(December 31, 1995) WLVI-TV WB 56 Boston Commercials

Pokemon 4ever - CELE-B-R-A-T-E (my style)

DJ Interviews: Vardis

Hey there guys DJ Dizzy here & I sat down & interviewed a band who called themselves Vardis who had a lot to say about their success & career. Enjoy!

How'd you get started in music?

Basically seeing Jimi Hendrix at the cinema in the Woodstock film, first inspired me to play guitar. I then started to write songs and got a band together.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Jimi as stated, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Dylan, Bolan (lyrics) and of course Chuck Berry (in fact most 1950's American Rock & Blues).

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

First of all, always enjoy what you do and then dont get hung up over money.

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I dont. Honestly if music is from the heart, that's all that matters in the end.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Yea I have been recording some new stuff in my studio with my old bass player Alan Selway and drummer Joe Clancy. We have a show coming up on March 10th at the Grim up North festival. This is for a cancer charity so is important to us after losing Terry.

Here is the link: https://www.bandsintown.com

I wish them nothing but luck in their success & their careers that's going to do it for me so until then stay awesome!

The year Thus far....

Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here & this time around we're going to be talking about the year 2018.







We've seen a lot happen in the year & had our shares of highs & lows & lost so many be it close friends & celebs but in al of this we did plenty of learning & growing which is what the year should be about. But in all this we should speak on the good things & the bad just to get al of the negativity out of the way.

The Highs:

We got to see another royal wedding this time that of Prince Harry & Megan Markle whose perhaps the first ever black princess this of course was a real site to behold. Speaking of weddings there was also another wedding that of a cousin who got married in the month of July

There was also plenty of graduating fro high school & college amongst many as I myself have graduated from college which was a real honor.  There was also getting a chance to be surrounded by family & friends which was memorable & seeing Black Panther which was perhaps one of the best Marvel movies by far (Same goes for Guardians of The Galaxy)

The Lows:

The lows would have to be some people that we've lost along the way in the year such as Stan Lee, Aretha Franklin, & Burt Reynolds to name a few. There was also a some hurricanes & wildfires that proved to be very devastating & to everyone that has lost someone behind these tragedies you all have my deepest condolences & prayers. But through any lows we might face or any heartache that might come our way we do our best to learn from them which brings me to say this.

The Lesson  & what's to come:

Though we may experience our shares of highs & lows through out any year we learn a lot from such as any mistakes we might make & not afraid to take any risks that might come your way take the time to also reflect on some of the good things you've done because in the end that's what makes the year great & memorable. So here's to you 2018 & to the new year to come!

That's going to do it for me for now but until next time have a happy new year & stay awesome!

Paul McCartney - Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time (Lyrics) [HD]

DJ Interviews: Michael Frazer

Hello everyone its DJ Dizzy here with another interview this time with Michael Frazer who had a lot to say regarding in regards to his career.


How'd you get started in music? -------------------------------------------
I've been on love with songs for as long as I can remember. When I buy a new album I always head straight for the lyrics and read all of the sleeve notes, everything. Always have.
I want to know who wrote each song, who played each instrument, where was it recorded? That's why I still prefer CDs to downloads.
I got my first electric guitar when I was 13. After I learned to play a few cover songs I'd use two cassette recorders, and bounce recordings between them to create a multi-track of me playing and singing.
Later, I bought a reel-to-reel machine, covered up the 'erase' head, and created layered multi-track songs and started to write a little.
I taught myself a little piano along the way, and as technology improved it became possible for solo artists like me to create release-quality recordings with orchestra, drums, keyboards and synths. I play all of the guitars and performed the vocals and backing.
So, although I started playing guitar in my early teens, I am a late developer in attaining the ability, knowledge, and confidence to write and record songs I am proud to play to other people.
I had also played in local rock and pop bands during this time playing bass and/or vocals, performing cover versions of whichever songs we liked, plus we'd sometimes sneak in some of our own songs. I stopped playing live in cover bands in order to focus on recording my own music.
If there's a downside to being a solo artist, it is that I have to learn to play, or programme all of the parts myself, and I have no-one to bounce ideas off. The upside is that I get to create something exactly how I want it, without compromise.
The challenge is always to try to get the song that I can hear in my head out into the real world.



