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Interviews

John Mayer

I don’t want to call myself an “unlucky” person, per say. But as far as winning anything throughout my life — whether it be carnival games, slots in Atlantic City or free vacation getaways, I’m never dealt the best hand. So when local radio station Z100 was giving away John Mayer tickets two weekends ago I thought I might as well try — one call can’t hurt. To my shock and amazement the phone on the other line rang and someone answered. Here’s how the conversation panned out:

Me: Hello?
DJ: Hey, who’s this?
Me: Hi, it’s Annie.
[really long pause]
Me: I’m calling for John Mayer tickets.
[another really long pause]
Me: Do you know what number I am?
DJ: Yeah, I do.
Me: What number?
DJ: You’re caller 100, Annie!
Me: Are you serious?
DJ: Yes. I’m serious!

As luck would have it, I actually signed up to be a ZVIP literally the day before I won the tickets. So, in addition to winning a pair of tickets to John Mayer’s show at PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey, I also won a pair to his Z-Lounge performance at Spotlight Live in Times Square. Pretty sweet! I guess I’m not too unlucky anymore.

For the half hour John Mayer was onstage at Spotlight Live Tuesday night, I learned a lot more about him than I ever could by just listening to his albums. For one, he informed the crowd that yes, he has in fact slept with a fan before. When asked about his next album, he jokingly told the crowd while he has no idea what his next album will be like, it could possibly be club hits. His sense of humor is a bit eccentric. If you read the full Q&A; from last night’s event below, you’ll get the picture. In between the interview, John played an impeccable version of latest single, “Say” as well as a solid cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin,'” “Belief” and “Waiting On the World to Change” from his most recent album, Continuum. Read below for the full Q&A.;

Tell me about writing “Say.”
They sent me the script for The Bucket List, said that it was for a Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman movie and I said, “Let me read it” and I read it and cried like a baby bitch on the couch. You can say bitch if it’s a baby bitch. [Laughter from crowd]. Because it’s hyphenated, it’s not really the B-word . . . well, it is a B-word, nevermind. So yes, I wrote this song for this beautiful movie and it just happened to really strike a chord with me and I was really lucky to have the script as the sort of jumping off point for a song I probably wouldn’t have had if it wasn’t for that, so it’s cool.

So now, I actually love the process so much I’m actually writing songs for movies I wasn’t asked to write for. I’ve written myself a song for WALL-E. It’s called, “Will Somebody Please Say Something!”

Tell us how you got involved in the music business. Is this something you wanted to do as a little kid or did you sort of fall into it?
I did, I did. I won a contest, no I didn’t. I’m lucky enough to have gotten a record contract before they handed them out with oil changes. I just worked. People ask me all the time, “How do you make it happen?” You just practice. You don’t even have to be a guitar player, but if you’re out there and there’s something that you love doing. I don’t mean just like clicking a mouse ball, a real trade. There really is a difference between being famous for playing a song and being famous for tripping. That’s the only way you make it. Just commit yourself and dedicate yourself to something and I’m lucky enough to have done that.

What is your favorite part about being an artist in general?
You know what it is, its total mental freedom to know that whatever song or record or project I want to work on, can happen. And that’s why every day I have a new brainstorm, like “That would be the coolest thing to put out on the radio” or “That would be the coolest thing to put on a record” and I can do it. So that mental, sort of creative freedom, to know that I can do whatever I want to do musically, and not to have to ask for permission. That’s the coolest thing in the world.

You’re not especially known for being a guitar maniac. You’re known for the whole package. It’s like John Mayer, he’s a singer-songwriter.
Thank you. I’m not excellent at any one thing. But if you put it all together in some sort of, like a nice stew, it makes . . . Thank you, I do think that is sort of when I really shine. That if you just take all of it together and go, “That’s a lot of things to do at once.”

Have you guys heard the Fall Out Boy cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It?” [asks crowd who then scream incessantly]. I mean, its no “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”
Neither is “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” I don’t even know what that means. Yeah, though, that was cool. Pete asked me, would I come in and play a guitar solo on “Beat It.” And I just think that their skewed sort of sense of humor was perfect. ’Cause it’s kind of tongue and cheek, but it’s also a cool track, so when they asked me would I play on it, I actually went out and found the Eddie Van Halen replica guitar and I learned how to shred in like three hours and put it on a record.

What inspired you to be a writer and who is your greatest influence?
I make a lot of observations, a lot of strange . . . I seem to sort of avoid obvious things to want to talk about. I have always, since I was a kid, made very slight, strange, twisted little observations that I don’t really feel happy unless I have at least tried to make other people understand the way that I see that and writing is a really great way. Writing is really good for people who get told all the time. . . like I’m sure there’s more than a couple people out here who meet new people and they say to the friend they’re with, “Where did you find her?” or “Where did you find him?” And the answer is, “Well, in a good place” because if you can write and get that out, then that’s what’s always drawn me to writing.

The influence, is just, I guess violence in the media and video games. [Crowd laughs]. Smoking in movies. I don’t know. Yes for smoking in movies! I don’t know what I’m talking about again. You guys put me in this situation where it’s like, “Let’s talk to the guy who can’t talk very well and writes songs to make up for it.” But yeah, I’m inspired by people who have a whole lot of control in what they do. You know what it is that I’m inspired by? I watched this Wimbledon match and I was more inspired by the championship Wimbledon match then I’ve been by some music in the last couple of months. I mean just watching greatness or listening to greatness happen. I’m inspired by anybody with really gr
eat control.

Is the next album going to be a Trio album or the full band in the studio?
I don’t really know. The thing about art for me is that you tour on something or you get known for a certain group of songs and you even know yourself through this certain group of songs. So, I need to go home and forget about all the music I worked on and go back to, sort of ground zero and just start from scratch again and find out what moves me. Maybe that’s the Trio, maybe it’s a new quartet. I don’t know, but that’s the fun part of going off sort of a record cycle and deciding what the next type of music is going to be. I would like to do a record full of club hits. [Starts beat boxing and singing Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music”, then tying in some guitar and plays “No Such Thing”]. Because man, when those lights go on and that beat starts goin’, and those glow sticks are turning. That’s what a John Mayer club remix sounds like.

I did hear there’s going to be a special edition re-release of Continuum. Is that true?
I don’t know. They keep re-releasing that record so many times, who knows. Now they’re just going to be like, “Yeah, but we didn’t put gum in it yet.”

There is a new DVD in stores though, right?
There is a new DVD in stores. It’s called “Where the Light Is” and it’s this live performance that transpired back in December in LA and its cool.

Have you ever hooked up with any of your fans from a concert?
I can tell you this, I might have hooked up with people, but as soon as I hooked up with them, they weren’t fans anymore so technically no. Listen, do you respect me for my honesty? The answer is yes I have! Not in a really long time. Not since the camera phone. That camera phone will get you, even if you’re sleeping. Your doughy frame all laying in the bed, dead like. And a picture of that, I can’t deal with that. I’m not trusting enough to really open up to anybody I don’t know very well anymore, which is good for my immune system.

Why are you the only celebrity that TMZ does not make fun of?
No. They do! Well, because TMZ is made out of the same garbage I am. It’s like; you can’t kill what you’re made of. I can’t be killed by garbage because I’m made of garbage. You can’t get trashier then me. No, you can’t. So I just out TMZ everyday and then after a while they just couldn’t get around it and went, “Alright. Truce. Let’s be friends.” But they still like to catch pictures of me when I’m blinking, but that’s the game that’s fine, I’m okay with that. I just want to roll with the punches. It’s not like it was, there’s no TRL, there’s no . . . if fans are saying, “The way that I want to see my favorite artist is walking out of a port-o-pottie or walking down the street to the gym,” that’s the new way to communicate, then I’m going to communicate that way. Especially if I don’t have a choice and it’s in my face. I’m not going to hide from it. I’m going to show my lovely personality and my giant brain.

Which is your favorite song that you’ve ever written?
My favorite song I’ve ever written is “Gravity.” I learned how, if you put too many words in a song, then you diminish the opportunity every day to put your feelings into it, no matter what your feelings are. “Gravity” is so open as a song that I can either lose a wicked game of Halo or have my heart broken and I can still, sort of put that into the song.

Do you do anymore stand-up?
You know, you lose too much focus. If you do stand-up, a lot of the stuff that you talk about isn’t true, it’s just reference to sort of, help illustrate the overall truth. And I really can’t get away with getting onstage and talking about poop or something because then it’s gonna make . . . you know, I’m aware that there’s a certain focus on the things that come out of my mouth. So I have to be really careful. When you get onstage and do stand-up you really are supposed to be allowed to say whatever comes to your mind if it is really thoughtful overall. So I can’t do it. Plus, I wasn’t funny. I don’t know if that’s a prerequisite. But I actually wasn’t funny either.

Listen or watch to the full interview as well as John performing “Say” on Z100. Check out John Mayer’s Website for more on his summer tour and latest news.

Categories
Interviews

Colbie Caillat

 

Colbie Caillat has had quite a year. Just around this time last year her first single, “Bubbly” hit airwaves and her debut album, Coco, was released. Previously, Colbie was known more as a MySpace sensation. She was MySpace’s No. 1 unsigned artist for four consecutive months acquiring over 100,000 friends, eventually landing her a record deal with Universal.

