David Cloyd is no stranger to reinvention. As a recording artist, producer, label executive and co-founder of Buffalo Music Club, he’s built a career that straddles creativity and business—always with a sharp focus on the art itself. With his upcoming album Red Sky Warning, Cloyd is set to take another bold step forward, delivering a collection of songs that reflect both his evolving artistry and his relentless drive. For On The Record, we take a dive into the making of his latest album track ‘If We Could Escape’, a song inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s spy thriller North by Northwest and how some of those dramatic themes carry on over into the relentless momentum of life. For those fascinated by the mysteries of the music industry, we’ll also investigate his journey from recording in a Brooklyn apartment to running his own label imprint. We will also be bringing it back down to earth to explore how fatherhood and a move to Buffalo have shaped his music. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Welcome to Unrecorded! For those you aren’t already familiar with David Cloyd, can you introduce yourself?
Hey, I’m David Cloyd, a recording artist based in Buffalo, NY. I’m an Executive VP at NYC record label ECR Music Group, I run my own Buffalo-based label imprint called Hook & Ladder Records, and I also co-founded a Buffalo-based artist management company called Buffalo Music Club. I’m also a husband and a father, among other things. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Your new single ‘If We Could Escape’ was inspired by Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Can you elaborate on how the film influenced the song’s themes and sound?
At the time I wrote it, my life felt like it had permanently shifted into a new gear, a non-stop roller coaster. Getting off the ride for even a few minutes to catch my breath was a luxury that was simply no longer available to me. That feeling reminded me of Hitchcock’s North By Northwest. From one escape to the next, there’s never time for Cary Grant or the audience to recover. I wanted to harness that relentless energy in a song—and even though I wasn’t trying to get away from a nefarious plot like Roger Thornhill was, I felt like I was trying to find a way to survive in mine.
The song conveys a sense of stepping into the unknown and taking risks. How does this reflect your personal journey as an artist?
Everything worth doing in life and art involves stepping into the unknown. The risks I’ve taken in both areas have helped me learn enough about myself to make better decisions, but for better or worse, what I’ve learned hasn’t made me shy away from risk. Maybe I take fewer risks, but they’re much deeper, and more geared toward either my strengths or where I need to grow the most. It might be scary, but it is absolutely true—no risk, no reward.
What was your creative process like for this particular song?
Like most songs, it started with just picking up the guitar. I threw a capo on the first fret, mainly to disorient my ear, and then I just wanted to play fast. At some point, I remember thinking about the “tarantella,” a frenetic Italian folk dance that was believed to be a cure for a poisonous spider bite—you would essentially dance the venom out of your body. While I certainly wasn’t trying to rid my life of any unwanted poison, I needed to stay energized in the face of pure exhaustion.
The first chord I played ended up being an A-flat major 4-3 suspension. So in the moment, I posed a musical question to myself. How long can I hold a suspended chord before I resolve it? Turns out, the answer is the entire length of a song. There isn’t a proper A-flat major resolution until the very last chord. During recording, I knew I was on the right track if I felt like I was holding my breath, but I couldn’t keep myself from dancing.
Your debut album Unhand Me, You Fiend! was recorded in a small Brooklyn apartment. Now, years later, you’re releasing Red Sky Warning under your own label imprint. How has your approach to music evolved?
In some ways, surprisingly little. I still prefer to record at my home studio, with minimal equipment and outside input. Those circumstances force me to focus on the aspects of the music and myself that I find most interesting and challenging. My approach to songwriting has changed more than anything else. Most of Unhand Me, You Fiend! was written during the recording process, but I’ve found that honing the craft of a song ultimately helps figure out how to get the best recording of it, and that saves me a lot of heartache as an artist. Maintaining your own authenticity while evolving and growing is a very tricky tightrope.
You’ve built a reputation as both an artist and a producer. How do those two roles influence each other in your work?
As a solo artist, I wear a lot of different hats, so it can get really crowded in here. But by doing all of that work myself, I know I’m pushing every part of myself to the limit. Put that together with everything I learn working with Blake Morgan as a co-producer, you can see how these two roles feed each other. Blake inhabits that artist/producer line better than anyone else I know. Bringing that experience to other artists shines a different light on my own perspective of what I’ve learned, plus I get to learn new things from them.
After moving to Buffalo and starting a family, how has that life transition influenced your songwriting and music?
Well, I have less time to write! That actually has turned out to be a plus for me, as I have a tendency to overthink the writing process. Beyond that, songwriting and music come as a package deal with me, so they are as much a part of my family as I am.
What’s the most unexpected or exciting turn your career has taken so far?
Honestly, the moment I’m in always feels like an impossible dream, even though I somehow kind of know how I got there. But this album is a really exciting moment—it’s the one I’ve wanted to make all my life, and I’m so happy that it’s finally here. So for now, this current moment reigns supreme.
Do you have a dream project or collaboration in mind that you’d like to pursue in the future?
I’m already deep into the songwriting for my next album, but that idea has established real estate in my mind at all times. Two things I would really love to do more—writing string arrangements for other artists, and writing and recording music for film. I’m glad to put those two ideas out into the universe, and thanks for coaxing them out of me.
With Red Sky Warning set for release in June, do you have any live performances or tour plans in the works?
I’ll be having an album release show in June here in Buffalo, backed by some amazing local musicians. I will also be starting up my Buffalo concert series MIXTAPES again in August, which has me sharing the stage with another local or national songwriter and a string quartet. Arranging for strings and performing live with a quartet is just about the most fun I can imagine having.
You can also listen to ‘If We Could Escape’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
Follow David Cloyd:
UNRECORDED 