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elvis presley

Long Island’s Matthew Zeiss- Get to Know Him

by Ryan Shea

Manhattan Digest, Matthew Zeiss
manhattan digest, matthew zeiss
Credit to: Filippo Barbarotto

 

Four years ago when I started blogging I wanted to make sure that even though I had my hopes set on interviewing legends in the music industry (something that came to fruition a year or two into it) I also wanted to interview local talent as many Long Island natives have gone from being obscure to some of the biggest people the industry has ever seen (Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J to name a few).  One artist in particular who has the ability to become the next big thing is Long Island native Matthew Zeiss, an up and coming singer/songwriter who hit me up a couple of months ago about working together on a piece or two.  I listened to some of his music and it drew inspiration from my point of view on so many different musical directions that I had to meet this guy and see what he was all about.

Driving from so many musical phases such as the beginning of Rock N Roll with Elvis Presley to the 90’s Ska movement with No Doubt and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Matthew Zeiss truly has set his heart on making music something he wants to do the rest of his life and holds no apologies for it.  Recently being featured in the Long Island Newsday, and with an album coming out very soon, Matthew sat down with Manhattan Digest recently to discuss his music life growing up, who inspires him and what he is ultimately looking forward to in the future (besides his dream duet with Billy Joel).  Take a look.

So tell me how you got into music in the first place?

Since I was about five years old actually.  My dad would play a lot of Elvis Presley music & his videos as well, and I would try to act like that in a way to impress my parents because when you are at that age it tends to be what you try to do.  Not to mention my dad was a singer/songwriter, not publicly but to himself so I would always hear him playing guitar and the music that he recorded on his cassette player in the 80’s.  I grew up on that type of vibe.  I also got into poetry a lot around the 3rd grade and started writing quite a bit of it around that time.  Then in middle and high school I started taking these very long poems and turned them into songs, figuring out the structure of the songs and that I could actually sing.   When puberty came in and smacked me in the face I would practice two hours a day, everyday for about four years.  I would practice until I could sing really good.  I would emulate legends like Tom Jones, Billy Joel and Elvis to name a few and in that process I developed a voice of my own.  In doing so that had powers including the ability to sustain and it just went from there.  Over twenty years ago all I wanted in this world was to be a singer and that still rings true to this day.

Matthew Zeiss, Manhattan Digest
Credit to: Elmer Escobar

 

Who would you say are some of your biggest musical inspirations?

Aside from Elvis and Billy Joel, I don’t really know.  I would say they are my two biggest ones, however if I were to trickle off from there I would say people like Lenny Kravitz, Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Chuck Barry, Little Richard… the list goes on.  I would say Paolo Nutini, a bit of a left field choice but I like what he does style wise.  My father too of course, I sound just like him.  We are both inspired by Elvis and come from the same gene pool so my vocal chords developed the exact same way, so we have that on top of many other things in common and is someone who I truly look up to.

As someone who knows your music but some of my readers don’t, how would you describe the sound and style of it?

I use the word “alternative” just because it fits a large genre, but honestly I would say Rock N Roll.  Billy Joel’s music for instance is considered Rock N Roll but it is more songwriter based.  My previous album was more aggressive but my new album is going to be more in line with how artists like Billy & Bruno Mars are doing.  Just much more organized, more orchestrated, a lot of different instrumentations.  I don’t even know how you would classify it but I would consider it as singer/songwriter/Rock N Roll.

It seems as if since the new millennium that pop and hip-hop has dominated the music industry.  How does an artist like you who is a bit more obscure make your name in this type of a music world?

I think I would do it with flair, the same way how Bruno Mars does it.  He’s a good looking dude, he has his own style, he can move, younger girls love that kinds of stuff.  Billy Joel happens to draw an older crowd, 25 and up I would say.  I feel I could blend in with both the younger crowds and make my name because every album is going to have its pop tunes and steer in a direction that could go younger.  Sure I have that, but I also have songs that whether it be something you are listening to on a pair of headphones or at a live concert it will draw a crowd that any age can really like.  So I think I can make my mark as my music doesn’t have a particular generation geared towards it, it is timeless.

Manhattan Digest, Matthew Zeiss
Credit to: Elmer Escobar

 

Couple of random questions I want to ask you.  Dead or alive, what two artists would you love to see perform together that never would in a millions years?

