Origivation Magazine
August 2006 Anthony Renzulli
Cover article

Interview by
Jaclyn Myers


I met up with Anthony Renzulli in the recording studio of Why Me? Recording to discuss the new CD expected to be released this September.

Is this your third CD?

Literally, number three. But as a full band number two.

I had heard there was a hidden CD out there somewhere?

Yeah- I have two of them and I want to keep them as hidden as possible~lol. Its not that Im ashamed of the songs or quality. I just rushed them ya know. They were before I met Joe DeLuca, of WhyMe? Recording.

At 17 you were winning awards for drumming. What got you from behind the drums to the front of the stage?

I always wrote my own songs, but just never told anybody. I ended up liking my own music more. Not that the bands I was in were bad, it’s just that I was more comfortable doing my own thing.

What comes first the music or the lyrics?

The music. Definitely the music. I’ll lay it down on the guitar at home. Sometimes I purposefully don’t write down the lyrics or the melody because I think if the melodies are good enough- you’ll remember it and you shouldn’t have to write it down. If you can’t sing your own melodies the next day, then it’s not catchy and its worthless even writing the song down.

And once the whole song is complete, then my brain is fucking going a mile a minute. All these songs on the CD were started and made a year ago.

What is your writing process like?

It all depends on the mood I guess. With rain, I get a lot more accomplished. Some day’s I’ll be playing, totally not in a writing mood, and something will happen. Sometimes I hear a melody and then I build on that and then it usually doesn’t work. It usually happens when you’re just writing with the guitar, and start mumbling some words. And then something comes out.

Do people ever ask the question ‘Did you write that song about me?'

I get that sometimes with people. Especially people that know me and kinda saw me go through all this shit. I never tell.

Does that keep certain songs from being published?

Oh no. The more that it can touch a person, the more I think I am on the right track. It makes me want to stay true to myself even more than before. I just like real stories and real feelings. Sometimes I’ll hear something totally fucked up and I will write about that person. I’ll write about their horrible situation because they went thru it, and I know there has to be a million others out there as well. My escape is my music. When I am in a pissed off mood, or when I am upset, or happy- I want that song for the mood I am in. I try to do the same thing for the audience.

Do you ever put your own CD’s on?

Never. I go to my Myspace page and if that things starts, I’m looking for the mute button. If its 5 o’clock in the morning and no one is around- I’ll put on some headphones and then listen to it. I emailed Joe one night six months after we finished the first CD and I was like, ‘Whoa man! This is the first time I really listened to everything. It came out really good!’ Joe’s like, ‘you’re six months late dude!’ I never listen to my own stuff.

Everyone in the band gets on stage with their own look how much does image play into presentation?

It plays very, very little. I don’t shop for a particular look. If you knew me 10 years ago, I’d be wearing the same clothes. It’s just how I like it. A black shirt with some Adidas shelltops.

Does music run in your family?

My Dad was a pretty famous local drummer with “The Gents.” He was more or less a lounge or jazz player. He was very influential to me. The way he played, how he showed me certain things- what to do and what not to do. It definitely helped.

Your dad bought your first set of drums for you?

He literally made me work for those drums. I only got one drum at a time and he spent a goddamn fortune. He could have got all the drums for about $500, but he probably spent about $2000 by buying them one at a time. He did it on purpose, and I was so miserable and angry when he did it. I got the snare drum at first and I’m just sitting there with a snare drum and that’s no fun whatsoever. Then I got a bass drum and I’m like- fuck, I don’t have cymbals or anything. I’m glad he did it because I can hear everything now.

‘The Dad Song’ is very emotional and you seem to hear from a lot of people who have lost someone, what happened with your Dad?

It was actually my first song I ever wrote. He had a brain aneurysm. My Mom and Dad had just got divorced two weeks before this all happened- and so I was the ‘next of kin.’ I was 19 or 20 and I had a beeper- that’s how long ago this was. I was getting pages from doctors to cut him and do this… I was like “Yeah- do what you gotta do to make him better.” It was rough, but we took him off the breathing machine four weeks later. He wasn’t pulling through and I didn’t want to make him suffer. I stayed till the very end. And then the song came right from there. I had one girl who posted my lyrics up on her Myspace page. She asked me if she could do it- and I was blown away. It was ‘The Dad Song.’ She put it up there, along with a link. I get a lot of remarks from people saying “my dad just died.”

What’s it like going to other people’s sites and seeing your name listed as one of their favorite musicians along with your song playing?

It’s fucking crazy. Especially when they are from other states.

And you had a request from someone wanting you to go to prom with them?

I think the girl that asked me to prom was from Alabama or something.

How does it feel when you look out in the crowd and people are singing along?

There is nothing, nothing better in the world than that. Nothing could ever compare. It’s definitely the best feeling in the world. Even if it’s one person or if it’s a million people, you just see that and you know you got somebody and you know somebody related to you.

As you get offstage you go around and talk to everyone, which is something I don’t see many bands do.

I try to thank every single person. Even if I know that they weren’t paying attention one bit- because they were there, and they didn’t leave. So- I am very thankful for that. To me- it’s just proper etiquette. I think every band should do it. Like- if you’re in a band, you shouldn’t be up there and expect everyone to kiss your ass. There’s people that are gonna dig your stuff, people that are gonna hate your stuff, and people that weren’t even paying attention. If they hated it- they would have left. And they didn’t hate it and they stayed for the whole thing. If I had enough money, I would buy everyone a beer. But for now, I shake everybody’s hand.

Do you ever hear references to Dave Matthews Band?

All the time. That is thee reference. Especially since we have a sax player- they automatically go to DMB. We sound nothing like him though…

Do you consider yourself an artist?

I think if I can hit with something, get really established and then start touring- then I think I’ll be qualified to call myself an artist. Right now I am just a musician trying to write the best songs I possibly can.