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Interviews

Third Eye Blind

Releasing their first full-length album in over five years, Ursa Major (due out later this year) promises Third Eye Blind fans the music and undeniably unforgettable lyrics they are known for. Take already released track, “Non-Dairy Creamer” which begs the question, “Whose side are you on? Are you real or fake?” Listen to “Non-Dairy Creamer” here.

Jenkins took some time out to discuss at great length the ever changing music industry and ways the band is adapting, including Indaba Music’s interactive web program “Studio Access” where fans can create their own mixes of new 3eb tracks before the album is released. Read below for the exclusive interview including Jenkins’ take on the industry, his band (“Third Eye Blind was this band that was marketed and processed and packaged in a way that we didn’t really recognize”) as well as the upcoming release. You can listen to the MP3 of my interview with Stephan Jenkins here.

What have you been up to the past few years since you released Out of the Vein?
Well, I produced Vanessa Carlton’s album Harmonium. That was a real process. I’m so proud of that album; I think it’s a really beautiful album. That album is on the old record company model. I just don’t think it’s the right model for her at all because we’ve become so much smaller and closer a music community and we can’t tolerate as listeners that sort of layers of obfuscation that I think record companies bring. What I’ve done in the last two years was founded my own label, that’s called Assembly. It’s distributed through RED, which is a very tight, focused, dedicated group of music fans. So I’ve really changed my whole structure. Then I built a studio in this incredible Victorian mansion in San Francisco. It’s got these 30-foot glass ceilings. It was a house that was built for music at the turn of the century so it’s an amazing place.

Finally, the third thing is that we went out and played and toured this year and we had more people come to our shows this year than had ever come before. I think the same thing happened with Weezer where there was this real sort of rediscovery of the band. Third Eye Blind was this band that was marketed and processed and packaged in a way that we didn’t really recognize. After all that marketing wore off, what you have left is a playlist. And fans discovered that in the ways that they do, which was very personal for them and then they share it with each other. And that’s what has been happening and it’s been so great! It’s really this honest and direct exchange between our music and the people who engage it. So we toured and we’ve been writing this album and have been working on this album and I think it’s an album that is very much inspired by our fans.

It sounds like it. You’re partnering with Indaba Music for “Studio Access,” which basically allows fans to compete in mixing your songs.
Aren’t they great? They are so talented! They’re amazing. A lot of it is just like, “Darn, why didn’t I think of that?” I love to see our music go in and see someone else’s creativity and content. We want to use the technology that’s available to get closer to people, to actually make the community tighter and not have the sense of people being isolated and kept by themselves through technology and instead, find out what’s going on that’s specific to them. To find their people and their groups through coming together through music and each other and finding problems that they care about and ways that they can express themselves creatively through music. The creative expression part of that is definitely something that’s happening through Indaba. It really helps us as well because we are fueled by it. We wrote this album on the road in front of audiences, we tried songs out in front of them. I think the sound of this album has a big reverberant confident sound that comes from that feeling that we’ve had on the road. We always want to maintain that as part of the sound of making the record.

How much of a play are the fan’s remixes a part of the recording process?
Well, it hasn’t affected the recording process. But, one guy took these marching drums that Brad plays and he put them at the beginning of the song and I said, “You know what, that’s how we are going to opening our tour next year,” which would be super cool. So, that’s a way in which somebody else’s idea sparks an idea in us.

What can fans expect from this album?
Well, you probably got to hear one song, “Non-Dairy Creamer” and got some sense of it. I think “Non-Dairy Creamer,” the song itself – the arrangement keeps building and growing. We love the sense of unstoppable momentum for one. Two, I think that lyrically, I don’t know if we are an architect of emocore. But that’s what some of these magazines have said. I thought we were just fighting the Smashing Pumpkins, but I think that’s a sense of internal politics and really trying to speak to those was our contribution to emo. Me, I have no idea because I had never heard of the phrase until years after we made the record so I had nothing to do with it in trying to design something. Lyrically the difference is, on this record, instead of internal politics, this is more extroverted, it’s more external politics.

I think that’s very reflective of the times we’re in. I think that we’ve been stupefied and dumbfounded by a criminal and negligent administration over the last eight years. I think that the generation that really embraces the music is beginning to get its voice back and we’re beginning to say, “Wow, rebellion is American and we need to begin to speak up the way we know we should.” That’s been my sense in finding an outward voice. “Non-Dairy Creamer” is really just about being real versus being fake. There are all these phrases like, “Threat level orange.” What the fuck is that? All it is is asking you to be afraid. I think that being afraid is a particularly un-American concept that George Bush wants to ram down our throats. And so does John McCain and all his off-takes. “Oh be scared of Barack Obama because I have nothing to offer” crap. I think it is shameless and we are now able to call it for what it is. The song is saying, “Whose side are you on? Are you real or fake?”

Is “Non-Dairy Creamer” your first single?
Well, I think that’s a song we just put out first. But, the concept of a single is like, “Is it gonna get banged 40 times a week on MTV?” doesn’t really exist anymore. There’s really no such thing. I don’t even know what a single is, you know? Is it the track that we pay a marketing guy to go push on the radio? No, no it’s not. It’s just a song. They’re all singles.

You were huge in the 90s during the MTV era. How different is the music industry for you now? Do you think it would be easier if you started today?
I think it was very difficult in the 90s. It took a very long time and one of the reasons why was because music needed to be funneled. The outlets for music were so tightly controlled by a few people who had pretty much no interest in music or understanding or sensitivity to music. They were interested in one thing. They were interested in power and they were interested in competing with each other and egos. And they were interested in smashing that model into the ground, which in essence is what they did. They were these big, powerful dinosaurs that were hit by the comets of digital music. So now what’s happened is it’s become totally democratized. What I’m saying is, the jury is no longer rigged. I think that people with good music can go out and get it put out and it’s eligible to find audiences in ways that it wasn’t before. So I think in a lot of ways, it probably would have been easier for us to come out now. It’s really more exciting because we always have the answer for somebody else. In the end we’re still in some way working for the man, which I never wanted to do.

What is your writing process like? Is it any different on this album than previous albums since I know you said you wrote most of these songs while on the road?
What I do is I tend to write down ideas that occur to me. Then they often times take on some cohesion. The other thing I’ll do is I’ll have an idea and that idea will come in a rhythm. I’m a drummer by training so a lot of what I do is rhythmically based. That’s my primary mode of organizing some kind of emotion or provocation into a piece that makes that emotion travel. That’s the best I could put it.

I read that for this album you had more trouble thinking of lyrics than in the past.
Yeah. I still have trouble with some of the songs and the lyrics because I think that the reason for our shocking longevity is the lyrics. If I don’t feel the idea, the governing ghost of that concept inside the lyrics, it can really, really stump me. I have songs I’ve worked on for three years and I can’t get the lyrics right. Then another song like “Non-Dairy Creamer” just kind of comes together pretty fast.

