May 20th, 2011

Rollo & Grady Interview with Charles Bradley

Rollo & Grady Interview with Charles Bradley

HEART OF GOLD

Look up soul in any dictionary: it means “strong positive feeling, as of intense sensitivity and emotional fervor.” Charles Bradley is one of the best soul singers of our generation. His raspy vocals are reminiscent of the voices of Otis Redding, Al Green, and James Brown, whose music he was covering when he was discovered in Brooklyn by Daptone Records’ co-founder, Gabriel Roth. Roth took Bradley to meet Tommy Brenneck, who plays with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, and runs Dunham Records.

Rollo & Grady Interview with Charles Bradley
Tommy Brenneck

Bradley’s brother had just been shot and killed, and Brenneck encouraged Bradley to open up about his life and put it on tape. Bradley’s life gave him a lot to sing about: fatherless since day one, homeless since 14, cooking in kitchens, reuniting with his family only to get terminally ill, getting better only to lose his brother. “Heartaches and Pain” is the song he wrote about the murder of his brother, and its title describes the whole of Bradley’s debut album, “No Time for Dreaming”, a heartwrenching glimpse of how to get through hard feelings and hard times with only your voice between you and giving up. Again: it’s great soul, and it gives our generation a sense of the greatness of that genre as it was in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Rollo & Grady Interview with Charles Bradley



April 9th, 2011

Rollo & Grady Interview With Jared Swilley of Black Lips

Rollo & Grady Interview With Jared Swilley of Black Lips

Talking to Jared Swilley about Black Lips’ upcoming release, ‘Arabia Mountain’, I couldn’t help but feel proud: This band has matured a great deal in the past decade. Swilley says that the album is the band’s best to date and that its recording re-energized the group. And although Jared can’t promise vomiting, pissing, man-kissing, or any of the band’s usual on-stage debauchery, he can promise that this music is the best thing he and his bandmates have ever done. He is not one to bullshit about albums, he mentioned publicly that he wasn’t totally proud of their previous album, ‘200 Million Thousand’.

The Black Lips were just teenagers when they formed in Atlanta in 1999: Cole Alexander on guitar and vocals; Ben Eberbaugh on lead guitar; Jared Swilley on bass; and Joe Bradley on drums. These four cut their first album in 2002, just before Eberbaugh died in a head-on collision on a Georgia highway. The band carried on, believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue. Ian Saint Pé, the bands current guitarist, joined the group in 2004.

Rollo & Grady Interview With Jared Swilley of Black Lips

Their music caught everyone’s attention, starting Atlanta’s “flower punk” movement, and mixing in the sounds of blues, country, garage, and the 80s. Their performances were out of control; they gave their audiences the whole package of punk, rock & roll and controversial on-stage antics.

They took their time recording ‘Arabia Mountain’, working for the first time with an outside producer: Mark Ronson. Ronson, who has worked with Nas, Adele, and Amy Winehouse, wouldn’t have been the first guy I would have thought of for the job, but it worked out really well for the band. Their friend, Lockett Pundt of Deerhunter produced two songs on the album, which was recorded and mixed in Brooklyn and Atlanta in 2010 and 2011.

‘Arabia Mountain’ will be released in June through Vice Records. Touring behind this album, they’ll play with the Vivian Girls on the East Coast and Cerebral Ballzy on the West.

Rollo & Grady Interview With Jared Swilley of Black Lips



April 6th, 2011

Rollo & Grady Interview With John McCauley III of Deer Tick

john 1

STRAIGHT INTO A STORM

John McCauley is a rock star, plain and simple. He’s an extremely talented musician with no pretense who is accessible to his fans and loves to have a good time. Like the fictional character Russell Hammond played by Billy Crudup in Almost Famous, it’s easy to envision John taking a hit of acid after a show and heading out to a late night party with his fans. He’s the kind of guy that would jump off the roof into the pool without any encouragement and without proclaiming, “I’m A Golden God.” There would be no guilty feeling the next day; he would chalk it up as a life experience. That’s the way John is wired.

Deer Tick began as a solo project in December 2004 when John was only 18 years old in Providence, Rhode Island. During that time he taught himself to play drums, guitar, piano, and pedal steel. He went on to record his critically acclaimed debut album ‘War Elephant’ at age 19. John’s distinctive, howling voice and tales of love and loss put him on the map with critics around the world. The music press anointed McCauley as one of folk/country’s most promising young songwriters.

Rollo & Grady Interview With John McCauley III of Deer Tick

John didn’t envision Deer Tick as a solo effort, so he invited Andy Tobiassen (no longer in the band), Dennis Ryan, and Chris Ryan to join the Deer Tick for their sophomore album, ‘Born On Flag Day’. At the time, John commented on the newly formed band, saying, “I tend to limit myself as far as what I write about and how I deliver my lyrics, so collaboration has been a really healthy thing for me lately. I’m kind of realizing that singing songs about getting drunk and cheating isn’t going to sustain itself for much longer. I’m going to have to broaden my horizons.”

