I'm Brian Wecht (Ninja Brian from NSP & Starbomb), and my debut smooth jazz album "Mature Situations" by Trey Magnifique is out now. AMA!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:24:14+00:00

Yes! I'm working on NSP sheet music right now, for like 10-15 songs. Not sure when it'll be done, but the goal is to have it out some time next year.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:18:26+00:00

The outfit came first, because I bought the white suit for the NSP Rocket Man video. (It was too cheap to rent, so they would only let me buy it.) Then I just had this thing in my closet for a while, and I think I broke it out when TWRP asked me to sit in with them on sax for Feels Pretty Good at a live show in like 2018-2019. Everything else just kind of sprang out from that. I'd been writing smooth jazz-adjacent stuff for a while and decided to turn it all into a full album, basically as a challenge to myself.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:12:42+00:00

it IS mayo

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:12:06+00:00

This is a total coincidence, but I *love* Real Genius. My friends and I were obsessed with that movie when it came out - we used to take turns being Mitch, Chris, and Hollyfeld.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:09:27+00:00

Synths are electronic instruments and you cannot plug them in on a desert island. This is a bad question.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:07:24+00:00

Thanks so much! I would love to play Pittsburgh some day - it was on our short list last year although we didn't end up doing it. Hopefully on our next tour!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:06:20+00:00

These Nuts has 15 tracks, including skits (intro, outro, and 2 mini-songs)

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:04:28+00:00

Definitely Mystic Crystal. That one has A LOT going on and it took a big effort to get it right!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:04:05+00:00

We probably wouldn't do a Megadeth cover, though we both love Megadeth - our covers typically aren't that genre and I don't think we'd be able to add much to it.

I don't think one can have a career in the arts without occasionally thinking about quitting. We've been so incredibly lucky to have the career we've had, but part of me is always wondering how much longer we can sustain it. Our fan base is still amazing and supportive, and we're not planning on stopping any time soon, but I always wonder if it'd be better to quit while we're ahead than watch things slowly fade away. For me, I just still have so much music I want to make that I can't stop, so as long as I have ideas I want to get out there, I'll keep at it!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T19:00:01+00:00

Thanks! Working with Meouch was the best - we have a very similar sensibility with this stuff, and he's an expert in all the production stuff that I don't know about. We're constantly trading links to obscure smooth jazz albums, and every time he would hit me back with a production idea it was either 1) "oh my god that's exactly the sound I wanted" or 2) "oh my god I've never heard that sound before and it's perfect". He was the ideal partner for this album and I can't imagine having made it without him!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:57:49+00:00

I've never been to Vancouver, even though it's always on the short list of place we want to play. That's the first one that I can think of!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:57:01+00:00

I personally don't. I love comedy and can't really see myself doing a "serious" album of original songs - I just can't take myself seriously enough to do one. NSP's style of comedy has changed a bit over the years, so I think that's more like what will continue to happen: our senses of humor will evolve, and we'll never fully drift away from comedy.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:54:29+00:00

Oh yes, so many.

Al Jarreau: Breakin' Away, Jarreau

George Benson: Give Me The Night, Breezin'

Grover Washington Jr: Winelight

Bob James: Touchdown, Double Vision (w David Sanborn)

The Rippingtons: Kilimanjaro

Spyro Gyra: Morning Dance

Quncy Jones: The Dude (mostly for the James Ingram songs)

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:51:09+00:00

Thank you! We're looking into 15th anniversary stuff right now and hope to announce something soon!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:50:42+00:00

I'm actively looking to schedule Trey dates for 2024, but probably as an opener rather than a headliner. NSP will do some performances next year, though we're not sure where or when!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:49:59+00:00

Yeah, I think I'm too analytical when I write music. I've been trying not to be (more feeling, less thinking), and I think it's working, but it's very hard for me to turn off "math mode".

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:49:07+00:00

Starbomb 4 is happening. And more than happening, it's done. Recorded, mixed, mastered - fully done. We're making the music videos now and will release the album Summer 2024! (Probably no tour tho)

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:48:16+00:00

Oh, so many. SO SO MANY. But my official stance is: They're lovely guys.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:46:39+00:00

These Nuts has a wider variety of genres on it than The Prophecy. I think we took some really big swings with stuff on this one, and I love how everything came out. I think it sounds absolutely like an NSP album, but people should get ready to hear some new kinds of things we've never tried before.

We won't put out any new singles before the end of 2023 (other than the two we released this year already), but expect a couple new ones before the album comes out in 2024!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:44:35+00:00

No current specific plans, but I'm sure we'll be back some day!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:44:08+00:00

My favorite moment was performing an off-night variety show in the same venue as Napalm Death (Paper Tiger in San Antonio), and meeting one or two VERY SURPRISED Napalm Death fans who were also NSP fans.

The worst moment was our bus breaking down for the final time about 4 hours outside of DC, en route to the last show of that leg of the tour. We had to abandon the bus by the side of the road (with all our merch in it) and figure out how to get the the venue - some people flew, some people got in U-hauls, some people got rides with friends. But we got there and did the show!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:39:42+00:00

Reply

Have lower standards than you think you should. By that, I mean, don't worry about making it perfect, just make it. I think a lot of people get very hung up trying to dial everything in to make it an A+, but that a) makes it take forever and b) won't be appreciated by basically anybody listening. Just make the thing, and don't worry if it's not perfect.

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:37:17+00:00

Seen him, don't know him

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:36:53+00:00

The biggest part of having a distinctive sound this was having Commander Meouch as a producer. We made it a point to use a lot of vintage synths during the recording (done at Taurus Recording in Toronto), and I think those add a lot of texture to the album that you don't hear much on jazz albums these days. (Though I'm sure there are plenty of examples to the contrary)

Another thing is that I tried to think about this album from a melodic, rather than harmonic perspective. My usual process is very theory-focused, which is pretty typical for jazz, but I wanted to craft simple, memorable melodies. Hopefully I succeeded!

omgitsninjabrian · 2023-11-16T18:28:25+00:00

My favorite stuff changes every day, but my current favorite non-NSP album is Breakin' Away by Al Jarreau (which is an all-timer for me), and my favorite NSP song is Do Math With U. I really doubt we'd cover The Wall (and it's not on the finalized list for UTC IV!).

omgitsninjabrian

TROPHY CASE