Simply Six: David Bronson

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?

 

I distinctly remember one day in 6^th grade when I felt an overwhelming urge to learn to play the guitar. I was around music, listening to a lot of rock (Guns n Roses, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, INXS – stuff that was kind of mainstream popular at the time), and my brother was already playing drums and had a little band with some of our good school friends, so it wasn’t really ‘out of the blue’ or anything. But I do remember all of a sudden this intense kind of pang to play guitar. And my mom had an old nylon-string folk guitar in the basement that I just dug out and started messing around with. As far as when I ‘knew’ I wanted to be a singer, per se, there was no real single kind of moment like that. It was just a natural outgrowth of being a very personal songwriter and realizing at a certain point that I needed to be the one to kind of define the vocal interpretation of these songs, all of which are very autobiographical.

 

 

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

 

I like a lot of different things and listen to a decent variety of stuff but my true musical heart has never swayed very far from rock; traditional kind of vocal-based verse/chorus song structure just tends to move me the most. I also do get very much into certain types of instrumental music, both modern as well as classical, but 99% of the time I’m completely about the song as my format of choice (followed closely by the album).

 

That being said, a few of my all time favorites are many of the classic rock giants: certainly The Stones and the Beatles (including most of their solo recordings), Neil Young, Van Morrison, David Bowie, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens. I’ve always been an enormous fan of Peter Gabriel. And Joni Mitchell. And as far as all time favorites go, (and I know this is certainly not any kind of novel sentiment or anything) Radiohead is pretty much one of the very best things we’ve been given as a culture, artistically speaking. I see them in a certain way like being the modern analog to the Beatles.

 

And these days, some of the ‘newer’ stuff I’ve been listening to: I’ve become a huge fan of Iron and Wine (Sam Beam) – love his older stuff and completely love his newest record. I’m a big fan of TV on the Radio, especially their last 2 records, and, much like the rest of the world, I really love Adele’s last record. I also couldn’t stop listening to The Killers’ Day & Age record for a little while, and also recently heard the Mumford & Sons record start to finish for the first time and thought that was really great. And from a writing/recording/production/arrangement point of view I’m extremely impressed whenever I hear Janelle Monae’s stuff.

 

 

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

 

It wouldn’t be possible for me to pick one moment or thing that has happened in a very specific sense. There have been a lot of great moments as an artist (as well as a lot of difficult ones), but I would have to say that the best kind of ‘single’ thing that has happened, which has been the result of a much more gradual process, has been the honing in on what it is that I want to do as a creating individual; what I want to express and what that expression would look like, in a very over-arching kind of way.

 

 

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

 

I definitely don’t believe that music is just something to listen to. Obviously to very, very many people (including myself) it’s much more than that. And I think it can change the world probably as much as anything else can or cannot. I definitely think that pieces of music, being pieces of expression, can change a person’s level of awareness or perspective in direct correlation to the degree to which that person allows it in. But it is no different than any other form of expression or communication or art in that sense.

 

 

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

 

I think anyone who has anything do with the music industry realizes how much of an effect technology has had on almost every aspect of the industry side of music (i.e. the production, marketing, replication, distribution, promotion, selling of music, as opposed to the music / art side, which has remained the same as it always has been).

 

Technology (specifically the computer, software, and the internet) has completely affected my career as a musician. Not only have I recorded every piece of music I’ve ever made digitally, but my entire ability to self-release, promote, and broadcast my music online is something that has only become possible in the last few years, due to the development of numerous internet-based platforms, systems, and applications.

 

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

 

Easy – Converse All Stars.  

Simply Six: Sonja Perenda

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?

 

Well, this moment for me was definitely my first live concert ever - Bon Jovi 1995, Zeltweg/Styria, Austria. Open Air. The masses. The mood. Bon Jovi rocking so many thousands of people. Us all going home paralyzed, exhausted and happy. This was the day I knew: I want to do this for the rest of my life :)

 

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

your favorites?

 

I really love many kinds of music but somehow I always get stuck in the rock/metal genre. Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi just to name some of my all time-favorites. Their songs and lyrics helped me through many difficult times in my life. Especially outstanding was "Don't damn me" by Guns N Roses during my school time: A lyric that encourages you not to hold your tongue but to speak a piece of mind, because it's a part of you and you deserve to be heard! Another recent favorite was "Wild is the wind" by Bon Jovi which was my motto during my break-up with my ex last summer. I also like celtic sounds like Loreena McKennitt when I need to calm down and relax. Wonderful, aetherical themes. Music is surely one of the most amazing things in life!

 

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

or live?

