Danu5ik Interview – Part 1

22-Jan-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of the artist

Danu5ik, the award-winning DJ and producer from Edmonton, Canada has recently dropped his latest in a line of captivating music videos and singles, Imagine. Today, I sat down with the man behind the sleek EDM beats and dreamy vocals, Daniel Lee. With a few international music awards under his belt, including the prestigious IMEA Electronica Artist of the Year for 2016, Daniel was the clear choice when youbloom decided to shine the spotlight on a local artist who was finding success in the music industry. In this two part interview, Daniel and I talk about the cosmic flavor of Imagine, the molting EDM scene, and what goes into finding international success as a local artist.

First thing I have to ask, where did you get that space suit for Imagine and can I get one two?
Getting the space suit was actually a bit tricky. We tried to get one of the Apollo space suits but those are pretty rare. And I’ve got to tell you, those space suits can get pretty hot especially when you’re on set all day. The suit was a really interesting idea when the song was first created. I wanted to do something with a twist.

What were some of the ideas behind Imagine?
The concept behind Imagine was that it was a journey and it’s about this Spaceman in the middle of nowhere and he got lost and wanted to be able to find his way back and he spent all his time in space alone so it’s about getting back into that social circle.

Yeah, that message of dissociation from social groups really comes out. The whole video is fun to just watch but also you’re able to put this deeper underlying message into it.
Well that’s what I really wanted to achieve with it. We’ve become so in tune with social media that we disassociate ourselves with the person sitting right by us. We are always in tune with our phones but how do you reintegrate yourself with society?

If I reflect back on myself back in 2017, going down to youbloom Dublin and meeting new faces and having such a blast or going to LA and connecting with so many people out there. No matter where I went it was fantastic but you have to put yourself out there and that was the message I was trying to achieve with Imagine.

Imagine Music Video – Danu5ik

When did music making begin for you?
I started to dabble in music when I was in high school. My music teacher, he had this old Yamaha keyboard synthesizer connected to a monitor and I didn’t know the logistics of the hardware itself but it was able to synthesize some amazing sounds and I used to spend my lunches there just creating unique sounds and dabbling there.

Moving forward I didn’t do anything with music for awhile and it was only in 2014 where I actually started to jump back into it. That’s when I first came out to Canada and that’s what evolved into the first album, From Sea to Kanata, which is a very Deep House kind of sound. Edmonton was still relatively new to the EDM scene and I wanted to put something out there that could show other artists what this is and what my take on all of this was.

And how do you feel your sound has evolved since then and how have fans responded to it?
Now my sound has evolved from House to more of Electro-House. Especially when I look at a track like Imagine, it’s just a banging track and I love the fact that when I create these tracks fans have such a positive feedback. That’s not to say its always positive but that’s okay I love all criticism. You have to be able to accept positive and negative feedback from your fans. I wouldn’t be anywhere today without them.

“I’m always sitting on that creative edge.”

Would you say EDM has gone through a transformation where now you’re seeing a lot of subgenres borrowing from each other?
Yes, when I ask what people what type of music they listen to and they say EDM, I always ask what they mean by that. There is a wide range inside of it, and we have to be more particular than that. Is it Progressive, is it Trap, is it House, Is it Deep-House? You’re right it’s evolved into a massive genre and that’s how you get those crossovers. If you look at the top 40s, you’re seeing a lot of EDM artists making it in there and it’s great to be a part of it.

Is there a shoebox of unheard Danu5ik tracks hidden somewhere?
Yes, there is a thumbdrive of tracks that I started and which have never seen the light of the day. In the last album Day Light/Dark Night I was surprised by how many tracks I had started but that didn’t make it onto the album. I think just from that album itself I had enough tracks to make two more albums out of it. I’m always sitting on that creative edge. I get an idea for a track and start it and then put it on hold and then start something new and then I might come back to it.

Imagine was not one on the back-burner though, it was one I came up with on the go. I love tracks like that! The last track I came up with was at the airport and I almost missed my flight because I was so in tune with putting down this beat. Its sound was just so surreal.

