#143 Dante Palminteri
Dante Palminteri quotes Woody Allan in this podcast with “85% of success is showing up" as an artist that sings, plays guitar, writes songs and is an actor its clear nothing is going to get in the way of this talented and hard working artist to achieve whatever he wants to in life. We talk about his journey with Berklee College of music, studying under Pat Pattison (episode 40) and his obsession and love for John Mayer. His new single Brunette is a lot of fun and in his own words is just the music he wants to create and loves.
Raised between the East & West coasts, American singer-songwriter & actor Dante Palminteri matured his musical styling at an early age, inspired by John Mayer’s poetic mastery of the human psyche & Ed Sheeran’s genre-defying melodies. An early sufferer of anxiety & dyslexia, Dante found solace in the last place one would expect: written word. Dreaming up lyrics on teen heartbreak & defying the status quo, he pursued a career in songwriting, eventually strumming his way into Berklee College of Music.
Lyrics about teenage angst & high school crushes soon evolved into complex compilations on unrequited love, soulmates lost & found, & the growing pains of adulthood. Struck by the lyrical prowess of Americana muse Jason Isbell, Dante spent his early twenties reinventing his sound - a combination of his hard rock roots mixed with his contemporary inspirations.
Toying between stories of love lost & won, Dante reflects on his own vulnerability, recounting real-life experiences facing rejection & loneliness, alongside heartfelt passion & intimacy. In a bold move, he’s bared it all on stages from Feinstein’s 54Below & Arlene’s Grocery, to Rockwood Music Hall & Bethlehem Musikfest.
He’s also in the new Godfather of Harlem TV series to be released this month staring Forest Whitaker
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Transcript
Dante Palminteri
Dante Palminteri: My name is Dante Palminteri. I come from New York, right outside of Manhattan in Westchester county.
It's pretty cool over here. And, I've been playing and singing ever since I was a little kid. I mean, I grew up in like a hard rock band. We played all ground long island in the city.
And then I started writing pop kind of on my own while I was doing the, the hard rock stuff. And then I just went to school for it. And it's just been a lifelong passion and a lifelong, skill.
and the love that I've been, that I've been working at and, be doing it for the rest of my life.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, me too. I think when you find that true love and you realize that's what you're doing, it's such a good feeling to
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Right. It's not going anywhere.
Rae Leigh: No, cause we spend our entire like childhood going, what are you going to be when you grow up? What are you going to do with your life? And then once you work it out, it's like, yes.
Now I can just focus on doing what I love.
Dante Palminteri: But a bunch of kids say they want to be musicians. And like one by one, they start kind of falling off
Rae Leigh: Hm.
Dante Palminteri: and then people are, I'm still like, no, I'm just, you know, Nope. Still, still the same, same thing.
Rae Leigh: Hmm. You know, I was going to be a doctor when I was a kid.
Dante Palminteri: Really? Yeah. I wasn't, I was never going to be a doctor that was like, not even in the cards, it was like always. I knew I had no other skillsets.
Rae Leigh: I didn't know, I necessarily had the skillsets. I just wanted to prove everyone wrong that I could, because I didn't come from academic family. And I thought being a doctor would help people. I think I realized that being an artist actually maybe helps more people than we realize,
Dante Palminteri: Oh, absolutely
Rae Leigh: yeah. So you went and studied. You went to Berkeley college, didn't you?
Dante Palminteri: Yes. Yeah. Berkeley in Boston. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. How'd that go?
Dante Palminteri: It was really awesome. I mean, you you're experiencing so many different genres of music. That's really the biggest thing about going there. Like the teachers are incredible and the students are insane, but you're, you're just thrown in with the wolves and like,
Rae Leigh: that doesn't sound like fun.
Dante Palminteri: No, it, it like, but in like the coolest way though, you know what I mean? Like you'll be walking through the halls and you'll hear like a Brazilian Boston Nova band that is just like absolutely insanity. You know what I mean? And then he walked down a little further and you're hearing like math rock and it's like, what?And you're just hearing every genre of music and you're learning about. And you start just getting influenced by all these artists. Like, I was really never an R and B guy,
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: then I started hanging all my friends were on beat guys and I just started chilling out with them and they, like, I never listened to de Angelo before or J Dilla, you know, like I just, I don't know. I just never really did. My parents didn't really listened to it, so I didn't. And then, oh man,
Rae Leigh: So you were just immersed in like musical culture.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Yeah. Just there's like certain bands that everybody around Berkeley is obsessed with. Like if you go to Berkeley, I mean, you you're from where in Australia. are you from?
Rae Leigh: I'm from the gold coast in Australia.
Dante Palminteri: Where's that? Is that like
Rae Leigh: It's Queensland like
Dante Palminteri: Queensland? I have, no, I do not
Rae Leigh: No, that's cool. That's all
Dante Palminteri: Like everybody at Berkeley is obsessed with hiatus coyote. You probably know that right.
Rae Leigh: I've heard of them. I actually, I don't know why.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, they're, I mean, they're like, they're killers. They're from Melbourne and they are just animals. Like you got to check them out, but they are, they're just such, it's like a Berkeley band. Everybody knows them. And there's like a Berkeley music culture that, you know, bands and artists will kind of make their way around the students.And it's, it's really, it's really awesome.
Rae Leigh: Hmm. Oh, that sounds like, that sounds amazing. Like, it sounds like heaven. If I'm honest, like when I die, that's what I want heaven to be like for me, my heaven. It sounds like that it's just music everywhere.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, It's just everywhere you go. I mean, it's honestly so much so to where it.gets a little bit, like You have to kind of take your head out of it for a little, you know, you know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah. I get
Dante Palminteri: it.like when you start working on your. What in high school was escapism for you. And now it's 24 hours a day.It starts to be like, whoa. So you have to find things to make you just kind of cool your engines. And then just look at it with a clear head,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You got to find a new hobby because that's now your day job.
Dante Palminteri: right.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. So tell me about, let's go back to the beginning. When did you first fall in love with music? What was your inspiration or what was it that turned your head towards this career?
