Unsigned518 - Episode 171 - Cheesy Snacks

[00:00:01] Speaker A: He was born on a Saturday in 73 he loves punk rock music fighting the 13 jabbing the dazzle jazz Rocking out on the beats Guitar with the short wind radio bass his motherfucking envy scrolling look at motherfucker cuz here he comes Andy Sculling wearing his orange hat. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Welcome to unsigned fire 518. I'm here with Purge Hapland of Cheesy Snacks. How's it going, man? [00:00:33] Speaker A: It's going pretty good. [00:00:34] Speaker B: And we're finally recording. We. We were having an issue of. Of just talking and talking and talking and talking for like the last 20 minutes. And then I was like, you know what, we should probably press record at some point here and record our hangout session. But yeah, anyway, like I said, at some point in our pre recording conversation, we're basically going to go back and tell the story like how you want to tell it. You can go back as far as you want. You can, you know, embellish whatever you want, but kind of get us up to current day with Per Chaplin and Cheesy snacks. [00:01:17] Speaker A: So this project started off, I guess technically in college and I, I came up with this name. I was just like in my room, like twiddling on like some. Some song where I was playing with a Casio and a keyboard and I was just like. I was like, I want to like create a character. And I was like, oh, like, what's a good name? And for some reason I was like, perch Hapland. I was like, oh, that sounds. That sounds just ridiculous. And so I kind of use that as just like, oh. Whenever I write songs that like sound like a nuclear bomb is going off and it's just burnt out, like Casio and keyboard sounds and just like, it just all sounds blow up, I'm like, yeah, that's Per Chaplain. [00:02:09] Speaker B: I mean, it's good to have. Have an alter ego, especially just an expressive alter, I guess. Maybe not like a fucking murderous one or something. Yeah, you know, Perch happens sometimes. You know, we make Casio music and sometimes I rob, I steal shit. That's what Purge does. It's not. It's not me. [00:02:33] Speaker A: No, no, dude, it's not. It's not me. It's Perch. [00:02:37] Speaker B: Perch. [00:02:38] Speaker A: He did the thing. He did the dub. [00:02:41] Speaker B: Yeah. No. So how and when you say call it, like, how long back are we talking? [00:02:47] Speaker A: So that. That was like 2020. It was like senior year. We were all like making albums and me and a bunch of my friends, we. I think we ended up making like seven albums in a semester because we all had our capstone at the same time. And so we just spent a semester just. I. I don't think I've ever recorded that much music just in a single period of time. It was like three or four months, and I think I was recording, like, 90 of the time. [00:03:23] Speaker B: And now at that, you know, right. At that point, because obviously, like, 2020, like, when you say that in 2025 and probably when you say that in 2040. [00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:33] Speaker B: Like, people are gonna look at. You know, as soon as you say 2020, people are gonna be like, yo, I guess, you know, we will. Like, what was that like to be, like, just coming out of college, being in a tight group of musicians, and then having the fucking world, especially, you know, live music coming to a fucking standstill? Like, what was that like? [00:03:57] Speaker A: I think. I think that was the best way that we could have responded was like, okay, like, we can't really play shows, so. So, like, we're not gonna stop making music, so we might as well start putting microphones on stuff. [00:04:11] Speaker B: Right? [00:04:12] Speaker A: I don't know. I think that was just the. I mean, there was obviously a lot going on for everybody, and it was really kind of fun just to be like, okay, like, we're just gonna. Just gonna focus on, like, making stuff in a completely different, like, creative facet, you know, And. Yeah. And then so the. The. The project name itself kind of just came out of, like, in the middle of all of that. Like, I had recorded some of my stuff, I recorded a couple of other things, and then it's like, come in, like, November. Everything's due in December, and I was just like, oh, my God, I need, like, a name, a character, a Persona. And, yeah, the. That name kind of came out just, you know, half is, like, a joke, half is just like a. I. I need an outlet, too, for everything that's going on. [00:05:06] Speaker B: Right. So I feel like a lot of band names, like, the ones that, like, started as a joke, are the ones that have the most staying power. [00:05:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:14] Speaker B: Because they're the ones that stand out the most. [00:05:16] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:17] Speaker B: Like, if. If people that, you know, if your name. If your name's, like, too serious or too thought about it might be time stamped. [00:05:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, you kind of have. And I will say that the. The. The name, like, Cheesy Snacks came totally ironically. So me and my buddy Joe, we. We made this project called no Cheese Please, where we basically would just, like, sit around in our living room, put, like, a microphone or two up, and then we just, like, sit on the couch and just be like, what do you think of this and then be like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, bom. Like, what do you think? What do you think? Is that a good riff? And it was really fun to like, have just, like, kind of like a goofy project that didn't take itself too seriously. And then I was like, oh. Like, I don't know. I don't even remember when, like, it was like, oh, Cheesy Snacks is like, the name of the project. But I was kind of out of irony because I have, like, a dairy allergy. And so I was like, I can't really have any cheesy things. It'd be kind of funny if I was like, oh, cheesy