Welcome to another amazing month of music from the incredible musicians that make up the Sonicbids.com community. We have chose a select group of amazing musicians that will be speaking directly to the Skope readers. As always we encourage readers to dig deeper and check out their EPK’s.
June Bug and the Reborn Highway
www.sonicbids.com/JuneBugandtheRebornHighway
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: Skope is a great site and when the opportunity came up it just seemed like a no brainer. It’s not often enough that people give a spotlight to artists like us and we’re happy to be chosen for this.
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: Not this year but we did just put out our debut CD “No Cover” available on iTunes and CDBaby.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: At this level, promoting and marketing are essential to the band. In this day and age, social media make it easier than it used to be. With everyone promoting themselves, it’s harder to sort through to find real hidden talent. You still have to put in the leg work as well…passing out flyers & posters for shows et al. At the end of the day, if you believe in the product it makes it easier to market. We love what we’re doing, its what keeps us alive, thats what people come to realize when they listen to our music. When everyone can see and feel what’s actually going on up on stage they get to fall into that muse too.
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: Just about everything these days inspires us…the 4 of us just have music running through our veins. Every single week there are new ideas on the table…some are just riffs or melodies and some are much more thought out and developed. It all depends on how inspired one is at any given moment but the great thing is what happens when we bring our individual ideas to the rest of band…it takes on a life of it’s own. Everyone gets inspired again from that and it just goes from there. We also jam quite a bit so a lot of ideas come out of that. Just listening to music gets things going with us, hearing what we each come up with and feeding off of each other, letting our own musical innovations manifest and create themselves. Thats what it’s all about. We don’t stand there and dictate. You can be inspired when you’re driving, dreaming— even showering. The last time I was inspired…while I was writing this!!!
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: Tough question… might have to cheat a little bit here and go with a band as a whole, Gov’t Mule. Listening to what they do, how they interact and how their fans dig whatever they are doing really showed us that you shouldn’t be afraid to take chances. You don’t have to play yourself into a corner…if the individual influences & styles of the people in the band come together to form a sound all your own, and you play well enough, you can be a happy, working band.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
June Bug & the Reborn Highway: Gigs all over Florida and working on material for the next album. Readers can stay up to date on our website, www.junebugandtherebornhighway.com and via facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000936602747
Not Them
www.sonicbids.com/NOTTHEMMUSIC
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
Gentleman J: “We are trying to get our music out to every avenue possible. The Internet’s quite the hive to create a buzz in.”
Dirt Merchant: “Trying to put out reasonably good music, and searching for some sense of fame i guess”
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
Gentleman J: “Most likely we’ll drop a couple songs that didn’t make it onto our last album, “Blame It On The Blackout”. Dirt’s working on a project as well as Gentleman J on the side. If anything, ill remixes for sure.”
Dirt Merchant: “Holiday music generally upsets me….cheery in demeanor, mostly unattractive…but yea we droppin shit…”
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
Gentleman J: “When we first started, word of mouth got us a ton of fans and continues to do so. Now we have to focus more on trying to be in as many spots at once with our music, so the world can get to know us.”
Dirt Merchant: “Initiative is a funny word… working for a fan base wherevers clever.”
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
Gentleman J: “Everything inspires us. From a pretty girl, to conversation overheard in an RV park. We basically write everyday. Whether it be poems, songs, or raps. If your gonna be the best, you gotta pen a lot.”
Dirt Merchant: “Things happen… sometimes lost in translation, others it’s not. Those residuals are the propeller. Today i reckon.”
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
Gentleman J: “Aesop Rock for sure. That helped develop our “smart, but any average joe can get it” lyrics….unless we feel like being real avaunt guard. Then its left to the interpretation of the listener. Which sometimes is just as fun for us, as a song about mullets and mustaches.”
Dirt Merchant: “It’s a culmination of different artists. To duck, duck, goose one would be unfair…”
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
Gentleman J: “This year we had the opportunity to film a reality show, about us as artists on our label All In Records, filmed a music video, and met Antoine Dobson. Next year we are trying our hardest to tour as much as we can. We take pride in our live shows. Who knows.. maybe we’ll be broke or maybe we’ll finally get noticed for being the MC’s MC. Anyone who likes us can check us out at www.NotThemMusic.com, on Facebook and Twitter.”
