Artisthead Artists

Sonja Kristina - Pioneering Rock Vocalist Of Curved Air Audio Interview

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:21:52 -0600

Known as the first female lead-vocalist of a heavy rock band, Sonja Kristina first appeared on a stage at the age of thirteen. Her first professional gig was at a Folk Festival in Southgate, London a year later. This then lead to a series of appearances on a children's TV show "Song and Story". Sonja continued playing in folk clubs such as the Troubadour in Earl's Court while at the New College of Speech and Drama. She began writing her own songs at that time, and had acquired the services of the same manager as Buffy St. Marie. She was booked into a number of well-known venues, among them the Marquee Club, as "Sonja".

In 1968, Sonja auditioned for and won the part of "Crissy" in the London stage production of the rock musical "Hair". Sonja then sang with The Strawbs following the departure of Sandy Denny. Mark Hanau, the manager of Curved Air, had seen Sonja perform and suggested she audition for the band. The sound came together almost immediately, and the five-piece Curved Air was born. Kristina married Police drummer, Stewart Copeland in 1982, having met him while he was first road manager and then drummer for Curved Air from 1974 to 1976. The two divorced in 1991.

Curved Air had a changing line-up over its nine albums (1970 - 1976 and again in 1990), Kristina was the only member to take part in every line-up. Since 2008 she has returned to the group, performing in a series of Curved Air reunion concerts. Since the original Curved Air of the 1970s, she has performed solo, including her involvement with the acid folk movement in London in the early 1990s, culminating in her critically acclaimed Songs from the Acid Folk in 1991, and in the eclectic multi-media duo MASK, along with her musical partner, Marvin Ayres.

We caught up with Sonja at her home in London and she talks candidly about record contracts, band managers, how to structure your revenue stream as an artist, and how to continue to thrive in all stages of your music career. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

On the web:

Sonja Kristina

Sonja Kristina Facebook

Official Curved Air Website

Curved Air on Reverbnation

Curved Air Facebook

MASK

MASK Facebook

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ARTISTHEAD AUDIO INTERVIEW Music Genius Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:05:50 -0600

Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight was grooved in the cradle by his father's broad collection of jazz recordings as an infant, brainwashed by Jimi Hendrix in his teens, entered the University of Funk in his twenties, and has never stopped evolving and rocking people ever since.

In the early stages of his career, Blackbyrd mainly worked with Jazz musicians, such as Charles Lloyd, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters, and more. He then directed his path towards funk when he joined the P-Funk Camp in 1978 and funked people up for 30 years. He was the musical director of George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic from 1980 to 2008.

Other than working with P-Funk artists such as George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell, Blackbyrd has also worked with Miles Davis, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ron Wood & Bernard Fowler of the Rolling Stones, Bill Laswell, HR of Bad Brains, Macy Gray, Fishbone, and Wyzard of Mothers Finest to name but a few.

Blackbyrd McKnight calls his musical style which is fusion of jazz, funk and rock - "Progressive Funk-Rock". In this audio interview he talks about his past and present history, as well as tips for staying on top of your game as an artist. This is not to be missed!

Blackbyrd's first solo album "Bout Funkin' Time" is now released. Please grab yours!

Bout Funkin' Time

On The Web:

Official Website

Myspace Music

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Ace's Space - Interview with Glam Rock Icon JETBOY Guitarist Billy Rowe

Mon, 30 May 2011 15:27:39 -0500

Author's Note: This is another in a series of Q&A's with artists, musicians, promoters, managers, publicists and other industry insiders by yours truly. The general focus is to get an idea of how these people do their thing, with an eye towards surviving/coping in the current state of the music business.

By Ace Annese, Artisthead consultant/blogger.

BILLY ROWE has been a driving force along with lead axe Fernie Rod behind 1980's Rockers JETBOY for over a quarter-century. His solid rhythm guitarand slide work has been a staple of their sound from the very beginning. Fueled by a love of classic 1970's rock like KISS, AEROSMITH and AC/DC, mixed with early glam acts like HANOI ROCKS and MOTLEY CRUE, among many others, JETBOY lifted off from humble beginnings in the San Francisco Bay Area to conquer the Hollywood Glam-Rock Scene, sharing stages with acts like GUNS 'N' ROSES, FASTER PUSSYCAT, POISON, and LA GUNS. Unfortunately, fate dealt the band a bad hand, which led to internal problems; record company politics, and all kinds of mishaps that left them grounded while their peers soared to mega-success.

Still, JETBOY enjoyed many career highpoints and left a solid legacy after disbanding in the early 1990's. As the 2000's unfolded, a resurgence in the hi-energy, good times party rock of the 1980's happened, leading to the eunion of many acts from that era, including JETBOY. Since reforming in 2006, JETBOY has performed at numerous Rock Fests (including the M3 Fest, Rocklahoma, South Texas Rockfest and more; toured with RATT frontman STEPHAN PEARCY in the US; opened for ALICE COOPER; released a CD/DVD compilation called 'THE GLAM YEARS' on DEADLINE/CLEOPATRA Records (which contains Bonus DVD Extras and interviews Produced by Yours Truly and REALITY CHECK STUDIOS); put out a self-released EP of brand-new material with live tracks called OFFYOURROCKER (available on iTunes); toured Europe for the first time and even placed a song from that EP in a film starring JACK NICHOLSON, of all people. Currently, the band is doing select live shows, including their 3rd appearance at the M3 Fest in Columbia, Maryland on Fri. May 13th. For more info, log on to http://jetboyrocks.com

AH: Give us a brief history of JETBOY prior to signing with Elektra, including what the scene in SF and LA was like, and the bands you came up with. What led to Elektra signing you?

BR: JETBOY formed in 1983 and became a working band by mid-1984. We played our first show, which was basically a party for my high school graduation class and friends thrown by a close buddy of mine. About two weeks later, we played our first club show at the Mabuhay Gardens and the story began. From that time on, we must have played nearly every month in the Bay Area at clubs like The Mabuhay, Rock On Broadway, The Keystone family and more, until we eventually made our way down to Hollywood for the first time. In 1985. The scene in both SF & LA was pretty big, but the new glam movement was still fresh and JETBOY were definitely the leaders In the Bay Area for this next wave of Rock N' Roll. Los Angeles had its scene of course; we were one of the three bands alongside Poison and Guns N' Roses to start shaking things up in Hollywood with our street style glam punk Rock n' Roll. Elektra was interested in the band early on. A&R guy Steve Pross was originally at Enigma records when he took an interest In the band. Soon after, he got a job at Elektra, and this is around the time we started working with manager Brigitte Wright. About a year after Steve seeing numerous shows, Elektra made an offer, which was in mid-1986. Once we signed the deal we made the choice to relocate to LA to be close to our management and label; plus the music scene was much bigger, and we felt we had more of a chance getting more done being closer to it all.

AH: Like other bands, you then were dropped by Elektra. What led up to that? What took place after that point, until MCA came along?

BR: After recording our debut album 'Feel The Shake', everything was in place for the release of the album. Advance cassettes went out, and the band started to get press in magazines like Creem, Hit Parader, Rock Scene, Burrrn (Japan), etc.-- way before the album was scheduled for release. Originally, 'Feel The Shake' was set to be released in October of 1987. Then our A&R guy was fired, and soon after the band was dropped from the label. This is where the dark days began. Right after it was street news that JETBOY had been dropped, Michael Goldstone, who was at MCA at the time, called our manager and wanted to sign. We did a few showcases for other labels like Warner Brothers, Chrysalis etc., but it was MCA who was really fighting to have the band. After nearly a year of dealing with this, the band finally had a new home and 'Feel The Shake' was released in September of 1988. Unfortunately, a year had passed and the bands we started with like Poison and Guns n' Roses were becoming a national success, as well as a new slew of bands that formed after the glam scene started to explode locally in Hollywood. JETBOY basically got lost in the shuffle of all these new bands, and we lost all our momentum. Our debut album got rave reviews in many big magazines, but the timing was off and the album got lost in what was now called 'Hair Metal'. Those were some emotionally tough times for all of us. In a two-year period, JETBOY had gotten signed to a major label, fired our original bass player Todd Crew, and gained Sami Yaffa of Hanoi Rocks fame. News comes in while we were mixing 'Feel The Shake' in Florida that our former friend and bass player died from a heroin overdose after a night of partying with Slash and pornstar Lois Ayers. Then a month later, myself, Mickey and Sami get into a car wreck on our way to sound check for a Day On The Green in our hometown area with Motley Crue, Whitesnake & Poison. I suffered a compound fracture to my right arm and had to have surgery to re-build my arm. Sadly, I did not get to play the gig and the band performed without me. Two months later the band was dropped from Elektra Records. So we had quite the roller coaster ride, and it wasn't over yet.

AH: Back in those days, labels shelled out big bucks as advances. Describe what that was like--and do you wish you'd been more frugal in retrospect?

