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.
Blaire
www.sonicbids.com/Blaire
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Blaire: Music was more of an hobby for me before 2010. After 2010, and the release of my first solo mixtape I began to work at my craft everyday and began to perform and pursue every opportunity possible to further my knowledge and career.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Blaire: I do work part time. I am a certified behavioral health therapist in Louisiana. Which probably won’t be going on too much longer. However, I devote nearly every hour awake in a week to music. Whether its jotting down lyrics throughout a day, networking, promoting/marketing music, social networks, recording, scheluding show opportunities, shooting videos, attending events, etc. Music is a full time job within itself. Which is something I’ve come to learn. Each day there is creative and tedious work to be done.. Everyday.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Blaire: I’m currently promoting my most recent mixtape “Paperwork” which is available via www.datpiff.com The most recent single/video is available at http://youtu.be/EqNb6 9X2UPI
The “Paperwork” mixtape has received great reviews. And has allowed features online (websites, blogs, news articles) and various live performances as they are scheduled. The next live performance being currently promoted is on April 20, 2013 along with fellow Louisiana native and rising star Kevin Gates.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Blaire: Music allows me to be creative but also almost a form of motivational speaking over beats. My goal is to have people relate to my music, enjoy my music, and be motivated and inspired.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Blaire: Yes. I have a youtube video channel. Check out www.youtube.com/blairemusik
The most recent video is “Overcome” which contains excerpts of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “We Shall Overcome” speech. Here’s a link to the video: http://youtu.be/EqNb69X2UPI
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Blaire: Working on two new mixtapes. Possibly a “Paperwork Vol. 2” that people have been requesting. But also performing at any and every opportunity to promote the message, entertain fans, and introduce myself to world. The next Official video “I Hustle” is set to drop in May. Next show will actually be at event called “Soundclash” in New Orleans on the 18th and a show in Natchitoches, LA (My hometown) on the 20th. Also number of festivals coming up.
Each day I want to reach a new person. Become familiar to everyone who enjoys music all over the world. They say its not work when you enjoy doing it.
Check out www.blairemusik.com for all updates and to Download the acclaimed “Paperwork” mixtape.
Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/blairemusik
Become a facebook fan at www.facebook.com/blairemusik
Check out all the latest video and vlogs at www.youtube.com/blairemusik
For booking and/or features contact blairebooking@gmail.com or (318)481-0756 or (318)554-8059
Another Run
www.sonicbids.com/AnotherRun
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Another Run: It was apparent from a young age that music was going to mean something more. It continues to be an ever-growing force of metamorphic energy!
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Another Run: Memory is like a divine collision of time and vision. Music is always calling our names. We work when we have to be able to put out records and that sort, and devotion is owed to our fans for their never ending love and support!
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Another Run: Our latest Album “I’ll Be There” has been an incredible journey for us musically and personally. Recently we have embarked on our first cross country tour including 4 shows in NYC and stops in Chicago, Knoxville,Lake Charles, Austin, & our hometown Houston,TX. We have released two well received music videos, “I’ll Be There” and “What Happened?” a featured video for Fuse TV On Demand. Both of those songs are also getting airplay on 94.5 The Buzz FM Radio. SXSW has also treated us well over 2012 and 2013 with seven performances between the two. We are currently in the studio recording new music for the upcoming “Just Pretend” EP!
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Another Run: Music gives us a chance to share how WE think/feel/want/love.
Raw and real is the energy that flows. The connection we share with our fans/friends is one that is irreplaceable!
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Another Run: You should watch our music videos at http://Youtube.com/anotherrunband.
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Another Run: Next up for Another Run is a new Single/Video Release for the song “Hunt Me Down” coming this summer, followed by a new record this fall! You can find us on iTunes, Pandora Internet Radio, anotherrun.net, facebook.com/anotherrun, Twitter @anotherrunband, Spotify, Bandcamp,Soundcloud, and Skopemag.com! Thank You for having us!
