You’ve all seen a few tracks here and there, his latest Nyx was featured last week on the site. I wrote a review a while back for his latest EP, and we also featured his Dillon Francis/Deadmau5 remix of Some Chords. Now’s your chance to meet the man behind some incredible music. Check out my interview with Henry Smola below!!
– First off, tell us a little about yourself.
I’m 28 years old and I’m originally from Indian Orchard, MA. I left Massachusetts when I was 22, after enlisting in the United States Marine Corps.
– How did you first get into producing music?
I got into producing in 2005 but there’s a bit more that came before that. I started playing piano when I was nine years old and then when I was 12, I discovered rock and punk music. The big ones that I latched onto early were Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, and MxPx. Those were the guys that made me want to pick up a guitar and start writing songs. So, my aunt gave me her old acoustic guitar and I taught myself how to play.
Songwriting and singing came not long after I figured out how to play chords and then once I mowed my grandmother’s lawn enough times and saved up the money, I bought my first electric guitar. Once I had that, the next step for me was to get a band together. From late junior high all through high school, I was playing in bands with my friends and writing songs.
In the summer of 2005, that’s when I started making music with Scatterboxx, who’s a producer/rapper from East Longmeadow, MA. We went to high school together but didn’t really know each other then. One of my best friends happened to be mutual friends with him and said to us, “You both make music. You should get together some time.” So we did exactly that and it was instant chemistry. This new musical endeavor needed a name and we called ourselves Soon Might Be Too Late.
That’s when I discovered music production. Scatterboxx uses almost every DAW you can think of but the big one in those early days we used was Reason and I was fascinated by it. Up until then, all the music I had ever made was on real instruments and this was like a whole new world of possibilities. I’ve always been a huge computer geek. I got my first computer for my seventh birthday and from that day forward, my face has been pretty much glued to a screen. So the idea of making music on a computer was a natural progression, because it was the hybrid of my two biggest passions: computers and making music.
From a very young age, I’ve loved electronic music but I honestly didn’t know anybody else who did. Then when it started blowing up in America over the past several years, I was initially shocked because now everybody was into it, which was – and still is – so exciting for me. This music that I had loved for so long was finally getting the attention I always felt it deserved. I started consuming as much of this new generation of electronic music as I possibly could and that’s when my gears started turning.
Up until the middle of 2012, my musical focus was solely on Soon Might Be Too Late. But then I started to get the itch to do something on my own and more focused on electronic music. What kind of songs would I create, if I took all those years of songwriting and producing and combined it with my love of electronic music? In late 2012, I released a four-song EP called “The Bleeding Edge” and I’ve been producing non-stop since then.
(Just to clarify, I didn’t leave Soon Might Be Too Late to “go solo”. Scatterboxx and I are still making music and we’ve got some new Soon Might Be Too Late stuff coming this year, which I could not be more excited about.)
– I know from talking with you that you insist on keeping your music free to download, can you tell us your reasons for this?
My biggest reason for doing so can be summed up in a phrase I’ve often used in the past: “I would hate for something as trivial as money to be the reason why someone can’t have my music.” I’ve never made music with the mentality of trying to make money off of it. I make music because it’s my passion and I love it so deeply. My singular goal has always been to share my music with the world, never monetary gain.
Some people have come to me and said that they would like to pay me for my music and I’ve been theorizing this idea of offering releases in the future as both free and paid versions. Now, when I say “versions”, the only difference between the free and paid versions would be the cost, not the content. I would never do something where the paid version has more songs than the free one or the paid version comes out before the free one does. It wouldn’t be anything like that. There would be a place to download the songs for free as well as a place for people to pay for it and the choice is entirely theirs and I would be completely happy either way.
-Do you think it hinders your ability to be noticed?
I would say that it’s the opposite. By having no monetary hurdle for people to have to jump through to get your music, they’re more inclined to get it.
The thing you have to do as an artist is come to terms with where you stand in the grand scheme of everything, especially the “scene” at large. Producers are a dime a dozen these days and the scene is so oversaturated, it’s insane. On the one end of the spectrum, you have established artists, the big names in electronic music. Fans are going to pre-order whatever new music they come out with or buy it on day one without thinking twice. They’ll pay full price even if they’ve only heard a song or two from the release.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the up-and-comers, the independent artists. If you aren’t an established artist and don’t have a particularly large following, what’s your justification for charging for your music? Because you spent a lot of time making it? Well, newsflash, everyone else is busting their ass too. Even if you’re making amazing music, people don’t know who you are and that’s going to make it really hard for them to justify spending the money. My advice would be to focus more on trying to increase the size of your fan base, not the size of your wallet.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against the idea of making money and I’m not trying to say “all music should be free” or something like that. All I’m saying is that if you want to make money by making music, that will come in time. For me, the only reason you should be making music in the first place is because you love making music. And if the reason you started making music was because you wanted to make money then please immediately stop making music.
– What are some of your biggest influences that helped define your style?
My big influences from my singer/songwriter days before I started producing really helped me find “my sound” and still make a huge impact on me today. Mike Herrera from MxPx is incontestably the reason I started writing my own songs. I was twelve years old when I heard “I’m OK, You’re OK” for the first time and it changed my life. He made me say, “This is what I want to do. I want to make music.” I’d say my biggest influence as far as songwriting goes though has to be Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. I legitimately consider him to be the greatest singer/songwriter of all time. A couple other big ones would be Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins and Prince.
