Happy hump day to all loyal Skoped Out readers all over the world, it is so awsesome to be here today. Before we get started with my guest, The Unravelling today what is going on in music. I read a great article in Bloomberg this week on Jay-Z and his streaming service Tidal – CLICK HERE TO READ. All I have to say is it is courageous what Jay-Z is doing but please do not forget about the indie, smaller musicians/bands as well. In other news, Pandora, the leading Internet radio service, announced that it has agreed to acquire Next Big Sound, the leading provider of online music analytics, for an undisclosed sum. The deal marks the latest step in Pandora’s commitment to become an indispensable partner to the music industry and accelerates its strategy of harnessing data for the benefit of music makers. In legal music news, The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), on behalf of several music publisher members, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against “Wolfgang’s Vault,” which disseminates concert videos and audio recordings through multiple websites including ConcertVault.com, Daytrotter.com and MusicVault.com, as well as YouTube. The lawsuit is part of NMPA’s continuing effort to ensure songwriters and their music publishing partners are compensated fairly and that their rights are protected. My guests today are a duo that have persevered against so much to reemerge with the new single “Revolt.” I am so honored to speak candidly with Moore about everything from his battle with Cancer, offering music for free, the new single “Revolt” and so much more!
Stoli: Where are we talking from today and how is your day going so far?
Steve Moore: We are talking from Airdrie, Alberta, and my day is going very well, thank you. I just got off the phone with Gus and progress is going extremely well with the new material.
Stoli: Offer us a brief history on how you created the band and how did you decide on the name, the Unravelling?
SM: I was looking for a new project after finishing working with my former band, Inner Surge. Gus had advertised that he was looking for a vocalist to partner with, and his music was quite intriguing to me. We obviously shared some of the same influences and an emotionally charged approach to making music as opposed to overly technical.
We met up and began recording right away. In fact, “Becoming Chaos” was recorded on the first day we met. From there, we were making music all the time.
The name the Unravelling was chosen because, like most of the lyrics, it has multiple meanings and is open to interpretation. Of course, it can mean the coming apart of something, but I like to think of it as the revealing of reality and the negation of everything that hides the truth behind our concepts, beliefs and opinions. Unravel and what is left? Clarity and peace, I would assume.
Stoli: What is life like in Calgary, Canada on a day to day basis and how is the music scene?
SM: It’s generally a pretty friendly city with a lot of good people. It’s a worker bee town for the most part; the hive travels downtown in the morning and leaves at 6 pm. The music scene is typically quite strong, as there have always been at least a few supportive venues like Dickens and the Distillery, and there are a host of really talented bands, like Casey Lewis’s band the Evidence for example. What makes it tough for the scene is the city being so incredibly spread out and having poor public transit, but I’d still say there are a lot of positives.
Listen to the new single at Bandcamp:
https://theunravelling.bandcamp.com/track/revolt
Stoli: You guys have a new single out, “Revolt.” When did you write & record that song and how has the response been?
SM: Gus wrote the music earlier this year and we recorded it in the Summer. It was released on April 25th and the response has been very positive, surprisingly so to me, actually. I anticipated it leaving a bad taste in some people’s mouths because I thought it had a vocal and lyrical style that may not appeal to everyone, but as it turns out it’s been our best reviewed piece of work to date.
It’s really felt validating as far as our decision to take an entirely new approach goes. We’re excited to release more music.
Stoli: You are offering the tune as a free download on BandCamp, what is the strategy behind that offering?
SM: I’ve seen the numbers associated with charging 99 cents for a song, charging “pay what you want”, and having it completely free. It’s quite obvious to me that far more people will download it or bookmark it if it’s free, and I think that building our following on good music is far more important than sitting around waiting for small amounts of money to accumulate. Let the thing spread; don’t stunt it’s growth!
Stoli: Lead vocalist Moore was diagnosed with Cancer in 2011. You are now in the recovery phase which is awesome. Offer us how dealing with Cancer on a daily basis was like and how did that change how you see life & music?
SM: I was lucky enough to have an operable form and stage of cancer, so I’m really thankful and don’t really have anything to complain about. At the time, there was a lot of disillusionment and I felt the need to drop everything I was doing. There was depression and doubt. After the surgeries, it took me a long time to start writing again. The inspiration and will wasn’t there in full force, and that definitely bothered me. They came back at the beginning of 2014 and I’m thankful for that.
I’m not sure if it changed my life philosophy so much as falling in line with the truth that life isn’t personal and it’s not about you. It was phenomena happening, so it’s definitely best to focus on the Noumena as much as possible.
Stoli: Can you offer any words of hope for others dealing with Cancer and how they can try and stay upbeat?
SM: I don’t know if it’s appropriate to give advice so I wouldn’t want anything I say to be taken in that light, but given the question, I think the outcome pictured in your mind matters a great deal. It can propel you past what seems probable. Dealing with something like that is so personal that it really requires your own intuition and trusting yourself; no one can really directly help or calm you. Use the opportunity to tune into yourself and get spiritually creative.
Stoli: You guys have over 17K Likes on Facebook. How effective do you find social media as a marketing tool to recruit & sustain fans?
SM: I find it’s effective in that it’s the current model of staying in touch with each other. Social media is a big part of how we’ve collectively chosen to communicate, so it’s important that this project be available and actively promoting via Facebook, for example. It’s our main home online and it’s made for a good way to release our art.
Stoli: How much time per week do you devote to the band and are your friends/family supportive?
SM: I typically write lyrics every day and record once or more per week. My friends and family are very supportive.
Stoli: What is coming up for The Unraveling and where you @ online?
SM: We’re planning on releasing a bunch of singles this year. Our next release is “Master Drone” coming within a few weeks. 7 songs have been recorded already, and we’re planning on finishing two albums worth of material within the next 6-8 months or so. You can find us online at https://www.facebook.com/theunravelling or https://theunravelling.bandcamp.com/. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!
