Was it hard to take it all on on your own?
It was definitely a bit scary at first and a bit daunting for me. I was like, ‘Oh geez, I really hope I can do this. I really hope I can finish this, and prove everyone wrong,’ because I think a lot of people thought I couldn’t do it. And it’s all worth it now that I look back. I think, ‘Yeah I made that record myself,’ and I feel like it was completely me. There was nobody else on it.
Are you by any chance a perfectionist or control freak? Does that have anything to do with why you did this on your own?
(Laughs) I would say maybe a lot of that goes into being in a one-man band. I just want it to be my vision. I have a way that I want it to sound and I don’t want to compromise that in any way. When I did the last record, I had a producer who was like, ‘I don’t really like that,’ or, ‘I don’t really feel that.’ I just wanted to do it and that would be that—no doubts about it.
How much of an influence did growing up in Venezuela have on your life or your music?
I’ve come to appreciate things more. I don’t know if this is any indication but I’ll give you an example. When I was a young boy we lived in a small village and I once fell in a well and one of the neighbours had to rescue me out. And to go from that, to like, touring the world and playing music for a living, it definitely is different. You appreciate it.
Do you often pinch yourself and think about how lucky you are?
I try to, you know. It’s hard to keep it all in perspective sometimes, but I try.
What sort of show will you be putting on for fans?
It’s an actual ‘show.’ We have a massive light show, it’s really awesome. It’ll be along the lines of a Kanye West type of spectacle.
My Name Up In Lights is available now. Catch The Secret Handshake at the School Of Rock in S. Hackensack, NJ, on May 20 and at Hangar 84 in Vineland, NJ, on May 21. For more info, visit thesecrethandshake.net.
