Simply Six: Peter Link

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 define myself more as a composer/producer/musician as opposed to a singer. Though I do occasionally sing some of my own songs and record them, (as on my new CD, Goin’ Home) the main body of my work has always been the former, not the latter, so I’ll answer this question from the P.O.V. of the composer/producer/musician. At age six my dad got me started on the drums. He bought me a pair of sticks and told me if I were to play on the wooden window ledge of our music room for a year without being told to practice, he would buy me a top of the line snare drum for Christmas. I did and he did. Gretsch blue pearl. This promise and task completed went on for 5 years and each Christmas I would get the bass drum, then the side tom, then the floor tom, etc. until I had the full pro set. In the meantime, I learned my rudiments and by the time I was in the 7th grade I was playing with college bands.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites? Bobby McFerrin, Peter Gabriel, Imogene Heap, Michael Jackson, Duke Ellington, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky and still, the Beatles.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live? I’d have to say that there have been a series of those “greatest moments” going on for the past three decades as I have been mastering my craft when I have been working, usually alone, late at night in the studio and I am deeply into the process of making music. I become aware that I have no idea where I am, what the time is, what day it is, and I simply sit back and give the amazing process of creating music acknowledgement. It’s usually a moment when I have finished a section that works. I give it a listen and feel fulfilled by this wondrous process. So I listen again, and then again and again. It’s always the greatest moment and it happens over and over. In short, I do this, not for the result, but for the process of creation. It’s what I live for.

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 changed the world. Rock n’ roll was probably the main reason why Communism went down in the Soviet Union. The youth of that nation became westernized and the pull of the west, largely because of rock n’ roll, pulled generations of youth away from the dogmas of the Soviet state. The Beatles changed the world by changing fashion, religious outlook, psychedelic acceptance, and even politics. "We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became a key anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968). The title and structure of the song are derived from an early gospel song, "I'll Overcome Someday", by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley . Pete Seeger and other famous folksingers in the early 1960s, such as Joan Baez, sang the song at rallies, folk festivals, and concerts and certainly changed my world. We sang along with them and watched the world change. I was at Woodstock on that famous weekend when all the world watched and became aware that the Hippie Peace and Love movement was something that was real and attainable. We changed the world that weekend by gathering peacefully and devoting our minds and lives to the music and the messages of the times. A world without music today would be a far far different place. Imagine it. Not a fun thought. So yes, music has moment to moment influence upon all of our lives. I could go on and on on this …

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician? When people ask me what is my instrument, my answer is now, ‘the computer.’ I have been deep into synthesis for close to 30 years now and my sample library is enormous and very complete. I started working with Voyetra decades ago, graduated to Logic when digital audio was invented and now consider myself a sample composer/ producer. As the musician’s union became more and more powerful and the prices of recording live orchestras became out of reach for so many, the backlash was naturally the development of sample technology which was, at first, pretty elementary, but has now developed into an art form in itself. I’m glad to have been alive during this transformation and have certainly made great use of it. I still love recording a great live musician and will always love working with a great band, but given the choice of working with a pretty good band or my sample technology, I’ll take the technology any day. Also it’s been amazing to the see the costs of great recording equipment plummet downwards. Never before could you do master quality work in a home studio. Today it is not only possible, but totally realistic for about a tenth the price tag.

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

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: Beau Borrero

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 as long as we are being honest, I have to say it was rockin out in 7th  grade to "Pyromania" by Def Leppard, specifically the song "Photograph."  I used to sing along in front on the mirror for what seemed like all night.  After that I was pretty much hooked.  Def Leppard gets  a lot of crap, but let's give them their due - what they did, they did well!

 

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

your favorites? 

I will go out on a limb and say that the album "Us" by Peter Gabriel might just be the single greatest piece of recorded pop music ever.  I can always go back to that one and be blown away.  Also, Paul Simon's "Concert in the Park."  I have been listening to a lot of classical music lately, too.  Mozart's piano trios, especially the slow movements, are some of the greatest works of music ever, I think.  I can always take a spin through "Thriller" and be happy, too!  Although he is at times base, vulgar and just dirty, Eminem is a genius and I live much of his work.

 

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

or live?

My hometown CD release show for the release of "Well" in October of this year was a truly sublime evening.  About 100 people in the unique setting of my mom's living room.  It was pure joy.  Many of my good friends who I've been playing with for many years, and who played on the record shared the stage with me.  A night I will never forget.

 

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

Both, right?  It's like food - there are meals that rock our world, after which we will never be the same, and there are meals that simply give us energy to get to the next day.  

How much can music influence current events?

 I think Bob Dylan and the Beatles answered that one already.  I think we can say with some certainty that the music of the 60's helped to end the Vietnam war.  A song really can wake people up.  Whether they choose to stay awake is another matter.  With the internet, though, we are all listening to such different music, it is harder for an artist to galvanize the public than it was back then.

 

5. How has technology affected the music industry?

 How hasn't it!  I think this is the best time to be a musician in that the pie is bigger than ever, the slices are just smaller - which is great for the little guy like me.  We may never see another super super star like Madonna or MJ, which is fine.  

How has technology affected your career as a musician?  