Do you have any ways that you work on your writer’s block?
No. I just engage in a lot of self-hate and then I procrastinate. I do other things instead of working on music and put it off. That’s why we’re so slow at making records.

Do you have a tentative release date for Ursa Major?
Yeah. March. We’re going to put out “Non-Dairy Creamer” sometime in November digitally. So it will be a digitally release of that and a duet with Kimya Dawson. Kimya’s a friend of mine; she and I did a song on the last album. It will be a song called “Why Can’t You Be.” It’s a back and forth. One thing I love about her voice is its extremely distinctive and totally authentic and that’s a very rare combination plus she’s a really good lyricist. She’s very musical. One thing that’s great about Kimya is she’s got great pitch. I like our voices put together.

You’re also planning to release a follow up, Ursa Minor?
Ursa Minor, yeah. Ursa Major is the constellation of the bear. It’s good for us because we’ve been hibernating and now we’ve awakened and we are hungry for spring and we want to feed and we want to thrive.

Everyone on the boards seems to be curious about your old bassist, Arion. Is he playing on the next album and touring with you?
We love Arion and he’s just had a lot of personal struggles. So the band is not a working place for him right now, but he did play bass and actually co-wrote a song called “Red Star” with me and I love that song. I think he’s very talented, but we’ll be having other people play bass with us. But it’s not because we don’t love Arion, because we really do.

Be sure to check out Third Eye Blind’s latest EP release, Red Star and their latest tour dates on MySpace and watch out for their new Web site, coming soon at www.thirdeyeblind.com.

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Interviews

Ace Enders

“Me and Sergio were in this band called the Early November back when dinosaurs roamed the earth,” Ace Enders told a packed crowd at New York’s Blender Theatre in November. “When I started, I said I wanted to make music that changed the world . . . eventually [the desire] only to make money drove our band to break up.”

Despite previous obstacles with the Early November, Enders’ hasn’t give up his hope to change the world just yet. His current band, Ace Enders and a Million Different People have been keeping busy. Whether it’s releasing albums as free downloads for fans or recording “Bittersweet Symphony” where all proceeds go to the Save the Music Foundation, Enders is fulfilling his dream one step at a time.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Enders while he was on tour with Hellogoodbye in the fall. Throughout 2008 he has toured continuously as well as recorded an album, which fans can download for free on fuze.tv. Enders talked to me about the pros and cons of being a musician, his upcoming album (due out early this year), and his advice to aspiring musicians. Before you decide to download a record from that next up-and-coming band illegally for free read the interview below for some insight on how bands can (or can’t) survive the craziness that is the music industry.

The last time I saw you was at Rutgers in 2006 just as your last album with the Early November was released. What have you been up to since then?
Doing a lot of recording. Lots of new stuff. This last year we’ve toured over eight months. Just trying to get a record out. Hopefully one of these days. It’s been non-stop really.

You just put out a record not too long ago.
Yeah, a free thing for everybody. I’m going to put another one out in December, for free for the holidays and I’m going to have another regular record coming out in February.

So how do you make money if everything is free?
You don’t. I don’t make money anyway; it’s as simple as that.

How do you live and survive then?
I don’t know. It’s hard. Usually it’s a lot of panicking around the end of the month [when] we’ve got to pay our bills and somehow we scrape it together. It’s been a rough year though, I’ll be honest. But, I feel that it will all pay off as long as my head and all our hearts stay in it for the right reason we’ll be alright. Hopefully, anyway.

You also have a record label. How’s that going? I read that it’s located in a grocery store basement.
Yes. That’s where my recording studio is. It’s in a basement of a video store. The label, I just wanted to help out bands that I felt shared the same reason and the same goals and had the same type of inspiration and whatnot. But that’s on hold right now just because of the money thing that we were just talking about. So, once we get a little bit more money again we’ll start that up, but right now that’s just hard to do without any income.

You’re making money from touring at least right now. In the past was it better with the Early November?
It was much easier because people still bought records then. Now, everybody just downloads everything and that’s kind of difficult. Back then we still made some money from that and made some money from other things where it was a little easier to survive. Now it’s like you’ve gotta be hot and if you’re not hot, you’re just floating around with everybody else.

How do you get hot?
I don’t know. Some people are very lucky and just fall into it. Some people are just doing the right thing at the right time. But also nowadays, bands that are hot are out quicker than ever. If you don’t want to be one of those bands ’cause you don’t want everybody to forget about you, [and instead] you want to be the type of band that is just steady and create a really devoted fan base, [that] takes years. It’s hard because you don’t make money, but you have to be able to find a balance until you are at a place where you can have a good living. That’s where I’m trying to get. I’ve been doing it for a long time, trying to not be hot but just be in people’s minds a little bit until the day when it all makes sense.

So tell me about Ace Enders and a Million Different People. Where’d you get the name?
Well, Ace Enders is my name – that’s why I chose that part of it [laughs]. The Million Different People part, I’ve always been a huge fan of the “Bitter Sweet Symphony” song and what it means and everything. I was listening to it one day and was like, “I’m a million different people.” I feel like I change. Sometimes when you’re in that mood where your head is just like, “What am I doing?” Basically, that song says it all for me. You look at it and it makes you look at things differently. Which brings me to my next thing; I actually just covered that song with a bunch of people from bands like Mark Hoppus from Blink 182, he sings on it, and Aaron from Copeland, Kenny from the Starting Line. Just a ton of people got together and it’s all for charity. We covered the song and it’s all going to be for Save the Music to get music in the schools so kids are aware. Should be pretty awesome. I’m psyched about that. It will be available for download December 2.

What can fans expect from your show tonight?
Fire, lots of dragons, a huge light show, lots of pyrotechnics, a lot of fireworks probably. You know, stuff along the lines of that [laughs]. Really, what we try and do is keep it real. We have a thing where it’s like, a lot of bands nowadays want you to dance as much as you can or sing along to whatever, this weird trendy stuff. We just try and keep it old school so it’s just like rock ‘n’ roll. And we just try and rock it as hard as we can, that’s all. That’s what you can expect.

On your MySpace you have a tour video and you’re at a show basically telling the audience, “Do what you want with your life, no matter who says no to you.” As a musician it’s hard to convince people that you’re going to make it as a singer-songwriter or a band. Have you had people hold you back and tell you that you’re crazy for being a musician?
Yeah, of course. I like to try and tell people that because life is too short. Especially the way things are now, everybody’s like you have to be safe and do all this stuff, but that’s going to make you miserable your whole life. You can try something and fail miserably, but if you never try it at all you’re going to go through your whole life wishing you at least tried it. It’s weird because you need to have that security but at the same time, what do you really need to have? Everybody always says to me [they have] a backup plan, they want to do this but they have a backup plan. It’s like; if you’re married do you have a backup plan, if you get a divorce, if something happens? You don’t work on your backup plan while you’re trying your main plan. If you never put what you
dream as a first priority, it’s never going to be a first priority unless you luckily fall into it and for some people that works. But for most average people that’s not how it works — it’s a lot of work. What I’m saying is, yeah you can do whatever you want to do – just do it.

