Off the Record

Evie Dallmann 0:00
This is Evie with WKNC, and you're listening to an Off the record podcast interview with Johnny sunrise.

John DiSabito 0:06
I've lived in Asheville in the past with my partner as well for like half a year, so we had, like, kind of a sense of North Carolina, right? But, um, so that kind of helped making that decision, kind of being like, Oh, we kind of get the vibes around, like the cities and stuff, yeah, but yeah, Chapel Hill and carrboro. Really cool. I try to get to Durham as much as I can. I'm trying to get there more often. Yeah, I've been neglecting kind of the cities a little bit. Someone's like, Ah, well, I have this whole thing here, yeah? Friends here, and it's easy, just like, stay local, yeah,

Evie Dallmann 0:38
yeah. I really like the fruit in Durham, super cool. It's like a large space. They do a lot of, like, raves, but it's also like a gallery space. And I feel like carborro and Asheville, honestly, kind of like share a little a little bit of like, the same vibe, just in terms of, like, North Carolina, it's kind of easy to find, like, grassroots places. I'd say, Have you heard of Shakori? Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah. I'm just thinking about like, that kind of kinship with Asheville and like, I guess Piedmont, like, like, more central, as opposed to Western like, that feels like a mesh of those two. And like, in that vein, I feel like your music is quite folky. Like, do you pull from Asheville or, like, your origin in Massachusetts? Like, where are you pulling from? Um,

John DiSabito 1:18
what I have out right now is just a couple, a couple songs. I do think it leans folky, just because it's very it's written from like, the standpoint of a guitar, usually an acoustic guitar, as far as, like, North Carolina influences, there's, of course, like mipso, there's mj lenderman Blowing up, right? Huge Indigo de Souza out in Asheville. Yeah, yeah. I've got like, a somewhat of a pulse on kind of the people that are that are, you know, been around before, but I'm still learning, yeah,

Evie Dallmann 1:49
I'm thinking, I mean, since you mentioned Indigo and mj lenderman, I'm thinking of hopscotch. Are there, like, certain venues that you're like, looking forward to, or, like, crossing your fingers that you could play at, or are you more enjoying it like as kind of an artistic outlet. Like, what kind of direction do you see moving with your music?

John DiSabito 2:09
Well, when I first got here is when I really started doing the Johnny sunrise thing, which just sort of started with open mics, yeah. And as I was playing my own songs, playing covers, I started to get more of a feeling for my own voice, a feeling for my own songwriting style. So as far as venues, I remember cats cradle was a really big deal when I got a chance to play that last year, because that's, yeah, the historical cool club in a in Carrboro. So that was kind of a goal that came to fruition, which is great. I love playing the cave in Chapel Hill. It's really awesome. They have music there every day. Really great staff. I'm not sure for next goals, I guess it'd be nice to be able to get a room in Durham or Raleigh where people show up. You know, it's hard to move out where you, like, you know, you have friends of friends, and you have your musician friends, and they're all kind of centralized. It's hard to move even just 20 minutes down the road somewhere,

Evie Dallmann 3:09
yeah, I'd be like, please come out here. Like, no, yeah, I'm driving in a highway.

John DiSabito 3:14
Yeah. I know. Seriously, it does get that kind of, uh, it feels like a

Evie Dallmann 3:19
long way, like, yeah. And like, hypothetically, it's not. But, yeah, when you're in a car and a highway, it's like, well, this isn't even enjoyable transit. Um, yeah. It's

John DiSabito 3:28
a lot of like, start and stop around here. I think that's why people get most frustrated with it. Yeah, it's not like, you just hop on the highway and you're in the next city. It's like, you gotta, like, stop at like, 20 like,

Evie Dallmann 3:36
also the highways are just like, I'm at least thinking of the one from Chapel Hill to Raleigh. Like, it's like, that merge off. Do you know what I'm talking about, and it's just kind of like chaotic. And you're like, why are there restaurants next to the highway? Yeah, it's just like, kind of alarming.

John DiSabito 3:50
That is a weird, like, merge to, like, get going towards Raleigh.

Evie Dallmann 3:54
Yeah, I was always scared about it when I was, like, growing up, um, learning to drive, like, in that area. Um, but now that, like, I do it pretty regularly, not to brag, I'm on the highway. I was working on a farm in carborro over the summer, so, like, I got super accustomed to, like, just go. I was thinking about the open mic thing you mentioned. So that's kind of how you originated. And I remember, and like, your notes thinking about open mic. So like, how have those been important to you? Like, how do you see them evolving into the future? Like, I'm going to, like, a poetry open night tonight. Like, I feel like they're really good outlets right now, especially because everyone's kind of honing in on, like, small knit community and, like, the Trump era. So like, I feel like open mics might be pretty pivotal, like, in that sense of advocacy and, like, kind of, like venting. And so how do you feel about that with, like, artistic pursuits and whatnot?

