Simply SIx: Ladies of Sport

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later.  Is there such a defining moment for you?

If there was one, I don’t remember it.  It might have been in the time when a kid is sentient but not making memories yet. My parents tell me that when I was 3 and a half I’d play my little toy drums and sing along to their records at the top of my lungs.  There was always music on in the house:  James Brown, Elton John, Ray Charles, Billy Joel.  Good singers to learn with.  I was always a singer, I think.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites?

My listening runs the gambit, but has been very rock-centric these days.  My current top five is hard to list, but let me try.  In no particular order:  The Walkmen, St. Vincent, Ryan Adams, Neko Case, and Andrew Bird.  There are also things that I’ve been listening to for years that I keep coming back to.  Tribe Called Quest always finds it’s way to my ears once a month.  Same goes for Aimee Mann, Refused, Ben Folds Five, and Paramore.  As you can see, my taste is hard to pin down. 

I’m also a producer and engineer, so many times I’ll love a record just for how it sounds.

And, in general, I listen to five times more comedy than music.  I’m a huge fan of stand up.  Louis CK, Patton Oswalt, and Patrice Oneal are my current favorites.  Marc Maron’s Podcast, WTF, is amazing if you love comedy.  It’s almost always an interview with a comedian talking about his or her craft. It inspires me so much to hear how an artistic mind works..

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

The last song on our Debut Record Empires Fall. “For Mary,” was played completely live on the first take.  No edits or overdubs.  It’s a very emotional and personal song, and there is nothing like the first take for capturing that kind of emotion.  By the time you’ve gotten around to the third take you’ve had too much time to think about what you’re doing, and you start doing the things you THINK you should be doing instead of what your instincts tell you to do. 

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events?

If it brings someone joy, enjoyment, release, or any other emotion, then it is changing the world in some small way.

That said, in the 60s, when people actually got up and fought for what they believed in…that time brought music to match the times.  Dylan, The Beatles, Joan Baez; these artists weren’t changing the world, they were just writing the soundtrack for the people on the front lines.  Does anyone with any real power give a fuck what Bono has to say?  I think probably not. The best you can hope for as a musician is to touch an individual. But is a song going to convince a racist to love everybody?  Is it going to convince a politician to serve the people instead of himself?  That’s not reality.

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician?

For me, the music technology revolution has been a wonderful thing.  The means of production and distribution are far more accessible than they once were.  The Ladies of Sport can have an idea, record it, mix it, master it, put it up and have it in our fans’ ears in 12 hours. As an indie artist, you can’t beat that. 

That said, I have years of shitty recordings that precede the releasable ones.  It took me a lot of work, study, and practice to learn how to make stuff sound great.  The stuff I put out in those early years was stuff I did in a studio with people who knew what they were doing (which is also a great way to learn).  If an artist wants to be taken seriously, he should probably practice recording for a few years before he starts trying to self release.

Look at Cake’s latest record.   I’m a huge fan, and I’ve always thought their records sounded great.  They recorded this one themselves…It is un-listenable.  Bland, flat, lifeless. I can’t listen past how unprofessional it sounds. Don’t take a good engineer with good gear for granted.
6.  Now for my Barbara Walters question:  If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

A beloved and well-worn pair of Adidas.  I may not be pretty, but I’m comfortable, classic, and easy to wear. 

Simply Six: Danny Django

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later.  Is there such a defining moment for you?

When I was in Fourth Grade on a Sunday me and some friends watched a Sunday Matinee Movie called “A Hard Days Night” starring the Beatles.  I found myself riveted to it.  I was blown away by the bands music, charisma, wit and personal charm.  I could sense from that young age that there was something very special that I was watching.  A group of people, The Beatles, almost at the height of their careers having a huge impact on world culture that can still be seen and felt today.  I knew I wanted to be apart of that too somehow.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites?

  I enjoy the sounds and musical styles of Andrew Bird, St. Vincent, Elliott Smith, Eddie Vedder and Neko Case.  I like Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell for the songwriting.  Cole Porter and Igor Stravinsky for the amazing arrangements and tone color. Kurt Cobain and B.B. King for the powerful emotion in their work.  I really enjoy the work of most British groups over the years.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

 I think the song “A Survivor” from my new CD “Child Indigo” is a real accomplishment for me personally. The song places someone (probably me) in a backyard or something observing their surroundings and trying to come to grips with what it means to have survived a terrible disease, like cancer. I think that the writing and performance of the song is completely authentic to some of the questions I’m facing in my life now.   The response by audiences has been overwhelming.

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events?

 I believe that music has a profound effect on the world and culture.  Ultimately music stimulates peoples thoughts and emotions. It can change the way people look at themselves and the environment around them.  It can be a catalyst for positive or negative trends.  For instance. Many scholarly people believe that The Beatles played a key role in the break-up of the Soviet Union.  It was illegal to listen to Western music in the USSR, people went underground to make and exchange bootlegs of Beatle music and posters.  They even went so far as to play their music at numerous underground locations.  This grew into a huge thing by the 1980’s, the vast majority of Soviets were listening to the Beatles, even Gorbachev.  The walls came done.  Peace , love & understanding via The Beatles triumphed.

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician?

I think the technology has really killed the old music business models as far as the mega-media Record companies go.  There’s less money, so they can take fewer, if any  chances.  I think the technology has helped make it easier for someone like me to not only create better music but to reach a lot of people with my music that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to.

6.  Now for my Barbara Walters question:  If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

 A pair of medium-healed slippers with Mountain-climbing tread on the bottom.

SIMPLY SIX: David Wilcox

David Wilcox is a folk singer from North Carolina.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

When I first got to college, I heard a woman playing a guitar in an open tuning in a stairwell at the end of a dorm. I knew that I wanted that sound in my life.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Anais Mitchell and Andrew Bird come to mind immediately.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Probably playing the "Last Chance Walz" - the High School Reunion song - ten years later for the girl I wrote it for, outside of Chautauqua in Boulder.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Music makes me feel more alive - and wakes up the passion to change my corner of the world.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Songs can be more intimate because of technology - more people listen to music alone. If I'd been born in the 30's, it would have been dance hall music - there wasn't a need to have the performers sing straight to you - but the technology changed to allow people to listen individually. Because of technology, when I sing into a microphone, my music will find people when they're by themselves. That signal is most often going into individual earphones, rather than imagining that I'm speaking to a crowd, I can shape my songs and my tone as if I'm singing for a friend.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Fantastic - That's the best question so far. There are some songs like shoes that are made to fit the fashon rather than fit your feet. Then there are songs like shoes that are made with the traveler in mind - places to go and vistas to see. Some shoes hurt your feet when you walk in them, then there are shoes that can take you where you want to go, up the mountain. I'd be a good pair of broken in Vasque hiking boots that you could hike to Chile in and they wouldn't wear out.