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Alejandro Aranda aka Scarypoolparty · Caught on the Mike...

• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Caught on the Mic.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: My next guest captivated millions on American Idol without chasing covers.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: He's performed more original songs than any other contestant in the show's entire history.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: Since then, he's continued carving out his own lane as one of the most unique voices in modern music.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: He's blending classical jazz, rock, electronic folk into something that's entirely his own.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now he's back with a brand new EP, Baroque.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: My next guest is Alejandro Aranda.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, I am so excited to have you on today.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yo, what's good, man?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just excited to be here.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, you know, we're gonna jump right into it.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: You were introduced to millions through American Idol, but you've always seemed more interested in creating than competing.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Looking back now, what did that experience actually teach you about yourself as an artist?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it taught me it taught me a lot, especially being on the show.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The the thing about being on American Idol, it kind of like pushes you in a way that you just never expect it to go.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, being an artist is something that is very, very much has to deal with a lot of vulnerability and also humility in a lot of ways.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Cause I think being on a show with that kind of reach was absolutely insane.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the the learning process for me was learning to be who I who I need to be, which is my funniest, my fun self, my most expressive self, and to really just put all the music that I love to do into my artistry.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that show really kind of like put me in a place where now I feel more comfortable in my own skin and feeling more uh comfortable just to be an artist, you know.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm gonna pull the curtain back just a little bit.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: You and I had a few moments where we got to chat yesterday, and some of the things that we were talking about is authenticity versus kind of the artificial nature in which you're forced to project yourself.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Was there ever a moment where you felt that people knew more the TV version of you than the real one?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I feel like when I when I went on the show, I was genuinely like that that's just how I am, you know.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I never really kind of changed in in any sort of way.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think after the show, it was kind of like a big attestament of how the public kind of perceived me in a way, which was kind of crazy because you know, on social media, I was putting a lot of different kind of styles of music out.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was showing, you know, I was still putting out stuff that I love to do, which is putting like anime clips and break beats and doing all that.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, I think after the show, it kind of like was kind of crazy because I kind of got a mixed reaction where a lot of people were down for this stuff that I was doing and putting out, but then there was all the other half where they're like, what is this?
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are you doing?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what what are you trying to go for?
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is this?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we just want acoustic.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so that kind of stuff kind of like uh, you know, was was uh a very much a challenge for for me to just to tackle because I'm like, on one end, I really want to be just myself and just make music as much as I can, but also like I don't want to scare people away if I'm just like putting out you know industrial music and hard music and doing all that stuff like right at the gate.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: So there there was definitely a challenge.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't know if you've seen it, I'm sure you have, because if you throw your name into YouTube, there is a clip of Luke Bryan on a podcast recently where he still cites you as being the most compelling audition that he's ever seen on the show.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Have you seen that clip?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I actually have, and it's it's very flattering.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: It means it means so much.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever, you know, because Luke Luke Bryan, especially being in the industry and all the music that he's seen and all the the business that he's done, it really does mean a lot for for myself to go on a show that was really out of my comfort zone and to to leave a mark like that really does mean the world to me, and I feel very grateful.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I I thought it was just an amazing thing because I mean, for people that might be watching this or listening to this and just kind of learning about you for the first time through this new journey, which we're about to get to here in just a moment.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: Your season of Idol took place in 2019, which is seven years ago.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: And if you ask me any given day of the week, 20 2006 was only five years ago because my concept of time is totally screwed.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: But but it it seems like we've lived a lifetime since 2019, but it's also feels like just yesterday in a roundabout way.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so crazy.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think when when the season ended and I I kept like going at it with the music stuff, it kind of like feels like a blur.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: But then when 2020 hit, oh my god, it just like everything just stopped.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so it definitely feels like a blur.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like yesterday, which is insane.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: So moving to the here and now, your new EP Baroque, uh, comes out July 31st, and you've described it as blending the past and the future, which I absolutely love.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's a fascinating way to describe music in general.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: What does that premise mean to you specifically?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it kind of means a lot of things.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's being from the past and the future, it's kind of like being in the present.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, like the more I think about it, the more it's like, you know, there's so much stuff that we pull from from the past, being from classical music, and then from the future, it's almost like you're preserving it, and you're kind of like you don't know what's gonna happen in the future.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the more I think about it, the more I like realize, like, man, that's kind of like that's just like all music is kind of like that.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: You're kind of like trying to blend in everything that you've heard before and everything that you want to hear into uh a style and into a project or whatever it is.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for this EP, I definitely you can definitely feel that from every track.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like this weird, I don't know, it's like from the past, from the future, and then there's like this like classical song right at the end of the EP that I put on there, that it's it's pretty pretty much just like a full full, a full like classical piece with like some like drum and bass and like rave style stuff.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it's pretty insane.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that uh the more I think about it, it's more about like preserving but also respecting the the thing like music that's came before us, you know what I mean?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what I would say about it.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Is there one specific song on the EP that you feel best represents your vision as a whole?
