05 Never Turn Back - The Best of Crush 40: Super Sonic Songs

DJ Interviews: Art Koop

 Here's my interview with Art Koop

How'd you get started in music?

I was surrounded by music as a kid. I was more than a decade younger than my 3 siblings, and they all took piano lessens. My dad taught himself to play piano.

For me it came naturally. I found pennies in my sandbox and made up a song when I was preschool age. There was a song written in a book I was read, and I made a melody for it. I started writing music for a song on manuscript paper, banging out notes one by one and figuring it out on the piano, before I even took lessons. Then piano lessons, voice lessons, music theory and composition in University. 

What are your inspirations or influences?

I was always drawn to lyricists and songs that told a story. I went to a Harry Chapin concert by myself when I was 12 years old - probably at least 10 years younger than anyone else there. Tom Petty is big for me. Bob Dylan. John Lennon. Paul Simon. Sting.

I also have a very low voice, so Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash and early Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) are pretty important to me.

And I've always had a soft spot for the blues. Muddy Waters. BB King.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

I don't remember who said it - a woman performer - Either be the best, or be different from anyone else. That's if you want to make it.

For me, though, I don't much care if I make it or not (hardly anyone knows me or my stuff, although it's on a couple hundred mostly obscure playlists and another musician has used 3 sets of my lyrics for his music, with my permission). So for me it's about writing songs that I don't hear anyone else writing, for my own low voice, in my own way, and sometimes about topics that nobody else takes on.

And, as for the last question, that's what sets me apart. I have  my own strumming, picking, and muting styles on guitar. I try to avoid cliche phrases. I'm concerned about society and education, as a teacher, so my songs are about that. And I have a lower voice than 99% of other singers, so it's that bass range that I stay in. It's just me and my guitar so far, and it sounds simple, but I try to find subtle ways to add interest and expression. 

DJ Interviews: The Debris

 Heres my interview with The Debris

The Debris are:

 

Stuart Potts – Vocals

Jamie Harron – Lead Guitar

Andrew Potts – Rhythm Guitar

Richie Jenkins – Bass Guitar

Chris Medina - Drums

 

How'd you get started in music?

 

We’re just a group of friends with a shared love of music who wanted to be in a band and make a racket together.  Only Jamie and Chris could play a little when we started out, so we were pretty much making it up as we went along – very much in the vein of that garage / punk rock philosophy.

 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

 

We each have various influences and inspirations, but the 90’s revival in guitar music is where we all collectively found common ground, and really started to be interested in the music scene as a whole – actually believing we could try it ourselves one day.

 

Jamie’s mum was in a 60’s beat group and Stuart, the other main songwriter was heavily into guitar music, playing his dad’s record collection from a very early age.

 

Having five members in the band, we have a wide range of influences from various eras and numerous guitar-based genres; but the bands / artists we can pretty much all agree on, and who have been a big influence on us at one stage or another are:

 

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Bob Dylan, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Neil Young, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Stone Roses, The La’s, Oasis - and there are many, many more too.

 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

 

Just get writing and jamming and see what happens.  If it doesn’t work at first, keep going and eventually it will come together.  Also, don’t try to write for a particular audience or trend.  Just write the music you like, be true to yourself and enjoy it!  

 

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

 

We have never consciously tried to set ourselves apart or be unique. As with most bands, we just threw our influences and individual styles together, and this is what came back – which is a true reflection of us as a group.

 

It can be very common for bands / artists to have a similar sound at certain periods in time, whether they consciously set out to be part of a scene or not.  There is some interesting and varied stuff out there right now, as well as some Oasis, Arctic Monkeys clones – which seems to be the current trend. 

 

We would like to think we are slightly leftfield of that, and the mainstream sound as a whole - offering an alternative to the bulk of what we’re hearing. 

 

Music is a subjective thing though and people will like what they like, whether it’s totally original, or just a re-hash of what’s been before.  Neither is right or wrong, and there is a place for all.

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

 

With regards to gigs, we initially started out in the mid 00’s where we gigged quite extensively, playing many of the iconic small venues across London: The Bull & Gate, Water Rats, Hope & Anchor, Dublin Castle, Borderline, Barfly etc

 

We then started to play some larger venues, most notably the 100 Club, Scala, The Garage and Islington Academy.  At this time, we had a 4 track EP and a set-list of around 10 to 15 songs that we were promoting.  We then got a little disillusioned with the whole thing and decided we needed to grow up and get ‘proper’ jobs.

