Heather Porcaro

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Heather Porcaro

Interview conducted on Nov. 12, 2020

By Dan Locke

Heather Porcaro is a fourth-generation musician, she takes an avant-garde approach to her classical training, with wide and varying influences spanning Pop, Jazz, Folk, and Rock. Her buttery, alto voice embarks listeners on a surreal and poetic journey through the everyday, with quirky lightheartedness and contagious energy. Thematically, her songs explore the bizarre nature of life, temporary, and human emotions.

You grow up in a 4th generation musician family. What is your upbringing like?

Being brought up in a musical family is really fun and inspiring. We have a big Italian family so we were always gathering for family meals and special occasions, sometimes multiple times in a week. Conversations are usually about the latest performance, tour, sessions and recordings. A lot of music talk. We would frequently end up jamming together after dinner or listening to my dad play his latest piece on piano. I would play my Grandmother new songs I wrote. If she liked it, they’d go public. Evenings often ended with a drum lesson from our grandfather. Everyone was always very supportive and would come to each other’s shows. My dad was touring with Toto most of my childhood so he was gone a lot. When he was home, he was often working in the studios so I spent many afternoons doing homework in studio greenrooms. When I was old enough, I started going to the jazz clubs my grandfather and his best friend Emil Richards played at with their band Calamari. Those are some of my fondest memories. Having a grasshopper at Chadney’s in Burbank.

How did you discover music?

My first memory of my own experience discovering music was watching the movie Amadeus. I was maybe 5 or 6 and I saw the scene when a young Mozart is performing for the king. He looked like he was about my age so to see someone that young playing so well was inspiring. I remember walking over to our piano to see if I could figure out the melody by ear. I found some of the notes and was so proud of myself.

How did you start to write music?

I started by learning other people’s songs and then playing around with the chords, switching them around and creating my own melodies. I then began using my ear and just creating shapes with my fingers on the guitar neck till a shape sounded good. I’d then keep moving my hand around till the next shape sounded good after that. and so forth and so on. I realized it was also a way for me to express how I was feeling in a more abstract way. To be able to release thoughts and emotions without being literal. A more secretive release.

Describe your music

Being as I am inspired by all musical genres; the lines get blurred. I like to listen to the song itself, the piece of music and see where it wants to go musically without having any preconceived ideas of what it should sound like. My latest single All Hands-on Deck is very inspired by Brazilian music while the song I am working on right now is a disco song with a baroque-esq bridge.

How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?

My father gifted me my first guitar for Christmas when I was 14. It was a nylon Yamaha acoustic/electric. I then got an acoustic Guild when I was 16. That is the guitar I started writing music on. I still have the Guild.

What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model and does it have a name?

I love Gibson guitars.

What was your first performance like?

The first performance I did as an original musical act was at a catholic school carnival when I was 15. I was in a trio with my friends Nick DeWitt and Sierra Swan. I believe we were billed as “Godiva”. Sierra and I each played bass and guitar on different songs and Nick was on drums.

What makes a good songwriter?

vulnerability and not taking yourself too seriously.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

New Breakdown. Yes!

How did you meet your husband?

We first met through my cousin Chase, then years later met again through a mutual friend.

You are a true musician. Willing to do anything in the music world. Tell me about the time you tour with Toto as the Art Director?

I had just produced an album for the Chinese artist Leah Dou and directed a music video for her. Toto saw the work I did with Leah and hired me as photographer for their upcoming album release. I grew up with my dad touring Japan yearly and would hear about their shows at the Budokan & the concert promoter Mr. Udo, so it was really special to go along and experience it all myself. Japan is incredible. I documented their performances and the tour and used the footage to make a video for their single, Orphan. We brought on my friend Nic Taylor to design a logo and create the cover for Toto XIV. The design work Nic did on the album packaging is really special.

How did you find out that you had Acoustic Neuroma?

I had been experiencing symptoms for about 10 years and went to multiple doctors for M.R.I.’s and test etc. I was mis-diagnosed by 3 neurologist and 1 ENT. I finally saw an ENT that looked at a 4-year-old MRI I had and saw the tumor. It was a very shocking moment. I was made to feel for a decade that it was “all in my head” when in fact it actually was.

You just released your new EP. Tell me about the making of it?

Everything I have been releasing lately is a single. Each song is very unique to itself. The latest are Oh No! All Hands on Deck & Charleston (set for release 11/27).
All three of these are produced by Scott Seiver & Tim Young. I had been bringing Tim & Scott demos and song ideas and whatever one they were most excited about at the moment we would start to work on. Charleston & All Hands-on Deck were recorded prior to Covid-19 so we were all able to be together in the studio while recording. “Oh No!” was recorded during quarantine and is actually the most collaborative recording I have done. Being as we couldn’t gather together, we all had to work from our own home studios and record our parts and send them over to Scott. Joe Bozzi at Bernie Grundman has been mastering everything.

Tell me about the making of the video “New Breakdown”? It looked like you were having fun during the making of it?

It was a blast! Being as New Breakdown was written when I was a teen, I wanted to film the video where I spent most of my time during that era of my life. Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. The couple blocks that I am dancing and walking down in the video is where I hung out the most. Tower Records was on the corner at the very beginning shot. Tower was like church to me as a teen. I love dancing and expressing myself in movement so I thought let’s just go for it. My friend Andressa Cordeiro has been the DP on a few of my videos including “New Breakdown”. We shot it on my iPhone with a Steadicam.

Oh No. What type of dreams did you have during the lockdown?

Oh man. STRANGE

What is your favorite track on the album?

I really love Charleston right now.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

meditate, no sugar, Zinc, D3, C & B complex.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

we need to figure out ways for streaming to be more financially lucrative for us.

How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?

Sometimes B sharp (#), Never B flat (b), Always B natural

Digital vs. vinyl?

Both!

What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?

There are a lot of feelings. I am very hopeful and excited for a new America. We are at a time where technology and instant global communication is in our hands like never before. This is fantastic in many ways for uniting, educating and seeing others perspectives and experiences. This country sadly and horrifically was largely built by racism and it is our responsibility to uproot and heal the systemic racism that exists today.

Do you think kids should have gone back to school?

I believe it varies for different regions of the country. Other factors would be the school’s ability to implement various safety protocols.

Studies are showing that because of COVID-19 many students who were ready for college have decide to hold off because many schools are doing virtual school and changing the same amount for school as they would for on campus classes. Do you think the colleges should give some type of discount to these students?