Get To Know: 10 questions with Jon Siejka of Magic Dance.

Get To Know: 10 Questions With Jon Siejka Of Magic Dance

10/11/2016

Jon Siejka is a very talented young indie artist that hails from New York, New York, USA. Founder of the project Magic Dance, Siejka is not a new artist but is a new artist to the AOR arena. This past March Jon delivered his first 1980’s influenced melodic pop rock/AOR EP and did a wonderful job with it.

I was unfamiliar with Magic Dance until just the other day while watching some videos on YouTube when I ran across the project name in the suggested videos and so I clicked on it and listened to the song. I was impressed. The song had a very heavy 80’s vibe to it. The singer had a fantastic voice and the song was catchy. I listened to the other tracks from the EP and then reached out to Jon with an idea to do a few interview questions with him so we could get to know the artist some. He was kind enough to say yes and here is the result!

Check out the interview, get to know this guy, check out his music and welcome him to the genre that we all know as being the greatest music in the world!

 

 

 

MMR:   I actually discovered you just the other day from YouTube. I was watching a few videos and saw yours for the track ‘I Wanna Know’ listed below one I was watching and clicked on it. It was my first introduction to your music. In fact the only music I have heard from you so far is your latest EP, ‘Haunting Me’. So how many EP’s and or albums do you have out at this time?

JS:   I’ve been around since 2012 and have released 3 EPs and one full length album. The stuff before ‘Haunting Me’ was mainly synthpop/synthwave influenced.

MMR:   Alright, so you have been around for a bit then as an artist. How long have you been performing and what instruments do you play?

JS:   I’ve been playing for a little over ten years, starting with the guitar. I also have some keyboard and programming knowledge.

MMR:   Excellent. How did Magic Dance get started?

JS:   I heard the song ‘Right Back To You’ by Electric Youth. I always loved 80’s pop music but the thought never occurred to me to do something so true to the sound. The whole synthwave scene at the time was very inspiring.

MMR:   What about the project name, Magic Dance, where did the name come from? Anything to do with the Bowie song by the same name?

JS:   It’s taken from the movie Labyrinth, with David Bowie. Honestly wish I could have come up with a better name but I guess I’m stuck with it!

MMR:   It appears from your site that you are the sole member of Magic Dance, is that true?

JS:   Yes! The tools today make it easy to do everything yourself, if you have the disposition for it. I’ve always considered myself a songwriter first, a bit of a recluse. So it made sense.

MMR:    Yeah, there are so many tools available to artists and musicians now. It is just crazy what can be done these days. Crazy but very cool.

Do you do any live performances?

JS:   I’m planning on it, with a full band. It’s time I get out of the studio and on to the stage. So stay tuned!

MMR:   I sure will, hopefully you’ll make it to North Carolina when you do so.

Now I pretty much love all things 80’s when it comes to music and the songs on ‘Haunting Me’ have a heavy 1980’s pop rock sound to them. Who are some of your musical influences?

JS:   I always loved all forms of 80’s pop music but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered the AOR genre. It’s something that I sort of knew existed, but never knew how deep it went. The ‘Haunting Me’ EP and the upcoming album are heavily influenced by it. Some of my favorites right now are Icon, White Sister and Fortune. There’s a lot of hidden gems in that era that are really fantastic.

MMR:   Wow, well never too late to find the genre! And yes, there are SO many bands out there that so few people know about, tremendous bands! And there are bands and artists continuing to come out in the genre every day. It is very exciting.

Are you constantly working on new material and what is it that inspires you to write?

JS:   I always feel the need to write, even if I’m not feeling particularly inspired. The ideas come and it drives me a bit crazy sometimes. But I’d say the best stuff always happens when you are truly inspired. It can be triggered by a variety of things, but for me it’s usually triggered by other music or art.

MMR:   I always find it interesting what inspires artists to create their music.

What would you say is the biggest hurdle in being an indie artist these days?

JS:   Exposure, and then making sure people don’t forget about you once exposed. People have the entire history of recorded music at their fingertips today, not to mention all the other great forms of entertainment. I still believe great songs prevail though.

MMR:  Very true. I imagine it is very difficult getting your name out there. Of course these days it is easier with platforms like YouTube and social media, but still a difficult task to be sure as an independent artist. 

What is your number one desire that you want people to take away from your music?

JS:   I’m not sure there’s anything in particular. I think it’s up to the listener to take away what they want from the music. My goal is just to put in the passion and stay true to myself with it.

MMR:   Well Jon, thank you for your time and the best of luck to you with your career!

 

 

Care to hear a little from him? Check out the link below.

Magic Dance – I Wanna Know audio video.

 

Interested in more? Check out these pages to learn more and to follow Magic Dance:

 

Click here to visit the Magic Dance website.

Click here to visit the Magic Dance Facebook page.