Exposed Vocals sits down to an Exclusive Interview with Decades Jam
We’re a duo formed in Croton New York. We are always writing and recording music. We also love playing our favorite songs for people. We call that Decades Jam.In the studio (I have a project studio in Croton which is attached to the back of a big pink warehouse) we like to make some of our recordings sound like four or five piece (or 20 piece!) bands. Live, we are a duo of guitar and drums, along with some other goodies, like guitar-looping and synthesizers . We’ve heard people say that duos always try to sound like bigger bands and it doesn’t work, we want to prove that wrong. For whatever that’s worth..
On forming the band:
Matt (drums) had heard that I was playing bass and he asked me to play with his original band, Hot Soup, which I did. It was just really fun. We have the same sensibilities about how chords should sound and how rhythms should behave. That was about 4 years ago, and since then we’ve recorded countless tracks in my studio. First I played drums and Matt was on guitar. Then I started singing while I played guitar more and we switched instruments! (Laughs)
That’s really how this band came to be. Matt was still learning drums when we started. It gives our feel a much more interesting vibe to me than if Matt were some seasoned session player.
We call it Decades Jam because around here in The Hudson Valley, jam nights are really popular.. Rock Jams, Jazz Jams, Blues Jams, where people get up and play their favorite styles together with strangers and friends. We wanted to think of this band as an event, so we came up with this idea that our shows would be like a Jam night, except it’s only us playing these songs from various decades.
On playing covers:
We don’t usually choose a song because it’s a popular tune. We cover songs that we have a relationship with. We didn’t choose To play a Steppenwolf song because every one who sees us play it will love Steppenwolf- it’s how Matt and I lock into it when we play it together. We want to present that to anyone who will listen.
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Decades Jam: We found out about by doing research on how technology can spread word about bands. We live in a time where promotion is free. Everyone has the internet, but it’s hard to stand out. We like the idea of a platform for promotion that’s community-based, like your business is.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Decades Jam: I grew up in Croton, New York. I always loved hearing music, and there was always a guitar in the house. I played drums for the first time when I was six years old because my older brother had bought a cheap kit. I don’t know, Matt and I never decided to be musicians, it’s kind of what we’ve both always done. We think and talk music obsessively.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Decades Jam: We call it Decades Jam because around here in The Hudson Valley, jam nights are really popular.. Rock Jams, Jazz Jams, Blues Jams, where people get up and play their favorite styles together with strangers and friends. We wanted to think of this band as an event, so we came up with this idea that our shows would be like a Jam night, except it’s only us playing these songs from various decades.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Decades Jam: We currently give everything away for free. We want people to listen to us. Sharing our band is what music is all about to us. If and when we put together a physical album, with artwork, and care put into that medium (a record), of course we’d charge for it. Both of us buy lots of music all the time. We believe in it.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Decades Jam: We still consider our band very new. It took months for us to figure out ways to sound huge, while still being a two-piece. Now, we feel like we have our sound together. Its so overlooked. Bands don’t think about the way their music sounds when it’s blasting out into an audience. Our advice would be to be prepared to have to sound good. No one wants to hear a guitar turned up to ten, with the treble boosted, with a fuzz pedal blaring for an entire set. I’m kind of OCD about sound. We’re always concerning ourselves with how the audience will perceive our sound. It makes a big difference to bar and club owners who don’t have a sound system, when they hire a band that sounds professional.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Decades Jam: YES! Sometimes you make a mistake, like hitting the wrong guitar pedal while singing a lyric and strumming your guitar- and it seems impossible. But then other times it all flows and the mistake can be overlooked because the groove is feeling so good. If something sounds wrong for a second, but the performance is powerful overall, we consider that a plus. We love raw music. Sometimes we’ll choose a less-professional sounding take when recording because the “bad” take just sounds better to us.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Decades Jam: We’re gigging locally still. We love the scene of songwriters in places like Peekskill and Pleasantville New York. We want to experience a lot though, and we’ll be traveling and playing shows this year. Right now though, we’re recording a ton of material. We have to figure out what will come of it.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Decades Jam: Songwriting inspiration comes and goes for me. Sometimes we’ll intentionally write a song together, and piece things together like a puzzle, like students of music. Sometimes I’ll say “Hey what about this crazy riff over and over for this part?” And then there it is an hour later, a full song. A cup of coffee almost always causes me to write down some strange lyric or idea. Ever since I was about 12, when I pick up a guitar I try to come up with something new. I just try, it doesn’t always happen. But when I actually want to play guitar, I’ll usually start playing a few bars over an over and go “oh that could be something”. Lyrics have to come to me though, I rarely sit and write them. My version of writing lyrics is standing in front of the microphone in the studio and stringing together lines as I record the vocal.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Decades Jam: People can search Decades Jam on Soundcloud. We’re on Instagram under the name DecadesJam_Band.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Decades Jam: Hmm… It’s tough to embarrass us with the music we listen to! Having said that- there might be some Ace of Bass in there. Even still, The Sign is amazing!
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Decades Jam: Wow, I don’t know. I’d try to invest it wisely in my band, and then help my loved ones out.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Decades Jam: We record with a fully analog front-end into a Mackie mixing console. Once the music hits the hard drive, it’s pretty much sounding the way we want it to sound. We don’t like Digital plug ins as much as our outboard gear. Its not that you can get character with plug-ins, but I feel that I make better decisions and more creative ones when I have knobs to turn. Im obsessed with setting compressirs and microphone preamps to get new sounds. Upgrades? New Cymbals. It’s about what you record, as much as it is about how you record it.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Decades Jam: We like Instagram. A picture can really grab your attention and hold it. We plan on starting a youtube channel soon. People are doing amazing things on youtube. Vloggers have more viewers than some late night TV shows. A lot of bands think it’s uncool to expose themselves and share their experiences, but we may want to do something like a vlog. Where we speak to the camera about our band a little bit. We aren’t afraid to be ourselves. Again, we just want to share music. Youtube is an amazing place for that.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Decades Jam: I’ll say the Kills. Jamie Hince’s guitar work is so unique. Not to mention Alison Mosshart, greatest front-woman alive for me.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Decades Jam: We want people to stay tuned to our Soundcloud, we release about a track or two per week. We record non-stop. Every week theres more and more recorded material. Im going nuts, but its sounding good to us and we keep writing more songs and recording more covers. Until we release a record, that’s where you should look. We’ll keep you posted on our twitter account.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Decades Jam: Thinking about making music.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Decades Jam: Definitely The White Stripes, White Blood Cells. I remember turning it up and listening to this track called Aluminum and being horrified. I had to turn the lights on! It sounded so real and natural. But also huge. We really appreciate that style.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Decades Jam: It can be stressful. If you care about making music, there are going to be times when you want to make it and cant. There will also be times when you’re making it and don’t want to be. It’s all part of the lifestyle of being a person who records music. The end result is what we’re in it for. We want the tracks to exist.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Decades Jam: Many many tracks from us! And live shows. We’ll be posting all the dates on Twitter and Instagram. We feel like we’re at the top of our live game. We’re excited about being out there.
