Unsigned518 - Episode 183 - Rooftop Park

[00:00:01] Speaker A: He was born on a Saturday in 73. He loves punk rock music. I need to cabin the dazzle Jack his motherfucking envy SC Here he comes Andy scrolling Wearing his or his hands. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Welcome to unsigned 518. I am here actually with, with a fello member of the Andy community. Another Andy. This Andy performs under the name Rooftop Park. And how's it going, man? [00:00:40] Speaker C: It's pretty well, it's pretty exciting. And very happy to be here. I'm very happy to be a member of the fellow Andy community. An esteemed community. [00:00:48] Speaker B: It is an esteemed community. Have you ever gone by Andrew? [00:00:52] Speaker C: I've. I usually go by Andrew whenever I'm at my job. [00:00:56] Speaker B: Okay. [00:00:58] Speaker C: Usually besides that, all my friends and my teachers and classmates always called me Andy. [00:01:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I've never, I've never gone by Andrew, like really in any situation. I remember in high school, one of my friends tried to, tried to, tried to pin the name Drew. [00:01:12] Speaker C: God, it always happens. [00:01:13] Speaker B: And I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? [00:01:16] Speaker C: At least once. Yeah, that happened to me. Maybe only I've maybe only twice in my life where someone was like, Drew, what's going on? [00:01:25] Speaker B: And I just shut it down immediately. [00:01:27] Speaker C: Double take. I was like, are you talking to me? [00:01:29] Speaker B: Yeah, Drew. [00:01:30] Speaker C: Why are you looking at me when you're calling me Drew? [00:01:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:32] Speaker C: Oh, I get it. [00:01:33] Speaker B: Yeah. Because Andy is a certain identity and then that's what we have and that's what you were referred to us as. [00:01:38] Speaker C: I am not kidding. I once got Anderson, which is way out of a football park field. [00:01:44] Speaker B: Wow. Was that maybe like around the time of the Matrix or something? [00:01:49] Speaker C: No, it was, it was a gym teacher from my old high school. He, I, he just default went by Anderson, which, I don't know, maybe he knows somebody named Anderson, but maybe it. [00:01:59] Speaker B: Was a fond memory or whatever. Well, anyway, cool name aside, we're here to kind of talk about. Not even kind of. We're here to talk about your music. And like I do really with all my guests is just kind of start the conversation about like, you know, how your relationship with music began and then we'll just kind of roll from there. [00:02:19] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So music was obviously always in my life when I think of the first music artist that I really admired. So I play acoustic guitar. My music is mainly acoustic based, indie, folk, whatever you want to call it. But my first music artist that I actually was enamored with, believe it or not, was Metallica. I remember vividly my father showing me their first four albums and just being blown away by James and Kirk. And there's so much layers to their music too, because there's melody, there's harmony. [00:02:59] Speaker B: For sure. I was just gonna say, like, even some of the acoustic guitar work and some of like the early Metallica stuff is sick. [00:03:06] Speaker C: First of all, Fades of Black, that's. [00:03:07] Speaker B: Exactly what I was thinking of. [00:03:09] Speaker C: Just when I think of that song, I just feel like my heart tightened up a little bit. Yeah, it's a beautiful song, but yeah, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets. Just like that changed how I looked at music. I would say one thing, and I was a young man when I was shown these albums. One thing that I also caught my attention when I think of my early sort of interest in music was going through my Dad's collection of CDs and just being enamored with the studio art. I mean, with the art work of the album covers. I remember he had Kisses. I think it's Destroyer Destroyers one with. [00:03:50] Speaker B: The four of them jumping well, yeah, they're like, you know, Gene Simmons just got his leg raised up and like. [00:03:57] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I remember that artwork and just being like, what is this fucking same? Like, yeah, like, this is beautiful. This is. This makes me want to listen to it. [00:04:06] Speaker B: And it created a. I don't know how old you are, but like I'm. [00:04:10] Speaker C: I'm 29. [00:04:11] Speaker B: Yeah, see, I'm. I'm 23 or 24 years older than you, but like the same. But like I had the same exact experience. Experience with the same exact album, you know, like I remember being, you know, and this was early 80s when I was like 6 or 7. But like seeing, you know, my stepmom had this dope record collection which I actually currently have. It's in the, in the other room. So I have Destroyer on vinyl, original pressing, but. But same thing. But it created that mystique, you know what I mean? You're like, there's these comic book looking characters that are making this music. And as a kid it was very hard to differentiate between theatrics and reality. [00:04:58] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:04:58] Speaker B: So like, I don't know if you had that same. Same feel, but I thought it was. [00:05:02] Speaker C: Like a movie poster