Pj Ferguson and The Strange – Thanks for Asking!

Pj Ferguson and The Strange – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

Photo by Stephanie J. Bartik.

RRX: Every 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?

PF: This is really funny to think about. The first song I ever recorded was done in my parent’s basement at 12-years-old in Upstate NY. We had a trio called Second Switch and I believe we used the free program Audacity, recorded through the laptop microphone with no instruments individually mic’d at all, all done live, except the vocal which was tracked on a Rock Band microphone from the PlayStation video game. We did a whole album that way, burned it to CD’s and sold it for $10. I hope every single of one of those copies have been lost to time!

In contrast, we just recorded a couple singles at Sienna Studio in Nashville, TN. Produced by Lincoln Parish (Cage the Elephant) and Rocco Guarino (Velvet Revolver), at a studio with a ton of musical history that includes Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett, among others. We still tracked everything live except the vocals, but everything was actually mic’d up in comparison to my first recordings.

RRX: You sing or you rap, you play guitar, play drums, what have you, you have no doubt struggled to learn music. Something probably tripped you up. What was it for each of you? What did you have to overcome (bands, pick a member)?

PF: I begged my parents for a guitar so I could learn. They finally caved. But I had a tendency to get bored with new toys easily and move on to the next thing. My grandfather was aware of this and he said something along the lines “you’ll never touch it again in two weeks,” referring to my guitar. That was all the inspiration I needed to buckle down and stick with it. Telling me what I’m going to or not going to do, usually results in my determination to prove that statement wrong.

RRX: We have to play somewhere, and sometimes those places have more going for them than a stage and a power outlet. What is a memorable place you played, and bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.

PF: I have to talk about my show at The Strand Theater in Hudson Falls, NY. To come back home to Washington County after years in Nashville and to perform for a sold-out crowd, that’s a core memory earned. There’s so much grinding, self-doubt and days where you just want to quit, but I’ve found that by not giving up, I’ve been granted the moments worth sticking it out for and The Strand show was among the top of those moments. I know no matter what I accomplish, I’ll never forget that night.

RRX: We let it out differently when we play music. The happy, sad, good and back; it can all be put out musically. Overall, do you feel better when you sing about the better times, or the worser times? Is there a difference you can describe?

PF: My best songs always stem from negative experiences, whether that’s death, breakups, depression or rebellion. That’s where I feel the most and the songs always come out almost instantly from those experiences.

I’ve just never been the one to write songs like KC & the Sunshine Band, where we’re talking about shaking your booty and having a good time. I think it’s a fine line between cool and cheesy when writing a happy song and when I try it usually airs on the latter side. Even when I write a “happy” song it usually has a defiant tone.

I’m glad happy music exists, I’m just not as good at writing it. I put on some Katy Perry from time to time to lift my mood but I know I’m not the only one that puts on sad or angry music when I’m feeling down. Sad music + sad feelings make me a happy camper because it just feels real.

RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.

PF: I wouldn’t call it ‘cool’ but it definitely is sentimental. I have a song called “A Little More Time,”

I wrote it in the parking garage 15 minutes before I was getting on stage in Nashville shortly after I heard the news that my grandmother had lung cancer and only had a few months to live.

Fortunately I got to play it for her in person at her house in Vermont, and using her ring, proposed to my fiancee after playing the song for them.

At The Strand show I paid tribute to her by playing this song and a couple other friends that had passed that I miss dearly.

After my show at The Strand, I had a stranger approach me who thanked me and couldn’t wait to hear for this song to come out as they had a family member pass recently and ‘A Little More Time’ really resonated with them.

I knew then I had to get back to Nashville and record it because even though the song originated from a personal place, it’s a story that would resonate with many.

This song is a reminder for me to slow down once in a while, pick up the phone and call someone you love, or to put down my phone and spend quality time with the people I love while we are still here to enjoy it.

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?

PF: Next year; continuing to make the music I want to create and play shows all across the country. I want to play in places I’ve never played before and use music to travel. I’d like to take every opportunity I get to grow and for new experiences.

Over the next five years I want to have opened up for and played with some of my heroes. I want to have played some of the venues I dream of playing. I want my music to connect with people. Most of all, I want to be playing my own music in theaters all over the country, where my music and the show is the attraction.

 

 

More from Liam Sweeny…