 

During lockdown we decided to finish what we had started back then, with the aim of completing an album. On that basis, we have no real interest in gigging at this stage, but we are writing new songs which will hopefully complement some older ones. 

 

The plan is to focus on writing and recording for now, then pulling together a collection of songs that all work well together, fully showing what we’re about.

DJ Interviews: Kandemic

 Here's my interview with the band Kendemic

How'd you get started in music?

Well, all of us have been playing, singing and making music since we were young. What makes Kandemic so interesting for me is the fact that musically we all come from very different backgrounds. Killabase's roots are in old school rap coming from the streets of Milan. Zar earned his chops as a guitarist studying metal and rock, but later his musical experiments have taken him to acoustic finger picking, where he is building a strong reputation for himself. Nick's roots are in Rock and Metal drumming, but he has also spent a lot of time studying and performing word music percussion. Nick and Zar also play in a great acoustic band called the Headtrip Acoustic Project, which is a completely different style from Kandemic, but you should definitely check them out. And my background started with Rock and punk, but 26 years ago I moved from Finland to Ireland and got really into Celtic music. In a way, I suppose there are elements in Kandemic's music that are bringing me back closer to my musical roots.

   As a band, as the pandemic started to close down the world, we were all left thinking what now. And when the boredom got too much to deal with. Me and Killabase decided to try to make some music together. And we both knew Zar and Nick, so it was kind of a natural thing to bring them onboard. So in the midst of the pandemic my small apartment became our bubble where we spent endless hours making music. It was a real lifeline through these confusing times. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Individually that list would take us a day to write down... But when we started making music, we did listen to a lot of Sublime, but the list is endless from punk, reggae, rock to rap and hip hop. Actually, on Kandemic's Spotify page, we have quite few playlists, which probably would be a great insight into some of our influences.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Make and release music, and lots of it. If you sit home or in a studio trying to polish your first single to perfection, that music will never see the light of day. No one's first release is never going to be "the best ever". You will learn by making a lot of music, putting it out for the world to hear, and get honest feedback. Collaborate with a lot of artists, producers, engineers and even artists in other fields, like photographers, dancers, videographers... Not only will this bring your music to a new audience, but more importantly you will be exposed to new ways of working by the people you collaborate with. If you record at home, consider getting someone else to mix your work. It's always a great idea to get a fresh set of ears in when you have listened to the track already over a hundred times. There are no shortcuts! Music is a hard grind. If someone offers you a shortcut, no matter how good their intentions are, it's more than likely not going to get you to that magical "next level". No one will ever care about the success of your music more than you. Career in music is not about "making it", it's about the journey. Learn to love the journey and stick with it. And lastly, remember who you are making the music for. If you think it is for you, then your music will never be anything more than a hobby. It is about the people who listen to your music. And if that is only one person outside of your friends and family, make them feel like royalty! They will be your biggest advocates. This is actually something I feel very passionate about, so if anyone want to talk about it more, just reach out and we can share some ideas. 

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

The thing is, we are not consciously trying to do that. We believe that the band's members' individuality will naturally do that. But when it comes to the creative part, we see music very much as building blocks, and we are happy to borrow those blocks from our heroes. Like early rock n' roll had its roots in blues and folk, music should be a naturally evolving organic product. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future

We have been releasing a track every full moon for the past year, and collectively those tracks are our debut album. We are currently in the process of finishing our second album, which we will start releasing later this year. And now as the restrictions due to the pandemic are starting to ease off, we definitely will be working towards live shows as well. 

And before I leave you, can I just thank you for doing what you do. It is so important to us musicians that the people take the time to talk to independent artists and share our story. And for the readers, if our story resonates with you, do go check out our music on Spotify :-)

DJ Interviews: Fumiki Yagi

 Here's my interview with singer Fumi kiYagi

How'd you get started in music?

It was quite natural to pick up music as my parents were musicians (but not performing artists).  Of cause I hated the piano when mum forced me to practice at the age of 4 or 5. It didn't take long to give up but it was good to develop basic understanding when young. 

As teenager, I was trying to play guitar until I lost a game with band mates to pick up bass, as a band didn't need 3 guitarists.  If I had won the game, I would have picked up the bass to continue music upto now.  