whenever I saw it. And there's another album by them that caught my imagination too. I. I don't know the name of it, but it's the all blue one. It's their faces, but it's just blue. It's just. [00:05:17] Speaker B: I mean, that might have been a greatest hit, cuz like it could have been the. They when they did the solo albums. They. The album covers with Their individual faces with the different colors. [00:05:26] Speaker C: Gotcha. [00:05:26] Speaker B: And so maybe it was a compilation of their solo stuff. Because I know. I know the one you're talking about. Like, I can picture it, but. [00:05:32] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And like, their eyes are like, glowing white for some reason. I'll. I'll find it when I get back home, I'm sure. But those are my. Definitely my earliest memories of music after. So Metallica was my soundtrack for, like, middle school. Like every muse, every morning I would just wake up and throw on injustice for all or something. That opened a lot of doors for me with music. Like, I do them. I discovered bands like Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath. You know, timing perfect right now. We love Ozzy and shout out to Ozzy still does not feel real right now. [00:06:10] Speaker B: Totally. Yeah. I sat right where you're sitting now, listened to Mama, I'm Coming Home and cried. [00:06:16] Speaker C: Dude, you know what? Really? [00:06:18] Speaker B: And I was like. And I felt. I was like, I have to, like, I have to get this out. Like, this is weird. And I was like, I'm getting goosebumps. [00:06:25] Speaker C: Right now just talking about that song. Literally. [00:06:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I have a hard time listening to it, like, even now. Like, yeah, that one me up. [00:06:31] Speaker C: Like, did you watch the footage of his final performance playing that song? [00:06:35] Speaker B: Yeah, man. God damn it. Like, it. Like, yeah. Someone. Someone said something that made a lot of sense to me that. That, you know, and they were saying it in a positive life. They were like, he basically got to attend his own funeral. [00:06:49] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:06:50] Speaker B: You know, and like, who the fuck gets to do that, you know? [00:06:53] Speaker C: And you have all the people you love on the bill with you. [00:06:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:57] Speaker C: I mean, that bill was compromised of bands that he kind of brought on stage with him, even, like, kind of before they made it big. [00:07:05] Speaker B: And 100% made up of bands that wouldn't exist without him. Oh, 100. [00:07:09] Speaker C: I don't think I would exist without Ozzy. You know what I mean? Yeah, I wouldn't. I don't know. But yeah, having Metallica net Bill, you know, Billy Corgan, funny story. My father saw Ozzy live back in 1986. It was at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. And Metallica opened for him. And he tells me all the time how the moment Metallica walked off, fans were just clamoring for them to get back because they blew everyone away. Poor Aussie was getting. Trying to get through his set, but everyone just kept going. [00:07:45] Speaker A: Metallica, bring that back out. [00:07:47] Speaker B: Well, Metallic, like, especially like that era, like the 1984 to 1986 or seven, you know, like, that like three year period like Metallica were they. They were a band that like opened up like thrash metal or speed metal to a broader audit, you know what I mean? And it wasn't. And it's like hard to explain why, you know what I mean? Because it wasn't like they were softer than other bands or. Or more digestible later on, like, you know, a little bit. But. But they were just. Everybody was like, holy. These guys like shred, I think so good. [00:08:24] Speaker C: They scratched a particular itch that I think metal fans or just music fans in general wanted to hear from around that time period. [00:08:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, for sure. [00:08:33] Speaker C: They had that aggression and that's a beautiful thing. [00:08:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And plus though, that down picking, like, you know what I mean? That, like brutal down picking. You're just. [00:08:42] Speaker C: That one, one song that still takes my breath away is Battery. [00:08:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:46] Speaker C: The moment where it goes. [00:08:50] Speaker B: Oh, that is so hard. So hard. And like the way he's like doing it, not looking at the frets and singing. Yeah, it's like insane to me. And like he does. He doesn't get enough credit like a lot of people, you know, even within Metallica fans, like, you know, Kirk is like the. And Kirk obviously rips, but he's a hell of a guitar player, man. [00:09:14] Speaker C: If you were to tell me that James is secretly a robot, I would. Right, that would. That would make a lot more sense. [00:09:20] Speaker B: Yeah, that would make sense. Perfect. [00:09:22] Speaker C: Down picking robot. [00:09:23] Speaker B: Yeah. So how did you know Influences like Metallica and you know, leading into Maiden and Sabbath and Aussie and all that stuff. How did that to a more acoustic sound, like on your own, like, do you feel that you pull from those influences in what you do or. [00:09:43] Speaker C: Definitely. Those bands opened me up into guitar