We may actually hear some of those old tracks in 2018. I’m in the process of creating the new album which will be released in the next year. There will probably be a few remixes of old tracks as well. It’s looking really well for 2018.

What can fans expect from Danu5ik going forward here? Any hints?
For 2018, I want to start out with a big bang. We may be seeing an Imagine Remix which will hopefully spark some interest. It’s too early in the game to say for sure but Imagine is a good hint of what’s to come. There’s going to be a string of music videos coming out in 2018 but I can’t say more than that.

Keep an eye on our tweets to catch the rest of my interview with Danu5ik. And why not take his advice and, “Put yourself out there;” Daniel will be playing at youbloomDublin in May and is eager to meet fans and collaborators alike. Artists that Apply to Play will get free admission to the Festival and Summit.

Top 6 Micro Job Sites – For Musicians

16-Jan-2018 By Leave a Comment

Choosing the Right Micro Job Site

Being an independent artist can be tricky. When the gigs aren’t exactly flowing, one way artists can convert their skills to profit are through micro job sites. While platforms like Fiverr have become a popular hub for freelancers to offer up their skills to patrons, many competing micro job sites are offering unique perks to accrue their own network of buyers and sellers. Here we’ll disentangle the pros and cons of these platforms so you can find the one that’ll suit your needs.

Fiverr

Fiverr being the most well know micro job site platform, it has set the bar for this global marketplace. As its name suggests, a musician can offer up their services for as little as 5 bucks. Fiverr’s platform is clean and user friendly and seems to cater to musicians more with services being broken into categories like: Voice Over, Mixing & Mastering, Singer-Songwriters, Jingles & Drops, and Sound Effects as well as others. The commission Fiverr receives per gig is 20%, meaning they’ll get a dollar of that $5 jingle you wrote. While this rate is somewhat steady among job sites, minimum service rates can vary as well.

Fourer

The next logical step if Fiverr is not for you is Fourer. With no lack in discretion, this site is a spin-off from Fiverr and the minimum rate is $4. Like Fiverr, Fourer nabs 20% of each transaction. The catch with this site is that you can only receive your payout through Paypal. Many similar job sites function this way so consider your relationship with Paypal before signing up. Fourerr also provides users the ability to “level up” where points can be gained by selling services. These points can then be exchanged for purchasing credit on the platform.

FiverUp

Don’t let its name fool you. FiverUp offers minimum rates of $4 and takes a 20% commission. You can manage your funds through Paypal or your credit card. In an attempt to differentiate itself from its competitors this micro job site offers a flurry of extra features. For example, FiverUp offers a “bump” function which allows users to pin their service to the site’s front page everyday. Their is also the possibility that if the company finds your service to be unique or especially useful, they will feature it in their blog, maximizing your exposure.

SEOClerks

Diverting from the common pun, SEOClerks has carved out its own niche of buyers and sellers priding itself/advertising itself on services as low as $1 and being especially useful to SEO and web development services. If you are an artist looking to beautify your website or expand your brand coverage, purchasing services here may be your best bet, but SEOCLerks allows you to sell the same range of services as the other sites, leaving a category of Music and Audio for musicians to sell their craft as well. They have different user levels which dictate the range of cost you can demand for your services where you may start offering gigs from $5-$125 and at later levels there is no maximum on the price. They also have a “want to buy” and “want to trade” section, where you can ask to have specific gigs done.

Gigbucks

While not wholly unique in its design, the platform has garnered good reviews from it users and a reliable following. Like the others, Gigbucks pays out through Paypal or Alertpay/Payza, and also offers credit to one’s Gigbucks account balance. The rate one can charge is $5 – 50 and Gigbucks takes a set 20% cut.

