Interview: Declan Sheehy-Moss Discusses His New EP "Things Do That"
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Originally from Brooklyn, saxophone player and songwriter Declan Sheehy-Moss is currently a student of Jazz Performance at The New England Conservatory in Boston. We connected with Declan for an exclusive Q&A to discuss his newly released four track EP, “Things Do That”, which features Arlo Sims (guitar), Dorée Gordon (vocals), Alex Yoo (drums), Kabir Adhiya-Kumar (drums), and Miles Keingstein (trumpet). We also learned about Declan’s creative process for the development of the EP’s songs, his musical inspirations, whether the movie Whiplash is realistic, and much more.
After reading our interview with Declan, be sure to connect with him on social media, and listen to “Things Do That” on Spotify.
As a jazz musician, who are some of your musical inspirations and what attracted you to the jazz genre in the first place?
Some of my biggest inspirations from jazz are Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz. Those three players really shaped my playing and made me the musician I am today. Of course, there are other non-sax players, but those three are at the top.
I really started playing jazz in middle school when I joined the jazz band. It met Wednesdays after school once a week and it was where I got my first taste of jazz. From there I attended an Arts High School that had a jazz program, and after that I was hooked! Throughout all of that I wasn’t only playing jazz though, and I think that’s partly why the music I make has so much of a blend between genres.
Congratulations on the release of your newly released EP "Things Do That"; tell us about your creative process for the development of its four songs.
Thanks! Honestly, it was a long process. It’s been two years of chipping away at it. Adding, subtracting, and finally figuring out who I was going to feature on it. I think the main reason I’m so proud of this EP is because it contains musical inspiration from many different periods of my life. It was a confusing and hard couple of years, figuring out what path I wanted to go down. That’s why there’s some happy and some more melancholy vibes on there, it’s inspired by how life goes. Sometimes it’s up sometimes it’s down. I guess I just tried to channel those vibes life sometimes gives you, and turn it into something you can listen to and relate to.
Are the featured players and singer who appeared on the EP also students at The New England Conservatory?
Yes! Everybody but Arlo goes to NEC. Additionally, I knew Doree, Alex, and Miles from high school! So grateful to be able to continue working with such inspiring people!
I'm a big fan of the movie Whiplash; as a current student at The New England Conservatory, how realistic is that movie?
Haha, well… not very! While it does capture some of the feelings an intense conservatory environment brings, it severely over-exaggerates many of the themes throughout. There is no cymbal-throwing, slur-calling, or hand bleeding in a regular conservatory day, but I do see the need to amplify and exaggerate when making a movie. On the other hand, the intense internal battle for parts or roles is very prominent, whether for seats in the orchestra or an opportunity to take part in a residency concert. My take is; an entertaining movie, yes! An accurate depiction of conservatory life? Not as much.
With the EP now released, what are some of your goals musically for the remainder of 2020?
Well, I’m planning on playing some shows throughout the summer, but I’m also really trying to get a second EP out by the end of this year! Fingers crossed!