playing a lot more. Simultaneous with getting into music like that. I picked up the guitar. So this was around like 2008 and I was still in middle school. And part of the reasons why I picked up guitar was egg. I wanted to sound like James and. And all that. And two, in middle school I had friends, but I didn't like. And there was. I had friends and, you know, I had my own closed circle and whatnot. There was one class in my seventh grade where it was almost like a show and tell. And I brought my guitar in and the first thing I noticed was off the bat, you know, the people who kind of wouldn't really notice me all of a sudden were like, dude, this is a really cool thing. Like, what is this thing? And when I started playing, it's almost like they just looked at me Like a whole new person. And that's when I realized that guitar playing is special. And that just kind of having that set for me kind of leveled me up in a weird way. I don't know. [00:10:48] Speaker B: Yeah, that's interesting. I. You know, and I hadn't thought, you know, hadn't thought of that. Like, you know, I always think of, like, music as, like, a healing thing or whatever, but, like that immediate confidence builder. You like to discover that. That early in your playing that, holy shit. Like, people are. You know, and there is something about the guitar, and there always has been for, you know, hundreds and thousands of years or whatever since stringed instruments existed, that draws people to it. [00:11:14] Speaker C: There's nothing like a stringed instrument. [00:11:15] Speaker B: Yeah, listen. [00:11:16] Speaker C: I mean, it's just an emotional quality to it in. Down to the little things like a string bend or, like, you know, hammer on. It's just the way not only you play a note, but how you play it could be enough to, you know, give you a different perspective. [00:11:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, you know, not to sound cliche, but you can make a guitar talk or cry. [00:11:36] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:11:37] Speaker B: You can do all these things and, like, they make sense. You know, clearly, you'll. Or even just, like, major chords and minor chords, you know, like, you can change the feeling of a song by going, all right, now we're going into A minor. Now it's a little more somber and sad and, like, you know, it's like it's A. And it's all just fucking sound frequencies, you know, like, it's so wild that it's like. [00:12:01] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:12:01] Speaker B: Music is science, and it really is and so forth. [00:12:04] Speaker C: It's my favorite science. It's my favorite. It's probably the one science I would get an A class, A plus in a class for. [00:12:11] Speaker B: And I mean, even that. Even, like, knowing, you know, how to play and knowing how chords work together and knowing melodies and stuff, there's still always so much to learn, you know, like, even, like, the scales or, like, the. What is it, the rule of fifths and, like, you know, all these things that are literally just scientific formulas that. That you can. I don't know, it's the only science that you can express emotion through. I think it's universal. [00:12:38] Speaker C: Feels like. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:12:39] Speaker C: After that seventh grade show and tell, this one kid in the class who I was on talking terms with, he wasn't. I wasn't really close with him, but he mentioned to me how he played guitar, too. And he. The next day, he brought in an album for me to listen to, which really kind of introduced Acoustic music to me, and softer music in general. And that was the Smashing Pumpkins, their album Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness. [00:13:07] Speaker B: Sure. [00:13:08] Speaker C: I was just talking about how album covers are just so beautiful and could invoke senses just before listening to the music. That album cover blew me away. Are you familiar with that album? [00:13:19] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, absolutely. 100%. [00:13:20] Speaker C: That woman coming out of a star floating in space. [00:13:22] Speaker B: And isn't that, like. I may be talking at a school or I may be giving you a rabbit hol Told to go down later. But I think that that album cover is made up of different, like, historical works of art. [00:13:35] Speaker C: Yes. [00:13:35] Speaker B: You know, like, it is. Okay. [00:13:37] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:13:37] Speaker B: They pull from different works of art. Made their own thing. But, yeah, I always thought that was a cool. [00:13:42] Speaker C: Yeah, they got, like, the woman's face from one painting and the body from another one. [00:13:46] Speaker B: Yes, but something like that. But, yeah, great album. [00:13:49] Speaker C: Absolutely. And, like, if I thought my palette was huge with Metallica's reach, the Pumpkins were heavy, they were somber. They had funeral music. They had electronic music. That kind of set a whole different level as to, like, what somebody could accomplish. Not, like, explained to me that, you know, you don't really have to stick in one genre if you're a music writer. You know, Billy Corgan's really very versatile, and that band introduced me to Alice in Chains, Silver Sun Pickups, Nirvana, very much so. Radiohead. And that, I would say that was kind of the