In July 2005, the members of JonnieProud went their separate ways. The group consisted of Mike Falzone ’06, lead vocalist and guitarist; Chris Pastore ’06, playing the bass; Steve Sennett ’06, playing the sax; Steve Tyburski ’06, on the drums; and Tim O’Conner ’05, as the guitarist.
Desirae Brown: Why did JonnieProud break up? I’m sure everyone has been asking.
Mike Falzone: To maintain the friendship, it had to end. There were some conflicts in scheduling, and everyone was involved in a lot of other things. The band was fun, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was great when we first got together. Practice was exciting, and we looked forward to it. After a while, practice started to become a chore.
DB: What happened the night you broke up?
MF: We were scheduled to play at Knickerbockers in the Milford mall. I called the lady and told her there was a death in the family [because he did not want to tell about his band’s breakup]. I rode around for a couple of hours reminiscing about playing shows surrounded by my friends. Breaking up with your band is just like breaking up with a girl.
DB: So, tell me about how you began your solo project with your new producer, Kincaid.
MF: The experiment with Kincaid started while the band was still going on. We were going to try to do some remixes of JonnieProud songs. It was done with the band’s approval. Nothing was ever done behind their backs.
DB: How was working with Kincaid?
MF: I worked with Kincaid, who is also from Stratford [Conn.], all summer. I wanted to do a whole album with him. We worked in a five by thirty foot room with no AC, plus the fan had to be turned off during recording. The first song was the “Take it to the Hill” remix. When I first started, I didn’t know that song was going to be a solo.
I wrote the songs and Kincaid laced the tracks. We had chemistry and you have to be able to read each other’s minds. I would come in and say ‘I want some kind of funky jungle beat,’ and the next day he came in with just that. Communication lines were always open and he was very positive. If I messed up, he would just ask me if I wanted to do it again.
DB: Tell me about the new songs.
MF: The emotions were surface level, and Kincaid made me work hard to bring out all the emotions. It was very exhausting. I like making up stories and putting a spin on the songs, but I like it to be personal too.
DB: How does it feel to be on i-Tunes?
MF: It’s weird searching for Mates of State and Gavin DeGraw and then being able to look up myself and I am there just like them. It’s unreal.
DB: Would you like to be famous, and what do you think about the music business?
MF: I would love to be famous, but it’s all about luck and who sees you. Someone can make you famous if they think you are marketable. MTV shows regurgitated pop-punk bands. The industry reproduces what they think people want to hear. People like Joss Stone don’t get the recognition they deserve. That’s what young women should look up to.
DB: How is it now being by yourself?
MF: What has meant the most to me is that my band has supported me. They listened to the album first and I was nervous because it’s different than the songs we were doing before. It’s different being by myself. The first time I did Stagstock, I had all my boys with me. This year it was just me, but I was very comfortable. The people were responsive and after I got off stage Live in Trust [another Stagstock band] recognized and commented positively on my music.
DB: What are your most memorable moments?
MF: I was in a small café in Shelton [Conn.] called Huntington St. Café. There were about 20 people there at first. I didn’t make a set list, and I said to them that it didn’t matter because they don’t know any of my songs.
From that point on, the crowd sang the words to every song and that’s always been one of my dreams. Also when I was doing a photo shoot with Rob Toby, that made me feel more important than I really am.
DB: How did you come up with the title of your album, “Between the Airport and Lordship?”
MF: I was thinking about the most beautiful place in Stratford and that has to be it, especially at night when the runway is all lit up and the planes are taking off. Driving down that route helps when I’m going through things.
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Brown also talked to Sennett and Tyburski, who are both proud of Falzone. Tyburski is focusing on playing for the university’s baseball team, and Sennett is busy working as station manager of Fairfield’s radio station WVOF. He is trying to focus on the music industry, which he wants to go into. O’Conner has graduated and is currently working with mission groups in Mexico.
More of Falzone’s material can be accessed by going to www.myspace.com/mikefalzone or by searching i-Tunes under “Between the Airport and Lordship” or “mike.falzone”.
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