With the release of his self-titled, five-song EP, singer/songwriting/multi-instrumentalist Frank Palangi is poised to take the next step from independent artist to rising star. Palangi has been honing his craft since adolescence; now in his early 20s, he has years of writing, recording and performing to his credit, in addition to filmmaking and production work.
In a bold move, Palangi presented his demo to Day of Fire frontman Josh Brown, who was so impressed that he passed the recording along to producer Rogers Masson (The Mavericks, Day of Fire, Marilyn Manson). A few weeks later, Masson called Palangi; by summer they were tracking at Soundstage Studios in Nashville, with Day of Fire as the session musicians.
Palangi already had two self-produced, self-recorded CDs to his credit prior to the new project. He gigs almost every weekend around upstate New York, has achieved radio play, chart positions and awards for his music, and is now working diligently to promote his new EP.
In this interview, Palangi discusses the craft of songwriting, his passion for acoustic and electric guitar, recording in Nashville, and the importance of having a broad musical palette.
You began playing guitar at age 13 and studied classical guitar for six months. Was your focus already on songwriting, or were you primarily interested in being a musician?
I was originally just a musician; I focused on guitar, bass and drums. One day, I decided, “Maybe I'll sing a little to one of my favorite Metallica tracks, ‘One,’ and from there I began singing more and more. The focus on songwriting didn't come into play until a few years later. In 2006, I recorded my first indie solo album in my basement and had all of my own original lyrics and music coming together. From there, songwriting became more aware to me and I began to grow — lyrics that made more sense rather than just cool words written down.
What made the guitar interesting to you? Who inspired you musically, and which songwriters inspired you most?
I grew up with chronic allergies and asthma and didn't do school sports. My grandfather was a violinist and that's where I believe I get my musical background. I decided to buy a guitar after taking a 6th grade music class that made me aware of what a guitar really was. The bands that influenced my foundation are Metallica, Megadeth, Creed, Godsmack, Ozzy, 3 Doors Down, Day of Fire and Three Days Grace. All those bands have drive, great guitar riffs and a good, solid sound with production and performance. The songwriting side that I relate most to is Metallica, Day of Fire and Creed. Their styles are all different from each other, conveying a clear message to the audience. My singing style, with the way words are structured, comes from them as well. I believe who you listen to comes through in your basic structure.
You also play bass and drums. When did you add these instruments to your repertoire?
A bit after playing guitar, all came into play when I bought an 8-track tape recorder and wanted to demo out cover tunes and originals. Of course, you need bass and drums. Over the years, from learning by ear and watching people play live and from DVD's, I learned each instrument. Believe it or not, I consider playing drums my relaxing time. It frees your mind from whatever is going on. I record bass only when I have to.
Your influences are diverse, from country to metal, and you play both acoustic and electric guitar. Were you introduced to numerous genres of music as a child, or did you explore and discover on your own?
I was introduced to many different styles, metal to hard rock, Christian rock, country, industrial and indie. I loved it all. Movie soundtracks with the heavy rock sound are what really started me on the journey, because I'm a filmmaker on the side and was interested in every side of things. Movie scores are another big part of my influences, from John Carpenter to Brad Fiedel from the Terminator movies. I love the electric guitar and prefer to play that, but the acoustic is where the modern songwriting comes into play. You really just sit down and hear the raw sound of the song and focus on the lyrics more.
How has this diversity helped you expand as a writer?
It really helps a lot because you don't get stuck when learning. I believe it's a must to explore the different sides of genres to open new paths and adapt playing styles. Don't keep yourself in one box, because another opportunity may arise. Lyrics in different styles sing about different things as well. Country or pop may not sing too much about pure aggression that metal has toward certain views. You can really gather up tools from these places and build your own. With breaking into the mainstream market, I've noticed lyrics are much more important than heavy guitar riffs, but you also need a great melody. I feed off that from 1980s metal bands. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth once said something like, “You can write heavy songs and riffs, but if the melody isn't there, what do you have?”
There’s a quote in your bio: “It's all about revisiting songs and remembering when you heard them in a certain time of your life — almost like a photo album.” When did you begin to think of songwriting as such, and how did that affect or change your writing?
I realized that if you take small chapters of your life or experiences and put them into a song, it would mean more personally and reach the audience better. I always say there are two sides to a song: 1) Your personal meaning and the feeling it gives you, and 2) The message and impact it has for the audience and how it relates to them. In my track "Remembrance," you’re looking back on life's experiences and memories almost like it's through a camera lens. You want to hear songs that remember certain times, like, “Hey man! I remember that song at my high school prom!” Everyone has those tracks they listen to in certain key times they remember in their life, like a bookmark.
What is the process like for you? Do you write on acoustic and electric guitar? Does the direction sometimes change during the writing process?
When writing lyrics, I don't sit down and start writing. Usually, I'll come up with a riff, and then a verse, and work on that with lyrics and later form them into a full track. I'll write a mock-up version of the song, then rewrite, record a demo with acoustic, rewrite and then record a full band demo. I do write both types of guitar tracks. I have to admit: not as much as I used to on electric guitar. It does change with the type of song. If it's a slow track, like the latest "Love" track I wrote, it would be based on acoustic first. If it's like "I'm Waiting," my hard rock single, then electric based, but I still have to be able to play on acoustic when I do it solo. Some people, when they hear my acoustic style, say it's definitely electric guitar based and different than most styles. For one thing, I have different tuning. I use open tuning and tuning in D standard, and I'll use the capo for playing in E and so on, rather than the traditional E, A, D, G, B, E. Mark Tremonti from Creed has a similar tuning in some of their tracks. I love the fullness of the sound and the heaviness of the acoustic guitar.