BR: That's for sure; money was not a problem back in the 80's. Labels had loads of cash flow. All the bands went through hundreds of thousands before even releasing their first record. We were all young and living the dream in so many ways. We all had big management at this point, so it was all carefree living. If you were In a band like JETBOY or Poison or G'N'R or LA Guns, you got into every club for free, our shows were packed, it was full on sex, drugs n' rock n' roll. Then we start meeting with producers like Jack Douglas, who did all the early Aerosmith albums. Paul Stanley from KISS was also interested in producing our first album, so he showed up to a few rehearsals. Life was great, all we had to worry about was being in a band, and that was nothing to worry about. We ended up working with producer Tom Allom, who produced all the classic Judas Priest albums, so we were loving it. Looking back now I'd say we blew lots of money, and big amounts. Back then you don't realize that there is an end to it -- even if you make a lot of money and sell loads of albums like many did from our era. Today we see what can happen if you don't pay attention, most of those bands went belly up and broke. That's the music business for ya, that's why it's called the music business.

AH: You toured with quite a variety of bands. Which were your faves and which perhaps were not so fun?

BR: We played with a lot of great bands, but we only got to tour with a few that I thought were great. Some of our most fun shows, for me, were back in the club days before we had a label and money behind us. It wasn't so business-driven then. Some of the great acts we were lucky to share a stage with included Johnny Thunders, Lords Of The New Church, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, the Toy Dolls, to name a few. The bands we were very lucky to tour with extensively were KIX (who we played with May 13th, 2011 in Maryland at the M3 Fest and Cheap Trick, which was the ultimate for me personally!

AH: Unfortunately Jetboy again fell victim to Record Label politics, and were dropped by MCA. What happened afterwards?

BR: Yes we did, but shit happens. After we were let go from MCA In 1990, we were broke, so we moved back home to the Bay Area and we all pretty much didn't see much of each other for a while. After some time passed we ended up writing and demo-ing a few songs to try and secure a new deal (including demos produced by BILL CUTLER (see the Artisthead Q&A with him), but the ride was clearly over. That whole era of music was falling, and soon the new scene took over, which was Grunge.

AH: You went back to your roots in American Heartbreak, and became an "indie" band, including several tours of Europe, and a variety of releases on several labels. What AH stuff is out there? What did this DIY period show you?

BR: Well, before I got back to my Rock n' Roll roots with American Heartbreak, I was in a metal band called Mindzone, which were the final members of what was JETBOY. We tried to hop the other trend wagon that was blowing up parallel to the grunge scene, and we did a pretty good Pantera rip off. That didn't get far, and after a few years it ended. This is where I formed American Heartbreak with the last bass player In Mindzone, Michael Butler. We actually went on to be a pretty active band In the Indie punk/pop scene. We released around 5 CD's, a few 7" singles and we were on loads of comp CDs, which was really big at the time. We supported some great bands like the Dickies, The New York Dolls, Queens Of The Stone Age, and a few more but I can't remember...We toured Europe five times; it was a blast. But we went through a few members and it eventually ended. I did learn a lot from those days, good and bad. There's quite a bit of stuff out there if you search it down on the Internet. This period really showed me how much you can do all yourself and without the big bucks behind you.

AH: All along, you kept the Jetboy name going with releases of alternate takes, demos and other rarities of Jetboy material. Do you think this helped lead
to the eventual reunion? How did that come about?

BR: JETBOY recorded a lot of demos. In the very infant stage of the band, we would sell these on cassette. Years later, I realized that I had all these recordings sitting in a box. The first release American Heartbreak put out was on the label Perris records, which was mainly releasing stuff from a few 80's hair metal bands. This label put out the first self released JETBOY CD, an 18-song demo we did right after we signed with Elektra Records. He agreed to take a chance on AH and that's where that whole thing started with releasing JETBOY material. I ended up putting out 4 CD's of old material in a 3-year period. I do believe this helped keep the JETBOY name alive, as I started to see a younger generation become fans of the 80's glam music. This is part of how the reunion of JETBOY happened. Our friend and owner of Cleopatra Records put out a book called Hollywood Rocks. It was a great coffee table book loaded with photos and flyers from the whole 80's Hollywood glam scene. They then put out a CD box set and a DVD. For the release party for the CD box set I was approached by Brian at Cleopatra, saying he wants JETBOY to headline this release show at the Key Club In Hollywood. After a phone call to Mickey Finn and Fernie Rod,
they both called back saying two words: "BOOK IT!" -- and that's where the second wave of JETBOY began, which was around 17 years after we all parted
ways.

