How'd you get started in music?
I just fell into it around the age of 18 through a new group of friends who introduced me to alternative, indie, underground music. Up til I didn't even know that stuff really existed. Hearing guitar sounds like the Dead Kennedy's and Sonic Youth, the vocals and sounds by Jane's addiction was an eye opener and I was hooked. A lot of these friends had been playing music since their early teens so I was a little bit of a later starter and I never really got serious on playing any particular instrument. Just used the instrument as a way to write songs. Then as various band members didn't want to play anymore I'd find myself as the bass player, or on a guitar.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Everyone and everything in music inspires and influences me. I've been involved in projects that would be classified as pure noise art through to learning how to sing opera (well try in my case). I do generally prefer the alternative and independent artists more than mainstream artists as I feel there's a rawness and reality to it that I mostly don't get from mainstream music. Perhaps it's that indie artists are generally writing their own stuff from their own experiences so they live it whereas a lot of commercial artists are singing stuff written for them. So, I guess I just don't find the emotion in it as much. However, there are definitely still mainstream songs that do convey that emotion and I like and appreciate them.
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Never give up, keep trying new things, enjoy what you do - I think the current world situation shows that a lot of artists income is not secure and only a few artists/musicians ever make the kind of money that can set them up to not have to work. It's a career it's a job and most people have to work their whole life to buy the house and whatnot so don't expect that you are gonna be the next big thing and strike it rich. Chances are you'll be slogging away at this for a long time with very little to fall back on. I know a lot of musicians whose income just dried up because there were no gigs, so tours got canned, shows couldn't be played and even supplemental income like teaching other students dropped off completely so it's a tough industry and going in knowing that and accepting that is a good place to start because if you know that and you still continue you know you are doing it for the right reasons.
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
We just do what we want to do and as artists we don't want to continue writing the same stuff. So, I think album to album song to song we will sound different and grow and that is all as artists you want. I don't have any expectations other than to be true to myself and what I believe in. If that shines through to an audience then my job is done.
Any new gigs or albums in the future
No gigs for us at this time but we are right at the end of the mixing stage of a new album which will be released in the not too distant future so watch this space.
Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them luck in their music. So until then I'll catch you on the Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!
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