was involved with would play a show with
a band, they always said, especially the ones from the
East Coast, said that it reminded them of CBGB's. This
club has since turned into another bar, but when the
Spitfire was around, it was like the closest thing that
that Cleveland had to a CBGB's.
Speaker 1: So like when you get that close to punk music.
I was with the Sex Pistols and they corrected me
when I said, you know punk music. They go, it's
the blues. It's the blues. You know, it's the blues.
You only think it's punk because it sounds punk. I'm going,
you just woke my butt up, is what you just did.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think a lot of music's based in
the blues, and I it's funny you should say that.
I have a project called Guasi.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: We just put out a double album in this past
November called Return to the Endigo In and the first
disc is original music and the second disc is our
covers but the first disc, I would say when we
were writing that, I don't know if we were just
in a bluesy kind of mood, but I'd say about
four of the ten songs are very much rooted in
the blues, but they're punk rock. But when you listen
to the progression and the songs themselves, we're basically playing
blues blues progression, you know, So it's it just comes out.
I mean, I think a lot of early rock is
rooted in the blues, and that's what I grew up on,
and it's it's hard to get that out of your
DNA once it's there.
Speaker 1: What have you done to to react to what's happening
with the music industry these days? When someone like Justin
Bieber walks out to the Grammy stage and he's out
there looping music, I mean that that that's such a
different place from where we have grown from when it
comes to music.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just think it's another evolution. I DJ as well,
and so I think it's cool to use sounds and
samples in a in a in a creative way too.
Just as you know, I may sit down and record
a song where I played the drums, bass, guitar and
all the vocals. I also like sitting down and messing
with a sample with my with my Akaia NPC and
you know, see what I can make out, what kind
of beat up I can make out of that. You
know that that may be more rooted in like dance
music or eight M Yeah, you know, so it's just
a different process, a different creative process.
Speaker 1: I was with the dudes from a PlayStation yesterday and
how much they put so much love and trust into
the musicians because they need your music on their games.
And I just think that's such a relationship that you
guys have with them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd like to have more of them, so, you know,
you know, it's that that that that is an honor.
I've had a number of songs used in film, yes,
and commercials. Haven't been fortunate enough to score a video
game yet, but but yeah, I mean, it is really
cool when someone uses one of your songs for something
that they're making and it enhances that project. It's a
it's a good feeling. It's a good feeling going to
a movie premiere, seeing a movie on the big screen
and hearing your music. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1: My god, that's like a little miniature concert and it's like,
that's me, that's me up there, that's it, that's gre Yeah, Glazi.
Speaker 2: On that album we just released, we did a cover
of Country Roads and it was used in a film
that came out, an independent film that came out this
past September called Savage and it was it was the
big you know, at the very end of the movie.
It was the credit. It was the song that played
during the end credits. It was pretty cool.
Speaker 1: Wow, what is that like for you to dive into
country Roads because that's been a part of my life
since my eight track days with John Denver back in
what early nineteen seventy four.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, we just we turned it into we kind
of punked it up, sped it up nice, gave it
a punk flavor, still kept the still kept the melodies
and the harmonies, but put electric guitars and some attitude
behind it. Then you know folk song like John Denver's version.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because I mean even with you know, with Neil Diamond,
I mean, you could do something with a Neil Diamond
song from the seventies and turn it punk and he
would probably laugh and just go, God, dang, that's beautiful.
That's exactly what I meant to do when we were
writing that song, because you know, that's what I love
about music is that it's born to evolve.
Speaker 2: A good song is a good song. I mean, look
at how many songs, some songs have been done in
many different ways, you know, it's that's that's I think
the testament of how good of a song is is
if it can be recorded across different genres and still
be a good song. And that's that's a cool accomplishment
if you could, if you are able to write things
like that, I think.
Speaker 1: Wow. Now, So now are you going out on the
road right now, even as the DJ, because I mean,
of course I want to talk about merch because that's
where the money is right now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not so as a DJ. That's pretty much
where my live where I get my live kicks these
days is I'm not really performing a lot from the
band I'm DJing. I'm still living in my studio and
recording all different kinds of music. But and I DJ
everything under the sun, from clubs to private parties to
even weddings. Uh you know it's those are those are
more money gigs, I'd say, uh, but but but I
also like I prefer to play clubs because then you
could be free and craft a set that is more
original and what you want, not trying to satisfy the
person that's actually paying it. You know.
Speaker 1: So true. Yeah, but man, can you believe it? I mean,
when when it comes to being a DJ, because I'm
a DJ as well, we get into places that we
otherwise would not get into. It's like you're the DJ. Oh,
come on in, we got the past seat in the
house for you, buddy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty cool, and I'm getting better. I mean,
I bought a new deck about a d DJ Rev
five earlier this year and I love it. Well, actually
it was last year. I bought it last year, but
I but I I've used it for quite a few
gigs now and I'm getting better and better at it.