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Nah, I feel like the whole project itself is kind of like that uh statement piece for that.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel like for the track that I really love that, you know, for a lot of people that would listen to it would be like, what is this?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: But this uh track called Bad, the track on there is just to me, it's just insane.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the hardest song for me to play live.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just like, I don't even know why I made this.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, I know coming from a musical background myself, and you and I talking before, do you find that people are a little bit more open to the idea of blending genres and styles in this post-streaming era where people don't feel the need to adhere to guardrails of genre?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's more accepting now more than ever.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Also, like recording process has changed drastically compared to before.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you think about back in like early 2000s and like in the 90s and all that, like you kind of had to only stick to some kind of genre because like you had to record at a studio, you had to put some you know, some time and effort in and to get it all into place, and you know, you usually have to have a direction with that.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: So most of the time people would just stick with rock or they'll stick with blues or they'll stick with some kind of style.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think now it's more accessible, and you know, if someone really does get an idea, they're like, wow, like I heard this style, I heard this style.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like it'd be kind of cool if I like try to blend them together, and you really can.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: And you can do it on garage band and you can do it on a free program.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a really an amazing thing.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, it's the best time to be putting out music.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and and I look at it from two different directions, like on a consumption basis.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's a part of me that kind of misses when people use their musical taste as their identity, but at the same same time, there's another part of me that's kind of like, you know, I think it's so cool that we can go out and like Fleetwood Mac and like, as we talked about yesterday, skinny puppy, and like, you know, all these different genres of music at the same time without having to conceal it because there's no such thing as guilty pleasures anymore.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's just pleasure, really.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's also like this crazy serotonin, you know, like we're all searching for, I think music kind of like itches that for a lot of people and it can put you in a mood.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: And also, you know, I think the the way that social media is like you hear from online, like this one person just being like, yo, have you heard of this artist?
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then you'll check them out.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then you know, your friend will be like, yo, check this out, and they'll send you this other link, and that can lead you down to a playlist, and then you check that playlist out, and you're just it's so much unending, uh, you know, that's like almost like a journey you can go on.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can just pick whatever you want, and just if you like it, you like it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't, you could just skip over it, you know.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you've cited influences ranging from Beethoven to nine inch nails, jazz, drum, and bass, and pop.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's not a combination most people expect.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: And as we were just talking, a lot of people are dropping their guard as far as being open to multiple genres.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: How do all of your different influences coexist when you're sitting alone writing a song?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they kind of like I feel like it's a flow state, it's a creative flow state whenever I'm playing making music and thinking about music.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, there's a lot of thought that goes into recording music and doing all that jazz, but for me, I listen to so many different styles of music, but just because I'm a fan and I love to just listen and consume music.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I know some producers and some artists are kind of like opposite, where they're like, I don't listen to anything, I just listen to my music, and that's like totally like cool.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: But for me, I'm like I'm such a fan of different styles of music that I really enjoy listening to an album like from start to finish, or I like to pick up a vinyl and put it on a vinyl player and listen to it.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Cause you know, I feel like for the creative field, it's like you know, this is my job to make music, but also like I'm in an enjoyer of music.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that really kind of plays true to when I'm making music because it's almost like I take the time and really like sit down with my music now and just be like, okay, like I'm really happy with this.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like I created this style and I'm mixing it, I'm mastering it, I'm producing it.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm doing the dream that I've been wanting to do.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: So like every style that I've been listening to has been an influence in that.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: So you're on tour right now, and I imagine you're probably consuming a lot of music right now.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Does that kind of kick your creative gear like up a notch or two when you are consuming more music and you have a lot more free time and consumption becomes like your time sponge?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: 1000%.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: It can it becomes a I wouldn't say a problem.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's more of like, I just get ex I get excited.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: I get really excited, and I'm just like, man, I can't wait to, you know, after I'm done with the tour, just like get back in the studio and really start mixing.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's been more on the mixing level.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like I've been listening to a lot of records and just being like, wow, like I really love the way this record sounds.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I wonder how I can, you know, make my record sound more, you know, not so loud, or like maybe I can like find out like what different compressors are doing and for different vocals or like drums and all that stuff.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm definitely in a in a good headspace now.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: But there are times when I'm less like, man, I wish I was as home right now just recording music.