Chris Flaskas Q&A

Your name:

Chris Flaskas.

Where are you from?

Born and bred on the famous Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Who else is in your live band?

I have been predominately been a solo multi-instrumentalist for some time now but as of late have finally formed a small band. I use a drummer trained in Middle Eastern percussion, and switch between a bassist and a lead guitarist. I play guitars, didgeridoos, harmonica and do vocals. 

How would you describe your sound?

I have branded my sound as "Earth Rock" which is a colourful mixture of roots, indie, rock, blues and folk. We have been described to be extremely uplifting, upbeat, funky and powerful with a touch of tribal spirit. 

Who are your main influences musically?

My Dad has probably been my biggest hero and inspiration. Since I was a grommet he's been gigging with many different bands. I also dig Xavier Rudd, John Butler, Ash Grunwald - actually theres too many to list. I'm really influenced by many genres and artists. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

My goal is to travel abroad globally playing shows, sharing my music's message and to becoming recognised as a key Australian singer-songwriter talent in the industry for my compositions. 

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

Wow there have been so many highlights. I get a huge buzz off playing to big crowds. Some happy memories: 

1. Fans coming up and expressing how much my music has touched there heart and changed their life. 

2. Playing MainStage at local festivals. 

3. Supporting The Black Sorrows, Ash Grunwald, Wild Marmalade w/ Paul George from Tijuana Cartel, Kooyeh and many other Artists I love. 

4. Recording my first Album (A NEW SUN), my E.P (When The Gold Is Gone) and finally my latest Single release (Kings Of High). 

5. Touring. I love it.  

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

My capo exploding at an intimate show and the parts shooting in people’s faces. Haha funny, but not funny.  

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

Ohh Maybe "When The Gold Is Gone". It’s tribal raw roots, what I love and do best. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvLOj8M3Zlg

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.chrisflaskas.com

https://www.facebook.com/ChrisFlaskasMusic/

https://twitter.com/flaskas_chris

https://soundcloud.com/chris-flaskas

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

Music has become more than an self-expression for me it’s become a way of living and viewing life. Each and every song is so special capturing a snippet of time in the past or future at that very moment it was created. I have come to see the importance for music in our world and am grateful as an emerging artist to understand this truth and share the heart of music with you all. Cheers for the recognition.  

Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns Q&A

Your name:

Sam, singer and guitarist.

Where are you from?

We're from the UK, the US, Canada, and Japan, but we all live in Tokyo, Japan!

Name of band:

Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns.

Who else is in your band?

We are 

Sam – vocals, guitar (Sheffield, UK)

Ju Ju – vocals, guitar (Cambridge, UK)

Yuuki – bass (Kanagawa, Japan)

Erin – trumpet, vocals (Newfoundland, Canada)

Dan – drums (Virginia, USA)

Jonny Barefoot – banjo, mandolin, vocals (ON, Canada)

How would you describe yourselves?

We always struggle with this! We've been variously described as alt-country, Americana, folk, roots, bluegrass, and acoustic rock. Recently little bits of ska and 1920s have been creeping in, too...

Who are your main influences musically?

Classics like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. More recently fun stuff like Pokey Lafarge, Lumineers, Milk Carton Kids, Avett Brothers, Tallest Man on Earth. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Above all, we like to play live, and among the live show, the festival live show is king. Based in Japan, our number one target would be playing at the Fuji Rock Festival, which is huge. 

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

We played at the Asagiri Jam festival a few years ago, which is a bit like Fuji Rock's younger cousin. We also played at Happy Farm Music festival up in the mountains of Nagano in Japan. It was a beautiful weekend. We've also been lucky enough to have had our tracks played regularly on BBC radio, and placed in NBC and CNN TV shows, and even in a couple of movies! 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Perhaps not a rock n roll answer, but nothing really! Will let you know if something happens in the future! 

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

I'm going to go with Cabin Fever. Although we have changed a lot over the last few years, at heart we're an alt-country band, and this song sort of shows what we're trying to make: a kind of danceable alt-country. 

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/jimmybinks/jimmy-binks-and-the-shakehorns-cabin-fever

Where can we find out more about your music?

Twitter - @Jimmy_Binks

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jimmybinksandtheshakehorns

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/jimmybinks

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

Nope, but we love meeting new people. If you or any of your readers are ever in Tokyo, get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and we'll show you some great live spots! Cheers for the chat!

