The Cool and Deadly
www.sonicbids.com/thecoolanddeadly
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Danny: Righteous! we definately appreciate being chosen and we are psyched on it.
Harvey: Feels fantastico!
David: It’s an honor to be recognized for the positive vibrations we get to put out into the universe!
Billy: it’s great, thanks for choosing us
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Danny: We’ve been promoting and touring with our latest release “Rudeboys Revenge” and now currently recording our next record for release early next spring.
Harvey: Been working on new material for a 2010 release.
David: Working on the new Cool and Deadly record as well as few other projects that will be released in the near future.
Billy: We have been busy in the studio recording the follow up to RudeBoy’s Revenge
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Danny: Aside from anybody else who even thinks about mixing rock and reggae I feel it stands alone
based on who what our backgrounds are and what our interests are.When you first hear “rock and reggae”
you think oh God another sublime..but thats not the case at all. None of us listen to that stuff.Im not dissing it .
but its not our ride.We just love Rock n Roll and we love reggae so we mashed it up.
Harvey: Our influences set it apart. Each of us are influenced by so many styles of music. I believe we are being true to our selves and the sound that we hear. Bands are out there doing stuff, but we’re offering a different package. We have a strong rock element but there’s dance element, an improv element.We’re not afraid to do what we like.
David:It’s pure and honest. It encompasses all that we are influenced by and I think that’s the type of energy we exude to our fanbase.
Billy: We are a band in the true sense. Every album is a snapshot of where we are at the time, Individually and collectivley
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Danny: I started in Hardcore punk skate-rock bands in the early 90’s and then started playing reggae Billy a few years after that.thats also when I met Harvey and its been wild style ever since. As for future plans I do hope to someday go Cape Verde and show them a little bit of the badboy style. Thats where my family is from.
Harvey: Danny, Bill, and myself have been making music for a long time in different projects. The Cool and Deadly came together at a time when we were ready to do something for fun, and later came the serious business stuff. The music is still the most important thing we do. The future is now, and we’re recording, we have our eyes set on the next wave of new tunes. It represents who we are now, and still has the influence of who we were before.
David: I’ve been creating music since I’ve been a teenager. Long term plans would be to keep touring, and to constantly create and document new material. Getting to perform our music on all parts of the globe.
Billy: It actually started with a few phone calls. Danny and I were looking for something to do musically,something that we could have fun with. then one day Harvey called to see if we wanted to hang out,right as danny and i were talking about finding a gitaur player. a few hours later we were recording and laying down idea’s. and we been running with it ever since.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Danny: Man I just reach in deep. sometimes I have no idea why Im writing what Im writing but later on I always realize what the hell was going on in my mental and spirit.
Harvey: Modelo, Scarface, Road Stories… There’s alot that goes into it, the 4 of us live different lives but we come together and understand what it is that we are collectively. I think we understand our history and we feel that we all came from the same place and it translates to the music we make.
David: This creature in human form is out of control!
Billy: this is a tough one to pinpoint, just the day to day i guess. Living in Brooklyn you come across so many different people and things that can spark an idea or turn the creative light switch on.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Danny: We are self sufficient now. recording/ booking/ managing / distribution..etc etc. you name it we can do it..alone!
Harvey: The recording process is much easier now. That right there is very exciting. Social networking sites help a lot too because you really connect with your audience, and material is very easy to put out nowadays. You don’t really need the big guy no more.
David: The digital age is a curse and a blessing. It gives you more of an opportunity to market/promote and control your product by yourself,but when it comes to the recording aspect, everyone and their mother’s has a home studio now. The quality of recordings tends to lack because real producers and engineers aren’t working on these records
Billy: the challenge of trying to combine the two,in a way that doesn’t sound forced or expected. i like alot of digital music and we try to incorarate the essence of that through our instruments. kind of trying to play like we’re programmed.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Danny: Keep an eye out for us on the road this fall and next spring tearing up the country with our new record! The Cool and Deadly like a pack of wolves ! Lobo style……
Harvey: We have some shows in the fall where we’re trying out our new tunes. The biggest thing is getting our new record done for a spring release. Its gonna be a new Cool and Deadly, definitely still us but it gonna knock your socks off.
David: You can look forward to The Cool and Deadly spreading their digital glitter throughout the universe.