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, your guitar playing, it has become as recognizable as your voice.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Did you intentionally develop that finger picking style for yourself, or did it evolve because that's simply how you wanted to play?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it's it it developed over time.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: I was pretty I was really trash at guitar for a long time.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I just didn't really, you know, I just like didn't really expect to to be a musician, honestly, when I started playing guitar.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: I just did it because I just wanted to have, you know, just play little chords and just have fun and diddle around and stuff.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of like developed it over time.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um because I was always watching like live YouTube videos of like John Mayer playing.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And uh there's a specific video though that really uh now that I really like thought about it, there's a there's a video online.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's John Martin.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if you haven't heard of that artist, he has uh an album called Solid Air, that's amazing.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: But um, well, all of his albums are pretty amazing, but uh he has a BBC live video of him playing guitar, and he's playing with this like old digital tape machine, or I don't even know how it was.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's like this old like delay, and he's playing acoustic, and it's like in the 70s or 80s or something like that.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: And he has a little drum machine and he's playing, and he's playing the like these swells in with the guitar, and then he starts playing like this really percussive style guitar, and I was just like enamored by it.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, man, this guy back then was making this beautiful acoustic music.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I would really want to tap into that and try to like learn how to do percussive style, and so I just started playing guitar, and more and the more I played, I kind of pushed myself and I couldn't do like the John Mayer tap with his like with this.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: I can't he kind of does it with the bottom of his hand.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Right a lot of guitar players that do that.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I kind of I started playing and playing and playing, and at the time I was really obsessed with playing piano, and I started uh kind of like hitting the second string with my index finger and kind of started developing this style of playing.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the more I did it, the more I realized that it was like, you know, that's my style.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like, you know, the way that I play guitar, I don't really see myself as a guitar player, I see myself more as like a keyboard player.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like I love playing piano synthesizers and all that stuff.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: So the more I played guitar, it was more of like, okay, like this is the style that I'll play when I'm not trying to get gigs with piano, or I'm not trying to get gigs, but doing that, like I'm gonna just like go to an open mic and just try out some songs and just play the way that I'm playing and to see if it works.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it was definitely over time.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Have you ever written something on one instrument that you tried to adapt another to see if you could come up with a different texture or if it took the song in a different direction?
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, all the time.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: I I do that all the time, and I think that a lot of my songs kind of start off with uh piano.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: So like that's the main thing that I'm I'm like, okay, if I can like recreate this on piano, I can bring it to guitar.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever I play on guitar, it becomes that style, of course.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel like I make like three to four different versions of each song that I do that originates uh originally on either piano or like you know, a drum beat or something like that.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: But rarely does it kind of start with with my acoustic, which is kind of uh it's kind of opposite.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Is there a riff or progression that you've written that you still to still to this day that you surprised yourself with?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um Yeah, I mean, I think the more that I play, the more I realize like, wow, like I'm I'm really you know, I practice so much, and I I just loved uh the regimen of doing that every day.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I really am grateful that I that I can play some of these songs.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: I think the one song that I that I made and I sang live, I remember it's called Pieces.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: I have a song like that it's just like full-on ripping the whole time, and I'm singing over it.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember one night I played it and I got done with it, and I was like, wow, like that's an achievement for me.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because before, you know, when I really started playing and I started even playing the style of guitar, it took me a long time to really get comfortable with playing a riff and singing because it it just took my brain, it split it in half in a way.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so the more that I did it, the more I realized like every time that I'm doing it and playing live, it's it's an accomplishment for me.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just like, man, this is insane.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you know, being on the eve of releasing this next batch of songs, you know, it is really contingent and I'm sure really important for you to kind of carve out your space of originality in this really crowded industry.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Has protecting your originality always come naturally for you, or have them been moments where you've had to fight for it?
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I definitely had to fight for it for a long time.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't know, I think that the the American Idol whole whirlwind that I went through was absolutely insane.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm very grateful for that opportunity.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: But with that came a lot of you know, judgment, came a lot of people being like, you know, you're you sound the same, you know, all your songs sound like this, like what the heck, like this, this, this, this, and this.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, it's just like I had to really put it in the back of my mind and be like, you know what, like the only thing I know how to do is be myself.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's the only thing I know how to do.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: So why would I ever change?