Pete Allan Q&A

Your name: 

Pete Allan

Where are you from?

Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia.

Who is in your backing band?

A lot of the people I play with are in multiple bands, so it really depends on who's available for a particular show. I'm just really lucky that in my area of the world there are so many great musicians who can help out!

How would you describe yourself musically?

I'm not a "genre" fan because everyone is unique, but I'd say it's a mix of surf rock, roots, blues, live looping, and beatbox rhythms delivered in a singer-songwriter style. Music that can make you dance, and at the same time have you thinking about the message within the song.

Who are your main influences musical or otherwise?

Bob Dylan, Lennon, Paul Kelly, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, John Butler, Dallas Green are just a few.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Music is how I share my story, or issues I want to talk about, so I'm always grateful to be able to do this. I just want opportunities to continue to do this through live performance and music I release, for as long as I'm able.  

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

Big crowds always leave an impression, but it's when a lady came up to me while I played at a market one day, tears streaming down from behind her sunglasses, and told me that a song I had just played had really touched her, because it related to her life at that moment. It's those one on one moments that make it for me, as much as a big crowd would.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I haven't had one yet thankfully.

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

I recently released Treading Water as a taste of the new EP coming soon. It's a funky tune, but still shares a message within, and that's what I'm all about with my music. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/peteallanmusic/treading-water-mastered-final

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.peteallan.com

www.facebook.com/peteallanmusic

www.youtube.com/peteallanmusic

www.soundcloud.com/peteallanmusic

www.instagram.com/peteallanmusic

https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/pete-allan/id572735969

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

I'd like to thank every person who supports original music, by coming to shows, purchasing music and mercy, and referring me to friends, it's you who make the all possible! Stay tuned for the new EP coming really soon!

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!

Isabel and the Uncommons Q&A

Your name: 

Isabel Fryszberg.

Where are you from? 

Toronto.

Name of band: 

Isabel and the Uncommons.

Who else is in your band?

Isabel and The Uncommons are a rock solid gang of amazing players featuring Toronto’s finest musicians: 
producer and drummer Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, Rheostatics), guitarist Steve Briggs (Russell DeCarle, Quartette, Slyvia Tyson, Michael Brennan), and bassist Dennis Pendrith 
(Stuart Mclean’s Vinyl Cafe, Bruce Cockburn, Mose Scarlett),  Rosalyn Dennett (The Living Daylight Stringband, Oh My Darling) joins in on fiddle, banjo and harmonies.

How would you describe yourselves? 

I am a honest storyteller with a spicy mix of vulnerability, humour and courage. My songs are autobiographical, roots based, country, rock and blues inspired. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Harry Nilsson, Dolly Parton, Imelda May, Mary Gauthier, Patti Smith, appalachian southern fiddle music, Carter family, Emmylou Harris, Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace, Bonnie Rait, Mavis Staples, The Band, The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Lorretta Lynn.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Constant growth, true expression, honest engagement of myself and my audience. 

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

My recent album is a highlight. These are songs some old some new that I’ve wanted to put together for a long time and I just wanted to put it all together. It’s my first solo debut album. I enjoyed the recording process with the amazing players that I’ve been fortunate to work with, the positive response from audiences and reviewers. This is silly but a text from a friend saying she heard my song on CBC earlier in the day, that made me smile inside.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Sending my CD to my ex who inspired some of the songs and thinking something transformational would happen to him.

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

That’s tough since my music is very diverse even though it is love inspired. 

Where can we listen to your music?

https://soundcloud.com/isabelandtheuncommons 

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.Isabel-music.com

https://www.facebook.com/isabelfryszbergmusic

@Isabelfryszberg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asPvCVRFUws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htxYWRBmmA

http://music.cbc.ca/artists/Isabel-the-Uncommons

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/isabelfryszberg

https://isabelfryszberg.bandcamp.com

Michael Brondsetter Q&A

Your name: 

Michael Brondstetter.

Where are you from?

I’m a resident of San Diego, California, USA.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

I’m a singer-songwriter, father, lover of life and people believer in trying to do what’s important to make life special to as many people as I can reach. With a smile, or a song. Maybe even a line of verse that will let a person feel good about themselves. Maybe know that someone else out there shares there world and is willing to lend a listening ear or a hand to help. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

There is a quick answer and a very long one, which I’m sure you run across a lot. I’ve been influenced by every artist that I’ve come in contact with. Some because they’ve moved me to a better place. Other, because they’ve showed me where I don’t want to be moved to.

