Some of my favorite music is Surf, Hip Hop, Spaghetti Western, Electronica and early Elvis. Elements of these musical influences went into my new album, SHOT OF BLUE.

I love the bent minor chords and lead runs of Surf, especially from some of the lesser-known bands of the early 60s. Ennio Morricone incorporated the Surf sound and gave it a real cinematic jolt in his scores for films like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The bass and beats of Hip Hop bring a percussive pulse that the whole body feels. Tupac and Dr. Dre inspired me here. It’s good to mix things up. Mary J. Blige is also a favorite.

Electronic music, like Depeche Mode and Radiohead, creates strange, new sounds that are made possible only by a machine.

And early Elvis, for me, suggests an open vocal style, something rich and pure. The Sun Sessions is one of my favorite albums.

I'm curious: which of these is your favorite kind of music?

Lyrics from "Shot of Blue" by Tom DiCillo. The single drops on September 6, 2024.

Pre-save the title track of the album, "Shot of Blue," here.