Tuscaloosa artist Zizzer is back with his latest single, the hard-hitting rap/rock hybrid “Purge”. The single features both Zizzer’s innate knack for intricate hip-hop-infused pop rock production and his clever lyrics, matched with his machine gun fire intense delivery.
Ryan Jones became “Zizzer” once he started recording with a cheap microphone and an out-of-date computer while living in a trailer by the loud railroad tracks down in the dirty south. Sometimes things could get a little intense with all the drugs, girls, and rivalry gangs coming to the same place to record but luckily, they all made it out alive with a lot of good stories to sing and rap about. Zizzer’s music has meshed with inspiration from alternative rock, hip-hop, punk, emo, pop, and dubstep. From the country to the ghetto, from Arizona to Alabama, and all the places in between, Zizzer is just a Picasso of many cultures and lifestyles all meshed together and his music reflects that like the dynamics of his past and present to bring you the sound of the future.
We had the chance to interview Zizzer as part of the Refrain Interview Series. Check it out below.
Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. Tell us about it? What’s it called?
Zizzer: Absolutely, I’m happy that you wanted to do an interview with me for real. So, Thank you. It’s one of my newest releases. The name of it is Purge. It’s like a war game type of song.
RMB: What’s the single about?
Zizzer: It’s about a normal guy with a family who wakes up one day and his country is getting invaded. He’s no longer the hardworking, normal, husband/dad, that does his normal routine. He’s now the sole protector that has to get focused on defeating this new enemy by stepping out of his comfort zone and doing things he wouldn’t normally have to do.
RMB: What’s the story on how it was recorded? The Who, When, Where etc. Was it a long process or quick? Any good stories about the recording process?
Zizzer: Well, I made the beat, I was wanting it to be something between rock and hip-hop so it had to have a good beat and a guitar. That was just a must. Then, I had a birthday party and showed off a couple beats that I had made. This was one of them and Payton, my wife’s cousin, was like, “damn, that sounds like something that would be in a Black Ops or Modern Warfare game.” He started telling me how I should write lyrics based on that and send it to a game development company or something like that cause he could definitely get down and into the game if a song like that came on while he was playing. I thought about a few current events that were going on. Ukraine was just getting invaded by Russia at the time and I started trying to imagine what it would be like if my country was getting invaded. I thought—what kind of lyrics would a game like Call of Duty have in it on their next game? Would they include current events? How could I make all this fit? And this is what I came up with.
RMB: Is it part of a larger album? If so, tell us about that.
Zizzer: It is not part of an album. Actually, I’ve never released anything but singles. By the time I get a song done, I’m so ready for someone to hear it that I can’t help myself. I go to CDBaby and drop it right then. Then I have to wait about 3 weeks to a month before it gets released on all major platforms. I can’t wait any longer than that. I can’t even wait till Christmas to give presents away. I’m just always impatient about giving gifts and I’m like, “look what I got you!” Them: “It’s August!” Me: “I know!”
RMB: How does this single differ from your previous work?
Zizzer: Shoot! The sound, structure, delivery, and production of the song is all different. I just took a different approach on everything really. However, that being said, every song I do is a very individual, creative piece of work and each piece is different. On this song particularly, this one’s more of a fictional type of song where my other songs are more about things that actually happened in my life. As far as the structure goes, that’s different. The hook is at the very beginning and never repeats again for the rest of the song. The name of the song is not even in the chorus. I guess that’s because I didn’t decide on what to name it until it was finished. I had a few other ideas on what I would name the song. It was either “I’m Coming,” “Militia,” “I’m Coming with the wrath of my Militia,” or “Purge”. I asked my wife what she thought sounded the best and I went with that.
RMB: Does your wife always help you with your music?
Zizzer: lol, She doesn’t really like the type of music I make so she’s really good at telling me what she doesn’t like. I’ve learned to wait till the very end of the process before asking her thoughts though because otherwise she’s gonna stop the song every few seconds and tell me what’s wrong, even if I haven’t got to that part yet. But yeah, she’s my best critic. I think everyone needs to hear the honest truth even if it sucks to hear sometimes. How else are you gonna know to improve. Yep, that’s how she helps.
RMB: Tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you start pursuing music?
Zizzer: I didn’t really care about being a musician at first. I think I was going to take art back in 6th grade but instead, I took band. I only took band because there was a girl that I had a crush on and the only way I could get a class with her was to take band. There were no cool instruments though. No guitar, no keyboard. There were the drums and maybe the saxophone. Well, the saxophone had a bunch of buttons and looked complicated. I’ve heard the sax in a few rock songs and I’ve heard girls say that it’s sexy so, yeah, I went with the sax. That was back in a little town called Ava in Missouri. Lots of cows and creeks. But I wouldn’t say that’s where I started pursuing music as a career.