Oh man, that’s a good one.  I think Tom Jones and Elvis would be the two.  I feel people underrate Tom Jones because the first thing that pops into your head when you think of him is the song “It’s Not Unusual”, which is somewhat of a novelty song.  His vocals are fantastic and is an opera singer which is surprising to most people.  He can hit notes on songs of his like one called “Till” that is just phenomenal.  I feel the both of them would be an insanely dope concert.

What is your favorite album of all time?

“The Stranger” by Billy Joel.  That was his breakthrough album and had so many hits come off of that such as “Moving Out”, “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” and so much more.  That is an album I could listen to endlessly.

Do you have a favorite song as well?

All time favorite song would be “Burning Love” by Elvis but now I would actually say “Fragments Of Time” by Daft Punk.  “Random Access Memories” is a fantastic album and that song is just incredible.

So you are in stage, your doing a set.  All of a sudden one of your crew members comes on with an additional microphone set and says “Someone wants to join you on stage”.  Who do you want that someone to be?

Billy Joel.  Duh.  However, I probably wouldn’t have the ability to perform as I would be doing a combination of throwing up and crying all at the same time.

Manhattan Digest, Matthew Zeiss
Credit to: Filippo Barbarotto

 

What are you really hopeful for going forward now?

Success.  That’s it.  By success I don’t just mean fame or stuff.  I would love that of course, I’m a public dude.  Success means that I can sustain a family life doing what I love.  I do want a family in the future with kids and the whole deal, but I want to provide for them doing all of this and not struggle day in and day out at a job that I hate.  This is a job that I genuinely love doing and never get tired of, so from here forward I am looking to write music that people can love and connect to.  I’m looking for that one moment that I am on stage and there is 100,000 people singing the songs that I wrote.   That is success for me.

Want to hear more about Matthew Zeiss, including his awesome music and upcoming shows?  Check out his official Facebook and iTunes pages for more info.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: billy joel, bruno mars, elvis presley, long island, manhattan digest, matthew zeiss

Jack Skuller interview- the one to watch out for

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: jackskuller.com
Credit to: jackskuller.com

 

As someone who has been doing this whole “music journalist” thing for three years now, I have been able to interview some of the biggest names in the industry and some up and coming ones.  I have never though, found someone with as much raw and amazing talent as Jack Skuller.  The fresh faced 17 year old, who was born in Manhattan and now lives in the Hoboken area was brought to my attention recently and I was immediately blown away by his amazing talent.  He is doing something that no one else is doing in the industry by taking a 50’s kind of throwback appeal and making it into some truly freaking amazing modern type of music.  I sat down with him a couple of days ago to talk about his past, present and ultimately his huge future as an artist and someone that in due time people will admire and look up to.  Take a look.

How old were you when you decided you wanted to take music seriously?

I was very young, around 8.  Just going to a bunch of different shows and my dad being a musician was what I was exposed to the most.

Who are some of your musical influences?

A variety of ones like The Everly Brothers and Eddie Cochran.  I really go back to the 50’s to get a lot of my inspiration so others like Elvis Presley are big for me.  On a more modern take I really love The Black Keys and what they are doing now.

How would you describe your sound?

My sound it’s vintage pop, it’s rock and roll when you get down to it.  It is where I get my influences.  That’s what I love, that’s what I breathe is rock and roll man.

Who do you get comparisons to the most?

What’s funny about that is that I usually don’t hear a certain name.  I’ve heard Jack White and John Mayer for example, but sometimes I think people have a hard time tagging me and I think that’s because what I am doing is really different.  I do feel very honored when people compare me to Jack, I love him and his music.  Buddy Holly is another one too.

When I hear the song “Tell Me Your Heart” I instantly get drawn back to the music of the 60’s and even 50’s.  Is that the zone you want to head into musically?

You can call it a throwback, but really for me it is my sound.  When I hear my own music and making my own music, a lot of my influence comes from that time but I really am not thinking of it as a throwback. I am thinking about what I can do this to make this me, my sound and what I do.  In the end it is what it is, and it’s everything I know and appreciate and listened to.

How important do you feel it is nowadays to be not just a singer but a singer songwriter?

For me, I know that for a long time I have wanted a music life.  I wanted that to encompass my entire life.  And I think for someone like me who wants that, songwriting is very important.  It’s important for you to do as much as you can for yourself, because it in today’s world it is more vital than ever.  You can’t just do music and not really know about other things.  It is always to your benefit to know to write songs, play as many instruments as you can and have a bigger knowledge of the craft.

