Joanna What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in music initially?
I grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota where the Mall of America resides. My Dad was a draftsman and mom mother worked for the high school my sister and I attended. My Dad instilled us with a strong work ethic and a drive for perfection, while my mom balanced that with an understanding that it is OK to sit back, relax and read a book. I thank her for my appetite to read.
We were a happy family who got along with each other. Our cousin’s lived on a 50-acre horse ranch in Stillwater, Minnesota, and weekends and summers were spent playing with our cousins—riding horses, running through the forest playing our made-up game of “Logan’s Run” (based upon the ‘70’s movie and TV series) or using $1000 of my uncle’s precious lumber to build forts in the forest.
My sister, my cousins and I would spend time inside writing books and were self-published well before that was a thing: “publishing” them by gluing the typed pages into a piece of folded cardboard covered in old wallpaper. My cousin, Anna, and I were close in age, and we have a cooking show and would combine things we found in the kitchen and make our younger sisters try our creations then clean up our mess.
I started piano lessons in elementary school and drums in the 6th grade. I sang in our church choir and in the high school swing choir…. I was drum major for the marching band when not playing snare drum. I did all the school plays and competed on the speech team. All those experiences have informed who I am and how I do what I do in this life.
Music has always been a part of my life. From my dad listening to the radio in his shop to dancing around the living room as a kid lip-synching to records. When it came to college, the only thing I could think to go into was music. I set out to get a teaching degree, until I realized, I don’t like kids much. I switched to performance and set out to be a classical marimba player.
Post college, I realized that market was not as much in demand as I thought. I got a “day job” and kept doing music on the side.
Most of my musical work has been in the church and in musical theater pit orchestras. I have worked for churches for over 35 years and played over 100 shows.
Was there a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion?
It may sound silly, but it boils down to when it came time to go to college, the only thing I could really think of doing was music. I loved to sing and dance, and I played drums and piano in high school. I wanted to be a teacher because I thought that would be a really good thing to do. I loved directing the marching and concert bands in high school. Well, imagine my surprise when it turns out I don’t enjoy kids that much. So, I switched to a performance major in classical percussion.
But I am a rock and roll baby at heart, and the world wasn’t quite ready for a classical marimbaist with a purple mohawk. So I got a day job to support my music habit.
It took me awhile to find my voice, but now I have and baby, listen to me roar!
Could you characterize your musical style and the genre(s) you associate with? Are there specific artists or musicians who have played a significant role in shaping your sound?
A lot of my music is reminiscent of the styles I grew up listening to. My dad was really into 1940’s swing—Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman—so I have a strong influence of that swing band horn sound. My mom was really into The Carpenter’s and the “Easy Listening” sounds of the 1970’s, so that finds its way in. I RARELY heard what we call “classic rock” when I was growing up—that didn’t happen until later, but you’ll find a heavy influence of that rock guitar in what I do. I DID get into STYX and QUEEN in high school, so you hear that influence for sure.
Also while in high school I spent a lot of time with musicals. I, as a general rule, am not a HUGE fan of musical theater so to speak (so the irony that I play in a LOT of pit bands is not lost on me), but it definitely influenced me more than I might care to admit. I like the story in the song… so almost all my music takes you on a lyrical journey.
While attending Coe college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I got to work with Dr. Paul Smoker. He was an Avant-Garde jazz trumpet player who was also the director of our jazz band. He taught me the importance of knowing the rules before you break them… but by GOD, break them! I learned the importance of improvisation… the freedom in form. The beauty found in chaos.
Being from Minneapolis, Prince played an ENORMOUS roll in influencing me as a writer, arranger, producer, etc. That Minneapolis Sound is not always top of mind when I write, but the work ethic and desire to experiment with sound and ideas is there.
But I do get influenced by what I hear today—Robyn, The Teddybears, Walk the Moon, Lizzo—all find their way into what I am writing.
Share with us the inspiration behind your most recent single. What triggered the creative process for this specific piece?
“Show Me the Sizzle” started as an idea at my day job: how can you improve the customer experience. The powers that be were toying around with “Show me the money!” from Jerry McGuire, and the owner (or his son) came up with “Show me the sizzle!”. I loved the idea of that—it’s the je ne sais quoi—that thing you bring that you can’t quite put your finger on but separates you from the crowd. It’s that unique thing that each of us has that makes the ordinary extraordinary.
I had a couple of different ideas in mind when I started, but recently had listed to Beyonce’s “Get Me Bodied” in my car. I liked how the claps were the division of the beat and her chant-like delivery of the opening lines drove the story forward. So I laid down an electronic kit beat similar, but not the same, then recorded acoustic claps.