Who are your inspirations or influences? -------------------------------------------
The artists who inspire me are those that follow their own path. Regardless of what they have created previously, or what might be expected of them, they just do what THEY choose to do.
The Beatles are one of earliest bands to do that from what I can see, David Bowie and Kate Bush are also great examples. U2 went away to reinvent themselves and came back with Achtung Baby, a terrific album.
As far as influences go, I guess that I must have learned, or absorbed something from all of the songs, and the artists that I have enjoyed listening to. I can't listen to a song without dissecting it's structure, arrangement and production on some subconscious level to try to understand why it works for me.
I love Elbow, great songs, and I love Guy's voice. Also Neil Finn and Crowded House.
I do tend topick up on individual songs rather than artists so it's hard for me list artists as such. I could list songs, from Johnny Cash covering 'Hurt', to Sam Smith's 'Writing's on the Wall. That would be a better view of my influences.



What advice would offer aspiring performers? -------------------------------------------
Do what you enjoy, don't deviate, or you'll end up doing something you don't enjoy.
Don't change what you do to fit a genre, your music will change and grow as you do so don't tie yourself down.
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.



How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? -------------------------------------------
I don't pay any attention to what's current or popular, that never lasts.
I create songs as they emerge. I don't try to make a song sound like the others on the album, each one is a brand new 'thing'.


Any new gigs or albums in the future? -------------------------------------------
I will rebuild my home studio over the next few months, ready to start recording new material for the next album

I wish him nothing but luck in his musical journey & special thanks to him in doing this interview.

So until then stay awesome & rock n roll!

Christmas Sing Along - SNL

DJ's Spotlight: An Interview with Zeydru

Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here once again, This time I've sat down with a band by the name of Zeydru who are a symphonic metal band who shared their beginnings & success.

How'd you get started in music?

IVA---I had discovered I had a talent very early, when I was about 5 but it's when i first saw a band on the stage, years later, that i knew that was something i wanted to do. My friend and i formed our first band back in high school and from then on music has been one of my bigest wishes. I also like to write and with Jenna and Deco i get to do both, musically and lyrically. I am very thankful that the three of us found one another. I have just recently moved from Boston to NJ so we will now be able to do much more than before when we had to travel hours for rehearsals.

Deco--I started banging on pots and pans as a baby while my mother was doing dishes, to elementary school and middle school bands.  I did not join my high school band because I was already in local bands and playing venues before I started high school.

Jenna--When I was about 4 or 5 my mom had a small electric organ that had all the notes written on it.  I took one of her books that had the notes written in by letter, and started matching the notes on the organ.  When the organ stopped working my Mom and Dad got us a piano because my brother wanted to take lessons and my parents signed me up too!  I stuck with it, while my brother excelled at guitar.  I then did school band, choir, jazz band and started forming bands in high school!  I then went on to study music in college and played in a few bands before meeting Deco and Iva!

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Iva--Anything and everything. A person, a memory, moments of happiness and lingering tragedy, scents, colors, pictures in my mind, things hidden, novels and poetry (I'm a huge fan of Dostoyevsky, Anne Rice and Boulder) and of course music (Moonspell, HIM, BB, Epica, Within Temptation and many others).

Deco--Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Bo Jackson, Neil Pert

Jenna--So many!  But namely Elton John, Freddy Murcury, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Trans Siberian Orchestra's Bob Kinkel, and Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Deco--my advice to give would be the same advice my grandmother always told my mother and me which is to "folow your dreams and reach for the stars".

Jenna--Listen to any type of music!  Enjoy visual paintings!  Put your heart into your project, but don't be afraid to be a part of the business side as well!  Network with other groups and build some friends who do the same things you do!

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

Iva-- We do what we truly love and hopefully people will be able to feel and relate to that. I am sure we will be compared to other bands and granted, we are not inventing anything new, but i still think there is a unique quality to our sound and the emotion it carries that will mark Zeydru for years to come.

Deco--Unfortunatly, there are some musicians/bands/singers in this business for the wrong reasons.  I set myself apart in this business by doing this for the right reasons.  Such as taking care of my family, as well as my fans because our fans are family too.

