DJ Interviews Gregory Sims of 3rd Street Chaos

 Here's my interview ith Gregory Sims of the band 3rd Street Coas

1. How did you get started in music?  i got started when i was in high school, always loved listening to music, so i taught myself how to play bass and guitar, next we started a Kiss cover band , after that just played as a hobby for a while and in 2018, i was asked to join 3rd Street Chaos thru a friend i had worked with before on some song writing and here we are now.

2. Who are your inspirations or influences ? My influences and theirs a lot of them, lol, but here's a few, Jimi Hendrix , Led Zepplin, Pantera, ZZ Top, 80's Metal, etc

3. What advice would you give aspiring performers? I would tell them to keep playing/singing and to never give up on their dream, keep things moving forward, success comes in different ways.

4. How do you set yourself apart from other bands or singers?  We are a 5 member rock band, all of us are song writers and players of different ages so that gives us a unique blend of writing material as well as a unique sound, we can connect with a young and or older crowd.

5. Any new gigs or albums in the future?  Absolutely, we will have both, we will be having gigs in the Dallas/ Austin/ San Antonio areas, as for a album, we are currently working on our second album, we will be releasing singles along the way. 

DJ Interviews: Frank Joshua

 Here's my interview with singer Frank Joshua

How'd you get started in music?

Like most people I started playing in bands and writing songs at school when I was about 16.  I didn’t really mean for it to become a career but it kept coming back to me whenever I tried to leave it alone, so here I am.  Again!

 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I’m mostly interested in songs.  The basic melody, chords, lyrics of them.  So, anyone who writes great songs appeals to me.  I can go from Prince, Bowie or Prefab Sprout to Lizzo, Taylor Swift or Dua Lipa – it’s all about the songs for me.

 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Stop listening to other people and start listening to yourself.  It’s a cliché but it’s so hard to do.  Writing, singing and performing are very revealing things to do.  You expose parts of yourself, often without quite realising it, which can make you seek external reassurance.  And if you look for that in the wrong places it can take you away from where you need to be.  So, stay strong and find yourself in there.

 

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

Not using my face or image, as part of the promotion, is unusual in the social media age, I think. Plus, I’m not afraid to jump genres and work in a counter-intuitive way with remixers and collaborators.  I work up from the song each time, which feels like an old-fashioned way of doing things, but it works for me.

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future

We’re still working on a summer schedule of shows, and my second album is just out/out on Friday it’s called ‘Talk Of Things’ and includes lots or remixes from the first album ‘Sense Life’ as well as a couple of brand-new tracks.  Next up we’ll be releasing tracks form the 3^rd album starting with ‘Bluebell Wood’ in February.  It’s a journey that seems to be speeding up all the time but I love it!

DJ Interviews: No Drinks For Jimmy's Kurt Lobdell

 Here's my interview with Kurt Lobdell of  the band No Drinks For Jimmy

Here are the questions

How'd you get started in music?

I got started in elementary school singing in the choir and I continued singing through high school and college. No Drinks for Jimmy started in 1999 as a cover band in the Washington DC area with me, and brothers Doug Wilson (drums) and Dan Wilson(bass). Our guitarist Joe Chicetti joined in 2003 and we started working in some originals. The band went on a long hiatus and played one off shows up to 2017 when we decided to record our EP Find the Fourth, a way to properly record our old originals. We decided to do a proper album in 2021 and released a full length album Verse Chorus Rise on all streaming platforms. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

As a singer I prefer tuneful melodic singers such as Maynard from Tool, Myles Kennedy of Alterbridge and Slash's band, Greg Graffin of Bad Religion, and Marc Labelle of Dirty Honey to name a few. As a band our writing is influenced buy melodic guitar rock like Weezer, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins,etc. We take our inspiration from hard guitars with biting leads and strong melodic vocals.  

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

For the singers out there I say sing whenever and wherever you can to keep your voice strong. I sing almost everyday in the car to keep sharp. I also believe in listening to other performers tricks of the trade and advice. I have learned so much about performing, recording, and vocal maintenance from current and older performers. Be willing to listen and use suggestions to make yourself better.  

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

As a band we believe in strong riffs and melodies. We believe by the second chorus you should be able to hum the riff and sing along. Our guitarist Joe is the riffmaster and we build from there. Dan adds some killer bass parts especially on our song Going Home from Verse Chorus Rise. Drummer Doug brings the thunder and is the backbone of the band playing hard driving beats and writing most of the lyrics. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

In 2021 we did two livestreams and we plan on bringing out an EP with the best live performances from those. We also plan on at least one new original for the project. We hope for a spring 2023 release. Bassist Dan recently moved to Brunswick GA and is currently writing songs for our next full length release taking inspiration from the punk scene there, so expect some hard hitting melodic punk on No Drinks for Jimmy's next release hopefully late 2023!!!!

DJ INterviews: SkyDaddy

 Here's my interview with the band, Sky Daddy

SkyDaddy are too old friends, Rory and Craig just making some noise with the occasional help from their friends.