Snacks. Like, I can't really eat that shit. I don't know. I just, like, it felt like, true enough to. To me as a person, but, like, I could slap this other character on it where I was like, oh, like, this seems like a nice, healthy balance of like. Like, what I got and what I. [00:06:37] Speaker B: Can'T quite have, you know, and is the band, you know, I'm assuming. And if I, you know, I've said on many episodes, I don't do research. [00:06:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:47] Speaker B: You know, because this is my. This is my hobby. Like, so if I had to do a bunch of work sustain this, it wouldn't happen. Like, I'm just like, yeah, come to my house. We'll shoot the ship, we'll make it happen. But, like, so the band, I'm assuming, is. Is mostly you as a songwriter, but is there permanent other members or is there, like, how would you do, like, a show if you were going to do it? [00:07:11] Speaker A: So the. The project itself has almost by design, which I think is. Is half just me not also taking it very seriously. It's been a rotating cast, and so we're on V. We have like, V. Which version is it? And it's basically any show that has been played with a slightly different alteration is like, you know, okay, we count that. And it's in the books. Like, if a show happened with that, like, cool. It's in the books. And I think we're on V16 or 17. [00:07:46] Speaker B: That's awesome. And. And again, to make. To just. To make. To make it a point of being like, yeah, we get that there's different people all that, you know, because sometimes you see different people in bands and you're like, wait, is that. Wasn't there someone different before? Or like Michael, you know, they don't, like, acknowledge it or. So I like that. So 16 different. And I've seen, you know, Or I'm aware of some of the musicians that have, like, come. Come in and come out. Like, I know, like the. The group of songwriters and musicians kind of that. That Cheesy Snacks has come out of, I guess. But what is that like having? I. I mean, I guess not like an organized network, but almost kind of like having that many musicians that, you know, that you can trust that and that you could work with. What's that? [00:08:39] Speaker A: You know, that is a. It kind of feels like. And I. I've never. I've honestly never really given that much thought. Great. Great fucking question. I haven't really thought about that too much, but the one thing I would say is it feels almost like. Like having like a 360 deal in the house. You know, it's like, okay, we have just, like, we know enough people that do all of this stuff that. And. And everybody is like a phone call away, you know? [00:09:15] Speaker B: Right. [00:09:15] Speaker A: Like, oh, like, these are all of my best friends, but also the people that I trust the most in the. [00:09:21] Speaker B: World with this thing and are also very competent what they do. [00:09:25] Speaker A: And so it just kind of. It sets like a. It's just like a gold standard. And you're like, oh, like, well, now I don't want to work with anything less than, like, you know, the best people I know. Right. And it's kind of fun. I mean, I don't know, we just have a lot of fun playing music. And like, the. The core of almost everybody that I play with is just like, friendship and music. Like, you know, like, just make shit. Just make shit and be happy about it. If you're not happy about it, then maybe don't. Maybe you don't need to make it. Like, it's okay. So it's kind of fun. I don't know. It's. It's. It's. Yeah. I haven't really put too much thought. [00:10:06] Speaker B: Into that before because I think it's unique. I mean, there's a lot of people, you know, even, like, locally, even with this, within this scene, like within sub genres or whatever, that will know other people, but a lot of the times, you know, other people that are committed to another project, you know, it's like, you can't just be like, hey, you want to come do this with me? Because, you know, sometimes people are very singular focused. Like, I'm in this project, and this is so. To have even the versatility, just like people that can just step away and pop in and pop out. [00:10:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:41] Speaker B: And again, be at the top of their game. It's Like, I don't know, it's like the Wrecking Crew, you know, from like the days of old where you're just like. You don't realize how many of the same people are playing on these great records. [00:10:55] Speaker A: Well, and it's crazy too because like there are so many times when like, like you're just kind of like dropped in a scenario and you're like, oh, like this sounds like it'd be really fun to play on. And like if you asked me, like, yeah, I'm gonna say yeah, cuz it seems like it'd be really fun, right? And then you just like kind of look back and like, oh my God, like I've been on like a fuck ton of albums. Like like a metric fuck ton. I'm like, oh my God. I've been, I've been hit and record a lot. Which like, for me I love, I love studio work. Like, right. I kind of like this. If I just had like a studio this. Well, yeah. [00:11:34] Speaker B: And I mean, and I wish like that's the one thing that this is missing. You know, we were talking again before we got rolling is that like I've got a decent amount, you know, I've got Pro tools, I've got every, you know, I've got technically everything that I would need to do decent recordings in here, but I don't have the know how to operate everything and set thing up and to do it correctly. And I guess that the way I was. The analogy I always do is like if you, you know, put an F16 jet fighter jet right next to a bicycle and you were like, which one of these will get you 30 miles away the quickest? It would obviously be the bicycle because I don't even know how to fucking turn on the jack, you know, like that's a great. If we're talking in reality, like I have the power, but I don't know how to use it. So I'm just like. But I would love to