Chandra Johnson

L.A. band Rooney may have started on the west coast, but their roots lie on the other side of the country in New York City (specifically Twelfth and Thirteenth Avenues). Fun fact: During the band’s early stages, frontman Robert Schwartzman wrote most of Rooney's first record from his doorm room at Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts.  Yet, while the singer and songwriter was shaping the band (and his career) in New York, his mind was in L.A., which is why Schwartzman dropped out of college to pursue Rooney full-time in the city of angels. (Spoiler: It paid off.)  Since then, Rooney has been making feel-good, catchy guitar music for more than ten years, and Schwartzman himself has been busy outside of Rooney making music under other monikers, creating apps and releasing his first feature film: Dreamland. After hearing him talk about his staggered schedule between filmmaking and music, we’re shocked he took the time to sit down with us before the band's Bowery Ballroom headlining show earlier this month. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Schwartzman, it’s that even with an insane work schedule, he still remains genuine to himself and the fans. Now, with the release of Rooney’s latest EP El Cortez (out today!), we sat down with Schwartzman to discuss the early 2000s music scene, filmmaking and the best parts of New York. Can you tell us about your ties to New York and where you like to go when you're in the city? My dad is from Brooklyn, and my mom is

Okay, I’ll be honest: I had no idea there were a ton of easy ways to get to Jersey from New York. And it looks like I chose the simplest option—NJ Transit—because it turned out to be only a 48-minute journey door-to-door. I hopped the subway at Times Square, which led me to Penn Station after one stop. Luck was with me because the subway was waiting as I walked downstairs to the platform—a serendipitous perk in New York. Despite the fact that I left at rush hour (and there were hordes of people to zigzag around), it was super easy to figure out where I was going—though the sweat on my forehead told me otherwise. (It’s been a mild winter, you guys.) I grabbed my ticket from the New Jersey Transit self-service kiosk and took the Northeastern Corridor line to Newark Penn Station. As I waited to see what track my train was on, my friend walked in (reppin’ a Muse shirt, no less). Since the NJ Transit runs so frequently, we were able to jump on the train within 10 minutes. We were told there would only be one stop—one! Not bad for an impatient New York, eh? The train pulled into Newark and we literally walked across the street (not even two blocks) toward the Prudential Center, standing big and bright in all its glory. Moments later, my pal and I were rocking out to Muse, and having an awesome time.