Listen to the new song from Concrete Injection – Devil’s Crypt

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We’re a brand new 5 piece band currently based from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Our goal in Concrete Injection is to blend the sounds of our collective influences (rock, pop, grunge, acoustic, and metal) into our own unique formula with a familiar intonation that inspires force, passion, and emotion from each and every listener.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
We have every intention of performing live throughout North America starting in late 2013, so if you’re anywhere in the continental United States we’re sure to be at a venue near you to put on a memorable performance you won’t soon forget – we promise!

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
The song Devil’s Crypt is an introspective that explores the darker side that few dare to explore, at least not in depth. Some have compared it’s sound to a Metallica style sound. The lyrics are haunting and familiar, which in all honesty is the case with many of our original songs.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
That’s a good question! We are not a “carbon copy” of the mainstream rock bands you hear on a daily basis, but have a familiar, unique sound. We’re hopeful people will enjoy our sound and share the music with all of their rock fan friends so they can say they were part of the Concrete Injection Army from the very beginning.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
The music industry has changed greatly over the past several years and continues to evolve. As an independent band, one of the most difficult challenges has been finding time to professionally record our best work and promote it to the widest audience possible through online channels. Thankfully it’s something we’ve begun to address in recent months.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Thankfully we’ve not had any major setbacks so far, so we’re counting our blessings!

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Watch the bottom line and keep an eye on your expenses. Make sure to find the time to perform live as it’s the lifeblood of any serious artist, but don’t over-expose yourself in a single market.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Stay vigilant in your passion for performing and recording your music. Keep writing new material! Seek feedback and don’t be afraid of constructive criticism or constructive praise. It will help you mature and cultivate your craft. Grow thick skin and stay true to your ideals and vision!

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
There are a myriad of options that can be leveraged, so we utilize many online resources. A few examples are SoundCloud, Reverbnation, and Facebook. We also like to stream our music online. We’ve been honored to be featured on Music World Radio during 2013 as well. In fact our song Vulnerable Skin has remained in the Top 20 charts during all of 2013. How cool is that!

There is also no real substitute for “word of mouth” and personal networking with other artists and fans. We love meeting people and take pride in the fact that they never forget a name, place, or face!

Where can people visit you?
We’d really appreciate your comments and feedback by visiting us at Reverbnation (www.reverbnation.com/concreteinjection) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConcreteInjection).

Please stop by, say hello, and download some of our professionally produced tracks. We’d love to hear from everyone possible and thank you so much!

Listen to the new song from Monstrosadus – Monstrosadus!

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
Our “base of operations” is in Liberty Center, OH where our drummer, Brad, owns and operates Liberation Sound Studio where we rehearse and record. Together we built the studio and in the process decided to start writing songs. After writing and recording our first album, Monstrosadus!, we are ready to push the album by playing shows and getting portions of the album out there in various media formats.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
Right now we are playing some shows in the region to support our recent release. We will be playing in a battle of the bands in Ft. Wayne, IN as well as some shows in the Detroit, MI and Toledo, OH areas. We also have some videos in the works to correspond with the songs from our recent album. Lastly, we are forming ideas for a concept album that we hope to begin work on soon.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
The title track from our album is sort of our explanation for our unusual name and a summary of our musical tastes and influences. It is the perfect song to show the people first-hand what we’re about. Plus it aids in proper pronunciation of our name.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
One of our main goals is to use non-traditional arrangements while still creating a song that makes musical sense. With heavy metal at the core of what we do, we like to weave aspects of progressive and funk styles into the music. Numerous time, tempo, and style changes mixed with unique arrangements give that “prog feel,” but at the same time keeping the songs to a reasonable length as to not lose the non-prog listener’s attention.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
One of the hardest things would have to be getting heard through all the “white noise” out there. Yes there are more ways to get your material heard but getting people to pay attention is a whole other obstacle.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Due to Gabe’s advanced age, we have concerns of his ability to not die. This will be a major set back and we are not looking forward to holding bass auditions.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
One word: promoters.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Incoming cliche: stay true to the music you want to make. You should always seek criticism but in the end you can’t please everybody so please yourself. Also, don’t skimp on rehearsal, a tight band goes a long way.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Hands down favorite way is to play shows. There’s no better opportunity to sell yourself to potential fans than to do it while on stage. There they get to see everything you’re about and the passion you have for your music.