Andrea Kirwin
www.sonicbids.com/AndreaKirwin
The Black Clouds
www.sonicbids.com/TheBlackClouds
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
The Black Clouds: I don’t think it ever felt like a hobby. Music has felt like something that I needed to do since I got my first guitar at 14 years old. I started thinking of it in a professional sense around the age of 18 when another band I was in (Sunshine Flipside) got a record deal in NY. Sunshine Flipside broke up in 2004 when the record label we were on caved and the deal fell through. That’s when we started The Black Clouds. One of the songs on the new record (Blue Blocker) was originally a Sunshine Flipside tune written by our friend Lonnnie Rutledge. It’s a cool tune and a lot of fun to play.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
The Black Clouds: A few hours almost every night are devoted to music. We get together a few times a week to rehearse/write and sometimes just to hang out. I built a full recording studio behind my house and I’m out there most evenings working on one thing or another. It’s a really fun place. There’s a full bar, dart board and a big yard with a fire pit and grill. We all have full time jobs and Cory and I are new dads on top of it all. It’s a lot to fit in but we make it all work. Sleep is over-rated.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
The Black Clouds: We’re currently promoting our 2nd album, “Better Days”, which was released this past January. We’re all really happy with how it came out. It’s a solid rock record. It was a lot different than recording our first record, “Wishing Well”, because we only gave ourselves a month to finish writing and record it. We booked our mixing dates with John Agnello a month in advance and got to work. Thankfully, we finished it. We’re also in the process of booking a summer tour in support of the new record. There are a few shows up on our site now and a bunch more to come very soon.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
The Black Clouds: Loss of hearing and lack of sleep! The main reason we keep writing and recording records is because we all love music and have a lot of fun making it. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s a great group of guys. We genuinely have a ton of fun playing and hanging with each other and for that reason, we’ll be making records for a long time.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
The Black Clouds: Here’s our SoundCloud page:
https://soundcloud.com/the-black-clouds
Here’s a direct link to our new record, “Better Days”, on SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/the-black-clouds/sets/the-black-clouds-better-days
No Reason, I’ll Be Gone and Fray seem to be getting the most attention.
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
The Black Clouds: We have a couple shows booked and we’re working on booking a tour in support of Better Days this summer. We’re hoping to get on to some summer festivals as well. We’ve also been working on a bunch of new tunes for the next record. We’ve got about six already. Lots on the horizon.
You can check us out online at http://www.TheBlackClouds.com. We have links to all of our social media sites, mailing list and merch on our website.
Blu Lyon
www.sonicbids.com/BluLyon
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Music was a hobby until I started my senior year of high school. At that time I was realizing that it was all I wanted to do with my life so I started writing more, making beats with fruity loops, getting a crew together and trying to find out more about the business.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
As an artist, music is a 24/7 devotion. It’s not a job that you do for eight hours a day then forget about it till its time to go to work again. Art imitates life, so your life experiences become part of your work. Things in your daily routine will catch your attention in a special way that normal people will be oblivious to. It might give you a topic to write on, a melody, a lyric, etc. There is no pause on an artistic brain.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Right now I’m wrapping up my ‘CHARGE UP’ project. There are two singles from it that are being serviced; ‘In Love Witcha’ and ‘Neva Figet Dem’. They are currently available on itunes and all other online stores.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
It is something that makes me happy. I enjoy creating something that never existed before. Then to see people enjoy that creation as much or even more than you do is way beyond amazing. It’s like a drug high that you want to have repeatedly.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
I have a lot of work on youtube. The music video for the single ‘Neva Figet Dem’ is on there along with other songs, performances and vlogs. People can go to my site www.blulyon.com or just google and youtube my name. A long list of things will pop up, I’m kind of a big deal.
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
There are some music videos to shoot for this ‘CHARGE UP’ project and a release party that I am planning. I am in the process of lining up a tour for the east coast and there are some shows in Jamaica I have scheduled. You can follow me on tiwtter, facebook, instagram, or my site www.blulyon.com to keep up with all the movements I am going to be making.
