Written interview with Bluesman Mark Pszenny of The Pszenny Project
Jazz Blues European Union: – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview with Jazz Blues EU. Tell us about your music. When did you start performing?
Mark Pszenny: – I started performing live in the early 90’s playing 2nd guitar in the original band “No Boundries” (spelled correctly), a Vermont USA based band. In the early 2000’s I played in various cover bands all over New England and in another original band “The Brooks Young Band” for a short time. I deeply admired Brooks and his talent/work ethic. May he RIP (11/24)! In 2021 I really began to get serious about writing my own music (a bucket list thing) and formed what would become “The Pszenny Project”. After a slew of health problems and surgeries, I finally started writing songs; the first ones were “Funked Up”, “Tell Me Why” and “Chronic Pain” all personal stories of how I was feeling and what I was going through at the time. In 2022 after the release of our “Funked Up” EP The Pszenny Project started officially performing local shows in the midlands of South Carolina.
What do you consider to be your hometown and how does that affect your music?
While I was born and raised on the Northshore of Boston and spent most of my adult life in New Hampshire, I consider the Columbia, South Carolina area to be my hometown. The south is warm and welcoming. The south has certainly helped me slow down and gain introspection which, would not have been possible had I still had been in New-England. The stories in some of my songs, coupled from past experiences are derived from my time in the south and musicians in my surrounding area. Jason Corely (Pszenny Project drummer has been key in making the music come alive). Stoney Love (AKA Artie Joyner), himself a popular local musician, has provided me much insight in writing songs by telling me to “just write my story” and songs will follow.
What performers have been your inspiration?
I have a vast variety of musical influences: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin (my true 1st guitar hero); Eric Clapton in all forms and decades has been paramount in my development as a guitarist & musician; Stevie Ray Vaughan is an undeniable influence, Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher, Freddie & Albert King to name a few. I can’t forget my friend Brooks Young. It’s his formula I have been following to get The Pszenny Project as far as I have thus far.
What do you find most challenging about being an independent artist in today’s music industry?
It’s the toughest job in the music industry period! You are the performer, roadie, booking agent, promoter & marketing manager, band manager and music director all in one. Artists with legitimate record labels do not have to work in all those directions. It’s mind numbing and must be attended to 24/7. Keeping up with the social media commitment alone is a full-time job. And, when musicians or band members are not towing the line, I must be the bad guy and cut them lose. Quite simply if they are not onboard with the business plan, learning the music properly or un-willing to put in the necessary time, I can’t use them, no matter how talented.
What do you base your success on?
For a long time, I was so busy and overwhelmed with promotion and marketing, I didn’t have time to think about or enjoy the success. But, considering I had zero expectations of what the band or music would accomplish, looking back on this, the success has been amazing. Our Smokey Bourbon album reached #45 on Roots Music Review’s top 200 blues-rock albums of 2024; we have received a good amount of FM radio and podcast spins There have been many very positive reviews about the album in publications like Blues Bast Magazine (April 17, 2024), Zel, Blues Beats (Jul 19, 2024), RootsTime.BE (Jul 29, 2024), The Rock Doctor (Jul 22, 2024) and ZICAZINE (Aug 24, 2024) to name a few. Looking back over the time since the release of “Smokey Bourbon” and the success it has attained, I couldn’t ask for more than that. I am very grateful and humbled by the attention The Pszenny Project has received.
Can you talk about your experiences collaborating with other artists or musicians? How does it influence your creative process?
When writing all the songs I have written so far, there has been a tremendous amount of collaboration with our drummer, Jason Corely & former bass player John Bunucci. Both these guys participated in the writing process and musical direction of all our published material to date. Both Jason and John helped shape how our songs final product would ultimately sound. They helped take the songs in directions and sounds that I would have never thought of on my own. Traditionally, I have presented them with lyrics and a shell of a song then they would suggest a different vocal line, make adjustments to the bridge and chorus sections… and out the other end came the songs as you hear them today.
What was your latest musical release?
Our latest release is The Pszenny Project “Smokey Bourbon” released on July 10, 2024.
Do you have any news to share? Could you share the story behind your latest new CD The Pszenny Project – Smokey Bourbon and what inspired its creation?
