Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Damien Musto

Damien Musto - Game Over

“Game Over” explores the fallout of a friendship that turned toxic. What begins as trust and shared ambition slowly unravels into manipulation and self-interest. The song captures the moment of realization—when you see that someone’s been studying your every move, taking what they need before walking away. In the end, their pursuit fails, because what isn’t authentic can’t last. “Game Over” is a reflection on truth, self-awareness, and the power of staying genuine in a world full of façades.

Interview with Damien Musto

(•)> What inspired you to embark on your solo journey after your experiences with bands like small a.m. and Hey Tiger?

Being the guitar player for both small a.m. and Hey Tiger was an instrumental part of my history and we accomplished so much great music as a band. We all grew musically and it was an inspiring time for me. In time, both small a.m. and Hey Tiger ran their course, and the bands came to a close. But with both small a.m. and Hey Tiger the singer eventually didn't want to continue so basically the band was done. Embarking on my solo career was something I always wanted to do but didn’t have the confidence to do it until I started working with Jimmy Gnecco from OURS. He saw something in me and helped mentor me in finding my own voice. Not only was he my mentor, but he became a friend, producer and recording buddy. I haven’t looked back since.

(•)> How did opening for Bon Jovi and touring with OURS influence your approach to performing and songwriting?

As a fan of Bon Jovi, having the opportunity to open for them was a dream come true and to do it in a stadium was truly surreal. So many moving parts, we had radio interviews in the morning, raced to the stadium for soundcheck and then excitedly waited backstage for showtime. I was very interested in watching everything come together behind the scenes. There literally was a village of people all with the common goal of having a great show, and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

I’ve toured with OURS several times. The first time I didn’t really know the guys other than Jimmy. They were all extremely nice, took me in and we became a pretty great road family, all watching out for one another. The cool thing about those tours was we all traveled together, shared hotel rooms, hung out, so I never felt as if I was the “opener” I felt more like an extension of the band. The main thing I learned is I want to do it more - I love getting in front of an audience, having the opportunity to try to connect with new people. I would learn something from every show; it’s always like putting a different puzzle together each show to see what will work, and where the pieces fit.

(•)> Can you share the story behind your single “Game Over” and what it means to you personally?

“Game Over” took on a few different forms throughout the writing process. I literally had a completely different chorus to the song. While working in the studio with Jimmy he thought it sounded too close to Pink Floyd so I went back and wrote a few more chorus options. I really like how the chorus we landed on feels; it was natural and felt like it wrote itself.

As someone who tends to be introverted, I’m able to express what’s inside through my writing which tends to be about personal experiences, heartbreak, topics that plague me. “Game Over” is about a failed friendship. You’re on a journey with someone, experienced many life experiences together and in the end they just left you high and dry, no explanations, no conversation, just a few gaslighting attempts, repeat manipulation tactics and then they are gone.

(•)> How did your collaborations with Jimmy Gnecco, and Wayne Dorell shape the sound of your forthcoming album?

Working with Jimmy happened naturally, I had asked a mutual friend, Steve Brown (Trixter, Def Leppard) if Jimmy would be interested in helping me out with my voice. I was happy that he said yes and what started out as vocal lessons turned into a friendship and us working together on music. During vocal lessons we would go over various technique exercises, warmups, etc… One day he just asked me to play an original not even knowing if I write. I remember feeling nervous and knowing I’m about to expose a different part of myself that has been hidden. I played “Open Up Your Heart” (which came out a few years back) and afterwards I see him put his head down and mumble “shit, we’re going to have to record that”... Those eight words changed everything. It was the needed piece for me to officially embark on this journey as a solo artist. After recording a bunch of music and being invited out for several national tours with Jimmy’s band OURS I became addicted to the idea of embracing my journey as a solo artist, and here we are today.

Wayne, my history with Wayne goes back to small a.m. where he was our producer. When small a.m. broke up, Wayne came back into the fold as the producer of Hey Tiger, eventually joining the band and we’ve been working together up until Hey Tiger broke up. Honestly, it wasn’t the best breakup, bad blood over stupid band stuff and we really didn’t speak for years up into the beginning of 2025. Reconnecting with him was a bit scary, I had my guard up for sure. I’m pretty sure he did as well but interestingly enough I think we both needed it, and here we are, back in the studio working together. It feels great, the chemistry is how it used to be which I guess I can describe as organized ADHD chaos with a plan. The interesting thing is Wayne, Christina (singer from Hey Tiger) and myself just all got together a few weeks ago and recorded an episode for my new YouTube series titled “Live at Lucky Penny” which will come out next year. Literally it was the first time we played together in years or were all in the same room; it was crazy how good the chemistry was.

(•)> What was the recording process like for your solo album, and did it differ from working with a band?

It’s not much different as I started most all my previous bands and ran them all. I guess the big difference is now all the songs are mine and it’s my voice. But as far as the guitar playing I like writing guitar parts and trying different things so that’s pretty much the same. I guess the other difference is I now own my own recording studio which gives me the flexibility to be able to record whenever and I’m not afraid to try different things.

(•)> How do you balance maintaining your rock roots while exploring new sonic directions in your music?

I actually don’t find it much different; I just write what I feel. Growing up I had influences that were a little all over the place. My Dad would listen to Barry Manilow and Chicago so I became hooked but then also getting into bands like Van Halen. I feel those influences have an impact on some of my melodies and hooks throughout some of my music.

(•)> What role did your early experiences in New Jersey’s indie music scene play in forming your musical identity?

Playing a lot, anywhere and everywhere. I’m from North Jersey so playing in NYC was something we very much wanted to do. Luckily, we were able to play legendary places all throughout the city. Knowing we wanted to be asked back we had to fill these venues so we used to rent coach buses, put a keg on the bus and sell tickets. We started out with one bus and eventually needed two. It was great for everyone!

(•)> Can you talk about your collaborations with Kristy Chmura and working alongside Christian Eigner and Niko Stoessl?

Outside of small a.m., Hey Tiger and my solo project I’ve always been working with Kristy with her project. Her project has developed over time and these past few years we really hit our stride when we started working with Christian and Niko. They were the missing counterparts and are such an instrumental part. It all came together so naturally and just started with one song. Today we have tracked over twenty songs and continue to grow. The positive creative energy that has become this project is something I never experienced before. It’s always so inspiring every time we work on music or just get together. The four of us really have a special bond, both Christian and Niko took us under their wing and it’s really special. What’s also special is we aren’t afraid to push the project in new directions, for example we just recorded with a string orchestra in Vienna, it was an amazing trip and experience! That music will be coming out real soon and I think we all agree that it's completely different from anything any of us has done before. It’s really inspiring for me; what I love so much about music is how it brings people together, makes you feel something, is a safe place to feel creative and grow while developing relationships with others in the community. I feel that Kristy, Christian, Niko and I all share in that, and I’m really grateful.

(•)> How do you hope listeners will connect with your music, both in the album and live performances?

I hope something I do in a song or performance resonates with them. I tend to write from the heart and don’t hide anything. If my story helps them in any way on their own journey then we all benefit.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Damien Musto on the Pigeon Spins Playlist