From the angst of the teenage years to the reflective nature of the elder era, musicians have been known to explore the ups and downs of various ages through their music. With his new album, 42 ½, Noam Weinstein finds inspiration in the often overlooked complexities of middle-age with a collection of introspective folk-pop tunes.
We recently got the opportunity to ask Weinstein about his creative process as well as what it is like writing, recording and sharing music during a pandemic.
Eponymous Review: Congrats on the release of 42 ½. Why were you inspired to capture this specific age in a series of songs?
Noam Weinstein: Thank you very much, Laurie! In my nearly half a century of experience, every decade has its weird and wonderful qualities, but I felt this one was often overlooked in popular music. And so I decided I’d better stick with unpopular music. (That said, I wrote these songs prior to realizing that many of them shared a theme of midlife in-betweenness.)
ER: What was it like recording the album with Grammy-winner Ryan Freeland?
NW: Collaborating with Ryan was a pleasure, and an inspiration; he has such a high level of technical mastery that he quickly gets the science out of the way and moves on to the art. And he provided all of us just the right balance of encouragement and push-back.
ER: I love the mix of emotions on “Somebody Punch Me.” The title makes me both ache and smile. What do you consider to be the overriding emotion of the song? Is it happy or sad?
NW: Thank you! I guess neither of those words feels like a great fit, but maybe the overriding emotion is longing to know which of the two is less fraudulent?
ER: You’ve described “Somebody Punch Me” as the “tension between optimism and realism.” Are you still connecting with a sense of optimism with all of the craziness of our current world?
NW: I’ve endured a lot less of the world’s pain and violence than most for no reason other than the dumb luck of my birthplace, background, etc., so I probably have a skewed perspective… But it does seem like the insanity of 2020 has brought about a few silver linings, including foregrounding many longstanding injustices, and offering a certain clarity to our often-scrambled priorities… So, yes, I’m feeling some hope!
ER: Your vocals on the pandemic-inspired track “Here to There” are so gentle and thoughtful and the guitar lick seems to provide a sense of strength. Tell me about that songwriting experience?
NW: Thank you! During the first few weeks of quarantine I felt a real urge to write but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say. Then I tried composing a kind of half-playful, half-aggressive song about social distancing which was gently deemed by a one-woman test audience incredibly confusing. Finally I realized that my urge to create was really just an urge to communicate during a time of such isolation. So I wrote a kind of love letter to everyone who suddenly seemed so far away.
ER: How are you handling life as a musician during the pandemic? Have you taken to Zoom performances or have you found any creative ways to connect with fans?
NW: I haven’t found a way yet to get excited about streamed performances (to be honest they’re roughly as enticing to me as streamed playdates are to my kids), but that’s entirely my fault. The most I’ve done so far is to occasionally share new recordings (like the one you mentioned, “Here to There,” and a cover of The Beatles’ “Get Back” for an album Rolling Stone Germany put together celebrating the anniversary of Let It Be), and a new video made by my super talented friend Ayman Alalao for “Somebody Punch Me.” At the same time, I greatly admire artists who have been more engaged online; it’s surely much better than nothing, and I should do more!
ER: Do you have any other upcoming projects in the works?
NW: At the moment I’m just looking forward to restarting the aborted tour for 42 1/2 once it’s safe to do so! And I’m trying to write and record as much as possible before becoming irrelevant and out-of-touch in my mid-forties.
ER: Is there anything else you’d like to share with Eponymous Review readers?
NW: I think I’ve taken more than my share of their attention, but thank you again, and here’s wishing continued safety, health and happiness to you and yours!
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Click here pick-up 42 ½ and head over to Enoam.com for more information about Noam Weinstein’s music.