The Carousel Predicament On Influences, “Tongue Tied”, And Performing.
Where does the name come from?
The name “The Carousel Predicament” comes from the way I was contemplating getting back into music. I felt like I was stuck on a Carousel, moving safely in circles but going nowhere. I could either play it safe by "staying on this ride going nowhere" or I could pursue my passion and risk finding something better or potentially worse, hence the "Predicament"
Seeing and hearing the influences of Dashboard Confessional and Secondhand Serenade, how did you come across those artists and what stuck out with them to have such influence? Have you ever had the opportunity to see them live?
Believe it or not, I never got huge into Dashboard or Secondhand Serenade. I definitely like the few songs I have heard by both bands but my bigger influences are the 90s alternative bands like Bush and Live- plus early 2000s pop-punk from New Found Glory, The Starting Line, and Fall Out Boy. Those 2 genres, I believe, had the biggest impact on my creative direction.
Can you walk us through how “Tongue Tied” was written and what influenced the song to be written?
“Tongue Tied” initially had a more chill, half-time, feel when I first started writing it. But the studio has a way of opening your eyes to a song's proper feel. I write everything on acoustic guitar so when I bring a song into the studio, it's pretty stripped down, musically. Thankfully working with Geoff Rockwell, my producer, makes things a lot easier because he's got such an ear for what a song "could be". He suggested we make it more of a driving feel. So that's what we did and it sounded great!
The song is about feeling self-destructive, wanting to derail your own progress for no real reason other than because you're depressed and unsatisfied.
Being a live performer, can you tell us a little about the first few times you hit the stage vs playing live now?
Playing live for me honestly hasn't changed much from when I first hit the stage until now. I'm still terrified of performing until right up until I'm singing or playing the first chord lol. Halfway through the first song though, all those nerves usually disappear. That experience has honestly stayed the same this whole time. I'm a pretty introverted/reclusive guy so I feel really exposed when I perform because these songs are about deeply personal experiences. That being said, it's such an amazing experience getting all of that stuff off of my chest in a live setting- it makes me feel alive.
What are some of your favorite venues to play or go see shows in the DFW area?
My favorite venue here in Dallas is probably the House of Blues. Shows are always memorable there. Trees and Amplified are also incredible venues to both play and see a show. I haven't played at House of Blues yet but I've got my heart set on changing that!
Any other plans for TCP as far as music, videos, tours?
There are tons of stuff in the pipeline for The Carousel Predicament! Tongue Tied is just the first of 6 songs that I'll be putting out for this new EP. I've already shot a second music video for the next single with Alex Zarek (Real Friends/Meet Me at the Altar/With The Punches). He shot and directed the Tongue Tied video as well- he's an amazingly talented director. As for touring, there are definitely talks happening. I would absolutely love to hit the road for most of the year. I'm sure Chris Jacobs and Stephen Stanley of Common Thread Records and I will have more information on that in the near future so definitely stay tuned!
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