Ryan Camenzuli, better known as Zuli, first steps into music were playing more classical pieces. However, as he grew up and was exposed to more contemporary types of music, the 23-year-old New York native seemed to stray away from conservative constraints and venture into something a bit more psychedelic. Years later, he's formed a band that bridges the gap of the free-flowing guitar rhythms with melodies that gave birth to his 2015 EP, Supernatural Voodoo. We had a chance to sit down with Zuli and also meet his band while they were in Brooklyn last month.

Hometown: Baldwin, NY

What’s your first musical memory?

I started playing classical piano when I was seven. So I always remember that, and I would play things like Jerry Lee Lewis and things like that.

What inspired you to get away from classical music to what you play now?

It wasn’t until junior or senior in high school that I got into avant-garde and indie kinds of bands. I was always playing music, and I had an interest. But it wasn’t till those years that I was like, Oh this is cool. I want to do this now. I wasn’t applying it as much until high school.

Your sound has a very colorful and psychedelic vibe to it. So how did that get through into the mix?

I was always into psychedelic music and that side of things like Animal Collective, who are one of my big influences. Then I wanted to do something that was positive and upbeat, and I could have fun with it. But lots and lots of bands were part of that influence. I would be lying if I didn’t say the Beatles and the Beach Boys weren’t on my mind and more contemporary bands like MGMT, too.

I actually felt that “Keep It Together” has a Beach Boys vibe but wasn’t sure how you’d feel about my saying that.

No, no. That’s one of the best comparisons possible.

What’s your favorite song from Supernatural Voodoo to perform? And which one did you have the most trouble working on?

I think my favorite one to play is “Better All the Time,” and we have a nice jam at the end of it. So that one is always a lot of fun for me. I do enjoy playing all the songs. But in terms of the most challenging, I’d say “Keep It Together” was one of the first songs I wrote. But, as you know, it has a lot of dips and things like that. I think that was tough in terms of the lyrics and figuring out the emotional arc of it. It was the first song I composed, but on the lyrics, it’s probably one of the last ones I finished lyrically. I’d go that direction probably.

Listening to Supernatural Voodoo, some would say you’re just a guy who just really loves the psychedelic type of music and started playing that. But you do have that classical background. So how would you say that shaped your approach to the craft?

I think it comes in a compositional level, and I get mistaken as this guy who went to Berklee [School of Music] or something. And it’s never been like that. I’ve always gone with my gut on songwriting. At the same time, having some knowledge on music. I always say that knowing how to play the piano was the basis of my learning how to play other instruments like the guitar and drums. I think it just helped me overall. I learned what a really good composition needs, but, at the same time, I still rely on my feel and intuition on top of it. So it gives me a nice basis to have fun with it.

What is the biggest misconception of Zuli?

Okay so we just did this seven-week tour, and after every single show, everyone would just want to party all night. It was like a stamina game. It was a marathon not a sprint. So we were not partying hard. Other bands were getting insulted and stuff like that. Maybe it’s the fact that we were trying to keep it professional. We were being good while everyone wanted us to be bad.

So how was the tour?

It was really great. We had a lot of fun shows and played with a lot of great brands. We just had a lot van trouble. We broke down five times.

Vehicle trouble seems to be running theme amongst touring bands. It just happens at some point in your careers?

It’s multiple things. We got rear-ended at 30 miles per hour in Los Angeles. And after that accident and going up into the mountains when we went to Portland and Seattle, it’s hard for van with five guys and x amount of equipment, going up a huge mountain. That was tough, but the shows were great.

So what’s in the works for 2016?

The full-length [album]. It’s already a little bit under halfway done. So now that we’re back. We have a couple of shows here and there during the summer, but ultimately, that’s the main focus, getting it wrapped up by August or September.

So a fall release?

You know what? I’d love to say that, but the way that it goes -- with talking on the business side of music and things like that -- I imagine it won’t come out till next spring. But I’d love for it to come out in the fall.