Tag: Interview

Wednesday: Interview and Live Performance

Read a story of perseverance and triumph against all odds as I recap my interview with one of my favorite bands, Wednesday.

This interview was off to a blazing hot start from the get go as Karly Hartzman announced that there was a bear (a fucking bear) in their yard.

Jake Lenderman (guitar) and Xandy Rooben (muse of the band) joined us for one of my favorite interviews to date as the three of them were an absolute joy to talk to and left zero doubt as to why they are on such a fast ascent to stardom. We were excited to begin discussing new singles ‘Handsome Man’ and ‘Cody’s Only’ and the upcoming probably AOTY coming on 8/13…

That’s when things got blurry.

During the most important interview to ever be conducted in history, my home experienced a power outage. My neighbor called and LADWP said it was an 1800 home outage.

Sadly along with my unprecedentedly pink and blurry face, my audio had also become distorted, to the point that it made the interview unwatchable.

Ben Affleck Smoking Through the Pain of Existence

Fortunately Wednesday’s answers came through clearly, which is why this time around I am transcribing the interview here on the blog.

Even more fortunately, Wednesday’s PERFORMANCE CAME THROUGH CRYSTAL CLEAR, giving some some quality footage to use.

Extremely Happy GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

Here’s the full interview video for anyone who wants to watch, but be forewarned that the audio makes it tough at times:

Without further ado:

What moment in music history would you buy as an NFT?

NFTs are bad for the environment, but let’s say in an ideal world where they weren’t for this example.

Jake: George Jones driving a tractor to the liquor store after a several day drinking binge

I didn’t know about this lol

Karly: Dolly Parton’s nails from the classic concert that Dust To Digital just released on video

Alan (via comments): Smashing Pumpkins, London ’93

What are some of your biggest musical influences?

Karly: This past year and right around the time we were recording it was Unwound, a big one for me right now.

Jake: Smashing Pumpkins. We try to layer guitars like that.

Karly: I like the Swirlies a lot, they’re one of my favorite bands ever. We also like a lot fo country music, especially when we’re grilling or sitting on the porch, it’s like the only thing that makes sense for what we’re look at and what we’re eating, which is usually hot dogs.

Besides from music, what are some other mediums of art that you think have influenced you?

Karly: I do a lot of sewing, I’m actually about to drop a bunch of Wednesday shirts that are handmade. Jake likes to paint trucks, and Xandy is a baker, which actually plays into the way we write music.

As we went in depth into this Karly mentioned that she a line of brand new handmade Wednesday shirts, available here. Here’s a preview:

What artists are killing it right now, and who should we watch out for?

Jake: Dan Wriggins, Michael Cormier, Fust, Colin Miller, bandmate Margo recommends Lavender Blue

Karly: Space Heater, Orindal Records, Dearlife Records, Jake’s album (MJ Lenderman), Walkhome, Zach Romeo, Harsh Realm

Xandy: Green-House

And also SECRET SHAME (of the 2020 Indie Pong playlist 🙂)

What artist’s discography would you take with you to a desert island for a month?

Xandy: Arthur Russell

Karly: Space Heater, final answer

Jake: Island Book Soundtrack by Lewis Dahm (made for the graphic novel Island Book by Evan Dahm)

In addition to all of this we discussed fun things to do in Asheville, shopping local and avoiding the new chains popping up (especially Harvest Records), baking on tour, and a myriad of other fun topics.

Anyways, take it away Wednesday!

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Interviews with Unknown Artists presents Josh Dominguez: Air It Out (1/4)

Mijo pt. 1 – Josh Dominguez
NEW SINGLE

The final notes ring out, as Josh Dominguez’s concluding moments of his latest single, Air It Out, quiets the buzz and clamor of the Peppermint Club crowd.  A spell was cast through the track’s confluence of honest candor and lounge jazz, allowing for a moment of silence amongst the audience as Josh delivers the song’s closing message: “Dark rooms aren’t funny things— Air It Out.”  He looks out upon the crowd from center stage, allowing the silence to hang for a few beats longer, before addressing them— “We all have demons. No matter where you come from.” 

