The New Jersey-hailing multi-talented musician, actor, and singer-songwriter Greg Amici release a gripping and conceptual single with, "In Like a Lion."
Fresh off of his well-received single, "Tom Seaver," Greg Amici is also excited to release his forthcoming LP entitled 'Tragicomic.' Creating music with all sorts of themes and stories, Greg Amici gets especially deep within his latest conceptual single.
Produced by James Mastro at Magic Door Recording, Greg Amici's latest single, "In Like a Lion," serves a gut-wrenching groove and crisp alt-rock instrumentation. When touching on the single, Greg Amici mentioned, "This is my serial killer song...I came across a horrid photo...I wish I hadn't seen it, but that image fit the mood and threatening tone in the music and inspired the lyrics."
Jumping into "In Like a Lion," we're met with crisp percussion, soulful acoustic strings, and a twangy electric guitar, offering a blistering and heavy blues approach. Once Greg Amici makes his vocal appearance and begins depicting rather poetic and mind-boggling lyricism, he blasts through the hook with nothing but grit.
Alongside the deftly-created instrumentals, Greg Amici takes on the story of a serial killer and leading the public on a treasure hunt to find the man behind the madness. The scorching-hot hook carries such power and soul that we can't help but bang our heads to the dominant drum patterns. Ending the track on a profound note of introspection, we're highly impressed with Greg Amici's character development and obscure concept.
Find Greg Amici's recent single, "In Like a Lion," on all streaming platforms, and get ready for his forthcoming LP 'Tragicomic.'
Hello Greg, welcome back to BuzzMusic, we're always excited to dive deeper into your intricate and conceptual works, especially your recent release, "In Like a Lion." How did a specific photo inspire you to create such a heavily conceptual song?
I thought about working on a dark “road trip” piece – something like a musicalized Lolita. As I wrote the lyrics, I thought about the Starkweather spree and wound up doing some research on serial killers. I came across one extremely disturbing photograph that stuck with me. I’ll avoid encouraging voyeurism by not being too specific about which one.
What was the creative process like for the blistering instrumentals within "In Like a Lion?" Did you initially have a specific atmosphere or tone in mind?
I sent James (Mastro) an acoustic demo. Most of the chords are minor 7ths, suspensions, etc. Dark. I had a couple of production ideas, but Jim basically took the piece into another realm with his arrangements. Then he and Ray (drummer/engineer Ray Ketchem) really nailed the mood in their playing.
What was it like working with Producer James Mastro for your single "In Like a Lion?"
It was the first song we did together. I’d been wanting to work with him for years and finally had the opportunity to do so. Do you usually reach out to Mastro for your production? Yes, and I always will unless he’s on tour or something. I have a huge backlog of songs I need to get out before I die, and Jim’s services are very much in demand, by Ian Hunter, among many others. If it weren’t for the pandemic, he’d have been touring, and we probably wouldn’t have completed Tragicomic by now. I’ll take him when I can get him.
Could you expand on what we should expect from your forthcoming LP 'Tragicomic?' Would you say that the project is a concept album?
It’s not necessarily a concept album. It’s more of a mixed genre album. Some songs are comedies, some are dramas. Some are dramedies. Some songs I’ve been performing for years, some are new.
What's next?
Lose the weight I gained during the pandemic… And with the pandemic ending, I need to get back to playing live and to perform songs from Tragicomic on stage. My next recording idea is to do an album of older songs I’ve written, featuring youthful protagonists with the sensibilities that reflect that period of a person’s life. I’d call it Songs For Lads to Warble. Or something like that.