What is your advice to musicians who want to tour and make music for a living?
I would say to any musician who wants to do that, if it’s in your heart that that’s what you want to do, nothing’s going to stop you. It is really hard right now. It’s a really awkward time in the music business, but if you know that you can do it then nothing can stop you. Just do it. It’s going to be really hard, but make it work. That would be my advice because everybody is crazy right now and nobody knows what’s going on. Nothing is guaranteed anymore.

It seems like there’s more of an opportunity for independent bands right now.
Yeah, but all the other bands that are on labels are stuck. And right now it is mostly bands that are on labels, but it is definitely changing. For independent bands it is way easier. It’s a lot more freedom and you can get your name out there way easier then you ever could before.

What is your ultimate goal?
When I feel like I’ve actually done something right is when somebody comes up to me and is like, “You’ve helped me get through something.” That’s pretty much all you can ask for, unless you’re the type of person who’s like, “I’m just going to do this for money and that’s it.” Which is great, if you can make money, then you can make money. But it doesn’t work like that for everybody. I believe that there needs to be more people trying to be artists in this business rather than just making it a business. My ultimate goal would be to help that happen, to bring respect back and make it a place where people can come to forget about their everyday horrible days or great days or make your day even better.

What can fans expect from your next album?
I actually recorded three records this year. The first one was a little too slow so I did another one and I just did another one. There’s definitely a concept in it. I think it’s the frustration of the past year or couple years that I’ve been going through. It’s hard to wrap up; it’s one of those things you just have to hear to get it. I really can’t put it into words yet. I haven’t thought about it enough. I actually just finished recording the day that we left for this tour. Pretty crazy.

Do you have a special writing process? Do you carry a pen and paper everywhere?
I try to as much as I can, just in case anything comes to me. My process is just do what feels right. It’s different. It always changes with me. I could be banging on the table and come up with something or I’ll actually sit there and write it. It’s always different.

Do you have a favorite song you’ve ever written?
I don’t know. People always ask that question but it’s kind of hard for me because whenever I write a song it’s usually my favorite song as soon as I write it and then I’ll write another one and that’ll be my favorite song. It changes at all times If I wrote a song right now it would probably be my favorite one.

Do you have a song you like to perform most?
On this tour I definitely enjoy performing a song called “Body Like Mind” that I just released on that free album I did. It pretty much walks through the past year of my life and I just enjoy playing that one.

Be sure to check out Ace Enders and A Million Different People on MySpace and download his free album here.

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Interviews

Hellogoodbye

I spoke with Hellogoodbye frontman Forrest Kline a few weeks ago while their national BBQ tour was at it’s height. The tour, aptly titled “The BBQ Tour” involves, well you guessed it, BBQing before each concert. Forrest explained that the band tries to set up a potluck before each show (depending on the weather, venue location, etc.) where they invite fans to come hang out, grill, and eat some veggie dogs while he plays an acoustic set. Not your typical pre-show ritual, it gives fans the chance to meet the band in a different setting before each show.

Forrest was nice enough to take some time out from driving with the rest of the band (and playing what sounded like a hilarious, but painful slapping game) to chat with me about the tour, their next album and the history behind their name. Having an energetic, albeit quirky set at times, Hellogoodbye kept the crowd at Blender Theatre alive at their recent performance in New York. From taking, what sounded like, a painful stage dive at the show to playing his ukulele, Kline is definitely an entertaining frontman. Read below for my exclusive interview with Hellogoodbye and be sure to check out their MySpace to listen to their tunes.

How’s the tour going so far?
The tour is going great. We’re getting some great responses. We’re playing some great shows, they’re filling up. We just got done with Florida and they were all really, really good shows. We’re actually playing a game right now where if you ask a question and someone can answer it they get to slap you so the morale is at an ultimate high because we’re all just really enjoying ourselves. I think this might be the first tour where the band feels really connected. We’ve always had a connection, but we’re at a place where we all just feel like best friends. So, whether we’re jamming together or eating at Panera Bread (which happens to be our favorite stop), or slapping each other in the van, we’re just all having a great time. The tour couldn’t go better. We had a couple of van problems in the beginning, but sometimes if you want the dog you’re going to have to deal with the fleas, am I right? And if you want to tour, you’re going to have to say, “Maybe the van’s going to bust.” That’s just part of the job.

What can fans expect on this tour?
The band is tight and things are going good. We’re playing three new songs on this tour which is good, so we’re switching the set up. We haven’t played new songs in over a year, and those are getting a good response. We’re selling an EP at the shows; a limited edition three-song EP. We sell 25 per show and they go like hotcakes. So, if anyone reads this before they get to the next show, they better run over and get those EP fast. And if they say they know Jon Cheese, they get a mustache kiss. A little mustache rub on the cheek, make the kids happy.

Is this tour any different from previous tours?
Our tour manager Duncan has really stepped it up in being more part of the act, instead of tour managing and that’s changed a lot. He’ll jump on the drum kit, he’ll grab a guitar, he’ll dress up as Batman and sing in the microphone and that’s really been awesome. There’s been a lot more stage dives than normal. Luckily, Travis, the bass player, is always there to catch Forrest, which is me, on the stage dives so it’s good.

So tell me about your new EP.
It’s our new EP with three of our new songs, but ukulele versions. It’s not the actual album version, so it really is a limited edition. These things are going to be extinct soon

Are you working on a follow up to your debut full-length, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! album?
Oh yeah, we’ve been working on new things all year. As soon as this tour is over we’re going to finish recording them, hopefully have it done real soon. So, watch out America ’cause Hellogoodbye is coming to town!

Do you have a favorite song you like to play on tour?
Probably “Shimmy Shimmy.” Just because it was one of the first songs I wrote, and it’s nice that people can still be rocking out to it since it was written six years ago or so. That’s a lot fun; real simple song.

Does there seem to be a crowd favorite?
I think “Here (In Your Arms)” is probably the crowd favorite right now.

“Here (In Your Arms)” was huge for you guys. It was on the Top 40 and Billboard charts. Do you feel any pressure to make another hit and surpass the single?
You know, the same way I was feeling when I wrote “Here (In Your Arms)” I’m feeling that again. And I think the hits are going to start pouring out to tell you the truth. I don’t really feel pressured. I have been blessed with the gift of music and it just comes natural.

What is your typical writing process like?
It usually involves a little Pete and Pete, some veggie dogs and an Italian soda. And then I’m usually accompanied by Winnie and Gordie who are kind of my co-producers and Chelsea, my girlfriend, is my main inspiration as you know most of the songs are love songs.

