Questions and answers about artists: The young roots of Simon Marotte and Pocketbook as a multi-genre band

It’s a busy Friday morning at the Coffee Club’s campus club location – students rush in and out to grab a quick drink before class, and the clatter of computer keys grows louder as the sun warms the early fall day . The smell of boiling coffee and the soothing voice of a student artist show no signs of the stress of the upcoming midterm exams.

Of all the busy students sitting in the facility, one had a musical journey to share. Simon Marotte, 26, a junior in the psychology department and founder of Princeton Encore — the group responsible for bringing Schwanzey to Princeton — is part of the up-and-coming band Pocketbook. I spoke with him to discuss the group’s origins, their influences and some key musical memories.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.

The Daily Princetonian: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your group?

Simon Marotte: I’m studying psychology here at Princeton. I have a minor in music, and I honestly wish I had majored in music because my love for it only grew at Princeton, and a lot of that came through this group called Pocketbook, which is a trio about me, Ryder Walsh ’26 – who plays drums – and Allison Jiang ’26, who is a singer. Ryder and I met through a friend. We didn’t know each other, but we immediately started talking about jazz and our respective instruments. We got along really well.

I met and played with him at the end of my freshman year in the fall semester, and it was a really, really fun experience for both of us. We probably played for an hour and a half straight and just made up random things. We had this really good energy and kept playing with each other. We then decided to see if we could get a singer and maybe a bass player or other people. We founded Pocketbook. I think our first performance was at this Arts Gala last year and that was a great place for our band’s debut.

DP: What year was this band formed?

SM: That was at the beginning of my second year, so last year.

DP: How did you start making music?

SM: I started when I was four years old. My grandmother played the piano. She really got me into playing the piano and I would just like to play random stuff on the keyboard while she plays real songs. She would play “Heart and Soul.” I didn’t know the melody, so I just messed around with things. From then on I took lessons for a few years but then stopped. I ended up learning songs through YouTube. I was interested in composition, learned a lot of theory and then became interested in jazz.

After I did that, I focused more on listening and playing the songs by ear. I credit my “ear” to the fact that I don’t read music because I had to really develop listening and try to reproduce that. My first major composition was for this local theater production in my hometown. It was a big challenge for me that made it easier for me to get started with the process.

DP: Why did you decide to name your band Pocketbook? Is there a story behind this name?

SM: We really liked the band “Scary Pockets”. A big part of their final work as a band is learning traditional pop songs, making them jazzy and funky and playing around with the overtones. I think Ryder suggested the idea of ​​Pocketbook. The Pocket is a concept in jazz and funk. When the music is in the “pocket” it’s really in the groove – it’s kind of hard to articulate. It’s kind of like a drummer phrase: When the drummer sits back in his pocket, he’s really in the groove.

DP: Can you describe the type of music you play and make?

SM: We play a lot of R&B, soul and funk, but we like to take pop covers and complicate them a bit with some R&B touches. Luckily we all have very similar musical tastes, which influences a lot of our playing and compositions. We all compose in different ways – Ryder doesn’t primarily play a chord instrument. Often I have an idea and then we flesh it out together and turn it into a song, and Allison writes the lyrics. We haven’t written that many original songs, but Allison writes a lot of originals and she’s super talented. Ryder is also something of a savant – he plays a lot of instruments. One time he came to rehearsal and just picked up the bass and it sounded really, really good.

DP: You mentioned that you had some original pieces. Which pieces are you most proud of?

SM: We did a gig for All Nighter last semester. They called it the “Big Diddy” of All Nighter where they have a band or artist perform. We were trying to decide what to play since it was only one song. At first we thought the audience would really like a cover, especially a popular song at the time, and that we could put our own spin on it. But then Allison reminded us that this was a really big gig where we could reach a lot of students and that we might as well do our own song for this event. This really discouraged me, but it was a great idea. We sat down and I had some phrases that we had been playing between songs and we worked them out into a song. We’ve been playing around with ideas all week and performed this song for the first time at this gig. It was a very quick song creation, but I was really proud that we did it in such a short time.

DP: Do you have somewhere you can listen to or stream your music?

SM: Not yet, but our band is currently in a transition phase. I’m now the musical director of All Nighter, so our band is kind of the core of the house band. We might do some original stuff and it will be really fun.

DP: What is Pocketbook’s favorite song to cover?

SM: I would say “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar. I always loved playing this on the piano and it was through this song that I met Allison. We talked about playing the piano. She played a bit and then I played. I started playing this song and she started singing along to it. It was a fun moment and we showed each other our love for music.

DP: What are your favorite spaces to perform in?

SM: I would definitely say All Nighter. The terrace is obviously a great place to perform. However, we really didn’t play that much. We are a very new band. We also played at the NCW Coffee Club, which can be nice sometimes. We would like to play here at the Campus Club. That would be fun.

DP: If you could describe your music based on other artists, how would you describe this combination?

SM: I would say Vulfpeck. Your sound inspires us a lot. Maybe Daniel Caesar, and I think vocally Allison has a HER quality.

DP: Do you have anything else to add and what would you say to people interested in exploring your music?

SM: Come to All Nighter! It’s such a fun show. There is sketch comedy; They have hosts. It’s like a late night talk show. There are performances by student groups on campus and it’s super fun and a lot of fun. Really good music! And if you want to get involved too, there are countless ways to get involved.

We perform. There are two tentative dates, but I’m pretty sure we’re confirmed for October 26th.

DP: Sounds like so much fun. Thank you for your time. I hope to see you there!

Natalia Diaz is a member of the Class of 2027 and a contributor to The Prospect at “Prince.” She can be reached at nd6595[at]Princeton.edu.