SINGER/SONGWRITER
Todd Fredericks
T
By Susan Canalizo odd Fredericks was born in New York City where he developed a love for music early on in life. This is not surprising since his parents were both active in the music business in the 50s/60s. His father was a well-known radio DJ in the NY area spinning tunes on his “Night Train” show, and his mother managed rock bands such as The Bell Notes who had the 1959 hit “I’ve Had It”. Todd picked up his first guitar when he was at NYU and started to compose, play, and sing his own songs. He played in various local bands such as String, The Nigels, and he worked on many music and acting projects on and off over the years. Fast forward to 2020. Music has always been an integral part of Todd’s life, and while living in the Netherlands, the lock-downs during the COVID pandemic opened a new path for him to create music again. He kept to some strict creative considerations such as that all work on each song can last no more than two weeks from either writing new material or modifying a few old favorites to the final mix. Each song should be between 3-4 minutes, and no longer. And for fun, he wanted to shoot a music video for each one using interesting locations throughout the Netherlands and other places in Europe. And the last very strict and unmoveable consideration: Have fun! This worked out very well for Todd. From April 2020 to the end of the year, he has recorded 10 new songs. Each one tells its own story and shares emotions without boundaries or limitations. Stay tuned for a lot more songs to come. SC: Who are your musical influences? TF: I grew up listening to a wide range of music from The Beatles, Nilsson, Sondheim, Sinatra, Ella, with many jazz greats sprinkled in, classical music, and endless film scores. Many of these influences opened my ears to song structure, melodies, and also that it’s okay to bend and break rules. There is no correct way to do anything. Most of the brilliant songwriters/musicians out there
cannot even read a note of sheet music. There’s a great observation that John Lennon made about himself in an interview. He said he considered himself an artist and not a “musician”. He said he may not know how to play tuba but give him a tuba and he will create a “sound” with it. A cool sound you will remember. I consider an attitude like that a wonderful form of artistic freedom. Do whatever the heck you want to do. The music is you! SC: What’s the story behind your music video a “Lonely and Blue?” TF: I wrote “Lonely & Blue” while I was sitting in my living room looking out the window, wondering where my life has been going and where and how do I fit in. It’s not a sad song but a song about self-honesty and that it’s okay not to be “on” or on top of the world. The clouds will be gray and the sun does disappear, but we are all here together. Hopefully, we will all be okay “if not for you/ us”. I tried to keep my singing honest and vulnerable. Here I am. SC: How would you describe your sound? TF: My “sound” is really about my love of many different types of music. I’ve been in a 50s/60s music kick recently. I love the angst and immediacy of the songs and all the wonderful backing vocals. My dad explained to me years ago some of the history of early rock/R&B backing vocals. It was to create a poor man’s symphony. For example, the kids who used to sing Doo-wop on the street corners came up with all these vocal sounds because they couldn’t afford to hire an orchestra or didn’t own a guitar or who could afford a trumpet? They wanted that “full sound”, so they created it themselves. That notion excited me when working on some of my new stuff. I also really think of recording songs like a painting. First there’s the sketch, and then what layers can I add? What can I do with my voice or can I create some interesting textures with a particular sound? SC: How has Covid impacted the music business? TF: I think Covid has hurt the music business
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JyKkoa16HTiuxwTlbBO6T https://music.apple.com/us/artist/todd-fredericks/1564662711 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Todd+Fredericks&i=digital-music&search-type=ss&ref=ntt_srch_drd_B093KBXY5N https://www.youtube.com/user/fredericksny/videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHzFnhx8oYMFnb03wsgkHkw
in terms of concerts, local music festivals, and the power of audiences getting together. But on the other hand, a new door of creativity has opened up like an explosion with more self imposed projects like I’ve been working on, and very solid online collaborations. So much amazing creativity happening. Lots of innovation. For example, a good friend of mine living on the other side of the world was able to contribute a ukulele and a few other instruments on some of the songs. We did this thanks to the internet, a few recording techniques, and a “we can do this” attitude. The experience was amazing. No matter what’s happening in the world, there are so many ways to get your voice, creativity, and point of view out there! Just keep doing it. SC: Future plans? TF: I just moved back to the New York City area after living in Europe for the last several years. I’m very much looking forward to continuing working on my music, releasing some more tunes, and jamming with some old and new friends. I also cannot wait to get a slice of some great NY pizza! Let’s not even talk about the bagels!
May 2021
111
