In this interview, Grayson Converse of Spooky Mansion takes us on a journey through the band’s origins, creative process, and inspirations. From the unconventional path that led him to music, sparked by a friend’s desire for camaraderie in both jazz and mischief, to the challenges of translating the raw emotion of a demo into a polished studio recording, Grayson shares candid insights into the world of songwriting. He reflects on the influence of iconic artists like Red Garland, Pixies, and Modest Mouse, and the lessons they’ve imparted. Through it all, Grayson remains committed to creating music that is groovy, fun, and leaves listeners feeling good about the world. Dive into this engaging conversation to discover the stories and philosophies that shape Spooky Mansion’s sound.
- Can you share the story behind how you started in music? Was music always a passion?
In 9th grade my close friend played guitar in morning jazz band. For a year I watched him leave school early and go on trips to play jazz competitions across the state. He complained that everyone else was a total geek that deserved to be wedgied and placed into trash cans, and when they went on the road he had no one to do drugs with, commit minor crimes of shoplifting and vandalism. He suggested that if I learn piano I could join the band and then we would be free to go down this bath of delinquency together. He sold me, so that summer I began learning piano. It was the beginning of youtube and I’d run from my upstairs computer down to the piano in the living room trying to remember the thing I just saw on the video. By 10th grade I was accepted into jazz band and thus able to begin my life of drugs and crime. It was a bonus that I also gained a passion for music and fell in love with harmony. I ended up going to college and graduating with a degree in Jazz Piano Performance. This degree has served me incredibly well in my life as a general contractor building houses. Everytime I start a job I present them with my degree in Jazz Piano Performance and the client is satisfied that their house will be built expertly. The student loans that I still ignore are a symbol of that great life choice I made. - What challenges (if any) have you faced in writing ‘What About You?’?
The great challenge that many songwriters go through who produce their own music is called ‘demo-itis’. In the days when you are first writing a recording a song alone in your room there is a freshness to the music. Every bassline, guitar line, drum take – they are all totally inspired and organic. Then at the end you are left with this ‘demo’ of the song the performance of which is perfect and beautiful and the sonic quality of which is totally made of crap sandwiches because you did it in your room. Now someone gives you some money because they like the song and you go to a studio and you have to recreate the magic of the original song with expensive equipment and smart people who put microphones in correct places. Then you spend a month going back and forth between the two recordings, totally confused about what music is and what constitutes art and truth and other pretty stupid stuff. And then you have to pretend that you like the new version more than the old version since you spent a ton of money on it, and then you have to hide the old version in a folder titled ‘Water Balloon Grenade Launcher’ so that you’re confused and can no longer find the original and then you forget about it and then you release the other one and then you do it all again when you make your next record. All that to say – ‘What About You?’ is great and turned out just the way I hoped it would. - Could you walk us through your songwriting process on “Saturdays”? What inspired this track?
It’s a song about being happy and satisfied with the life you have. If you have to work all the time and put off your other interests and slowly become dumber at least you still have saturday! Or maybe it’s Wednesday for some people. But at least you have 1 day where you can cook shrimp, watch your wife garden and daydream about the days when you had less responsibility. When you rode a motorcycle in the jungles of vietnam and got robbed from extremely friendly vietnamese people and fell in love with the lady that worked at the hostel and took her on a date but then you didn’t know if you’re allowed to touch her because you forgot how the culture worked and so instead you go to the beach and then she’s in her swimsuit and obviously trying to tell you its okay to kiss her but then you’re still confused and not very smart to begin with so you keep telling her about your band and she’s like ‘ ya whatever i think that’s fine but I don’t really care’ and you’re like ‘what do you think about philosophy’ and then she’s like ‘holy cow this guy is truly an idiot’ and then she goes home and then you go home and then you forget that she works at your home, which is a hostel, and so then the next morning you see her and you’re like ‘anyways, do you have any extra tooth brushes behind the desk’ and then ya. - Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they shape your sound?
Red Garland taught me to use rhythmic motifs to add energy and interest in a song. Pixies taught me how to get real loud and then real quiet and that’s a good way to keep a song interesting without having to work too hard. Modest Mouse taught me it’s okay to just yell a bunch and after awhile people will get used to it and then you’ll be told you have a ‘unique’ and ‘interesting’ voice and how sometimes that’s better than a ‘good’ voice. And so that’s kewl. - What message or impact do you hope to convey with your music?
The music is trying to be groovy and fun. The world is mostly a good place and I want to add one more element to it that makes people say ‘dang that was kewl and fun and now I feel good’.
Check out Spooky Mansion’s latest single “Weather” below: