Exclusive Interview with ‘AUTOM8theSKY’

How was the recording and writing process for the new single Real To Me?

I kept hearing of all the chaos and challenges of this world every where I turn. But I said, wait a minute, there are also good things going on as well. There’s a lot of routine constants that make life quite soothing. There are also nurturing and stable relationships that one could have that make ones life a better place, which deserves noting. Not everything is about the negative. Life is a mix of good, bad and neutral elements. That was the inspiration behind the writing of this song.

The chord progression came first which I had been playing around with for a while before the lyrics came. For some reason this progression always relaxed me when I played it. My goal on this one was to make a soothing sound represented with a wall of up beat acoustic guitars along with atmospherics and subtle electronics sprayed intermittently. I wanted the feel to be different than the rest of the album which is mostly crunching electric guitars.

I strummed this progression on a 12 string for days, not so much for the purpose of writing a song, but because I liked the way it made me feel. On one occasion strumming those chords, the lyrics just came to me and it came quickly.

I took a few rounds thereafter to massage the lyrics to fit accordingly which is what I usually do. Since the song’s lyrics mostly talk about structured consistencies we all have in our lives. The steady pace, cadence and smooth demeanor of the song connotes to the constants and steadiness I speak about in my lyrics.
Once the lyrics were in place, the riffs naturally came as I kept playing the song over and over.

I then got together with Arty Shweky who is a brilliant producer and started laying down the tracks. This was one of the few songs on the album whereby the intent of the production stayed the same from the planning stages to the end. Usually when Arty and I get together, the songs typically morph into something unexpected on a production level.

At the very end of recording, I had my son Jack Laboz give it a listen. Jack happens to be a notable, up and coming talent as well. I told him, I need some electronics at the very end of the song, what do you think? He suggested a saw synth. I loved it. I ran it by Arty and he loved the idea as well and incorporated that sound.
If there was one word to describe the song’s process and being, I would say that word is “organic”. Come to think about it- maybe I should change the name of the song, lol.

What’s the best way for fans to hear new music updates?

Instagram @AUTOM8theSKY

Who are some of your musical influences?

I have a lot. When speaking of influences, I refer to mostly sonic influences. Writing is so personal and mostly unique to the mind of the writer. Writing is what is going on in any given artists mind at the time, not so much someone else’s. Nevertheless, Billy Joel and Paul McCartneycame to mind influentially on some moments of this album. And by the way, I would NEVER compare myself to those greats, God forbid! lol.

As far as sound, I always describe AUTOM8theSKY as a updated modern interpretation of late 70s New Wave/ Punk (Squeeze, The Cars, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Roxy Music).

>Now throw in the 2000s (Shins, Spoon, Franz Ferdinand, Arcade fire, Killers) and wait we are not finished, add Jeff Lynne and George Harrison to the mix, and you have for the most part, just some of the many musical influences behind this album. When you crunch all that up and add Arty Shweky’s unique electronics, and lead guitar, you get, AUTOM8theSKY.

What are some of your music industry-related goals or benchmarks that you guys are aiming to reach in your career in the next couple of years?

Keep writing.

I have a lot to say and I have a lot of sounds going on in my head, lol.

My goals are to put out songs that have meaning to me. If those songs concurrently appeal to some people in some way or another, then that is a win win for me.

Was there a specific moment or person that made you realize that music is what you wanted to pursue professionally?

Not one particular person or event. I just think it’s the natural progression of life that made me think this is what I need to do.