Review Fix Exclusive: Tae & The Wave Talks ‘2002’ And More

Review Fix chats with Tae & The Wave’s Dante Brunetto, who lets us know all about the project and his new single, “2002.”

About Tae & The Wave:

Alt-pop artist, Tae & The Wave, reminisce on the early aughts on new single, “2002,” out June 14th, 2019. Celebrating 10 years in Los Angeles with the release of his fifth single, Tae & The Wave has been hard at work defining himself as an artist unafraid to experiment with pop norms. Over the past ten years, he’s developed a dedicated following playing at classic LA venues like The Hotel Cafe and music festivals including two of Ohio’s largest festivals, Numbers Music Fest and Breakaway Music Festival. Tae & The Wave has performed alongside major artists like Halsey and Khalid, seamlessly blending in with the best of pop music via his chill-inducing electro beats and hooky melodies.

Tae & The Wave immerses listeners in a melody perfectly crafted for summertime on new single, “2002.” An ode to the idyllic days of pop music, when lyrics were simple and melodies were a carefree adventure immersed in positivity, the track exudes a sense of celebration and hopefulness. Self-produced by Tae & The Wave, who consulted with Jerry Depizzo of OAR, it’s a synthy dip into the shimmery waters of the ocean on a crisp summer day. A look back at being young and free, the track captures the essence of youth with it’s effortless instrumentation. A fluid groove billows under the joyful charisma of Tae & The Wave’s vocals, creating that feel-good atmosphere every great pop song should possess. Be sure to check out Tae & The Wave’s new single, “2002” out on June 14th.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music? 

Dante Brunetto: I grew up in a super musical family. My dad was a talented jazz pianist/organist when he was alive, and my uncle (my dad’s twin brother) is a drummer, music teacher and the leader of a 17-piece Big Band. I was around music all the time as a kid and totally fell in love with it in every way. 

Review Fix: What makes you unique? 

Brunetto: Well, everyone has their own journey in life but we all experience the same emotions, the same highs and lows. I think the very act of interpreting and expressing this human experience through your own art is the most unique thing a person can do. Although there will always be similarities in theme and certainly structure, no one else has written the exact same songs, melodies and lyrics as me. That right there is the most beautiful thing about the art of songwriting in my opinion.

Review Fix: What are your goals in music? 

Brunetto: I just really love the act of making music and sharing that experience with other musicians on stage. Performing in front of a large crowd of engaged listeners is the thrill of a lifetime for me. The whole process of creating these songs, sharing them with the world and then going out and connecting with the people who embrace and appreciate the music you’ve made, it’s such a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Ultimately I just want to connect with people and this planet, and music is my vehicle to do that. 

Review Fix: How has the Ohio music scene affected you? 

Brunetto: Growing up around my uncle’s big band and going to numerous gigs with my dad, I’ve met so many amazing Ohio musicians over my lifetime that have influenced and inspired me. The greatest gift I’ve been given from these people and the Ohio music scene is simply the joy of playing music. It’s not about playing every note perfect or impressing industry folks at a showcase, it’s about having fun and enjoying the celebration of music. My dad taught me that. All of his music buddies I’ve met over the years taught me that. My uncle and all the guys from his big band taught me that. Ohio taught me that. 

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you? 

Brunetto: I get asked this question a lot in public and it’s always a tough one. I’m sure a lot of musicians feel the same way. It’s like telling someone you have a child and rather than showing them a picture, they ask you to describe what your child looks like. I’d much rather show you a picture. My sound has brown hair with blond highlights (electric guitar with reverb), soft blue eyes (light synth sounds), a round face (drums) and he likes to sing catchy, uplifting pop melodies. 

Review Fix: Why do your tunes matter? 

Brunetto: They matter to me because I pour my entire self into them and I take a lot of pride in that. It’s my way of telling my story in hopes that others will hear it, feel a human connection and take comfort in knowing they’re not alone. In my opinion, nothing matters more in life than the connections we make with people and nature.

Review Fix: How was “2002” written? 

Brunetto: Around January of 2018 when I first started working on song ideas for Tae & the Wave, I wrote the groove and instrumental that you hear in “2002.” I really loved the feel of it but I couldn’t find the right melodies to go along with the groove. I kept revisiting and reworking the song for over a year until I finally cracked the code and found the perfect lyrics and melodies. Not long after that I moved onto production and employed the advice of some Ohio music friends, Jerry DePizzo (OAR) and Nick D’Andrea (Doc Robinson). Those guys led me to Columbus mixing engineer Glenn Davis who proved to be the final missing piece to the puzzle. Glenn truly did a fantastic job of bringing “2002” through the finish line and helping me execute the vision I had for it. 

Review Fix: What musician inspires you that people might not expect? 

Brunetto: Ray LaMontagne. I know my music doesn’t sound like his but, to me, Ray exemplifies true artistry in it’s purist form. He has one of the greatest voices of our generation, yet so much humility and this cool way of genuinely not caring how famous or marketable he his. He just lives his life and writes his songs, and I really feel like he does it all for the right reasons.

Review Fix: What’s next? 

Brunetto: I have a couple songs I’ve been sitting on for a while that I’d like to finish up and release by the end of the year. Those songs, bundled with the five songs I’ve already released, will be an EP that, to me, represents phase one of the Tae & the Wave musical exploration. As I continue to release these songs, the goal is to play as many shows around the country as possible and enjoy the live performance aspect of this whole thing. As I mentioned earlier, that’s the best part to this whole thing. 

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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