Q & A: Patrick Anthony on his Path to Pursuing Music, his Debut EP, “Somewhere I Belong” & his Goals for 2022

Attributing his artistic influences to his Leq’a:mel First Nations roots and artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, singer-songwriter Patrick Anthony is pioneering his own unique sound in the country music industry. Last fall, Patrick released his debut EP, “Somewhere I Belong”. Consisting of a collection of 6 songs, the album explores the artist’s personal stories about small-town life, old friends and searching for a place he belongs.

Recently I spoke with Patrick about his path to pursuing music, his debut EP and his goals for 2022.

Kyla Pearson: For those who are unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us a bit about your path to pursuing music? What made you want to become an artist?

Patrick Anthony: Music is something I have always had a strong connection to. I always find it interesting when people don’t really have a taste for music, or it doesn’t evoke emotion for them, because for me it always has. I still have to go to albums and songs that I listen to in certain moods. As for writing and playing, I always loved the idea of being a musician but never thought it achievable. I thought you were born to play. I didn’t realize when I was younger that, with the exception of a few notable people, most artists learn their craft and work really hard. I first picked up a guitar around the age of 15, and kinda just dove head-on in teaching myself as I went. It’s a bad habit to not accept at least some structured guidance, but I didn’t and my playing showed haha.  However, I do think self-teaching can breed creativity as you have no basis on which to go on. At this point, I still thought it a pipe dream to ever perform live. A few years later, I had started playing with a friend and we got better. With enough practice and an abundance of liquid courage, we decided to go play an open mic. We were NOT good, but I loved being up there and I haven’t looked back since. My desire to be an artist is rooted in how music makes me feel. If I can write music that makes others connect with the emotions that I feel, then I have done my job.  


Kyla Pearson: When it comes to your music, what is the central message you want to share with your fans?

Patrick Anthony: My music comes from the heart. Almost everything I write, even if fictional is rooted in the experiences of myself or those around me. My favourite music is that which has lyrics I can connect to. Melody is extremely important of course, but I strive to have both. A catchy melody and relevant, relatable, real-world, working-class lyrics that represent where I came from and where I’m going.


Kyla Pearson: This fall you released your first EP, “Somewhere I Belong”, which features a collection of 6 songs. Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind each song?

Patrick Anthony: I started “Somewhere I Belong” with the intent to release one or two singles, but I had a good amount of material written and a bit of extra cash. So it just sort of naturally blossomed into an EP. Which worked out well because I inadvertently had a theme going with my writing.  While each song is its own, they do connect when you listen through it entirely and share lots of similarities. In a nutshell:                                  

 I Won’t Forget: This track is a straightforward reminiscence of my teenage years spent with a close friend. We came from two different households (his was broken), and upon graduation, he pretty much moved as far from his mom as he could. This one looks back on a period of a couple of years where we were pretty much inseparable and used to walk around like we owned the town.

The Hard Road: This one kind of has a double meaning. The inspiration originally came from not being able to align schedules with my co-writer and producer. I wrote a pretty straightforward song that kind of morphed into a relationship tune as well. Without getting into details, it works lyrically for a few struggles in my life too.

Somewhere I Belong: The title track. This one kinda sums up the whole album. I started writing a good chunk of lyrics on the album have gone through a separation and not really knowing what I wanted. I wasn’t entirely happy at work and wasn’t sure what the next steps were. Fast forward a few years and I’m in a great relationship, have had several new jobs and things are good. 

My Side of the River: This one came one day just thinking about things, I believe well listening to Nebraska by Springsteen. The first line just kinda popped into my head, so I sat down at the piano and started playing. I wrote 90% of the song in about 10 minutes, and the rest came shortly after. We barely changed anything on the album version.

Featured: Singer-songwriter Patrick Anthony.
Featured: Singer-songwriter Patrick Anthony.

