Eli Yacinthe | #LocalMusicSomewhere Studio Interview with Annaliese Pearl

Hey everyone. Welcome to Local Music Somewhere here on rBeatz.com. I’m Annaliese and here today we have Eli Yacinthe. He is a singer, songwriter and producer and is currently at Berklee College of Music and he is here today to talk about his new single, “Run Away With Me.” Eli, thank you so much for being with us today. How are you doing?

I’m good, thank you for having me.

Yeah, so I have a question for you. So tell me about your musical journey and where it all began.

I’ve been singing my whole life. Like I grew up in the church with my mom singing hymns and stuff and I didn’t really get the bug. I wouldn’t say until like, I was like, 10 years old and my dad started teaching me how to play guitar which I hated and eventually like after a while of my my hands hurting and just like crying and like being so dramatic about it, I just I kind of got over it and I found some artists who really inspired me and got me excited and it just kind of went from there.

Is that like the big push for you that like really encouraged you to like keep going with it was like having inspiration from other people?

Yeah, for sure for sure like not only on the scale of like artists that I really look up to Who are like huge in the industry and stuff? But like even just people in my hometown who were doing it and playing shows like in downtown Statesville and stuff. A lot of those people just like seeing them play live and It just looked like so much fun and I was like I want to do that.

Awesome Yeah. So tell me about your new song that you just released, run away with me. Like, what was the inspiration behind that? And like, how did you get to recording and producing it?

Yeah. So it definitely it was like a song that I didn’t really want to write because it’s kind of, you know, like we all sort of have a muse. And this one was definitely me coming back again at a point when I had thought that I was like done like talking about this situation and um I wasn’t. It’s like really easy for me to write about romantic interests I’m sure that’s not original to me but um but yeah that’s always come so easy so I always sit down and really want to write about something else I feel like that’s one of the things I sort of struggle with lately is I feel like I have so much more to say about the world and like things that are going on around me. But it’s so easy to write about love. I mean, that’s like

Oh, yeah, it’s the universal language, you know, like along with music, it’s like, you know, it’s impossible to like not want to write about that. Like is that like one of the main driving forces for your music?

Yeah, for sure and like whether it be loving like the romantic sense or also just like love is as far as like the love that I show myself or the love that I hope like other people show each other like worldwide, you know what I mean? Like that I think that’s pretty much what it’s all about at least for me Yeah, so there’s a lot of desperation in the song I feel like it’s just kind of saying to this person like do you think about me anymore like, you know if you had a chance like could we run away?

It’s emotional. And it’s like, you know, you’re putting out everything onto that. So that’s, that’s really inspirational for a lot of artists to be able to relate to that, I’m sure. So I know you’re a solo artist, but I’ve also noticed that you’re a part of a band as well. So how did you get started with them?

Yeah, that’s a good question. I met, I don’t know if it was like 2015 or something like that, but I went to Statesville High School and I was like in a rock band class there. And I met a drummer named Jalen Higgins. I’d been doing gigs for a little while like downtown, just like solo stuff. And I ended up wanting to start doing gigs. a trio and so I got my friend Jalen and then I met um one of my good friends named Craig Malls who plays bass I met him um in states for a show that he was playing around Christmas time and we got together and just started playing tunes and um it was all covers at this point. it was just so much fun and from there the band just grew and grew and grew and has changed you know especially since I moved up to Berklee, just been meeting new people and stuff and so yeah, sometimes it’s eight people. It goes from anywhere from like six to eight of us in the band at a time, so kind of depends on the gig.

Are most of them here or some of them in Boston as well?

Yeah, most of them are in Boston right now. The guys that I play with, Trey Tarzia, he was a phenomenal musician. He is from Concord actually. But he and I ended up going to Berklee at the same time. So, he’s up there with me. And, um, then I’ve got some, the rest of the band is all made up of people from Berkeley. So I met up in Boston.

Oh, that’s amazing. That’s, that’s amazing that you’re, you’re growing a community of sorts, like within your music and everything as well. And I know you’ve been releasing music on streaming platforms since 2022. How has that process evolved from when you first started releasing music to now?