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's no reason for me to change in any sort of style with that.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's not gonna benefit anyone, and also it's like music is very creative and freeing.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if this is the way that I express myself, then that's I just gotta keep rolling with that.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it took me a long time to get there because you know, being in the music business is very tough.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I've seen the highs and I've seen the very lows.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, the one thing that's stuck in my mind the whole time is just like, you know, music.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's the only thing that's gotten me out.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever I'm whenever I'm feeling like low, or if I'm like feeling like, dang, like, you know, streams aren't good doing good, like I can't, I can't sell tickets, I can't do this, I can't do that.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what the heck am I doing?
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, the strides that I'm going for, at least I'm like, I'm trying, you know, as long as you try, I feel like the originality and who you're who you are as a person grow stronger.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, it's like I I stay true to that.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's been a tough road, don't get me wrong, but like, you know, I wouldn't have it any other way because I think that uh it just shows it shows like the testament of like if you want to do this for a living, you're gonna have to roll with the punches.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it doesn't matter about like popularity, and it doesn't matter about like how many like albums you sell.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's just like, am I being my full self?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Am I being 100% like myself in these songs?
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's like the main thing that I need to do.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been kind of like the the north star for my originality and being like, you know, if I'm just being myself, I don't have to think about anything else and just keep making the music that I make, you know.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, one of the things you and I talked about is timing in the business.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: We talked a little bit about that yesterday when we were hanging out.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think no matter what creative endeavor you're involved with, if you were an ambitious person, sometimes success looks like a lot of hurry up and wait.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's that period in between this big thing and the next big thing where you're just like, is this really gonna happen?
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: And like, and you start kind of second guessing yourself, you start having kind of a little bit of imposter syndrome to an extent.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, as I pointed out to you yesterday, your season of American Idol happened right before the pandemic kicked in, and that could have been a momentum killer to a to a certain extent, and like, but you just kept trudging through it.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what does your ambition look like today versus back then?
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: And how is your concept of time paired with success and what success looks like in this journey that you're you're forging for yourself?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, 2020 is definitely like put everything into perspective, and if you don't keep going, like the only thing that you have is regret.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's the only thing you have, and that's the one thing that scares me.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: It scares me so much, dude.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like having regret, like it just makes me feel weird if I'm like, you know, I get older and older, and I'm just like, dang, like, I really wish I did this, I really wish I did that, and just never knowing what the answer would be.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because in in when you're when you get older and you've like for me, like I've gotten older now, it's just like if I didn't do these things, like I would have never known.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you think that This is going to be the answer.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's not what you think it's going to be.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think that's the craziest thing for me.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I never ever want to be a regretful person.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's been my main ambition for a very long time.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's scary, bro.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, like it's scary, but it's like, you know, who cares?
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this gotta go for it.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with with my career, it's definitely been one of those things where I'm just like, well, let's see where it goes.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And like I go for it, you know.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: So outside of the idol experience, like kind of taking that into consideration, what's been a moment that you've kind of been shocked as happened as a result of this journey?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like one of those, is this real?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: Pinch myself, am I really in this moment type of situations?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I've had multiple situations like that, even uh before idle.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was working and I was, you know, just being in LA, never really went outside of LA, just was working, working, working.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: I got a dream job and was playing since for this for this amazing band.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember we played the Conan O'Brien show.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: Crazy.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like so enamored because I love Conan O'Brien.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: I remember because I was homeschooled too.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: So every everything that I was doing, like at night, I would just like turn on the TV and just watch Conan.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it was like such an amazing show for me and a pivotal show because it would also show showcase music.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I've seen so many bands on that show.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so I did Conan O'Brien, and that was a pinch me moment.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: But then after that, going on tour and doing all these crazy things, and I'm just working, working, working.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Get on American Idol, get second place.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what like what's going on?
