DJ Interviews: George Thorogood

Hello one & all I'm pleased to share a specil interview featuring the legend himself George Thorogood! For those who aren't too familiar with  George Thororgood is very well known for his songs Bad To Te Bone, Who Do You Love & mny others right now he's currently on tour but he was kind enough to sit down & speak with me on his musical origins. Enjoy!

How'd you get started in music?

 I began my career as a solo acoustic performer, after being inspired in 1970 by a John P. Hammond concert. I formed a band 3 years after being the concert by Hammond in 1973, THE DELAWARE DESTROYERS with my high school friend Jeff Simon who’s also my drummer. The band developed its sound with other players.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

     Likes of Robert Johnson, Chucks Berry, Hound Dog Taylor,  Elmore James mostly by John P. Hammond 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

    Ignore anyone that talks to you about “never give up on your dreams!” Why do I say that?

Because dreams are just that. What you want to focus on are goals. Goals that relate to being a musician, not being a star. You can have success related goals, but they’re only goals if you have specific actions tied to that pursuit.

Make it a goal to make a living as a musician, hone your craft and your art, and focus on the attainable. If you do that, the stardom just might come. But if not, you made a career out of doing something you love!

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

    No discrimination, I just do what I do best… bad to the bone

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

     No yet, still focusing on tour now 

Special thanks to him for doing this interview & I wish him lots of luck in his music & the tour. So until then I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay awesoem & rock n roll!  

George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Bad To The Bone (Official Music Video) - YouTube

DJ Interviews: Systematic Doses

 Heres my interview with band Systematic Doses

Systematic Doses	1:50 AM (5 hours ago)
to me

Q: How'd you get started in music?
A: I grew up around music my whole life and the people in it had always encouraged me to pick up the guitar and do music. I played guitar for roughly 5 years, 2007 - 2012 and got extremely frustrated with my skills not being on par with what I wanted to do in my head. Guitar, for me, sorta fell off into the background and I enjoyed life more as a listener. I discovered that I could make music more at my own pace and style in a DAW and decided that I would move forward making music though that. It wasn't until 2015 that I put out my first song "Dɹɹɹɐɐɐɐƃƃƃƃ" on soundcloud and received mixed reviews on that track, I kinda just went at everything blindly and it felt like the guitar all over again! This time instead of dropping it I decided to start learning more about the DAW and the music I was trying to create, it wasn't until 2020/2021 that I really sat down and dedicated myself to my craft, I am still learning to this day!

Q: Who are your inspirations or influences?
A: This is a tough question to answer for me as the influences are wide and varied amongst two primary genres: Death Metal/DeathCore and Witch House. On the Metal side of things, I would say my biggest influences are As Blood Runs Black, Job For A Cowboy, Point Below Zero, All Shall Perish and (Early) Suicide Silence. On the Witch House side of things,  CVL† SH‡†, Crim3s, White Ring, Sidewalks and Skeletons, △Sco△, Open Ocean and ∆XIUS LIИK were probably the biggest influences on the direction of my sound overall. Outside of music genres I am inspired by Horror and Sci-fi Horror movies/video games such as Dead Space and Bioshock, the overall grittiness of those two games in particular made me want to recreate that feeling in music! Music is also a major outlet for my emotions and as much as I hate to say it depression is probably the biggest influence over any genre, movie or video game for me.

Q: What advice would you offer aspiring performers?
A: Have faith in yourself but always understand there will always, always, ALWAYS be someone better than you that you can learn from, I cannot stress that enough! Networking is quite important if not more important than attempting to build a fanbase, always do what you feel is right and don't try to fall into genres. There's always going to be someone who loves your music and there's always going to be a hater to balance that out. Go through and watch different tutorials often on how to do the same thing as you may pick up a nifty trick that speeds up your workflow ten fold that all those other tutorials failed to mention. Never give up, this is your legacy you are laying down here so take it on with that importance about yourself and you will never go wrong! Be inviting and kind opposed to adopting an elitist mindset, some people respect that but there are lots of people, like me, who do not so be careful with what comes out of your mouth online especially, you are a brand and should treat yourself as its representative. Don't worry about finding a label to join, they will find you if that is the direction you wish to go! Also, If you do not promote your own music, who else will?

Q: How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
A: Another tough question that I'm not exactly sure how to answer! I am just myself, feeling my emotions, when I'm making the music, somehow that has forged itself into its own sound and direction. I set a goal in my head to be one of the most down to earth artists you will come across, there is no one beneath me that I am too good to talk to, we all started with nothing right? I am creating the music I want to hear instead of trying to copy someone else's style and people will notice that. I don't typically follow the norms in the music industry, I even strive to do the opposite at times as I've never been a "normal" individual, I've always swam against the mainstream and found my own path. Once that path is in place you'll see people starting to take your path, to me, I am a leader, not a follower, and would rather take a chance at my own path to failure than an already set in stone path to success.

Q: Any new gigs or albums in the future?
A: As far as gigs go, I'm in the works of getting all that figured out right now actually! I will eventually be traveling across the entire USA to do live shows soon enough, a lot of irons in the fire in that regard! Now as new music goes, I am almost finished with my new EP which kinda changes up the style a bit to be a little bit more ambient leaning on some tracks while others are more reminiscent of a metal track despite being entirely electronic, it is also the first EP that I have included my own vocals! The new EP is currently on track to release Q4 2022/Q1 2023, I am also working on a lot of collaborations with tons of great artists! I will be releasing my music on Bandcamp (nab physical releases here), Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Youtube, Deezer and Soundcloud to just name a few streaming services that my current songs are and future releases will be available!

DJ Interviews: Robert Lea

 Heres my interview with Robert Lea

 Here are the questions How'd you get started in music? Well I’ve always been singing or performing in some way through growing up. I came from quite a musical family, most of them being caberet singers and musicians around the Yorkshire Working mens clubs. Professionally my first really go at working as a musician was when I ran off to Spain at the age of 16 to join a residency performing nightly at a club doing various things from playing bass, guitar and singing to small dance and performance routines from Rocky Horror and the likes.  It was good fun and certainly an interesting life for a 16 year old. Who are your inspirations or influences? I’ve always been greatly influenced by the iconic front men of Rock and Pop. Obviously Freddie Mercury was a big part of my life, but I also loved people like Steve Tyler, Elton John, David Bowie. What advice would you offer aspiring performers? Don’t be too focussed on how to make it as a musician. I spent so much time worrying about how to get my music out there, it stopped me from really exploring my craft.  Ultimately you learn if you create something there will always be someone there to be interested in it.  It may start of small but take great value in anyone who takes there time to listen because they are the people that will follow your journey through your life and career. How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? That’s a hard question. But I do know that through my experiences I learnt how to connect with a group of people on stage.  I learnt how to be truthful, honest and open when performing and I learnt that giving 100% isn’t enough.  When I go on stage, I treat each time as a chance to improve and show people my very best, but I also treat it as an opportunity to connect with new people and being a little light into their lives.  Any new gigs or albums in the future? I’ve got a whole albums worth of material that we are finishing production on. I intend to get it all out in some way as soon as I can.   From there who knows. X

A special request from a DJ

Hey there all DJ Dizzy here & I wanted to share a special post with you all it involves a singer  named Robert Gordon whose battling a serious illness right now, That of Myloid leukemia

Acoording to the recent post he's been in the hospital for six weeks battling this illness & he really needs your help so if you can feel free to check out the dteals by way of the link posted below & if you can fel free to donate & also show your support to this singer because he really needs your help.

Thanks so much for listening & until then I'll catch you on The Flipside, stay awesome & rock n roll.

Fundraiser by Paul Schmidt : Help Robert Gordon Defeat Myeloid Leukemia (gofundme.com)

DJ Interviews: Gloomstone

 Heres my inteerview with Gloomstone

(How did you get started in music?)