Dirt Merchant: “Readers can read into whatever they please. If you want to know about us…..google it: NOT THEM!”
One Step Away
www.sonicbids.com/OneStepAway
The Driftwood Singers
www.sonicbids.com/TheDriftwoodSingers
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
The Driftwood Singers: We try to take every opportunity that will get us more exposure and when we saw that there was a chance to be featured on Skopemag.com we were really excited to potentially be a part of that.
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
The Driftwood Singers: No, but we will be playing a few different holiday themed shows. On December 18th, we will be playing the LA Record Christmas Party at Bedrock in Los Angeles; as well as playing another Christmas show at the Echo Country Outpost the following night in Echo Park.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
The Driftwood Singers: We try to get our name out there whenever we get the chance. Making sure that our music can reach as many people as possible is one of our main focuses as a group and therefore most of our time and resources go solely to promoting our music.
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
The Driftwood Singers: We take inspiration from old spirituals, disaster songs, and stories of tragic love and loss. We try to write something new every day. If you work on one thing for too long it gets stale and will never leave you satisfied. If you try to write every day you end up with an abundance of fresh palatable material that leaves you with a more satisfied mind.
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
The Driftwood Singers: Someone recently gave us an LP of Loretta Lynn’s record Fist City. I feel like that’s a really optimistic record and sometimes we struggle with only depicting the most bleak and cynical viewpoints. It’s been good for us to listen to more cheerful music.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
The Driftwood Singers: We’re doing a little tour of the southwest the first two weeks of January and trying to record a full length record right now. You can find the tour dates and more information about us at:
myspace.com/thedriftwoodreunionband
thedriftwoodsingers.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/driftwoodsingers
Follow us on twitter.com/thedriftwoods
Phantom Black
www.sonicbids.com/PhantomBlack2
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
Phantom Black: Being featured on A2W has its obvious benefits. Utilizing as many social networks and media highways as possible can only increase the chances of our product reaching its intended or prospective audience. Skope entertainment has a great understanding of advertising and marketing and how to best implement an online campaign to reach the maximum number of potential listeners. Our goal is to be one of the globes foremost electro rock artists. Its easy to see why we would want to be on A2W!
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
Phantom Black: Unfortunately, with so much work to do at this time, Christmas music will be an unlikely endeavor.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
Phantom Black: Playing live is the chance to let the animal out of the cage, so to speak. The live show enables the band to interact with the fans and draw off each others energies. This is a very powerful and important dynamic to Phantom Black. Heavy promoting and marketing the band and music would only see the attendance of the live show increase. Having a strong online presence with many avenues in which a fan or listener could gain access or be introduced to Phantom Black is paramount to the effectiveness of our campaign. A fan that may browse our website and buy music online is equally as important to one that physically may attend a show. They are one in the same.
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
Phantom Black: Although in the beginning, Phantom Black was of a darker nature, these days we really focus on our music being a good time. I think, people have enough reasons to feel down in their lives sometimes. The music we are producing these days is meant to pick us up off our asses, make us get out there and enjoy life. It’s a sound, a vibe, and a lifestyle all in one designed to sink beats and embed rhythms into the listener that promote “shakin that ass”! :)
Skope: What is a song or album by another band/musician that has changed you & how you see your own music?
Phantom Black: The crystal method and bands of this nature helped evolve our sound from a straight up rock act to one that can infiltrate the club scene, but the Doors would be the band that made us look into our music the most. The Doors really knew how to take one on musical and emotional voyage. They could, in essence, control the listener and impose various feelings on them at will. Very powerful stuff. Talk about crowd interaction at its peak! We pay much attention to how they were doing things and how we could adapt these traits in our own music. Right from the get go, these dynamics are part of what makes a Phantom Black experience, possible!
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
Phantom Black: We are currently working on the next album, ‘Guilty By Association’. As well phantomblack.com has just been remodeled to reflect the new business strategy. We will be playing live at the Hide Out on Queen St. Westin Toronto Jan 21, 2010 @ 10:30 pm. Readers can follow Phantom Black at phantomblack.com and phantomblack.ca
Ashes For Trees
www.sonicbids.com/AshesForTrees
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: One of the greatest honors for us is for people to listen to our music and find a connection to it. Sometimes I doubt our songs, worrying they could be too autobiographical at times; when someone tells us that they not only enjoyed a song, but it reminds them of their own personal experience, there’s a sense of validation and warmth.