 

That must have been in 2003. I regularly give concerts in front of the homeless people in Vienna. Simultaneously, I had the chance during 2003 and 2005 to work closely with the United Nations and gave concerts for our soldiers. In 2003, there was a show for those soldiers preparing to go on their missions abroad, a farewel-ceremony. After my gig, one soldier came to me and said, he saw me live before, the year before when he was homeless and I sang for them. After my concert, he felt like a human being again - something he didnt know for a long time. Hence, he decided to pick up his life and become a UN-soldier! I was stunned and deeply moved!! What a wonderful moment that was for both of us!!

 

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something   to  listen   to?

How much can music influence current events?

 

I think both things are right. If you just listen to music and enjoy it, it affects your mood in a positive way. Often, we pick up specific songs that fit our specific needs in that moment. Just like I said above: "Don't damn me" was on heavy rotation for years and it always helped me to stand up for myself when I was almost too shy and scared. Yes, I think music can change the world in a way that it can change peoples' emotions, maybe their way of thinking. Meaningful, emotional or critical lyrics can make you consider some attitudes towards life. Strong, powerful music can open your heart like no words can do. Listening to certain songs can help you survive difficult times in your life. For this soldier whose story I told under question 3., music definitely changed HIS world :)

 

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected

your career as a musician?

 

Without today's technology, there would not be an album from my side yet! :) I LOVE the possibilities we have now. Since here in Austria, it wasn't really possible to find songwriting/production partners who were at least affordable, not to mention just doing collaborations from their heart and passion (making music is really expensive over here), I found my fitting work partners over the internet! The songs on my album "Time has come" contain contributions from musicians all over the world - from UK over USA right to Israel! That's what this new technology is all about for me - melting borders and coming together globally, even if thousands of miles are between you.

 

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

shoes would you be?

 

Haha, great question :) I would probably be like my old dancing shoes - out-of-date, neither funky nor the latest fashion, but so comfortable you can't imagine to replace them with modern fancy ones. Because after all those years together, you know that they won't cause you sore feet but lift you up - but you must treat them softly and with respect and must not be rude to them, because they may be teared apart easily and then you lose them forever!

 

Simply Six: The Shining Skulls

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?

       It was the first time I heard "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns n Roses. At that time Top 40 was all derivative pop-metal and neon colored R&B. I was in 4th or 5th grade and my mom bought me the album. I put on my huge listening cans and there were the initial delayed guitar stabs of "Welcome to the Jungle", echoing in a dirty urban world I never knew. In a way the title was completely appropriate. It took me to a place in my imagination that I had never been.  I never really came back. I have wanted to play music ever since.  

Though none of their later work measured up in my ears, Appetite for Destruction stands out to me as one of the finest rock albums of the last 2 generations. If you do not own it, I suggest you get  copy. Put on some really nice head phones and turn it up.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites?
I have been listening to a lot of Tom Waits lately, Nick Drake, Nick Cave, the Black Keys. Cave SIngers. I'm sort of in a phase as a listener that I want to hear incredibly screwed up characters tell vividly screwed-up stories. As I have gotten older, I don't really buy teenage angst so much. I get it, I'm just not buying anymore. I prefer an older voice...musicians that can tell stories and can funnel all that neurosis into something less self-absorbed and more entertaining.  Oh yeah, and I have been digging on Trentmoeller a lot lately as well.

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

I think finishing our album was the greatest moment for sure. We took it upon ourselves to produce the album having never really done so before. I worked on demos and our first EP, but I really had no idea how to pull off a full-scale production, especially considering the expectations we had. Instead of going into a studio, I outfitted a small but high quality recording rig and we recorded the entire thing in the basement of a house where Andrew and I lived. I was learning everything from mic placement to mixing while on the job so it took some time for me to get my confidence up. It was a massive amount if work and sometimes I just wanted to quit...b/c what I heard was not as good as I what I wanted. But we pressed on and after about 8 months of tracking, re-tracking, re-writing, second and third guessing, we finally finished the album. When I sent it off to mastering, I had the most amazing exhale of my life.

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

Absolutely. I think art changes the world everyday. It's rarely so obvious as Jimi Hendrix playing the National Anthem at Woodstock. Most of the changes are small and passing and almost all of them occur within the brain of the person experiencing the art. The truth is that "the world" is both a universal thing and a starkly personal frame of reference...and the world is both of these things at the same time all the time. The right song or photograph at the right time of day can turn that day around. Turning a day around is the first step in turning a life around. In that way, I think all art contributes to a butterfly effect. It creates small changes in the experience of a person and the world as we know it the world of people. So yeah, I know for certain that music changes the world, but it is a subtle thing.

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

Now this is a loaded question. Digital technology has turned the music world upside down. Huge studios and massive retail distribution deals have given way to DIY philosophies and the tangled data-jungle of the internet. For bands willing to learn and do the work, music can be recorded and made available to every person on the planet with little more than a computer in some cases. 

