Thursday, September 5, 2013

Interview: Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why

>> New Jersey-based singer/songwriter Quincy Mumford has played over 400+ shows and has had 4 award-winning albums in the past 5 years.  Normally I don't focus on stats, but when it comes to Quincy, it matters.  He recently put out his 5th album under Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why, and it features some serious musicianship.  His impressive show count aside, it's clear from listening to the new album, It's Only Change, that this is an act to keep an eye on.  Read an interview I did with Quincy recently below.



Please state your name and your role in the band.
Quincy Mumford, front man, lead singer, and rhythm guitar player for Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why

When did you first get into making music?
I grew up listening to a ton of music around the house because my parents were such music lovers. I listened to everything from Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, to Pink Floyd, to The Talking Heads, to The Misfits! I started playing guitar at the age of 9, and started writing music around 13.

How did you go about forming your live band?

It started with just me, playing solo acoustic at open mic's and small coffee shops. My best friend was playing bass, so it made sense for him to jump on board after I recorded my first album. We played as a trio with a drummer for about a year before expanding the group to a 5 piece. Many members came and went but Karlee Bloomfield (keys) and Brian Gearty (bass) have been there since the beginning. Our current guitar player is from the Jersey shore area and had been sitting in with us for about 2 years before becoming a full time member. Our drummer is actually from Italy, and our bass player met him at the Collective Music School in NYC.

Your album, Its Only Change, came out fairly recently on July 30th.  What was some of the inspiration behind that?
The record is kind of like a story. Every song relates to each other, and has the same constant theme of "change". Change is never an easy thing to go through, but we do it everyday and we must learn to embrace it, and not let it overcome us.

What was the writing and recording process like for this album?
Writing this album came natural, because I, myself was going through a lot of change that caused an abundance if inspiration and writing material. Recording this album in Nashville was amazing. Best dam time of my life. The producer Ken Coomer was a pleasure to work with and super creative. What I liked most, is that he saw my vision and helped me execute it.

How was this different from recording your last album, Live At The Saint?
A live album, you only have one shot to make it sound good. No room for mess ups, or technical problems, it has to be perfect. With this record, although we only had 10 days to record it, there is a lot of time spent mixing and mastering to make it sound just the way you want it. Also, when you are in the studio, you have do take after take after take to get it just right.

You're on tour now.  What are some of your goals for this run?

Build more fans in new markets! We are always trying to expand!

How has it been playing the new songs live?  How has the crowd reaction been?
Its been amazing, we play mostly from the new record, and the reaction has been awesome! People really vibe off of these tunes, especially Under The Covers and Change.

What would you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

Touring with Slightly Stoopid!

After this tour, what's next for Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why?
Writing new material, more tour dates, and continuing to work on our live show to change it up!

Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Check out our music, feel the good vibes, keep it positive and keep it lifted!



Get Connected:

No comments: