Arts & Culture

Constantine Maroulis – Spirit of a Rocker

Cash for your car

Constantine MaroulisFormer American Idol finalist and Bold & The Beautiful actor, Constantine Maroulis is making headlines with his self-titled album scheduled for release August 7th through Maroulis’ own label, Sixth Place Records.

The soap opera will use some of the songs on the album, exposing Maroulis’ music to a much wider audience which may not be familiar with him.

This album really shows off that he has the spirit of a rocker, but a classically trained voice.

It is definitely a great, old fashioned rock album.

Since his success on American Idol in 2005, Maroulis made a name for himself by appearing in the Broadway production of "The Wedding Singer," contributing his talents to the Killer Queen tribute CD, and completing a solo tour, all while snagging songwriters Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville in order to produce his album.

This kind of hard work is nothing new to Maroulis, who completed an arts program at the Boston Conservatory of Music while also taking a minor in Vocal Performance at the Berklee College of Music. His experience in theatrical productions, as well as student and independent films helped to prepare him for the whirlwind of American Idol, which Maroulis admits was enough pressure to almost make a person physically ill.

Though he takes his music seriously, Maroulis didn’t fall into the trap of taking himself too seriously. Unlike other contestants who may not have had years of stage experience, he was able to approach the show from an actor’s standpoint, becoming a character while using his smoldering looks and charismatic stage presence to make girls at home feel as if he was singing directly to them.

Maroulis, who maintains that it’s "not about celebrity; it’s about the work," tapped into his strengths once again, creating an album which sounds similar to what you’d hear watching him and his band play live. Maroulis’ own band members, Jim Boggia, Marc Copley and Winston Roye even wrote some of the tracks, while others were written by established songwriters who have had success writing for Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and Jason Mraz, among others.

"The album was cut live with my own band," the 31-year-old entertainer said. "No programming, minimal overdubs. We’ve been playing these songs on the road and chose the tunes that got the best feedback from our audiences.”.

The diversity in his musical style can perhaps be attributConstantine Maroulised to his influences growing up in a Greek household in New Jersey. Maroulis was fortunate enough to be exposed to music of all genres from an early age, from classics such as Sinatra to Broadway ballads to hard rock and even to reggae.

It should be no surprise to hear that kind of versatility shining through on this album. “Everybody Loves," the first track, which also debuted on The Bold and The Beautiful, has a summer-time feel to it, possibly inspiring some sing-along sessions. “Girl Like You” might be reminiscent of Queen’s “We Will Rock You," while “Child (You’re The Revolution)" will bring you back to Maroulis’ Idol days, featuring his rock n’ roll side. Maroulis also showcases his vocal strengths on the R&B ballad, “Several Thousand”.

Karleigh Behbahani for LATP:  Millions of performers dream of having the stardom and success that you’ve achieved over the last couple of years. What would you say is the best and worst part of becoming a household name practically overnight?

Constantine Maroulis:  The best part is that it happened and quite frankly I must say it does not have a “worst part.”

LATP: What have the last two and a half years been like for you since being on American Idol?

CM:  Busy, busier, and the busiest I have ever been. Yet these are the conditions where I operate best. I prefer working and being very active, you know what they say about “idle hands,” which I rarely have these days.

LATP:  Did you feel a certain amount of pressure from your fans to release new music right away or go in a certain musical direction?

CM:  Certainly and it was expected. Looking back, I am confident that I made the right decision by waiting.
The old line about only “getting one chance to make a first impression” rings true. I really wanted the first album to be all that it can be and I feel like we accomplished that.

LATP:  Having a theatrical background already, was it your idea to try to find the right vehicle where to combine your singing with your acting, such as your role on Bold and the Beautiful or is that just something that happened along the way?

CM:  Well a little bit of both I guess. I think the powers that be are and were aware that I am both an actor and a singer; so many of the things that have come up along the way have included that duality. When B&B came along it was a natural twist, ultimately being exactly what they wanted as well as what I wanted too.

LATP:  Were you hesitant to start working on a soap opera before releasing your first solo CD?

CM:  No not at all. I try to take things in life as they come in and that is all I can do.

LATP:  Since your character is based on you, do you have any input into the character or the story? Were you able to approach them and suggest which of your songs you’d like to debut on the soap opera or was that a matter of the producers and writers hearing your CD and deciding that certain songs fit with the story line?

CM:  The folks at B&B have been great to me and are very open to discussing a wide array of things. I should probably leave it at that, it is probably not fair for me to discuss how the show is assembled. I am sure you understand.

LATP:  Have you been receiving feedback already of the songs you’ve debuted on the Bold and the Beautiful?

CM:  Absolutely! Tons of great feedback from all over the place and I must say it has been overwhelmingly positive.

LATP:  What was the main goal you wanted to accomplish on this album?

CM:  I wanted to make an East Coast (favoring New York and New Jersey of course) rock ‘n’ roll record. One that included plenty of pop as well as some bang, while at the same time had variety as well as dynamics. I think we did just that!

LATP:  You’re releasing your album through your own label, Sixth Place Records. Did you decide to go that route as a way to ensure more artistic freedom than you otherwise would’ve have had if you had been signed through a major label?

CM:  Well, I will say the freedom is nice; it is more of an incidental bonus. I personally have nothing against major labels but they talk more than a 5 year-old kid who just drank 12 cans of soda! So while they talked, I worked, toured, acted and started my own label.

LATP:  You co-wrote some of the songs on the album. Was it important to you to have a hand in the writing?

CM:  Yes it was very important. Although some of the greatest entertainers in history did not write any of the songs they made famous, I really wanted to have my name next to some songs.

LATP:  What inspires you to write?

CM:  I think it is just everyday stuff, you see a sad old lady face walk by or a word on the side of a bus jumps at you or you think of a rhyme that simply works or a construction site jackhammer has the right beat or just seeing from afar a pretty girl on the first day of spring. I think music and lyrics are all around you all the time, the only thing you have to do is simply leave the house. This is why you will never catch me with an iPod when I am on the street in NYC; the city makes some beautiful music of its own.

LATP:  What’s your favorite track on this album?

CM:  Can’t really say, each one was handpicked and is my favorite in its own way.

LATP:  Will we get to hear some of the versatility you’re known for?

CM:  I think the album is loaded with it and I hope you and a number of people agree.

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