changer as to, like, how I saw acoustic music, the beauty and melody and just, like, kind of coming up with a clean electric guitar riff and whatnot. [00:14:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I've always loved how, you know, like, you were talking earlier about bends and stuff. Like that song Mayonnaise on Siamese Dreams. Like that little. How he's using those little fucking artificial harmonics. And then like, that ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And that little bend at the end and, like, pinch harmonic. You're just like, what the fuck that is. Like, that eight seconds of music blows my mind. Like. Yeah. Oh, yeah, absolutely. But as a. You know, because that album came out when I was 21, so, like, gotcha. Siamese Dream is like my. [00:15:16] Speaker C: You know, Siamese Dream is probably one of the greatest albums of all time. [00:15:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:21] Speaker C: The first minute and a half of that album alone, the way it just starts with drums and then you hear the guitar come in and the bass come in, and it just explodes into Cherub rock. And it's. It's such a game changer. It really is. [00:15:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Like I said, especially back then, because it was like, nothing I'd ever. You know. And like, it came up in the same. And like you said, you know, introduced you to Alice in Chains and Nirvana and Radiohead, but it wasn't in, like, Smashing Pumpkins didn't get lumped in with them. You know what I mean? Like, even in the alternative scene, they were the alternate, you know, like, they were like a step more alternative. [00:16:03] Speaker C: Yeah. I wouldn't put them as grunge. I would say. [00:16:06] Speaker B: No, no, no. But they. But they were always lumped in with grunge, like. [00:16:10] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:16:10] Speaker B: Always. And it was like, you know, some of it I can see, but maybe. [00:16:15] Speaker C: It'S just a time period. [00:16:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:16] Speaker C: Because, you know, the grunge was like all the thing back in the 90s. [00:16:19] Speaker B: And people didn't know what to do with it. [00:16:21] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:16:21] Speaker B: Because they were just, you. Hair metal, like, you know, and having be being old enough to have lived through it, like, the death of hair metal was, like, fucking shocking. Like, it literally was like, one summer it was, you know, Motley Crue and Warrant and, like, Poison and all these things. And like, literally the next summer, they were all gone. Like, it was just like that music doesn't exist anymore. [00:16:48] Speaker C: That would be a shock, too. [00:16:49] Speaker B: It was, you know, like, because I was a. I still love my hair metal, you know, like, and I was a big fan. But I'm also guilty of being like, oh, I don't know. I think I like Alice in Chains more than I like Poison, you know, like, it definitely drew me, but it was. It was shocking to see, like, a. Like a whole genre of music just get fucking destroyed overnight, you know, It's. [00:17:13] Speaker C: A very fish out of water feeling, you know. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think that might be why the word grunge was slapped on really popular things that were coming into this movement, because they were like, oh, it's got to be grunge. And it's like, what is grunt? Or what even was grunge. You know what I mean? [00:17:28] Speaker C: Like, exactly. [00:17:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:31] Speaker C: And I don't know, I. Bands like that kind of made me. Yeah. You know. You know, song disarm. Right. [00:17:36] Speaker B: Sure. [00:17:37] Speaker C: That was the first song where I kind of heard the power of, like, how just one simple acoustic track can sound like a whole orchestra of emotion. And I think there's just a beauty with the acoustic guitar and whatnot. And that's why I'm here. [00:17:54] Speaker B: Yeah. Have you ever, you know, I know like, acoustic or. He leans acoustic. But remember that band, Men at Work? They do not before your time. But they were like early 80s. They had a couple of, you know, a couple of hits. They weren't quite a one hit wonder. They were like a three hit wonder and then they disappeared kind of thing. But the lead singers name is Colin Hay. And he like years later, like decades later, started releasing solo acoustic music. That is fucking amazing. Like, it's absolutely amazing. So once we're done here, like, remind me and I want to like play it for. I actually have his. Have his autograph right there on the wall. I've gone to see him a few times, but the things that this dude does with an acoustic guitar and his album, that album right there, the entire thing is him and a guitar and. [00:18:51] Speaker C: His name's Colin Hayes. [00:18:52] Speaker B: Colin Hay. No s. Gotcha. And the whole album is no other instrumentation, no like doubling vocals, no percussion, no bass, no anything. It's just him and a guitar. And it's in my top 10 favorite albums of all time. It's like, you see, Amazing. [00:19:12] Speaker C: That's the power of it though. It's just. It's amazing. Like, I mean, an artist can always sound great when they have a band behind them or, you know, electronic production behind them. [00:19:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:21] Speaker