Hey! How did you get into music?
My mother is the best piano player I’ve ever seen close up. When she plays, everyone in the room stops what they’re doing. I used to watch as their jaws collectively hit the floor. She’ll stop an entire room. It’s actually a sight to see. She commanded power that way. It’s hard to grow up with that and not have respect for it. So that’s how I started. I was 3 or 4 when she started giving me an appreciation for it. It’s also sad. She left the business before she got started. Before I was born, she had a show in some place out east. Some guys were harassing her and that was her last show. She had enough and gave it up. I’d give anything to meet those gentlemen.
Who are some of your musical influences?
This is probably not the answer you’re looking for, but I really don’t listen to music. Only that of my colleagues. If you mean when I was growing up, I would have to say mostly, punk bands. The Misfits was a big one. Sex Pistols. The Ramones. But honestly, they have given little bearing on anything I do now. I always appreciated The Talking Heads. I admire their
sophistication. But again, music does not play too big of a part in my everyday life. Perhaps it should. I don’t know. I’m as far removed from anything mainstream as one could ever hope to be. When that white noise is removed, other things take its place in its vacuum. Books mostly.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Years ago, when I was playing in a punk band in the midwest, a girl I had never met and haven’t seen since told me, “you guys play like you’re playing in front of 50k people”. I’m not sure if she had meant that as a compliment but that is how I took it. Play like you are being heard by hundreds of thousands, even though you’re not. If you take that approach, it adds to your content because everything then is put under a brighter spotlight. You will go that little extra which could put your track at a higher level. I also find more personal enjoyment when taking this approach. I work harder. Do more. Produce more. Submit more.
I was also told, “Do not ask for and do not accept constructive criticism from anyone except hand-selected people. Choose 2 or 3 people whose opinions you respect and listen to them. You cannot make music for your friends and do not accept constructive criticism from online strangers. You don’t know if they have ulterior motives. A paranoid approach, granted, but also wise. I have maybe 3-4 people who really have my ear enough to have me alter a song. Otherwise, it can take away from an artist being themselves if the opinion of a random stranger alters their work. Now, if you have 10 people all saying the same thing, I’d give that a look. But otherwise, I wouldn’t listen to them. Write and record what is in your heart, not theirs. But that’s just me.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
From my daughter. We lost her before she could be born. She’s why I’m here. She is the subject of every song. Every last song I write stems from her. She’s in heaven watching me and smiling at me when I mess up. And there to help pick me up and keep me going. She begins my day and ends it as well. It’s just us. I live a very secluded life in a small town in the Midwest, USA. No one here knows who I am and I keep a very small footprint in real life. Bad Bubble exists in my studio and on my phone. I sometimes feel like two people. One here, on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Twitter, Instagram, etc…and then there’s me. Bad Bubble is a confident, prolific, relentless artist who cannot sit still. Who cannot go a week without releasing a track? And then I walk out of the studio or put my phone in my pocket, and I take it back over. I’m a screw-up. Scared all the time. Secluded and bitter. Angry at the hand I’ve been dealt. Bad Bubble has many friends and colleagues and has amassed an arsenal of content. He is gaining respect and offering respect in return to anyone and everyone in his orbit. But I go weeks sometimes without speaking a single word to anyone. Bad Bubble draws inspiration from his colleagues and listeners. I get my inspiration from my daughter. It really is like we are two different people. As sad and as crazy as that may sound. I hope that makes sense.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry?
I have separated the music industry from the music business. The music industry is a sad, pathetic machine that uses people and grinds them up. It robs people of their dreams. It’s full of gatekeepers who do not belong there and who have destroyed everything in their path for the last 30 years. I have nothing to do with the music industry and I want absolutely nothing to do with the music industry. It can live forever or die tomorrow and I will never know. I have removed myself from its view and do not and will not ever respond to it in any way shape or form.
The music business is different. The music business is what we make of it. It is a community of artists who support each other. Occasionally I see artists in the music business who wish to go into the industry. You can spot them easily. The people who follow them are greater than the people they support. If you have 6k followers, but in return only follow 15 people, you are saying to the world you want to support but offer no support for others in return. If that is you, I will not support you. Why should I? You won’t support me. You won’t be there for me when I need you. Or anyone else for that matter. These artists mistake ambition for status. I do not confuse the two. Some of the greatest artists I have ever heard have less than one thousand Twitter followers. I’m talking about the absolute best in the world. You will not find the best in the world in the music industry. The music industry selects its own and manipulates them how it sees fit. But the music business is thriving, free from gatekeepers. You may have to look for them and find what you like. But I assure you, they’re there. And I have met with some of the best musicians in the world. They are wonderful people and magnanimous artists. The music business is what we make of it. It is a wonderful place and I am a better person for being involved in it. I hope to add to it in a positive way.