Dante Palminteri: I mean, it was always around like a lot of, like Italian operas and like the rat pack and that kind of stuff just from my family. And my mom was really into eighties and nineties, like alternative rock and grunge. And she was really into like Alison chains and that kind of stuff. So when I was growing up, I really had those, I had like Dean Martin in one ear and then Pearl jam in like another ear, you
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: which is super weird. And I just thought it. It's kind of weird. People ask me that a lot. And I'm like, there was never a definitive moment where I was like, Yeah, music. It just kind of always was really cool to me Like always I remember being a little kid and the soundtrack to movies really made me go crazy when I was Four or five, you know, eight.I, I remember just like loving soundtracks.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, me too. I remember that like the songs at the end of the credits came up that were always my favorite.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Yeah. Like that's always like the big, the theme song of the movie. And I just always loved soundtracks a lot. Cause I w watch a lot of movies, like Disney movies, like the Tarzan soundtrack. I remember just being like, Aw, man, I don't know why, but that is the coolest thing ever.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. that was actually a really good one. I'm trying to think of what the song was called, that the theme tune of that one, but it was a really good song.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, God, like you'll be in my heart. I remember when I was a kid that made that like broke me down.
Rae Leigh: yeah,
Dante Palminteri: like, I don't know why. It's just, you know, you just kind of grow up music, affecting you in really weird ways. And you start to notice that your friends don't really care about it.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah. I don't think I realized. I thought everyone felt the same way. And I think you do that as a kid. Don't you?
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Like your friends just are like, yeah. You know, whatever.
Rae Leigh: So when did you, did you stop playing an instrument really young as well?
Dante Palminteri: I started playing piano when I was like five, but then I didn't practice ever. And my piano teacher told me that when I'm 20, I'm going to regret it. And now I’m just like, dammit.
Rae Leigh: She was right.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, She was totally right. Meredith was absolutely correct. I've been singing forever,
Rae Leigh: Yep.
Dante Palminteri: like forever, forever since grade school I've been taking singing lessons. So singing is like my main thing. But I play a lot of guitar too, but I, you know, singing has always been my jam.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah. I'm a songwriter who sings and attempts to play guitar. And I have to sort of say that to people when I'm performing, because if there's a guitarist in the audience, they always give me funny looks because I have such a weird way of playing guitar.
Dante Palminteri: But those are the best ways of playing
Rae Leigh: Yeah. It's my own style. Yeah. Unique. Okay. So piano and, vocally trained.Was there a point when you know, that that really did change from, you know, everyone's like, oh, you want to be a rock star? When I grew up, probably especially being in New York is such a huge musical culture. Was there a point when you were like, this is actually. I'm starting my own music business. This is my career.I'm going to pursue this for the rest of my life. Was there like that moment. And how did your parents take it?
Dante Palminteri: not really, like, it just kind of always was the thing I wanted to do
Rae Leigh: Oh,
Dante Palminteri: it just, yeah. I remember being, like in middle school and in high school and they're like, yo, you know, think about your future and thinking about this. And I was always like, I know what I'm like, I know. Like, you know, doing it as another thing, but I know what I want to do.You know,
Rae Leigh: Oh, what confidence as a, at such a young age. That's brilliant.
Dante Palminteri: I don't know if it's confidence. I think it's just stubborn. I was like, nah, just, I'm kind of, I'm
Rae Leigh: Maybe a little bit of both.
Dante Palminteri: I, like, I like to play music. That's what I want to do. That's it right there. That's it. And my parents are cool. Is that my mean? I mean, both my parents are in the movie industry, so they get the whole struggling artists.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, it would be weird if I went into like law, I don't think they would know what to do.
Rae Leigh: We then you've had it modeled to you then that you can just do what you like and live the life, doing things that you love. Whereas I think a lot of people, and I know my parents weren't like that where it's like, no, you can't do that. You have to suffer and get a real job in and crap money.
Dante Palminteri: Well, I mean, will you suffer in arts?
Rae Leigh: Oh, absolutely.
Dante Palminteri: sure. Yeah. Like you you it's
Rae Leigh: easier to suffer for what you, love though,
Dante Palminteri: It is. Yeah.That's, that's the difference, it is a crazy grind of just getting the crap beat out of you at every turn. But I just grew up like with the chaos, you know what I mean?It's just kind of all, I know the, like the unpredictability of it. Every day, being an artist, like, you can be like, I could, I could get a phone call in 20 minutes. It's like, Hey, we need you to come to Phoenix for whatever. And it's just like, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, sure.
Rae Leigh: Yep. And you have to be able to just fly with it.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. But I, I grew up like that. Like all, you know, my parents would come downstairs and be like, Hey, we're, you know, we're going to wherever for, for two weeks, come on, pack a bag. And you're just like,
Rae Leigh: Wow. That's what, what training ground? That's brilliant. Well, did mom and dad, cause I love hearing it when parents are supportive of the children being in the arts, because it's, I've talked to some people who have had parents that supported them and they think that's normal. I don't think it is a normal thing for parents to support their children in the arts to do it as a hobby. Yes. But to, to do it as a career, it's not heavily supported and I love it when parents elect that. So
Dante Palminteri: I feel like a lot. People, a lot of people, for a lot of people, it's like a all or nothing kind of thing. You know what I mean? Like you're either Ariana Grande date or you're nothing.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. There's no in between
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. There's nothing like you're either selling them as a square garden or like, Or you're nothing. And I mean, those, a lot of those people who think that aren't really avid music listeners, you know what I mean?And like, there's, there's plenty of musicians. I mean, most of them musicians are not like that. They make a living and they, they have their fan base and they do their thing.
Rae Leigh: Mm.
Dante Palminteri: So there's so many avenues to take with being a musician. So many, I mean, I have friends that are, they're just killing it right now.
Rae Leigh: yeah, so what do you want your audience and your fans to get from your music that you're creating? What's your goal?
Dante Palminteri: I I've been playing a lot of the music that I wanted to play when I was younger. And then I sorta hit a point where you kind of get a little older and go, oh God, I got to play the music that people are listening to. And that never works out ever for anybody like playing to somebody, you know, catering.And then just like, pretty recently, I was like, you know what, screw this. Like, you could fail at something you don't want to do. So I might as well take the sh you know, write the stuff that I, yeah. Yeah,I love that. I love when he said that at the college graduation, like you could fail at something you don't want to do. And I was like, yeah, that's so true. I guess I would want listeners to take away that. I mean, he just makes the music that he loves to make.
Rae Leigh: that's good.
Dante Palminteri: At the end of the day, if you're making good.music, like people ask me all the time. I mean, what's the dream and I'm like, I just want to be re I just want to be really
good.
Rae Leigh: Mm.
Dante Palminteri: I just want people to listen to a song and be like, that's all.
Rae Leigh: Yep.