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was a pinch me moment.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then moving on from there, like from all these years of just touring my own music and going on, going to Europe and going like going all over the world basically and playing music, it's insane.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then I join a band with Shavo from System of a Down.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're like opening up at Notfest, and I'm like talking to some members of Slipknot, and I'm like talking to Eloy.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm talking to all these people that I really admire, and I'm like, wow, like I I wouldn't have it any other way.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is in the most insane thing, and sometimes it overwhelms.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like for me, I'm like, like, what is going on?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, that kind of moment where I'm just like, man, no matter what I'm doing, like, I have to cherish these moments, especially playing and having the opportunities to even play on the same stage as Chavo is amazing.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, the guys in the band are completely amazing.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, you have so many people in the industry that I had look up to that I have shared the stage with, and those things will always be so grateful for me.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like we opened up for Tool, you know, opened up for corn.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like these things are don't happen like for a lot of bands and a lot of artists.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, I'm just like, this is insane.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm so grateful for those moments.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: So there's definitely a lot of pinch me moments for me.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you've had a lot of different identities in the music business.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: How do you merge those together?
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: And or do you view them as different creative spaces, or how do you merge them together in this current journey with this EP that's about to drop?
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I kind of I feel like the the main the main thing for me is again, just to be myself, of course, but like I think the the musicality of what I try to bring to the table is very much like you know, I try to have that identity in everything that I do.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: So like if it's scary pool party or my name or you know, Hondo, whatever it is, whatever is switching to whatever band I'm playing with or whoever it is, like I'm gonna try to bring the best that I can to uplift the song.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's like the main thing.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I want to uplift the song, I want to make sure that, you know, whatever creative field that I'm working in, it's like that's the space that it needs to live in, you know, like not trying to overwork it, not trying to, you know, put it into a space where it's just trying to be successful.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, no, I want it to be like musically there, and that's like just been my mindset for a very long time.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: And with any project that I that I go into or play into, whether that be metal, jazz, pop, or whatever folk, it like I try to bring the best of my abilities to to when to add and when to subtract and when also to say no, to be like, you know what, like maybe the track doesn't need this on it.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Or like if I'm trying to play something and I'm like, you know what, I don't think it's working for this.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think it's way better if you just leave it as is.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, those kind of things are really vital for me.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: When you talk about those things, I think of it's very full-circled, uh, an earlier portion of this conversation.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think of guys like Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw, I think of Maynard Jane James Keenan, I think of Mike Patton, and all of these guys have something very similar in common with you, is they're able to adapt themselves to the different projects they're a part of.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think Patton at one point in time had four to six bands going, you know, Maynard has three or four bands going.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hell, Chino uh from Deftones has multiple bands, and and Daryl Palombo, you know, Glassjaw, Head Automatica, and then he's done some other stuff.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: But like, do you look up to people like that in the the their level of adaptivity and kind of model that for yourself to an extent?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, one guy too that I all those guys you mentioned are absolute legends, but for a lot of I would say like the the strides that I've seen also that have inspired me is like Jack White.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, like bro, like a lot of a lot of like stuff that he's doing is like completely amazing.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like the fact that he's pushing vinyl and pushing analog and pushing guitar amps and pedals and playing guitar, like plain live, like do like that to me is really amazing.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I wouldn't say so much model, more of like inspired.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like I want to I want to really hopefully one day you know have and built a foundation that's as strong as that, where it can have projects that I am very proud of and just be like, like wow, looking back on it, I accomplished everything that I wanted to do.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like a lot of those guys have that that stride and that vision because they're pop they're just fans of music, man.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, like we all are.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think it's such a a driving force that I think is beautiful.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: With this the velocity of how much things change in such a short period of time.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: Again, another thing that we talked about earlier is how has Alejandro, the songwriter, changed over the last three or four years?
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely chilled out.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely chilled out.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, chilling out and uh yeah, having more fun, honestly.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's like the main thing with songwriting, especially.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I was never I never saw myself as someone that I can was really like a pen game.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't really have that good of a pen game, but you know, there's always room to grow, especially with like reading more and and ingesting more and just taking more in culture and stuff like that too.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I think throughout the years I've learned how to travel better and learned how to take time off and also go on hikes and you know cook more and have more uh vulnerability in that area too.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because you know, for a lot of creatives, it's it engulfs you and you you're almost like in survival survival mode all the time.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, I had to learn how to take a step back and just realize like, okay, like tried this and this and this, like let me go for a walk, just chill out and come back to it when I need to come back to it, and just try to remember and and put it into like a catalog, you know, and just like be like, okay, that was the space and time when I did this.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to force that that lyric.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let me just figure out if this works better.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: So is there a genre that you haven't dabbled with yet that you're kind of itching to as a role result of your creative evolution?