Jenna--We write with our heart.  We as a group have a very wide variety of tastes and influences so we have a variety of sounds in our songs.  We can go from power ballad, to a fast heavy song, to jazzy and even somewhat new age all in one set.  We write in any key and tempo which gives us a LOT of freedom.  We all write to each song as well.  So each song we all wrote together!

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Iva--Yes! Definitely! It will start in spring!

Deco--We are currently working on our debut album!

Jenna--2019 is looking to be a really awesome year!  As you can see we're quite opitmistic for our future now that Iva has moved here we really are excited for the new year and what the future holds.  We have demos available on zεψdru and we can be followed on both twitter @zeydruband and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Zeydru

Instagram at Zeydru_official as well!  Stay tuned

Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their career & musical journey. So until then...……….

Stay awesome & rock n roll! 

DJ's Spotlight: An Interview with Fireproven

Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here & I recently interviewed a band hailing from Finland who had a lot to say regarding their success & their origins so enjoy!

"1 How'd you get started in music?
We started this journey in 2006 with Ilari and Nuutti in Hamina,
Finland. Nuutti, Ilari and I were studying in same music school, so one
night we decided to start a band. We had a goal to make something new
and fresh but at the same time aggressive music. It was hard at first
but we were hard working guys and we got through that face. At that time
we were looking for a bass player and fortunately Janne’s brother Juha
was interested to play with us. For a little while we tried to find
singer to our band but because there wasn’t any good options we decided
that Juha start’s to growl. That was the case first but after our first
release Janne started to sing the clean vocals.
2 Who are your inspirations or influences?
Nuutti’s biggest influences are: Porcupine tree, Soilwork, Devin
Townsend, John Coltrane, Gojira and Rubik.
Juha’s favorite artist’s are: Pantera, Sentenced, Megadeth, Queen and
Slayer. 
Janne’s are: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Gojira, Messhuggah,
Opeth, Miles Davis, David Bowie and Metallica. 
Ilari’s infulences are: Kamelot, Virgin steel, Hans Zimmer, Chvurches,
Dream theather and Joe Hisaishi.
3 What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Be yourself, no matter what. People will notice the pretenders sooner or
later. We do our music in our own way, and we do not want to make music
that someone else has already done. Be creative and hard to work for
your band.
4 How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
I think that we have our own sound, which distinguishes us from the
other mass positively. Every player and singer sounds himself. And we
are letting the influences go beyond the genre limits, so it can not be
heard in our music. Sure if it is puritanical about music, it is
difficult to hear these phenomena. Everyone is listening to music
regardless of genre. Keyboards is in the bigger role than usually in the
metal bands.
5 Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Yes, we have a Baltic tour on february 2019 and maybe a big news about
the new upcoming album."

Special thanks to them for doing this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their careers.

So with that I'll catch you on the flipside!

Stay awesome & rock n roll!

Michael Bublé Christmas Duets - SNL

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus And Lucy

DJ Interviews: The Saboteurs

Hello there everyone DJ Dizzy here & I recently sat down with the UK band the Saboteurs who had a lot to say regarding their humble & musical beginnings.

1. 

Rick : I grew up listening to Queen and used to air guitar to Bryan May when we were travelling in the car. At about 15, I got an electric guitar for Christmas and when I discovered RHCP - especially John Frusciante - everything changed. I went to music college, changed to bass because everyone played guitar and met up with a drummer who I would be in bands with for the next 12 years but I returned to guitar in the end.

Ben : I was probably about 10 when I started a 'band' called The Universe and wrote my first song - the imaginatively titled, 'We are The Universe'. Like Rick, I got my first guitar at about 15 but he's obviously spent far more time learning how to play! But for me, it was the tool I needed to start writing songs and melodies. I sang in a few bands at school and landed a role in the musical, 'Joseph'. I played Benjamin, obviously.

2. Rick : RHCP, Deftones, Tool, RATM, Zeppelin, Therapy? plus loads more random multi-genre influences. I'm a huge fans of poignant, expressive lyrics and words.