have that this place be a place where people could just come in and fucking record some music, you know? [00:12:39] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean it's wild because so similar to like what you were talking about where like, oh, like this is a hobby and like I don't like to like, like you keep. You're doing this because like this is what you love, this is the aspect that you love doing. And so for. I feel like just the way that I was, you know, I guess trained. I don't want to say trained, but like I think trained as a musician had me always like, oh, well, recording is like. That's like, what you do so that people can hear you. [00:13:12] Speaker B: That's like, the chore of it. [00:13:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:14] Speaker B: Because I've heard that attitude. Because I also like, you know, recording and stuff, but I've heard that before that, like, where it's like, recording is a chore because you got to do everything over and over and over and over, and it's like, motherfucker, what do you think I do anyway? [00:13:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:27] Speaker B: You know, like, I sit on that lone stool over there right next to my base, and I play everything that we play live over and over. [00:13:37] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:13:38] Speaker B: Over and over. [00:13:41] Speaker A: Like, I like that. Yeah. Like, I love mixing. There are times while I'm mixing where I am like, this song is going to kill me. I'm like, this is. And it's like almost every song where I hit a point where I'm like, this song is going to kill me. [00:13:56] Speaker B: Because it's like a puzzle, and you're trying to figure it out. [00:13:58] Speaker A: And, like, you think that you have it like 500 times, and then the 501st time when that's the one like, oh, like, this went wrong. Just like, lift and throw a table. You're just like, I'm done. I'm. I'm done with this. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Yeah. And you have to have patience. [00:14:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Like that. That's the thing. Like, I. I've gotten to the point where I. I really enjoy just playing the same things over. [00:14:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:22] Speaker B: And, like, over and over and over. [00:14:25] Speaker A: I feel like there's like, an appreciation at a certain point where, like, once you do it that many times, like, once you clock your. Your 10, 000 hours or whatever it is to be a master, it's like, oh, like, now I get it. [00:14:39] Speaker B: And appreciate to all the other local musicians, like, playing live shit that you've played a million times sitting down on a stool with nobody even around without. I don't even plug my bass in or play along with something. I just do it all in my head, just run through the song. But playing live like that, it's a different experience because you don't have to look at the fretboard. You know what I mean? You can bounce, right? It takes it. Like, when I first started playing live, like, I had to look at the fretboard constantly, and I hated it. I'm like. [00:15:17] Speaker A: It's like, I know what I want. [00:15:19] Speaker B: To do, but why can't I do it? Why can't I do it? And now I'm like, I practice and practice and practice and practice, not looking at the fretboard so that when I play live, I don't have to. [00:15:29] Speaker A: Yeah. I've never truly understood until I started, like, fronting this. This band. [00:15:36] Speaker B: Right. [00:15:36] Speaker A: Like, and just being like, oh, I'm. If. If I'm gonna do this as this goofy project and play shows, like, that means I have to start talking in front of a mic. Which truthfully, like, if I was doing this, like, like, even like two, I would say, like, like three or four years ago, like, I did not exactly enjoy, like, being on a microphone. And it was like, a little terrifying. But now I'm like, oh, my gosh, it's like the best thing ever. [00:16:06] Speaker B: I mean. Yeah. Like, say, like a lot of people. And it was funny because for me, I had to, like, dial back because a lot of people thought, like, in short wave, in my band, a lot of people thought that I was the front man. They're like, the front man. I'm like, dude, I'm the fucking bass player. You know, like, lonnie's. Lonnie sings 70% of the songs and is the lead guitarist. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:29] Speaker B: I'm like, if anybody was a frontman is the dude that sings the songs and rips guitar solos. [00:16:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:34] Speaker B: Just because I'm a fucking blabber mouth in between songs, you know, like. And that was it. Just because I'm constantly being like, hey, people thought that I was like, running the show. I'm like, no, we're a five piece band. I'm one fifth of this. [00:16:48] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:49] Speaker B: I'm just very loud. [00:16:50] Speaker A: But I feel like. I feel like the. It's like you always kind of need that dynamic in a band. And it's like you can call whoever the front man, like, whoever is like that, but it's like, oh, like, that's a personality. Like, that's someone just being themselves right on the mic. And like, I feel like a lot of people, if they hear that, like, oh, yeah, I can. I feel that. [00:17:09] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, and realistically, you know, behind the scenes, like, I'm certainly, like, I'm a bossy. Like, I'm gonna admit it, like, know I'm bossy sometimes. [00:17:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:22] Speaker B: And if that comes, you know. But as far as a band front man, it ain't me, man. [00:17:28] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:17:29] Speaker B: Out of the, like, all of our songs, I sing four. Four songs out of, like, 20. [00:17:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:36] Speaker B: If that. I don't know. [00:17:38] Speaker