Unsigned Experience - Life in 24 Frames

First off, I have to apologize to the members of Life in 24 Frames. I asked them MONTHS ago to answer some questions for our blog and failed to post the article until now. I should point out that these guys have been super patient with me and their coolness certainly reflects the cool ambient tone of their music.

These are cool guys. I'm just saying.

And this post couldn't come at a better time. On October 22nd, Life in 24 Frames are throwing a listening party for their newest record at Luigi's Fun Garden at 8:30 PM!

This isn't just any old listening party, either. Life in 24 Frames will be performing their entire record LIVE for an all ages audience will a special performance from Los Angeles based indie outfit Fight From Above.

The untitled new LP from this Sacramento band is being produced and engineered by 

Robert Cheek of By Sunlight and the tentative release is this Fall/Winter. 

Listen to "You Were Always My Achilles Heel"

 

So to start celebrating the recording and future release of Life in 24 Frames' newest

album, read up on this local band's unsigned experience!

How would you describe your sound?

We are really influenced by early post rock/ indie rock like Sunny Day Real Estate and Built to Spill, but also very ambient breezy stuff like Appleseed Cast and Radiohead. If Radiohead and ...Trail of the Dead had a love child, I'm pretty sure it'd sound a lot like us. [Our] music really relies a lot on slow ethereal builds and [the creation of] soundscapes.  If I had to really pinpoint it I'd say that in the quiet moody parts of the songs it feels like time is standing still around you, and in the large driving parts it feel like the apocalypse is approaching. Haha! All in one song. Hence the long track times.  

Kris A.

How long after the band formed were you able to start booking shows? How did you get booked for shows?

I'd say we gave it a good five months before we played our first show. I had a band in the early 2000s here in Sacramento when the scene was really good, so I had the good fortune of already knowing a lot of the club owners and promoters. I do all the promotions and booking myself.  

Where was your first professional gig?

First professional gig was at the Boardwalk in October of 2008.  

What web tools do you use to promote the band?

As far as promotion goes for booking shows and getting on larger bills, the absolute BEST place is still Myspace. Not too great for your everyday blogger, since Facebook and Twitter have taken that over, but I think MySpace is still the best place for music and networking your band.  

What kind of media do you use to promote the band? Audio, visual, etc.?

The last EP, Blessed are the Forgetful [Nietzsche, anyone?], we released on digital media download cards. It looks just like a business card with a code on the back. In our minds it seems like the cheapest and easiest way to get our music out there and in peoples' hands. We used to flyer a lot until we realized what a colossal waste of paper it was. Other than that, all other show promotion is done on social networking sites: Twitter | Myspace | Facebook | ReverbNation. 

Honestly though, I personally think the best way to do it is to get out there and play for people. The way you're really going to connect with people and possible fans is to play for them live. That's how you're remembered.  

Tony

You are currently unsigned and are self-releasing another album, but are you still actively looking to be signed by a label?

I wouldn't say we are actively looking, because by "actively looking" I think of sending out press kits and what-not, and we are not doing that at the moment. We'd love to have a nice indie label to help distribute and promote us though.

I think right now our main focus is to get a full length LP recorded and have it be everything we would like to see in an album. We have 2 EPs out up to this point, and neither of them really represent us as a live band, mostly dude to lack of time spent in the studio, which is due to cash...so maybe we should be looking for a label.  Haha! We have about 16 songs to choose from right now, and we are planning to hit the studio this September with Robert Cheek from By Sunlight and really make a great record that represents the band and its current level.  I think its much easier to shop around a great product like that, already made and ready to go.  Then its yours, and you own it.


In your own words, describe our local music scene and your involvement in it. Do you support other bands? Where are your favorite places to perform?

The local scene? I don't think it's very strong. I came up with my first band in the late 90s and early 00s when the scene was incredible, with clubs like Bo Jangles and Capital Garage. I think one of the main problems is the lack of a really strong stand out all ages club in downtown/midtown.

Wes

We are trying to do what we can to help out with the local music scene by trying to pull some of the larger indie acts from other parts of the country and get them to come here. Like recently we got Look Mexico to come here on their last tour. But really, on a week night, where is there to play all ages gig that isnt too far from the core of downtown? I think Jerry Perry does an amazing job and has helped us a lot when we want to bring these out of town acts in. He is one guy who truly cares about the local scene and the acts that make it up. Without stuff like Concerts in the Park, Hot Italian's Hot Lunch series, and places like Old Ironsides, we really wouldn't have much.  We owe a lot to him.   


As far as supporting other bands, I don't think there is any one thing about being a unsigned band that is more important then supporting fellow bands.  We have built some great relationships with some really great bands all up and down the West Coast over the last two years. It's disturbing that there seems to have been a trend popping up of "looking at the other band as the enemy," and I'm glad to see that kind of thing start to dissipate. Another trend I'd like to see go the way of the dinosaurs is the "pay-to-play" structure.  Which is nothing much more than the classic pyramid scheme.

Do you think unsigned musicians have or can have any influence over the music industry without being signed to a label? Why or why not? And if so, how?

I definitely think that they do. It shows in the numbers. There are a lot of big indie bands out there that can get along just fine without the help of the mainstream music industry. Just look at what Radiohead has done recently.  Granted, they were already up there. The age of the internet is in full swing. So as far as getting your music out there, it's VERY easy.

Be sure to drop by Luigi's Fun Garden on October 22nd to get a LIVE preview of Life in 24 Frames' THIRD self-release!

The Unsigned Experience 3 - DJ Mike Colossal

Sacramento's DJ Mike Colossal has been scratching for over ten years. His knowledge of music from all genres is astounding. This is a young man who can mix together everything from Metalica to Notorious B.I.G., Le Tigre to traditional mariachi.

He is quickly becoming a staple of the local hip hop community and has recently opened for a number of iconic hip hop acts - most recently Busdriver at the Blue Lamp. 



Not only that but as a member of the LBGT community, he is looking to create socially conscious hip hop music that doesn't glorify hate speech toward anyone based on their sexual orientation.

Mike Colossal will be performing at his very own Birthday Bash at Butch n' Nellies coffee shop on Friday July 23rd along with other local hip hop performers like Poor from Tribe of Levi, Mr P Chill and the Velvet Wax.

A few weeks ago, I asked him some questions about his career as an unsigned artist, the local scene, and how to make it without a label.

How did you start getting booked for gigs? What was your first professional gig?

I started booking gigs through my campus radio station called KSSU and through a local promotion company called 12s Wax. I volunteered at the station as a radio deejay and as part of the management team. The two joined forces: KSSU sponsered the flyers, brought promotional goodies, etc. 12's Wax booked the gigs and took care of security and money. My first gig was at the second version of the Capital Garage in Sacramento. There I would scratch, mix and play the latest hip-hop, with some breaks and funk.


What web tools do you use to promote your music?

Originally, MySpace was a huge part of promotion. I would post bulletins promoting the show using three different accounts. I would write new bulletins each time, add new YouTube videos of either myself or of featured artists who were going to be present, added my artist profile songs in to give people a taste of my music.

Facebook today isn't as kind to artists as MySpace is. When I do shows I tell people to check out my MySpace or Twitter accounts. MySpace is like having my own website and Twitter gives a real feel of connection. I don't post a lot of BS since I have to keep it poignant. I tell them about my shows, let them know what I'm working on.

I use zSHARE to save my music and send it to other artists to collaborate on. Or, I upload my mix on there and post the link on MySpace and people can download it for free.


What other kinds of media do you use (audio, visual, etc.)?

I run stacks of flyers to local record stores, clothing boutiques, and food spots, book stores; anywhere they would let me leave them. On occasion I will flyer Sac State and personally hand out flyers and invite people to shows. We even make large posters for the shows and tape them up in windows and telephone poles. 

I still don't have internet at my current residence and that is why it is still important to make sure I flyer personally (for all us poor people). I also add as much media (videos, songs, downloadable mixes) to the internet to keep people satisfied until my next show. I'm also printing mixtapes and handing them out free at my expense, bootlegging my shows so people hear and want to see my live performances. I see free CD's as an audio business card and resume. People look it over and see if they like it and if do, then they will remember me.

Are you actively looking to be signed by a label?

With such a lack of a need for labels these days, I am not looking to be signed. My current goal is to be able to do lives shows (my MPC/scratch/mixing performances) and to sell merch and get my music out. If it stays steady at a local or regional level, I would be happy with that for the rest of my life, but recently doing shows out of state makes me want to get my music out to more people live, get out my DVDs with trippy animation and my music on them, and get CD's (and eventually LP's) in to fans' hands.

Describe the Sacramento music scene and how you interact with it. Where are your favorite places to perform?

I can't speak for the Sacramento music scene as a whole, only the hip-hop scene and that is a pretty incestuous scene. Few people really make a name for themselves off merit. Hip-hop shows usually consist of people bringing out all their Facebook friends and shows never usually pan out (unless a national hip-hop act headlines). That is why groups, cliques, and collectives dominate the scene for a while then fade out because their friends cannot keep supporting them alone. When people do get big, they just leave the Sac scene because they can flourish without it on a larger scale.  

Shows also lack good sound quality and planning making them drag on a long time.

Los Hermanos 1200 w/ Mike Colossal @ the Golden Bear 10/30/09

Some of the best places to perform in Sacramento are Capital Garage, Golden Bear, Butch n' Nellies, Press Club, the Distillery, Sac State, and the Java Lounge. These places are usually down to let you do whatever it is you want to do, as long as you put real effort into it. They are always down to let you do a one-time show and will allow you to do a weekly or monthly as long as it keeps bringing in revenue.




*Listen to "Interstellar Love Jam" by Mike Colossal PLUS his interview about the Sacramento hip hop scene with Nick Brunner on Off Air - Smart Rock Radio.*


Here's the BIG question: do you think unsigned musicians have any influence over the music industry?

Unsigned musicians don't have influence on the music industry, only the fans. Before, record labels were the MySpaces and Twitters and Facebooks. They gave an artist the ability to be recognized on a national level. Now with the internet, you can get that recognition without the industry. If you promote, do shows, leave free CD's for fans you can be your OWN industry. Radiohead said "fuck it" and showed a whole generation of musicians you can do it without the industry. Although musicians can only gain so much fame without the industry, but most artists can create a sustainable fan base.

Also with promoting being in the hands of the artist, artists can be as big or small as they see fit. Before you couldn't make a living being a part time musician. But now that you can do a lot of promotion at home on your own time, you can go to work from 9-5, update social network sites, records in your home studio, make your cool flyers on the computer, print them out at a local show, and hustle your ass off on your free time.

People don't have to worry about making a huge record industry flop, have terrible show attendance, get dropped and never be heard of again. People can now be effective artists at their own pace. And people are ready to run in the long marathon of becoming artists, not just sprinting for fame. Those cats don't last.

Don't miss Mike Colossal's Birthday Bash at Butch n' Nellies (19th & I Street) on July 23rd from 7-10PM. Great music and quite possibly the best cappuccino in Sacramento!

Check out Mike Colossal on:

MySpace
Twitter

It's ALL AGES, and only $3 donation - come out and support!

The Unsigned Experience 2 - SIMPL3JACK

Last week I featured an interview with indie folk duo Westwood and Willow about their experience as unsigned musicians.

This week, an interview with a very different band. They are a Sacramento punk band that have played the Friday Night Concert in the Park Series a number of times, have already gathered a good sized following, and...they're not even in high school yet.

SIMPL3JACK is Cole, Wyatt, and Ryan and none of them are over 13 years old. As you'll see, their answers reflect a simple and honest love of making music. For them, being in a band isn't about being a business or creating a product. It's about having fun!



Photo by Barry Wisdom


How long after the band formed were you able to start booking shows?
SIMPL3JACK formed as a result of Cole and Wyatt wanting to be in an elementary school talent show. The owver of Fuddruckers, Angelo Negrete, was in the crowd that night and told us he was blown away. He signed us on as the summer entertainers for his Fudd's Thursday Car Shows. Suddenly we were in a band.

How did you get booked for shows?
After playing the first FUDD show, people started going crazy asking for shows. It was the end of the school year, so there were a ton of graduation parties. SIMPL3JACK also played a bunch of birthday parties and park type shows. Word of mouth pretty much kept the calendar full month after month.

Where was your first professional gig?
SIMPL3JACK got free food at FUDDS, so I guess that was the first professional gig. One of our song lyrics is "Didn't make a red cent, but we got free food." That is kind of how most shows go. Thanks to Jerry Perry we got to open the Concert in the Park series this year and got paid real money.

Photo by Jeff Harris

What web tools do you use to promote the band?
We use primarily Facebook. We have a MySpace page, but it sucks. We never really are on it. We also have a band page. We probably need to make it better. That is a project for this summer.