You started out playing in high school.
Yes. I started in high school. I went to Huntington Beach High School. We played the talent show, me and my friend Aaron Flora. We played the talent show and our band was called A Colorful Symphony and we won first place. We were the closing act. And after that we were like, “We should start a band!” So we grabbed a couple of other friends and we started playing locally and things just started to go from there.

Did you ever imagine you’d be touring the US and Europe?
It was always a dream of mine, so to be doing it is a real privilege.

I read that the band name was originally inspired in part by popular TV show “Saved By the Bell” and a Beatles song. Is that true?
“Saved By the Bell” is just a real big inspiration, Zack Morris and the gang. I got beat up a lot in high school. I was skinny and had kind of a high voice so I would run home as fast as I could and what always got me through the day was quesadillas and “Saved By the Bell.” I felt like “Saved By the Bell” was a high school that I always wanted to be in because mine was so brutal.

I read in a past interview that you didn’t shop your music around at all before signing with Drive Thru records, how did that come about?
We had been playing local venues and just been getting a good response. I used to work at Drive Thru as a Web designer so I kind of had a relationship with them already and when they heard I was playing music again they contacted us and brought us in there and we signed to Drive Thru.

Do you still design all your T-Shirts and Web sites?
We still design the Web site. This last batch of T-shirts
was designed by an artist th
at I really like, but usually we do all of our own designing and arts.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
I don’t know. I think we’re just really excited about what we do. That’s a tough one. It’s unique to our surroundings and growing up in California and drinking smoothies and running on the beach.

If your life was a book, what would the title be?
It would be I listen to country music.

Really? Does that inspire any of your music?
Yeah, I think that’s kind of the underlining theme of it all. Well, the fact that I listen to country music. It goes much deeper than that itself.

Watch a brief tour recap from the BBQ Tour below and check out their MySpace for more.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCzZq1_FaeM]

Feel free to watch Billboard hit, “Here (In Your Arms)” below as well.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-KQ1tp_qOQ]

Categories
Interviews

Joshua Radin

The first time I came across Joshua Radin was last spring when I caught the Hotel Cafe tour as it passed through New York. The night had some amazing performances by Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, Meiko and Priscilla Ahn, but Radin was one performer that left an impact on me. His soft voice and light guitar strumming seemed to put everyone in a trance and the lyrics to many of his songs stuck with me long after his performance was over.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Joshua as his second album, Simple Times, was released. Not only has his album received rave reviews as well as graced No. 1 on iTunes, but Ellen DeGeneres has been an avid fan, even having Radin perform at her wedding. He spoke candidly to me about the album, as well as his break from Columbia and the state of the music industry today. You can listen to an MP3 of my exclusive interview with Joshua Radin here and read it below as well.

Congratulations with all the success of your new album, Simple Times. It recently shot to No. 1 on iTunes. Did you ever imagine that happening?
Thank you so much. No, I didn’t. That was really cool. It’s one of those things [that] are so fleeting. You don’t want to give it too much credit, things like that or any monetary success. It’s basically like how a good review and a bad review are the same to me. If you take the good review to heart you have to take the bad review to heart. I just try to basically keep writing songs and do what I do and do it for the fans. The only reason to make a record really, is to be able to make another record. If you play a show in a city, you play the show so you can play a show in that city again. And if you keep your head up about it and keep that mentality, then I think it’s much healthier.

This is your second full-length album. How was the recording process different for you this time around?
We definitely did it in less time. The first record I made with a buddy of mine in his bedroom. It took about six months because I didn’t have any money and he was just doing it whenever he had time, which was so rare. So, this one was the first record I ever made with a label and got to hire the producer I wanted. We took six weeks at my favorite studio and I hired these amazing musicians. It was quite the experience.

Did you go into the studio with a specific concept for this album?
I don’t think so. I don’t know if I had a concept in mind for the record. It was more just like, this was really just the last two years of my life. I guess that would be the concept.

I wanted to ask you about your first single off the album, “I’d Rather Be With You.” That’s my favorite song on the album and I was just wondering what inspired it, it’s such a beautiful song. (You can listen to “I’d Rather Be With You” here.)
Thank you very much. Every song I write is true. The feelings I go through, they’re like journal entries. Really the record itself is about falling in love, falling out of love, it’s about my friends, it’s about my family, it’s about the world I live in. It’s a little more expansive, I think, than the first record, which was pretty much a breakup record. They were all songs that I had ever written that came out of a pretty gnarly breakup. I kind of got my life back together and started thinking, “I want to do something a little different.”

I think “I’d Rather Be With You” is a song that maybe has more of a grove to it. I wanted it to be a full-band on this record, I actually have drums on it. There are quite a few songs on the record, like “We Are Okay,” which is a lot of percussion from Lenny Castro, who is Stevie Wonder’s percussionist, who is just an incredible guy. I just wanted to make every song, production-wise, sound a little different on this record. Because, the first record every song, production-wise sounds very similar.

Do you have a favorite song on the album?
I think my favorite would probably be “You Got Growin’ Up To Do.” It’s one of those songs that came out in 15 minutes, which is pretty rare for me. And also, that I got to record it as a duet with one of my favorite songwriters in the world, Patty Griffin, which is just a complete and utter dream with just about the coolest person ever.

How did that come about?
I just sent her the song. I had never met her before, I’m just a huge fan and she loved the song and she didn’t even want to get paid or anything for it which is so cool.

What’s your typical writing process like? I know you said a lot of it comes out of breakups.
Well, the first record at least. The second record really is not much of a breakup record; it’s really about everything I have gone through in the last two years. I would say my writing process is, I usually have melody or something floating around in my head as I’m trying to fall asleep. Once I’ve got that melody that sort of comes to me, then I wait around until I have something to say about something I really need to express and then I put lyrics to it.

I know you said writing songs is like writing journal entries. Are you ever scared to write too much in a song or be too personal?
Yeah, I was when I first started writing. I started writing songs about four years ago, but I realized really quickly what people respond to is brutal honesty. That’s what people relate to. I’m as honest as I can possibly be when I write.

I read that you were on Columbia for your first album and then you basically bought out your contract to put out this album.
Yeah. Well, essentially what happened was I made that first record, We Were Here, on my own. Then Columbia signed me after hearing that record to a five record deal and re-released that record under their name as is. This was the first record I made with Columbia. I turned it in and they wanted it more poppy sounding and I said no, so I bought myself out of the remaining four record deal contract and put this out independently.

For a lot of artists, it’s their dream to sign a record deal.
Well, it’s much different now a days. The major record companies are dinosaurs, it’s impossible to get anything done with them. It’s just too much bureaucracy. One day someone’s telling you they love something and then the next day they’re fired and someone new comes in with a completely new set of criteria. When I signed with them originally it was to my understanding that I would have full creative control of what I released. And they were by no means dropping me, they just said, “We want a single on here that’s gonna make Top 40 radio.” And I said, “I don’t do Top 40 radio.” I don’t listen to anything that’s on Top 40 radio. There’s nothing about Top 40 radio that I want to be. It’d be fine if they played what I wrote and what I believe in on Top 40, that’s fine. I just don’t think that’s going to happen. At the end of the day you have to be able to sleep and be able to look yourself in the mirror and say, “I did what I believed in rather than what some guy in a suit in some office in New York believes in.”