Ben : In my teens, I spent quite a bit of time hanging out in my Mum's art classes, which tended to attract an eclectic mix of goths and punks. Through them I discovered loads of great bands like New Model Army, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Fields of the Nephilim and The Clash which still influence me today. But I also love acoustic stuff like CSN&Y, Neil Young, Indigo Girls and Nick Drake. And I'm massively into Idles at the moment.

3. Rick : I would say to any aspiring performers just get out and play, find like-minded people, make friends and ignore the pitfalls of the internet popularity contests that can ruin the love of music for some. Do it because you love it!

4. Ben : We just can’t do trends, even if we wanted to! We all have diverse music tastes and end up chucking in elements from all sorts of genres and smashing them together to see if it works. Sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it does. But when it does work, it’s incredibly rewarding. It’s all about the music to us.

5. Rick : We're releasing our debut album, 'Dance with the Hunted', in February 2019. We can’t express how proud we are of it and we can’t wait for people to hear it. DWTH was recorded at Phoenix Sound Studios in Mansfield, UK by Hamish Dickinson who also played all the drums. Overall, it's a bit darker and rockier sounding than our debut EP and hopefully, it will turn a few heads too! We're currently arranging tour dates around the UK to promote the album through 2019. And we can’t wait...

Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their careers. So until then.....

Stay awesome & rock n roll!

Cartoon Cartoon Fridays 2001 Holiday Special

DJ's Spotlight: An interview with Pleo

Hey there! DJ Dizzy here & I recently sat down with an artist  called Pleo who is a rock musician who shared his success & his beginnings.

I started playing music at the age of 18. From the very beginning, I just shouted into the microphone, wrote poetry, played a little electric guitar. Apparently I was destined to become a musician, because my parents were engaged in music and my grandfathers and grandmothers too. I'm self-taught, nobody coached me, I never took lessons from anyone in music and singing .. I play by ear.

There are many bands and performers that have influenced my tastes and priorities in music. But the main ones are: Nirvana, Korn, Deftones, Linkin Park, Psyche, Slipknot, Metallica, Sepultura, Jimi Hendrix and others.

I would advise the beginning performer to always follow the path of the heart and to the very end. And never give up. Because the path of a musician is a difficult path. It is a constant struggle with oneself.

Yes, I will soon have new songs, I continue to develop and improve. But with the concerts of the problem, because I do not have a band .. At the moment, I'm the only one writing music. I wish him nothing but luck in his career so until then Stay awesome & rock n roll!

DJ's Spotlight: An Interview with Kinstrife

Hello once again its J Dizzy bringing you another interview with a band by the name of Kinstrife who had a lot to say regarding their careers.

KinStrife

How did I get started in music?

Simon (Drums)

Where to start?

I have been around music my whole life. From an early age I would listen to records through headphones while everyone else was watching TV. I must have only been five or six and I had figured out how to use the home stereo and how to record onto a tape to play in the family car. I started to take an interest in drums from early on as well as I was around live bands a lot. I started to “have a go” on drums from being around the live bands and picked it up pretty quickly. I took the plunge at 12 years old at secondary school when someone else was looking to form a band. I knew I had the basics so thought, why not give it a go? I managed to fumble through the first couple of practices and started to learn so much, even just playing in a rubbish school boy band. From there I kept playing and I am completely self-taught. The one thing I do regret is not taking proper lessons earlier on, but I think jumping in feet first was a great way to either sink or swim.

Mike (Vocals)

Classical Piano from the age of 6.

Alan (guitar)

I was a late starter, I have always loved the guitar, but it wasn’t until my brother bought a guitar when I was about 20 that I started to play. I used to borrow it from his bedroom while he was out. I had no idea what I was doing so just fingerpicked the strings until I made it sound somewhere near musical. I couldn’t play a chord until I went around to friends who taught me the basics and a couple of Metallica riffs. He lent me some guitar mags and I kept learning new songs.

Inspirations and influences.

