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1.) We’re excited to welcome to Vents Magazine award-winning artist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Joey Verskotzi who many might know best by his far-famed moniker of VERSKOTZI; greetings and salutations, Joey! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, how is the latter-part of 2024 treating you and yours?
Thank you so much for having me, the kind words, and warm welcome! The latter part (and really all of) 2024 has been busy. I am enjoying the whirlwind of life, marriage, touring, and working on all kinds of music.
2.) A hearty congratulations on your freshly-minted new LP SHIRING! What’s the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on one of the very best new albums of ‘24?
Thank you! “SHIRING” is a total return to my roots in folk / rock & roll. This album was born out of my decision to get sober back in 2020 and I can proudly say that I’ve been sober for nearly 4 years now. That decision very quickly led me to finding and exploring meditation as an added means of going deeper into my psyche to refine and better myself. I had always been interested in meditation, but sorta knew that I could’ve never gotten the full benefits of the practice with the amount that I was drinking. So, in my research, I stumbled upon a specific type of meditation called Transcendental Meditation and found my mantra, SHIRING. For those that don’t know, a mantra is essentially a meaningless word or sound that is considered a ‘holy word’ and repeated silently in one’s mind as a means of anchoring your attention and stealing your thoughts. This mantra, as a single word, will always represent to me this decision to get sober and my commitment to calling myself higher and find my true Self with a capital ‘S’. I couldn’t think of a better way to pay homage to a word than to name a body of work after it. And this would then serve as the first time that I knew what the title of my album was before I even started writing it!
3.) SHIRING marks your third full-length album; kudos and accolades! How is the new album similar to some of your past music such as 2019’s No. 90? How is it different?
For new fans, it may be confusing why everyone is calling this my ‘third full length album’ when I only have 2 LPs on Spotify and other DSPs… so there’s a bit of a story here that I’ll happily talk about in a public interview for the first time. Back in 2013, I released my first full length LP “Lemon Heart”. That was a folk/rock album that I did a lot of touring for up until 2015. Around that time, my team started to change along with my general musical direction (which was also influenced by the times) and before I knew it, I had created a very electronic / ambient / experimental album called ‘No. 90’ which would become my 2nd LP. But as the time to start shopping that project to labels/publishers etc got closer, the idea to take down “Lemon Heart” because of how drastically different it was from the upcoming material was floated. I ended up eventually agreeing with this and took “Lemon Heart” offline; a decision I have come to regret but have learned so much from. When it comes to ‘SHIRING’, this album not only served as a means of getting back to my true Self via meditation, but also my true identity as an artist. My OG fans of “Lemon Heart” have told me that they can so clearly hear that ‘old’ influence on this new project and that it sounds like me again. In the vinyl pressing of the new album, I wrote a letter that details how losing my artistic voice due to outside pressures from the industry was one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in my career so far. But this album serves as so many reminders to myself, as I reclaim my voice and power as an artist. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a re-release of “Lemon Heart” in the near future!
4.) As a rightly lauded producer in your own right, is it safe to assume that you did the producing honors on SHIRING? And, if so, what are the pros to serving as your own producer?
Yes, I very proudly self-produced (and mixed) this album! The pros to serving as my own producer are seemingly endless. There’s the obvious one that is, I don’t have to pay another producer to make my music for me. I also feel that one of the hardest things for an artist to do is explain what they hear in their head to a producer. As a producer for other artists out in LA, it truly is a bit of a trial and error game every single time I start a new song or project with another artist. It really isn’t until the literal sounds coming out of the speakers ignite that “it” feeling in the artist (or myself) that you know you’re onto something. Music is such a subjective art-form in that in order to describe the sounds you’re hearing, you just have to mess around with instruments (and be able to play them) until something starts stirring.
I had a very specific vision in my mind for “SHIRING”, with a pretty narrow list of references, and was able to attack it with a lot of precision. Shouts out to my longtime friend Izaac Burkhart (who produced “Lemon Heart”) for engineering the album. That was one area that I knew I didn’t want to have to handle and Izaac just gets what is in my head because of our past working experience. And he’s just an incredible musician, producer, and creative in his own right so he approaches engineering from a musical standpoint which is hard to come by. He also played the majority of the drums and some additional guitars on the album.
Shouts out as well to the other writers on the album; Francine Magee, Jesse Thomas, Shelly Peiken, and Izaac Burkhart, who all helped co-write on different songs. And also to Huntley Miller, my mastering engineer, who is the final collaborator on all of my material. Mastering is such an important final stage of a long, winding process. And to have someone like Huntley who has single handedly helped me grow into the mixer that I am today is beyond priceless. The other musicians involved on the album are Dan Lawonn (cello), Andy Thompson (viola/violin), Bryan Hanna (drums), and Corin Droullard (french horn/trumpet/trombone). It takes a village!
5.) SHIRING is released via Preach Records (Universal). What makes Preach the perfect home for you and your music?
Preach Records is based in LA and headed by CEO Jay Cohen. I’ve known Jay for about 4 years now and Jay is one of those rare people in the industry that has a deep understanding of the modern landscape in the music business and also lets the creative lead the way. That ethos runs top-down through the company and there wasn’t a single moment throughout the entirety of the album rollout that I was made to feel like I needed to adjust my vision or plan due to industry factors (e.g. a song not going viral on Tik Tok, therefore not being able to release it). Jay is also an artist manager, so he approaches situations from that mindset which is so important for artists. Preach’s understanding of the modern approach to releases was a huge factor in deciding to work with them too. They prioritize utilizing as many marketing strategies as we can that have shown to provide value in the area of growing the fan base. At the end of the day, reaching people that genuinely connect with the music is the hardest but most important thing we can accomplish from a business standpoint. The business of being a musical artist in today’s industry, I believe, is truly about finding the best ways to reach real people who resonate with the art and message. In this approach, the ultimate goal being to build a sustainable career as an artist.