AH: Unfortunately, in the post reunion period, a number of line up changes have occurred, including the loss of original singer Mickey Finn. What has kept
you going?

BR: Yeah, JETBOY has gone through quite a few changes throughout the years. It's not easy keeping a band together, as we see this happen to the best of them out there. They say change is good and that quote has really been true. Unfortunately it happens; it's like being in a marriage with 4 other people. What has kept me going? Well, I've been doing this since my last year of high school, which puts me at 27 years of being in a band. It's what I do. Do what you love and love what you do.

AH: Recently, you scored a prime spot on the soundtrack in a major film. You also have some older material on various films and TV shows. How important is soundtrack revenue, and where can people hear your stuff?

BR: Yes, JETBOY just landed a song in a new movie with Jack Nicholson, Reece Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Jack Rudd called 'How Do You Know!' What's great is it's a new song from our last release, 'Off Your Rocker'. We were lucky to land placements back in the 80's in the 'Burbs' (with Tom Hanks) and 'She's Out Of Control'. It's great exposure having songs in major films and you get paid every time it's shown around the world in the TV market. Today it seems as if that's the best way to really make some good money, if you can get into that market. It's not easy to begin with to make money on music you write, but if you can get a steady stream of song placements for TV/movies you can really do well.

AH: Jetboy, like many bands of the 1980's, have benefited from Summer Festivals oriented to that era, both here and abroad. What are your thoughts? Also, you finally got over to Europe. How was that, both financially and personally? What else is coming up for Jetboy going forward?

BR: The summer festivals that started back in 2007 were a big help in bringing back bands from that era. For JETBOY It worked out really good, mainly the exposure to reintroduce the band to an audience that missed out on us in the 80's. The end of 2010, JETBOY toured Europe for the first time, and it was nothing but great. Touring has its ups and downs when it comes to crowds and money, but overall it was a positive thing. We played the M3 festival In Maryland for the third time. This year we play the 'KIX Off' party opening for our good pals KIX, along with WARRANT & LA GUNS! After that, we plan to write songs and slowly put a new album together.

AH: Since being a "Rock Star" isn't what it used to be, you've branched out to owning your own guitar company. Tell us about what it is, how it came about, and who are some of the more notable people who use your stuff?

BR: Yeah, it seems like all the rock stars of yesterday are doing more than just being in a band and living the life. That being said, I started a guitar company called Rock N' Roll Relics in 2006. I basically build my guitars from the ground up, and the models are all classic vintage style guitars like Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, etc. The big selling part is of course how great they play and sound; also, I age them to look as If they've been played to hell for years. The whole "relic" world has really gotten big in the last few years. My goal is to grow my company to a big level and start producing my guitars in large quantities. Some of the players out there who play my guitars are Keith Urban, James Hetfield (Metallica), Stevie D. (Buckcherry), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones) and Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies. You can check out my guitars at: http://rocknrollrelics.net

AH: Any other final thoughts, cheap shots, bon mots or advice for people who are crazy enough to want to do this nutty job for a living?

BR: It's been a great ride so far, even with the downs because it makes the ups all that much better. If you're passionate about music and love playing whatever you play, go for it. Living life with no regrets is living life the right way. As the Stones wrote and sung well, "It's only rock n' roll
... but I like it"!

Billy Rowe

www.rocknrollrelics.net

www.jetboyrocks.com

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Jessie Evans - The Undisputed Diva Of New Music

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:41:15 -0500

ARTISTHEAD INTERVIEWS is proud to present this exclusive audio interview with Jessie Evans. In this interview Jessie talks about the her new album and gives informative insights into the music business and being an internationally famous independent artist. We caught up with Jessie Evans in Berlin, where she currently resides.

Jessie Evans plays the saxophone, sings, and dances. She has been a member of the San Francisco all-female dark disco group Subtonix, the synth-punk dance troop The Vanishing, and the Berlin based duo Autonervous with Bettina Köster of Malaria. Jessie has just composed, produced, and released her first solo album on her own Fantomette Records. "IS IT FIRE?" was recorded between Berlin and Mexico. The songs feature live drums and percussion by Toby Dammit (Iggy Pop, Swans) and guest musicians Budgie (The Creatures, Siouxsie and The Banshees), Martin Wenk (Calexico), and Namosh. Recorded in part by Thomas Stern (Einstürzenden Neubauten, Crime and The City Solution) and mixed/ co-produced in Tijuana by Pepe Mogt (Nortec Collective).