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Basically I listen to almost all the genres.  As a bass player, jazz has the biggest influence, such as Chic Corea band (I really don't like his piano but the rhythm sections he brought were alway great).  Also Ambien music, like Brian Eno, has some impact as well.  Recent years, I'm listening to deep house / ambient techno, especially after getting turn table.   In term of rock / metal, it's quite old but I still like Ministry, especially their live album, " in case you don't feel like showing up. " 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

To be honest, I don't have a particular advise as everyone has his / her own personality and style.  I can't make my own tracks when I have other issues in life, but some musicians take advantage of accident or misfortunes. That's why my opinion doesn't alway work to others, and wise versa can be true.  Only thing I may be able to tell is to open to anything and try to expand own boundaries. 

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

I don't stick to any particular style and adaptable.  I may change genre or style whenever I like even though it may not be good in term of marketing and consistency. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future

I'm working on lo-fi hip-hop jazz / fusion at the moment. It's more or less like getting back to basics or starting point as a bass player. Hopefully I can come up with something for gig by May or June , a bit after snow season is over. 

DJ Interviews: Solar Eyes

 Here's my interview with the Solar Eyes

How'd you get started in music?

Jeez feels like a lifetime ago now, but I picked the guitar up as a 13 year old who’d just broken his leg. It’s the one thing in my life that’s been a consistent and takes me to a place I need to go too. I’ve learnt that as I’ve got older. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

So it’s The Beatles, Oasis, Chemical Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, UNKLE, Kraftwerk, Primal Scream. I guess anything a bit psychedelic, bit cool and edgy. 

Been a brummie though - ELO, Black Sabbath and Broadcast. Birmingham has been a huge influence on me. 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Patience. Take your time with things, find who you really are. Do it for the right reasons. If people like it great, if they don’t - who cares. 

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

I guess there’s hopefully an integrity that other bands haven’t got. I live and breathe what I do. I’m obsessed with it. But it’s all peace and love. I respect anyone who has a go at things. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future

Yes our first gig - April 8th in Birmingham and debut EP same day called ‘Dreaming of the moon’ which is our first release on legendary indie label Fierce Panda. 

DJ Interviews: Eric Brombacher

 Here's my interview with Eric Brombacher of the band Eric & The Soo

How'd you get started in music?

It's been a long road, and I guess I've been a bit of a late bloomer.  I didn't start playing guitar until the age of 19, and put my first band together at 32.  That said, my passion for music runs a lot deeper and earlier than that.  I recall obsessively sitting around the record player as early as age three, and I started collecting records of my own at age 7.  I think a lot of what informs my creativity is the fact that I have listened to a vast volume of music and have also attended an enviable number of live music performances in my lifetime (thanks in large part to Toronto's vibrant music scene).  My first band, The Septembers was formed in Toronto in 2004.  We started out as a cover band; I was the lead guitarist, and my mate Frank Miotto was lead vocalist.  We played in and around Toronto for a few years, and Frank and I eventually started writing our own songs.  After some personnel changes The Septembers morphed into Shattervox and we went on to release a few full length albums, plus some singles and an EP.  In 2015 Shattervox disbanded, and I decided to try my hand at singing.  So I formed Eric & The Soo at the end of 2015, taking on the role as lead vocalist and rhythm acoustic guitarist.  It's been a wonderful ride so far, and I'm proud of all of it.  I'm especially proud of Eric & The Soo and really grateful for the great musicians that have supported me in this project.  After several years of evolution and development, we now have a solid core lineup consisting of drummer Dino Naccarato, bassist Tim Bradford, and lead guitarist and blues harp slinger Ken Yoshioka.  Occasional guest musicians include violinist James McKie and pianist Julian Fauth.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I listen to a lot of music.  My influences are wide ranging, and eclectic.  Key influences as far as songwriting goes include John Prine, John Hiatt, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and Warren Zevon.  As far as bands go, I love AC/DC, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.  I also really like classic country music such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, and Kris Kristofferson.  My love for country music led me to discover some other great influences such as Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, which in turn steered me towards Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton.  Recently I've started to delve into Jazz, particularly artists such as Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, Herbie Mann, and Oscar Peterson.  All of these influences find their way into my music in different ways, AC/DC has taught me the use of space and time, and that sometimes leaving empty spaces in a song can be as effective (or sometimes more so) than filling those spaces in.  The songwriters taught me wordcraft, artists like Tom Petty and Gram Parsons taught vocal melody and composition, while the Beatles and Eagles have informed my love of vocal harmonies.  Even my recent love of Jazz has influenced our latest 'experimental' release "It's Ok To Be Beautiful" which came to me after a night of listening to Wes Montgomery.

