New York rock artist Ian Bamberger has released his first single from his upcoming album. “I Know I Know Nothing” is available now! The track is a full blown rock and roll anthem, complete with dueling guitar solos, booming choruses and an intriguing narrative.
The track was written and produced by Ian Bamberger, with guitar and vocal performance by Ian Bamberger, backing vocals by Katherine Geithman, drums by Dr. Bill Grillo, bass by Brian Gearty, engineering by Nick Semanchik, and recording by Lakehouse Studios.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Ian about the music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I was born and raised in and around Asbury Park, NJ, a town with a thriving and storied rock scene. At its core, my style of music is rock with large influences from the Allman Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morisson and others.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
I grew up with music around me. My father is a guitar player and I started playing around 12 years of age. Since then I have played hundreds of gigs throughout the tri-state area. I performed throughout high school, college and while I was studying to get my masters in music business at NYU Steinhart. I am motivated for a variety of reasons. First and foremost I am pushing to make a career as a singer-songwriter and guitar player. I am extraordinarily passionate about my music and performing onstage is always an amazing experience. I always have lyrics and melodies flowing through my head; the fun part is getting the ideas on paper and strings! Lastly I love collaborating and meeting other artists that are as passionate about their craft as I am!
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
“I Know I Know Nothing” and the rest of my album, “Headaches & Heartaches” is the most honest and powerful project that I have created. Every song reflects experiences that I have had during the pandemic. My previous releases include 1 album, 4 EPs and 2 singles. “Headaches & Heartaches” simply builds upon my previous releases as well as everything I have learned as a songwriter, guitar player and person.
I have been working on this album for the past year and a half. I set out to write the best and most powerful songs that I could for this project. I wanted to push my boundaries as a musician, producer, guitarist and songwriter. “I Know I Know Nothing” features guitar and vocal harmonies, a theme that I really leaned into on the rest of the album!
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The biggest challenge was learning to stay connected with fans and remain active with performances and projects. I made sure to play several online open mics every week for months. The silver lining of the pandemic was discovering the ability to interact with musicians and other creatives around the world. I am thankful to have met so many new friends, fans and other musicians through online open mics, on Zoom, Facebook and other platforms!
What was the last song you listened to?
Danny O’Keefe’s “Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues”! I have been on an acoustic singer songwriter kick. Jim Croce, John Denver, Bruce Springsteen and many others!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Context is key with a question like this. If I am relaxing by myself or with friends and have access to a record player, I’ll choose vinyl. Honestly my main source of music comes from my phone now. It’s a wild thought that in the span of a few years we have been given the ability to listen to, discover and even create/record music all on the same device I.e our phones!
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Everyone can find me on Instagram @ian_bamberger_music. I keep everyone up to date with what’s new musically.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you for taking the time to support me as an artist. “I Know I Know Nothing” is the lead single off of my upcoming album “Headaches & Heartaches”. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to create this album. I will be releasing more singles from the project to build momentum for the album release in Spring 2022. I believe very song on the album can stand alone as its own single. Proud to start sharing “Headaches & Heartaches” with the world.