"IS IT FIRE?" ventures into an exotic world of rhythm where drums conjure up images of latin heroes Perez Prado, Yma Sumac, afro-beat, nu-no wave and a touch of Istanbul. Saxophones like a flock of birds guide the traveler through familiar but unknown lands, and trumpets enter like parades of mariachi's dancing down on Revolution Street.

Jessie says, "The future of music is in all of our hands and we have to learn to work together if we're gonna survive. The idea that people can make things happen based on community brings us back to the roots of what its all about - everybody doing what they can to make society run, not relying on involvement from corporations or companies who will take their rights and exploit them. Linking musicians together with their fans and charity to create change is also an amazing concept. Lets really unite for art and music and what matters."

Enjoy and learn from this fascinating and informative audio interview with a truly great artist!

On the web:

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Audio Interview with French Guitarist Extraordinaire - KB!

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:36:32 -0600

ARTISTHEAD exclusive audio interview with guitar virtuoso KB. KB has just released his new CD, "Twelve Ways To Warm Up Your Days". The music ranges from fast metal numbers to roots blues and melodic ballads. He self-produced the record in his home, an incredible animation artist, he also created animated videos for several songs. In this interview, KB talks about making music while working your day-job and the trials of getting gigs playing instrumental music.

A virtual unknown in the United States and most of the rest of the world, KB is breaking onto the scene hard and loud. Check out this interview at the beginning of this huge talent's rise to international stardom.

On the web:

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KB's Official Website

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Ace's Space - Star & Dagger' s Donna She-Wolf Q&A

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:19:11 -0600

Donna She-Wolf Q&A

[Author's Note] This is the first in a series of Q&A's with artists, musicians, promoters, managers, publicists and other industry insiders by yours truly. The general focus is to get an idea of how these people do their thing, with an eye towards surviving/coping in the current state of the music business.

Donna She-Wolf is a longtime industry vet, best known for her part (as "Honey One Percenter") in the cult band CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL, a New York City act that put out one record on major label Sony Records, which contained the classic track (co-written by Donna), "I Wish You Were a Beer". The song's video was played on MTV's 'Beavis & Butthead', thus cementing its cult status and generating a lot of attention for the band. Unfortunately, the band soon dissolved due to mismanagement and internal squabbles, forcing Donna to move on and form her own act, SHE WOLVES, whose various incarnations have played in NYC-area clubs and gone on self-booked tours of the US and Europe. The Wolves have several excellent indie CD's and EP's out, including a fantastic collaboration with underground legend Jayne County.

Donna has now formed an excellent new band with Sean Yseult (ex-White Zombie & Famous Monsters) called STAR & DAGGER, which has several scalding new tracks posted online at ReverbNation.

Trivia: Donna also has the distinction of writing/performing the "Theme Song" for my TV show, REALITY CHECK TV, which also features Sean Yseult on bass, and long-time collaborator Tony Wolfmann of She Wolves on drums.

Q: Tell us about your new project with Sean Yseult, STAR & DAGGER--how did it develop? Will we see a record coming out at some point? Live shows?

A: Sean and I have been good friends for a while now. Back in the day we'd see each other at the Lismar Lounge, or at shows or just around the East Village and she was always very nice. CSFH opened for White Zombie once at the Ritz, with Danzig being the headliner. I remember that show because it was one of our very last ones.

A few years ago she and I were at the bar at Bowery Electric and Lenny Kaye (of Patti Smith Group, also former publisher/editor of Rock Scene Magazine) came over and said, "You two should start a band". We kind of laughed it off at first, but Sean and I share a lot of the same influences and eventually we wrote some stuff. Then Sean suggested that another friend of ours, Von Hesseling, sing on the demos. Well, she did and it sounded pretty great, so we got this drummer named Dustin Crops, and we all went out to Joshua Tree to record 5 songs. We've since written 9 more so we're going out again to record again this May. The album should be ready in the fall, and we've also been offered some tours, so live shows will follow.

Q: Your other project, SHE WOLVES, has done some recording as an independent band for quite a few years. What are some of the recordings people should seek out? What labels are they on?

A: The most inclusive She Wolves CD is the one put out by Poptown Records called "Mach One: The Early Days". Chris Laubis, who runs the label, and his cohorts did an amazing job of compiling, remixing & remastering some of our stuff that was out there. The CD also has guest collaborations with Sylvain Sylvain (NY Dolls) and Jayne County. We also recorded a fantastic album with Jayne that no label has put out yet. I hope it gets to see the light of day. Things really clicked between Jayne and She Wolves. She is just magnificent! There have also been several international She Wolves releases on various compilations.