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

Finally, there is MTurk. This Amazon-affiliated crowdsourcing website is based in India and has accumulated a wide girth of customers over the years and is known to be a sturdy forefather of the micro job site platform. Any number of Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) can be requested and those who complete them, Turkers, are paid in Amazon credit. One can also pay the Turker through debit/credit or PayPal. Workers based in India have an added perk of being able to receive payment as a direct deposit in the form of Rupees. The commission rate for MTurk is where things become more complicated with a 20% – 40% fee per HIT depending on a workers number of tasks at had. A worker can be paid as low as $0.01 for a task but usually jobs pay as low as $1.20.

Still not sure where to post your services? Take a look at our comparison chart of what each platform has to offer. Hopefully this will clear things up so you can begin posting and get paid!

Robert Loustaunau is a content writer for youbloom and is a member of the social media team there. He is an avid music maker and listener. He enjoys the simple things in life: coffee, a good book, and quality time with his lovely girlfriend.

Interview w/ HMMA winners, Flight of Fire

07-Jan-2018 By Leave a Comment

My Last Gamble – Winning track at Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Americana/Folk/Acoustic

Interview with Flight of Fire

“We all strongly believe that the transfer of energy between audience and musicians is an intensely powerful thing.” – Flight of Fire

Earlier this month, youbloom was lucky enough to get some precious air-time with the Hard-Rock maelstrom of female fury, Flight of Fire. Known for their fantastical live shows and superb rock compositions, this Boston-based band has been selling out shows and racking up awards for several years now. In this interview the ladies divulge their creative process, dole out advice for the unsigned artists out there, and share what’s on the band’s horizon.

What were a couple runner-up names for the band before you settled on Flight of Fire?

What a cool question! We came up with our band name in a very geeky way, so we actually did have two clear runner-ups. The first was Drop of Flame and the second was Force of Flame. Personally, I think we made the right choice!

What is your creative process when writing?

We usually write songs individually. When they are mostly finished, we bring them to the band and everyone adds their own flare. Maverick will get picky about lyrics and improve melodies and Tanya will add solos. The twins write riffs together, and Tia and Maddie solidify the groove.

How has the LA music scene been different from the Boston music scene?

We haven’t spent enough time in the LA scene just yet to really be able to compare it to Boston, though in the few times we have come out, we have absolutely loved our experiences. One of the things we did notice is that there seems to be a lot more competition in LA as so many talented people flock to the city, however, there is also a plethora of experienced industry professionals providing an endless source of networking opportunities as well as offering more chances for encountering career-growing experiences. So it all seems to balance out.

“We don’t like our performances to be contrived at all, and we love to ride the waves when unexpected things happen!”

Youbloom, for example, has been so welcoming and supportive of us – we had such a great experience at the conference and met so many incredible people in the industry! It’s definitely very different, and each scene offers different things to artists and bands. We can’t wait to explore more about what it’s like to be a band in LA.

Flight of Fire is known for its high energy performances. What do you think it is that gives a band its charisma?

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Photo by Trixie’s Tripod of Boston Rock Radio!

To us, it’s all about the live shows. We all strongly believe that the transfer of energy between audience and musicians is an intensely powerful thing. Live shows are our opportunity to show our fans how much we appreciate them, and it’s their opportunity to enjoy us in our element! It’s truly magical.

Would you say you have live shows down to a science, or is each one its own mystery going in?

We like to keep as much of our performances as spontaneous as possible driven by pure in-the-moment inspiration. We do plan our setlists, but we like to take the energy of the crowd into account and play off the emotions of the people watching us. Sometimes you have to diverge from the set list when the audience’s energy is calling for something specific.

We also like to include some memorable stage antics, like when we switch instruments and pull off wild stunts. But our philosophy is that what we do on stage should reflect how we are really feeling at the time. We don’t like our performances to be contrived at all. We love to ride the waves when unexpected things happen!

What’s the most memorable show you’ve ever played? Why?

Some of the most memorable shows we’ve played have been when we opened for big acts. When we opened for Bon Jovi at Ford Field, and that is an experience we will never forget. We also opened for Lita Ford at a smaller venue. It was a sold out show and her fans were so incredibly supportive of us making us feel like true rock stars that night. At those kind of shows, you hope that you’re seeing a glimpse of your future. Those are the moments that stick in our minds and inspire us to keep pushing on through any of the difficulties we might face.