Simon

Some of my greatest inspirations are not the professional drummers of this world, but the people who love to play. Of course, there are lots of drummers who I admire greatly, and I have been influenced by them and found inspiration in their playing, but I will list those later. If someone is enjoying playing, having fun and loving the drums, this is the greatest inspiration for me. It does not matter how good or bad you are. If you love it and put your heart and soul into playing, that is the greatest part of drumming. I have seen terrible drummers having the best time, and fantastic drummers playing without emotion and I would rather spend an evening listening to someone who is loving playing than someone there just for the money. There is nothing better than showing a young kid a simple 4/4 rhythm and watching their face light up when they realise, they can keep a simple beat going and are playing the drums. There are loads of parents I’m sure, who must hate me for showing young kids something simple and then having the kids run back to the parents insisting on a drum kit for Christmas!

When it comes to the pro’s, of course there is John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Neil Peart, Buddy Rich and all of those legends. Other guy’s out there who get less exposure as drummers are people like Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawks, Dave Lombardo, Simon Phillips, Phil Rudd, Kenny Aronoff, Chad Smith and any number of nameless faces who ply their trade in the session world. I take bits and pieces from lots of these guys, but I try to combine it with my own style.

Mike

Didn’t get into my own musical style until I saw Whitesnakes Still of the night video. Influences were David Coverdale and Gene Simmons.

Alan

At a young age my parents had rock n roll albums so listened to that a lot, but it was when I heard Live after Death (Iron Maiden) that I found ‘my music’ When I saw them play I knew what I wanted to do. Be in a rock band! All the great rock/metal bands influence me – Metallica, Maiden, Ozzy, Slayer etc but also Poison, Motley Crue etc and newer bands like Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold.

Gigs And Albums In The Future.

Simon

We are gigging all the time with the band and yes, we are in the process of recording our first EP / album. It’s taken a bit of time as we all work and trying to find the time to all get together to record is difficult. The only thing I will say is that I think it will be pretty special when it’s done! It has taken some time to all gel together as the band went through some pretty dramatic line-up changes over the last 18 months or so and its really only just now that we are all getting comfortable with each other’s styles and personalities.

With the gig’s, we are trying to get out there as much as possible, applying for festivals, and at local pubs. We are also getting a bit of exposure through South Wales at some of the established rock clubs, so watch this space!

Alan

We have a couple of local gigs next but next year is exciting with a couple of appearances at the Dragonflii in Pontypool, The Hiraeth Fest somewhere in Wales and we are also playing at The Dolls House (Abitillery) as part of Dementia Fest.

How do we set ourselves apart from other bands?

Simon

I think our music sets us apart a bit at the moment as our style is different to the current modern trend of rock. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, just lots of bands doing this, and doing it really well. The industry is awash with this type of music and it is massively difficult to make any one notice you doing this type of music. We are more towards the classic heavy rock genre, possibly due to our ages and influences. A lot of what we play is very similar to the rock and metal bands of the late eighties and early nineties. This is what we listened to growing up and has had a marked impact on what we like to play, so this comes through in our music. People who grew up listening to the music of this era like to come and listen to us. Maybe it’s the sympathy vote!!!

Alan

I like the fact that some of the music I have brought to the band are pieces I wrote some 20 years ago and when Mike puts his magic to them, they become new songs. So, some of our songs are old and new at the same time! I like the fact the vocals are put to music and not the other way around, this makes Mike sing different to the norm.

Advice to aspiring performers.

Simon

Just do it! Get out there and play. Play anywhere and everywhere you can. Play for free if you have to. It’s amazing how many places will book a band if they are free even if they don’t like the music!

Write your own stuff if you can, if not, learn some popular covers to start with.

Once you start getting some exposure things will move on from there. If you don’t have enough of your own material to do full gigs, find other bands with some of their own stuff and get them to play with you or go and play with them. This will give both bands exposure.

Another key thing is social media. Bands need to be all over it and this can take more time than rehearsing or writing songs, but it is obviously a massive platform to get onto.

Alan

Love what you do, play with better musicians – they will teach you a lot! Don’t be put off by criticism or rejection. I have almost given up so many times after seeing all the young talent about but I saw a game of Sunday football one day, some of the players were slow, overweight, couldn’t kick a ball straight but it was then I realised they weren’t playing because they thought they were great, they were playing because they love the game. I have found that other musicians don’t judge you when you play a bad/wrong note, they applaud you for getting on that stage. 

Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their careers. So until then 

Stay Awesome & rock n roll!