It takes a village to make a podcast, y'all. We are eternally grateful to everyone who has helped: Our test group of first listeners, those who helped us find the right people to interview, all those reviewers on iTunes and more. But we wanted to highlight a few of the exceptionally creative people who have been sharing their talents with Spicy Eyes, starting with composer Jeremy Klewicki.
Jeremy is the one who took our badly-hummed idea for a theme melody and turned it into actual music. You'll hear his compositions at the end of several of the Spicy Eyes episodes, too. Make sure to check out his band, The Lique, and his Instagram, where he's just wrapping up a 30-day beat challenge of composing a new beat every day for a month. Here's our Q&A with him.
1. Tell us about your studies and career so far.
I started playing the drums at the age of seven, motivated purely by the thought of torturing my sisters with the noise. It was a few years before I actually started taking music seriously. Growing up in New York, I soon began performing in the pits of various musical theater productions and by seventeen I wanted to pursue music professionally. UNLV has a bunch of fantastic drum instructors, so in 2013 I moved to Vegas to get my BA in Jazz Studies.
In Vegas I’ve been fortunate enough to perform all over the city, from dive bars on Maryland Parkway to huge stages at Life is Beautiful Festival and the Billboard Latin Awards. I’m currently part of an original hip-hop band called The Lique, with whom I’ve toured across the country.
2. What kind of music do you make and enjoy? How would you describe your style?
I consider myself a jazz musician first and foremost, but these days I primarily make and listen to hip-hop music. However, if I’m being honest, I love all kinds of music. I’ve played mandolin in a folk band, I’ve played cello in an orchestra and I learned the drums by playing along with classic rock records. Because of this, I think my style comes from a pretty broad range of influences.
3. What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
My favorite thing to cook at home is Mac and cheese. I grew up on those $0.79 Kraft dinners, so when I’m in the mood to treat myself I’ll go out, buy some fresh cheese and make some from scratch.
4. What's your favorite restaurant meal in Las Vegas?
My favorite restaurant meal is the Oxtail Risotto at Carson Kitchen. It’s the first thing I order every time I’m there.
5. What's a food story you want to hear covered in Spicy Eyes?
I would love to hear you guys talk about the Jewish food culture in Las Vegas. In New York I was a lot more connected to Jewish traditions through my family, but ever since my move to Vegas that connection has all but vanished. I honestly don’t even know if Jewish food culture exists out here!
Thanks, Jeremy! (If anyone has suggestions for us about Jewish food in Las Vegas, reach out on Twitter, Instagram or email, please and thank you!)
Recognize this tune?
Yep, it's the outro music for our episode on halal food in Las Vegas.