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Flight of Fire performing at youbloomLA Music Festival & Summit 2017

What good memory or experience did you have at the youbloom 2017 music festival?

So much of it was amazing! We are still so grateful that we got to come out and be a part of youbloom. We met so many incredible people. All the panelists we got to talk to were so encouraging, and the discussions really helped us solidify some of our strategies for the upcoming year.

“My Last Gamble won, and we never would have had that opportunity if it hadn’t been for youbloom and Shele Sondheim!”

Can you describe the events at the youbloom festival that led you to getting a Hollywood Music in Media nomination?

Shele Sondheim was one of the acclaimed panelists that we met at the festival. Shele was so kind and supportive to us and he connected us with Brent Harvey, the producer of the HMMAs. The two of them encouraged us to submit our song. Apparently it was a fantastic idea considering we actually took home a trophy that night. My Last Gamble won, and we never would’ve had that opportunity if it hadn’t been for YouBloom and Shele Sondheim!

What project do you currently have in the works?

We just finished recording a new single in the studio that features Cherie Currie from the Runaways. Cherie and Maverick share lead vocals on our song, She’s a Badass. It’s a testament to all of the female rockers who came before us and paved the way for musicians like us. The song will be released in early 2018.

What is the band’s vision going forward?

We have so much that we want to accomplish. Our most recent album, Path of the Phoenix, was released a year ago, and we already have so much new material for the next album we are hoping to record by the end of the summer, if possible. We are also looking at a tour in Europe and new music videos. Our biggest goal right now is to get a supporting slot on a tour with a band like Halestorm. That would be a dream come true.

“One of the most important things we’ve learned is that when you have somebody who believes in you, never take that for granted.”

What are your biggest challenges in reaching your vision?

As always, the biggest challenge is financial! It’s very difficult to make money with what we do. We are always doing our best to be savvy and find ways to make it happen! We will be launching a Patreon in January. That will give our fans the opportunity for a more intimate relationship with the band where they can directly support the music they love. We’re very excited about cultivating it, and that kind of support will make everything we are trying to do that much more possible!

What’s the best way fans-to-be can gain access to your music?

Our official website is the best way to get access to our music, videos and updates! From flightoffire.com, you can link to all of our social media as well, so whatever platform you prefer for following bands, you can find us there.

What advice would you have for upcoming bands/artists that are trying to get noticed?

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FoF at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards Night 2017

One of the most important things we’ve learned is that when you have somebody who believes in you, never take that for granted. When you have a DJ play your music, an aspiring journalist who writes a review for you, a booker who hears you at a show and loves you, or any fan that tells you that your music has moved them or buys your merch, your job is to respond to them. Express your gratitude, let them know how much it means to you that they believe in what you are doing. If someone is going out of their way for you, make sure you go out of your way for them just as much. Especially in this ever-changing industry, we all have to stick together and support each other. It’s all about relationships – make sure you always pay it forward.

To stay up to date on what Flight of Fire is up to, you can check out their website, flightoffire.com and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Their newest album, Path of the Phoenix, can be purchased on Bandcamp.

Spotify and Music As We Know It

05-Jan-2018 By 1 Comment

So, you may not have heard of them….but a long time ago music listeners used to pay for their music by

purchasing magical little devices called CDs. Now, I’m not saying we need to base modern life off

prehistoric tendencies, BUT suspend your disbelief enough to imagine a world where music hypothetically has more value than $0.006. $0.006. As in: you can’t even shop at McDonalds for 100 times the deemed value of modern music.. thanks, streaming!

