Exclusive Interview

1) What are you working on now?

Currently The Phoenix Within is working on finalizing a new full length album which we plan to release next year 2020. Our latest single South Ozone was released on July 19, 2019. The intent behind this song was to give the listener a walkthrough of my own personal life, its past & the environment I was cultured in. I am very proud of where I’ve come from, the ordeals I lived through & the friends I’ve made along the way. This song in a way is a highlight & celebration of all that.

Our next single is titled, Copycat & will be out everywhere you stream or download music from on Friday September 27. Copycat's message and purpose is to encourage the artist to embrace originality & authenticity in their own musical & lyrical work.

2) What is your musical background and influences?

I play guitar and a little bit of piano so little I never mention it. I took a few lessons at Alberto’s Music Store in Ozone Park, Queens from Dan the Man and the rest I learned from good friend Gerry Soman back in High School who took the time to show me everything he knew & everything I wanted to know.

I will listen to any kind of music at least once but I do tend to gravitate more towards rock music. I have many influences but some of my favorite artist are acts like the Killers, Third Eye Blind, Eminem Residente. I try my best to give every style or artist a chance though so if I handed you my iPhone you’d find in my music library artist ranging from K-Pop, Bollywood, Soca, Reggae, Bachata, Salsa, Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Classic Rock, Punk, Metal to Classical or solo instrumentations.

3) What is the role of education in music?

For me they go hand in hand. Gottfried Leibniz, the German philosopher & mathematician was once quoted saying, “Music is a hidden arithmetic exercise of the soul”. It has been proven scientifically that when a person sings or is in the process of creating music all the parts of the brain are being stimulated and work simultaneously. There is a complexity to music and so it makes sense that we should continue to educate our children in the field of music and support those individuals who lean or show interest towards music and the arts.

4) How do you feel about the current ‘state of the music industry’?

I feel like we are in the middle of a fork road that can lead to a very good place for artist, musicians & other parties of the music industry. Although there is a lot of work to do moving forward a number of important policy issues have been addressed such as the Music Modernization Act which was signed into law in 2018. These recent changes equate to fairer standards for songwriters & musicians. Other changes that make me feel good about the current state of the music industry is the opportunities labels & artist are presented with when talking about popular streaming platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Google Play or YouTube. These avenues are detrimental for labels & artists ability to reach fans & higher revenues via online streaming. I strongly believe that if we want our music industry to get better, prosper & be fair everyone participating needs to get more involved & informed with current & potential advocacy in our field.

5) Why do you play Pickboy picks?

I truly feel that my sound varies a lot depending on my guitar pick of choice. My inclination to the softness or aggressiveness of a song depends on the guitar pick I picked up before my writing session begins. In my case Pickboy was the first brand of picks that I picked up out myself. Initially I was attracted to the variety of designs on them but very quickly I was able to find Pickboy picks that matched my personal style of writing & playing. I was lucky enough to be able to hone in on what I liked to hear when I play this helped me in selecting my favorite type of Pickboy guitar pick.