David Paul Newell honed his craft at creating dance hooks writing for DJs like Michael Gray (of Full Intention) and The Shapeshifters. In 2015 he started the side project Midnight Mystery Club; named after a secret bicycling society in San Francisco California, near his home town.
In this interview feature, we have a virtual pow wow with Midnight Mystery Club to discuss music, influences, the new project and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Calling Me below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
In 2012 I was working as a sound engineer in Nashville and pursuing songwriting on the side. At the time, most the songs I recorded ended up sounding unintentionally folk-rock. I was becoming dissatisfied with the music I was making while at the same time becoming more intrigued by artists like Empire of The Sun, M83, Phoenix, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out and others. It was the first current artists that really connected with me in a long time. It was music that felt like it was breaking new ground while at the same time evoking similar feelings that bands from my childhood did. Bands I grew up on like Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Tears for Fears, Earth Wind & Fire, and Hall and Oates, just to name a few. That really breathed new life into my songwriting at that point and for the first time provided the direction I needed in crafting my own style. I moved back to California not longer after and have been working on that ever since.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Through pursuing my love for Dance Music, I was offered a publishing deal in 2014. That brought about a lot of opportunity to write for successful House artists in London and throughout Europe. All of my time writing quickly became focused on writing music for other people. Though I was excited for that opportunity, it also began fueling an angst towards needing to write my own music. I was thrilled when producer and DJ Michael Gray agreed to help produce my own songs.
I think what ends up driving me to push it out into the public is probably a desire to not feel crazy. That maybe there might be other people who feel a similar way about music and are eager to hear this as well. A burning need for confirmation that you’re not alone in the passion you have in the music and what you’re expressing lyrically. I think at the heart of it, I wanted Midnight Mystery Club to be a real Club. Free to join for anyone who relates to it or who connects with it at all.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Besides the musical influences I mentioned earlier, I’m definitely influenced by all forms of art. I think sometimes even more so than musicians. Whenever I read Hemingway, watch a Wes Anderson film or witness my friend Neal Breton painting, I’m inspired to elevate what it is I do to that level. It’s also refreshing to find musical inspiration from places outside music.
I think my tastes are always changing and being refined. But I find that my desire for the authentic continues to be more important as I get older. I don’t like music that feels like it’s trying to sell me something. I appreciate artists that seem like they would be playing the same music if the audience was 5 people or 5 thousand.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Generally, I think I wanted to make music that moved me on multiple levels. I’m very satisfied that this new album hits on a lot of different emotions. When I listen to all the songs front to back, it feels like a journey to me. I’m not sure if I had that in mind when we started, but I think as the project came along you could sense it taking shape. When the last song fell into place it really felt like the missing piece to a puzzle and you could step back and see the whole picture.
What was the last song you listened to?
I just heard the new Empire of the Sun track ‘High and Low’ debut this morning on KROQ in LA. Amazing as usual from those guys.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I’m an avid Vinyl collector. It remains the best way to enjoy an album to me. Kind of forces you to take it in without the temptation to skip over some songs like CDs & MP3s.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
In my car, I’m usually listening to college radio or Spotify. I enjoy finding new music on other people playlists and adding it to mine. But I’m also a big fan of a new site called Fanburst.com It’s similar to Soundcloud in a lot of ways, but has allowed me to find a lot of great new music that’s still undiscovered.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I’m very thankful that people seem to be finding my music by having other people sharing it with them. I’m constantly amazed that people are liking it enough to play it for their friends and sending it to people. It’s really humbling to think about. It’s great to have that kind of support through social media as well.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
If you want to get in touch with me directly, drop me a message or follow me on Instagram, Twitter is good too @12amMysteryClub. You can keep updated on the album’s release as well as download the first 3 singles on Soundcloud.com/MidnightMysteryClub
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Nope, but thanks for this, it was fun.
