FEATURED ARTIST *The DePatie Melt*

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The DePatie Melt - The Viking Princess And The Troll King

Los Angeles, United States

Los Angeles-based guitarist John DePatie released his new song The Viking Princes And The Troll King under the name The DePatie Melt. When asked about the title he commented “I came up with the title while visiting Norway in January 2017. I had seen a hilarious Norwegian mockumentary called troll Hunter, and I got the idea for a story kind of the like Beauty And The Beast or Shrek,”. Written/recorded and performed by DePatie this is a track with cool guitar riffs throughout. Use the link below to check out the catchy guitar layers.

STREAM HERE

Having secured a spot in our previous Top 10 Guitar Riffs this month, we decided to reach out and find out more! Tamara Jenna quizzed John DePatie on his latest movements and what he has in store for the rest of 2022!

Hey, so firstly, it's great to be able to talk more about your artistry so thank you! When was your current song 'The Viking Princess And The Troll King' released?

The Viking Princess And The Troll King was originally released as a video that I did for my

YouTube channel exactly 3 years ago today actually, April 17, 2019. I recorded the song

while being filmed so the take that's in the video is the same performance that I released to

all other platforms on April 1st of this year. I got a really great reaction from the song and

regretted not doing anything else with it. After releasing four other songs over the last year I

decided it was time to finally put it out properly, send it out for reviews and give it the release that I had wanted for it.

We're glad you developed the song and sent it our way! So, where are you based?

I live in Hollywood, CA USA.

When did you realise that you were an artist?

I think as long as I've been playing music I've wanted to do my own songs. I started out

playing cover songs, and I always love playing music, whatever kind and whoever the

composer. But, I've always had a desire to have a body of work that represents me and my

tastes, my style and sensibility.

Originality is key when making music but when creating the track/tracks, who (if any) were your biggest artistic influences?

I don't think I had any particular artist in mind when I wrote this song. Sometimes I do though. For this one I remember thinking that I wanted to write something that would be fun to play, and a good vehicle for my guitar playing. I suppose I was going for my take on a classic kind of sound.

When is your favorite time of day to create?

There is one thing that I've always done that works for me. I save music until after I've taken

care of all the other things that need to get done in the day. I'll do laundry, buy food, go to the gym, or whatever else first. Then when I'm done with all of the stuff that can be a distraction I feel creative and happy and mentally free. Occasionally I'll have luck first thing in the morning though. I'm not a morning person at all. So, it can be good to just do a single take of a guitar solo, for instance, because my brain and hands will do different things at that hour. In fact, I did another version of The Viking Princess And The Troll King for a contest from NPR (an American programming channel). The take that I used was the first and only take that I did on the last day to submit, and I did it first thing in the morning.

What motivates you to create?

I want something to be left of my time spent on earth. I'd love it if people find my music and

allow it to be a part of their lives. There are songs that I hear that can take me back to a

certain period in my life. It's amazing! I'd love for my music to be like that for someone.

How do you define success as an artist?

One of the times that I'm happiest is when I finish writing a song. Usually the first demo is

pretty crappy and not worthy of sharing with anyone else. But I can listen back and realize

what the song is, and will be, and will sound like when it's produced and recorded properly.

I'm so excited to record it and perform it in front of people. As long as I still get that feeling of having something that I want to share, I think I'll feel like I'm doing pretty well.

Does art help you in other areas of your life?

I can't even drive a mile without music playing. Seriously though, I think music, art, and the arts in general can give you strength, confidence, companionship, and perspective. Many things. Music was the thing that I turned to in my adolescence to get through the tough years.

How do you develop your artistic skills?

There are two things, off the top of my head. There are a bunch of skills related to the craft of making music that form a foundation. Scales, arpeggios, the study of harmony and rhythm, technique for example, are all vital tools for a musician. Being fluent with them will surely be helpful when conveying a musical idea. Then, there is living life. The better person that you become, the more valuable the things that you have to say become. So the musical tools are the way of “saying something”, and the life experience is “what” you are actually saying.

What are your ultimate career goals?

I want to keep writing and recording music and, performing it live in front of any audiences

that will have me.

How do you collaborate with other artists?

For me the best formula is to not have a formula and be open to letting things happen. For

example, I've done a number of collaborations with my friend Don Randi from the Wrecking

Crew. We did a whole CD called Acoustimania. For many of those songs one of us would

come in with the first half, and let the other guy finish it. Our next project was called Good Jazzy Vibrations which was instrumental/ jazz versions of songs by The Beach Boys. (Don was the original piano player on many of those tracks.) We had talked about including an original song as an homage to Brian Wilson but hadn't written anything. We realized we were going into the studio in a couple days for what would surely be the last session, so we booked a 2 ½ hour block of time and sat down to write. Don came in with four measures of chords and that was the only thing either of us had. On that song we ended up going back and forth almost a chord or a measure at a time. It was really fun and fresh for us and I love the way the song came out in the end.

HEAR IT HERE

What are your future plans?

I've got lots of songs written and I want to get them recorded and produced well so I can

release them. Speaking of collaborations, I've also been thinking it would be fun to have a

guest musician or two on a track soon. Maybe a guest soloist or another guitarist would be

fun. I'd like to find a label that could help me with releasing music and booking shows to promote it.

What can we look forward to for the rest of 2022?

I've got another single coming out on May 6th called Paladins' Song. It's available now as a

free download from my website for anyone that wants to sign up for my newsletter.

WEBSITE

I'm working on several things right now as a follow-up to that and I'm not sure what will come out first. It's a pretty eclectic mix actually. I have a few reggae tracks, a couple of tunes that sound like they're out of an old cowboy film, a couple of hard rock ones, a bluesy/gospel one, and a ballad.

I'm so glad that we got to hear more about you, we wish you the best of luck with your creativity and we hope ti hear from you again in the near future!

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