The Smokey Bourbon album has 5 new tracks and 8 remixed/remastered tracks from our debut full length self-titled The Pszenny Project. The new tracks are Smokey Bourbon, I Get Lost, Shake it, Baby Cries and Highway Jamming. These songs represent a continuing direction of growth and some experimenting into different musical styles while keeping one foot planted firmly in influence of blues. The remaining remixed tracks was an effort to get those songs aligned better with how the band really sounds. I was and still am very displeased at how those songs were originally mixed and mastered. Unfortunately, when the debut album was released, I was very much in a hurry to get it out there and didn’t give it a proper listen before releasing it. I relied on the studio we hired to do those things right. Lesson learned the hard way! Needless to say, we dropped that studio and our subsequent releases will be recorded mixed and mastered elsewhere.
How does your latest album fit into your creative path? Is this a goal you wanted to achieve?
I feel the Smokey Bourbon album has shown just how many influences we have. There are elements of Jazz, Funk, Blues, rockabilly and R&R throughout the album and honestly that was not pre-planned. That’s just how the songs came out. That being said, I’d like to do an album that focuses more on traditional blues but, with a contemporary approach. However, it will be what it is when the product is finished and we will not shackle ourselves with expectations of outcomes.
How do you approach the process of songwriting, and are there any specific themes or emotions you tend to explore in your music?
There is no one method to my approach. I write down and/or record every idea I have to my phone. I have a bank of ideas to draw from once we start the new writing process. Most of the songs thus far started with a guitar riff idea or a chorus and then built around one or both of those. There are some exceptions however, for example “Baby Cries” was a theme of leaving and the main character referred to his/her significant other as “baby” as a term of endearment. John Bunucci came up with the theme and I ran from it from there. I had already had an idea with the guitar and using C#m to make it sound pretty. For “What the Funk” I wrote the intro guitar riff first (recorded to my phone) and the chorus next. The entire premise was to be a parody to our song “Funked UP” in the theme of Funk It etc.…. The verses are complete fiction telling the story of a contest to win someone over who is not interested. It just fit the chorus. Lol. “I Get Lost” was written around the opening guitar riff. Jason Corely added lots of dynamics to influence the song’s final outcome.
As an indie musician, how do you navigate the balance creative freedom and commercial appeal?
To be honest, I/we haven’t given very little thought to commercial appeal. Myself and the band just wrote songs the way we wanted and I think for the foreseeable future we will continue this way. The songs/music are from the heart and true to ourselves. However, we did make arrangements on some songs fit a radio friendly time lengths and thought “I Get Lost” could be a crossover for us and it did work as this song has been aired on rock, blues and country music radio.
What role does technology and social media play in promoting your music and connecting with your audience?
Social media in today’s market is crucial to bands rise or fall. It’s literally a full-time job and something we are falling flat on. I suspect we will need to seriously up our social media presence or we will not continue to gain much more traction. This is especially true for a presence on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Could you describe a memorable live performance experience or tour that has had a lasting impact on you and your music?
I really enjoyed playing the Harrah’s Casino in North Carolina and the Hard Rock Café in Bristol Virginia but, we have a local show on June 6, 2004 at the Icehouse Amphitheater in Lexington, South Carolina that I am looking most forward in playing.
In an era of streaming platforms, how do you feel about the changing landscape of music consumption and its impact on independent musicians?
I am not a fan at all of the streaming services. We have somewhere in the realm of 10,000 combined streams and the revenue isn’t even enough to cover the cost of disturbing our music to the streaming services. Unless your Taylor Swift or backed by a label getting your name out there is a very hard road to travel. Selling 100 hard copy CD’s would do us far better than 10,000 streams. Unfortunately, not many people even own a CD player these days. In this regard streaming services has made it next to impossible for an independent artist. For the record I am not knocking on Taylor Swift, what she has done is remarkable and I am very happy for her.
Musicians often have a close relationship with their fanbase. How do you engage with your fans and build a dedicated community around your music?
Myself and the band are up-close and personal with our fans. I personally reply to all messages and/or social media comments we receive. Blues-Fan Radio gives us a lot of spins and has their own chat room; I check in as often as possible to say hi and participate in chats with the DJ’s and fans. They are all amazing. I really appreciate and love our fans; we would not be this far without them and their support.
How can fans find you? Lastly, please share some final words with the fans.
Find us at www.pszennyproject.com or Channel customization – YouTube Studio; Facebook Thank you so much for listening to our music and sending us so much love. Be looking for new music later this year. Mark Pszenny.
By Olivia Peevas
