Simply Six: Megan Blue

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 five, I was obsessed with the theme song from 'Flash Dance'.  I remember twirling around on the orange shag carpet with my fisher-price plastic microphone.  I was hooked pretty early!  

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

your favorites? I love funky music.  The New Orleans music scene is so inspiring to me!  I especially love Jon Cleary and Papa Grows Funk.  I also love the greats- Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Susan Tedeschi.  Anything that's got a lot of soul to it, and that makes you want to dance.

 

 

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

or live?  Oh, I have to pick one?  Singing at Jazzfest in 2001 was pretty amazing.  We just did a tour for Sundance Film Festival, and we had an amazing gig up in Park City- brought the house down.  That was incredible!  Any time I can connect with the audience and take them away from their daily grind and into a different world- that is my greatest achievement as an artist.

 

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

How much can music influence current events?  I ABSOLUTELY believe music can and has changed the world.  Artists that have a voice have an incredible platform and influence- Just look at some of the greats- John Lennon, Michael Franti, Ben Harper.  There are artists out there that have gotten me to think about how I can make the world a better place- and I love to be a part of that kind of music.   Music and Art are always intertwined with current events- Political songs have been making us aware and creating revolutions for hundreds of years.  'I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down...'

 

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

your career as a musician?  Technology is a double-edged sword.  The worst of it is, people just don't want to pay for recorded music any more.  They want to burn it from a friend, get it for free off the internet.  That effects all musicians who are trying to make a living off of album sales.  Now it has to be about live shows, which is o.k., except I think that if you start thinking you don't need to pay for the album, why pay to see it live, when I can just watch it on Youtube?  The good thing about it is that you can reach a much wider audience through all of these social mediums we have now.  How has this effected me?  Simple math-  Because record labels are dying out, they don't have the funds to support their talent.  They don't have funds to send out talent scouts and agents in search of new talent.  This means that the ARTIST is now in charge of seeking out labels and agents, not vice versa, and now we are also expected to be promoters in addition to everything else.  You have to be incredibly tenacious, incredibly driven, and incredibly stubborn to make it happen.  Luckily I am all of those things.  In addition to that, you have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe that you have something that HAS to be heard.  

 

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

shoes would you be?

Vintage blue leather cowboy boots-  because blue is my signature color, my last name, and the name of my band, and because cowboy boots can be worn anywhere with anything- dresses, jeans, ball gowns.  And they look great on stage!

I also do a column called POV where you can basically write about anything you want.  I've had everything from the Occupy Wall Street to ghosts to music talked about.  So if you'd like to do that that would be cool.   Do you have any videos I could post, I only found one on youtube....just thinking it would help let people see and hear you.

Simply Six: Zaccheri Gray

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?

For me, I couldn’t say there was one defining moment. I spent most of my time as a kid in one of two places, either my house or my grand parents house, both of which were very musical. In my house, at any given time there would be half a dozen guitars strategically placed in every nook and cranny (though my mom never understood why we NEEDED guitars in the kitchen…) and my dad wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up and sing a song for my brother and I. At my grand parents, usually every dinner we had there consisted of some incredible Italian food and a vocal performance from my grand father (whether we asked for it or not!). He was an incredible singer though and this is where I garnered my love for traditional Italian music. Having these influences as a young child you can see how music would play such a pivotal roll in my life. I discovered Nirvana in grade 3 and wanted to learn electric guitar. My dad would play me lots of Bob Dylan and I learned just how much power words could have. Tupac Shakur was also a big influence in my teenage years and I saw that he could give a voice to people that maybe didn’t have one. If anything can give somebody hope, a voice, a feeling like they are not alone or just plain move your soul. It’s music. And I wanted to be a part of that.

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

This is a tough question (probably for anyone that loves music). Why don’t I just take you through my day (I’m writing this before bed) When I woke up I had to clean my apartment so I put on some Avenged Sevenfold to pump me up and get me through it, I hate cleaning, though I love to cook! I hopped in my Jeep and put on some 2pac (some things don’t change after high school I guess..) got to my friends place and put on Brett Dennen’s new album (Loverboy, it’s a great album) Driving home I put some Ornella Vanoni on (L’appuntamento, one of my all time favorite songs) then once I got home I had some friends over and we hung out and listened to some Marvin Gaye.

