Interview with Patrick Doval The singer/songwriter, photographer & producer speaks about his passion, determination and staying original in a landscape where that grows increasingly difficult. Photo: Ā© Robert G. Zuckerman
Itās no surprise that Miami is one of the cultural hot beds of both the state and country as a whole. Each area is akin to interstellar time-travel, with the roads becoming asteroid belts to get to different worlds. From the mash-up of Downtown, to the hallowed sanctuary of Key Biscayne, and going right back into the hustle of pieces of home, such as Little Havana & Haiti. These worlds connect, and intersect, making up a city that is as grand as it is enthralling. And if these worlds are any indication of talent, then Miami musician Patrick Doval inhabits a planet all his own. Helming his music in a way that is as unique as it intriguing (recording and producing all his own music, as well as filming his own videos), Doval has never changed, nor bent to the will of the industry in an effort to catch itās eye. He remains on his happy planet, drawing all those who listen, into his illustrious orbit.
With his latest album, āObscuredā, out now, I had the pleasure of speaking with the artist on his collaboration with legendary photographer, Robert Zuckerman, Dovalās process, as well as 90ās hip-hop.
________
Is the album self produced and engineered by you? Yes.
Have you self-produced all your previous records, or just this one? Iāve produced all my albums, all of them. Going way back!
How is that experience? Do you learn with every album, or is it still coming to you? I guess every song is different, every album is a little different. I always take the same approach, I start off with the songwriting, andā¦I think it all starts there. Then eventually, I try to cut out and weed out what sounds good, or what doesnāt sound good.
Are there any producers you specifically look up to or inspire you when you go into the process? Iām an old-school, Iām an old school guy. I grew up listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin, with Jimmy Page producing the records; Pink Floyd, with Roger Waters. In those old days, a lot of the band members self produced the album. And when you think of modern rock, I think of Flood. And of course, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, David Bowie, Trent Reznor.
Being producer, and engineer as well, do you find that you spend a lot more time critizing your own work, or do you find that itās easier? Umm..Iāve just gotten so used to it over the years, Iāve been doing this for so long that I really have no difficulty doing it. Like I said, when I write the songs, I try to keep it simple. And I donāt over complicate things. If something doesnāt sound right, like there was a song on this album, āFavorite Girlā, that didnāt make the cut. The producer in me said it doesnāt fit. So I cut it out of the album. But the musician in me wanted it on there.
You also have cinematographer under your belt, what are the inspirations for your videos? Is it based solely in song? Yeah, a lot of them are based on the song. Sometimes thereās a theme? Like āManipulation Machineā, which is the last video I did, was a King Kong themeĀ I get inspired by a lot of the classical films. I also did H.G. Wellās āTime Machineā. I get inspired by a lot of these old films. And you know, a lot of the times, it is based on the song. but sometimes they donāt correlate, but I still try to make them work together.
Does it ever get overwhelming, having to wear all those hats simultaneously? Yeah, (laughs), very much. You know, I get overwhelmed, especially in the beginning. When Iām trying to get an idea. Sometimes I canāt picture it, I canāt put it all together, and I get stuck on the project. There have been a few videos Iāve abandoned, and had to walk away from it. And I work with what I have, I donāt have some Hollywood production studio, I wish I had a studio where I could just get up and go, and test and shoot. You know, it takes a long time to set things up. I have a thing with storyboarding, I think everything comes down to storyboarding, when I have something to put together, thatās how I get rid of the frustration.
Does the video fuel the idea of the song, or is it the other way around? Thereās been a few times when the video has actually been the idea. Like āLoveā, from the āFracturedā album, when I wrote the song, I actually had the video in mind, so I actuallyā¦ Itās rare, itās one of the few times, & āSweet Miseryā which is video Iām currently working on now, thereās an idea behind it, thereās a theme. But most of the time itās the other way around.
Being from Miami, with vast array of influences, from art, to musicians, it can get overcrowded. How has that scene affected, and treated you? Miami, the scene has changed a lot. Wynwood has grown tremendously, itās a much more art focused scene that it was 5 years ago when I first started showing videos down there. Open mics have pretty much burst onto the scene, I finally found a little home perforning on Miami beach where I go monthly. The sceneās changed, itās grown; I donāt want to say itās not a great place for music but its growing. And I think open mics are great, especially for me. I try to go up there and do my thing, Iām happy Iām able to perform my songs.
And how did you get involved with Robert Zuckerman, was it through those open mics? Well, I met Robert by accident. A former co-worker, Richard, invited me down to Miami Beach, I went down there and I had no idea who he was. So I said,āHey, are you Robert Zimmerman?ā, I called him by the wrong name, so bad first impression, you know? And he goes, āNo, Zuckerman!ā. So I said āIām sorry, I was thinking of Bob Dylan!ā (Laughs) And he started just saying all of these stories. Heās been a huge inspiration behind this album. I was at a time when I was pretty much looking down. I was thinking about walking away from music, itās a really hard feel. I met Robert and he became the mentor, and the positive reinforcement I needed in my life, he started complimenting my songs. He really likes my music and the way I think. He compares me to Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan at times, and I donāt think that comparison is accurate, but he compares me to all these legends. Every month I go out there and he inspires me more and more. Thereās no question that I would not have finished this album without him. Without his inspiration.
