We spoke with PJ Pajamas about “Kids Music For Adults” and more!

Q: Hi! Did the name Kids Music for Adults come to you early on, or did it pop up once the songs started to take shape?

A: Hi! Thanks so much for the interview. I went into this project with only a loose list of song ideas and a deadline for when I wanted to complete it – I gave myself 3 months and dove into creating songs with the time I had on evenings and weekends. While I was making it I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who commented that PJ Pajamas sounds like someone who should make kids’ music. Kids Music for Adults felt like it captured the essence of what I was making. Serendipity really.

Q: A lot of your song titles are unexpected and kind of hilarious. How do you find the balance between being playful and still hitting real emotional notes?

A: Most of the music I have made in my life was, what I consider looking back, overly serious. When I started producing my own music in 2022 I made a conscious decision to allow myself freedom to let every idea be born into what it will be. A lot of my favorite artists blur the line between serious and silly – I think that’s what life is. Funny in one moment and devastating in the next – then finding the absurd humor in the devastation before you eat a sandwich and look at your phone.

I find that I tap into something that feels closer to the truth to me by allowing myself to explore a concept from all angles – whether it be sitting with a feeling, lampooning something entirely, misdirecting the listener, etc. If an idea hits my list that I feel like I can write an entire song about I will follow it until it’s finished – however that comes to be.

Q: How do you usually know when a song’s done? Are you someone who keeps tweaking things or do you trust your gut pretty early?

A: The whole point of this album was trusting my gut and not overthinking anything – for better or for worse. When I listen back to it now there are things I wish I did differently – flaws in some performances, vocals that are too hot or slightly pitchy, some mix decisions I wish I didn’t make – but that’s kind of the point. What I didn’t get right on this one I will use to learn as I move forward with making more music. For me it’s about finding meaning in the learning and creating – not perfection in a final product. 

Q: The album moves through so many moods. Do you plan that out ahead of time or let the flow happen naturally?

A: When I approach an album the only thing I plan is a list of ideas for songs, the deadline to finish it, and the gear I have to make it with. Whatever happens from there is at the behest of the muse. And you musn’t anger the muse.

Q: Was there a song on this record that ended up sounding way different than you first imagined it?

A: Making the songs from scratch and writing them instrument by instrument as you go, most things tend to take on a life of their own that I didn’t necessarily plan for. But for the most part, I write the bones of the song and build around it. The only one that I made differently is freelance.ai – I had no idea what that one was going to sound like the whole time. I was relieved when it came out coherent. 

Q: Is there a lyric on this album you hope people really sit with or remember?

A: More than anything I hope anyone who finds themselves thinking “oh man, I sound like the kind of friend this guy says Drake is” has an epiphany and it makes them change their ways to not be like Drake and instead be a good friend. This album is really a public service announcement to not be like Drake at its core – and I think that’s a lesson we can really rally around as a society.

*Disclaimer: I am not friends with Drake, nor do I want to be. 

Q: You’re involved in a lot of the creative process from start to finish. How do you stay motivated without burning out?

A: I could BS this question, but the real answer is that when I am in the middle of making a song I find myself unable to focus on much of anything else until it’s done. It becomes a compulsion. Also marijuana helps.

Q: When you play these songs live, does anything shift for you emotionally? Do you hear them differently in front of a crowd?

A: I’m 40 years old now and I like to go to bed by 830pm. I haven’t played live in years! But putting myself there in my mind… I imagine if I played them in front of a crowd that I would feel like a human sized cartoon bear wearing blue and white striped pajamas. 

Q: Were there any moments while making this record that made you laugh or second-guess everything?

A: “Head to Head with Kristen” for sure. I was watching an episode of Is It Cake? on Netflix where one of the contestants said the line “What does it feel like to be fighting for your life going head to head with Kristen?” with a lot of emotion. I kept saying it to myself for weeks. Over and over – I annoyed my family so much. I eventually gave it a melody, which became the chorus of that song. I put so much work into making a song about a line from a baking reality show – yes that made me laugh, and still does – but also… second guess what I’m doing with my life entirely.

Q: If one of these songs ended up in a movie or a TV scene, what kind of moment do you think it’d be soundtracking?

A: You know that scene in Tremors 2 when they’re baiting the big worm things with remote controlled cars strapped with explosives? That one, hopefully. 

Q: Compared to your older stuff, where do you feel you’ve grown the most on this album?

A: Before my last 2 albums I always had a band made up of friends. I have albums of music that aren’t on any streaming platforms and likely will never see the light of day again… I’ve been involved in a lot of projects over the years. One of my friends even made a t-shirt that had every band name I’ve been involved in during my lifetime and it barely fit on the front.

Growing up as a person who played guitar in northern NJ in the late 90s/early 2000s I was legally obligated to join a band and become part of the emerging punk/emo/ska/hardcore/etc scene. I spent my teenage years playing in VFW halls with a lot of bands that went on to make something of themselves. A lot of the wonderful musicians from northern NJ keep in contact and I’m proud to still call many of them my friends.

The album “We Will Be Free” was originally released under my government name with a band made up of a group of music scene veterans and was produced by Rob Freeman of Hidden in Plain View. Up until 2022, I was mainly a guitar player who wrote songs. During the pandemic I decided to teach myself piano and focus on becoming a better all around musician.

Starting with “sweet dreams” I decided to finally live out my life’s goal of building my own studio. That album was an experiment in learning how to use my new studio gear and I made the entire album in 1 month. I used a lot of drum loops and the gear that I had to make the best album I could. Around this time I started becoming friends with Matt Farley and he really helped me embrace the spontaneity of music – to not stress over the flaws, the mix errors – it makes it all more human, and if it isn’t great… there’s always another song behind it. Read: The Motern Method (available on Amazon)

Between albums I worked more on my musicianship – taking guitar lessons again, teaching myself how to play drums, and upgrading my studio to be able to have a more organic sound I can control. That’s where KMfA really differs from anything I’ve done. I made the entire thing myself – writing the songs, performing everything, mixing, mastering – even down to the album layout (regrettably the images are AI – I know, I’m sorry! But I can’t draw and this is fully DIY. If anyone reading this is an artist and wants to reimagine the artwork, please hit me up!). It’s the realest expression I’ve made so far of what music sounds like in my head. 

Q: What’s next for you this year? Any new projects, shows, or ideas you’re excited to dive into?

A: I’m keeping the train rolling at Pajama Party Studios. I plan to release another Pajamas album this year, hopefully – don’t quote me on that. I have the title of the album and the song ideas list is starting to grow. I’m also working on a couple projects for some other artists – more than anything I’d like to expand out into bringing other people’s songs to life. If you got some songs you’d like me to produce, email me! pj@pjpjs.com