Billy: Another album that will keep the listener wondering “what are they gonna do next?” We are pushing the boundries of Rock and Reggae music but still keep it digestable and fun. You can always look forward to a great live show and The Cool and Deadly,no two are ever the same.
The Cool and Deadly is comprised of:
Danny Baptista – Vox/Rythm Guitar
Harvey Valdes – Lead Guitar
David Dovo – Bass
Billy Szeflinski – Drums
Sunshine Behavior
www.sonicbids.com/sunshinebehavior
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Sunshine Behavior: Its always an honor to be choosen to be interviewed for a couple reasons. The first being someone usually in popular media has recognized your music as being worthy of featuring it in something that the interviewer holds a lot of pride in. Second reason being we know we’re good so its a nice part on the back for a lot of hard work and dedication. Third off Skope magazine kicks ass. Can we have that 12-pack now? ;)
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Sunshine Behavior: Lately, we’ve been focusing a little less on writing together and spending some time on personal writing. Sunshine Behavior is an energy magnet and it takes a lot out of you, but what it gives is a more refined pure energy back out and that’s why (in my opinion) we do so well with live shows and most recently released self-titled cd. We basically went from playing monday nights to opening for national acts in about a year and a half so a little break is needed as we regroup for the second album. If you want to hear what the drummer and I are working on now check out July Fighter on the web.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Sunshine Behavior: Our music has always been set apart from the rest of the crowd because we have had an original sound yet a sound that can be appreciated by mass population. Its part of the reason the we went to opening for national acts right away. We play we’ll, we write orginal and catchy music and put on a great stage show. we all hear and see a lot of bands that sound like they stole someone elses sounds and there is nothing more repulsive to me than that. sometimes, considering some record labels “squeeze every last drop of life out of a sound” mentality picks up on the rip off bands, but we’re not into that and we’ve done well for ourselves with out falling into that trend.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Sunshine Behavior: two of us had fathers that played together one guitar and the other bass and we grew up watching them. justin and i (jimmy) basically picked up where they left off and kept writing and expanding into our own styles. the longterm goals are make music pay the bills and then some. i want the music to be able to be heard by the world and let them make the decision. so far everywhere we’ve went its been a welcome experience
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Sunshine Behavior: as any writer knows you may be inspired by anything from a fleeting dream to a reoccurring situation that frustrates you to a crack in the side walk. i think the key is to keep yourself open to the beauty that surrounds you, its very easy to get blinders on and move through your days oblivious to your surroundings. instrumentals… practice, practice, practice and goofing around. wait, i meant experimenting. .
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Sunshine Behavior: the matrix. seriously, i dont know how many of you have used 2” tape for an album. Its amazing sounding, but it’s a lot faster and cheaper going digital. I’d still record at least the drums on tape for the sweet compression tape affords you, but digital is pretty amazing and opens doors for a lot of people in home studios. Also, you dont have to carry your favorite 8-track or record around. Are cassette tapes collector items yet? hmm.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Sunshine Behavior: You can look forward to checking out Sunshine Behavior our myspace, facebook, Itunes and cdbaby. Don’t look on youtube unless you want to see a lot of fan footage of live shows. ha. Many, many sweaty stages were left behind us. I personally would suggest starting with listening to How Long, Aprils Fools, Today, My Girls and explore the rest of the album from there. We cover a wide variety of musical styles on the album. Don’t forget to listen for a secret song that is a bit naughty. Also be on the look out for July Fighter…. Cheers Skope- See you all soon.
White Ravens
www.sonicbids.com/WhiteRavens
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
White Ravens: We are very honored, thank you so much!
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
White Ravens: We are releasing our 2nd CD, Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, in October, which falls roughly into the indie pop-rock genre, and was recorded with Liberty Devitto, who was Billy Joel’s drummer for over 30 years. We had a wonderful chemistry with Liberty, whose drumming has taken our music to a new level. All the tracks are laid down and the CD is going to be mixed and mastered at end of September. Liberty has said he will play out live with us if the CD takes off, so we hope you and your readers like it – if it does well, you will be treated to some great concerts!