What kind of media do you use to promote the band? Audio, visual, etc?
We are lucky to have a zillion fans. We use a lot of photos that our friends take. We also love to make funny videos of us goofing around and posting them on YouTube. We are going to make a bunch more this summer.

Do you use any websites specifically aimed at unsigned musicians to help promote the  band? Last FM? iLike? Something else?
ReverbNation: we are just getting started with this stuff. We want to get on all of them soon but we would rather spend time making music. Maybe we should hire someone to do this for us. Do you know anybody?

What kind of fan-base do you have? About how many fans/followers do you have? Is there a specific age range?
Facebook has been a great tool for us. We are just getting ready to break 2,000 fans this week. Most of them are kids our age or teenagers. We also have a ton of club owners, promoters, and family that follow us. We are also pretty psyched to have Debora Iyall (singer of iconic SF '80's New Wave band Romeo Void), Jack Johnson, Kepi Ghoulie, Barry Melton (Country Joe and the Fish) as fans.

Are you actively looking to be signed by a label?
We are 12, and we have only been playing for like a year. We don't even really know what it means to get signed. We want to play music and get good gigs where people are there to hear bands play. We want to get a zillion bands together and build a music scene here in Sacramento.

In your own words, describe the Sacramento music scene. Where are your favorite places to perform?
It is kind of weird for us. We don't really get to play too many clubs because we are too young. We became friends with Dog Party and do a ton of shows with them. They are the best band in Sacramento - by far! We have met some super cool people like Jerry Perry, who has really been awesome to us. Pat Haight from Pinnacle Recording College also has been super great to us [He had us in to do a recording at his school.]. We love to play Cesar Chavez, Shire Road Club and the Crest was of course awesome. Really anywhere that people are into music is fun to play.

Do you think unsigned musicians have any influence over the music industry? Why or why not? And if so, how?
I'm not sure. I know that a lot of people watch our videos on YouTube and have then become fans of the band on Facebook, and the numbers keep getting bigger, and they all keep asking for an album. I'm not sure if this would be considered influence. I don't have an Adam's Apple yet.

What are you favorite bands?
The White Stripes and the Black Keys have been huge influences for us, but each of us have our own inspirations. Cole loves the Wu Tang Clan and '80's hardcore punk; Wyatt loves Led Zeppelin (anything Jon Bonham); Ryan loves the Red Hot Chili Peppers (anything Flea touches).

SIMPL3JACK may be on summer vacation but they still have a full schedule. Here are a few of their upcoming shows:

July 10th - 2nd Saturday Downtown (24th & K w/ Dog Party)
July 15h - FUDDS (@ 6pm)

Check SIMPL3JACK Out:

Official Site
Facebook
MySpace
YouTube

Next time...I get ready for my interview

with Sacramento's New Humans,

and post my interview with DJ Mike Colossal!

The Unsigned Experience - Westwood & Willow

If you've been checking in at Paduta's Facebook in the last week you might have seen that I've been working on presentation proposals to send to the SxSW 2011 Interactive/Film/Music forum selection committee. The hope is that we get selected to speak and present Paduta in a big way to the music industry.

Well, one of the proposals I've been working on is about the experience of the unsigned musician (how they book gigs, how they record/release/promote music) and to research the subject, I sent some questions to a few local bands in the Sacramento and Bay Area. The result: a lot of insightful feedback about not only how unsigned musicians/bands make it work without a label (major or indie) but how they feel about the state of the industry today.

So to begin this four part series of interviews, I present to you San Francisco indie folk duo Westwood and Willow (a.k.a. Kevin and Sean E. Sullivan) who are releasing their first full length album at Bottom of the Hill - Saturday July 3rd.

How long after the band formed were you able to start booking shows? How did you get booked for shows? Kevin started writing music under the name Westwood & Willow in 2006 but didn’t start playing shows until 2008.  It was just him and the guitar at first and he could have probably began playing shows earlier but it wasn’t a priority.  Learning how to play the guitar and craft songs takes time so the initial drive behind W&W wasn’t to play shows and get famous, but be expressive and work through things going on in life.  Today Kevin writes songs about everything and hopes to make a career out of his greatest passion. Where was your first professional gig?

San Jose Skate - one of the prominent all ages venues in the south bay area.  Been closed since late 2008.

What web tools do you use to promote the band?

Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, E-mail list through Mail Chimp.

