Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings
www.sonicbids.com/CharlesBigDaddyStallings
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: Being chosen as an A2W Artist on Skopemag feels good because of the diversity of genres covered.I’m especially pleased that you”Didn’t Forget The Blues”.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: Currently I’m working on my Third Independent and Self-Produced CD entitled”Blues Party”.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: I call my music”GoodTime Bluez With A Twist” which is unique because the lyrics deal with Upbeat and Humorous themes while musically I combine Blues and Boogie-Soul with a Touch of Jazz.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: I started creating music after leaving The Armed Services in The 60’s where I expanded my basic knowledge of the Blues which I learned from local Bluesmen in my hometown of Hobbsville,N.C.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: I use the real-life experiences of myself and others for inspiration.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: The most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age is the opportunity to reach musiclovers Globally.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings: Your readers should look forward to my Upcoming CD”Blues Party” this Fall and me continuing my mission to”Keep The Blues Alive and Evolve With The Times”. Bluez Always,”Big Daddy”Stallings – www.bigdaddystallings.com
NiRe’ AllDai
www.sonicbids.com/MsJupiterSweet
Caera
www.sonicbids.com/Caera
Amanda Baker
www.sonicbids.com/AmandaBaker
Lovedoctor Crew
www.sonicbids.com/LovedoctorCrew
Bill Champitto
www.sonicbids.com/BillChampitto
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Bill C: I want to thank you guys for choosing me as an A2W artist. Having such a respected industry voice behind my work is a great feeling; self affirming; like the proverbial notch in the belt.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Bill C: I released the CD “Bounce” in June and have been performing festivals and clubs in the Northeast US this summer. It has gotten a great response regionally and attracted attention well beyond our Boston base. The band has gotten very tight and I am torn between extending our performance schedule and getting to new material.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Bill C: There is a major crossover of diverse influences in my music. It is generally classified as jazz because each band member has the freedom to creatively interact with each other through the music. But, the grooves are very soul, funk and blues influenced, and working with a multi-percussionist brings various Latin and African influences into play. For example, in “You Know Me” you can hear that Bossa influence as the song travels between modal jazz and bluesy chord progressions. But when you take a step back and listen to the finished product it is a very simple medium tempo ballad that has gotten play on pop and r&b stations. We received a review last year where the writer penned us as “Soul, Funkified Jazz” and I think it hits home pretty well with what I do.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Bill C: I started as a sideman performing other peoples music. Initially, I was intrigued when a couple of my friends started to woodshed with the Guitar and Drum sets they got for presents. I started to learn the songs by ear and after a couple of months auditioned for a band that was playing clubs in Troy NY. For A long time I learned everything from the band, picking up songs by ear and rehearsing and performing with some very talented people. It was a powerful education. Long term I hope to keep performing and expanding our tour. I would like to add a horn section eventually. This band started as a duo, piano and percussionist. As a quartet the energy has been great, but I miss the horn section from the bands I performed with in my early days.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Bill C: Inspiration is everywhere. Life is inspiration. With “Bounce” it seems I have chronicled what’s been going on recently. I am in an incredible relationship and Michelle shows up everywhere in the music. My mother passed away. I lost a job that paid the bills and we struggle with that. My Dad has pulled things back together after becoming a widower. Almost everyone I know is struggling with the economy. There is plenty of inspiration to go around. There is a line in the song “Bounce”, “One thing you’ve got to know before you find yourself tumbling down down… is how to Bounce”. I’ve always felt I was able to bounce and that has come in very handy in the past few years.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Bill C: The most exciting thing has to be getting an email from someone in Norway or Japan or South Africa saying they heard my music and it meant something to them. That someone takes the time to contact me about a song they heard is great. The “digital age” had made it possible for me to reach people that normally would not have heard my music. And it makes it possible for them to get back to me.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Bill C: There is more music in the works. I prefer to perform the material live before recording it. It’s part of the process of letting the band interact and pull the songs together. That’s where the jazz influence comes in. I get to hear everyone’s approach to the song and it evolves to a different level.
Griffen Alexander
www.sonicbids.com/GriffenAlexander
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
Griffen Alexander: It feels a little bit like finding an old wallet with money in it. A pleasant surprise and an honor. Not really sure how the honor part fits in to the wallet simile though.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
Griffen Alexander: Well, I just came off of a coast to coast tour that lasted virtually the entire summer, May through mid August. I called it “The Recession Tour”, a tour which sought to embrace this recession we’re in and reward my fans with free shows, inexpensive CDs and inexpensive merch. It was great for me too because it gave me an opportunity to try out new songs that will be on my next record. And everyone who didn’t already own, “Never in Neutral” had the chance to pick it up at the shows. Now that I’m home, I’ll be writing and hitting the college circuit solidly through the springtime and will begin recording the new album in the coming months.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
Griffen Alexander: I guess that it’s my story, and nobody else can tell my story.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
Griffen Alexander: I started playing music when I was in high school in a little garage band, but I was just thinking about this today actually, I think I’ve been a musician my whole life. I learned by ear, to this day I still don’t read music, so I think it has to be very natural when it happens like that. Even as a little kid I was always hearing music in my head. I still do. It’s why I have trouble sleeping. I plan on making music my full time job and sharing my music with people for a very long time.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
Griffen Alexander: Lyrics are a the big part of me. I write music for the words and I want everything in the song to point to the lyrics. Usually, my songs are about situations and relationships in my own life, sometimes they’re about people in my life, but there’s never much distance between the song and me. It’s very important to me that I keep that integrity of realness in my music. I believe if it comes out of my heart it’ll makes it’s way into the listener’s. The audience really can sense a phony. I strive to be true in my lyrics. The music usually just accentuates the feeling I’m hoping the words are creating in the listener.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
Griffen Alexander: The immediacy of reaction and the mass of people that can discover you. I’m always surprised by how different people are discovering my music. The internet gives artists an opportunity that never existed even just ten years ago. I also think there’s a certain community created on sites such as this and myspace that bring a lot of that mom and pop record shop feel into a webpage. Of course, there’s still a place for those record shops, but a lot of websites are helping artists get discovered the way the guy in my local shop would suggest new music to me. iTunes has been great for me personally, both as an artist and a fan. I think the digital age is drastically changing the industry. A successful artist evolves with the times. I think that mindset will keep me a float.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
Griffen Alexander: Well I took some songs out on the road and could see what was working and what wasn’t. Now that I’m home again I have all of this stuff in my head that is coming out. I’ve only been home a few days and I’ve already written a song and started another. It’s coming out quickly and smoothly. That’s how you know you’re improving as a songwriter. I’m planning on beginning recording for the album in a few months and of course hitting the college scene in fall and spring and following that with another summer tour. But we learned a lot on this one and we’re doing some things differently. There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening with my career now. I’m so grateful for the wonderful people who have helped me along the way. This new album is going to blow anything I’ve ever done before out of the water. I really mean that too. I’ve improved so much and I can’t wait to share it with everyone!
Shep
www.sonicbids.com/ShepHipHop
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: It feels great to get some exposure on a music site clocking 1 million hit’s a month for 12 months. Congratulations to Skopemag.com.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: We have been promoting our latest album “Radio Gente” (the People’s Radio). The reason it is named this is because we decided to make the album 100% free through shepanddjstilz.com with digital distribution courtesy of neferiu.com. We have found that the album is getting downloads all over the world and people have started sharing it on last.fm.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: Our music is not about pretending we’re something we’re not. I don’t claim to be a gangsta or that I have a phat car or ice around my neck. This music is about our world and the world around us. People who listen to us will hear a mix of styles. We don’t just have one way creating Hip Hop/R&B.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: In 2002 I started writing rhymes with a friend and soon we got serious about it. We discovered our DJ, DJ Stilz, that year and formed a group called Chronikalz. We released an album in 2005. In 2006 the group fell apart and DJ Stilz and I released a solo album under the name “Shep” which was on college charts in 2007 (earshot-online.com). Then in late 2008 we released Radio Gente based on the idea that it is a digital age and we could spread the music much farther if we focused on a free digital album. The industry is changing and we will keep distributing our music for free until we have established enough of a reputation that when we do release an album in the future we will let the fans decide if they want to pay or not and hopefully some will.