DJ's Spotlight: An interview With jayhan

Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here & I'm doing an interview with Jayhan who is an indie musician who has done multiple cover songs & originals on her channel. Enjoy!

1. How'd you get started in music?

Well, that's a tough one... So bear with me as I explain the process of getting step by step involved in music production.

I honestly believe that for me, the earliest music-related memory that I have of my childhood is when my family and I had gone to a church event. I think I was about 8 years old. I don't really remember what we were celebrating, but I remember being up on stage with my parents, and I was suddenly handed a mic and was asked to sing something. For some reason, I thought it was a great idea to sing a Japanese song... about ramen from a commercial I had seen on TV. I didn't even know the lyrics - I think I made up some of them as I sang to the crowd - but I focused a lot on the melody instead of the words. There was something magical about that moment; the combination of the reverb in my voice, holding a mic and being up on that stage, being able to see all these heads until the far end of the room, witnessing the "oohs" and "ahhs" in people's face as they looked at me in wonder... I felt not only empowered, but also sensed that I loved singing and seeing people react to my voice.

I didn't know it back then, but that was the starting point of my passion as a vocalist. Because since then, whenever there was an opportunity to sing in front of people, I took it.

I participated in choirs throughout my school years and as my passion for music grew, I took up flute lessons at the age of nine. Something about the tune and its mystifying sound attracted me to it. And so, I honed my skills as a flutist while learning some basic music theory for the next 15 years to come.

At the age of 13, I discovered that I had the possibility of taking singing lessons, and so I did for five years until I had to stop due to financial reasons (I had to stop flute lessons years later, too). I think I was quite torn about stopping, but I didn't have a choice. That and the fact that I wasn't in a band or a choir or even an ensemble anymore made it difficult for me to find opportunities to just.. let it out, you know?

And while searching for an outlet, I came across YouTube. I started singing lead vocals to karaoke tracks with a small, low-quality condenser microphone (the most recommended type of mic for any studio recording) and sometimes adding some flute in the background. People liked the covers I was making, so I kept doing that for a good couple of years. After a while, I began to arrange my own tracks through a music production software that not only allowed audio recordings, but also MIDI recordings with virtual instruments. I looked up chords to songs and got creating. I even started writing songs based off of the things I grew up with and the things I love: SWAT Kats, Voltron, Trollhunters and more!
And as I started getting really creative, bit by bit, I built a home recording studio throughout the years and then included the filming production in my career as a music video producer on YouTube.

So as you can see, it may have begun as the 8-year-old me being so inspired after performing for the first time on stage, but it takes years, even a lifetime just "to get started". The cool thing is that I discovered through YouTube that I could sing as much as I want, play flute and write songs as much as I want, and that there was nothing that could stop me.

2. Who are your biggest influences & inspirations?

Here's something I'm a bit ashamed to admit: I wasn't as music savvy as the other kids in class, who turned on the radio and listened to whatever pop music was playing at the station, or who listened to the albums their parents once owned. I may occasionally buy a music album at the store or learn some oldies during a music lesson at school, but for me, I grew up on the opening and ending themes of cartoons, anime and tv series, and I would listen on repeat to the soundtracks of the video games I played. The biggest influence, in this case, came from the Sonic games: I still remember the awe I felt when watching the opening sequence to Sonic Adventure, and the epicness that was the final boss battle against that space lizard in Sonic Adventure 2, with the intense rock and orchestral music playing in the background. Sonic games have been, for better or worse, the biggest influence in terms of music, composition and songwriting.

But I will say that while there may have been many vocalists who have inspired me, from Celine Dion to Amy Lee from Evanescence, from Stan Bush to Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, even Michael Jackson at some point, the people who know me will tell you immediately that Johnny Gioeli from Crush 40 was and still is my vocal idol. Throughout my years as a musician, singer and songwriter, I developped a fondness of rock vocals because they exhibited that power and energy that I love hearing and seeing in rock music. Johnny is, in my opinion, one of the best rock vocalists out there, not only because of his insane vocal skills, but because he has this incredible stage presence: he interacts with the crowd, with the musicians... He's having fun while being so invested in his passion! THAT is what I aim to be, a performer who engages with her audience, but who never loses sight of her love for music!