Do you think artists have to be on a major label to be successful today?
No, not at all. In fact, there are so many that are hindered by being on major labels. It’s one thing if you’re like Beyonce or someone like that, if you’re a cash cow for Columbia, then you have the machine and you’re this big pop machine. But, they don’t have the money to develop artists anymore. They’ve lost so much money by piracy that there’s just no money to develop artists. So they make you sit around and make you write and write and write and write and try to fit you into a little formula that has worked with them before, like a movie studio that only has time to make sequels because they know that it’s something that has succeeded before and they don’t take chances. If you’re a huge pop act or you’re in hip-hop that’s one thing, or country music, those genres in our country sell like crazy. But, for my genre, which I deem whisper rock, it’s not going to see millions and millions of record sales. The only way for me to keep creative control for what I put out is to do it independently.

A huge platform are television shows and movies, which your songs have been featured in. I’m sure that has helped you a lot.
Yeah, for sure. But, I didn’t get any radio play on the first record and now this record actually “I’d Rather Be With You” has started to pop up all over the radio without a major label. It’s really cool to see that we’re able to do this and have a number one record on iTunes, something like that that’s commercially successful, but also do it my own way, the way in which I believe.

And you have Ellen DeGeneres backing you too. I saw a clip of your performance on her show and she said you performed at her wedding.
Yeah. She’s really cool. I played on her show in January and she came running up to me and said, “I would love it if you would play at my wedding.” And I said, “Okay, sure.” So a couple days before the wedding she called my manager, or someone from her show called and said, “She’d love to fly you in and you play her wedding at her house.” She’s been such an incredible support and she’s been talking about me on her show. She couldn’t be a more down to earth, mean what she says type of person.

How is it performing a TV show vs. your own concert vs. a wedding? Do you prepare a certain way or do you do something different?
No, not at all. I just get up and bring my guitar and play songs. I try to keep it as simple as possible. Which is why I called the record Simple Times because as much as we were arguing with the label about the record and everything like that, I just wanted to go back to how life started four years ago, just as honest and organic as possible and as simple as possible.

You’ve been called this generation’s Simon and Garfunkel. How do you feel about that?
I don’t think that’s it at all. If anyone wants to make comparisons, they do what they do. People always want to put you in some sort of box to make other people understand what you’re doing creatively and other things and I understand that. I just think I’m just trying to sound as much like Joshua Radin as I possibly can. I mean, I’m influenced by some of the songwriters; of course Simon and Garfunkel are a major influence on anyone that plays music I’m sure. But there are also tons of other musicians I’ve been influenced on and other features and novelists, my parents and my friends and my teachers. It’s pretty ridiculous, this generation’s Simon and Garfunkel. First of all, I’m only one person. Second of all, they’re incredibly prolific and music icons. I just started.

I read on Amazon that Rolling Stone called me this generation’s Bob Dylan and that’s absolutely ludicrous. It’s ludicrous! Bob Dylan invented music. I just feel like that’s putting a bull’s eye on the back of my head for everyone to be like, “No you’re not. You’re not really as good.” And I’m like, “Of course I’m not as good, I wrote my first song four years ago!” And I probably never will be as good. But, I bet you I’ll be much better at being Joshua Radin than Bob Dylan is. That’s all I can hope for.

Categories
Q&A

Blast From the Past: Interview with the All-American Rejects

Last night’s free All-American Rejects concert at Hammerstein Ballroom reminded me of my on the fly interview with frontman Tyson Ritter back in college. It was one of those situations that I look back at and laugh because sometimes I can’t believe half the things I’ve done to score an interview with some of my favorite bands. (Please, no groupie remarks I’m a journalist not a bandaid!) Anyway, last night’s show was pretty intimate as they were filming it for Wal-mart and it looked as if only a hundred or so fans gained access to the event. I’ll let you know when I find out the full details of when the concert will air. In the meantime, read below for this week’s “Blast From the Past” with the All-American Rejects.

When my friend invited me along to help cover a concert at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton two summers ago, naturally I went. She was working on a piece for the Trenton Times about the venue and how it was trying to attract a younger crowd. Hence, the concert “Popfest” was put on by local radio station WPST 94.5 attracting many of its younger listeners. In addition to the All-American Rejects, performers included Nick Lachey, The Fray, Bo Bice, and The Click Five.

My friend was promised a press pass to interview some of the bands, but for some reason it fell through. This is where my ingenious Plan B came in. “Let’s just go find their tour buses,” I remember telling her matter-of-factly. And so we did. After waiting 10 minutes or so she was discouraged and wanted to leave, but I persisted. A few minutes later, drummer Chris came out of the venue but was short on time, so he told us to wait for the rest of the guys. Shortly after Tyson approached the bus where we were able to ask him a few questions about the event. It was probably less than a five-minute impromptu interview, but I’ll take what I can get!

How is it for you playing a show like Popfest at a smaller venue vs. your bigger arena shows?
Our first time to step out in an arena was with Fall Out Boy two months ago and we just got off that tour. So I guess coming off that tour this might seem smaller, but this is still a large show to us. Definitely a different energy though. At a pop show, people don’t move as much.

Do you enjoy playing shows like Bamboozle more?
Oh yeah. That’s like the voice of a generation all in one spot at the same time. They’re the future leaders of America. Even though they may listen to music that’s not contemporary or run of the mill, those people are a lot different when they go to Bamboozle. The people who go to Bamboozle are definitely . . . I don’t know, more cerebral than normal people, I find. Whereas at these shows people scream and go crazy like five seconds after they see us. At Bamboozle a kid will be like “What’s up Tyson?” and try to talk to you, as opposed to try to bombard you or scream until you give into some weird wish that they want. But it’s all fun.

Would you consider coming back to Trenton?
Oh yeah. It was great, the kids were loud, girls were giggly. The next time we come here we’d like to come and play a proper show. We had the option to headline but we wanted to make The Click Five look bad. We don’t like bands that don’t rock their instruments. There’s a difference between playing your instrument and rocking it. I don’t play my instrument. It’s really kind of, I like to call it ho-hum music because after one song you kind of go ‘ahhhh’ [referring to bands who don’t rock their instruments].

Gotta love the honesty. Be sure to pick up a copy of AAR’s new album when it hits stores, December 16.

Categories
Q&A

Blast From the Past: Interview with Sugarcult

A few weeks ago I posted my first interview with Ace Enders featured on Jane Magazine‘s music section of their Web site when I interned there. This week’s edition of “Blast From the Past” is another Jane feature.

