If you’re looking for a song to put you in a celebratory mood or you feel like letting loose, Unruly Mane x Andrew Pierson’s latest collaboration “Making It” is your go-to song! This burst of positivity is sure to have you up and dancing from the first drum beat. We had the pleasure of interviewing Unruly Mane x Andrew Pierson, and here’s what they had to say:
Q: Did you have a clear direction/idea of how you wanted “Making It” to sound and the effect you wanted it to have on listeners before you started creating the song?
UNRULY MANE X ANDREW PIERSON: The early days of writing “Making It” started with Andrew Pierson (of “Mountain Laurel”) and Steve Scarola (of “Unruly Mane”) trading voice notes of song ideas they each had. They decided on a chord progression that they liked and a verse poured out of Andrew almost immediately while jamming in Unruly Mane’s Manhattan apartment. Leea Scarola (of “Unruly Mane”) was out with friends that night, so we left the song unwritten to give Leea the opportunity to sing a verse to create a nice male / female vocal vibe. In our next jam session, Andrew & Steve brought in Leea and perennial bandmate Stephen Federowicz (of “Stephen Francis”) to finish writing the song and bring it home.
With “Making It” we definitely wanted to deliver something different than what Unruly Mane had put out in the past, and what we landed on musically was using horns to drive the hook of the song. In-you-face type horns were definitely something that drove the energy for writing the rest of the tune musically. In addition to having Andrew’s voice on it, we knew “Making It” would be a fresh new sound for both Unruly Mane & Andrew Pierson.
Q: How did this collaboration between Unruly Mane and Andrew Pierson come about?
UNRULY MANE X ANDREW PIERSON: Steve & Leea of Unruly Mane formerly played in a band called “La La Lush,” along with fellow bandmate Stephen Federowicz, while attending college at Fordham University in the early 2010s. Andrew Pierson also attended Fordham and had his own college musical outfit titled “Seabass & The Fellas” who frequently shared the stage with La La Lush in the dozens of shows played over the years. After graduating from college, Steve & Leea started Unruly Mane, and Andrew started Mountain Laurel, who share a similar sound to each other. On top of that, Andrew also lived just a few blocks from Steve & Leea on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. With all of these factors at play, a collaboration was inevitable.
Q: I love how upbeat and melodic the instrumentation sounds! At what point did you decide on the instrumentation and how did you go about this?
UNRULY MANE X ANDREW PIERSON: The opening section of a song is arguably the most important piece as you have limited time to grab the listener’s attention. In demoing the song, Steve experimented with several lead instruments to drive the energy and ultimately landed on using synthetic horns. Upon bringing that idea back to the band, the feedback was that if we were to use horns, using real horns in the studio was crucial. Through the NYC music scene, Andrew had connected with the Golub brothers who crushed the horn part on the track.
The other instruments were Unruly Mane staples like acoustic guitar and mandolin, but it was Stephen Federowicz’s drum performance that really elevated the energy of the song.
Q: If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
UNRULY MANE X ANREW PIERSON: We’d wish it were easier and more streamlined for independent artists to make money, allowing them to exclusively focus on creating music instead of the modern-day distractions of an artist like social media numbers and influence.
Q: What do you wish someone had told you before you embarked on this musical journey?
UNRULY MANE X ANDREW PIERSON: What it means to “make it” is completely subjective. Is making it playing to a sold old 300-person room like Mercury Lounge in NYC making it? Is selling out arena shows and being a household name, making it? Or is writing a collection of songs that you’re really proud to leave behind as your legacy, making it? Figuring out what YOUR version of making it is is important so that you don’t follow a dream that’s not yours. A sense of pride and fulfillment is the important part, and whatever it takes to achieve that can only be defined by you.
Q: What projects are currently in the works?
UNRULY MANE X ANDREW PIERSON: The biggest project in the works at the moment is Steve and Leea’s new baby coming late Spring this year. Which may inspire some new music in the near future! Be sure to follow Andrew Pierson for new music through his band Mountain Laurel and Stephen Federowicz’s new music can be found through his artist name Stevie Francis.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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