Tjuan Benafactor
www.sonicbids.com/TjuanBenafactor
Galen
www.sonicbids.com/GalenMusicOnline
Stacey Y
www.sonicbids.com/StaceyY
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Stacey Y: My parents put me in children’s choir at the age of 3 and piano lessons at the age of 6. I was interested from the get go and I never stopped. I guess I officially became a professional musician when I graduated with a bachelor of jazz piano from Humber College in Toronto last year.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Stacey Y: Except for sleeping and eating,100% of the time. Whether it’s performing with different groups, scheduling rehearsals, updating my website, or teaching piano, I am always immersed in music. I write songs on the subway and I sing while washing dishes… I’m lucky enough to be able to support myself doing music, but perhaps I should get this checked out… This does sound like an obsession…
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Stacey Y: I am currently promoting the release of my upcoming original album ‘Set The Water Straight’, which comes out June 20, 2013 at C’est What in Toronto. You can check out my latest single called ‘Save The Future’ at www.staceyy.bandcamp.com
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Stacey Y: I am not too concerned with fame and fortune. Writing music is the most amazing way of expressing myself and getting away from the hustle and bustle. Playing music with people you love is exhilarating and probably the best past time in the world. Listening, learning.. Combined, this is a never-ending process that keeps me on my toes, inspiring me to push myself more and more to become better at my craft.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Stacey Y: Sure! YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/staceyyerofeyeva
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/staceyymusic
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Stacey Y: I am extremely excited to release the upcoming album on June 20th. It will be a milestone. Otherwise, I am constantly playing around Toronto with some really cool projects, from r&b bands, to reggae, to hip-hop, Indian, Ukrainian, cover music, classical music, and more.
Check out my official website www.staceyy.com to find out more.
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/staceyymusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/staceyymusic
The Cranks
www.sonicbids.com/TheCranks
Fletcher
www.sonicbids.com/Fletcher2
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Fletcher: Tom (the drummer) and I were both sophomores at different colleges studying for music degrees. My music professor encouraged me to pursue my main passion, which was to form a new, cool indie-rock band and basically “go for it.” Tom joined too, then Harvey (bass) who was 15 at the time. This was early 2012.
Skope: How much time is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Fletcher: I spend most days writing the lyrics and basic sounds on acoustic guitar and keyboards. We also focus on marketing ourselves through networking and social media and booking shows. Harvey has arranged his high-school schedule se he gets home at 2:15PM. Then we continue jamming, rehearsing and making new tunes. We probably play 4 hours each day.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single, etc?
Fletcher: We released our first official EP (Open Arms) on April 9th and worked with Team Clermont, an Athens, GA-based PR firm, to help promote that. We did receive tons of really great reviews and airplay on 50+ college and mainstream radio stations. We even made the CMJ Top 200. We have booked a “Route 66” Tour from Chicago to LA and back during August and have booked a bunch of Chicago Festivals and shows, either side of that. Right now we are working on promotion for the tour and really focusing on getting as many LA labels and management contacts to our Whisky A Go Go show in LA on August 12th. Also need support for the other dates. Haven’t managed to book anything in Albuquerque on Wednesday August 7th yet — Come on New Mexico, we’re huge Breaking Bad fans!!
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Fletcher: This might sound corny (or normal) but as soon as Harvey and I played our first gig at a party at The House of Blues, Chicago, when I was 16 and Harvey was 12, that’s all we ever wanted to do. Same goes for Tom, who also played in bands back then. We really want to play shows everywhere. Harvey and I are English, so playing back home in the UK would be really amazing. Global touring and global festivals, playing in Asia and South America would be a dream.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Fletcher: Yes — Here are links to our Soundcloud, Reverbnation and YouTube pages. We have just put up a live version of a new song called Matilda, as well as tracks from our EP. The title track, Open Arms, is the single we promoted.
www.soundcloud.com/fletchertheband
www.reverabnation.com/fletchertheband
www.youtube.com/fletchertheband
Skope: What is coming up for you and where are you at online?
Fletcher: We are super-excited about Do Division on June 1st, our headline show at Empty Bottle and our Route 66 Tour. Hoping to generate enough interest that a cool label can support the release of an album full of all our new tracks we’ve written during the past few months. Thanks Skope Magazine!!
The Remony
www.sonicbids.com/TheRemony
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
TR: All the members of The Remony grew up playing music in various forums and different projects; however, it wasn’t until after the release of The Remony’s first single “Brace Yourself” that the band started to think we had something going. From there momentum has steadily climbed, and with that, our
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music? Do you have work/school as well?
TR: Currently, we average around 10 hours per week. We are always trying to find ways to devote more time to the band but there are 2 band members still in school and the other 3 members have full time jobs. We are moving towards making The Remony a full time job as fast as possible.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most?
TR: We are definitely promoting our debut EP “A Lot to Learn” the most at this time. There is a strong focus on pushing “Brace Yourself” right now. There are multiple music video shoots being planned and budgeted. All the while, we are stepping up our show schedule and trying to expand our footprint.
Skope: What does music offer you other than a shot at fame and fortune?
TR: What we love about music is that it offers a way to express yourself like no other. The ability to connect with others and affect their lives with your words and experiences is extremely fulfilling. In a time where the majority of music that is being pumped out is all about self promotion and living for your own desires, we hope to spread the message to live to contribute to society and better the world around you. That living for more than personal gain is far more fulfilling than the alternative. Other than that, the opportunity to make a living doing something we love is something that makes us feel very blessed.
Skope: Do you have youtube links, etc?
TR: Youtube playlist for EP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emk1qqtIYuo&list=PLUgZrDSUthAiZ_ShOVIAul5YufDbAfXYA
Video for Tuesday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmnlx-hjkHs
Soudcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/theremony/brace-yourself
Music Videos for “Brace Yourself”, “Alexandria”, “A Lot to Learn”, “Tuesday”, coming this summer
Skope: What is coming up for you and online links?
TR: We are currently working on getting music videos made. We have another single almost ready for the studio as well. There is a strong focus on increasing the frequency of shows and expanding our tour footprint.
Official website:
http://www.theremonymusic.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/theremony
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/theremony
Itunes link for EP:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-lot-to-learn-ep/id598453492
Double Helix
www.sonicbids.com/DoubleHelix
Skope: At what age in life did music become more than a hobby?
Double Helix; Music has in effect always been more than a hobby for us. We were lucky enough to have been born into a very musical family. Our dad Neil Chotem was a professional musician and the family business was always music. So long before music was even an activity for us it was already our livelihood, lifestyle, and environment. We never got to experience music as a hobby. As far as gigging and being professional, Peter started in his mid teens and I was in my mid twenties.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Double Helix; I practice guitar on average 18 hours per week, teach guitar 30 hours a week, perform 3 to 6 hours a week, and compose/arrange/produce about two hours a week. It is about the same for my brother.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc.?
Double Helix: We are promoting our band (Double Helix), our original jazz compositions (see our album Phoenix Rising), and our skills as interpreters, improvisers, and arrangers; playing everything from Miles Davis to Bill Withers with our own special twist.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides a shot at fame and fortune.
Double Helix: Music offers me the opportunity to be in a constant process of learning, developing and growing. it is my window to the creative spark that sustains humanity and me especially.
Skope: do you have any Youtube video…
Double Helix: You can view our video at www.sonicbids.com/DoubleHelix or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfdDl_jJJ0c
Skope: what is coming up for you and where are you online?