Dante Palminteri: Because I used to do that. I still do that every day. I listen to a song and I'm like floored by it. I'm like, Oh, my God. That is amazing. And I just want, I want people to do that. Like, I just want to have that connection with the music. So my favorite artist of all time is John Mayer.
And there's so many times when I'll be listening to a song specifically off room for squares. And I'm like, did he write this about me?
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: how did he do that? How did he do exactly? What's he talked about exactly what I'm thinking. How does he do that?
Rae Leigh: Mm,
Dante Palminteri: You know, same thing with Jason Isbell. He's like one of my other favorites.
It's like, how do you know my life? And I just that's really what I want. I want listeners to be able to feel like I got inside their head and I'm writing about something personal to them.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, I think the more personal, the more universal, you know, like yeah. And it's such a powerful thing. Music is so powerful. It really does take us to a whole nother world
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. It's such, it's like, it's crazy how it does that.
Rae Leigh: it's therapy.
Dante Palminteri: It's weird. It's so weird when you think about it
Rae Leigh: Tell me about, brunette. I want to know about that song. I'm a brunette. So like, obviously I love the song.
Dante Palminteri: Nice. Nice. Yeah, that, that was really fun to write. I wrote that. Like September, October of 2020, right when the pandemic was just absolutely awful. So I don't know what it was like in Australia, but in New York, Yo, it was awful. I mean, Like it was the worst. So I left my apartment in the city and I came here to my parents' house and I was just like writing songs on my laptop and on my childhood guitar, like I was doing in high school.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: And, I was playing a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and I forgot that. I was tuned to E-flat flat. And I just started playing that like little riff that you hear at the beginning of Dan in, in, in, in, in, in it. And it's cool. How one little reflect that can just kind of, it's like a diving board, you know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: sparks
Dante Palminteri: I just did that and I was like, that's it. There you go. And then I just, everything else just kind of fell right into place very quickly wrote the lyrics. And I, I really wanted it to be about like the opposite of what I was doing right then and there, you know what I mean? Like I was sitting in like a basement just doing nothing. And I was like, oh, I just want to write about what I'm, you know, not doing. And like, th the song is really about getting out of your comfort zone and exploring new things. And in the song, I kind of used this, this girl as a vehicle. To talk about that,
know, just, just getting ripped away from everything you find, like everything you find safety and, you know, and exploring newthings
Rae Leigh: I think it's such a healthy way to live life and it is a part of living and growing is, is stepping into you outside of your comfort zone. I actually want to get, I feel like I'm getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable. If that makes sense.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, yeah. for sure. Well, there's like this, this Chinese proverb that I think is really cool. They say like the turtle only moves when It risks its neck.
Rae Leigh: Oh yeah. True. It
Dante Palminteri: I was like,
Rae Leigh: out.
Dante Palminteri: that's really cool.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, you do. You gotta take risks.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. It's the whole, thing. I mean you just fight. Yeah. So, but, and then it was. Weird because writing that song was really, and releasing it was, it wasn't a risk, but it was something new for me, at least like releasing, it was something new. I mean, I, I have a lot of songs like that, that I never really released. I just wrote and just kept her myself. I'm like, nah,
Rae Leigh: That's very selfish of you.
Dante Palminteri: well, I was like, now, I mean, this nobody's going to like this. So what am I releasing this for? That's always what I wrote. Like, that's always the type of stuff that I've been into, but it just.
Rae Leigh: Why did you release this one then?
Dante Palminteri: You just like, after a while you stopped caring, you're just like, why am I doing this? this is not enjoyable. I don't like writing the study music and releasing it I'm like, if I'm going to write music, it's going to be the music that I want to write and that I want to play live and that we can just rock. Like my favorite thing in the world is going to a rock show. What's better than that.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: Seen like, you know, $9 beer spilled on you and like floor's sticky and people are mashing and it's just loud guitars and drums are going crazy. That's that's my jam. That's what I love.
Rae Leigh: Oh, it feels So good.
Dante Palminteri: So I wanted to write something that embodied that and I wanted to write something, like I said, you know, to sort of, it was escaping where I was at that time.
Rae Leigh: That's awesome. And I'm really glad that you've done that and released it well done.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, thank you. Who's
Rae Leigh: I'm glad you stopped caring.
Dante Palminteri: well, Yeah. And then you just keep what music is funny. Cause you, like, you put so much into one song and then you release it and it's like, all right, next one.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. What's next? Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: And you're like, just listen on the one. I just put out dammit. It's like, nah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, I'm going to be like that. I'm like, okay, great. That's done. All right, what's next? I love the next thing. I love the journey. I love just creating and having fun with it. And, but also all forms of art is just, it is part of that, but I also just want it to be better. Like, that's kind of, as long as I think someone said, as long as the next thing is like 1% better than the last I'm happy, you know, at least a little bit better and then just keep being better and then keep getting better.And then, you know, and then just have fun with it.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, if you just keep living every day, just trying to be better than yourself to the previous day, you're going to be a killer.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.And a lot of people don't do that.
Dante Palminteri: you're, going to be killer.
Rae Leigh: Oh, awesome. I love that. What about collaboration? And, co-writing have you done much of that?
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, I have, it was kind of weird during COVID. We did it a lot on zoom.
Rae Leigh: Mm.
Dante Palminteri: Which is weird, but I do a lot of, a lot of co-writes, but everything that I've released so far, I've written just for myself. I've written, I've written all my I've written all myself. I personally feel like I, I write my best songs when I am alone. At least Just for me, I write a lot of other songs for like my publishing company and yeah, I do a lot of co-writes with that. I love doing co-writes at Berkeley. I mean, they, they throw you into doing co-writes immediately.
Rae Leigh: Yep. That's a pat Patterson thing.Right.
Dante Palminteri: Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. Oh God. Yeah. Pat, you want to talk about pat? Pat is the man
Rae Leigh: And we talked to him on episode 40 and
Dante Palminteri: you did.
Rae Leigh: yeah, he just verbally His entire, like just, he just didn't stop talking for now. I just let him talk. I just
Dante Palminteri: Oh, God. Yeah. That's what you, you hassle it. Just let him talk. Yeah. He it's like it's gold. What comes out of his mouth? That guy he'll he'll start a lecture. You'll just see everybody just notebooks flying over like pages F like you're like trying to write down every word he says.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, that's brilliant.
Dante Palminteri: I would stay up until like the second I was able to register for classes.I would just be sitting there like waiting, looking for his class to open So I could grab it. I was not missing his class.