C: But when you. When you're really down naked and you have just an acoustic guitar on you and your vocals untouched, there's just something more heart wrenching about that. It's more vulnerable, I guess. [00:19:36] Speaker B: I mean, it's way more vulnerable. Like, it's like there's some. Yeah, there's something about it. But there's also, like you said, you're right. Like there's something, I don't know, more. I don't want to use the word precious, but like kind of is. Yeah, that's the thing. And especially as we get deeper into the future, you know, and like technology and, and like it's gonna. You're gonna start seeing less and less of that person that can just grab a guitar play. It's a wicked shame, like. And you know, I remember the blues Brothers like 40 something fucking years ago had a live album and on it Dan Aykroyd goes off on this riff about like, you know, pretty soon, like, you know, music's gonna be changed, it's gonna be all electronics and nobody's gonna be really practicing their craft and doing the instruments. And like that was in like, you know, 1982, like. And it's like pretty true so far. Yeah. And it's getting worse and faster. So what I think I want to do now is we'll play one of your songs. So this is off a studio release, you know, you can find it on, you know, Spotify and all the streaming platforms and everything. But what's. What's the first song that we're gonna hear? [00:20:55] Speaker C: So the first song that I want to share with you all is off an EP that I released last year called First Nature Episode. And the song is called among the Stars. And whenever I listen to this song, I'm very much taken back to where I was when I wrote it. When I was trying to get out, there I was. This song is 10 years old. I remember writing it in my old dormitory down at good old Ualbany. I was just trying to play a quiet song because my common mates, my, you know, my sweet mates were sleeping at a time. This must have been like 2am and first of all, I think middle of the night is kind of prime time for, like, writing and being creative and all that. So I remember having about two weeks where every night I would wake up in the middle of night and, like, add one thing or edit one line or just one chord structure behind this song. And when I was done, it was just like, no different than forging a steel sword, you know, and smelting it as. I think the final product for among the Stars is really nice. It's stuck with me for 10 years. And getting it out there last year was really cathartic. [00:22:15] Speaker B: Cool. [00:22:15] Speaker C: So I'm very happy. [00:22:16] Speaker B: All right, awesome. Well, let's check out among the Stars, Rooftop park, and then we'll be right back. [00:22:45] Speaker A: I saw you there you were dancing with starts again you now have come so far to now where we really are through summer nights and forgotten friends among the stars let's go back again we're not words connect we felt it all before we're always always want anymore I'm running through hell and back to get this heaven back on track Sometimes it's easy to tend to wander off every now and summer nights and forgotten friends among the stars let's go back again. [00:26:17] Speaker B: All right. That was among the Stars, Rooftop park, and Andy, when we were listening to the song, you were saying a little bit about how you'd been doing some traveling recently. So what. What kind of travel are we talking about? [00:26:28] Speaker C: So ever since Rooftop park kind of became a thing, so the projects about. Started about early last year. And last year, I think, was my first year of kind of getting out there and trying to see how far I could go with Plank's shows and whatnot. And I made it out to Vermont, which was at the time, a pretty big milestone. A couple of places a little north of here, like Glens Falls, or just kind of finding, you know, more places around Albany. This year I got to once again go out to Vermont, but I got to reach the farthest place I got I've ever played at, which was Washington, dc. [00:27:09] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:27:10] Speaker C: And that was back in May. And that's such a funny story. Some of these places I've been going to are literally like, grab my guitar, hop onto a Greyhound bus, drive all the way out there. That's my story for Washington, D.C. is leaving Albany 4am to go to the Albany bus station, which is always a lovely place. [00:27:33] Speaker B: Yes. [00:27:34] Speaker C: Where I want to be for the rest of my life. And just hopping onto a Greyhound, kind of thinking to myself, this is really crazy. Which I'm sure that's a familiar feeling for a musician who's starting off. There's, I think that realization of, like, oh, what I'm doing is now happening. [00:27:55] Speaker B: Like, I'm So, you know when you said that you're playing in D.C. and you're just, like, getting on a bus and heading there, did you have gigs ahead of time? [00:28:02] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:03] Speaker B: Then how did that come about? Did you just, like, email people, reach out to people and set something up and then just be like, yeah, I'll be there. [00:28:11] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:11] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:12] Speaker C: So I definitely. It definitely requires a lot of cold DMing or cold