Rhett Repko’s new single A Broken Song was produced by Chris Grainger in Nashville and mastered by multi grammy-award winning Chris Gehringer (who’s also mastered twenty one pilots, The 1975, Fall Out Boy, 5 Seconds of Summer, and many others)
With a voice in his chest, a guitar on his shoulders, and a band behind his back, Rhett Repko only has one goal: to bring his influences of timeless classics into today’s modern music scene.
Rhett found his place in the world at 15 when he took a guitar class in high school. In love with his new passion, Rhett turned to the music of the Beatles where the unusual chord changes and heart-felt harmonies and lyrics fueled his deep love affair with music and sealed his desire to become a songwriter. Along the way, he became inspired with the magical productions of George Martin for the Beatles, and then later Butch Vig’s brilliant work on Nirvana’s Nevermind.
Rhett studied production under Alan Wonneberger at UMBC, where he earned his BA in Music, and also formed his band. What makes this band different is that they never leave the studio. With a certain sound in his head, Rhett works endlessly and is determined in getting his vision to blast out of speakers by producing his own recordings. A mix of retro and modern techniques drives Rhett to deliver the best of both worlds.
Rhett Repko released his self-titled debut EP in Spring of 2017 and enjoyed immense success on college radio across the United States. Check out A Broken Song below!
We managed to catch up with Rhett as he talked about his latest song and more!
So how has the release of A Broken Song gone down so far?
It’s been beyond exciting and slightly nerve-wracking leading up to the release but it feels amazing that it’s finally out for everyone to listen to.
Can you tell us something about the release no one else knows?
The song was written a year ago when my music was starting to pick more and I began looking into touring for 2018. Half of my band back then wasn’t able to tour though, due to time conflicts and not being interested in road life. Feeling broken, I went home and wrote this song. It was never intended to be released, it wasn’t even intended to be considered a song. Just me at my piano at 2 AM. Hence the title “A Broken Song”. Eventually though, my producer found it in the folder of demos I had sent and picked it as one of the 5 songs for the new EP. After the whole EP was finished, we decided it was so unique that it should be put out as the first single. So lo and behold it went from a “broken” song into the lead single from my new EP with a music video to go along with it. It’s kind of crazy to think how fate can have a mind of it’s own sometimes.
How was it working with Chris Gehringer on this?
Having Chris Gehringer master my song and my upcoming EP “Songs of the Night” was an absolutely dream for me. The fact that he mastered most of my favorite modern records today by bands and artists such as twenty one pilots, The 1975, Harry Styles, and Leon Bridges is just too perfect. I don’t think it can get any better then that.
How have you got a release date in mind for the Songs of the Night?
Yes! It will be coming out February 5th and has 5 songs. VERY excited for this release since I spent most of the Fall in Nashville recording it.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
There’s too many to pick from because I want to do it all. I like so many genre’s of music that my goal is to have songs that are written in a ton of different styles. For starters though, I’ll pick Dreamers. I think they’re a really cool alternative band from Los Angeles.
Will you be touring at all in 2019?
I definitely plan on touring in 2019 but I don’t have a schedule yet. I want to get the music out there first, but definitely follow me on socials and stay in touch!
If you could play at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
I would pick Merriweather Post Pavilion because it’s a large amphitheater venue in my home state Maryland. I’ve seen a lot of my favorite bands play there growing up, so being able to play on that stage would have a lot of personal meaning to me. I think it’d feel like quite an amazing ‘handing of the torch’ moment for me.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
I pretty much work on music every day, I’m always working hard to get more music out for people. In my spare time though, I like to run so I can stay fit and keep my mindset strong and locked onto my goals. On the flip-side of that though, I also like to go out and enjoy desserts. Especially chocolate and lots of cake.