Vents Interviews

Aaron Laird

2011-02-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

How did you get started in music?
Seven years ago, was when I started with music. Please refer to my musical biography:

Biography-
Back in 2004, the singer/songwriter Aron Lyrd was struggling to get by and had landed a job working in the mail room for the government. Despite the low pay, there was room for advancement. Before he was able to come to his first day of, he contracted transverse myelitis, which involved swelling of the spine. He was an avid martial artist from age 7 up until he was paralyzed. At the same time, he had a stroke that came about from a blood clot that moved from his leg to his brain. Even with these two events happening, he managed to regain the usage of his arm. After all the happened, there was time available for reflection. He would ponder why all of this came about. Seeking answers was not easy, as seemed hard to find. Such tragedy does not normally occur all at the same time, as he remained perplexed, as to why it had to happen. Many of the previous years of his life, he turned to songs that he could relate to that helped him deal with the minor ups and downs of his life at the time. Being the universal language, music always seemed to inspire him to keep going, regardless of whether things looked more bleak than not. Over the time that this was happening, he became inspired to write some poetry. While it was a good means of expressing how he felt, it didn't feel like quite enough. He wrote some music to accompany it and decided to buy enough studio tome to record the songs that he felt best reflected his abilities as a musician. Once all was said and done, he completed converting of his poems into songs. More songs would follow, as further inspiration came to him over time. After listening to his songs, he liked what he heard from the finished product.

What's the basics methods when you write and made a song? I would typically write it as a poem fist. Afterward, I write and record the instrumental part of the music for it.

What plans do you have for the near future?
I have an account with RecordDeal.com . They're telling me that the record label, Universal, asked them to make a proposal of what I should get from Universal, in terms of a record deal. We're just now waiting to hear back from Universal.

How would you define your music?
It is essentially alternative rock that's inspired by past experiences in my life.

What has been the funniest moment after or during a show or tour?
I remember reciting my poetry on stage once, where the open mic host asked for not one, but two rounds of applause. To me, reciting my poetry and singing on stage resemble each other very much.

Who are your music influences?
Aerosmith, AC/DC, and KISS

Are you Ok, with the direction you're moving so far?
Yes, I am and I would be perfectly content to see a multi-album deal with Universal materialize in the immediate future.

Listen more: http://www.myspace.com/aronlyrdmusic

Jim Moffatt

2011-02-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

So how did you came up with all this? How you began your music career?

My parents were drunks. So I hid behind my guitar. Still do in some ways but now I can play J

What' s your methods at the time of writing a song?

Many many different ways to write a song. Sometimes it’s the rhythm of the streets that gets me going. Sometimes something I hear on the buss of a private telephone conversation that we all hear in public places. There is no set way but only the yielding to the muse at the moment.

Who are your music influences?

Anyone who writes a song with a story.

How would you define your music?

Jim Croce meets Godzilla.

What's the song you can't stop listen?

The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers. Very positive, uplifting and just a tad rebellious.

Are you Ok, with the direction you're moving?

Musically sure I love what I do but playing as a single or duo doesn’t give me the texture I always want.

Its time to get a band together and I will be starting that project in the very near future

Listen more: http://www.myspace.com/jim.moffatt

Noa Bentor

2011-01-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

How did you get started with your music career?

I was born on a kibbutz in Israel, but when I was seven years old we moved to Melbourne Australia. There my ears open and I started to listen to amazing music and sing at every opportunity. When I came back to Israel I studied music in high-school, sang and played guitar in some bands but only when I lived in new-york (where I went to college) I decided I want to write my own songs and I started my path as a singer-songwriter…

I would sit and listen to music for hours, read the lyrics of every song I loved and worked with different musicians who taught me how to say what I want in a song.

In 2005 my debut album "waiting on a shelf" came out – whom I worked on with Assaf Spector and Gil Gilmore.

What are your influences for your music?

My first cd's ever were Paul Simon, Janis Ian, Leonard Cohen…. Of course it was the 80's so I listened to Michael Jackson, Madonna and some good Australian bands like Inxs.

Later on I fell in love with The Beatles, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchel , but as a teenager I listened to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Radiohead (like everyone else… no?)

Today I have so much music that I love- from Wilco to Johanna Newsom, Beck, the Strokes, Alela Diane and Cat Power.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

My new album "Modern Grace" is coming out this April.

On March we will be performing at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and then we have some gigs in New-York. After that we'll have a big album release show in Israel and then I'm hoping to tour with my new album.

How would you define your music?

The hardest question ever…. Very intimate, mature, soft but edgy….i don't know- very me.

What has been the funniest moment after a show or tour?

I can't think of one incident, but I have a weird craving for a Hamburger after I sing – I just need meat! So my friends know that after each show we are all gonna go to a burger joint and we already mapped out Tel-Aviv for the best burgers.

What song can't you get out of your head?

It obviously changes according to my mood and there are so many songs that follow me for years. For now- will it sound vain if I say one of my songs? It makes sense though- I'm mixing my new album so I only hear them.

Do you feel you are moving on the right way?

I hope. I think so. I feel that I worked on my new album in the right way- taking my time, finding the sound, figuring out what's right for each song, recording at the best places and I hope that the authenticity of the songs will come out.

I just signed with a manager in the states and I'm hoping that the show at South by South West will get things rolling. And the most important thing is that I feel that I'm getting better all the time. That's rewarding.

Listen more: http://www.youtube.com/NoaBentor

Car Party

2011-01-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

How did you guys came up with the band's name?
Most of the time we find the car rides to be more fun than actually reaching our destination and doing whatever we planned on that night being a show or just hanging out. Eventually we moved our hangouts to the car, had no destination and usually involved fast food which was later known as a 'Car Party'. We were brainstorming on names after practice one night and Lane Ferrell(Guitarist) suggested the name 'Car Party'

How did Car Party began?

Taylor Hughes(Drummer) actually found all of us via craigslist, She Met Lane Ferrell late 2009, Michael Natzke(Vocalist) was the last to join before going into studio to record our debut EP Excuses. Later in 2010 Christopher Martin(Bassist) joined.

What would be your favorite song from the band?
We've been writing for the past few months and recently finished a new song that doesn't have a name yet, we played it out once and it's by far one of the best songs we've written as a whole, Everyone will be hearing it soon.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while, before or after a show?
We've pranked Mike a good bit, calling him at early hours pretending we're random girls form the red roof in that he's had one night stands with, good times.

What plans do you guys have for the future?
We're getting ready to go into studio with Ace Enders to record a single in the next few weeks of January then heading out for a few weekend tours.

What are your hobbies?
Michael is huge into video games and his beard, Lane is a huge movie buff and is always quoting movies, Chris is just outlandish and off the wall and just likes messing with random people and Taylor just kind of puts up with it all.

Are you guys feeling are moving forward as a band?
Definitely, we feel like we're doing all the things we should be at this point.

Check out more: www.carpartyband.com

Level 10

2011-01-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

To me, the highest level of contentment in life occurs when wisdom and experience meet music and creativity. That is a Level 10 moment.

How did all this get started??

Levy DeAndrade
Piano and Keyboard:

One of the area’s most respected and sought after keyboard players, Levy has earned the admiration and respect of fans and peers alike for his talent and professionalism. His artistry in blending Latin dance rhythm with soulful jazz styles have given his music an unforgettable trademark sound which has earned recognition by local and national and international jazz music experts. He has been described by a fan as “one of a kind when it comes to piano jazz explorations, and his unique playing style is all his own.” His playing is a “lovely delight to savor and enjoy!”

Born on March 6, in Parana, Brazil, Levy’s first inspiration came when he was given a tape recorder and guitar for his 7th birthday. His musical prodigy was realized when, in two months time, he was composing and performing on the instrument for his friends and family. Within the next two years, he was performing on stages in his hometown for the public. After being introduced to the piano by his instructors at school, Levy developed a love for the instrument and soon mastered the keys.

After graduating from high school and receiving a scholarship and grant to study music in the US, Levy relocated to the states where he started his music career as a performer in San Francisco’s top jazz venues.

After a successful stint in California, Levy was invited to relocate to New York City to become a ‘first call’ studio musician for The Hit Factory. There he composed, arranged and shared the stage with many musical greats. Having enjoyed being in great demand for his recording sessions and live performances, Levy then decided to establish his own recording studio. There he mastered the mechanics of the music business and engineered and produced albums for both clients and himself.

Levy relocated to Tampa, Florida in 2004. Having founded a successful recording studio and producing several albums, Levy decided to dedicate his musical expertise to forming a band. After four years of searching out local talent, he found not only the best players in their fields, but also the right chemistry to create a mature group of musicians dedicated to creating soul inspiring jazz music.

Levy’s group, named Level 10 Band, took the area by storm when after only a year together, they decimated the competition in a local radio station contest. After winning the title of “Tampa Bay’s Best Smooth Jazz Band” by CBS Radio, the requests began pouring in for appearances and performances. Since that time, Levy and Level 10 have performed for jazz festivals, city organizations, Carnival Cruise Lines, local jazz clubs, national and international radio stations, and have appeared on FOX, ABC and CBS TV for interviews and live performances. Both Levy’s original compositions and new arrangements of popular songs have been leaders on the jazz charts on CD Baby, Rhapsody and iTunes.

In celebration of their rapid rise to acclaim as an award-winning, underground jazz band, Level 10 named their first album “Together.” Released in 2009, the CD features original compositions by Levy as well as inspiring arrangements of popular tunes. Levy’s music has developed and matured over the years and combined with the talent and determination of his band members, Level 10 has been and will continue to be a dominating force in the world of Jazz music.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

I want the listener to experience the intersection of musical talent with raw emotion. I believe that music is a powerful tool that can touch a person’s deepest spirit.

what’s your method at the time of writing a song??

I am usually inspired by a good groove. When I sit down at the keyboard, my mood at the time ends up as notes on a staff!

Who are your music influences??

Michael Camilo, Chick Corea, Dave weckl, Cesar Camargo,

What plans do you guys have for the future??

Win a Grammy for best jazz band, be # 1 In Latin Jazz on Billboard and making a good living doing music

What has been the greatest day in the band?

Lancaster Jazz Festival in UK

Written by CME Artist, UK

My personal highlight of the whole Lancaster Festival though I must declare an interest in funky,
Cuban, Brazilian and American modern jazz played at Grammy nominated level and Level 10 are just that. Their performance at a packed Dalton Rooms on the Sunday evening, one of the last shows of the festival was, for me, as good as it gets.

Levy DeAndrade (keys), Rex Freligh (sax), Yovannis Roque (bass) and Sean Fote (drums) are

undisputed masters of their respective instruments and the dexterity and ferocity with which they
play together on Levy’s complex yet highly rhythmic compositions is the key to the response this band received. Not only was the dance floor packed but the band received that most positive of audience feedback: the audience’s approval after songs was so loud that the mics on stage started to pick it up and feed the jubilant roar back into the PA. This is, as far as I know, something new for Lancaster. It happened with Level 10 on Sunday Oct. 10th 2010. May it happen here again and soon!

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
While in England for a Jazz Festival, we decided to call for pizza delivery. Only problem was, it was with a US cell phone number. They thought it was a prank, especially when we had no idea where to tell them to deliver the pizza!

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

Well, I’d definitely send the percussionist for help – they’re all usually pretty resourceful. I probably wouldn’t eat anyone; musicians don’t taste very good…

Wat are your hobbies?

Music, Soccer, Recording, woodwork, Playing with my kids, life with my wife.

What country you guys would love to play?

Japan, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Germany,

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

Dave Weckl, Michael Camilo, Chick Corea

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Very happy and excited for the future.

Check out more: www.level10band.com

Triangle Offense

2010-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind your name?
The term comes from basketball. We're all HUGE basketball fans. We like to see ourselves as a triple threat -not just because we're 3 people-, but more because we write, produce and perform all our music on our own.

How did you guys get started with all this?

Sci and Bry met in grammar school, but started rapping together around high school. Bry knew Pwol and introduced him to Sci because Pwol needed a producer. We were recording and making music together often, so we naturally decided to make songs together. It became bigger and more serious as time went by.

What's the message you guys want to transmit with your music?

To just live life. You can just be you and be cool. You don't have to conform to how society says you should be and what you should like.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?
There's never a set way! We're firm believers that the best music comes in the moment. You can never force music. It never comes out good. You can always tell when the music is trying too hard.

Who are your music influences?

Of course, we love Hip-Hop -Jay-Z, Nas, Kanye, Drake, Wale, J. Cole, Theophilus London-, among others. (We also gotta show love to Wu Tang and Dipset!) We listen to all types of music though -Billy Joel, Passion Pit, Florence + The Machine, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Taking Back Sunday-...the list goes on and on!

What plans do you guys have for the future?

Musically, our main focus is our trilogy of mixtapes on the way. It's a love story told in three parts. We released "The Courting" last April, which was the first part. The next one is "The First Love", then the finale, "The Break Up", comes after that. Of course, we look forward to performing in different places and reaching all types of people with what we're doing. We want the opportunity to meet everyone that enjoys our music and show them our gratitude through our stage show.

What has been the greatest day as a musician?

This might sound cheesy, but every day is great because we're doing what we love. We're even thankful for those days where things go wrong, because without them, we couldn't full enjoy the days when everything goes our way. The struggles make those victories so much sweeter!

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour, and the help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first?

We would try to call Jack Bauer from 24, Jason Bourne, or MacGyver because those guys can get out of ANYTHING. MacGyver would be last resort though, because he's kinda old now. If we had to eat each other, Sci and Pwol would probably team up because Bry's bigger than both of them. Sci likes his meat Medium Rare though, so Bry wouldn't be in much pain because they wouldn't cook him too long.

What are your hobbies?
Of course, we love to watch basketball. We each like different teams, too, so it gets interesting when our teams play each other. We love going out to eat. We're foodies! We especially love burgers. Each of us has our own favorite burgers list. It gets really serious.

What country would you guys love to play?

Our homeland, the Philippines! Pwol has performed there, but we've never performed all together.

With what bands would you guys love to share the stage?

Passion Pit or Holy Ghost! Their stage shows are so sick. They would also compliment our music so well because we all strive for similar sounds.

Are you guys happy with the direction the band is going?

VERY! We had an idea a year ago and it's so great seeing our plans come into fruition. It's one thing to think about it, but to actually live it is indescribable.

Official blog: www.triangle-offense.com

Free downloads of all the music, including their mixtape “The Courting:” http://triangle-offense.com/?page_id=2

A commercial for their upcoming interactive music video project for “Swing My Way:” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRsVkof8S0w

Link to purchase their single "TGIF" on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/t-g-i-f/id390359601

A$troe

2010-12-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind Astroe?

The meaning of A$troe is- "The combing to form a star".

How did you get started with all this??

I started writing poetry at the age of 11, writing beats and rapping at the age of 14, by 15-16 years old I was recording in a professional studio. Being young and coming from the inner city and having a broken home, I was inspired to reach people with my music..

What's the message you want to transmit with your music??

The message with my music is "Power" and understanding that we all possess it and can over come life's struggles and pressures, it also transmits real life, creative action through experience, this makes it so music supporters on a worldwide basis relate and connect with the music.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

My method at the time of writing a song.. Its like a crazy science project, music's playing, an i'm getting all my concepts out so i can shape the content to be a powerful song...

Who are your music influences??

My music influences are: Tupac, BigPun, Biggie, Jayz, Dr. Dre, Naz, Russell Simmons, P. Diddy, people like that...

What song or album can’t you stop listening to?

Song I can't stop listening to, a song I created for my album "Influence", it really moves me.

What plans do you have for the future??

Plans for my future is to push my music career to heights most people only dream of, this is what I do; so my main future plan is to progress and progress.

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

As far as pranks, we don't do that... lol

What has been the greastest day in your music career?

The greatest day as a musician for me was the day i learned how to produce my own music, it was really like being born again..

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

I guess I would go to get help and food for the simple fact: I don't eat people. So I would make sure I don’t in that situation to eat someone. Lol

What country would you love to play?

I would love to play in "Brazil".

What are your hobbies?

I use to play video games, not really too much time for that now, so every now and then I pull up metal of honor and have a little fun...

With which bands you would love to share stage??

Jayz, Drake, Naz, Eminem, I would like to share a stage with those guys...

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?

I'm happy with the direction I'm headed, always getting better at what I am and what I'm doing…

Check out more: http://www.astroe.net/

Centrevol

2010-12-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

When in Boston, the boys rehearsed on Centre Street, and they played music turned up to "11", hence the "vol" was added making Centrevol.

How did you guys get started with all this??

A mutual friend had a birthday party, and the three original members had an impromptu jam session. Later the three (Nate, Pete, and Jon) moved out west to Long Beach where they connected with kai (whom nate met in Boston at an epic snowball fight).

What's the message you guys want to transmit with your music??

Our message carries two themes: Hope and Community. Hope because we are optimistic about our future, and it comes through in our music, and community because all of our songs and all of our strivings have been in the context of the people who have surrounded us and pushed us forward. Centrevol is the sum of it's parts, not just it's members.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

Every song is different, for example, the single Save Yourself was written from scratch as we were jamming with spontaneous ideas. We recorded everything, and Pete sat with the parts for 30 minutes and wrote the lyrics. It was quite an orgasmic, that is, organic experience.

Who are your music influences??

Quite varied. Jon and kai are into European Electronic music, such as The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Air. Peter is into anything with a good melody like the Black Keys, Delta Spirit, and the Beatles. Nate likes music with a funky backbeat rhythm section with a pop sensibility such as RHCP, Kings of Leon, and Mutemath.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

We're currently competing for $10K in a Converse battle of the bands. We wish to tour tour tour, playing all over the west, emphasizing the college market. We anticipate selling out of the first pressing of our album and plan to rerelease it with new tracks, remixes, and an even grander second release party. We'd like to start a regional radio campaign to spread our loving.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

When we were on tour, we played at Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls. We showed up quite early to the show, but the folks who were planning the show were already poo-ing on the lack of expected turn out, citing that since it's an engineering school that most of the kids would rather stay in and play video games than come out and see a band. Plus it was near finals week. We quickly set up our gear in the auditorium (which was quite near the dorms) then we split up and embarked on an impromptu promo campaign. Theoretically, we were not allowed into the dorm area and certainly not allowed to knock on doors, but the RAs turned a blind eye as we marched through claiming there was a World of Warcraft Tourney with cash prizes down in the auditorium. The prank actually worked because we ended up having a great turn out and proceeded to play one of the best shows on tour.

We would send Jon because he's in the best shape and can run 65 miles in like an hour, which is like... if I'm doing the math right... like, around 65 miles an hour, or at least 60. The rest of us would take out our instruments and play some tasty licks on the side of the road. The licks would be so flavourful that it would sustain us until Jon got back.

What country you guys would love to play?

Nate: England, Peter: France, Jon and kai: Japan.

With which bands you guys would love to share stage??

Kings of Leon, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Mutemath, U2, RHCP, Michael Jackson.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?

Yes. (Listen to "On a Roll").

Check out more: http://centrevol.com/go/music-download?id=618383&pause=1

Anna Kaelin

2010-12-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

How the did started with all this?? I started singing when I was LITTLE. I have video of me singing before I could talk. My first recording was when I was 3, and I started performing when I was 4. I grew performing in music groups and in musicals, and was in choir in High School, but switched to being a solo singer when I was about 18. When I was 19 I moved to Nashville, where my genre slowly switched to country/pop. From there I realized how deep my love for music, singing, and performing really was and after I auditioned for "American Idol" when I was 21, the ball really started rolling from there. Since then I have released an album and a music video, gone on a mini tour and look forward to what this next year will bring!

What's the message you want to transmit with your music?? The message of my songs are all positive ones. I know that not all situations and experiences we go through in life are positive ones, however I think we can have a positive attitude through hard times. That is the message of my music. There is a power in being positive.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?? Every song is different, thus the process of writing song is different. There are some songs I have written where I sit down at the guitar or piano and write it, from beginning to end, in about 30 minutes. Other songs take months to write, fine tune, rewrite and perfect. I am very particular when it comes to what I sing and how I sing it, so sometimes it comes the first time, while other times it takes a few tries!

Who are your music influences?? My musical influences vary. I grew up listening to Jazz, Pop, Musical Theater, Rock, Classical, and everything in between. I love Etta James, MIchael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Eva Cassidy, Celine Dion, Michael Buble, Jack Johnson, Keith Urban, and many others. My style is a mix of them all. I don't think you can be a musician who really appreciates music without allowing these types of amazing musicians to rub off on you and affect you in such a way that infects your music as well.

What plans do you have for the future?? I have many hopes and dreams, but very few plans for the future! This life changes so fast and so many unpredictable things happen and you never know what your future holds. I love touring and performing, so I hope that is in my future. I love music and I KNOW that will be in my future, in one way or another. Sometime in the future I would love to get married and have a family, because you can accomplish the best things in life, but unless you have people to share them with, they don't mean as much. There are so many things I want to do. My life has changed so drastically over the last 5 years, I can't wait to see what the next 5 have in store!

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show?? I am one that is always pulling pranks, or getting them pulled on, however I can't think of any on tour! Now that is not to say that we don't have fun! We laugh more than anyone I know when we're out performing. This last summer was a BLAST, because we were out with another group and our bus was filled with about 12 people. That was a great few months! I think this tour I was more of the joke telling type, rather than the prank pulling type. I guess I will have to change that next time, so I have a better answer to this question!

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first? Ha. This is a good question. Well 65 miles is not too far - and I think I could go that long without food. Plus I liked all the people I toured with last time, so I don't think I could eat any of them. Who would I send though... good question! I would probably send a group - a mix of guys and girls. Depending on how big the group on the bus were, maybe 2 girls and 2 guys, so the others could stay in the bus. That way the guys could protect the girls and the girls could be the voices of reason. Without the guys, who knows if the girls would come back, and without the girls ... who knows what the guys would come back with!

What country would you love to play? I played in Europe last year and loved it. I was over in Venice, Slovenia, a few places in Austria, and in Poland. I would love to go back to all of those countries, but I would also love to #1. Visit more of Italy, #2. Go to China, #3. Go to New Zealand, and #4. I think Africa would be amazing!!

With what bands you would love to share stage?? There are so many! I wish I would have been able to sing with the great Michael Jackson. He was probably the greatest entertainer the world has ever seen. Country wise, I would love to share the stage with: Keith Urban, he has an energy on stage that is incredible, undeniable, and contageous; Martina McBride, she has a way of being able to sit on a stool in the middle of the stage and capture an audience like non other. It's amazing. Other than that, there are many other artists in many other genres who are talented musicians, singers, and entertainers who I know I could learn a lot from and would be honored to share the stage.

Are you OK, with the direction the band is moving so far? I love the direction the band is going. It is constantly changing and I think will continue to change until we get it "just right", which I am sure will never happen. I don't know if there IS a "just right" in the music industry, because times, people, music, and the need for music is always changing. Thus, we change with the world and the dynamic of the stages we perform on.

Check out more: http://www.reverbnation.com/annakaelin

KingQueen

2010-12-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind KingQueen's name?

KingQueen is more a personality than a character. It stands for a strength that is beautiful. Anyone who follows a dream and goes for it is a KingQueen. So it stands for a personality.

How did you get started with all this?

It was something that was magical since I was a child. It was more interesting to me than anything else. I would watch musicals and music videos and be amazed and I knew I wanted to be a part of that magic forever. I started taking vocal lessons and I played piano. I started dancing and I became a dance teacher. When I was 19 I attended a music college in London and then after a year I decided to go to Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. And during my time at MI I started networking in LA and got my connections to continue towards my goals as an entertainer.

What's the message you want to transmit with your music?
To speak up, to always be true to yourself and to be the person you always dreamt about being.

What plans do you have for the future?

Keep on doing what I am doing now. Playing bigger venues and growing as an artist.

What has been the greatest moment in your career?

The AMA’s was def the best week of my life. It was the first time ever where I was a part of a big production and also the experience of being at the NOKIA theatre with my all access pass as a talent and not as a guest was just magical. I remember sitting in the rehearsal and watching Katy Perry and thinking to myself "I'm here, I'm here... And I am here as an artist, not as a visitor".. It was cool.

How would you define your music?

It's clubrock. Clubby sounds with edgy lyrics and vocals.

Are you ok with the direction you're moving so far?

Absolutely, I don't do things I don't feel like doing.

Check out more by going to: http://www.reverbnation.com/kingqueen

Stay Tuned

2010-11-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name: Stay Tuned? Does it have anything to be with your music covering tracks?

PHIL: It does indeed. It's a nod to the often overused phrase typically delivered just before going to a commercial break. Or as a hook during a commercial or informercial. "Stay tuned for some important information...", "Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of Columbo", etc.

WILL: I remember that the first name that popped into my head was, "As Seen On…" or something clunky of that nature. "Stay Tuned" popped up as an option and I think we both nodded that, yeah, that would work.

How did you guys get started with all this?

PHIL: It's origin goes all the way back to '98. I (Phil) was a double major at California Institute of the Arts - majoring in Music Composition for Multimedia and Jazz Piano Performance. I decided that for my graduation recital, I was going to do a full concert of jazz arrangements of classic T.V. themes. We performed a wide variety of tunes and styles including a free jazz interpretation of The Twilight Zone and a modal version of Charlie's Angels. My reasoning behind it was that some of the T.V. themes we all knew and grew up with were actually good songs. Most classic jazz standards that people are all too familiar with had their origins in popular music - at the time they were musicals and the like. So I saw no real difference between taking a popular music such as T.V. themes and adapting them to a jazz ensemble. The concert was fun to put together and was well received.

Flash forward to 2001 and I'm in my car driving up the 5 Freeway with my good friend, and future Stay Tuned bass player, Will Lanni in the passenger seat. We're planning on moving to Seattle, and are heading up to find an apartment. I had had more than enough of Los Angeles, having spent most of my formidable years there and given it every opportunity, and had decided to move to Seattle. Will and I had known each other since high school when we were in a garage band together called Assorted Nuts. We played primarily instrumental songs in bizarre time signatures (17/8, 15/8, etc. - anything to keep ourselves entertained) with only a single vocal song - a country song about inbreeding called The Imbred One - in our set rotation. We were in the mountains between Oregon and California and it was the middle of the night when a thought occurred to me. I woke Will up and explained to him my brilliant idea. We would create a rock band that performed original rock arrangements of T.V. themes. We wouldn't be a prototypical "cover" or "tribute" band in that we wouldn't try to emulate the original material but, rather, put our own spin on it. Will grumbled and fell back asleep. But the idea took hold.

Once we were fully settled into Seattle, we found a practice space and a web engineer named Don Davis who used to play drums, had a full kit, but hadn't played in a long time. We got together and just started cranking out arrangements. Pretty soon we had enough material for 2 full sets and were spreading the good word of T.V. themes.

WILL: I was sound asleep in the car on our drive to Seattle when Phil yells, "I GOT IT!" and I woke up in a panic, thinking he had been aiming for squirrels or something. He told me about his idea and hummed an approximation of 'Greatest American Hero' like it was a heavy metal song. I think that was the moment when I told him we could name the band "As Heard On TV" or… "Stay Tuned!"

THEN I grumbled and went back to sleep.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

PHIL: Ultimately, I hope that we're doing two things with our music:

1) Keeping alive what has effectively become a dying artform. T.V. themes as a songwriting platform have pretty much become a thing of the past. Most modern T.V. shows use existing pop material or a very forgettable instrumental theme. When I was growing up, every sitcom had a catchy song associated with it - Family Ties (Who can forget that Sha-na-na-naaaaa...), Perfect Strangers (Standin' tall....), Growing Pains (As long as we've got each other...), Silver Spoons (Together - we're gonna find our way...) - and even the reruns I saw as a kid had great themes. Some with lyrics, some instrumentals. Three's Company, Taxi, Barney Miller, Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, etc. It's great music. It just happens to be music that is 30 seconds long. You don't find the same sort of artistry in theme songs for T.V. shows nowadays. I think the most recent song we perform is King of the Hill and that's a great theme song. But it's more the exception and not the rule. So I hope, to some extent, that we're keeping some familiar songs from certainly my youth alive. And maybe bringing a bit of nostalgia to those meddling kids who are watching the shows on cable reruns.

2) Related to that, I think the nostalgia factor plays into the emotional connection we seem to make with people who see us perform or listen to our CDs. And that's been a great thing to see. There are a million Led Zeppelin tribute bands out there. And another million AC/DC tribute bands. Not everyone is a fan of Led Zeppelin. Not everyone is a fan of AC/DC. But almost everyone has watched television. I've seen guys who look like college football linebacker fratboys go crazy when we kick into our version of Silver Spoons, punk guys with mohawks and tattered leather jackets request The Munsters, and "Indie Rock" girls fawn over Growing Pains. With cable / satellite there's an ungodly amount of channels playing an ungodly amount of television nowadays - most of it bad. Quantity vs. quality. Not to mention the other mediums people have at their disposal like mind-blowing video games and all the media available over the web or now via mobile devices. But growing up - people of my generation and generations prior, you had only a small handful of channels and television had more cultural resonance. It wasn't that long ago, really, that families would sit around together and watch The Wonder Years or Star Trek. So I think when people hear the themes associated with those T.V. shows from their youth, we make a real connection with those people. While we definitely have fun doing what we do, we're not like "Weird" Al. We're not a comedy band. We have a genuine appreciation for the music we perform and I think our audiences get that.

WILL: Wait, what? We're not a comedy band? :P Whenever we're playing shows, the message I'm intending to transmit is, "HAVE FUN, DAMN YOU." Though we do enjoy the music we're creating, I think one of our band's primary purposes is to entertain the crap out of our audience, really leave them with a memorable, fun evening, and inspire high bar tabs for the venue we're playing. We sound pretty good sober, but we sound AWESOME after you've had a beer or two.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

PHIL: Sometimes, I'll simply write up a basic chart of the song and we'll work through an arrangement in the studio - throw around ideas, jam on specific parts for a while, etc. - until it starts sounding good. Most of the time, however, one of us will come up with either a concept for the song or a riff / arrangement and bring the completed arrangement into the studio and work through it. Our version of Growing Pains (a ska rock style tune) and F-Troop (inspired by The Presidents of the United States - a pop-rock / pop-punk style arrangement), for example, I remember coming up with the riffs / arrangement in my head on a plane flight from Seattle to L.A. to visit my family. I scribbled down some notes so I wouldn't forget my ideas and then flushed out the arrangement when I got back to Seattle. Gilligan's Island - which combines the original theme with elements from Iron Maiden's Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Styx's Come Sail Away into one epic rock arrangement - was truly a collaborative effort amongst us. Will (bass) came up with the idea of trying to integrate Gilligan's Island with Rime of the Ancient Mariner so I sat down one day and started working out the arrangement as I had never listened to Iron Maiden before - Will is slightly older than me and has an older brother. So he grew up under the influence of 80's metal whereas I was the oldest in my family and, instead, grew up under the influence of 80's pop music and 60's - 70's classic rock. As I started merging Gilligan's Island with Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I saw an opportunity to work in Styx's Come Sail Away as an appropriate ending. When I brought the arrangement in we didn't know if we were going to be able to perform it for one - being a trio without any guitars makes it difficult to perform Iron Maiden - and we weren't sure it was going to work. But we worked at it and now it's one of our most popular arrangements and closes out our new album The Last T.V. Dinner

We try our best to pick material that we feel we can put a creative spin on. We wouldn't be happy just playing the themes "as-is". There are songs out there like Barney Miller or Taxi or Sanford and Son that are just great "as-is". Why would we want to do anything to them? We still might, someday, integrate them into our songlist but why mess with perfection?

WILL: I've noticed that we put a lot of emphasis into entertaining ourselves when we're playing our music. If our own songs don't feel fun to us, then something's wrong, and they stay off the set list. We've got a couple of tracks that have seen multiple revisions and still haven't quite worked. Greatest American Hero, for example; we just cannot make that song be entertaining to us in practice, and thus it hasn't made it out live or on a recording yet. On the other hand, WKRP In Cincinnati is a great example of a song we started playing early on (it may have been one of the first 5 songs we played as a band), that saw multiple arrangements and styles and finally made it not only into live sets but recorded as the opening track of The Last T.V. Dinner.

As Phil mentioned, we usually discuss songs we want to perform, and put them on a list of future songs to play. Then we start talking about styles to play them as, or other popular songs that we can infuse them with. Phil then writes up charts, and we start hammering them out in practice.

How would you define your music?

PHIL: "Epic rock". That's been the term I've always used. We pride ourselves on being loud and full sounding for "only" a trio. It's big. Someone did a piece on us at one point where they said something to the effect of, "... they're having fun without poking fun ..." and that's very fitting. What we do is fun. There's nothing better than hearing 1,200 people singing along to Cheers at a show. Big and fun.

WILL: A sound engineer named Dave Hageage once described Stay Tuned as "like sausage." I'm not sure what that meant, but I like to think that our music is tasty, as long as you don't think about what exactly is in it.

Who are your music influences??

PHIL: We really do listen to and integrate a diverse amount of musical styles and influences into our arrangements. Bands like The Presidents of the United States, Weezer, Phish, and Cake would certainly be more modern bands that have influenced our approach. I think you can also very easily see influences from more classic rock bands like Cheap Trick, Rush, Boston, Deep Purple, and The Ramones in our arrangements as well. Because our sound is defined, in many ways, by the keyboards - which are vintage overdriven electric pianos / keytars and Hammond B-3 - many people associate us with early 70's rock. I would say in terms of performance, The Presidents of the United States - whom I've seen a number of times up here in the NorthWest - and Cheap Trick are huge inspirations. Those two bands put on killer performances and everyone should go see them if given the chance.

WILL: My own musical influences include Radiohead, Red Hot Chile Peppers, Crosby Stills and Nash. And I don't think you could really hear any of that in any of Stay Tuned's songs, except for some of the slap bass stuff. When I first started singing backup vocals, I started paying more attention to classic rock singing arrangements like Crosby, Stills and Nash, Boston, Kansas. My bass playing in Stay Tuned is also more influenced by classic rock -- as Phil mentions, we've got a pretty full sound with the keyboard parts, which doesn't leave a lot of room for complex bass lines, or for bass lines that enter into higher ranges. So I really started paying attention to what some of the classic rock bass guys were doing to fill whatever remaining frequencies there were after guitars, keyboards and vocals.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

PHIL: We would like to do more touring and branch out beyond the West Coast. We're looking to do so in 2011. We spent much of 2010 working on our new album and plan on spending 2011 working on playing dates all over the country if we can.

WILL: I'd like to see a more wide-spread consumption of fruit infused waffles. Oh, wait, you meant Stay Tuned. I'd love to see Stay Tuned gain a little more attention. The music is great, the concept is fun, and we are really entertaining to watch. I'd love to tour around the country a bit more.

What has been the greatest day in the band?

PHIL: The day a lovely young lady took her top off for Airwolf. I'm not entirely sure that can be topped. Although performing in front of 1,200+ at The Showbox in Seattle is pretty outstanding.

WILL: Hahahahahaha oh yeah! I forgot about that girl! For me, the day we were featured on the tv show Evening Magazine.

What's the song or album you can't take out of your head (Stop listening)?

PHIL: Recently I've been listening to Medeski, Martin & Wood: Uninvisible and Bill Cosby & Quincy Jones: The Original Jam Sessions 1969. I like the MMW stuff generally. Being a keyboardist who plays vintage keyboards in a trio, I can totally relate and appreciate what they do.

WILL: Recently I have Local Natives' song "Wide Eyes" stuck in my head. They're a local band out of L.A., really fantastic.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

PHIL: I can't think of a singular event but when we've been on the road the conversations always go into highly inappropriate territory fairly quickly. In the car. At the hotel. At the gig. Our mothers are a common target. And I've always brought along bags of nuts from Trader Joes to snack on. So there is an onslaught of jokes about snacking on my nuts, my big sack of nuts, a handful of my nuts, etc. Good times.

WILL: Whenever we do a show on or around April Fools, we open up for ourselves as some other comedic tribute band. The first time we did it, we opened up for Portland's The Misfats as Barely Manilow: A Barry Manilow Experience and we performed Mandy. Later, we dressed up in doctor's scrubs and did a version of Jesse's Girl as the fictitious Rick Springfield tribute band Dr. Drake. Most recently we opened up for a local comedy night, and Phil had a stroke of genius for a fake tribute band: we were "AC/Richie" and we did a combined version of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long." We had to do some serious shopping for Catholic School Boy shorts and funny hats. I'm lobbying for our next fake tribute to be Iron Money, and combine Iron Maiden's "Two Minutes to Midnight" and Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise."

PHIL: To answer the last question first, I think I'd probably be the first person to be cooked and eaten. I have a nice layer of fat that would sear nicely. And, according to Emeril, fat equals flavor. So I'd be tasty. As far as who I'd send to look for help? Probably the drummer. In the big scheme of things, he's easier to replace by modern machinery than the rest of us.

WILL: I don't know if I could eat Phil. He'd be way too spicy, with the amount of Tabasco, spicy chili, and jalapeños that man eats. I'd probably be sent for help, as Phil is notorious for his lack of sense of direction (almost 10 years in Seattle and he still can't find his way to Greenlake from our studio in SoDo.) And, as Phil mentioned, the drummer is the most expendable, so we'd eat the drummer.

"How many drummers does it take to screw in a light-bulb? –None, they have machines that do that now."

What are your hobbies?

PHIL: This is my hobby :). I walk a lot. Love to walk, hate to drive. I am a big baseball fan in spite of the Mariners performance. I lead a fairly boring lifestyle if I can manage it.

WILL: I started an originals band called Altin Jimbiz last year. So between Stay Tuned and Altin Jimbiz, I'd say music borders between hobby and part time job. I'm also an artist, I draw and paint a bit. And I'm pretty good at playing darts.

What country you guys would love to play?

PHIL: Japan. I am convinced that we would be big in Japan. They seem to have very eclectic tastes and we're a pretty eclectic band. Seems like the perfect match.

WILL: New Jersey. At least, NJ seems like an exotic 'other' country. Australia. I'd love to play Australia. I think the Aborigines would totally get us.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

PHIL: The Presidents of the United States. Cheap Trick. Weezer. Phish. Those would probably be my top four. I feel like they share our approach to music. They have fun. And they - as well as their audience - would appreciate what we're doing. Plus I would love to meet those guys.

WILL: Honestly, anyone who would put up with our amazing B.O.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?

PHIL: I think our goal is to get bigger. Play all over. We've accomplished a lot on our own and are really looking to partner up with a label or agency to help take us to the next level. So that's one of our primary goals over the next year is to work at playing more shows, in more cities, and spread the good word of television.

WILL: Yes, and my gut says that our immediate direction isn't too clear. Phil and I have a pretty good sense of what we want to have happen, and can envision where we want to be, but we're having difficulty getting there. We have some work cut out for us to keep on track. But as Phil mentions, playing more shows in more cities, and for larger audiences.

Check out more: http://www.reverbnation.com/staytunedtheband

A-Block

2010-11-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind your name?
I got the name A-Block aka The B.C.H. Veteran when my uncle was in jail for a few years as well as some friends of mine. That’s the story behind my name. The 2nd meaning of it comes from my labels Black City Hustla (B.C.H.) Records and I really work hard for the label and act like a veteran. That’s why I go by A-Block The B.C.H. Veteran

How did you get started with all this?
When I was 6 years old I would listen to rap and hip-hop. When I first heard it I started to like it because the music was so creative and I liked the way it flowed together and the beats and what they would talk about. The taste of rap was good and I would rap lots of songs from 2 Pac, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre ect. So one day a dude told me "Hey you got talent and you’re good too. You should record and write your own songs“. I started to think about his statement and after giving it some though, I decided to give it a try. So I started to write some bars/lyrics. Nowadays I rep my label „Black City Hustla Records“ till my death.

What's the message to transmit with your music?
I want to send a message to people and encourage them not to give up in life, just keep your head up and do your thang. Turn your dreams into reality and keep it 500% & stay true to yourself. Also I want to let people know that you can turn violence into lyrics and you dont need to pull a trigger to solve your problems. Write lyrics and solve your problems with a pen and paper. Don't be a offender, be a SONG WRITER.

What's your method at the time of writting a song?
Well, sometimes when I get in my zone, I start writing my flows down or I when I have thoughts in my mind for a beat, I start putting them together like a puzzle.

Who are your music influences?
My influences in the rap game are the legendary 2 Pac, Biggie Smalls, Big L, Dr.Dre, Guru, Outlawz, Snoop, Crooked I, The Game, Young Buck, ect.

What plans do you guys have for the future?
My main plan is trying to make it big with my label and move to the next level. I also want to be an inspiration to the youth and to my fans as well as bring a new generation and style to the rap game.

What has been the greatest day as a musician?
The greatest day as a musician was having my music played on the radio

What are your hobbies?
I love playing basketball, baseball, soccer, writing music, promoting my music and working with my label

What country would you guys love to play in?
Everywhere North and South America, Asia, Europe, ect.

With what bands would you guys love to share the stage with?
Crooked I, Outlawz, The Game, Young Buck, G-Unit, Twista ect.

Are you guys happy with the direction the band is going?
Yes. I'm confident with the direction we’re going in. We're steady grinding and getting things done the B.C.H way. I'm doing pretty good with my music, I'm still writing songs for my fans out there and trying to make a difference in my community. We're just taking care of business step by step.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/itsablock

The Sour Notes

2010-11-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

A few years ago, before I started the band... I used to write these little notes to myself on scraps of paper or notebooks lying around that said things like "Pay attention when people are talking to you", "Don't bite your nails", "Stop exaggerating stories or outright lying"... etc... I used to call them my Sour Notes, as they were usually reflective negatively or bitter to some regard. The first image I ever associated with The Sour Notes' music was a bunch of these crumpled up notes lying around a trash can that 'missed the bucket'...

How did you guys get started with all this??
It started out as a bedroom recording project in Houston, Texas initially. Then when I finished a collection of my first songs (The Meat of the Fruit, 2008), I decided I wanted to play them live with a band. So I quit my job and moved to Austin, Texas where a like-minded musician friend of mine (Chris) lived and asked him if he would start a band with me. We moved into a house together in East Austin and started recording our first real album in my opinion, (Received in Bitterness, 2009) and met some mutual friends (Brandi & Travis) to join on bass and drums.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
I'd like to think it's therapeutic for the lonely and/or down and out, but at the same has a real catchiness that can easily disguise all those feelings. Most of the songs I write are usually self-reflective, like I tend to say the words 'Love, I, and You' to an absurd amount... but I'm working on extending my vocabulary.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
It used to be that I would try and translate the feelings and/or scenarios I watched in old movies in a kind of 'summed up' pop-sensible 2 or three minute song... I used to particularly call upon the films of Ingmar Bergman for my darker songs and Jean Luc Godard for my more playful tunes. I few of my song titles and lyrics use words, dialogue or even audio samples taken directly from these films. More recently, I find myself just waiting around till a verse or chorus pops into my head. It might sound unusual, but I rarely pick up a guitar or play the piano unless I have an idea for a song that I've already been humming for a week or so.

Who are your music influences??
Lyrically, I like the simplistic views in songs by '60s girl groups like The Ronnettes, I'm also a big fan of Francoise Hardy. If you were to associate The Sour Notes' musical style to more modern bands, I would admit to listening to alot of Spiritualized and Slowdive. When I first started forming my own musical opinions about what I liked and felt comfortable with in my teens, I really loved bands like Jawbreaker, Chisel, and Joan of Arc. Those were probably the first bands I was exposed to that I understood.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
We've got a new 7-inch record coming out on New Years Eve, then heading out on our 4th tour up the East Coast and into Canada for a couple weeks, before returning to Austin to release our 4th album 'Last Looks'.

What has been the greatest day in the band?
The band has grown and changed so much from the beginning and I've shared so many experiences with the different members of the band that I couldn't pick just one. The days I'm most excited about sharing with the band are 'recording sessions', because when everyone starts to hear how new songs start to unfold and solidify, everyone just gets really excited and there's a burst of productivity for a while that carries us further.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
Everyone in the band is pretty reserved. Though, there are/have been a few 'wise-guys' in the band, nobody's really tryied to pull a fast one, or at least they haven't on me. We have gotten into some weird situations on tour... partying after shows with 'hosting bands', being involved in after-hours altercations, danger, etc, but no pranks... Like EPMD, "We're strictly business."

Well, this being the 'smart-phone' generation of touring, I think we would just find the nearest helping hand and wait for their arrival. I can't imagine what touring was like without GPS navigation systems or using physical maps.

What are your hobbies?
I really don't do anything but work on the band non-stop. There's always something to do everyday. Making flyers, driving around town hanging flyers, recording, booking shows/tours, fixing what's wrong with the van and working full-time to support the band. It's a full-time job. There isn't really time for much more.

What country you guys would love to play?
We'd love to tour any country.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
I'd love to share the stage with Radiohead. Other than that, we've had the opportunity to play with loads of talented bands across the country. My favorite bands to play with here in Austin are Ume & White Dress.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?

I don't really know where we're going, but the choices have been made.

"Psychological Thriller" Music Video from The Sour Notes on Vimeo.

Check Out more: http://www.myspace.com/thesournotes

Grand Hotel

2010-11-27T05:24:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
The name comes from the 1932 film Grand Hotel, the only movie to win Best Picture without being nominated in any other category.

How did you guys get started with all this??
The core of the band began playing together in high school. Aaron LaChance (drums), Jason Elvin (bass), and Glen Capen (guitar) had been a part of several bands throughout high school and wrote music together in college and afterwards. Kyle Gervais (vocals/guitar) became introduced to group through mutual friends. Kyle and Glen have always had a knack for writing and composing and we figured out pretty quick that there was definitely some musical chemistry between them, as well as the group as a whole. Six months after becoming a unit, we wrote and recorded a six song debut EP (released in August 2009). Almost a year later, we decided to add a fifth member, Michael Reid, for extra color and character.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
The message we're trying to transmit? Raunchy Sexytime.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
Kyle, Glen and Michael are the creative jump-starts to any song constructed by GRAND HOTEL. The three will individually, or cooperatively, bring 3 to 6 song ideas to the table. Aaron and Jason will then throw a groove under the form while guitars and vocals fill out the melodies.

Who are your music influences??
We each come from very different areas but I would say altogether, our influence would be music in general.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
GRAND HOTEL’s immediate plan is to keep writing music and producing albums. In a year or so, we plan on touring the Northeast and eventually expanding the trek to run from Maine to Florida.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
While playing a 3-day festival, we started spreading the rumor that Justin Bieber was playing "secret sets" at 2:45, AM and PM, but to keep it on the down low. Eventually, we started hearing people asking if anyone had seen Bieber's set because they had missed it and heard it was sweet.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
We’d send Aaron... he can walk faster since there is very little air resistance.

We’d eat Michael... because he's the new guy... he’d probably taste like whisky... and we could build a debris hut out of his beard to keep us warm.

What country you guys would love to play?
Brazil. Kyle has been obsessed with learning Portuguese and moving there for far too long. Playing there would give him an excuse to do so.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Like play with at the same time? Nobody. Kyle doesn't have enough room to move around as is. But together at the same show? Oh, the usual giants. Radiohead,Gorillaz, Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, Phoenix, U2. To be honest, we'll play with just about anybody as long as they aren't named Chad Kroeger or on the stage with us at the same time. We really need to make that clear.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?
Absolutely. We keep trying to push ourselves further as musicians but also have as much fun as possible with the songs we're writing and playing. Plus, we really want our audiences to have a good time so we're always working to make it as much of a party as possible for everyone involved. And we feel, if we're having fun, they're having fun. We think, at least.

Check out more: www.myspace.com/grandhotel

The Evangenitals

2010-11-18T15:58:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name? The name “Evangenitals” is a spirit soup combination of the concepts of “Evangelism” and “Genitals.” According to Webster’s Dictionary this simply means that we are “passionately zealous” about the “origins of creation.” We like to think of the band name as a beacon (and a warning) that absolutely ANYTHING can happen in our world: no topic is too far out, no idea is too challenging, no musical genre is off-limits, and no lyrics are too sacred or profane to be sweetly crooned or howled at the top of our lungs. Being in a band called the Evangenitals gives us the freedom to explore and express whatever comes our way, and anyone coming to see a band called the Evangenitals is definitely agreeing to take a wild trip.

How did you guys get started with all this?? The real band "moment" happened one late December night on a long drive home from Ventura County, where Lisa and I had spent the day playing Dance Dance Revolution and eating tacos on the beach. We were lost and trying to stay warm in my topless 1988 Suzuki Samurai jeep by singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs until our voices were ragged. Laughing uncontrollably we said, "Wouldn't it be hysterical if we signed up for Arlo's open mike at Mr. T's Bowl (in Highland Park) and did our version of O Holy Night?" And we did. The rest is history.

What's the message you try to transmit with your music?? Love. It has a lot to do with the embracing of all things between heaven and earth, from the sublime to the profane, and having mad love for all of it. The guiding principles of our art and our action are, in short:

An expansive, relentless love of everyone and everything, from the sublime to the profane.
A joyous getting down with the all of it all, with no topic being too taboo.
A fiercely beautiful, holy, and kick ass irreverence for Being.

The goal is creative freedom, and sharing as much of ourselves as possible with an audience. Putting the commune back in communication.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?? Every song is different, and I can’t say that there is a specific “method” that has emerged. Half of the songs I write seem to start in the shower, or in the car. Sometimes it will start with the chords, and I’ll fall in love with some rhythm or progression that gives birth to the tune. Sometimes I’ll be singing random things in the shower/car and come up with the chorus, or just a melodic line I like. Sometimes I set out to really address something specific, like when I wrote “The Lee Shore”… which is based on Chapter 26 of Moby Dick. Mostly I just stay open to whatever method shows up. Openness is key! In the beginning I’d have to privately play my songs to Lisa Dee before sharing with the group, because I was really shy. I still do that most of the time.

What are your musical influences?? Our influences are all over the place, as are we. In no particular order, we have been DEEPLY influenced by Bob Marley, Frank Zappa, Otis Redding, Richard Strauss, the Ramones, the Muppets, Kris Kristofferson, David Bowie, Dead Milkmen, the Beatles, MC Chris, Ween, Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, ABBA, Sesame Street, Low, DJ Quik, Frank Black & The Pixies, Patsy Cline, Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Captain Beefheart, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash & June Carter, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Eric McFadden, Charles Mingus, Willie Nelson, Francoise Hardy, Eydie Gorme, Curtis Mayfield, Fleetwood Mac, Bill Withers, Band of Horses, Mitch Hedberg, Nina Simone, Steve Martin, Jackson 5, Bill Cosby and way too many others to list. We love music. LOVE. And we’re going to be kicking ourselves for months thinking of everyone we left out of this list. It is endless.

What plans do you guys have for the future?? Having ludicrous amounts of fun, making ridiculous amounts of music, traveling to an obscene amount of countries, and touching a lot of people’s secret places inside.

Which has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show?? We’re not really pranksters. We have trust issues. But you could ask our drummer Kristy McInnis about the “spider incident”… we’re sworn to secrecy. (But we think it was Andrea… maybe Nathan)

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour, and the help is 65 miles away from where you guys are: Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first? Wow. Okay. We asked this question to the group at a rehearsal and I will honestly report exactly what was said: Lisa: “Who says we need help?”, Andrea: “We would start a hippie commune.”. Henry: “(Silence. Henry is a man of few words. But he’s smiling.)” Anonymous: “Eat? Like oral sex?” (okay, that was Andrea); Super Anonymous: “The women folk would spontaneously begin to produce soy breast milk and feed the others.” (okay, that was Juli), Nathan: “I love soy milk!” Kristy: “Hey-yo! (ba dum bum… she’s the drummer)” Yes, that’s how we roll.

What country you guys would love to play? All of them. Repeatedly. Starting with getting back to the UK. And soon!

With what bands you guys would love to share stage?? See influences above… All of them. And Madonna. And U2. And Gogol Bordello. And anyone else who is awesome. We like awesome.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going so far?? Yes!!! Wait… Where are we going????

Check out more: http://www.evangenitals.com/

Troubaduo

2010-11-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
Troubadour means:
one of a class of medieval lyric poets who flourishedprincipally in southern France from the 11th to 13thcenturies, and wrote songs and poems of a complex metricalform in langue d'oc, chiefly on themes of courtly love.

We're two songwriters writing about love and life and came together. Two Troubadours just wasn't a solid enough name so Jill said "What about Troubaduo"? And we laughed and said that's great!

How did you guys get started with all this??
I moved from Arkansas to Los Angeles to find some solid musicians and start another band and hopefully obtain a deal where I could create my art freely and not get ripped off by the label. Jill moved to L.A. from the small beach town of Carpinteria, California to do music also but she never really cared about getting a record deal and just wanted to perform and do her music in L.A. with other great artists. L.A. really kind of went pop techno, and we felt like their was no place for our music. When we'd both met we had had three record deal offers between us and an offer for "Rockstar Season 2" but we declined all because none of it fit with our path. The musical styles and lack of artistic control wasn't an interest to us so we ended up meeting at the same very cool PRG Acoustically Speaking Showcase at the Room 5 Lounge (PRG for Poet Roni Girl). Roni had been booking both Jill and I for a while but we'd always seem to perform on different nights. Roni got some great artists in the venue over the years and when we saw each other perform in February 2008 we were hooked on each other. We met in February 2008 and by September we were in a relationship and had vowed to leave our leases and become homeless to hit the road in April when both of our leases were up. In late 2008 we began booking our first Western U.S. tour and had become Troubaduo. Before that we were writing and performing as solo artists and in bands for 10 years seriously pursuing music as a career and artistic lifestyle.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
Peace, hope, life situations and not the same ol' topic every tune. The music's about being songwriters so the style can vary a bit from tune to tune. We're trying to cut to the soul of a person with our words and relate so they can get out of the mud easier. We want to spread a non-judgemental message with our music and openly admit that we also like learning through others no matter their age, race, sex, etc. At first we had some heavier subject songs but we've let go of the past now. We're really focussing on positive life messages with rock, Americana, folk, blues, vintage soul, jazz and performing all of this acoustically, while we still write a lot of songs that feature full bands in the studio. This will be the case on our upcoming "We Live in the Gray" album with bassist Al Aguilar and world-renown drummer "Curt Bisquera". Then of course we do some gospel tunes as well so we're in the Mavis Staples/Gillian Welch vein of gospel. That's a huge difference but we're somewhere in there with our gospel wailing and an occasional mandolin or harmonica with the message we believe Jesus is God and Psalm 22 said so 1000 years before He came, but we're not going to thump anyone on the head with our Bibles nor force our beliefs anywhere. Because we're not ashamed of our beliefs doesn't give us the right to judge and force our opinions on others. I had a tumor in my head God took out in April (story at www.troubaduo.blogspot.com) and am forever grateful for his mercy and healing hand in my life. So knowing we're not going to force our opinion everyone gives us the option of not being a gospel only artist, and we write tons of Americana to rock to psychedelic music, but it all has a positive message that most people can directly relate to no matter their background in almost every tune.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
Just let it be, let it happen. We're spiritual so we'll meditate and know the Higher Power's helping us and writing through us, but as for the method, we're far from the modern day Nashville way to write. Jill can do that and write really nice songs, but she prefers to just wait and let the best art come naturally like me. Man, I've tried to co-write with others before, but Jill's the only one I've had success with. We like to take time for a song to flourish with good melody and purpose.

Which is your music influences??
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Tracy Chapman, Van Morrison, Chris Whitley, Mavis Staples, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Malcolm Holcombe, SRV, Ryan Adams, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Ryan Bingham, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Elvis, Lonnie Johnson, Darrell Evans, Robert Johnson, Slash, David Crowder, Fiona Apple, The Avett Brothers, Ray Charles, Steve Earle, Tom Waits, and of course the Beatles. Even great comedians such as Mitch Hedberg influence us on the stage and Peter Schiff when insulted. Like the Peter Schiff youtube videos as he stands up for his purpose/art to help. Most everyone on Fox news laughs at him and calls him crazy in 2006 when he said we were headed for economic disaster and in 2007 or 08 CNN even cut him off while he was speaking dropping his feed when he tried to warn the other side of the government prolonged recession. Whoever believes in something for a purpose that results in helping all people (our neighbors) influences us.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
Continue to tour Nationally and begin to tour Internationally. We've also rejected the labels and idea of signing for so long but it looks like we could go with a three album indie deal by late 2011 if the offer is right. We just know the offer includes full free artistic control concerning the songwriting and that's a big plus to know they're going to let the artists be artists.

Which has been the greatest day in the band?
We really like performing the Hope Mountain Barter Faire every year in Cave Junction, Oregon with a community of folks we just feel like is our extended family. There's only about 5,000-10,000 in attendance but there's a lot of truly friendly people and we have some nice fans there.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
I almost went to jail for a prank in high school and learned to stop because my pranks were too intense. If it's cool with you, I'm going to venture from this exact question into a story that is more so the most intense equipment breakdown we ever had. We'd been performing in front of no more than 300 person crowds for a while and all of a sudden got an invite to go perform on Time Warner Cable TV's Local Access Channel program Mallet's Place TV. It's local access to New York City and Los Angeles in from the Staten Island broadcast center reaching up to 900,000 viewers. We booked the show and the night before we were performing, I decided we had to both change strings (and we each only had one guitar on the road with us at this point because we were traveling in our personal truck still and had yet to achieve van or tour bus status.) When I was changing Jill's guitar strings I was replacing her broken pegs in her Martin with the cheapest package of acoustic pegs Guitar Center has to offer. They were completely too big and I ended up getting the peg stuck, then ripping the bridge off of the the body of the guitar. I had some old Gorilla Glue in the truck and it was late so we opted to go with it for a try. Jill prayed over it and glued it down without even using a clamp and played the show the next day with the Martin, and it worked like a Martin. The glue lasted about 10 more shows for the rest of our tour before we came home and got it professionally repaired. Don't buy the cheap acoustic pegs at GC though if you book a gig in front of 900,000 viewers... spend the extra $.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
65 miles is a beast but we'd hack it. You may not like this answer but we're not even going to go there on human eating human. We're that rare happy married couple because we're exactly alike and not opposites. We're just two pretty road experienced young songwriters who would get out and walk 65 miles if needed to, just hope it wouldn't be in the Mountains of Chile.

What are your hobbies?
Camping, hiking, fishing. And besides the fishing we do the other stuff frequently being on the road we like to say at campgrounds a lot and have really got to see some beautiful country and National Parks in the Continental U.S. so far. We like picture taking and have taken a lot of natural shots around this beautiful country while touring from SoCal to Washington and Florida to Maine. Our Facebook photo albums have many photos listed if you'd like to view them at www.facebook.com/troubaduo

What country you guys would love to play?
New Zealand

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Mavis Staples, Dave Matthews, Slash, Gillian Welch, Counting Crows, Willie Nelson and Malcolm Holcombe, and if they were alive Shannon Hoon with Blind Melon, Layne Stayley with Alice & Chains, S.R.V. and Chris Whitley who in our opinion is one of the greatest poetic and unique songwriters to walk the earth.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?
Oh man, dude, so happy. A lot of peace songwriters throughout history whether successful or not have wanted to do the "change the world" thing, and we do as well. It's nice that we've been able to do it through four tours now for 2-3 people at a time at some bars and many more at the festivals we've been blessed to perform at. If one person is a new fan after a show that means so much to us because we've touched their spirit. We don't care about age, it's a number and not how you have to act so we'll straight up tell you our age always throughout our career because we hope to be able to do this full time when we're 77 years old like Willie Nelson. I'm 31 and Jill's 26. We've both been doing this seriously now for almost 12 years. We've gone through almost any situation a songwriter from a small town to Los Angeles could from being a solo artist to having a band. When we met in 2008 it was like finding the promised land because we get along so well mentally, spiritually, socially, emotionally, artistically and so on...

After just 2 years of touring now we are extremely content with the direction of Troubaduo. Long live art for a purpose and forget the facades of the pop world. It's a beautiful ride we're getting to take right now and we're thankful to God for it. Not doing what your heart says is suicide. If you feel called to do something for a greater cause go for it in this one life and one chance we get.

Peace to all and thank you so much Rafa and Vents Magazine for taking the time to talk to us.

Check out more: www.troubaduo.com

Eye'z

2010-10-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
The meaning behind my name is that you dont need to ask questions. Everything you need to know about me is in my Eye's

How did you guys get started with all this?
I was born in a musical family. so I've been singing and performing since I was a toddler.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
I have many messages in my music. Mostly love and dedication. Also that love knows no color or boundary.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
It varies. If I'm writing a song on my own time I let it happen while I'm at the piano. If somone wants a song I go ahead and do it for them then and there.

Who are your music influences??
Aaliyah, Little Richard, Michael Jackson and Eminem

What plans do you guys have for the future??
My plan right now is to release a new single and to make a nice music video to go along with it.

What has been the greatest day in the band?
The greatest day was definetly recording my new music video dedicated... The first day I was in the grave yard I had so much fun. We even took a photo it was a wonderful day to me and I feel all the spirits enjoyed my music. And my friends on the other side enjoyed my love that was sent to them on that day.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show?? Well, I did this one show, they didnt seem to like me and they pulled my plug. so i threw a temper tantrum and demanded my check.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
I would eat my promoter ugly nigga after he brought me some food from the store.

What are your hobbies?
Law, going to court.

What country you guys would love to play?
England and India I'm sorry, but I had to pick more than one.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
LITTLE RICHARD!

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?
ABSOLUTELY, some times you never know what life with throw but I always catch it!

Check out more: www.thelovelyeyez.com

INDOSURF

2010-10-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
Its basically two words that were put together to kind of identify the two types of music that we play. "INDO" standing for the reggae side of our music (I wont elaborate, you should be able to figure it out), and "SURF" standing for the surf instrumental or "Surf" inspired music that we play. We obviously play other types of music, now a days, but that is what one of our friends came up with when we first started. We more or lease don't look at the name like that anymore...as two parts. it's just "INDOSURF" now...it stands for our own type of music now and own identity...which feels pretty good..

How did you guys get started with all this??
We started the whole thing back when we were in high school. Matt, who is the lead singer (we'll refer to him as SHMOUK for the rest of this interview....ONLY Shmouk...) has been my best bud since we were in 1st grade. We grew up together, loving music, and I actually ended up taking trumpet lessons when i was about in the 3rd grade...so I was very involved with music at a young age. Another one of my buddies, Eric, (who is an ex singer for the band), was a good friend of mine and Matt's by the time we were sophmores in high school. Matt had eventually picked up how to strum a few chords on the guitar by then, and Eric had learned how to play the bass a little bit. I was really into jazz at the time with my horn, but Eric and Matt were really into Sublime and some of the other early Skunk Records bands (sublime, The Ziggens, Slightly Stoopid, etc...). They were looking for a drummer because they wanted to start a "sublime" like band, and although i wasn't really into that type of music (they got me listening to The Ziggens and i was a changed man), or even played drums, my house had a drum set cause my little brother took lessons. I was good enough to keep a beat on the set just cause i'd been in music for such a long time by then, and just said what the hell. And thus, the greatest thing since yo momma jokes was born.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
To be original. Obviously that's way easier said than done...now a days its so hard cause everything has been done before. But within the reggae realm, alot of bands I personally believe sound ALOT a like. Its a hard genre to stand out in, cause the music can be so limiting sometimes, but I just feel like alot of bands are trying to be the next Sublime, or the next Slightly Stoopid, or whatever. God bless every band, but we're taking our love for that type of music, and other types of music, and really trying to find ways to make it sound original. Whats great about it sometimes (alot of times actually) is that concept natually comes out sometimes too...all four of listen to so many different types of music and artists that it just comes out on its own alot too. We just want to play our own music. We just want to write a good song and be that band that other people cover, not the other way around, ya know?

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
It depends. More recently, we've been talking about trying to be a bit more collaborative. For the greater part of the past two years, myself has been doing the majority of the writing. We all do it tho...Matt, Dave, everyone. Someone will write either a whole song, with lyrics and everything, and show it to the group, or someone will have like a riff or a bass line, bring that to prac, and we'll kinda talk about it and figure out stuff that we can do with it. Either or!

Who are your music influences??
We have TONS. I listed some earlier for the band...Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, The Ziggens, Pepper, Rx Bandits, Dick Dale...all those reggae, rock, and surf guys. For me personally I love anything from Miles Davis and Coltrane to Motion City Soundtrack and Coheed And Cambria. Some of the other guys influences span from E-40 to Mute Math to Guns N Roses. Its seriously all over the place.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
Long term hopefully to be able to make a living playing our music! Shorter term, we are about to head into the studio to record our first full length album entitled "A Hawaiian Love Story". Its a 14 song, conceptual reggae/rock/alternative album that deals with love and loss in short. We are super excited about it and cant wait to tour the state promoting it after we are done!!!

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
I dunno if it was really a prank that someone played on him, but at The Vans Warped Tour in 2009, some of the guys went to go chill by the car for a bit, get a lil brew in them, and locked Shmouk's keys in the car. That made for a very interesting afternoon cause our gear was still inside. And it made for a very angry Shmouk too.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
Either me and or Shmouk would probably go look for help i bet. I'm leaning more towards Shmouk, but either one of us. As far as who we would eat, If it was just us four....probably Dave...hahah! I can't really decide who we would eat first, but I do know that if Rego was with us he'd definetly go first.

What country you guys would love to play?
Man, that's a tough question. I think somewhere Islandish would be awesome, like Costa Mesa or Jamaica. Maybe even Mexico. That'd be pretty sweet.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Any of our influences would be sick! We've actually been lucky to open up for The Ziggens and Bert's new band, Bert Susanka and The Astronaut Love Triangle. I think playing along side Sublime with Rome would be pretty epic.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going so far?
Of course! Like I was saying earlier we are going to try and be a bit more collaborative in the song writing process after we record our new album...try to have more parts from everyone in the song writing process vs. just one. If that works or not is remain to be seen, but definetly worth a try! But even with that being said, everything is great! Look out for our new album that should be out early next year!!!!!

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/indosurf

Carbellion

2010-10-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind your name?

Well... I've told many stories about the name's origin that include but are not limited to folklore involving ghost ships, matadors, and Canadian revolutionaries. To get one of those stories you'll have to catch me after a live set with a handful of whiskey shots in me! The truth is my previous band was named Carbon Parlor and Peter (lead guitar), Brandon (rhythm guitar), and Steve's (Bass) band was called Whiskey Rebellion. When we couldn't come up with a name we all could agree on we made a hybrid which also makes us the only "Carbellion" online anywhere.

How did you get started with all this?

I can't speak for everyone on this one but I can tell you about my start.

When I wasn't a fan of several of the high school bands that were forming during my time there I came up with the idea that maybe I should start a band. Many people in the high school music "scene" laughed it off with the same elitist attitude that made their music intolerable for me and several of my friends to listen to. I couldn't sing very well at the time but I could scream and yell with the best of them.

Needless to say I started a band that tried to be somewhat like Alice in Chains and Pantera but ended up more like Agnostic Front and M.O.D.!

What's the message to transmit with your music?

Carbellion writes aggressive rock n' roll with hints of irony and lightheartedness. The reason for this is not so much that we aren't serious about our music or the themes conveyed in the songs. It is more a way to say that life is too short not to enjoy it. There is a parallel some would consider unique with Carbellion's song lyrics and member's behavior. We are hard drinking group of metaphoric rock n' roll pirates with a tendency for rowdy and questionable behavior while also having a high morale standard for ourselves and those we surround ourselves with. We more or less draw a hard line on where the party stops and the work begins. A couple short version themes we feel strongly about in the songs are that nothing ever comes for free and anything worth having is worth working for. No one deserves much of anything except to be true to themselves. No regrets is no excuse to tear wounds in yourself or others.

Alright, I'm off the soapbox- lol!

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

Typically one of the guys will come with a riff or a couple of riffs that have a good feel. We then all work together to flesh out the music into a song structure. It definitely helps that Jamie (drums) and Steve (Bass) along with Peter and Brandon are all accomplished guitar players. I'm always coming up with lyrical ideas throughout the day so I make notes on a small voice recorder and then work those into the song ideas at our rehearsals and on my own time with a 4 track.

Who are your music influences?

This one is all over the place. Brandon was really into death metal most of his music formative years and now listens to a lot of rebel country. Steve likes everything from Kid Rock to Clutch. Jamie is a typically a metal guy listening to bands like Metallica but is more recently into bands like Wolfmother. Peter listens to and takes influence from uber guitarists like John 5, Slash, etc.

I'm influenced by the grunge era bands and listen to a great deal of indie label stoner rock and hard rock bands.

The only common theme among us is "Rock".

What plans do you guys have for the future?

We are in the process of writing an album for release by Indie 500 Records and Union 414 Records in the US and Dead Tree Music in the EU. In 2011 Carbellion will be taking a new approach to US touring focusing on 3 day weekend driven stints in different areas of the US.

We are also talking about doing a brief tour in Scandinavia for Dead Tree Music.

What has been the greatest day as a musician?

It would be too hard to isolate a single day as there have been so many great ones.

Some highlights for me would include opening for musical idols like Motorhead, COC, Clutch, the Cult, etc.

I would definitely say the Passage West Tour Carbellion did in 2009 rates high among the highlights as well.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part of while on tour or after a show?

Yikes. There have been so many...

We've talked people (and taken part ourselves) into some seriously strange things.

Keeping it PG rated, I've had so many people believe in some of the made up folklore about the band name and recite it verbatim to their friends. Some of it is so ridiculous.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour, and the help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first?

I would probably be the person who has to head out on foot for help. Peter might end up going though as he is in far the best shape of any of us. As far as who would we eat first and why, that's tough.

I'm the biggest meal but I could last the longest so probably not me.

Brandon would likely make all of us sick if we ate him so he's out.

Steve is the scrappiest wrestler in the band and the smallest meal so he is also probably safe.

That leaves Jamie. He is the oldest member but also the nicest guy in the band and not likely to go easily.

We tend to share responsibility so we'd all probably kick in some appendages instead of choosing any one of us.

What are your hobbies?

All the guys in the band ride motorcycles (3 Harleys and a Victory) but Peter. Peter works out all the time and does Sean Connery impressions.

What country would you guys love to play?

Sweden. Some of our best times have been with the Swedes.

With what bands would you guys love to share the stage?

We've been fortunate enough to get to share the stage with most of our idols.

Brandon would likely say WASP. Peter would probably say ZZ Top. Jamie would likely say Metallica.

Steve would say "which show comes with the best back stage experience?". I would likely say

Soundgarden or AIC at this point.

Are you guys happy with the direction the band is going?

Always. It is always taking a new turn and taking on new challenges. It never gets stagnant for too long.

What more could you ask for musically or music business-wise?

Check out more: www.myspace.com/carbellion

Saiah

2010-10-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind your name?
It’s actually short for my government name, Isaiah. People close to me usually drop the ‘I’ anyway and I like to think the fans are my extended family so it makes my relationship with them less formal and more casual. That’s the way I like to keep it... Laid back.

How did you get started with all this?
I’ve always been into music in one way or another. Way back in the day I used to sneak downstairs at my mom’s church to play the piano, sometimes during the service, just playing by ear without really knowing what I was doing. As I got older I got into poetry and later I started rapping around middle school/high school. I always was a fan of hip hop but I just started recording with some friends and liked creating so much. It just became part of me.

What's the message to transmit with your music?
It depends on the song really but the overall message revolves around positivity and social issues. There’s more than dancing and clubbing in this world, but on the other hand, there’s also more than just activism and positivity too so I try to reflect the same balance in my music. Overall I just want to touch the listener and have them identify with my music because I might have gone through the same thing that they’re dealing with. As long as people can relate and my music actually betters somebody’s life, I’m happy.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?
There’s really no method to the madness. Sometimes it comes to me in the bathroom, watching tv, having a conversation, etc. Ironically, a lot of times while I’m driving I get inspiration since I don’t listen to the radio a lot. I end up listening to instrumentals or genres of music outside of just hip hop and that gives me inspiration. Don’t worry I don’t write down the lyrics I come up with while I’m driving in the car but most of the time I write it down or record myself rapping on the phone. If I get in the studio to write I rarely sit down. I like to pace and move around while I think. As I come up with the concept of the song I write it down since I don’t have the best memory and I hate forgetting something I know is hot. As far as the order of the song structure, that changes with every song, sometimes I get the hook first, sometimes I get the verse, or the bridge first. There’s just really no manual for it. Every time is different, which makes it a new experience for each song.

Who are your music influences?
I have too many to name them all. I’ll start with the hip hop ones though. You’ve got Mos Def, Common, Tupac, Eminem, Lauryn Hill, and a lot more but listen to a lot more than just hip hop since I’m generally an eclectic music fan. I’m really big on Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Anthony Hamilton, Jasmine Sullivan, and a lot of the old school R&B. Aretha Franklin is one of my favorites and I like Marvin Gaye and some other Motown artists. Oh yeah, and don’t forget Michael. I could go on for days.

What plans do you have for the future?
In the future, I just plan to continue doing music and expanding my fanbase to a national, and later international level. I think what I’m doing is already in line with my goals but I just want to do it on a larger scale, like most people. I have an album I’m working on now, some publishing and song placement deals in the works, and some other projects in the plans. I’m just taking it as it comes.

What has been the greatest day as a musician?
My greatest day probably was at the album release party for my debut album. It was at a club in Florida and the place was packed. I went down from VIP and had the DJ play my song and it was just the excitement and the vibe there. I’ve had a lot of other experiences that most people would think should rank higher, but for me that was it. It was the realization of a goal and the start of my dream becoming reality.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/aprilfoolrecords

delSanto

2010-10-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
If you look up the 2 words del Santo in the dictionary you will see the meaning 'the Saint’ We had no idea about the literal meaning when we picked the name, as we were simply throwing ideas around and chose it more for how it sounds. Which we thought suited the bands style. So we are basically pretending that we are a non religious rock band, but really all we are doing is preaching to you about the holy one with subliminal messages in our lyrics. If you play our songs backwards you will hear the voice of the holy one! (jokes)

How the band started??
As a band, Tripgauge approached Steve to sing for them in 07,
Steve had recently split with a band called Dreamshifter. He accepted the offer and we wrote a few tunes which sounded amazing and felt great. We decided to start fresh, so we changed the name and later recorded a 2 song EP with a well known rock producer. Unfortunately a few of us started having creative differences in the writing! Imagine that?! BAND MEMBERS HAVING CREATIVE DIFFERENCES! WELL I NEVER! Which..... eventually was the demise of the band and so we split in late 08. We recently reformed the band around the start of 2010 with 2 new members (bassist & guitarist) after many months of intensely painful auditions, which we regret not filming as we're certain we could of made a very interesting comedy documentary.

What's the message to transmit with your music?
Our message is this: WATCH OUT FOR THE FEMALE RACE! THEY'RE ALL MAD! No, we love the women of this would and this is why the majority of our lyrics are about them. Its not a hang up we have or anything scary like that, its more to do with the experiences we've had in relationships and well maybe we have fooled ourselves completely into thinking we have half an idea about how they work ha! There are other subject matters that Steve throws his spin on as well, but to answer your question simply, delSanto is made up of musos which all share more of a focus on creating great melody, structure, tones, dynamics and quality of songs, over sending a general message out to our audience.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
The lyrics process starts with using key words that fit and sound great. And then comes the painful yet rewarding process of trying to put the big jig saw puzzle together by
changing various lyrics and shaping them into something that makes sense and is hopefully meaningful to you, the listener, in the end.
Basically, the band composes the songs and records demos for our singer. Who then takes the tracks and writes melodies and extra lyrics for the songs in his spare time whilst the band works on getting the songs arranged.
The songs are hardly ever an easy process for us. We spend allot of time fine tuning them. At the end of the day when we have worked until a song is near perfect, it gives us a mountain of satisfaction and pride to listen back to it.

Who are your music influences?
The band doesn't seem to have any other band that everyone agrees on as a favourite.

Steve (Vocals): Most things Mike Patton has been involved in, so theres like a hundred bands right there, Silverchair, Jeff Buckley, Early Grinspoon, Pantera, RATM, Nirvana when I first got into music.
Mitch (Guitars): Deftones, Butterfly Effect, Cog. Karnivool.
Kristian (Guitars): Sevendust, Evergrey, Alter Bridge, Angra, Pagans Mind, Edguy.
Paul (Bass): Nickelback, RHCP, U2, Silverchair, Lifehouse, Switchfoot.
Mark (Drums): Meshuggah, Dream Theater, Celldweller, Nine Inch Nails.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
Well, who doesn't want to be living off touring and writing music, instead of holding down jobs whilst playing in our spare time? We're currently looking at all avenues we can to promote ourselves, including playing gigs, getting supports with major acts, finding management and publicists and also looking into having our music included in movies and computer games.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show?
STEVE-> It hasn't happened yet but it will. I have in my possession the hottest chillies in the world, the famous Naga Jolokia chillies. I have about 20 of them and I am simply going to buy coloured toilet paper to disguise the chillie that I'm going to rub on both sides of about 10 sheets, then set up a camera. And on this recording you will see a delSanto member creating youtube gold my friend, and maybe creating a law suit against me too.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
We'd send Paul. But this is a tough decision, as he'd also be the first person we'd eat! So we would prefer to eat his legs and then make him crawl away to find help for us.

What country would you guys love to play?
We definitely want to play Scandinavia and Japan

With what bands you guys would love to share stage?
Our influences of course. Oh and Justin Bieber!

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?
We have really just started this band again. Starting a band from scratch, trying to build up a fan base again is a hard thing to do, but it does build character and you learn the fast way how to deal with whatever crap gets thrown your way, so we are treating our initialisation back onto the music industry as a free education. Being professional, but at the same time having fun along the way.
We are confident the band has the right elements to get somewhere in the industry so we all have positive minds about the future.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/delsantoband

Seraplane

2010-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

Landon: I was looking through the dictionary one day and the word seriplane jumped out at me. All the guys agreed, but they wanted to change the “i” to an “a,” which sort of takes away the definition.

Sam: I think it had something to do with cloth. Like the process of making cloth. We don’t really flaunt that meaning.

How did you guys get started with all this??

Sam: Landon and I had been writing songs together since 2006, our junior year of high school. We were in another band at the time called Sangfroid, but when the other member got way into drugs, we ended our involvement in that band. In April of 2008, we began searching for some other guys to play music with and joined with drummer Alex Jones and bassist Alden Coleman. We actually had our first meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings where we discussed what was going down. Since then, Alex and Alden have moved on, but we had some great times with those guys.

Landon: As of right now, it’s just us two.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

Sam: Good question. I’m not sure I have some great message that I’m trying to get across. I’m just writing about how I feel some days, and sometimes I think that appeals to people and they can see where I’m coming from. I would, however, love it if I just inspired at least one person to go out and make art. People need a creative outlet.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??

Sam: For me, it’s always different. Sometimes a song comes from just messing around with a different combination of chords. Sometimes I come up with a clever line in my head. Sometimes I just start singing something out loud that I’ve never heard before and take it from there. I can be by myself or with Landon when my creativity begins to get the best of me.

Landon: Most often, it involves trying your hardest not to procrastinate. The easiest part of writing a song is starting and the hardest is finishing.

Who are your music influences??

Landon: I draw my musical influences from every genre possible. I feel that being able to have an open mind to music allows you to create more original pieces. I listen to everything from classical music (Chopin is my favorite) to jazz to rock to folk to Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane.

Sam: My two biggest musical influences are Damien Rice and Coldplay. Our sound may be somewhere in the middle of the two. I always picture a spectrum in my head of Damien Rice on one side and Coldplay on the other, and I’ll picture one of our songs and try to place it on the spectrum. It’s weird. Some of my other influences include Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, The Beatles, Modest Mouse, Oasis, Radiohead… there are just so many.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

Sam: We’ve been talking about a possible tour around the Southeast. It would be nice to get out and do some of that. We are always writing new material, of course. In fact, the songs we are currently writing are deemed “third-album material,” though we haven’t even finished our first album. We’ve got a lot to do.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
Landon: Well one time we killed a guy after a show, but I’m not sure if you’d consider that a prank or not. Ha ha just kidding...

Sam: Given that there are only two people in Seraplane, I’d run off and go look for help and I’d leave Landon to eat himself if he got hungry.

Landon: I’d send Seamus (Sam's dog) to look for help. If he failed to find anything, I’d eat him.

What country you guys would love to play?

Landon: Probably Italy, Spain, and Holland.

Sam: I’d love to go to the UK. We’ve also got some friends in a band called Starshooters Utd. who live in Switzerland. It would be fun to visit.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

Sam: Any of our influences would be great. Mumford and Sons is touring right now. It would be great if they called us up one day and asked us to go on tour with them.

Landon: Damien Rice would be nice to play with. Neil Young as well.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?

Sam: I think we know what direction we want to go in. We just have a very limited means of achieving it. And I would really like to add a couple of members to help us out with that. Seraplane needs a bassist and a drummer for sure. But I wouldn’t trade my experiences with Seraplane for anything.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/seraplane

Jessica Johnson

2010-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this?

Music has always been my passion and first love, but I didn't begin pursuing it until after high school. I never received any formal training...almost all of my singing was done while driving in my car. In fact, I would make myself late to work driving in circles because I wanted to finish singing a song. Then after high school, I met up with other music lovers and began recording and performing. It was funny because most of my friends and family had no idea I sang until I performed the National Anthem in FedEx for the Washington Redskins. It was quite an abrupt change.

What's the message you like to transmit with your music?

Positivity, Confidence, Life Experiences...I'm very honest in my lyrics. Every song I've ever written is either about my own personal experience or the experience of someone close to me. Some songs are upbeat, some are more mellow and retrospective. I like to experiment with genres too...some have rock influence, some r&b.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

The first time I hear an instrumental or a beat, I know right then if I want to work with it or not. My vocal melody, and sometimes even lyrics, will come out immediately. If it has to be forced at all, I shelf it.

Who are your music influence?

As simple as this might sound, the music itself is my influence. I love and appreciate all styles and genres of music. When I listen to a song on the radio, I hear 3 basic elements: Vocals, Lyrics, Production. It's rare for me to find a song where I love all 3, but usually I can appreciate atleast 1 element in every song. I might hate the lyrics, and even the vocals, but totally appreciate the production and engineering. Or maybe I'll think the production is mediocre, but love the vocals.

What plans do you have for the future?

I recently just signed a deal with HGR, who places music in tv/film. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a bright future in songwriting for me.

What has been the greatest day in your career?

I can't really pin it down to one day. The greatest days for me are days when I'm excited about whatever song I'm recording...when the song is still fresh and relatively new.

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour and help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are:

Who would you send to look for help?

And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first?

Ha! OK, well hopefully my cell phone still has reception so I can just call a cab. And as long as the closest burger joint is also 65 miles away, I'll be okay.

What are your hobbies?

I'm pretty easy going. I love hanging out with my close friends. I don't do bars or clubs...unless I'm performing in them.

In which country you would love to play?

I guess, Italy. I love their food, wine, and culture.

With which bands you would love to share stage?

Aerosmith and Green Day. I've loved them since I was in middle school.

Are you OK with the direction you are going?
I'm not where I thought I'd be at this point in my life, but I'm happy regardless, so yes.

Check out more: www.sonicbids.com/jessicajohnson

The Morning Birds

2010-10-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

How did you guys get started with all this?
We actually got into a car accident on the way to the mountains to find a new home. Had to relocate for a month or two and while there found the drummer we recorded our first album with. Recorded Inspiration Point in one day after forming the band!

What's the message to transmit with your music??
Love each other, be open to growth and change, have fun, and stop focusing on what makes you unhappy! We convey the depths of our spiritual understandings and desires through our music - every person has the answers within and we try to open people up to the ideas and emotions that are inside waiting to be found.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
Depends. Most of the time we either come up with a guitar, piano, or bass melody or vocal melody and go from there... sometimes its the lyrics that come first. Sometimes we build up a song from a beat we created, samples we have, and at others there is a specific emotion or message we want to convey and the song springs from the content. It all is reliant on the divine inspiration at that given moment.

Who are your music influences??
Mozart, Beethoven, old school hip hop, the great 60's bands, motown, sounds in nature, sounds we hear when out in the world... we are also heavily influenced by film soundtracks, as we are both filmmakers.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
We plan for our upcoming release, The QUICKENING - this next April to be a world wide sensation. We are also finishing up a feature film, some music videos, and a short - all of which have been written, filmed, edited, and scored by us.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
I don't know about funny prank, but we did play a show in NYC one night and all of our old friends came which led to a night of crazy experiences - a broken ankle and a mysterious mythological motorcycles incident. LOL

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
We would all go together... and whoever didn't make it, would be dinner!

What country you guys would love to play?
All of them!

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Arcade Fire, Broken Bells....

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is moving so far?
Absolutely - we have worked very hard to get where we are and feel that everything is right on track and all our dreams are coming to fruition!

Check out more: www.reverbnation.com/themorningbirds

Fevah

2010-10-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this??

I guess you mean being affiliated with the Flipmode/PaperRock .....Well I was actually looking into moving out of Miami. Then I got a call that changed my life around.. My Cousin Budda called me asking me if I still had my studio equipment. I told him yes and then he told me that Spliff Star just moved to Miami and he's looking for a studio..I had just put together a mobile studio a few weeks prior so he wouldn't have to go anywhere... I'l bring the studio to him. Then we spoke on the phone he asked a few questions then gave me the Ok to come to his Miami Condo. The next day I showed up and we started to record what is now his next official release "One Shot Willy Part 2". What's really funny though, is that Spliff didn't know I rap until 2 - 3 months later..lol...That's when we recorded " Wut R U Doin", my first feature on a Spliff Star record. After that we recorded alot more Banga's!

What's the message to transmit with your music??

My music comes from my surroundings, what I see or have seen in my life, sometimes what I've lived through or lived with. I guess it would be transmitting a struggle, a painful struggle with moments of joy & happiness. I have a song titled "Life without Hip Hop" the message there explains a little about my life and the part Hip Hop played in it to make you ask you ask your self what part it played in your life. I also have a song called "My Radio" the message in there is to believe in yourself and move forward. In both songs you can picture yourself and it will help u stay focused and charged up, ready to concur any obstacle. Every song transmits something different I can't call it.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

There really isn't a method I stick to every time I write. Usually the beat influences me on the vibe I bring on a record. Sometimes my mood allows me to write without the beat, but usually when it comes to writing the beat talks to me and I just write down what it tells me!

Who are your music influences??

Bob Marley, Micheal Jackson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, R.E.M....Poke (Trackmasters) He's my mentor...and my cousin..lol

What plans do you have for the future??

Right now, I'm starting up a tour and working on getting some shows overseas and in the US with my PaperRock Family.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show?

Haven't had that luxury just yet, really no time for games over here! I'm so focused! I go to perform and shut it down. After the show I'm working on my next career move whether it be a photo/video shoot, interview, or studio session. All the fun stuff happens on stage, I can't recall any pranks going on but alot of funny moments though....lol

Lmao.. We would all take that mission together, taking turns carrying whatever it is we had to carry. We'd be armed with sling shots and razor sharp CD's before we started to look at each other as meals..lol..I heard insects have protein in them so we'd eat bugs, lizards,and birds. Hopefully we'd be able to video tape the whole thing, so I can come out with a DVD entitled "Hip Hop Survivor"...

What country you guys would love to play?

Spain!!!

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

Snoop Dogg,Wiz Khalifa, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes & Spliff Star!

Are you OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

It's all good right now,but I'm about to turn it up a few notches!

Any Closing Words?

Yeah!

Vents thanks for the interview & Everybody click my link on this page and check me out!

@itsFevah < ~~ Follow me on Twitter!

Check out more: http://www.reverbnation.com/itsfevah

BadClover

2010-10-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

There really is no meaning behind the name its just original and easy to find when you google it. Its hard to come up with a name that another band hasnt already taken, so we are Badclover.

How the band started??

Wow thats a long story! basically 8 years ago I met Eric G. through a practice space our bands shared in ’02, we then started a band in ’06 where we met Ben and Adam who happened to be roomates with the singer of said band. Then I joined a band in ’08 where i met Eric E. we needed a bassist so I brought in Eric G. From there, I was at a bar and ran into Ben and Adam who I knew where musicians, so were talkin, blah blah blah, and Ben sings karoke “A Whole New World” (the Aladdin theme), it blew my mind. So we traded out the guitarist and vocalist for Ben and Adam. That was in November of ’09 and here we are now.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

Basically we just write about our life experiences and whatever the listener wants to take from it is inturpreted by them. We have our dirty songs as well as the sweet ones.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??

When we write a song it just kinda happens, we try not to over think it to much we just let it flow out. Usually Ben or Eric E. will come up with a riff of some sort and Adam will throw in a quick melody over top. My role is to structure the song properly so we have a solid base to build upon. Once all of thats done Ben and Adam will write lyrics to the song and come up with set melodys and harmonys, by the time of our next practice we have a new song.

Who are your music influences??

Personally my biggest influence is Dream Theater (although Portnoy has just left the band). Eric E. is a big Alice in Chains and Sublime fan, Ben digs Johnny Cash, Adam likes Fuel, and Eric G is a metal head. We have a wide variety of influences this is just a few.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

We plan to take over the world. Once this Ep "No Parallel Walls" comes out well probably do a little tour to promote us and make a few bucks to do a full length album. Well just have to wait and see.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

We really dont do pranks, our goal after a show is to pack up and party.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

Thats a f*cked up question, we would probably send Eric G. since he was a navy boy and has a license to carry in case he gets into trouble. If were only 65 miles out I dont think we would resort to cannibalism.

What country you guys would love to play?

U S of f*ckin A

With which bands you guys would love to share stage??

Well, we have played with Sevendust and Jimmies Chicken Shack so thats awesome. Id like to do a tour with all the central Pennsylvania bands, Fuel, Live, Breaking Ben, Hailstorm, Poison and whoever else im forgetting.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Im extremely OK with the direction were going, weve only been a band for 10 months and we keep going up and up.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/badclovermusic

Tony Mena

2010-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this?

I got started with my solo acoustic project this past year because I had been singing with a full rock band for a while but I started writing some very intimate and personal songs and taking a more poetic and emotional approach to my music, but it was not very well received by the band. I began to feel that starting a new project that gave me the artistic freedom I needed was necessary.

What's the message to transmit with your music?

The message I'm trying to transmit through my music is that it's okay to write poetic and unconventional songs and explore some new themes that break out of the mold of the popular radio format. I believe that every artist should be allowed to create his or her own vision, but it's an artist's responsibility to experiment and search for new ways of expressing that vision, because in my opinion a copy of a copy of a copy of a song, does not make it "new" or "original". If my music never makes it on to mainstream radio, I can live with that. At least that way every person that has come to, or will come to a show, will receive an intimate and unforgettable performance that can't be manufactured or transferred through controlled airwaves.

What's your method at time of writing a song?

Most times when I'm writing a song, a lyric will come to me randomly while I'm doing some mundane activity at work, or climbing a flight of stairs, and I'll have to stop what I'm doing (including telling my boss to wait a sec, fortunately he's very understanding of the creative process) and get out my phone and text myself the lyric or song idea.

Who are your music influences?

My musical influences are the band Brand New, the band Manchester Orchestra, the side project of Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra’s founder and singer) called Right Away, Great Captain!, and there is a hint of Ingrid Michaelson in some of my songwriting in that she isn’t afraid to be herself and use some interesting riffs and melodies.

What plans do you have for the future?

My plan for the future is to send out my demo very soon to a few record labels in hopes of a bite. If my 1 in a million chance doesn’t happen for me right away, I won’t be too upset because I’ll keep creating music that I enjoy and through hard work I’ll make my own luck (much like this “lucky” interview, thanks again Raf).

What has been the greatest day in your music career?

My greatest day as a musician was the first day that I knew that I could pull this “solo” thing off. The incredibly talented folk musician, John Craigie, out of California, was touring through my town and was playing at a venue nearby. I needed a place to showcase some local poetry so I called up another buddy that was organizing this show and he let me and some talented friends open with some poetry. Then, they needed some more time filled at the last second, so I went on and played some of my acoustic stuff I had been working on. It was a very “out of my comfort zone” experience and I felt very naked playing my songs by myself, but it was very warmly received by the people there, and John Craigie himself. I actually get to open for him again in November which I’m very excited for.

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while a show or tour?

As far as pranks go, I’m afraid that I don’t really feel that I’m at the point in my career where I feel comfortable pranking other musicians. I’m still trying to earn respect and be known as the professional and “on time” guy.

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour, and the help is 65 miles away from where you are, who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first?

I could probably make the 65 mile trek for help in a few days, but as for eating myself, since I am a solo project, I would definitely start with some unimportant and non-weight bearing toes, since I would like to keep all my fingers to continue playing guitar and piano. And with the right shoes, no one will ever have to know that I ate myself.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are writing music and poetry. I got into poetry in order to write better lyrics, but I stumbled upon the fact that I’m actually pretty good at it. I’m in the finishing stages of writing and compiling my first full length book of poems about the Iraq war (I’m a decorated Iraqi Freedom Veteran and was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal with a V for Valor for multiple acts of bravery while under enemy fire). One of my poems is currently a finalist for Best War Poem of 2010 by Winningwriters.com.

What country would you love to play?

The country I would love to play in most is Ireland. I have been all over the world because of my military service, but never Europe and in my mind, Ireland has this unique mysteriousness about it and a very rich history that I would love to explore. Plus, playing in an Irish pub should be every small-time musician’s dream.

With what band would you love to share stage with?

It is my dream to someday share the stage with Manchester Orchestra. Everything they have achieved has been through the Do It Yourself process and all without heavy radio play. I’ve been to two of their live shows in the past year, and they play with such emotion that it changes the way you play and write music.

Are you Ok with the direction you are moving so far?

I’m very happy with the direction this solo project is going. I’ve had a lot of good feedback and response, more than I already thought I would have at this point. It was just a few months ago that I would wait for the wife and son to go to bed so I could stay up late and self-record my demo, and now I’m doing a cool interview for Vents Magazine.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/tonyidigmusicmena

Melissa Lauren

2010-10-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

How did you begin with all this?

I started off singing and touring with a 22 piece swing band. While it was an amazing experience, after 6 years I was ready to showcase myself a little more and really liked the freedom of working in smaller ensemble settings, choosing my own repertoire, and the way in which I delivered it. After doing mostly covers for the first year, I began dabbling in songwriting and haven’t looked back since.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

I definitely like to hit the many different aspects of the human experience. Hopefully make others feel they are not alone in their neurosis, fears, and triumphs.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

One of two things happens:

1) An idea comes to me in a very inconvenient place (walking down the street, on public transportation, etc) and I voice memo or scribble it down in a notepad around and then expand on it when I get home to my piano.

2) I sit down and tell myself I’m ready to write a song - maybe start with a chord progression, feel, time signature, topic, what have you

I find that the 1^st way almost always works best.

Who are your music influences??

Everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Sinatra to Tom Waits to Rufus Wainright to Feist; I’ve been especially into Melody Gardot Lately.

What plans do you have for the future??

New album!! I can’t wait to trap my new ideas in a recording. Hopefully a tour once that’s done… I’m also looking to make a website of just my compositions. I’ve been composing a lot of piano pieces and would love to get into film scoring…

Which has been the greatest day in the band?

The greatest/worst day for me was performing at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival a few years ago. I was with part of a line up of some really intimidating singers. The rehearsal went horrifically and I thought I was going to be eating alive…it ended up going okay though and it really gave me the push I needed to continue with this crazy love affair I have with singing.

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

Umm… well I’m sure there would be more shenanigans going on if I were part of a full band…

I suppose the worst is my guitar player continuing to change the time on me in the middle of a song? Pretty lame... I know.

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

I guess, in light of the fact I am a singer and perform with a wide variety of different players, I will tell you what body part I’d eat first and that is probably my big toe. I think it’s too big.

What are your hobbies?

Is it ridiculous to say singing? I LOVE singing! I love playing my ukulele and piano. I love salsa dancing (though I don’t know how good I am.) I love running and putting my body through torture in weekly spins classes. I hate going to the movies but love to read. I also love pub nights.

What country would you love to play?

France. Sigh…I think they’d like me in France. I hope they’d like me in France.

With what bands would you love to share stage??

Hmm… The Buena Vista Social Club! I know, not much to do with my music, but it would be amazing! Not sure that they’re even performing anymore though. Also, Elvis. I’ve been doing a lot of his tunes lately.

Are you OK, with the direction you're moving so far?

I am, although I’d love for it to get there faster!

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/melissalaurenmusic

Big Chapzo

2010-10-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

What's the band's name meaning?
Actually the name Chapzo it's like a ''womanizer'', you know, someone that loves to flirt alot with females.. So they call me chapzo since 2002 because I loved flirting with females so I named myself Big chapzo.

How did you get started with all this??
Actually, I loved hip hop, and listening to this other artist made me wanna be an artist too, so in 2008 I snapped and started producing music and recording with other artists like Yung Snype Rainz from Sacramento, CA and many more.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
If you work hard be it good or bad you succeed no matter what.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
I actually think about what people will like to hear and I just write about it, like my audience will like to hear me rap about: Drugs, guns, money, bi****s and weed.

Who are your music influences??
Dr dre, 2 pac, Snoop Dogg, 50 cent, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, The Game, Ice Cube etc.

What plans do you have for the future??
Get my own label and keep producing music for music lovers

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
Actually I havn't been pranked before, but I hope that never happend to me lol

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
shoot i ain't sending no one for help, i am walking all the way, 65 miles ain't that far, I am an athlete and I run fast so I will make it 65 miles in less than about 4 hours so we all gonna survive.

What country would you love to play?
Amsterdam

With what bands you would love to share stage??
Any band that will want to get on the stage with me.

Are you OK, with the direction you're moving so far?
Yes I am very ok with it.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/bigchapzo

Kissing Lola

2010-10-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

Lola is a little Maltese puppy who was born with difficulties and without hearing. Despite her beginnings, Lola is healthy and has been trained with hand gestures and signals. We believe she is best dog in the world. : )

How did the band start?
We started out writing songs for a horror flick and we just hit off musically.

What's the message to transmit with your music?
Each song is very personal and unique. Some are experience based and others
have no connection to us. Our message is always of life, love or empowerment.
What's your method at the time of writing a song?
We just sit and write. Usually in the studio so if we get on a roll we can start recording right away.

Who are your music influences?
Each other : ) Also The Beatles, Zep, The Doors, Coldplay and U2. Mostly obscure bands like those...

What plans do you guys have for the future?
Keep writing and recording. Build our fanbase and tour. Right now our shows are centered around Los Angeles but we are about to branch out to the Western US.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part of while on tour or after a show?
Good question. No one has ever made a prank on us so maybe after this interview they'll get some courage and imagination.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour, and the help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, who would you eat first?
Baraka would go for help. We would probably all eat Margarita, she looks delicious!

Which country would you guys love to play?
France.

With which bands would you guys love to share the stage?
McCartney, John Mayer, Coldplay.

Are you guys happy with the direction the band is going?
Yes, just like to get there faster.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/kissinglola

Kitarah

2010-10-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this??

I began playing the piano at age 8 and that was when I also learned I could sing. My teacher held piano recitals annually at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. I played and sang songs such as Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” and Celine Dion’s “Titanic.” From there I never stopped singing. I sang in church, at big events in my schools, weddings, and also in plays and musicals. Then once I reached my teen years, I began writing my own songs and performing them at clubs in the Boston area. And now I am the first female artist signed to Kutroc Records.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

Life is a road of many surprises, some are good and others bad, but you have to keep your head up no matter what and always believe in yourself. Life is too short so enjoy every moment; It’s okay to love, laugh, cry, win or lose, dream and make mistakes. Throughout my lifetime I have experienced every piece of that message and so have people around me, so to get all those experiences and turn them into songs that I can relate to along with many people in the world is something that is very important and great to me.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??

Writing songs is one of the best parts of the business. After creating a beat with the producer, I listen to it a couple of times and let everything sink in, allowing my mind, body, and soul to feel it and become one with it. Then ideas keep flowing through my mind and I begin to write about whatever I feel the song should be about. It could be about a past experience or even something I’m experiencing at the moment. It all depends on the vibe I get while listening to the beat.

Who are your music influences??

My biggest music influences are artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Usher, Ne-Yo, and Alicia Keys. These artists and their music influenced me greatly to become the artist I’ve always wanted to be.

What plans do you have for the future??

I plan to write and sing songs not only in English but also in Spanish and Portuguese. There are so many Latin singers out there who sing in Spanish and English, but we don’t have a Brazilian Latina singer who does all three and that’s me! I also want set up my own charity organizations and travel around the world not only on tours but also to help people in need. I also have a lot of experience with acting so I would love the opportunity to show my acting skills in a couple of movies.

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

I haven’t had any pranks happen to me while on tour… well at least not yet lol! But the CEO of the label always does a great job in scaring us all at the studio! Many times we are there till 2-3 in the morning and he always finds a way to scare us. One night I was outside talking to the producer and the male artist after one of my sessions, and all of a sudden he came up from behind us in a black hoodie and scared us to death thinking we were about to get attacked by a stranger haha. We have yet to get him back so maybe I’ll scare him in a different way and pretend that I lost my voice on the day of a big performance, hmm… perhaps the Grammy’s ?

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

Wow! It’s a good thing I’m a solo artist or else I’d eat everyone in my band including the one I’d send for help because I cannot go hours without eating!

What country you would love to play?

I would love to travel all around the world to perform for all my fans but I’d absolutely love to perform in Brazil. When I was 17 I received an award for bringing music to the Brazilian community here in Boston so to bring my music to the country itself would be even more rewarding. My parents are also Brazilian, so to sing in the country where my family came from would be an honor and of course, very fun and exciting.

With what bands you would love to share stage??

I would love to share the stage with Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Usher, and my favorite Brazilian singer, Ivete Sangalo. But the number one performer I would more than love to share the stage with would definitely be Michael Jackson if he were still alive.

Are you OK, with the direction you're going now?

I am very happy and proud with the direction I am taking musically. I’m really focused on building that strong connection with my fans and show them who Kitarah really is and what I have to offer to them. Everything has its time and I’ve been working very hard and have dedicated myself to be the best that I can be. This is a dream that has been in my heart for a VERY long time and to finally have the opportunity to share with the world my passion for music is an amazing feeling!

Check out more: http://www.kitarahmusic.com/

Mateo Medina

2010-10-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this??

I have loved music all my life but never chased after my dream until I was 14. I decided to pursue my love of music through dance. I took dance lessons from Fredastair studio in Boston, MA from instructor Eric "3D" Cruz, who learned from the Michael Jackson's choreographer's assistant. I took to dancing immediately and learned a lot of moves at a rapid pace. A few months later, I joined a crew by the name of "Losst Unnown" and began training with them. My body began to develop and I learned how to be "in touch" and intimate with music. I learned how to interpret every beat, high hat, vocal melody, etc. of a song and translate it using my body. While dancing, I gained the confidence to pursue my love of music through singing-songwriting. I took singing lessons at the age of 16 and began recording with a grammy award nominated producer/engineer and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Jared Jones. I trained my voice and my mind to come up to pace with many of the mainstream artists out today. At The age of 18 I am beginning to perform throughout the US and looking to possibly go over seas to perform throughout the world. I am the first male artist signed to Kutroc Records.

What's the message to transmit with your music??

The message I try to send through my music varies with each song but so far every song I have made is based of real life experiences. The one thing I try to do in my songs is to tell a story that the listeners can relate directly to and sing it in a way that will make them feel the emotions I was feeling at that point in time. I want the listener to feel like their living that event with me. I also am very against speaking about woman in a derogatory way.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

Each song is developed in different ways but all start with a developed concept of what I want the song to talk about. Then I base the beat and instruments around the feel of the concept that I want to portray.

Who are your music influences??

Maxwell, Ginuwine, Usher, Tank, Babyface, Michael Jackson, Ne-yo, Alicia Keys, and Justin Timberlake.

What plans do you have for the future??

I plan to keep on expanding my musical career as an Artist and Performer. I will keep training my mind, Voice, and body and wont stop till I break into the music industry.

What has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

Umm haven't done a prank yet on tour or after show but my team and I always have a great time and just bug out.

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

I would probably send CEO of KutRoc because I know he would make someone help us LOL, and I wouldn't eat anyone, it's just not my thing...ha-ha.

What country would you love to play?

I would like to perform all around the world but definitely in Puerto Rico.

With what bands you would love to share stage??

A collab with Usher, Mario, Ne-yo, Michael Jackson (R.I.P.), Maxwell, and Alicia Keys.

Are you OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Yes I love the way the label is going and how my career is shaping up to be.

Check out more: http://www.reverbnation.com/mateomedina

Ace Reign

2010-10-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind your name?

Around 15, a friend gave me the nickname “A”, short for April. There was one problem. Whenever she yelled out “A”, about 15 more people would answer. Quite confusing! So, I started referring to myself as Ace to separate myself from the rest of the A’s. Reign came about much later. As I got older, it became my aspiration to be someone that people will remember. Regardless if a president is the worst ever or the greatest we ever had, people will remember the impact, the legacy he leaves behind. I want my "reign", my legacy as an artist to be remembered as a positive influence and my music timeless.

How did you get started with all this?

I’ve been writing music since I was a child. As long as I can remember, I love writing poetry. One day after listening to Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Trina, I decided to try rapping my poems, but they were too soft. Those artists were not rapping about love, which my poem reflected, but their life, respect for women and life on the streets. After studying Queen Latifah’s song, “U.N.I.T.Y” and the vocals of MC Lyte, at age 12, I created my first piece, entitled “Raw”. I knew then I had stumbled onto something.

I become more serious about my artistry about 23, around 2007, when I met Robert “Rob” Stern. At the time, Rob and I worked together at this restaurant. He overheard me freestyling to one of my co-workers. I guess he liked what he heard. He told me he was DJ back in his hometown Ohio and wanted to make me a beat. I was like, alright. The next day he dragged me into his car. I was a little nervous because I didn’t really know this dude, but after I heard his beat, I was liked, “Dude, this is hot.” The rest is history. For a while, we recorded and produced some projects together in our home studio. Rob is doing his own thing and I’m doing mine, but we hook up to make music whenever our schedules allow it.

What's the message to transmit with your music?

Life, life, life. It is important to me that my music is realistic and relatable. I want my listeners to see the value in being yourself, following your dreams, and let negative situations be the motivation to do positive things. When people listen to my music, I want it to inspire them to write if they’re a writer, to draw if they’re an artist and to smile if they’re frowning. I want my music to be the motivation for people to uplift themselves and improve their situation.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

Going into my studio, closing the door, and listening to one of my favorite songs with my earphones blasting. Then, I put on my favorite instrumental and begin to write. Sometimes I know what I want to write about and other times my pen just moves to express my thoughts. The end results are songs like “Crazy” and “Look Beyond the Surface”.

Who are your music influences?

My musical influences are artists like Tupac, Biggie, Queen Latifah, Mc Lyte, and Nas, just to name a few.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

Kamby Management Group and I have been working very hard in promoting my career within the US boundaries, but it is also our goal to make me into a successful international female rap artist. I have a single coming out in the Netherlands on Little Mountain Records 5K album, entitled “This Love”. They are also releasing my track as a single. So I am really happy about that. Also, we are working with Matthew and Thomas Carter, two brothers who own, Stories of Trace out of the United Kingdom. We are very excited about that project.

It is not only important that I make great music, but that I understand and master the ins/outs of the music business on the business side of things. My manager is always pushing me to think like an executive. I’m working on that. I’m already a triple threat – I write, produce and perform my own music. With the help of KMG, I am also learning to add the final and most essential element to my music – that is learning the administrative side of the business so I can become a successful businesswoman. Outside of that, I don’t want to lose my unique style or myself as I grow in this industry. It is also important to me to share my knowledge and skills with other young artists and further develop their careers. We are also working to make our label / publisher company to be worldwide known. Winning a Grammy or two would be nice and seeing my name appear on the top ten billboard charts is not being too ambition. Hey, lets repeat this interview in about ten years and she where my success had land me, LOL.

What has been the greatest day as a musician?

The greatest day as a musician was when I got a phone call telling me I was flying to California to record one of my songs with Grammy award winning artist, Josh Gabriel. That was one the best high a young artist can achieve and I lived it. It was the first amazing moment that jump started my career. THANKS JOSH!

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part of while on tour or after a show?

I had a live performance in Atlanta, which my manager was suppose to accompany me, but she fell ill about week prior. So, I wasn’t expecting her to attend. I was really feeling nervous about it because she and her partner had been there guiding me through this process and creating some great ideas during my performances to make it more pleasurable for my fans and handling any problems that always do come up before, during and after a performance. Now, I was expecting to do this solo. Throughout the day, leading up to my performance, we called and texted each other – you know, going over last minute details and changes. I was supposed to be at sound check around 4 pm, but because of my taxi driver who didn’t know his way around Atlanta, we got lost. So I was late in getting to my hotel room, where I needed to change for the show and late leaving to be at my sound check. My manager called, “where you?” I have admit, I lied. “I’m, almost there, but I’m running a little behind.” I didn’t know she was standing in the lobby of where I was supposed to perform waiting for me. She asked, “do you need me to call and inform them that you will be late for sound check.” I told her yes. She calls back 20 minutes later, “are you there yet?” Forgetting that I told her I was about 5 minutes from where I was perform, I told her, I’m about to walked in. She calls back about 10 minutes later. I told her the taxi driver was stuck in traffic so I jumped out the cab and I could see the building where my performance was being held. All this time I am unaware she is waiting on me. My manager start yelling in the phone, “you late, where you at?” Once I final got there, I am rushing through the door, not knowing where I needed to head next. All of sudden, I hear this voice saying, “Ace, Ace, Ace! You are late.” To my surprise, there was my management team, standing in the middle of lobby and my manager pointing at her watch. My face was priceless! I was so glad they were there. After a long flight and discombobulated cab drivers, seeing them really brightened my day.

Hmmm, my manager Kammi has a great since of direction, but is scared of every crawling thing that exists, so it wouldn’t be her. I can’t even imagine my manager, Deaidre even thinking about walking 65 miles. We would never hear the end of it, not even worth it. They probably stay behind and debate over who’s going to eat the other first. So, that would leave me.

What are your hobbies?

Well outside of making music, I love to cook all sorts of things. I would like to think of myself as an adventurous eater. As long as I’ve been making music I’ve been cooking, I enjoy being creative. I also love comedy shows and plays.

Which country would you guys love to play?

Well we have a single coming out with Dutch recording artist and DJ Sander Kleinenburg and I would love to go to Amsterdam and perform this song live as well as perform in Jamaica.

With which bands would you guys love to share the stage?

It’s so many artist that I love so this is hard cause the list could go on and on. But I would say Mary J Blige, TI, Alicia Keys, Three Doors Down, John Mayer, Eminem, Jay Z and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

Are you guys happy with the direction the band is going?

I am very happy with the path my career is taking along with my management and the team that is supporting me. I don’t think I could have asked for better individuals on my side. I can truly see Ace Reign being a household name.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/aceindabuildin1

Giving the table a name

2010-10-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

The name, much like the lyrics, ellicits different things for me. I sort of like the idea of giving human characteristics to an inanimate object. I also think it could be seen as starting with an everyday item that would just be ordinary in any other context, until you make it your own. That's a very important theme for me, and not just within the confines of an object.

How did you get started with all this??
Technically, the band started as the end of another band. Once that band dissolved, giving the table a name came about. I thought it would be a good idea to separate the egos from the songwriting, and try to learn a lesson in knowing when not to shove too much into one space and from one instrument. but it's possible I haven't learned that yet.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
Mmm, I know this sounds like a cop-out, but you have to make of it what you will. Refer back to question #1.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
Whatever comes first, really. Sometimes it's a vocal or instrumental melody in my head. Sometimes it's a random string of words that pops out of my mouth. Many times a catchy tune will surface while I'm sitting around, defiling an instrument. Then you just have to take all that junk and put the pieces together. I always keep a pen and a scrap of paper on me in case I need to scribble down a phrase or sentence that's rattling around in my head. Sometimes it's very intentional, and sometimes it's all a big accident. Probably more of the latter.

Who are your music influences??
I don't really like to dwell too much on particular influences, because it comes from everywhere. When I was walking home tonight just after dusk when the sky is that brilliant midnight blue and it hasn't reached its peak of darkness yet, I was just staring at it, thinking about what I'd play to go with it.

Plus, if I start speculating on influences, i'm going to forget some key players, and I'm going to completely not acknowledge things that are influencing me subconsciously. I think we conjure things from places we're not even aware of, half the time.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

I'm definitely going to try and get older as the years go on. I think that's a goal I can stick to.

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show?? Mmm, I don't know about pranks, but one time when I was playing with some other fellas, our drummer urinated on another band's vehicle after the show. but that's not really funny, is it?

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
I've pondered this scenario many times, and I think I'd have to send one of my arms for help. And while I'm waiting for it to get back, I'd probably eat my left buttcheek. I 've noticed a little asymmetry there lately, and it's probably the meatier of the two.

What country you guys would love to play?
I don't think I have a specific preference. A country where they have good health insurance.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Maybe Elliott smith or Morphine or Jeff Buckley. But I think they all have other things going on at the time being.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Considering that nobody has forced me to change the moniker to "The Staples Center" or "Pepsi Arena", I'd say I'm ecstatic about the direction of things.

Check out more: http://www.gttan.com/

SkyBlew

2010-10-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?

SkyBlew goes beyond the place we are now (the ground),he goes to the sky with his thoughts and lyrics,but the world is soo confused that they dont understand what music is and what going for your dreams mean,so its like the sky blows him back to earth(SkyBlew)so he can help the people by giving them something that they need to hear & something that they wanna hear but their just not used to hearing it,but when they hear it,they will love it and wanna keep hearing more and more and even when the sky looks grey,he will Paint The Sky,Blew with his music and with the words he say

How did you get started with all this??

Well I Guess I Just Decided That One Day,"Hey Im Tired of hearing whats on the radio so maybe I should rap and give the people what they want"& I been Painting The Sky,Blew everysince then...btw I dont rap,I paint The Sky,Blew!!!!

What's the message to transmit with your music??

Bascially,im not only trying to be a rolemodel in my music but Im trying to tell people to go for their dreams(may sound corny,but dreams do come true)..no matter what they may have holding them down or what people may have said to them,dont worry bout it,I gotcha,SkyBlew got ya back :)

What's your method at the time of writing a song??

Well it depends on how im feeling at that tome sometimes I just pull out the pen and paper and write a story or jot my thoughts down or I sit and listen to the beat and alot of words circulate in my head so I turn them into a song

Who are your music influences??

Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Nappy Roots, Wale, J. Cole, Charles Hamilton, Blu

What plans do you have for the future??

Taking over the world.LoL.JP.....Sold Out Shows...Being a inspiration for the youth...& To Change people's outlook on music and Hip Hop..Bringing That Feel Good Music Back..My Mouth Is A Paintbrush&Ima Rearrange The Way That They Paint Us...Okaaaaay!

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

After a talent show when I was younger,(like 15)I went back home to my grandmas house(this was a looong time ago)well my cousin Rino and I & always played pranks on each other&one of the pranks was I would slide a CD in the bathroom door So it would unlock the door and while he taking a shower(no homo)lol and turn the lights off so he would be all like stop man chill out chill out but that day after the show he was ready so he had taped a curling iron(or whatever the thing is females use to curl their hair)to the lightswitch,he had it plugged in and it was hot as heck(but I didnt know he did this)so I reached my hand in the door and put my hand on the lightswitch and felt it,I was like what the heck is this so I grabbed it and it burned my palm..lol..sucks right?

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

WOW...LoL..well I would have to send my bro Nigel because he knows Ninjutsu (need I say more?) LoL.. So just in case something goes down he would take care for that issue..Far as the last question I would have to eat The Tour bus driver! Haha.. nah My crew we some survivors we will go out there and find some food even if we gotta eat a rat or something...WHATEVER IT TAKES!

What country you guys would love to play?

France!! :)

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D, J.Cole

Are you OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Yea Im Actually doing pretty good so ima keep doing what im doing,got a good manager so ima keep making making that good music people wanna hear and step in the game little by little each year..Okaaaay! Paint The Sky, Blew!!!

Check out more: www.sonicbids.com/SkyBlew

Blu Lyon

2010-10-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind your name?
My name is a result of my old man being a famous Caribbean singer. His name was Blue Boy when he started out, and then after a few consecutive hits the fans started calling him Super Blue. People who knew I was his son used to call me "Little Boy Blue", "Super Blue Junior" and any other clever name they could come up with associated with that. Blu Lyon is just the one that stuck. “Lyons” is my actual last name.

How did you get started with all this??

I started out by teaching myself how to make music using a program called "Fruity Loops". Then I made tapes, gave them out, met other kids who were also into music and wanted to do more after getting good reviews from them. I loved doing it and could not stop.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
I am just translating my life experiences and thoughts into a musical form. There is no specific message I’m trying to get to people. I would only hope that people can listen to my work and see that real creativity is not dead.

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
There is no real method to my writing process. Sometimes I do not even write lyrics, I just record things as they come to me. My ideas come at anytime or place while I am doing any number of things.

Which is your music influences??
I listen to anything that sonically and creatively sounds good. I am not biased to any specific genre of music. Different musicians/artist influence or inspires me for different reasons. Some do it with their musical creativity, others with their work ethic, etc. I’m very much into Bounty Killer, Mavado, Vybz kartel, Linkin Park, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Charlotte Church, Hayley Westerna & Kanye West. These are the ones I am listening to and watching frequently right now.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

I'm working to release my mixtape, "Super Blue's Bastard Son" early January 2011 and do some touring to promote it. I am also planning on becoming heavily involved with sound design and scoring for television and movies. Right now I'm doing the music for a new reality show called "Work It Out" which should hopefully be picked up by a network in the near future.

Which has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??I did a show in Atlantic City once and after the show we got together with some girls, drank, and partied hard. My high school buddy Avarice got drunk out of his mind in the hotel room and passed out; he was sound asleep. He is the type of guy that is always talking about the high class of women he dates, so we all got the bright idea to get an extremely ugly girl to be in bed with him when he gets up. We went out found a “working” girl that wasn’t very attractive and a bit heavy, striped him naked and let her sleep in the bed with him. No one slept that whole night cause we didn’t want to miss his reaction and it was very well worth it when he got up and saw her naked in bed with him. The joke lasted about 10 minutes then we told him. She was a good sport about it but he was angry the rest of the trip.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first? I would send my homeboy Tarique to go get the help and we would probably eat my artist Jimmy Hayze first. He is pretty big, we could last a while on his fat. Probably won’t have to eat anyone else after him.

What country you guys would love to play? I want to perform in New Zealand. I’m a big fan of Lord Of The Rings and would love to visit the places that it was filmed while there.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
It would be great to perform with Kanye West. The thought and creativity he puts into his stage sets and performance impresses me. I love that he experiments with different genres and that he is someone who is passionate about the total art of music; the creation of music and the delivery of it to an audience. I believe that I am passionate about it in that same way so it would be a pleasure to share a stage with him at his best.

Are you OK, with the direction your career is going actually? I am satisfied with the my musical and career direction just not happy with the speed at which its moving. Sometimes there is not enough time or help to get everything done, so some opportunities cannot be taken or pursued. Its a hardship but hopefully it will get better soon.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/blulyon

Pedro e os Lobos

2010-10-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name? Pedro e os Lobos (Peter and the wolves).
As I did every songs and lyrics alone and solitary, my friends use to say that I am like a wolf hanging around...

How did you get started with all this?? I start some home recordings on 2009 and I show my music to some musicians friend of mine, they enjoy and we start working, but this is a very personal project so tomorrow I will work with other guys for shore.

What's the message to transmit with your music?? Pedro e os Lobos is an exercise about musical freedom in which the mix of landscapes alternate between the passion for the desert and the awe by the urban chaos organization, creating the feeling of a voyage through various and different stops.
The quest for the origins and musical simplicity is a constant exercise in this debut record.
Mixing the Blues, the Contemporary and the Dark Pop, with cinematic environments and story telling, which could, in fact, be the soundtrack of an ordinary day-to-day routine, are at the core of this first record.
This record is part of a process of observation and learning from the old masters.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?? There is no special method, just happens!

Who are your music influences?? I really love the old blues guys and mix with that some cinematic environments, I like Ry Cooder, Neil Young, Jonhy Cash, Bruce Spingsteen , Jonh Mellencamp, Suzan Vega... And Tom Waits.

What plans do you guys have for the future?? Well...we will release the debut album here in Portugal and tour down here and I am looking for a labels around the world to license and a manager as well.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first? LOL, I would tell the band to go look for help, so they could not eat me and than probably start dancing.

What country you guys would love to play? All the Scandinavia,USA ,Canada, Japan, Cuba and Argentina.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage?? Cowboy Junkies and Neil Young

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually? I hope so! But if I feel lost I get my GPS or maybe look at the starts at night.

Check out more: http://www.reverbnation.com/pedroeoslobos

Jenikz

2010-10-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
Jenikz is the nick name of the lead singer and songwriter, which was given to her in high school because of the popularity of the name Jennifer. Once there was 5 Jennifer's in one class and two with the same Initial last name "R" one student shouted out to her, hey that's ok you'll be JEN X and so that's where it originated and stuck with her from then on. She is a solo artist and songwriter with a killer band. She spells Jen x now J-E-N-I-K-Z cause Jen, for her name; her immediate family calls her Jeni like "jenny." K in numerology is the letter that corresponds to her day force number 11 (if you follow the alphabet A=1, B=2, C=3 ect.) and Z cause she is really into OM and cursively likes to write out Z to kinda resemble the OM symbol... mouth full or what!!!

How did you get started with all this??
Jen has always been the driving force in making her musical dreams come true. She has always been singing and songwriting from the age of 5 and knew she needed an awesome band to complete the magic on stage. She first found Larry Steel, who is a very well known in her local community as a fantastic guitar player, then both were on the hunt for the others auditioning quite a few and jamming with many to find the right fit, then Mac Hunter on bass was found, having a music store near by and just graduating from school he was looking for a band. He liked the message and the mission of the music, he brought along his drum counterpart Sarah Becker whom they have known each other since age 6 or something crazy like that. Then came along Dave Hollingshead on keys who was a music teacher next door to Mac's store... small world but I'm sure it was fate that put us all together!

What's the message to transmit with your music??
The message is simple, to awake to the divinity of who we truly are, and to unite humanity to not only be the best that we could be, but to consciously create a world that has a unified goal to increase the quality of life for all living things. Life is precious and mother earth could really use us to wake up from our bad habits right about... yesterday!!!

What's your method at the time of writing a song??
Sometimes a melody just shoots in the mind, or a phrase that really strikes a chord and won't go away... then its about recording it asap raw just so it doesn't disappear back into the ether. So recording it into an answering machine or garage band what ever is available, then the fun comes in, picking up an instrument and matching the feelings of what it is you mean with the colour of chords, and writing down in the simplest way what it is you need to express, then having fun jamming it out with different ideas and eventually a hook comes that you feel is right and it all comes together. When I am impressed I keep at it, if I am blown away I know its done!

Who are your music influences??
Got a few hours? :) Who doesn't love Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Bjork, Madonna, John Lennon, Dream Theater, Depeche Mode, Gotan Project, Pink Floyd, Tori Amos, U2 to name a few.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
We have a tour planned that not only do we want to play festivals and clubs but to get into schools, the album also has a series of monologues that makes our concert have a theatrical twist, we want to inspire the world to its inevitable green revolution.

Which has been the greatest day in the band?
Well this summer we had 3 shows in 3 different cities and we knew it was gonna be a challenge but we decided to have fun with it, we got up early warmed up drove to the 1st show, kicked butt, sold cd's, had a bit to eat and went straight to the next show, which had more people more excitement, had an amazing show got to talk to a lot of fans, then headed off the the last show and had another great show, which was like a 3rd wind... the day just got better and better and there was no sign of tired, it was more like wired!!!

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
Well, I would tell you but its way too embarrassing, I never know what these guys are up to, its always joking, in fact I can't think of a time when they're serious!!!

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
Well, we'd probably send Larry for help, he's the oldest and has all the gadgets and answers, then if worst came to worse we'd eat Dave, he's the kindest and wouldn't mind, plus he's got more meat on him than Mac ;)

What are your hobbies?
We're concert goers, love yoga, a good flick, messing around with the latest equipment, we gotta throw Sushi in there, golf for sure, and as always music is always on!!!

What country you guys would love to play?
IRELAND!!!... hey maybe we got a shot at it this INDIE WEEK Toronto 2010 HA!!!

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
Definitely the influences mentioned above, and so many others but Porcupine Tree, Air, Keane, Gorillaz, Metric, Cold Play, there are too many to mention, like I said you got a few hours... maybe days?

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually? Oh yeah, things are heating up, and were totally excited, everyday its getting better and better, we have to thank the fans for that.

Check out more: www.jenikz.com

Graciellita

2010-10-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

How did you get started with all this??

Pure pleasure, singing, experimenting

With digital music programs

What's the message to transmit with your music??

Feelings....did i say feelings!

What's your method at the time of writting a song??

I use the present, the past and the fantasy

All inspiration to my lyrics

Who are your music influences??

Me and my mood at the point i write.

What plans do you guys have for the future??

Help people through the emotion of the song

In whatever mood they are.

Help bring forth an expression...

What has been the greatest day in the band?

release of first full 15 track album SHINE

What has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

I’m in the digital world. My bro set up my song to make believe it was

In an ad on tv. Lol.

What are your hobbies?

Singing. Dancing. Swimming.

What country you guys would love to play?

Any!

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??

Hard one. My music is so diverse that i could really duet with any artist in any genre,

Maybe not that hard rock stuff. I carry soft tunes.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?

Yes. Hopefully one day i can make it into a movie soundtrack with some collabo help.

Check out more: http://www.myspace.com/graciellita