What’s the story behind your latest single, ”Potato Command”?
As a prolific artist, I go fast. Now, I want to make clear that being prolific does not mean you’re any good. This is just the way I work and it works for me. Potato Command is the track that by far took me the longest amount of time to create. I spent months on this one. Not every day, granted. And I worked and completed many others while I had Potato Command brewing but yes, it took a long time. Every artist creates something from nothing. But I wanted to take it a step further and create something from nothing, with nothing. No instruments were used. Just my voice. No software was used. I do not use the software at all in any Bad Bubble content. I never have. That’s not to say I never will, I have nothing against software. I just prefer recording with a mixing board and hardware. Now for full disclosure, my audio engineer uses software for mix and master, but I go old school for recording. I wanted Potato Command to be just me.
Unfortunately, I did have to use a small amount of reverb to find my bearing, especially during the attack, but other than that, it’s just me. I used 6 tracks of layered vocals in a barbershop style. When I was a kid, I used to love the old barbershop quartets. I thought they were just the most talented people ever. I loved the harmony of it. I remember “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye” by Boys2Men back in the day and I loved it. I wanted to see if I could do it. Could I do something like that by myself? I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to make Potato Command. I wanted to throw my mixing board out of the window! I would think I had it wrapped up and I was good. Only to wake up the next morning and hear blemishes. I almost quit. Many times. But I kept coming back to work on it, again and again. Finally one day I heard it and concluded it was finished. I sent it to audio and cracked a bottle of Pinot I had saved for a special occasion. If you hear Potato Command, just know the guy who made it almost chucked it out of the window.
Why should people listen to it?
Because at some point in everyone’s life, they will experience loss. Potato Command is about losing the one person in your life which made sense. And how when they’re gone, you suffer a phantom limb. And nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing tastes good. Nothing puts a smile on your face. Potato Command offers no solutions whatsoever. Because there are none. But it does offer comfort in the fact that I know exactly what you’re going through and can give you a visual of what’s ahead. Potato Command is a dark road. Doom and Gloom at its finest. But no one ever said life is going to turn out the way you had planned. Especially from those on social media who tell us each and every single day how great their lives are. They’re in a constant state of vacation and they always look great. That is not real. That is as fake as it gets. If you live in the real world, and you have real relationships based on love, chances are you will experience loss. Potato Command offers no advice either. Just a conciliation that I know what you’re going through.
How do you know when a work is finished?
That’s a great question. I split it, lyrically and musically. Lyrically, it’s when I feel my point has either been made or has a trajectory that I see I can expand. Something I can build off of or continue in another song. Musically, it’s when I feel nothing can be added which will enrich the song in any way. I try to be mindful of a full plate. Adding things for the sake of adding things does not add anything, it takes away. It can ruin your song. Less is more, indeed. But if there is something missing I can’t quite put my finger on, I’m not finished. But when I replay with the studio headphones and I say to myself, “there it is”.I’m finished and it’s on to the next.
What are your favorite musical genres, and are there any you dislike?
I can’t say I dislike any genre. There are some which resonate with me more. But I would never say to anyone, “stay away from this genre”. That said, my favorite will probably always be punk. Even though I do not play punk or anything near it, there is an integrity to punk I haven’t found as rich in any other genre. Punk is just so pure. I have respect for that. Punk, believe it or not, takes itself very seriously. And I take it seriously. There is a strict code with it and if you cross that line, it is no longer punk. I have always had the deepest levels of respect for that. It has its own laws and those who listen to punk rock know exactly what I’m talking about.
Would you like to say anything to emerging artists?
Yes. Watch out for scams. If anyone approaches you by DM on social media, chances are it’s a scam. No one can “make you viral”. If they could, they would charge you more than $10. If their profile pic is of a really attractive young girl, that is not their real picture and they will hurt you. They could get you banned. Find an artist you like. Listen to their music and if they are on a trajectory you wish to travel, approach them and ask for advice. If they are not a total prick, they’ll help you out. Listen to them because they know the scams and they’ll help you. That’s the best advice I can give and it is gold. The scams are so thick, it’s truly unbelievable. That aside, there is a wonderful world out there for you. You will not get support if you do not offer support. Help your friends out. Lean on them and allow them to lean on you.
