Posts Tagged ‘artist interview’



Zach Williams is a Brooklyn based singer/songwriter who is currently on tour with none other than Ben Folds. He is an active supporter of To Write Love On Her Arms and his album, Story Time, is out now.

Zach Williams

Story Time is a nicely crafted collection of songs that fully captures the hope and exuberance of Zach’s live show. His honest, personal approach has garnered him some much deserved attention and his gift for doing what his album title suggests: telling stories, is placing him in front of more and more audiences daily. He was kind enough to take time out to chat with Brad. Here’s what happened.

How did you become involved with To Write Love On Her Arms?

Someone brought Jamie (Tworkowski) to a show I had here in NYC last year at a fantastic spot called Rockwood Music Hall. After the show he wrote a blog about it and I emailed him to thank him. He wrote me back and asked if I would come and play at a TWLOHA gig in Athens, GA. I had never heard of TWLOHA so I went to the website and checked out what they were doing. It seemed like a worthy cause so I said yes to doing the show.

The show ended up being a very inspiring night for me. I was not aware of the challenges people were facing regarding “cutting”, depression, suicidal thoughts, loneliness and anxiety. During the Q and A time at the show I was moved by a few of the stories that were shared. I decided I wanted to be a part of as many of these special nights as possible. Since then my friendship with the whole TWLOHA crew has grown. They have been very kind to me and my family.

I heard you perform a few months back in Atlanta. One of the things you talked about was how community helped you through tough times. Can you tell me a little bit more about how this happened?

Specifically what I was talking about was a tragic time I went through with my wife Stacy. My wife fell off a horse at my family’s home a few years back and broke her neck. She was paralyzed for a while and we lived at a few different hospitals in the Atlanta area. My friends stayed beside me through it all. The awkward hard times, the moments of being completely numb, and the bright moments of hope. I wrote a song about it called “Hospital”. It was the first song I wrote. This time at the hospital birthed a dream in my heart to move to NYC with my friends and pursue the arts. A few years later we did. We have been here for the past 4 years. We live within walking distance from each other. While we have been here in Brooklyn our families have grown, a church has been established, art has been pursued and this beautiful city has melted into the heartbeats of what matters to us. Our group of friends have also grown. Turns out tons of young strange people move to this great city all the time to pursue what matters most to them.

You mention writing “Hospital” and it being the beginning of many more songs to come. How did music help to heal the wounds?

For a while I lived at The Shepherd Center Spinal Clinic’s living space in Buckhead, GA. This particular day I was told my wife was paralyzed from the neck down, I was $700,000 in hospital bills with student insurance of that covered the first few hours of our 3 week stay in “intensive care”, and I was about to start taking classes on how to clean my wife for the rest of our life to steer clear of bed soars. I was sitting outside at a place called “Atkins Park” in an area called “virginia highlands”. They graciously let me sit there with nothing but coffee for hours into the night. That is where I wrote my first song “Hospital”. It basically says “I want to leave this place and I want you to get better”. I stumbled through it with my close friends and they encouraged me to write more. This process has since then been very life-giving to me. After my wife miraculously healed we moved back down to West Palm Beach to finish college. I started playing a few songs at the local bars. The stories of frustration and hope seemed to bring clarity to my heart and to the strangers I sang in front of.

The title Story Time really seems to fit the album and your style. Do you approach each song as a story?

All of my songs are story songs. They all represent something that characterizes one of my friends or shares their stories. So I named the album “Story Time”, because it just fit the project.

What’s next for you?

A couple things are in the works. I am co-producing my first record with a good friend of mine named Eric James Marshal for a wonderful organization called Restore. www.restorenyc.org. We have five local singer/songwriters coming together for a 10 track album. The instrumentation will be beautiful! From double bass to pedal steal this record is going to be fun and meaningful.

I am also working on my next record. Story Time was a collection of songs that I wrote a good while ago. I am looking forward to this next record because its fresh on my heart.

Zach’s website
Buy Story Time on iTunes

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For me, the term World Music used to be a red flag for “that aisle in the record store you stay away from.” Music was only relevant in my world if it was from my part of the world. Thankfully my ears have opened up.

The Very Best is a collaboration between three artists: Johan Karlberg, Esau Mwamwaya and Etienne Tron. They come from Sweden, Malawi and France, respectively, and have created a unique brand of music that transcends the traditional “world” genre.

After becoming obsessed with the album Warm Heart of Africa I had to find a way to contact these guys. They hijacked my ears and I wanted to thank them. Johan, one-third of this distinctive trio was kind enough to take a moment with me.

“We tend to watch a lot of nature films in the studio and have too many plants everwhere makin it feel like a jungle,” says Johan on how they set out creating the music they do. He remarks, “That works for whatever music we’re workin on, whether its African or American pop.”

The Very Best transcends all cultures, countries and styles. Taking dance, reggae, hip-hop and traditional Malawi music as their inspiration, the three have created a sound that set speakers on fire across the globe this past year. “Reactions have been great everywhere really. It’s amazing doing sold out shows in Europe and America then go do a festival in Malawi the next month,” says Johan.

