Wednesday, November 30, 2022

DJ Interviews: Seedpicker

 Heres my interview with band, Seddpicker



Friday, November 25, 2022

DJ Interviews: Music for world peace radio

 Here's my interview with Music for world peace radio


How'd you get started in the biz?
I got started in the music business in 1965 when I put my first band together while in high school.  How I started the Music For World Peace record label is a more interesting story:
I am a Vietnam veteran who hated war and didn't like being in the military.  I wanted out so badly that I was willing to extend my tour in Vietnam for an additional 6 months so could get a 6 month early out of the army.  During my tour of duty I began to lose my faith and doubted my belief that there was a God, in spite of some of the miracles I had seen in a war-torn country.
When I agreed to extend my tour they gave me a 2 week leave to go home.  When I was on my way back I was stationed in transit at Ft. Lewis, Tacoma, Wa., where I would stay for 1 week and then fly back to Vietnam.
During my in-transit stay I got into some mischief trying to get out of pulling extra duties like scrubbing and waxing floors, cleaning toilets, KP, guard duty, etc.  The company commander told me I wouldn't be on the scheduled flight because I had to stay behind for an extra week to pull all available duties every day for an entire week.
On the day I was supposed to fly out I was at lunch watching the news on TV.  They reported that the flight that was bound for Vietnam that morning (the flight I was supposed to be on) crashed in the Pacific ocean in shark infested waters shortly after take-off and there were no survivors.
It was like God was saying to me "You don't believe in me?  Well here, let me show you that I am looking out for you".  At that point I knew God had other plans for me, but I didn't know what they were.  This was late 1970.
For many years following that incident I wondered what his plan was for me.  Then in June of 2020, 50 years from the plane crash, I was thinking about how so many Christians preach to others and talk about the life of Jesus and how they love Jesus but do the opposite of what he taught.  I thought "wouldn't it be great if I could use my God given talents to somehow bring his teachings to everyone in the world?"  I was a skilled musician, songwriter, producer, and I had a vanity label since 1980, which gave me the experience of running a record label by myself.  Then it hit me.  I could start another record label and release music, not only my own, but the music of others that conveyed his teachings.  But it had to be in a way that everyone would listen to it.  Not just Christians.  Then a plan began to develop in my head and every step I took seemed to be free of the usual obstacles when trying to put something so complex together.  Music For World Peace Records was born.
Since we began, some of our music seemed to get away from it's original intention and leaned more toward anti-war, but I would like to get back to it's original intention and get more songs that convey the teachings of not only Jesus, but prophets of all religions who taught us how to have peace on earth.  We are not looking for gospel music or any music that focuses on any one religious belief.  We want music that sounds secular yet brings forth the teachings of world peace by prophets like Jesus, Buddah, Mohammed, etc.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Jesus as a philosopher who taught world peace more so than a religious figure head.
What advice would offer aspiring producers?
Find something you are passionate enough about to give it your all.
How do you set yourselves apart from other shows?
Being a virtual label we do not organize shows.  We do however, help our artists promote their shows when they let us know about them.
Any new shows in the future?
Only the shows organized by our artists.  When they announce them they appear in our Facebook public group.

Thursday, November 24, 2022

DJ Interviews: Epsilon XI

 Here's my interviw with performer Ipsion XI


How'd you get started in music?

What really got me started in music is after hearing a lot of artists in electronic music and doing it all by themselves, I fell in love with it and wanted to do it as well.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

My main inspiration or influences would be my father and sister since that is where i came up with my artist name Epsilon XI. Artists that have inspired me would be artists like VNV Nation, Assemblage 23, Grendel and so many others. 



What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Don't ever give up on doing what you love to do. There will be ups and downs. It's a slow process. But if you love what you do and keep plugging away at it, good things will come.

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I would say I try to incorporate personal experiences into my songs. I have turned two of my sisters poems into songs. Another one I created lyrics about anti-bullying. Another one I created lyrics going through me and my sisters childhood up to the day she passed away. While the chorus reflects a darker side about her overdose.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?


I am currently working on my fourth album. The album will feature many different types of electronic music. Everything from synth pop to hard-hitting EDM. Stay tuned.

Sunday, November 20, 2022

DJ Interviews: Christopher Lawson

 Here's my interview with singer.songwritter Christopher Lawson



…….Here is Chris Lawson’ Thank you 



How'd you get started in music?


I was always fascinated by words and often wrote poetry as a child. However with the hectic pace of life and living I just didn’t have the time to write for many years.