John DiSabito 4:45
Um, yeah, it's a great place to yeah, I'll give

Evie Dallmann 4:48
these to play with them too. Thank you. I like this a lot. Yeah, that's from steel string brewery. That's, I just, oh, really, yeah, where's that? I mean, it's heartbroke, but yeah, like, we give me a geo tag, like, what it's next

John DiSabito 4:59
to? Yeah. Um, you know, open eye cafe, yes, I read across, yeah, big bike

Evie Dallmann 5:03
on the side, yeah, yes, right across. Oh, my God, on the parking deck. They just put up.

John DiSabito 5:07
Um, Yep, yeah, it's finally done. Apparently, that was a free two years. It's huge. Yeah, it's humongous. I

Evie Dallmann 5:15
remember that Wendy's across the street, tangential, but, yeah, it's tangential. But like, kind of, like, definitely an interesting story is, like, I parked at that parking lot, you know, whatever. And then my friends and I were, like, walking around, and then we heard we were like, Okay, let's go back to our cars. And they were like, Wait, let's get like, ice cream from McDonald's. So like, we obviously, like, detoured before we went back to our cars. And we were, while we walking back, we're like, why are there sirens? Like, there's, like, a lot of chaos going on. It was this car that had tried to, like, leave the drive through, but then, like, flipped so there was just, like, a car on its head, like at the Wendy's drive through.

John DiSabito 5:49
Everything goes down at the Wendy's. Yes, people throw rocks through the windows. What

Evie Dallmann 5:53
the heck it's so disrespectful in front of open eye cafe, like, a very tranquil, nice space.

John DiSabito 5:58
And then it's, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a thing in that neighborhood, right? Like, Wendy's, yeah, it's always been, it's been there longer than, like, everything else,

Evie Dallmann 6:06
which is funny because it looks so modern, yeah, um, okay, yeah, so, um, yeah, it's, these are your art pieces, and open mic questions still stands. And also, how do you like working? I know there's so many, so you can pick whichever one like question to go off of, but I'm really interested in this graphic and like, how do you like working at a brewery and like meeting possibly other artists, or like, being in a space where people are, like, looking to socialize? Yeah,

John DiSabito 6:29
I mean, it all kind of ties in, because the the open mic that I first was going to was and I was trying to, I was trying to find work in town, and I worked in a brewery in Rhode Island before, and I saw they had a sign for the open mic. I also, instead of just, like, just trying to talk to the people, the people are obviously great, um, they're now my dear friends. But right, locals like that was just trying to, like, get my foot in the door. And I was practicing guitar a lot during COVID, right? So I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna start doing some covers, maybe play some my originals. And then, not only does that help you build confidence in yourself, of like, being able to get on stage and work through a song, but also you're meeting a lot of people in similar situations, where they're creatives and they're trying to do their thing. And you get, like, everyone gets their 15 minutes to do something cool, and then you hang out and talk about it. And yeah, yeah. I've like, I've been I've joined bands through it.

Evie Dallmann 7:32
oh, plural

John DiSabito 7:33
had people join me, yeah. Oh, awesome, yeah. I'm in two bands, sometimes more than two, but right now, two, once called with love. It's kind of like an emo band. Oh, awesome. And then another band that just formed called Flower gauntlet,

Evie Dallmann 7:47
both wonderful,

yeah, you want to write those down here, sure, because that'd be cool to reference. Do you have a favorite song from maybe those bands, and do they pull into, like, the songs you make, or is it kind of a nice like alternative?

John DiSabito 8:00
Um, it's very alternative from what I do with love is, is very kind of like, I call it like, I kind of like, call it similar to, like, the Pixies, like loud, quiet, like, a lot of dynamic, a lot of catchy riffs, very different from how I've ever approached songwriting, but then I also get to be a part of it, because I'm, like, usually writing bass lines to it. So it's cool to be a part of it without, like, having to be the forefront.

Evie Dallmann 8:32
Yeah, I think that's a cool like, dabble is, you know, like being a supporter to another person's vision, and then, like, simultaneously, like, having your own vision you're crafting, and like, how those bleed in? I see your name here. Is this a show you played downtown? Graham, yeah, sidewalk Serenade, yeah,

John DiSabito 8:51
it was on our fridge for a while. It's a little like, here now, yeah, now it's here. It's like a festival where there was, like, markets and music, and somebody reached out to me, now, a friend of mine, and just was like, Hey, we're putting on this festival, if you want, like, a spot for a couple hours. So it was cool to, like, I've never been to Graham before, so just to kind of go and spend an afternoon, kind of like, milling around a different town is pretty fun.

