The multi-talented musician, writer and actor, Greg Amici returns with his latest visual expression for the single, "Ship Strike." Teaming up with a myriad of talented musicians, including James Mastro (guitars, keyboards, percussion), Tony Shanahan (bass), Dennis Dibrizzi (keyboards), Joe August Gentile (backing vocals), Renee LoBue (backing vocals), and Ray Ketchem (drums, percussion), Greg Amici takes on the lead vocals for this composition as he delves into an intricate narrative.
The well-thought-out masterpiece has us navigating around a buoyant quintessence that borders traditional folk elements. His ability to bend a genre is well known as it defies the normalities that make themselves present in today's generation of music.
The warm strums of the acoustic guitar trickle in with familiarity and anticipation as we eagerly dip into the peaks and valleys before us. Latching onto the unorthodox exploration of song narratives, we hear Greg Amici profess smoldering timbres that touch on the plight of whales that are inadvertently shredded by cargo ships in the dark of night. In his best attempt not to preach by any means, he excels at the mission at hand as he leaves us fully engaged and aware of a problem not many know about.
Drawing attention to the issue while not compromising his integrity, there's much to weave yourself into as you immersively take in "Ship Strike." Produced by production architect James Mastro at Magic Door Recording in Montclair, New Jersey, the entirety of "Ship Strike" has us fixated on the top-tier mix quality as well as how impeccably each element resides with one another.
Always ready for Greg Amici to pick up his guitar and indulge us in his tales, we can count on him to shed awareness for what he believes in as well.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Greg Amici! Congratulations on releasing your latest single and music video for "Ship Strike." With such a powerful story you deemed essential that ultimately goes against your artistic rules, what made this issue such an important topic to cover?
Well, we all love whales. Or should. They're wondrous, gentle, sea mammals. And this sad story is not well-known. While my “Ship Strike" protagonists seem sort of heartless, they are also in a difficult position. People rely on speedy cargo ship deliveries for their livelihood. Or at least they did, before the current disaster. Hopefully, we’ll soon see some technological discoveries that currently don’t exist.
Could you please take us into the vision behind the music video? Was this always how you saw it being executed?
A friend of mine connected me with David Fagin. David’s a well-known musician, but he also does great video work. I told him I didn’t want to have blood and gore-- I wanted something more subtle to support the lyrics. We decided to go with the animation. David’s done great work for me before. I give him my thoughts and he does his thing. I never have to do more than tweak the result.
What was it like working with all the talented individuals heard on this record? How did this grand collaboration come to be?
It’s the same crew as always. My producer, Jim Mastro, has worked with Tony Shanahan in several great bands. He’s also worked with Ray Ketchem and Renee LoBue. From the beginning, we all jelled. Joe Gentile and I go back to the ’90s when we had a band called Big Honey. He’s been a great friend and collaborator.
In terms of your music career, what has been the best piece of advice that you've received in 2021?
That’s tough. I solicit advice from Jim and Ray. They're very generous and helpful. I’ve had detailed conversations with Renee about “the business.” We’re all trying to figure out how to make things happen in a motile industry. Those three have been there and done that. I'm still trying to figure it out.
What's next for you?
I just keep recording and recording. I’m going to play live at some point. Maybe in the spring. For now, I’ll be hibernating. Actually, I have acting gigs coming up, so I guess I won’t have time to do that. Too bad.