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LA duo Say Say (Adam Reiter & Jesse Gurtis) have been turning heads with their dynamic pop songs. They’ve been releasing new songs in anticipation of their debut, which will arrive in 2015. GroundSounds caught up with the duo to discuss their beginnings, inspiration for their music, opening for the Beach Boys, and more. Check out the interview below and stream their newest song “Like An Animal.”
When did you both start making music individually? How did you meet each other and begin making music together?
Adam: I got my first guitar when I was around 11 years old. There was an old saxophone that I found in my parents attic and I asked if I could take it to the local music store and see about trading it in on a guitar and amp. Immediately upon getting it home, I started trying to write songs and mimic Paul McCartney or Billie Joe from Green Day. My interest was not in learning other peoples songs, it was to write my own from day one… I’m sure there’s still old tapes around somewhere of me playing single notes on the guitar and trying to sing with it.
Jesse: Around 1999-2000 I got a great pair of Technics turntables that I actually still use to this day. It started with mixing vinyl records and matching beats and naturally turned into understanding the key that a song is in and how the songs can flow into each other. After a while I got some basic production software and began making my own beats and electronic songs. It wasn’t until I met Adam that I started to focus more on playing the keyboards but it has become my main focus and what I do in Say Say. I developed a style that fit with what Adam was creating and and years later we decided to form Say Say after he wrote Like An Animal and I wanted to be a part of what he was creating.
“Like An Animal” has a great vibe to it. I love the calm/mysterious vibe in the verses mixed with the huge punch of the choruses. Tell us about how that song came together.
Adam: There was a sound in my head that I was trying to get out for a while, it was a mix of structured songs with big choruses and an electronic element. Like An Animal kind of came out of nowhere but it was the sound I was looking for. After recording a rough version of the song, I emailed it to Jesse because he was out of town at the time. He emailed me back with a very excited email and said he couldn’t wait to get back and work on it and it was the sound I had been talking about for a while now. The song really almost wrote itself in a way and took me roughly 30-45 minutes to structure and write lyrics… I think it was just because I was so excited to have finally found our sound.
“Don’t Stop” is another track that is really a blast to listen to. What drew you to this style of music? What bands/artists inspire you?
Jesse: Adam kept playing Don’t Stop on his acoustic guitar and he asked me a few times, how can we turn this into a Say Say song? We sat with that one for a while until deciding that we should almost take the idea of it being more of a singer/songwriter song with organic elements and mash it with the synths and programmed drums.
Adam: We really wanted this one to set the band in a different direction and apart from Like An Animal but still be us. The cinematic synths at the beginning set a tone for where we were when we were writing Like An Animal and jumps right into the organic feel of the song with guitars, hand claps, shaker, drums and bass, you don’t really get the synths again until the chorus. The idea with Say Say has been to flow from one song into the next much like how Jesse would do it in a DJ set. We’re constantly developing this idea.
What was the experience like opening for The Beach Boys? Did you get to interact much with them? What’s the main thing you took away from their performance?
Adam: It was an honor to open for The Beach Boys, they were one of the reasons why I fell in love with music in the first place. My parents had a few of their records that were in stereo, so I could switch from left to right on the speakers and hear vocals on one side and instruments on the other. It really helped me to learn how to sing and harmonize. At the show, I did stand near them and we waved at each other backstage but I never talked to any of them. I’ve never really wanted to meet people who I hold in such high regard, for fear that I will be let down, or they will blow me off and that would a hard pill to swallow. Though numerous people asked me to come meet them, I never did, but I’m sure they are all great guys and they put on an incredible performance that night.
What can you tell us about your upcoming debut album? Have you finished writing it? When do you expect it to be released?
Jesse: Yes it is done! We’re very excited to finally release the EP.
Adam: I’m constantly writing more songs and I go back to the drawing board on what we should be releasing on this EP, so who knows… Yes, we do have over an EP worth of music recorded but with us constantly creating, by the time it comes out around March 2015, I might completely rewritten everything and we could release songs that weren’t originally on it. Stay tuned!
Where do you go around LA when you need to get away? What’s the best place to get a great meal around town that is under the radar?
Jesse: I like to get away to the beach, I grew up surfing in Florida and whenever I need to clear my head I grab my board and head to the ocean. But as far as restaurants go, I good friend owns a Louisiana style restaurant and bar called 504, it has great cajun food.
Adam: Yeah Jesse is the surfer, I grew up in the midwest, fishing and being in nature a lot and am a fly-fisherman as much as I can be. I’ve found some great spots to get away to not far from L.A. but will keep those my secret for now.
What’s your favorite venue to see live music in LA?
Jesse: The El Rey has become one of my favorite spots to see some live music. There’s not a bad seat in the house and I am really excited to play there onJanuary 23rd. It’ll be our first show there.
Adam: I really love the Troubadour, the history alone with John Lennon, Harry Nilsson and so many others whom I love makes me love that place.
What’s on tap for you in early 2015?
Adam: Well like Jesse said, we are coming back and playing the El Rey, in the mean time we’ll be getting everything put together and set to release the EP. We’ve got a lot developing right now and are very excited to start the new year.
Where is the best place to stay updated with you online?
Jesse: www.SaySaymusic.com all of our social media links are on there.
Say Say – “Like An Animal”