Where can people visit you?
The best way to find out anything you need to know about us, besides hiding in the bushes outside our studio, is by going to www.monstrosadus.com. There we have music, videos, show schedule, social media links, fun games, and Monstrosadus merchandise.

Listen to the new song from Easy Company – Side to Side

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
EC ADAM: Bobby Weir, our lead guitar player and myself (Adam -singer/rhythm player), met while attending Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. We were always in the same social group and eventually decided to jam once some mutual friends brought it up that we both played guitar.

After a hanging and putting some beers back together we realized we were into the same bands and eventually began playing frat parties in a cover band. As we kept playing out to parties and dive bars we started doing a lot of writing on the side. Once we graduated from school and were gigging dive bars regularly, we decided the cover scene wasn’t for us and decided to move toward playing our own music.

Our drummer (Jack Biamonte) and I had been buddies for a while away from the band and we always wanted to be in a band together so that was a no brainer. Our bass player, Tommy Scerbo, is from the same two square mile town as Jack and myself, and played in the same music scene as Jack so we asked him to come sit in for some jamming. After a couple initial jams we found that our musical influences and personalities meshed so well that we had to give this thing a go.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
EC BOBBY: We just released our newest EP, Two Point Oh, that has been getting a lot of positive response from press and radio stations. Our main focus right now is getting our summer schedule locked up. We already have a ton of dates lined up in New York City, Philly, and Boston. We want to push the new EP as hard as we can and get it out to as many ears as possible.

We’re trying to break into the festival circuit as well and are doing a lot of networking with other bands from our area and the areas mentioned above to try to put together some kick ass rock n roll shows. Rehearsing the same set over and over again always gets boring so we’re going to do a lot of writing this summer, adding those songs to shows and start preparing for our next EP.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
EC BOBBY: Side to Side is the first single from our EP. It’s tough to really explain it in terms of genre. What’s more rock and roll than a jungle drum beat and some fuzzy guitars kicking you in the face? It’s definitely one of the simpler songs we’ve ever written, but I think it kind of explains our band in a nutshell.

It’s got all the elements we want to convey to our fans: heavy guitars, pounding drums, different beats that you can shake your hips or bang your head to. This song says, “We are here to turn it up, and we are going to do exactly that from the second we plug in till the second they have to drag us off stage.”

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
EC ADAM: We could answer this question for the next hour. We are different because we are doing what everyone isn’t doing these days. We are 2 guitars, a bass, and drums, and we make a lot of noise. Not many mainstream acts or bands that we play shows with in the club circuit can say they do that anymore.

We grew up on bands like Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, acts that mesh true rock and roll riffs, melodies and instrumentation into songs you can sing along with or dance too. We want to write music that we connect with, lyrically and musically, that has attributes listeners can identify with in their own mind. We play solos, we play loud and we play hard, we are a rock and roll band, not some derivative or other genre just rock and roll.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
EC ADAM: I don’t think we’ve overcome our hardest challenge yet as were still young and have a long road both musically and band growth wise ahead of us. Our biggest challenge thus far has been finding someone to get behind us. Everything that we have built so far, any fans we’ve gained, any shows we’ve played, and bands we’ve networked with, we’ve done all by ourselves.

Not having the connections that come with a label or management representation puts you behind the 8 ball as far as gaining out of market exposure or shows. The fact that we have done so much already in just two years is a small token of all the hard work we put into the music and growing our presence as a band.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
EC TOMMY: We played a contest to try to play the last Bamboozle Festival (now Skate and Surf). We made it to the New Jersey finals out of 500 some-odd bands and we thought we had a great chance to make it to the real finals of the contest (final 5-8 bands from NJ, PA, NY and CT). We didn’t get picked and being probably over-confident, it was discouraging.