I also want to shine light on my incredible publisher, Angry Mob Music. Angry Mob is headed by CEO Marc Caruso, who again, is in this rare class of people in this industry that have a deep understanding of the inner workings of the business and support the creative endlessly. That ethos also runs top down through the company and they have supported me as a writer, producer, and artist like no one else ever has before. When I told them about this album, they were all hands on deck to help assist at every turn. They represent me and my catalogue and fight for every song on a global scale. I truly couldn’t ask for a better group of people around me in this very competitive industry. The team has only grown and gotten better since relocating to LA in 2017.
6.) In your humble opinion, what sets SHIRING apart from the Distinguished Competition on the current day music scene?
Tough question! I think a lot of modern music right now is geared towards trends, singles, and social media virality. While these things are fine and can create cool songs, I feel like artists making albums is something that is a bit lost right now. Of course there are artists making great albums still, but so much emphasis is placed on one song at a time and whether or not it did well on Tik Tok. When it comes to SHIRING, I think something that sets it apart is that I made it without any consideration towards these industry factors. I just made the album that was truly in my heart and am letting people find it across all different platforms and venues. To this point, I got my first two Spotify Editorial playlist adds with this album and the songs that got the adds where “iiii need more tiiiime!!!!” and “Generation After Generation” which are the LAST songs I would’ve expected to get editorial support… and that just goes to show, we shouldn’t create things for the consumer or the industry… but just for ourselves in the least selfish way possible. I’ve also had numerous new fans come through Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. I truly just believe that I’m here to make as much music as I possibly can and it will just find its way to the people it needs to.
7.) We absolutely LOVE the little boy & FAT MAN tune which is off of the SHIRING LP! What’s the inside scoop on how this gem of a ditty came into being?
Oh man, so glad you asked because it is my favorite song to play LIVE on tour right now. “little boy & FAT MAN” was initially inspired by the Hulu/FX show ‘Dopesick’ which follows the story of Purdue Pharma, the drug company that created Oxycontin. The story essentially showcases how Purdue and the FDA willingly and deceptively branded Oxy as being non-addictive and lined theirs and the doctors pockets with blood money. At the beginning of the song, you hear me mocking Purdue Pharma ads that literally would state that “less than 1% of patients actually become addicted!” This got me going down a rabbit hole of looking at all the ways that the US government has failed its people and does next to nothing to actually help We The People. There is such blatant systemic racism baked into our societal infrastructure and even though the government knows that WE know, their response is basically “GET OVER IT”. I wanted this one to feel like RAGE encapsulated in song form. When it all slows down at the end, that’s like the tipping point when a person finally snaps. The title itself comes from the Manhattan Project in which they actually named the bombs that were dropped over Japan to end WWII. It was a perfect example of the morally dubious lengths that our government has gone to in the past, with branded bombs and all.
8.) With SHIRING now out and about in the world, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit?
Yes! I’ve been on and off the road all year actually. It’s been since 2016 that I did any full on touring, so to get my feet wet again in 2024, I opted to do a series of album release shows in the major markets. I call them ‘fly dates’, our one-off tour stops. So far I have performed in LA, Minneapolis, Chicago, Palmdale/SoCal, and up next is NYC in Brooklyn at Sleepwalk NYC on August 10th. There are more booked and in the works that I haven’t announced yet, but stay tuned via my socials and Spotify page for new tour dates announcing soon!
9.) You’re based out of Los Angeles. How do those particular stomping grounds inform you as an artist and as a person?
LA has become my (and my wife Francine Magee who is also an artist) home. However, we are both originally from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. We’ve lived in LA for 7 years now and absolutely love it. I like to say that no one has a worse opinion or bigger misunderstanding of the city of Los Angeles than people who have never been here or spent a long amount of time here. LA is filled with so many diverse, kind hearted, talented, and hard working people; maybe more so than any other place I’ve been before. To live here requires so much hard work and the majority of people that live here and work in the industry are transplants themselves. So there’s a sense of camaraderie amongst all of us that know what it means to move here from somewhere else to chase a dream. It’s scary, vulnerable, and at times downright exhausting. But being surrounded by a community of creatives who are busting their asses every day to make it all work is just constantly inspiring. I’ve never felt more accepted than I do here in LA and am proud to call myself an Angeleno.
10.) At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to your beautiful and mesmerizing new LP SHIRING?
I hope people walk away feeling inspired and with a sense that anything is possible if we wake up every day and put one foot in front of the other, no matter how many baby steps that means. I want it to leave folks wondering about all the topics I dig into and go dig for deeper meaning in their own lives, psyches, relationships, spirituality, etc. And more than anything, I hope people feel a sense of healing after listening. I approach my songwriting from a very pure, innocent place, and my ultimate goal in creating music is to heal myself of past trauma. I believe firmly that because that intention is woven into the DNA of my music, it will translate to the listener.
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/verskotzi
Website: https://www.verskotzi.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verskotzi/?hl=en
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verskotzi?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verskotzimusic
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@verskotzi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/verskotzi
