Boy Wonder
By Kurt Bruder
vervegirl: How have things changed for you since you’ve become more of a celebrity?TEDDY: Things haven’t changed that much. I’m doing a lot of shows and playing more, I’ve gotten recognized a couple of times…but only a couple of times…
vervegirl: Like on the street?
TEDDY: Yeah I’ll be walking and they’ll say, “Hey…I know you…” It’s kind of weird, but it’s kind of cool.
vervegirl: In terms of day-to-day life, what things have been developing for you?
TEDDY: Lately it’s been a lot of promoting the album and going out playing shows, going to radio stations, all that good stuff. We actually did this thing where we did liners for every radio station in the country. It took a couple of hours. It was like, “Hey what’s up, it’s Teddy Geiger and you’re listening to…”
vervegirl: What about your personal life? What do you do to take care of you?
TEDDY: One of the hardest things about doing all this is being away from my friends and stuff. But I keep in touch with them. I always keep in touch with my family and friends to make sure I’m not sad.
vervegirl: Sometimes you feel a bit unplugged?
TEDDY: A little bit.
vervegirl: How about the music, what changes have you undergone as the demands have gotten more intense? Are you connecting with different people who you may not have connected to before? Maybe some influences you weren’t exposed to before?
TEDDY: I don’t know, I’ve always written in a bunch of different genres and stuff. I’m still trying to write—the guy who produced the record, Billy Mann, he’s this songwriter/pro-ducer and I learned a lot from him and I still continue to learn a lot from him in terms of songwriting and producing and eventually I want to start producing stuff. I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been hanging out and talking to him.
vervegirl: You feel you picked up some important insights on how to produce?
TEDDY: Yes. And how to write songs as well.
vervegirl: Can you pinpoint some changes?
TEDDY: I used to leave a lot of loose ends in my songs…in some of them where I didn’t really finish ideas. But what Billy is really good at, without being too obvious, is getting your idea across and just having a whole idea behind the song. Sometimes I only express half of what I really want to express, the rest I thought I expressed—but I was only halfway there.
vervegirl: That’s gotta be rewarding.
TEDDY: Yes.
vervegirl: So you’re learning a craft?
TEDDY: It’s pretty cool. And it helps a lot. It’s good to just write lyrics down and organize your ideas.
vervegirl: Is that how the process works for you? You first come across lyrics and then you match them up to music?
TEDDY: Normally, I just write the music and then I write the words over. I still don’t write the lyrics down until the very end. After that, I go through and then I’ll write the lyrics down and if something doesn’t make sense, then I’ll change it, stuff like that.
vervegirl: Do you see yourself going in any new directions? Any influences that have really taken your imagination?
TEDDY: On occasion I’ll record some weird stuff, but only if it’s on flights and I don’t have guitars or anything. I’ll just program a bunch of midi stuff…so a bunch of weird “techno-esque” stuff that I’ve recorded on planes…but other than that it’s usually in the same sort of vein as the rest of my stuff.
vervegirl: I’ve read some comparisons, for example, to John Mayer. How do you feel about being compared to him?
TEDDY: I don’t mind it. He’s had a really great career and written some really great songs. I actually saw him in Orlando with The Trio and that was really good. With any new artist that’s just coming out, lots of people do try to make comparisons because that’s the best way to describe the music. Hopefully at some point I’ll be able to establish my own career and people will say, “You sound like Teddy Geiger.” That would be cool.
vervegirl: What do you want people to know about you that they aren’t likely to find out unless you tell them?
TEDDY: That’s deep. I’m very odd! I don’t know…for instance, the other day I recorded a track of this music and then I sang over it and then reversed the singing that actually came out in full melody. And it actually came out with the words “Snow Revenge” which is hidden throughout subliminally and I don’t know how it got there. “Snow Revenge? What’s that?”
photography: COURTESY of SONY/BMG
