Simply Six, Elliot Szabo

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew
they wanted  to   be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed
Sullivan show,  to   another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan
half a decade later.  Is there  such  a defining moment for you?


 I don't think there was ever really a moment where I knew I always wanted to sing, I just always could and so I did.  My defining moment came later when I had to make a choice as what role music was going to take in my life, an active "This is what I do" type of role or a passive weekend warrior type of role.  I'm not flying airplanes so now it's just a matter of daily affirmations.

2 . When you’re not creating music what are you listening   to?  Who are some of

your favorites?

 I listen to a lot of NPR in the car.  Solid go to music has always been Local H, At the Drive In, Cypress Hill, New Pornographer and Tragically Hip.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record

or live?

When my family called me up and told my they had just heard Majesty on TV.  They were totally surprised and it just came on it by chance so that was really cool.  

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something   to  listen   to?

How much can music influence current events?

 I think music can awaken people to feelings and thoughts and ideas they may not have had otherwise but it's a two way street.  Those thoughts and feelings are not always going to be positive in nature so I think that it becomes a zero sum game in the end.  Not everyone loved John Lennon, some people thought he was a punk that didn't understand they way the world worked and hearing him sing "Give peace a chance" and "War is over if you want it" just pissed them off.  

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected

your career as a musician?

 Technology as a whole has fractured music.  Never before has there been so many genre's and sub genre's and sub sub genre's.  One on hand that's great.  Ideas can come pouring out quickly and cheaply and it means that music can evolve faster then ever.  But I think the ease and relative affordability of making music as well as a vacuum for content created by the internet means that production values have fallen and people expectations have been lowered. Now a days trying to discover new music can become more of a painful experience than a good one.  

6.  Now for my Barbara Walters question:  If you were a pair of shoes what type of

shoes would you be?

 I would be a pair of Boots.  Big and heavy.  Uncomfortable at first.  Sweaty in the summer, but after that initial breaking in phase, tough to get rid of.