A: That's. What do you think as a. As a. As a fellow bassist, I'm curious to know, how do you feel about playing bass and singing? [00:17:45] Speaker B: I like, I Mean, I like it like I've gotten, I've gotten a lot better at it. But I also tend to stay away from traditional bass lines. Like I'm more. [00:17:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel ya. [00:17:58] Speaker B: I'm more. I'm gonna. Acoustic guitar was like my main instrument forever. You know, we. I just started playing bass. I had dabbled in it, but I essentially just started playing bass full time three years ago. [00:18:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:14] Speaker B: And before that it was mostly just. [00:18:15] Speaker A: Like noodling acoustic guitar. [00:18:17] Speaker B: No, I mean I was pretty good at acoustic guitar, but I meant bass. [00:18:20] Speaker A: Like, like, oh, bass noodle here and there. [00:18:22] Speaker B: But like I don't know, like the proper. You know what I mean? [00:18:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:29] Speaker B: Walking baselines or like, but I'm learning. [00:18:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:33] Speaker B: So like as a 52 year old dude, I'm like, ah, yeah, I might as well learn my instrument now. That's awesome, dude, that's awesome. [00:18:41] Speaker A: I love to hear that. [00:18:42] Speaker B: But like I've just been playing it. Like I would, you know, I would play an acoustic guitar, I guess. [00:18:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:50] Speaker B: Or like I play punk rock on songs that even don't need punk rock on it. [00:18:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:57] Speaker B: But yeah, I would like to learn. [00:18:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:59] Speaker B: Proper technique. [00:19:00] Speaker A: I mean I, I will say because like I, I was like trained. Like I'm a trained. [00:19:04] Speaker B: Right, right. [00:19:05] Speaker A: And like hoopla a lot of fun. No, no, no. [00:19:07] Speaker B: That's amazing. [00:19:08] Speaker A: It. And the only reason I say that is because it is kind of funny. I have personally seen like, like fellow bassists that I've met like throughout my career. Will it kind of be like, man, like I wish I didn't really go to school for it because I feel like it takes away the creative aspect and that's always where I'm like, like I can see it kind of go either way. I, I hit a point where like I definitely agreed with that where I was like, oh man. Like I know it's so ironic now because I was like back then I was like, I know too much and therefore it's ruined my ability to play music. [00:19:45] Speaker B: But I mean, I get that too. [00:19:47] Speaker A: Yeah. But like I've also now gotten to a point where like everything is going around the sun. And like I started here, like went all the way out and I was like, yeah, like I don't need this. And then I come back and I'm like, oh my God. The I was doing at the beginning was the right thing all along. [00:20:01] Speaker B: I always thought. And I mean, you know, this is opinion and you know, whatever. But like I always thought that like noodling around and not knowing what the Fuck you're doing. And then learning the proper way is. Is the greatest path. [00:20:18] Speaker A: Honestly, I don't disagree. Like, all of. All of the auxiliary instruments I play basically came out of that. So, like, my buddy Gabe always tells me. He's like. He's like, dude, you play. You play guitar like a bassist. And I'm like, that makes perfect sense. And it's really funny because, like, I'll see myself and do, like, something, and I'll be like, oh, like, if I'm in the studio and. Or, like, actually, it's really more like teaching for live shows. And someone's like, oh, how do you play this? And I'll play it. And they'll be like, that's a weird shape. And I'm like, oh, it's a bass shape every single time. I'm just like, oh, yeah. I just. And they're like, I would never do that. And I'm like, yeah, that's fair. And then we figure out another way to do it, which is also a part of, like, I love. And this kind of plays back to the. The V16 thing is like, I low key love having, like, people continuously because it makes me, like, rework and recheck my stuff. So I feel like it's always going through a process of, like, is this really good? Can this be transferred to something else? And does it make sense? Which I don't know if that's the songwriting, the psychological side of it or whatever, but, like, that is, I think, always subconsciously kind of pushing. Pushing the train, you know? [00:21:32] Speaker B: Right. Well, I think we should listen to something. So what do you have for us first? [00:21:37] Speaker A: So the. The first song that I'm going to play today is going to be an unreleased song that it. So I. I wrote this song kind of with a stupid, like, bet to myself where I was like, okay, I want to try and write a song that is just a palindrome. And I was like, I really. And I didn't even make this connection, but I was like, oh, I really like looking at the numbers 12, 21. I was like, I don't know why, but there's something about that that feels like it's just kind of like a nice arc. And I'm like, oh, like, I really like that. And I just got this in my head, like, oh, I want to make a song that's just, like, almost exactly the same. Forward or back, forward or backwards. It has similar things. I don't know if I really achieved that. But, like, the song itself is just one that I Don't know it. I wrote it while I was walking around the. I work at the. The Albany indoor Rock Gym. And I just, like, was walking around one day. It was kind of. Kind of, you know, chill. And I just like, had my acoustic guitar and I was like playing this one riff and I was like, oh, fuck, I really like that. And then I ended up just like, kind of. It took took a long time for me to, like, finish it, but it was just like a song where I was like, oh. Like, I'm. It