I then laid down some finger snaps on the 2 & 4 and I liked the acoustic feel on top of the electronic drums. I dropped in the 808-kick drum and augmented the electronic snare with a sample to give it a better high end.
I then set out to get into the song… and that’s always an adventure: how do you start? What story drives the song and sets up what follows? I loved the idea of walking into a club and this groove making everyone want to dance. “If y’all don’t know, I’m gonna tear it down” felt like a Beyonce thing to say, so I wrote it! Then it struck me to kill the groove there and “Build it back up right from the ground”.
But the vocals felt thin, so I went back and layered the harmony underneath the lead… it sort of felt Andrews Sisters like, and I grew up in swing choir, so that felt natural (and layered vocals have become part of my sound). I loved the feel… however, it was no longer a Beyonce feel, but I liked it.
The chorus came next. I needed to define what “sizzle” meant. I really liked “takin’ hold the ordinary making it extraordinary”, which I think is really the essence of it—it’s adding something special to the ordinary to make it pop. But what to continue with? I knew it was making things better—elevating them—not settling for less than. It was probably on a rhyming dictionary where I stumbled across the word potentate, which is a ruler, and I liked the idea of elevating the cream of the crop. Then finding a word to rhyme with elevate brought me obfuscate—which means to make something less clear. So taking things that are second-rate and classing them up—or hiding their flaws and making them sparkle in SPITE of their imperfections—worked of me. And I have put obscure words in my works before—“Superhuman” has soporific and sudorific in it, so it’s not a first for me.
I then went back for verses two and three. Still thinking in the Beyonce mode, I though a little shady sass would be fun for verse two and it sets up the chorus well.
Then for verse three, I thought I should teach you steps to bring the sizzle yourself—basically, dig deep and just do it.
The bridge/chant section I had early on. The idea to do the BG vocals all relaxed and laid back came at the moment I was recording them. I liked the effect then stacked it in layers. Some are processed, some are dry to give it texture.
In what way do you anticipate your latest song resonating with your existing fan base and attracting new listeners? What message or emotions do you aim for listeners to glean from the song?
I hope it makes them happy. I hope it makes them want to shake their booty and dance. Let me be clear—this is not meant to save the world. It’s meant to inspire and provide some fun. I hope people sing along to it. I hope it gets stuck in their ears so during the day they are like, “Show me the Sizzle…damn it! It’s stuck in my head again!” That would be amazing!
How does this track contribute to the overarching narrative or theme of your upcoming album or project?
Let’s be clear: Show Me the Sizzle just a nice confection. The theme is powerful—taking your gifts and making the everyday extraordinary. It fits with my over-all theme of writing music from the positive perspective. The very last thing the world needs is another silly, self-indulgent, co-dependent love song. I want to write music that is positive and inspirational. This fits with that.
My current focus is recording and releasing singles, not albums. I am just building my online content and this is a part of that.
Maintaining creativity and motivation can be challenging. Do you have any rituals or habits that you find instrumental in sustaining your artistic drive?
I have a lot of irons in the fire in a lot of different areas of focus, so to stay motivated, I give my art time to breathe. If write in a DAW and with Finale, both have the “save” function. I put it down and come back at it when I am fresh.
When I push it too much, I force something that isn’t organic. I need to let space and time happen and then approach it another day. I do understand that might be unique to me.
Do you have any upcoming projects or releases that you’re particularly enthusiastic about? Can you offer any teasers or details?
One project in the hopper is “The Persistent Motion of Water”. A piece written and performed on my Rav Vast (a Russian tongue drum). Think a cool meditation piece where the ostinato pattern repeats and the melody is pulled from that pattern evolving and turning with each reptation. Just waiting to decide if I am pleased with the performance and mix.
Second is a song called “Affirmation” which is the most positive song ever written. It taps heavily into my show tune/swing choir background mixed with my praise and worship background working for churches. It starts out small and builds to a chant at the end “I am beautiful, I am powerful, I am loved. Nothing you say can take that away from me.” With 90 Paul David’s singing in the background. VERY excited to complete this song.
Also, this holiday season was…different. No snow here in Minnesota… all our plans canceled… my parents both crossed back to non-physical right before the pandemic so I was feeling a certain way. On Christmas Eve I began writing a Christmas song that captured that feeling called, “It Doesn’t Feel like Christmas (without you)” which I will release around November.
Where can our readers find additional information about you and your work?
The best place to connect with me and keep track of new music coming out is on my website, https://PaulDavidMusic.net
I am on all socials (linked in my website) and streaming on all platforms. Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit and chat about my new song. Now everyone, go listen to it and buy it, please!