I should say that I am also greatly influenced by the many great musicians and creators that surround me in our rich musical community here in Toronto.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Write songs.  Don't worry about trying to write a hit, just write songs.  In the early days, I used to try to write hits with big anthemic choruses, imagining an army of people shaking their peace signs and singing along.  Perhaps a worthy goal, but alas, one that proved elusive.  Upon the founding of Eric & The Soo, perhaps somewhat chastened by the tepid response of my hitmaking attempts, I decided to stop trying to write hits, and just let the songs evolve organically.  Surprisingly this new batch of songs were much more encouragingly received.  Once I took the pressure off of trying to 'fit in' and 'write hit songs',  I naturally started writing from the heart, and that presented an authenticity and honesty in the writing that people seem to respond to.  Also, I now feel I have the freedom to explore freely as a musician because I am not worrying about how the song will be received.  Rather as a band, we create songs that we like, that we would enjoy listening to, and we use our skills to craft and represent them as best as possible, in the hopes that the listener will enjoy them too.  Having said that, once a song has been composed, we do make every effort to make it commercially viable through our songcraft.  But the art always comes first, and the commercial viability is lower on the list of priorities.

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

I've been lucky in that I've been able to pull together a very talented band.  Each member is a star in their own right, and with that in mind, we strive to create opportunities in the crafting of our songs to let everyone shine equally.  We also put a lot of effort into songcraft, we create tight (mostly short) song arrangements, and we do everything in service to the song.  We are ruthless in our editing and crafting of songs, and the song is king, and it tells us what it needs and what it doesn't need.  And we listen.  And sometimes this means that a technically brilliant instrumental section is left on the cutting room floor, because it didn't serve the song.

As for production and recording, we take an old school organic approach.  We record in the studio with the core band performing live off the floor.   Overdubs, such as harmony vocals, or additional instruments such as piano, violin, percussion are then added as needed.  This means that each Eric & The Soo song that you hear, is centred around a 'live' performance.  This brings challenges in the recording process, but I think it allows the songs to breathe and ebb and flow, and it ensures an element of humanity in the performances, which I think can get lost when you are forced to record individually to a click track.

Any new gigs or albums in the future

Yes! We are scheduled to go into the studio in March with a six piece band and we'll be recording a collection of new songs which we hope to release later in the year!

DJ Interviews The Bugs

 Heres my interview with the band, The Bugs

How do you get started in music?

We were all influenced by family members playing music at a young age.  Mark and Paul where 15  when they were in there first band together. Later on in,  Barry and Mark formed a musical bond and soon after ran into Paul talked about the project he was into it and The BuGs were born.

What are your inspirations or your influences?

There’s a lot going on. Lennon and McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Duran Duran, The Doors to Yngwie Malmsteen. To name a few.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

We truly believe the best of the best do it for nothing other than the pure love of doing it, that being said…….. never give up on your dream!

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

 Well for starters we do not use any quantizing, harmonizers, pitch corrections or any of that crap. Assuming it’s a level playing field one thing that would separate us from the masses is that we march to the beat of our own drum, and believe ww have a timeless niche to our music.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

We are currently working on our fourth effort, yet to be titled. We Also plan on releasing a video for Over You in the near future, as well as a few more videos throughout this year. At this time we are only going to Schedule a few local shows (unless presented with an opportunity ) to keep chops up and possible live EP. The band is on fire right now with material so our main focus is documenting it in the studio and getting it out there for the masses.

DJ Interviews: David HK

Here's my interview with a rocker by the name of David HK as he talks about is band Grimcrow & his solo work  

How'd you get started in music? - Wow, music has been my life for as long as I can remember, even dating back to preschool. I recall the times when a song I really liked came on the radio, I would refuse to leave the car until the song was over. My mother is a classically trained pianist. She gave me piano lessons starting when I was 6. That's when I first started learning to read music and count beats. Then there was the saxophone starting when I was about 10. It was around that time I was really getting into Rock. A couple of years later I started playing guitar and the rest is history.Throughout Middle, and High School years, I had played in several bands and played many gigs in local clubs back when that scene was still vibrant. A couple of years after High School, I went to Five Towns College, after which I taught guitar. At one point I was teaching about 50 students a week on top of my day job which was really burning me out. Fast forward, the last band I was in was a Nu/Rap Metal act right before that scene broke out. We had a production deal and were shopping for labels. There was so much infighting in the band that we couldn't hold it together. It was over really stupid shit too. Aside from the run  of the mill burnout that I was experiencing, I was getting a taste of how dirty and scummy the music Industry was and I just had it. I went on a hiatus from playing music for several years (I DON'T RECOMMEND ANYBODY DO THIS, I just ended up fat, drunk and very unhappy) and got into computers instead. When I found out recently that you can mix, master and distribute music on your own to a global audience with the streaming platform, I'm back at it with full force backed up by an awesome community.

