Monday, December 31, 2018
An Interview with The Band Kris
Hello one & all DJ Dizzy here & its time for a band interview this time with a band by the name of The Band Kris who had this to say regarding their success & career.
Q: How’d you get started in music?
A: We’ve been playing music separately since the day we were exposed to our instruments, (piano & guitar) but it was in 2014 that we came together and wrote a song for our brother who was an aspiring musician but passed away. We wrote a song called “Dear Kris” updating our brother on what life is like down here without him and that was the song that brought us together as a sister duo.
Q: Who are your inspirations or influences?
A: We have always been inspired and influenced by Taylor Swift. As self taught musicians, we followed her songwriting techniques and her songs were some of the first songs we learned on our instruments. We are also influenced by Meghan Trainor. We were fortunate enough to meet her a few years back. We love her catchy and honest lyrics! Definitely has some influence over our writing.
Q: What advice would you offer aspiring performers?
A: Passion can take you very far and if you want it bad enough, you will make it happen. The only thing in your way, is yourself! We were scared out of our minds to move to Nashville, 2,000 miles away from home but we want this music career so bad that we will do anything to pursue our dreams! Don’t let fear control your future!
Q: How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
A: We try to spend our time focusing on how we can be unique rather than comparing ourselves to other bands. We really focus on creating the best songs that we can by turning every single moment into a song. One time we actually wrote a whole song based off of a word we liked- “Expired". This helps us continue to write everyday and develop our own sound. We NEVER stop writing! We also know that our story sets us apart because we are following our dream for more than just ourselves, we are following it for our brother as well. He was an L.A. based guitarist but unfortunately passed away before fully living out his music aspirations so we took it in our hearts to not only follow our dream, but his as well. Now his name, Kris, can continue to live on through our music which is why we call ourselves, The Band Kris.
Q: Any new gigs or albums in the future?
A: We recently released a music video for our single, “Jacket” which is still fairly new. However, we will be releasing another single very soon! So stay tuned! We hope to get in the studio to record an album but until then we release an original song on our Youtube Channel (@The Band Kris) every Tuesday & Thursday.
As far as gigs, we will be playing in a writers round at The Commodore Grille in Nashville, TN on January 31st! We also pop in on Monday nights at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN to play new songs of ours quite often.
Special thanks to the Band Kris for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their music. So with that said I'll catch you on the flipside!
Stay awesome & rock n roll!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
DJ Interviews: Vardis
Hey there guys DJ Dizzy here & I sat down & interviewed a band who called themselves Vardis who had a lot to say about their success & career. Enjoy!
How'd you get started in music?
Basically seeing Jimi Hendrix at the cinema in the Woodstock film, first inspired me to play guitar. I then started to write songs and got a band together.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Jimi as stated, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Dylan, Bolan (lyrics) and of course Chuck Berry (in fact most 1950's American Rock & Blues).
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
First of all, always enjoy what you do and then dont get hung up over money.
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
I dont. Honestly if music is from the heart, that's all that matters in the end.
Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Yea I have been recording some new stuff in my studio with my old bass player Alan Selway and drummer Joe Clancy. We have a show coming up on March 10th at the Grim up North festival. This is for a cancer charity so is important to us after losing Terry.
Here is the link: https://www.bandsintown.com
I wish them nothing but luck in their success & their careers that's going to do it for me so until then stay awesome & I'll catch you on the flipside!
I wish them nothing but luck in their success & their careers that's going to do it for me so until then stay awesome & I'll catch you on the flipside!
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
DJ Interviews: Michael Frazer
Hello everyone its DJ Dizzy here with another interview this time with Michael Frazer who had a lot to say regarding in regards to his career.
How'd you get started in music?
------------------------------
I've been on love with songs for as long as I can remember. When I buy a new album I always head straight for the lyrics and read all of the sleeve notes, everything. Always have.
I want to know who wrote each song, who played each instrument, where was it recorded? That's why I still prefer CDs to downloads.