3. Any advice to  any up & coming performers?

My biggest advice? Be original and creative! In my experience as a singer, songwriter and music producer, I discovered that people reached out to me when I created something out of the ordinary: for example, I had created a mash-up between the Nostalgia Critic theme and the Gravity Falls theme, which was one of the reasons why Doug Walker, Nostalgia Critic himself, hired me later on as Nostalgia-ween composer.
Next advice? Whether you are a singer, a guitarist or a DJ... Discipline yourself and get yourself out there if you plan on taking your passion further. Practice your instruments and write, arrange and remix music every day, explore your skills, look up tutorials on YouTube if you have doubts! The internet has made it easier for anyone to become a producer and to upload their works for everyone to see and hear.

Join online music groups – musicians with common interests – and get collaborating!
If you have the chance to perform live in front of an audience, even in a place as small as a bathroom, do it!
Choirs, bands, ensembles? Join them! With everything you do, you get experience, you become more familiar with the many aspects in the world of music making.

You get BETTER.

And once you launch yourself in your own music production – a project you wish to pursue – you’ll learn that everything you’ve learned, the skills you’ve acquired and the areas you’ve improved – the whole experience will be your asset in the future.

4. Any new stuff or gigs in the works?

I'm glad you asked! I'm happy to announce that I'm releasing my next album, "Dedication, Vol. 2" pretty soon, which will include covers and original songs alike (just like my first album, "Dedication, Vol. 1, which is available on Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more)!

I also plan on creating more music video covers regularly, since they have been quite on demand and I've recently acquired a new set of lights. That will make the video production side of things all the more exciting!

So here's to you Jayhan I wish you nothing but the best in your future! So that's going to do it for me so until then be radically righteous! 

DJ'S Spotlight: An interview with Bourbon House

Hello everyone DJ Dizzy here & this time around I've had the pleasure of talking to an all girl band by the name of Bourbon House who had a lot to say about how they got started. I've also had the pleasure of checking out a few of their videos on You Tube so feel free to have a look & enjoy the interview!

t's a different story for both of us. In 1997, Jason was recruited into a party cover band after spending years in his dorm room teaching himself how to play guitar. He's been in several bands and wrote several originals in all of them. Lacey was a closet singer for most of her life and only started in a band when she met Jason. I guess you can say he pulled the voice out of her.

We have so many influences it's hard to point to only a few. You can definitely hear some Jimmy Page influence in Jason's writing style, but he really looked up to all of the guitar heroes and tried to learn something from them. He doesn't try to emulate anyone in particular . His style is groovy and little funky and little hard rock and a little bluesy, and it's his own. Lacey is inspired by powerhouse singers and singing along to Janis Joplin, Chris Cornell, Ann Wilson, and anyone else with genuine soul in their voices made her the vocalist she is today. She definitely picked up some tricks along the way, but her style is also her own. 

We do this for a living. We hear people say music is life all the time, and it really is for us. We play as a duo almost every weekend with covers and originals and then we also play with our full original band. We're living the dream!

The easiest advice to give to aspiring musicians and also the most important is to keep at it. It seems obvious, but a lot of bands don't do it. We don't make excuses for ourselves and we don't look at setbacks as failures. Every year is better than the last. Every gig, even with our little acoustic duo, brings something good. You also need to set goals and work hard at it. Stay sober. Work with good people (your bandmates, your engineer, your producer, your agents and promoters) and realize when a musical relationship isn't beneficial to your career. If you want it to be a profession, make it one. Simply, just do it. And don't be afraid to seek out help and make new connections.

We're releasing an album this summer! That's pretty exciting for us because we already have an EP out and we've only starting writing just over a year ago. We have gigs around the Central Wisconsin area, but nothing big and exciting yet. However, we are planning a fall of 2018 tour and we will announce those dates on our social platforms and our website. 

