Interview with Renee Yohe of BEARCAT

I had the opportunity to interview Renee Yohe of BEARCAT while she was on tour and I want to thank her for that. Renee started her musicial project called BEARCAT and she creates creative music that changes the way we look at musicians. Renee is a woman that gives back to her community because she helped a non-profit organization called To Write Love On Her Arms, that helps people with addictions and self-injuries.

Below are her responses to my questions: 

1. What bands do you like and how have they inspired your music?

I love a pretty big variety of bands and artists: Patrick Watson, Ours, The Dodo's, Miss Emily Brown, David Bazan, Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Pinback, Simon & Garfunkel to name a few. I think they have all inspired honesty in my music, creativity that doesn't follow the rules and allows itself to create moves/experience. I think the big thing is how much each artist has impacted me with their words. I have always valued being intentional and I think that shows in my music.

2. Did you always wanted to tour with Never Shout Never and because of this how do you feel it will affect your career?

I don't think I ever really imagined touring with anyone, this whole thing is so new for me and I have mostly just been in the moment absorbing it all as it comes. We certainly make different styles of music from what I have heard, but I know Never Shout Never has had an incredible amount of success, which is extremely admirable especially being so damn young. To have the opportunity to share my music with such a large audience is pretty exciting. I am not honestly concerned about my career being affected by who I tour with or any of that jazz for better or worse. I just want to make music and hopefully it will be a positive thing. I will be able to keep doing this and not have some shit job that I hate, you know? (haha)

3. Where did you get the idea for the name of your band?

I love flapper lingo, it is actually a term used to describe a fiery/feisty hot blooded woman, thought it suited me pretty well (haha).

4. What are your messages for the song "Silence Is Silver" that you want your listeners to know?

I came from a very non-confrontational home and I am very open, plus sometimes rather abrasive. I experience things very intensely and the majority of the feelings I carried around when I was younger were very heavy, negative things. I grew up with the slogan, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." That was a death sentence to me and I internalized a lot of my emotions for fear of negatively affecting the people I cared about. There's the phrase, "Silence is Golden," but it came to mind one day that this basic truth that secrets keep you sick, begged to differ. That silence makes us slaves. I think I would want people to walk away with the idea that it is okay to share their secrets that they can be free if they choose to be.

5. If you could describe your music in one word, what would it be and why?

Freedom, this is the first time I have truly just had an outlet or something that I have done for myself and one that I see as a gift. It is a place in which I am allowed to be whatever I am, everyone just wants permission to be... to be free... and music is that for me.

6. Where do you see your musical career 10 years from now?

I have absolutely no idea, I tend to just be where my feet are. If I were to dream, it would be this fluid, ever evolving masterpiece. I would have an obscene discography that people could just sit with for months or years and discover new stuff all the time. I would be comfortable and completely uninhibited and still madly in love, plus fully satisfied with every moment spent in it.

7. What struggles did you face as a musician and how did they affect your music career?

I have faced a phobia of singing in front of other people for one and that has been a crazy transformation. I think another "struggle" per say, would be that I don't have the slightest clue about how to write a song or play an instrument, but it has allowed me to just create without worrying about rules, since I pick up the important ones along the way. It has kept me teachable and pretty unrestricted. I think the biggest thing I faced was feeling like people didn't seem to get my music or really believe in me at first, but I just kept going and I have never felt more affirmed or validated in my life. I has been a gift because I didn't sing for anyone's approval and I did it because I needed to/loved it.

8. If you were a millionare for one day, what would you do with your money?

I don't think I can imagine that kind of money: me and my guitarist always joke about that We would probably forget we had it and keep living like poor people, which really is not that bad (haha). I think if I were intentional I would get some smart people to help me budget and manage my money so I didn't blow it, give back to as many people as I can, and invest in other people. Be nice and comfy, but not so much that I would get complacent and bored. I would definitely get something ridiculous just because like a strange exotic animal or have some stupid absurd childlike thing in my house like a slip'n slide or maybe a horse. I would really want to make sure I had a place to call home and I would eat steak. That is for damn sure (haha). I am not good with money shit amd I don't really care about it. I just want to be okay and to be able to help the people I care about. On second thought, after having our van brake down while we're on tour, I would invest in a trusty tour bus. We are stranded in New Mexico right now (haha).

Interview with Rob (Bass) for Take The Day!!!