History:

This whole evolutionary change (you know, the one where we demoted the value of art) can arguably be tied back to the October 7th of 2008 in Stockholm Sweden. On this fateful day was born Spotify, a digital audio streaming device, developed and released by partners Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. Contrary to popular opinion, Spotify’s foreign roots and sleek color scheme were not its sole motivators for success; rather, this was a result of excessive planning and a brilliant business model. Come summer of 2009 (less than a year following its official release) Spotify raised $50M in their second round of funding which was essential in the paying off of major record labels.

Reaction:

Not surprisingly, Spotify faced mixed reactions upon its release to the public. Its initial business plan massively underpaid artists and exercised the objectively suspicious need to pay off record labels who otherwise were unwilling to hand over their precious songs to be distributed to the public for practically nothing.

Artists were the first to catch on to the consumer-heavy focus of Spotify’s business model: essentially underpaying musicians only to cut the literal value of music by 99.4% (which was revealed when Spotify later released a statement illustrating the payout per new streamer to be less than a cent).

Underpaying artists may be in the best interest of consumers (and happy consumers means a happy Spotify bank-account) however, is discounted music really worth the scamming of artists and overall wear and tear streaming has on the entire music industry? Many don’t think so.

Artists and producers such as Thom Yorke, Taylor Swift, Nigel Godrich, and David Byrne spoke out against Spotify not only as business men and women fighting for economic equality, but also as concerned lovers of the art itself with fear for streaming’s influence on its future.

“If Spotify reaches its goal of gaining a definitive hold on the new delivery system then another precedent will be set and the idea that recorded music is practically worthless will become normal.” – Nigel Godrich

Influence:

As it was so beautifully stated by Mr. Godrich (likely in a British accent), Spotify and streaming as a whole will continue to demote the worth of music so long as

the literal marketed value of a song continues to drop so drastically.

As profit brought in by music alone declines, labels must find other means of making money off of artists and the easiest way to do this is by “branding” a musician. AKA owning the artists’ names not merely their music; naturally leading to creative restrictions from labels.

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At the end of the day, music is music. It evolved into what it was 10 years ago and it continues to reshape into what it is today just as it will tomorrow and forever. There’s no way to stop a changing industry from growing but there is a way to help it. To aid it rather from becoming something you don’t want it to be. At the end of the day- you, the fan- have the most influence of all. What you choose to buy sells and what you don’t will likely conform into something you will. So make the change you want to hear, music as we know it is ours to protect.

[avatar user=”joseydunbar” size=”medium” align=”left” link=”http://www.youbloom.com/spotify-music-know/” /]

Josey is a content writer for youbloom as well as a member of the marketing team. She is music obsessed and a diehard Tom Petty fan. Josey currently lives outside of Los Angeles where she enjoys excessively sunny days, train adventures and organic chai (yes, Josey is high-maintenance about her chai).

Interview with Osairis Front-Man, Aundra Island

19-Dec-2017 By Leave a Comment

“I didn’t know at the time that you could be of a darker shade and have dreadlocks and play speed metal.”

Recently, youbloom was fortunate enough to nab a little airtime with the Progressive-Rap, Rock-Fusion trio Osairis. An eclectic description indeed but one that’s only fitting for a band who’s sound has been likened to that of Cream and Hendrix as well as Rage Against the Machine and Living Colour. Osairis’ drummer and front-runner, Aundra Island works in tandem with guitarist, Casey Loudon and Berklee Bassist Gaku Murata to commandeer the stage with punchy, political verses book-ended by sweeping, Hendrix-esque guitar solos. Today, I picked the brain of the man behind the beats, Aundra Island.

Robert: Osairis is a collaborative group right? You’ve had different members in and out throughout the years? When and How did Osairis in it’s current form come together?

Aundra: Well, how we got together was we had an offer to open up for Angela Moore from Fishbone. And the name of Angelo Moore’s (Lead singer of Fishbone) side-band is Dr. Madd Vibe so he said he’d make an offer where if I could get a band together I’d be able to open up for them. For years I had been associated with the Black Rock Coalition but it had been through the West Coast Division I knew Angle Moore and it was actually his hairstylist who put me in contact with him.