Who are your inspirations or influences? I'm up there in age and experience so I can write an entire novel on this but I don't want to bore anybody. Earliest influences in Rock are the usual suspects, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Slayer, Maiden, Priest and the like. In my early 20s I had a friend who was a phenomenal bass player who introduced me to a lot of Prog Rock and Jazz Fusion. Before there was streaming and music being so accessible, I would spend a lot of time at the left side of the dial seeking out the weirdest music I could find. I draw a lot of inspiration from books. Especially classic horror from the likes of Shelly, Stoker, Lovecraft, Poe, Kafka (I wouldn't call Kafka horror but disturbing, nonetheless). I guess that's where a lot of the Goth inspiration comes from? I don't know. Plus I work the night shift, hate being out during the day and in the sun.I just avoid being around people in general.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers? - Focus mostly on making good music. Music that you actually love and enjoy. Do it the best you can, no matter how many hours you need to put into it. And do it consistently.  Don't make any half-assed shit just to put something out there. 

For the most part,  Spotify seems to be the go-to platform at this time. The system is designed so you will be rewarded when you follow certain rules, and  best practices (rewarded as in having your music recommended to a lot of people who haven't heard you yet) and penalized when you don't. Take the time to learn how the system works and let it do a lot of the heavy lifting for you instead of trying to increase your popularity. by trying to take shortcuts and gaming the system. Just educate yourself. I learned by making a lot of the same mistakes that I see people are making now. I don't  bother to point it out anymore, because I either get laughed at or they deem me a "know it all" and I get a hostile reaction.

 Although the Industry has improved dramatically for new artists there are still a lot of pitfalls,  with a lot of cheaters and scammers out there to exploit and rip off artists.but, it's been that way ever since  there has been art. It's all just being done online now.  Not because musicians are dumb and nieve but  because we are so focused on creating and honing our skills, we would be willing to spend an extra few dollars for a little bit of help to gain traction. Oftentimes to understand the mind of a criminal you need to be a criminal. We aren't criminals. (Well at least not in that sense). 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? -  I don't. Everyone is a thief. We all draw inspiration from somewhere. I've been told on several occasions that I have a very unique and distinct sound and style, I can possibly attribute that to pooling inspiration from many genres and subgenres rather than  cookie cutting my sound to fit just one, which I've tried to do on many occasions but can't seem to pull it off. Well, that and fucked up nose and throat biology.

But unless you were that first caveman who took a dinosaur bone and banged it against something to make

 music your sound is always built on what someone else did before you. We can't reinvent the wheel.

Any new gigs or albums in the future

As of tonight my Band Grimcrow which is a collaboration of myself and members of the LA Industrial band House Made of Dawn just released COG-NATION which is out now

My solo project under David HK is releasing a heavy rendition of Peter Murphy's "CUTS YOU UP". It releases on February 25th.

With Ninth Revival, we have something in production which involves a female vocalist from Japan.

Robot Gods is a Prog/Death Metal collaboration between myself and Aaron Martin, the drummer for the progressive Metal Ukranium out of Central Texas. We've both been busy but our releases have gained a lot of positive feedback you we will be back on that sure when the time is right. Hopefully sooner rather than later. 

As far as gigs, I do most of my own instruments on my recordings so I would need a band to back me up. I do have plans to search for musicians who can fill that spot but it's not at the top of the list right now. I have been considering doing live stream shows from my living room. On occasion when my friends from Demonscar go out and do shows, they allow me to come up on the stage and take over the mic for a while. Demonscar shows are unbelievably fun. For both the band and the audience. For those in the NY area, I would definitely recommend you check out of their shows.

DJ Interviews: Silent Siren

 Heres my interview with Silent Siren

How'd you get started in music?

