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!

DJ's Spotlight: An interview with Seven & Counting

Hey there guys DJ Dizzy here & I met up with a band by the name of Seven & Counting who had so much to say about their music & their career,

How'd you get started in music?

Unexpectedly, actually. I used to write songs for years but only for my own amusement and had no plans or dreams of going public. Besides, I have no music education or experience whatsoever. Just a self-taught rhythm guitarist who can be useful by the campfire but for something bigger... At the age of 42 suddenly something changed my point of view. I realized I still like to play some of my own songs written over 20 years ago. Then I asked myself - what if they are actually good songs? What if they deserve more than just to be played in my living room? What if... The truth is, I never thought of them as of songs in a singer/songwriter style (maybe only a few of them), I always imagined how would they sound in a full band arrangement. So I started to build and develop the idea of the band and my role in it and I've searched for answers on more questions than I could imagine it would appear.

Fast forward two years later. My mind was clear, the idea was polished and I've started to look for people who would fit in. Fit in as persons as well as musicians. I knew from the start they must be more experienced and educated than me. At the time, the only thing I knew for sure was on which side of the microphone I should stand. :-)))
I wanted to start working on my song and to finish it as our song. It took a year or so before we felt we're finally getting somewhere, mostly due to line-up changes. Main goal was to work on our original songs and to use covers as fillers for live acts. And now we are pretty much where I saw us when we took off, except for the fact it happened a bit later than planned but, hey, that's life! One can't predict everything.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

It's hard for me to say... If I started in my twenties or earlier it would be much easier to define direct influences. This way, at the age of 46, I presume my songwriting and composing style is a huge mix of the styles, music and authors I grew up with. They had some influence on younger me as a person, in my formative years, and they surely left a big impact on my music. From Ray Charles to Willie Nelson, from Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan... Van Morrison, Tom Waits, John Fogerty... I used to listen to them a lot (and still do!) and I can say the vast part of what I know now about making music and writing songs I learned from their huge and amazing body of work.

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Considering my time in music I'm not sure if I'm entitled to do so but on the other hand, I have some life experience and that's what may be useful for uprising musicians... The same advice I gave to my sons when they decided to go into sport: Respect! Respect the music, respect your bandmates, respect the audience. And respect yourself. Make music the way you feel like, not the way music industry is forcing trends nowdays. If you put in it something that really belongs to you, then, and only then, it would be your own music. Otherwise you'll became wanna-be's. Of course, one can always say you reminded him of someone else but it's normal - traces of what made you sing or write or compose in that particular way is the same thing as what our parents did to all of us. They left traces. No matter how hard we try to be different our roots were grounded long before we wished to be different. Same in music. My music can't remind anyone on The Doors. They are not the part of my music background. So take what you like and reshape it, add a little something of yourself, let your bandmates add their ingredients and see what happens. You might get pleasantly surprised with the outcome!

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

Hmmm... First, there's nine of us and we're close to get ourselves a piano player so maybe in a few weeks we'll become a 10 piece band! That's already a huge difference compared to most of the bands today! LOL! Furthermore, I believe our sound is much more organic than usual nowdays. But I assure you, all nine of us strongly believe the songs come first. If the song is good, it would stand the test of time. No matter what. So we make songs with what we got not caring much about enormous possibilities of today's technology and gadgets. If we can make it sound right by ourselves, with real instruments and voices, that's it! And we can always add something later and make it sound even better.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Currently, we are working on original songs for our first record. Four songs are completely finished as (official) demo versions, 3-4 semi finished or in developing phase and I'm working on a couple of more by myself for now. If I feel good about them, I'll introduce them to the band. So, for next month or two we won't perform live gigs, we'll stay in our basement and work on new songs.

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

Stay Awesome & rock n roll!

DJ's Spotlight: An Interview with Counterfeit Youth

Hey there everyone DJ Dizzy here & I sat down with a band by the name of Counterfit Youth who had a lot to say about their careers & their musical upbringing. Enjoy!

1. How did you get started in music?

All of us in the band have always had a deep passion for music of all genres and learnt our instruments through our early teens, being in a band is something all of us had always wanted to do, we were all in different bands when we all eventually came together to start Counterfeit Youth. Two of the bands original members are no longer part of the band, fortunately we were able to find two more of our good friends who also shared our passion and drive and we've stuck together since.