One More Drink: I suppose this is the “party” song on the album. Musically that’s definitely true. Lyrically, this one dives into that blue-collar life most of us never get out of. That lifestyle where we work harder than we ever get to play, just to pay the bills and plug along next week. Specifically, how we keep ourselves sane. Those after-work beers, joints– whatever you need to keep yourself grounded. I think most of us utilize some form of self-medication here and there and within reason, there’s nothing wrong with that. You need to take the edge off or you’ll work yourself into an early grave.

There was a Time: The other obviously reminiscent song on the EP. I think this one ties everything together. We’re living in a time when it seems the world is so fucked up. You can’t read a newspaper or watch the news without hearing stories of terrorism, racism, tragic deaths, etc. And this was written WELL before the current state. The reality is there have always been global issues big and small. This song is about those days and years as a kid before we all lost our innocence. When life seemed free and you weren’t bogged down by all the stress adult life can bring. No matter how good my life is now (which it is), I’m not sure I ever find more joy than thinking back to summer days as a kid, just playing endlessly into the night without a care in the world.

 

Kyla Pearson: You have a writing credit on each song on the EP. Can you tell us a bit more about the songwriting process?

Patrick Anthony: Songwriting is funny because everyone I’ve talked to has a slightly different process and you really need to carve out your own.  For me, I write A LOT. Just words. Sometimes in song form, sometimes just phrases that I use later.  How they become songs is a bit messy.  Sometimes I sit down and play a new riff, and the lyrics just pour out. Other times, I think of a melody and catchy line that I record on my phone to come back to. Some songs take 10 minutes, others take 10 years and still aren’t finished!  Long story short, I have no official process. I just go where the inspiration takes me. The one constant is my producer, Clint. When I write a new song or even part of one, he’s usually the first to hear it. If it seems worth working on, then we sit down and have a writing session to polish, refine etc.  He definitely helps reign in the chaos in my head!

 

On a similar note, where do you think the best song ideas come from?

What is your ideal setting to write? I guess I sort of answered this above, but for me, the best ideas usually come out of thin air. It could be a life event, or my mind just wandering. I pull inspiration from everyone and everything around me for better or for worse. My ideal writing setting is me in a room, with a piano, my guitar and a good amount of bourbon. Ideally with nowhere to be and no distractions.

 

What live shows do you have coming up that fans can catch? What is one venue or show you’re looking forward to sharing the songs off of the album at? 

Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions in my area, not many venues are booking decent gigs at the moment. I’m hoping the spring and summer will change that. I would love to get into a couple of local festivals that have good crowds. My website will have anything upcoming on it, as well as all social media.


Kyla Pearson: What is one thing fans may not know about you?

Patrick Anthony: I am a Red-Seal Chef by trade.


Kyla Pearson: Lastly, with the New Year just around the corner, what is one thing you’re proud to have accomplished this year? Do you plan on releasing new music in 2022?

Patrick Anthony: For me, the obvious one is releasing my EP! It felt so good to say I did it finally after years of preaching. I’m in the process of working out the financial ability for some new stuff, but I will definitely have something coming out this year.  Ideally, it will be a full-length LP, but if that’s not in the cards then a couple of singles will do for now!

 

Listen to the “Somewhere I Belong” EP now:

Stay up to Date With Patrick Anthony:

IG:  @patrickanthonymusic

FB: @patrickanthonymusic7

Spotify: Patrick Anthony

Apple Music: Patrick Anthony

Amazon Music: Patrick Anthony

Website: https://www.patrickanthonymusic.com/

 

Works Cited:

Anthony, Patrick. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Dec. 22 2021.

Unknown. “Featured: Singer-songwriter Patrick Anthony”. Photo courtesy of Patrick Anthony. Accessed Dec. 22 2021.

Unknown. “Featured: Singer-songwriter Patrick Anthony”. Photo courtesy of Patrick Anthony. Accessed Dec. 22 2021.

 

 

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