Secret Weapons’ Music is No Longer Secret, Thank God
I was running late to a show at Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour and as I rushed through the entrance, I stopped in my tracks as I heard melodic guitars and singing coming from the stage.
I’m usually the brat that gets to the show late because I don’t trust that the earlier acts are any good, but this, THIS felt like I was suddenly in slow motion and that some sort of angel spotlight was dragging me toward the stage like that scene in Ghost when Patrick Swayze finally crosses over into heaven.
On the real, I was probably also drawn to Gerry’s amazing haircut and leather jacket, and Danny’s radical dance moves as he strummed his guitar — but I was frozen, watching Gerry and Danny, also known as Secret Weapons, as they sang my soon-to-be new favorite song, “Power,” from their new EP release. I leaned into the crowd to try and find out who these guys were… and as I Googled the Troubadour calendar on my phone, they had managed to hook me with their little secret weapon songs and I was soon singing along and fangirling with the crowd in no time. A successful mission accomplished by these two who’ve managed to invade my playlist almost nonstop since I accidentally ran face first into their music.
Ironically, these two come from a background of super practice-your-craft-dom, spending their years after college with normal 9-to-5 jobs as lawyers and dog walkers and making their music in secret… Having originally met in high school, and then serendipitously brought back together again when their desks were next to each other when they worked as interns at Sony. My guess, is the universe knew that they would make sweet sweet music together and wanted to make sure that the rest of us got to hear it.
The story of their cross over from muggles to rock stars is the stuff that unicorn dreams are made of… after they released their single “Something New” and having Epic records heavyweight LA Reid discover that one of his employees (from the legal department, no less) had a number four song on Spotify that was going viral and beating out many of their already-signed artists — Danny was brought in to Reid’s office to verify that the song was indeed, his. From here, the two have been thrust into the scene and onto the stage alongside bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco and Weezer — often unprepared. But, as they assure us they’re always down to party, have a good time, be loud af, we can rest easy knowing that they’ll figure out how to be the rock stars they were meant to be by simply flying by the seat of their pants….
Where did the name Secret Weapons come from?
The name Secret Weapons came about from working in secret all the time. We just kept up our 9-5’s and worked our butts off on nights and weekends, never playing any music for anyone until we felt the time was right.
Since you were both working other 9-5 jobs before you officially came out with your music, what is it like now getting to freely say you are a musician and in a band without being afraid to be the cliche “wanna be musician”?
[Laughs] It feels like an incredible sigh of relief. The odds are def against you when you want to make music your main squeeze.
What advice would you have for anyone else who finds themselves in the same situation as you were in, working a 9-5 job and working on their dream in their free time?
Do not stop. Party when there’s something to party about. Until then keep the pen to the paper and your fingers on the keys. Follow your heart.
Since you seem to pull inspiration from 80’s bands like Tears for Fears and Cyndi Lauper, was there a specific decision made about how you would sound?
Yes and no. We always knew it would be influenced by the 80’s but there has been much experimentation to find a balance between flavors of old and new. We are still finding new places to take the music that holds true to our sound. The future of SW is an exciting place.
So everyone hates the genre question – would you say that your music is pop music?
Yes, I would definitely say it’s pop. It’s not a dirty word to us. We love pop and pushing the boundaries of what can be pop. The Talking Heads, super weird, still pop. We really identify with that.
Let’s talk about your single, “Something New.” Any interesting stories about how it was written or how the idea came about? You’ve said in your live shows that with everything going on the world that this song means a lot to you, can you talk more about that?
The song was written out of pure necessity. We truly wanted something new. Low on money and time, we were really using every bit of life we had to keep our eyes on the prize. Only after it was written, did we start applying the message to everything. We don’t like to talk politics, but let’s just say, we turn the nightly news on and it’s a train wreck most of the time. When you see the hate, the violence, you have to want something new – a new way of thinking about the people around you. Spread peace and love always.
“Something New” has over 2 million spins on Spotify. How do you feel about that and where’s the weirdest place you’ve heard it?
The 2 million plays is a dream come true. The weirdest place… hmmm still waiting. Haven’t heard it out anywhere. We are patiently waiting for our “That Thing You Do” moment
Let’s talk about some of the other tracks on the EP, like “Power” and “Konichiwild” — what was the inspiration for those songs? Any interesting stories about how you came up with them?
“Power” was the first word that came to mind. It just felt right. When that happens it’s foolish to fight it. “Konichiwild” we had a really simple message we wanted to convey but we needed a new way to say it. The way you say hello drives me “konichiwild” LMAO, it still seems bananas.
Soundtrack game: I like to give a visual to readers as to what your music sounds like, if “Something New” were to appear on a movie soundtrack or in a specific scene, what would it be? What about “Power” or “Konichiwild”?
“Something New” is like the “who’s coming with me!?!?” scene in Jerry McGuire. “Power”: any moment that feels badass in any movie ever. [It’s] training montage, approved for sure! “Konichiwild”….I feel like that song is like, when the nerd gets the girl at the 80’s prom. Taped glasses and all!
You guys have been friends for a long time, can each of you tell me something about the other that you have learned over the years that you were maybe initially wrong about when you first met? Or anything weird about each other that you found out while on tour?
Gerry: Dan initially seemed [like] a straight shooter, if you will. Once we got to know each other, it was 24/7 laughs. We get weird. Tim and Eric on LSD weird.
Danny: Gerry doesn’t know his left from his right. Ever. We learned on tour to never let him control the directions.
Have you ever used your music to get a girl to go out with you? Or profess your love for her, etc?
Gerry: I wrote a girl a song once when it was too little too late, and once for a girl I never could have.
Danny: I only wrote songs about girls I didn’t get as well. Guess we’re a bit sappy in that regard.
Gerry: I’m still looking for the girl to write that masterpiece song about. She’s out there.
If you were to appear on MTV’s famed show, Unplugged, what songs would you want to cover?
Let us start this by saying…being loud is awesome. Playing acoustic for us, is like putting a dog on a leash but “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
You’re going on tour with “Panic! At the Disco” and “Weezer”… did you grow up listening to these bands and what is like to now be on tour with them?
You bet your bunz! We loved them big time! It’s a dream come true.
What’s next for you? More music? A full LP? More tour dates? Are you single?
A full length record. Tons of shows. Expect the unexpected. Wait, actually don’t, cuz then you’ll be expecting it. Just know we’re ready to bring the noise baby.
For more information on Secret Weapons, check them out on Instagram at @secretweapons, on Snapchat @secretweaponsBK or their website at www.secretweaponsofficial.com