What kind of media do use to promote the band? Audio, visual, etc.?

Lot’s of videos via youtube and the usual stuff like flyers, pictures of shows, etc.

Do you use any websites specifically aimed at unsigned musicians to help promote the band? Do you use Last FM? iLike? Something else? We’re starting to get involved with Last FM a bit.  Mostly we try and go after college radio and open mics...things that help unsigned musicians outside of the computer and then use the computer to promote.  But we are certainly open to any kind of website that can help!

On average, how many hours do you think you spend per week updating all over your various social networking and/or marketing sites?

Per week...maybe 14?  Roughly two hours a day between computer and cell phone when on the go, and perhaps more.  This is mostly Sean’s job but Kevin is involved in talking with the fans as well.

What kind of fan-base do you have? About how many fans, followers, etc do you have on the social networks you use?

We have around 4,000 friends on myspace, almost 700 on Facebook, and 245 followers on Twitter.  Myspace we have had for a long time but it is clearly phasing out as a place where fans listen to music.  Facebook and Twitter we just got seriously involved with in the last couple of months so it’s taking time to build a following but certainly happening :)

Are you actively looking to be signed by a label?

It seems that every band would like to be on a label - it’s a bit of a musical fantasy; to be taken care of by a record label.  It would definitely be awesome to have distribution, solid tours and access to great studios.  In the 21st century the music industry has drastically changed and record labels aren’t always needed to be successful.  If a label had any interest in working with us we would love to meet with them and talk about it, but of course it would have to be a mutually beneficial relationship that we both feel like was needed.

In your own words, describe your local music scene and your involvement in it. Do you support other bands? Where are your favorite places to perform?

Supporting local bands is an extremely important part of being a musician.  If you can build close bonds with the people you will be performing and promoting with then there is no end to the potential success of all parties involved.  San Francisco has a really rich and complex local music scene with some of the best venues in the bay area (and arguabley, beyond).  There isn’t a whole lot of music like ours trying to take on the bigger venues, which are predominatly dominated by indie pop and alternative rock.  We love some bands in those genres but think that it’s important to take lyric-oriented folk music outside of coffee shops and into respected venues.

As far as places to play - pretty much anywhere there are attentive, excited people.  The crowd makes way more of the show than any stage and lights ever can.  People in the audience singing, clapping, dancing, and overall having a good time create the best places to play.  As far as actual venues in the area that we have performed at Bottom of the Hill is definitely the best.

Do you think unsigned musicians have or can have any influence over the music industry without being signed to a label? Why or why not? And if so, how?

Definitely.  Unsigned musicians just have to know how to use the social networking tools that are at their disposal and promote, promote, hustle and promote.  Home recording has gotten extremely advanced and it is not difficult to record an album for relatively cheap (when compared to the big studios).  Get it pressed by a local business and play as many shows in as many places as possible (within reason).  Give the people a reason to listen to the music, offer them something new.  Labels can help with a lot of things but the passion and will to spread the music starts from within the musician.


What are some of your favorite bands? 

Kevin - Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Jens Lekman, Fionn Regan, The Tallest Man on Earth, Copeland, Daphne Loves Derby, Sigur Ros, Imogen Heap, The Cure, New Edition, Tupac, D-Lo, Alexisonfire, The Weepies.

Sean - Pink Floyd, Mew, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Circa Survive, Every Time I Die, Cocteau Twins, Mac Dre, The Cure, Head Automatica, Camel, Dredg, Imogen Heap, Minus the Bear, Metric.




If you're in San Francisco tomorrow (or already live there) make sure to head over to Bottom of the Hill for Westwood and Williow's Record Release Show @ 8:30PM. For only $10 you can help support great unsigned musicians and hear some sweet tunes!

Here are some other chances to see them:

Coffee Garden - Sacramento - July 9th @ 7:30PM
Has Beens Coffee - Chico - July 10th @ 7PM
Sue's Java Cafe - Redding - July 11th @ 5PM
Tease - Ashland, OR - July 13th @ 7PM
Artichoke Music - Portland, OR - July 16th @ 7PM
C and P Coffee - Seattle - July 17th @2PM


Find Out More Info about Westwood and Willow @

Facebook

MySpace

Twitter

Official Site

Next time...Part Two with 12 year old

punk band SIMPL3JACK - no they haven't been

performing 12 years old, the band members

are only 12 years old!