Are there other singer/songwriters that you respect and would love to work with?

I would love to work with people like Jack White and Gary Clark Jr, because I look up to those people a lot.

If you had to do a dream duet with anyone who would it be?

I would have to say the king, Elvis.  I mean, imagine everything I could take from that, even preparing for the duet and all the stuff that would go into it.  It would just be incredible.

Tell me about your other songs you are making.  Do they have a similar feel to “Tell Me Your Heart?

I’m always thinking about how I can grow and move to a new place while keeping my sound and keeping who I am as an artist. I always try to keep a consistency in my songs and I have done that since I was 11 years old yet always try to do something new and find inspiration.  I recorded a few songs recently  and I like to take a really big part in making my music, that is very important to me.

What is the one thing that you want your fans and readers of this to know about you?

What I want people to know about me as an artist I think is that I am still a real person.  Sometimes people put a wall between artists and listeners, and I am a real and honest person that just happens to love what I do.  I get so lost in the enchantment in what I do and what I am passionate about and ultimately this is what I want to do forever.

Want to know more about this talented guy? Check out his site and be on the lookout for him in the near future.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: eddie cochran, elvis presley, everly brothers, jack skuller, Jack White, John Mayer

My exclusive with Long Island’s very own Kayla Stockert!

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Reverb Nation
Credit to: Reverb Nation

 

Kayla Stockert is your typical 16 year old girl from Long Island with a really unique twist.  She is poised to be a big star in the music industry by doing a modern take on retro-pop music.  Working with the likes of other Long Island natives like the Como Brothers band, she drives her inspirations from artists as wide ranged as Freddie Mercury to Taylor Swift, Connie Francis to Lady Gaga.  You can’t get more open than that?  Yet she does it in a simple yet extraordinary way that keeps people at the forefront of their minds.  I recently sat down with this talented girl to discuss her life so far and what she hopes for in her musical career.  Oh, and a duet with Elvis.  Yup. Check it out.

How old were you when you decided you wanted to take music seriously?

I was about 9 years old.  I used to do covers and stuff and then I started writing my music, and I developed a passion for it.  It was about a year later that I decided to take it seriously and here I am today.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Amy Winehouse definitely, I love her retro-style.  Then I have a bunch of ones from older generations like Frankie Lymon and Connie Francis and Leslie Gore and all those kinds of people.

How would you describe your sound for me?

I think I have a retro-pop sound, and definitely unique sounding.  I can’t really be sounding like anyone else at this point and time based on the material I put out.

You play Piano and Guitar.  How long did it take you to master those?

Well I haven’t mastered them quite yet.  I only play chords right now.  I started playing them when I was 12 and everyday coming home from school and sitting down at the piano or with my guitar.  For me, everyday it is something new that I learn, can’t ever learn too much you know?

Who do you get comparisons to the most?

I know that I get told I look like Taylor Swift, I don’t really see that.  I’ve been told I sound like her a little bit.  Others say Amy Winehouse, some say Miley Cyrus, I don’t know.  People see different kinds of sounds that I don’t really see. It’s cool that people think you sound like other people.

You have worked with The Como Brothers Band in the past.  What was that experience like?

It was good.  I went to them and asked if they wanted to be my musicians and help me out with certain shows and stuff. They agreed, and wanted me to show them some songs and we can help you.  I showed them my song “Don’t Go Messing”, and we collaborated on it and it turned out great.  Overall it was a really great experience.

Favorite song you have recorded and why?

I definitely think it is some of my newer songs off of the EP.  I really like the song “What They Say” off of the new EP because I remember in the recording studio we had a lot of harmonies and it was really fun so if I had to choose one it would be that.

Tell me about the new EP and other things you have planned.

I definitely want to come out with a full length album as the EP is only three songs.  I also want to keep writing and practicing my guitar and piano and really honing in on my craft.

Who would you love to do a duet with, dead or alive?

Hmmm.  I would go with Elvis Presley because he is a huge music legend.  I think it would be a really cool thing do it a duet with him.

What is the one thing you want your fans and readers to know about you?

That I am a real person and I don’t strive to be perfect.  I am unique and have my own little unique kind of style and always want to stay true to who I am.

Be sure to check out her new EP and everything Kayla by going onto her site and seeing more.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: amy winehouse, como brothers band, connie francis, elvis, elvis presley, frankie lymon, lady gaga, long island, miley cyrus, retro, retro pop, Taylor Swift

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