Exclusive Interview with The Reckless Nights

Music's Week: What inspired you to start making music, and what drives your creative process?

The Reckless Nights: I was inspired to start making music following a live performance of Paul McCartney's "Yesterday" from 1966 that had caught my attention at a young age. I was particularly moved by how the audience was responding to such an intimate song, and how Paul both plays the role of the performer and protagonist of the narrator of the song. This interplay captivated me, and I knew I wanted to explore those facets of inner expression on my own. The concept that drives my creative process would be propelled by my need to explore the sonic soundscape of music. Being prolific in multiple instruments, I continuously push myself to become a better musician and artist through "fine-tuning" my craft.

Music's Week: Can you tell us about your musical background and how you got started in the industry?

The Reckless Nights: I picked up the guitar at the age of 9, but never got serious about it until I was a freshman in high school. All the time I had leading to my eventual interest with guitar, allowed me to cultivate my musical inspirations and tonal pursuits. I focused on the importance of lyricism in music, and how you can manipulate the emotions of the audience based on your cadence and delivery of lines/ phrases. After I had all the ingredients needed to pursue my dream, I started my first band in 2017. This taught me the role of being a musician in a band setting, my personal strengths/ pitfalls in songwriting, as well as the behind the scene elements of music such as distribution and marketing. Like all things throughout my life, I took these crucial lessons and applied them to the conception of my own band, The Reckless Nights.

Music's Week: What's your biggest influence or inspiration when it comes to your music style or sound?

The Reckless Nights: I am proud to say I wear my inspirations on my sleeve. In the past, I was unabashed about including passages and leads throughout my music that reflects melodies I was inspired by. Yet now that I've had time to grow as a musician, I am starting to experiment sonically with sounds that resonants true to me. My lyricism and singing style is very reminiscent of early alternative rock music from the 70s/80s, mixing somber lyrics behind pop-filled/ epic indie rock guitar melodies. As I have evolved throughout the years, I'm starting to shift away from my early inspirations of 60s pop rock to more contemporary indie rock (taking inspiration from the Strokes and Killers, blended with interludes of the Beach Boys and the Zombies).

Music's Week: Can you tell us more about the creative process behind the song "The City" and what fans can expect to the song?

The Reckless Nights: The song "the City" started out as a vocal warmup performance, which consisted of me strumming my acoustic guitar and muttering the phrase "When I'm in the City". The line really resonated with me because it seemed to play the role of an "after-thought", before achieving whatever goal I set out to accomplish in the narrative of the song. I immediately knew this song was going to echo the themes of melancholy and the exploration of inner will power against the face of disparity. Once I had the message and overall vibe of the song laid out, I overdubbed a rhythm track consisting of drums and double tracked-chorus guitars. The lush sound I was getting while recording, allowed me to experiment with tones I had never included before in my music (such as bells and strings). Fans can expect a shift of tonality in my upcoming projects, "the City" is a hint of what to come, while still retaining the sound that is authentically myself.

Music's Week: What do you think sets you apart from other artists in your genre and how do you hope to make a name for yourself in the industry?

The Reckless Nights: I think what sets me apart from other artists is my drive and pursuit to understand myself through the composition of my music. Being a single individual who plays all the instruments himself, writes his own lyrics and is in charge of their own production, as well as distribution and marketing, I believe these experiences have taught me the significance of determination in the eyes of pursuing your purpose. My dream since I was a kid was to write songs and perform them to a listening audience, this purpose/ vision breathes life into my lungs and pushes me to explore all aspects of my artistic expression. By attempting to live what I perceive is an authentic lifestyle, the act of constantly rationalizing what's true to me, I only hope those core traits are reflected in the production of my music.

Music's Week: How do you handle rejection or criticism from others, and what keeps you motivated to keep creating music?

The Reckless Nights: I openly accept criticism in my music, especially because those lessons and advice I was given in relation to my songwriting abilities/ musicianship have granted me the ability to look inward and improve. I find myself to be my own biggest critic, my obsession with perfectionism has extended itself in the recording domain and past the realm of accepting what is deemed "acceptable". When I play, record, perform music, I make sure that I am giving it my all. And sonically I have noticed, from the start of my career, there has been a steady pace of progression. I tell myself all the time, if I wouldn't listen to my own music in my spare time, then no one else would either. Criticism is an artist's greatest asset, if used wisely.

Music's Week: Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you have any specific rituals or habits that help spark creativity?

The Reckless Nights: In terms of my songwriting process, I like to think of myself as a scientist working in a lab. Creating hypotheses (determining sonically how I want the song to sound), taking notes in my journal and observation of songs that fit the same vibe, and finally artistic experimentation. These core elements find their way in my practices of recording and overdubbing instrumentals. To be more specific, I always approach each song by constructing the rhythmic track (consisting of drums, rhythm guitar or piano, and bass). I always leave lyricism and storytelling segments of the song towards the very end, unless I have a melodic line that has been with me since the beginning of the whole process. Some rituals I follow is giving myself time at the start of the week to come up with an interesting instrumental hook, perfecting it and further improvisation, and finally going to record it on the weekend. I do this with every instrumental track because I want to be mindful that each sonic characteristic is purposeful and necessary in shaping the tonality of the song. Whenever I find myself in a writer's block, I hop in my car and drive to the nearest bookstore, where I'm usually inspired by a certain phrase or image that might catch my eye while shopping.

Music's Week: You've shared some exciting collaborations with other artists recently. What do you look for in a collaborator, and how do you hope to continue working with others in the future?

The Reckless Nights: I am very fortunate to have worked with several local artists in my area, because not only has it introduced to me a community of like minded individuals who are also perfecting their craft, but we use our shared drive to push each other in productive ways. I hope to continue working with more artists in the future, and continue networking my musician skills as either a session musician with other artists, or potential songwriter collaborations on future projects!

Music's Week: What's been the most challenging part of your journey so far, and how have you overcome it?

The Reckless Nights: The most challenging aspect that has been part of my journey, has been moments of burnout and loss of motivation due to low exposure. I spend so much of my time improving my songwriting abilities, that my role as media consultant and promoter start to fall to the wayside. Playing so many roles, I find myself being stretched too thin. I acknowledge this is a part of the process, and reminding myself of these realities further allows me to ground myself to what is in my control, which is I pursue this dream of writing/ playing music because I love to do so. I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have been given to get to where I need to be, and it is because of this reason that I continue to move forward in my journey.

Music's Week: What advice would you give to aspiring artists just starting out in the industry, and what do you hope fans take away from your music?

The Reckless Nights: Advice that I would give to an aspiring musician would be to place importance on the authentic facets of yourself. So many times I have found myself navigating amongst the shadows, yet the inner light that I protect and strengthen everyday, is the core reason I am able to continuously push myself to become a better songwriter and person. Our inspirations and experiences manifest themselves in the expression of our art, if you are not putting your very soul and heart into what you are creating, then it will never resonate with the audience you are trying to reach. Your music is about your journey, our shared human behaviours and instincts will allow audiences to attach their own lifestyles with the narrative you've constructed.

​