THE LONIOUS MONK

Q: Songs to Feel To feels like a full emotional journey rather than just a collection of separate tracks. When did you first realize the album should be built around human feelings as a whole?

When I decided to make an album, I really wanted to make something unique. Since the music is AI assisted, I knew my creativity had to shine through the lyrics and the concept. I had actually already made the song “Fear.” I liked the way that came out and realized that an album where every song was dedicated to a particular emotion would be something different and fresh, so I ran with it.

Q: The album moves from darker emotions into more healing ones. Was that emotional arc planned from the beginning, or did it take shape as you were writing?

No, I actually didn’t decide that until near the very end. At first, my intent was to make songs for particular pairs of emotions (e.g., “Hate” and “Love”), and then put those pairs together. Once I had all the songs made, I realized that grouping them as bad and good would make for an interesting transition as the album played on. From there, I came up with the intro, interlude, and outro, which really cemented the narrative feel of the album. I think it really feels like a story now more than just a bunch of songs put together.

Q: What made you want to begin the album in such an honest and heavy emotional place?

To me, the bad and good side of emotions are two sides of the same coin. Both sides are important, but there’s no question that dwelling on the negative can bring you down. I think it made more sense to end on a positive note. That mirrors what we like to see in reality. Sometimes you’re going to be down. Rising out of those depths feels good. That’s what I want people to experience when listening to the album.

Q: The lyrics show anger, hate, fear, pain, and anxiety as powerful forces, but not as permanent identities. How important was that distinction for you?

It’s very important. Sometimes when things are tough, it feels like you’ll never make it through. However, in almost every case, with a little perseverance and patience you’ll be fine. I say almost because there are circumstances for some, where maybe the bad never quite goes away. I think that I expressed that most in “Anxiety.” It’s unfortunate, but sometimes we have to learn to live with some negativity. That’s a lesson too.

Q: A big message in the album is that feelings are real, but they should not control us. Is that something you have learned personally over time?

Yes, that’s something I take from my actual life. I’ve learned that being unfeeling doesn’t help, and often isn’t even possible. Understanding your emotions and feeling them in a controlled and disciplined way is best. It’s not always easy to do that, but once you learn to do it, it can have a big and positive impact on your life.

Q: There is a lot of self-awareness in the album, especially when difficult emotions become harmful or spiritually heavy. Was it challenging to write from that honest place?

No, it wasn’t hard. It felt pretty natural. To be honest, I actually prefer the songs for the “bad” emotions better. They represent challenges and overcoming those challenges can be cathartic. Having hope is great, but conquering your fear feels more rewarding, I think. For me, there was just something more enjoyable about telling the stories of those emotions. I hope that resonates with listeners.

Q: The album seems to suggest that pain and struggle can become teachers. Do you see hardship as something that has shaped your creativity?

Yes, absolutely. Sometimes, I feel like the “good” feelings are the rewards we get for making it through the tough times that give life to the “bad” feelings. Like everyone else, I’ve experienced some tough moments in my life. I always try to learn lessons from those moments, and those lessons usually have led to me experiencing more and more prolonged good times. I think that’s another reason I started with the “bad” emotions and transitioned to the “good” ones on the album. That’s how things have often worked out for me.

Q: Anxiety is presented in a very raw and vulnerable way. What did you want listeners to understand about that feeling?

I’ve never really felt strong anxiety, but I know some people who have. I really wanted to express how daunting it seems to be. For some people, it’s not necessarily something that can just be pushed through. For them, it never truly goes away. I think there’s hope even for those people, but in my discussions with some of them, they really feel alone because no one seems to understand what they are facing. I wanted to bring some light to that. I hope I did their feelings justice.

Q: Faith becomes a strong source of light in the second half of the album. How does your Christian faith guide the way you write about emotion?
As a Christian, faith in God is what helps me believe there is always a light at the end of the tunnel when in those dark periods. That same faith helps me see some good even when I’m not in the best points in life. I understand not everyone believes what I believe, but I hope that everyone can find something that impacts them in the same way, I really do feel like a belief that things can be better is a great driver for doing what needs to be done to make things better.

Q: Joy, love, hope, and peace are written as deeper choices or gifts, not just temporary good moods. Was that spiritual depth important to the album’s message?

Yeah, I think that’s a key takeaway from the album. I don’t think any of these emotions are really transient. They might not always be “turned on,” but they are always there. I think it’s particularly important to understand that for the “good” emotions. If you can learn to keep your hope, for example, activated, then you don’t need to search for it when you need it. That’s not always easy to do, but just think how great it would be to master that. What if you could find peace no matter your circumstances? I think that would make coping with life’s ups and downs a lot easier.