Rae Leigh: Amazing. So they were full you're in there. You enjoyed it.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, Yeah. Like if anybody listening is wanting to go to Berkeley for songwriting, you it's essential to take pass class. It's absolutely essential because he'll tell you whatever he's thinking and he'll make you better.
Rae Leigh: I love that. What was the main, like what was the highlight from Pat's class that you took out of it?
Dante Palminteri: He D he gives you. These tools to write lyrics with, and he lets you like learn. He lets you learn the rules and then he teaches you how to break them. And it's just insanity. So he teaches you these rhyme schemes and just how to look at lyrics and how to look at songs. And then you analyze lyrics. That's the best part. You see you analyze lyrics and he he'll pull up these like, cause he, you know, he taught John Mayer lyrics.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: And so he'll pull up John Mayer songs and he goes, well, what, what about this makes it good?
And he analyzes every lyric, every word, every rhyme. And he, he just breaks it down, like the, the detail. And he has this thing, he said this thing that was really awesome. And I'll never forget it. He goes, don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. And I thought that was really awesome.
Rae Leigh: Yep.
Dante Palminteri: I have so many. He said I wrote a song for his class and I was like, pat, you know, I think the song is good, but it seems a bit short don't you think? And he's like, well, did you try making it longer? I was like, Yeah.I did it. Then he goes, Hey, a song only needs to be as long as a dog's legs.And I was like, what? And he goes to get it where it needs to go.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: And I was like, oh my God, it's so true.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I have that. I think that happens. I don't know, like you write a song and it's like, oh, it's not three minutes and 19 seconds or whatever, you know, it's not a right. It's like, is that mean it's not finished or it's not good enough. Or you have to have like a 32nd instrumental guitar, solo piano to fill it out. It's like, actually I think you can just have a two minute song if you want, if it's a two minute song and it says what it needs to say, it's a two minute song. That's fun.
Dante Palminteri: If it does the job.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. It gets to where it needs to.
Dante Palminteri: trying to. do, then you're good. Like, and also two minutes songs are, do are killing right. now. Anyway.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, right. Because it means that they can fit more songs into a radio hour set and then play more advertising time. I don't know how it works, but
Dante Palminteri: I heard that they do because of the streaming, like if you have a five minute song or a four minute song, people are going to stream it like a few times, but do you have a two minute song, two minutes, 15 seconds.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Right.
Dante Palminteri: I mean, people are gonna, people are gonna stream it like three times in a row.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, cause I wanna, I want to keep listening to it and you get paid three times as much.
Dante Palminteri: Exactly.
Rae Leigh: That's smart. Let's write a two minute song. I went, I'm going to write a one minute so people can just have it on repeat.
Dante Palminteri: I think that's what it's going to, it's really good. It's going to Just be, I feel like songs are just going to be choruses in like five years.
Rae Leigh: Just hooks. You got to listen to that whole guy over and over and over again.
Dante Palminteri: yeah, an album is just like one song's gonna be broken up into hours.Into one. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's going to be like, you just
Rae Leigh: listen to this one line.
Dante Palminteri: to be yeah. 45 second songs. Cause it's just getting shorter and shorter and shorter and shorter. So people streaming more and more and more and more. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: That's so crazy. That's probably it. I mean, going based on the way that they're doing it and paying per stream, it's like that kind of economically makes sense. Like as a, an accountant, I guess is
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, it's a good business decision. Yeah. Oh yeah. And I mean, and if a song feels good at two minutes, 30 seconds, then that's as long as it should be.
Rae Leigh: Exactly. Yeah, no more Bohemian Rhapsody is, you know, God gone to those days. All right. What's the best. And the worst advice you've ever received in this industry.
Dante Palminteri: I think the best advice I've ever been given is a quote actually from Woody Allen. And he says 85% of success is showing up. That's the best advice I've ever gotten. He didn't tell it to me, but I heard my, my, my parents told that to me, the 85% of success is showing up and it's very superficial. Like you could be the best song writer, writer in the world, but you have to show, you have to show up,
Rae Leigh: We got to write the song.
Dante Palminteri: nobody's going to come knock on your door and be like, hello.I heard you're a songwriter. You know, we're looking to do a leap is looking for a new hit. Single would you mind, like that's never going to happen ever
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: showing up, like going, you know, you never know who you're going to meet at any given event. You never know another really great thing. I I've heard. From, uh, my, one of my family, friends, my parents don't Monte Lipman. He runs Republic records. He said, luck is preparation plus opportunity. And I'm like, that's so true. Also dammit, like. Luck is just being prepared for when the opportunity arises and showing up as the same thing. You just, you got to go to that party.
It's probably, nothing might happen, but you might, you never, like, it's always a crazy story. I saw him play a Beatles cover at a random birthday party. Oh, my sister. She actually works at live nation And they're looking for an open, like, you know what I
mean?
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
Dante Palminteri: You never know.
Rae Leigh: Yep. And then, and then that happens to be like, oh, you're so lucky. And it's like, well, but like, you know, you can't like, you've gotta be prepared. Right. You know, and yeah. You know, because it's going to pick up a guitar and be like, oh yeah, I'm just going to go real copper and sell out a stadium and perform like you have to put in the preparation time to be able to do that.
And you've got to get there and you got to work hard. It's not luck. It's preparation plus meets good timing
Dante Palminteri: Yeah,
exactly. I mean, if, if the opportunity arises and you haven't played guitar in three months, Come on. You know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: You're going to be kicking yourself for the rest of your life,
Rae Leigh: I went to a show the other day and I was only supposed to be doing like 20 minutes. It was like a little side in between thing and, one of the bands didn't show up. And so, yeah.
Dante Palminteri: just in the show.
Rae Leigh: Did it didn't show. that just didn't rock up. And that were the headline act. And I was just acoustic and there were two other bands that performed that didn't want to move their time.
So I went off to two full bands and I ed Sheeran to them. I just, I went up and did solo acoustic for an hour, but I was prepared. I was like, I've got three hours of original music. If you want me to play longer, I can. And I did. And, but if I wasn't prepared and I didn't have that content available, ready to go straight away without any notice, I wouldn't have it.
Dante Palminteri: Absolutely.
Rae Leigh: know, and that's why
Dante Palminteri: And that says something
Rae Leigh: always be prepared.
Dante Palminteri: was good to go for way long, like, oh, w she was good. We need, we need to get her back here.
