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For those of you who are still living in the stone ages, you may not have heard of MySpace, Facebook or even Friendsmix; those are popular social networking sites that are generating heavy traffic and buzz on Cyperspace. Advantageously, this next artist, who has a music website on MySpace, certainly is yielding buzz too. Emilio Basa, an innovative solo singer/songwriter from the suburban area of Detroit, is an assortment of urban folk, R&B, alternative, and rock. Recently, we had an opportunity to do an one on one interview thru electronic mail with this artist. Check out what formulated:
Q. What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
A. I can perform my songs in front of people with passion and freedom and not have stage fright anymore. I have more than just a couple open mics and shows under my belt now. I've been doing this for a little over 5 years. I'm still a "rookie" but I've grown so much in the past 3 years. In my last band, Resident Alien, I was very timid but eventually grew very comfortable being on stage and just letting go. I'm not saying that I'm a top-level performer because I still have a lot to learn, but I definitely want to be on stage now. When I was starting out before I use to run from that fear, but now I embrace it. Plus, my voice found some range this past year. I don't know what happened. My singing voice used to be so polished, but now it's polished and has depth and character. I can hit notes at a higher range with some power.
Q. What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
A. Patience. It's really not discouraging as it is something that I have to learn because doing things in a timely manner annoys me. I always want the immediate goal. I'm currently recording my 2nd album and I promised myself to take time with this project. Dissect the song. Choose the right instruments and musicians. Discuss what we want to achieve with the song. Before we start recording, I can hear the song in my head and I how I want it to sound. So I want it to be finished ASAP, but we have to record the scratch track, then drums, then guitar, vocals, bass, so forth and so forth. It's terribly time consuming, but I want to be happy with it. My first album was rushed and it's good, but not great. I'm stuck with my first album for life. I can't take those recordings back. They're out there. So now with my 2nd album we're going about it another approach. I just have to learn to be patient with it and take it one step at a time as you should with everything in life.
Q. What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).
A. I have 2 major things right now. I’m working on my 2nd album and my solo project. I'm working with the sound engineer who recorded my bands last album, Resident Alien. I'm currently 33% complete with my album. My realistic goal is to finish by January 2008. Everyday I get more and more hyped up about this album. I'm really proud of the work so far and I'm surrounding myself with people who have a passion to get it done right. I'm hiring a few musician friends of mine to finish out the album and add different instruments where needed. I also need to get some string arrangements done on the album.
The solo project is my other major project and it involves just as much as work as the album takes up. I'm booking shows in the Detroit area and I'm contracting out different musicians to help me with the show. It's going to be half originals and half covers. Normally I didn't want to play the covers, but the bars pay better than band showcases do. Coordinating everything is the most annoying thing ever; getting the scheduling right, organizing practice, setting up time for the studio, managing other musicians. I'd love to be on other side projects right now, but time just doesn't allow it right now.
Q. What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?
A. One of the most unusual places I ever played was on Cass Corridor in Downtown Detroit. There was a non-profit organization that tried encouraging foot traffic on Cass. Students of the university mostly walk it. They wanted to have musicians of every different genre every 1/8 mile. So people walking the street that day would hear music all along their walk. That day it was 20 degrees colder and it was raining so we ended up playing underneath an awning where we were more of a hindrance to pedestrians. That was a bad gig.
Q. In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived); affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
A. A lot of the time; I find that I'm musically influenced by the people as opposed to where I am at the time. There are many different musicians that I hang out with that have turned me on to Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits, Counting Crows, and a whole bunch of different musicians. But, I also have friends that have turned me on to R&B, hip-hop, etc... By listening to all those different genres, it definitely has an affect on my music.
Q. When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
A. I wrote a song last month called “Please Please Please Forgive me”. This song is one of those songs that songwriters everywhere just treasure. The night I wrote it comes around once in a blue moon so you have to take advantage of it when you can. I wrote the song in 20 minutes and I haven't changed a word. I just got back from the bar and I was buzzed. When I'm buzzed or drunk I do stupid things. I say things I normally would never say and I do things I normally would never do. I got back home that night and thought back on the night and went through all the dumb things I did. Feeling very apologetic and sorry for how stupid I acted I wrote the song. So the song is my apology to anyone I might've pissed off because of my drunken ignorance.
Q. As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
A. I definitely try and listen to new music. It's important to me to always hear something new and fresh as well as traditional "genre specific" music. It helps spark creativity and motivates me to do my music more. It's interesting to me to hear different methods of music whether it's lyrically, music, or production. There is a lot of blending of genres, which I believe is important. Music is no longer defined lines. I have influences from all genres and it comes across in my music. I pull aspects from folk, pop, rock, and soul. It's inspiration from music of all kinds.
Q. Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)
A. I'm currently going old school and listening to Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and the Rolling Stones. Some styles are different than mine, and some I carry into my own music. Some of the old rock and jazz I like and some I don't, but I feel it's important to know, listen, and understand where the music I listen to now comes from. I've noticed that some of the newer music (mostly commercial) try and entice you with catchy beats, addictive hooks, or possibly a certain image or "look". I have my B.A. in marketing and I understand that it's all a part of the marketing scheme of the label. But the market is now saturated with music like this. Don't get me wrong, I still listen and get influences from this music. It's not all bad and to each there own, but somewhere down the road the labels forgot to market the MUSIC. So I'm listening to the old stuff; when music was music.
Q. Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?
A. That's a tough one. I'll cheat this question and give you a top 3 because each one represents something different to me. My all time favorite band is Led Zeppelin. If I had to pick a favorite song it would probably be Bring It on Home. 2nd choice would be Stevie Wonder and that's because it's Stevie. A favorite song of his is Lately. 3rd would be Jeff Buckley. Favorite song of Jeff's would be Grace.
Q. What's the saddest song you've ever heard?
A. That's another tough question. If I had to pick one it would be Jolene by Ray Lamontagne. I know I've heard sadder songs but I just can't remember them right now.
http://www.emiliobasa.net
http://www.myspace.com/emiliobasa