Yeah, it’s funny because I mean, honestly, in the grand scope of things, I really haven’t released that much music. I think now that I just have such a different philosophy on it, and I even sort of started figuring this out as I was first releasing that original stuff where it was like, there’s a point of, I think perfectionism that like we all have as artists to want something to be like at a certain level before we release it and I’ve really tried to adopt the philosophy of being happy with you know where something’s at and putting it out and being able to look back and years and years and years and kind of see the evolution of what I’ve done as opposed to like waiting around and never releasing anything because I want it to be like this perfect thing and kind of love the sort of change I see my music go through. That’s been something I’ve been able to adopt and appreciate more. So it’s a lot easier for me to let go of these songs and be like, “I need to put them out into the world.” And I did a little bit of that even with some of my earlier stuff. I feel good inside. There’s a part that’s completely gibberish. And that part was originally on the demo. And I was writing down the street one day and I heard I was listening to the demo and I heard the gibberish part And I was just like thinking my head like I was feeling the song so much And I eventually like arrived at this point where I was just like dude This is crazy because if I can feel something from this and I’m not even saying anything And like if I can feel something from this then someone else get to so like I remember I had been like really struggling as to like What I should write for that part so I ended up saying like I’m just gonna leave it how it is like it’s gonna be gibberish And that’s what it is and I released it like that and I love doing stuff like that And like trying to show my personality through my music and like at the end of the day I’m a goofball. So that’s I try to take myself too seriously and like portray that in the stuff that I write but yeah, my process has definitely changed and I don’t think I have them as much of a perfection mindset with the music anymore. But it’s nice because I really want to get to a point where I’m just releasing stuff pretty soon after I write it. A lot of times I’ll sit on music for a long time. So I’m going to drop this album and then hopefully be releasing stuff that’s new even to me. Just sort of like writing it, recording it, mix it down really quick and just put it out there. I think that’s like where I would be the happiest.

Well, you mentioned an album. Can you kind of like go more into that? Like what’s the process like with creating that?

So this album is sort of, it’s a lot of different stuff that I’ve written over the years. Some of it’s pretty old. You know, some of it I was like starting back when I released my first tunes and other songs. I, you know, just finished like a month ago. so run away with me is the first single off the album and I think I’m gonna do three or four I don’t know I’m really just I’m ready to put it out so I can like I have so much like new stuff that I’ve been working on and especially being about Berklee, like my writing my writing has changed. so but yeah so the album it’s like new and old stuff and it’s called Patience patience is the theme of the album and I take it like quite literally like I’m trying to even now like be patient with like putting it out and like finishing it up and it’s been a real testament to just like patience in the sense of like self -love you know like being patient with myself and like taking time to understand that like things don’t come in the day you know things will come over night especially in this industry and I think that’s pretty universal but um but um and just patient patience with like uh um I don’t know with other people in all in all forms. I think this like this album for me kind of encompasses like just me wanting to take time whether it be like romantically or like in my friendships or um with school like finishing school and it was really important to me that I took it literally and like didn’t rush this album. So yeah, even now I’m finishing up some stuff. That’s gonna be on it and like I’m planning to release it not too long from now.

How many songs are on if I can ask?

I think it’s gonna be like 15 honestly. Probably I’ll probably end up releasing more like 13 or something like a few might get cut that I just want to like keep working on, but I think it’s gonna be up there definitely above 12

That’s a really solid album number I ask because like in this industry now especially like I feel like limited like music is so limited now in some albums and it’s just like you know I’m I I miss like the old like LPs yeah like where it’s like you really get like a full body of work.

Yeah no, I love it and I’m like I’m super excited this is my first album I’ve ever released and and I really feel like I put myself into it You know like the songs there’s so much range as far as like the style of each song I feel like changes a lot and this is just really personal project to me.

So oh, that’s awesome. Now I know you go to Berklee College of Music and I think you’re about to graduate soon from one more year? Oh my gosh, how exciting though So what is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned from being at school there?

