Sergio Sericolo – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

Sergio Sericolo – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Every comic book hero has an origin story. What is your origin story? (points if you tell it like a comic book origin.)

SS: I was just some poor, simple crazy kid from Liverpool with a dream to conquer the world by playing 5 shows a day in Germany only to make ground breaking albums to never tour again oh wait that was the Beatles. In all seriousness I did grow up in Watervliet NY a blue-collar town with the oldest running arsenal in the United States so like the Beatles I did have that experience industrial backdrop and wanting more. What is very cool about Watervliet is that every night at 10 pm you can hear taps it is really beautiful especially from a distance you can hear a train and the highway and then you hear the horn and it is all this beautiful confluence of the city and I think that has rubbed off on me is that there is always beauty you just a have to listen or look. I am very visual and have an MFA in painting so fine art has always helped me focus and be objective and listen and see. They are very much connected.

RRX: Every band’s or artist’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

SS: Our first album was made at the Drive In studio in North Carolina with famed produced Mitch Easter of Let’s Active he also produced REMs Murmur record.

It was a surreal experience. First we had to buy a van and the only thing we could afford was a very used Captain Lees fish market truck. Big mistake, it was summer and you don’t want to dive 13 hours in a fish truck. We did the album is less than a week and it was great to see Mitch work and help us get our sound. We were a very tight 3 piece power pop band called Even The Odd and we would mold the sound into that genre and it was a big sound and we would try to bombastic and melodic as possible. I think what is different now is that I try to craft the song more focus on the lyrics and sometime its just me and an acoustic guitar.  Now I embrace whatever genre of music comes out in the writing whether it is bossa nova, calypso funk rock R&B, country etc. I do whatever I want. I mostly record on simple tools at my place and put them on my YouTube channel so its much more about not getting the audio perfect but just trying to put the idea out there. I do have a great friend who was in Even The Odd – Dave Rinaldi who now owns Rock City Road recording studios in Chatham NY. So it is great fun to produce and record music with him and get something really done professionally. One of the great collaborations that I cherish . I also have a great partner, Joe Ventura, who runs the Eden Café he just add that touch of magic with the his harmonies and always embraces whatever type of music I have going at the time. Both Dave and Joe He are great champions of my work I often want to just give in but they keep me going.

RRX: Like songs, every band or artist has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If not, what was your best show like?

SS: We have done many showcase shows from CBGB to Bearsville Theatre to Playing with Hot Tuna at the Palace in Albany. I think the best shows were at this little place on central ave in Albany called Godfrey’s that was such a great moment in time. I say one of the worst was not playing-wise but kind of indicative of the music industry is when we played SUNY Albany some festival and Meatloaf was headlining and he came up to me and the person running the show and as the first act was playing, he said “when is this asshole getting off the stage?” We were next. Hope we did not disappoint Mr. Loaf.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some bands and artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

SS: I love all music I know it sounds canned but I you see our show you will see that we embrace soft rock, Punk, country, funk etc.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

SS: I see more people coming to the café to see us. We consider the café a residency, so every Friday night at 7 pm we play whether there are 2 or 20 people. Every Tuesday night we have an open practice so folks can come by and watch us work on material. As an artist, I love watching the processes and seeing the inspiration as it happens. Sometime that is frankly the best moment of a song is when it just starts to happen then you always try to chase that feeling. I would like for more people to know who we are because I feel we are at the top of our game songwriting singing playing. I would like to sell some of my songs and get some more showcase shows.

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow bands or artists. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

SS: I have to Say first it is Joe Ventura. I used to play at his café for a while then he sang harmony on one of songs and we slowly just started playing and he just add this magical harmonies to all of my songs he also plays bass. Joe is actually a financial advisor, and instead of an office he opened a café because it was his dream to have real original music, theatre art show etc. It is a struggle but he is so committed to bringing the arts to people it is inspiring to me. There are not that many places where you can have you own night to do all of your own material it is a special place and he is a true patron of the arts.

Another local musician I look up to is Maurizio Russomanno. He is such a great singer, songwriter player and he always supportive of every musician and he is out there doing it just playing and teaching and being a musician. Really inspiring.

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