Rae Leigh: And that's it, right? Like you treat people well and you make life easy for other people. And they will remember that
Dante Palminteri: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: they were all stressing out and they were like, oh, you're like, they didn't show up. We don't want, we're going to do. And it's like, I'll play it's fun. And they're like, what really?I'm like, yeah, it's fun. Let's
Dante Palminteri: They're like, oh my God, you saved the day.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, we just, I had that yesterday, something happened and like, I had an event organized for last night and the venue canceled like three hours beforehand via email that I couldn't call them like nothing happened. And I called around a few people and within an hour I had a new venue.
And so I didn't have to cancel the event, you know, I could just, and I will love those people forever because the amount of stress that they alleviated by bailing me out and providing a venue at the same cost. It was just a miracle and it was like, and now I will, I owe them forever and I will do whatever I can to help these people because they helped me when I was stressed out, you know?
Dante Palminteri: what it's. So it's that see, That's showing up, you know what
Rae Leigh: Yeah. That's showing up.
Dante Palminteri: That's showing up. Like I don't, when I say showing up, I don't necessarily mean every time, like going to an event, you mean, I mean, showing up with somebody like somebody needs you, you show up And now that person is like, oh, okay.
I know I can count on her.
Rae Leigh: And that's hard to find.
Dante Palminteri: It's super hard to find.Then you go up to, you know, you it's about staying in somebody's mind. It's about planting seeds. Oh, I remember her. Yes. She played an hour when that band canceled. Oh, I know the best person who could play your set. Yeah, There's this girl. I know she played this thing.
Oh, she's got to play. Then you go there and then, you know, whoever Stevie Nicks is in the crowd or whatever.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, but they say the same thing about a song, right? Like when you write a song, people don't necessarily remember the song, even like, like Tarzan. I couldn't remember the song, but I remembered how it made me feel and it felt great at the end of that movie, listening to that song, when it came on in the credits came up, you know,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Oh yeah.
Rae Leigh: like that's, that's the goal.
Dante Palminteri: there's just something about it. You're just like, I don't know why, but that slaps.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: I don't know why, but it's awesome.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. People will remember if you make them feel good, but they'll also remember if you make him feel bad.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, yeah. Oh Yeah.Oh my God. Yeah. they will. I don't know about Australians, but in New York, like new Yorkers, if you make a new Yorker feel bad. I mean, new Yorkers hold grudges. Like It's a problem
Rae Leigh: Mm.
Dante Palminteri: you like in 1972, he didn't shake my hands. Like relaxguys, calm down. Like it's.I'm trying to think about the worst advice I've ever gotten. The worst advice I've ever gotten. I think the worst advice I've ever gotten, I’ve been told a lot of times to like, uh, What we were saying before, kind of play what people want, like, oh, that doesn't sell, you know what I mean? Oh no, no, no, no, you can't do that. You should have that song be, uh, be three minutes and it's like, yeah. but It sounds better at three 50. Yeah.But see that doesn't sell, like, people don't like that and you're just like,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. It won't get on radio.
Dante Palminteri: well then what are we doing here, man?
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: Like, I don't mean It's it's the worst advice, like it's wrong, but it just totally kills the vibe. And I hate when I hear that. Oh, oh no, no, no, you have to play. You have to, you have to do it what's else, you know?No, we don't, we don't want to write lyrics about that thing. You know, I write a lot of story lyrics and. People are like, oh no, no, no, no. We don't like, you know, for this song, we should make it, you know, we should make it much more vague. I'm like, why? Well, because it doesn't really sell my God.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. It's not a sync or you can't sync that if it's too
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Just like really bugs me. And even it bugs me even more because a lot of times the right, you know what I mean? Like, Yeah.Won't make it onto radio. Dammit.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I mean, I've had that, I've got a four minute song and I mean, but it has been played on radio,
Dante Palminteri: oh, like in brunettes. Because I said fuck in the song brunettes. Oh my God.
Rae Leigh: You can't have that on.
Dante Palminteri: Well, it's not just radio. I mean, you played for some people they're like, oh, like
Rae Leigh: Do they get shocked?
Dante Palminteri: Oh, my God. I, I did a concert, a little while ago when I played it.
Rae Leigh: Hm.
Dante Palminteri: Oh my God. People in the audience who was like, oh, I'm like, what are you guys kidding me here?
Rae Leigh: Really?
Dante Palminteri: It's a curse word.
Rae Leigh: It's a powerful word. And that's what, that's what us writers do. We use words as our paint, and if you need a powerful word, then use it. If it's appropriate and it helps tell the story.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. right. I guess I just don't, I don't like it when people kind of look at music from a, like a marketing point of view, even though? you totally need somebody to do that. And I totally understand why it just really bugs me. Like a really good artist or a really good band and you have somebody come in and they're like, Yeah, but how do they sell records?
It's like, well, does it matter?
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: You know what I mean? Like I like, yes, it does matter. But at the end of the day, not really. Is it awesome? Yes. Then there you go.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, it should be secondary, but there are, you know, we as creatives need other people to be able to be like that. So we don't have.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. You know, that's So true. That's I? Yeah, exactly.
Rae Leigh: So like, I just, I appreciate those people because that's not me. But I also know that to be able to do what I do, I need someone else to be able to do that.
Dante Palminteri: that's, a good point. I didn't think of it like that. Yeah,
Rae Leigh: Uh, that's we all need each other. We all need each other to be stronger in other areas, because if we will all songwriters, like that would be boring. We just got to, we've got to love what we love and do what we do and work together and allow other people to be amazing at what they do, even if it's completely opposite to what we do. But yeah.
Dante Palminteri: yeah.no, you're right.It's it's Yeah. it's always crazy. When you know the, on the total opposite side of the, of the industry,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah, but that's cool. Like everyone's got a place and a purpose and we need that. And it's amazing. And that's what, you know, it's a community, it's a village that, that raises the whole industry
Dante Palminteri: I, once I once had this, this, this woman say to me, she will stop wearing turtle then. I was like what? She goes, yeah, turtlenecks aren't in right now. I'm like, what are we talking about?
Rae Leigh: so you're a fashion stylist.
Dante Palminteri: Like, what are we talking about? She's like, yeah, don't worry, turtlenecks anymore. I was like, okay. so I'm going to keep wearing turtlenecks
Rae Leigh: Okay.
Dante Palminteri: and you're not going to tell me to do
that.
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, we can do, but that's, I feel like that's just like the Advil that makes an artist who they? are.