That’s a hard question I mean I’ve learned so much as far as like from a musical perspective I would say that Berklee like like their ear training and harmony courses have really opened me up like my ears just so much better than when I went in and like just being able to understand music that I hear like what’s going on like especially harmonically has been a huge game changer for me and to sort of be able to bring some of that knowledge to my writing. It’d be hard for me to pick one thing I mean I’ve just grown so much in my personal life since I’ve been there you know like as far as like the way that I carry myself and like what I choose to spend my time on and like the way I take care of my my body my spirit you know has evolved since I’ve been. But then also I’ve learned a lot of lessons as far as like the music industry and like where I wanna sit within that. I think one of the big ones is just sort of that, like you get out what you put in. And I think that’s like for wherever you are, but definitely being at school has shown me, you know, you can come into this amazing place with all these like really great professors and teachers and these resources. But at the end of the day, like if you don’t make anything of it and like put, apply yourself, then like you’re not going to get anything out of it. So I think I’ve just learned that it really like boils down to my me and like, you know, yeah, like how I choose to, how I choose to take advantage of the situation.

Wise words right there. Like for sure, because I, I know for me, for sure. at times You can definitely feel like oh am I not getting the proper education? But to know like you know you can get other forms of education like wherever you are I have to be like the most top thing but like When you are able to learn and you’re able to grow like in any place like that’s the most important thing for sure

Yeah, and I always tell people like you do not have to go to Berklee to learn what they’re teaching us, like at all. You do not need to be there. It’s, for me, it’s been like a really fortunate situation that I’ve been able to go there. But there’s definitely like downfalls to being at a university like that, I would say as well. But it’s all what you make of it, so.

Perfect, yeah. So I’ve seen you’ve been performing live a lot and what has been one of your favorite places to perform live? Like what is one performance that really sticks out to you in your mind?

Yeah, I love house venues. Like, in Boston, there’s a lot of house shows, like basement shows, and those have been my favorite just because, like, I love, I think I spent a lot of time, especially, like, when I was first starting, like, playing a lot of corporate gigs and stuff. And so it would definitely be like, it would be like a cool venue or whatever, but it’d be like this giant field or something, and everybody’s like 100 feet from us. And I don’t know there’s just some There’s a there’s a point to like where I lose touch sort of with the audience, you know And it’s like I always have fun because at the end of the day, honestly I’m just playing with my boys like I’m playing with the guys like yeah We’re just making music But I love these house venues in boston that just get like they’re packed with like all my friends and stuff and like Just like a little basement, but it would just be like packed with people all the way up to the front just like sweaty and hot and like just playing music it’s very um I don’t know it’s just like a different experience so definitely I would say um there’s a show I was gonna pick we played a show at the beginning of this year like the first show back was um out of any called secret island which is a house venue um that my friends threw together in Boston and yeah that was one of my favorites for sure

Oh that sounds amazing like it just sounds like you have such amazing friends that are like so supportive of you and your career as well as like y ‘all just supporting each other that’s amazing.

I’ve been super lucky.

Yeah yeah well one last question for you what where do you hope to see yourself in five years like in your music career?

I really just want to be on the road you know. I just want to be traveling and playing shows like as often as I can so tour tour would be nice even if it’s a small one just kind of seeing the country and like traveling with my friends play music yeah

Where would you want to go?

It’d be cool to do like a west coast thing cuz I’ve never been out there oh yeah but really all over yeah nice oh that’s awesome All right Well, we’re gonna take a little break here But we’ll be right back with Eli Yacinthe and he will be performing his new songs run away with me as well as one more night

Welcome back to Local Music Somewhere. We are here with Eli Yasinthe and before we get right into his performance, we’re going to be asking him a couple of questions, so this is kind of like a game of like, would you rather? Okay, sweet. So yeah, we’re going to be… up on the board here, and we’ll see what we got So would you rather play in Charlotte at the Panthers stadium or play in LA for a small group of music executives?

I feel like honestly be cool to play in the Panthers stadium. Oh Okay, yeah, yeah, that’d be fun.

