SIMPLY SIX: Mary LaSang

Mary is a singer/songwriter/bandmember/bass player from Louisiana. She was a member of Cowboy Mouth for awhile. She performs with Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show. She is a member of the new group The Kinky Tuscaderos. She says she likes being a member of a group and has put plans for her solo album on hold for the moment. Hopefully she'll reconsider that thought and continue work on her solo album. Go to her MySpace Page and check out how good she is as an artist in her own right.

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'd say it was during the first and only performance of my first band, The Electric Bananas. I was 8 and thought I had I convinced 3 of my brothers to sing and dance to "The Locomotion". We rehearsed; we held bananas for mics. When I left to knock on my neighbors' doors to tell them of our upcoming performance, to which a few came, my brothers bailed out on me. I performed as a solo act, with the philosophy of "the show must go on" already burned into my young little psyche. I think I watched too many episode of The Banana Splits.

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

I am a music fan first; that's what feeds my inspiration as a writer. I have great friends who turn me onto lots of new music in all genres. In my car right now, I have been listening to MIA, Santogold, Lupe' Fiasco, Blur, The Sugarcubes, Lucinda Williams, Keane, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, Beck - I could go on and on. I think the newest genre I've been turned on to is hip hop, and rap. Great rhythm is to be found there.

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

I haven't had that one defining, career changing moment on record yet. I feel it's coming soon though.

As far as live, I'd have to say that I have 2: the first was when my Mom, who had Alzheimer's, came with my family to see me perform. It was hard for her to be away from her familiar surroundings, but my Dad (her caretaker) wanted to come to my performance. My Mom stood there and watched me perform, quietly, proudly, and content for the entire hour and a half. That moment told me so much about the power of music, an effect of me playing it, and how much I was loved.

The second moment came while I was performing at a festival, right before Velvet Revolver. I looked back offstage, and saw Duff McKagan watching us. He caught my eye to give me the thumbs up. Still amazes me.

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

I'm not sure if life imitates art, or art imitates life. I think both to be true. I believe that music can and does change moments in the world, in small and large ways. I helped build a school in Tanzania by performing at a fundraiser with Susan Cowsill. That performance raised the money. I also played at a small, rural festival in Germany, where most of the people spoke no English - but I'll be damned if they didn't know every word to John Denver's "Country Road", which we got pressured into playing, when they spontaneously broke into the song as an encore. It warmed my heart, as I'm sure it does others. Moments like that help bring peace, even for just a minute. Makes life more tolerable and lovable.
Music changes the whole world. All art does.

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

Music downloading affected all of us. In our unsigned case, it also helps get our music out across the world. I hate that record companies took such a big hit, which in turn made bands take a huge hit. I'm hopeful, and appreciative about things like myspace, which has connected us with numerous gigs, and quite possibly to the funding of my upcoming cd (due to a blog I posted!). Technology has forced us to change - that's always hard. But it seems to be good for our purposes.

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

Chuck Taylors!

SIMPLY SIX: Stehpanie Paige Norton

Stephanie is a singer 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?

I cant say there was a defining moment when I first realised that I wanted to be an artist. I first picked up the guitar at age 15 but had always had a love for music early on as a child.
There wasn’t a particular artist that inspired me to sing. It was just something I did and I knew felt right.I used song writing as a way to express my feelings as a teenager and its wasn’t till years later that I realised how I wanted to go about my music.I would say 911 opened my eyes up about the world and made me want to write songs that had real meaning. I realised how much tragedy goes on and has gone on over the years and its really inspired me to write about real stories!

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

I try not to limit myself musically. I love experimenting and you can never stop learning from other musicians so im constantly listening and gaining inspiration from all styles of music .The artists that inspire me the most are Henry Rollins & Daniel Johns,.They both create art that has both true passion & substance. Im usually listening to Rollins Band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Scars On Broadway, Tom Petty, Iggy Pop, Rob Zombie, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tenacious D, Silverchair, System Of A Down, David Bowie, Amen, Acdc, The White Stripes, Misfits, Pj Harvey, The Doors, Juliette & the Licks, Nirvana & more…

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

I would say the way the audience has been connecting with my music.The support ive have been getting in the last 6 months has been flattering. Having other musicians appreciate my work and want to get involved in other projects is amazing. Having people message me saying they connect with the songs and how they have helped them through tough times is rewarding. The fact that you can affect someones life on the other side of the world from something you have created in your bedroom is a great feeling and by far my biggest achievement so far.

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

Of course. Its not something that can change overnight but music is just as powerful as politics. I think that musicians have a large impact on the youth and as they are the ones who will determine our future its important in both art and music to keep on trying to convey the messages. So yes music can affect current events just as current events are affecting music, these are the things that artists as myself are finding inspiration from.

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

Definitely!The Internet its such a great way for bands and artists to get exposed.I really believe its opened a lot of doors for myself as an artist. A site such as Myspace allows new and unknown bands to be heard and grow a fan base. The old days everything was done via record labels and now these days you can get label interest from a track being heard on a website.
And the great thing about the advancement in musical technology is you can pretty much record a decent sounding demo on your home computer without having to spend a fortune on a polished studio album and get your music out there all by yourself.

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

I would be a pair of comfortable shoes because if I could walk through life content then I will achieve the best out of myself both personally and musically.

Go check out her myspace page for samples of her music.