Insightful Interview with Anthony Rankin - Rising Recording Artist from Pittsburgh, PA

Anthony Rankin is a rising Independent recording artist from the Pittsburgh, PA area who is becoming very visible throughout the area and via social networking circles. His new album, "Blow This House Down" is an energy packed body of work clearly showing that this is one artist who shows polish and experience as a songwriter and performer. Anthony also plays numerous instruments proficiently. You can check out his Facebook page and Official webpage to hear his music and watch the excellent video for "Mean It".

Anthony took a few minutes from his busy schedule to grant AC an interview. It is clear to see from his music and his words, that this is a gifted person and musician who we will be hearing much more about.

DL: How's the new album, "Blow This House Down" and the music career going currently?

Anthony: The new album is doing well. It's only been out for around two months, and has already moved more product digitally than my last album has since its 2007 release; physical CDs are moving steadily at every show, as well. So I can't complain. My career is on an upward path, but as I would assume most artists are, I'm always impatient and never 100% satisfied with my output or where I am at any particular time.

DL: Did you decide early on in your life that you were going to pursue making a living at being a musician and recording artist and how did that happen?

Anthony: I'm not really sure that it was ever a conscious landmark in my life where I said, "this is what I'm going to do for a living." I was a pretty normal kid; I played baseball, I studied martial arts, I liked to do lots of other things outside music. And, like lots of parents do, my parents gifted me a guitar and enrolled me in formal lessons. It just so happened that I never stopped playing, and quickly over time, all of those other non-musical activities fell to the wayside.

It was impossible to avoid music in my house growing up, my dad having been a professional drummer all his life and me having grown up with his massive record collection. I think around age 12, after playing guitar for a few years, I started writing and that was the real catalyst that really woke me up to the power of song. Around age 15, I started making homemade CDs that I would record in my basement, burn on my computer, and then sell at local shows. That's probably when I decided, albeit subconsciously, that this was what I was going to do.

DL: I see you have album's on iTunes starting from 2005. Is that when you started recording and producing albums or do you have earlier works in distribution?

Anthony: My official debut, Every Part of Me, actually was released in December 2003, but being an independent, it took me a couple years to navigate the digital distribution route, hence the 2005 release date on iTunes. I consider that my first real recording, as it was done in a professional studio and not one of my homemade bedroom/basement creations, and was a pressed CD with distribution. If you want to be technical, though, there are definitely a few hundred early CDs floating around in the world somewhere, all from 2001: Captivation, Awakening, Unplugged, and Newfound Strength.

DL: Your Facebook page shows that you graduated from Duquesne University, majoring in Sound Recording. How has that helped you with your current career? Where have you recorded your albums?

Anthony: The greatest thing I can say about Duquesne is that their program was all about music; even though on paper I was a Sound Recording major, I had intense musicianship curriculum, jazz guitar lessons, music history classes, composition and arranging studies, along with the studio engineering and production training. So, I really received a well-rounded education as a musician. Getting the degree didn't really alter my hopes and dreams of being a rock musician, but it greatly enhanced my skill set, and has since allowed me to stay extremely busy with work on all sides of the industry, from my solo career to writing with/for and producing other artists, as well as being a session musician and a studio engineer.

Up until Blow This House Down, all of my studio albums were done at Studio L in Weirton, WV, under the supervision of the one and only Rick Witkowski. Blow This House Down was split between Studio L and a new studio downtown called Red Caiman Media; it's owned and run by a friend of mine from college, Jesse Naus (who is an astounding engineer). I suppose that answers the question about how going to Duquesne has contributed to my current career!

DL: How would you say your style has changed over recent years?

Anthony: The obvious change is on Blow This House Down. I had set sail years ago on a naïve mission to revive '80s arena rock. I still have that bombast in my music, as I grew up listening to Bon Jovi and Journey. But after so many years of writing in the power pop vein, I needed a new challenge. Some would say I found my "inner funk" on the new record, and ironically, what came of my R&B exploration was a more honest and just flat-out better collection of songs. I let a lot of my preconceptions go and let the music write itself on this one, and I'm really comfortable with my current style. It's all about the groove and the feel, and the message.

DL: You seem to using social networking to promote your new album, "Blow This House Down". How do you see that working out for this album compared to your previous works?

Anthony: Well, for one, social networking has been developing at a rapid pace in the last couple years. To me, the obvious difference is that there were more avenues available for me to push the new album than the last time I released a CD (2007), and they are better structured, so I was able to streamline my marketing a bit, while hitting all of the necessary networks. It's helped me humanize the product, too. People like to be able to be in touch with an artist they connect with, and I, too, want to be personally connected to any fan of my music. Social networking has allowed that connection to be more substantial with Blow This House Down.

DL: I see from you BIO on Reverbnation that you started out releasing your first CD's as an Independent artist and now you are working under new management. Do you see that as something that new artists still need to do for broader success?

Anthony: Actually, all of my CDs are independently released by me (including the new one). I have since developed my own production company that I use to stamp the albums, but they are independent nonetheless. I've read a lot of books recently on the failing big music industry, and my opinions are kind of skewed on what is needed to achieve broader success. The real answer, sadly, is money. You don't necessarily need a huge record label to put you in every home in America, but you do need a lot of money to invest in radio promotions, distribution, touring, etc. (all the things into which a label typically sinks money to build a brand). That is, if you want to compete with major label artists. Most independents don't have those kinds of dollars to spend, so I am a big advocate of the DIY movement that music has taken over the last 10 years or so. I think it's more about not trying to replicate what a "big name" is doing, but rather take the road less traveled and create your own success.

However, if Columbia Records came calling, I'd hear them out. ☺

DL: The new video of "Mean It" has a very polished pro style. Who produced it...(in Pittsburgh)?

Anthony: A very, very talented gentlemen by the name of Tom Larkin was the mastermind behind the video. He runs a digital media company (whose primary output is music and concert videos) called T. Larkin Productions. Tom directed the video, and Ed Poole produced it. They brought in a stellar crew who built the set, assembled the power and lighting, and pretty much took care of all the details. It was filmed over two long days in March in a freezing warehouse in the West End lol. If you go to http://www.tlarkinproductions.com, you can watch a behind-the-scenes featurette as well.

DL: I see on your Official website that you are doing clinics at the Duquesne Guitar Workshop. Do you teach or have another "job" in addition to being a performing/recording artist?

Anthony: I don't teach privately outside of doing the summer clinic (although I did during school to make an extra buck), but my main day gig beyond that of my solo career is being a studio musician. I work with a lot of regional artists at Witkowski's Studio L, both on the production and performance end. I've played guitar, drums, keys, bass, banjo, mandolin, organ, on a variety of indie albums ranging from country to electronica, in addition to often being a co-writer in those sessions.

DL: What's in the works or upcoming news and events for you?

Anthony: I've got a lot of shows coming up in the next few months (both my shows and as musical director for another artist or two), and I've begun to start writing new material again for another album. I'll be heading to the TAXI Rally in Los Angeles in the fall as well, and have got a few other classified business items cooking right now that may be noteworthy down the road. ☺