Singer-songwriter Rich DePaolo is on the verge of releasing his latest album Killed for Kings. Written, produced, engineered and mixed by DePaolo, the new LP is an intense and cathartic collection of inspired, self-reflective tracks that tackles a host of themes from desire to greed to idolatry.
Currently residing in Ithaca, NY, DePaolo was a principal writer in the avant-rock quintet, Red Letter and has toured extensively with the Burns Sisters. A longtime musician and multi-instrumentalist, DePaolo — who’s been honing his craft for decades — has performed and recorded with a number of musicians and producers along the way including Sarah Harmer, Jimmy LaFave, Tom Paxton, Garry Tallent and Tucker Martine, among others.
We recently caught up with DePaolo, prior to the release of his new LP Killed for Kings, where he shared details of his process, a few of his influences and his thoughts on the human condition. Check out the below exclusive video premiere of “Where Believers Don’t Go” — from DePaolo’s new album — followed by our brief but enlightening chat with the artist and be sure to catch his Record Release Show tonight, May 3, at The Lovin’ Cup in Rochester, NY.
Laurie Fanelli: Killed for Kings makes its debut this Friday, May 4. What aspect of the album are you most looking forward to sharing with fans?
Rich DePaolo: Words really matter to me. I’m looking to make mirrors and medicine out of language. My hope is that the lyrics deliver, with or without the music. It’s poetry. And, since you used the word “album,” I have to admit up front that I’m a sucker for the long form. I’m old school there. I want to press play and take that ride. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of incredible singles — and many tracks on Killed for Kings communicate on their own — but I rebel against the narrative that modern artists have to cater to the Tinder attention span. I won’t sell you short as a listener if you don’t sell me short as an artist. People want to be moved, whether that lasts three minutes or an hour.
LF: It seems that the human condition and the duality of man are central themes lyrically throughout Killed for Kings. Do you have a more optimistic or pessimistic view of mankind after diving into these aspects of existence?
RD: In my view, the so-called “duality of man,” is the human condition. The common thread on Killed for Kings runs through the struggle over how to honor our primal instincts to “win” without running afoul of the ethics that define our higher conscience. I don’t think it’s at all pessimistic to acknowledge that our judgment is regularly clouded by selfish impulses. It’s our nearly universal willingness and drive to confront those demons that informs my optimism, in life and in music, whether or not the end result is triumphant.
LF: Tell me a bit about your songwriting process — Do you typically write the music or the lyrics first?
RD: I could talk to you about voodoo and alchemy, but that would be bullshit. The vast majority of the time, my songwriting starts with music, usually guitar. Whether it’s just a riff or progression that can be built upon later, I generally have to have a musical skeleton on which to hang the melody and lyric. Sometimes, a potent turn of phrase or melody will catalyze the process, but more often than not I trance out to a guitar sketch and vocalize until the syllables make sense with the music and the emotion I’m trying to convey. After that séance is over, I start to refine the core message. From that point it becomes a more conscious endeavor.
LF: How did you approach the album as a producer as opposed to a writer and performer? Was there a certain sound that you really tried to prioritize in the studio?
RD: I’ve been a studio rat for a long time. When I was growing up, all the kids in my bands used to leave their gear at my parents’ house. Naturally, I tried to play whatever I could get my hands on and spent most of my time recording those experiments. So, for me, it’s not producer vs. writer vs. performer. It’s musician, period. There is so much overlap in making records. The best players are always inventing, always suggesting, and the best producers had better be listening to them for ideas. Songs can get rearranged, sometimes rewritten, on the fly, depending on what the playback reveals. My production “philosophy” on Killed for Kings was to more or less forget the outside world. I don’t have the time or interest to chase fashion. There are too many tails wagging too many dogs in this business. If it isn’t true to me it sure as hell isn’t going to be true to anyone else.
LF: Who are some of the supporting musicians that appear on Killed for Kings and what was it like working with them?
RD: There’s so much talent where I live in Ithaca, NY. My musical compadre and dear friend Bill King has been covering my ass forever with his incredibly solid and creative drumming. He is a world-class player and an absolute joy to work with. I put together an all-star string quartet featuring violinist Judy Hyman, cellist Hank Roberts, violist Max Buckholtz, and my uber-musical daughter, Julia. We’d all worked together on various projects and there was a real cooperative vibe on the sessions. Michael Savage recorded some piano and pump organ remotely at his awesome Seattle studio, and old pal and sonic genius Robby Aceto contributed some amazing guitar loops. But, really, I’m a control freak, so I played most of the stuff myself.
LF: Who are some of your biggest influences?
RD: Everything is an influence. I try not to discriminate. There are days when only a Beethoven sonata will do it, and others when I’ll follow Bob Dylan with Dave Grohl, and close with Miles Davis. Mostly, though, I’m listening to the records I’m engineering, producing or playing on. That takes a lot of focus and generally helps me feel good about what I’ve chosen to do with my life.
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Killed for Kings drops Friday, May 4 with Northeastern U.S. tour dates to follow. Visit DePaolo’s official website and follow him on Facebook to keep up with forthcoming news, shows and music.