Feature: Zac Hoina Decodes “We Don't Make It”
Photo Credit: Darren Tun
Can you walk me through your songwriting process?
It's honestly different every time. Sometimes everything lines up and the song almost feels like it’s writing itself, other times it’s like pulling teeth and every single verse is a battle. I try to break out of my comfort zone as often as I can. For me that means no guitar until I have something actionable because I think I’m the most honest in front of a piano, even thought that isn’t really my main instrument. The next step is typically to transcribe everything to guitar and play it as stripped down as possible. I feel like if a song works with only a few elements in the mix, that's how I know I want to work more on it.
How do you translate the essence and energy of "We Don't Make It" in a live performance?
It's surprisingly hard. The ending portion has such a cathartic feel to it with so many layers that I find myself struggling to really do it justice every time we play it live. I want to be able to give the song the sound it deserves and sometimes, in a smaller band setting, that can be hard to reach. I’ve been lucky enough to have some remarkable musicians play with me and they really treat the song well. I think you have to hear the track in person to really understand what it’s meant to all of us.
How do you feel this song represents your artistic identity?
I try my best to put as much of myself in all of my music. This track has been different in that, with some exceptions, I recorded almost everything on it by myself at home. It’s more of me than anything else and I really think you can hear my fingerprint in a lot of the sonic decisions I made.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
We’re a bit of a revolving door. I am, officially speaking, a solo artist. There is freedom there, specifically in the writing and recording world. I have a lot of creative control over my music as a result. The challenge is when it’s time to play these songs for a crowd. Unless I’m doing a solo show, I need to reach and find musicians to back me. That being said, there are some musicians I work and perform with often that have made my life exponentially easier by being incredible at what they do. Sergio Romero (Guitar), Nate Young (Bass), Jakob Rush (Drums, Keys, Bass), Michael Cesario (Drums), and Dajon Wiseman (Drums) have all played such a massive role in making what I do possible, whether it’s for Zac Hoina Trio or just my main project, myself.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Hands down the best feeling as an artist is when your audience knows your songs. The scary thing about putting music out into the world is the act of giving it away for someone else to experience now. They put themselves in the story and see things in a way I maybe didn’t when I first wrote it. When people come out to a show looking for a song I know that they’ve heard something I said and it resonated with them. I look out and I see people who are just like me and that’s made performing really special.