Fellow Jane intern Monica Perry and I (check out her amazing blog here — cleverly titled Our Jane) got tickets to see Sugarcult in concert a few years back. I knew some of their radio hits but had no idea what the guys looked like to approach them for an interview (should have done my research!) so when we noticed a bunch of girls talking to a tall man by the backstage area we assumed it had to be one of the guys from the band. We walked over and asked a fan who it was and she told us it was Sugarcult guitarist Marko DeSantis. I was doing a write-up for the school paper of the show so I approached him, asking if they did interviews. He then took my notebook and pen right out of my hands and wrote down his email address adding, “Just don’t go out giving this to everyone.”

That was my very first impromptu venture of going up to a band and getting an interview and it was so invigorating! Little did I know a few years later I’d be doing this all the time and I must say, it never gets old. If I could interview a new band every day of the week I’d be content! Read my Jane feature below and for the full transcription of my interview with Marko click here.

Interview with Sugarcult’s Marko DeSantis

Sugarcult’s latest album “Lights Out” is all about “escapism and the guilty pleasures people indulge in that bring temporary happiness but are ultimately self destructive; casual sex, drugs, pop-culture,” says lead guitarist Marko DeSantis. Intern Annie talks to him to find out what he actually means by all that.

On the track “Explode” you sing, “The radio is here to stay, turn it off and walk away.” Have you been burned by commercial radio?
The music business is all so political, but at the same time we can be happy that some good music is getting a fair shake with bands like the White Stripes and the Killers. It’s just sad when places like Philadelphia and New York City don’t even have a rock station anymore.

If the radio is too commercialized for you, where do you find out about new bands?
I’ve never really listened to commercial radio; growing up it was all about going to shows, word of mouth, mix-tapes, magazines, digging through the racks in indie record shops. Today it’s not much different, but iTunes, websites and file sharing just make it easier to get turned on to stuff. My favorite way to discover a band is to see them play live and unexpectedly be blown away.

So who are you into now?
Lately I’ve been listening to The Adored, TV on the Radio, The Strays, Maxeen, Against Me. I’m always diggin’ old jams by Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, The Clash, Superdrag, and The Cars.

What inspires your music and this album?
There’s an old quote attributed to John Lennon, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” I think the same thing can be said about creating music; you set out to document your experiences and what’s in your head and then it becomes something bigger than the sum of its parts.

—Annie
October 27, 2006
Annie | Music | Permalink | Comments (1)

I love the honesty! Read more of my interview with Marko here and be sure to check out Sugarcult on MySpace if you haven’t yet.

Categories
Interviews

Brett Dennen

I first stumbled upon Brett Dennen after reading about him in Rolling Stone back in 2007 as he was named an “Artist to Watch.” Of Dennen, Rolling Stone writer Kevin O’Donnell says, “[Dennen] turns out relaxed roots-rock jams about walking through the trees and watching desert sunsets. He’s also got some serious guitar-playing chops — his finger-picked, jazz-influenced chord structures could be mistaken for Dave Matthews or early John Mayer tunes.”

Since then, Dennen has had quite the journey. Traveling continuously the past year, supporting his most recent album Hope for the Hopeless as well as opening for Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray and being handpicked by John Mayer for his summer tour, Dennen has kept himself busy. In fact, even John Mayer is one of Dennen’s most avid fans, saying of his last album So Much More, “A beautiful and spirited record, instantly likeable.”

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Brett the week before the release of his third album, Hope for the Hopeless. He talked to me about the album, including the stories behind some of his songs as well as his songwriting process and current tour. I’ll be catching his show tonight at the Canal Room, so be on the look out for a review in the upcoming week. If you haven’t yet, watch the video below for his latest song, “Make You Crazy” featuring Mandy Moore.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F58TfYHqLak]

Rolling Stone named you an artist to watch last year and John Mayer is a huge supporter. Did you ever imagine all of this success would happen for you?
No. I think if you have faith and if you do what you believe in and you do what you know how to do good and you stay real and true to yourself, that eventually you’re going to get recognition for it. But I don’t think you visualize too much specifically what that recognition is going to be. I had always thought that if I continue to work hard and do what I do, I would get some sort of recognition but I didn’t think it would come in this form.

Tell me about Hope for the Hopeless. This is the third album you’ve put out; did you go into the studio with a specific concept for it? And how is it different from your previous two?
I went into the studio with the songs that I wanted to do on the album. I knew that I wanted the music and the production and everything to be a step up from the last record I did. Not to say that it’s better, but it’s a little bit more groomed, [I wanted] the production to be bigger sounding. I think that’s kind of clear if you listen to So Much More and my first record and you listen to Hope for the Hopeless — you can see that progression. The songwriting is a little more focused and crafted. I think as far as the messages and the things that I’ve seen and I write about, it’s all still pretty much the same kind of things that I’ve been singing all along.

I love “Make You Crazy.” Femi Kuti is featured on that song as well, how did that come about?
We have a business connection to my record label and there was a possibility that he might put music out on my label, which is Downtown Records. So the connection was made between he and I by my record label. Beyond that connection, I’ve been wanting to work with him for a while. I’m a big fan of his. A lot of my music was inspired by his music and other artists in the Afro-beat world.

Do you have a favorite song on the album?
No. I mean, I love them all equally and I love them all for different reasons too. I think each one of them has the ability to articulate different things I believe in and they also sum up different parts of my personality and different sides of me.

What is your typical writing process like, do you carry a pen and paper everywhere you go? Where do you find your inspiration?
Sometimes you can prepare yourself to write and to be inspired and sort of clear the air and clear your schedule and make plans to work on stuff. Other times inspiration just hits you and you’re forced to just sit down and write or write something down because if you don’t, you might lose it forever. I used to carry pens and pencils around, but now a days if I get really inspired I’ll just type something into my phone.

A lot of things, like “Make You Crazy” is the perfect example. I was sitting in a theater. I had performed at an awards ceremony for people in the film industry who were writing about mental illnesses and I had performed a song. Then I was sitting in the audience and someone was giving a talk about all the pressures in society and how that alone is enough to make people insane. Not to mention the overwhelming stresses that are out there that have an actual physical effect on people and so I jotted that into my phone and thought about it and those were some ideas from the song and then I wrote it.

I really love your song “Heaven.” The lyrics are so deep and meaningful. What was going on through your head when writing it?
I just wanted to write about the ultimate expression of people’s faith, [which is] a lot of times, I think, people’s ideas of the afterlife of heaven. I’m not specifically writing about the afterlife or people who believe in heaven. I’m writing about this idea that it doesn’t matter how people believe or how sinful we are on earth, as long as we believe in this idea of heaven or this dream — whatever you want to call it — that is going to save us in the end. I’m sort of questioning about that, posing questions about it because I see a lot of contradiction between people and their actions and their morals. I just wanted to write about that.

