Music is Art’s ‘Good Neighbors, Vol. 5: The Hero’s Journey’ is Both a Rallying Cry & Tribute to Buffalo’s Musicians

 (EDITOR’S NOTES — The latest Music is Art compilation of Buffalo artists — ‘Good Neighbors, Vol. 5: The Hero’s Journey’ — is out and streaming everywhere! This year’s release is a particularly special one for the non-profit organization, marking the first-ever concept album in the Good Neighbors’ series. The 11-song LP kicks off with ‘Call to Adventure,’ a musical call to arms that lays perfectly the foundation for the nearly 40-plus minutes of emotionally expressive music that follows. Especially notable here is the interesting range of artist pairings throughout the record, which produce some unique and enthralling works of art. Exceptionally arranged and produced, Vol. 5 is chock full of standout performances which serve as Exhibit A in exemplifying Buffalo’s musical talent. Good Neighbors Vol. 5 features MYQ Farrow, T.K. Lipps, Just Jen (Jen Karlis), Marc Thomas, Diyené, Julian Burgio, Trever Stribing, Mike Criscione, Ryan Kaminski, Maggie Shafer, Vocero Omar, Sara Elizabeth, Spiria, Snow Cricket, Tom Maynor, James Brennan, Bryan Dubay, Stephen Babcock and Philip Stephen. This year’s record was produced by Sara Elizabeth, Philip Stephen and Chris Kamery. Sara and Phil were nice enough to take time from their busy schedules to speak with 1120 Press about all that went into the making of the album. You can listen to Good Neighbors Vol. 5 HERE)

1120 PRESS: Thanks very much for speaking with us. First off, congratulations on the new album! After all the work that went into the making of this record, how does it feel now that it’s out in the world?

PHILIP STEPHEN: I’m very excited and relieved now that the album is released. We worked long hours on this one, and everyone involved took on more work than in previous years. It feels really good to receive positive feedback from listeners and to see the artists feeling proud of their work. 

SARA ELIZABETH: Yeah, we are SO proud of this one. We’ve been saying all along: everyone went BIG this year and really outdid themselves. It’s an incredible work of art and it always feels pretty satisfying to release something like this into the wild. 

1120: This is the fifth volume of Good Neighbors. We’re wondering how you would compare this particular album to the previous releases. We’re not asking what child you like better, so to speak. But was there an intention or conscious effort going into the making of this record in which you wanted to take the songs in a certain direction compared to the earlier ones? What to you stands out about this album — both on its own and in relation to the others? 

PHIL: Each album has had some level of a “challenge” (or prompt) assigned to the artists, and each year it has become more involved. This year, the main goal of the group was to try to write something that felt like a cohesive album centered around a singular muse.

The group was receptive to the idea of writing a concept album, and everyone took their role very seriously. We’ve learned how to operate as a well-oiled machine in rehearsals and in the studio, and this album reflects that. To me, this project has become more like one band with a bunch of writers, and that vibe definitely comes through.

SARA: We’ve also been watching this group grow as people, and as songwriters and musicians, for over five years now, and the musicianship and professionalism this time around was next level. After some time, you also start to see writers really begin to let their guards down and being willing to be more vulnerable and perhaps challenge themselves musically. It’s when artists do that that you get a record like this. 

1120: This volume compared to the previous ones has a title beyond the volume number. It’s called ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ What’s the meaning behind that title?

PHIL: The concept for this project was to use Joseph Campbell’s breakdown of the Hero’s Journey monomyth to conceive of a singular muse for the songs. Songwriters were paired together, and each team selected a stage of the story structure to use as the premise for their song. The hero in our journey is any working musician.

While the narrative and context of each song vary when played in album order, the songs are meant to flow smoothly as a complete story. Some songs are direct, some lean more into mythology, but each song builds on the monomyth and furthers the story along.

Mike Farrow

1120: The LP opens with a track called ‘Call to Adventure,’ and then at the very end of the record there’s a reprise of the song, nicely tying up the album in a bow. That first track comes across as a sort of ‘call to arms.’ Can you talk about to whom that call is being made and why?

PHIL: Michael Farrow wrote “Call to Adventure” as a call to arms for working musicians. Opening the record with such a direct message made our intentions clear and grounded the listener in something tangible.