The album received massive critical acclaim all over the world and rightfully so. Gareth Grundy of The Guardian UK Observer writes:

“Warm Heart of Africa has something to say to about the possibilities for music in a world made small by technology and its hand-maiden, globalisation.”

Their collaboration has produced songs that are layered with signature sounds from each artist. “We work in many different ways. Sometimes we work alone. Sometimes there’s two of us, sometimes there’s all three. Either it works or it doesn’t. Working with Esau is very easy and fun so that makes everything smooth, and we easily get in the right vibe cause of that.”

The crew’s global mindset not only shows in their music but reflects in their love for people. “Right now we’ve been doing some little things with OxFam to try to raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti. We try to get involved when we can with things. At the end of the day it’s important for people to realize the small things make a difference. Most people can afford a few £ per month to a few different charities and thats a good start.”

Johan agrees with Love In Stereo’s mission: Together, we’re louder. “We could change the world over night if we all pulled together -” He goes on to say, “I think art can inspire and that’s a big thing. If art makes you feel something, whether it’s a painting or a song, that’s a good thing. If music can make you happy -if only for 3 minutes when you’re listening – then that’s positive energy being sent out. We all need to send out positive energy and focus our intention on things that will make our lives better, BUT also other peoples lives, all over the world.”

This interview was done by Love In Stereo co-creator Brad Montague. Below is his favorite song from The Very Best. Please do not ask him to do his accompanying dance to the song because he’ll do it.

Watch the video for Warm Heart of Africa
featuring Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend: here.

www.myspace.com/theverybestmyspace

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“Dear Companion is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket). Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia. A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward.”

Love In Stereo got the chance to catch up with Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore on their stop in Nashville, TN at Grimey’s. It was an honor to chat with these two guys and, being from the south, it was inspiring to both see and hear their love for home spill out in conversation and in song.

The Interview

Song: My Wealth Comes To Me

Song: Something, Somewhere, Sometime

For more videos of their performance click here.

Find out more about Grimey’s, our favorite record store – here
Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – Dear Companion.com
Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining – here

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After a decision to make a move from Philadelphia in 2009, Nashville newbie Joel Rakes is using his new surroundings to his advantage as he breaks into the rich indie scene of the Music City. Bryson scored an interview with Joel in the midst of postproduction on his new album The Philadelphia Session, which released February 16.

JR: Before I moved on to Nashville I wanted to do a record with friends to commemorate the time we played music together. What came out of it was a raw live-in-studio album called “The Philadelphia Session.” We tracked 6 songs in 5 hours. No overdubs. What we played is what you get. So I’m going to be releasing that album on February 16th (also my birthday) as a digital release with limited edition hard-copy CDs also.

LIS: Producing a CD takes a lot of work as far as writing words and music. What are some things that inspire you? Are there places, people, words, forces that move you to create?

JR: I think I probably have an answer that a lot of us have, but extreme places of beauty in nature just slay me. Standing in the middle of the French Alps, or at Lake Saranac in the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do these things as often as I’d like. So I look to the everyday, what’s going on in my life, my friend’s lives. It is amazing the things that happen everyday in our lives that can inspire… if we’re looking. And if I’m being honest, that doesn’t happen very often in my life. I wish it happened more.

I recently read Donald Miller’s new book and it’s severely affecting me at the moment. I highly recommend the book; it talks about living better “stories” in our lives. Not settling for the average or just okay, but going out of our ways to do things that matter and make a difference. Reading that book has been inspiring for sure and is a definite wakeup call also. This year, 2010, I want to live better stories in my life.

I guess for me, creating is such an open and free way to communicate. There is just something about releasing a feeling or thought through the creation of music. I can’t achieve that same outcome through speech. I just can’t. It’s this necessity that moves me to create. I’m grateful I have this outlet for release.

LIS: What cause do you support? Is there one that you work with or that you support through your music?

JR: There is a ministry I’ve been involved with for the last 4 or 5 years in different capacities called Young Life. The organization is nationwide and is for middle & high school kids. All over the world, thousands of leaders are mentoring and sharing Truth with kids.

As I’ve gotten older, and gotten a few years of perspective, I really realize how important your teen years are. These years really set you up in many ways for who you’re going to become later on. So I think it’s really great that there are so many leaders that want to help kids shape their lives for the better. This organization and their mission is something I really believe in.

You can check out Joel’s music on his website www.joelrakes.com. Be sure to pick up his new album The Philadelphia Session on iTunes or Amazon.com. Joel is also an avid photographer. For the past three years he has kept a photo of the day blog and flickr page of all his photos. Very cool indeed.

Joel Rakes will be at the Love In Stereo party this March 7th at 7:00 p.m. in Henderson, TN. He is one of the incredible artists who donated songs for our upcoming release “My Heart Is In Haiti”. All proceeds from the album will go to support the SonLight Children’s Home & Nutrition Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Joel is a friend of Love In Stereo and we’re excited to share him with you! Show him some love.

