A Dirty Dozen with JON SIEJKA of MAGIC DANCE – November 2018

According to a recent press release: “MAGIC DANCE was born in 2012 on Long Island, NY as a solo project for singer/songwriter Jon Siejka. A self-taught musician and producer, his debut EP, Another World was released in May 2013. The Mirror of Dreams and Kiss Scene EPs followed, all heavily influenced by the iconic synth-pop and film soundtrack music of the ‘80s.” We get Jon to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I think there are few songs on here that are not as immediate, they are what I’d call slow burners. Songs like “Cut Beneath the Skin” and “For a Time”. They are a little more veiled, but I think they will be songs people come back to.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was already 21, a senior in college when a friend of mine left his guitar in my dorm room. I started to play and very shortly realized that this was what was missing from my life. I never had a passion until that moment.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

When I started learning guitar, it was an American metal band called Killswitch Engage that was my main inspiration. Obviously my music is far removed from that, but I always loved their sense of melody.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

It’s almost too difficult to answer. I have become somewhat of an eclectic. I gravitate towards anything with melody and genres don’t matter much to me anymore. I can be influenced by almost anything these days, a song completely outside of my toolbox can inspire me.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Maybe famed pop songwriter Max Martin, I would want to learn as much as possible from him.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I’d probably keep it basic and say we sound like an 80’s pop/rock band. Ever hear of Journey, Mr. Mister, Survivor? Sometimes we are compared too much to “montage rock” from 80s movie soundtracks. We are indeed very much like that on the surface, but I’d like to think there’s an emotional core to the music that separates us from that.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Writing a song is an incredible experience, time stops. Especially when you know you’ve got something good, everything else in your life just falls away. It’s the closest thing to a divine experience that I have encountered.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

We don’t do much as a band other than rehearse! We are in NYC all the time but never seem to do much but practice and talk gear. Too much business and not enough pleasure, if you ask me.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

I have never met any stars or celebrities, I spend too much time in the studio!

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

That’s hard to answer, because being a musician would be my dream job. Maybe a movie director. I like have a vision and seeing it come to life.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

When I started this project I was just beginning to sing. I was still learning and had not completely found my voice. I wish I could go back and re-track all the vocals I did from Another World EP to Kiss Scene.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Maybe Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, which I understand he wrote and recorded himself in his bedroom, which is a process I’m very familiar with. Would love to have been a fly on the wall for that one. It’s a very somber record, it hits you like a bad hangover. But I still listen to it a few times a year.

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Category: Interviews