 

1.     How'd you get started in music?

 

Rory: My dad played the bagpipes and my mum was always singing and playing Rolling Stones records when I was a child, and it wasn't long before I was learning piano and violin in school.  So, I've always been around music. 

 

As soon as I heard The Song Remains the Same and Back in Black, at about 11 or 12 years old, something clicked deep inside my bones and I knew I'd always have some riff or other running through my head, forever!

 

Craig: Growing up in Wales you grow up surrounded by music. It’s in our DNA. Like Rory my dad played guitar and even built his own so there was always music in our house. I don’t think the radio was ever turned off. He got me guitar lessons when I was 7 and it was around the same time that I remember first getting into albums. The two I became obsessed with were Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, which is quite the musical education at 7 years old. The other was the original Star Wars soundtrack. I wore those cassettes out listening to them at full blast on headphones in the front room.

 

As a young teenager I got into rock music with bands such as AC/DC, Maiden, G’N’R all the usual suspects because all my friends were. Rory and I first met at Orbit youth theatre in Cardiff, so we both spent a lot of time swapping albums and performing together from a young age. It didn’t take long for us to start our own bands.

 

 

2.     Who are your inspirations or influences?

 

Rory: In terms of singers, I started out at Robert Plant and everyone else seemed to be in second place.  Then I got into Soundgarden and it was like a whole new world opened up.  There's no one like Chris Cornell.  What I mean is you have bands like Greta Van Fleet, who are absolutely excellent, but the Plant influence is clear.  And since 1981 there have been quite a few Robert Plant type singers. 

 

Musically speaking, the attitude of ACDC and the psychedelia of Jimmy Page started it all off.  And reading up on Page's influences leads naturally into blues like Leadbelly and Blind Willie Johnson, folk, weird tunings and older music.  As I said above, I've always been around bagpipes so Celtic music runs in my blood.

 

Craig: We’re not too proud to take influence from anywhere really. We’re both into a lot of things which we steal from not just music but also films, books, art, real life. There are so many bands that I love it’s hard to pick but for the last few years I’ve mainly been listening to Tool. They were an absolute religious experience on tour last year. It’s how I imagine it would’ve been to have seen Pink Floyd back in the day.

 

I’ve always loved bands that experiment with what a band could be. I was lucky enough to be around when Jane’s Addiction first started playing and seeing them at Subterania changed my life. The punk attitude and the arthouse vibe really showed what could be done with music. Because of Jane’s I got into Soundgarden, who for me are still one of the best.

 

I also love that punk attitude, Iggy and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, rough around the edges non-conformity, which of course then moved into grunge and the alternative scene but also weirdly, the acid house scene of the 90’s. I love what the KLF did. We see ourselves as very much a heavy metal KLF. Also, there are newer bands like King Buffalo who are great. They’re doing it their own way and putting music out on Bandcamp like we are and that’s inspiring. It feels like we’re part of something.

 

However, I have to say that my biggest musical hero is film composer, John Williams. His use of melody, rhythm and dynamics is just incredible. There’s nothing like seeing the Imperial March live. It absolutely rocks.

 

3.     What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

 

Rory: Have you heard that saying 'dance like no one's watching'?  That.  Do it for yourself, play for yourself, sing for yourself, and don't care if anyone's watching.  Or listening.

 

Craig: Just play, play, play. Get together with friends and make some noise no matter what it is and just keep making noise and most importantly have fun. Just keep doing your own thing.

 

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

 

Rory: Good question.  Maybe we've been around the block a bit so we’re able to just do what we want without worrying if anyone likes what we do.  It would be cool if they did, but we're writing music for us primarily.

 

Craig: We started on a bench in Lockdown drinking a couple of “socially distanced” cans down Penarth sea front one night. Just like we did when we were teenagers playing around a beach fire so it felt natural to finally get this band together. It felt organic and not forced. We’re doing what we feel like doing rather than what we think will make us famous. We’re old enough not to crave that rock star thing. For us it’s all about the music, the ideas and the conversation with the people listening, so the band can go anywhere really. Be anything.

 

Also, we’re both politically aware so we tend to write about things that piss us off or things that are important to us. Just trying to make sense of the world especially considering the times we’re living through.

 

We’ve both been in a lot of bands over the years and done the whole rock n roll thing but with this band as performers we want to keep a certain anonymity. We’re not going to do band photos or be in videos. No one wants to see our ugly faces plastered all over everything. SkyDaddy is the thing, not us, and we want to have some fun with it all.

 

5.     Any new gigs or albums in the future?

 

Rory: Once we get this album out, we're probably going to already have half of the songs written for the next one and I'm sure that we'll be able to borrow some mates to help us get out on stage.  Can't wait.

 

Craig: We just finishing up on our first album. I’ve released a couple of albums before with different bands but this is the first time with “my brother from another mother”, my oldest friend, so it’s a real buzz to finally be able to do that. We’ve always worked well together and I certainly knew Rory had the chops having performed with him over the years. Even if no one else digs it, we’re both really proud of this first record.

DJ Interviews: K.P. The 85

 

Here's my interview with rapper, K.P. The 85

How'd you get started in music?

