Interview: Bryce Vine

This past Tuesday, our DJs Gwyneth Moe and Dani Krantz had the opportunity to sit down with Bryce Vine and discuss his upcoming album “Motel California” and his ongoing tour, ahead of his show at Boston’s House of Blues on February 19th.

Gwyneth Moe (GM): Well, first off, how is the tour going so far?

Bryce Vine (BV):  Really good. Yeah, it’s been a fun one. You know, do it long enough, you start to know your habits and the things that you like to do on the road. And the people that you like to tour with and the cities that are the most fun.

Dani Krantz (DK): Yeah. And you’ve played in Boston before. I saw you two years ago at House of Blues in Boston. You were great. 

BV: Oh. Thank you. How does it feel to be back? It’s great. I mean, we, a bunch of us, went to school here. So it’s always like coming home in a little bit. You have your spots that you go and see if they’re still there. Some of them aren’t. Like my DJ went to this Donut place that he, like, loves for the last ten years. And now it’s gone. No, that’s the only thing about visiting places once a year. You can never go home. Yeah, but Boston’s a great city for us. You know, we played one of our first shows ever. Is the Middle East even still there?

DK: Yeah, the Middle East is still there. They’re still doing shows. 

BV: Okay, good.

DK: Do you remember if you were in the upstairs or downstairs? 

BV:  All over that thing.

DK: Okay, okay. Speaking of Berklee you’ve spoken about your early days at Berklee College of Music. What’s something from that time that still influences how you approach making music today?

BV: From Berklee? No. Not really. I mean, I feel like Berklee is a great place to meet other musicians and culminate your own sound and ideas and stuff, but they haven’t quite mastered how to, like, actually bring out the best in a lot of people. I went to school there, so yeah, I think it was mostly after Berklee that I figured out what I wanted to do. It was a good starting point for sure. 

GM: What are some things that you think Berklee could have done more of to prepare you for the industry? 

BV: This is a shit-talking seminar or? I don’t know. I’m not an educator, so I can’t really say fully, 

DK: Tell us a little bit more about your background, where you grew up. What made you come to Boston for school and kind of how your career took off?

BV: I didn’t even know where I wanted to go to college after high school. I was just playing in my punk band, and I hoped that something would make sense at some point. And I think it was my step-mom that told me there was a college in Boston where I could specifically work on contemporary music. Oh, thank God, thank God there’s something. So I just went to the summer program here in Boston and loved it. And I got a scholarship to go to school there. So I’m like, cool. We’re golden. And Boston is just a great city. So many schools around here, so many kids to be around. You know, you’re just forced to kind of figure out how to navigate the world early. I’m sure you guys know. And maybe that after I left Boston, I had to move back to L.A.. You know, I just did a bunch of jobs, or I made music in the daytime, and I would work at night, different bars and drive Lyft and, just kind of kept trying to just scoot forward just little by little. It’s funny looking back now

DK: Ah the life of a musician, kind of going back to, you know, right before you blew up, if you could give advice to your younger self or for “Drew Barrymore” blew up, what would it be?

BV: Create a routine. Yeah. I don’t think I had much of that, and I still go back and forth between it, but it changes the game, I think for a lot of right brained A.D.D. people that like to be creative. It’s really hard to buckle down and do the same thing every day. We like hate that. Yeah, but if you can do it and create a good routine for yourself, mine that changed the game was waking up at the same time every day, going to the gym, reading for 20 minutes after that, and then going into the studio and trying to make stuff.

But once you have done those couple things, the creating is just like an extra. You’ve already done good things for yourself. Yeah, a routine. I would have told my younger self, just do that and you’ll be golden. But it took me way longer to realize that then than it could have.

DK: And the music industry is such a volatile business. What’s the, and you’ve talked about in interviews, the ups and downs of the industry. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about navigating the music business?

BV: There’s not really one way to do it, which is kind of cool. It. It’s a little scary because it’s nice to be able to follow routines, and it’s nice to be to know that you get into a school, you work hard on a subject, and you spend four years studying it, and then you move on to possibly doing it as a career.

With music, it’s not really like that with a lot of art. It’s not really like that. So you can kind of carve out your own path in it. I think movies make us think even too, that there’s one way that people go about it. It’s like, let me guess, he stepped into the studio for the first time, and everyone in there was like, oh.

And then you just see the montage from it, him recording it to it being a hit. All over the radios, and then him just being famous. And then you go through the struggle period, and it just doesn’t work like that anymore. So you can kind of carve out your own path. I think it’s just about being authentic more than anything, which is hard to, hey, how do you tell yourself to be authentic?

You can’t really. You just have to do what feels natural to you and say what you want to say. And you know, that’s pretty much what I’ve figured out a little bit.

GM:  In the past like ten years, just the way that music kind of goes viral has changed so much. 