Deer Tick’s brand of music has been described as country, folk/rock, and alt-country, but that’s selling the band short. If you see them live, you will see elements of grunge, blues, punk rock, and country ballads, with a primary focus on straight up rock n’ roll. Their live performances and non-stop touring have earned the band a loyal following of devoted supporters and fans.

In addition to performing with Deer Tick, McCauley is currently touring with Middle Brother, which is a collaboration with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit. They are touring behind Middle Brother’s self-titled album, which was released last month.

Rollo & Grady Interview With John McCauley III of Deer Tick



January 14th, 2011

Rollo & Grady Interview :: Hanni El Khatib

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HANNI EL KHATIB

2011 is going to be a big year for the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Hanni El Khatib. The San Francisco native generated industry buzz when local music blogs Passion of the Weiss and Aquarium Drunkard each presented him in shows last year. Soon after, his music was featured in the HBO series “Hung” and he landed a slot opening for Florence and The Machine.

Hanni’s music is straight up rock ‘n’ roll with a touch of soul and blues. Influences range from Johnny Cash to the Sonics, and his cover of “You Rascal You,” is a dead ringer for a Black Keys song. Still, his sound is his own, transporting a hybrid of the past and present. “Build. Destroy. Rebuild,” Khatib’s second single, sets the tone for his debut album Will The Guns Come Out, which will be released May 2011 on Innovated Leisure. When he is not touring, Hanni serves as creative director for HUF, a skateboard company founded by professional skater Keith Hufnagel.

Rollo & Grady Interview :: Hanni El Khatib



July 6th, 2010

Rollo & Grady Interview :: Michael Coomer of Harlem

Coomers interview []

Last month I caught up with Michael “Coomers” Coomer of the band Harlem. “We met for drinks at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in nearby Beverly Hills. He’s surprisingly petite and ladylike, with beautiful almond-shaped dark brown eyes and full lips that he painted a deep red the day we met. Coomers has a unique tomboy-meets-ghetto-fabulous-meets-exotic-princess look, like his music, manages to combine sexy elements (lingerie peeks out from under his see-through top) with individual flourishes (he designs elaborate patterns for his nails) and ethnic accents (the bright, rich prints of Austin are his wardrobe staple). Coomers studied the menu, deciding on a glass of wine and Truffle French fries…”

Oh shit, that’s from MIA’s interview for the New York Times. Actually, Coomers and I had a less exotic conversation on the phone last month, as the band was preparing for its European tour. This may have been one of his last interviews. According to an article in NME, the band was driving in Barcelona on the way to play the Primavera Sound Festival when a French doctor fell asleep at the wheel and almost crashed straight into their van. Harlem’s driver averted the accident, but the other driver hit the back of the van. He then jumped out of his car and shouted, “I’m a doctor.”

commers snake

During our conversation, we discussed the band’s signing with Matador Records, music critics, and Twitter. Harlem has mad Twitter skills. Here are some of my favorites:

“Smith Westerns are at the grocery trying samples of gelato. Bad boy rep still intact.”

“Whoops I got a little stoned. Highschool embarrassing exchange with pretty girls out front. I’m never going to be cool, bummer.

“the only thing gayer than being into a band is being into a dj.”

“drinking wine all day and when I looked in the mirror a voice inside me said “you look like interview with a vampire” thanks gay me.”

“I have a pitbull in a headlock right now because he tried to get fresh. Weird how dogs go from affectionate to rapey so fast.”

“I have taken like a million whore’s bath this week.”

“accidentally said “thanks mom” to the bartender. played it off as a joke but wtf.”

“South by sou…Damn this place smells like ax body spray.”
Rollo & Grady Interview :: Michael Coomer of Harlem



March 1st, 2010

Rollo & Grady Interview // Ade Blackburn of Clinic

Rollo & Grady Interview // Ade Blackburn of Clinic
Image by Leslie Kalohi

In the past 20 years I’ve come across two bands whose unique sound and style have made a significant, lasting impact on me. One of these bands is Morphine, and the other is Clinic. When you listen to Clinic’s music you hear the band’s influences, ranging from The Seeds to Velvet Underground, but make no mistake: Clinic does not sound like any band that you’ve ever heard before. Their sound – distinguished, idiosyncratic, and mysterious – comes from frontman Ade Blackburn’s twisted, haunting melodies, and from vintage organs (notably the Philips philicorda), which they often pick up at garage sales or flea markets. Adding to the band’s mystique, its members appear in costumes and surgical masks during their performances.

Clinic was formed in 1997 by Ade Blackburn and Jonathan Hartley after the two split from their previous band, Pure Morning. They self-released several singles, which caught the attention of legendary radio host John Peel and Domino Records. In 2000, Domino released Clinic’s debut album, Internal Wrangler. This garnered immediate and international critical praise; it also won Clinic an opening slot on Radiohead’s Kid A tour. In 2002, Clinic released Walking With Thee, a brilliant album that earned the band a Grammy nomination. Since then they’ve released three more albums: Winchester Cathedral (2004), Visitations (2006), and Do It! (2008), each of which was more imaginative than the last.