feels like it has done everything that I wanted it to. And. Yeah, so it's. It's kind of just like a. I don't know, it's just indie rock. Kind of like another song that I wrote and. Yeah, it's kind of fun. [00:23:18] Speaker B: What's it called? [00:23:19] Speaker A: It's called 1221. [00:23:20] Speaker B: 1221. All right, cool. Well, let's check out 1221 cheesy snacks. And we'll be right back to talk some more with perch. [00:26:58] Speaker A: So tired. [00:27:01] Speaker B: Just a long dream. All right, that was 1221 cheesy snacks. And you know when you record things, like, I know you were saying you have like a rotating cast kind of in the band. Like, what's the process when you record? Is it mostly you? Are you bringing in other people? Like, how does that go? [00:27:27] Speaker A: I would say the majority. So is. Is just. Just from a sheer number standpoint is me. I did like one. And almost collectively, like two of the three records that are out was mostly just me. The. The most recent record that I have out was entirely me in like a multiple different areas. I had just finished a cross country bike trip. I was planning on moving to Tennessee. For some insane reason, like, a lot of shit was kind of blowing up. And I had these songs that I wrote so fast. I wrote like 14 songs within the span of like three months. And then was like, I need to record these now or else it's. It's never gonna happen. And it was just very like, emotional fuel. Like just shoveling coal right into the furnace. Like, okay, just gotta get this shit rolling. And so I recorded some stuff in New Jersey and in Maine with two of like my closest buddies. Two. Two separate people. And like, I just was going to visit them because I like, you know, pulled this whole thing off. And I was just like, I could use some good buddy time. And so I contacted my best friends, was like, are you guys free this week? And they're like, yeah. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna stay with you. And I'm gonna go stay with you. And basically, like, my. So my buddy Sean was living in. In Princeton at the time, and I used. He was. He was a teacher. And most of the day, like, he was busy as hell. He was out basically from like, eight to like, five. Just busy working, working guy. And during the days I would just record like, a full song basically, like, in his living room. And it was really funny because every. Every, like, he'd come back and be like, hey, like, this is what I did at work. And I was like, hey, this is what I did while you were at work. And we'd, like, share stuff. He'd be like, dude, you made this in. In my living room. And I was like, yes, I did. And so it was just like. It was really fun to kind of do, like, field recordings. And so the actual recording process for everything has just been what I'm curious about. So, like, the first record is a lot of me doing a lot of the parts, not knowing what I should do first, in what order, blah, blah, blah. Like, the first record is heinously mixed, butchered recordings, but it does have, I think, a special character to it. The second record was me, like, being like, I'm going to be much more methodical about this. And then the songs were just, like, way wackier. And so those I had all demoed out. And I have, like, an EP with all the original demos out too. And that was like all the. The Casio perch that I referred, like, all the blown up, destroyed, sounding like a bomb just went off. Like, that's all of, like, the Casio era. So that's. And that kind of bleeds into everything. Almost everything I do starts from that now. [00:30:44] Speaker B: Do you think, like, from a songwriter standpoint and from someone putting out your music, do you think having, you know, like, the early stuff, how, you know, you said you evolve. Do you think just putting it out there and evolving from that is important? Because I know a lot of people kind of, like, disown their earlier work. [00:31:05] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:31:05] Speaker B: And I've always been under the. The mindset that, like, everything is important to the. To the journey and to, like, discredit something early is. [00:31:17] Speaker A: It's unfair. [00:31:18] Speaker B: It is. Yeah. That's what I was going to say. A shame. It was a shame. Like, so having that evolution, I think, is important for a listener to listen to everything. [00:31:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:31:29] Speaker B: Do you agree that, like, you should put everything out? Not. I mean, not necessarily everything that you make, but, like, everything that you complete, I think should be put out. And that even if you're like, ah, I could do better. Like, it's good. Yeah, because then you do better and then you put that out and then you're like, I think maybe I can do better than that. [00:31:50] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. And it's, it's, it's a self perpetuating machine really, at that point. And I, I mean, I do 100% agree. And I also agree because I do it. And because I do it, I also, like, I hit points where I listen. Like, you know, just like any ounce of mixing is just like, I've heard this song more than any one individual will ever hear the song. Right. [00:32:15] Speaker B: And that's for anybody. [00:32:16] Speaker A: That's not opinion, that's fact. [00:32:18] Speaker B: Like, that's a lot before anybody ever hears. [00:32:20] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:32:21] Speaker B: And that's what some people might not understand that aren't musicians. Like, by the time you hear it for the first time, the creators of it have heard it hundreds and hundreds. [00:32:30] Speaker A: Oh my God, hundreds of times. [00:32:32] Speaker B: And especially if you're mixing it. [00:32:34] Speaker A: Yeah. And, and so there is an aspect of just like I, I hit points where I am frustrated. I'm like, man, I wish I never put this thing out. Like, my most recent record, like, it is very emotionally fueled. It is some