DK: Yeah. Even more volatile than ever . You know, with the rise of like TikTok and other social medias like that. 

BV: Yeah it’s great. It’s great for, it’s great that there’s not one industry like there used to be, you know, a record label to be the mediator between the listener and the artist. Right. But it also means that. There’s just it’s just flooded way more and harder to find the stuff that actually matters to you.

Like, I hear so much more music, but things that hit me here are, you know, way less than ever before. So in a way, the record labels were doing a pretty good job at finding the best of the best. But people have tastes, you know, all over the spectrum. So now you can hear anything everywhere, which is great.

But it’s when the record labels still try to be the tastemakers, when they’re clearly not anymore. Yeah, it’s like, that’s when it gets weird. Because when I was, you know, the last couple years that I was signed, it was all about making TikToks, which was kind of crazy because they don’t control that application at all. So your entire multibillion dollar industry is dependent on one app that you have no control over.

I don’t know, it seems like and then you saw it, right. And then, there were lawsuits. And after all that, people’s songs were taken off the internet after going through all this, and artists already had to make viral videos and do all these corny things like, “hey guys, if you like this song, listen.” And then their songs were taken off anyway.

And then TikTok was illegal for like 24 hours. How do you follow that trend? There’s just no way. So I don’t envy new artists at all. But you gotta do it. You know, you just got to be out there.

DK: I want to talk a little bit about your Motel California tour, because you’re currently on your Boston stop right now.

What have been some highlights for you so far on the tour? 

BV: Yeah, always. Denver. Denver is a real music loving city, I’d say every tour. No matter what, we’re going to have a great night and sweat it out in Boston, Denver, New York, and Seattle. I say those four always come to mind. And I think it’s just because look at those cities.

They all have so much music and so much art background. And youth, you know. So it’s. Yeah, that’s always fun. Here was great last year, we played at Midway Cafe. So, and but, Boston, this one, I mean, I used to come just to shows here when I was a kid, when I was at Berklee.

I remember coming to some not sold out shows at House of Blues and being like, one day we’re going to. And then you do it and it’s amazing. And you kind of tear up and then you do it again. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. Touring is the best part of the job, though, I’ll say that. For me, it’s like you spend all year working on Motel California, which was a really fun project to work on because it was just me and my buddy that lives down the street from me.

And we just were like, let’s just go into this whole project together. And my first album, I didn’t really get to do that because I had hits before I had enough songs for an album. So I just had to throw everything on there and then they just started pushing it. And, it was amazing, but I didn’t really get to do like a full project that time. I did six years later. 

DK: So, can you tell us a little bit more about working on Motel California, the album, and kind of how it was conceived and any, you know, roadblocks you may have hit?

BV: The first song from Motel California was the song Motel California. I was just, I was a little lost. I had just left my label. I didn’t feel lost, but I was, and I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. And there’s a producer who lives down the street from me who, if it was any other time period, I’m pretty sure he would be a pirate tattooed white dude who looks like a Viking who’s all over the place and excited about everything, which is really fun to be around for someone like me that can get like depressed.

And he was just always pumped. And we had worked on a couple things together. He had, his claim to fame was that he was part of the XXXTentacion period. He had done some of his bigger songs, so he had a really good ear and a diverse ear, and we just started working on this song together.

And we were like, we should just do a whole project, you know, kind of on the other side of the music industry. It feels a little janky here. A little more like the new version of Americana music for the 2025 generation. And that’s kind of what we set out to do. And it was super fun. We stayed up real late and drank a lot of White Claw and it took a whole year.

Yeah, to finish 12 songs. It’s so funny. It’s basically like a song a month, you know? But it was so fun getting a chance to actually create the art of this project. And the whole idea was like, each room is a different part of a lesson that you have to learn or something you have to go through when you’re starting out in the music business and you’re green, like you show up to the motel, you give them their ticket for this ride.

The first room is starting to write that song that’s going to change your life. Second room is seeing what the party scene of LA and Hollywood is like. Third room is this song called DRUGS that we just put out. Where you fall in love or you think you’re in love, and then you kind of come all the way back around to having to repeat that process.

And I think it’s like the hero’s journey, the classic hero’s journey.

DK: When is the release date? Do you have one?

BV: It’ll be in spring. It’s pretty soon. But six years took six years to make a second album. I didn’t know it would take it. Actually, I did, I did, I always liked Frank Ocean because he just didn’t rush it. Yeah, it’s. You never know when Frank is going to release another project. Yeah, yeah, it’s annoying, but whatever. As long as it’s good, 

DK: Never let him guess your next move kind of type. 

BV: Yeah. If you play poker, I mean, if you want. 

GM: No, I mean, you can’t rush rush quality. Like, sometimes you just gotta see it till, like to see it through. And then you’ve described your music previously as kind of a mix of genres like hip hop, pop, alternative. How in the creative process do you kind of balance that while still kind of keeping your signature sound? 

