By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Meet Wizard Brain

A self-portrait by, Wizard Brain

Would you rather…

eat pizza you picked up from the subway stairs or lick the bottom of every subway seat?

I would eat pizza from the subway stairs but just eat the side that hopefully didn’t touch the stairs. It also depends on the condition of these stairs

Some questions with Wizard Brain

Hey, It’s been a little bit. How have you been?

I have been doing pretty good. A lot of life always going on but I think things are currently going well as a whole.

Which is better: Play Doh or Silly Puddy? Why?

Play Doh, mainly because I like how it smells.

What has been your brightest moment this year?

It’s hard to say. I’ve played a handful of shows where I think I played a good set. That’s always a good feeling. This hasn’t happened yet but I am going to California for a week which should be a bright moment for sure. I have been thinking of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2 saying “I need a vacation” I resonate with that statement.

What was your first email address and or AIM username?

I think it was raccoonboy9@aol.com . I had a strange obsession with raccoons in middle school so this ended up being my choice for some reason.

Let's talk about your 2022 album ‘And When The Sky Was Opened’ What was the driving force behind this release?

I was going through some grief mixed with strong existential thoughts at the time. I wanted to put out an album that encapsulated those feelings. I had all the songs written before I started recording the album. Some of the songs were rather old that I hadn’t done anything with but they all fit the vibe I was going for.

What was the recording and creative process like? Was it any different to what you've done in the past?

I recorded this one again with Max Rauch at Domestic Bliss Recording. This time we used more loop based techniques which made the process quicker than the previous album. I had a decent amount of demos recorded on my phone that I went back to sometimes to stay true to the vibe I wanted to go for. I’d say there two or three songs that I wanted to originally record for the album that didn’t make the cut. Maybe I’ll just save those for later

How do you feel about the reception to the album so far?

I’m glad that the people who have listened have enjoyed it. It always interesting to know what everyone’s favorite song is because it’s not always the one I would guess, or the same as what my choice would be.

What's your stance on fingerless gloves?

I think I am for them. It’s funny because I am actually wearing fingerless gloves on the album cover. I just ended up cutting up some normal gloves from the dollar store. They are cool aesthetically but not very functional during the winter.

Who would you love to cover one of your original songs?

I would honestly love to see anybody do a cover of one of my songs. If I could pick anyone though I would choose Galaxie 500 in this what-if scenario. Not only am I a fan of their music but I think they were really good at covering songs and making them their own.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Yes! I just put out a new single “Down the Shore” It’s much more upbeat than anything on And When The Sky Was Opened. For fans of the summer.