Having met Robert now and worked with him, who are some of your other dream collaborators, or people you would like to work with both in music and photography? I would love to continue with Robert. Annie Liebowitz is another, and I would love to give anyone thatās up and coming an opportunity. Music, manā¦ A lot of my legends have died this year! Prince, David Bowieā¦ Trent Reznor is still out there, and Iāve always had a ton of respect for his work. Beck is another really cool guy, whoās very underrated and doesnāt get the respect that he deserves. Any of those great old school guys, like I said, I look up to the old school guys.
In your songwriting, does it play into what Zuckerman has said about you, like Dylan or Cohen; or what are some of your major inspirations? When I started doing the open mic, I started changing my style on this album, a little bit. I wanted to give it more of an open mic feel, and certain songs I canāt perform there, but I wanted to give it that coffee house type of feel, flavor and sound. So I look at Jeff Buckley a lot, who I love, he got his start playing those types of venues. I also look at Elliot Smith as well, and of course Dylan. I started incorporating the acoustic guitar into my songs, and tried to use my voice in a different setting.
With this album being your fifth, do you feel the progression is right? Does it feel like this is where you should be at this time? Yeah, I think so. Iāve grownā¦ Technically this is now myā¦.seventh, I did two albums back in the day, in high school. I was focused on school then, and when I got backā¦ Iām happy where itās at. I think the production on this album is solid. I think that the songs flow into each other, and thereās not a song that Iām just trying to push out. I think when I was younger, I was trying to stick everything on the album. I think Iāve grown to be more mature, and Iām very happy with where Iām at.
Has music always been an important part of your life? What made you want to become a musician? When I was in high school, my Uncle was a musician; he was a guitar player, and he inspired me. When I turned 14, he introduced me- Ever since I was a kid, he was always playing great music. Anything from the 60ās, 70ās, 80ās, 90ās, he had this big catalogue of CDās, and he would play anything from The Beatles, to Salt N Pepa, to Dr. Dre, Led Zeppelin. And when I was 15 years old or so, he gave me my first guitar, which was his. And that was it, I was addicted to music. I had a boombox, and I have countless tapes where I would just record and write songs from a microphone into my boombox. I couldnāt sing, so I was just freestyling. And thatās how I started doing music.
And talking about the huge amount of genres that your uncle got you started in, what are some of the influences people might be surprised that you like? I grew up in the late 90ās so anything from Dr. Dreās āThe Chronicā album, which I consider to be the best rap album of all time. Some Wu-Tangā¦ Tupac Shakur, who is my favorite rapper, no question about that. Ghetto Boysā¦ My brother and all my friends were into rap, so I would say pretty much 90% of everybody around me was into rap. So I was heavily influenced by the genre and rap videos. We would just watch Ice Cube, as well as all these music videos. I actually would rap, and produced some rap songs back in the day, with some friends of mineā¦ My 80ās drum machine couldnāt do any of that good hip-hop stuff? But I would freestyle, and I was a Cyrus, where I would create beats for people in school.
Coming from the 90ās where that kind of freestyle was prominent, what are views on rap now, & how do you feel on the progression of it? I look at music in general and I donāt see- thereās not many artists left. And its concerning to me because in rap, you had Tupac and Biggie and I think a lot of the great artists are hidden underground. And the industry doesnāt push for them. Maybe itās because of the content, and itās the same thing with rock, most of them are in the underground. It comes to poetry as well, everythingās become kind of watered down.
Did you make this album with that in mind? As a testament to staying original where that might get discarded? Iāve always been original to myself. I stick to what Iām good at. Iām not going to try to be someone Iām not. Iāve always enjoyed doing the style of music Iām doing, Iike I said, I changed it into a kind of singer/songwriter in it where I try to, with the open mic change my style a little bit. But I try to stay original, what Iām good at, where Iām comfortable at.
To the younger artists, what advice would you give them, having been in it for a while now? I tell kids to dream. Dream, donāt listen to what anybody tells you. Pursue what you like, if you wanna do music, go for it. Donāt ever stop, donāt let anyone tell you that you canāt do it. Donāt stop dreaming because without dreams and being inspired, you donāt want to lose yourself, you want to be happy with yourself. I tell them to work hard, never stop and never quit.
And where would you like to see yourself in 5 years or so? I would love to tour and support my music. And just continuing to create music.
Being independent, having done the majority of everything by yourself, is it important to stay independent, or would you like to be signed to a label at some point? Of course! I would love to, Iāve never been approached but as long as Iām able to keep my creative freedom, and the label respects my craziness? (Laughs) I would love to. Being independent is great but itās important to get your music, the product out there.
And I always finish with a lyric; you get to complete the lyric as is, or you get to change it. The lyric today is, āTonight, I think Iāll walk alone. Iāll find my..ā Iāll find myself, and my one true love.
āObscuredā is out now, and available on iTunes.