2. Who are your influences/inspirations?

We all have different inspirations and influences, all of us have a collective favorite genre

but we also all have our own favorite genres. We love Pop Punk and Alt Rock, that's what we love to play, but we also love to listen to everything from Punk, Metal, Classic Rock, Indie and even Ska and old school Hip Hop! As a band our influences for our sound are mainly bands such as Blink 182 and Sum 41, the real Pop Punk heavyweights, but we take great inspiration from Biffy Clyro, as his style covers everything from heavy to sing-a-long songs. We've actually been compared to Biffy in a gig review once, so we must be doing something right!

3. What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

If you're not in a band but want to be, dont be scared to ask people you know love music as well, and dont be scared to find people you dont know to be in a band, we found two of our original members through band ads on the internet so always be open to the idea. If you're in a band and dream of playing venues up and down the country then keep plugging away and dont be disheartened by any set backs. Sometimes it seems like your not going anywhere but every band has quiet periods, just keep going and going, eventually it will all come round.

4. How do you set yourself apart from other bands and singers?

We try to put our own signature sound on all of our songs. We like to play a certain way and write a certain way. When it comes to live shows we like to bring the party! High energy, fast paced, in your face intensity. We want everyone to jump around and dance and have a good time, when we're doing that on stage then the audience is more likely to join in and enjoy the show, it's all about having fun at the end of the day!

5. Any new gigs or albums in the future?

We have one or two more gigs lined up for the rest of the year, as we currently have a lot of work going on in the background for the future! We may have one surprise left before the end of the year to follow on from our latest release Mad On (which can be found on all good music streaming platforms) but that's just a maybe at the moment, we dont want to give to much away...

I wish them both luck & nothing but the best in things. So until then 

Stay Awesome & rock n roll!

BAD TO THE BONE

DJ Interviews: Raised By Wolves

Hello everyone, DJ Dizzy here & I'm proud to introduce a band by the name of Raised by Wolves who  had a lot to say on their careers. Enjoy!

 

 

 

We are Raised by Wolves, born out of the strong desire to shine, shine imperfection.

 

How'd you get started in music?

 

Vinnie

I got started in music writing raps for my school projects in third grade. I did a dope one about the amendments to the constitution :) for social studies.

 

Here is an excerpt from my masterpiece about the bill of rights. JZ you need to know this stuff for your citizenship application:

 

#1 says, kickin, we all got the freedom,

of religion, speech and press, hell yeah, we need ‘em.

The right to assemble no matter where we please, and to petition for redress without takin no cheese...

 

It’s still in my head. I never forget a rap.

 

Subsequent Text Chain:

Mike : That's funny man, a friend I saw while in San Diego recently was my rap partner back in the day… says he has all our recordings on tape and is going to convert to digital. I still know all those lyrics too.

 

JZ(Shocked): You guys are undercover rappers.

 

Mike: So not undercover... we headlined our high school talent show lol, beatbox and all.

 

Vinnie: Dude so did we. I was in sixth grade, autographing third graders pencils at lunch after we headlined with beach boys / fat boys wipeout.

 

JZ(Thinking) I would have been locked up for doing this in apartheid South Africa.

 

Mike

On summer break in college one of my best friends was selling his old cheap drum kit that was almost never played... it sounded awful... but I could play basic beats as soon as I jumped on the kit... I started playing original songs w another one of my best friends who was learning guitar... the rest is history

 

JZ

I was a member of a band called the Monotonous Myoelectrics (Monotonous robotic prosthesis) we were cool, a wayyyy “cool” grunge rock outfit. We went on to advance our musical conquests in three different continents, Africa, Europe and the US of A.

 

And I don’t count those horrible piano lessons my mother forced me to take…

 

 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

 

Vinnie

Inspirations = JZ and Mikey A :-P

 

Mike

60s R&B/soul/funk, 80s rap/hip hop, 90s grunge/hard rock, John Bonham, matt Cameron, Keith Carlock, chad smith, Harvey mason

 

JZ

I value innovation and musicians pushing the boundaries of what is considered conventional. (This is likely where the inspiration for writing songs about winning the love of your life over with falafels comes from) I listen to almost everything, calling out a few examples, Genesis (PG Era, e.g. Musical Box), 10cc(Godley/Creme songwriting combo, e.g. Clockwork Creep) and a more recent example by Leon Bridges, Bad Bad News, love the jazz fusion. And I have to call out Chris Letcher from back home, he is a musical maestro, Robotic Soldiers.