Evie Dallmann 9:16
Yeah, definitely. like, have you had a chance to explore North Carolina? And, like, if so, like, Where have you enjoyed and do any of like the areas you visited, if they're plural, like, remind you of Massachusetts, or, I

John DiSabito 9:29
would say Carrboro. Reminds me a lot of North Hampton, Massachusetts. It's also like an artsy town, a pretty gay town, just like people like freedom of expression, kind of vibes, like, you know, creative and friendly, I guess. Yeah, those are the big ones. Yeah, big three. So it's, it reminds me of that that was like a town near where I grew up, outside of where I went to college. Um, my favorite was probably, it's probably still Asheville, yeah. And shouts out to all the people out there who are struggling right now. It was just a beautiful place to spend some time. Was kind of finishing a master's degree. My partner was getting ready for the, like, the pre law school test, yeah. And we were able to kind of have, like, a working vacation where I had a job there. I was working on school there, but it would only take up a little bit of my week, and then we'd be able to, like, explore and go hiking, and so it's just gorgeous out there. Oh

Evie Dallmann 10:32
my gosh, yeah, a lot of people. So I work in sustainability here, and I went to a discussion panel last night, actually, about some people who like work in the like, waste sector. And a big question, like, really, for anyone involved in sustainability, like, people will be like, and I guess this is for any career, but they're like, so when you know, you know what I mean, and a lot of times, people will be like, Well, I'm from Asheville, and when you grow up with such colossal natural beauty, like, you feel inclined to take care of it. So I think that's definitely like an interesting parallel that we're seeing now with, like, having to take care of of western North Carolina, something that, like a lot of people benefit from, like the natural beauty. And I think it's a good metaphor for, like, giving back to so much that we get from Earth. Were there, like a lot of I want to say, sustainability initiatives in Massachusetts, or, like, would you say there's like, I feel like I'm butchering except say Massachusetts. I'm just gonna say mass from now on Massachusetts. Yeah, okay, I feel like the shoot sits part gets me, she sits, shoe sits, we just call him mass, right? I feel that I'm from mass, yeah. Um, I'm from Ohio, actually, so that's a lie. Um, but yeah, I are there? Like, did you feel like you grew up with a sense of, like, tie to your natural environment? Or, because I'm thinking, I've only been to Boston, but, you know, we went to the beaches nearby. So beautiful. Lots of trash.

John DiSabito 11:58
Boston Harbor,

yeah, I grew up in Western Mass, so it's a bit where I went to college. Is called, they call it the Happy Valley. There's technically mountains there, but once you move out of there, you realize they're just kind of like lumps. There's little hills, yeah, a little hill. But the seasons are very gorgeous up there. So when you're around Amherst and Hadley and Northampton and in the fall, for example, like when the leaves are changing, it really is, like, everything changes color. It's not just a few trees and it, like, kind of stays that way for a couple months. It's really beautiful. So, like, you'll be, like, looking out into the hills, and will be like, orange and yellow and red and yeah, so I had a, I had appreciation for that growing up. Yeah, that's

Evie Dallmann 12:41
like the, like, changing of the leaves. Like, that's super big and Asheville, I know, like, like, just like that, orange, green fall, like, gradient, very beautiful. Yeah?

John DiSabito 12:52
It's like, a strange, it's almost unnatural, looking like,

Evie Dallmann 12:57
almost like, uncanny, yeah,

John DiSabito 12:58
you think of like, green and blue when you think of nature, kind of or like, brown, yeah, generally,

Evie Dallmann 13:02
yeah. It's very, almost like psychedelic. It's like, what are you guys doing here? It's

John DiSabito 13:07
strange. It's strange that they turn that going, Yeah, lots of strange stuff

Evie Dallmann 13:11
in nature. Um, okay, I want to ask about bugs in the attic. Yeah, yeah. It's a really beautiful song, and I like how, I just like the lyrics, you know, I think they're touching on something that we all feel like. And I mean, I'll probably play a clip in the background, like, for reference, but do you want to talk about the lyrics? And like, yeah, yeah. I like your creation of it.

John DiSabito 13:38
Yeah. I was kind of, I was, like, up late one night just kind of watching Jonathan Richmond videos, who's like, a, he's a very, like, prolific guitar singer songwriter who is very known for, like, being like, basically a one man show at this point. But he's, he's got a lot of tongue in cheek songs, a lot of songs that kind of, like, hit you. They kind of lure you in with a little bit of goofiness, and then, like, there'll be a line or two that actually resonates with you, yeah?

Evie Dallmann 14:07
Like, there's a kernel of truth in every joke, yeah?

John DiSabito 14:09
So I was about to go to bed and but I had, like, the idea for, like, I don't know, the first verse or something, and just kind of sat down and it kind of poured out. I wrote the whole thing in probably, like 15 minutes, just like, kind of like, little like chuckles, writing ideas, but laughing to yourself, yeah, it's just supposed to be like, you know, humor yourself moving to a new place.

