Featured Artist: Cole DeGenova
as told to Asha Iman Veal for Arts Alliance Illinois (June 2020)
(musician and recording artist Cole DeGenova, performing live at Emporium Wicker Park, 2018)
Chicago has been a live music city forever. It’s been a jazz city since the beginning.
Really, this is one of only a handful of real jazz cities in the world and it’s part of the culture of the city for sure. There is so much support and community here in ways that I haven’t seen in places like L.A. or New York. In places like that, the stakes and competition may be much higher so the relationships feel a little more forced and maybe not as genuine sometimes.
I think sometimes other cities are thought of as, ‘Oh, that’s the live music capital of the country.’ Here in Chicago though, I feel like there is space for genuine and honest collaboration—as well as space to experiment and explore your sound and ideas. Maybe because I am into so many different kinds of music, I feel like I’ve done a good job of being involved in multiple scenes in the city at once.
‘So, when I’m making music, who am I thinking about?’ I think it usually starts as me and my own experiences, but I usually try to open it and have it become something that is relatable and could apply to anybody or multiple circumstances. I never want my songs to be too specific. I like the idea of there being multiple interpretations of my words and ideas also, so people can make it their own.
Really Human is my third full album as a solo artist, and I’ve released an EP. I’ve put out a few albums with other bands too.
/ Cole DeGenova
musician and recording artist
newly released streaming and vinyl album Really Human (Spring/Summer 2020)
(album artwork for Really Human, by Illinois artist Kwabena Foli, and John Stoffer photography)
(musician Cole DeGenova in Jakarta, Indonesia on tour with singer/songwriter Gallant)
PRESS TO PLAY / coledegenova.bandcamp.com/track/really-human
For the album Really Human, two of the songs were produced by artist Georgia Anne Muldrow. She’s a legend in her own right, in the neo-soul, jazz, hip-hop funk world. I have a friend who plays in her band, so I reached out on a whim and she was down to work with me. Her energy definitely had a big influence in how I proceeded with the project.
The specific song ‘Really Human’ is about the mundane day-to-day of having to be on the grind to make money, and all of these seemingly superficial, materialistic things that prevent us from elevating as far as consciousness or as a people—spiritually, socially, whatever. It’s that everyday grind that I guess keeps us feeling separated and keeps us feeling kind of stuck.
PRESS TO PLAY / coledegenova.bandcamp.com/track/the-lucky-few-feat-rico-sisney
‘The Lucky Few’ is the first song that I pretty much produced all on my own, except for Rico Sisney’s rap verse. I played all the parts and the drum programming and everything, so I’m proud of that song because of the work. It was the first time I was able to do that, and I felt good about it all.
Then lyrically, I’ve always identified as queer, bisexual, since I was a little kid. Especially having experienced some bullying as a teenager because of that, the feeling now is about coming to terms as an adult and feeling confident in all aspects of your identity. So that’s really where the song initiated, and thoughts of what it feels like to be picked on or ostracized because of who you are. I expanded it to everyone who’s maybe felt that way—of feeling like an ‘other.’
(Cole DeGenova on his piano, at home)
(album artwork for Really Human, by Kwabena Foli)
As far as writing, I’ve been writing songs since I was a little kid.
For a long time, I was of the mindset that I needed to just ‘wait for inspiration to strike.’ Like the idea should just pop in my head while walking down the street or driving somewhere, or whatever, and then I’d build from there.
PRESS TO PLAY / coledegenova.bandcamp.com/track/full-grown-2
Sometimes, a song might remind me of a certain moment. Also I find that sometimes when I write, I won’t really know what it’s about until maybe a few years later. I’ve had a few moments where I’ll write a lyric that comes true later on. It reveals itself over time. Then I’ll understand, ‘Oh, that's what this was about.’
I’m getting to a point now though, where I’m working to make songwriting more of a focus in my career—especially since nobody really knows what’s going to become of live music right now. The writing is more like a muscle. I keep doing it and can force myself to write, instead of just ‘waiting for the muse to strike.’ Like any muscle, the more you do it the easier it becomes to write on the spot.
(directed by Illinois artist Kelly Flemming, teaser video for song ‘Two Puffs’)
PRESS TO PLAY / coledegenova.bandcamp.com/track/two-puffs
For ‘Two Puffs’ I was working with House music producers, in Chicago. The story behind that song is that I was dosed with LSD at a party, very unexpectedly. It was in a bottle of whiskey. At that time in my life, I was touring a lot. The party was actually a night I decided to join a new band that I ended up touring with for a year. We were playing the usual festival circuit. After a while it all felt very shallow, especially when it’s just drugs and alcohol and no real substance. So, this song is kind of about that too.
PRESS TO PLAY / coledegenova.bandcamp.com/track/broken-serenade
The song ‘Broken Serenade’ was recorded with my former band, who I had been playing and touring with a fair amount when I first started the project. That’s George Wundsam, Matt Wilson, and Gabe Wallace—they’re featured on several songs on the album. That’s why stylistically, this song has much more of a live band feel. It’s moody and brooding, in a way.
(artist Cole DeGenova)
People don’t always realize what it means to be a professional musician working in the industry. You definitely have to keep yourself busy, and be very versatile.
My professional work includes what I’m doing as a musician to make a living—whether as a keyboardist, singer, songwriter, or producer. Whether it’s playing gigs, recording sessions, writing, or touring as a hired sideman. Also, I work across the city for money—whether background music, at weddings, in restaurants, or at jazz clubs. There’s also the work of trying to get placements—which means trying to get your songs placed in movies and TV shows.
Beyond that, I’ve toured a fair amount across the country and the world, with other artists who are maybe a little more established than me.
My career is all of those things.
This work is always a grind—that’s for sure—but if you’re diverse enough in what your skills are you can make a decent living. Everything is not always safe and secure though. You have to enjoy the spontaneity of it.
My solo artistic projects, is the sphere that usually doesn't pay as well as other aspects of my career, but keeps my soul and creative energy nourished. I normally have to keep some sort of balance between the artistic and professional spheres, sometimes leaning more on one than the other.
There is plenty of crossover between the two spheres, but the dream is to have them merge into one.
For me, music has been there my whole life. I started playing piano when I was four. My parents were musicians and they were always playing in the house and having rehearsals. So when I sit down at the piano, it feels comfortable, it feels good, it feels right. I couldn’t imagine not being able to do it.
In a normal world, I’m out playing at least four or five times a week. So, putting out my album Really Human mid-quarantine—that obviously wasn’t the plan. It's been a learning process for sure, but at the same time I think it's kind of inspiring in a way.
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