The April 19th edition of our radio show featured a guest appearance by The Hound's dad, Duane High, who did college radio back in the day as "The Rough Surf Show", as well as a phone interview with bassist Mike Elliott of Darry Miller & the Veil.
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
3/16/10
Buzz Artist: OnCue
My friend CJ Luzi put me up on OnCue, with whom he will be working on an upcoming project sampling various indie and rock songs for a mixtape. To prepare you for that eventual release, I encourage you to check out OnCue's current mixtape Cueyfornication, on which he spits over beats based on Red Hot Chili Peppers samples, sponsored by IllRoots and The Press Play Show. 
You can find it on DatPiff, the largest mixtape download site, by clicking [here]. Mixtape heavyweights Mick Boogie and Terry Urban are already involved with both projects, making Cuey a great bet to make it big in the near future, receiving coverage from major hip-hop blogs including The Smoking Section and 2DopeBoyz. Check out my exclusive interview:
Sampling RHCP for a concept mixtape might seem like a gimmick, but for a rapper who claims to want to be the next Billy Joel and cites Ben Gibbard's writing for The Postal Service's Give Up and Death Cab's Transatlanticism as life-changing, the relationship with rock music obviously goes far deeper. Cuey's rhymes are not to be underestimated either, so be on the lookout for his live show and more music in the coming months.
- What got you into hip-hop in general and sample-based productions specifically?
- Started when I was really young. I have a brother that is 7 years older than myself. When I was roughly 3 or 4 years old, he brought home old rap cassettes (Run DMC, Keith Sweat, Kriss Kross, O.P.P. etc.) And my love, started there. The "sample-based" part of your question, came out of the idea to put out an alternative/indie/electro sounded project mixed with hip-hop, at cost and time efficiency. All of my mixtapes, are/tend to be sample-based projects, but albums, EPs and singles coming soon, will be 100% original.
- Do you find yourself pigeonholed into a certain style/persona as a white rapper from Connecticut?
- I did once, but I grew out of it. Prior to Cueyfornication I made straight, well generic sounding hip-hop. It wasn't until I did a song called "Inhale, Exhale" [off of 2008's Elevator Muzik] that made it all click. Guitars, pianos, and I started to sing, and now we have what you -- now probably you know me as.
- How did you get 'discovered' by big names like Mick Boogie and Terry Urban?
- Mick, Terry and I have a mutual friend Christopher Truth. Short and simple, Mick and Terry heard the aforementioned "Inhale, Exhale" and loved it. I also do graphic design on the side, and us 3 tend to help each other out, favor for a favor. I owe those guys alot, they definitely have alot to do with the some-what still building name that I have today.
- How much of an advantage is it as an artist to be able to do your own graphic design work?
- I love it. I love being creative, that's what I believe I was put on this earth to be -- is creative. It helps me shape the sound of my music, the marketing, the image -- that I myself want to really convey to the fans, listeners, bloggers, DJ's, etc. Plus, design has helped push my career along as perfect as it can be. It puts my music in hands in times when people in high places would be quick to turn the cheek, before they take a listen.
- Which artist(s), past or present, do you identify most strongly with?
- Good question, wow -- real good question. I was thinking about this the other day. I have this idea I want to be the next Billy Joel. The guy had soul, and heart -- and was one of the few musicians who you could always hear that he was pouring his heart and soul into every note, and lyric he wrote. A few other musicians I admire are Ben Gibbard, Hov, Kanye, Big. But back to Ben real quick, Death Cab and Postal Service changed my life -- "Give Up" and "Transatlanticism" are probably 2 of my top 3 albums ever made.
- How important do you think the live show is to hip-hop music?
- Now? More than ever. As the music business revenue is rapidly declining, CD sales are in the tank -- ringtones are getting bootlegged -- live shows are the main avenue for profit in today's music business.
- Why did you choose to make the move to Brooklyn and how has it influenced your style?
