Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Knuppel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been making original music all my life, but only started releasing music to the public after I went through a divorce in 2022. After testing the waters with a couple singles and an EP under the moniker City Fathers, I was ready to dive in to a full album. As I was writing the album, I realized there was a theme. Divorce kind of takes over your life for a while, so I guess it was no surprise.
Now City Fathers is releasing their debut album, Make Mistakes, The 13-song album documents that experience of divorce, the feelings that come with it, friendship after separation, and finding new love.
One thing about divorce, is it gives you a chance to restart and look at life with a fresh perspective. I’m happy to be using this experience for something positive like creating original art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Juggling being a single dad, working a full-time job, and trying to produce and promote my music isn’t always easy, but I carve out pockets of time here and there to get everything done.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
City Fathers is the solo musical project from myself, Tony Knuppel. Along with friends and collaborators, I make art pop or alternative pop. Sometimes it veers in to 80s/90s adult contemporary or synth pop. I tend to start by constructing a beat, the adding bass and other instruments until it’s all arranged. Then I come up with a melody. Once that’s locked in, I’ll finally start adding words to it.
I’m most proud of my full-length album, which comes out (came out?) January 13, 2026. City Fathers is different because we don’t try to chase trends. Each song is produced and arranged to support the song itself, not trying to fit into a mold or be perfect for radio.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Do it over and over until it’s where you want it. I used to just record one take of a track and think, “ok that’s good enough”. But for this album I would record the same vocal sometimes a dozen or more times and find all the best performances. Then I would often repeat the process for a second overlapping vocal, and again for harmonies, etc. It’s tedious but it pays off!
Pricing:
- All my music is available to purchase for a low cost on Bandcamp or iTunes
- Otherwise, it’s all available to stream for free on all major music platforms
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/cityfathers
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/cityfathers
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/cityfathers
- LinkedIn: https://www.tiktok.com/@cityfathers
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/city_fathers
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cityfathers
Image Credits
Color and B&W prints by Romero Nance
Polaroids by Joy_laroid
Seated studio photo by Snap Studio