A handful of cookie cutter bands got picked ahead of us and I think we had some doubts about if we were good enough song writers or if we needed to change our sound to fit what someone else wanted us to be. But as we started to write again and came up with a new batch of songs, 3 of which are on our new EP, we renewed our faith in ourselves as songwriters and as performers.

The experience with the contest definitely made us aware of whom we are and what we value together as a band. Since then we decided to just put our heads down, book as many shows as possible, and play in front of anyone who will listen.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
EC ADAM: Schemers, users, liars, anybody who could be trying to bring you down for their own benefit. Unfortunately there are only a handful of people who really want to push and evolve musicians; conversely there are hoards of which who try to steal (yes, steal) money from bands who invest their spirits and their wallets in their craft.

We get pitched, called, and emailed by a new “PR firm” every week (unfortunately few have much of a traceable track record). One suitor last month argued that she “never worked with scope of work agreements or contracts” and that “she needed to be paid in full for a six month campaign before any work could be done.” More or less wanted us to send her $3,000 with no written agreement on what at least our mutual goals were, regardless of outcome.

I understand people need to be paid for their work but risk in any business partnership should be a shared venture, if they really believe in your work they should be able to shoulder some degree of the financial risk alongside the band they think “can really catch on globally.”

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
EC BOBBY:  Rock is going to come back in a big way. Turn that shit up to 11 and don’t stop doing what you’re doing.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
EC ADAM: Liking us on Facebook is a great way to keep up with us. We have a Twitter and YouTube page as well. We promote all shows through all of our social media sites and our calendar can be found on our main band page (easycompanymusic.com). Feel free to shoot us a message and say hello. We answer every one.

Where can people visit you?
Facebook.com/easycompanyband
Twitter: @EasyCompanyBand
SoundCloud.com/easy-company-usa
Site: easycompanymusic.com
Youtube.com/EasyCompanyBand

Listen to the new song from D7 – Orphan

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We are based in Austin Texas. We started playing in 2011, put a band together in 2012, learned a ton, then played live near the end of last year – and learned even more. So this year we’re putting some new members together and about to start gigging more. Really based on our album sales which have been better than expected along with song streams. Excited to play more.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
Currently working on the next album, Taylor Won’t Take Anymore, along with some music videos based on our current album; slated to film this summer.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
I was searching for something more high energy for the album, but I was getting over a bad relationship and worse breakup. I can recall not being able to sleep and generally feeling miserable, and then, voila, I had a song. Funny that is is our most popular with the most radio play.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
Most of the groups we see at shows are generally folk music, acoustic play along with a ton of rap groups intermingled with some dance music. Hardly anyone in our locality is playing rock at all. So punk rock allows us to stand out. The music by it’s nature is a lot of stories which even people who aren’t into rock music seem to get into making it entertaining for fans and non fans alike; which is really our goal, to be entertaining. So few people have stories at all in their songs. Most are incredible musicians who just perform and sprinkle in lyrics.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Playing rock music, finding great band members, and playing live shows. The music industry is really suffering. So most gigs are almost gimmicks with soaring ticket prices in order for you to play. And then local venues want essentially bar music, subdued, behind the scenes and often acoustic.

So lots of room for people not playing loud music. Little to no venues for rock bands. Additionally you find band mates who are great in the studio and fall apart on stage simply because they do not play publicly enough. Then as a whole pop/rap/r&b music is really what people are listening and have been for maybe decades so it’s hard to switch that over.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
I think losing band members due to poor live performances. It’s hard to constantly start and stop and start over. But if you want to get anything done you have to.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Gimmick promoters. So many of these we’ll tell you how much you have after you sell x-tickets at exorbitant prices. Generally they will never tell you when you are playing and then mess with you the day of, so the fans miss out on hearing you and your set is cut in half sometimes. I think also being realistic about what is working and what is not.