Q: The album does not pretend that peace means having no problems. How would you personally define peace after writing Songs to Feel To?

I think peace comes from learning to be content with whatever position you have. Now, I don’t mean you should be satisfied. Sometimes you need to fight to make things better, and that’s referenced in the song. However, being able to work towards improving your station while also being able accept where you are at that particular moment can save you some stress. Peace isn’t necessarily the absence of stress. It’s the ability to manage stress.

Q: Love is shown as something active, connected to faith, family, sacrifice, and commitment. How much did your own family life influence that part of the album?

That song came from a poem I wrote for my wife for our tenth anniversary, so my family life influence was the impetus for the song. If there is one of these emotions that I wish we could all just keep turned on, it’s love. Of course, we’re not going to love everyone and everything the same, but if we could learn to find some basic level of love that we can express for everyone, the world would be so much better.

Q: Hope feels like one of the main bridges between the darker and brighter sides of the album. What does hope mean to you when life is difficult?

Hope and faith go hand in hand. They are what you can turn to when life is difficult. I know some people see hope as a belief that things could get better. I choose to look at is as the belief that things will get better. For me, having hope means you believe you’re working towards an inevitable turn for the better rather than a potential turn. It’s a lot easier to persevere when you know your efforts will bear fruit. How can you know things will get better? Well, that’s where the faith comes in. Some might see this approach as silly, but it hasn’t failed me yet, so I’m sticking with it.

Q: Pleasure is treated with balance, showing both enjoyment and the danger of excess. What made you want to explore that more complicated side of pleasure?

We can probably agree that everyone understands the good side of pleasure, but there’s another side that people can miss out on. That may be true for all the “good” emotions on the album, but it stands out more for pleasure. There is no shortage of examples of pleasure seeking having tragic consequences. I said before that the emotional pairs are like two sides of the same coin. I think that’s very apparent when thinking about pain and pleasure. Overcoming pain can lead to pleasure, but overindulging in pleasure can bring about pain. I say in the song says moderation is needed, and I believe that. Balance is also important. It might not be as easy to understand that truth for something like love, but I believe everybody can get it when thinking about pleasure.

Q: The album often feels like a conversation between weakness and resilience. Do you see resilience as something people are born with, or something they build?

Both. Kids often show impressive resilience. They can face great adversity and then bounce back like it never happened. Sometimes that capability is be beaten out of us over time. Life can seem like a rollercoaster ride that doesn’t stop, and maybe that does weaken our resilience. However, if we embrace the fact that all those downs came with ups, maybe that can help us continue to push forward when facing those downs. Help from others can go a long way too. I didn’t explore that as much as I probably should have in the album, but our battles don’t have to be foughtalone and our feelings aren’t just shaped by our own experiences.

Q: What emotion was the hardest for you to write about honestly?

I’d say anxiety. Like I said, I don’t really suffer from that, so I couldn’t personalize it as much. I had to draw from what I’ve heard from others, so it was a bit of a challenge to create something authentic. I did share it with a couple people that do experience it, and it was heartening to hear from them that they thought I did a good job of capturing the feeling.

Q: What emotion was the most healing for you to write about?

Definitely peace. The world is a mess right now. I think a lot of us feel that way. That song was almost me talking to myself as much as any of the listeners. I even include a line that says as much at the end of the song.

Q: Since Songs to Feel To is your debut album, what did this project teach you about yourself as a writer?

It taught me that I could be a songwriter. I’ve written like ten novels that I’m working on publishing, and I’ve written a ton of poems over the years. I’ve never even thought about writing songs. Just playing around with the AI tool allowed me to turn some of those poems into songs, but they weren’t really songs. They were just poems set to music. Making this album forced me to learn what songwriting really entailed and to actually work on the craft. I can’t say I’m a great songwriter now or anything like that, but I can say that I created a product that I’m proud of. I just hope that people give it a chance and are able to take something away from it too. Either way, I’ll do my best to continue to improve.

Q: After exploring so many sides of the human experience on this album, where do you feel The Lonious Monk’s songwriting might go next?

I already have something I want to release in the near future. I’m just working on cleaning it up and getting it ready. It’s called “Around the World in Under an Hour.” The concept is that each song will feature an instrument or musical style unique to a particular country or region. The themes of the songs are also tied to those countries/regions in some way. The goal is for the listener to actually feel like he or she is taking a trip through time, space, and beyond. I believe music can have that kind of impact.