 

Fast forward to 2008, “Bubbly” and second single, “Realize” continue to be played in heavy rotation and Colbie boarded John Mayer’s Mayercraft Carrier cruise ship to join him and other musicians and fans for a fun-filled music cruise. Apparently all this didn’t keep the California native busy enough, as she just penciled into her calendar a US summer tour with Mayer as well.

 

Colbie took some time out for a phone interview while driving from Nashville to Iowa City right before the US leg of her summer tour began. Having just wrapped up filming in Hawaii for “The Little Things” — her third single picked by fans on MySpace — Colbie talked a bit about her stage fright, how she became a MySpace phenomenon and why she thinks “Bubbly” resonates with so many people.

 

To listen to Colbie talk about how her life has changed in the past year, writing songs in the bathroom and advice from John Mayer click here. For more advice from Colbie to aspiring musicians, MySpace and why she thinks “Bubbly” is such a hit, click here. Feel free to read the full interview below and check out Colbie’s MySpace for when she’ll be playing in your area!

 

It’s been just about a year since your debut album came out. How has life changed for you?
So much. A year and a half ago I was just working at a tanning salon and I was recording my album. Now, I’ve been to . . . I can’t even count how many different countries playing my music all over the word, living on a tour bus. It’s a lot different, but it’s fun.

 

Did you ever imagine MySpace would have had such a huge impact on your career?
Not at all. No, I had no idea. I didn’t even know what MySpace really was or could do. My friend made the page for me and told me about it and he helped me upload my songs and everything so I had no idea.

 

How did the whole process on getting your record deal come about?
Well, because I was on MySpace and was eventually on the top of the unsigned artist chart. I was No.1 and I was easily noticed by people and the record labels would notice me easily and that’s how they found me and then offered me a record deal.

 

You pretty much had your songs written before the record deal happened, right? Did you have a certain concept for the album?
Oh yeah, the whole thing was written. The label came into it a month and a half after we were already into recording the album. I wrote these songs and every time we’d go into the studio we’d add instruments up until when we felt like they were complete. I just wanted the music to sound good, laid-back and really pretty and uplifting and sunny and that was the concept I guess.

 

I read that you write songs in your bathroom.
Yeah. I do. [Laughs]. It sounds good in there. Usually when I was at home in my bathroom, I felt like no one could hear me because I was in my own little world. It echoes in there so it makes your voice sound pretty and your guitar has some reverb on it. And now, on tour, being in my hotel room I go into the bathroom and close the door because if I sing really loud, people can hear me down the hall. It’s my comfort zone.

 

Do you remember the first time you heard “Bubbly” on the radio?
Yeah. Well, the first time I heard it I didn’t really count it because we were on our way to that radio station. But the first time I heard it randomly, I was back home on a little break from tour and my family and I, we went out to lunch at this restaurant we always go to. Halfway through lunch, we were outside and “Bubbly” came on and my family of course started freaking out. My mom got up and started dancing. It was really exciting.

 

Are you tired of playing “Bubbly” yet?
There are times when I am. Usually it’s for TV performances because I get so, so nervous on TV that I always mess up the song and then I just dread singing it the next time. Lately, we just went back on tour a week ago, so now I’m actually excited to sing it again. I just need little breaks from it.

 

You’re starting up a summer tour with John Mayer, you must be so excited!
Yeah. I’m kind of freaking out. [Laughs].

 

Has he given you any words of wisdom about the music industry?
Yeah, he has. I met him six months ago and we were talking. I told him I have stage fright and lots of fears. So he just told me to have fun up onstage and not worry because anything you do up there, people laugh at. Even if you mess up they kind of appreciate it more. As far as making decisions, like business decisions, he just said to do what you feel and go with your gut so I do that and it works.

 

Has your stage fright gotten better over the past year?
It has gotten a little better, but it’s honestly different depending on the situation. If it’s not as big of a deal TV show I’m fine. If it’s Leno or The Today Show I freak out completely where I cry right before I go on. I do vocal warm-ups with my band before and breathing techniques and I have to remember to smile. Sometimes, depending what time of day it is, I will have a cocktail before I go onstage just to calm me down a little bit.

 

Your debut album, Coco, is approaching it’s year mark later this month. Are you working on another album?
Well, the third single comes out in August for “The Little Things.” We just shot the music video for that inHawaii a couple weeks ago. But yeah, I’m working on the next album. I’ve been writing for the past year and we’ve already recorded some of the songs. We’re not recording the full album until January and it won’t come out until next summer so we have a while to work on it still.

