Time really does fly for CAL. Growing up a Timeflies fan, I was excited to get the opportunity to interview CAL, who’s gone onto enjoy a successful career himself. His latest release, “In The Water,” features a Sheesh favorite in Quinn XCII, and it’s as good as you’d imagine. Get to know CAL beyond his Timeflies days, and watch him reminisce on his past in our Deep Dive below.

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So, CAL. You’ve been releasing music without “Timeflies" attached to your name for a couple years now. How do you think it’s gone up to this point?

Obviously, Timeflies is near and dear to me, but it has been a lot of fun to explore my own individual artistry the last couple of years. I have gotten to work with some incredible collaborators and just recently did a record deal with PhotoFinish Records before putting out “In the Water.” The whole experience has been something totally new and different, and incredibly exciting after so many years living on the road touring. I have really been focusing on bettering my own writing and production, which has been an awesome experience.

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For this new release, “In the Water,” you’re working with Quinn XCII, who happens to be one of my favorites. How did you link up with him? Have you always been a Quinn fan yourself?

Mine too! Yeah, I really love his sound and style and this was a dream come true. What happened was, I was in the shower (where my singing career started :) ) and came up with the chorus for "In the Water." I raced out to the studio and produced out the idea and I never would have done this... but the pandemic made collaborating impossible, so I posted it on my socials. He was one of the first to hit me up and say “Dude, this is crazy. Save me a verse.” From there, we got together in the studio and it was magic from that moment on.

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What’s your favorite lyric from “In The Water?” What’s the song about altogether?

I love the lyric “you give me major lift like hallelujah melody” — the song is about not overthinking that feeling. We all know when that feeling is there, but we often talk ourselves out of it, or stop ourselves from allowing it to happen.

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Let’s talk real quick about how you got here. How has your experience working with Rez and Timeflies made you into the artist you are today?

Rez and I practically grew up together. From college onwards, we helped shape one another’s sounds and styles as both producers and writers. We both have made some incredible music together and gotten to work with amazing collaborators who taught us each a ton about songwriting. All of these experiences have helped influence me and get me to where I am today as both a writer and artist.

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How’s your relationship with Rez since Timeflies announced its hiatus? What was the reasoning behind the hiatus?

Rez and I are great. We have actually been doing a lot of work together for film & tv projects which has been an awesome new experience. I think after working on one singular thing for so long, we were both looking for a bit of creative freedom and to dive into new projects for a bit. The whole experience has been really refreshing for both of us, and it's been great to work on new creative projects together.

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What’s something most people don’t know about you, outside of music?

I’m a 3 handicap in golf and I’m an excellent whistler. That’s what you were looking for, right?

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Where do you see yourself, say, 5 years from now? 1 year?

Honestly, as much as I like to set goals, I really am just trying to live in the moment. I feel like I get anxious getting too far ahead of myself. I’m just trying to be the best I can be right now.

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What’s been your favorite music moment since you’ve started? A certain concert, meeting someone, anything like that.

Damn. This is a tough one. Obviously some crazy shows... fans having lyrics tattooed on them always gives me chills. But I think the best for me is getting to meet so many talented people I idolize and picking their brain for things they’ve learned along the way. Got to hang with Pharrell once – I'll never forget that.

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Looking forward, what do you want the ex-Timeflies fans to know about the music coming from CAL?

I’m doing something special here, and if you were a fan of Timeflies, you’re going to love this.

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Lastly, I’ve got to ask, what’s your favorite Timeflies track, favorite Timeflies Tuesday track, and favorite CAL track?

"Ex Games." Not necessarily a TFT but the “Glad You Came” or “We Found Love” remix. And for the CAL project... I’d say “In the Water” and then “Dressed Up in White.”Listen to “In The Water” below.

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