LA Music Review | Art, stories and advice
Soulful, optimistic and full of life lessons!
Hi John welcome to LA Music Review! Tell us a little bit about you and your music.
Thank you for having me! I’m an actor/singer/songwriter originally from right outside Boston, Massachusetts, but now I live in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve actually been an actor for the majority of my life, always singing and playing guitar, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I combined the two along with the need to have some form of creative expression.
My mentor always talks about how everybody feels the same emotions: we all laugh, we all cry, we all feel lost and joyful.
I see my mission as spreading and fostering peace and empathy.
That might be a little hoytee toytee, but if I can help someone feel a little less alone in the world I’ve done my job.
Talking about non-artistic things, I’m a really big runner! I also love exploring everything to do with the outdoors: I was raised by a very outdoorsy fisherman of a father and a flower designer of a mother. I think some of that definitely landed on me. You know, apples falling close to trees and all that stuff. I’m a middle child, hence the desire for the spotlight, and right now I’m on that very strange roller coaster of the artistic life: sudden high-highs amidst beautiful middle parts amidst random and difficult low-lows. Looking forward to this being the rest of my life, truly!
Start streaming “Replace Me” right here:
Congrats on the release! What was your inspiration when you were writing this project?
Released on December 3, 2021. Thank you very much! I was in a co-write with my friend Katie Yeager and we wanted to write a song for the next session that was a gentle goodbye. I had gone home for the holidays and was thinking a lot about this concept in the car.
I was in this relationship that ended with both of us acknowledging that we were the best one for each other so far.
We had talked a lot towards the end about the special things that we had shared, the memories that we would carry with us, all that jazz. It was overall a kind, yet difficult departure from each other. My desire was for her to take everything that we had together and build on it, finding something even better than that. I believe that that’s what we all deserve.
What is your vision for this song?
You can be hurt and still want what is best for the other person. I don’t see life as being cut and dry, and think it’s in that in-between area where the nuance and personality really exist. And I don’t know if it’s so much a lesson as it is a notion: just because a relationship ended doesn’t mean I want that person to be hurt forever.
I find so many relationship songs to have that theme to them. I actually had really good feelings for this person for a very long time. Why should that change just because we’re not together?
I’d rather carry gratitude and happiness for other people with me than anger and resentment.
Of course those feelings will come up, but that doesn’t help me in the long run. I don’t want to go through this one and only life being a sour person. I’ve seen what that’s done to other people and that’s not my track.
What is your favorite part of the song?
Definitely in the second verse when I’m talking about letting the other person see her dark side. I was thinking about that phrase “if you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best”. I think we all deserve people who can take us in the fullest expression of ourselves.
Anything else we should know about it? Future releases? Upcoming events?
Funny you should ask! I actually have my first show at Rockwood Music Hall coming up on January 20th at 9 p.m. at stage three! I’ve seen so many of my favorite artists on that stage and I cannot wait to be there myself. I also have another song coming out, the third off my EP, on January 7th and then the last one coming early February. Also, keep an eye open in the new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. You may or may not see me…
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