of the most unique songwriting I've ever done. But I also hate that record. I am like, at this point in my life, I'm like, I hate that record. I don't like it. I think all the songs on it. [00:32:57] Speaker B: But it needs to be out. [00:32:58] Speaker A: Oh yeah. And I agree to be there. And I wholeheartedly agree with that. I still am just so mad at it, you know, and so like, like, give it like three years, right? I'm like, ah, it's not that bad. [00:33:11] Speaker B: Yeah, of course I'll. I can't even remember why I was mad. [00:33:15] Speaker A: And so like, because time, you know, time does a lot of healing for us. So I'm. I know that that kind of stuff happens, which is why I still just like, kind of am like, oh yeah, like I'm just gonna make it and put it out. And also it's in school. One of the best lessons and the one that I still is very pertinent to this is I had a professor who was just like, yeah, all. And he said this with reference to mixing. He was just like, yeah, all mixing is, is just a snapshot of where you are. And then you use that as a way to improve. And so every time that you think you've done something better, go back and listen to what you heard before and be like, is this Better, if so, awesome. If not, maybe check it out, you know? And so I feel like I've just. That resonated so much with me that I was like, I'm. That's just how I'm going to do it. Like, that's my. That's my ethos. Like, that's how. That's my formula, basically. Right. You were talking about how, like, oh, like, it's nice to have, like, there's certain aspects. There's the building blocks. And then, like, within this, like, podcast, you know, like, oh, you have things where you get some free room to kind of do. [00:34:23] Speaker B: I mean, essentially, it's a template. This show is a template. Every single episode, it's the same template. And once I explain the template, like, I'm like, you have the freedom to move within it. [00:34:31] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. [00:34:32] Speaker B: Like, you know, there's certain aspects of the show that. A template that is the same every time, and. [00:34:38] Speaker A: And that's how. That's how I feel about albums and, like, making albums. [00:34:41] Speaker B: Right. Or even songs. And if you break it down, even just a song. [00:34:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Because it all. You can filter it through and, like, see all of that, like, all of the structures in such small spots. And I feel like just. There is something about an album, though, where you're like, oh, I'm putting myself in this headspace for I don't know how long. It's just whatever I'm going through. I mean, a lot of the songwriting for me is. It's all therapy. Like. [00:35:02] Speaker B: Right. [00:35:03] Speaker A: I'm like, that. That's the reason why I write songs is because it is a way in which I can understand myself and, like, what I'm going through. It's a very. Like, I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything in the songs. [00:35:18] Speaker B: Do you find any ease in. You know, because I'm not really much of a songwriter. I've written a few songs that we've recorded where. But, you know, I'm not much of a song. But, like, do you find that as a songwriter, it helps when you're so honest that it helps other people understand you as, you know, like, because you just said it helps you understand yourself. [00:35:41] Speaker A: Yeah, but, like, I hope so. [00:35:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, I feel like if you're an honest songwriter and a vulnerable songwriter and you're putting yourself out there. [00:35:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:51] Speaker B: That it is an accessibility that people be like, I think I know where he's coming from. [00:35:55] Speaker A: You know, like, I hope so. I. If. If anybody gets anything good out of the songs that I write, I've. I've done my job. I'm. I'm so happy. Like, well, like, because again, like, the job was really to myself, but if somebody else, like, finds some sort of comfort or just enjoys it, I'm like, wow, like, that's awesome. Like, that's all just gravy. Like, I've already done what I wanted to do, which was do this thing, make this thing. Just put it out for the sake of putting it out. And I've. I've been shown some, like, incredible love on a lot of these songs. And I think for me, sometimes it can be tough to, like, take that again. Depending on where I'm at with these songs or I'm at in my life, I'm just like, oh. Like, I don't really want to hear that. Or like, I don't want to, you know, and this is just like, immediate reaction. I'm just like, ah. Like, I just don't. I just don't want to hear about this thing. And then, like, I give myself a second. I'm just like, that's really nice, though. And I definitely feel like sometimes I. That gets lost sometimes. My face does not do a good job of lying. So sometimes I just look upset and I'm just like. But it's me just, like, internalizing things. It's never like someone has made me upset. I'm just like, I'm upset about something. [00:37:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I. I get that. Like, some. Sometimes my. My. My internal dialogue turns into a grumpy ass face. [00:37:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:22] Speaker B: Like, yo, what the up with you? And I'll be like, what? I was just thinking. I was just thinking about something. Yeah, you look mad. [00:37:29] Speaker A: Yeah. And so basically all of this is just to say that the. The actual recording process is a. It's a mixed bag. And I've. I do a lot of it myself. I demo everything myself because I'm just like, That's a part of it. Like, I. I really like doing the full production thing because it makes me feel really accomplished. [00:37:51] Speaker B: Demos are important. We do demos for everything. [00:37:54] Speaker A: Yeah. And so demos are great. And then it's always like, okay, like, where do I think this song needs to go from