 

I know you worked with Jason Mraz on his most recent album. Are you hoping to collaborate with anyone on your next album?
I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it for my album. I’ve done a song on Taylor Swift’s new album and Jason’s album and then a couple artists from different countries. I’m not sure about doing any on mine yet, but I would like to for sure.

 

Your fans have been included a lot on your MySpace, often picking the next single you release. Are you planning on continuing this for the new album?
That’s what I’m trying to figure out how to happen. I definitely want that, but I’m not allowed to put the songs up on MySpace. So now I’m trying to see, maybe having my band learn all the songs first and then we’ll start playing them randomly at shows, but that’s still not the best way to do it so I’m trying to figure out a way to do that.

 

Your songs were taken off of MySpace for a while.
There was some disagreement with MySpace and Universal. So everyone from Universal had to take either their songs off or put shorter clips. I was trying to fight that because as much as I want to respect my label, MySpace was what got me started and my fans, I felt like that was being disrespectful to them. There was a lot of negotiation, so I was able to put my original demos up for the meantime until the lawsuit passed.

 

What is your advice to aspiring musicians and singer-songwriters?
I would definitely recommend learning your craft, whatever it is. Take vocal lessons if you sing or piano lessons or guitar lessons, whatever instrument you want to play. Practice all the time because I didn’t and I wish I would have more now. I can play guitar and I can play up onstage, but I’m not a great guitar player so it kind of makes me nervous. So if you just practice your craft well so that you just have it in the bag. Write your own songs that mean something to you and just be in control of your career. As far as MySpace, make your page look all cute and post bulletins, keeping people involved in what you’re doing. That’s mainly the best thing, to keep them involved.

 

Do you have a favorite song on the album?
My favorite is “One Fine Wire.” Every time I hear that one come on I just like the melody and the music behind it, it’s just very uplifting. I wrote that song about my stage fright and how to overcome it, so that song just means a lot to me.

 

With MySpace, do you feel it’s more important to get fans that way rather than TV show appearances?
Well, it’s just different. My MySpace fans are the original ones that know everything about me. They know when I had all my original pictures up of me playing guitar in the bathroom, they were the ones from the beginning that heard all the demos. They’re different kind of fans than the ones that see me on TV. They [TV fans] become more of, I guess the screaming fans and the MySpace fans are the ones that are like, “I want to say that I’ve been listening to you forever.” They’re both different, but they’re both appreciated.

 

Why do you feel “Bubbly” has had so much success?
I think it’s because the song is about love. Well, it’s about having a crush on someone and all the things that I wrote about in that song, everyone has either experienced before, they’re feeling it right now or they’re dying to fall in love or have a relationship. I think by people being able to relate to a song, I think that’s what does it.

 

What would you be doing right now if it wasn’t for the music?
I was really into photography, so I would have tried something for that or I would have gone to school for interior design. I had fun with that, I was going to school for that a couple years ago. Otherwise, I’d still be singing and writing songs, maybe for other people.

 

If you haven’t yet, to listen my interviews with Colbie click here for part one and here for the second half of the interview. Check out Colbie’s MySpace for more info. on upcoming tour dates and music!

 

Photo: Don Flood

Categories
Features

New Artist to Listen For: Jaymay

With her light, soft vocals and honest lyrics, Jaymay’s debut full-length album Autumn Fallin’ has the versatility to keep the album on rotate all day long. While many of the tracks are ballads, (some more somber than others) jazzy songs like “Hard To Say” have catchy choruses and instrumental accompaniment, often putting the listener into another time period. The first half of Autumn Fallin’ starts slower, but track six segues into almost another album entirely.

New Yorker Jaymay starts off Autumn Fallin’ with “Gray or Blue,” a lyrically honest song with light guitar strumming while tambourine and xylophone can be heard in the background. If you listen closely to each song, they all tell a story — whether it be about crushing on a friend or wishing to find love. The underlying theme on Autumn Fallin’ seems to be heartbreak and unrequited love while three of the ten song titles include the word “blue.” Coincidence? I think not. Lyrics such as, “Don’t second guess your feelings, you were right from the start/And I notice she’s your lover but she’s nowhere near your heart” get the point across.

On “Gray or Blue” Jaymay tells the story of two friends in love, who ironically both have significant others. She sings, “You haven’t written to me in a week I wonder why that is/Are you too nervous to be lovers?/Friendships ruined with just one kiss.” While the title of another track, “Blue Skies,” sounds like it might be more of an uplifting song, the listener can sense the angst. “Faith brings me back to the place I met you/I bet you miss me sometime . . . sometimes,” she sings.