Last month I caught up with Ade by phone to discuss a range of topics including their upcoming album, Spotify, and the band’s experience of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center.
Rollo & Grady Interview // Ade Blackburn of Clinic



February 16th, 2010

Rollo & Grady Interview // Daniel Gill

Daniel Gill

Daniel Gill, the founder of Force Field PR, grew up in Florida and started his own record label, Animal World, in 1997, through which he released albums by Frog Eyes and The No-No’s, as well as tributes to The Shaggs and Captain Beefheart. After serving as music director at WVFS radio station in Tallahassee, Daniel went on to work for Fanatic Promotion for several years, moving the company from Colorado to New York City and later opening its Los Angeles branch office.

Force Field PR, one of the most reputable music PR firms in the business, provides national, tour and specialized publicity campaigns for artists such as Panda Bear, Neon Indian, Dan Deacon, Real Estate, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Lightning Bolt, Black Dice, Ariel Pink, WHY?, Deer Tick, Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Woods, The Fresh and Onlys, Field Music, The Strange Boys, Papercuts, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and the list goes on. In the past, the company has helped to launch the careers of a long list of established names, including Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, YACHT, Blitzen Trapper, WAVVES and Beach House. Force Field’s website is set-up like a music blog, that features tour info, band bios, and free MP3 downloads from their roster.
Rollo & Grady Interview // Daniel Gill



December 20th, 2009

Rollo & Grady Interview // Nick Crocker

Nick C

Nick Crocker has been transforming digital entertainment since serving as General Manager at Musicadium in Australia, where he wrote “9 Ways to Ride the Digital Music Wave.” Named with Native Digital co-founder Ben Johnson to Smart Company’s “2009 Hot 30 Under 30”, Nick is ND’s Managing Director. Nick and Ben launched the world’s first music blog for a major label (The In Sound From Way Out, for EMI) and collaborated with Wotnews in 2009 to track a variety of online music conversations (blogs, social networks and forums) through the blog aggregator, We Are Hunted. Nick is a regular commentator on issues relating to music, marketing and technology for publications such as Billboard, AFR and NME.

weare

R&G: How did you get your start in music and marketing?

Nick: I ran a digital distribution company called Musicadium based on the Tunecore model, with a flat fee worldwide distribution, no royalties, no ownership in the music. My background in law and political science gave me an analytical framework so that with my passion for music and ability to write, I was given the responsibility to run a start-up. The start for me with marketing came from being at Musicadium, having a very small marketing budget, and being forced to consider, “How do I market when I’ve got no money to do it?” I’d been reading Seth Godin and realized this was an opportunity to actually live the reality of what Seth talks about and see if it works. We made a decision that rather than marketing to the world, we’d market back to our customer base and let them market for us. We did that by sending an email each week with a bunch of tips for them as to how to market themselves online. We delivered real tangible value to our customer base: things that they could go out and use that day, that hour, that minute. All of a sudden, the number of people who were coming through jumped by 1000%, just by word of mouth. We were also distributing music digitally. We’d distribute the music for the artists and then they’d come back to us and say, “Okay, well, my music’s distributed. It’s available everywhere in the world now on iTunes. What do I do now? How do I market it?” So in 2008 I wrote an eBook called – it’s a terrible name, but it’s called, “9 Ways to Ride the Digital Music Wave.” I spent a couple of weeks writing this eBook with the nine things I thought each one of the artists who was working with me needed to do to market his or herself online. We gave it away to our customers – gave it to anyone who wanted it – and put it everywhere we could. It was mildly successful and people started paying attention. Once you go that far – to write a 9000-word eBook on digital marketing and music in such a burgeoning industry – you’re probably ahead of most people. That’s basically how I became a digital music marketer.

R&G: You’re currently running Native Digital?

Nick: Yeah. I left Musicadium in October last year. As a result of that eBook and as a result of the work I was doing, I was coming into contact with a lot of people. I saw an opportunity or a gap in the market to be full-time in the digital music space – not just talking about it but actually consulting on it. My first client was EMI Australia. They said, “Come and talk to us about our digital strategy.” What came of that was a website called, The In Sound From Way Out, which is the first blog written for a major music label. After we did the site strategy, we said to them, “We’ve got a vision for this now, and we don’t want you to go and get someone else to build it, so we’ll build it for you.” Once we built it, we thought, “We know this story and we love it, so we’re going to go and tell people about it.” We came up with that concept and pushed it out. It got written up on Wired on the day it launched, which was a great boost, gave it some excellent exposure, and sort of put Native on the map in that space. That was a real thrill. The blog has also been incredibly valuable for EMI Australia, not just as an external marketing tool, but as an internal tool for people to share the stories about the music they love.
Rollo & Grady Interview // Nick Crocker