Recently, I was scrolling down my Facebook feed and came across a music video that caught my attention. The video had a real Tim Burton feel and a unique sound. I decided I had to track down the musician, Tommy Spase, hear more of his music and find out more about him. I reached out to Tommy and he sat down with me for an interview.
Horror Fuel: “How long have you been with the band?”
Tommy Spase: “The first incarnation of the band was about seven years ago. We played around LA for a while until a couple of members left and we got a couple more. That was over the course of like six years. I had been working on a children’s show but decided to get back into the music side of it. That’s how that video came across your news feed. I’ve been working on a whole launch process for this.”
Horror Fuel: “How was the video made? Was it claymation?”
Tommy Spase: “It was stop-motion animation. The guy who did it is a really good animator and a friend of our guitar player. He came and watched our gig at the Viper Room and wanted to do a video. We didn’t know which song we were going to do. As I was going through the songs the song ‘Go Bump in the Night’ jumped out at me. It just stood out. He decided to go stop-animation with it and it turned out really great.”
Horror Fuel: “I agree, it is great. It was a perfect choice. It reminds me a lot of Tim Burton’s work.”
Tommy Spase: “It’s definitely in the same vein. I like Tim Burton’s work a lot. I didn’t set out for that.”
Horror Fuel: “I watched a lot of your videos, but Things That Go Bump In the Night happens to be my favorite. How long have you been performing? Has it always been part of your life?”
Tommy Spase: “When I was 15 I started playing the guitar and for a long time I was just a guitar player, but I always wrote songs. I was more of a guitar player for a long time around Florida. I was in a band who moved to LA to make it and we broke up after a month being here. For the longest time, I was just a guitar player in bands and then came a point that I was, but wanted to go out on my own and perform my songs. It’s been going since then. There’s been different incarnations, but the latest one, the whimsical one, with my alter ego just came to me one day. It’s kind of Gothic/steampunk. I didn’t even know the steampunk thing was a thing until, but I was just drawn to that aesthetic a lot. It all just came together, the music, the lyrics, the imagery.”
Horror Fuel: “It all seems to work, I mean you’re playing places like The Viper Room and The Hard Rock.”
Tommy Spase: “It’s pretty cool. I’m still working on it. It just came through me. Shortly after I got a guitar I got a multi-track recorder and the songwriting started. I also love producing it. I’ve done several albums where I played it and recorded it.”
Horror Fuel: “Speaking of your first guitar, what kind was it?”
Tommy Spase: It was a Martin acoustic that was my mom’s. She swore I would never have an electric, but I saved enough to buy one, a Les Paul. I didn’t even have an amp I had to make one from an old stereo. It was a really old stereo with a car speaker [laughter]. I swear. It sounded terrible.”
Horror Fuel: “Where there is a will there is a way. My first electric guitar and amp came together, the amp was built into the case. It was a ’63 Fender.”
Tommy Spase: “I remember those. Do you still play?”
Horror Fuel: “Not much. I’ve broken both wrists and several fingers, plus it scares the hell out my dogs. I still have all 4 of my guitars though.
Are you working on any songs right now?”
Tommy Spase: “I’ve always been an artist and shied away from the business side, but the last three or four months I’ve been working on getting this album out there and advertising, which I’ve never really done before. At the moment I’m swamped with that process. I am putting together a new band. I haven’t had a band in about a year. I also have two new CDs just waiting to be done. In a year I’ll probably have the first one coming out. I’m also thinking about Halloween and playing live is the next thing. I just finished an album launch. Yeah, there’s a lot going on. People can get the album for free on my site. There’s a lot going on.”
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Horror Fuel: “You mentioned getting a new band, will it change your sound?”
Tommy Spase: “Slightly, but not really. The songs are structured the way they are. The instrumentals will pretty much be the same. When new guys come in I want them to be able to express themselves, but I have a pretty firm grip on how it should sound. It will stay very close to what it is now. It’ll be better. It’ll be fresh. It’s an interesting question. Sometimes, it’s hard to get the sound you want. But it’ll be close. I’m already four albums out. I’m like eight years ahead with my own evolutionary process. It will stay with the same whimsical theme.”
Horror Fuel: “What is the title of the album with ‘Things That Go Bump In the Night?”
Tommy Spase: “The Alchemist. I’ve been giving the album away for free, the digital version. There is also a lot of information like what the song is about. A lot of my songs are about paranormal, metaphysical, life, and who we are. There’s a lot of depth to all of it. That’s available to anyone who wants it. You can download the songs for free, there’s also the physical CD for sale along with other merchandise, there are T-shirts and comic books.”
Horror Fuel: “I noticed your schedule is on your site. Are you doing a Halloween show?”
Tommy Spase: “We’re looking into it. In the past, we’ve played shows at places like the Queen Mary. I think we’ll definitely do a live Facebook event. We’ll see what comes up.”
Horror Fuel: “I hope you and your band have a killer event. We wish you all the best. And I look forward to checking out your next album. ”
Head over to Tommy’s website and download the album and to watch his music video. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for updates, events, music, and more.
