New York songwriter Tommy Raniszewski talks about his songwriting and his debut CD A Midnight At A Time
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This CD is chock full of "Power Ballads" such as you hear in a lot of today's musicals. Are they your inspiration?
Not directly, but I like the style of a musical and of setting a story. Although I like Andrew lloyd Webber and that bunch of songwriters. When I express something, I express myself with every ounce of emotion in me.
Give us a little tour of Midnight
The first two tracks set the stage for the album. The album is thematic like a musical. It takes the listener through an entire year by the sea (representative of a life) from innocent summer love to winter solitude. Ending with a new more mature type of love, the love between parent and child.
How much Tommy do we get in these songs?
All of me is not in the music but all the music is completely me...if that makes sense... many of the pieces were written "performance ready" just as you hear them. Some pieces were written with a simple melody line, words, and basic chords and were "worked on" in the studio. My Producer George Mesterhazy brought life to everything with his talent.
What should someone take away from your album?
Jeeze I really don't know. They can take away what ever they want as long as they've paid for it and I've got their money.
Midnight is full of slow ballads... do you speed it up much?
Yes I do write up-tempo pieces but not much...I like ballads. The only up-tempo piece on this album is "At Dorothy's Fantastic Seaside Arcade" which is written in the old Tin Pan Alley-style of the early 20th century. that one was fun to write and was for my mom whose name is Dorothy, she likes that type of stuff. On my next album, there will be some up tempo pieces which will be of the choral or sacred genre.
ACK! A Christmas Song! Don't you think that's risky?
No It wasn't a risk at all. It is perfectly in context with the story told. As "We Need A Little Christmas" is in context with the musical Mame. The Christmas tune on my album "Through a Child's Eyes" received the most airplay and recognition of any other track and was the song that drew attention to the album. It was released as a single in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a benefit for them. So there was no risk at all. That song is my baby!
How have you promoted this?
St. Jude Hospital did a lot of promoting of the Christmas single. I did some of the promoting early on and a great marketing firm in New York City, called Two Sheps That Pass worked their butts off too getting the stuff noticed. The tracks have been on standard radio all over the country, Music Choice, and all those satellite radio stations. I don't have satellite radio so I don't know which ones specifically. but I get e mails from people saying they have heard my stuff on them.
Any challenges in the recording process you care to share?Nothing at all that I can think of. It was just a lot of fun. I guess I was lucky.
You're also a single dad. How does that fit in with your music, or does it?Being a single dad does in fact effect my life and career. I wanted to pursue music when I graduated college and earned a BA in music. But my son came along and I had to support him. I have full custody of him and it's always been just the two of us. My parents are a big help though.
I had to put music on the back burner so to speak until he was old enough that he did not need me hovering over him all the time. He's a teenager now and has his own friends and activities. So I can start focusing on what I've always wanted to. He's the best! It's always a struggle being a single dad. It's not easy, but rewarding at the same time.
We'll let you ask yourself the last one.... Are the songs a window into me?
I'm an open book. I hate hiding anything and I wear my heart on my sleeve. So Yes, musically and lyrically these songs are all windows into different aspects of me. Some are written from experience, some are just made up based on nothing, but then later are relevant to some new aspect of me.
A Midnight At A Time features songs and instrumentals by Tommy plus vocals by Kathy Fowler. Produced by George Mesterhazy and Bob Fowler, also featuring the work of Paul Jost, vocals, Sharette Pierce, composer, Dave Hartl, keyboard.
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