As we approach the release date of his debut album, Keren Pa’amon sits down for an interview with our featured artist to find out more about this album. First we talk about the album overall, and we will follow up over the next few weeks with bits on the individual tracks.
Keren: I wanted to hear about the album as a whole. Your last post was about your dream coming true.
ACB: Well, 2018 was a very difficult year with my cancer diagnosis and looking back at my life I realized there were so many missed or unrealized opportunities. But it was very miraculous also, and part of that was [Kimberly] coming up with the idea of sharing my music with people. It kinda gave me the idea of having some type of legacy. So that’s how the album came about. So, the album as whole are songs that I’ve written over the past 30 years. This version, this album, is how I’ve changed, I’ve grown, musically. All the songs have been updated to how I hear, see, and feel music now.
Keren: Where did the title “Worth Waiting For” come from?
ACB: Recording an album has always been my dream and I never thought that it would actually be possible. Throughout the cancer treatment process I found my heart (Kimberly), I found my soul, I found my faith, and I found my voice. And it all came together at the right time, so I guess you could say it was worth waiting for.
Keren: I’m interested in the sound of your music. Some of it sounds like 70’s, some like 80’s, some like early 90’s. Is that because they were written kinda at that time or do you want them to specifically sound like those eras?
ACB: Yes
Keren: [laughs}
ACB: I want them to sound… I want it to be kind of musical gumbo. When someone’s listening to it, they can hear… elements… that music had in the 90’s and with some elements from the 70’s and some elements from the 80’s. 2000’s sucked! [laughs] so there’s NOTHING I could add from there. But, from that time period, it’s just like, when you’re chilling and you’re hearing something and it’s like [points his finger in the air] “Oh, that reminds me of that one song that came out 40 years ago” THAT’S what I would like. YEAH. [smiles] Because my influences come from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
Keren: What things will people hear that will take them back? Are they musical elements? Instruments?
ACB: I think the way that I use bells—very 80’s, very early 90’s—the way I use horns, same thing. I have bass lines that are very 80’s.
Keren: Have you written any songs you DON’T like?
ACB: YES. (laughs)
Keren: So, those are stashed away in the vault somewhere?
ACB: YES! (laughs)
Keren: Any plans to revisit those one day?
ACB: Well… One. “One More Chance”. There are some that don’t need to be revisited, but I’ve borrowed elements from them and put it in other songs. I look at them as learning songs. One of them was an experiment to see if I could write in that genre—movie score opening type of thing.
Keren: Does your music transport YOU back anywhere?
ACB: Yes. Because of the part I’m playing or the way I arrange it, it’s all memories and feelings and experiences. It will always bring me back to what I was feeling when I was struggling with that part, or when that part came out of the blue, or I accidentally did it, or when I wrote the song this was going on in my life. It all does that.
Keren: Is this a concept album? Is there a theme, is there a story?
ACB: There isn’t an overall story… BUT, when I write and arrange a song, so much of my emotions, my feelings, my thoughts go into the music. It’s like, when I write a solo between two instruments, it’s like they’re having a conversation. Just like that call and answer in blues. It’s the same thing. It’s just like, I’m not just playing a whole bunch of fast notes just to dazzle you with my playing ability, I’m trying to… speak. So when you hear the way I do strings, for me it sparks a particular emotion. The way I play a melody line, for me, it sparks a feeling, a thought. So when you’re listening to my music—and I’m not comparing myself to ANYbody else out there—when you hear my music, you’re just hearing what I think and what I feel. So, if you want to say it’s a concept album, it is my thoughts, my feelings, my experiences over the last 30 years. I guess that’s as close to a concept as I can get.