RMB: When did you decide to pursue music as a career? Is there a story there?
Zizzer: I moved to Arizona for a little bit and met some interesting people out there. I can’t remember all their names because I was partying pretty hard back then. But this one guy, who was a rapper, had a little studio in his bedroom where he made his music and put it on CD’s and everything right there. He had a little drum machine and keyboard hooked up to his computer and I thought it was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen. I just did not know that you could make that kind of music out of your bedroom. Anyways, it wasn’t long after that before I was living in Alabama again, where I’m originally from, and hooking my own little studio up. I started making little beats and recording different artists here in town while also writing my own music. I was outside smoking a cigarette with a guy who played the guitar, talking about music, when a couple other guys came up and said “Hey, Y’all make music?” Those guys were Y.A. and Ikkie, who turned out to be my former band mates in a little pop group we formed called Anotha Planet. We sounded like a version of Black Eyed Peas with a little more hip-hop infused. I mean, we were really good and put together a bunch of songs. We had a manager and we were doing shows but then we just stopped one day. I really regret it because I feel like if we would have stuck together then we would have been pretty big by now. We have 20 or so songs sitting in a hard drive that no one’s ever heard before. After that, I took a break from music for a few years and didn’t do anything. I guess I was just discouraged. But now, I’m back at it again. And now, this time, with a new style and a new type of mix genre.
RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Zizzer: Wow, I have a bunch really but to sum it up—every time I hear something different and pleasing to the ear it gives me inspiration and influences me to also want to do the same thing. Kind of like the first time I heard LORDE sing Royals or Billy Ellish sing Bad Guy. Or the first time I heard a DJ throw some Skrilex into the mix while everyone was dancing to Hip-hop music. Or When I heard Girl Crush by Little Big Town. There’s a ton of songs that, when they came out, were fresh, new, and different. Here recently, I’ve discovered a few bands like Adam Jensen, ModSun, Grandson, and more like them that I’ve really been taken by and want my music to sound as good as theirs. I just want to make something that’s different and pleasing to the ear. Something that people can go, Oh, I like that, that’s different.
RMB: What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?
Zizzer: Um, Well I’m not there yet. I’m finding out that there’s a lot more work than I expected when it comes to being successful in the music business. I’ve learned that there’s a lot of scam artists out there that will promise you things and not give you what you pay for. I’ve had a long road in learning everything that I know but without people like you, willing to help, I would go nowhere. Luckily, I’ve came across a few good apples like Heart Riot Agency, the company that referred me to you, that has helped me start to grow my career. As far as what I’m most proud of at the moment, I would say that is my abilities and knowledge on how to create, mix, and master music. I also like making other people sound good. When I’m able to make someone excited about a recording of their performance that I’ve mixed for them, that’s always a good feeling too.
RMB: If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?
Zizzer: Do you like hearing the same thing played on the radio all the time? Me neither! So let me let you hear something different that you might like.
RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?
Zizzer: I don’t really have any advice that I’d like to give everyone. If I give advice to anyone it’s gonna be very specific and individualized. At least for the most part. But even then, I think most people just have to figure it out for themselves. I could probably give myself some advice but I’d just be sticking my foot in my mouth if I did that.
RMB: If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?
Zizzer: lol, I’d tell me everything I know now but I probably wouldn’t listen.
RMB: What’s coming up next for your musical project?
Zizzer: The next 2 songs after Purge will be cover songs. Gemini, originally sung by American Teeth and She’s a Liar in a Red Dress, originally sung by Adam Jensen. After that, I’m not really sure what I’ll release next. I know I have a couple more songs in the pot ready to pop out anytime now. One song called Watch Out for that Price and another one called Best Man. I’m also working with a couple different artists and may put out a few collaborations. It really just depends on what gets finished first and if the collaborations ever get done and if they sound good. Hopefully it’ll all work out. I’m looking forward to it though.
RMB: Anything we haven’t thought of that you want to talk about?
Zizzer: Well, This is not my only job. I also build houses for a living. Carpentry, sheetrock, plumbing, painting, you name it. That’s my day job. Then, I get home and it’s not just making music. I do the mixing and mastering, the graphic designing—2D and 3D, research on how to work the newest program, distribute my music, promote it, work my social media, submit it to radio stations, submit it to curators, advertise and run campaigns, get licenses that I need, make canvases and videos, watch 5 video tutorials on how to do 1 special effect and still make time for my family. Not to mention the normal stuff like cutting the grass or taking out the trash. It’s very time consuming and I’m not even doing shows yet. I have to say, anybody that is doing this all on their own deserves an award. This kind of work is not meant for just 1 person, that I am learning. I believe I could really use a manager with a track record and good experience.
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