I originally started out as a guitarist for a few friends' bands and did vocals as well. With time though, the bands would eventually come to an end. Shortly after the last band I was in split up, I started producing harsh noise/drone music on my own under the name WRITHE. At the same time, I was also listening to a lot of soundcloud rap that was coming up at the time (Yung Lean, Bones, Xavier Wulf, Black Kray etc) and took a lot of influence from it. I eventually tried my hand at producing beats under the name MR. CHAMBERS and did that for a few years. Diving deeper into soundcloud while I was producing, I found more producers and artists that inspired me to make more stand-alone tracks rather than just beats. I ended up making a side project called LEGS LIKE TWIGS where I started to develop a sound I was aiming for. After a while I hated balancing the 2 projects and wanted to just combine them into one and that's how GLOOMSTONE eventually came to be.

(Who are your inspirations or influences?)

One of my biggest influences when I first started producing was Akira Yamaoka, who's known for composing music for the Silent Hill games. The more I dove into soundcloud the more artists I'd eventually find that would change everything for me and eventually lead me to change my whole style and name. Artists like Sadwrist, Where Swans Will Weep, Mazes Purr just to name a few. I take a lot of influence from all the different types of metal music I listen to whether it be hardcore, deathcore, death metal, grindcore and everything in between. Also a lot of my inspiration comes from the types of horror movies I grew up on, mostly stuff that was coming out when the whole boom of J-Horror was happening. Movies like Ringu (The Ring) and Ju-on (The Grudge) really stuck with me.

(What advice would you offer aspiring performers?)

Make music and perform because you love to do it and don't stress about numbers. I've seen a lot of producers/artists come and go because they think they aren't getting enough attention or aren't progressing how they think they should be. Worrying about that stuff will stress you out and make you lose your drive and it's something you really shouldn't worry about to begin with. Create because you want to and because it's what you love to do.

(How do you set yourself apart from other artists)

I'm honestly not sure, I just really wanna make music that makes people wanna either mosh, dance and cry.

 (Any new gigs or albums in the future?)

Got a bunch of shows in VRChat lined up for October and recently released a new album called WILT that I'm extremely proud of. After these next few shows are over, I plan on working on new music immediately after, I hope you all enjoy it whenever I finally decide to release it.

When I Look at You (I'm in Love)

DJ Interviews: Abbey Rae

 Heres my interview with musician Abbey Rae who had so much to share on her musicial beginnings.

How'd you get started on music

I was lucky as a kid. There was an elementary school that was focused on performing arts and my Mom worked really hard to send me there, because I was constantly singing as a kid and probably driving her crazy. I learned classical pieces and music theory. When I was teenager I saved up enough money to buy myself a bass guitar. 

Who are your greatest influences or inspirations?

I learned from older musicians and through trial and error, I have alway had a “good ear” so I could figure things out that way too. As far as my “influences” it is really difficult for me to narrow it down. There isn’t really a type of musical style that I don’t like, (except for maybe “modern country-rock” and “boy bands”). I draw influences for the music that I write mostly from life experiences and even literally sources and transcendentalism. If I had to pick a favorite musician it would probably be Bowie. I have also been inspired by other artists that I have played with, many of them are “underground” musicians who don’t play to a commercial crowd.  

Whats your advice to aspire performers & musicians?

My advice is to not be afraid to be bold and to try to be original, learn from and play with others. I am different from other musicians and artists because I am always trying to do something that has never been done before. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

That is really difficult. I am writing new material all the time and I plan to record more this fall and winter. As far a playing out, I guess we all just have to see where the world takes us. 

DJ Interviews: Daveon

 Heres my interview with singer, Daveon

How'd you get started in music? 

I come from a family of multi-talented musicians and singers. My mother and father first inspired me while witnessing their skills as professional jazz musicians. At age 5 I begin playing the trumpet and piano, and at age six I begin singing. I would sit in front of the record player for hours at a time playing my favorite Artists and groups while mimicking their vocal perfections until I perfected my own vocal abilities. I begin playing acoustic guitar at age 17 and writing original material. I’ve been on a musical journey every since I meet my mom and dad, and my three siblings of course who are extremely talented. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I have been influenced first by my mom and dad and from them I was introduced to the music on the radio. The Jackson five caught my attention and then James Brown. I was also inspired by Stevie Wonder and countless others. 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Don’t be afraid of competition. Learn from those who are more advanced so that you can be on their level someday. Allow criticism to help you become better at everything you do. Always allow professional help to work the business side of the music contracts out for you, never go in alone.  

