RealSoundsOK

Thursday, 16 July 2015

The Alpine Camp Q&A

Your names:

Chris Bell & Charles Etienne.

Where are you from?

We’re from Los Angeles, but we like to hang out in the woods! And yes, LA does have woods; The Angeles National Forest, and Los Padres National Forest are our main spots.

Name of band:

The Alpine Camp.

Who else is in your band?

We have Jeff Stella on bass, Shad Wilhelm on drums, Matt Piper on Banjo and David Adam Hall on pedal steel.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

We bill ourselves as “roots rock for the outdoors”. We like to hang out in the forest and we think the music reflects that. Lately another good genre we kind of consider ourselves to be is Jamericana (Jam + Americana) get it? We LOVE our songs, but we also love to jam them out!

Who are your main influences musically?

Hopefully I’m not speaking out of turn for Charles, but I know that he loves Irakere and also pretty much anything that Steve Gadd is involved in (Charles was a drummer in our previous band for 10 years). I love improvisational music and have been to 40+ Phish shows, but I go to at least two shows a month and my taste is always changing. I’ve been digging this bluegrass band from Pennsylvania lately called Cabinet…

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Our main goal right now is to build an organic following outside of our own market of Los Angeles. We’re a pretty new band, so we’ve begun that process with our first tour this summer from San Diego, CA as far north as San Luis Obispo, CA.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Even though the band is fairly new, we’ve been fortunately enough to play some really amazing venues. One of which is The Mint here in LA and The Hotel Café in Hollywood. We’re looking forward to getting our own headline shows in town and continuing with that momentum.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

As we’ve said we’re a new band, and being as such we don’t have much leverage with booking. It was pretty humbling being rejected by numerous festivals last year, but I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it right?

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be?

Regrets of a Cosmic Mountaineer.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/the-alpine-camp/sets

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alpine-Camp/150769521773954

Twitter: @thealpinecamp

Official site: thealpinecamp.com

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/adventure-single/id997080239

Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/142zrCSmA0Z0KaPdMNBec7?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Youtube: https://youtu.be/8WUWFATe7Is

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

We TRULY appreciate y’all supporting independent music and if you’re in California we hope you’ll party with us on one of our tour stops this summer (check thealpinecamp.com for dates) and if you’re out of state we’ll be there soon. Please enjoy our music on Spotify and thanks for reading!

Haley Ryan Q&A

Your name:

Haley Ryan.

Where are you from?

I was originally born in West Yorkshire but due to my dad's (and then my own) military career I spent most of my life moving around. I have now settled in Staffordshire though.

Who else is in your band?

Although I am a solo artist, I do have a regular guitarist that I perform with called James Shuff.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

To be honest, I am still experimenting and trying to find my own personal style so there is no definitive answer, I consider myself as a country artist but I also like to take inspiration from blues, pop and soft rock.

Who are your main influences musically?

Wow, there are far too many to mention but at the moment I listen to quite a lot of UK country artists like Dexeter, The Shires, Acoustic Journey and Sasha McVeigh so I guess they would have a big influence but other influences would include Striking Matches, The Band Perry, The Wreckers, Faith Hill and Kacey Musgraves.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Success... Music is something that is a big part of my life and I love that fact that no matter how I am feeling there is always a song that I can relate to. For that reason, I enjoy listening to music but I enjoy writing and creating music even more so as long as others are enjoying it and relating to it I guess that's all that matters.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

The biggest thing would have been when I was 15 and got to work with a fantastic songwriter and record my own song for the first time as that was the moment I realised how important music is to me but this year has also been amazing so far. I have an amazing agent, I am focusing more on writing my own music instead of performing covers and I have booked a few festivals so I am now just looking forward to seeing where my journey takes me next.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I don't think there is any moments that I would like to forget as it is all a learning curve, mistakes need to be made in order to grow both as a person and as an artist.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Each one of my songs represents a different story, a time in my life that has meant something to me so in that respect I guess it's like asking a parent to choose their favourite child, lol. That said, I guess I would have to say the one I love performing the most is Silent Tears as it is inspired by my sister when she lost her son so comes from quite an emotional place. I've performed it a few times in public now and each time it has brought a tear to someone's eye so it's good to know that people can relate to it.

Where can we listen to it?

I am planning on recording an EP towards the ending of the year but a live recording is available https://soundcloud.com/haley-ryan-music/silent-tears

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.facebook.com/haleyryanmusic

www.twitter.com/haleyryanmusic

www.instagram.com/haleyryanmusic

www.reverbnation.com/haleyryanmusic

www.soundcloud.com/haley-ryan-music

Son Of The Wind Q&A

Your name:
Smári Tarfur.

