EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW : Robert Schwartzman of Rooney

Robert Coppola Schwartzman is the frontman and lead singer of American Indie Rock band called Rooney. He has also acted in The Virgin Suicide, Princess Diaries, and american tv series, The OC.

Well..Robert,first of all congratulations for Rooney's new Album, 'Eureka'. I was excited to get the chance to ask a few questions of you. And let's get started


So who came up with the name for the band and how did Rooney get started?
We met in high school and used to jam after school. We booked a show and needed a name. I suggested Ed Rooney, the name of the principal in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. We played a few shows as Ed Rooney and released an EP, but later decided Rooney would be better.


Who would you say were your biggest musical influences when you were growing up?
I loved Billy Idol, ELO, Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Del Shannon, Dion and the Belmonts, The Four Seasons, The Ronettes, The Crystals, Burt Bacharach, The Cardigans, Blur, Grandaddy, Zoot Woman, Sugar, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers...the list goes on.


okay,about the new album, what went into recording your new album?
First off, we left our label, Interscope. It was a new thing to be off Interscope and to be independent. We decided to make the album at my home studio and to produce and engineer it together. It was a new process for us not to have a producer in the room. We were all excited to take things into our own hands and reduce our costs. Also, since we didn't have to pay for a studio everyday, we could be more relaxed and flexible with the recording schedule.


How do you go about writing your songs?
There's no one way I go about it, sometimes I take my time with a music idea and work on the words later, or sometimes it all comes to me right away and I finish it on the spot. I also like to write to beats or grooves and play guitar or piano over it. For example, for I Can't Get Enough, I looped a drum beat on my drum machine and played guitar and sang over the beat. The lick just came to me from listening to the beat over and over. The verse melody all came from the lick...but sometimes I work backwards from the chorus.


What drives you to write music?
I'm driven by the feeling of creating a song that wasn't there and now, with getting my feelings out and writing, it exists. I'm driven by people who like what I do and appreciate the songs, but I think I would write music with or without fans...


What are your plans for after your record release?
Not sure, but usually we tour a lot to support the Eureka and look for opportunities to expose the music. It's hard to get music on peoples radars, and it's even harder to get someone to buy the album. Lots of work ahead of us.


now about the tour, what do you hope people will take away with them when they hear your music or see your live show?I hope people will feel happy and satisfied that he/she spent hard earned money to attend our show. I hope people will take our album home and a t-shirt so we can pay for the tour.


Who chooses the songs you play on tour?
I like to make the set list...kind of always been my thing.



We all know how the record companies feel about online downloading music for free, how do you as a musician feel about it?
I used to not care, but now it annoys me. We spent a lot of time and energy and drama making Eureka and it's important to me that people appreciate it, by buying it. It's a product and it deserves a price. But, I like that people pay for downloading music and there are new ways people can give back to artists.


What are the bands plans for the next five years?
Hmmmmmmmm...well, I don't even know our plans for after the summer tour, so not sure about 5 years from now. Hopefully we'll be making music and smiling and doing what we love.


Last but no least, can you give a shoutout for Rooney's fans in Indonesia. i am sure you guys have a huge fanbase here!
Hello ADI!!!!! Thank you for supporting Rooney and taking the time to send me questions...you are Indonesia's biggest Rooney fan!!

Take care.


Thanks again to Rob Schwartzman for answering these questions and for setting everything up. CLICK HERE for the LEGAL link for Rooney's latest single called 'I Don't Wanna Lose You'. Enjoy!



Cheers!





M.A Rianto
06/05/10