PHOTO BY SANDRA MAXIM
Wiser Time’s new seven-song EP is “All Fired Up.” The title track is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “All Fired Up” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on Sept. 27, on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin and Mixcloud.
“Rob Clores is a great friend who I’ve worked with since my first record, and we’ve definitely spent our fair share of time together,” said Carmen Sclafani, the founding singer-songwriter-guitarist of Wiser Time. “He plays keys with Jessie Malin, who’s an NYC legend, and I’ve seen them play more times than I can count. Jessie was playing at a club in Brooklyn, and it was just a great night. The band broke out into a song that sounded so ‘New York City’: three-chord rock ‘n’ roll with a great melody and a kind of pop-punk energy that can set a room on fire. When I got home, I picked up a guitar and wrote the music, and then Rob did all kinds of keyboard stuff later on when we recorded.
“I wanted to harness that energy lyrically and touch on the times that we’re in,” he continued. “We’re in such charged up and polarized times, and everyone is fired up in some way … and with good reason. It’s like, “Here I am, I have something to say, and you are going to hear me!”
In addition to Rob, the Carmen-produced “All Fired Up” EP features drummer-percussionist Steve Decker, keyboardist-engineer Arlan Feiles, bassist Andy Hess, vocalist Layonne Holmes, violinist-violist Gary Oleyar, and lap steel guitarist-engineer Matt Smith. Additional mixing engineers are Ernie Fortunato and Tom Camuso, while Joel Lambert served as mastering engineer.
"I'm really proud of this record, and I think that it has a depth and timeless quality to it that has potential to endure,” Carmen said. “There's a real flow and energy to these songs that really speaks out."
Having just finished a handful of acoustic shows around the tristate area, Wiser Time will play a free show Oct. 3 with Rob Clores at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City. A spring tour will be announced soon.
By the way, the name Wiser Time was inspired by the classic Black Crowes song.
“Early on when I was forming and putting everything together, I was showing someone a song that I had written, and he said that the song reminded him of ‘Wiser Time’ by the Crowes,” Carmen said. “I loved the meaning behind the song and it’s an amazing track It fit perfectly with my Kerouac/ “On The Road” vibe of what I was creating, and it just became the theme and persona. It’s really about my personal journey and growth through experience and time.”
For more about Wiser Time, visit www.wisertimemusic.com.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].
