Photo by Kenny Bieber
Tommy Strazza is one of the hardest working musicians in Jersey. Over the past two decades, he's been playing and recording as both a singer-songwriter and lead guitarist for several bands (The Strazzacasters, Hey Bulldog, Misguided Muse, The DeLoreons) and solo artists (Anthony Walker, Anjelia, Emily Grove, and Michael Askin), hosts a weekly open mic, and is one of the best supporters of the local music scene. He's recently released his first instrumental album, "Anthems for World Peace". New Jersey Stage caught up with him to learn more about the record.
How long have you wanted to create an instrumental album?
I have been toying with the idea for at least a decade. It has been tapping me on the shoulder for a pretty long time.
What was your main inspiration for it?
A few things: First... I truly believe that sound is the purest form of expression there is. You can’t fake it. No language barriers, political content, pretense, ulterior motive, no lyrics to interpret, no show business b.s., etc...... it’s completely relatable, undeniable, universal, and it immediately makes you feel something genuine. Animals make the purest music I have ever heard. There would be a bird outside my old apartment window that would literally sing the most beautiful melodies one could ever hear.
I would record them with my phone. I think that’s when I started to think and create more with sounds. It was a nice detour to take as opposed to the usual writing and singing with an acoustic guitar. That got a little stale for me. So many people operate in that same way, in that same safe little box, that it was all starting to sound the same to me. It was nice to find another avenue that felt really fresh to take.
Second... This might sound a bit general, but I have been feeling quite a bit over the last couple of years, and I know it’s a lot of the same things that we all feel and carry around with us all day, everyday. I have this outlet to express myself in a pretty extraordinary way, and I hadn’t been utilizing it. So, I figured I’d give it a go. It was a great way to get that stuff off my chest without screaming into a microphone. Instead, I played through an amp with the same energy. Hopefully it translates and I hope some folks can relate to it.
It’s not a guitar record in the same way that Steve Vai or Eric Johnson make them. ... I’m not trying to show off my soloing ability. I’m always trying to play music... Not play a solo for 10 minutes.They do it wonderfully, but that’s not what I’m about. Songs first! I call it a guitarist/songwriter record. The guitar is the singer.
I listen more to instrumental artists/bands like The Ventures, Jeff Beck, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, and even instrumentals from Metallica, Santana, and The Allman Brothers Band.
Third... Losing Eddie Van Halen and Jeff Beck. Two absolute heroes of mine, and I felt their losses pretty heavily. It made me get very connected with the guitar again.
What can you say in an instrumental work that is a different direction from your usual songs?
In my humble opinion, I think it gives you more colors to paint with and say more than one thing in a simple phrase. It’s pretty liberating.
Did you initially set out to create an instrumental album or did the early songs just sound best as instrumentals and that steered you?
Both.
I have some songs that were sitting around for years with unfinished lyrics. I thought they were good songs. I thought the melodies sounded good being played on the guitar, and this was just another way to help them along to being finished. Some other ones just showed up. The record was done, and then “Tommy’s Anthem For World Peace” dropped in my lap. “Rastlin’ Gators” was literally a jam that I took video of on my phone one night while practicing back in 2017. I had forgotten about it, and recently rediscovered it. I was going to re-record the tune, but I was like “Nope! The video is the keeper.” It sounded the way I wanted it to, so I fed the audio from the video into Pro Tools, and gave it a mix and master. Done!
It's kind of sad that it's been maybe a decade or longer already since we had the old Asbury Music Awards. Back then, you were often up for top guitarist. Is this album a way of showcasing that side of you again?
I was up for it 5 or 6 times. I won it once. I don’t care about awards, but it was nice to be acknowledged by folks that I actually know and care about. I miss the Asbury awards shows because it gave many of us who don’t get to see each other very often a chance to touch base and catch up. It was always about that for me.
I've heard you do covers of artists like Van Halen, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix before... was this album an opportunity for you to show off your guitar chops?
Somewhat, I guess. My technique isn’t that of a shredder. I have a few chops, but for me it has always been the song first, and serving it. Make it sing, not babble. Haha.
Be clear and direct with your notes! They are expensive and shouldn’t be spent all in one place!
Album artwork by Anthony Walker
The title is rather ambitious LOL. It looks like the album was going to be called "Any Time I Want" at one point. Why did it change?
You’ve done some digging! Haha!
The title was supposed to be that. It came from a conversation I had with a cousin of mine in like... 2002. We were doing artwork for a record I was about to release, and I guess it was his subtle way of telling me he didn’t care for how I sang. He had a point at the time. I’m happy to report that I have come a long way in that department.
He asked me, “Why don’t you just make a guitar record?” To which I replied...”I can do that anytime I want.”
That was going to be the title, until this song showed up out of nowhere that I felt like calling “Tommy’s Anthem For World Peace.’ I shortened it for the album title, and in this particular climate that we are all living in... It seemed like a good time to put something out that at least had the intention of bringing people together. I have no idea if it’ll work... but I put my all into it.
Are you going to play any all-instrumental shows to promote the record? Or do you plan on mixing other tracks with these in concert?
I think the latter. It has been working out nicely with Tommy Strazza & The Model Citizens. It also gives me a vocal break in between songs that are tough on the pipes!
If you were to cover someone else's instrumental, what tracks would you think of covering?
I recently shared guitar duties on “Jessica” By the Allman Brothers Band, with my buddy Gerry Rosenthal. That was a beast, but I think we pulled it off pretty well. Haha
I’d love to cover “The Call of Ktulu’ or “Orion” by Metallica. Their instrumentals are incredible, in my humble opinion.
What is your favorite instrumental album from another artist?
Lately, I’d have to go with “Wired” by Jeff Beck. “88 Elmira Street”, by Danny Gatton is still simply amazing. I got to see him perform and shake his hand many years ago, and I‘m so glad that I did. He was awesome.
If we’re talking Jazz records... “A Love Supreme” by John Coltrane is still otherworldly.
I think my favorite track is "The Funeral/The Resurrection" - which of the songs on your new album is your favorite?
“Tommy’s Anthem For World Peace”. I think it’s the best riff I ever wrote, and I really like how grand it sounds. Almost orchestral. That’s how I hear it, anyway. I was pretty moved when it hit me. I played all of the instruments and labored over it every day, for over a month.
Any favorite to perform live?Shrimp & Grits!
Finally, give me an update on your bands - what bands do you play for these days? Are you still hosting an open mic at Pino's in Highland Park?
Still hosting Open Mic at Pino’s. 8 years now! It is truly extraordinary. The performers are ridiculously talented and I get a front row seat and get to play with many of them. It has become a community. I hope I get to host it for many more years.
Still playing out with Tommy Strazza & The Model Citizens. Hey Bulldog is still out there playing and we turn 20 this year!
I also produce/engineer/mix/master and co-run Volume IV Recording Studio in Keansburg with my friend Chris Pierce. It used to be Killing Time Rehearsal Space. They recently renovated the entire space, and we took it over as a recording facility. I recorded, mixed and mastered “Anthems for World Peace” at Volume IV.
“Anthems For World Peace” is streaming everywhere. Check it out on YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify, and Amazon Music.
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