Rooftop Park In Focus

Sara Busone chats with Andy Araya, aka Rooftop Park, about “Dannemora,” impromptu video shoots, performing live, and streaming services

RRX: So, Rooftop Park … what was your inspiration for that name?

AA: I used to be a part of a band over 10 years ago. And I remember there was one day when all four of us were together in the same room, and we were trying to choose what name to call ourselves. And Rooftop Park was one of my suggestions. It ended up being a different name, but I kept that suggestion because I just thought it was good for something.

RRX: I like the imagery it suggests.

AA: Thank you. I really appreciate that.

RRX: I always think of a feral, overgrown forest on top of a giant skyscraper in the city. That’s what comes to my mind.

AA: I love that so much.

RRX: So I know that you released “Dannamora” recently, which is an amazing song.  And I remember you said you were inspired by the infamous prison break in upstate New York.

AA: Absolutely.

RRX: Tell me a little more about that.

AA: That song was written … I think around October time … around that time of the year. And I was watching a documentary about that exact same prison break. It was a little short television series that Ben Stiller made. And I remember watching that whole series and just saying to myself, “You know, this is such an interesting news story” when it happened, and just looking back on it, it’s almost like it felt worthy of its own kind of song because of just how it fits in modern Upstate history. People remember that event.

RRX: Oh yes …

AA:  I’ve asked multiple people who live up near the Plattsburgh area about that, and it’s always the same old, you know, sigh and ”Yeah, I remember that.”

RRX: Yeah, it was a big, big deal. When you wrote the song, was it from a specific point of view?

AA: There are multiple points of view from the song itself and the lyrics. There’s a little bit of a narrator in the first verse saying they slipped through the cracks where the shadows go in … it switches over to the prison breakers’ perspective at some points where there are lines like, “They’ll speak of our stories in the towns below.” There’s definitely more than one perspective. It kind of zigzags.

RRX:  Yeah, I get that impression from what I remember about the song. It’s a great song. I really like it. And I really loved the video that you did in the alleyway up here in Troy.

AA: Oh, yes, thank you. That was for “Come And Go.” That was a fun one.

RRX: Yes, I really enjoyed it. What inspired you to film there?

AA:  I just happened to be around that area. I was catching a concert at No Fun that night with two of my friends, who just so happened to be guest vocals on that song. So, after one set is done, we stepped outside, and I start bringing up to them the topic of shooting a video for that song. And we were saying things like, “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah … we got to pick a day out to do that,” and, “I can’t wait.” And there was another person in that conversation who just kind of stopped us and went, “Um, why don’t we just do it right now?” And we all kind of looked at each other, and we’re just like, “Yeah, why don’t we? We’re here!” “Yeah, we’re here, and it’s a pretty fun night, so why not just get something out of it?” And we did.

RRX: It looked like you spent a lot of time planning it out, but I love that it was just on the fly.

AA: Oh my God, (it) couldn’t have gone any better, and that’s just because of the people who I was with. The guest vocals on that song are by Alec Kaplan and Jordan Demaris. And shooting that video was so fun. My friend Emily was the one who filmed that music video, and it couldn’t have gone any better.

RRX: Kudos to Emily. She did a great job.

AA: Absolutely.

RRX: What are your hopes, dreams, and visions for Rooftop Park? Moving forward, what would you love to see happen? What are you working towards?

AA: I mean, right now, it’s just playing to as big packed rooms as I can. I love playing live. That’s probably my most passionate thing in this project. It’s just … the anticipation of like 10 minutes before the stage, you could feel your heart beating. And it’s funny cause I’ve done this a thousand times, and I still get in that mindset of like, “All right, this is it.” And it’s an interesting dragon to chase for sure, but I have multiple goals. Like I wanna play to the biggest packed house I can. There are some local acts around here that I would love to open for or collaborate with. And maybe even get us on a festival or two.

RRX: Whenever I see clips or footage of you playing live, I can see how happy you are on stage. It shows.

AA: Oh, I appreciate that. It is a great time. It goes by fast.  It always goes by fast. I remember for my show last month, I was on stage for almost an hour, and it felt like 20 minutes.

RRX Oh wow, that’s cool. They say it flies when you have fun!

AA: Absolutely, that’s so true.

RRX:  Lots of different musicians and artists have very strong feelings about streaming platforms. Spotify, Bandcamp, etc. Do you have any specific thoughts about that? Have you had good experiences, bad experiences, etc?

AA: I understand the whole thing about Spotify. I mean, for starters, it definitely is a bit of a crime how they don’t really pay their artists that well. I think it’s nearly fractions of a penny for a single play,  and it’s definitely got its pros and cons. Spotify, Apple Music … that seems to be kind of the biggest way of getting seen right about now, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. There are good alternatives, though.  Bandcamp is super trustworthy. They make sure to, and they have special days where people who buy your stuff … you will get 100% of the proceeds! So I think I find Bandcamp a little more useful and a little more trustworthy.

RRX: Sure. That’s really cool that they do that. I know a lot of people seem to prefer Bandcamp. That might be why … they’re fairer to the artist.

AA: Absolutely.

RRX: Do you have any great dates or things coming up that you would like everyone to know about?

AA: For the rest of June, I think I have a clean slate. I know July, I have a gig at Jive Hive, which is gonna be a very fun one.

RRX: Oh, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Jive Hive!

AA: Oh yeah, I’ve been wanting to play at Jive Hive for a long time, so this is very exciting.

RRX: It is exciting!  Congratulations. That’ll be cool.

AA: Thank you so much.


* You can find Rooftop Park anywhere you stream your music