Living in Detroit exposed me to so much and I was at an age where it all was great. Then I lived in the South and there was Country and the Grand Old Opera and New Orleans. When I ended up in LA it was all there together. I guess my best story about who influenced me musically would be when I went to McCabe’s Music shop. It’s still there on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica. Still has people performing on the Friday and Saturday nights. I was in high school and I went to see Jackson Browne. This was just before his solo nation opening tour I think with Linda Randstad. I went up to him after the show and introduced myself to him and as a singer songwriter and he was very cool to me and told me to stick with it and that if I loved it to never let it go/give up. He was very ingenuous and honestly real. Not like a lot of people in Los Angeles. Because of his message I think I’m still writing and playing and plugging away today. 

So there are huge numbers of artist that influence me but maybe the most important was Jackson Browne for setting the tone for me sticking with it.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I’d like to be able to put a little joy into someone life and move them to emotion. If I can get them to tap their foot and pull the heartstrings at the same time, mission accomplished. It would be great to be able to enjoy some musical freedom by making a living at it. That’s what I ultimately would like to do, but really I think a good night of fun with me at the stage is all I can ask for.

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

I meet Jeff Silbar(Wind Beneath My Wings) and Big Al Anderson(Not Cause I Wanted To) at the Durango Songwriter Expo. I didn’t perform with them but being able to hear and talk with two of the greatest songwriter of our time. Jeff talk about always finding ways to change up a song that’s been heard a lot. Al really amplified the notion of one having to love writing/performing/playing etc. I did perform for some of the other industry people there that weekend but those two taught me a lot about song writing and heart.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Playing in a venue with you a bartender and a lone drunk passed out at the table and having to play for two more hour. Calling everyone to come on down so you have some energy to play with. There’s also the heckler that didn’t realize that the comedy act that was on before wasn’t on any more. “Thank you for your imput sir, but I’m playing here?” lol

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

That’s easy. Friends. What’s more important than the people that got your back and help guide one through that minefield we go through? Help you up when you fall. All the things that make life worth living. Friends!

Where can we listen to it? 

There is my web site Brondmusic.com. I’m also on Reverb Nation, with is reverbnation.com/michaelbrondstetter and soundcloud.com/michael-brondstetter

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook.com/brondstettermusic, Twitter is @brondman2yh. My EP is on cdbaby.com/cd/michaelbrondstetter and itunes.com/michaelbrondstetter

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

That Iron Mountain is but the first of hopefully many musical projects I have to offer. I’ve dozens of songs copywriter and constantly writing. Always looking for great co-writing partners and friends to work with and make the best possible songs I can. Songwriting is a work of love and passion. I’ll be writing, playing, singing performing as long as I’m here.  Thank you for your interest and hope everyone will write and tell me which songs they enjoyed most or, if something moved you and why!  Even if you just want to say hey! You can email me through my web site Brondmusic.com or Reverb Nation or Sound Cloud.

Also I Hope Everyone will buy a copy of Iron Mountain!!!!!

Self-titled album from The Grape And The Grain

ROOTS rock n roll outfit The Grape And The Grain released their self-titled album at the end of last year.

The New York band was started by 3 guitarist Daniel Grimsland as a solo project in 2012, releasing a short album and recruiting pals to help him continue - blooming into the present band.

He told RealSoundsOK: "We are all writers and multi-instrumentalists. Having grown up together, we have a pretty good understanding of where each of us is trying to go musically and all that makes for a very easy, open and inviting writing process."

The self-produced album was recorded at Applehead Studio and was mixed by Chris Bittner and Michael Birnbaum, whose work includes Coheed and Cambria, Bad Brains, Weerd Science and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes.

Grimsland added: "I think this year is about getting on the road and getting our record out there. We love to play live and we want to do that as much as we can. We have also begun writing new material, so we may even get back in the studio in 2015."

The Grape And The Grain can be purchased from iTunes and Bandcamp and you can also have a listen below.

For more on the band visit facebook.com/thegrapeandthegrain

Danny Medakovic Q&A

Your name:

Danny Medakovic.

Where are you from?

I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A great, gritty town with an industrial history that is now going through an artist-driven revival. A great music town too!

Who else is in your band? 