While tracks one through five are mostly somber ballads, nearly 10-minute track “You’d Rather Run” has background music reminiscent of a carousel ride at a carnival, seemingly in opposition to the more serious story within the song. Stand-out track on the album is “Hard To Say,” a more upbeat, fun jazzy number featuring Jaymay’s higher vocal range. “Hard To Say” segues nicely into the next track on the album, “Big Ben,” a slower song, almost sounding like a song right out of an old black and white movie. Despite the stories within each song being somewhat of a downer, Jaymay’s debut album has the intrigue to keep the listener wondering what exactly she’s trying to get across throughout the album’s entirety. By the last track, I think she’s given us all the answer.

For more on Jaymay, listen to an audio stream of her song “Gray or Blue” here or check her out on MySpace.

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “Check Yes Juliet”

Happy Fourth of July! I thought it’d be cool to feature a new song each week on my blog. Maybe a song I’ve been hearing on the radio a lot, or just a blast from the past. My first song of the week is Florida-based band We the Kings’ “Check Yes Juliet” — a catchy pop-rock song with an entertaining story book music video. If you like what you hear, be sure to catch them this summer on Warped Tour! Here’s their MySpace for some more music and check out their video for “Check Yes Juliet” below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1R_txIuuio]

Categories
News

You Sing, I Write Hits 10,000 Views!

A few months ago I set up something called Google AdSense which basically calculates how many page views I get per day, giving me a certain amount of money per click on the ads on top of the blog. It seemed like a good idea at the time, just to get an idea of how many viewers I get and make a little money in the meantime. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this blog would have become so successful!

I originally started “You Sing, I Write” back in October as a writing outlet, since my current job wasn’t writing related. I just assumed my family and friends would read it and leave comments and that was good enough for me at the time. It all began with my Switchfoot concert coverage and interviews which were eventually posted on the band’s homepage. Other blogs and websites linked to my blog and I began setting up interviews with more bands, practically covering a show every week or two. Eventually, that led to living my own version of Almost Famous when I spent a few days on tour with Army of Me.

I’ve come a long way over the past few months, but there’s definitely a lot more I want to do with my blog — set up a MySpace, branch out to more genres of music and update it more often. I’m always welcome to suggestions, so feel free to leave comments or e-mail me bands you’d like to see featured! It means the world that I can actually do what I love and you all enjoy reading it so much! Now on to finding a full-time job doing what I do now with my blog for a living…

Categories
Interviews

Starving For Gravity

Bass player Brett Lindenberg describes Starving For Gravity as being “one of the only bands I know that can pull-off ballads and hard rock.” I have to agree. While some of their songs are a bit more edgy, others start off slower and almost ballad-like. The guys of SFG were nice enough to send me a few songs to post on the blog for you to listen to, (I’ll post them below the interview) so check their songs out and decide for yourself. If that’s not enough for you, visit their MySpace. Below is my interview with Brett and singer Lucas Holter of Starving For Gravity.

Tell me about Starving For Gravity. How did it all begin?
Lucas: SFG basically rose out of a personal depression due to lack of music in my life. I had been in bands for a couple years, from [age] 17-20, and then I just stopped. It all started as just an outlet. Something to be creative. We did mostly cover shows for a long while, saving money to record an album. The rest is history.

You moved to California to record your latest album and worked with producer John “JR” Ryan (Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Baha Men), how was that experience? Was it what you always imagined it would be like?
Lucas: Nothing like I thought it would be. It was much more personal, and much more business, all at the same time. If that makes sense? It was definitely one of those experiences you’re glad you had. It will hopefully come in handy in the future.

The California music scene I’m sure is entirely different than North Dakota. How was the transition?
Lucas: Well, the scene isn’t so much different as it is more diverse and large. It’s the same anywhere you go, musicians trying to play for people. The difference here as opposed to North Dakota is that the audience is much more receptive to originality, whereas back home, you were pretty limited to what the people wanted to hear. The transition was awesome, but slightly difficult at first. Mainly because we never had any experience putting a “show” together. We just got drunk and played classic rock tunes.

How would you describe your music to someone that’s never heard it before?
Lucas: I would say that our music is quite simply just a culmination of human emotion and stories of communication. Every song we write has a meaning behind it. Some of our stuff is very melodic and chill, and some will tear your head off, especially live, but it is all truth.

What makes Starving For Gravity different from other up-and-coming bands out there?
Brett: We are one of the only bands I know that can pull-off ballads and hard rock. Too many bands end up becoming one trick ponies by sticking to a specific style of song writing. We’ve made a conscious effort to write a collection of songs that cover a broad scope of human experiences. We want our music to reflect these different experiences.

You sent me three songs to post on my blog, tell me a little bit about each one.
Brett: I think these songs do a good job of showing diversity in our songwriting. “Shot Down” — a song we wrote about a former manager — is aggressive and melodic. “The Gun” features some great harmonies alongside a bridge that is one of the best we’ve ever written. Finally, “Urgency,” while it’s not a heavy song per say, has great tension. You can feel the tension being built in this song all the way to the bridge where there is an abrupt release.