Double Helix: We will be touring in eastern Canada in July with gigs in Ontario and Quebec and will be participating in a tribute concert for our dad taking place in Montreal on July 13th, 2013. We are @
www.sonicbids.com/DoubleHelix
www.myspace.com/doublehelixjazzensemble
www.tonychotem.com
http://music.cbc.ca/#/search/?q=Double%20helix
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Double-Helix/114592915403663
Jeremy Fernandez
www.sonicbids.com/JeremyFernandez
Arstidir
www.sonicbids.com/arstidir
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
At the precise moment people started showing up at our show, which in our case happened right from the start. Our first gig was a casual jam at an fair-trade coffee shop in ReyjavÃk, in front of twenty people or so. One of the people enjoying a fair-trade cup turned out to be a promoter for a big musical event in ReykjavÃk the following week. He booked us right away and so our second gig was infront of 1500 people. Tha’s the point where we got serious.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
We the members of the band devote our ourselves to music the whole week…, at least in our minds. We play several nights per week in bars, or do session work in studios. We spend time promoting ourselves via the social networks, like modern musicians of the 21st Century. We practice our instruments. We give lessons teaching the guitar, violin and singing. We compose, and spend time arranging ideas and try to be creative in general. We look for inspiration wherever we can…
But reality is that some of us have to attend studies, or “real” work, every now and then to make the proverbial ends meet
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
We recently released an EP named TvÃeind. It contains remixes of our songs by electronic artists from Iceland, the Faraoe Islands and Russia. Some of which are our good friends, and which we have collaborated with on different occacions. In our mind the EP celebrates the “anything-goes” attitude which is a characteristic of our little music scene here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Fullfilling the primal need of “not-to-go-crazy-doing-boring-work-and-other-stuff-that-you-don’t-want-to-be-doing”. Nobody in Iceland makes a fortune and being an artist here means that you’re always dangling from a shoe-string. With so few inhabitants it’s hard to reach “big crowds”, which is why almost every musician here is a music teacher (or worse), because that’s how you pay your bills. And if you want to reach that “big crowd” in another country, you have to cross a vast Atlantic Ocean by air… and get this: still untill this day, we don’t have any real low-fare airlines coming here! The “Icelandic Music Wonder” is a “wonder” for many reasons other than the musical side of things.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Tons. If you’ve never heard us we suggest you start with our official videofor the song Shades. Shot on location in the Iclandic nature. Notice how the weather is not consistent through out the video (first it’s kind of rainy, and then, during the big finale, it’s all sun and shining)… that’s just what you can expect in Iceland: any weather at any time.
Our soundcloud is stuffed too. Here’s a song we like to perform at the end of our set called Tárinn (which means tears in Icelandic). Or if that is not dramatic enough for you, check out ‘Nú gleymist ég’.
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
The rest of the year is packed with tours, and by the end of the year we will have had played in more than 20 countries. Being a modern band of the 21st Century we faithfully update our Facbook-page, and do the occacional spontaneous Instagram picture with captations such as “hello Hungary”, or “French frenzy”. We have a homepage where we list our gigs and any super important information. We embrace streaming and people can listen to us on Spotify and any big streaming site, as well as soundcloud and the good old Youtube broadcasting service.
The Jessica Stuart Few
www.sonicbids.com/TheJessicaStuartFew
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
I moved to Toronto 5 years ago from the west coast to do music full-time.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
I spend around 90% of my waking life on music (and 10% of my dreamtime… hahah!), since it’s both my passion and makes me my living. I perform a lot, write, record, arrange, practice, teach, and do the majority of the “business” end of The Jessica Stuart Few, from tour bookings to promotions and other management stuff. I wish the days were twice as long to make time for everything!