emailing people and being hopeful that they'll be graceful enough to. [00:28:21] Speaker B: You know, offer a gig or at least respond back. [00:28:24] Speaker C: Exactly. There's a lot of, you know, unanswered emails, I'm sure somewhere in my sent box. But Washington, D.C. is a place I've always wanted. I mean, I've been there before, but I. It was a place I wouldn't mind going back to. Also, I started kind of masking my desire to travel to a place for a weekend as like, oh, let me go and grab a gig over there. I might as well. So it was a good reason to go and be a tourist for about a couple of hours before I had a gig to prepare for. And I don't know, just the idea of hopping onto a bus, playing a gig, and then hopping on a bus that night. [00:29:06] Speaker B: Yeah. And. And hopping on a bus and going down to a place that's, I mean, not foreign, but, like, you know, that's not familiar to you. You know what I mean? It's not like you're going down to. Unless you know a bunch of people down in D.C. i don't know. All right, good. Then that adds to my point. But, like, to just go down there and not have people. You can be like, hey, I'm playing, come check it out. But literally just be like, I don't know a single fucking person down here. I don't know if the person at the venue, I don't know who or if is good. Like that takes, that takes a lot of courage, man. [00:29:39] Speaker C: It does. [00:29:39] Speaker B: Like that's. It is crazy. But it's crazy in a beautiful way. Yes, absolutely. [00:29:45] Speaker C: Which I, I definitely sympathize with that. I agree with that. I think there's something really beautiful about it. Just the idea of like there's a room of people who come to this bar regularly. I played at a bar and they don't know who I am. I now have a chance to show them what I got. [00:30:05] Speaker B: Right. [00:30:05] Speaker C: And by the end of this gig, hopefully I would have done my job. I will walk away with friends. And I did. I met 10 people in that bar as before I left and had to run back to the bus station before it missed me. [00:30:20] Speaker B: But like, not only is that like, you know, like take courage, but like it's really great to like, if you step outside of yourself, you're encouraging your, your, you're having faith in yourself. You know what I mean? Because I wouldn't encourage one of my friends to go to D.C. and do a gig if they didn't have talent. Right, exactly. And you probably wouldn't either. And you told yourself you have that talent to go to D.C. and that's why I think it's so cool is that you were showing up for yourself. [00:30:57] Speaker C: You know, I didn't think about. [00:30:58] Speaker B: And being, you know, like you're being. Pulling out of your body be like, nope. Yep, you definitely have talent. Let's go, motherfucker. You know, like, and that's something too because a lot of people have maybe talent and drive, but not quite that belief in themselves. And you do need to believe in yourself to so vital do it. You know, you have to. [00:31:19] Speaker C: It's almost as badly as you need to breathe or water, you know. [00:31:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Because it doesn't matter how talented you are if your brain is telling you you're not, you know. And a lot of people fight that. You know, there's a lot of very talented people that convince themselves that they're not. [00:31:36] Speaker C: I think self belief and just being aware that, you know, as much as I think humans tend to kind of be self deprecating at times, I think self belief is the gasoline that runs the car. You know what I mean? [00:31:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:50] Speaker C: And yeah, I really did not think about it like that but that's a whole new perspective. [00:31:55] Speaker B: Yeah. Because I mean, you know, if you had self doubt, you'd probably feel like not. Come on, Andy, that's crazy. We can't get on a bus and go down to fucking DC and play gig and get on a bus and come back home. [00:32:05] Speaker C: Which did come back. Which, like on the bus trip there, that thought did come to my mind. I was like, what the fuck did I just do? [00:32:13] Speaker B: Yeah, but you did it. [00:32:14] Speaker C: Turn this bus around right now. But by that time you're already, you know, you're already deep in. [00:32:19] Speaker B: Yeah, it. [00:32:21] Speaker C: I. I think one thing that I liked about it is like, I like thinking about things like mission based, like, all right, as soon as you land, you're gonna march over to that venue, you're gonna introduce yourself, shake their hands like you're gonna have a great show. And it's. [00:32:37] Speaker B: And that almost like sets up a base of operations for you in the new city, you know. [00:32:41] Speaker C: Creating my own dopamine. [00:32:43] Speaker B: Yeah, it's like, because you're, you're expected in this bar, you know, they know you're coming and then you come and you're like, here I am. And now you have a base of operations. You know, put your stuff set up, go check things out, come back for the gig. Like, and then the next time you come back, you could reach out to those 10 friends that you made. [00:32:59] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:33:00] Speaker B: And be like, hey, I'm coming back. [00:33:02] Speaker C: And now not only are they fans of me, but now I'm fans of them. And now it shows me how much of a