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I kind of like I I've done I've done a lot, but I really I really feel like I want to get into there's two genres.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's mostly the blues and jazz, which kind of correlate with each other.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I just think that those genres are so fluid, and I I personally just want to get to know it more and to really ingest more artists and ingest more knowledge about that music, and I definitely want to make like two solid records that are fully jazz and fully blues, like that's like the main thing that I want to do.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, your vocal tonality along with your style of playing would be so good in a jazz environment.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, dude, I would love that.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, I was you know, I I love hearing that you're saying that because you know, I I told you this yesterday too.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I'm repeating myself.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: But my my fall season, I'm about to go into fall.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: I listened to Bill Evans trio, I listened to Vince Giraldi, and you know, we talked about Thelonia Smonk and all of that stuff.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I would love to hear you sing and play some jazz.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: That would be amazing.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's something like, especially like Thelonia Smonk.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like you put on those records and you're just like you can just put them on anytime, any day, you just put those on and you're like, wow, like this sets the mood for everything.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I would definitely would love to especially just work at making a record.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: It'd take a long time, but just work at a record to make something that that's like you know, some some appreciation of jazz, you know.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and all good things do take a long time.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Speaking of which, you've sold out tours, you've built a loyal fan base, and continue to evolve creatively without chasing trends.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: When you define success today, what does it actually look like to you?
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: What it looks like to me is honestly is freedom.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think success is being able to express yourself fully, to have a voice in what you want to say, and also like when you're making music to not have any barriers, like that's that to me is success, and there I wouldn't have it any other way.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: So when people listen to Baroque for the first time, what do you hope they walk away feeling?
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I kind of like when I made it, it was more of like every emotion.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you go through this whimsical kind of like style of piano, and then you go into some guitar, and then there's some like you know, some song about like thinking about someone in the past and then someone in the future, maybe like you know, those kind of things are like very vital for the EP, and I wanted to capture every emotion for that, and I think that there's uh there's something for everybody in it.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: So along the same lines, what do you hope that audiences understand you about you if they discover you for the first time through this album?
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I really want just people to understand that like I love making all sorts of styles of music.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's like the main thing.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh I've been striving for that for a very long time, especially with the amount of music that I have put out, and very grateful to be able to put out music the way that we I've been doing it, you know.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I think for a new listener would just definitely just love to hear you know what they thought about the album or the EP, whatever they're feeling, like that I feel like that the the emotions that are there are very valid and also very real.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna tell anybody that's listening to this or watching this.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: My wife and I sat down Friday night.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_01: We go down the YouTube rabbit hole of Alejandro's music, like various performances, and I swear we were on YouTube for damn near two hours watching performances, American Idol auditions, stuff he's put out on his own.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's absolutely fantastic.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I have heard Baroque start finish.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: I've listened to it a couple of times, no less than five, probably no more than ten, but that might change after today is over.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: But thanks, man.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: My closing question that I ask anybody that joins the show, because I love the variety of answers, and I've really enjoyed getting to know you over the last couple of days.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: What's your advice for making the world a better place tomorrow than what it is today through your eyes and your experiences?
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, honestly, it's all through community.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's the main thing.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: Looking after one another and having uh compassion and also forgiveness and empathy.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's the biggest thing.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: For for me at least, you know, I definitely in the past, like I've struggled a lot with kind of like running away from my problems and thinking that I was alone in a lot of these situations, but at the end of the day, we're not.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would say that the I think the best way to to fix anything is through community and to having more of input and having and also like having more dinners with people that you care about, you know.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: For real.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's so crazy.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: I, you know, last month, I back in June, I'm I'm walking around Seattle.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: My wife and I go on this trip to Seattle, I'm walking around and I'm kind of internalizing things and internalizing things that I've experienced.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, man, the world is such a big place.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then you get into these niche circles like musicians or some of the other avenues that I've been a part of, and you realize it's a lot smaller than it appears, and it's a lot more tight knit than it appears.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: So, kind of building on your comments about community, it is really important more now than ever, isn't it?
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: 1000%, one thousand percent.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, tell everybody that's listening to this or watching this where they can find you and your music online, my friend.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: So on so all social medias, you can find me on Scary Pool Party, Scary Pool Party Music, and then on uh Spotify, Apple Music, all the streaming.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can find me on Alejandro Aranda.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_01: Brother, I love it, man.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_01: I tell you what, I am now super proud to throw you in the friend category.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_01: The world's a much better place with you in it, my friend.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for doing the show.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, man.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, man.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it,