Everything But The Everything (EBTE), the project of Bay Area California musician, producer and industry promoter Izzy The Gent, has released his newest single “Never Said.” Growing up in the Bay Area gave Izzy a taste of Punk Rock in his youth, but over the years he shifted interest into becoming a DJ and climbing the ranks within the scene as a notable club promoter. As Izzy picked up the bass once again while playing for notable area the band The Frail and now creates music under the EBTE moniker. The group gives Izzy the chance to write his own brand of rock, while inviting a diverse lineup of vocalists to guests to top each track.

We had a chance to chat with Izzy as part of our Refrain Interview Series.

Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. What’s it called?

Izzy The Gent – Our new single is called “Never Said” and features singer/songwriter/music producer Sophia Prise.

RMB: What is the song about, in terms of lyrics?

Izzy The Gent- I might butcher this so I apologize in advance. I recall asking Sophia about the lyrics and remember her saying that the song is about moving on from people and/or situations in one’s life that drag us down.

RMB: Is this single part of an album? If so tell us a little bit about that. 

Izzy The Gent – Just a single. I thought about having the this single lead into an EP but the rest of the songs aren’t ready yet. We’ll wait on the upcoming batch and get them ready to be our new songs for 2023.

RMB: How does this single differ from your previous work?

Izzy The Gent – The main difference with this single is that Sophia came up with the vocal melodies. With our last collaborations, I offered vocal melodies which she expanded on. With this song, she delivered the entire vocal concept.

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?

Izzy The Gent – We record all of our music with studio producer Rex Shelverton at Secret Studios in SF. Rex and I will build the songs out layer by layer. “Never Said” got rolling pretty quickly so once the song was completed, we just needed live drums and had our go to drummer Landon Cisneros come in and knock it out.

RMB: Tell us a little about the band. Who all is in it and how did you form? How long have you been together?

Izzy The Gent – When I started the band, I thought I would be able to secure session players fairly easy. However, getting others to buy into what I was doing proved to be harder than I thought. So, I ended up learning how to play other instruments and become a one-man band. As the music got better, the collaborations I wished were there in the beginning began to come. Now, I have a group of musicians I tap for layers, and we have become more like a traditional band. The main exception is that the contributors all have their main projects. I feel truly fortunate that they have graciously carved out some time out of their busy schedules to contribute to EBTE.

RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

Izzy The Gent – Oh that’s an easy one for me. Billy Idol, The Cure, Depeche Mode.

RMB: What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?

Izzy The Gent – I think evolving in music is something I’m proud of. Maybe I shouldn’t be but the fact that I’ve alway moved on to something different is something I am proud of. From punk to house music, indie, indie electro, rock n roll and now at post punk.  It’s been quite a journey.

RMB: If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?

Izzy The Gent – “Do you like Billy Idol, Depeche Mode and The Cure?”

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?

Izzy The Gent – The best part about being in a band is the camaraderie, don’t lose sight of that.

RMB: If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?

Izzy The Gent – Save your money because delayed gratification is the way to go.

RMB: What’s coming next for your musical project?

Izzy The Gent – I want to focus on playing more shows. We do have a new batch of songs that we are getting together for the new year but all in due time.

RMB: Anything we haven’t thought of that you want to talk about? Now is the time!

Izzy The Gent – I just want to thank everyone who contributes to this project, I would be nowhere without you and I want to thank everyone who gives us a listen. There’s a lot of music out there, the fact that anyone would take a moment out of their day to check us out, means the world to me. 

Listen to music from Everything But The Everything on Spotify or visit his official website at everythingbuttheeverything.com