I have to give some honorable mentions, as one day just isn’t enough time to listen to everything: Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Tool, Sam Cook, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Biggie Smalls. Honestly this list could go forever. I’m stopping.

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

Hearing myself on the radio has been very cool but the truth is nothing compares to hearing from fans. What an incredible feeling it is to know that you’ve connected with somebody you haven’t even met. I can remember countless times when I felt that way about musicians I looked up to. And now to get messages from people telling me that a certain song has really touched them or helped them through a tough time. I can’t really explain the feeling but it’s a great one. Those are my greatest moments and no matter what kind of success I get, I don’t think that will ever change.

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 believe music can help any kind of movement. Music is something that is in every human beings core. Music unites us. I’ve yet to see a culture without some kind of music. So yes I do believe music can be a driving force in making positive changes in the world. I also think, and just as importantly, music can change an individual’s life.

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

I think all you have to do is have a look at the music industry and how many labels have gone under to answer that question. I am a big iTunes user. I love the fact that I can hear a song or an album and 5 minutes later I have it on my iPod to play in my car or at home. I do however miss booklets and wish that albums would come with digital ones. How great would it be to scroll through lyrics to each song, photos and band notes again? Illegal downloading however is a whole other story. Myself and any other artist would be lying if we said it doesn’t hurt us tremendously. I honestly don’t think people are doing it maliciously. I just think that most people don’t think about it. If you remember that for any of these artists to make more music they have to be able to pay for that, not to mention groceries and other life essentials, I think more people would pay. I make sure to support the artists I like because I want to see them make more music and I also know that 10 dollars isn’t much money for something that may have taken them a year to create. With that being said I do know many people that pay for music and have some incredible fans that have too, so I thank you for that.

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

A nice pair of dark brown leather boots. This way I get to go to nice restaurants but still ride motorcycles. I love motorcycles

Simply Six: Tomas Doncker

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 

TOMAS: when I was 12 years old, I was watching a concert program on television late one Saturday night. Larry Graham and Graham Central Station were performing on the show.  I went into my parent’s bedroom, woke my mother up, and dragged her into the living room to watch the show with me. It was at that moment that I realized that I wanted to be a musician.

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

TOMAS:The Idan Raichel Project,Method of Defiance,Steel Pulse,Tcheka,Fela,of course

There’s always the classics-Marvin Gaye,James Brown,Albert King.Chris Whitley has been a huge influence on me.I also happen to love Marla Mase and Rod Clemmons-

Both of whom I have the pleasure of working closely with.

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

TOMAS:There have been so many magical moments,and I feel very blessed to be able to say that.Last fall we performed in China for 8 days in front of about 100,000 people.That

Was an amazing experience,As far as making records goes my new CD “Power of the trinity” was a dream come true.I got to work with a few of my heroes including Bill Laswell(Grammy Award winning producer/Bassist),Yusef Komunyakaa(Pulitzer Prize winning poet),and Ethiopian R & B legend Selam Woldermariam.I was in heaven the whole time!

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

TOMAS:Well,remember the song “I love music” by the O’jays(written by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff)? It says-“Music is the healing force of the world”,and FELA

Said-“Music is the weapon of the future”.That pretty much sums up how I feel about

The power of music.”You may say I’m a dreamer,but I’m not the only one”

What if…

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

TOMAS:My creative process is still the same.It all starts with a great song.All I need to

Start that process is an acoustic guitar and my voice.If it doesn’t sound cool then,the

Technology won’t make any difference in the final analysis.Perhaps that’s a bit “old school” but remember-The Beatles made Sgt. Pepper on an 8 track machine.

It still sounds good to me.Of course the internet has made it possible to reach a lot

People and expand your fan base,but it still starts with a song.

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

TOMAS:A nice pair of Italian leather dress shoes.Always comfortable,but always in style.

Simply Six: Traum Diggs

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 would say the first time I saw Run-DMC on TV I knew that I wanted to do whatever they were doing.  I couldn't be more than 5-6 but I knew that I wanted   to be just like them.