One day I took my car into a local mechanic shop for a general maintenance tune up; there I met an old friend. He reminded me of a poem that I wrote in our high school english class that he never forgot. A few days later I began to write again. After about 4 months of writing I just got this urge to take guitar lessons. To tell the truth I can’t really explain it but everything just fell into place after that.

Music and songwriting has always been personal and reflective to me so I was very hesitant about approaching anyone about the music that I was working on. Finally after about 3 yrs I decided to take 7 songs to Boom Studio; Boom Studio lead me to Dream House Studio. I recorded a variety of material at both music studios but I still didn’t feel like putting anything out into the public domain. One day Mark Zubek and the Zeddrecords Team from Toronto contacted me. Finally after 6 years of working on music I released “Flame” as my premier single; Say Yes, My Time, Secret, and Bad Girl followed. 




Who are your inspirations or influences?


My style and influences is quite unique I am the son of Jamaican immigrants.

I do have that strong reggae influence but I came to Canada as a child. Growing up in the the Greater Toronto Area has really shaped my musical sound. There was so many different sounds that I would hear just walking through my neighbourhood. The Italian opera songs that my neighbour use to play; the rock and roll guitar of Neil Young; the piercing voice of Celine Deon; the high tenor still voice of Steve Perry the lead singer of Journey. I did not know it at the time just how unique and beautiful the city of Toronto was and still is. Toronto has the world in it; it is the world’s largest immigrant community. it’s hard to really say what or who my musical influences are because my ear my heart and my spirit is constantly picking up sounds and ideas from inside me and all around me. All I can say is that these artists have always drawn me close Sia Furler, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Bill Withers.




What advice would you offer aspiring performers?


Always create from the heart. Take nothing or no one for granted. The universe will shine its light on you and the world will find you.




How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?


I am probably my worse critic, I try to make everything that I do the best it can be. There is a naturalness to my performances and music. it is very tough at times to put my thoughts and ideas into music, but I always try to be honest in the music. I also have a graphic arts background; where I use colours and imagery to get my message and ideas across to the audience. 




Any new gigs or albums in the future?


I am currently working on my premier album; it should be out late 2023.

Hence because I have  a large catalog of unrecorded music the Zeddrecords team and myself are trying to record songs that will express what I really want to say.


Thursday, November 17, 2022

DJ Interviews: CaboWabo34

 Here's my interview with Jenny AKA CaboWabo34


I hope that I am still able to assist you with your interview. I am not a musician,but I am a huge fan of music. Music is my life. I have high functioning autism, and music has always been my saving grace. My inspirations or influences would be Lady Gaga, as not only do I have autism, I also have a lot of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia, like Lady Gaga has. I admire her as she has never given up and she keeps on persisting. My advice for aspiring performers and artists would be to never give up on your dreams

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

DJ Interviews: Lisa Mann

as sh Here's my interview with singer Lisa Mann of the band, Splintered Throne, enjoy her musical rigins.

How'd you get started in music?

I have loved music since I was a child, my parents always had music playing in the house.  Even as a small child I knew I wanted to be a musician.  When I was 11-12 years old I walked home from school and saved my lunch money to buy my first bass from a pawn shop.  When I was 16 I played my first gigs, with a crossover band called Dead Conspiracy.  By the time I was 19 I was playing full time in Top 40 dance and rock bands.  Later I became an original blues artist, now I am foraying back into the metal music I listened to in my youth, with my recording project White Crone, and now singing with Splintered Throne.  To make a long story short, I guess I got started in grade school!

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I play different styles of music, so I have influences that vary.  For blues and soul music, I love singers like Etta James, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, BB King, and more, and bass players like Johnny B Gayden, James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt.  For heavy metal, singers like Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, Eric Adams, and Rob Halford all influenced me heavily, and for bass playing, it's players like Steve Harris, Bob Daisley, Timi Hansen, Geddy Lee and others.  But I am definitely inspired and influenced by everything I hear in every style, even classical music.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

I would say if you want to perform music, it's important that you get out of the woodshed and play with other people as much as possible.  And when you do, be sure to listen to each other, don't just play for yourself.  Play or sing for the song- everything you do should be about the song, not about you.  You should care far more about the whole song the audience is hearing than about how cool you sound.  If you approach things that way, great musicians are going to want to play with you, and audiences are going to want to support you.

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I've been doing music professionally for a long time, in many different styles.  So I guess I would say well-roundedness sets me apart.  Also the musical knowledge I've gained over the years has come in very handy, especially when working with a band like Splintered Throne.  I'm not playing bass in that band, or guitar for that matter, but I understand music well enough to really participate in the songwriting process.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Right now we are very focused on promoting our latest Splintered Throne album, The Greater Good of Man.  We just want to get that album thundering in as many eardrums as possible!



