Music Bugle Exclusive – Q & A – Kulick

By Nicholas Jason Lopez

After the conclusion of his May 2019 United States/Canada tour with Andy Black and The Faim, Lemoyne, Pa.-based alternative rock singer-songwriter Kulick hadn’t liked who he became.

After a rough year in his personal life, he wasn’t ready to encounter that stress again upon his return home. Conflicted between wanting life to be how it was before he left for tour and just starting all over again, he felt comfortable to pen a new tune with his drummer Keith Gensure that would become known as “Rope.”

The track will be featured on his debut full-length, ‘Yelling In A Quiet Neighborhood,’ which will drop on Oct. 16, 2020 via ENCI Records, a Southern California label run by Goo Goo Dolls manager Pat Magnarella.

A mainstay on Spotify, where Kulick has accumulated over three million combined streams on playlists such as “New Noise,” “Poprox” and “The New Alternative,” he’s poised to unveil the rest of ‘Yelling In A Quiet Neighborhood’ to the world and show everybody who he really is.

The Music Bugle had the opportunity to catch up with Kulick about ‘Yelling In A Quiet Neighborhood’ and more.

Music Bugle – How would you describe Lemoyne, Pennsylvania to someone who has never been there before?

Kulick – The town slogan describes it best – “The little town that has it all!” A mile one way is the state capital, a mile the other is a peaceful, quiet neighborhood.

Music Bugle – What was it like putting together your album ‘Yelling In A Quiet Neighborhood’? 

Kulick – It was the most emotional, yet fun process I have ever been through. Emotional because of all of the events happening in my personal life and fun because it was a childhood dream come true. I always wanted to self-produce my own album and I always wanted to record it in L.A.. I was able to make most of the songs on my laptop at my brother’s house in his basement and then we polished it up at Capitol Studios in California.

Music Bugle – What made you want to release “Rope” as a single? 

Kulick – “Rope” is the most upbeat “summer feeling” song. I originally wanted to release that mid-summer, but we had some roadblocks with COVID. However, releasing it in September didn’t seem to impact the song’s performance at all. Everyone seems to be really digging it.

Music Bugle – What excites you the most about alternative rock? 

Kulick – It’s funny, I actually listen to alternative rock the least, even though I am classified as “alternative rock.” I like really heavy screaming songs and really calming folk songs. The kind of alternative rock that I enjoy are the songs that are doing something new with the familiar, like Matt Maeson. He is alternative, but has that folk side as well.

Music Bugle – Creatively, what advantages do you feel you have in terms of being a singer-songwriter? 

Kulick – As a writer, you get to control the message. To me, that is the biggest advantage and most important thing to control. You get to write what is in your mind and heart. I also think writing is something everyone can and should do. Now, writing a song that is universally relatable, catchy, fits the times and is under three minutes and 30 seconds is a different story, but like everything else, the more you do it, the better you become.

Music Bugle – What has been your most favorite show ever played? 

Kulick – I played on the streets of Philadelphia with my friend Steve when I was in college outside of bars on the weekends and honestly, they were the best shows I’ve ever put on. Originals and covers, drinking way too much and getting paid in drinks and tips. One night, some businessman tipped us a $100 bill. We still, to this day, think it was an accident.

Music Bugle – What has been your biggest struggle lately? 

Kulick – Feeling financially stable.

Music Bugle – Which of your songs was the hardest to write or compose? 

Kulick – “Monster.” That song is on the new record and it is completely raw and vulnerable. Writing-wise, it took me a few tries to sing what I felt and how to describe a situation that I knew I needed to write about. All of that, while also remaining respectful and keeping my situation as private as possible.

Music Bugle – How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? 

Kulick – Like every artist, it is affecting us all. My life was uprooted a few months before COVID, so I was already used to change and struggle. Recently, I have been feeling back on my feet. Finances are always difficult, so I am selling art and working to make some money on the side. Musically, it has been a strange positive. I have been writing and recording all the time.

Music Bugle – Does social media make it easier or harder to stand out as a musician these days? 

Kulick – I personally really, really don’t like social media. That being said, I am on it a lot, but only when I am promoting music or talking to fans. I try not to go on and just waste time looking at other people’s lives. It is a great way to share your music and your message and I would recommend signing on to do that and then continue your day living in the physical world.