For us, we’d like people to hear our name and check out our music. We absolutely love making music and sharing it with people.
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: Probably not this year, maybe sometime in the future. I do really enjoy some traditional Christmas carols and would like to record some in a folk style.
I think Loreena McKennit’s holiday album “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” is absolutely stunning.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: Since we’re unsigned and don’t have a manager, I have to do a lot of promotional work for the band. It seems like for every hour I get to play, I’m spending three on the internet trying to get a new gig, or networking, etc.
But I actually really enjoy it. I’ve been learning a lot as we go along. Although I think our project falls into the DIY realm, it’s nearly impossible to do everything on our own. We’ve received tremendous help from local artist Keith Perks, studio engineer Joe Loftus (JL Studios), writers such as Cecilia Baress, Alan Stout, and Julie Imel, and definitely all the bands we’ve have the great opportunity of playing with so far.
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: We draw a lot of inspiration from our own personal emotional experiences and those of people around us. A lot of our songs come from analyzing relationships, from the simply kind ones to the outright abusive ones.
The song “Still” of our EP Never Rested Well was on of the easiest songs for me to write. I met an older couple, maybe late 60’s, who talked about how their marriage has changed over the years. Initially there were problems with addiction, but they stayed together and supported each other. I was so touched when the husband, a big tough looking guy, teared up and told me his wife was his best friend.
I’ve never been able to write an amazingly romantic love song; I’m more drawn to the boring enduring or “I love you even tough you got fat” love.
Conrad and I are always ready to capture any inspiration the moment it hits. He has notebooks filled with poems, sketches etc. I have a notebook intended for collecting my ideas, but I usually end up looking for any piece of paper close to my guitar. I wrote the lyrics to “Never Rested Well” on the back of my bank statement.
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: When Conrad and I left our last project, we were uncertain about what kind of sound we wanted to go for. The previous band was one of those things that was all over the map. We went from playing over dance beats to grunge to classic rock.
We both take lessons with Prof. Vince Insalaco, who plays in a local band called The Ends of the Earth. The songwriting within the band is so poignant and skillful, and their live show is amazing.
As far as albums, I’d have to say that Chris Pureka’s “How I Learned to See in the Dark” really solidified how much I wanted to write and play within the folk rock/ Americana style. The entire album gives me the chills; it’s very experimental at times but it works really well.
Both artists give us something to look up to.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
(Ashes for Trees) Katie Kelly: We are writing a lot of new material.
We just started going into the studio to record our first full length album. Since we take things very slowly in the studio, we’re estimating at least a year until it’s near completion. We like to agonize for weeks over minute details before booking our next session. While we definitely grew as musicians making out first CD; we’re honing our craft as we prepare for the next release.
For more information:
Facebook (updated most often) : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashes-for-Trees/114197268591826
Bandcamp (for some free mp3’s) : http://ashesfortrees.bandcamp.com
Official Site: http://www.ashesfortrees.com
Catherine Holder Band
www.sonicbids.com/CatherineHolderBand
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
Catherine Holder: It is insanely important for an artist to get as much coverage as possible! And luckily Skope Magazine is one of the up and coming sites that can properly show off my music.
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
Catherine Holder: I will be putting holiday music on my YouTube account, but not professionally recorded music… no.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
Catherine Holder: EVERYTHING! This is not just a full time career, but a lifestyle choice. You must eat, sleep, LIVE this life. When you are not performing and practicing, then you are booking promoting and marketing!!
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
Catherine Holder: Gosh… EVERYTHING! I’m always inspired by real life experiences… from break-ups to hook-ups… food… my dog! Something can just stick with me and then become a hook, and then a song!
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
Catherine Holder: I LOVE the retrotastic thing that a lot of artists do (retrotastic being old school grooves, mixed with the new). Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
Catherine Holder: I am currently planning a tour across the US, and planning to record another EP this coming summer! You can learn more about me through my website: www.catherineholder.com or my Reberbnation site: www.reverbnation.com/catherineholder.
