Val Emmich
Tell us about how you got into music and acting?
I first started writing music when I was fifteen. As soon as I learned my first few chords on the guitar, I began writing songs. Music then became and still is my emotional outlet. It is a great release for me and probably the reason that I never needed proper therapy. Also, beyond the expunging of emotions, it is also a creative outlet for me. I love building things and the crafting of a song fulfills that need. Acting came later. When I was a sophomore in college, a friend suggested I try it out. I had never acted in my life. I met a manager and cold read and she thought I was a natural. She sent me out on a few auditions to see how I’d do and I started booking things pretty quickly. I still have the same manager and it’s been like eight years now.
I have to ask how was it working on 30 Rock?
Amazing! I am so lucky that I got to be on that show because it’s definitely one of the best things on television. The cast is so talented and so funny. I was finding it hard not to laugh while on set. I still remain in contact with a lot of the people I met and I think that can just be contributed to the fact that everyone there is a real person. Just very cool.
Musician and actor. Can I ask how do you find the time? You must be a busy guy.
I’m just a very restless person. I have this need inside me to prove to myself that I’m not a piece of crap. I know what I’m capable of and so I feel almost obligated to see those things through. I love work so it never feels laborious.
When you’re not making music or acting or writing, what do you like to do?
I recently finished my first novel. I like writing fiction. I also like to cook. Anything that allows me to build something out of nothing.
You have a new record “Little Daggers” tells us a bit about that?
My attempt was to make a smart pop record and to prove that that term is not a contradiction. The songs are catchy and instant and fun but the lyrics tell a darker story and the music has enough layers and enough complexity to satisfy the more critical ear and to keep people coming back for repeated listens.
Who are some of your influences? What sort of music do you like?
I can’t categorize what I like because it seems to follow no specific pattern. I really like melody and lyrics are important. Also, just the sound of someone’s voice is important. As far as songwriters, John Lennon, Paul Westerberg, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Smokey Robinson are some of my favorites.
You have released a number of albums already. For, those new to Val which album do you think is the best to start with?
A: Ask a mother to pick one of her favorite children; she won’t be able to. So I’ll just say the latest one although none are fully representative of what I do. That’s because each record is a specific statement. I’m sure the next one I do will be wholly different than Little Daggers.
I got your latest video on right now “Get On With It” and I hope know who decided to put the slip n slide in the video?
A: I did that video with my main video collaborator Matt Schuman. He’s a close friend and we’ve done nearly all of my videos together. I can’t remember who came up with that specific idea because there were so many insane ones i.e. ninja, chess match, etc. Still, I can tell you that it was very very cold. A lot better as a piece of nostalgia.
Photo by Dave Sgalambro
