Interviews – Page 13

October 10, 2019May 14, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Exclusive interview with New York indie duo Me Not You

Indie duo Me Not You brings old school female rock into new school alternative ethereal rock with their track, ‘Sun Will Rise’. The track is lifted off of their upcoming album, Already Gone which will be released in early November. The two also released the single, ‘I Should Know Better’ from the same album.

The ethereal garage-pop outfit is comprised of Nikki and Eric, displaying their New York humour in even their choice of alias. Taking inspiration from artists such as Radiohead, Aphex Twin, and Pixies, you can see these influences shining through with style in Me Not Yous musical repertoire. We decided to learn more about the inspirations behind both their name and their below single.

What was the inspiration behind your name?

Nikki: Back when we were starting the band, I met with a record label that was interested in signing us, and the executive told me that the thought the project should be focused on me rather than a duo… that it should be me in the photos and videos alone and have Eric behind the scenes. I told Eric the story, that they wanted the band to be about “me, not you”. We laughed and thought it would be a real fuck you to name the band that. It stuck!

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

Eric: It was hearing “Kid A” for the first time that made me realize I wanted to produce music. I’ve always loved music, but hearing the sounds on that record, and the otherworldly-ness of them, was a true inspiration. I needed to figure out how to do THAT and that’s been my life’s journey since then.

How did you two come to perform together?

Nikki: A mutual friend connected us when Eric was starting a band a few years back. I was a piano player primarily at that point and had just started writing songs and singing more, so working with Eric really opened things up for me, both as a songwriter and a performer. The creative connection we had was pretty much instantaneous. By now, we’re basically one brain with two bodies when it comes to making music. We don’t even really discuss ideas for songs anymore, it just comes out telepathically. Sounds crazy, but it’s true!

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

Eric: Well, considering I’m a horrible painter/drawer/artist, it would probably look like the doodles of a toddler. But what I’d IMAGINE it would look like is a bunch of rough edges blurred with splotches of color. You wouldn’t really be able to make out what was going on exactly, and it would make you feel uneasy at first, but you wouldn’t be able to look away and eventually, a feeling of calm would emerge.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

Eric: Walking. Whenever I’m feeling stopped up emotionally, I leave the studio and start walking. Sometimes I listen to music (often My Bloody Valentine Loveless or something like Yeezus), but more often will just walk aimlessly. What sometimes happens is I get pretty far away, and then get some ideas and want to be right back in the studio, but I have a long walk back and hope that the ideas stay fresh so I can lay them down right when I get back.

What is the inspiration behind your single, ‘Sun will rise’?

Nikki: “The few singles we put out before Sun Will Rise (I Don’t Blame You, Not Fine, and Moving On) each followed me down to my lowest point, dealing with the loss of someone close to me. With Sun Will Rise I was able to journey out of the darkness and find hope again. It’s sort of about the idea that whatever transpires during the night, the sun will indeed rise again.”

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

Eric: Honestly, we already have it. To be able to make music the way we want to make it, release it how we want to release it and not have to have jobs outside of music… that’s the dream. Anything else that happens is gravy at this point.

Any news you want your fans to know about?

Nikki: Our debut album Already Gone comes out on November 8, and we are so excited for people to hear it. We’ve put out a lot of music so far as a band… 2 EPs and a bunch of standalone singles, but there’s something about an LP that we both really love. So we can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Famous last words?

Eric: I’m already thinking about the next LP…

Follow Me Not You:

Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

September 2, 2019

September 2, 2019November 25, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

New Zealand singer-songwriter Thomas Oliver talks artistic inspirations in exclusive interview

Award-winning singer-songwriter, Thomas Oliver has just announced his new album, ‘The Brightest Light’, due to be released in March 2020. Ahead of this, he has released the first single, ‘Bulgarian Mountains’ from the upcoming album.

Whilst currently based in Berlin, Oliver has toured and performed throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the UK, Asia and the USA, and has also shared the stage with such legends as Joe Cocker, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Eric Clapton and Xavier Rudd, and a recent tour of the Netherlands with Dutch favourites, My Baby.

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?
I remember standing in the lounge room as a child, maybe 5 years old, listening to ‘This Old House’ by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and being completely enamoured by the sound, the vocal harmonies, and the sentiment of the song. I really felt for the family in the song, and I loved that a song could make me feel empathy for people I knew nothing about. As for production, I became a producer and mixer by accident. It wasn’t until people started wanting to pay me to mix/produce their music that I realised that it was a thing I was now! But it’s a huge part of my love for making music now.

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?
I love it when people ask good questions. It would be dynamic; lots of contrast between light and dark. And lots of different colours used. There would definitely be a human pictured, to represent the human aspect of my music. Probably a man and a woman, actually. With defined edges. But the background would be ambiguous, to represent the swirling nature of the human mind.

What’s on your current playlist?

I’ve been loving the new Bon Iver album. And I’ve been digging Son Little, Gary Clark Jnr and J. Cole.

Take us through your songwriting process.

The first half is intuitive and, shall we say, spiritual. That sounds a bit rich, but I mean guided by the subconscious. And the second half is critical and meticulous. The subconscious leads the way, and then the conscious swoops in to tidy up the mess. Haha.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

My studio is in Berlin, very close to the Spree, so most mornings when I arrive, I go first to the river and sit on the edge and drink a coffee and look into the body of water. There’s something about it that helps to clear my mind of the kinds of thing that tend to obstruct the creative process.

What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?

Buying a lap slide guitar and diving into that turned out to be something that I would be widely recognised for, which I never foresaw. It’s good to have a point of difference in this super-saturated music game!