Evie Dallmann 14:32
Oh, hell, I broke this. Oh, no, I think I can fix it, but you keep going,

John DiSabito 14:38
Yeah, it's like, basically, the premise is about moving to a new place with not much to your name. You don't have a job yet, or you don't have, you know, a lot going on, but it's having your partner, having your significant other. So it's cute, yeah? Love Song. It's called bugs in the attic, because they're bugs when we first, yeah, there's bugs here when we first arrived. I. Um, after a very long trip from we were previously living in Rhode Island, and we, uh, we drove down in two days. I drove to U haul, and then when we got to the house, we were kind of like, alright, let's just, let's just unload everything. We're already so exhausted. Let's like, if we have everything in the in the house, then we don't have to worry about it later. So we spent the next like, hour and a half just getting everything into the house, setting up the bed, yeah, like, right when we're like, finally relaxing, like, I saw like, two cockroaches just cross paths and, like, hide behind some of our boxes. And I was like, oh my god, how many are there? Long is this going to last? And just being like, they going to crawl on our faces or something. Yeah, definitely, I am no longer frightened. But I was like, Oh, my God.

Evie Dallmann 15:47
Well, also, like, you just got there, you know, very tired, just did more labor to move in. And then it's like, oh, you've got house guests, yeah, and they're not paying rent. No, they're not. How did y'all like Rhode Island?

John DiSabito 16:01
Oh, yeah, we lived in Providence for a year. Um, I liked Providence a lot. I think it's, um, it's people are starting to figure that out, though, which is kind of unfortunate. Like, I think people from Boston are going to start moving down and and I think rent and everything is going to get pretty crazy. But, yeah, it is really cool. It's got like, a grungy edge to it, like, Rhode Island kind of, like, has, like, the vibe of, like, yeah, we know we're not, like, the most talked about New England state, like, they have that kind of attitude of, like, we know, like, what's cool around here? Yeah, we keep it local, yeah, they keep it local. So, yeah, I had a great year there.

Evie Dallmann 16:40
Yeah. Um, is that exciting? Kind of, like, I mean, I wouldn't say you're bouncing around. Like, how long have you been in carboro,

John DiSabito 16:47
almost three years now.

Evie Dallmann 16:48
Oh my gosh. Well, you know, happy Carbo, three years. Thank you. But, um, yeah, like, it's definitely interesting. Like, kind of taking life into your own hands, and like, you literally are autonomous. To be like, Okay, I'm moving, I'm leaving, I'm getting a new house. How do you like that? Like, I mean, it's kind of like a rite of passage. And, like, I think I'm just conceptualizing that. Like, obviously, like being 21 like, I could go and live anywhere. And do you like that autonomy is like, fun and like cool to pursue. And like, how do you feel like, that might affect, like, your songwriting, like, I feel like being a channel to the places you're at is really important for creation. So,

John DiSabito 17:25
yeah, um, have been knowing that you can do it is, is pretty, pretty cool when you kind of like, first have that experience, like, we hopped between like four different places within like, five years. So like you kind of like, start to realize that it is possible, it is doable, and you can find something for yourself pretty much anywhere. But as far as like, inspiration for music, definitely like who you're watching, who you're around, um, definitely, like, kind of influences your your taste, like you'll hear something you never heard before, and maybe you'll be writing a song or jamming or just noodling, and something will come out that you're like, oh, that actually sounds a lot like my friend.

Evie Dallmann 18:17
Yes, yes. And, um, being like, channels, yeah,

John DiSabito 18:20
yeah, which is pretty cool. Yeah, moving is kind of, it's kind of awesome. It's awesome, it's challenging. But I feel like where people are sort of, we're built to adapt in most situations. So it might be daunting and scary more conceptually than it is when you're actually there. Yes, you move and you're like, start to do stuff and start to get into routine, you very quickly, like, acclimate to your new surroundings. Yeah, it

Evie Dallmann 18:48
might be like, the emotional rather than like, physical part of it, but like, how do you see that interplaying with the idea of like, like, obviously, like, when a place gets more popular, like, people are like, Oh, this is the new spot. And like that correlation with, like, rent and whatnot, like, like, I guess, like, do you think about that balance between, like, enjoying another place and then also like, preserving? And I think preserving is, like a tricky concept, because, like, we can't really, yeah, people are going to have impacts regardless. So I guess, like that kind of like play between like giving and taking, kind of, maybe, yeah,

John DiSabito 19:29
I suppose Change is inevitable in any place. I don't really focus, I don't try to focus on, I guess, preserving more than like, kind of just like enjoying and going along with the ride. Yes, I've never really had, like, a harsh, hard claim to a place. Maybe, is why I might have that approach. Yeah, I'm sure some people are like, this is my town. Yeah, my town. But yeah, I mean, I'm not necessarily, like, city guy. Okay, I feel like I could find something I liked in a small town just as much as a city.

