DJ's Spotlight: An Interview with Four Trips Ahead

Hey everyone DJ Dizzy here & I've had the pleasure of interviewing none other than Four Trips Ahead who were really kind to take time to answer a few questions. Enjoy!

How'd you get started in music?

My mother was a singer with a touring choir for over 25 years; they performed at many famous venues in NYC including Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral as well as throughout Europe and North America.  The Dumka Choir recorded several albums which she helped produce as well. I used to sit and listen in on her rehearsals on Friday nights in the East Village in Manhattan. It was an exciting time to be hanging out in such a creative place. My father was a jazz and ska fanatic, and he constantly played records. Growing up, music was always present in our home.  I ended up singing in several bands throughout high school and college while studying voice and playing NYC clubs and other East Coast venues. I also toured a bit nationally in earlier bands, which solidified it for me.  You can say it’s in my blood.

Who are your main inspirations or influences?

This is a very hard response to give—Queen, KISS, David Bowie, The Wailers, Thin Lizzy, The Beatles, Nina Simone, Sly + the Family Stone, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin, the Bad Brains, King’s X, Marillion, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel, Anthrax, Aerosmith, Kate Bush, Living Colour, UFO, Soundgarden, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Third World, Faith No More, Glenn Hughes, Steel Pulse and Prince as well as a host of others.

How would you say music has impacted your life?

Music is life.  Without it, I am nothing.

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Work on your craft--rehearse, rehearse, and then rehearse some more.  Play with and learn from the best.  Learn your favorite songs but make sure to write your own music and lyrics.  Go see bands live and develop your own unique live show.  Be bold and brave and play from the heart.  And prepare to be rejected, misunderstood and ignored---it doesn't mean what you do isn't good or important.

Any new gigs or works in the future?

FTA is currently working on new material for our next release--we are super excited as the songs are shaping up to be some of the most dramatic and powerful music we've written together.  The next move to return to the studio to begin tracking in the coming months--FTA is hoping to do a special crowdfunded release.  We should be playing in the next two to three months during the summer.  We just debuted a live in-studio video for "December" from our Spin Recording Studios session with AXS which was great.  Check it out here--

Interview and video premiere: Peter Wilso

So I just want to thank FTA for taking the time to do this interview & I wish you guys nothing but luck in everything. So until then be radically righteous!

DJ Interviews: Alan Silva

Hey there guys & I've had the pleasure of interviewing none other than areal acrobat extraordinaire Alan Silva as he sat down with me & spoke on his upbringing in aerial silks & stunts.

How'd you get started doing aerial stunts? I was born in to a circus family, so I feel like I did t have much choice but also become a circus artist. I love the feeling that I have being in the air, my grandma, sister, father, cousins were aerialists and I fell in love with aerial silks because of how artistic you can  be With it.    Who are you're biggest influences? I get my influences from many other people that cross path with in my life. So I don’t really have just one.    Was aerial stunts your first choice? It was not my first choice. But then it became my first choice. The more I did it the more I wanted to do it.    Can you remember the most dangerous stunt you've ever done? Everything that is in the air is definitely dangerous. But I have to say the death drop over the spikes as well hanging by one foot so up high and also aerial in the water.    What advice would you offer people who aspire to do the work you do or have been bullied? To keep going, moving forward and keep dreaming. Don’t listen to the bullies and the negative people. Reach to the stars because the sky’s the limit.    Any new gigs in the future? There are a couple. But things are a bit slow now because of Covid 19 but I’m sure soon as things can go back to normal I will be very busy.    Special thanks to him for doing this interview & I wish him lots of luck in his career & lots of love to him & his family so until then stay awesome & rock n roll!

DJ Interviews: The Silver Beets

 Hello again folks its the one & only DJ Dizzy coming at you with another interview, This time with a band who answer to the name of The  Silver Beets who had a lot to say on their musical origins.

How'd you get started in music?