So often I see performers playing like a small show and getting the polite applause and taking to mean they are really making something happen. So they making a single or album, then gigging based on that, only to find no distribution, no fans at shows and then break up. Important to know what is really working with the fans, what they will actually come to see and getting true and honest, sometimes brutally harsh criticism to improve the songs which then drives everything else.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Do it because you love it, not because you are going to “make it.” I think music is so popular because anyone these days can pick up a guitar or some backing tracks and perform anywhere with the polite response. So many venues have no idea who is good or not, so you may be awesome and not get any shows.

And someone may be terrible but has a ton of traffic on Twitter because they are kitsch and have a huge audience. If you love something you will just find ways to play and have a good time and eventually the audience will respond when you are heard. Let the album sales talk.

I think people waiting to make it often burn out after 6 months or so and are gone forever. Also, write good songs, not songs that you think are good. Talent is nice, music is everything. Something that moves people, something true, something to be remembered, not album filler.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Heh, dunno, so far not promoted anything really, not very social which makes it tough to have a band. But I like just letting the music speak for itself.

Where can people visit you?
On Spotify by searching for D7 and clicking on the Artist D7. On iTunes by searching D7. And on our Reverbnation page at reverbnation.com/d7music.

Listen to the new song from M. James – The Antagonist

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
Well, I guess I’ll have to go with the elevator version because the real thing would be a novella. I’m originally from Connecticut and I relocated to a few states before I landed here in Boston. I’ve had a few pretty intense experiences in my life, the combination of which has finally driven me to say forget all the bullshit and just do something worth doing. So, I do my best to make music now. It doesn’t pay the bills. Oh well.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
I’m actually in the process of putting together a band for shows, but I think it will be separate from my solo stuff or at the very least not dedicated to it. I’m stoked because it’s the first bit of real tangible progress I’ve had towards a band in almost a year. I’m all about creating new things and as much as I love the album I’ve just done, I’ve been looking ahead since before it was even finished. If I didn’t have to do anything except create music I’d probably do that.

As far as the sound goes, that’s up in the air. Really, I’d like to have a band in the truest sense – one where we can all express our ideas. We do seem to be on the same wavelength for everything though, so I really am excited for what we can do.

Plus, I’m supposed to be doing some soundtrack work for a few friends, so we will see how that pans out.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
Well, I’ve gotten just about universally positive feedback for this song The Antagonist. I liked it a lot personally, but I wasn’t sure it would be well received or even understood because I intentionally stepped outside of more common song structures by changing the mood drastically a few times and extending the length. Each part was inspired by a different band, but apparently it all came together pretty well.

Like most of the songs on the album, I had this empty music with no words which I ended up writing during a bout of insomnia. I lost a lot of sleep over this album and I love sleep, so that would drive me further up the wall. Really the whole thing is an accidental concept album about the things that keep me up at night.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
I don’t know because it’s mine I guess. I played every instrument, wrote every word. This last album I completed entirely by myself in my attic. I talk about my life. It’s things about me or people I’ve met, I don’t really make shit up. I’m inspired by reality and classic literature and my record collection. As much as I’d love to just hang out and relax on a beach or party all night or whatever the hell other people write about, that isn’t me.

I grew up on punk rock. I wasn’t good with girls. I skipped college after high school in favor of the military. I go to bed and wake up early. I don’t drink or smoke. I exercise and eat healthy. I listen to records on my turntable and I work really hard at what I love.

Almost everything I do is a conscious protest of its opposite and that’s where my music comes from. It’s the only thing that makes me feel like I have a purpose – like I’m complete. I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life whether anybody cares or not.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
It’s funny because I’m definitely not a part of any “industry.” I just want to make music that people really enjoy, that’s my business.