Q: You have done some touring with SW as well, all without a label giving any "tour support" and very little in terms of publicity/promo. How did you pull it off? Any tips for bands who want to brave the rigors of the road?

A: DIY is not very glamorous but we were lucky that we found small, yet very professional promoters throughout parts of Europe. Plus we were getting paid in euros, which at the time wasn't bad, and was better than what we'd be making in the US. The other perk of touring small towns abroad is the great food and wine that we got to enjoy. One night we'd be playing in a castle, after the show get back in the van and the next night it would be a squat, either way -a lot of fun. It was way more work on a logistics end than I was used to in CSFH, where absolutely everything was done for you, but it was totally worth it. I've made some lifelong friendships from those tours and had experiences I wouldn't trade for the world. As for tips: If you are professional about what you do, are fairly organized and can connect with like-minded people who are interested in your music, it's entirely feasible to tour on that level.

Q: You've also been on the Major Label merry-go-round--describe your experiences as a member of Cycle Sluts From Hell on the business end.

A: We made a lot more money for other people than we ever made for ourselves, but I don't think that was unique to just us. Looking back, the same thing happened to a lot of bands in that era, especially with the huge 80's signing glut. Unfortunately we were terribly mismanaged, the best evidence of that being the awful cover of our first CD, which incidentally, was shelved soon after its release. If it wasn't for Beavis & Butthead I'm sure no one would have ever heard of us.

Q: You've seen a lot of madness in the NYC club scene as a long-time indie act--what are some of the best stories, and worst experiences as a self-managed artist?

A: Before we got signed the beginning of Cycle Sluts From Hell was fun, despite extreme financial hardship. Joey Ramone had taken us under his wing and opened so many doors, so it was all very exciting. We had a really great buzz and were filling up clubs like CBGB's, and getting great opener gigs at the Ritz and other good venues. Also at that time the press flocked to us. We must've seemed kind of interesting in the sea of Guns N Roses prototypes.

She Wolves started from the ground up, playing small clubs like Otto's Shrunken Head, a place where I still love to play. We worked our way to CBGB's while it was still alive and kicking and eventually our audience grew enough where we could headline at Bowery Electric. If a venue has a cool vibe and good sound, then I can't argue. The worst thing about being a self-managed artist, or as in my case, being in a self-managed band is that if everyone in the organization doesn't pull their weight it really takes a toll. You're only as strong as your weakest link. The upside of being self-managed is that there is less chance of an incompetent middleman screwing things up.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your career prior to CSFH, how did you start out?

A: Before Cycle Sluts I was playing guitar, mostly for fun, in a couple of bands whose names I honestly can't remember. Needless to say, we didn't get very far.

Q: You've had many ups and downs over the years--tell us about some moments that stand out--good, bad, or both.

A: Touring with Motorhead, and accompanying the Ramones onstage were definitely big "Ups"! But playing any good show is always an up. The bad moments don't really stand out as much and if you're going to dedicate your life to making music, bad times come with the territory. At least that holds true for most people.

Q: Any tips for those dedicated or crazy enough to want to attempt a career in the Music Biz?

A: You better love it.

Q: Any final thoughts, recommendations, cheap shots or bon mots?

A: Don't let the bastards get you down, and check out our new band Star & Dagger.

Q: Thank you so much for being my first Artisthead.com online interview!

A: Thank you, Ace!

On the web:

She Wolves

Cycle Sluts From Hell

Star & Dagger

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Susan Hyatt - Electrifying Singer Of Stimulator

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:57:40 -0500

ARTISTHEAD INTERVIEWS is proud to present an exclusive audio interview with Susan Hyatt of the band Stimulator. Susan Hyatt is a textbook of music and the music business. We caught up with Susan as she was on the road, touring in support of Stimulator's new album, "Lovelier In Black". In this interview, Susan talks about making music, selling music, band-member responsibilities, and the importance of artist branding.

Susan has been a Recording Artist in the US & UK Music Industry for over 15 years. Her musical career started with LA's all female 60's influenced garage rock band, The Pandoras on Elektra Records. In the UK, Susan's British Pop Punk band Pillbox charted a top 20 single and she became a well known VJ on London's MP3TV. In 2002, Susan moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles and formed Stimulator - 80's Influenced New Wave/Disco Pop, with Ex-Snake River Conspiracy Geoff Tyson. Stimulator's debut album was licensed to the Lab/Universal Records.