As far as electronic influences go, the biggest one is deadmau5. He’s a genius producer and is leagues above everyone else, but I have such an incredibly deep respect for him because of his integrity. He is the epitome of someone who has stayed true to himself and only makes the music that he wants to make. He could not possibly give less of a shit about what else is going on in the scene or what’s currently popular or any of that. I really wish more people had that mentality.
Trent Reznor is another big one. I’ve been listening to Nine Inch Nails for as long as I can remember. He’s just brilliant in every sense of the word and everything he touches is gold. My other big contemporary electronic influence would be Kill the Noise. He can tackle any genre or style and execute it in a way that is so uniquely him. I think his “Black Magic” EP is one of the best electronic records ever made.
– You’ve released a few EP’s now, any plans for a full album in the near future?
That’s actually what I’m currently working on. I’ve done four four-song EPs and then my most recent EP, “Dusk”, was six songs. So, in the interest of pushing myself, I decided it’s time to go the distance and do a full album. I’m aiming for 10 songs. As of right now, four are completely done.
The only foreseeable issue is that I’m going to be moving back to America soon and I want to have the album done before I move. There’s going to be a small chunk of time after I get back where I won’t be able to produce and I really don’t want to have to delay the release of the album because of that. So the goal is to have it done before then. One thing I definitely will not do is rush songs just to get it up to 10 before my self-imposed deadline. So I’m still going to take my time writing the songs and carefully craft them and make sure they’re up to my standards. And if it comes time for me to move and I don’t finish all 10, I’ll release the album with however many songs I got done. Then I’ll finish whatever songs I didn’t get to later and put them on a subsequent release. But as of right now, I’m very confident I can do all 10 in time.
– What is it like having to produce music away from home? (I’m fully aware that you are not stationed here in the US)
There are a lot of aspects to that. The Marine Corps certainly takes up a lot of my time but no matter what, I always find time for my music. “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” I live by that motto. You have to want it bad enough and never make excuses.
For most of my time in the Marine Corps before going overseas, I was stationed in California. Being away from home was tough at first but you get used to it. Being away from America, however, was a completely different experience. It was very hard at first but I channeled my emotions into my music. My EP “Voyager” from early 2013 is a metaphor for what I was feeling being on the other side of the world from everyone and everything I knew and loved. Making music has definitely helped me a lot while being away, certainly.
There’s also a lot less distractions and I intentionally don’t go out very often. I don’t want to come off as some hermit that’s frightened by the outside world or anything like that, but if I have free time and that time can be spent making music, then I’m always going to choose making music. You get out what you put in. That’s why I put as much into my music as I possibly can.
– Are there any specific challenges that stem from not being home?
Being away from family and friends is the hardest part, without a doubt. Technology’s come so far and everybody’s just a text or a FaceTime call away but those things can’t compare to actually spending time with someone. In terms of challenges specific to music, it makes collaboration more difficult. Now, again, technology has come a long way in this department. It’s so easy to send files to each other and work on a song that way, but it can’t compare to actually being in the same room as someone. There’s a certain chemistry and spark and vibe that can only come from making a song in person.
– Has there been a moment where you just know that producing music is something you truly love to do and are passionate about?
I don’t know if there was ever a specific moment where it all “clicked” but in those early, early years when I first started writing songs – sometime in the late 90’s – I knew that it was something I wanted to keep doing. I fell in love with the concept of creation, the idea that I could bring something into the world that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. I love being able to take what I hear in my head and feel in my heart and manifest it into sound. As the years went on, I just got more and more serious about it until eventually we get to where I’m at today. Once I started writing, I never stopped and at this point I’m certain that I never will.
– Any big plans for 2015?
I’m really excited about this album. I love the songs I’ve already written for it and I have very high hopes for the final product. Scatterboxx and I also have some new Soon Might Be Too Late material coming at some point this year. Aside from those, I have a long, long list of ideas for songs and EPs/albums that I want to work on. There’s no way I could get them all done this year though. Realistically, it would take me several years to write everything that’s on my “to-do” list. But what I can say with absolute certainty is that my album and the new Soon Might Be Too Late record are definitely not the only things you’ll be hearing from me this year.
– Do you have a festival or gig you dream of playing?
My dream gig would be for me to organize my own event where I’m the headliner and the other artists on the bill are people that I feel deserve more recognition. There are so many talented artists writing amazing songs out there that more people need to know about. If I was ever fortunate enough to make a name for myself, I’d love to be able to use that position to shine a light on other artists.
– What do you order at Starbucks?
Venti Java Chip.
– Do you have any advice for dj’s/ producers?
Stay true to yourself and find your sound. Don’t waste your time trying to make music that sounds like music that already exists. Keep writing and discover what makes you you. I’ve been writing songs for 16 years now and it’s a never-ending journey of self-discovery.
Never settle. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things and definitely don’t be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone. Strive to constantly out-do yourself.
Nobody but you knows how hard you’ve worked and how many hours you’ve put in. The only person you ever have to make happy is yourself. Write music that you love and believe in. Never sacrifice your integrity for any reason.
You’re going to get discouraged and there’s going to be days where you want to throw in the towel and quit. You need to push through that. Remember that you are your own toughest critic. You’re not going to make magic every time you sit in front of your computer. There will be good days and bad days. You just have to focus on the good days. When you’re in the zone and everything’s falling into place, when your creativity and your motivation are both in sync, those are the best days. Those are the days that make it all worth it.
– Any last thoughts?
This is just the beginning.
A huge thanks to Henry for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this interview! I’ve become a huge fan over the past year and a half or so and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us in 2015. Below is a link to his Soundcloud where you can listen to all of his music and download it for free! (I highly recommend you do). Look forward to some great releases from Henry this year and we’ll make sure to keep you posted!