Hello to all music feigns out there, it is such a pleasure to see you all today! So as you all know Star Wars is coming out today. When will the movie industry realize that there are people who cannot make it to the theater but would have no problem to stream/rent the movie for $10-$15 on my tablet/smartphone. Please get with the times movie biz. So lets get to some news today. Skope Radio is now a licensed member of ASCAP. Skope’s license fee goes straight back to their members, so they can keep making the music that your customers love – LISTEN HERE! In other news, Soundtrap, a hot new competitor to Apple’s Garageband, has seen blistering early growth accompanied by an additional $1.5 million (U.S.) in funding along with early recognition by the American Association of School Librarians. The company is the first online music and audio recording studio enabling collaboration between people from all over the world across a multitude of devices including iPads, Android devices, Chromebooks, and Mac and Windows platforms. So lets get to this Everpresent my guest today. Everpresent is a Boston native who has been making innovative & exciting music for many years now. As he has a relationship with Skope & I he hit me up about his new EP ‘Omega Point’ and his video for “Hypnotic.” So lets talk with Everpresent about his longevity in the biz, the new EP, the value of streaming music, and so much more!
Stoli: Where are we talking from today and how is your holiday shopping going?
Talking from Boston of course! Holiday shopping is great!
Stoli: Do you feel like Christmas has become too corporate and should focus more on family, music, and food?
Interesting question. I would say yes that time with loved ones is what is the most important during the end of the calendar year, whatever holiday people center it around.
Stoli: You are no stranger to Skope. What have you been up to since we last spoke?
Lots, we released and promoted “Introspekt” 2014 and its corresponding video “In My Veins” and have of course this year released Omega Point and have had the most success we’ve ever had with the “Hypnotic” video, and various songs continuing to be used on the Discovery/Science Channels as well. I’ve seen a massive surge in our FB fan base, growing to over 55,000 as well as an extreme increase in radio play in the USA these past few months. I am honored to have won 5 different awards from the Akademia Music Awards (http://www.theakademia.com) in different categories for songs from 2014’s Introspekt and 2015’s Omega Point. Hopefully there are more awards coming. We have performed all over Boston in 2015, headlining at the WonderBar, The Middle East Upstairs, and Club Bohemia to name a few. Also, one of the songs from the “Introspekt” album, was featured on a German compilation album, distributed in France, Italy, Germany and other parts of Europe.
Stoli: I admire your longevity, what keeps you motivated and inspired to create music?
Thank you. That is one of the reasons and meaning of the name Everpresent. I believe in consistency and longevity over time and long term development and have always been a long term strategist and planner. But it all comes from a close connection that I have with the “spirit” of music itself. I feel like a channel of sorts with ideas generating themselves inside me constantly, and I feel that there is a unique perspective that I’m supposed to convey to people, and I love the process of self improvement and absolutely adore practicing and sharpening myself at all times.
Stoli: I just Liked your FB page and I see your new promo photos. Who did you work with and how does your image/look define your music if at all?
Thank you very much. I see a lot of the images and concepts in my mind, and I wanted to go back to our original red and black colors that we started with with our first 2 albums, the debut in 2002-03 and “Singles and Remixes” in 2004 where we used those colors, but since our sound has changed, the way red and black is used this time is more in a modern, pop, future, sort of way. Photography was done by the fabulous Niki Hinkle of Hink Creations and also, the Emerald Lounge in Boston was so kind to let us use their facilities. Also, National Media Services did a great job with graphic design on the CD in collaboration with my ideas.
Stoli: You have a brand new Omega Point – EP out now. How long were you at work on that and where did you record/master the 6 songs?
Buy: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/omega-point-ep/id1054740430
It was created very fast over a few months. I had more than the 6 songs. The 4 songs were the best of the bunch and the 2 remixes of 2 of those 4 were very interesting to me because I absolutely love handing my material off to people that can take the song in new directions and still keep it clear that it is another version of that song. (Steve Catizone, and DJGX did those remixes). The songs this time were more open ended with myself creating all the basic parts but working closely with engineer Ryan Hinkle to create and use all new sounds instead of my past selection keyboard sounds.
Steve Catizone, a master producer and engineer/remixer who worked with us way back on the first 2 albums, and who has worked with major label artists, brought his brilliance to the final mix, added production touches, and enhanced the overall sound than Ryan and I had sculpted. I also have been working with a fabulous vocal coach who has expanded my range, confidence, and projection power, which made the sessions go much faster as far as execution. Mastering was done by Will Shenk at National Media Services, who mastered our last 4 releases since 2010: Omega Point, Introspekt, Phoenix, and the Darklight Maxi-Single.
Stoli: Your song and video for “Hypnotic” is awesome. Explain what that song means to you and what was your vision for the video?
Everpresent- “Hypnotic” – Official Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I66BJcrw7Nw
This song for me is all about the concept of transcending reality through connecting with someone else, and how the world around you can be blurred in and out of focus depending on how deep your connection with your partner goes. The video is supposed to be somewhat open to interpretation, but is meant to take place in an altered reality, almost like a dream, but presented in a “club” so that it can also be relatable and fun! That’s something that I wanted with this EP, to have that depth, but to have it be more danceable and more accessible to the average person, because 2014’s “Introspekt” was such a deep dark concept record, I wanted Omega Point to get people moving.
Stoli: Recently Adele and Taylor Swift would not let fans stream their new albums. Do you agree with this move and do you buy music or stream?
All artists should be paid fairly for the thousands of hours they give to their craft. The amount of preparation, studio time, art design, practice, and money that goes into a final product should be 100% compensated by buying the product legally, as with any other product. Artists should be paid for their work.
Stoli: Being that you are Boston based like Skope, what is it about this city that helps you achieve as a indie musician?
Support from the Berklee community has always been a big thing for me personally. I was honored to speak to students at the 2015 Career Jam on the Performance Panel and share my knowledge and I hope it helped them out. It was a Berklee Alum/staff member who gave me that opportunity because of the longevity of Everpresent, so I am very grateful. The venues here in Boston of course have also been very nice and given Everpresent a great platform over the years.
Stoli: When you are not doing music, what other hobbies do you enjoy?
Meditation, yoga, martial arts, reading about UFOs/the cosmos and other unexplained phenomena, movies (Sci-fi, Thrillers, Dramas, Mystery), and general physical fitness.
Stoli: What is coming up for Everpresent and where you @ online?
Finishing out the year with the promotion of Omega Point/Hypnotic, and moving into 2016 with some big plans, travel, collaborations, new partners,and expansion!
Thank you very much for supporting me all these years!
http://www.everpresent.org/
https://www.facebook.com/EverpresentEP/