I just fell into it around the age of 18 through a new group of friends who introduced me to alternative, indie, underground music. Up til I didn't even know that stuff really existed. Hearing guitar sounds like the Dead Kennedy's and Sonic Youth, the vocals and sounds by Jane's addiction was an eye opener and I was hooked. A lot of these friends had been playing music since their early teens so I was a little bit of a later starter and I never really got serious on playing any particular instrument. Just used the instrument as a way to write songs. Then as various band members didn't want to play anymore I'd find myself as the bass player, or on a guitar.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Everyone and everything in music inspires and influences me. I've been involved in projects that would be classified as pure noise art through to learning how to sing opera (well try in my case). I do generally prefer the alternative and independent artists more than mainstream artists as I feel there's a rawness and reality to it that I mostly don't get from mainstream music. Perhaps it's that indie artists are generally writing their own stuff from their own experiences so they live it whereas a lot of commercial artists are singing stuff written for them. So, I guess I just don't find the emotion in it as much. However, there are definitely still mainstream songs that do convey that emotion and I like and appreciate them. 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Never give up, keep trying new things, enjoy what you do - I think the current world situation shows that a lot of artists income is not secure and only a few artists/musicians ever make the kind of money that can set them up to not have to work. It's a career it's a job and most people have to work their whole life to buy the house and whatnot so don't expect that you are gonna be the next big thing and strike it rich. Chances are you'll be slogging away at this for a long time with very little to fall back on. I know a lot of musicians whose income just dried up because there were no gigs, so tours got canned, shows couldn't be played and even supplemental income like teaching other students dropped off completely so it's a tough industry and going in knowing that and accepting that is a good place to start because if you know that and you still continue you know you are doing it for the right reasons.

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

We just do what we want to do and as artists we don't want to continue writing the same stuff. So, I think album to album song to song we will sound different and grow and that is all as artists you want. I don't have any expectations other than to be true to myself and what I believe in. If that shines through to an audience then my job is done.

Any new gigs or albums in the future

No gigs for us at this time but we are right at the end of the mixing stage of a new album which will be released in the not too distant future so watch this space.

Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them luck in their music. So until then I'll catch you on the Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!

Interview with Reggie N Bollie ahead of their latest summer single Summe...

DJ Interviews: Drawing On Scars

Hi there everyone its The DJ coming at you with a band who call themselves Drawing On Svars

How'd you get started in music?

I had an interest in the guitar since I was really young, but Nirvana really got me to get into playing music. Right after their Unplugged show aired on MTV, I received a beat up acoustic guitar from my grandparents for Christmas and started teaching myself how to play from magazines and such. Then around 2001, I downloaded some free recording software and started writing and recording my own music. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Nirvana was obviously the first and biggest influence for me. Other bands like Deftones, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Filter and Hum have also shaped my style over the years. 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Spend your time practicing whatever instrument you play and writing as much as possible. Social media, fans, followers, and all of that don't mean anything if your music isn't good. And have fun. If you don't like what you're doing, listeners will be able to tell.

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

We're a band with only one official member. At one time, that was extremely unique, but there are a ton of people working this way now. The advantage is that I get to work with a number of awesome vocalists which has been great. 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

We have a new single coming out July 10th, and a few more singles following that later in the year.

DJ Interviews: Spiral Crush

Hello there folks its your old friend DJ Dizzy here & I sat down with the band called Spiral Crush who had a lot to say on their success & their career. So lets hear it for Spiral Crush!

How'd you get started in music?

Shaun Smail (guitar/vox) - When I was a young kid there was another kid on the bus whose dad was a Metalhead.  Through this other kid I was somehow expose to Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister. After that it was all over, I was all about heavy metal and wanted to start a band.

Scott Smail (drums) - Having a passion for music at a young age is really where it started for me, but once my brother Shaun got a guitar I knew that I also wanted to learn an instrument. Since Shaun chose guitar, I went with drums.

Jimi McCammon (bass) - My earliest memories involve listening to music with my Dad. The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Black Sabbath, etc. When I was in grade school I started singing in Choir which eventually led to auditioning for a band in high school (which I didn't get), so I bought a guitar and started my own band; I was 16.

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Shaun - My inspiration and influences started with 80's hard rock and heavy metal. That led me to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. I'm also a huge Kiss and Van Halen fan. Now, I pretty much listen to everything from 40's music all the way up to today's music. I'm a really big fan of 80's rock and pop rock like Bryan Adams, John Waite, The Cars and Pat Benatar.

Scott - If it's rock and roll it's probably on my list! Kiss, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, and many more, too many to list here!

Jimi - I'm all over the map on this one as well. Early in my career I want to shred guitar! As a result many of my early influences are guitar players. Eddie Van Halen, George Lynch, Jimmy Page, and Randy Rhodes just to name a few. Once I started playing bass though things changed and quickly developed a liking for prog/rock/metal bass players. Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Micheal Anthony, Billy Sheehan, John Paul Jones, Chris Squire, just to name a few. Today I'm in to bands like Muse, Foo Fighters, Rival Sons, Arkells, The Sam Roberts Band and more. I listen to a pretty diverse rock and roll platform.