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
White Ravens: Will is an amazing pianist who invents melodies that are beautiful and unusual. Amy takes these melodies and crafts intelligent, often biting lyrics with an unusual topic, such as one song is about a never ending battle between two obscure super-heroes, another about a rabbit. Amy sings these songs with her distinctive voice and backs them up with a driving bass. On the new CD, we throw in guitar, live recorded Hammond B3 organ, honky tonk piano, baby grand, synth sounds, and various and sundry percussion elements (including an alarm clock) into the mix. The songs on our new CD are very distinct from one another which keeps it interesting.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
White Ravens: We are brother/sister singer-songwriters, ages 17 and 18, who started our band six years ago at ages11 and 12. We’re going keep our band going as long we keep moving forward in music, having fun, and people enjoy listening to us! Our ultimate goal, perhaps a bit over-ambitious, is to create music that people want to listen to over and over, that transcends its time period. We are trying to break new musical ground while creating music that is fun, beautiful to listen to, and has something to say.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
White Ravens: We and Liberty we are all huge fans of the Beatles, whom we mutually consider to be the greatest rock and roll band of all time (along with millions of other people). Some of the songs have a subtle Sargent Pepper feel to some of them. We also looked to the resonant drumming and sonic impact of bands, such as the White Stripes and so we recorded with vintage analog equipment at Ghetto Recorders studio in downtown Detroit, with Jim Diamond, who recorded the first two White Stripes CDs. This gives our songs music a fuller, edgier sound. The songs on our upcoming CD have an overall feel of innocence, beauty and darkness, which cuts across genres of music. For lyrical inspiration, you can’t top Bob Dylan, and Amy’s lyrics have poetry, humor and bite to them. Of course we have tons other artists and genres that have inspired us – basically everything we have ever heard or listened to has affected us and our music – gypsy, ambient music, classical, classic rock, the list goes on and on.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
White Ravens: The opportunity to hear, to be heard by, and collaborate with musicians from around the world! If it weren’t for the digital age, we probably wouldn’t have collaborated with an singer/songwriter in the UK, Andy Johnson, who we met through a garageband.com competition. We mutually loved each others’ music and ended up collaborating with Andy on a song, “One Thing”, which ended up being played across the UK on the BBC radio! Thanks to the digital age, we have been receiving airplay on college radio and jammed with Liberty Devitto!
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
White Ravens: Our new CD, Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, will be available through CD baby or can be ordered directly through our website, www.whiteravenmusic.com. The songs will also be downloadable through itunes and other download sites as well as through our myspace page, www.myspace.com/whiteravensmusic.com.
Peter Herzog
www.sonicbids.com/PeteHerzog
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Peter Herzog: I’m happy to get some more publicity. especially being an older more traditional bluesman.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Peter Herzog: I’ve spent most of the summer promoting my live CD “Homestyle”, traveling the blues highway up and down the West Coast of the US playing nice venues, dive bars, art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, street corners, pretty much everywhere I can. I called it the “Bad Decisions” tour, all conceived in about a 30 second period. Making new friends, re-connecting with old friends, sleeping on couches, campgrounds, the back of the truck, having the kind of experiences you can’t put a price on, but still making gas money to get to the next show. Of course being on the road generates it’s share of song ideas but music seems to fill my head most times anyway.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Peter Herzog: I try to reach deep, my music is about being human, I try to touch those places we all relate to, blues/roots music is the medium I use. I often hear folk say at the end of a show “I don’t like blues but I really like your stuff”, that’s because I’m not playing the endless blues shuffle in A that most folk know as the blues. There is a diverse range and mix of blues/roots music, many of the songs I play have an European background that came to America and was mixed with African music, all music that has endured because it touches those quintessentially human places.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Peter Herzog: I started playing Hawaiian lap steel when I was 8, I still have a strong connection to the concept of open tunings and slide, using the guitar as a vocal instrument. I’m compelled to make music, to write, to play, to perform, that’s my long term goal, just to play as much as I can.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Peter Herzog: Lately I’ve been thinking of some of the earliest folk and spiritual songs I remember learning as a child, “Shenandoah”, “Go Down Moses”, “John Henry”, and of course later as I matured of Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt. I write songs in different ways sometimes from a personal viewpoint but often from the view of a mythical, archetypal gamblin and ramblin hard drinking womanizing bluseman, and often a combination of the two. Blues often deals with relationships, but that can include love and happy things too, along with heartache. And of course sorrow, loss, death, all the emotions that we feel.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Peter Herzog: Well of course I can release an album without asking “Mother May I” from any corporation, but then again I don’t have any of that support, there is a lot of work making all the decisions, but also a lot of freedom. At this point I’m doing all my own booking, promoting, driving the car, but I also pick and chose where and when I go. I’m happy to reach all the folk I can digitally out there on the net, but it’s no substitute for keeping the blues tradition of live performance.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Peter Herzog: Besides having another CD’s worth of material that I will record sometime next year, and performing both solo and with my “acoustic power trio”, I am working on a blues opera/one man show that should be completed by spring. It’s a project I am enjoying and I hope that it will open some doors and some venues for me. Keep updated on my website, http://peteherzogmusic.com and of course it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you went to CD baby and bought a copy of “Homestyle”
Julie Weiss
www.sonicbids.com/JulieWeiss
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Julie Weiss: I’ve known about Skope for a while, so it’s awesome to be chosen for A2W!