Band: Take The Day

Genre: Pop/Dance/Rock

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Band Members:

Adam Devlin (Vocals)

@iamdarthadam


Timothy Wolf (Guitar/Vocals)
@hEyHeYtImMaY

Clint Hancock (Guitar)
@clintastic88
Rob Carey (Bass)
@aboynamedrob

Jon Sodemann (Drums)
@TakeTheDayJon

Rob decided to answer the questions for the band and below is his responses to the questions:

1. What inspired you to play music?

Honestly, we have all been playing music for so long that it gets to a point where you are not sure what else you would be doing. I think just wanting to do something that was fun and that we loved got us all started playing music, but when we came together we all had a similar passion to take this as far as we physically could. We have been lucky enough to have kids really get into what we are trying to do with our music and we are humbled each and every day by that. So it really pushes us to keep losing sleep and working as hard as we have to. We have started climbing this mountain, but we have still got a long ways to go till we reach the top. We don't intend on slowing down anytime soon : ).

2. How did you meet your other band members?

Adam and I had been writing music for a few years together and we decided to write/record an EP in Chicago with our good friend: Nick Scalise. Tim and Jon at that time had been playing together in another band that had a lot of steam behind it, but the other members in the band weren't really on the same page anymore. Honestly, Adam and I tried recruiting Tim to play with us (haha) because we had this sick EP written and recorded, but he told us that his band was needing a bassist and a vocalist. So Adam and I went and hung out one night and it all kind of fell in place. Our current guitarist Clint joined the band after we had been playing together for a while. and we needed someone to play with us for a show. We all got along with him really well, so we asked him to join the band full-time. He was jacked because he was previously just a fan of the band.

3. What would you like to ask your fans if you could ask them anything?

We don't really have anything to ask our fans. It is so difficult right now to be in an independent band doing everything on your own and not begging fans to do stuff for us. That was just never something we wanted to do. We hated when other bands that we were fans of always wanted their fans to do things for them. I mean, occasionally we don't have a choice because without our fans we wouldn't have gotten as far as we have. We always try to keep in mind that if our fans are doing stuff for us we had better be doing something for them in return. So we really try to give back to them as much as possible. We have given away free music, autographed posters, shirts and all sorts of stuff to try to make sure our fans know how much we love them and look up to them.

4. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

(Haha) it is difficult to answer that question. Music is such an unknown thing. We all want to be doing something musical in 10 years. It would be awesome if Take The Day was still going strong, but if that doesn't happen I imagine we will all be doing something in music. Writing, recording, producing or managing. Tim and I already do some co-writing stuff and Jon has a clothing line he started up a while back that we sell at shows.

5. What are you thinking when you are on stage?

I am usually thinking "don't run into anyone!!" or "is this thing in tune? I can barely hear my bass!" (Haha) we all try to have fun on stage, but we also want the crowd to have as much if not more fun than we're having. So, we are always working to make our show bigger and better. I think that is more or less what we are all thinking on stage. We just want the crowd to be having a blast.

6. How has music changed your life?

I was always kind of awkward growing up and listening to the bands/artists that I loved helped me feel more comfortable in my skin. I had my core group of friends, but it was not really until I started playing music seriously that I started to feel comfortable around people. In some form or another, we have all kind of had that and that is why we have always felt kind of like the underdogs. It pushes us to work harder each day : )

7. If you could describe your band in one word, what would it be and why?

Party. (haha) I mean, we are evolved so much in the time-span of a year and our style of music is dancer, but we write songs in hopes that people will want to play them at parties and dance to them. We like to have a good time ourselves. On tour, even if we're exhausted or have been cooped up in a car all day, we get out and just lose our minds. People probably think we have issues (haha).

8. Where did you get the idea for the name of your band?

Take The Day was a mantra when we started this band. We sat down and were trying to think of good band names, which if you have ever done this you will realize that around 99% of band names are awful. We just wanted to dive in and get things done and write the best songs that we could. It seemed fitting to name ourselves Take The Day because it was how we approached our writing and our work. It was something that kept us going when things seemed too difficult or too farfetched.

Interview with NameSake!!!

Band: NameSake

Genre: Pop/Rock

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Band members:

Will Crafton - Vocals

Brad Wagner - Guitar

Troy Harmon - Guitar
Seth Van Dusen - Bass

Kevin Nordeste - Drums

I had the opportunity to interview Troy (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and below are his responses for the band:

1. What messages are you trying to convey with the title of your album: Borders and Fences?

What we were trying to convey with our album title, “Borders & Fences” was no matter what obstacles/’“borders or fences,” you may struggle with, you have to face and overcome them. Throughout the album, we express a lot of our different “Borders & Fences” such as love and lose, distance from family and friends, beginning to grow up and starting to write your own path.