Following music linka


Monday, November 14, 2022

DJ's Spotlight: A Special Shoutout to Soundbox Reviews

 

Hey there guys its your good friend DJ Dizzy here & I have some awesome news,  I had done an  interview with a fellow music blog called SoundBox Reviews who also reviewed my original track Stay Frosty. 

For some that aren't too familiar with them they're a music blog who also reviews & interviews indie artists & they do really good work, though they got one thing wrong for the interview I'm a hard rock performer but they did a great job on things. So I just wanted to give them a special shoutout & say thanks so much for the oppertunity & stay frosty.


Feel free to check out the links below & I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!


Music Review

Music Single Review: “Stay Frosty” by DJ Dizzy Storms [Basic! - 3.5 boomboxes] (soundbox-reviews.blogspot.com)


My interview

Artist Interview: DJ Dizzy Storm Pop Artists [2022] (soundbox-reviews.blogspot.com)

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

DJ Interviews: Ninth Revival

 Here's my interview with the band, Ninth Revival

How'd you get started in music? - I've been playing for as long as I can remember from six when I learned piano from my mother who is a trained classical pianist. I played tenor sax in the school marching band and I was part of a Jazz Ensemble that toured different places in the North East. I was getting really serious about hard rock and metal when I started to play guitar around 12 and the rest is history. 

Who are your inspirations or influences? - From early on, starting at 8 I was a huge Kiss fan, plus loved everything that was cool in the 70s like the BeeGees, KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and The Gang, George Clinton and Parliament. 
Then usual suspects, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Hendrix, Cheap Trick, The Cars, Metallica, Slayer, Priest, Maiden...Randy Rhodes and Eddie Van Halen took guitar to a whole new level and took my inspiration there too. Of course there are a lot more but because of my age and my very long musical life journey, it would take me forever to get through it. My latest inspirations come from Dark Wave, Gothic Rock and Metal such as Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, My Dying Bride, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death and the like.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers? - Just do it. Whether or not you get validation or positive feedback. I rarely if ever ask for feedback on my music before release anymore because if it falls flat it will start making me doubt myself. Not everyone is going to like what you play but there will be those who do. Even if I am the only one that likes what I recorded, I entertained one person. Mission accomplished. 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? - I don't sound like most metal artists out there (so I've been told). Not everything I play is original (as if there is such a thing as truly original music) but I try to emulate other musicians and vocalists but fail at it miserably.

I had just released ASHINA in early October,  plus under my solo project I am collaborating with Adam Hyman for a Black Sabbath cover, INTO THE VOID. A slower and heavier version. It's worth checking out. I do everything on my recordings, so I have no gigs, cause I have no band to back me up at this time. 
On occasion I have shared the stage at Demonscar shows to end their set. I love performing live and grab the chance any time it comes along. 

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

DJ Interviews: Rubber Clown Car

 Here's my interview with the band,  Rubber Clown Car

How'd you get started in music?
Rubber Clown Car (or RCC as we’re also known) started in 2006 at a party.  A mutual friend introduced us to each other.  I played in a few Beatles cover bands, Fred (drums) played in some hard rock and metal bands, and Tony (bass and keys) played in some pop and “fake jazz” bands.  We found a mutual love of pop songs and bands/artists like the Beatles, XTC, The Replacements, Matthew Sweet, punk, Bob Mould, BOC, GBV, and a bunch more.

The name “Rubber Clown Car” came from a near fatal accident where the overcrowded car we were driving in bounced off two other cars like it was made of rubber.  No major injuries, and we had a name!

How'd you get started in music
I started on drums but was so horribly bad my parents made me quit and get a guitar (they thought that would make less noise - guess again!).   Tony and Fred spent a little time in school bands before moving on to other stuff

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

If you love what you’re doing don’t stop.  Some people will like it, some won’t, that’s just the way it is.  But if can get the same buzz playing as you did the first time you heard or played music you’re on the right path.  Only you can sound like you if you let it happen.

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I think we bring in so many influences, and we’re not afraid to try stuff.  It’s gonna sound like us anyway so there’s no need to stick to any “formula”.  On our “Horse Logic” record we asked our Twitter family to send us samples, sounds, noises, singing, whatever.  We used those sound bits as the basis of the songs. Tony said it was like trying to do a puzzle by taking three boxes, dumping them on the floor, and trying to get stuff to fit!  A challenge, but a hell of a lot of fun.  And it turned out pretty cool.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Right now we’re focusing on a bunch of singles.  Just released “Penny For Your Thoughts” and we have a couple more in the works.  We’ve released 12 records so far so I’m sure we’ll be back in that mode soon.