a production standpoint? Because, like, usually the songwriting is done within that first demo stage. [00:38:06] Speaker B: Right. [00:38:07] Speaker A: If. But like, that's not to say, like, I've worked with my friends. And again, because I work with musicians that I trust, I'm like, if they say that something might want to go this other way, I'm like, I'm going to take your word for that. Right. So there is. And with the. The Stuff that I'm working on now that I don't know how this album is gonna work out. This is. This is the most lost I've been in an album. And I. I'm very excited to see how it turns out, but I don't know how it's gonna turn out. [00:38:40] Speaker B: That's fun. [00:38:41] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, in the best and worst way possible. I'm like, I don't know how it's gonna turn out, but I'm very excited, too. I'm kind of taking a little break on recording that right now just because it hit a point where I was just like, I'm just upset with this music. And I was like, I'm. I was like, I've seen this before. I know it's happening. I'm going to take a break. [00:39:01] Speaker B: That's the good thing about, you know, DIY shit is that it. The pressure, like, not everybody works great with pressure, you know, and like, to be able to be like, you know what? This is getting a little much. I'm going to step away for a little bit. [00:39:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:13] Speaker B: Is huge. And there's a lot of situations. You're either paying for studio time and you can't just be like, I'm not feeling it today. Because you're like, I'm not feeling it today. It's going to cost 1200 fucking dollars. Yeah. You know, like, when you're doing it yourself, you could just be like, I'm. I'm gonna go play NBA Live. [00:39:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:33] Speaker B: For the afternoon. [00:39:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm gonna go play, guys. I'm gonna go play Tears of the Kingdom. Yeah. And so, and I will say, though, another absolute, like, grace is the fact that, like, me and my friends all operate a studio together. And it's so nice because, like, we just. We work in the studio when we're there, just having fun. Like, even though it's not technically work, we're getting work done. Right. But it's just us hanging out. Like, oh, you put up a couple mics and then you just like, jam music for a while and you're like, oh. And then you can be like, oh. Actually, I really like the way that the drums sound on this. Like, maybe I'll use that for the next project or something like that. And there's an ever evolving. Just like. It does feel a little bit like school, where it's like knowledge is constantly being passed because we have a rotating door. And it any point, someone could be like, yo, I tried this thing today. You should try it out. And I'll be like, fuck yeah, like, let's try it out. And it's just like, I've. I just nerd out on, like, all of, like, the. Oh, where do mics go? Like, how far away from the snare is it? I am curious. Like, oh, yeah. And there's just. [00:40:44] Speaker B: That's some. That's some deep shit. Like, I have. [00:40:46] Speaker A: It's some. [00:40:47] Speaker B: I have. I have seen some of that. Like, when we went into the studio for our first song, like, I got to witness a lot of that, like, setting up the mics. I'm like, what's going on here? And, you know, and it's like, oh, well, you know, the way the sound bounces off that. It takes this long to get to this mic, but only this long to get to this. Like, what the. [00:41:05] Speaker A: And you science the fuck out. [00:41:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:07] Speaker A: And I. I also. I come from a family of nerds. Like, everyone in my family is a nerd. Like, and. And like, my dad is a professor at RPI and he's been teaching there for, like, what is it, 35 years now, I think so. And so, like, and all he does, I swear that man is in the prime of his life. Like, he has hit a stride where he's like, I'm just doing, like, the coolest shit ever. And, like, like, I'm making. I'm making, you know, rebar at a hemp, because I think that'll be a really good way for us to, like, just, you know, replace this shitty ass rebar. I'm like, you are a crazy man. Like, where the. Like, what are you doing? And so it's. It's crazy just to, like, see that because I think there's always been a blueprint from that. And, like, my mom has always had some crazy cool hobby just going on, so I'm like, okay. From a family standpoint, like, I was raised by people who are just like, we're just doing weird shit all the time. [00:42:04] Speaker B: I love that. [00:42:05] Speaker A: Yeah. And so it's been really fun. I think that the two outlets of my life that I just, like, kind of dump this into is music and then riding bikes. And that's like, that's basically my entire character is, I like music, I like bikes. [00:42:22] Speaker B: And when you say bikes, you mean bicycles. [00:42:24] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah, Bicycles. Very. [00:42:26] Speaker B: I don't know why. Some reason I wasn't picturing a Harley. [00:42:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:31] Speaker B: Let me tell you. But, you know, I was taking a risk there. [00:42:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:33] Speaker B: I was like, bicycles. You're like, what the, dude? No, I have a hognosed fucking hammerback. I don't I don't know. Motorcycle, dude. [00:42:42] Speaker A: I. Yeah, just, like, just pedal bikes. I'm just a. I'm a fucking nerd for God. Biking. [00:42:49] Speaker B: I like. I like bikes. [00:42:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:51] Speaker B: Bicycles. [00:42:51] Speaker A: I was actually. I was debating. I was like, oh, if the weather wasn't so potentially damning. I was like, I might just. I might bike up today. [00:43:01] Speaker B: There's this road, like, right by my house in particular. And then if you take