Do you still reach for some of your early influences when listening to music, both for pleasure and for inspiration?
Always. I buy all the bands I follow, whole CD collections, and see how they changed and moved into different directions in their careers.
When did you expand into production and are you self-taught?
When I decided to invest in recording at home, rather than going to studios, I realized I could buy equipment with that money that I could use to demo tracks out. I’m self- taught in just about everything I do — learning tab books from bands, performances, styles, by ear, and structures of songs. I used to once in a while take a week or two of guitar lessons from a local shop if I got stale with scales and things. I have no formal vocal training.
You produced your first two albums and a promotional EP and have also produced other artists and played on their albums. How do these collaborations help you learn and expand your skills?
It definitely does. Trying to achieve another person’s goal with their music I'm producing and performing is great. You can still tell a bit of my style, so you know it's me when you hear it. It keeps me fresh and offers different challenges along the way. I've been helping mostly solo musicians that haven't really done any recordings and want to start to get into things. It's a very creative process, and I love to help people because I know where I was, being less experienced and wanting to do these things. I don't have the most mainstream studio production known to man, but it helps things get moving. If I had more money for production equipment, I would get into it more. What I did here got me noticed with a producer and that's cool with me.
In addition to music, you are also a filmmaker [RadioUgly, 2010, Break In, 2008], have scored some films, worked in Internet radio and have done some writing for websites. What led to these outside projects?
I've loved filmmaking ever since I was a kid. That's my second passion in life. Some things I got into for a paying job, exposure, and some just for fun. RadioUgly was the first documentary film I made. It's about an Internet radio station from upstate New York wanting to expose the Internet radio world more. They did some great interviews with bands and were really spreading out at the time. I did some acting in local indie films and was an extra in Taking Woodstock in two scenes that I got to act right next to the principle actors. Break In was in the NYC film festival for an original short film. I want to branch out more with less homemade-style shooting, but my music keeps me busy now. Scoring some indie films was really cool to get into as well.
You recorded your new EP in Nashville with Rogers Masson, who contacted you after you gave a demo to Josh Brown of Day of Fire. After your initial communication with Masson, how did you know he was the right producer for your music?
I didn't know when first receiving the call. I've never had a producer interested in my tunes and wanting to work with me. It was a new, growing experience. He produced Day of Fire's album, and I knew with him and Day of Fire both onboard, I would be comfortable with the sessions. Rogers has always told me it's the artist’s final decision and what they feel is the best for them. Day of Fire was one of my influences, and working with them was a dream come true! Josh helped me with lyric sessions and opened my eyes to areas of the industry. With personal communication with the band and Rogers, now, after a year and a half of getting this EP done, I'm glad I got to know these guys. I give them a lot of credit for giving me a chance. Great experience, great time!
You cut three songs in five days at Soundstage Studio last June, with a total of five songs on the EP. Did you return to Nashville for more tracks or are the two additional songs self-produced?
I returned to Nashville about three months ago. The first time I went down, I’d never flown! It was a first, being away from home for a week at a time and experiencing some new culture and great food in the South! I did the tracks “I'm Waiting,” “Drivin’ These Lines,” “Love,” “It's All Right” and “Remembrance” there.
After producing and recording your own albums, how was this experience different? Was there some pre-production involved? Also, having recorded with Day of Fire as your studio band, can you envision going back to doing everything yourself, or will you record with other musicians from now on?
It was really different. I was in a studio that famous country/rock artists record in, with five different studio rooms with different artists recording and going in and out. Shinedown was in the night I left! The employees and managers were really nice as well. It's exciting. At the same time, there is a lot of waiting, waiting for the sound guys to get everything hooked up for you, while I'm used to setting things up myself. You could really play, hang out and concentrate on lyrics and songs and not worry about setup. It's very serious work and atmosphere most of the time. The Day of Fire guys had been through it many times and it was normal to them. I would prefer to work with bands with experience for sessions again for recording more material. It's a lot if I were to do all the instruments, and it's cool to see what you wrote being played by someone else and adding their own little twist, elements and suggestions that I wouldn't have thought of. I'm a solo artist, and with that I believe I will be working with many different people, which is awesome!
Are you seeking a label deal? How crucial is that, given the state of the industry and all you have accomplished on your own?
The goal I strive for is growth. Am I growing or am I standing still? I've seen myself, over the year, grow and expand more than I ever have. A record deal is definitely a goal on my list because I wouldn't be trying to get a mainstream sound, spreading the tracks out to stations, doing radio interviews, press, websites and working hard if I didn't. I don't have the money to keep recording and attempt to do a tour on my own, plus marketing. With a label having the power to hook you into the system and with people, it would be easier to reach a broader audience. It's not a job to me, though. It's my passion and drive to keep moving forward and learning, because I have no plan B in backing down on my dreams. People that have never met me before and heard just a song or two look into my eyes and say, “Frank, I think you really have something here, and if you keep going, you'll make it all the way.” I know I will get there soon or later, and like Rogers said to me, it just takes that one person to hear it and believe as well.
Comments