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Independent Musicians “Bloom” at youbloomDublin Music Summit & Festival

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The youbloom Mission Achieved

In the words of The Key Regimes, who performed songs from their debut EP at youbloomDublin, “education and community” are the aspects of youbloom’s mission that they relate with most. “There is never enough of either”, they stated.

 

How does youbloom provide this through youbloomDublin? Just ask the artists who performed.

 

The Key Regimes, who were “blown away with the quality of the bands playing over the weekend”,  relaxing before a set at youbloomDublin

 

Community and Education Fostered at youbloomDublin

“Having a sense of community is extremely important for musicians”, Pixie Saytar, a three member band who played a set at 4 Dame Lane, stated. The ability to form a connection rather than a competition allows artists to “feel a part of something bigger”. Pixie Saytar believes a community atmosphere is “vital to growth as both an artist and a person”.

 

To Pixie Saytar, the educational aspect of youbloom is also important in that it’s about “sharing your expertise with others”, and meeting industry figures removes some of the big bad scariness.

 

Pixie Saytar striking a pose at youbloomDublin

 

 

For others, such as Dandelion Tea, youbloom is about “building a community that supports artists” and learning from others in that community. They quoted Vaughan Williams who once said that “the composer must not shut himself up and think about art, he must live with his fellows and make his art an expression of the whole community.”

 

ELLYD, who returned to youbloomDublin this year as a solo artist, playing some tunes

 

Successes and Takeaways From youbloomDublin2017

CARRON is hoping to make it to youbloomLA this year. The two sisters are thankful for the advantageous music industry contacts they made who can offer valuable tips for artists such as themselves. They also look forward to possibly “performing [with them] in the near future”.

 

Dandelion Tea also saw success in that they were “booked for another gig straight after.” Overall, many artists felt as though their performances were well received by a nice crowd. In the words of ELLYD, “it’s always a pleasure to play at youbloom!”

 

 

 

The Music Industry: Artists’ Outlook

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YoubloomDublin2017

At around noon on Thursday, June 1st, Dublin’s atmosphere became a bit more community-minded. More specifically, it became a bit more nurturing towards those who possess a love of music.

 

Sixty independent musicians based in multiple countries—from Portugal to Sweden—would play a unique gig during that weekend at the youbloomDublin Music Summit & Festival, an independent music conference and festival. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that youbloom caters specifically to unsigned artists with the intention of altering the current unsustainability of said artists.

 

How do they accomplish this? Well, just ask the artists themselves who performed at youbloomDublin three weeks ago.

 

Oski Bravo at youbloomDublin

 

But first, let’s take a step back.

 

The Music Industry Exposed

The music industry is extremely skewed: a few hundred artists make 75% of the revenue. Smaller artists usually remain unseen because they simply don’t have the support they need to grow their business. These music industry statistics and the monopoly effect lead artists like Oski Bravo, who performed at youbloom Dublin for the first time, to insist that the music industry is a “pigsty”.

 

Back to the Ocean, an alternative band who played twice at youbloomDublin, also attests to the demanding aspects of the music industry in that independent musicians basically must figure out how to get fans on their own. They’re “expected to have world class recordings, [a] big fanbase, professional videos and social media profiles, and [a] business orientation”.

 

Back to the Ocean rocking out at youbloomDublin for their first performance at the festival

 

A Love of Music

But for many, even though the odds seem insurmountable, the love for the craft is greater.

 

“It felt like a natural progression for both of us”, CARRON stated. For the two sisters who played at youbloomDublin in Phoenix Park on Saturday and The Globe on Sunday, it began with “leading roles in shows like ‘Annie’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and ‘The Sound of Music’” along with violin and vocal lessons.

 

They believe the music industry standard is quite high, particularly in Ireland with artists such as Hozier attaining success. However, they are hopeful for what it means for them in that “[they] must always be progressing too, writing new music and taking part in as many live events as [they] can”.

 

CARRON striking a pose at youbloomDublin

 

For others, such as Dandelion Tea, who performed at 4 Dame Lane on Saturday, “Music is just something that always made sense. [It’s] an intangible form of art that can impact so many people in a big way. We felt we had something unique to say and music was the language we could best express it in.”

 

The music industry may receive complaints, but as Dandelion Tea said, pictured here feeling the music at youbloomDublin, “that’s the nature of monetizing art.”

 

The overwhelming nature of the music business may discourage artists to pursue music, but many still do simply because they couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything different. It’s this overwhelming love for music that fuels artists and youbloom members alike.

 

 

Podcast #2: Tim Booth of James

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Donal Scannell interviews Tim Booth in the second installment for the podcast. Tim Booth is a singer, dancer, and actor. He is best know as the singer of the band James. Listen in to hear what he has to say about life, dance, and music.

 

 

https://art19.com/shows/born-optimistic/episodes/4f6e7024-2a0d-4544-9c32-5938d891bf1e

 

 

Podcast Host:

Donal Scannell
Donal co-founded Gigstarter as a crowdfunding tool for planning and funding tours. Described as the Kickstarter for gigs, the web tool is a way for concerts to be crowd funded by fans. Donal is also creative director at production company Scanarama.

