Experience is far from what David Rapaport of the band Maszer lacks. From touring with Black Sabbath and Pixies, to playing at renowned festivals, not to mention his skills on the bass, guitar, keys, and vocals, David has been adapt to the music world even before moving to the United States ten years ago. Bandmates, Katie Blackstock on vocals and Joseph Braley on drums and banjo, have assisted David on the journey through creating their new EP “Dreamsz”. Maszer is not only known for keeping themselves busy by writing and touring, but also by their generosity. The band is dedicated to donating at least ten percent of their profits to fellow bands and artists on their journey to the spotlight. David opened up about what goes on behind the scenes of Maszer.
Where do you get your inspiration from, bands/places/people?
David: There is a lot of influence that goes into what we do, each of us have different styles. Generally, I think more than anything it would be being part of the Seattle scene and knowing and seeing the bands over there. It really pushes you to improve and do the best you can. Hebrew is something I don’t listen to that much anymore, but it’s just a big part of me.
How was the album “Dreamsz” brought to be, what was the writing process like?
David: The story is, we got off a really long tour about two or three years. We went from playing really crazy shows with a lot of people to sitting at home with nothing on our calendars. I was fortunate to have a room where I could work around the clock and I really did. I came up with lots and lots of materials and Jojo and Katie came in and started working on songs and doing more and more as we go. We have a lot more stuff that will be different, more upbeat songs. It’s quite a journey, a lot of hours, a lot of work.
How long did the EP take to create and release?
David: The whole process took about six months. I can’t wait to start the next one.
What do you want the audience to feel/think when they hear Maszer’s music?
David: I guess I would like it to touch them a little bit but also make them happy. It’s hard to tell, people react to music in different ways. I know some songs that hit me emotionally, will not hit someone the same way.
Who did you grow up listening to, and did they have an impact on your music style to this day?
David: Growing up I listened to a lot of 90’s music more than anything. With music you always got to explore, even though you liked what they did you can’t just try to recreate that , you have to move forward and try to come up with new ideas and sounds. It’s really subconscious at this point. Really trying to come up with as much of our own as possible
According to Facebook, you arrived in the US ten years ago, where did you come from?
David: I was living in Tel Aviv, and there is not a lot of touring to be done over there. So me and my band mates pretty much sold everything we had and landed in New York and pretty quickly realized we had to see America and learn the ways of the land. We ended up in Los Angeles and got picked up by a small label. Then started our album in Seattle. Eventually we moved to Seattle and lived there and lived in Texas for a bit where the band actually started where we all met in Dallas. The whole time we were just touring and touring and touring.
As a touring band, I am sure you have seen a lot of different cities but is there something about Boston that stands out to you such as places/people/etc?
David: Well first of all, one of the first major prints my band got was from the Boston Globe. But Boston is pretty cool, there’s way too many Dunkin Donuts in the whole area, I don’t get it! We tried to get into it but it’s not easy. But I like it there, I like the vibe over there.
Where do you see yourself a few years from now regarding music?
David: If everything goes as planned, to just be touring! Record and tour, record and tour, and have a lot of fun, it’s all we want to be doing.
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