Evie Dallmann 20:07
Yeah? I think that is the important thing. Like the whole like, it's in the beholder, like you can and also, I think traveling with your significantly, like any place is good, like, if your company is Yeah, and definitely,

John DiSabito 20:18
that's a huge part too. Yeah, having support,

Evie Dallmann 20:22
yeah, literally, like, you really can't do such a colossal, like, you know, shipping yourself across some area alone. And it's fun, too. Like, I mean, it's like cooking, you know, like, where it's like an exercise in your ability to, like, communicate and, like, problem solve, etc, and just move things. Like, very high scale that,

John DiSabito 20:40
yeah, yeah. I mean, it is something to like, kind of to like, I pat myself on the back a little bit being like, alright, like, I came here, I made friends. Like, you know, you gotta, like, take a little bit of pride in that and knowing that it's possible, and, like, knowing that you can handle it, because it's, you know, it's very, like, I said, it's very stressful and anxiety provoking to, like, try to picture somewhere you're not, yeah, because there's a lot of unknowns.

Evie Dallmann 21:09
Yeah, I think, like, I'm thinking about, like, I was talking about Asheville, and, like, unprovoked relocation. And then, like, you know, being able to be, like, I want to go to somewhere else. And, like, how those would, you know, elicit different responses? And just thinking about like, that's definitely interesting. Um, seeing as like, we'll probably see like, more shifts and like, where people are living, just because things are getting so tumultuous, like, climate, etc, anyway, anyway, unless you wanted to jump on that more. But, okay, okay, I have a few, but I want to make sure that, like they're in a sphere that, oh, okay, oh yeah. Let's go for like a real basic one. Where did Johnny sunrise come from? Um,

John DiSabito 22:06
I guess the simplest story is, I was in a band in college in a in Western Mass at UMass Amherst called Sunshine brothers. Inc, that was our, our band name and,

Evie Dallmann 22:18
Inc, yeah.

John DiSabito 22:20
And yeah, that was a really great experience, because that was kind of a coming out of my shell. Performance wise, I was playing drums in that band and learning just learning how to put a show together, learning how to play a show, learning how to deal with everything that goes into that travel wise, setup wise,

Evie Dallmann 22:42
Yeah, true.

John DiSabito 22:43
A little bit of marketing wise was a very probably like the most. In my opinion, one of the most important things I learned in school was, was that outlet? But, you know, we all graduated and moved around the country, and they're all pursuing art in their own way. And COVID hit, like, right getting out of school, so kind of the window for a little bit of, like, post college, see if we want to record more or play more, or whatever kind of like, went out the window because of, like, the lockdown and everything. So the sunrise kind of came from after, as COVID was kind of chilling out. People were getting back out, like, Sunrise like, kind of like, you know, moving on thing, start of a new chapter of life. The sun is rising. The sun is rising on Johnny, I suppose, yes, well, yeah,

Evie Dallmann 23:35
wishing you blessings and sunrises and yeah, new places, new sunrises everywhere. That's really exciting to return to a craft. I think so drums and guitar. There are other instruments you play or, like, maybe, like a tier list

John DiSabito 23:51
stick or tape mainly, yeah, I could glue this on here. Yeah, started with drums and guitar around the same time, but drums were more the like, that's what I played in school. Like I did percussion in school, and eventually did, like, jazz band and stuff, while playing guitar and like, wanting to sing, but not really pursuing it super hard, just getting better at that kind of more incrementally. But then another thing with COVID was we were moving around during COVID, and you can't really pack a drum set, yeah. So my guitar became my, kind of, my outlet for music, for music, and also, yeah, because of the shutdown everything, there was a lot of time to, like, sit with it and improve and and listen to other guitar players and Yeah, sort of established my own style, yeah and yeah. So it kind of was based the guitar kind of became in the songwriting became more of a a focus coming out of COVID, because I had a little more. Uh, under my belt, I felt more comfortable, like, playing guitar in front of people,

Evie Dallmann 25:04
yeah? And, like, Wait, so, like, the nerve aspect of performance, like, would you say, like, that kind of principle applies, generally, like, you've really just got to do it, you know what? I mean? Like, there's no way you get over stage, right? Like, telling yourself, like you're done with it like you just have to keep doing it.

John DiSabito 25:21
Yes, it's stage fright or nerves. Oh, what

Evie Dallmann 25:25
the heck do you want to try? Sure, I just feel like I've trust other people too.

John DiSabito 25:29
I think maybe there's a piece missing, something's supposed to ride in between, unless it just clicks in Oh,

Evie Dallmann 25:39
amazing. Okay, thank you. That might I think, okay, that's gotta be maybe Yeah, cuz it's supposed to just like, You know what I mean. And then what the heck. I'm scared. Yeah. I'm Yeah, and I don't care for that, because I want them anyway, but maybe just so you don't make a mess. Yeah, I feel like they like, err on the side of caution. And I just happened to be like, Oh, it's fine. I don't care.

