Baltimore has always been known for having a great music scene. We have several dedicated, talented musicians who bring the joy of music to our city. Several awesome bands have risen out of Baltimore including Wye Oak, Dan Deacon, and Beach House. Just before everything shut down, I met up with Tony Correlli for some drinks, to catch up and learn more about his history with music in the Baltimore area and where he is heading with current projects.
Tony Correlli is a music producer and sound engineer working out of his Baltimore-based studio, Deep End Studio. In addition to producing music, Tony organizes the Charm City Sampler, which is an annual compilation of Baltimore bands and artists. His latest endeavor, Steep Steps, showcases his talent for songwriting.
Tony and I knew each other (or at least “of” each other) in high school. We both went to a small private school and although Tony was a few grades behind me, we had similar experiences. Both Tony and I found private school a bit unfulfilling, so we left to attend public schools in our high school years. Tony recalls his experience making the transition from private to public schools. “I remember participating in a talent show at Perry Hall High School, making electronic music with a stack of sequencers and synths. I came in as an outsider, everyone was already established at that point, so I was kinda on my own. It didn’t occur to me that you could put together a real band in high school and play real shows. Suddenly there seemed to be so many opportunities and creative outlets to pursue.”
Another experience that helped shaped Tony’s future in music was a scholarship contest that he entered in high school for Sheffield Institute for the Recording Arts. While he didn’t win the scholarship, this experience introduced him to the world of recording. Following high school, he studied recording there and became a full-time producer.
Over the past 20 years, Tony has worked with many musicians both nationally and locally, producing a variety of musical genres including country, rock, and hard rock. After producing hundreds of records every year for other musicians, Tony started thinking about doing something of his own. We chatted a bit about his process for writing music and the influence that producing has had on his musical style.
Shantel: When you sit down to write music, what is your process? What goes through your mind?
Tony: I try my best to write the entire song at one time – the lyrics and melody, all at once. I may know what I want to talk about, like I may be thinking specific things but when I sit down at the piano, I try to write it all at one time. It’s a pretty quick process. When I get time to record for myself, I’m almost in a rush. It’s usually the end of the night and I don’t second guess myself or over-think. I’m the quality control person on other people’s projects, so for mine – I just write and let it go!
Shantel: Did you ever take formal music lessons? Or has it always been something you could do, like playing by ear?
Tony: Ah, I play by ear mostly. I started on my own, then my parents got me into piano lessons. I was a bit resistant to learning that way at that point. I would work with some really talented piano players – like jazz musicians – and I would learn from them. Sometimes I would give them some free recording time in exchange for some informal lessons. I love jazz piano!
Shantel: That’s great. I enjoy jazz as well! What are some genres or musical styles that have influenced your writing?
Tony: Well, I think as a songwriter, the more you have on your palette, the better music you write.
Shantel: Very similar to how I feel about reading and writing – the more you read, the better writer you will be.
Tony: Right, it’s very similar. The more music you listen to, the more creative you’ll be able to be because you’ll have these genres mixing and over-lapping. The best musicians tend to have a broad and diverse scope of influences.
Shantel: So, what are some of your favorite musicians or genres of music?
Tony: I love the band Low. They are definitely one of my favorites. Also, Dave Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Muse, Radiohead. These bands really opened my mind to a lot of different approaches to music. I find that I have different preferred genres for different phases of my life. I grew up listening to electronic and industrial, I currently listen to Indie Rock, and I produce a lot of hard rock. It’s funny because a lot of people know me as a hard rock producer because I’ve done so much of it – but then they get to talking to me, they quickly realize that I don’t know a lot about that genre (laughs). I know how to make the guitars and drums big, but I don’t know much about specific bands.
Shantel: Does any particular genre currently influence your musical style?
Tony: I think when I started writing, I went back to my roots. Bands like Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails – industrial bands – I’ve downloaded so much of that into my brain that it just comes out naturally!
Shantel: So, one song that you wrote that I really enjoyed was the song Sophia. What is this song about? I really enjoyed the music video for this song.
Tony: The most common question I’m asked is “Who is Sophia”? I feel like I may have failed because I tried to make it clear in the video that Sophia is an abstract. She’s not some girl I like or anything. (laughs). One day I was reading through the Book of Enoch, an old Hebrew writing that didn’t make it into the Bible, and I came across a part that read “Wisdom went out among the children of man to find a dwelling and found none”. It just hit me as something so true, then and now.
Shantel: Right, especially with how things are in our world today.
Tony: Exactly. I think I was at the dentist office or somewhere, scrolling on Twitter while reflecting on that section, and it made me think… imagine Wisdom flying over our society looking for a someone to accept her and then saying “Forget it, this is hopeless. I’m going back home” (laughs)
Throughout human history, people have made bad decisions and sometimes a small number of individuals – such as a clan or tribe leader, or president – can send a large group of people into a violent dispute. It only takes one or a handful of people to cause so much death and destruction. This has always been the case with humanity. We fight each other before we understand each other. We start the killing spree over something – and it just becomes a cycle of violence.
Maybe we are ready as a civilization to accept wisdom. To seek wisdom, not vengeance. Maybe we should figure out why or what happened before we react because once you take a swing at a person, they swing back. It’s like a bar room brawl, an international conflict – a couple people initiate, and everyone follows and the next thing you know it’s an orgy of death and blood. Maybe now is the time for us to step back and look for wisdom.
Sophia is wisdom.
Shantel: Wow, that is great! I love the connection to the verse and this concept of seeking wisdom. Why Sophia for the name? Any significance to that?
Tony: Yes! I used Sophia for the Greek word for wisdom which is actually “sofia”.
Shantel: That’s great! Very creative, Tony! It makes me like the song even more! Do you have any projects in the works?
Tony: My upcoming EP will feature songs that I have written, but will feature a different vocalist for each song. Some songs, I even wrote with particular vocalist in mind. I also want to include some of my own vocals as well. I’m inspired by artists who aren’t necessarily the best singers, but they put it out there. I think that we should all be able to do that – take a risk, try something.
Tony Correlli has been a very influential person in the Baltimore music scene over the last 20 years. In addition to his recording studio, he is involved with events such as the Shindig Festivals, The Charm City Musicfest, The Main Street Music Fest (which features all local musicians), the Maryland Music Awards, and produces the Charm City Sampler compilation CDs.
Check out Tony’s work on his website, http://www.thedeependstudio.com/ and follow him on his Facebook and Instagram!
