Greg Jiritano started playing music at the young age of 8 beginning with learning guitar, then went on to play in a band at 12 and then all the way to New York City at 16 to play in bars. Greg was focused on writing and recording his own music as he first started writing at the age of 18 and thought performing as a live musician was lucrative and exciting, though starting his journey as an artist was what he felt needed to be concentrated on. Lord Sonny The Unifier is focused on capturing a spirit of realness and honoring the greats that came before them, remembering music’s spirit by expressing an original and basic truth that is of the soul and communicates this through a universal language.
“The Starman” starts off easing into the melodies with a beautiful chord progression from the piano, followed by the addition of drums, guitar and what sounds like a synth shortly after the beginning of the track. Greg’s vocals are light and airy, yet filled with passion for the music and lyrics which beautifully accompanied by the moving tones of the many instruments. I love the creativity of the music video that has been made to accompany the story that is embedded in the lyrics, and the fact that it is filled with beautiful sights that help pain a clear message in the listeners mind. Part of the way through “The Starman” there is a glorious guitar and synth solo to be found that adds a bit of character to this already vibrant classic rock song that is extremely catchy. It feels as if the message that is trying to be conveyed through “The Starman”, in my opinion with the help of the lyrics and music video, that things are getting tough around here and it tends to be easier to run away to the stars than to deal with it – and I get that vibe with the almost state of cluster that can be represented at the end of the song, which can be easily depicted by the lower tones of the melody and the confusion of the video. Overall, “The Starman” is a phenomenal creation that utilizes many instruments and meaningful lyrics to emphasize a message that could be open to interpretation.
Listen to "The Starman" here and get to know more about Lord Sonny The Unifier below!
Hey Lord Sonny The Unifier! Fantastic to chat! Can you tell us a bit more about your background?
Hey Lord Sonny The Unifier! Fantastic to chat! Can you tell us a bit more about your background?I began playing the guitar at age 8 and played very young in bands throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island playing in bars and clubs where you could play with impunity regardless of your age. I learned early on that the only important thing as a musician was writing good songs and so I cast aside the blinders about flashing my shiny guitar and blow dried hair at smiling woman and dazzling them with speed and chord knowledge because they didn’t give a shit. They gave a shit about being moved by your song and so I began the search…..
What was your favourite part of creating the music video for “The Starman”?
Working with the Director Ben Pironti is always a thrill. He has a mind that works completely outside the mainstream of conventional thought. We’ve been good friends for many many years and his enthusiasm and relentless drive to succeed at all things he sets out to do is a constant inspiration. We guerrilla shot the entire video just Ben and I, often mounting the camera on a tripod in a van with the door open, turning the camera on while he drove and using a remote screen on the dashboard to film me as I walked. Out of a severe lack of funds we just had to make it all work with just he and I. He’s got a fantastic sensibility and a fearless soul and so we just shot whatever we thought would make the trajectory of the Starman make sense, starting fresh in the barren countryside and in an abandoned town in Pennsylvania and ending up mad in the maelstrom of Times Square. Filming on the side of the road heading into Manhattan was challenging as large speeding trucks came within a few feet of our camera, and thankfully no cops. With all the shots the biggest problem were the cops as they could easily fine you and shut you down for shooting in a public space without a film permit. Ben's camera is not small, so it was more difficult to do discreetly especially in Time Square with all the cops prowling about. But we managed. When he went to edit the footage he realized we hadn’t shot enough (and it needed to be ready for the PR company asap) so we quickly went in and shot the ‘performance’ part in his garage with a technique he devised that ended up looking really nice and stark next to all the external shots.
Tell us the meaning behind “The Starman”.
Throughout history mysterious people have appeared to come from places beyond the scope and consciousness of this earth or of man’s previous understanding of it They are the prodigies or mystery men and woman of the future or prophets advising people with cautionary tales or directions that need to be sought, paths that need to be taken or redirected towards a higher way. They are the ones bringing new technological or scientific advances that far out shine those before them. They are the prophets and the healers of man with powers seemingly beyond those of their fellow men. People who outshine those around them. Of course there are some who are misunderstood and shunned from society as well as those who come, but their gifts do not reach fruition for various reasons. This is a video of one such Starman who came and was too overwhelmed with mankind to begin to cultivate any changes. He came and he saw the madness around him and left. This is the fate of this Starman. Many have come before him with varying degrees of success, many will follow. We don’t know where they have come from and can only get a feeling or hunch from some who actually might have been here or are here now. They don’t reveal themselves and only try to advance humanity as best they can to those with ears and hearts to accept their offerings.
You have a wonderful sound! What inspired you to create such an alluring, unique sound?
Thanks you! I cannot say from a conscious point of reference where my inspirations directly spring from besides everywhere and everyone I've ever been inspired by. Of course this ranges from Beethoven to Bob Marley, Count Basie to Pere Ubu and everyone of my favorite writers, painters, film makers, great thinkers, philosophic, spiritual or otherwise etc etc. The most important consideration for any artist is to not be concerned with the prevailing winds of the day but to shun them and with relentless pursuit say whatever you feel needs to be said from the center of your own artistic being and if you haven’t found that voice then keep searching until you do (but spare us the release of your attempts along the way). The great painter Kandinsky said, any art born of the imitation of another artist will be born stillborn. The greatest compliment anyone can ever give to you is not a check but that you have done your art without compromise and have done so with your own voice. This can be seen in all the great artists who have made it into the history books. The choice seems to be for many, is it the road to the bank or to the history books? Sadly we know which road is chosen more often.
From an artist’s perspective, how do the melodies in “The Starman” differ from the other songs on your album?
I suppose one can say that the melodies from any one song differ from the melodies of any other song (or else you’ll have a lawsuit on your hands). The vocal melody of any song is, 90% of the time, the focal point and consequently the most important part of the song. I do not consider myself a singer in the sense that I've studied under teachers and have had vocal coaches and have cultivated an approach that should be taken seriously like any good singer should, no this is not my fate. (As a result, I cannot sing anyone else's song.) Anything worth screaming about is worth singing about is how I write the lyrics to sing and my approach to the mic is how I think Iggy Pop and Joe Strummer would guide me along, and how I imagine their approach to the microphone, melodically and performance wise would be. Every other aspect of writing a song differs from the vocal melody for me, as the vocal melody is pure inspiration, the other aspects of writing a song take a lot more directive than that. Of course the other factor in the melody is the lyrics which can sometimes impede and hamper the melody you’ve just spat out…and then you’ve got to go back in and make those adjustments, more elements to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. All that to say, and I'm sorry to say, simply, that they differ because the song bed upon which they lay differs.
Can we expect to see any new music or upcoming performances from Lord Sonny The Unifier in 2019?
The full album, FINAL NOTICE! from which The Starman is on was just released in its' entirety on April 12. We’ve released 4 of the 6 videos and so we’ve got some more video releases to go, but the full album can be found everywhere now. I have just finished the preliminary mix on my next album, as of yet untitled. I’ve still got to make the videos for it and master it and I am hoping to have it released by the fall sometime. As far as performing live, I simply can't afford it. I need a 7 piece band to perform live and do not have the resources to make that happen. Hopefully someday…..
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