Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne DiGiovanni and Joseph Lewczak (Only Bricks).
Hi Anne and Joseph, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We’ve both been involved in music and bands all our lives (Joseph on guitar and Anne singing and playing piano), but when we met, we were working as lawyers in New York City. We moved to LA eight years ago and got married six years ago. We started Only Bricks as a side project and released our first EP in 2018. We’ve always fantasized about doing music full-time, and the pandemic allowing us to focus more on songwriting probably pushed us over the edge to make a plan and get out of our day jobs. We wrapped up last year and have been adjusting to our new career as indie musicians. It’s very different from corporate life – instead of clients driving what crosses our desks and which meetings we attend, we get to choose what to work on and who to collaborate with. We’re so thrilled to be doing what we were meant to do all along.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Deciding to quit serious, prestigious careers was definitely an internal struggle that we debated for countless hours over the past few years. And if we’re being honest, there are days when we get caught in self-doubt about trying to do music for a living. There are just so many amazingly talented people pursuing it right now who will all attest that it’s nearly impossible to break through and build a large following. We were also recently at a songwriting conference where we got to pitch songs to industry people, and one gave us feedback that our songs don’t sound authentic and sincere enough. That was a rough moment when it was happening – we write about our real stories and things we’ve been going through and it always takes courage to put songs out into the world, so it was hard to hear that someone didn’t think we were willing to be vulnerable and write from the heart. But it was a good reminder that we have to be resilient as artists, and it’s pushed us to take an honest look at what we really want to say with our music.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We make indie pop music that has fun, upbeat melodies. We’re proud of our latest single, which we wrote about falling in love with each other, inspired by a photograph we took years ago, kissing in front of a graffiti mural that said, “BANG! BANG!” That became the title of the song, and the chorus goes, “Wanna hang this kiss in a picture frame / but the moment is already gone.” We love reminiscing about those early days when friendship and our musical connection became something more, and it’s sort of tragic that you can never go back and relive the sparks that fly at the beginning. That’s what we captured a fleeting glimpse of with the photo we took and now with the song we wrote.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Love the beach, the mountains, the weather (except this winter, which has been horrible!) and the songwriting community. Hate that we don’t have a decent subway system or edible pizza and bagels.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlybricksband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlybricksband
- Youtube: youtube.com/onlybricksband
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/onlybricks
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@onlybricks
Image Credits
Chris Ram Photo
