Intimate and Interactive With David Homyk

2009 December 3

By Angella

Not long ago, Jeanne was fortunate to come across the music of David Homyk and had the chance to get to know him better thanks to Twitter. She then introduced me to David and his music (you might even recognize him from a few T.V. shows!). Right away, I knew he’d be a great fit for Daily Grommet.

Today we’re thrilled to be hosting David on the Daily Grommet blog , and he’s even offered to give a few of our lucky commenters a copy of his album, True Story!

Daily Grommet’s Interview with David Homyk:

Ok, let’s start with an easy one: Tell us what instruments you play?

I play guitar, piano, saxophone, bass guitar, and I’m a singer (the voice is my favorite “instrument!”) Most importantly, though, I’m a record producer. This means that if I happen to imagine the texture of a new instrument within the soundscape of an as yet unrecorded song, I’ll tinker with that particular instrument until I can play it.

When did you first realize you would be a musician – and how did you get your start?

On Christmas day when I was three years old, my dad recorded an interview with me and my brother … He started the tape, spoke into the microphone, and then passed the microphone to us. After a few questions I asked him to play the tape back. When I heard myself speaking, my first thought was “We need to rerecord that, I can make it sound better this time.” This was the dawn of my fascination and obsession with recording.

At age eight I got my first boom box. I had already been taking piano lessons for one year and was now composing and recording my own songs. I learned to dub tracks in and somewhat multi-track on tapes, but by the time I had picked up the saxophone, guitar, bass guitar, and had been writing and singing, I needed more equipment to produce myself playing all the various instruments as well as singing multiple parts on the recordings of my songs. I purchased and learned to use a professional multi-track analog studio recorder.

I recorded my songs and ultimately got them on local radio. At this point, not only was I a singer-songwriter, but a seasoned record producer. I took a cappella tracks of Beyoncé songs; just her voice, and produced rich and very sophisticated pop symphonies underneath them which rivaled the original radio productions. This ultimately let to a meeting and eventual business relationship with Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father, who quickly started throwing other projects at me, capitalizing on my composition and production skills. It was a lot of work but that’s when I really “cut my teeth,” as they call it.

Who are you inspired by?

Ironically, the artists who have made the biggest impact on my life and who have shaped my choice to become an artist tend to sound little like me at all. In no particular order: Nirvana, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Mobb Deep, Nas, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Portishead, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and The Doors.

What’s currently playing on your ipod?

Debriefer: One-Man Band David Homyk

While he's stationed in the city that never sleeps, musician David Homyk can be found onstage charming crowds with his pop songs. No matter where New York takes him, Homyk's still a southern boy at heart and loves his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, and its addictive hangover remedies.

Gawker: We're going to imprison you in the city of your choice for the rest of your natural life. You can do anything you want there, but you must stay in that city forever. Where would you choose?

David: Charlottesville, VA.

Gawker: Why would you live in this city forever and not somewhere else?

David: The natural and social environments are maximally conducive to the unadulterated expression of the human spirit in its freest form. It's ideal for hit song writing.

Gawker: In what part of the city would you reside?

David: I would live downtown in the Woolen Mills/Belmont district, which captures the Zeitgeist of the 1950s characterized by the union of residential and commercial real estate. After that, cities bifurcated into Urban-Suburban, and America started making the structural transition into commuter culture. Again, the vibe is just perfect of writing masterpiece hit songs.

Gawker: Where and what would you eat?

David: I would gorge myself on Mexican, Italian, or general comfort foods. Best local recommendations are Guadalajara, Anna's Pizza #5, Blue Light Grill, Bodo's, C&O, and Gravity Lounge.

Gawker: What would you do for fun?

David: Bonfire parties; 20-foot-high fire 'smore 'n beer gatherings in wide open farm land at night featuring crowds of hundreds of all sorts of individuals and dozens of back to back live bands. [There's also] night tubing; riding tractor inner tubes down river stretches in small groups in the dead of night (it's dangerously high-performance, please be mostly sober). [Virginia's also great for] motorcycling. The city actually has highway stretches famous for some of the best biking on the East Coast.

Gawker: Where would you go for a night on the town?

David: Lot's of spots. Biltmore Grille, Buddhist Biker Bar, Michael's Bistro, South Street Brewery, Gravity Lounge, Blue Light, Rapture, Coupe DeVilles, Orbit Billiards and Cafe, O'Neill's, and have breakfast and a bottomless coffee at The Tavern.

Gawker: What kinds of shops are worth going to?

David: There's great health food/supplement shopping, wine, and vintage clothes digging in Charlottesville. That captures the vibe of the place.

Gawker: And on the flip side, what city would you never, ever visit again, if you had a choice?