What are your plans for the next year and hopes for the next five years?
Brett: Playing music, touring, writing, making a living. Maybe owning a condominium in an upper-middle class community.

Listen to some tracks from Starving For Gravity and let me know what you think!
“Shot Down”
“The Gun”
“Urgency”

If you like what you hear, check them out on MySpace and catch a show when they’re in the area.

Photo: Mike Cavanaugh of All Access Magazine

Categories
Interviews

Serena Ryder

A few weeks ago I chatted with Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder just after she wrapped up recording her debut full-length US album, due out later this year. Having worked with producer John Alagia Mayer, Jason Mraz) as well as collaborated with songwriters Jim Duguid (Paolo Nutini) and Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat), Serena explained the recording process as “effortless” and “absolutely magical.” Serena talked a bit about her experience winning Best New Artist at the Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammy equivalent), her views on touring and performing and her hopes for the next few years. Check out the interview below and her MySpace for a listen.

How is everything going?
Everything’s going great! I just got back from LA. I was making my new record out there in Santa Monica and had the absolute best time of my entire life. It was so much fun. Making the record was absolutely effortless and an absolute joy to be a part of that process. My producer, John Alagia, and the band . . . it was amazing, so much fun. I stayed right by the beach, which was really nice because I live downtown in Toronto so I don’t get to the water that much. It felt just like a big vacation.

When are you expecting it to be released?
Well, for me, yesterday would be good. I was out of the edits and want to release the record as soon as possible. I’m hoping sometime fall or winter would be really great for me.

Is the record similar to your EP, Told You In a Whispered Song, which was released in the US?
Those songs were previews of what’s going on the record. The songwriting is kind of similar. Most of the songs that were on the EP are going on the record too. It’s more full band and it’s got a similar vibe.

How was the recording process?
It was effortless. It was amazing and inspiring. It was a lot of fun. It was absolutely magical.

This past year must seem like a whirlwind for you — getting signed to Atlantic right after SXSW last year, releasing your EP, touring. How has everything been going?
It’s been amazing. It’s been a really, really wonderful year. I’ve been traveling for quite a while and I’ve been touring and playing since I was a little kid and it’s a part of my lifestyle, but it’s been a lot more amazing now that I’ve joined up with family of Atlantic. It’s just such a great team of people. I call it family because they’re really, really an interactive A&R; based label, that’s why I chose them. I was on an indie label for five years, but Atlantic has been such a massive help for me. So, it’s been really good and also taking the opportunity to be able to record this record and do it the way that I wanted to with people I wanted to do it with.

In the last year I moved and there have been a lot of different changes that have gone on in my life. It’s been big changes, but they’ve been changes that have helped me be able to get stable and rooted and grounded enough to know where I’m metaphorically planting my seeds. I almost feel like I’ve been in training with what I’m going to be doing for the next, gosh, who knows how long. I’m still in love with what I do and I feel very blessed to be able to do what I do. I’ve been trying to be on the road, be healthy, eat right, work on my craft and my songwriting. I’ve been doing a lot of that in the last year with the new record. Different collaborations with people and learning from other people, it’s been fabulous.

Who have you been collaborating with for this album?
This album, I think is probably about four songs that were co-written and the rest of the songs I wrote on my own. I wrote with this guy named Jim Duguid in London. He’s actually Scottish. He’s Paolo Nutini’s drummer. He’s quite an amazing writer as well; he co-wrote and produced Paolo’s last record with him. I wrote with this fellow named Mikal Blue. He’s a really, really cool dude. He did all of Colbie Caillat’s stuff. It was so much fun. It was a great, great process.

You were on tour most of last year, how was that experience?
It’s been great. I’ve been touring for a long time so I feel very comfortable on the road. The last year has been really good for me because I’ve realized that is where my home is now. It’s not about going away from home and things need to change. I’ve learned that being on the road is being at home, so you have to treat your hotel room or your restaurant or the places that you eat at like, that’s your kitchen, that’s your room, that’s your house. And the more you treat it that way; you can really get some kind of normalcy or constant. Everything is different and everything is new. I just feel like I have a lot more respect for people who travel constantly. It can be really difficult to just to keep that home with you everywhere you go. I finally have the opportunity to really see it as that. I feel pretty blessed about that.

Congratulations on your Juno award for Best New Artist! How was the overall experience of being at the awards show? Was it everything you expected?
It was overwhelming and awesome. I was just trying to breathe and make it seem like I was calm and everything was normal. There is nothing normal about walking on red carpet in heels with flashes and cameras and blinding sequence everywhere. It was like being in a dream, or on TV. You only see that on TV. That’s not what your average Joe will experience and I really do consider myself a Joe.

