Student-musicians find their groove

Musicians Jacob Zall and Levi Matza have built a lot together: Two bands, an album now on Spotify and gigs such as opening for Foster the People at Spring Fling.

It all started, though, with a connection.

“Networking is so important because you never know who you’re going to meet from someone,” Matza said. “You have to take every opportunity you can get because it might seem miniscule at the time, but you could be years down the line looking at that as a pivotal moment.”

For Zall, a senior majoring in music and business administration, and Matza, a senior majoring in environmental planning, the connection began when they met at Binghamton University. They are part of two music groups on campus and have recorded two studio albums together.

Zall and Matza both took music lessons throughout their childhood. Their love for music flourished during high school, they said, and has since shaped their college experiences.

Zall, whose interest in music began when he started playing the trumpet in fourth grade, attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts in Manhattan.

“I was always into music and I would play in the school band, but I didn’t become passionate about it until I got into high school and learned the theory behind it,” the Staten Island native said. “Then I started to pick up the piano a little bit, the guitar and the drums. It just kind of grew from there.”

Matza’s fascination with music began once he stopped taking lessons for the piano and saxophone.

“After taking lessons, I began to discover music that I actually enjoyed listening to and playing,” the Rockland County native said. “It became less of a chore and more of an actual passion.”

In Binghamton, Zall and Matza have played for The Groovy Boys, a student jazz-funk band, and Gnarwall, a hip-hop-influenced group that opened the 2018 Spring Fling concert.

“Gnarwall has more pop and hip-hop elements while The Groovy Boys heavily uses our jazz roots,” Zall said. “But even though we play a variety of different music, all of our members are jazz musicians at heart.”

Last spring, Gnarwall competed in the Student Association Programming Board and Binghamton Late Nite’s Battle of the Bands competition. The band won first place and opened for Foster the People at Spring Fling.

Although the band has performed live at local venues, including Galaxy Brewing Company and Spotlight, playing the mainstage at Spring Fling was its largest concert.

“When you’re in the crowd at Spring Fling, you don’t realize how many people are actually there watching,” Zall said. “When you’re on that stage, it’s so surreal because you see the thousands of people. We just got up there and banged it out with all of our energy.”

Zall and Matza said the best thing about performing live is the energy that comes from the crowd and the musicians.

“When the band’s energy is feeding off each other, you can just feel everyone having a good time,” Matza said. “It’s the interaction of band members, like seeing everyone look at each other and smiling and just having fun. That’s what really stands out about live music.”

When the duo isn’t performing shows around downtown Binghamton, Zall and Matza spend hours in the recording studio. In 2018, Zall released his first studio album, “Don’t Wait…”, with Matza’s help. The jazz-funk album can be streamed on Spotify.

“I knew Levi was a good keyboardist and pianist, so I asked him to play on the album. So even though I wrote all the pieces, he performed all the piano parts,” Zall said. “From there, we got closer as friends and formed two bands.”

Zall said writing songs for an album is more difficult than it may appear.

“A lot of the pieces from my album were melodies that I had written in the past, but because I was a beginner at writing, I didn’t know how to formulate them into songs,” Zall said. “Once I grew as a composer, I sat myself down and told myself I had to do something with these melodies.”

Zall also credits Binghamton University’s Music Department for aiding in the development of his album by helping him find his niche.

“Studying composition under Assistant Professor Daniel Davis definitely helped me open my mind up to different compositional techniques and that anything is possible,” Zall said. “The department also allows you to take your own musical path. They’re very open to letting you find your own way as a musician.”

After graduation, Zall plans to start his own business or market himself as a musician, while Matza hopes to travel and work on music.

The two want to continue creating music together and hope that their experiences can inspire other student-musicians.

“You can’t be hesitant when you’re starting off in music: What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Zall said. “Don’t be afraid to meet new people and take advantage of any resources you can find. If you don’t take those opportunities, someone else will.”