The hardest part is easily just getting people to listen to my music. I ride my bike for hours around Boston handing out and posting flyers, talk to (or make) friends, look up shows, or post anywhere I can on the internet. It really is a full-time job. Most people don’t care, but I am eternally grateful to those who have given it a few minutes of their time.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
I don’t know if I would call what I have a career just yet. I was in a really fun band about a year ago, but the bassist kind of lost his mind and it fell apart. Since then I’ve been slowly trying to piece a band back together by just plugging away with flyers and Craigslist ads. I’m not sure if there’s anything more logistically difficult in this world than putting 3 (or more) musicians of like mind in a room simultaneously. It’s ridiculous.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Laziness. A lot of people are into the whole instant gratification thing, especially now with how easy it is to create any stupid little thing with technology. If you truly believe in what you’re doing, work hard at it. Nothing worth having was ever easy to get and anything worth doing is worth doing right. There’s a lot of real lazy music out there and unfortunately – as with most art – it is the mire in which quality material is lost.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Learn how to edit yourself and get input from trusted friends. Everything can be improved upon and some things just need to be thrown out. Don’t contribute to the mire.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Flyering. It just feels real ’90s to me for some reason, plus I get to ride my bike around which is awesome.

Where can people visit you?
Bandcamp!
mjames.bandcamp.com

Listen to the new song from Wake Up Paradise – Hits The Ground

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
With the exception of Lou, who was born in Staten Island, we are all Jersey boys. Born in the 80′s and raised in the 90′s. Tim and Roger have been in a number of different bands together since the age of sixteen. While in those bands, Roger and Lou met in a music theory class in Howell High School as Tim and Sal met in Freehold High School. Some years later, through mutual friends Sal and Roger met.

After everyone more or less going their separate ways and carrying on with their own lives, Sal ironically responded to Roger’s Facebook post about starting a new band. Roger, at the time, had no idea Sal even played guitar. They jammed a few times and continued posting online in search of members. Lou responded, followed by Tim, and the brainchild, Wake Up Paradise, was born.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
Our debut EP, Love. Faith. Wealth. War., is scheduled to drop this July, along with t-shirts and some other fun merch. In the meantime, we have been rehearsing and playing some local shows around the Tri-State area to get the buzz going in support of the release. Our current gameplan right now is writing, recording, and touring by this Winter.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
Hits The Ground is the first single off our debut EP. The song originally came about on a Saturday night in Roger’s backyard while jamming acoustic style around a fire. Roger started rapping, Tim laid down a hook, and we all looked at each other like, “Yea, this needs to be a song!” After a while of trying to become more of an acoustic project we decided that the song’s message had a stronger delivery and more honest feel as a full band. That message is, wake up! We all need to change the world.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
We have an old school classic rock vibe about us that we think is really refreshing. Having said that, Tim’s soul/pop vocal style, along with our other personal influences, like hip-hop, indie-rock, neo-soul, and jazz seem to keep our sound relevant with what’s prevalent in the music scene today.

We take the messages we try to get out very serious, but don’t see any reason why we can’t express them in a fun-loving, “living it up” kind of way. Which is why we like to think of ourselves as something for everyone. With other themes like love, self-preservation, and partying we try to write songs that you can dance to, rock out to, or appreciate musically. All while still wanting to sing along. Our goal is to better the world. To do that you have to reach the world. Our blend of fun, honesty, attention to detail, transparency, and sincerity are what we are banking on to do that.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
One of the hardest challenges was definitely finding the right people to make music with. A lot of elements go into making a good and functional band. It’s not always just about finding guys who can play. Respect, personality, dedication, and being on the same page go a lot further than raw talent or having really expensive gear. It took us years to figure out that we were meant to be in a band together and such close friends, but it was time worth waiting.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
For Tim and Roger, it was definitely when their last band Love Isla broke up. It was something they both put a lot of energy, time, money, and work into and had actually started to make some serious progress. To see it just fade away, especially this late in the game, forced them to even doubt ever starting another band.