The CD includes some of Hamilton’s finest musicians including Mike Trebilcock, Marshall Bureau, Mary Simon, Carrie Ashworth, Ben Bowen, Jay Burr, Sal Rosselli, Troy Dowding, Matt Coleman, Jeff Ball, and Chris Altmann.

How would you describe yourselves?

A roots singer/songwriter who loves to marry a good story with a catchy tune. I also try to keep things positive and include an underlying sense of humour, hope, and optimism, even within the saddest song.

Who are your main influences musically?

I draw on the classic singer-songwriters of the 60s and 70s but am also influenced by contemporary alt-country artists like Lucinda Williams and The Jayhawks. Really though, I love lots of music and can find inspiration anywhere, in many forms including Soul, Pop, and African and Latin musical forms.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I’d like to become recognized as a great writer. That would be really nice, I think. In the meantime, I’ll continue to try and write and record good music and get out and play some festivals to make myself better known. If a really well-known artist were to record some of my songs, well that would be a real treat.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?Writing, producing and engineering this CD “Jolley Cut” feels like a highlight right now. I’m proud of this record and but like most artists, am already thinking about the next project!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Having both my main hard drive and my backup drive both crash after being 90% done recording and mixing a new album about 6 years ago. I finally managed to recover some of those files and one of the songs (Ode to Bob) was finished up with new vocals and the addition of violin and cello and included on my Jolley Cut CD.

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

That’s a tough one because you try to do different things with different songs. As far as songs that I’ve already recorded, I think the title track from Jolley Cut represents my approach of combining story-telling, melancholy and humour and wrapping it up in a good piece of music.

Where can we listen to it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk9eekbO5cI

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.jolleycut.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.medakovic

Twitter: @dandanmedakovic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/danmedakovic

And https://www.youtube.com/user/FryTruckMusic  (Fry Truck is a great alt-country band that I play in)

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/jolley-cut/id916332041

Order a CD: http://www.indiepool.com/MEDAKOVIC1

Molecular Voyage Q&A

Name of band:

We are Molecular Voyage.

Where are you from?

Valparaiso, Indiana.

Who else is in your band?

The core of three members is Jeff T, Tommy Ukes, and Tommy Harps.

How would you describe yourselves?

We all been around since the early 70's playing music in some capacity or another. We have played and created music from progressive rock to these days, acoustic lounge and chill. We do small gigs these days playing "speakeasy" music - jazz standards with a folky presentation. We like to use small humble instruments such as harmonicas, glockenspiels, ukuleles, banjos, along with traditional rock instruments. Our recordings are studio recordings with a "live" sound to give them a relaxed feel - like an old pair of blue jeans. 

Who are your main influences musically?

We have many, many influences and like most, they change through the years, and even months. If  to pick one person, it would be Taj Mahal for his ability to widen the arena of his traditional blues roots. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We have zero aspirations of making it "big". All of us are a bit disgusted with some aspects of the the modern music scene. What we do like is the ability to easily share music with like minded people who enjoy our art. These days we love to play and create jazzy, bluesy, and loungey tunes. 

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

I would say the highlight has been the establishment of the KOA Lounge - our recording studio where we are free to create whatever we want. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Probably the moments we would like to forget is the MS diagnosis of our harp player and cancer diagnosis of our ukulele/bells/multi instrumentalist. We have had to deal with these inflictions that sometimes get in the way and sometimes make us stronger. 

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

If I had to pick one song, it probably would be Spanky, an instrumental written by our harp player, but songs like After Your Gone would be a true representation also.

Where can we listen to it?

Sell music on itunes at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music? 

http://www.molecularvoyage.com

http://www.reverbnation.com/molecularvoyage/songs

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Molecular-Voyage/465151780231523

https://twitter.com/MolecularVoyage

New album coming from Dinner Belles

COUNTRY/folk outfit Dinner Belles will release their album The River and The Willow on October 28th through Sonic Unyon.

The band from Hamilton, Ontario, have also released a live video of the track Wandering Eye.

They told RealSoundsOK: "We formed as a family of fast friends over a mutual love of folk, roots, rock and roll and country music. No one takes the lead; everything comes together in the most relaxed manner.

"We're not concerned with much outside of creating something genuine and truthful, even writing this seems like more information than we want to give. We ask that you simply listen to the music and decide for yourself if it moves you."

You can listen to Wandering Eye below and for more on the band visit twitter.com/dinnerbelles_ and to buy the album go to dinnerbelles.bandcamp.com