I mean, when you have a tool where you could
sample in real time, remove stems in real time, plus
have the normal effects that the board has, you can
really get creative and craft some pretty cool things. See
over the course of a couple hours, You know.
Speaker 1: The average person doesn't see that side of what we're
doing as DJs, that we're in there always consistently testing.
We have a new product. Who's gonna try it first.
The DJ is gonna try it, and we're gonna be
doing it at home because we have to set up
the equipment, set up everything, and then practice, practice, practice, practice,
and then when we do take it live, then it's
like one of the most nerve wracking moments because you
haven't done it live yet.
Speaker 2: Right, And it's always you know, as a DJ, when
you're doing live sets, it's I think the most important
thing besides using effects and whatnot, obviously, is is make
sure that that you're timing is good, that you're playing,
that you're playing the right song at the right time
every time, you know. And that's that's what I think
every DJ should strive for, is to be in the
moment as much as possible and to play what is
right for that moment, what you feel is right for
that moment based on your environment and what's going on
around you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because that's one of the reason why I load
up with eight songs. I've got eight songs loaded at
one time, because I don't know what that floor is
gonna do.
Speaker 2: Dude, Yeah, it's right, that's what that's cool. Yeah, that's
you never know, right, Uh. I try to keep things. Uh,
I try to start at a certain if I'm if
I'm playing a certain song, I'll see where I'm at
from like a bpm, Yes, you know where I'm at bpms,
and then I'll build off of that, like do I
want to ratchet it down or do I want to
build this up? Build this up and crescendo at some point.
And so a lot of times when I'm when I'm
crafting sets in real time, I'm keeping an eye on
the bpm, sometimes the keys of the songs. A lot
of times though, it's just what type of again, using
the beat to create the vibe.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Do you ever look over there at the bar
and find out oop, I need to get some people
over there. Let me poop these guys out.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, because I mean what we do, it's
all about the alcohol cells and people are paying to
get in the door.
Speaker 1: If I don't get if that does not happen and
we ain't coming back right, Yeah.
Speaker 2: You gonna again? You just you like anything else, you
know what type of venue you're playing, what type of
crowd to expect. I have an idea of my I
usually don't like to plan out my set. Yeah, I
like to have playlists ready, but I don't like to
plan out my set, and then I just kind of,
you know, go with the flow and play, like I said,
play play what I think needs to be play at
any particular any particular moment.
Speaker 1: It's so funny that you say that, because people say,
need to see your video of what you do. I
want to hear your mix, and I'm going, why you
weren't there? And you weren't there. I mean, you're not
You're not going to get the same vibe that I got.
There's just no way you weren't there.
Speaker 2: That's right, That's right. It's hard to explain that to
those that don't do that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but they got the bucks.
Speaker 2: That's true. God.
Speaker 1: See, I just love how versatile you are, how wide
open you are to creativity. And I mean, that's what's
fun about sharing a conversation with you, is that you
don't stop. You just don't stop. You keep exploring.
Speaker 2: Yeah, There'll be plenty of time to not do this
when I'm not here anymore. So while I'm here, I
want to take a big as much advantage of the
time that I have afforded to me to create as
much art as I possibly can and leave that as
a legacy and if a million people listen to it, awesome,
and if ten people listen to it, then that's fine too.
That's kind of always. That's kind of how I how
I approach art, and because it is subjective and you
just do what makes me happy and hopefully it makes
others happy.
Speaker 1: To absolutely where do people go to find out more
about you? Because I want them to jump onto your
dance floor and everything else that you're creating cool.
Speaker 2: Well, if you want to check out my label, you
could go to jimmachine dot com, next jibmachine dot com.
If you want to check out my DJ site, you
could go to Ohio DJ dot claw. That's Ohio DJ
dot Club. My solo you go to j temp thirteen
dot com. Or you could just check us out. Go
Guassi dot bandcamp dot com, Guassi dot bandcamp dot com,
and our whole catalog is there.
Speaker 1: I love it. I love it, dude. You got to
you got to come back to this show. And if
you find yourself out there on the road and you
show up here in Charlotte, we got to get together
for some face to FaceTime.
Speaker 2: I would love to do that. I have a lot
of I have a lot of friends down in Charlotte
and uh and I have my uncle lives in the
beach there in North Carolina, so I'd be happy to
head down and Aro. I really appreciate your time and
having me on today. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1: Well man, you'd be brilliant today.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, you too,