 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Vinnie

Just go for it.  The only way to get better as a performer is to perform. Every band had a really bad first gig somewhere.

 

Mike

Create and play the kind of music you love with guys you have amazing chemistry with... enjoy the experience and the ride.

 

JZ

Believe in yourself and keep on perfecting your art. Even though I hated taking music lessons when young I would really urge that you really dig into both theory and technique, it gives you more tools to express yourself with.

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Studio addiction, us, never(denial). We continue to write new material and are working on wrapping up the recording of some new material. We are also playing close attention to the areas we were not totally comfortable with, technically, with the recording of “Shines”. Want to get it just right for you guys. You deserve the full value for the 0.006 cents spent each time you listen to one of our tunes on Spotify. We are planning to hit the stage in 2019, look out for it!

I wish them nothing but luck & the best in their success so until then

Stay Awesome & Rock n roll!

DJ's Spotlight: An interview with The Midges

Hello one & all  DJ  Dizzy here  bringing you another interview with a band named The Midges who had a lot to say about their success,  Pull up a chair & enjoy:

How'd you get started in music?

My uncle was a DJ and I sang all the stuff he played when I was about four or so. Music & movies fascinated me always. I wanted to be a singer already in the Kindergarden. I guess it was when I was sixteen when I started to write songs

on my guitar. My first band I formed one year before the Berlin wall came down. We were three fellows with a U2-like sound but mostly played our own songs.  I realized I needed more musicians than three to bring my ideas on stage.

In about 1996 a good friend & I formed what should later become The Midges. For that concept I had written new songs. Over the years the line-up of the band changed a lot. Our first album we released in 2000. In the end I was not so

happy with its sound, but still love the songs, which are also part of our live shows. For the current album "End of fireworks" I concluded to take more time in arranging & recording - to finally not make te same mistakes. With the

superb drummer and friend Olli Becker I had the perfect partner for this project. We recorded in Berlin, Munich and Bristol (Toyboxstudios). I was very happy to work with Stef Hambrook (our co-producer) on all those important details

which make END OF FIREWORKS so worth listening. The bass is played by the brilliant Marcus Schloussen. The three of us (Olli, Marcus, Mario) played the main parts on the album. The rest was done by guest musicians. Our live show line-up

is completed with Matty Kahra (guit) and Andreas Reinmann (keys).

Who are your inspirations or influences?

A wonderful question! I think I could name at least five at once. I love the music of The Beatles. I guess they are one of the reasons I started to make music at all. Another big point goes to Pink Floyd & The Electric Light Orchestra.

A very important source of inspiration comes from movies: I love old films, black & white and stuff. To name one of my hereos: Alfred Hitchcock. These brilliant soundtracks of this era fascinated me a lot, already in my childhood. In

this respect I need to mention Claude Debussy. The great composer of the Impressionism. As the Beatles he manages it to make me feel good with just a single note. There are more influences but this surely would make a new interview.

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Believe in yourself. Do not try to copy your idols. Do rehearse their music but find your own stile. Never forget to have fun. Respect your audience. Get in good contact to them. Be creative!

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Our main aim in the last months was to produce some new material and videos. At the moment we are shooting a new music clip to one song of the album. A new single is just recorded and will be released hopefully at the beginning of the

next year

I wish them nothing but luck in their success & their careers & if you're looking to hear any of their songs feel free to click the link below so until then stay awesome & rock n roll!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/end-of-fireworks/id1017963189

 

Beck 1st Ending - My World Down Full

DJ Birthday!

Hello there one & all DJ Dizzy here & today is a very special day...…………..That of MY BIRTHDAY!!

So sit back relax & enjoy my video picks which I hope you enjoy!!

Turn up the radio- Autograph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAJV2va9V9A


Maximum Overdrive- 2 Unlimited

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqytJei3NM


Motley Crue- Kickstart My Heart

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


Here we go- C & C Music Factory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEQydmaPjF0


Stand out- Tevin Campbell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlMZXtATye4


Nut rocker- Trans- Siberian Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4AbeEu_WwY&t=1s


Stay Awesome & ROCK N ROLL!!