Where are you from?
I'm from the West Fjords in Iceland.

Name of band:
Son Of The Wind.

How would you describe yourselves?
Free, meditative, dreamy and ambient.

Who are your main influences musically?
Anything from Prince to Kelly Joe Phelps to Converge.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Joy.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
To discover the acoustic guitar and the wonders of trying to get closer to the now in music - to improvise, write songs on the spot.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Every moment on stage when I was consumed with what other people thought.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Wicked Girls by Belford says more than words. Well..except perhaps for the words themselves - which I definitely didn't write. Bragi, the vocalist, did that. Honestly, man!

Where can we listen to it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtqM9MyUdy0

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.smaritarfur.com

www.facebook.com/Smari.Tarfur

www.facebook.com/The.Son.Of.The.Wind
www.facebook.com/BelfordMusic

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Well I'd like to ask right back at you - are there any other Sons Of The Wind out there? Or even, daugthers? Let us find me siblings!

Alicia G Q&A

Your name:

Alicia Guastaferro.

Where are you from?

Buffalo NY, US.

Name of band:

Alicia G.

Who else is in your band?

Just me!

How would you describe yourself and your music?

My motto in life is "Go big or go home" and I never ever go home. My music is fun and wild just like me!!!

Who are your main influences musically?

Some of my biggest influences would be Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj because I love the sound and quality of there voice. Especially the fact when you hear one of there songs you can immediately recognize there voice because they don't sound like anyone else which I love. I also like Eminem,he is my all time favorite rapper. A reason why is because he is so bold in what he says and never holds anything back.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I hope to achieve in music to record some new songs and get them out to the public and enjoy every moment of my journey. My goal is to keep working hard and never give up on my dream until I walk the RED CARPET being a STAR!!!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I love being on the stage performing and entertaining for people. My daddy has always said I have a smile that can light up a room and a charisma and charm that wins over the audience every time.When I see someone smile after I perform I feel that I succeeded my goal which was to entertain the audience and that is what I love the most to put a smile on people's faces.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

The song “Pretty Girl” is just a all around fun song to listen to and to dance too. The back round of the song is to promote the fact that every girl in the world is PRETTY and every girl should be proud to scream and shout it out loud that they are PRETTY and to boost girls confidence in today's society.

Where can we listen to it?

http://cdbaby.com/cd/aliciag2

http://open.spotify.com/track/1lswy23KDjDVxoYWewsHah

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pretty-girl-single/id997579424

Sell music on Amazon at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music?

All Songs are available for purchase on Reverbnation. Please checkout my Profile on Reverbnation (ALICIA G). Please become a FAN and Share with your friends !!! It has all the links to where the song is available for purchase on Reverbnation.

Reverbnation - www.reverbnation.com/aliciag9

MY PERSONAL WEBSITE - www.aliciaguastaferro.com

TWITTER - https://twitter.com/AliciakGuast

INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/alicia_guastaferro

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/Alicia.KGuast

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wDSz2c0RXpzKpFtj4OyGQ

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

At the end of the day music is my true passion that I love so much. I originally started training in classical music singing opera at the age of 13 but as time went on I grew to enjoy and love rap and hip-hop. I love rap the best because you can tell a story to hear threw your lyrics that can relate to everyday life.I just really want to be able to share my life stories threw the music I make and make people SMILE and Dance ... "Everyone in this world deserves to be truly happy.-ALICIA G" One thing is for sure I have lived a crazy life and I have a lot to say and a lot to talk about lol !!!

Silent Party Q&A

Your name:
Michael Goward.

Where are you from?
South London, England.

Name of band:
Silent Party.

Who else is in your band? Chris and Jim on guitars and Luke on drums.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
Our music is all about sonic intensity but with a classic pop sensibility. Lots of guitars frenetic drumming and poppy synths and vocal melodies. Us? We're four entirely different types of lunatic.

Who are your main influences musically?
We love (without irony) lots of pop music from Girls Aloud, Katy Perry or Charli XcX and The Beach Boys, Madonna and Prince. This is evident in our sound but we also love all the other aspects of the alternative realm whether it be Spiritualized, The Super Furries, My Bloody Valentine. When those influences come together that's when interesting things start to happen!

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Roger Daltry owns a fish farm...that would be cool.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
We recently just got some support from BBC Introducing which is exciting. We've played sold out shows at the 100 Club and the Barfly and every time you play a show like that it just reaffirms that this is all you want to do in the world.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
We were once booked in to a hostel after a gig in Bristol. We were in this massive shared dorm area trying to find a bed and some guy beckoned us to his bunk and from behind a Union Jack towel told us in no uncertain terms that if we slept on his top bunk he would kill us. We slept in the car.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Our first single Remember Our Strategies has a mix of everything we are trying to achieve in our music.