Rae Leigh: Hm.
Dante Palminteri: That, that it's sort of like testing their, their will and
their
Rae Leigh: How moldable are
Dante Palminteri: to, to be themselves. And it's really hard. And a lot of artists me, I do it all the time. Like you kind of stray from it
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Dante Palminteri: and you're like, yeah, maybe I should, because artists are notoriously insecure, you know? so little so like me and all my other friends were just like, oh yeah, is that true? Maybe.
Rae Leigh: Unlike, can we trust people with the money? And usually the record labels, we signed a deal and we think they're going to do everything for us and make a lot of decisions. And, often they will tell you to change what you're wearing and sing a different song because that's, what's going to sell.
And it very rarely works, but I mean, they will tell you to do it. And if you say yes, then they'll keep telling you to do stuff.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, there's a fine line between like, all right, I'm going todo what I need to do to make money and to be practical, but I also need to preserve my artists.
Rae Leigh: Integrity.
Dante Palminteri: yeah. Integrity.your originality. So now know it's, it's, it's, it's tough to, to, find that, to find that, balance.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, you do have to have a certain level of security and confidence. You can still, like everyone has insecurities. It doesn't matter how confident you are, but you do need to have like some confidence insecurity. Some part of who you are and some part of what you're doing so that like, you're standing up for that part of who you are.
And, you know, because I think the rule is if you don't stand for something you'll fall.
Dante Palminteri: You fall for anything? Yeah. That's so true. You'll just kind of, yeah. sure. Alright. I'll stop wearing turtlenecks. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah,
Rae Leigh: yeah. But then that's not you that's them. And that's the projection of what they believe put on to you. And it's like, you've got to know what you want to stand for.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, I was, I was just going to say?I was talking to another songwriter friend of mine, like three days ago. And I was like, people think that when you write the song you're done. It's like, nah, nah, nah, no. Now you just got the thing. That's all you've done. You've just gotten the thing. That's like, if you were a, like, if you made a, like a powerplant all and so much as you just went to a mine and took the coal and then you're like, all right, we're done.It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You got to do the thing now.
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: You just got the raw material.
Rae Leigh: you gotta turn it into power
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, exactly. You just, you just have the song that's step one.
Rae Leigh: of a billion steps.
Dante Palminteri: You're right,
Rae Leigh: What it feels like.
Dante Palminteri: Like now The actual job of it starts
Rae Leigh: Yeah. The business side of it starts after the art. The art is creating the product, but then, you know, you then got to sell it and
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. You just have the product now. Congratulations. Now it's time to do what you're, what you need to do.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: Like you, you're not even close to done. You have just begun.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Unless you are just a songwriter and your songwriting on someone else's stuff, then, you know, you can, you can leave the co-write and they get to do whatever they want with it. And you, you know, you're done,
Dante Palminteri: That's why I love co-writing. Cause you're just, you send that email. You're like, all right. There you go. But when, Yeah. but when you're the artist, you're the songwriter, you're the, you know,
Rae Leigh: Independent.
Dante Palminteri: man, so much goes into it. And a lot of my friends like, oh yeah, like my friends who, you know, are in finance or whatever, there's like, yes.You know, it's a cool song. Like, that's it. That's, you know, just write another cool song. It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. You got to do PR you got to do blah, blah, blah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And then you go to tour and you go to so much because you got to try and make the money back that you invested into that product. And then, you know, and if you're not broke at the end of it and you make any money, you're probably just going to spend all of the money you made on that song to do
Dante Palminteri: All right. The a hundred percent. I always joke about that. It's like you get money and then it just goes away immediately
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: because I'm also, I act a lot and a lot of my acting friends, I tell them this, I'm like, you know,
Rae Leigh: where I make the money, right?
Dante Palminteri: Well, well, but I always tell them, like, it doesn't cost money to be an actor. Like it costs so much money to be an, a musician.
It doesn't cost you, like, you don't have to pay to go on auditions if you're doing it right. You don't have to pay for somebody to say it. Like you got to pay a lot of money to put a song out.
Rae Leigh: Well, then you'll become, you're like the producer and the director and like, well, the, you know, that side of it when you're an independent artist,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: you know, if you're an actor, you'll like, you'll like one of the session musers or something like, you know, you'll, you're just a small fraction of what.
Creating. Um, but how, how fun is it to be a part of that as well? Like I love, I love creating art and performing arts and like being a part of a film or even just a TV commercial, something like that. Working with the group of other creatives in a collective way is so much fun. And like, even with sync and stuff like that, it's just, it feels good to sometimes not have to be the head of it and running the whole project, you know, just to be a part of someone else's project.
Dante Palminteri: I love it.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Uh, I
Dante Palminteri: love, I love, I love when I get a text, like, Hey, can you do like some guitar like this? And I'm just like yeah.
Rae Leigh: The Elvis film with Austin Butler that Baz lumen was, is coming out next year. That was filmed just down the road recently. And they had hundreds and hundreds of people on set and it was just so cool just to be like a fly on the wall. You know what I mean?Like just in such an incredible, like, huge project, like that would be really cool to do one day.
Dante Palminteri: those things are wild.
Rae Leigh: that oh, absolutely.
Dante Palminteri: Absolutely wild. Those big movie sets
Rae Leigh: Uh, but they, I just like, and it rents this actually it was probably the smoothest running set I've ever been on.
Dante Palminteri: really.
Rae Leigh: Absolutely.
Dante Palminteri: That's so awesome.
Rae Leigh: so impressed. I was like, whoa. I thought it was going to be mayhem because it was so many people there, but they must've had some seriously good PR project managers.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. There's so much money at stake, I guess it has to be like run super well, like a tight ship. yeah.
Rae Leigh: Oh Yeah. I was going to ask you before, and this was kind of going back to the advice we were talking about and bad advice as well. If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were first starting out and give yourself one piece of advice, what would you say to you?
Dante Palminteri: Okay, I'm going to cheat. If I could give myself one piece, I would probably say practice way more and stop listening to, and write, just write what you love and practice way more. But I feel like every musician would tell himself to practice more. So I'm not, I guess it was, I would just say, just keep. Keep writing what you really love to make and what inspires you? Like what is inspiring you outside of yourself, right?
That,
Rae Leigh: I love that.
Dante Palminteri: and only do that because that's why you got into this in the first place.
Rae Leigh: Have confidence, but there's, it's a journey to learning what it is that you love and what you'll have to go on that. If you could co-write with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? And why?