John DiSabito 26:01
So if it breaks, you can pull it off and we could put it back on later. Did you squeeze it or don't understand these two little, uh oh, I was trying to put the prongs on the inside. Yeah, on the outside, I guess. I mean, unless that

Evie Dallmann 26:13
makes, no, this is, this is, right, I'm wondering how they're okay. Anyway, that's good to know that that's like, fixable. Um, okay, let's think, well, so there's bugs in the attic, and then good luck is that one newer? Right? Yeah,

John DiSabito 26:29
they were sort of written around the same time, actually. No, that's not true. I think good luck came maybe like a year after. Yeah, I have kind of a catalog of songs that I play and I've written, but those are the two that are out at the moment. My buddy Chris has been helping me record so, you know, you would, you would hope that you can just like, oh, just record it and then put it out. It's not that simple, you know, there's a lot of, a lot of, like, mixing and mastering and listening to it and trying to figure it out, yeah, yeah. Good luck. Came out in January. And that one was kind of inspired from just like, kind of getting an electric guitar and messing around with, like, some progressions, right? And, yeah, that's a fun one. It's kind of about, it's kind of about, like, kind of treating anxiety as, like, almost like a movie villain. It almost says, like, the song also has, like a James Bond, kind of, like, sneaky spy kind of thing going on. Yeah,

Evie Dallmann 27:36
was inspired by the electric,

John DiSabito 27:38
yeah, I just kind of came out. I mean, it's a, it's a pretty simple progression, but the the melody and the in the the melody came out kind of naturally, and then I just kind of started putting words to it. I thought it was cool, yeah,

Evie Dallmann 27:51
yeah. I think that's, like a fun part of everything, is like, I just thought was cool, yeah. And I also like the idea of, like, I just kind of coming out through play. And I think that's, like, a really important part to creation as, like, the experimental part of it, and like the possibility of mistakes, like leading to the product generally. How do you feel about our piece? I think it looks pretty great. Yeah. I feel like we've, like, done some good stuff here. I put some bugs here by the attic. Oh, I

John DiSabito 28:21
didn't even know, yeah, you got the little the little it's night time too. Something like to come out. It's

Evie Dallmann 28:25
night time too. Yeah, that's when they come out. Apparently, this feels abstract. Like, is this like the type that you like to doodle? I think, like people either go like realism or abstract. Do you have a preference? Or also, what other art forms do you like to practice. That's my favorite question. Yeah,

John DiSabito 28:41
I'm awful at drawing, so usually, just like, shapes are something I can, like, put down and have them look kind of cool. Yeah?

Evie Dallmann 28:52
Good composition, balance, yeah, definitely. Some

John DiSabito 28:54
squiggles, some circles, etc, round

Evie Dallmann 28:56
shapes, yeah,

John DiSabito 28:58
other art forms, there's not a super practice as much as music, but I've always been into kind of like color and like graphic design. I don't have a lot of practice in that, but I think it's very cool. My sister is an awesome graphic designer and painter, and I feel like, in a weird way, we like share tastes, like color palette wise, like we share like, a taste. But she actually has the talent to, like, put it down

Evie Dallmann 29:33
or practice,

John DiSabito 29:34
and I just get to look at and go, yeah, yeah.

Evie Dallmann 29:36
My friend just sent me something about, like, if we're gonna, like, all value are, again, like we say, we want to like, we have to also be consumers of it and like participators in that way. So yes, keep looking at your sister's graphic design, keep consuming and, you know, doing like critique. I think that's interesting, though, that like you think you have similar like color palette, like affinities, especially, like, thinking like you guys were kind of coded the same, like, if you grew up together. So, like, yeah, I was gonna ask, like, you know, like, sister, sibling, Bond, family, whatnot, but I can't really see how it ties back. So and I don't want to pry, well,

John DiSabito 30:16
I can, just as an anecdote, growing up, I would jam a lot with my siblings. My brothers are also musicians. So, oh,

Evie Dallmann 30:26
okay, wait, you have siblings, like brothers and sisters. Yeah, I have three brothers and a sister family. Yeah, nice.