- The move to Brooklyn was a mixture of things. I felt as if I was growing tired of my home. I felt back in CT I didn't really fit in, musically. Plus once I did a self evaluation I realized more of the people I work with are located in the NYC area, and on top of that my management just opened a brand new recording studio in Brooklyn as well, it was a no brainer. In addition, Brooklyn really helped me finish writing all the songs for "Cuey Sings the Blues". Being in NYC helps you see things with a pair of glasses you almost thought you never had. I made sure the production sounded bigger. I made sure the lyrics pierced the heart of the listener, yet broad and generic but original at the same time. You see so many faces in this city each day, and I wanted to try my hardest to reach everyone I cross paths with.
- Judging by the various artists sampled on "Cuey Sings the Blues", you have broad taste in music. What was the selection process like? How did you narrow it down to the current list of artists/songs to be sampled?
- The artists and songs were chosen by myself, my producers CJ Luzi and Chanes, and curated by my manager, Mick, Terry and Chris. Most of the songs were songs I loved growing up, and once I went on this adventure to flip any song I wanted in the genres, I dove right in with the producers. Besides Chanes and CJ, I also worked with Remot, Emay & my dude AJ on this project. CJ Luzi and Emay did a bunch, Chanes did a few and Remot and AJ did a joint each.
- How did you meet CJ Luzi, and what motivated you to choose so many tracks from such a relatively unknown producer after working with bigger names in the past?
- When CJ and myself were first starting out we kinda clicked over the internet. He'd send beats, I'd send songs back. From there we grew a real friendship, and a great working relationship. CJ did the biggest bulk of production on Cuey Sings the Blues. But overall, the project will be awesome. I'm biting my tongue severely right now because I tend to hype every new project (as I should) -- but this one is on a different level. I'll be quiet and let the music speak for itself when it's released.
Sampling RHCP for a concept mixtape might seem like a gimmick, but for a rapper who claims to want to be the next Billy Joel and cites Ben Gibbard's writing for The Postal Service's Give Up and Death Cab's Transatlanticism as life-changing, the relationship with rock music obviously goes far deeper. Cuey's rhymes are not to be underestimated either, so be on the lookout for his live show and more music in the coming months.
4/23/09
Buzz Band: Tinted Windows
If this band doesn't blow up, the world is a lot less predictable than it used to be. Tinted Windows, featuring frontman Taylor Hanson (yes, Hanson), guitarist James Iha (of Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle), bassist Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy), and drummer Ben Carlos (of Cheap Trick-yeah, he's 57), has just released an album of ridiculously catchy powerpop and will be playing tonight on Jimmy Fallon (Conan's replacement, whose house band is The Roots). Here's a music video for "Kind of a Girl":
and an interview with the band from ShockTV:
and an interview with the band from ShockTV:
3/12/09
Show Review: Flatfoot 56
Last night's b-sides was Christian Celtic/Oi! punk band Flatfoot 56, and they put on a great show. Highlights included a wall of death, circle pits, a student Irish dancer invited onstage, a cover of the Beach Boys' "Do You Wanna Dance?" and their closing rendition of "Amazing Grace". I had a great time, despite getting my favorite hoodie stolen and possibly breaking my right pinky. Catch them in Wilkes-Barre, PA tomorrow or at the Shamrock Fest in DC this weekend with Flogging Molly. Here's a brief message from the band and music video:
3/8/09
Show Review: Lydia, Black Gold, and All the Day Holiday
Last Tuesday (the day, not the band) two friends and I headed down to Philly to see Lydia at the Barbary. My ex had actually told me I should check them out a few months ago when they were opening for Copeland and Lovedrug, and I got on the list with Universal Motown, so it was free.
The next band, Black Gold, reminded me for all the world of those bands that play in the prom scene in 80s high school movies. Reggae-influenced guitars occasionally breaking into DFA-style dance riffs were the order of the day, fronted by a keyboardist with vocals that sounded like disco had a child with 80s glam rock. The occasional ballad/slow dance jam didn't detract from the generally upbeat feel, though much of the audience didn't seem to get into it due to the differences between them and the other bands playing.