Dante Palminteri: I could collaborate with anyone. Ah, if I could co-write with anyone, it would be John Mayer obviously. And it would
Rae Leigh: can I come to that one?
Dante Palminteri: Yes, you can.Yes. I'll have that tape. Yeah, it will be John Mayer. Anyone who would, it would be a toss between John Mayer and chedd baker.
Rae Leigh: Okay, why,
Dante Palminteri: because. I love Chet baker more than anything, but gee, there's some John Mayer's songs connect with me on a level that no other songs have ever connected with me
Rae Leigh: Hm,
Dante Palminteri: Like I've stopped what I was like. I've stopped driving
with
Rae Leigh: because of her song.
Dante Palminteri: because I just like, when you listen to like split-screen sadness or like St. Patrick's day
Rae Leigh: Hm.
Dante Palminteri: Just like, what, how did he write that?
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: How did he do, like, how did he do that? Even his unreleased songs are just like, rediculous like his song sucker. Every hear that song. He goes, sometimes I wish I was the weather. You'd bring me up in conversation forever. And when it rained, that'd be the talk of the day and you're just like, God damn it.That's so good.
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: Just like, that's amazing. It's just amazing. His, his, his he's the best because he is the, he's the top tier of every section of songwriting. I mean, you want this, guy to write lyrics, he'll write lyrics. He'll make you cry. His voice is phenomenal. arranging is crazy. His guitar playing is out of this world.
It's like, what? Can't the guy
do?
Rae Leigh: this, this is what happens. If you actually practice,
Dante Palminteri: Right? Yeah.
Rae Leigh: into John Mayer.
Dante Palminteri: A lot, you see a lot of songwriters and a lot of artists who are like really good at one or two things, you know what I mean? Oh, they're a great guitar player and songwriter. Oh, they're a great singer and a song writer. It's like, no, but what, what guy can write, like he'll write a pop hit and win a Grammy for your body's Wonderland.And then he'll just absolutely melt your face with a guitar solo.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah. It's
Dante Palminteri: You know what I mean? Like, he just, he just has all the bases covered.
Rae Leigh: So what would he need you with? You know, what would you guys do together?
Dante Palminteri: I can see that's why I'm thinking. Like, I don't know if I'd want to co-write with him. I just kind of want to watch him. Right.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I mean, that's not creepy at all, but
Dante Palminteri: I just want to kind of sit there and just kind of watch him,
Rae Leigh: did you just like, do one of those like square, clear boxes in the middle of like a mall where people can just watch him do his thing,
Dante Palminteri: just watch him. Right. And I just would love to see how he, how he writes and how his brain works and try to have some of that robot on me.
Rae Leigh: dissect him up a bit.
Dante Palminteri: he's just, yeah. He's, he's the man. He's, he's my guy. He is like my guy, one of those weird fans that have, You know some people will be like, what's that song?And then. They'll tell me like w two lyrics and I'll be like, oh yeah, that was released in like, you know, 2001 off the album book. And
there's like, why do you know that? And I'm like, I listened to a lot of John there.
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Dante Palminteri: I, my like Spotify, sometimes I'll put it.on shuffle. If it gets, if it goes on John Mayer, I have to shut it off because that'll, it'll like, send me down the rabbit hole.You know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: Too distracting.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Like, it's just like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. If I hear one of the intros, no, no, thank you. I'm not doing that right now. It's like an
Rae Leigh: That's very good. Self-control.
Dante Palminteri: it's it's like a, it's an event. It's you don't just listen to the John Mayer song and then you go to another song. You go to another band you go like, no, no, no,
Rae Leigh: to listen to the whole album.
Dante Palminteri: yeah. You're in the world of John Mayer. Like you wouldn't follow up flaming Yun with jello.
Rae Leigh: no, I
Dante Palminteri: like, you get like this, like you've raised the caliber of the music you're listening to now. You got to stay there.
Rae Leigh: It's really refreshing to hear someone else who is a super.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Um, it's like,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I used to put his album blonde when I was cleaning the house and I don't even remember cleaning the house. I would just be so nursing, listening to the music that I know come out of it. It's like, oh, my house is clean. This is good.This
Dante Palminteri: yeah. like it just sucks you in, it just sucks you in and the thing he writes lyrics that are so specific, But like what we were saying before like, you just, it puts you in the room. But it's, it's weird because You're you're taught that the broader you are, the more vague you are, the more people you can draw in.
And it's like, no, he, he has this, his, his in the second verse of the song, my stupid mouth offering for squares. And he says, we bet our lips. She looked out the window, rolling, tiny balls and napkin paper rolled a quick plate, a quick game of chess with the salt and pepper shaker. And I'm just like, you're, you're there.You're in the diner. You're in the rest.Like you're sitting next to them,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You're playing chess with them.
Dante Palminteri: you know? And, and pat Patterson has this really cool thing that he teaches. He has his book writing better lyrics. He does this whole thing about the dog collar and it's all about, you know, show don't tell. You know, don't, don't tell people what's going on or how upset you are.
Show them, like, bring them into the scene. You don't have to give people a disclaimer of what's happening and then go into it. No, just go right into it. Just show them
Rae Leigh: Yep.
Dante Palminteri: Just right there. We, we better lifts looked at the winter and Campbell's napkin paper. We'll play a quick game chest with some pepper shaker.Boom.
Rae Leigh: You're there.
Dante Palminteri: You're there. My friends have heard me say like, go on this ride many times.
Rae Leigh: I'm glad we get to share it with our thing. Thank you.
Dante Palminteri: he's just so good. he's just so good.
Rae Leigh: I'm glad that he he's done his job and inspired you
Dante Palminteri: Oh yeah.
Rae Leigh: now you're coming out with stuff.
Dante Palminteri: oh, absolutely. I mean, my, my other favorite guy is, uh, do you like Chet baker at all? Listen to him.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. What's your favorite?
Dante Palminteri: he's like my head other favorite?just because I always try to play.I just want my tone to sound like.
More than anything, even though he plays the trumpet and I played the guitar, he just has a way of playing the trumpet. That sounds like all the notes were just hanging out inside the trumpet and just kind of strolled out
Rae Leigh: I love I
Dante Palminteri: is kind of a walking out on a nice little out Sunday afternoon.Like everything just sort of stumbles out of the trumpet.but falls exactly where it needs to. And it's, he has a way about his playing that makes me kind of collaps.
