The Songs of Hello Brooklyn: Run from the Rhythm

Nancy Levinson –Production Assistant

Knowing that Joe, Mike’s son, was the impetus for this song makes it all the more special and meaningful to me. It’s a feel good song…it makes you happy. And we all need a lot more of that!

Singing “you can take my lead out, tonight I don’ t need to shine” is such a great line. And then ‘in a quiet moment’ of course that line is a signature lyric of Mike’s…always reflecting… The song has a reggae/Caribbean vibe to it which reminds me of the island of St.Lucia lol where I’d love to go one day...hint hint.

The sounds effects are very unique and I remember deciding on which monk sound went best. I love Mike’s creativity in the studio…and having the chance to add my thoughts as well. It’s very exciting to be a part of a songs production. Vinnie showing us the different tools with all the different sounds they produce is a lot of fun and fascinating as well. I am always learning which I love <3.

By the way, I am also never bored!! The whole process of making a song is mind blowing and I am still pinching myself that I met Michael and he is this guy who is making all this amazing music!! I am so darn lucky.

To sum it all up, the ‘rhythm’ of this song is upbeat and flowy which makes you want to sway in the breeze and sit by turquoise water drinking a Mai Tai! Thank you, Joe!

Joe Pisano – Lead Guitar, Assistant Junior Producer

Joseph Puccio had asked his father to write a song that sounded like a Katy Perry song. I believe the opening line originated from a conversation Pooch had with Craig Renfrow, something about ‘taking the lead out’. Pooch came up with a chord progression on piano and from there added me on lead guitar playing my signature Tele, Mike Draper with the jungle beat on drums and Pam Costello on background vocals.

Michael J. Puccio – Composer, Vocalist, Producer, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards

My son asked me to write a song that Katy Perry would record. Huh? It did come out of nowhere. At the time Katy had released “Chained to the Rhythm” which I heard once or twice. The first line came from a conversation with Craig; we were talking about doing “New Moon Smile” live and decided it was too long. I said to him II can take my lead out and he said that’s a great song lyric. LOL….no kidding.

I decided to make it piano heavy (Note: I don’t really play piano) and very rhythmic. I kept the rhythm guitar (which is my natural instrument) to the bare minimum. From the first line the lyrics grew into a song about avoiding attention and stepping back to think about life. I know…that’s stuff I need to work on!

The recording was straight forward and like “My Friends Say” I got to play bass, piano and guitar. No, I had not taken piano lessons since the demo was done. Because of the interlude this was a fun studio track…. where I got to add a bevy of sound affects…. mostly my beloved monks chanting!

Does it sound like Katy? Uh no…but it sounds totally different from the rest of the album…which is way cool!