I’M BACK! & BETTER THAN EVER.
Hey guys!!! Did you miss me?!?! Well I sure as hell know I missed you! Today I bring back THE MANAGEMENT with an amazing, talented, funny, cool dude named Jayce Levi. Or all you Myspace kids might know him as Secret Secret Dino Club.
Jayce so willingly agreed to let me (virtually) sit down with him and ask him some questions about his music, life, and some other random stuff. Now, truthfully….I discovered Jayce’s music through his girlfriend Ashley. I do super duper enjoy Jayce’s music though. He’s a rad dude. I stupidly missed his performance at EMO NITE a few months ago, and I regret it everyday. But that’s life for you… Anyways, I’m sure you guys don’t want me to ramble on about what I think about Jayce! You probably came here to read his interview!
So here you go!! My interview with…
JAYCE LEVI aka SECRET SECRET DINO CLUB!
So to start off, why don’t you tell us a little about Secret Secret Dino Club and how you started doing music.
I started playing music when I was in the second grade. My first instrument that i really learned was the snare drum. I learned how to read music through books and I had a little handmade practice pad. I practiced non-stop. I carried drum sticks around school with me all day long and would practice in between classes on my binders while walking to my next class and sometimes even in class. Eventually I learned to play the drum set and other melodic percussion instruments like the marimba and the timpani.
After I started learning those instruments I couldn’t stop and I wanted to learn every instrument. I got a guitar and taught myself how to play it by looking at it. By the time i was in high school i was teaching lessons to younger kids (and sometimes older) on probably 5-10 different instruments.
I really wanted to be in a band but my school was very small. I played in some bands but it was never really the type of music I wanted to play because there were 2 kids in my entire school who knew how to play guitar so I just had to play the kind of music they liked. I started going to lots of concerts and finding people on myspace to play with and I joined a few different bands but it was always frustrating because no one seemed as committed as me. Eventually I got fed up and just started recording my own songs and getting better at singing. It took a long time I probably recorded 100 bad songs before I started making ones people thought were good. When the songs got better I was also working hard at promoting on myspace and eventually I was getting offers to play concerts and go on tour.
I went on tour by myself in my car for a long time and eventually hard work payed off and I got to do some really awesome stuff with my music. I got to travel the world with my friends and be on TV and on the radio for the most part it was pretty awesome. I didn’t make a crazy amount of money or anything but I didn’t go into music to make money so it didn’t really matter. It also lead me to write music for other bands and artists which was a long term goal of mine.
What is your favorite thing about playing and writing music?
The world is my stage, but the stage is my world. There’s nothing like being able to get on stage and play my songs for people. I get more stressed now playing concerts because I run videos and more complicated things and I always fear the computer will explode on stage but it’s usually fine. Even better than being on stage though, I love recording music and hearing a song finally come together the way i hear it in my head.
What are your inspirations?
I am inspired by so many things. My girlfriend, Jazz music… The music I listened to growing up as pretty much all hip-hop. Also, things that aren’t music or people…like places I’ve been & movies I’ve watched. I’ve probably seen more movies than anyone I know.
What is a typical song writing process like?
It’s definitely changed over the years. I used to write songs on my guitar and practice them a ton until I thought they were good enough to record. Now I don’t really write anything without recording it at the same time. Most of the songs I’ve done in the last probably 5 years I haven’t written down, and a lot of the vocals I end up keeping in the recordings are from the first time i ever really sang something out loud.
If you could collaborate with anyone, Dead or Alive, who would it be?
I guess probably just my some of my favorite musicians. Thelonious Monk, Brian Wilson, Young Dolph, The Smoking Popes, and Weezer.
What is one thing you want to accomplish as a musician?
I’ve never truly had a hit song and I would like that. I saw that Travi$ Scott played his hit song 14 times in a row in a concert. I wanna to play a song of mine 15 times in a row.
And just for fun…..If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
Probably teleportation. Being a musician most of my friends are musicians and I never get to see them because they are always on the road or they live far away and in other countries. It would be nice to see them more often and also get to see my family whenever i want.
So…if you haven’t already looked up Secret Secret Dino Club on Spotify, and are rocking out to Jayce’s music….You’re doing it wrong!! His music will throw you back into that lovely Myspace era I know we all love and adore and think about with so much nostalgia.
Here are all the links you need to get in touch with Jayce!
I hope you enjoyed my first post back!
Cannot wait to share more lovely creative things and people with you!
xx ASH / THE MANAGEMENT