Here are our links:

Website: www.bourbonhouserocks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/bourbonhouserocks

Twitter handle: @bourbonhouseduo

Instagram: bourbon.house

You can also follow and stream us on Spotify, iHeart Radio, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, and basically anywhere else music is distributed. 

So here's to you all for your success & I wish you nothing but good luck in the future. So until then be radically righteous!

DJ's Spotlight: An interview with Swirl the band.

Hey there everyone DJ Dizzy here & I've had the pleasure of meeting up with a band by the name of Swirl & asked them some questions regarding their career feel free to take a look at some of their following links & enjoy.

How'd you get started in music?

 I started out playing the violin actually! My father was very big on classical music so it was always on in the car during long drives to fishing spots in Alaska where Brian “Bam Bam” Jones (my brother and Swirl drummer) grew up. I was introduced to rock n roll through the music of KISS. Once I heard that band I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Who are your main inspirations or influences?

 Well clearly Ace and Paul for starters, but I really fell in love with the 80s Sunset Strip guitar sound and so my main influences are Jake E Lee (Ozzy/ Badlands), Warren DeMartini (RATT), George Lynch (Dokken/ Lynch Mob) and Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot).

How would you say music has impacted your life?

 The impact is nearly immeasurable! I have traveled the United States and even been to Japan just by playing guitar in Swirl. I have been blessed to make life long friends both in and out of the music business. It is the last thing I think about before I go to sleep and the very first thing I think about when I wake up every day! Nothing has moved me spiritually, emotionally nor challenged me mentally nearly as much. I can honestly say that the rest of the members of Swirl (bassist Shane Carlson and singer Alfred Ramirez) feel very much the same way.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

I don`t know that I am qualified to “give advice” because in the overall scheme of things in this industry what have I really accomplished? Perception is everything. You may say that I have “made it”, but that is very much up for debate in my eyes. I am fond of saying I am a lot more “rock” than “star”, however, I am willing to share my knowledge and the stories of my mistakes. If something I say helps someone else achieve their goals I am happy to do my part.

Any new gigs or works in the future?

 Swirl is doing a series of live dates in Southern California before we start “The Lift Tour 2018”. We know we will be on tour in the United States and Canada this summer. So far we already have a tour offer for the UK set up for the fall and are in discussions with several other countries where Swirl is gaining fans through either the release of “The Lift” in 2018 or the ‘Ditch Day’ movie (2017) which features 3 songs from our ‘SWIRL’ EP. The movie alone is out in Germany, Brazil, Korea, France, the UK and USA.

SWIRL "Rise Up" Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_RhbgL5Cv0&t=11s 

“The Lift” has reached #1 in the Midwest (North America), #4 Banks Radio (Australia) and #13 in Scotland for starters so we expect to spend the majority of the rest of 2018 through 2019 on the road. We will continue to record and release new music during that time as well.
"The Lift" Lyric video- https://youtu.be/xaBMGg0ACYo

Too keep up on all things Swirl please follow us on social media.

SWIRL website- http://www.swirltheband.com/  

SWIRL Twitter- https://twitter.com/Swirltheband 

SWIRL Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/swirltheband 

SWIRL Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/swirltheband/ 

SWIRL YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/swirlgtr 

So here's to all of you & I wish you nothing but luck. So until then be radically righteous

DJ's Spotlight: An interview with the Disciples of Babylon

Hey there everyone DJ Dizzy here & I've had the pleasure of interviewing  a band called the Disciples of Babylon who took time to answer a few questions though thet were busy

How'd you get started in music?

Chris Toeller (drums): Both of my parents are musicians, so I grew up surrounded by music making it inevitable that I would also get bitten by the music ‘bug’ at some point, so to speak. My Mom plays the oboe, and my Dad is also a drummer. Both have been playing professionally most of their lives.

Ramon Blanco (guitar): At 8 years old, I studied classical guitar and quit after 6 months, I wanted to play soccer and l came back to guitar when I was 13 years old I just wanted to play rock and roll on my father's nylon stringed guitar.