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

I wouldn’t be a true artist if I didn’t have things I’d like to change about the business! Haha. It’s so fast-moving these days. An album comes out and is old news so quickly. Musicians are being forced to put out more music, but expect less and less in return due to the saturation of the market. There has to be a breaking point of that. But as for how to change that; I don’t know if it’s possible as it’s just a reflection of the age we live in. But I look forward to a time when a song has more value again, whatever that value may be.

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

It’s usually a little smile from me and then a little nod which means, “okay, it’s time to get off now.”

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

I’ve had lots of people message me and tell me that they’ve walked down the aisle or shared a first dance to a song of mine, and also people thanking me for the fact that my music really helped them through a hard time. Those things always mean a lot. But someone once said to me, “your music embodies the very essence of existence.” And I think that was my favourite.

Do you have any guilty pleasures? Things you like that you know you probably shouldn’t.

As a New Zealander, I’m acutely aware of the general standard of treats in Europe; like chocolate, ice cream and cake etc. I eat a .5L tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream in one sitting, about every two days. I’m not proud of it, but it does bring me immense joy.
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you in the near future?

I just announced my next album, ‘The Brightest Light’, due for release on March 6, 2020. I wrote and produced this album in Berlin, and it feels like my best songwriting yet, and my best production. It combines my love of Soul, Pop, RnB and electronic music with a lot of dynamic variation. I can’t wait to release it. But there’ll be a couple of singles from it between now and then!

Famous last words?

“I’ve got far too much creative energy in me to be dying right now.”

Follow Thomas Oliver

Facebook – SoundCloud – Youtube

August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019May 16, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Up close and personal: interview with hitmaker David Baron

Platinum award-winning Welsh songstress Donna Lewis has teamed up with producer David Baron again to create their own cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’. They previously collaborated on ‘Bad Bad Love’, which was a heartbreaking expose on the separation of mother and child. You can read our previous piece on it here. ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ focusses on the simply interactions between people that can result in misunderstandings, pushing the subject of the song to request the aforementioned deal with God to trade places

Standing alone as a well-established producer, arranger, mixer and engineer David Baron has worked alongside several other big names including Lumineers, Lenny Kravitz, Meghan Trainor and even the late Michael Jackson. The result is someone who has advanced both technically and socially within the industry, leaving behind a trail of hits in his wake.

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

My father was a pioneer of remote recording and had a truck with recording equipment on it. He took me to concerts and showed me how to record. I wanted a studio when I was three. I wished for it every night.

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

Combination of classical, electronic, emotional, and vintage recording. With splotches of red for drama and blue for modal coolness. A jester standing in Antarctica playing a modular synthesizer.

What’s on your current playlist?

Josin, Hania Rani, Matt Maeson, Debussy.

Take us through your songwriting process.

I write at the piano. I have three pianos – all of them with very different characters. One is a Steinway from 1890 and a ghost lives in it. I write haunted pieces on it. My Yamaha is from the 90s and it leads to optimism – the economy is good and 9/11 has had yet to happen. I have a Steinway grand and that leads to feeling important! Everything sounds epic. It’s so fun to write on that it probably should be illegal.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

My area is filled with inspiring musicians. My local bakery, Bread Alone, is always full of them. You can go and talk to a famous composer about contemporary music – or a bass maker about the important of low end. You feel part of a community that values and sparks creativity. My town is called Olive but it’s right outside of Woodstock. Also, the majesty and starkness of nature. Love it.

What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?

Attending Oberlin Conservatory. Writing my first well-known themes for networks. Playing synthesizers and piano for Lenny Kravitz. All About that Bass being a massive hit – with my great friend Kevin Kadish. Deciding to make my own records. Working with the Lumineers.

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

It would be really nice if recordings paid money that you could live on. The internet has really changed the economic ecosystem for musicians. That being said: I love streaming. I am addicted to listening to new music all the time. Love it!

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

I hardly ever play concerts. I’ve done some television and radio with Jade Bird. That was super fun because we made the records together. And she’s just awesome as a human and performer. So fun!

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

People paying money for my music! Also, getting threatened by someone in a bar because they hated an Old Navy Jingle I wrote (a friend drunkenly told the whole bar I wrote it). I hope to make people feel love and beauty with my music. I’d love to make someone’s life a bit better through the music.

Follow David Baron:Website – Facebook – Twitter – SoundCloud – Instagram – SpotifyFollow Donna Lewis:

August 9, 2019

August 9, 2019May 16, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Ed Tattersall shared his new video ‘Never Believe’

Singer songwriter Ed Tattersall has shared the video for his latest single, ‘Never Believe’, the first track to be taken from his upcoming debut album. Reflecting the sentiment of the track, the video sees an emotional narrative unfold amid the breakdown of a relationship, while the driving rhythms of ‘Never Believe’ demonstrate determination and the power of love and resilience.

Ed says of the video: “I’m not an actor, but I gave it a go and I think I pulled it off despite being made to run miles on a treadmill in a derelict house wearing a suit! Trust me, the outtakes are hilarious! For me the end result will hopefully resonate with most people.” ‘Never Believe’ was released last month alongside a dramatic reinterpretation of the Gorillaz’ hit ‘Clint Eastwood’.

Ed created both alongside hit songwriter/record producer Jamie Petrie (JP), who discovered his early tracks and approached him. After being invited to perform at one of JP’s legendary parties the two took a slightly inebriated stroll, and over a whiskey and a cigarette they began plans to develop Ed’s sound and begin writing what has become Ed’s first album. JP has also directed the ‘Never Believe’ video, which was produced by Movies Darling. ‘Never Believe’ & ‘Clint Eastwood’ are out now via Hertford Records/Believe Digital and showcase what a striking new talent multi-instrumentalist Ed Tattersall is, with a rasping, soulful voice and a truly atmospheric approach to melody. He will be announcing live shows soon – stay tuned for further new music too.