NYC’s Danny Lapidus, of Hot Peas ‘n Butter, on Fatherhood and Making Music

Danny Lapidus: When I stop to think about being a dad (which is not often because….I’m a dad!! who has time to think about anything?!) there are many things things that I love about it. One thing that will seem obvious to people who have kids, but may sound strange to others, is that there is actual joy in realizing you are no longer the center of the universe! It hits you like a ton of bricks! There is someone here who is more important to me than anything else and even myself!! Makes me appreciate my dad even more. Another thing that I absolutely love about being a father to young kids is that they think I’m the strongest person in the world, literally. 

Rockmommy: Tell me about your latest musical project — how did it come about?

Danny Lapidus: My latest musical project is a new album with my band Hot Peas ‘n Butter called Back to the Land. It started with an idea of trying to go back to musical roots. I wanted to explore everything from bluegrass to Gospel music… real Americana, because that is what I grew up on and what feels so sincere to me. I honestly thought the album would contain mostly new arrangements of traditional music, but then I started writing with my partner Steve Jabas, and we realized that that the songs all had similar themes of unity, equality, and protecting our environment. We immediately felt we had something special.

Rockmommy: Has your music changed since you became a dad? If yes, how so? 

Rockmommy: What’s it like trying to balance music with parenthood? And are there other factors in the mix?