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
We just released our second album, Two Sides To Every Story this year, and it’s been so exciting to be getting amazing press about it and our accompanying performances and tours. You can listen to it on bandcamp, iTunes, CD Baby and many other sites online.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Hahaha – fame and fortune are not my goals, really. I am an artist and I write music because I love it, and have a musical vision and voice that i don’t hear anything quite like elsewhere. I love to share the energy of playing music with my bandmates/friends onstage, and to connect to audiences and listeners. I definitely love meeting people and travelling too, both of which music can provide. I do think that our folk-jazz power trio deserves to be heard, so getting the songs as far reaching as possible is definitely one of my goals. Oh ya, i’d like to be able to continue to support myself too… ;)
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
Yes! The first single of Two Sides To Every Story is Don’t Ya, which has a super fun summery video: http://youtu.be/2oosbG6Vi7M
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Coming up, we have more legs of the album launch tour – we did Eastern Canada in May, then comes Western Canada in August as well as a bunch of festivals in and around Toronto, then most excitingly our first International tour to Japan in October 2013 accompanied by the release of our album in Japan and pan-China in September! We also feel incredibly honoured also to have been nominated for Toronto’s Soundclash Music Award which has a daily fan voting portion til the end of July (http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/soundclash) as well as a juried performance mid July. Find us online at our website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
Sugar Baron
www.sonicbids.com/SugarBaron
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Jan: Music has always been a big part of my life. When I was younger, my Aunt Robin always encouraged me and my cousins to perform plays and music in front of small audiences; we would even go to nursing homes every now and again and entertain the folks there for a day. Maybe it was those big sloppy kisses from someone else’s grandma that made it stick, but I think deep down, I always knew that I wanted to be a performer. After I graduated college (from CMU), I returned home and started working with Randy Nelsen (formerly The Lunar Calendar), who had already made a career out of producing parody raps with Pinegrove Records. I messed around in the studio with him before, but one day, after coming in to finish up a verse or something, we decided out of nowhere to work on some new music. I was really getting into bands like Phantogram and Passion Pit, using big synth arrangements and out-of-the-box vocal stylings, and also loved the light-hearted nature of what my buddy Mark was doing in Michigan based band Stepdad; so we just sat down and did what came naturally and cranked out our first two songs (“Braggart” and “Pretend Time”) in literally 3 hours. Later Ryun Weber (formerly The Lunar Calendar, I Kill Jack and English) joined up and we wrote our first album, “Monet on the Dance Floor” in less than a month. After the album came together so organically, we all decided that Sugar Baron was a project worth investing our lives and energy into.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
Jan: As a band we try to get together at least 3 times a week for practice, but everyday Randy and I will either be on the phone or in the same room working on ways to promote or improve Sugar Baron. This band has really become my full-time job in the last year. Ryun and our newest member and live drummer, Travis Krajewski, have jobs that demand a good chunk of their time, but we do a good job working around their schedules. We all make sacrifices for the good of the band: Ryun is constantly playing/writing music on his down time; the kid’s a machine. I’ve seen him get up early for three hours of practice, then go work a 14 hour shift, all on two hours of sleep, and he still has the energy to come home, sit down and write a new song before bed… more times than I can count…
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Jan: Right now we are hard at work promoting our sophomore album “Sharon is Karen”. I am personally really proud of this album because I feel like, as a band, we really came together and defined our sound. We describe ourselves as an “Electronic/Dance Rock” band and this album meets every aspect of that description. It is fun, light-hearted music with big buttery beats that you can dance to, but at the same time, we are hitting you hard with driving guitar riffs and double bass pedal blasts that set the stage for a high energy performance and a raucous party.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune?
Jan: For me personally, I think music, like any type of creative output, offers me perspective and sanity. As it is within the visual arts, when I write music it more often than not reflects the mood I am in and I use it as a way to kind of let go of whatever I am feeling. I try my best to be a positive person 100% of the time, so I use the writing process as a way to exorcise my demons so to speak, thusly, keeping my sanity for another day. There is also something beautiful about coming back to a piece of work you’ve created and reflecting on what it meant to you when you made it: recognizing both your personal and artistic growth is not something everyone takes the time to do, but music has always allowed me the ability to put my life in perspective and reflect on how far I’ve come as a person and an artist; and I know there will always be plenty of room for growth!
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear?
On our Soundcloud page right now (http://Soundcloud.com/Sugar-Baron) we have some of the new album “Sharon is Karen” up, including our single “Lion Heart”. And as an extra special treat, in honor of this article, we are temporarily leaving our song “Vlad the Inhaler” up for free download. So get it while the gettin’s good!