Stimulator have just released their third album entitled "Lovelier in Black". Stimulator and Pillbox have licensed songs to major films including Disney's ‘Ella Enchanted' and various TV shows on NBC, MTV, and has just placed the song "Magic", a cover of the Olivia Newton John classic, in a nationwide Macys television commercial. Susan's "Rock Star Workout" fitness training DVD is now at #20 on Amazon.com. It's a must-have for performers on the road as well as at home.

A woman of many talents and a true independent - please enjoy this ARTISTHEAD INTERVIEW with the one and only, Susan Hyatt.

On the web:

www.stimulatortheband.com

Buy:

Stimulator - "Lovelier In Black", the Album

Susan Hyatt's Rock Star Workout DVD

UPDATE: Stimulator's song "Untouchable", is up for a Grammy! - Good going Susan and Team!

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Scott Katsura - Independent Music Maverick Interview

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:15:07 -0600

SCOTT KATSURA grew up in Hawaii on the island of Oahu before he relocated to New Jersey and became housemates with Evelyn "Champagne" King - the legendary funky soul singer. Eventually, Scott decided it was in his best interest to live directly in the pulse of the music business, so he moved into Manhattan and continued to pursue his lifelong dream of working in the recording industry.

Living in the heartbeat of the Empire State, Scott found many golden opportunities of improving his skills as a pop vocalist, songwriter and music industry colleague. His first venture was networking his way into Prime Cuts Studio in Times Square, and collaborating with Mark Kamins, the veteran record producer that is most known for discovering Madonna. It was Mark that first placed Scott onto the ‘music industry' map by producing his first pop/dance CD album titled, "Eruption". Tracks like "Penetration" received great praise from prominent music critics like Larry Flick of Billboard Magazine who wrote, "Katsura has a fine voice and writes great pop tunes."

"Supernatural" followed - his second CD with an adult contemporary/pop flavor. The album was produced by Grammy recipient Cynthia Daniels, and Tony "Thunder" Smith, whose notoriety most derives from being the core drummer for Lou Reed. The title-track "Supernatural" scored Scott a #1 single in the U.K for four consecutive weeks.

On his fourth album, Scott took a shot at producing himself for the very first time. He was committed to and diligent about implementing his Hawaiian island roots into his professional work. Scott collaborated selectively with people who shared the same passion for "Aloha Miles Away", musical theatre singer/composer David Velarde and Grammy nominated jazz pianist/composer Martin Bejerano. "Aloha Miles Away" is the winner of 'Pop Album of the Year' at the 2005 Hawaii Music Awards.

Scott's current CD, "Born This Way", is his fifth international recording. Showing the ability to produce a successful album on "Aloha Miles Away", once again, Scott has chosen to produce this adult contemporary/pop/dance/rock CD in collaboration with his musical partner, Martin Bejerano. Together, they have created a lyrically ‘humanistic' anthem CD that is musically crossing many borders. There is also some controversy about the CDs title as Lady GaGa recently announced publicly that "Born This Way" will be the title of her upcoming 2011 CD. Read the related ARTISTHEAD News article for more details about the CD title situation.

Scott started his record label, the Airtime Recording Company and has Katsura Productions, an entertainment company that prides itself with multi-cultural elements and style. We we're fortunate enough to catch up with Scott as he spoke to us from his home in New York. Enjoy this exclusive ARTISTHEAD interview with Scott Katsura.

On the web:

www.scottkatsura.com

Buy:

Scott Katsura music

Djizoes Interview - Swiss Metal That Hits Hard World-Wide

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:06:10 -0600

Starting off as a metal quartet, the Djizoes: (pronounced “jesus”) was noticed very early by Post Tenebras Records in Geneva, Switzerland. After a few local shows, the band went on to tour Japan and the US in 2006.

As soon as they returned, they recorded their first album “In the Papers”, which was released in January 2007 in Tokyo, during their second Japan tour. The following year Djizoes: released Erkonoclast, an EP which they promoted during their first Asian tour which included Hong Kong and Taiwan’s HoHaiyan Festival.

Since mid-2009, the band has evolved into it’s final form as a "power-trio" and has just released their second full-length album, "Ichi Ten Dai. Djizoes: is currently on their Ichi Ten Tour 2010 which started with the Midi Festival in Beijing and has taken them through China and Japan before heading to the US. Check out this exclusive audio interview as ARTISTHEAD caught the band at the very beginning of their Summer 2010 US Tour.

Both albums and the EP are available worldwide, distributed through Outbreak Records, and are available on Itunes and CDBaby.

The Djizoes family keeps on growing!