I read you’ve been performing since you were 13.
Yeah. I started performing when I was eight. It was cover songs and stuff at legions and hotels, like Buddy Holly and Linda Ronstadt. I was the cute little kid with the band behind her with 40-year-old men. [laughs] It was fun. I started writing when I was 11 or 12 and got a guitar when I was 13 and I started playing up on stages and just anywhere I could possibly get my ass onstage I would get my ass onstage. I just had pure, absolutely unadulterated love for performing and singing and being able to communicate with people on a level other than conversation. Songs are like short stories, you have so much room to articulate and converse with people on a totally different level and I’ve always needed that, as a juice in my life, life juice.

Growing up, have you always wanted to be a performer? Do you remember the moment you were like, “This is what I want to do.”
Oh yeah, dude. I wanted to be on Star Search w

hen I was a little kid. I would
watch Ed McMahon and all those cute little kids and be like, “I want to do that!” I did initially want to be a performer, but now I think, for me, it’s not necessarily about performing. I don’t really like to call it that anymore. It’s more about being able to relate to other people, just to share it and to inspire is my main goal now. As a songwriter as well, I feel like I’ve had the opportunity with this record to really plant my roots in that I am a songwriter and I adore it as a craft and I have so much respect for it.

What is your typical songwriting process like? Do you carry a notebook wherever you go?
There are lots of different ways to write a song and I’m still trying to hone it as a craft. With this record, I actually for the first time consciously sat down and was like, “Okay, what do I want to talk about? What’s my message?” Most of the time songs would just come to me. Now I totally believe that there’s no ownership in art. You create something, it doesn’t belong to you. It’s like a child; your children don’t belong to you. They’ve chosen you to be their parent and they’re going to learn from you and they’re going to leave and they’re going to hopefully take something. I think music is like that as well, songwriting, everything really. There have been so many different ways…sometimes a song just comes to me, sometimes I sit down and contemplate, meditate on what I’m trying to speak about or trying to articulate or communicate with people.

Did you go into the studio having a concept for the album?
When I went into the studio I had all of the songs finished. It was definitely a body of work and a vibe but I also went into the studio knowing I was working with an absolutely phenomenal producer and band. I went in with an open heart and open mind and trusted they would bring a lot to the record. And they did. They took it places that I didn’t know it would go. It was better than I had imagined it would be, pretty phenomenal.

Do you have a favorite track on the album?
One song “Is It Ok” is one of those songs that was just written. Sometimes it’s difficult to write songs when you’re in the middle of an emotion. You need to step outside of yourself to see. It’s like writing a movie with your experiences. The lyrics came to me in this big burst of passion and the reason why it’s my favorite song is because the band makes me want to listen to it. The band was so phenomenal, they brought it to another level. The band made it so powerful. They brought this whole other life to it. It was the song that surprised me the most.

What are your hopes for next few years?
I feel absolutely satisfied with where I am right now. I look forward to really being at home wherever I go. I’d love to help people feel comfortable in their own skin, if that’s possible. Everyone has their own karma and their own lifestyle and their own choices in their life to be or do whatever they want to. I really would love to shed a little bit more light on the fact that it is a choice to some extent, especially to us who are very blessed to be in Western society in certain ways. There are always ups and downs and there are different things that are great and there are things that are horrible. I just really hope that I can make people realize that they are so huge and so wonderful and so capable of leaving so much greatness in the world.

What is your advice for singer-songwriters or aspiring musicians?
That’s the thing; I don’t think I could have heard anything. Even if I went back and talked to myself as myself, just time travel and go back and knock on my own forehead and say, “Hey, don’t do that, do this.” I don’t really think there is a place for that or people who would really actually be able to hear. I think the only way I know personally how to do that is by writing music and just being as honest as possible in the moment.

How would you explain your music or lyrics to someone who has never heard one of your songs?
I wouldn’t. I really wouldn’t. I would just let them listen.

Listen to Serena’s song, “Brand New Love” here and see for yourself. For Windows users you can listen here.

Categories
News

Help An Unsigned Band Land A Record Deal

Music lovers can vote for their favorite unsigned artist, ultimately picking who will land a record deal with Original Signal/Epic as well as gear from Gibson Guitar and the chance to perform at Spin Magazine’s Year In Music Party in December. Not a bad deal for the struggling musician, eh?