Yeah, very hometown like you know Like it like everybody like going in the stadium. Awesome. All right, next question. Would you rather sign a six album record deal or be a music influencer with millions of followers on Instagram?

Probably, probably the music influencer as opposed to signing.

Ooh, why so?

I don’t think I wanna sign to a label or like, even when it comes to my albums and stuff I don’t just want to have the freedom when it comes to like the production and the writing and everything

Yeah, that’s valid. Yeah, everything can be a little bit controlling nowadays So, you know like having that freedom to be able to do creatively is like so important for sure All right, we got next one now. All right Would you rather perform on a cruise ship around Europe for a week or the sphere in Las Vegas for one night.

Definitely the Las Vegas, I think.

Really? Oh, okay. Yeah, like, why so?

I don’t know. I feel like Vegas will be more of my vibe than like the cruise ship thing for some reason. And the Sphere, honestly, I’ve never seen it, but it sounds cool, so.

Yeah, it does sound cool.

It’s like a cool venue, so yeah.

I’ve definitely known of people who have had a really great time here, so yeah, I think that would definitely work for you. All right, next question. Would you rather have an amazing voice /vocal range or be able to play any instrument?

Maybe play, maybe the amazing voice /vocal range, I think.

Oh, nice, why so?

I think, I don’t know. I think the singing is such a huge part. I don’t know. I feel like, I don’t know. to make vocal music so like I want to keep my voice like I want to be able to write songs and sing them and being able to play every instrument will be really cool though too for sure yeah I think it’s just cool to be able to like sit down I’m guessing if I choose the first one I can still play like I can still play guitar

oh yeah

Okay I feel like yeah I want to be able to sit down and sing songs and just play you know yeah

I think it’s more of like instant Like, you know, either have this ability or that ability.

Yeah. OK, OK. Yeah. Nice.

All right. Next one. OK, would you rather be in a band that makes amazing music, with bandmates who are mean or a band that has nice people but make bad music?

Definitely the second one. Definitely the second one.

Yeah, because I feel like, yeah, I mean, I have my answer, but what would be your answer?

Um, just… second one because I mean I’ve really learned that like It’s kind of it’s weird because Like you could be in a band like I don’t know about like the whole like making bad music Because what I’ve found is that like even if you’re playing if you’re playing with people like really care about it Then the fact is like they’re gonna put in the time and effort to like try and make it sound as good as they can Slash like work with you over time to do that. So like it really ends up with a better result I think in the long run

Oh for sure yeah because you can always work on that.

Yeah exactly like they’re gonna they’re gonna like care about what you’re doing though so they’re gonna put in the time so that’s a good point yeah what you come out with you know

Yeah and I also just think of like it being a better vibe overall yeah as opposed to like being around mean people for sure all right well Eli are you ready to start performing?

I gotta tune this, ’cause I tuned it low, let me see.

All right. And you’re gonna be performing “Run Away With Me”?

I’m gonna do “One More Night With You”.

“One More Night With You” and then “Run Away With Me”.

All right, perfect.

*Performs “One More Night With You” & “Run Away With Me”

It’s so catchy. Am I getting some like jazz influence in there?

Yeah, I think there’s a lot of jazz influence like across all my music. I definitely like, I wouldn’t say that I play jazz, but like I take so much from that world for sure.

Yeah, who are some of your musical influences?

Definitely D ‘Angelo, D ‘Angelo and the Vanguard. A guy named Lobby Sifre, it’s one of my favorite songwriters of all time. I would say also James Taylor, since I’ve been pretty little, he’s been a big influence on me. Men I trust, too, had a huge influence on the sound of that song. I like the guitars and the drums and the drums. vocals too. And yeah, this is a ton for sure.

Oh, that’s awesome.

Recently, Tribe Called Quest to a lot of hip hop, Tribe Called Quest and the Farside and stuff.

Nice. Oh, you got so many influences on that. Do you usually start with a melody or is there a beat that comes out? mind when it comes to songwriting or is it just like?