the left, like, river road out there is a very, very heavy bicycle road in the summ. And it's so funny because, like, sometimes you'll just be sitting here and all of a sudden you'll hear, like, because we're out now. We're out in the middle of nowhere, and all of a sudden you hear a crowd of people. You're like, what the fuck is going on? Like, I'll look over the fence and It'll be like 45 people on bicycles, and they're all, like, talking to each other. It's just like, holy shit. [00:43:32] Speaker A: Fucking peloton, dude. That's so funny. [00:43:37] Speaker B: Yeah, like, there's a lot of people that ride bikes out here because it's, like, hilly and curvy through the passeng and fields, and. [00:43:44] Speaker A: And like, I. I did a ride up. [00:43:46] Speaker B: Dangerous. [00:43:47] Speaker A: Yeah, well, that's. That's the only thing. And it's. I. I got hit by a car on my bike. This. [00:43:52] Speaker B: No way. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:53] Speaker B: This week. [00:43:54] Speaker A: This is the second time it's happened. Luckily, both times. [00:43:57] Speaker B: Did you die? [00:43:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:01] Speaker B: Bummer, man. Sorry. Sorry to hear that. [00:44:04] Speaker A: Sorry. I'm getting. [00:44:05] Speaker B: Where did you get hit by a bike? Like, in. [00:44:07] Speaker A: Just in Albany. [00:44:09] Speaker B: Like, at a slow speed. [00:44:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank God. Like, I'm. I've. I've gotten hit at slow speeds both times. And I'm like, okay. Like, I'm. I would like to try and prevent this. [00:44:20] Speaker B: I got hit by a car. Like, not on a bike, but, like. Like me. [00:44:26] Speaker A: Oh. [00:44:26] Speaker B: Just, like, got hit by a car at a. At a. Not slow speed. Like, when I was. When I was younger, I was hammered drunk, and we were like, out of the. I don't know if you guys probably didn't have around here, but pit parties, we call them. Like, we'd have parties out in, like, sand pits, like when we were in high school, like, out in the middle of fucking nowhere so that we could go rage and the cops wouldn't come. [00:44:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:51] Speaker B: And. And one of my buddies was coming up the road, like, really fast and lost. Lost. Lost a lot of control and skid it out. Fucking hit me. And I, like, Went up over the hood and shit. [00:45:04] Speaker A: Oh, my God. [00:45:05] Speaker B: Yeah, but I was drunk. I was drun. So I was like, oh, my God. Like, it's fine. [00:45:11] Speaker A: Wait, did you die? [00:45:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I did. [00:45:13] Speaker A: Oh, shit. [00:45:14] Speaker B: I did. [00:45:15] Speaker A: Yes. [00:45:15] Speaker B: It was very sad for everyone. [00:45:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:20] Speaker B: So I think we should play another song. [00:45:22] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll do one more. [00:45:23] Speaker B: What's. [00:45:23] Speaker A: What. [00:45:24] Speaker B: What are we going to hear this time? [00:45:25] Speaker A: All right, so I'm going to do one more new thing so that way, hopefully, someone can come back and listen to this and be like, that's new shit. That was never released. I'm gonna do. Wait, A or B. [00:45:46] Speaker B: B. [00:45:47] Speaker A: Okay. This song is called One Angry Hippo. I'm just gonna let the song kind of do its thing. [00:45:56] Speaker B: Fuck, yeah. All right, well, let's listen to One Angry Hippo. Cheesy Snacks. We'll be right back to wrap it up. [00:47:29] Speaker A: It. [00:48:01] Speaker B: It's. [00:49:59] Speaker A: All right. [00:49:59] Speaker B: That was One Angry Hippo. Cheesy Snacks and perch. I want to thank. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come up here and do this. It was a really cool conversation. [00:50:08] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:50:09] Speaker B: Both on mic and we talked about off mic. But before we go, I want to give you a chance to say what I refer to as your gratitude. So microphone is all yours. [00:50:18] Speaker A: Cool. I would like to thank the whole Tummy Rub crew. They are my partners in crime in all this. Um, it's a wide and expansive network, but we're all just trying to play music and have a good time, and it works. Most of the time. It's pretty sick. So, yeah, the whole Tommy Robb crew. And honestly, my. My brother, he has been giving me a lot of. A lot of reasons to, like, want to stay young and, like, just because he's. He's six years younger than me, and so he's just. He's going through a bunch of crazy stuff. And I love him dearly, and he keeps me on my toes. And then I would like to thank. Oh, okay. I would like to thank all of the listeners for this band. It's a pretty small benchmark, but it's a benchmark to me, and it means a lot. 2. In this last week, two of my songs on Spotify finally hit over a thousand listens. [00:51:30] Speaker B: Nice. [00:51:31] Speaker A: And I was just like. I was so happy. I was like, wow, you guys. And I did the math. And I was like, you guys have listened to a lot of minutes of just these, like, two songs. And so that blew my mind. For everybody that has listened is going to listen, doesn't want to listen, and is forced to thank you. [00:51:52] Speaker B: All right, so he is Per Chaplin of Cheesy Snacks, I am Andy Scullin, this is unsigned 518 and I'll see you on the road. [00:52:01] Speaker A: Thanks. [00:52:02] Speaker B: Unsigned 518 is produced and hosted by me, Andy Scullin. New episodes are available every week wherever you stream podcasts. If you'd like to help support the show, please like and subscribe wherever you are listening. Or you can could buy me a [email protected] unsigned 518 if you would like to advertise on the show, send me an [email protected] and to be a guest on the show, reach out to me through Instagram signed 518take care of one another and I'll see you next week. And Scholar.