Edison Orange
www.sonicbids.com/EdisonOrange
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
Edison Orange: We’ve been together for over a year, and are inspired by inventors, new jersey, and the Pixies. Our name is derived from Thomas Edison’s inventing lab in West Orange, NJ, where he invented the phonograph, which is pretty much the first way that people heard recorded music.
We wanted to be featured on your site because we would love to make the Noise Pop genre more popular as well as to hail our music from not only the sleepy city of Seattle, but to all avenues of the world.
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
Edison Orange: The only holiday music we will be putting out is at our house show, and in the consequent earworm caused humming thereafter.
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
Edison Orange: We put a lot of emphasis into promoting and marketing and are reaching our audience members through a unique angle. As the lead singer and writer, I do most of the marketing and booking for our band and have learned a mightly load of social networking skills through my efforts to impress those with musical ears. I understand now that the age of technology requires many memberships to online communities in addition to having a real presence.
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
Edison Orange: Our music is inspired by dreams, Thomas Edison, and past relationships. We truly conform to the idea that artists are at their best when they are at their worst, emotionally. Some of our songs came from very deep places in our hearts and then some of our songs are a poppy celebration of our favorite inventor, Thomas Edison. We right new music almost every time we get together to practice, and we love that. We have a great dynamic between the three of us and it shows when we play live.
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
Edison Orange: One of the bands that we played with recently, Social Studies, inspired a turning point for us by being a mentor as well as mirror to us. They encouraged us to find our own sound and just keep at it. We have subsequently wrote some of our best music.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
Edison Orange: We will be recording a new bunch of songs over the next couple of months and then celebrating with shows in Seattle and down the West Coast. Readers can find us at edisonorange.bandcamp.com and myspace.com/edisonorange.
Jamie Bendell
www.sonicbids.com/jamiebendellmusic
Skope: What made you want to be featured on A2W?
Jamie Bendell: I’ve checked out the A2W section before and loved the variety of music that was posted all in one place. It’s always nice to join new artists communities and honestly, to be part of something bigger. I think promoting artists 2 watch is something bigger, the idea that there’s always new music to check out, listen to, and learn from. I’m really excited to be part of this section of Skope, and hopefully others see it as something awesome as well!
Skope: Will you be putting out any holiday music this year?
Jamie Bendell: Though not quite holiday music, I’ll be releasing a new little, baby, three song EP during this holiday season. Does that count?
Skope: How much emphasis do you put into not only playing but promoting & marketing your music?
Jamie Bendell: I put a tremendous amount of emphasis on promoting and marketing my music. It can get uncomfortable sometimes to promote yourself when you’re also trying to stay focused on writing and loving the music but it’s so important. I kind of use different tactics to try to get in contact with people, usually using facebook. I play open mics around New York City as much as possible, meeting other singer/songwriters and performing. That’s a great marketing tactic and one I’d recommend to everyone who isn’t already doing them. If you aren’t, get out there!!! After you finish reading this :) .
Skope: What inspires you to write new music and when was the last time?
Jamie Bendell: I usually write songs about random things that happen to me or around me and how I feel about the situation. Recently, I was writing a song about going home alone at the end of the night, or being alone. It’s depressing maybe, but hopeful in general about living regardless of if you’re surrounded by love or if you have to create love or give yourself love. I wrote it the day before a well known financier committed suicide, and I felt like the lyrics really resonated with that situation as well. I’m really inspired by so many things…
Skope: What song or album by another band/musician that changed you & how you see your own music?
Jamie Bendell: To be honest, it was probably the song ‘Beautiful Thing’ by Sister Hazel. Though it’s not necessarily my favorite of their songs, it stands out to me because it’s one of the first times I remember listening to a song and saying that writing was something I wanted to do forever. My friend and I, a musician who I looked up to sat and discussed it for a long time, and that conversation as well I see as somewhat of a turning point for me.
Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
Jamie Bendell: I’ve been playing around New York City and the surrounding boroughs, both solo and with a band, and can’t wait for the release of my new EP. It’s a project called “I’m Not Sorry Anymore”… and yes, I’m known to apologize incessantly.
You can check out my EPK video here, at http://www.vimeo.com/16398455
Find me on facebook, http://www.facebook.com/jamiebendellmusic
Take a look at my website, http://www.jamiebendellmusic.com
Kristina Pupo
www.sonicbids.com/KristinaPupo