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: I look at the world around me. Sometimes I see it in a profound and meaningful way and sometimes I take it for what it is. Whether I am watching international news or watching the kids play in the streets I am inspired by the world around me. I don’t limit myself to one style. If I hear a beat that my DJ makes and I hear a Blues song or a Soul song I don’t limit myself to just Hip Hop I explore any possibility.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: The fact that somewhere in Poland, Portugal, Argentina, or wherever, there are people enjoying a Shep and DJ Stilz song with their friends. I love that. I had a fan write me from Penn State University to tell me that she loved our Vee Dub song (track 8 on Radio Gente) and that she is getting all of her friends there to download it from shepanddjstilz.com. I write a song about my love for VW cars and soon people in Pennsylvania are rocking it. That’s exciting.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
SHEP & DJ STILZ: Readers will have a new Shep and DJ Stilz album to look forward to hopefully in spring 2010. The songs are mostly written it’s just a matter of coming up with funding to make it happen. If readers enjoy the free album on shepanddjstilz.com they can always pick up the first album on iTunes. Thanks again for the opportunity Skopemag.com. www.shepanddjstilz.com
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS
www.sonicbids.com/laurel
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: I feel relieved that persistence and believing in myself has been paying off. To have a chance to get ‘skoped’ is a big opportunity to get seen on a bigger level. And after being in the music industry for a few years now, I feel like I must be doing something right. It’s confirmation in a great way!
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: My band and I, Laurel and the Electric Circus, recently released our 5 song ep, The Recession Sessions. We had a lot of fun making it. The recording and duplicating process went easier than my first album, Sweet Insanity. I had a little more insight on how to utilize time and money. So, it wasn’t near as scary! The songs are a good reflection of who we are right now, where our heads are in music, and give a great groundwork for songs I’d like to write in the future. The packaging of The Recession Sessions was especially fun to come up with. We found ways to cut the budget to keep the costs low for our fans. The $5 cd’s are packaged in brown paper liquor bags with a personalized stamp on the front, which were a perfect fit (get your music, reuse for your next party, hee hee). Our fans love it! And it’s eco-friendly. We’re already working on The Recession Sessions 2.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: I love track 1, ‘Anymore’, for starters. It’s stream of consciousness verses are quite a mouthful of lyrics. I love that people will have to listen to them a few times to get all of the words. Every track is a inspiration of some piece of music we have loved through the years and then filtered through our own contemporary style. It’s edgy. The body of work brings 3 rock musicians(the writers:Laurel Barineau, Dean Holliday, Jake Fontenot) flowing into the same channel but all coming from slightly different backgrounds of 70’s,80’s, 90’s rock, blues, metal, gospel. We all play live together every week, so the chemistry is there. I try to put soul into every note that I sing, whether it’s tangible or abstract, the hint is there. Bottom line is, you can feel something in the tunes.
Skope: How did you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: Creating music starting a few years ago when I was fortunate enough to have moved to the state of Lousiana where musicians don’t have to do much more than prop a chair on a back porch to learn how to write and play. I was encouraged by bandmembers to write with them and it took a natural progression over the years as I played with many different kinds of artists. Although I have written a few songs totally on my own, I prefer to write lyrics and create the music with other instrumentalists. With The Recession Sessions, there was a lot of give and take. Sometimes, one of us had a definite idea, and sometimes writing sessions began with a lot of, “I don’t know, what do you have,” until one of us spit something out that we could bounce off of.
Long term plans have always included wider spread national and international tours (which we started last month with shows in Mexico), wider distribution for music sales, opening and headlining for larger concerts, and getting a tour bus(I love my suburban, but, come on..). Ultimately, being able to totally support myself and my band with music is the goal.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: Writing has always been some reality and fiction. I have an active imagination and extreme empathy for other’s struggles. So, if I haven’t felt something myself, but can look at someone else with a certain perspective, I try to go with that, as in ‘Laundry’ lyrics. Sometimes, I rely on a real emotion in my life, but turn in into a story I think may be more appealing for a general audience. And, there are times when I am being truly honest about my situation or a friend’s, as in ‘Could You Love Me’, and I lay it all out there. ‘Anymore’ angry lyrics were not my own feelings at the time I was writing them, but I was helped along by a friend who had a more personal opinion about the content, and gave me a great angle for the chorus. ‘Frustration’ was a song I had written many years before, but refreshed the words with a new perspective. ‘Basement’s hook came first, and we wrote the lyrics around that.