After starting WUP, some of the setbacks became relatable to all of us on different levels. Lou, originally being a solo jazz musician, Tim and Roger’s bitter taste from the past, and Sal being in his first band ever were all contributing factors in having to put differences aside and set our sights on the bigger picture. We had to work as a team, let each individual take the lead at what they were best at, and most of all, develop trust.

Developing trust in anyone is hard enough, let alone three other dudes who all seem to have their own “vision.” Getting on the same page, respecting different personalities, and functioning as a team took a little longer because of our respective backgrounds, but as soon as we worked out all the kinks, we don’t feel like slowing down any time soon.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Being caught up in the moment. It’s easy at times to want to just go ape shit and throw everything you have at one song. But remember, being in a band is like playing a team sport. It’s about the song, the message, the music – not your chops or ego. Even if you’re not in a band, music is about collaboration and connection. If you can do it all by yourself, more power to you. But how far does that get you? Getting your message across, making a connection, or even changing someones life, is what music is about. And it’s much bigger than you. Much bigger than anyone.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Stay together. Get through all of the bullshit that you go through as band. Fight challenges together, not separately. Don’t let anything outside your band and friendship interfere. Keep writing, keep working, keep trying. Then do it again. Also, believe and love what you are doing. If you don’t love it, why would anyone else?

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Playing shows. There’s nothing like that surge of energy when you see people dancing or singing along to music that you busted your ass to write. We want each show to be one big party that people remember forever. We want people to sing along, remember lyrics, and blow them up on social media. Not for bragging rights, but to get the message of making the world a better place and living life to the fullest out to everyone.

Where can people visit you?
Everyone can listen to our tunes at Soundcloud.com/WakeUpParadise. Check out some funny videos of us acting a fool at Youtube.com/WakeUpParadise. If you like what you see and hear, like us on Facebook.com/WakeUpParadise and follow us on Twitter.com/WakeUpParadise to stay updated on our debut EP and our upcoming show dates.

Listen to the new song from The Escape – Pain You Put Me Through

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We’re a band from the Philadelphia area. Steve and Mike are from Norristown and Josh is from Philadelphia. Mike and Steve had been playing together under another band name since they were 13. Josh played in a band with Steve’s vocal teacher and when the band needed a new bassist Josh jumped at the chance. Josh brought a renewed energy to the band and for the next several years we wrote three EP’s, played countless shows, and did two tours.

In 2010, we decided our band name was not really indicative of our sound or us as people and changed our name to The Escape. We began a two year long period of writing and transformation, as we wrote song after song in search of a new sound. When we finally brought our heads up for air we had the songs that you hear on our new record. New Direction is where we have arrived on our journey. The title means a lot to us as it symbolizes the personal journey’s we’ve made in our own lives and the new sound we’ve found as a band. As the first lyrics of the record state: “It’s been a long time coming.”

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
We’re working on a lot of behind the scenes type stuff (publishing, interviews, press, etc) as well as playing out as much as possible in both the Philadelphia area and on the East Coast. We’re also working on a music video for our single Pain You Put Me Through directed by our good friend Shaun Paul Costello.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
Pain You Put Me Through is collectively our favorite song on the record. It’s the best representation of what we do best, both lyrically and musically. This record has two themes running through it: The realization that relationships and situations in your life are broken/hurting you and you’re not going to take it anymore, and that despite all the trials and tribulations you go through in life that things will get better and you have the strength to carry on. This song falls onto the broken relationship side. The chorus sums up the the idea: “I walked away from you/No justice words could do/The Pain You Put Me Through.”