I like that I can make music and not have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in studio costs. The internet allows us to expand our reach to an international level. A lot of artists are doing this which has created it's own downside. The downside is that the internet culture is becoming a market of entitlement and short attention spans. Everybody wants everything for free and they want it now. For artists, the internet is both a blessing and a curse. The curse is that almost any piece of art available on the internet has less perceived value to a listener. It's simple psychology. We always value more what we have to work for or pay for with our own hard earned money.  Something given away for free has less value to the person consuming it. But if you charge for it there is a good chance most will never give it a try. The blessing is that it puts the onus on the artists to make the best art possible. My philosophy is that the only way to break through the static is to create music that will stand the test of time and keep putting it in front of as many people as you can. At the end of the day it's a numbers game. You increase your odds of success if you make sure that your art pleases you first....b/c only then will you muster the energy to try to share it with the rest of us.

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

Toe Sox I think. The Shining Skulls are Toe Sox. We have a snug little home for each of our toes....and by toes I mean fans.

Simply Six: Moochie Mac

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?


 I have always wanted to perform since I was a kid. It started with watching Michael Jackson live in Singapore along with all his music videos and such. That got me into performing when I was in high school and college, karaoke and all that. The main turning point for me to making music professionally and writing my own songs was this place in Phuket, Thailand called Rock City. I was performing there for close to 8 months. Sang rock covers of Bon Jovi, Linkin Park and stuff. When I saw, how women went crazy to a cover band doing non originals, I decided that the only way up was to make my own music. I wanted to create something. I wanted people to sing along to my creation. Michael Jackson, Rock City Phuket and scantily clad ladies were my turning point. 


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


I love Michael Jackson. I listen to him a lot. A lot of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Queen, Freddie Mercury is one of my heroes. Aerosmith. Guns N Roses of old. I listen to a lot of Japanese Rock too. Bands like L'Arc En Ciel, X Japan, Gackt and the one that I am hooked to at the moment, Miyavi. Crazy guitar god. Amazing.


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


 The song Sayonara. I am really proud of it as it was written for my late Grandma. Whenever I perform it, I get goosebumps. We are currently planning a Japan tour in August and proceeds from that will go to the quake victims of Japan. I am thinking that that will be really fulfilling too when it happens


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


 People can change the world. Music just makes it easier. It motivates people, but at the end of the day, it boils down to us being decent, loving human beings. Music to me can influence current events. It can help people lift their spirits in times of ordeal. Our upcoming tour of Japan for example. I'm pretty confident it will help Japan, even if it's just a tiny bit.


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


Technology has made music more accessible to the masses. The internet is a major game changer. Pros and cons. Piracy went up, less money from album sales. I love how I can use all that imaginary money to buy my imaginary alcohol. On the other hand, promotion and getting fans from around the world is way easier. Us being based in Singapore could have fans in the States, Japan and all without even being there. I guess an artist just has to work harder. I believe the internet has given back a lot of power to artists. We just have to learn how to utilize it properly. A label is no more a necessity to make music a career.


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


 If the reader of this article right now is a beautiful lady, I wanna be her shoes. I am flexible like that. 

Simply Six: Charlotte Sabina

Charlotte Sabina is a ten year old wonder from New York City.

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?

I actually didn't want to be a singer at all.  I just wanted to write music, and that I wanted to do ever since I started playing.  I used to make up classical pieces and play the piano at school during choice time and my class would listen and I liked having an audience.  They and my teachers are the ones who wanted me to add lyrics and make them into songs and sing them. Now that I do sing, I love it.   

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

I listen to lots of different kinds of music including classical and old time country and some punk rock music, but rock and roll and pop music are my favorite.  I like girls like Katy Perryand Taylor Swift a lot because they write their own music and they work really hard.  But I also like older music that my friends can't stand like Guns n Roses, Joan Jett and Fleetwood Mac.  I listen a lot to Coldplay, Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Elton John.   

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

When I played "Partner in Crime" for my little brother David.  I wrote the song for him and as soon as I played it he knew it and gave me a big hug.  

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

Did you see Beyonce and Chris Martin perform Halo in the Haiti relief concert?  Just him on piano and her singing, nothing else, not even an audience.  I think that song changed the world.  Artists who become successful can do a lot of good with their influence and many do.  I hope I can some day.  I do give money to Doctors Without Borders.  I hope that helps a little.

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

Jeff, my producer, tells me stories about the old days when it was harder to record. Maybe if I were a musician a long time ago I wouldn't have been able to record my music, which would make my life different. I don't know what people did before the Internet because I use it all the time to learn new chords or to listen to different songs, and to send my music to my family and friends.  So I guess the technology is good.  But there's always another side of the story. I know it's harder now for artists to make money because people listen to so much music on YouTube and don't always buy the songs.  

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

Converse sneakers that I could paint and design however I want.