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Shaun - If you want to be the kind of musician who performs live in front of crowds, don't wait until you think you're good enough. No matter how much time you spend practicing in your bedroom, or your rehearsal space with your band, once you get up in front of people, wether it's five of five thousand you're going to be nervous. Performing live takes just as much practice as learning your instrument. If you make a mistake or have a bad show you have to learn how to let that go. Fro me, at the end of the day I would rather be a mediocre musician who performs live, trying to get better, than a great musician who doesn't. Focus on enjoying it and the rest will just fall into place.

Scott - Try to be as creative and unique as possible, and stay true to who you are.

Jimi - Do what you love! Don't change who you are as a band or player to try and make other people happy, make yourself happy and if people dig it, then cool. If they don't, fuck'em. Also, practice, practice, practice!

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

Shaun - I don't worry about setting myself apart from other bands or performers. I worry about writing and performing music that I enjoy and can be proud of Hopefully other people will enjoy it as well. I feel like if you start trying too hard to be different it won't be honest. I think if that happens you ultimately won't be happy.

Scott - I would have to say musically, we just have a different sound.

Jimi - We are just a raw, loud, power rock trio! We have high energy songs that we try and match with high energy performances! If we could play live 365 day's a year we would.

Any new gigs or albums in the future? 

Shaun, Scott, and Jimi - We are currently writing new material for an album that should be out sometime in 2019. We are very excited about the new material and looking forward to finishing it so other people can hear it as well.

So far in 2019 we have nearly a dozen shows on the calendar including opening for Derek St.Holmes (Ted Nugent) and Jim McCarty's Mystery Train in early June. 

Special thanks to them for this interview & I wish them nothing but luck in their success until then, Stay awesome & rock n roll!

Spiral Crush- Rockstar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq3P961qWGM&feature=emb_title

DJ Interviews: Black Lakes

Hey there one & all DJ Dizzy here & here's my interview with the band Black Lakes pull up a chair & enjoy!

BAND NAME: Black Lakes

NEW PRODUCT: Black Lakes debut single ‘The Divide’

RELEASE DATE: 28/08/18 

How'd you get started in music?

We've all played in bands from an early age: The Passenger, Echologunge, Revival and Her Dark Embrace to name a few.

Black Lakes formed in 2016. Scott, James and Lee had worked together in previous projects and as is the way today, Will and Daf contacted us through our tinder profile

Will S Preston- Lead Vocal

Scott Bradshaw- Guitar/Vocals

James Rowlands-Guitar/Vocals

Lee Harris- Bass Guitar

Dafydd Fuller -Drums

'The Divide' is our debut release from our studio session with Romesh Dodangoda. At the core It’s about rejecting the predetermined path laid out in front of you by mainstream society. It’s about demanding your individuality in a world hell bent on making you the same.

'The Divide' is grounded in personal experience and the persistent disappointment of being let down by those in positions of authority and power. It’s exactly what is happening in the world today.

Who are your musical influences? 

James:

Alice in Chains

Soundgarden

Pearl Jam

NIN

QOTSA

Scott:

Alice in Chains

Tool

Radiohead

NIN

SOAD

Will:

HIM 

Evanescence

Deftones

Incubus

Korn

Dafydd:

Tool

Black Sabbath

Gojira

Rush

Lee:

Acid bath

Iron monkey

Turbonegro

Electric wizard

Uncle acid and the dead beats

All the influences feed into the creative process, however the songs have evolved from not having an agenda and writing and creating without boundaries or preconceptions.

As we listen back,  we can hear our heroes influencing and  shaping but we don’t feel it sounds like any one of them specifically 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

In our experience in the last 10 years, live is always great fun but in the digital age you really need to think about your online presence, as well as being a tight outfit with a good sound. 

Create a presence online, speak and listen to your fans (you can engage with them so much more easily) create cool unique content and play targeted live gigs. As Trent Reznor said ‘try and create the coolest thing you can come up with.’ And that’s what we’re trying to do.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

We are rehearsing the live set and will be booking more show imminently

We’re booked into Patriot, Crumlin 8th June 2019. Buy your tickets now!

Any big festivals lined up?

This is our focus for 2019.  We would love to play Bloodstock, 2000 trees, steel house festival, Greenman, amplified just to name a few

I wish them nothing but luck in everything & nothing but the best so until then stay awesome & rock n roll!