Tell me about your current tour. What can fans expect?
This intimate tour is more of an acoustic tour, it’s just me and my friend Andrew who also plays guitar, and we’re playing small clubs. There are not going to be openers. It’s going to be an entire evening of just acoustic performances of new songs and old songs, cover songs and songs that people may have never heard before. It’s just something that, as the bigger my shows get and the farther that I need to travel and grow, I always want to be able to come back to the intimate setting. When you take away all of the production of the band and everything, you still have these quality songs that can come across to more of a folk music setting.

Is there a certain tour stop you’re looking forward to?< br />I’m always looking for
ward to playing in San Francisco. I’m really excited to play Philly because we get to play this tiny, little place called the Tin Angel which is ridiculously small. I played there once a while back and I had a great time. Since I played there, I’ve played bigger venues in Philly and I’m excited to go back to that one.

You worked with producer John Alagia on Hope for the Hopeless. How was that experience?
It was great. He and I have became really good friends. He’s actually coming over my house later on this afternoon and I’m going to help him write some songs for another artist that he’s working with right now. I’ve learned a lot from him and I think he’s learned from me as well. It’s just been a really inspiring process and I hope it continues.

I just saw the song on your MySpace with Jason Mraz that you both wrote for Survival International, how did that come about?
Both he and I were approached at different times by people that were putting together the album. I think what happened was that they asked too many artists to be a part of it and they had more artists than they needed. So they asked us if we wanted to work together so we both said, “Yeah.” I actually had most of the song already written so when we got together at Jason’s studio in his house in San Diego I had given him a copy of the song and showed him where I was going with it and we worked together on it. He wrote a part for it and then we recorded it that afternoon, all the parts except for the strings which we added later. All the rest of it we recorded at his house in his home studio and it was done in a matter of a couple of hours.

Have you always wanted to be a singer-songwriter growing up?
No, not really. I had always wanted to be a teacher, but after I graduated college I was playing gigs in a band and I really fell in love with it and I started doing my own gigs and it took.

I read that you were a camp counselor at Yosemite National Park and you’ve been touring the world the past few years. You have led such an interesting life so far. If your life was a book, what would you title it?
[Laughs] I don’t know. That’s a great question. I don’t know. It would have to be something to do with being weird and different . . . it would have something to do with growing stuff in the garden. Homegrown veggies or something, I don’t know. Homegrown groove.

Be sure to listen to Brett on MySpace and check out his Web site for all his latest information!

Categories
Festivals Interviews

Theresa Andersson

I spoke with Theresa Andersson during CMJ week right before her amazing live performance where she played multiple instruments with the help of two loop pedals, all while dancing throughout her set — truly a sight to see. Theresa spoke to me about her writing process, recording her album in her kitchen, as well as her inspiration which draws upon living in New Orleans combined with her Swedish roots.

If that isn’t interesting enough for you, when listening closely to tracks on her latest album, Hummingbird, Go! you can hear birds chirping outside her kitchen window while sirens are blaring in the background. Not your average recording, Hummingbird, Go! is full of depth and if you listen closely you can pick up much of the surrounding environment. While Theresa is pretty certain her next album won’t be recorded in her kitchen, she does plan on continuing her demos there. And after watching the video below, I can’t wait to hear what she comes up with next.

Watch the video for “Birds Fly Away” recorded live in Theresa’s kitchen below to get a feel for her music and be sure to read the complete interview below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXqn42AykM]

What can people who come to see you perform expect? I’ve heard your live show is amazing and you use two loop pedals while performing.
I have a pretty interesting setup. It really starts with a big, white shag rug on the floor since I play barefoot so I can turn knobs with my toes and operate the pedals. I have two loop pedals on a big board that sort of looks like a boomerang shaped in front of me. It’s two-layered and there are pedals on either side of the board on the ends of it and in between there’s a whole bunch of pedals for switching pedals and for effects. Then, I have drums to my left, just three drums and some chimes and various percussion stuff. In front of me are two microphones, one I use for looping and one for vocal and then I have a violin and dulcimer and record player onstage. All these things I use to create the songs and build them up and I loop and record everything live.

It’s a very interesting format of playing because the pedals are definitely limiting and in the beginning when I started using them, it was really difficult. I had to spend many, many hours just figuring things out. I would spend 8 to 10 hours a day for weeks and weeks. It takes about three weeks to four weeks to really get a song in my body. I can rehearse them quicker then that, but to really feel like they’re me. I actually ended up having to break everything down to the beat. I had to figure out what to do with each beat. On some songs, especially when I set them up, between the first and second instrument I might do nine or ten different things. I have to switch things, turn things on and off and I do all that all with my toes while I’m playing it so I had to really think everything through. It became this dance with the pedals that I had to work out. After a while I started thinking of it as a dance, that’s when it really became fun. I actually ended up falling a lot in the beginning. I’ll be standing on one leg and I’ll stretch the other one out, skip steps or jump. At one point I have to stand on my heels and hit two pedals at the same time, so I couldn’t keep my balance at first. I had to take dance lessons from a friend of mine, just to figure out how to do it, how ballet dancers do it. Sometimes when I’m here in the city I’ll see shows. Recently I saw the New York City Ballet. When I saw them, I was like, “Okay, they can do all that, I should have no problem learning to hold my balance.”

So much concentration goes into every performance. Are you ever scared you’re going to mess something up or push the wrong button?
If I push the wrong button, what I’ve learned to do is to keep playing without making a mistake. I’m so comfortable with it now that the loop pedals are more of an instrument to me now since I’ve done it for a while. I play it like it’s an instrument so if I make a mistake it’s not such a big deal. It’s impossible to make it perfect at all times, but that’s what gives it a charm and that’s what gives each performance its uniqueness. The two pedals don’t synchronize with each other, so I have to do all the synchronizing. I think the loop pedal itself, there’s nothing new about it. It’s been around for a really long time and many people have used it. It’s perhaps the way I use it that’s a little bit different.

Tell me about recording your album. You recorded it all in your kitchen?
Yeah, that’s right. It wasn’t really planned. I wrote the record in New Orleans, most of it, and I ended up downloading everything in my kitchen. I have a laptop and I used Garage Band. It has its limitations too, so I would just use it to make the sounds and make it feel good when recording the demo. When the producer heard it, he really liked the way it sounded and he asked me, “Where did you record this?” and I said, “In my kitchen!” and he said, “Well, let’s make the record in your kitchen.” So we made the record in the kitchen.

I also had played all the instruments on the demo, but I didn’t really think that we were going to keep me as the only musician on the record. I thought, for sure we’re going to have a drummer and a bass player and all these things. Tobias Froberg, who produced it, he had seen me play the solo show when it was in its infancy and he really wanted to capture that vibe of one person doing something and he encouraged me to play everything so we went that route. I’m really glad we did because it has been a wonderful experience so far.