John DiSabito 30:34
But, yeah, playing with them kind of it teaches you how to kind of communicate musically as well. So I feel like it's a very important skill to be able to play with others. So yeah, that kind of taught me that some, not all of that language, obviously, but some of that language,

Evie Dallmann 30:50
yeah. And also, like the idea of improv, and also, like you're saying, like playing with others, like, it's a share, it's a give and a take and like, so do you think that that was like, or is a part of, like, why you're in like, different bands as well, like, learning how to play with other people. Like, it's a good skill to keep up that, like, transfers over really well. I feel for like, business and, yeah,

John DiSabito 31:12
you need to be able to do, to listen to, listen to other people are doing and and contribute a lot of, I feel like it's easy to fall into the loop of thinking too much about getting everything perfect or or making sure everything you know like you want to, like, tackle what you're doing. So you can get kind of, like, narrow minded and only be thinking about, Oh, this sounds cool. Like, yeah, isolated. This sounds cool. But maybe if you put it in a group, it doesn't really mesh, because you just weren't, like, listening to what's going on around you. So, yeah, I think it's, it's kind of like a, like a language, in that way, you need to understand and listen to comprehend what's going on around you and try to add something instead of, you know, overpower. Yeah, you don't want to, like, subtract by adding too much or too little. It depends on what right feel like it calls for, and sometimes you're right and sometimes you're not. But that's Gambit. Yeah, that's the gambit. And and people appreciate when you do try and, yeah, when you try and communicate an idea in a jam space or in a songwriting space, because it could be something I never thought of,

Evie Dallmann 32:23
right? Yeah, and also, like, what you're saying about, like, I feel like we have the opportunity to play alone often. And like, that's when you do, like, your whole thing. And it is not often that we are around people. So I think it is really important that, like, when we are we're really, like being conscious collaborators. So yeah, like, I feel like it wouldn't be a stretch to say that collaboration is, like, kind of integral to your process. Yeah,

John DiSabito 32:50
it's actually where I'm most comfortable. Because I played in bands. I played with my siblings, with the Johnny sunrise stuff. I recently formed a trio with a couple musicians, Jake and Gabby, who who are amazing musicians. And it's, it's weird to be in the position of trying to call shots of like, trying to be like, This is how I actually want or like, this is where I should go, because I'm so used to being like, the is this cool? Oh, no, we want to change it cool, instead of, like, kind of the final say, right? It's your vision. Directing, yeah, directing your own vision. Thankfully, they're, they're amazing and really cool, and allow me to express what I'm thinking, even if it comes out as gibberish. And, yeah, it's been really fun having backing at some shows, because it allows, it frees up for more sound and more creativity,

Evie Dallmann 33:47
yeah, and also, like, helping hands, like, I'm thinking, like the production of a show itself, like live music events like, that's a hefty hand of, like, work so, and it's not work when you're enjoying it. So it's nice to, like, have people like you're enjoying being around, like, collaborating and whatnot. Yeah, I think it's interesting that you're saying, like, you're kind of based in collaboration and like, group work. So are you excited for your solo venture? And like, what do you foresee, like, kind of in your future? I know we talked about shows, but like, I'm, I'm interested in a like, you know what you're thinking for solo, like direction, but also, like, you know, in the same time, like you're juggling still collaborating with other people, and then also, like creative process generally, like, you know how collaboration incorporates into that, but also like your own ideas.

John DiSabito 34:36
I think right now I'm at a point where I have a decent catalog of songs. So I want to lean in a little more to getting those recorded, so I can kind of not necessarily move on from them, but have them exist and be able to pull from them and start working on something else. Yeah. So I guess creative process wise up until this point, it's. Mostly been about writing songs, kind of to perform. I've always had like the performance aspect as a driving force. That's kind of where my playing comes from, and is from performing. So I usually have, like a performer mindset when, even when I'm writing

Evie Dallmann 35:20
interesting, like, there's always a spectacle to it. Yeah,

John DiSabito 35:22
it's kind of not necessarily. I'm not sure what. I don't know. I just think I've always, how can I put this when you're, yeah, when, like, when your focus is been on performing for so long and, like, practicing to perform, like, through, like, playing in in playing in band, in school and, yeah, things like that, you kind of get into a performance mindset. So I think as I'm writing, sometimes I notice, like, I'll be like, Oh, this would be a great moment for this to happen. Like, if I was watching this, what would I want to hear? It's a little different from like, what do I feel? Yeah, well, it's both, because, like, this could be a powerful moment. Like this could be part of the performance of expressing something I'm trying to do. Yeah, I think that sort of makes sense. Yes,

Evie Dallmann 36:13
most definitely. And I think that's really cool, thinking about, like, how is this going to be received? Because, like, for me personally, like, I seldom really think about that, like, it's really, like, selfish, like, and more so, like, I'm just doing this.