Bout the beginning 2018 when distributors helping independent artist put music out I ran across amuse. Ive always love music and battled rap grown man as a kid but never took music serious. Amuse was what open the door for me. I'm with Awal now and the owner of my own record label Mastermind Records LLC

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I'm 43 so I'm ol school artist like 2 pac, Jay Z , Rakeem, I could go all day cause since five I had my first radio and everyone of these artist help me grow 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Don't never be scared to be different and don't let people talk you out your dreams. It's different times and anybody can make a business or reach many people with their music. Being different is the market thats open. Copy cats come and go but original artist live forever cause they unique. 

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

I do so in what I rap, rap, and achieve. Most cool with being just a artist but I'm more on the side of giving others a opportunity with music and building a empire. I also educate myself on everthing dealing with this industry.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

First let me thank you what you doing here and the opportunity you giving us. Yes I have a new album that dropped on 1/6/23 call 'Bankai' in stores now. Also I have a few artist bout to drop on the label.

DJ Interviews: Devin Kessler of Ivory Blue

 Here's my interview with Devin Kessler of Ivory Blue

How'd you get started in music? 

I've always created music. At a very young age I would make up songs to pass by the time. I could've sang other people's songs but I was limited in what I could listen to (my parents were pretty strict) so I just made up my own. 

 

I played in my church at a very young age as well which gave me confidence to perform in front of people later on in life. People always said they saw me pursuing music so I had a good support system at a very early age which was good for my well-being.  

 

 

Who are your inspirations or influences? 

 

When I was growing up my parents would listen to the oldie’s station. I’m 36 so oldie’s was like “The Beatles, Rolling Stones, CCR, Fleetwood Mac…” to name a few. I would listen to those bands a lot especially when we were in the car going places. 

 

However when I was in my 20s there was an artist named ‘Bleu’. He had a few songs that made it big and was really successful and I saw him live when I opened for him. He really inspired me cause he would loop over his own sounds to create an array of sounds that really made the song bigger than it would’ve been had he just played them acoustic. It was really cool and I definitely was inspired by him to do my own looping shows in the future.  

 

What advice would you offer aspiring performers? 

 

Write what you know. It’s the best advice I can give cause writing what you know makes your music authentic and true to who you are. It’s a good exercise to create a story in your song that didn’t happen but base it off of things that really happened in your life.  

 

Like my song ‘Starlit Love Child’ was loosely based on a friend of mine that used crystals and tarot cards to find a meaning in the life he was living. I wrote that in there but I also changed it to match what I felt life offered and how we could lose ourselves in it. I had the character be a woman cause I’m trans and felt the song should represent my life as well.  

 

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

 

I am a multi genre artist… kinda like Beck. We both like to create music that has it’s own sound so it doesn’t really fit into a single box but we label it with a ‘pop’ label or ‘rock’ label so people can tell what we’re going for.  

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future? 

 

I’m focusing on releasing a couple of albums so it kind of takes away the ability to play out as much. My plan is to release as many singles as I can then put them all on an album for each year I release music. I want to be as consistent as possible. In 2022 I released an entire album (my debut album ‘Compound Love’) and it had ten songs on it. I then in the same year released two more singles ‘Red Light and Starlit Love Child’ from my album ‘Red Light’ set to be released in 2023 which is this year. 

That's it! I look forward to seeing this on your website and will share it as soon as it's up! Thanks again for taking an interest in me and talk soon!

DJ Interviews: Owen N of Point Of Promise

 Here's my interview with Owen N.  of Point of Promise

How'd you get started in music?

Our start in music began probably in the mid to late nineties, music runs in our family so over time we eventually picked it up

and started playing whatever music we were into at the time.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Our families influenced us as it was natural to get into music. As far as bands and people go it's safe to say when it comes to playing guitar that Zakk Wylde and Randy Rhoads are the two at the top for us, then you have Dimebag Darrell, Hammet and Hetfield, David Gilmore, too many other great guitarists to name really. As for bands; Ozzy, AC/DC, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Creed, Finger Eleven, Green Day, The Offspring, The Tea Party, Breaking Banjamin, Fear Factory, Staind, Amon Amarth, Five Finger Death Punch, Tool, Trivium, Don Williams, Collective Soul, and that's just to name some. There are so many more that we are definitely forgetting to mention. We grew up listening to grunge, hard rock, alternative, and metal so bands to name as influences there's just too many, and you can even throw a bit of classical, folk, Irish, and pop music in there as well for that matter. No genre was really off limits for us, again, it's about the melody.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

There's a great Joseph Campbell phrase "follow your bliss". Follow your heart, your passion, and the opportunities will come.

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

That's hard to answer. For us we want to be as melodic, clean sounding, and heavy as possible while still being pleasing to as many listeners as we can. We do like to write some soft and light music as our influences are not linked to one genre so while our music is heavy, we try to have as much melody as we can. Much of the writing is not done using music theory, it's basically what sounds and feels right.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Right now, we don't have anything planned . We began releasing our first album in 2022 and the last song off that album debuted in December so right now our goal is to simply work on promoting the music we have released online and reach as many people as we can. The reward for us is just having as many people listen to and enjoy our music as much as possible.