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

I always try to reach deep within my own soul to deliver music that comes from a different time zone then what is the norm. Always trying to create my own sound. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

I’m always working on new material for new album to releases. I’ve recently released a new album on Spotify titled “After the storm” it’s a meditational Album. Be on the look out for my new Album coming out soon titled I’m So Fortunate. Gigs are also in the works for the New Year. 

DJ Interviews: Peter James

 Heres my interview with singer Peter James

How'd you get started in music?

I started in 98. I was the vocalist in a Nu-Metal band. I then went into A+R and promotion. I left the industry for a while. I came back and found myself making unlistenable noise! It has been a long journey and I have been around a while. This scene feels like home though.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

For Gold, my influences are peers. My primary influences are Abuse Potential and Sado Rituals. They are the two artists that inspired me to want to create Noise. If you dislike me and my sound, blame them! In music, my favourite artists are Counting Crows, Deftones, and Ryan Adams. I also like Merzbow, Bjork, and Gangs of Youths.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

I always recommend that people take the time to make sure that things look and sound right. I know it takes a bit of cash but that small investment is always worth it. Why should anyone take you seriously if you don't take yourself seriously? Get a logo made, get someone to do the artwork, mix and master... you know the drill. 

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

I try to make Gold a brand. I have a logo and a persona that comes with it. I think it makes the character larger than life. I think that confidence comes across in the noise. I don't know if that translates to the audience but it is certainly what I am going for. I don't want to make you comfortable. I am here to push boundaries. I think my signature 'Porn' sound helps.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

No sign of any gigs yet. I have a collection of individual tracks and compilation tracks out on the 12th of September. I also have an album called 'Embers' due before the end of the year!

Dj Inteviews: Muriel Bessman

 Here's my interview with singer  Muriel Bessman

How'd you get started in music?

I started in a music school program at 7 years old, choosing the piano. I never stopped playing and I wrote my very first song at the age of 15. Since that time, I enjoyed playing all kind of music. Under my own name Johanna Saint-Pierre, I started with a Maxi vinyl "Electronic Superstar" in 2000, that I pressed 5OO copies of. It was produced by Marc Ricci ,Producer and DJ at the Hotel Costes in Paris..

Recently, I released 2 EP's with the american producer Brian Bacchus (Gregory Porter, Norah Jones) and a french jazz pianist Rémi Amblard, 1 electro deep house EP with the american producer and DJ, MKL on the american indie label Lilihouse Music ( distributed by the Orchard).

In New-York as well , I recorded a Maxi vinyl, afro house electro style, produced by Jephté Guillaume (bass player for Abstrack Truth, Wyclef Jean, Mary J Blidge, Billy Preston), "l'âme éternelle", that we signed with the american label underground and iconic: Ibadan.
Who are your inspirations or influences?

When I was teenager I loved Prince & the Revolution with his musicians women like Wendy & Lisa & Sheila E.

All the time I was listening to Curtis Mayfield, Georges Benson, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis.

Moreover I was fascinated by the Motown and all kind of American Jazz.

Dealing with French musicians my favorite is Serge Gainsbourg!

Finally I was fond of a lot of British pop artist bands like the Talking heads, The Cure, Kate Bush, Bjork, David Bowie, Goldfrapp, Portishead, Radiohead, Massive Attack and The Rolling Stones as well.

By the way, I opened a show for The Rolling Stones with a rock band called "Laplace" at The Olympia concert hall in Paris. Additionally, we did a tour with the Simples Minds. It was a dream comes true!

Since now 10 years, I discovered the Gospel Music as a member of The Paris Gospel Choir. With the choir, I participated to TV Shows like a one with Pharell Williams for his song "Happy". It was really fabulous.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

The same advice that my first producer Marc Ricci gave me: Don't stay on the same song, . produce all the time new songs!