Gui Bodi (bass): I tried piano when I was really young, like 6 or 7 years long, but I couldn't keep up with the practice routine, all I wanted to do was play soccer. Later on, when I was 15 years old, I started listening to AC/DC, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, and that  was it for me, I knew then that that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. A little while after that I picked up the bass, and the rest is history!

Eric Knight (vocals): I started doing talent shows and plays when I was very young and just got hooked from there. My parents played a lot of music around the house. I was exposed to various musical genres. My father was a rhythm guitar player for several bands growing up and my mom has a fantastic voice only she’s deftly shy. So I pretty much grew up consumed by music.

Who are your inspirations?

Chris Toeller (drums): There are too many people for me to name that have in some way inspired me musically, but some of the bands that I grew up listening to include Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Thrice, The Starting Line, and The Used. I would say that the drummers for all of those groups have played a role in my development as a drummer.

Ramon Blanco (guitar): My bandmates they inspire me every day.

Gui Bodi (bass): I draw inspiration from many different people, places and things, particularly what has an impact on me, directly or not, good or bad. Most recently, gun violence is something that's been on my mind a lot, I fear for the safety of kids at school and feel the need to talk about it, especially now that I have a nephew and soon he will be going to school. I see music, in this particular case, as a very powerful vehicle of information and education.

Regarding people, Paul McCartney (The Beatles) is my forever inspiration, but I've been hooked up on Joe Dart (Bassist for Vulfpeck), Myles Kennedy (Vocalist/Guitarist for Alter Bridge), Mike Inez (Bassist for Alice In Chains) and Mike Kerr (Bassist/Singer for Royal Blood).

Eric Knight (vocals): I think I’m influenced by everything around me and music is a huge part of that. Musically speaking there are just too many to mention.

How would you say music has impacted your life?  

Chris Toeller (drums): I think that music is one of the few things that can almost instantaneously give me a sense of purpose or even give life meaning when I’m feeling like it doesn’t have any. It has a very profound healing effect. It has kept me going through my entire life and has allowed me to persevere through times when I’ve felt like giving up.

Ramon Blanco (guitar): Music is my life, without music I would be very sad.

Gui Bodi (bass): Well, it impacted me so much that it became my life! I gave up on previous careers to dedicate myself to music exclusively, and I'm happy to report no regrets so far!

Eric Knight (vocals): Music is my religion, music is life! That pretty much sums up music for me in a nutshell.

What advice can you offer any up & coming bands or performers?

Chris Toeller (drums): Just keep working on doing what you do better. Don’t try to conform to someone else’s idea of what you should be doing because it won’t have the same level of integrity. Eventually, people will come to recognize the honesty in what it is you’re doing and appreciate it.

Gui Bodi (bass): Don’t play/work for free!!! (Unless you choose to do so)
Sometimes we musicians find ourselves in a relationship with bands and artists that won’t benefit our careers nor take us anywhere (but it will give you a lot of exposure! Yeah, right...), and for some reason we allow other people to dictate what we should be doing regarding the direction we want to go, either because you’re friends with everybody in the band or because you simply like the music you play a lot. I’m not saying those things are bad, like I said before, if you choose to play with your friends and just have a good time it’s great, but do it because you chose to do so. If at any point that’s not enough for you, have the strength to move on and pursue your dreams and goals, and believe me, those usually include getting paid for your art and your hard work like every other profession.

Eric Knight (vocals): It’s a job like any other job. You have to go out everyday and grind it out and hustle! It will not be handed to you, you must work incredibly hard to get noticed and even then there aren’t any guarantees. Just get out there and do it!

Any new stuff lined up?

Chris Toeller (drums): Right now, we have two new music videos in the works for a couple of the tracks off of our latest record, “The Rise and Fall of Babylon.” Aside from that, we’ve already begun write some new material for future releases.

Gui Bodi (bass): We have a few tour dates lined up and a couple of music videos in the making, stay tuned on our social media and/or our website, you can find our most recent news about shows and projects there!

Eric Knight (vocals): Lots of surprises, stay tuned!

Disciples of Babylon is a hard rock band that I highly recommend so I just want to wish them nothing but good luck & thank them for the interview. So until then be radically righteous!