I got my first electric guitar when I was 13. After I learned to play a few cover songs I'd use two cassette recorders, and bounce recordings between them to create a multi-track of me playing and singing.
Later, I bought a reel-to-reel machine, covered up the 'erase' head, and created layered multi-track songs and started to write a little.
I taught myself a little piano along the way, and as technology improved it became possible for solo artists like me to create release-quality recordings with orchestra, drums, keyboards and synths. I play all of the guitars and performed the vocals and backing.
So, although I started playing guitar in my early teens, I am a late developer in attaining the ability, knowledge, and confidence to write and record songs I am proud to play to other people.
I had also played in local rock and pop bands during this time playing bass and/or vocals, performing cover versions of whichever songs we liked, plus we'd sometimes sneak in some of our own songs. I stopped playing live in cover bands in order to focus on recording my own music.
If there's a downside to being a solo artist, it is that I have to learn to play, or programme all of the parts myself, and I have no-one to bounce ideas off. The upside is that I get to create something exactly how I want it, without compromise.
The challenge is always to try to get the song that I can hear in my head out into the real world.
Who are your inspirations or influences? ------------------------------
The artists who inspire me are those that follow their own path. Regardless of what they have created previously, or what might be expected of them, they just do what THEY choose to do.
The Beatles are one of earliest bands to do that from what I can see, David Bowie and Kate Bush are also great examples. U2 went away to reinvent themselves and came back with Achtung Baby, a terrific album.
As far as influences go, I guess that I must have learned, or absorbed something from all of the songs, and the artists that I have enjoyed listening to. I can't listen to a song without dissecting it's structure, arrangement and production on some subconscious level to try to understand why it works for me.
I love Elbow, great songs, and I love Guy's voice. Also Neil Finn and Crowded House.
I do tend topick up on individual songs rather than artists so it's hard for me list artists as such. I could list songs, from Johnny Cash covering 'Hurt', to Sam Smith's 'Writing's on the Wall. That would be a better view of my influences.
What advice would offer aspiring performers? ------------------------------
Do what you enjoy, don't deviate, or you'll end up doing something you don't enjoy.
Don't change what you do to fit a genre, your music will change and grow as you do so don't tie yourself down.
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? ------------------------------
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.
I create songs as they emerge. I don't try to make a song sound like the others on the album, each one is a brand new 'thing'.
Any new gigs or albums in the future? ------------------------------
I will rebuild my home studio over the next few months, ready to start recording new material for the next album
I've been on love with songs for as long as I can remember. When I buy a new album I always head straight for the lyrics and read all of the sleeve notes, everything. Always have.
I want to know who wrote each song, who played each instrument, where was it recorded? That's why I still prefer CDs to downloads.
I got my first electric guitar when I was 13. After I learned to play a few cover songs I'd use two cassette recorders, and bounce recordings between them to create a multi-track of me playing and singing.
Later, I bought a reel-to-reel machine, covered up the 'erase' head, and created layered multi-track songs and started to write a little.
I taught myself a little piano along the way, and as technology improved it became possible for solo artists like me to create release-quality recordings with orchestra, drums, keyboards and synths. I play all of the guitars and performed the vocals and backing.
So, although I started playing guitar in my early teens, I am a late developer in attaining the ability, knowledge, and confidence to write and record songs I am proud to play to other people.
I had also played in local rock and pop bands during this time playing bass and/or vocals, performing cover versions of whichever songs we liked, plus we'd sometimes sneak in some of our own songs. I stopped playing live in cover bands in order to focus on recording my own music.
If there's a downside to being a solo artist, it is that I have to learn to play, or programme all of the parts myself, and I have no-one to bounce ideas off. The upside is that I get to create something exactly how I want it, without compromise.
The challenge is always to try to get the song that I can hear in my head out into the real world.
Who are your inspirations or influences? ------------------------------
The artists who inspire me are those that follow their own path. Regardless of what they have created previously, or what might be expected of them, they just do what THEY choose to do.