   

 

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

I'm a real 70s and Early 80s soul music junkie! Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Jackson 5, Teddy Pendergrass, Donny Hathaway, The Stylistics, The O'Jays, The ChiLites, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Gap Band, The Spinners, Teena Marie, Rick James, Smokey, on and on! If I'm not listening to that it's classic hip-hop or reggae. 

 

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

   I recorded a tribute to Michael Jackson called "Mike Jackin' 4 Beats" which I believe is my greatest lyrical performance on record to date.  I also performed two shows in one night once.  A show with my band in Manhattan and then opened for Talib Kweli at a venue in Brooklyn.  That was the best feeling I have had as an artist thus far. 

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

   Music has provided the backdrop to many a movement.  If you are unfamiliar with the state of the world in a particular time or place just listen to the music and you will know.  There is no question that music can change and influence the world. How many Vietnam War protesters do you think were influenced by Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". 

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

     Technology has affected and will continue to affect the music industry.  From 45s and vinyl to 8 tracks to cassettes to CDs, to mp3s, the landscape of how music is packaged and delivered to the consumer has changed.  As far as the artist is concerned, the technology of today gives the unsigned or never before heard artist an almost even playing ground with the major label artist. If you have a clever or simply rediculous presentation you have a chance to "go viral" and reach millions of people online.  In my career specifically, technology has been essential.  The mere fact that I am doing this interview is the result of the technology that we now have at our disposal.  As a result of the Internet, I have been able to connect globally with folks who would never have access to me or my music 10 years ago.  So although it has created a great deal of absolutely horrible content, it is somewhat of a necessary evil.     

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

        I am definitely a pair of Gortex! Rugged, waterproof, dexterous and stylish all at the same time.  And very New York!

SIMPLY SIX: Chapman

Chapman is a singer/songwriter from London.

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 remember my sister had vinyl copies of the 'Red' and 'Blue' Beatles compilations 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 and at a very young age putting them on (or probably someone put them on for me) and listening to the songs while looking at the inside of the gatefold sleeve where The Beatles are seemingly incognito in a crowd against an iron fence. Obviously the irony of that shot was lost on me as they were never really able to be incognito, but the music certainly permeated my soul!

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

 People joke with me that most of the artists I like are either dead or reclusive! That isn't entirely true but let's just say you can't follow many of them on Twitter! A list right off the top of my head would read like this:-

David Ackles, Scott Walker, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Paul Weller, Cat Stevens, Midlake, Wild Beasts, Bill Callahan. I've also really been getting into some classic Acid House tracks recently - so it's a pretty wide variety.

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

I recorded my first solo album 'Unexploded Bombshell' completely alone in a small studio that I set up in the front room of my one bedroom flat. It was a very personal record recorded after the death of my father. When one of the tracks was picked up by BBC Radio and I heard it played for the first time it was really emotional. After years of working with/or relying on other people to create, this was something I'd done myself in my front room and here it was on national radio.

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

Music is certainly very powerful maybe a little like a drug, when we hear it it makes us feel a certain way that we have to keep returning to. It either tunes in to our emotional state like a ballad when we're feeling sad or tunes us into an emotional state like a dance record at a club for instance.

Maybe once upon a time it was a more potent weapon for change, unfortunately the world society has been flooded by cynicism and we've lost our idealism. Much of the music that is mass marketed to us isn't going to change the world (whatever that might mean) but as I've already said that doesn't stop it being a powerful drug for many people.

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

Technology has always affected the music industry from making it, selling it, to listening whether we are talking about the move from wax cylinders to vinyl records or the rise of the mp3. However, there is no doubt that the last ten years we have seen advances in technology causing a major upheaval.

It's now easier to record, release, promote and sell without the traditional structure of a major label. I can record an album in my own studio, and securedigital distribution relatively cheaply. The growth in social media has given musicians access to an audience that would previously have been difficult to reach. Digital formats have made all music more accessible. It's a double edged sword though the growth of filesharing means that it's harder to make money from music unless you are prepared to tour constantly. As a young father with a young daughter  - I don't want to be on the road constantly as she grows up. That is why every independent musician has to be innovative and search constantly for new ways of doing everything, it's not enough to just make an album anymore...that's why I decided to release three at once!

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

A pair of Adidas Superstars

Check out the three different versions of the same song.  He released three albums at the same time, with different versions of all the songs.