Where can we listen to it?
https://soundcloud.com/silentparty2013-1/remember-your-strategies
http://open.spotify.com/album/316BJIdGDwpwUT0uLRUn9J

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.facebook.com/silentpartyuk
www.twitter.com/silentpartyldn
https://instagram.com/silentpartyuk
www.youtube.com/silentparty

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
Our new single Taxidermist is out August 7th - you can listen here - http://open.spotify.com/track/1Si04FJ5y3MlOZ51BwctxG

The Insufferables Q&A

Your name:

Carolyn.

Where are you from?

San Francisco, California.

Name of band:

The Insufferables.

Who is in your band?

Keith (vocals), Gene (lead guitar), Ram (bass, backing vocals), Carolyn (guitar, backing vocals) and our new kick-ass drummer DK, who is not on any of our tracks yet.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Alternative jangle horror rock.

Who are your main influences musically?

We are huge music geeks so there are lots of influences: punk, alternative, industrial, pop, such as REM, X, Shadows of Knight, Standard Ridgway, HooDoo Gurus.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Meld crunch and jangle guitars with intelligent intelligible lyrics about fun stuff and rock hard.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

We played The Continental Club, in Oakland, California, right before they closed (and were converted to lofts). It was a cavernous place with a massive stage, 5 dressing rooms, 3 or 4 bars and 2 kitchens. It hadn’t changed since the 1960s when Jimi Hendrix played there. Martha Reeves, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, everyone from that time played there. What a thrill to be on the same stage.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

A recent gig where the headliner, a tech CEO, forced all his employees to attend. They liked us though. This club was closed to make condos.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Happy Now. It’s silly (or if you prefer, a scathing indictment of the pharmaceutical industry) but it rocks; features a nice guitar riff by Gene, and Carolyn gets to play punk guitar.

Where can we listen to it?

http://soundcloud.com/the-insufferables/happy-now

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://www.facebook.com/the.insufferables

@InsufferablesSF

http://www.reverbnation.com/theinsufferables

http://insufferables.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-insufferables/id658959051

http://amazingtunes.com/insufferables

http://play.spotify.com/artist/1nYGqcWxp7reARteSR1zRh?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

We’re about to play at the “Cowapigloosa Festival” on a farm in the pot-growing capital of California, and then camp out in a big tent. We are excited to debut three new songs, including a serious one called “45 Grave” that was inspired by recent police killings of unarmed black men. We are recording at the end of July.

The Time Sellers Q&A

Your names:
James Bull (Singer/Rhythm Guitarist)
Adam Bull (Lead Guitarist)
Jacob Hall (Bass)
Connor Pryde (Drums)

Where are you from?
We're a Chesterfield/Sheffield based band.

Name of band:
The Time Sellers.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
We are four working class lads. We like to make songs that people can relate to.

Who are your main influences musically?
Our main influences vary from The Beatles, Small Faces, The Who, Nirvana, The Jam, Oasis, The Specials, Stone Roses, The Action, Led Zeppelin and many many more

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Hopefully we'd love to make an album someday.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Releasing our latest single 'Thinking Back' and playing the single launch at the Rocking Chair.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
None, it's been great up to now.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Thinking Back, because it's our most original song yet and it carries our trademark sound. It's also had a lot of interest from radio stations.

Where can we listen to it?
https://soundcloud.com/the-time-sellers/thinking-back

Where can we find out more about your music?
twitter.com/timesellers
facebook.com/pages/The-Time-Sellers/646210995461011

Bayonet Q&A

Your name:
Vince Ringrose.

Where are you from?
Sheffield, UK.

Name of band:
Bayonet.

Who else is in your band?
Lewis Cain, Sam Chapman and Danny Higgins.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
We're four best mates who all met at sixth form, and that shows through our music. It's young sounding, poppy and personal.

Who are your main influences musically?
As a band were all influenced by instrument based pop music, such as Fleetwood Mac and The Smiths. But we all take different influences when it comes to the writing process. Lew's influenced a lot by American based rock such as Kings of Leon, I'm more influenced by bands like Oasis and the Neighbourhood, same with Danny, and Sam's music taste is very diverse, which is class to have as a drummer!