Saturday, November 5, 2022

DJ Interviews: Tram Sandwich

 Here's my interview with band Trams Sandwich



How'd you get started in music?

Jankin: Well that's quite a funny story actually. Nimble Digits and I first met in an Ecuadorian prison whilst doing time for smuggling. It was a really cut-throat environment, and music was our salvation really. Neither of us had ever attempted to make music before, but there was very little else to do so we passed the time singing old folk songs with the cartels. 

Nimble Digits: However, this turned out to be an ether induced group hallucination, and we came to on the number 42 bus. None other than Bez from the Happy Mondays was seated adjacent to us, and he told us our purpose in life was to form a band, so we did. The rest is history. The moral of the story is: Don't do drugs, unless you're prepared to start a band!


Who are your inspirations or influences?

Jankin: Albert Hoffman, Alexander Shuglin, Alan Clarke, Alan Sillitoe, Clara Rockmore, Mariya Oktyabrskaya, Bai Terek, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Big Hard Excellent Fish, The Shaggs, Venetian Snares, Lucille Bogan, Susan Boyle

Nimble Digits: Washing machines, blenders, microwaves, running a bath, flushing the toilet, walking down stairs; usually if you drop a radio into these scenarios it will not work afterwards. I also quite like Cannibal Corpse and Squarepusher.


What advice would you offer aspiring performers? 

Jankin: If you're in it for the money, don't bother. Ruthlessly be yourself and you'll come up with the most interesting stuff. Also, don't send out generic mass messages begging for streams/views/likes/subscriptions cause it really pisses people off. 

Nimble Digits: Copy and steal but if you touch our material prepare to get dirty, sticky and a little bit wet.


How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? 

Jankin: Well we're one of the only bands that will get members of the audience in a headlock and force them to sing for us. There's not many other groups who mix jungle with post-punk either. Also I sing in my actual accent.

Nimble Digits: Probably my haircut, my sleeping habits, my commute, where I live, my diet and tastes.


Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Jankin: We've got loads of gigs coming up across the world in the next few months, but they are all secret gigs, so we can't really say much more. Our shows tend to get shut down by the police so these days we send out the details about an hour before the gig starts. 

Nimble Digits: We're gearing up for a big year of albums in 2023. We'll be attempting to outdo Viper's infamous creative output by releasing 2 albums a day, every day, in 2023. So we're aiming for a total of 730 albums. Some might say it's impossible to release 2 top quality albums a day for 365 days straight, but to those people we say, "fucking watch us!" 

Thursday, November 3, 2022

DJ Interviews: Matt Steady

 Here's my iinterview with singer/singwriter Matt Steady



Wednesday, November 2, 2022

DJ Interviews: Bob Westlake

 Hey there guys here's my interview with Bon Westlake


ow'd you get started in music?

I have been playing guitar since I was 13 or 14 and I am still learning! I have played in a couple of pub bands in the early days and more recently have got together with buddies for ad hoc gigs.  Lockdown in 2020 was when I started to get serious about recording. It provided the time and space to do it and now with the family grown up and making their own lives and no longer having to do the 9 - 5 grind means I am able to continue that journey. 




Who are your inspirations or influences?

Well growing up in the 60s and 70s I guess inevitably means I am subconsciously influenced by that era. Rock, folk and prog rock feature heavily in my listening tastes. In particular Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd and I love Roger Waters solo work. That is where I probably get my thoughts on including sound effects from, such as the horse galloping.  I also love the more melodic symphonic metal songs of Nightwish and Within Temptation for example.  One of my instrumental songs on the album Songs from the Pump House released in July I named NightMic because when it was finished and I was listening to it I could hear influences from Nightwish and Mike Oldfield so named it as a sort of homage. 



What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Tough question as everyone is an individual. It really depends on why people want to do music. For me its a love affair so I write and perform the music I love. If artists are true to themselves then even if the music is not commercially successful, they have a body or work they can be very proud of.

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

It's not something I consciously do. I write and perform songs that I have been inspired to do. As an artist one just hopes that somebody out there gets enjoyment from and connects with the music.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

My last album Songs From the Pump House was released just a few months ago. I am already starting to write new songs or bits of music that just happen creatively.  I may well start to release music as and when they are recorded rather than wait until I have 8 or 9 songs for a new album. I sense that people listen to individual songs these days rather than whole albums.

Along with Raquel we formed an acoustic duo and we have done several gigs in and around the town where we live. We were particularly honoured to be asked by the Town Council to play at the official street party for HM the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the summer. An amazing experience.  We have just been booked to play at the official Town Council Christmas Lights switch on and market on 26th November. Expect I am going to need that Christmas jumper lol.