SECRET AMERICAN

 

In today’s world there is so much good music and so many amazing artists that quite a few fall between the cracks. Thanks to Tina Romano of Niche-Appeal and Jeff Archuleta of Eclectic Music Lover, Secret American has come out of the darkness for AMP.

Created by the genius of singer/songwriter Derek Krzywicki and producer/engineer Todd Mecaughey, Secret American released their sensational album Warmth & Shelter last May (for an extensive review of the record see the album review in Eclectic Music Lover).

Warmth & Shelter is a wonderful record that crisscrosses genres and generations to create something completely new and original. Krzywicki and Mecaughey have masterminded something unique and beautiful yet still poignant and thought provoking.

The following is an interview with both Krzywicki and Mecaughey about life in Secret American.

AMP:  You both live on opposite coasts. How does this love affair work?

DK: It works with a lot of emails, texts and phone call. Our record was written from songs I wrote and recorded mostly in California. After numerous flights across America, Todd and I workshopped and re-recorded a majority of the record at Cambridge Sound Studios in South Philadelphia. Afterwards, it was a long distance love affair of sending different mixes back and forth till we got what we wanted.

AMP: Songwriting! What, Where and How? Put us through the paces.

DK: On Warmth & Shelter I wrote most of the tracks in my bedroom studio in California. Songwriting is something I’ve done my whole life. There are always too many songs to work on. I was super fortunate to have Todd jump at the opportunity to make a record from hearing the demos. He was able to take the songs to another level. He worked tirelessly through so many demos and mixes to get what we got.

TM: Our process is always evolving and expanding but on the last record Derek had most of the bones for the songs in place. We just tinkered with arrangements, instrumentations, harmonies, etc. until we landed on something that mades us both happy. We like to leave a bit of room for experimentation in the studio to see where the inspiration takes us. Sometimes you go down a rabbit hole for no reason and waste a bunch of time, but sometimes you come out the other end with something magical….the good usually outweighs the bad in that situation.

AMP: There is a wonderful retro/modern feel to the songs especially “Bang Bang”. Was that intentional or just a awesome byproduct?

DK: Yes, there was a desire for the tracks to sound exactly how you described it. I think we wanted a Motown meets Beck kind of production.

TM: Intentional, but probably would have been a byproduct regardless. Musically/influentially we are old souls in a modern world.

AMP: “Why Believe?” is a song even though light hearted and breezy tackles some strong social and political issues. Do you feel that this an effective measure for protest?

DK: I just write songs for my own entertainment. Being a student of philosophy and a lover of all things science I naturally draw inspirations from those things that are important to me. I don’t hear many anthems for atheists so that song sort of bubbles out of that feeling. I also just wanted a really easy pop song to add to the record last minute and this is what I ended up with. If it’s an effective means of protest for someone, that’s great. If not, that’s cool too. Art is what you want it to be.

AMP: Your songs are mostly upbeat and positive. Do you feel that’s a quality missing in today’s music?

DK: You’d have to ask someone more aware of what “todays music” means. I’m in my own bubble relative to what may be “top 40”. I mostly listen to NPR, whatever demos I’m working on or dig for gold in the world of Spotify.  Upbeat and positive have been an unconscious common theme as long as I’ve been writing. However, my lyrics generally counter that sound. Fun Fact: you can write a happy cheesy song and make it legit if you make the lyrics about something dark. However, my style has been described “sunny” and “upbeat” even dating back to my previous band, Cheers Elephant.

TM:  I feel in a live situation it wouldn’t be a bad thing for bands to be more upbeat/positive and take themselves a little less seriously but I guess with every genre it’s a little different.

AMP: Derek, “Amen, California” is a lovely tune celebrating your current home state. On the album does Todd get to reciprocate with an ode to Philly and Pa.?

DK: What’s funny is that song is the only song on the record I wrote while still living in Philly many years ago. I knew I would there in a years time so I put that together in my Fishtown Apartment. If an ode to Philly comes out I assure you it will happen organically. I’m not one to direct my lyrics when writing. They create their own path and settle on themes without any oversight.

TM: Maybe someday.

AMP: What has been the overall response to Warmth & Shelter?

DK: It has been pretty enthusiastic. Since starting out relatively unknown, we’ve seen a global response and an exponential growth in streaming plays.

TM: So far so good!

AMP: Your videos are highly entertaining. Who comes up with the storyboards?

DK: All the videos were made on a whim without a storyboard. I made the “Why Believe?” music video from all the Nat Geo magazines I had collected. I had never made an animation before so I just started making scenes from those cutouts and it kind of story boarded itself. For “Warmth & Shelter”, my friend Tate Larrick and I just grabbed some clothes and mustaches and drove to a one horse town. We were coming up with a bunch of concepts on the drive there.

TM: Like the studio, a lot of improvising happens. For the “I Wanna Know” video I chauffeured Derek and our percussionist , Tony Ulander, around to various places of interest around Philly and they just jumped out of the car and filmed some stuff and hopped back in. It was pretty silly and random but I thought it turned out pretty cool. We like video and goofing around so it’s fun to mess with that medium when we get a chance.

AMP: Any plans for an extensive tour? Please say yes!

DK: Nothing would make us happier but at the moment we have not been presented with the opportunity to do so. So, until further notice we are limited to the East Coast with some possible West Coast gigs.

AMP would like to thank both Derek and Todd for taking the time for this interview. Warmth & Shelter is a superb piece of work. Give it a listen.

SECRET AMERICAN Live

• Derek Krzywicki
• Todd Mecaughey
• Kevin Killen
• Katie Frank
• Tony Unander
• Alex Baranowski
• Rory Geoghegan

 

 

 

 

 

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