Rae Leigh: It's an incredible instrument.
Dante Palminteri: It's just the way he plays it.
Rae Leigh: Hm.
Dante Palminteri: he's one of those guys, any time you put on Chet baker, you'd like that shit baker,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Good. As is.
Dante Palminteri: yeah, you don't have to know with him. You just go, you can tell that that's him, his, nobody can hit those notes the way he can, even when he's flying, he'll be shredding. And it's just, it's, it's like the smoothest thing.
Rae Leigh: I think that it takes real skill as an artist to be able to get your own style and then, and make it identifiable. You know,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. I mean, how do
Rae Leigh: it's like some actors, I just, it's just a voice,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. right, exactly. Like if someone does, you know, a Robin Williams oppression, you're just like, that's Rob Williams.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: You can just go
Rae Leigh: Hanks or, you know, any of these guys, like he could have the craziest makeup on, as soon as he opens his mouth, you know who it is?
Dante Palminteri: You know, who's like, like, uh, the best guys who does that I think is Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman full, like, do any role? You can, he can do any role. And you'll be like, how does that, how the hell did he do that?
Rae Leigh: Um,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: it's something, something unique, whereas there is also a skill to be able to completely change who you are, but to have something of you left in there that is identifiable. It's like, that's the difference.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah, That's what's crazy. That's what's crazy. Like that's, what's so cool to just jump off the train about, uh, like acting and, you know, some of these crazy actors that I've had, the privilege of meeting is they'll play these wildly different roles, but you still know it's them playing it. Like they're still doing them as you know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: Yeah, who they would be as that character, as that person, as that, that life experience. And I think that's, that's the hardest, but best part about acting is that you've still got to be you,
Dante Palminteri: It's yeah,
Rae Leigh: but be a character.
Dante Palminteri: yeah, Stanford Mizener he always says the, the coolest acting quote is his definition of acting. He says, uh, acting is living truthfully under, false circumstances.
Rae Leigh: Mm
Dante Palminteri: and and that's, I thought that was like the coolest thing ever. That's what it is. That's exactly what it is. It's living truthful under false circumstances.So it is you, it's still, you. Like, that's the thing. There is no character. That's kind of what you start to learn. It's just you
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Dante Palminteri: it's
Rae Leigh: you and how you, how you portray the person that's in this circumstance. You
Dante Palminteri: It's just you, except that, You know, you're in Westeros and you're riding a
Rae Leigh: name and potentially a different time. When you're writing a check,
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. it's still, but it's still you.
like you, you
Rae Leigh: still, you.
Dante Palminteri: Yeah. Cause if you start trying to pretend to be somebody, then you're going to spend all your time pretending to be the person, rather than reacting to what somebody is saying to you.
Rae Leigh: Exactly. Exactly. And like, honestly, you need to react the way that anyone would react if they were riding a dragon. Oh
Dante Palminteri: Acting as we acting, gets really con like you can go down a black hole really quick with acting theories. yeah. Like there's these books. Oh my God. You'll just, you'll be catatonic on the floor.
Rae Leigh: yeah.
Dante Palminteri: It's it's wild. It's wild. Seeing somebody just act natural and then an acting teacher will go, okay, walk through the door and sit down.
Rae Leigh: um,
Dante Palminteri: they just, they like, they like, forget how to walk. They like, don't know how to open a door. They're like, I don't know what to do. And you're like, Yeah. it sucks. Doesn't it. Welcome to the world.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. So funny. Anyway, that is, well, this isn't, this is not about
acting it's about songwriting. But you do, you know, I often liked the idea of like getting a movie scene into like three minutes song is kind of, you know, a whole story.
Dante Palminteri: I think, I think acting has really helped songwriting because I'm able to kind of, especially for co-writing or if I, if I hear a story, that's not mine, that's on my story. It's like, it's a friend's story. Or if it's just something I hear, I'm kind of able to like put myself there and write, write about that from. Of first person narrative, you know what I mean?
Rae Leigh: Yep. Absolutely.
Dante Palminteri: I'm able to kind of let it, just let the idea of run crazy in my head and, and really sit with it. And it's as if it did happen to me and I find a lot of, a lot of skill writing that way.
Rae Leigh: lot of empathy as well. I think you have to have a lot of empathy.
Dante Palminteri: Totally.
Rae Leigh: So what have you got coming up this year? Tell us what, what are your plans next?
Dante Palminteri: Well, next?is, you know, I just have a lot more music to release. I'm releasing a brunettes, uh, acoustic
Rae Leigh: nice.
Dante Palminteri: which is going to be really cool. I'm very excited for that. Really excited for that.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: And, I have a really cool song coming up right after this. It'll be, it'll be out very, very, very soon. And then, Looking to play some shows in New York area, LA area, kind of waiting to see what the Delta variant thing yeah.
I'm like getting ready to book some more shows and really hoping they don't get canceled like the last times,
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Dante Palminteri: but, you know, swinging for the swinging for the fences songwriting is a, it's a game of rapid-fire.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And even with COVID and stuff, you kind of got to plan for the best, but prepare for the worst, I
Dante Palminteri: Exactly. Yeah. Just, you know, I through Burnett's out there really love it Music video. Awesome. What's next, next one. Boom. And then after that next one, boom, just, just got to keep going and don't get attached to one song.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, just have fun with it. That's the most important thing have fun. So, , I'm going to put obviously the music video and all the links to social so people can follow you and listen to your music. In the description of the podcast. There'll be a blog on the website somewhere.
I trust.com as well, but is there anything you would like to say before we finish up the podcast space is yours.
Dante Palminteri: Oh, man, what's up everybody? No, just please stream brunettes. And I have a ton of new music coming out and give you a follow on social media. I'm doing a ton of new of acting, and I hope to see you on a TV screen or on your laptop very, very soon. And you can, yeah. And you could stream my music and watch me do my thing.And I hope I resonate with you as well as my favorite artist resonate with me.
Rae Leigh: That's awesome. Well, I'll definitely be supporting and following, and I look forward to seeing what comes next, because I'm sure it's only going to get better. And if you're starting with brunettes and you only get better from there, it's like, you've already got a good foundation. So
Dante Palminteri: Oh, Thank you. so much. Thank
Rae Leigh: love it. Well, thank you so much for spending time with me and sharing your journey and your story. I look really forward to sharing it.
Dante Palminteri: Amazing. Thank you. so much for having me.
Rae Leigh: Thank you.