Lydia was obviously the band most of the crowd was there to see, judging by the screaming of teenage girls when they took the stage and the epic sing-a-longs on nearly every song. Frontman Leighton Antelman, with his less angsty Chris Carraba vocals and champagne glass grip on the microphone, glided around the stage, frequently jumping up on the monitors to extend his mic into the crowd to hear their "beautiful singing". The music, the show, and the intimacy with the fans (made clear by the band playing songs called out by the audience throughout) constantly reminded me of the days when 'emo' was not about black hair and wrist-cutting, but sensitive boys and the girls who love them, harking back to old Dashboard, Brand New, Death Cab, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Lydia is hardly a band stuck in the past, though, with instrumentation that evoked mewithoutYou and artsy post-rock outfits. They put on a good show, despite Leighton's admitted sickness and the use of a few backing tracks (probably to cover up that sickness). Here's the frontman and lead guitarist doing an interview with Kiwibox:
The Barbary, as a venue, is interesting. What basically amounts to a dive bar in North Philly, it has become a hipster haven, playing host to epic parties and R5 Productions' shows. Due to its nature as a bar/club first, venue second, all-ages shows start early (6:30 for this one) and end by 9:30 so the bar can open at 10. The party that particular night is a good example of the usual goings-on there... Fight Club is a monthly event where DJs put their names in a hat, and when their name is called they have to do a beer bong of PBR and a shot of whiskey, then play a 20-30 minute set. Crazy stuff. On the venue front, it's great for small, intimate shows (like weeknight indie rock shows with small but loyal fanbases) and stuff like that, as long as you can be out by 9:30.
The next band, Black Gold, reminded me for all the world of those bands that play in the prom scene in 80s high school movies. Reggae-influenced guitars occasionally breaking into DFA-style dance riffs were the order of the day, fronted by a keyboardist with vocals that sounded like disco had a child with 80s glam rock. The occasional ballad/slow dance jam didn't detract from the generally upbeat feel, though much of the audience didn't seem to get into it due to the differences between them and the other bands playing.
Lydia was obviously the band most of the crowd was there to see, judging by the screaming of teenage girls when they took the stage and the epic sing-a-longs on nearly every song. Frontman Leighton Antelman, with his less angsty Chris Carraba vocals and champagne glass grip on the microphone, glided around the stage, frequently jumping up on the monitors to extend his mic into the crowd to hear their "beautiful singing". The music, the show, and the intimacy with the fans (made clear by the band playing songs called out by the audience throughout) constantly reminded me of the days when 'emo' was not about black hair and wrist-cutting, but sensitive boys and the girls who love them, harking back to old Dashboard, Brand New, Death Cab, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Lydia is hardly a band stuck in the past, though, with instrumentation that evoked mewithoutYou and artsy post-rock outfits. They put on a good show, despite Leighton's admitted sickness and the use of a few backing tracks (probably to cover up that sickness). Here's the frontman and lead guitarist doing an interview with Kiwibox:
The Barbary, as a venue, is interesting. What basically amounts to a dive bar in North Philly, it has become a hipster haven, playing host to epic parties and R5 Productions' shows. Due to its nature as a bar/club first, venue second, all-ages shows start early (6:30 for this one) and end by 9:30 so the bar can open at 10. The party that particular night is a good example of the usual goings-on there... Fight Club is a monthly event where DJs put their names in a hat, and when their name is called they have to do a beer bong of PBR and a shot of whiskey, then play a 20-30 minute set. Crazy stuff. On the venue front, it's great for small, intimate shows (like weeknight indie rock shows with small but loyal fanbases) and stuff like that, as long as you can be out by 9:30.
2/7/09
Lil' Wayne's Grammy interview with Katie Couric
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