It depends. Yeah. A lot of times I start like me just sitting down at the guitar. It’s either me sitting down at the guitar, me sitting down at the computer and like programming like a loop or something like that. So see a melodies usually come after chords for me. And then yeah, usually it’s weird. I can either write a song in like 15 minutes or I write a song in like two years, so.

Yeah, yeah, it changes just depending on like the song and everything that goes into it. Like does real life kind of like influence that as well? Like, you know, like, ’cause for me, for sure, like changing of feelings kind of, you know, changes depending on how I write a song, but yeah.

Yeah, for sure. sure like my life when it gets really busy, it’s hard to finish stuff like especially when I’m at school It’s really hard to finish stuff But then yeah, like there’s a lot of songs that I’ll start about a situation and then you know I never end up finishing it until like, you know sometime later when I’m not feeling the same anymore So a lot of times like songs will change meaning for me or I’ll kind of I’ll finish them You know differently than I started them Because it’s really hard for me to finish a song about a feeling that I’m not experiencing anymore so I try to always pretty much just write about how I’m feeling right now. Any song that I write when I sit down to write it, it’s like that’s what it’s coming from my heart. You know what I mean? It’s really hard for me to revisit and try and try and pull up like a past situation and write from that perspective for some reason. Yeah, I’m sure something I’ll try at some point right now. It just feels really good to use it as sort of a therapy and like get out what what’s on my mind.

Yeah, I know for me personally, like when songs come back up, like from my, when I previously released them, they have a different meaning like then than they do now. And then I can kind of associate it with something different. It has that. for you with certain songs that you’ve released?

For sure. Yeah, and it’s it’s really cool because how to like look back on songs that I wrote so long ago and you know Be able to see the old meaning in it and like the nostalgia in that song But then also like you said like it takes on a new life, you know, I can apply it to new circumstances new situations that I find myself in Um, so yeah,

Oh that’s that’s incredible Like, having that sort of talent to be able to create different like lyricism through experiences and everything like that. Like, what’s a song that you’ve written where the experience was so meaningful for you or so like impactful? Like which song would you say like really showcases like your view on the world? I should say.

Yeah. That’s a hard one. As far as my view on the world I’m not really sure because I haven’t written too many songs about anything, but like romance. Yeah, which the album is coming So I definitely would say There’s a song called Borrowed Time that that’s on the album that I really love and it just kind of speaks to like I found like I can why I can tell you the lyrics actually it’s so it’s like my it’s like things that I want to remember so I say like that “my time is borrowed and these chords are too there’s so much pain and silence and so much love and the truth” and like I guess it was just kind of like at one point I was feeling like I didn’t want to write songs because I felt like I was writing something that I would written before and I was like this is so annoying like and so these chords are actually chords that I use in another song somewhere and I decided to say like screw it like you know I would much rather like sit down and write something like everything is borrowed like nothing is mine like everything is temporary and that goes for like music you know like this lifetime you know like everything so I kind of sat down with that perspective in mind as I wrote that song and decided that it was so much more beneficial and so much more like full of love that I would like sit down and write regardless of the fact that like this wasn’t like completely new or whatever and that’s kind of where the line comes you know “there’s so much pain and silence and so much love in the truth” so that one’s definitely special to me um but they all hold like a special place in my heart and I would say like as a collective work I really love this album and I want to see like take on its own life but the EP that I feel good inside is on is like definitely huge um um just sort of like representation of how I love and um yeah it’s kind of like a little story so that one’s also like really special to me

Oh, that does sound so special Well, Eli, thank you so much for being with us today Be on the lookout for Patience coming soon.

Yeah, yeah, we’re doing the next like three or four months I’m dropping the whole thing.

Awesome. Yeah, well, do you want to shout out your socials to the people watching?

Yeah, Eli Yacinthe music. If you type in E -L -I -Y -A -C -I -N -T -H -E Eli Yacinthe Music. So long, long one, but yeah, and I’ve got another single from the album called “Swananoa Song” coming out June 7th, so excited to hear that.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Eli, for being here with us.

Thanks, Annaliese. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Yeah, and you can catch more on rBeatz.com, listen in for more on everything #localmusicsomewhere. Thanks, everyone. Bye.