Emerging from NYC’s gritty underbelly, YACOVELLI fuses punk, grunge, and garage rock into a raw, cinematic sound. We dive into the mind behind “Doppelganger” and its emotionally charged alter-ego themes.
1.
“Doppelganger” is a visceral ride from the first siren bend to the final
bombastic outro. What was the first spark of inspiration behind this track?
Typically, the opening guitar hook inspires everything that follows in the
writing process for me. However, in this case, the low-key acoustic guitar chug
of the verse inspired the rest. I was sort of envisioning Kurt Cobain lying on
the floor in Butch Vig’s studio ala “Something in the Way.” I wanted to write
something that expressed that kind of distraught poetry. I guess a very
intimate concept turned into something very loud and orchestrated.
2. You mention the concept of a “split ego” and not recognizing yourself in
the mirror—was there a personal experience or moment that triggered this
lyrical exploration?
For sure. There was a point in my life where I had gotten out of a serious
relationship that had thrown me for a loop. I recall living a bit too
excessively on weekends and dating some people whose morals and life views
didn’t align with my own ideal partner. Those were the times when I needed to
confront myself and decide who I was going to let in my inner circle. Now, I’m
happily married!
3. The term “Nu York” really jumps out. How would you define the “Nu York”
sound, and how does it differ from traditional NYC punk or Seattle grunge?
“Nu York” is a wavelength I’m really trying to define. To me it’s a sound
that’s both old and new, fusing the likes of Punk, Grunge, Garage and Classic
Rock, and driven by the daily grind of living in New York City— with crime on
the rise, a population and housing crisis, an unspoken debt, and great
political divide. When I go out, I see more and more underground acts that are
playing energetic and aggressive Rock, verses, say, the nice, drum machine
driven indie wave that followed the Garage Rock Revolution of Y2K. And that
music’s great, but to me it doesn’t carry the same cathartic punch that
reflects the potholes of life here. At it’s core, life in NYC is blue-collar,
street, and angsty, so “Nu York” is a modern fusion that sonically reflects the
return to those “don’t mess with me” kinda roots. We’ll give you directions,
but don’t $%^* with us.
4. You’ve cited influences like Pixies, Toadies, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters.
What did you take from these bands sonically, and what did you intentionally
leave behind?
Out of this list, Toadies are the band I’ve seen the most times— and I’m due to
rock with them again. Whenever I’m at one of their shows, I’m always enthused
by the larger than life drums (especially when they bring out the taiko-like
tom tom ensemble comprised of all the bands on the bill at the end).
“Doppelganger” is an attempt to capture that same upbeat rhythmic energy.
Likewise, the Pixies ramp the crowd up from the minute you hear the guitar
intro. The hit “Where Is My Mind” comes to… well… mind. The Nirvana influence
is in the calmness of the verse ramping up into the intense storm of the
Chorus, which I think is sort of the textbook definition of Grunge. The Foo
influence here comes in the Grohl-like growl of the Chorus. Being a long time
Weezer fan and having played with them at MSG, they also have a forever
presence on my writing brain.
5. The line “I saw myself today / In the face of another” hits hard. Can you
talk about how identity and self-deception play into your songwriting process?
I think a lot of great Art starts as self-deception! What if I could write a
really cool song that doesn’t feel like the things I’ve previously done, but is
somehow truer to the core of who I am as a human being and Artist? I saw an
interview with David Bowie recently and he said “always remember that the
reason you initially started working was that there was something inside
yourself that you felt if you could manifest it in some way, you would
understand more about yourself and how you coexist with the rest of society.” I
think a songwriting is a balance of what is true/safe to you in the moment and
where your doppelgänger, alter-ego wants to go next.
6. The production feels both raw and cinematic—especially in the outro. How
do you balance DIY grit with grand-scale ambition in the studio?
Cinema is an important influence on my life and art, so I’m really glad you
picked up on that. I nearly killed myself trying to get that outdo to feel
right— stacks of guitars that allowed for the clarity of multiple rounds of
vocals. I think the trick is finding guitar tones that play nicely with each
other and very intentional EQing. I’ll probably revisit it twenty five years
from now.
7. You mentioned Chris Cornell’s lyric “I’m looking California and feeling
Minnesota.” What’s your version of that emotional contradiction in 2024?
Looking like your shiny put-together public self, but feeling like this dark
doppelganger, a sort of Stranger Things upside-down version of who you actually
are. The question is, how do you find the portal to lead yourself back to the
rightside-up? That’s a path that we can only find ourselves.
8. You’ve played some iconic stages—from Mercury Lounge to Madison Square
Garden with Weezer. How does the energy of a YACOVELLI live show feed back into
your studio recordings?
That performance high means everything. Not only because it makes you feel good
as a performer, but it makes everyone in the audience feel good and walk out of
that basement venue a little more enthused about the week ahead. Tom Morello
talks about how he can write a song on a nylon string guitar in his living room
and know exactly how that song is going to resonate with distortion in a large
stadium. Manifesting the future of the sonic energy your are putting into the
songs in your studio means absolutely everything. You need to know what that
show is going to look like when you hit that ‘record’ button, in my opinion.
9. Doppelganger draws comparisons to characters like Tyler Durden, Doctor
Doom, and the Yellowjackets. What is it about pop culture anti-heroes that
resonates with your songwriting?
I think we’re all heroes and anti-heroes at different points of our life to
different people. That’s what makes us human. We’re not perfect. We don’t
always get it right and it’s always a struggle to find truth and follow the
just path. Life is gray, not black and white. The anti-hero just feels more
realistic, I guess.
10. You’ve had your hands in a lot of underground projects—Rich N Pretty,
Not Your Queen’s English, and now YACOVELLI. How has your creative identity
evolved over time?
One major thing is that I always assumed that a larger general population had
heavy, Alternative tastes like me. The older I get, the more people I realize
I’m offending with the sound I’m making, but that’s OK! Don’t get me wrong, I
love writing acoustic music, I just like my face slammed by a wall of sound
more often than not. I would definitely say my guitar skills have refined and
continue to grow daily. I’m able to more readily identify the type of guitar
tone I want to make for a particular song or production. As with any
performance, the more you do it, the more comfortability you develop with the
technical aspects of amps, microphones and a pedalboard. I do feel that the
music I’m producing currently is the most true I’ve ever been to my vision of
where I want to be.
11. What’s coming next for YACOVELLI after “Doppelganger”? Any plans for an
EP, album, or more genre-bending singles?
I’ve been toying with this idea of an ‘evil clone’ acoustic version of
“Doppelganger.” For certain, I will be releasing more singles that compile into
and EP and an album. Trust me when I say I have years of unreleased material,
aside from any new inspirational fancies.
12. Final question: if the “Doppelganger” had to face off with the real Alex Yacovelli in a musical duel, what song would each version play—and who would win?
The evil YACOVELLI would most certainly play a version of McCartney’s “Live and
Let Die” that was somewhat traditional with a large orchestra, but paid homage
to the sleazy GNR rendition. Slash might make a cameo. However, the good
YACOVELLI would counter with Tenacious D’s “Tribute” and send that devilish
doppelganger back to the nether-region. Trust me, you don’t want to be around
when that battle goes down. There will be blood.
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