Instrumentally, I am amazed when the guys tell me they’ve had a certain melody in their heads for years and they carried it in their fingers until we put together a song. Other times, the music was created out of the imagery or mood the lyrics called for. Jake had fun in the studio when our engineer, Mark Robertson, suggested playing his guitar through a Leslie cabinet. It set the right mood for the piece.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: Wow! The freedom! When I see a few major artists choosing to relinquish their large record label contracts for a smaller, more simplified digital connection with fans, it makes me consider the opportunities I have as an independent artist right now. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have huge label support, but digital stores give me the freedom to sell, promote and grow now while becoming a more viable target for label scouting in the future. My label, A&R Unlimited, found me that way, as do thousands of fans. I’ve seen fanbases form online before I even play in a certain area because of sites like myspace, where we can target similar music lovers that actually would be interested in our type of show. Being able to compete in big markets like amazon.com and itunes.com with larger selling artists gives my product more credibility. Booking gigs and venues have been revolutionized by the digital age. No more mailing out expensive promo packs just to have someone lose it or put their coffee cup on it. We just email our EPK from sonicbids.com and its simple and effective. Most buyers love it, and it comes at a fraction of the cost. Emailing fans has also radically changed when it comes to promoting shows and products, especially when I found fanbridge.com. And, of course, Skope Magazine is part of the digital plan as well! Reading about other musicians makes me feel like I am not alone in my struggles and am supported in my accomplishments. And I get ideas for my own business. It’s a great way for fans to connect with us on another level. Giving the press something to talk about is much less complicated now.
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
LAUREL & THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS: We have already begun writing our second installment of The Recession Sessions. And I can’t wait to see how those tunes will turn out. Each writing process has a personality all its own. We have more shows in Mexico planned and I’m turning my eye on Europe next. We are currently competing in a nationwide contest for The Gap Store company where we could win a session with an award winning producer for an upcoming album. More than anything, we keep feeling the love we get from everyone that connects with our music. And without that, everything else would fall away.
The Rhodes
www.sonicbids.com/TheRhodes
Skope: How does it feel to be chosen as an A2W artist on Skopemag.com?
The Rhodes: Ah, it’s all about that feel. The good feel.
Skope: What have you been working on and promoting recently?
The Rhodes: We’ve got a double-sided single that we’re releasing at the start of October. The songs are “All You’ve Got To Do” and “How Long?” We’re all quite pleased with them. They’re the best representation of our live sound we’ve achieved in the studio yet. As we go on, we hear what a difference the album is to our newer live sets. In response to that, our goal was to capture that live energy on tape. Punchy, you know. Love that.
Skope: What about your music do you feel sets it apart?
The Rhodes: To be entertaining, memorable but fast-moving, to-the-point. Live harmonies… to be young, finally… modern rock meets classic soul. Most dance music is some jive-ass disco. You’ve got to believe what you’re singing.
Skope: How do you start creating music and what are your long term plans with your band?
The Rhodes: You can tell a song’s immediate quality by playing it with an acoustic guitar and singing. If it holds up through that test, the rest is presentation. Plans aren’t worth half as much as action. Our plan is to keep getting better. We’re taking the actions we see fit to do so.
Skope: When you are creating music what do you use as inspiration for lyrics & instrumentals?
The Rhodes: Music is everywhere; in the air we breathe. Like fishing. Put your lure in the pond and BAM! Snatch it up while you can. A song flails like a fish, so you have to grip at it. Lyrics are conversational… talking to people / about people with music. Things you couldn’t say otherwise. Mental matchmaking. We all do it. Just not everyone says so.
Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being a musician in the digital age?
The Rhodes: Intimate fan interaction?
Skope: What can we look forward to that our readers should know about?
The Rhodes: Look for the release of our double-single “All You’ve Got To Do” / “How Long?” in early October. Keep an eye out on http://myspace.com/therhodesmusic . All hail Skope Magazine!