On the web:

http://www.myspace.com/djizoes

Djizoes on Facebook

Buy:

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

ARTISTHEAD - The Musician's Complete Business Resource

Call 1.877.252.2750 or email us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Modern Troubadour And Nammy Nominee - Joseph Strider

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:06:48 -0600

Acoustic guitarist and Nammy nominee for "Debut Artist of the Year"Joseph Strider has covered a lot of musical ground in his career thus far. Strider has spent the years developing his own unique style, a style that fits in no established genre and can best be described as modern Indigenous alternative. From complex instrumentals to simpler tunes with poetic yet accessible lyrics, to songs that are a combination of both, Strider’s vast repertoire has something for everyone. Inspired by decades of great guitarists and combining elements reminiscent of Michael Hedges, Bruce Cockburn and Segovia.

As a child Strider received professional vocal training. As a teen and young adult he gained valuable experience over a six year period of touring in his home state of Texas. In the years since he has refined his unorthodox playing style, determined to fully utilize the potential of the acoustic guitar. Since reappearing on the music scene he has pursued his career with a determination and eloquence that not many can match. Listening to Strider’s music, one can’t help but bless the day that he set the electric guitar down and picked up that old acoustic.

On the web:

Buy:

ARTISTHEAD - The Musician's Complete Business Resource

Call 1.877.252.2750 or email us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Interview With This Year's Rock Nammy Award Nominee - Robe

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:23:59 -0600

Audio interview with Nammy Award Nominee, Robe Williams. Robe has been nominated for Best Rock Song with his "Need Your Love" Vote Now!. In this interview he talks with Native Trailblazers host, Vincent Schilling about music, entrepreneurship, his upcoming books, the importance of the Nammys in promoting Native American talent, and drinking coffee. Don't miss this interview in a series of interviews during the "Countdown to the Nammys" week, culminating in the awards show on Friday, November 12th, 2010.

ARTISTHEAD is one of the official broadcasters of this year's 12th Annual Native American Awards (Nammys) and will present the live feed of the ceremonies, starting at 5PM PST, 7PM CST, and 8PM EST on www.artisthead.com.

Make your voice heard! Support for Independent Music Voting is free!

Robe on the web:

DEALMUSE

Buy:

Robe - Need Your Love

Related Articles:

12th Annual Nammy Nominees Announced

ARTISTHEAD to broadcast the 12th Annual Nammys Live

ARTISTHEAD -

The Musician's Complete Business Resource

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Versatile Songstress Jessica Will

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:06:19 -0600

Jessica Will is an award-winning songwriter and is showcased in the BMI Songwriters Competition and the USA Songwriting Competition - www.jessicawill.com, and her music blog - www.jessicawillmusic.com. Jessica graduated from Berklee College of Music and has performed in many of the top clubs and large venues, and she has taught master classes for Grammies in the Schools. Jessica Will has a vocal technique CD, You Can Sing, that is a must for singers of all levels and styles - www.youcansingcd.com.

Check out this talented and powerful artist, then spread the word!

Buy:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jessicawill4/

ARTISTHEAD -The Musician's Complete Business Resource

Call 1.877.252.2750 or email us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Skillful Composer Phelps Dean Witter

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:06:01 -0600

Phelps Dean Witter was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on October 4, 1932. When he was young, his family moved to Los Angeles where he began early piano studies with Ethel Leginska and composition with attended Lowel High School and, at age sixteen, won First Prize in the San Francisco Chronicles's Annual Talent Contest for his Suite in E-flat for piano. While in San Francisco, Mr. Witter studied with Egon Petri, Alexander Tcherepnin, and Darius Milhaud.

After moving to France, Mr. Witter studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatory, where he became the first American to receive the First Prize in Harmony. His teachers included Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Durufle in composition and Leon Fleischer, Gary Graffman, and Yves Nat in piano. He also studied conducting with Igor Markevitch in Salzburg. Mr. Witter¹s works were performed frequently throughout France, and his First Violin Sonata won first prize at L'Ecole de Fontainebleau, where it was first performed by Jean Pasquier. While still in France, Mr. Witter performed many concerts and gave a series of lectures on music for Armed Forces Radio.

Some of Mr. Witter's compositions include three symphonies and two sinfoniettas for orchestra, the first of which won First Prize in the Kensignton Orchestra's Composition Competition in 1982. He has written 3 string quartets, 3 flute sonatas, 3 sonatas for piano, 3 sonatas for violin, a song cycle, "Songs of Sonoma", 4 pieces for piano and flute, among many other works. Phelps Dean Witter presents highlights from his latest Piano Sonata, opus #3. Fred Horowitz provides and excellent piano performance of this moving and technically challenging work.

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