In soooooo many ways!  I was able to make a really good sounding cd at home for a few thousand dollars.  That would have been impossible 15 years ago, even 10 years ago.  The resources that are available to the average musician are just amazing now.  That said, there is a lot of great music being made out there, which means a lot of competition, but it's way better than having it be in the hands of a few record companies like it was when I was a kid.  It is much more democratic now, in that the people choose the artists they want to support.

 

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

shoes would you be? 

Is it a cop out to say bare feet?  Well, let's see...Birkenstock is making some really good looking shoes these days that are not all clunky and hippie granola, but still stick to their values of making a comfortable, durable shoe that is good for your feet and made of natural material - so I guess something along those lines...

 

Simply SIx: Susan Cattaneo

Susan Cattaneo is from New England.


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?

The moment that set into motion my desire to be a singer actually didn’t happen at a concert of a star performer but happened closer to home. I am as the youngest of four kids, and the sister that is closest to me in age is a talented singer of musical theater. She is six years older than I am and was my idol growing up. Watching her up on stage and being swept away by her voice was my inspiration and created the driving force behind my desire to be a singer and performer.

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

I love listening to a wide range of performers in lots different genres. Some of my favs include Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Little Big Town, Emmylou Harris, Kim Richey, Peter Gabriel and U2.

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

When I went in to start recording my latest cd, one of the first songs I worked on was Just Like It Was Texas. The track was a full-blown country ballad with lots of instrumentation, and I went into the studio and sang it in a brash, strong and powerful way - woman as “survivor” of love. As I was driving around with the rough mix in the car, I confess I hated the way the song sounded. It was coming out harsh and strident, and I even thought of dropping it from the album.

Then, one day, I sat down with the lyrics and tried to remember why I had written it. The hook had come from an old boyfriend’s love letter that began with, “Dear Susan, You drove cross my heart just like it was Texas”. Remembering this, I decided to change my entire approach to the song and make it a quiet and simple love song. We pared back a lot of the instrumentation, and I re-sang it in a gentler, more intimate way. As a singer, I am always thinking about singing properly, with as much technical proficiency as I can muster. This time, though, I interpreted the song not for perfection, but for emotional connection. The song came to life for me at that moment, and it transformed the way I sang all the other songs on the album. This moment has changed the way I perform these songs live as well. I feel like it’s opened up a whole new world of connecting to my music and therefore, my audience, and I am so grateful for the experience.

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 the power of music is immeasurable. I most definitely believe it can change the world. I was recently reading a book on the ways that music can be used as pain therapy, and how people’s recovery from an operation can be quicker and less painful if music is part of their recovery program. I think music can motivate and comfort. It can set the mood for any occasion, and I think it can speak for causes in ways that speechmaking and politics can’t. A personal experience: When 9/11 happened. I was nine months pregnant with my daughter, and we had lived in Manhattan for eight years before moving to Boston, so watching those events unfold in our old home town was particularly hard. I had a lot of conflicting emotions - here I was welcoming new life into the world, at a time when so many lives had been lost. I remember hearing Springsteen’s The Rising soon after, and that album beautifully translated my feelings of grief and hope. I listened to it a lot during that year and found that it contained light as well as shadow, which echoed how I was feeling and comforted me at a time when I needed it.

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

In my opinion, technology has been a godsend as well as a curse to the music industry. On one hand, technology has given artists the ability to record songs and reach out to the people globally through sites like Facebook and Twitter. Also, technology has given us the ability to make our own quality music at home instead of having to rely on a studio every time.

On the other hand, as a teacher and lyricist, I am seeing a shift to produced tracks that may be finely crafted sonically, but that have minimal lyric content or creativity, and I’m concerned that this is more than just a current trend.

As an artist, I confess I have been reluctant to join the techo- world, but I do find many ways to make it work for me. First of all, I probably should have been a doctor, because my handwriting is atrocious, so once I could write and edit lyrics on the computer, it changed my world. Also, I love the ability to create a song and get it in some recorded form immediately. I also really like being able to write from a drum loop and to manipulate music to expand or contract sections and then be able to play them back immediately.

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

Definitely, a pair of black ostrich Lucchese cowboy boots. I think they’re hip, sexy, classic yet honkytonk…all adjectives that I hope apply to me and my music!

Simply Six: Te Vaka

Te Vaka are from Australia.

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?

Ans/ The one that immediately comes to mind is the 'electric ladyland' album by jimi hendrix - as a 13 year old hearing it for the first time,

it changed my views on music forever.

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

Ans/ I am always hunting on the net,radio etc for sounds that excites me and maybe inspire a new creation. At the moment i'm watching Peter Gabriels 'new blood' show arrangements of his songs with just an orchestra, in my car i have Miles Davis 'kind of blue', other than that it's the standard stuff like Bjork,black eyed peas,david byrne,john mayer..any interesting songwriters will do me.

                

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

            

Ans/ on a personal level, writing and producing our 6th album was a challenge. The feeling i experienced on it's completion was like i had just conquered Mt. Everest. I found out how much work a producer does.

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

Ans/ Definitely Yes to that! you can be taken on an emotional tour where you experience all human emotions just by listening to music and it's humans that rule and influence earth.

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

 Ans/ it has brought artists and fans closer together in so many ways, as a musician it's affected me in that i had to adjust to learning new things but it's all good.

            

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

Ans/  Cool red ones like the ones worn by the court jesters of old.