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Julie Weiss: I am currently finishing an EP to be released soon. My song “Never Awake” was recently a semi-finalist in the 2009 UK Songwriting Contest. Even though the EP isn’t out yet, my first single “Tonight” is available on various digital stores (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, and more!).
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Julie Weiss: I have worked with Guy Parker on producing and arranging my songs ever since I decided to record them in the studio. Working with him has been amazing and the combination of our ideas and musical tastes in the production and arrangement has really given my music its original sound.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Julie Weiss: I started creating music when I was younger by recording from a cheap little keyboard onto cassette tapes. I would layer another track onto another tape, and so forth…not the best sound quality but it worked for me at the time! In the long run, I trust that the band will stay together and keep writing new songs (yes, it’s just me!). I plan to release an album and aside from my own music, I hope to have opportunities to collaborate on more projects with other songwriters.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Julie Weiss: With lyrics I often draw from feelings or moments, stories, memories or anything that catches me at the time I’m writing. I sometimes scan through small poems or thoughts I have written to see if anything works well for the song I am currently writing. When creating instrumentals, I usually come up with chords and combinations that give me the vibe I’m looking for and I go from there.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Julie Weiss: The most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age would have to be the access to so many things, such as opportunities, people and places. Though I don’t think it has made it any easier to make an impact because there is so much out there. It seems more time has to be spent searching for what you’re looking for…
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Julie Weiss: I will be releasing an EP soon so I hope it will be able to reach those who would enjoy it!
The Sheds
www.sonicbids.com/TheSheds3
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
The Sheds: We’re thrilled to be recognized by such a diverse magazine.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
The Sheds: Well in late August we played the final stop of the 2009 Vans Warped Tour and got a great response so we’ve just been trying to keep that ball rolling. We have a few local shows planned and we’re also doing a weekend up in northern California. We’ve been writing a lot too and are planning on getting another demo recorded for our myspace before we go in to do another full length.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
The Sheds: We play Ska Punk infused with Hardcore which is not something you see too often these days. We all listen to various kinds of music and we’re one of those bands who just doesn’t care- we literally play any show with anyone. Because of these we just throw all our random influences into a huge mixing pot and out comes us!
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
The Sheds: Three of the members of the band (including me) are brothers. Four years ago, the three of us started playing our instruments and learning cover songs of old punk and classic rock tunes. Eventually we got really into playing ska and we had my brother’s friend come do a song with us. One song led to most of the songs and then we started writing and it all just kind of happened.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
The Shed: For lyrics we usually use events that are either currently plaguing (or blessing) us or global issues (while not trying to be every other political punk band). Our instrumentals are all based on one formula: play happy-go-lucky ska… now make it fast and heavy! We’ve also been into groovy time changes as of late.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
The Sheds: The fact that we have sole control over how we are marketed via our myspace page. We can be as goofy as we want and we know 100% how everyone sees us. Then we also get to monitor what buzz is happening for us. I don’t think past generations of musicians were that lucky. However, the digital age is rather dark because it is way harder for any single band to stand out. Virtually anyone can break out garageband, write a crappy little dance song, throw it up online and have TONS of hits without ever even playing a show. It’s disgusting sometimes.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
The Sheds: Just keep an eye out for new demos, MANY new tour dates, and eventually another album. We’re brothers so we won’t be breaking up any time soon. www.myspace.com/shedrock
He Dreams Awake
www.sonicbids.com/HEDREAMSAWAKE
David Blair
www.sonicbids.com/DavidBlair
Emily Hurd
www.sonicbids.com/EmilyHurd
S.Creeezy
www.sonicbids.com/SCreeezy
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