Robert: So Casey, Gaku, and yourself play this gig for Dr. Madd Vibes. At what point did it click for you guys and you realized that you could work together as a group for more than just this one gig?

Aundra: You know there were other guys that kept playing with the group too but as far as the 3 of us clicking, it just took 2 -3 gigs for us to mesh. It’s funny because we all come from a similar background. Gaku graduated from Berklee and Casey graduated from Musicians Institute and I had attended Cal Arts. I got to a point where I had played jazz all my life and I wanted to move away from that. Being in a rock ‘n’ roll context with jazz chops that’s pretty much what I wanted to do and we all came from that similar background.

Robert: What artists have influenced Osairis’ sound?

Aundra: Ultimately Hendrix was my inspiration. I looked to Hendrix as a demi-god. But we also had bands like Rage Against the Machine, Sound Barrier, 24-7 Spyz, Urban Dance Squad, Faith No More, and Van Halen. But ultimately Hendrix and Living Colour.

Robert: Did Living Colour help bridge that gap between Jazz and Rock for you?

Aundra: My first Rock ‘n’ Roll concert was Living Colour and ever since than I was pretty fascinated with Living Colour because I come from a jazz background and within my jazz background I studied Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, and Count Basie. So I saw Living Colour at the Key club in LA and I was probably only 14 at the time. I didn’t know at the time that you could be of a darker shade and have dreadlocks and play speed metal.

Robert: Yeah, that’s definitely a niche-market huh?

Aundra: Yes. Very

Robert: I noticed with your live performances it stays with the rock vibe but then you guys have these improvised solos for 16 bars and I think that’s where I heard the jazz influence come through.

Aundra: Yes because we like to utilize being a power trio. You know a lot of guys now a days use that term but when I think of actual power trios – Rush, Cream, Primus – We’re like them, we’re gonna make sure all of our chops come out and make sure we can bounce off each other with ideas whether it’s in the studio or live.

Robert : Osairis’ sound has been labeled as Progressive Rap before. How would you define Osairis’ sound?

Aundra: You know it’s funny, The guitar player, Casey Loudon, his dad came to one of our concerts one time, it was at this festival called Punk Black out of Atlanta, they do kinda this black rock thing. It’s funny cause he said we sounded like progressive rap and I don’t really look at us as that. I look at us as more fusion; a mix of Jazz, rock, and hip-hop.

Robert: Do you write all the lyrics for Osairis’ original tracks?

Aundra: Yes and lot of people will actually confuse our originals with covers because I always try to make sure that when we write original material it doesn’t just appeal to us in the band, it appeals to everybody.

Robert: And what could you tell us about your album, Electric Purgatory?

Aundra: It’s funny because some people have said I’ve gotten the idea from the Black Rock Coalition’s film but it was actually based off of a nightmare I had of being in the music business for a while. I saw all these angels and it wasn’t like an acid trip but that’s where the title came from. So the album is pretty much a few originals and covers. I call Electric Purgatory my Chinese Democracy because I just stayed in the studio and kept recording, recording, recording and I knew at some point I was just gonna have to finish it. That album probably took me about 3 years to make.

Robert: Wow! That’s a long time for one album!

Aundra: See it’s funny how nowadays you can make an album in 15 minutes but you see for me it’s all about making the album of quality.

Robert: And what about your other albums?

Aundra: The second album, Road Warrior, is all originals except for one but we do sample from bands like the Who and Jay Z. The Third album is a live recording of the night we opened for Angelo Moore of Fishbone.

Robert: What’s the best show you’ve ever played? Why?

Aundra: We opened up for Winger at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go. That place is like our second home. Not only are those guys solid but they believe in independent artists. Chain reaction too, back when we were just starting up we contacted them and they were kind enough to get us going.

Robert: And what is it do you believe that these types of venues do to help independent artists?