2. What inspired you to play music?

I spent pretty much the first ten or so years of my life as a goalie on a travel hockey team. I played all over the northeast and I think eventually I just got burnt off from it. As soon as I put down my skates, I picked up a guitar and just like with hockey I become much attached with it. I got really into 80’s music do to the flashy guitar playing and I would try to emulate that. I eventually started writing my own songs and joining local bands. Once I started performing my own songs, which is when it really came together. The feeling is unexplainable for me because the connection you have with your audience is so genuine.

3. How has music changed your life?

Music has allowed me to meet a lot of amazingly talented people. It is allowing me to travel the country and see places I have never seen. It has given me the chance to connect with a lot of kids through our music. Most importantly, music has allowed me to express thoughts and feelings in a way that is different from spoken words or text.

4. As a musician, how do you see the world with a musical lens?

Yea, I put pretty much everything under a musical lens. I tend to relate a lot of things to whatever music I may be listening to or relate them to my own. Whether it is like being away from my family and friends or relationship I am going through, maybe it is even just a random thought, but I think it helps draw conclusions about a lot of this stuff.

5. If you could change the world by one action, what would it be?

If anything, I just want to inspire others to just go for it and I don’t mean just with music. Whatever you are passionate about, believe in it/ yourself and everything will unfold.

6. What would you tell your fans if you could ask them any question?

 I think if I could ask our fans a question it would be: if they could pick any song on the radio right now for us to do a cover of, what would it be?

7. What outrageous fan stories do you have, that you wouldn’t mind sharing to the public?

Ah there’s nothing too outrageous, our fans are really awesome and we always make sure we take the time to meet and talk to everyone. If it were not for them, we would not be doing this.

Interview with Anchors Away!!!

Band: Anchors Away

Genre: Alt/Pop/Rock

Hometown: San Diego

1.      Where did you get the idea for the name of your band?

I wrote a huge bio on our Facebook page about why the band name is Anchors Away!, (www.facebook.com/anchorsawayofficial) but in short, I started the band to kind of reach out to people who are hurting or depressed because I was at that point in my life not too long ago. I want to help people with their problems and the Anchors are a metaphor for depression, pain, or hurting. I want to help people throw those problems or "anchors" away. Therefore, I named the band "Anchors Away!" (:

2.      How has music changed your life?

Music has done so much for me. Writing songs has helped me get my creativity out, as well as being able to vent. I spill out my emotions on paper. It is also served as a way to meet tons of people and just to hear their stories or become friends is really cool to me.

3.      Where do you guys see your band 10 years from now?

 Well hopefully, I want to be touring overseas by then. It is a dream and goal of mine.

4.      What do you guys think when you are on stage?

 I just love to express myself and all I can usually think about is how happy I am to be playing in front of any crowd from: 5 or 5,000. It is just what I love to do. 

5. If you guys could ask your fans any question, what would it be?

 If you wanted us to cover any song, what would it be? (p.s. I love you) <3

6.      What band do you guys want to tour with if you could pick any one? 

I think 30 seconds to mars would be such an awesome touring experience because they play globally and their concerts are huge. I am sure it would be the best time of my life.

7.      What outrageous stories did you guys experience with fans?

The band only started a month ago, so no outrageous stories yet. Feel free to do something outrageous and we'll mention it in our next interview. (:

8.      What song is your favorite that you created and why?

"Forever vs. Reality" because in my opinion it conveys a lot of emotion and I love writing   songs like that.

9.      If you could describe your band in one word, what would it be and why? 

       Love, because the band aims to love everyone, no matter who you are.

Interview with TJ Courtney!!!

I had the pleasure and opportunity to interview: TJ Courtney. A rocker that is not only talented, but will make the ladies nervous just by looking at him for a few seconds. A man that wants to change the world with his music and gives 100% to his music. TJ’s EP is mind blowing and music video: One Day will change the way you look at the world. So take the time to listen to both and be a fan because you will not regret it : ).

1. What messages are you trying to convey with your EP and "One Day" music video?

Most of the EP is an expression of angst and anxiety, but it depicts a winning battle. The darkness and conflict turn to hopeful resolutions. I have been ridden with anxiety and depression my whole life and now that I have a positive outlook on dealing with it; I am trying to write songs that other people can relate to and help them express what they are going through and keep the outlook positive. We are products of a complex environment, so it is not always obvious why we feel a certain way or why certain things dig at us. Songwriting for me is the process I use to try and figure some of that out. Sometimes I don’t fully understand my own lyrics until months after I have written them, but I knew at the time I wrote them they were important. Expression is so important, whether it is creating something yourself or relating to a great story/song.

