Simply Six: Aaron Schroeder

Aaron Schroeder is the lead singer of Thunder Buffalo.

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?

No, in fact, even though I do sing in Thunder Buffalo I have never thought myself a singer.  When I think of singers I think of burly growling dudes with their foot on the monitor in front of them holding a skull or some other really cheesy shit.  Or, some cat that just rips off Iggy Pop or Mick Jagger.  In fact, the only defining moments I can think of involve watching musicians/singers and saying, "Man, I do NOT want to be that guy."  So actually, yes, but in reverse.

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

Usually friends music.  Right now I've been cranking everything GGNZLA records puts out, Branden Daniel & The Chics (self-released), Dikes of Holland (Sundae records) The Flying Luttenbachers, The Hospitals, Swell Maps, and older stuff like The Ventures, Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd, Chet Baker, Little Anthony & The Imperials.  I've also been a HUGE Stranglers kick lately.  This list could go on and on...

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

I once played a show in L.A. on my birthday, and after the set the bartenders kept serving me shots until I was totally blitzed.  Then, I hit on the hot waitress for a while, went behind the bar and served a few patrons whiskey, then got kicked out by my bands mates.  When we got back to the apartment I declared the devil was coming after me while hugging the toilet, then fell asleep on a blow up mattress proclaiming that "floating is baaaaaaaaaaaad."  Not really a personal high, but as far as the "rock n' roll lifestyle" goes, I think that's up there with the best.  Besides it was my birthday, how else was I supposed to celebrate it.

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 it can influence current events a lot, both in good and bad ways.  Once you start writing songs like that though you become part of the machine and I'd rather not be a cog, that's why I stay out of it.  A lot of bands want their music to speak some truth about the world, or make some stand on this side or that, but I feel like that's unnecessary.  For me, music is about letting go of problems and having fun.  Even though I do write some "darker" material I try to stay away from political or social subject matter. No matter what, someone's gonna get pissed at you for writing it, and I want to be friends with everyone.  Besides who wants to be serious all the time anyway?

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

I get more interviews because of it that's for sure.  Otherwise I stay out of it.  Let the assholes in suits fight about that one.

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

Stolen Bowling Shoes.

Simply Six: Esza Kaye

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 a friend handed me the lyric booklet to a Pink Floyd album.  I fell deeply into the lyrics and realized how profoundly and completely one could express oneself through song. 

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

I tend to listen to chill music or dance music.  I love to make itunes genius mixes with a Portishead or Massive Attack song, those always come out great.  I love Florence and the Machine and Glasser these days.  Sometimes café style music like Feist.  I listen to anything KCRW puts on the air.  

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

When I receive beautiful letters from fans telling me about their lives and letting me know that we have connected.  That means everything to me.  I think isolation is the worst thing in the world, and if I can be there for someone I feel that my life and music has purpose.  I also love that moment during a live show when I feel that all of us in the room are one. 

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

Music, the human voice, is the greatest and most powerful healing instrument that we have.  Shamans use it all the time or any group that chants or sings.  It literally transcends language itself.  You don't even need to understand the words to connect to the emotions of a singer. And that connection is the healing.  Recently, the tragedy in Norway reminded me of this.  A piece on KCRW reported the top 3 songs playing in Norway to help in the healing of the country.  Each song brought me to tears though I did not understand a word.  I just listened and joined with their hearts and supported their healing.  

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

Technology is the most powerful energy source we must grapple with today.  It will likely save the music industry even as it has humbled it.  An artist can self produce, self distribute and self promote—all independently. And that is how I have released my current album and how I find my fans.  Social media is changing music as well as the entire world.  I would not be able to sing without technology.  I use hearing aids and ear monitors and computers and protools and video projectors to make my live show work.  My band is entirely machine, except for my grand piano.  This is the central subject matter of my current album, "Tinged With Machine", produced by Bruce Somers of Kidneythieves.  I suggest that we need to form a relationship with technology that is conscious.  If we do, technology can help us become super communicators.  If we are not careful, it can lead us into isolation and pseudo connection.  Not even to mention that the age of the machine is predicted to begin in 30 years.  Two great resources to read are Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge.  And of course, check out my title track, "Tinged With Machine", and its video on You Tube shot by Hisham Abed (The Hills, MTV). 

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

Shiny patent leather platform boots.  They even feature in my current album, track 5:  "Lick My Boots". 

Simply Six: Purple Tree

Purple Tree is a group from New York and Chicago.  The questions are answered by band leader David Perry.

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 seeing my Dad perform in his band when I was real young. He was a lead singer and musician.

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

I listen to Julian Lennon allot. Once in a while some early Floyd. Something like Meddle or Obscured by Clouds. I also find myself listening to Jet, the Beatles, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, and various 80's one hit wonders. It depends on my mood. I could probably listen to Dylan for days. His words dig deep.

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

Playing my first gig in NYC to find the place packed with folks there to hear music I wrote. That's a good feeling of achievment. NYC will always be my favorite city for music.

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 the easiest way to connect to all types of people. Music does change the world a little bit at a time. It reaches into areas of our heart, soul, and mind that nothing else can penetrate. It helps us to understand different cultures and personalities without prejudice. Every generation of music reflects current events to a degree. As far as changing them we've proven it is possible. Bob Dylan proved it with his song 'Hurricane'. John and Yoko also proved it with the song 'John Sinclair'. All it takes is the right artist speaking for the people at the right time through song.

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

Technology has affected the music industry by forcing record labels to slowly become obsolete. The advent of the MP3 has changed how we obtain music and how it is controlled. It has also changed the music industry by making anyone with a computer a potential musical artist talented or not. This has over saturated the market with choices, many not so good. This also buries the good with the bad making it hard for a talented, dedicated band to get noticed. 

Technology and the Internet has affected my career by allowing me to acquire new listeners without having to constantly gig or go on tour. Having a website has changed allot too.

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

Probably a pair of Sandals with Chuck Taylor's coming in as a close second.

SIMPLY SIX: Strange Lights

Strange Lights are a duo from Colorado.

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 ofElvis 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?  

Lonny: Singing wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in life. I really would have rather been a guitar player. It really came as a shock when ten years later the singing was becoming more primary. It was a very gradual change though and somewhat undefined.
Deb: I must have had a defining moment at about the age of 6...because I remember sitting on the sidewalk in front of my Bronx apartment building with the song book to "scarborough fair", singing to it and waiting to be "discovered"!..I just don't remember what brought it on. Now, every time I see a well executed artistic performance,(be it graphic art, drama , music, etc.) it is a "re-defining" moment of being in love with the "creation of art". 

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

Lonny: My musical tastes are similar to Deb’s minus the Beethoven, and Dvorak, and adding some old Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I love the modern indie sounds and the old rock to a slightly lesser degree.
Deb: I listen to the likes of The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Margot and the Nuclear So and So's,The Dandy Warhols,Nick Drake, Wilco, Tori Amos,Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliot Smith, The Delgados, Crooked fingers, as well as Beethoven, Dvorak, and some Native American music that incorporates elements of that culture and newer music. Pink Floyd is a long lasting favorite which I can hear by just thinking about it! 

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

Lonny: Any show that we have managed to show an audience a good time has been pretty much equally the top of my list of great moments. There is absolutely nothing more satisfying and beautiful than a set of music that creates a true connection with an audience.
Deb: My greatest moments are associated with artistic triumphs of creating something I am really satisfied with...Our new album "Light Bright" has made me very happy in this way, and is the latest "great moment". Going on tour with The Flaming Lips could be the next! 

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

Lonny: Music is more a force of rebalancing than a force for change. Our natural state is probably the most amazing possibility to achieve. Music definitely nudges us back to that state. The current world is constantly pushing us towards thousands of external stimulations per day for most of us. The actual miracle is probably closer to who we are and how we interact. Music is a true compass to bring us back to the rare and exceptional thing we call reality.
Deb: Music changes the world, as does everything that happens. I consciously try to make music that helps everything evolve in a positive way. You go in the direction you are looking, and that's where I try to keep my eye on. Sound in particular is intrinsic to our physical presence...the original "creation" of life, as interpreted by physicists, was an organization of matter BY sound waves that "compressed" and "stretched out" matter... Music to me is an incredible flow of energy that is not limited by the physical or time realm. Music is limited in it's "ability" to change "current events" by how much consensus it does or does not have...Most of the time that music is a by-product or reflection of what already exists. 