            His softness fades into a scowl, foreshadowing the tone of his next original performance, Doubt— featuring Atlanta-based rapper and known collaborator of Dominguez, T.R.3.  He makes his way on to the stage to perform the track alongside Josh.  The backing track begins, enveloping the crowd in the sound of a cold, emerging wind and lone violin.  The stage lights dim down to a blood red tint, setting the tone for the quiet, unhinged madness needed in order to properly introduce the audience to the darker sides of their minds.

                           *                                             *                                                *

        The power of unbridled passions can take the shape of true artistry over time.  There’s an honesty in Josh Dominguez’s energy—a blend of chicano charisma, blind confidence, and strong moral fortitude.  His entire person is evident in his musicality and artistic choices, ignited by a duality that blurs the lines between Dominguez’s art and his personal life.

            In 2018, Josh Dominguez dropped his debut single, entitled, First Encounters—a gritty glance at first love, packing a strong, relatable lyrical gravitas.

            Later that year, he’d follow First Encounters with two singles— Looking for Me and 2AM— tone-driven tracks built around jazz, that set the stage for his trademark style and the debut of his first time EP, The Current.

Featured Single from The Current EP (2019):
‘All Night’ – Josh Dominguez (Music Video)

“I never want to fight where life is taking me.  I just want to explore through this art form, and see where it       takes me,” stated Dominguez. 

His music is his story.  It’s an active illustration that art is held in the same category as air to Josh Dominguez—the lack of either is lethal. 

“Being an independent artist is all about self-empowerment.  You need to be your own biggest fan,” Dominguez added.  “By allowing my best self to take the driver’s seat, I’ve grown more confident in my ability and awareness to tell my story in a relatable, artistic way — drawing from the good and the bad experiences in my life and allowing the duality to drive my music and storytelling.

Dominguez’s latest single ‘Mijo: Pt. 1’ drops TODAY, August 7th, and is available on all streaming platforms.  Link available below– don’t miss out.

Josh Dominguez – Mijo Pt. 1

https://ampl.ink/1l4wX

More to come on this emerging talent soon.  Stay posted.

Watch: Interview with LoneMoon, Luna, and Plasticman

We were fortunate to have an in-depth interview with LoneMoon about her just-released AOTY contender kit@Nai (pronounced kitanai like dirty in Japanese). Here’s what’s up.

This album came largely in part from a bad year for LoneMoon, a year full of people bringing her down, some deceptively shallow relationships, and to paraphrase in my own words… haters in general. From the ashes of getting burnt left and right this year, LoneMoon was able to capture her most emotionally sincere and triumphant sound yet on her stunner of an album. This brings us to the provocative cover of the album, which shows Luna (LoneMoon) herself riding on the bodybags of the haters. You can really hear that emotion on Luna’s self-proclaimed favorite on the album, brainleZz2:

We go into more detail here, and also discuss the importance of artists being able to separate their self-worth from their body of work:

Luna is based in Oklahoma where she was born, but lived and grew up in Japan for ten years, which significantly influences her work. A conversation about Luna’s other influences led us to her future aspiration of opening up even more than she has on this soul-bearing album, to let her deepest and most painful emotions show in her art, even if the process might be a lonely one.

Here’s me being exposed for not knowing anything about sailor moon, plus the introduction to our other two interview participants:

On top of discussing two of my favorite tracks on the album, 1_n1Te and iLy, which we covered a few days ago, Luna was also kind enough to impart some of her wisdom onto us in terms of up and coming acts to watch out for:

High Zoey

S Reidy

Backxwash

^and this track features Black Dresses, no less!

Hear about LoneMoon’s favorite artist of all time, which non-music artist she would most like to collaborate with, and which artist she would listen to if she were stranded on a desert island for 24 hours straight (which I responded to with an emphatic “no way”) here:

Play us out LoneMoon!