As for One Day, that is all about our impact on the environment and how the momentum of institutions is still moving in the same direction. James Cameron said it well, “The world is the Titanic and climate change is the iceberg – we are headed right for it.” I am paraphrasing of course. The song touches on that theme and as a broader stroke, the idea that anything that seems permanent can be torn out from under us.

2. What inspired you to play music?

I was sort of inexplicably drawn to drums as a kid. My mom says I was obsessed with drum sticks when I was 3 years old, obsessed with the idea of owning “a real set of drum sticks.” By the time I was 9, I was fully into playing drums. I am not sure why I chose that. When I was about 12 or 13, I started to really connect to music and I was obsessed with music videos, plus would watch MTV for hours after school. Those were the days when I started dreaming about being a singer and writing songs.

3. How has music changed your life?

Almost every way possible!!! For starters, it has helped me through every breakup, death, tragedy, and just plain bad day. It is just as important on the good days. I am always amazed at how certain songs can take you back to an exact moment, feeling, or memory. Being a musician has changed my path in life 100%. I was an A student in high school and had great test scores…etc, but after graduation I moved to LA with my band and I did not attend college. I still only have half a degree to this day because every chance I get to tour, or otherwise be involved full-time with music I can’t resist.

4. As a musician, how do you see the world with a musical lens?

Well, I can’t help but make beats when I do anything, like walking or chewing. I look for songwriting inspiration everywhere, all the time.


5. If you could change the world by one action, what would it be?

At this current moment it would be to arrest Trayvon Martin’s killer. I am not close enough to the situation to know whether or not Zimmerman did it for sure, but you have got to arrest the guy.


6. What would you tell your fans if you could ask them any question?
I would ask them: how they got so damn good looking? ; )

7. What outrageous fan stories do you have?

There was this one fan that used to draw pictures of me at almost every show and send them to me online. They were really good, but I tried talking to her at one show and she just sort of ran away.

Interview with Candlebox!!!

Band: Candlebox

Genre: Rock

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Here are the members of the band:

Kevin Martin
 

Peter Klett

Scott Mercado

Adam Kury

Sean Hennesy

Kevin Martin is representing the band because he is answering the questions for the band:

1. What inspired you guys to play music?

For me, I would have to say it was the first time I heard a drummer play live in grade school. I was playing french horn at the time, but it was at that moment that I knew I was geared for something else. Something louder and way more aggressive than Bach or Mozart. The bang crash boom of that kit rocked my world and I knew I had to play them. It was then that I started paying attention to Rush & Aerosmith & The Clash and all sorts of bands, trying to understand what it was about drums that I was so attracted to and them. At the age of 14, I found Bonham and that was it! I was sure I was going to be a drummer in a band someday…bummer that I am a singer!

2. How has music changed your life?

It consumes me every day, I wake to it and go to sleep to it. I could not imagine what life would be like without it. Music has saved me from certain death several times, I am sure and for that I am so grateful.

3. What band is your favorite and how are they incorporated in your music?

That is a tough question, I don't really have a favorite band. I love Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Bob Marley, ACDC etc. and all have found their way into my song writing in one way or the other. Generally its "how would so and so do this" or "what's that progression and why does it work so well in that context" that I ask myself. I try to understand their musical influence on me rather than how to incorporate it into my songs.

4. What aspects of your music are you guys trying to change and if not, what are you trying to better?

We are trying to be more prolific and what I mean by that is that we tend to meander around writing songs, rather than producing an abundance of them to choose from.

5. What outrageous fan stories have you had to experience?

Mostly about how many times they've gotten laid to "far behind," I mean I understand that it happens I just don't need to know how many times!

6. If you guys could describe your band in one word what would it be and why?

Honest: We have never tried to deny the type of music we create and we have never tried to be anyone other than Candlebox. We make the music we make without expectations or fears of acceptance.

7. If you guys could ask your fans any question, what would it be and why?

What size shirt do you wear because we have the coolest merch!

8. How did you guys meet?

Through a circle of friends in Seattle, I met Scott at my 16th birthday party. He came with someone I couldn't stand, I should have known then that there were gonna be problems! Ha!

9. Where did you guys get the idea for the name of your band?

It came from a Midnight Oil lyric in a song called "Tin Legs & Tin Mines" I liked the imagery, so we thought we would use it for a while and of course it stuck!

10. What do you get your inspiration from for the music you play?

I am inspired by everything around me, I pull from all directions and try to focus in on one thing to write about. Songs are everywhere you just gotta recognize them when they show themselves to you.