The Beatles are one of earliest bands to do that from what I can see, David Bowie and Kate Bush are also great examples. U2 went away to reinvent themselves and came back with Achtung Baby, a terrific album.
As far as influences go, I guess that I must have learned, or absorbed something from all of the songs, and the artists that I have enjoyed listening to. I can't listen to a song without dissecting it's structure, arrangement and production on some subconscious level to try to understand why it works for me.
I love Elbow, great songs, and I love Guy's voice. Also Neil Finn and Crowded House.
I do tend topick up on individual songs rather than artists so it's hard for me list artists as such. I could list songs, from Johnny Cash covering 'Hurt', to Sam Smith's 'Writing's on the Wall. That would be a better view of my influences.
What advice would offer aspiring performers? ------------------------------
Do what you enjoy, don't deviate, or you'll end up doing something you don't enjoy.
Don't change what you do to fit a genre, your music will change and grow as you do so don't tie yourself down.
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? ------------------------------
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.
I create songs as they emerge. I don't try to make a song sound like the others on the album, each one is a brand new 'thing'.
Any new gigs or albums in the future? ------------------------------
I will rebuild my home studio over the next few months, ready to start recording new material for the next album
I wish him nothing but luck in his musical journey & special thanks to him in doing this interview.
So until then I'll catch you on the flipside!
stay awesome & rock n roll!
Sunday, December 9, 2018
DJ Interviews The Sleeves
Hi there everyone its DJ Dizzy coming at you with another interview this time its with a band based in Hong Kong whose called The Sleeves who had a lot to share about their start in music. So pull up a chair & enjoy!
How'd you get started in music?
We have all been dabbling in music for a long time in the UK and Hong Kong with varying degrees of success until The Sleeves. The current line-up has been together for about 3 years. All of us were in Hong Kong and in other outfits before joining forces. Hong Kong is a small place and musicians tend to know each other. Poaching, jumping ship and musical moonlighting are all commonplace in bands here.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
We don't have much common ground and each bring different tastes to the table. But from the 4 of us you will find mentioned The Sex Pistols, The Kinks, the Faces, Kasabian, Led Zeppelin Fela Kuti, New Order, Killing Joke and Harry Styles.
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Just stop aspiring and start performing no matter your perceived ability. There is no substitute for getting on stage and living it. And watch as many live shows as possible in all genres,. There is something to be taken from all art forms which is the backbone of evolution in music
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
Not really a conscious decision as it would be contrived to try. I don't think there has ever been a band discussion on image or style. Whatever differences we do have seem to disappear as a unit and the result is, hopefully, appreciated as unique
Any new gigs or albums in the future?
There are always gigs as we love to play live.. We will be on tour in Vietnam in January and will likely be heading to China and Japan later 2019. A trip to Europe may be on the cards too and just thrive on new doors opening to play to fresh ears. Album no. 3 is underway but too early to say when it will be out..
Deliverance (our sophomore release) was out in May 2018 and we are still promoting this as much as we can.
Special thanks to The Sleeves for this interview & I wish them luck in their careers. Well that's going to do it for me so until then I'll catch you on the flipside.
Stay awesome & rock n roll!
Saturday, December 8, 2018
DJ Interviews: Zeydru
Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here once again, This time I've sat down with a band by the name of Zeydru who are a symphonic metal band who shared their beginnings & success.
How'd you get started in music?
IVA---I had discovered I had a talent very early, when I was about 5 but it's when i first saw a band on the stage, years later, that i knew that was something i wanted to do. My friend and i formed our first band back in high school and from then on music has been one of my bigest wishes. I also like to write and with Jenna and Deco i get to do both, musically and lyrically. I am very thankful that the three of us found one another. I have just recently moved from Boston to NJ so we will now be able to do much more than before when we had to travel hours for rehearsals.Deco--I started banging on pots and pans as a baby while my mother was doing dishes, to elementary school and middle school bands. I did not join my high school band because I was already in local bands and playing venues before I started high school.Jenna--When I was about 4 or 5 my mom had a small electric organ that had all the notes written on it. I took one of her books that had the notes written in by letter, and started matching the notes on the organ. When the organ stopped working my Mom and Dad got us a piano because my brother wanted to take lessons and my parents signed me up too! I stuck with it, while my brother excelled at guitar. I then did school band, choir, jazz band and started forming bands in high school! I then went on to study music in college and played in a few bands before meeting Deco and Iva!