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

Lonny: A large subject to broach I must say, and clearly a mixed blessing. In a nutshell, with technology, music making is accessible to every Tom, Dick and Harry. This is good because we all have an opportunity to express and grow, however individuating yourself is exceedingly more difficult than in the past. You pretty much have to be a genius and very hard working to break through the musical clutter out there. Electronica and Hip Hop are now such different forms of electronic sound that have changed the soundscape in fairly dramatic ways. These forms of music have fairly clear pluses and minuses of there own. I am probably not saying anything new here.
Deb: Everybody has heard the news that the "old" music industry is dead, long live...what?
The digitizing of our world's information, including music has opened up a lot of abilities as what can be accomplished by fewer individuals using less resources,so there is a lot more music just a mouse click away. For artists there is exposure to a lot of different influences that I think has increased the interaction of different "genres", and, as this gene pool mixes, sped up the development of "new" genres. Listening to some of the younger artists I am really impressed at how, despite this age being so information-saturated.they have filtered through it, finding an original sound that reflects their exposures. As a musician, technology is the interface that connnects my music with the public, except when I am playing live for the audience.,.so it is a lot of how the music gets heard, and how the audience gets their say. Also, for recording music, technology has made it possible for our band to record our music in our own studio at our own pace...for a band without a big recording budget it enabled us to produce exactly what we wanted, and made us better musicians in the "reaching higher" process. 

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

Lonny: I have to invent this one. Merrell’s Morphing shoes, hiking shoes completely able to be very nice looking on an evening out. Fashionable, durable and forever lasting? I am just a man you know.

Deb: Shoes I would be Italian,leather, dark brown, 1 and 1/2 inch heel,side buckle...are boots allowed?

SIMPLY SIX: Jordyn Jackson

Jordyn Jackson is a singer/songwriter from Jacksonville Florida.


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?

Yes.  When I was in 8th grade, I went to a very small Christian school.  I was overheard singing on the playground by Louis Pecci, a student's father who owned a design firm in Jacksonville, FL.  Louis gave me the gift of studio time for my 8th grade graduation.  As soon as I stepped foot in the recording studio, I knew that I wanted to be a professional singer.

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

I have a very wide spectrum of favorites: Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Ours, Christina Aguilera, Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston (I learned to sing by emulating her voice), Eva Cassidy, Billie Holiday, Brandi Carlile...The list goes on!

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

There's no way I could pick just one!  In 2005, I visited a friend in Bordighera, Italy, and ended up meeting a promoter who booked me for 2 months along the Mediterranean.  The performances in Italy are definitely my all-time favorite live memories.

Recording "September in the Garden" in New Orleans takes the recording cake.  Everyone involved in the recording process exceeded my expectations and created an experience I'll never be able to duplicate. 

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

The belief that music can change the world, and the hearts of the people in it, is what fuels my pursuit of a music career.  People remember lyrics after listening to a song once or twice, but how many people remember a speech made by a politician?  I think that artists take for granted the influence they have over their listeners, and this world would be a much better place if our musicians would focus their creative energy on making a positive difference.

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

Technology, like most things, can be used for the good or the bad.  In the music industry, it has caused music to be immediately accessible, which is convenient, but also detrimental to the artist trying to make their money off of record sales.  In recording, technology has created a much easier, cost-efficient process, but it has also caused a surge of artists to excel in the industry that couldn't if they didn't have quantization and pitch-correction.

I am torn as a musician when it comes to technology in the music industry.  I feel that as long as you keep your artistic integrity, you can use it for the good.  As a vocalist who strives to give honest performances, I do wish Auto-Tune and Melodyne had never been invented. 

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

I'm a shoe addict, so this question is great!  I would be a comfortable pair of 5-inch black leather stilettos.