Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter TJ Stafford who discusses his new single, “Crazy,†as week as his future in music.
About TJ Stafford:
TJ Stafford gets sinister with his dark debut single, “Crazy.†A Los Angeles-based songwriter, Stafford performed in various bands before finally stepping out on his own, saying “being a musician for most of my life, not making an album that was just me, with the exact words I wanted to say, and the exact sounds that fit those words, would have been an unimaginable regret.† The songwriter has a long history of success with sync placements that included AMC’s The Walking Dead, HBO’s True Blood, NBC’s Parenthood, and FX’s Sons of Anarchy. While his music filtered through various television shows, his live performance has led to sold out shows at famous L.A. venues like The Roxy, The Troubadour, and the House of Blues. His track Shoot First recently won the Production Music Award for Best Rock Song. His music is a mixed bag of alternative rock fused with blues and pop influences that fearlessly explores the darker side of human nature.
Review Fix: What makes “Crazy” a special track?
TJ Stafford: It’s my first baby from this album. And it’s exactly how I wanted it to sound, no compromise, for better or worse. I kind of feel like a parent talking about their child. You know how every new parent thinks their baby is the most beautiful baby that’s ever existed? That’s me. People may talk shit about how ugly the child is when I leave the room, but man, I love this song. We’ll see how I feel when it hits puberty.
Review Fix: How was it written? What inspired it?
Stafford: It was written in a small room in Silver Lake with my producer, Matias Mora. I brought in an iPhone recording of a piano line, a lyric idea, and a lot of baggage from the story that inspired it. I was in a relationship years ago that left me very literally questioning reality, wondering if I was the crazy one, and losing myself in the process. One of those relationships that felt like a game in which the rules kept changing without notice, with the other party insisting that they hadn’t changed. So, I finally wrote about it, and being in a very literal mood, called it ‘Crazy’.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?
Stafford: People that have been in a situation where they’ve felt crazy and are ok with acknowledging it. People that like a tinge of darkness in their art. Also, fans of good music…I think.
Review Fix: How do you think playing at famous L.A. venues like The Roxy, The Troubadour, and the House of Blues have influenced you?
Stafford: It’s inspiring in the most humbling sense. I’m a homebody and studio rat, so I’ve done most of my live performing in the LA area, and LA is a beast. First playing at those venues when I was younger, like a lot of young artists starting out, I thought I ‘deserved’ to be playing those venues and that, yes, of course people would want to come hear me play at iconic venues purely based on my musical abilities. I quickly realized that LA does not give a shit about my musical abilities. Talented people are ubiquitous in this town. Fans want to be entertained, and if you’re not gonna do it, they’ll find 317 other options on any given night. So, I guess you could say that it made me very grateful and determined to make sure that if people were giving up a night of their life, spending money on tickets, fighting traffic, paying for parking, buying dinner, buying drinks, and essentially being at least $70 in before the show even starts, I’d better put on a show and make it worth their while.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2017?
Stafford: To continue to become who I am. Namaste. Also, finishing this book “Godel, Escher, Bach†which has been kicking my ass for a couple years now. It’s my white whale.
Review Fix: What’s next for now?
Stafford: The studio and a hundred other plates I seem to like trying to keep spinning. Selling out the Troubadour, continuing to work on a bunch of other music projects I’m excited about (i.e., The Rigs), licensing and syncs, a little bit of travel…and finishing that damn book.
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