Posted 2 years ago
5 Questions for… Syd
By I asked Syd about the best music business advice he’s ever received and he said “I don’t know if I’ve gotten it yet.” Really, man? Because you act like you know what’s up.
If we were handing out report cards to DIY artists, Syd would definitely get an A+. The Vermont native who now resides in California has done well for himself sans label. He’s active on every social network (updating things himself) and he knows how to distribute his music. Not only is he putting out his own CDs (5 to date, including a fan favorite disc released last month), he’s letting people download tracks for free over at Bandcamp.com. All he asks is that people hand over a couple dollars if they enjoy his music. And seriously? I triple dog dare you not to shake your hips, bop your head, or crack a smile during any of his tracks. Especially during any of the power pop tunes off his recent EP, Upswing. Not to mention that last month “Big Town”, a track off of Upswing, was a featured music video on Fuse OnDemand.
Syd is also part of The Co-Op which he explained as “kinda like a selective web ring from back in the day, it’s a warehouse to keep all the creative people I work with closely linked”. Right now you can find free music on the site from Patrick Thomas and Lisa Piccirillo (whose record he both produced and co-wrote on) on a Co-Op sampler, in addition to some his tracks.
When Syd was in Boston last week, I asked if we could chat and he invited me along to see his friend singer songwriter Brian Bergeron play at the Barking Crab (Seaport). After interviewing ME (he seriously asked me what I wanted to do in 5 years), we got to talking about his life as a musician and what kind of music he’s digging right now.
What was the first song you ever learned to play?
Well on the guitar it was different.. I played the drums for a long time. I learned “Polly” by Nirvana, that was the first song on the guitar. On the drums, I was playing along with Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana records when I was 12.
You know it’ll be a good show if…
There’s something keeping me in the moment entirely. So much work goes into just being there for the performance not thinking about small stuff— “is the van going to get a ticket, did I remember to thank the sound guy, is my guitar in tune, etc.” Or to keep me from jumping off the deep end and thinking about the big stuff. So anything that helps me just forget all that junk and just be there is huge. That could be a great sound system that just feels “right there” or an audience that is sizzling with that kind of energy you can feel, or simply a really good laugh with my guys before going out there to loosen us up.
The best venue I’ve ever played in was _____ because _____ or alternatively… The worst venue I’ve ever played in was _____.
I did a lot of college touring in the early days of this career. Still do. I think I’ll go with the “Generic College Cafeteria at Noon” as both the worst and best venue I’ve ever played. It is truly one of the most challenging things to do—-get up in front of a room full of hungover, overworked, clique-y college students and find that line between engaging them and being background music. I’ve learned so much as a performer from those shows.. about how to not take myself or the material too seriously, about how easily an audience senses it if you’re just thinking “god I don’t want to be here”, and about the power of a good laugh to disarm just about any situation. I have some horror stories, but at the same time, I’ve worked through so much at those shows, it really is an example of “what doesn’t kill you…”
What was the greatest moment you’ve had on stage?
A single one? That’s nearly impossible, there are truly so many. But you’d say “pick one” so I’ll say… all of them. No just kidding. Um… I think it might have been being the drummer for Gregory Douglass’ CD release show at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT for the record Battler. That night was just the culmination of so much hard work that Greg and I had put into making the record work. We’re both Vermont boys that have been friends for like 10 years or more, so feeling that sold out room rally behind us as a band and having guests like Grace Potter and Anais Mitchell join us onstage, that was truly something else. It meant much more to me and him than it does even in me telling it now. It was one of those “I’m floating” moments.
Besides Lisa and Patrick from he Co-Op, name three artists that we don’t know about but should probably be listening to.
Zac Clark, for sure. He is an insanely talented piano-based singer songwriter. Gregory Douglass. I think people need to listen to his last record (Battler). I love that record. Brian Bergeron. He’s been plugging away in Boston for awhile. He’s got some really great songs and Will Dailey made his record. And Will Dailey for that matter!
The incredibly accessible and tech savvy Syd can be found on most social sites (if tracking him on Bandsintown isn’t enough). His main website is here, and the Co-Op website is here.