Twitter: @joelrakes
Blog: joeljoeljoel.com
Flickr.com: joelrakestheleaves

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Our friend Kyle is a big Steel Train fan. Don’t get us wrong – we are too. It’s just that Kyle feels a special bond with this New Jersey five-piece and it shows. He’s not alone either. Over the past couple of years Steel Train has quickly developed a faithful following with their tried and true classic sound. Kyle was offered the chance to write about the band. Here’s what happened.

I feel weird. Jack was banging out the stand out track from Steel Train’s 2007 effort Trampoline when I realized these guys were no joke. I hadn’t come to see Steel Train. In fact, until that summer night of 2007 I had no clue who Steel Train was. I had gone to The New Daisy in Memphis, TN to see The Format. Steel Train was just some band I had to suffer through to get to the headliner. They were the THIRD opening band that night and I expected something completely underwhelming. Three songs into their half hour set I turned to my friend and said, “These guys alone were worth the ticket price.”

They had accomplished what most opening bands never do: Steel Train managed to make me forget I was there for any other reason.

I still remember hearing tracks like “Black Eye”, “Kill Monsters in the Rain”, and “I Feel Weird” and being completely enthralled by the curly headed front man and his twitchy on stage antics. That man was Jack Antonoff. The other players: Evan Winiker, Dan Silbert, Jon Shiffman, and Justin Huey.

After the show I went straight to the merch tables and there they were, hanging out by the shirts selling CDs. I signed up for their mailing list, bought the yet to be released Trampoline, and a sweet shirt. I told the guys I was pumped about their set and couldn’t wait for the album. Jack gave me a hug and was just as stoked as ever.

I later got Trampoline in the mail and it didn’t leave my CD player for the next three months. I love that album. With influences from Weezer to Dylan to The Strokes, Steel Train’s second studio effort delivered on all the power chord rock and acoustic solidity I was promised at the summer show months before. Trampoline was one of my favorite records of 2007 or of any year.

Recently, Jack sat down for an exclusive chat with LIS. Here’s what he had to say about the new album and how the down and out inspire them to keep making music.

LIS: What are you working on now?

Jack: We’ve been working on all the non musical parts of the new ST album. This time around (not that we haven’t in the past) we are really going for it with the art and whole aesthetic of the band. I really need it to be thought out from every angle to make sense. Sounds silly, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, like actually sitting in my room and thinking and trying to get ideas for how it should look and feel. I’m trying to get back to the way I looked at songs and touring before it was also a career. I’m still in love with the whole process like I was when I was 15 doing my first tours and making my first records. It’s a fight everyday to keep that as the main element in who we are. There are so many forces trying to break your over the top ideas and that is what this record will be about – getting back to (or staying at) the place where we are ageless / broke / and with nothing to lose.

LIS: What are you guys passionate about?

Jack: The band and eating. And other things, I guess. I try to be passionate about whatever I’m doing. It seems like a waste to not be.

LIS: Where do you look for inspiration?

Jack: People who are down or in a rough spot. I haven’t had a rough life or anything, but for some reason I really connect with people who have a lot to prove or people who have a lot going against them.I was never told by anyone I cared about that I couldn’t do something, but for some reason I feel like everyone is trying to stop and I have to break through something. It’s not the best quality, but it inspires me when I see it in other people. [I’m inspired by] people who are survivors. People who have nothing but themselves. People who aren’t crushed by the world around them into being something less then they really are. I guess people in general. There is nothing more inspiring to me than someone who is willing to take a lot of heat to be what they are, and there is nothing less inspiring to me than someone who thinks they have all the answers for anyone else.

LIS: What moves you to create?

Jack: The people I care about or feeling like I have something to say that I don’t want to just keep in my head.

LIS: What is one change the world desperately needs?

Jack: Don’t be someone who waits for someone stronger to change big issues. My grandfather marched with Martin Luther King. It means a great deal to me to know that I come from people who stood up for civil rights issues. I am proud of that. If for nothing else, I would want my family to remember me as someone who stood up for the civil rights issues of my time. I really want nothing to do with anyone who is so afraid of someone different that they would think they should deserve less rights . . . Very scary stuff. And the problem doesn’t just exist with people who are way old. I personally know young people who believe in other people having less rights based on them being “different” for one reason or another. It’s very sad, and it needs to change yesterday

The guys just kicked off their tour with the ever cool Tegan and Sara and will be all over the road for the next several months. With a stop at the 2010 Coachella Festival on the horizon and a new record in the works, Steel Train is making it happen. They are also using their influence to make a difference. Check out what they’re doing to help Haiti and Oxfam.org.

From the Steel Train website:

From the moment we heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12th we’ve wanted to figure out a way to participate in the relief efforts. With the help of the fine folks at Hello Merch, we have designed a new t-shirt. These shirts, which will be sold for $15 exclusively at SteelTrainMerch.com, will be printed on American Apparel shirts. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund.

Oxfam America has been on the ground in Haiti delivering clean water and sanitation to the people since the earthquake. For more information on Oxfam’s efforts, not only on the ground in Haiti, but all over the globe, head over to Oxfam.org.

Download their song “You and I Undercover” from here.

See and hear more at SteelTrain.net.

Follow the guys on Twitter.

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