So here’s where you and I come in. Check out this website. Two artists are shown on the screen in which they call the “head-to-head player.” A simple hover of a mouse plays a song (sometimes a live video!) from whichever artist you choose to listen to first. Listen to both tunes for as long as you wish and select which artist you prefer. If you can’t make a decision and they both sound the same to you, click the equal button in between the player. For four weeks music fans can vote for these 500 artists and then the top 20 artists will be sent to the judges who ultimately decide the winner. Either way, you win . . . check out some new, relatively undiscovered bands and if you like what you hear, visit their artist page for more info. The winner will be announced July 31st, so keep voting!

Categories
Features

New Artist to Listen For: Jessie Baylin

While her voice is somewhat reminiscent to a blend of an edgier Carrie Underwood and Lucinda Williams with that country-pop blend, Jessie Baylin’s major label debut is much more distinctive. Jessie’s second full-length album, Firesight, has her branching out from today’s mainstream music with a jazzy and almost folk-like feel on some songs. With performances on past Hotel Cafe Tours as well as this year’s Bonnaroo Festival, she is definitely making a name for herself.

First track on the album, “See How I Run” starts off with Jessie singing, “I’m not stopping, waiting on nothing/Moving quickly trying to catch what’s mine/What’s destined inside the dreamer/I’ll be rushing, making a lot of noise” to a catchy guitar and drum beat. A solid first track for what’s to come on the rest of her album — strong collaborations with Grammy-winning songwriters (Jesse Harris) as well as various co-writers Mike Daly (Whiskeytown), Mark Goldenberg, Greg Wells and Danny Wilde (Rembrandts) and accomplished musicians including Brett Dennen and Cary Brothers as well as Ryan Adams’ drummer Brad Pemberton and guitarist Joe Pisapia of Guster among others.

Each track on Firesight varies from the previous, some tracks sounding jazzy while others have more of a country vibe. “Leave Your Mark” features Brett Dennen on backing vocals and is one of the stronger songs on the album, having a full sound both vocally and musically. The keyboard, guitar and bass as well as percussion and strings round out the track well while Brett’s vocals blend well with Jessie’s. “Not A Day More” has a faster beat, but darker vocals and even drearier lyrics while “Lonely Heaven” sounds like a jazz number, Jessie’s voice accenting but not overpowering the piano feature in the background of the song. Her voice in this track is timeless and could not have been performed any better with the crescendos in her voice in sync with each note played on the piano.

“Tennessee Gem” is more of a folk song with a country twist to it, immensely refreshing with guitar and pedal steel accompaniment while “I’ll Cry For the Both of Us” sounds like it could be a track right out of the 1970’s. Definitely versatile, Jessie Baylin’s Firesight has something for everyone. Due out in stores, Tuesday, June 24th, if you like the tracks below pick it up!

Listen to “Was I On Your Mind” here.
Check out “See How I Run” here for Windows Media and here for QuickTime.
For more on Jessie, check her out on MySpace

Categories
CD Reviews

Jakob Dylan Releases First Solo Album

Debuting your first solo album after nearly 20 successful years with the Wallflowers is no easy transition. Now add being Bob Dylan’s son to the mix and that leaves a large shadow in your wake, daring you to be different. With these two hurdles to jump over, it’s an accomplishment to have even tried.

Jakob opens Seeing Things singing, “It doesn’t always have a shape/Almost never does it have a name/It maybe has a pitchfork, maybe has a tail/But evil is alive and well” on track “Evil Is Alive and Well.” A simple song, both with acoustic guitar and Jakob’s deep and at times, raspy voice, the track encompasses what’s to be expected throughout the remainder of the album — a heavy, emotional album with little voice inflection or climax in guitar accompaniment.

While Seeing Things lacks the energy and power of a full band, the album isn’t all a journey into a brooding comatose. Songs such as “Something Good This Way” has a pop style and catchy chorus. With lyrics like, “Got my window open wide/Got a good woman by my side/This kind of day has no night/Ain’t got much on my mind/’Cause I know something good this way comes” the light guitar and soothing voice lightens up the album. The following track, “On Up the Mountain” is almost reminiscent of a lullaby, Jakob singing “You’ll get tired and you’ll get weak/But you won’t abandon your masterpiece/Off to sleep you’ll go.”

When it comes down to it, Jakob’s solo debut is mostly an acoustic album that doesn’t strongly showcase his guitar playing or lyrical writing. Seeing Things lacks the energy and strength of a band behind him, with no catchy choruses and few stand-out songs. While Jacob has the previous track record set with the Wallflowers, he needs a lot more to make the high jump into a solo career.

This is only my review of Jakob’s new album, I’d love to hear what you think. If you agree or disagree, feel free to leave me comments!
To listen to “Something Good This Way Comes” click here.
For more music, check out Jakob’s MySpace or Website.

Here’s a video of Jakob Dylan playing “Evil Is Alive and Well” live.