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
Our music is very easy to relate to. It’s uplifting and empowering even when it’s addressing negative situations or relationships. It’s very indicative of who we are as people. We’re just three guys playing rock music. No frills, no gimmicks.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Getting heard in today’s industry is tough. The internet is such a double edged sword. The upside is that anyone can now be heard, but the downside is that there is an over-saturation of music that listeners are confronted with. You really have to fight to gain new fans and new audiences.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Changing a band name that had been established for almost a decade was quite a mountain to climb. We still have boxes of unsold merch to attest to that. We struggled to reestablish our selves in the music scene, re-define our sound, and re-brand the band. It was a lot of hard work but in the end we feel it’s paid off.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Artists need to be careful of so many things. One of the biggest is falling into the trap of creating an online or public persona that isn’t true to who you are. You can fake it for awhile but in the end people will see right through you. Additionally, working with people who are not invested in what you are doing or who are a negative influence. They will only hold you back.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Write as many songs as you can, then write some more. Additionally, work as a band on your vocals as a group. Your live show has such a greater impact when there is more than one or two people singing.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
One of our favorite ways to promote ourselves is playing acoustic sets. It’s a nice change of pace from roaring electric guitars and crashing drums and it allows for us to reach other audiences in places we wouldn’t normally play.

Where can people visit you?
For the latest show schedule and news people can visit us at www.TheEscape.net, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homeoftheescape. Our twitter feed is www.twitter.com/theescapeband and our YouTube page is www.youtube.com/watchtheescape. Our music available on iTunes and can be streamed on Spotify.

Listen to the new song from Jack and the B-Fish – Merlin’s Beard

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We all are from different places but somehow we ended up in Las Vegas, NV. After being in many diverse music projects on the scene, we finally came together to create Jack and the B-Fish. Our goal was to really emulate the sounds and music styles that we all love and grew up with.

Jack and the B-Fish is:
Steven Archer – Sax/Keyboards
Jeff Chartier – Guitar
Mark Szymanski – Bass/Backup Vox
Richard (Chad) Nicolas – Drums
K. Kilfeather – Guitar/Vox

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
In the next coming months we are heading out to do a tour on the west coast and then it’s off to the studio to record our second album.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
The song is entitled Merlin’s Beard. It is about our epic encounter with Merlin and his obsession with trapping unsuspecting travelers in his facial hair, which is a dimension into another universe.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
I would say it is our versatility. We play a wide variety of music such as blues, funk, psychedelic, soul, and rock. For the most part we just call it rock and roll but it would be doing us a great disservice to try and categorize our sound. Our sound is simply Jack and the B-Fish.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
One of the hardest challenges is just keeping at it and funding this project on our own. Nowadays the “industry” seems to want to mold every band and musician to fit the mainstream status quo. It then becomes harder and harder for most musicians to not succumb to the soulless ways of the mainstream media and just do what they are instructed to do.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
One of the biggest set backs would have to be losing band members and starting from scratch. But you know what they always say. When one door closes another one opens. Who are they? I have no idea but the point is once you find the right people to fit in the empty spaces of the puzzle, the picture becomes a lot clearer.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Beware of the pimps and swindlers who care for nothing but money. Music is about love and freedom, not how much you can sell.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Keep on trucking. Life is a garden, dig it.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Our absolute favorite ways to promote ourselves is being up on that stage and out on those streets. Nowadays bands rely on the internet for promotion and forget that behind those computer screens is a whole universe of people just aching for a new sound and experience.

Where can people visit you?
www.jackandthebfish.com
jackandtheb-fish.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/jackandthebiomechanicalfish

Listen to the new song from Necroveck – Waste and Greed

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
From a rock n’ roll dungeon deep in the Loin of The City, San Francisco that is.  It’s just damn plain lucky that we are in this position. Wait, what position? Oh yea, the broke musician position.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
A couple shows, maybe make a video. Hard hitting songs that will break your ear drums and a couple of songs that will make you pissed off.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
Actually all of our songs are being promoted out there in the interwebs. Today’s selection though is a pissed off one with those that are in control and fucking everything up for everyone else.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
It’s raw and real. We’re not about trends. We’re trying to keep kick ass rock alive and not water it down trying to pander to anyone.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Nowadays it’s getting harder to get shows and it seems that there are so many bands out there and so few places to play. It seems less people like or give a shit about live music. This puts a strain on small clubs and more places are resorting to the “pay to play” model.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Actually having a music career! How does one bounce back? Lot’s of beer because there is no bouncing back after you’ve been in this business (or lack of) for a long time.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
No Booze! Just go for it. There is nothing that can hurt you in this business if you don’t have anything to lose. Well, maybe that chick that’s waiting in the back of the bus.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Quit the music business, it’s all fucked up. Either that or start a boy band. Seriously though, musicians have to remember that mostly you are doing this for your own enjoyment and fulfillment. Whatever comes after that is mostly up to chance.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Sending parliament smoke signals while trying to rest in the gutter. Giving out stickers to cute girls on the street or guys wearing the right rock t-shirts.