Aundra: Well you both get to piggy back off of each other. The venue let’s you come in and play and you’re able to promote yourself at the venue you’re playing. We’ve also had a lot of help from other bands like Awukii, they’re kinda like the Bad Brains out here. We’ve had help from this band out of Atlanta called the Tulips with this guitar player named Gabby Logan. The Howling Stars out of Atlanta and from Sound Barrier who we opened up for. We’re all able to bounce off of each other.

Robert: It’s good to just to be able to have that network to rely on.

Aundra: Yes.

It’s kind of like if Hendrix played rap metal…

Robert: Has Osairis been on tour before?

Aundra: We stay in LA for the most part. The hard part is seeing if you can find a huge profit on that. We wanted to play in Ireland with youbloom and then they asked us to play LA instead but that would have been fun.

Robert: Hey we’re gearing up for the youbloomDublin festival in May again and we’re wanting to get more of our LA sound over their this year. Youbloom is trying to do just what you were talking about where we connect bands and strengthen that network. For bands coming to a new city it can make a world of difference just knowing some of the local talent, and not feeling like complete strangers when coming into the city.

Aundra: Hey we’d love to be able to fly over their and play in Dublin.

Robert: Does Osairis currently have something in the works? A new album or some sort of project?

Aundra: Yes, We’re in the phase of producing the album MEDIA: Multi-Ethnic Destruction In America. This album is going to be dark and heavy. It’s going to be a combination of commercial, political, and lyrical content. Like the first 2 albums combined but it’s gonna have a really cool and interesting appeal to it.

Robert: And what inspired this album for you?

Aundra: To be honest there’s not enough content out. It seems like every time I listen to the radio these days, everything on there is just bubble-gum and it’s like there’s a real world out there. You know, don’t just force feed the audience what you want them to hear. Sometimes there isn’t any light at the end of the tunnel and you just have to deal with it, not everything is just peachy keen.

What MEDIA was inspired by was Public Enemy. I didn’t want to go the route I had gone with the other two albums. The other stuff is rock but this is a more heavy rock. It’s kind of like if Hendrix played rap metal but it’s not gonna be so experimental, a lot more straight and in your face.

Robert: Can we expect a little bit more collaboration on this album?

Aundra: Ya we’re having different artists come in. From Sound Barrier we’ve got Spacey T, Ronny Drayton from 24-7 Spyz, Robert Brown of White Chapel, and Daniel Lape as one of our guitarists. Just playing around with it. I’m trying to see what the heaviest sound is I can run with and blue print it.

Robert: And what’s that process look like as you bring different musicians in to the studio?

Aundra: They’ll just come in and I’ll show them this idea I have or show them what I want or what I’ve already recorded. I always say this band is kind of like Deep Purple where we’ve had just about everyone in this band.

This is why I want MEDIA to be perfect from start to finish but I’ve only been working on it for a minute. Each album that I do I try to treat it like it’s my first album. Then I make sure that there is always gonna be some sort of change. One thing I’ve learned from Miles Davis is that you can keep the same style as long as you adapt to whats going on around you. That and keep a brighter way of thinking and you’ll be okay. If you listen to Davis from 1955 – 69, from Kind of Blue to Witches Brew, it’s all the same thing, he just stretched out the arrangements but he always stuck to the same style, the same thing.

Robert: So MEDIA is in the works and it sounds like it’s coming along nicely. Don’t let the rest of us rush you along, it sounds like a really cool work in progress. I know the fans and I will be excited and waiting for that release date.

What advice would you have for other independent artists who are trying to make it in the industry?

You can keep the same style as long as you adapt to whats going on around you.

Aundra: My obvious advice would be learn various styles of music. Study the greats who have come before you and after you. Learn to read charts. Have a good attitude but also be able to stand your ground because things aren’t always gonna be smooth as butter. Don’t let anyone doubt you because some people have doubted me but it’s those challenges that have made me who I am today.

To hear more from Aundra and Osairis check them out on SoundCloud or Youtube. Friend them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to stay up to date on that album release: MEDIA. The band plays in Los Angeles regularly so when you’re in town be sure to check them out!