beautiful scene Washington D.C. has. I mean, there's some artists out there who I wish were up here. That. Best way to put it. [00:33:17] Speaker B: And so where have you played? Like, in Vermont. [00:33:20] Speaker C: This place closed down. But there is a place in Bennington that was called Little City Cider Company. [00:33:26] Speaker B: Yep. [00:33:27] Speaker C: And how I got a hold of them was they used to hold open mics. And I just checked it out one day. I've always loved Vermont and like, any. [00:33:36] Speaker B: Excuse, that's where I grew up. [00:33:37] Speaker C: You grew up in probably the best state ever. [00:33:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree. [00:33:41] Speaker C: I. It's just there's. It's such a different vibe than New York. And just being over there, I just wanted to make friends again, and I did. There. The person who ran that open mic, her name was Cindy Baxter. And she, she's a little angel. She. Every open mic performer, she would just egg them on and be like, you know, you can do this. A warm, gracious smile, a warm, gracious round of applause. After every song. And it was to her, you know, of like, hey, you know, do you want to have your own gig here sometime? And I jumped at the opportunity just so I could brag to my friends. I finally have a show in Vermont. That's one state I can, you know, put a tally on. [00:34:24] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, again, a lot of people might think, you know, if you're in a local band, you have to stay local. [00:34:32] Speaker C: No way. [00:34:32] Speaker B: And you, like, you went down to fucking dc, Dude. [00:34:35] Speaker C: I want to go everywhere, man. [00:34:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And like, especially, like, if someone's a solo musician, like, like you said, you can have a fucking. Your guitar in a case and get on a bus and go, like, anywhere in the country. [00:34:49] Speaker C: Take me to a 300 person populated town in Arkansas. I will. I'll find enjoyment in that. [00:34:55] Speaker B: Right. [00:34:55] Speaker C: It's super fun. [00:34:56] Speaker B: I love that. More. More people need to, like, take that kind of mentality of, you know, let's just go, let's just do it. And it might be, you know, it might be terrible and. But I guarantee would be a cool story, you know, even if. Even if you had a bad experience, you'd be like, ah, one time. Yeah. [00:35:13] Speaker C: That's the whole driving force behind, you know, that whole D.C. trip was like, this is for the story. [00:35:18] Speaker B: Right. [00:35:18] Speaker C: You know, this is gonna make a great dinner table conversation 30 years from now maybe, but who knows? And now it's kind of like the mental blueprint that I think of if I'm considering going to a different city, which I am. [00:35:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:33] Speaker C: You know, Boston seems pretty nice and it's not even that far away. [00:35:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And like, I've said on this show, like, many times, actually, the episode that I had a guest just before you got here, and I said like the same thing, like, you know, any time that you can go outside of your scene and, I don't know, dip your toes into another scene. [00:35:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:56] Speaker B: I think it will help this where you are. You know what I mean? You don't have to be right here in the518 to help this scene because. [00:36:03] Speaker C: Yeah. And it's also like, think of it as like, you're representing, you're seeing. [00:36:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. You're taking just a little bit. Hey, this is what we're about. And then they'll be like, oh, well, you're here. This is what we're about. And then it's like, glad to meet you. And then like, you take, you know, it's a little bit of a thread between the communities where. [00:36:19] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:36:20] Speaker B: And if you keep doing that shit, we make a quilt, and then the whole east coast creates this local music scene of touring bands. Like, that'd be. That's my idea. [00:36:30] Speaker C: And it's just. It's cool to know people in other cities, whatnot. Like, hey, if we go to Boston, I could go talk to Larry, who I met. Or, you know, if I want to go to Washington, D.C. again, I'll talk to Seth, who is just there when. When I met him, when he saw my show. [00:36:45] Speaker B: Right. Yeah, that's. [00:36:47] Speaker C: I love connections and networking, especially with music. [00:36:50] Speaker B: Yes. And that's what makes a scene, you know, like, if everybody did music but then stayed in their lanes and didn't talk to anybody else, it wouldn't be any fun, you know? [00:36:58] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:36:59] Speaker B: It's about the human connections. I think that makes it so cool. So I think we should throw another song on. What was the other tune that we were going to play? [00:37:09] Speaker C: So this tune is actually from my latest release called Second Nature, which came out back in March of this year, so 2025. And this song is called Wish I Stayed, and it's a very good one, and I'll explain it after we listen to it. [00:37:26] Speaker B: All right, cool. I wish I stayed Rooftop park and then we'll be right back. [00:37:54] Speaker A: These phantom friends or so I