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Iva--Anything and everything. A person, a memory, moments of happiness and lingering tragedy, scents, colors, pictures in my mind, things hidden, novels and poetry (I'm a huge fan of Dostoyevsky, Anne Rice and Boulder) and of course music (Moonspell, HIM, BB, Epica, Within Temptation and many others).Deco--Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Bo Jackson, Neil PertJenna--So many! But namely Elton John, Freddy Murcury, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Trans Siberian Orchestra's Bob Kinkel, and Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Deco--my advice to give would be the same advice my grandmother always told my mother and me which is to "folow your dreams and reach for the stars".Jenna--Listen to any type of music! Enjoy visual paintings! Put your heart into your project, but don't be afraid to be a part of the business side as well! Network with other groups and build some friends who do the same things you do!
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
Iva-- We do what we truly love and hopefully people will be able to feel and relate to that. I am sure we will be compared to other bands and granted, we are not inventing anything new, but i still think there is a unique quality to our sound and the emotion it carries that will mark Zeydru for years to come.Deco--Unfortunatly, there are some musicians/bands/singers in this business for the wrong reasons. I set myself apart in this business by doing this for the right reasons. Such as taking care of my family, as well as my fans because our fans are family too.Jenna--We write with our heart. We as a group have a very wide variety of tastes and influences so we have a variety of sounds in our songs. We can go from power ballad, to a fast heavy song, to jazzy and even somewhat new age all in one set. We write in any key and tempo which gives us a LOT of freedom. We all write to each song as well. So each song we all wrote together!
Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Iva--Yes! Definitely! It will start in spring!Deco--We are currently working on our debut album!Jenna--2019 is looking to be a really awesome year! As you can see we're quite opitmistic for our future now that Iva has moved here we really are excited for the new year and what the future holds. We have demos available on zεψdru and we can be followed on both twitter @zeydruband and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ZeydruInstagram at Zeydru_official as well! Stay tuned
Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their career & musical journey. So until then I'll catch you on the flipside!
Stay awesome & rock n roll!
Friday, December 7, 2018
DJ Interviews: Wild Horse
Hey there DJ Dizzy here & I sat down with a band called The Wild Horses & they had a lot to say regarding their upbringing & success. They were answered by Jack Baldwin, Guitarist, Vocalist and co-writer for the band.
How'd you get started in music?
I was playing “Call of Duty” when I was around 11 & heard “Sympathy For The Devil” playing in the background & was instantly hooked on the song. Through that I discovered The Rolling Stones, The Who, Hendrix etc and it just snowballed from there.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Sex Pistols, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young – all the greats. More recently I’ve been getting into bands like The arctic Monkeys, Childish Gambino, Jorja Smith – all different types of music.
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Don’t give up, you may well perform to near empty rooms or to audiences where you’re not quite their thing and receive a bad reception, but as long as you persevere, and you have enough commitment and talent, it will go your way in the end.
Any new gigs or albums in the future?
We released our second album at the end of June, “Songs About Last Night” and have had a busy summer of gigs & festivals promoting it. We are now taking a break from gigging until November where we play the excellent Forum in Tunbridge Wells, (the likes of Oasis have played here), whilst we record a 6 track EP which we will launch at Christmas. For 2018 we will release our third album and probably two 6 track EP’s. Everything we do is backed up by gigs as that’s what we enjoy the most.
@wildhorserockuk
I wish them nothing but luck in their careers & their success so with that until next time I'll catch you on the flipside!