Where can people visit you?
On the street, the website, or at a show. There’s that new thing out there too (Facebook).
www.necroveck.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Necroveck/172462976152990

Listen to the new song from B.C. Cliver – Don’t Let Them Tell You Who You Are

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
I was actually formally educated in music and have a Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Voice. After a couple of years of trying to get into graduate school, I moved from the upper Mid-west out to San Francisco.

Life took an interesting series of twists and turns, and I’ve played in a variety of different bands over the years. A couple of years ago, I finally decided that music was definitely where my heart was and put together my own band, B.C. Three. We’re slowly but surely gaining a following in the San Francisco Bay area and we want to keep moving forward as far as we possibly can!

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
Our biggest goal this year will be the completion of our first full-length CD. We’re also focused on getting some more videos for some of the originals up and playing. There’s plenty of repertoire, but I still have more writing in mind, along with finishing some new songs that have been “in progress” for a while.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
This is a song I specifically wrote about being yourself and not letting others define who you are. I wrote it from a fairly unique point of view.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
I’m pretty certain I’m almost the only butch-identified, mixed-race African-American lesbian who’s pointedly out, as well as focusing on a wider audience. Most of my music comes from personal experience, but the lyrics and viewpoint can be applied to many other folks as well. I hope I can make more folks comfortable in their own skin, whatever that means to them.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
One of my biggest challenges is the fact that I’m already out as a lesbian, not to mention the fact that I’m a bit older than most women who embark on a music career. I’m also, well, “non-traditional” looking, so I’m going to challenge a few people’s sensibilities!

Also, these days you can’t just audition and get a gig; you’ve got to have a following, and you need web presence! Being web-savvy, plus able and willing to do a lot of self-promotion is very important. As is this isn’t something I grew up doing, it’s taken me some time to get used to it.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
One of my biggest setbacks actually involved a pinched nerve sheath in my neck from several years ago. Technically, it was a repetitive stress injury (I also work as a certified personal trainer). It nearly cost me both my voice as well as the use of my left arm and I spent over 2 years just trying to get it diagnosed properly! It’s taken several years of healing and reparation exercises (not to mention working on my stress levels), but I’m back singing and playing full-tilt now.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Don’t sell yourself short! So what if you can’t sing like Annie Lennox, play like Yngwie Malmsteen, or write like Melissa Etheridge – you’re you! Focus on that!

Also, stay motivated! Procrastination and frustration are your worst enemies. Every day remind yourself of why you wanted to become a musician on the first place and keep moving forward!

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
There was a time when being “different” was perceived as problematic. On the plus side, those days are rapidly drawing to a close. There’s plenty of folks in every genre of music who are simply being themselves these days and people and the whole are far more interested in whether or not you make good music than who you might want to date or what color your parents are or what house of worship you might belong to. Get out there and show’em what you got!

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
I love opportunities to play in circumstances that people wouldn’t expect. B.C. Three played for Tidal Wave (a local outdoor metal show) and did our hardest, baddest stuff – and folks really liked us!

I also like to give folks opportunities to have a look at our current video for Don’t Let Them Tell You Who You Are! Other than being ridiculously fun to film, it gives folks a chance to see what I’m like.

Where can people visit you?
My personal website is www.bccliver.com. There’s a wide variety of song genres there, not just my rock and metal stuff. You can also check out B.C. Three on Facebook.