BV: It’s a good question. I just like everything. I mean, I try to write anything that I think sounds good. You guys know how it is. I’m sure these days you have like one song on your playlist is, you know, David, and then the next song is The Weeknd, and then the next song, you know, it’s it’s just all over the place. Genre doesn’t really exist anymore anyway. But when I was growing up, there was anything that made my heart beat a little bit faster, like, a lot of punk rock music. So just that energy and that Warped Tour energy, As long as it moved me a little bit. And there’s something about writing a song that feels exciting but has kind of sad lyrics just always gets me going.

I think you’ll notice it. And pretty much all of my songs have that juxtaposition, so as long as I have, that just makes life feel more realistic, instead of just all love or all hate, all sadness, you know, it’s it’s got to be a blend. There was a band in the 90s called Third Eye Blind that did it really well, but, I try to emulate a lot of times, and again, I hadn’t written an album in six years, so now I have fans to think about when I write songs that I didn’t really have before.

So it’s fun to consider all you guys when writing new music. You know, I didn’t couldn’t really do that before. What will be fun to sing this time? Oh La La La. Okay, what’s going to be the thing for them to chant in this song, you know? Yeah, that was a fun part of it.

DK: Is there a song you’ve written that means something completely different to you now than when it was first released? 

BV: Yeah, there’s a couple of them, especially the ones about relationships. There’s a song called Glamor Drama that is now I’d say it’s probably the favorite among the girls at the show. And I wrote that song pretty beat down about a girl almost.

I mean, I have no idea how long ago it was now, but I wrote it almost kind of jabbing at her like to be a little insulting. And now it’s kind of like an anthem for, for a lot of the fans. I, I don’t take it the wrong way. Everything means something different to someone else. But it’s funny how your intention, you know, is shifted. Like, once the fans receive it. Yeah. Which is all art. Yeah, I can’t, I don’t I’m not gonna lie, I tend to go to, like, like a museum and figure out the meaning of a painting. I’ve never been good at that. Like, yeah, people that are super cultured and they’re like, this means this. And I don’t, there’s no way.

It just looks like lines to me a lot of times. But it’s kind of the same thing with music. It’s like, if you can do that and you can make it your own, hell yeah. 

GM: Yeah. And speaking of fans and just how they interact with your music and performing is obviously such a big part of music, and it’s one of the favorite parts for many artists, including yourself. What is something you’ve had to learn about performing over the years?

BV: Again, you got to have routines. Breath support is a big thing. I don’t understand anybody that tours if they don’t run or do some kind of cardio. I do breathwork, I do yoga, I do cardio, and I try to sing on the treadmill when I do it. I have a breathing exercise I like to do called the Wim Hof that, like, expands your lungs. I just don’t understand. If you intend to be a performer, how you don’t do those things? And then challenging yourself, like when you watch back the videos and stuff from the show, seeing the parts you don’t like or seeing the videographer use a clip and you think you. That’s just not. You think it looks stupid, you know, and you correct that next time, like I for years have just had a tendency to let my arms just flop around.

And I guess this year I was like, keep your hands still and with intention. Kind of like in a play, you know. So I just, I actually watched a couple musicals and clips from different theater productions so that it was just a little more intentional with my hand movements instead of just the Italian and me just coming out.

And now I see it more when I look back on the video and I’m happier with how it looks because, again, it just looks more intentional. 

DK: And I know you said that your favorite part of all of this was touring. What’s your favorite thing about performing and touring and the whole process?

BV: Unadulterated.There’s not a lot of options, opportunities to feel unadulterated. And in this time period, because everything’s on camera, everything’s filmed. You’re constantly here on your phone. You have to compare yourself, whether you mean to or not, to other people. And you, you might shrink a little bit in certain environments. I do, and on stage and just like this is mine, you know, I made this.

I can do what I want with it. Nobody can tell me if I’m doing it right or wrong. Because I did it, I made it, I made it, it’s my thing. And it’s for all the fans, too. And I feel like it’s this room of people that already have accepted me for who I am, and I’m happy to see them and touch them and put my hand on their head and sing back with them like there’s nothing you can tell me in that room.

You know, so I just feel like myself, which is nice and rare these days. You know, you. I hope you guys find a place where you. Everyone deserves a place where they feel like they can be completely unadulterated, you know, go do gymnastics for a night or something. I feel like a kid again. Yeah. I still have that same feeling from when I was in my garage, you know, jamming with a couple other kids and, and making jokes and writing stuff that we know is not good and stupid, but it doesn’t matter.

And just flailing around on stage, it’s like the best, you know?

GM: Yeah, and I think that wraps things up for us.

DK: Do you have anything else you want to add? 

BV: New song is called drugs. Check that out. 

GM: He’ll be at House of Blues tomorrow, February 19th. Woo woo.

This interview has been edited for clarity.