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
We’re at an exciting point in our life as a band. We have been on two tours already, taking us as far east as New York and as far south as Austin, Texas, and now we are looking to book our next tour which is tentatively planned for fall 2013. We’ve been gaining momentum here in Michigan and hope to use this year to prove that we are a hard working, original band with something new and innovative to show the world. We are also starting to shop for labels, which has taught us some new lessons, opened some new doors and has made me feel even more confident in pursuing Sugar Baron as my future.
Because we love hearing from our fans, we are currently updating our website http://SugarBaronSucks.com to make a more interactive experience for our audience, giving them the chance to connect with us on a more personal level. For links to all of our social media, check out our soundcloud and our facebook pages (http://Facebook.com/SugarBaronMusic) and don’t ever be afraid to reach out to us! We love talking with our fans and other artists: for us it’s about the real connections we’ve made on the road and at home that make what we’re doing worth it.
Cliff and Ivy
www.sonicbids.com/CliffandIvy
Skope: At what stage in life did music become more than a hobby?
Cliff and I met when we were teenagers, at a Clash concert. At that point we decided we needed to do music and be a band. We decided to take our art seriously and have fun sharing it with the world. This was 25 years ago now! Since then we have done plenty of punk, dance, art, performance art, and film.
Skope: How much time per week is devoted to music and do you have work/school too?
We have full time jobs still! We practice for 4 hours with the band a week and we spend an additional 8 hours a week songwriting and working on promotions and art for the band. Being as we are based in Anchorage Alaska, there’s lots of winter darkness time to spend doing freaky music and art! we dont really live in an igloo but we have been known to spin fire from time to time.
Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
We are promoting our album Equilux with 2 mini tours- we just finished one in the LA area. We have a 6 piece band- bass, guitar, synth, 2 vocalists and drums. Our LA area drummer is Don Bolles (The Germs, 45 Grave)! We are super happy to play with him for the west coast gigs! We played supporting Year of the Dragon (with members of Fishbone) The Veins (members of 45 Grave), and tons of other great LA punk/goth bands. It was a unique opportunity and we are thankful to have the chance to do this. We will be back in the LA area to record with Don and others probably sometime in the fall or early winter of 2014.
In August we are playing an east coast minitour with gigs in NJ, PA and CT. We will be recording our Equilux tracks live and raw with the great producer KRAMER (Butthole Surfers, Galaxie 500, Shimmydisc label). Equilux was originally a studio project but we have had alot of positive reaction to the live band with a live drummer. So we are going to record it with KRAMER. There will be some new material and some exclusive remixes too. Our east coast drummer is William Michael Knapp who has worked with 76% Uncertain, Superfallingstars, Shelter, and Onion.
Skope: What does music offer you personally besides the shot at fame & fortune? Music at this point is a matter of survival. If we did not do music together we would lose part of ourselves. The songwriting process and lyric writing process are so personal and connected. It’s a chance to use our voice in a different way and to have a real connection to the creative output. Its so much a part of who we are i’ts like asking us ” how is your left arm?” Well it is a part of us and we really don’t know what life would be without it. At this point we would do everything possible to have our music become actualized.
Skope: Do you have any Youtube video or Soundcloud single posted online we should hear? Sure. we have our tunes on both: You could check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6838z51X0 for our song Lost Your Soul, or you could check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6OyRc4L31Y for us live on stage at Skinnys in North Hollywood. You can check out our soundcloud here https://soundcloud.com/cliff-and-ivy
Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Mostly touring on the east coast, and recording with KRAMER and other musician collaborators! Aug 8 we are at The Space in Hamden CT. Aug 9 we are at John and Peters in new Hope PA. Aug 10- at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch NJ, then back to CT to record.
After this we have a few gigs in Austin and San Antonio, then most likely Portland.
Connect with us, hear our music, buy merch:
cliffandivy@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/CliffandIvy
Twitter: @CliffandIvy
Bandcamp: http://cliffandivy.bandcamp.com/
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/cliffandivy
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/cliff-and-ivy
Tumblr: http://cliffandivy.tumblr.com/
Band page: http://cliffandivy.com
To get merchandise: http://cliffandivy.bigcartel.com/