John DiSabito 36:25
Well, that's great too. Yes, I think more of that, yeah. And I

Evie Dallmann 36:29
want to think more about, like, What would someone else think like, and in that way, it's really cool. Like, your sister, you said, Does graphic design, and you're basically doing like, auditory design, you know, like my art studies teacher, we're talking about, like, music right now. And like, yeah, it is so interesting. Like, we're communicating these abstract ideas, no words, I mean, hypothetically, but like, mostly sound, yeah, mostly like musical sound. I mean, words are sound really different, yeah. So I think that's really beautiful. Um, what kind of messages? Like, what do you want people to feel from your songs? Um,

John DiSabito 37:01
I think it's kind of song by song, bugs in the attic is, is kind of tongue in cheek. It's meant to make you kind of smirk. It's meant to make you think about someone. It's meant to make you think about a relatable situation. You know. I mean, it follows a lot of relatable things. It's like, about, like, not having a lot of money. And a lot of people know what it's like to not have a lot of money and things like that. But yeah, it's about friendship. It's about love, it's about struggle. But it's presented in a very kind of tongue in cheek way, yeah. And still, like, kind of playing and having fun with it, yeah. And so good luck that song. It's a little tongue in cheek, because it's like, after writing it, like I said earlier, it kind of depicts anxiety as, like a villain, like he's a cruel man. So I kind of went with that to, like, make that kind of the world of the song. It's kind of like a cautionary tale, yeah? And like, archetypes, yeah? So I would say feeling wise, those songs have very different things can would, I would assume would make someone feel pretty differently, yeah? And I'm kind of scatter brained, and that's gonna When, when, when I do have that EP together, and you're like, if you listen to it song by song, you're gonna be like, these are all completely different. And like, you'll you'll hear, I think the themes of my writing style and like, structure wise are pretty consistent, but like, kind of genre bending is a little weird. It'll be a little funky, a little rocky, a little like, psychedelic, yeah.

Evie Dallmann 38:35
I think that's interesting. Like, point we're at in like, art culture is like, well, everything's been done, so now everyone needs to talk to each other and, like, you know, fusion blending, yeah? And, like, I was gonna ask you, like, what genres you feel like you blended, but I think you answered it pretty perfectly, yeah, a

John DiSabito 38:55
little bit of blues, a little bit of folk, definitely, rock influence, rock fluence. Rock fluence, for sure.

Evie Dallmann 39:06
Yeah, I think. And I think that's exciting, too, thinking about how instruments lend, like you were talking about the electric guitar, to that experimentation and, like, channeling. So, yeah, and like, I remember, like, I really wanted to play the drums, but, like, big instrument where put so, I mean, yeah, in, like, acoustic guitar, like, super mobile, yeah, super accessible. So

John DiSabito 39:26
it's cool to plug it in or anything. You can just take it out and play it, no, a strum, kind of like hit a holler, yeah, it's a It's America's instrument. America's instrument. It's a lot of countries. Yeah,

Evie Dallmann 39:37
everyone want this. Okay, so on the topic of archetypes and like that, do you want to do a tarot card reading? Sure. Should we close out with a reading? You're gonna

John DiSabito 39:48
have to guide me. Well, I guess that's how it's kind of supposed to work anyway.

Evie Dallmann 39:52
Yeah, yeah, we're all just guiding each other here. Okay, so basically, oh no, you're not supposed to see any of them. Oh. Cool. Okay, so basically, I'm just gonna put them over artwork. So I feel like that's really good vibes, like that was where we were cool. So why don't you play with them? And whatever falls out, we'll do a reading. Sometimes you can do, like, three, but like, it doesn't, I don't really care, and it's whatever you want to get real loose, right, right, right, yeah, yeah. It really strayed from the pack. Okay, very beautiful. Very beautiful. Okay, I think this is, yeah, that's six of cups, okay, okay. The six represents nostalgia and a longing for a familiar and happy past. It encourages using memories to affect the present. Well, I feel like that resonates with, you know, pulling on collaborating when you're a child. Personally, what do you feel from that? Or do you have any tie or pull or feel like, oh, okay, to the image, Yeah, or like, kind of what it means Yeah. And generally, the sentiment of, like, nostalgia feels,

John DiSabito 40:54
it feels like community. It feels Yeah, like giving. Feels like this is potentially, this guy's giving out flowers to the community. Maybe he's selling them. Maybe he's selling them, maybe just giving them out, right? Yeah, to a child. So it's kind of like, cure, active love, yeah? It kind of, it gives me a sense of like, and you can see some as a guy in the background, too. So looks like there's a community. It looks like the people there tend for each other, for each other, yeah? So, yeah. It makes me think of community, yeah.

Evie Dallmann 41:18
And like, just giving the abundant things we make and we, you know, we make art in abundance. So in that way, like I'm excited for open mics and just like sharing unabashedly and collaborating, you know, excitingly and respectfully and encouragingly, yeah, for sure. Well, okay with that. I'm gonna wrap us up and I'm gonna direct my attention to the audience, saying, This is Evie from WKNC. And do you wanna do an outro for you? Like, I'm Johnny X, Y and Z, sure.

John DiSabito 41:51
I'm Johnny sunrise. Thanks for listening. Heck yeah. Do Art? Share your art. Say yes to things, and yeah, just be yourself and people appreciate that.

Evie Dallmann 42:05
Heck, yeah, there's only one you or whatever the saying is, it's true. Okay, we did

John DiSabito 42:09
it. Yeah, that's a lot of fun.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai