Archive for the 'Q&A' Category

OUR Q & A WITH VIDA ESPIA … NUESTRAS P & R CON VIDA ESPIA

osblog_weeklyrhythm_trial05

Vida Espía has got it going on. What is “it” exactly? Well, lots of things. First, they’ve got a killer sound. Second, they have a great look. And third, they are making waves in the Los Angeles scene. They’re also in the middle of recording their debut album at Sanctum Sound Studios —at least three of them are; their drummer recorded his parts early in order to go on tour in Europe with Richie Kotzen. Their sound is clean and modern, and the coolest part? They’ve only been together a year.

Vida Espía y unos círculos amarillos.

Vida Espía y unos círculos amarillos/Vida Espía and some yellow circles.

We managed to catch up with the very busy Vida Espía and ask them a few questions. But here’s a twist: We’ve decided to offer you both Spanish and English versions of the Q & A.

OS: In your blog, you said that you experienced some technical difficulties at the beginning of your big House of Blues show. You almost stopped but you pressed on… What was going through your minds during those few seconds? What made you want to stop or to go on? / En su blog dicieron que tuvieron fallas técnicas al comenzar su show en el House of Blues. Casi pararon pero no lo hicieron… ¿Qué les pasaron por la mente durante estes segundos? ¿Qué les hizo querer a parar o continuar?

VE: It was one of those unavoidable experiences that every musician goes though at some point in their career, but you never know when it’s going to happen. For us it came during the biggest and most important show we’d had as a band, in front of 700 people. We would have preferred that it happen at another time, but that’s when it came. The important thing was that we kept playing and improvising while we dealt with the problems, and that the music never stopped. Some audience members realized what was happening, and our fans cheered for us. That kept us going and helped us recover the adrenaline we’d felt playing the first few notes of the show. / Fue una de esas experiencias inevitables que cada músico experimenta en algún punto de su carrera, pero nunca sabes cuándo van a suceder. Nosotros lo vivimos durante la presentación más grande e importante que habíamos tenido como banda, y al frente de más de 700 personas. Hubiésemos preferido que pasara en otra circunstancia, pero nos tocó en ese momento. Lo importante fue que seguimos tocando e improvisando mientras arreglábamos los problemas, y la música nunca paró. Parte del público se dio cuenta de lo que ocurría, y nuestros fans nos hicieron porras. Esto nos animó a seguir el concierto y recobrar esa adrenalina que sientes justo al tocar las primeras notas del show.

OS: [From Vida Espía's blog] “Since that unforgettable night [at the House of Blues], VIDA ESPIA has come to be known as one of the most promising acts in the LA circuit.” It seems to me that those technical difficulties didn’t do any damage. How does it feel to be gaining more respect during this early time in your musical careers? / [Del blog de Vida Espía:] “Desde esa noche inolvidable, VIDA ESPIA se ha dado a conocer como una de las mejores propuestas en el círculo.” Bueno, me parece que las fallas técnicas no los hirieron mucho. ¿Cómo se siente ganar más respeto durante este tiempo en sus carreras musicales?

VE: It feels great… [laughs]. The truth is that in this city (LA) there’s a lot of talent, above all in the “rock en Español” genre. For us it’s an honor to be part of such an important movement that continues to grow. It’s hard work and there’s a lot of competition, but while there are more bands and more concerts within this genre, the community of fans gets larger and draws even more attention. In the end, this benefits all lovers of rock en Español. / Se siente muy bien…[risas]. La verdad es que en esta ciudad (Los Ángeles) hay mucho talento, sobre todo en el “rock en español”. Para nosotros es un honor formar parte de un movimiento importante que está en crecimiento. El trabajo es duro y hay mucha competencia, pero mientras tengamos más bandas y más conciertos de este género, la comunidad de fans se agrandará y llamará más la atención. A fin de cuentas, esto beneficiaria a todos los amantes del rock en español.

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AUDIO Q&A WITH SWAY FROM MTV NEWS

Sway

Sway

Sway is a household name for the MTV generation, who know him from his distinctive interviews with industry heavy weights including Jay-Z and Nas. Hip hop devotees also know him from his groundbreaking, nationally syndicated radio program The Wake Up Show and his compilation LP, This or That (Interscope) featuring KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane and The Roots. Then there are others who know him from back in the day when he was a hip hop artist and break dancer promoting his own mix tape.

This summer I had the opportunity to meet the man who has influenced the hip hop music scene for yearsworking from the ground up. I was immediately struck by his down to earth and genuine nature not to mention his knowledge as an industry professional. I also quickly noticed that everyone seemed to know Sway personally and all were very grateful for the support he’d given them over the years.

Recently I called Sway and asked him to share his own story, offer insights into today’s industry landscape as well as give advice to emerging artists. Sway had a lot to say so I highly recommend that artists and fans take the time to listen.

-KB

Want to keep up with Sway? You can follow him on Twitter @RealSway.

This Fall, Sway will be launching will be launching a series of symposiums aimed at helping people interested in having a successful career in the television, radio, entertainment and multimedia industries called All The Right Elements. The First All The Right Elements event will be held on November 14th at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. More info coming soon!

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Q&A WITH TOM BILLER

Tom Biller

Tom Biller

The life of a musician can take you on many unexpected journeys. You may embark on your career with the aspiration to record and tour on the merit of your own music only to discover that there are other avenues that are equally rewarding. That’s what Tom Biller, an LA-based musician turned producer and engineer, discovered. Biller has produced, engineered and mixed music for talents such as Kayne West, Fiona Apple and Elliot Smith. He has also recorded and mixed movie soundtracks including, “Punch Drunk Love,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,”"Super Bad” as well as Spike Jonze adaptation of  “Where the Wild Things Are.” This musician’s life is now coming full circle as Biller is set to begin production on the debut EP by his own band, Afternoons, who have been receiving rave reviews from all who have witnessed their sound, including the Los Angeles Times.

Jay Sweet recently caught up with the Biller in between recording sessions and asked him about the journey his career has taken thus far.

JS: When did you know you could make a living in music?

TB: I was asked to play guitar and bass on Fiona Apple’s second record. Getting paid was the last thing on my mind, happy to do it for free. A few weeks later I got a check in the mail for the session work. It wasn’t crazy money but more than I’d usually make in a week at that time. For playing a song?? Damn, I was hooked…

JS: How did you find yourself working on scores for films and producing?

TB: By accident… I started out running and assisting at a few studios in LA, learning how to engineer and make records. Then I started working with Jon Brion, who basically mentored me for awhile. We would go from a movie score to a record, always something different. Got a foot into both worlds… It was during that time my musicianship took a turn as well. Many great players around to get inspired by.

JS: When you look at a film such as WTWTA, what types of conversation do you have with the director/ creative team before you jump into making a score?

TB: In this case, I went in directly working with Karen O, who had many discussions with Spike prior, so we had a few ideas to knock around. We listened to a bunch of old songs— Daniel Johnston, Langley School Music Project, things like that. Gave us a clue to what the spirit should be.

JS: Give us an idea of what it’s like working with Karen O on a project like this. In some ways it may not seem like an obvious choice but having seen some of the film it makes perfect sense.

TB: Spike’ss films always have a reaction against the typical Hollywood b.s. I know that was a focus with Wild Things, we talked about that. So in some ways I think Karen was a perfect choice, someone different… like Max from the book.

JW: Being a music supervisor I’m curious about when you believe a scene is better suited for a cue track/ pre-recorded track vs. scoring to picture?

TB: In my experience, this usually comes from the director, taking cues from what mood he/ she’s trying to achieve. Most of the movies I’ve done have been all original scores. Sometimes we would get attached to a cue only for it to be changed in editing. But you have to have an open mind in this game. With someone like Spike or Michel Gondry, it was easy to trust their musical tastes and follow their lead.

JW: If you could work with a new composer what advice might you give them?

TB: Director wins, unless the star of the movie (who took a large cut in pay to gain some cred and decided he’s not ‘funny enough’ so has scenes edited so that the music underneath is no longer in time and out of arrangement.) wins!

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50 STATES IN 50 WEEKS… WEEK 17: NEVADA + Bonus Q&A

OSBlog_50States_NV

Home of: Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Andre Aggasi, Panic At The Disco, The Killers, 7 Seconds, Hemlock, Slaughter, 702, Jenny Lewis

Fun Facts: State flower; sagebrush, state song; “Home Means Nevada,” state animal; desert bighorn sheep

The Venues:

The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, which opened in 2003, was built specifically to house Celine Dion’s “A New Day” show (2003-2007). The venue is currently being shared by Cher’s “Cher At the Colosseum” and Bette Middler’s “The Showgirl Must Go On.”