Do you have a favorite song that you enjoy playing live?
I love “Birds Fly Away.” Actually, each song is unique and they all have a specific role in the set. I really wanted to bring the listener on a journey when they listen to the set. I always think its best when you hear it from beginning to end because it goes into different spectrums of the musical language I use. “Birds Fly Away” is a really good song. I like playing “Hi-Low” a lot too, that’s probably the most complicated song I play, it’s a fun song to play too.

How long did it take to put together your live show?
I completed my rig after the record was mixed, so that was in March and then I really went into rehearsing a lot and then I hit the road. I spent maybe a month completing the show, but then it took a long time of playing to really get in my body. I would make a lot of mistakes in the beginning, I would be really nervous, but maybe those mistakes were something that I recognized. To me, I’ve reached the point where it’s really a musical instrument to me. It’s just another way of playing songs and playing music. I want the audience to really feel like they’re in the music and not worry so much about, “Oh my God is she going to fall or step on the wrong pedal?”

What is your typical songwriting process?
Well, I found a new way of writing on this record. I thi
nk because I started with thi
s looping thing, I started thinking of music in different ways. It sort of broke me out of my habits a little bit. So I decided to do the same thing for my writing. I started collecting ideas for a long time and I would spend a lot of time just working on melodies first and singing little snippets of stuff and not be so judgmental with myself and just collect ideas and go back and listen to them again. And not try to finish stuff and just be playful and have fun with it.

I would really be inspired by different textures of things. I see music in colors and textures a lot. So, I might sit and look at this board behind us here and try to sing that or I would draw something and try to sing it and make a melody out of something I was drawing, just to break my mind out of its normal habits. And I found that it was a really enjoyable process and it took the pressure off somehow. It was really playful and in the end, I think I gave myself more freedom and the end result is a lot more pleasing to me. It also felt like definitely my most personal songs on this record as a whole, the fact that I wrote all the music and I explored all these different ideas. It was very exciting.

I love your song “Japanese Art.”
Tobias actually wrote the lyrics to that song. He sat in my kitchen and I have a book about Japanese Art and he looked at it and he just started flowing. We’re both from Gotland, so we had to put Gotland in there and we both travel a lot. It was a little bit of a whimsical song, but it definitely plays up the joyfulness of that song. That’s what I was trying to do, I was trying to write music that would say something and then the lyrics would fall in place. I didn’t write any of the lyrics on this record. Tobias wrote a few of the lyrics and then I worked with a female poet from New Orleans, Jessica Faust. She’s phenomenal. She’s actually a professor at UNO. And I had asked her to help me find some female poets and she gave me some of her own poetry and I was floored. I cried when I read it and it moved me so much. I asked her if she’d be interested in trying to do something like this. I gave her finished melodies and asked her to write words to fit my melodies. It couldn’t have been easy, but she did a great job. I feel like it came out of me, she did such a great job.

Do you have a favorite city to play?
I love playing in New York. I love it! It’s always fun here. Sometimes you just stumble on places and you have a magical night. It depends on all the circumstances too. I played in Milwaukee opening for Mason Jennings and it was a wonderful show, I really loved the audience there. The other night I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, to play a radio show and ended up playing a benefit that night and that was a great experience too. I like New York because it’s a very diverse crowd; it changes every time I come.

What can fans expect from your next album?
I feel like I’ve really found myself and really arrived here with this album. I really think that all the time that I’ve lived in New Orleans combined with me letting all my Swedish influences and my Swedish roots come back out is something that I really enjoy and I’m going to keep working on that. I’m very influenced by New Orleans rhythms as you can hear on “Birds Fly Away,” I’ve even sample Smokey Johnson on there. I’m going to keep working on that. I’m also going to keep working on my textures. I have some big ideas in my head and I’m going to play around with it around Christmas time.

Is your showcase at CMJ different than the typical concert?
My show is so intense that unfortunately, for me to put something new in the show, it’s hard to do unless I have some serious rehearsal time. In the past, I could just get together with the band and do a two-hour rehearsal and then be able to play that. I actually have to get into rehearsal space with all my gear, do a couple days of rehearsing and I haven’t had the luxury of that. My show is pretty much worked out. Of course no one knows how tonight’s going to happen. I am excited because I know there are a lot of special guests in the audience that are invited by my publicists so that’s going to be nice but of course I’m a little bit nervous. I want to make a good impression. In New Orleans you don’t get so much of that, you don’t get so much industry and you don’t have high pressure situations all the time. It’s been challenging to be in those situations to really have to bring my super A-game every time I perform. But, I love challenges and I love to step up. I’m just hoping to make the audience feel like they’re able to step into my world tonight with everything else that’s been going on.

You’ve been getting some great press. Rolling Stone featured you recently.
Yes! I know, I’m so excited! When I started this record, I really erased any kind of ideas of wanting to fit into a format or trying to be something or have a specific sound, any of that stuff, just out of my mind. None of that. I really tried to just make a record that I could be proud of and a record that was personal and real from the heart.

And, I think when you listen to Hummingbird, Go! you’ll agree. For more on Theresa, be sure to check out her MySpace and see when she’s playing a tour nearby. It will surely be a unique performance you will never forget.

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Q&A

Blast From the Past: Q&A with Ace Enders

The best part of working at my college newspaper was that I knew everything that was going on around campus. So, whenever a band was performing, you bet I was there. Below is my blog post from Jane Magazine‘s music blog portion of the Web site of my interview with Ace Enders, formerly of The Early November.

I’m always excited to find out about good bands from New Jersey, being a Jersey girl myself. This past Friday I saw emo/indie rock band The Early November from Hammonton, put on a show at Rutgers and they really blew me away. After the concert I chatted with lead singer Ace Enders about the concept of the band’s new three-disc album and how fans should listen to it with headphones on because “it takes you to a different place.”

Where do you get inspiration for your music?
I try and reach just from everyday normal life; from watching people and how they react to different things.

You played at Rutgers before right?
Yeah. We played in a classroom one time. It was a little weird. We had a chalk board behind us.

How did you feel seeing your video on MTV the first time?
It was definitely a weird feeling the first time. But it faded pretty quickly when we heard that they were taking it off MTV.

How did you get the idea for the story line on your current album?
It didn’t come out exactly how I wanted it to come out. It was supposed to be not just songs, but more for your imagination. It would follow a whole story. It’s not perfect, but it came out a bit.

—Annie

November 20, 2006

Categories
Q&A

Listen to My Audio Interview with Strive

It’s taken a few weeks, but I finally finished editing my interview with frontman Derick Thompson of Strive. It’s broken up into two segments; approximately 10 minutes each. Listen to them below and let me know what you think! You can also read the full interview here.

To listen to Derick talk about the history of the band, their music and latest album, Fire, click here.

To learn more about the music writing process, being ranked No. 14 as CCM’s top 100 artists and a very personal, in-depth description of his favorite song on the album, listen here.

Check back in the upcoming weeks for the audio interview with Matthew Perryman Jones as well as Joshua Radin and Brett Dennen!