Q & A - Superhuman Happiness

I asked Stuart Bogie a few questions, and he kindly answered them. Find out some things you didn't know about Superhuman Happiness, their approach to music, and Stuart Bogie's role in the Fela! Musical. *Just noticed this wasn't published when it should have been, oops.

1)Labels can be helpful but they are not always accurate when it comes to music. If you were to label the genre or sound of the music Superhuman Happiness makes, what would you call it?

Labels for music always carry baggage - baggage that gets re-appropriated and served back to people. It seems more helpful to speak of movements and eras and geography - whether physical or not. Superhuman Happiness' music is often compared to Talking Heads (a band i grew up listening to a great deal of) and modern groups like MGMT (who i only discovered after people made the comparisons). Our group is from New York (like Talking Heads, LCD Sound System, Liquid Liquid, etc) but i am from Chicago - home of Tortoise, Isotope 217, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Jesus Lizard and many other groups that influence our music. So you could say there is some Chicago in our music, too. Couple that with the fact that we also play a good deal of Afrobeat music in the style of Fela Kuti, and you can kind of get the gist musically.

Coachella - Robyn Answers Some Questions

Robyn is oh so adorable in this Q&A she did for Coachella. Watch to see who she is dying to see at Coachella.

Q&A with Project Jenny, Project Jan

Project Jenny, Project Jan have more than just an interesting name; they make great music and interesting videos to go with them. So I was quite pleased when they said they would answer some of my questions.

1) How did you come up with your name?

We're not so sure. We do know that the name has evolved into these 2 characters who, to me and Jeremy, have taken on personalities of their own. They kind of guide the direction of the band, or vice versa, but they are a crucial element of us.

2) Was there a reason you stopped at a duo?

We still are a duo. We have a couple of musicians who help us with live show now, which is a new thing. With the arrangements of some of the new songs being more live instrument driven we knew we couldn't do it just by ourselves anymore off a laptop.

3) How has Brooklyn influenced your music?

Not so sure... I don't have anything to compare it to.

4)There has been controversy about bands refusing to license their music for Glee. Would you allow a show like Glee or a show in general to use your music? Why or why not?
Only if Gwyneth Paltrow were to perform it.

Q&A - Matt Gross( @mattheartspade)

photo from @mattheartspade

DJ and blogger, aheartisaspade.com, Matt Gross(I hope he doesn't mind that I used his twitter picture) was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

1) When you started your website did you have a vision or plan for what you wanted it to be? If so, have you stuck to it?

Yup - had a vision to present lots of news, exclusives & contests - i've stuck to that pretty well.

2) Do your personal music taste align with the majority of what you post? What type of music do you prefer?

Absolutely. indie/britpop/new wave/electro/guilty pleasure pop... i'm a massive fan of 95% of the content i post.

3)How did you get into DJing?

Got a few offers years back and it slowly became a regular occurrence...

Q&A With Aaron Thompson

Aaron Thompson - A Record, A Wheel from goldenbear on Vimeo.
Local indie folk artist Aaron Thompson, sounds like a mix of David Gray and Bob Dylan. With a voice made for folk, raspy enough to be cool but not so raspy that he is inaudible, Thompson paints a hauntingly beautiful picture of a life of substance. A life with ups and downs, passion, and love. His self-titled debut album could easily be the soundtrack to an indie movie; perhaps Garden State 2(I really hope they don't make that). The eventual Grammy winner was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

1)When writing music, do you have a specific process you follow? or any rituals?

Usually I start with the melody. If it comes when I'm not around an instrument, I'll hum it until I can't forget it or record it on my phone. Later on I write the instrument parts, usually with a guitar and then the words follow. If I sit down with it and nothing comes for a few minutes, i move on to the next song. There's a big book of songs waiting to be finished, so there's always something to work on.

Q&A With Daniel Johnson

Don't Fence Me In (Take 9) from daniel johnson on Vimeo.
Yesterday I posted Daniel Johnson's "Don't Fence Me In," today I am pleased to post a Q & A I did with him.

1) Robyn is under the Turn-Ons section of your website, have you worked with her before or plan on working with her?

You must have me confused with a much more fortunate person. Robyn is killing it on all levels. I'd be happy to just fetch her coffee.

2) You used lyrics from Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" for your track by the same name; are you a big fan of Cole Porter and that era of music?

I do like that type of song craft and I think at one point in my life I've even owned a CD of Ella Fitzgerald or someone like that singing the Cole Porter songbook. I've had phases over the years where I've been really into the great songwriters. Guys who can really put a song together, from Gershwin to Elliott Smith.