Stay awesome & Rock n roll!
DJ Interviews: Fireproveen
Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here & I recently interviewed a band hailing from Finland who had a lot to say regarding their success & their origins so enjoy!
"1 How'd you get started in music?
We started this journey in 2006 with Ilari and Nuutti in Hamina,
Finland. Nuutti, Ilari and I were studying in same music school, so one
night we decided to start a band. We had a goal to make something new
and fresh but at the same time aggressive music. It was hard at first
but we were hard working guys and we got through that face. At that time
we were looking for a bass player and fortunately Janne’s brother Juha
was interested to play with us. For a little while we tried to find
singer to our band but because there wasn’t any good options we decided
that Juha start’s to growl. That was the case first but after our first
release Janne started to sing the clean vocals.
2 Who are your inspirations or influences?
Nuutti’s biggest influences are: Porcupine tree, Soilwork, Devin
Townsend, John Coltrane, Gojira and Rubik.
Juha’s favorite artist’s are: Pantera, Sentenced, Megadeth, Queen and
Slayer.
Janne’s are: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Gojira, Messhuggah,
Opeth, Miles Davis, David Bowie and Metallica.
Ilari’s infulences are: Kamelot, Virgin steel, Hans Zimmer, Chvurches,
Dream theather and Joe Hisaishi.
3 What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Be yourself, no matter what. People will notice the pretenders sooner or
later. We do our music in our own way, and we do not want to make music
that someone else has already done. Be creative and hard to work for
your band.
4 How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
I think that we have our own sound, which distinguishes us from the
other mass positively. Every player and singer sounds himself. And we
are letting the influences go beyond the genre limits, so it can not be
heard in our music. Sure if it is puritanical about music, it is
difficult to hear these phenomena. Everyone is listening to music
regardless of genre. Keyboards is in the bigger role than usually in the
metal bands.
5 Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Yes, we have a Baltic tour on february 2019 and maybe a big news about
the new upcoming album."
Special thanks to them for doing this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their careers.
So with that I'll catch you on the flipside!
Stay awesome & rock n roll!
"1 How'd you get started in music?
We started this journey in 2006 with Ilari and Nuutti in Hamina,
Finland. Nuutti, Ilari and I were studying in same music school, so one
night we decided to start a band. We had a goal to make something new
and fresh but at the same time aggressive music. It was hard at first
but we were hard working guys and we got through that face. At that time
we were looking for a bass player and fortunately Janne’s brother Juha
was interested to play with us. For a little while we tried to find
singer to our band but because there wasn’t any good options we decided
that Juha start’s to growl. That was the case first but after our first
release Janne started to sing the clean vocals.
2 Who are your inspirations or influences?
Nuutti’s biggest influences are: Porcupine tree, Soilwork, Devin
Townsend, John Coltrane, Gojira and Rubik.
Juha’s favorite artist’s are: Pantera, Sentenced, Megadeth, Queen and
Slayer.
Janne’s are: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Gojira, Messhuggah,
Opeth, Miles Davis, David Bowie and Metallica.
Ilari’s infulences are: Kamelot, Virgin steel, Hans Zimmer, Chvurches,
Dream theather and Joe Hisaishi.
3 What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Be yourself, no matter what. People will notice the pretenders sooner or
later. We do our music in our own way, and we do not want to make music
that someone else has already done. Be creative and hard to work for
your band.
4 How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
I think that we have our own sound, which distinguishes us from the
other mass positively. Every player and singer sounds himself. And we
are letting the influences go beyond the genre limits, so it can not be
heard in our music. Sure if it is puritanical about music, it is
difficult to hear these phenomena. Everyone is listening to music
regardless of genre. Keyboards is in the bigger role than usually in the
metal bands.
5 Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Yes, we have a Baltic tour on february 2019 and maybe a big news about
the new upcoming album."
Special thanks to them for doing this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their careers.
So with that I'll catch you on the flipside!
Stay awesome & rock n roll!