Well I started as a teenager with a few metal bands and found some success as a professional metal musician in bands like Invitation to Die, Aepoch, Moltar in my 20s as a lead guitarist, vocalist and bassist. Once my daughter was born I found myself less attached to the metal scene and started getting more into singing and indie music rather than brutal death metal growling and so silent sirens recently began last year as a completely self made project. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I love bands like Opeth, cynic, villagers, passenger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, don Ross, Andy McKee, old 70s funk in general, CCR, Pink Floyd. There is really too many to count, but those for sure off the top of my head.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Just keep practicing. Hone your craft, whether that be DJ, guitar, bass, drums, singing, whatever. Just put the time in and most important if all... Do it for yourself and have fun. If you can't do it out of passion for it, then everyone will hear it in what you create and the things you create won't mean as much to you. 

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

I just kind of do whatever I feel like musically. I don't really intentionally try to set myself apart necessarily, as much as I just wrote what comes out and see what comes of it. So my next EP is going to be a concept album while the previous one was a collection of songs about mental illness. The next one also has a bit more of a jazzy funk aspect to some of the songs as well as my more sombre sounding stuff.

But TLDR; I just do whatever I feel like and put it out there. Then hope people enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoy writing it. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

As of now, no gigs booked as the lockdowns in Canada cause a lot of trouble with that but once it's a bit more open I do have some things in the works for some shows as well as the next EP. You can find my current EP and a single from the next one on my SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/kri8p

DJ Interviews: Maddison Mueller

 Here's my interview with singer Maddison Mueller 

1. I got started in music when I was young. I started playing piano at the age of 6, and from then on I kept finding things that would challenge me and make me want to keep creating. I ended up starting to write music seriously at the age of about 13, and then released my first song three years later. 

2. I have many inspirations, and they constantly change - which I think is important to keep your sound fresh and to allow for new ideas. I’ve always been a big classic rock fan, but some of the more modern artists that I’m into include: Ben Howard, Dermot Kennedy, Maggie Rogers, Bon Iver, Sam Fender etc. There’s too many to name! 

3. I would advice aspiring performers to learn how to find a balance between what you love about your art, and also how that art is going to push you forward. It’s something I’m still trying to find a balance for, and it takes a lot of work to figure it out! It’s so important to try and keep yourself challenged; surrounding yourself with people that are able to propel you forward, and people that are willing to ask you the hard questions is a great place to start - even if that person is yourself! 

4. I think something that sets me a part from others is my ability to feel comfortable working with others, and reaching out when I can’t do something myself. I’m not able to do everything on my own quite yet, and I’d like to thinking I’m working towards that. However, I’m not afraid to be around other artists and individuals that can give me more perspective on where to go next. I think of the music industry as a community as much as possible, and I would like to keep it that way for others entering it as well! 

5. I’m planning to release a new single in the spring, and hopefully a music video for that as well not long after. Currently writing lots, and amping up for a great year hopefully! 

DJ Interviews: Bute Street

Here's my interview with the band Bute Street

 

How'd you get started in music?

Colm - I started playing guitar at 16 and began writing songs within the first year. Started my first band The Polemics at 19 which later became The Sass. They recorded close to 30 songs. Done cover gigs for a few years in between The Sass break up and meeting Liam. 

Liam - Started learning guitar at University but it wasnt until I moved to Vancouver that I started getting serious about it. I left home to start a new life and that new life included getting involved more with music. I met Colm through mutual friends and we eventually started jamming together and decided we would start doing cover gigs as a 2 piece acoustic group 'Mop n Beard'. After a year or so playing in Irish bars around Vancouver we decided in 2018 to step it up and start a full band making original tunes and that is how we got Bute Street! We have been on an upward trajectory artistically ever since

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Oasis, The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, The Kinks, The Clash, Velvet Underground, Sex Pistols, The Pogues

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

The music game has changed! Now with social media it seems that people want style over substance. So make sure your marketing game on point because making music is the easy part. Getting it out there and getting people to hear it is the problem. That is why we appreciate interviews like this! But just enjoy the music you make. Make songs for yourself, tunes that you would like to listen to as a fan and have fun

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

Most music today seem overproduced to us. We like a raw rock n roll sound. Something than can be easily replicated on stage. Our songs are a mixture of genres so its hard to put us in one lane. We have punk heavy tunes to softer Irish folk songs. With a strong indie/alternative presence in there as well. There is great humour and wit in the lyrics of some of our numbers which may set us apart. Irish humour rock n roll is a fine mixture  

Any new gigs or albums in the future

Our new album 'Eclectic Taste' is out on February 24^th on all platforms. You can purchase the album now on BANDCAMP. We will be doing gigs in the coming months so keep your eyes peeled on all our socials.  Thanks