thought they are make believe but they're all I've got I swear I've seen everything, Sam. Beyond the hills and far away. [00:38:58] Speaker C: The. [00:38:58] Speaker A: Sun came out and we're okay. [00:39:06] Speaker B: It. [00:39:06] Speaker A: Makes me wish I could have stayed it makes me wish I could have stayed these phantom friends were lessons taught through chemistry of false alarms they see right through everything Then where are they now? Where are, where are they? And are you fine now? Are you, are you fine? And where are they now? Where are, where are they? And are you fine now? Are you, are you fine? Beyond the hills and far away the sun came out and we were okay it makes me wish I could have stayed it makes me wish I could have stayed. [00:41:23] Speaker B: All right, that was Wish I Stayed, Rooftop park, and Andy, before we go, you were going to tell us just a little bit about the song that we just heard. So. [00:41:31] Speaker C: Yeah. So that beginning riff has kind of been around forever. I have a whole vault full of just riffs that are just collecting dust on my computer in a folder. In a folder just for a rainy day. I don't know if anyone else does that. I'm probably crazy. But one day I was just going through that folder and I stumbled upon that riff. And it's weird how a riff you write on a day doesn't really connect with you, but then maybe years later, it does. And so I wrote a song around that whole intro. And the lyrics, funny story, were inspired by a situation that happened with a friend of mine and I. He was staying over my house, and I instructed him, because I was about to go shower, to move my car, because, Albany, for some reason, you have to park your car on a certain lane on a certain day. And he made. He parked. He moved my car from the lane that was being, you know, the lane in question that, you know, if I remained on, I would have gotten a ticket for. All he did was move it a couple feet up. He didn't switch lanes. So I got ticketed. And it led to a kind of an argument because I had a ticket. And I was like, you know, I asked you to take care of this. [00:42:50] Speaker B: Can you. [00:42:51] Speaker C: Can you, like, help out? And he was like, it's your car. He gave me that. He goes, it's your car. And I. This was a friend that I kind of out had it with. So the lyrics were very much like. About just kind of having a friend that isn't really up to par with what you'd expect out of a friend. And funny story enough. I showed that song to him, and he goes, I love it. So listen, as long as he enjoys it, as long as people out there enjoy it, it's all that matters to me. It's a fun song. [00:43:27] Speaker B: That's awesome. All right, cool. Well, you know, I want to thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come and do this. [00:43:33] Speaker C: I want to thank you for having me. [00:43:35] Speaker B: Yeah, it was awesome. [00:43:35] Speaker C: So much fun. [00:43:36] Speaker B: It was a great conversation. I really enjoyed it. So before we go, though, I want to give you the chance to say what I refer to as your gratitudes. Microphones all yours. [00:43:46] Speaker C: So I recently took part in the filming process for a song that was written by an Albany emo band called Not Chinese Takeout. [00:43:54] Speaker B: The Homies. [00:43:55] Speaker C: Dude, they are legends. [00:43:57] Speaker B: Got their menu right there on the wall. [00:43:59] Speaker C: Oh, I see it. Oh, it's awesome. Yeah, I'm sure they're gonna listen to this. I'll make them listen to this. Don't worry. [00:44:06] Speaker B: Oh, they'll listen. They're so cool. [00:44:08] Speaker C: So I want to shout them out for having me included in their video. It's for a song called Chop and Fade Away. They had me be a screaming older brother in that video, and it's so much fun. And I'm gonna be playing a show with them later on in the month, so Shout out to not Chinese takeout for being the homies, as you said. And I want to shout out one more music artist that I've been working with. She's super talented. She goes by the name of Brittany Adams. And we have a gig coming up next month in Saratoga at this farm that's right outside of town. And prepping for this gig has been super fun. It's unlike anything I've really prepped for before. It's kind of music that is out of my range. A little bit more. Way less Smashing Pumpkins. Way more. You know, Chapel, Roan and Taylor and whatnot. It's a challenge. Yeah, but I love challenges. And this is a challenge I wouldn't have gotten from anybody else. So it's been a lot of fun, and I want to shout her out. So shout out to Brittany Adams, who, once again, I will make sure she listens. [00:45:17] Speaker B: Awesome. [00:45:18] Speaker C: I want to shout you out for getting me on the show. Dude. Thank you. [00:45:20] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:45:20] Speaker C: From one Andy to another. [00:45:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Fuck yeah. We gotta stick together. All right, so he is Rooftop Park. I am Andy scullin. This is unsigned 518. I'll see you on the road. 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 could buy me a [email protected] unsigned 518 if you would like to advertise on the show, send me an email at unsigned518mail.com and to be a guest on the show, reach out to me through Instagram. Signed 518. Take care of one another and I'll see you next week.