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I personally would be happy if we were putting out songs that we could see people connecting with, I think that's the same with the boys. I'd love to to a gig where we had 50 people singing back our tunes instead of a gig to 250 people who don't really care!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
There's been a few, we've had some pretty decent support slots with bands like Wild Child and Lisbon, and there always class because getting to play before a band we'd be paying to go watch anyway is a sick feeling!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Probably playing songs before we'd kinda found our sound, I feel sorry for our friends and family who had to listen to some of the stuff we were playing for them!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
For me it would be a tune were putting out around August time, it's called 'I Can't Be Without You' and it was the first song we'd ever wrote that had a perfect balance of everything were about. The harmonies the boys sing on that make it a great song to play live. That, and our song 'Weekend' that were putting out too, it's very high energy and gives people a chance to have a bit of a boogie.

Where can we listen to it?
www.soundcloud.com/bayonetofficial
http://open.spotify.com/artist/4IPoxHjVvusHmjMKa53wVJ

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.facebook.com/bayonetofficial
@bayonetofficial on Twitter and instagram!

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Nice one for letting us do this Q&A Greg mate, it gives people a bit of a chance to get to know us a bit! cheers /x

TAXXESS Q&A

Your name:

I am Jim Moon.

Where are you from?

Central Texas. Mostly around San Antonio and Austin. I grew up in the country, and moved to the city later.

Name of band:

I perform under the name TAXXESS.

Who else is in your band?

I'm a solo artist.

How would you describe yourself and your music?

I make that could mostly be described as IDM. My more approachable stuff has been described as deep house, or progressive house. Most of my music is a culmination of various auditory hallucinations I was able to pin down.

Who are your main influences musically?

That's a difficult question. I've been pretty influenced by Richard D. James, and other things idm/electronic. A lot of my friends are a pretty big influence on me musically too. My favorite band ever EVER EVER is The Beach Boys, and I will occasionally go through periods where I only listen to pet sounds for months. I'm into a wider variety of music than anyone I know. I can't really name a genre I don't like, but it all ends with The Beach Boys. Mike Patton has been a pretty big musical influence throughout my life too in all of his musical meanderings.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I would like to make a living at it. Barring that I would enjoy just playing shows, and having people enjoy what I make. I'm 34 so at this point in my life I try to avoid unrealistic expectations. I think more than anything else at this point I would just be happy that people enjoy it, and it mean something to someone somewhere who isn't me.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I toured all over the US in my last band (I was the electronics/noise player). I sliced myself up with a knife in NY, Chicago, and Phillidelphia. The highlight musically for me would have probably been Probationer because everything about it was planned and executed right under the wire. It destroyed my computer. Let the magic smoke out of the fucker.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

The time my ego made me walk out of opening for a pretty big band. I never let any kind of ego bullshit hold me back ever again after that learning experience. I had this idea that I was done with some kind of bullshit or another and walked out of an opportunity that I will regret forever. Never close the door yourself, you know?

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

This is the hardest question so far. Probably Follow. It's a decent representation of my more melodic side, and hints at some of my weirder tendencies.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/taxxess/follow-1

Where can we find out more about your music?

Fackbook: https://www.facebook.com/masterblaster666
Twitter is @taxxesss
to just listen to stuff theres soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/taxxess
To purchase any of my releases (pay what you want, or nothing) you can do that at bandcamp https://taxxess.bandcamp.com/
Personal webpage here http://jim-moon.appspot.com/
And I'm on tumblr here http://taxxess.tumblr.com/

I'm sure there's probably more out there.

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

I'm currently on Reconstructiv records. I'll be releasing another album hopefully before the end of the year. It's finished, and we're working on mastering currently.

Cynthia Pinga Q&A

Your name:

Cynthia Pinga.

Where are you from?

Born and raised in Perlis, Malaysia, but currently staying in Shah Alam.

How would you describe yourself and your music?

I could be a little weirdo and one of a kind at times. Heh! I got into songwriting back in 2010 and do mostly pop and ballad or something in between with a little of rock elements in the songs I create.

Who are your main influences musically?

Mainly it has always been Westlife. I grew up listening to them and watch them be one of the most successful bands in the UK and worldwide for 14 years! Their success just inspired me to do something with music. Other influences would be Taylor Swift and Daughtry.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

To get my songs heard all over the world, to give satisfaction and inspiration to those who listen to my music, to be recognised in the music industry and probably win the Grammy’s for Best Song of the Year in the next five years or so. Most importantly, to enjoy what I love doing and rock the stage!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Being the a new solo artist, there’s not much of a highlight yet but if I had to pick one, it would be meeting a very supportive and helpful producer from Pulse Soundworks and recording my very first single with him.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

None – as of now.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That would be my debut single, Me and My Guitar. It’s a pop song but feels a little bit of ballad and has some electric guitar as a rock element added to it.

Where can we listen to it?

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSVGM3OZ6nk