The reprise — while serving as a chance to lean into our collective musical-theater influences — works as a great closing track for such a heady project. It’s a medley of all the songs from the album. Michael had the initial idea for this, and the whole team worked together to flesh out the arrangement.

SARA: Long story short, Mike Farrow and I tricked everyone into writing a musical. But in all seriousness, the way the opening track and reprise bookend the project really encompasses not only the theme of our everyday hero but ties a perfect bow on the collaborative nature of the record.  

1120: Take us behind the scenes a bit here: This record is a compilation of artists

Marc Warner Hunt (seated), Phil Stephen (right) and Chris Kamery (left) at GCR Studio.

that was a year in the making. What are the challenges of putting together a record like this as opposed to making a record with a single artist/band? 

PHIL: Honestly, scheduling is the hardest part of this project every year. As members of the alliance have grown as musicians over time, their schedules have become much fuller. That’s something we take pride in, but it also means a lot of rearranging and last-minute changes to accommodate everyone.

A project this involved is a significant undertaking, and we know that having time to work is crucial to our creative process. We made sure to keep working until we truly felt finished, and I think that turned out to be the right decision. 

SARA: There is also the added challenge of 25 different artist and their accompanying personalities and processes trying to work together as a unit. That’s one of my most challenging layers of this project, but I think it’s where we also find the most important lessons. You can write a great song, but can you work with other people as a team? Can you communicate effectively? Learning to collaborate is a skill in and of itself. 

Sara Elizabeth and Vocero Omar

1120: Each track features artists teamed together. Some of the pairings make perfect sense to us, like Stephen Babcock and Bryan Dubay, while others are a bit more unexpected such as Sara Elizabeth and Vocero Omar. In the end, all the pairings work beautifully. But in the process of making the record, how do you go about deciding what artists will appear together? 

PHIL: It’s basically a names-from-a-hat process, but we ask every artist to name a couple of people they’d like to work with. We want everyone to treat this as a chance to learn by writing with someone new or doing something outside of their comfort zone. At the same time, we want the teams to be excited, so it’s important to let people find a comfortable fit as well.

SARA: I also make sure when we draw the names that it’s not a pair that’s worked together before, and that I can conceptualize their styles melding, however unexpected it might be. It’s “random,” but it has to make sense for everyone involved, even if it’s to push someone to write something different this year. 

1120: This is more an observation than a question, but the songs on this volume exude a lot of emotion and soul. It’s a constant throughout. It just seems, collectively, like a very expressive work; the emotions are tangible. Any thoughts on that?

PHIL: The idea to make a concept album came from our desire to create a cohesive record rather than just a compilation of songs. On top of that, these musicians have grown into close friends and trusted collaborators after years of working together. We’ve created a very open and intimate space for our writers to create in.

The emotion comes from the artists themselves — they’re just really good at what they do. Our job is simply to provide the safest possible space for that expression to happen. 

SARA: I think the emotional depth also speaks volumes to the place we’re all in - as a people, as a country, as a city, and as musicians. A lot of people are searching for meaning right now, and for something to hold on to. That comes through loud and clear in this record, and I think it’s pretty special that we all had this moment to express that.  

1120: Is there anything else you’d like to say about the album that we haven’t touched on?

PHIL: I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say this was the most fun we’ve had making a Good Neighbors record. The spirit of collaboration flowed throughout the entire process. We all got to shine in our own unique ways, whether through old skills or new ones we’ve honed over the last few albums.

All of us learn something from this project every year, and it seems like those lessons paid off this time around.

I hope GNV5 can be a good example of what teamwork and collaboration can do for independent artists. I hope this record shows new listeners just how much talent we have here in Buffalo. And I hope it maybe starts a trend — that we’ll see more collaborative projects from our colleagues throughout the WNY area. Wouldn’t that be sick?

SARA: It’s getting harder and harder to release music that cuts through the noise these days, but Buffalo musicians, and these songs in particular, deserve to be heard. A simple listen, a share, a follow, or a playlist add costs you nothing but means everything to the working musician. And in turn, maybe these songs can bring a little bit of hope and light to those who listen. Everyone needs that now more than ever, and if musicians can bring those things to their communities, then they truly are the everyday heroes.