Podcast #1: Moby

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Donal Scannell shares his first podcast as he talks to DJ, musician, photographer, author, and animal rights activist, Moby. They talk about everything from music to lifestyles and everything in between.

 

 

https://art19.com/shows/born-optimistic/episodes/6fd1f7d2-9b8b-4344-95d6-000a0be1c4e7

 

Podcast Host:

Donal co-founded Gigstarter as a crowdfunding tool for planning and funding tours. Described as the Kickstarter for gigs, the web tool is a way for concerts to be crowd funded by fans. Donal is also creative director at production company Scanarama.

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM #9 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2016 Music Summit and Festival.

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Sometimes all it takes is a little list. There’s a big world out there full of choices and for an ambitious musician it can be hard to know which direction to steer in. That’s where a BEFORE I DIE list comes in.

Narrow things down. Weed out distractions. Focus on the three things that will make your time on this mortal coil the best it can possibly be. Then go.

The youbloomLA 2016 Music Summit and Festival is in full swing, with scores of the finest independent artists around hitting stages all around the city of angels with one thing in mind: to share the music they love with you. They’re on this journey because they know, deep down, that this music train ain’t stopping; they’re in it for the long haul; they’re married to rock ‘n’ roll...you get the picture. But where the path will lead is different for every single artist up there tonight, and five of them were kind to provide us with some truly great answers when we asked: Hey buddy, what do you want to do before you die?

 

BEFORE I DIE

Huxley Rittman:

1 | Be featured on a hip hop banger

2 | Play a show somewhere stupid like underwater or in space or while freefalling from a great height

3 | Play a show in which I actually don’t screw up

An act we’re pleased to welcome back to the youbloom stage, Rittman is an artist who brings fresh footfall to the well-hiked trails of acoustic storytelling, making it more about the listener than about himself, which is dignified and refreshing. Like a relaxed, neofolk Dylan; instantly persuasive and warmly addictive. For fans of: Nick Drake, Hudson Taylor, Mark Kozelek
BEFORE I DIE

Nasty, Dirty and Nasty:

1 | Become a touring artist full time.

2 | Be featured on a song with Nas.

3 | Perform the 5 fingers of death on the Sway in the Morning show.

Eclectic, exploratory hip-hop that pulls no punches. The chemistry between Dirty and Nasty is colossal; together they capably tackle a range of different compositions, from sexy grooves to party anthems and rhymes to make you stop and think. This is an act that’s going places, and you really want to be there to see their live show before they blow up. For fans of: Black Milk, J Dilla, Digable Planets
BEFORE I DIE

Jonny Cat, frontman & guitar, Coo Coo Birds:

1 | Write an Opera.

2 | Score a great film.

3 | Tour three times a year in Europe and Asia.

Welcome to your new favourite garage band. Coo Coo Birds bring the fuzz and crunch with all the references to sex, drugs and rock’n’roll essential to doing justice to this timelessly rebellious musical style. They’re groovy, they’ve got swagger, and they write really great rock’n’roll tunes. You’ll love ‘em live. For fans of: The Stooges, The Black Keys, Jay Reatard
BEFORE I DIE

Case Bargé:

1 | Make a positive change with my music, rather it be in a listener’s personal life or in the overall music scene in general.

2 | Go on a world tour and have every show sell out.

3 |  I would love for the creative collective I’m a part of to be a staple and known for our influential and positive efforts to better not only the music community but the entire world as a whole.

Like a dark dream shot through with sharp-as-a-knife clarity, Bargé’s music blends ambient tones and synthy, electronic landscape sounds with rhymes so deftly spat you get the sense they must be red hot. It’s top class hip hop with more than enough food for thought for a feast. For fans of: Tyler, the Creator, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q
BEFORE I DIE

Grover Anderson:

1 |  I would kill for one of my songs to become so ubiquitous that everyone rolled their eyes when it’s played, even if that meant someone else played it. Like, I want to feel like Ketch Secor from Old Crow Medicine Show does when Darius Rucker’s version of Wagon Wheel comes on.

2 | I’d also like to play in one of those overstuffed tribute performances that they do every year at the Grammys, like when Growl & Springsteen & Costello & Little Steven did that Clash Tribute.

3 |  I’d like to tour with Garth Brooks. In my book, he’s the best live singer-songwriter that you can see, and I want to learn everything I can from him.

Wistful and clever, the wonderfully proficient Grover Anderson weaves together songs that mix youthful whimsy with heartfelt daydreams, delivering them to eager ears with a stripped-back, pure and well-considered expression. From the acoustic gems to rockier grooves, It’s the perfect road trip music, and it’s sure to be a killer live. For fans of: Paddy Casey, Josh Ritter, Ryan Adams

 

What three things would you put on your BEFORE I DIE list? We’re, uh, dying to know. 😉

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