Let me add more recommendations: produce your song, find a label or create your own label if you cannot find one. Make a lot of promotion on social networks and play on live shows even in your bedroom with an i phone that you can post. You will find your fans by this way if the talent is there.

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

First of all, I'm French and I can sing in English and French.

Secondly, I'm a singer songwriter & producer who shares songs production with differents musicians partners. That way in studio I'm learning a lot of "cooking recipes", so I continue to progress. Thereby, my music remains very fresh.
Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Currently I just released my first single "Don't Stop The Music" with the French indie label Passport Songs Music (distributed by Believe).

The style of this song is a very funky 80's one. The label also released an EP with remixes based on this track. In this EP, there are electro , nu Disco, House, Dance remixes produced by 3 DJ's who are Jim Shaft Ryan (Miss Moneypenny’s and Chuff Chuff Parties Club), Milan Tavarez and Agrume.

Finally, a music video directed by Olivier Boscovitch (David Guetta, Bob Sinclar) just released today on my youtube channel. Don't Stop the Music is the very first track from my future album that will come in 2023 and produced by the super great musician and sound enginer Nicolas Bulostin (mixed & recorded Elton John, Georges Michael).

Indeed, it will be my 4th album.

DJ Interviews: Ko Melina

 Heres my interview with Ko Melina

 

How'd you get started in music? As a kid, my parents had me playing piano. I think that I actually could read music before I could read books! I was playing piano at the age of like 3 or 4? All classical. By the time I was 6, I was going to summer camp at Interlochen (which is a really amazing music school that also has summer camps definitely look it up). That's where I learned discipline. They had tons of little cabins with enough room for a piano and everyday you'd have at least 4 hours of practice in those cabins. Running scales, playing songs over and over. Super fun for a kid! They also had a situation where you came for your main instrument but wanted you to learn other instruments while you were there. During my summers there, I learned how to play the flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet and of course, how to sing. Looking back on it, it's kinda like that movie "Whiplash" but with little kids. I didn't get intoplayig rock and roll until my 20's. My friend Steve Shaw, who was in the first incarnation of the Detroit Cobras asked if I had ever considered playing bass. I got a 64 Fender musicmaster bass and sat down with another friend of mine, Steve Nawara (who also coincidentally had gone to Interlochen as a child) and we had one bass lesson, where he thought me how to play with my fingers, not a pick. From there, I started listening to James Jamerson (bass player for Motown) and really wanted to play like him. At that point, his bass lines were way too hard so I tried to play along with other songs. The first song I mastered on bass was "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MGs. Who are your inspirations or influences?  Definitely bass wise my hero is James Jamerson. He was the GOAT when it comes to bass players. As I moved from the bass to the baritone guitar, it became less of influences as people and more of influences of sounds. I LOVE the old 60's fuzz sound and I've been lucky enough to find pedals that are either from that era or do a good job recreating that sound. I'm very inspired by the Detroit music scene, going way back and also my contemporaries. I feel so lucky to have grown up in a city with such a rich history, from the blues, R&B, rock &roll, punk, techno, hip hop... What advice would you offer aspiring performers? I guess just believe in yourself. Get a lawyer so if and when the time comes that you start getting popular, you will have control over your music. That's so important. I didn't really know anything about that when I was starting Ko & the Knockouts and there's plenty of deals that we definitely got the short end of the stick. How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? That's really tough for me to answer. I feel like I got into the Rock&Roll game so much later than alot of other people. I never really envisioned myself as being a lead singer but Long Gone John from Sympathy for the Record Industry and later Little Steven had real faith in me when I didn't. Eddie Baranek (guitarist and co-songwriter for Ko & the Knockouts) was such a huge influence. When we did that album, he was so young, and younger than me. But we sat down and just churned out songs. It was like it was meant to be. He really helped with my self confidence and I'll always love him for that. Any new gigs or albums in the future? You'll just have to wait and see! I've taken such a long break from Ko & the Knockouts to play with the Dirtbombs and I've got some side projects brewing. I'm hoping to get back to it sooner than later.