Away from the glitz of the casinos is Beauty Bar. With an authentic late 50s interior, salvaged from the Capri Salon in Trenton, NJ, the venue hosts multi-genre DJ nights while the outdoor patio has a stage for live bands. Like its sister locations in NYC, Austin, San Diago, San Francisco and Hollywood, the Las Vegas Beauty Bar offers manicures with your martinis.

If you prefer The Vibrators and Murphy’s Law to Wayne Newton and Cirque du Soleil, The Double Down in Las Vegas is the bar for you. Punk, garage, surf and psychobilly are featured live on stage and on the jukebox. Catch OurStage punks The Bastard Suns on Oct 15th and heavy psychedelic rockers White Rhino on Oct 22nd. Thirsty? The Double Down claims to be “The Birthplace of the Bacon Martini.” Yum.

The Music:

Las Vegas' Modern Science

Las Vegas' Modern Science

Las Vegas has been an entertainment mecca since it first legalized gambling in 1931. Aside from the casinos, Vegas is known for hosting big name acts like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. But what about the local, homegrown music scene? For more info on what happens in Vegas, OurStage turned to Kane Churko of local Las Vegas band Modern Science. Modern Science has been busy playing shows to support their self titled debut album, released earlier this year on their own MIMORTL label (Download the album for free at www.FreeModernScience.com). Their hard work seems to be paying off: Their song “Look Where Your Walkin’” earned them a Top 10 finish in the March 2009 Pop Channel, and they will be showcasing at OurStage venue Ace of Clubs in NYC as part of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. Kane took some time out to answer some questions about the music in his home state.

OS: The songs on your debut album Modern Science are exuberant, danceable and flat out fun. Do you think your hometown of Las Vegas has had any influence on your sound?

KC: Las Vegas doesn’t take itself too seriously and neither do we. Don’t get me wrong—we’re serious musicians with serious ambitions but we like to have fun and make people forget about regular life for a little bit. In that sense—we’re completely Vegas. Let’s just hope the term “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” doesn’t apply to us. :-P

OS: Obviously not everyone in Nevada can play the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace like Cher & Bette Midler. What is your favorite venue to play in Nevada? Who are your favorite local bands to play with?

KC: House of Blues at Mandalay Bay no question. We played there a few nights ago for about 800 people and between the stage, the sound and audience there’s no better feeling. I would love to play the new Joint at The Hard Rock though—I saw Wilco there and it was the best show I’ve ever been to. As far as other local bands go Imagine Dragons are pretty cool—we played with them the other night too. Also our friends the Afghan Raiders are also doing some exciting stuff. We’re hitting up NY with them at the end of October for CMJ. Bringing Vegas to the Big Apple. Should be a party!

Continue reading ‘50 STATES IN 50 WEEKS… WEEK 17: NEVADA + Bonus Q&A’

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COVERAGE OF THE MTV BEST BREAKOUT NYC FINALS

Judges: MTV, FeFe Dobson, Adam from Cobra Starship

Judges: MTV, FeFe Dobson, Alex from Cobra Starship

VMA weekend kicked off this past Friday night as the finalists for the MTV Best Breakout NYC battled it out on stage at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Local favorites The Shells, Red Directors and MeTalkPretty performed two songs each in the hopes of impressing MTV, FeFe Dobson, Alex Suarez (Cobra Starship) as well as hundreds of rabid (and many sign-wielding) fans who together would award one of them the winner of a competition that originated on OurStage.com. The excitement reverberated through the venue as fans boisterously cheered their favorite artist on. Along with the frenetic came sobering moments- specifically when the finalists each received feedback on their performance moments after playing their last note. Although the comments from the judges (seated in The Fillmore VIP balcony) were generally positive, these industry vets were not afraid to identify poor song choices or the need to improve stage presence for some of these emerging artists. With the stage still warm, one act showed that they were ready to take their careers to the next level as judges and the majority of fans crowned the hardworking quartet, MeTalkPretty, the evening’s winner. Congratulations to all the bands who participated in the regional Best Breakout Artists contests held nation wide.

-KB

I caught up with each of the bands immediately after the winner was announced. Full audio interviews available for streaming in the players below.

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