Max Bumps - The Sixty One Fan Blog

Super Grover Gallery

2008-07-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

We've hit 100 Grovertars! 7/2/08

If you're just visiting Max Bumps and you are fairly new to The Sixty One, you may wonder what the Grover avatars are all about. Our friend and fellow tune bumper, supergrover, recently found out that he has cancer and will be starting chemo soon. Many listeners and artists at The Sixty One have included a Grover into their avatar, very creatively might I add, to show their support for supergrover. We are with you supergrover! Be strong.

If you don't see your avatar, email it to batface89.

Anj Granieri Concert Review by Raine

2008-07-01T13:45:00.002-04:00

Review by Raine

The Tin Angel is a small club located on 2nd Street in the Olde City section of Philadelphia, It is upstairs from an eclectic restaurant called Serrano, and both are welcoming and cozy. There's no place better to head on a sultry summer night to hear Anj Granieri perform her captivating music.

As we entered and decided on a table, we noticed Anj immediately. She's a tall, striking girl with that great hair! I introduced myself and my husband and she immediately started a conversation with us. We had lots to talk about since, like Anj, my husband is from the Atlantic City area. Anj is hoping to branch out from that area, and after spending time in New York, she is booking gigs in Philadelphia. She is also collaborating with some other artists (a few from thesixtyone) on live music ventures.

Now to the best part – the music! There were four performers on the bill and Anj was first. She is the kind of performer who gets the audience involved in the show by explaining how she comes by the ideas for the songs she writes and performs. We heard Bright Winter (you can feel the wind on the beach while listening to this one - a good way to cool off in June), Michelle (my personal favorite about the foster child her parents took in for a year), View of the Few (a song inspired by her family), The End of Love (that fabulous instrumental that just conjures up all kinds of emotions before you even realize what's happening), The Rest of Me (written while Anj was living in New York) and The Mark. The Mark is such a powerful song, and performed live just brought tears to my eyes, which is no easy feat.

She ended the show with her own version of God Bless America which was jazzy, distinctive, and respectful all at the same time.

I will definitely see Anj perform again. Her voice is one of a kind, and her personality shines through her compositions

Anj's music is available at cdbaby.

TODAY on the T61 Fan Podcast - Puke Ass - Ep 00018

2008-07-01T09:48:00.001-04:00

Punts and “Puke Ass” Bagman with music from the following groups:

This is titled “Puke Ass” because I made Bagman laugh so hard in episode 00017 that he threw up. This week he started off our show with more talk about how damned sick he is AGAIN.

If you wouldn't mind boosting my fragile self-esteem...

Podcast Alley Vote button

Perhaps you could subscribe to Bagman on T61 as well.

The Art of the Cover Song

2008-06-29T13:28:00.004-04:00

TheSixtyOne has single-handedly restored my faith in modern music. Amarok has been gathering dust in the corner since I discovered it, in favor of my ever-growing radio playlist. As my addiction drove me to meander about the site for hours on end, I came across quite a few amazing—and certainly interesting—cover songs. I started to collect them,and I found I was able to direct a number of people to ones that had slipped by them, and then there were others who did the same for me.

So, I decided to make a compilation of what I feel are the best cover songs I have come across on this website—put in no particular order, for your listening enjoyment. There are surely some I overlooked, and doubtlessly there will be more to come, but you can't afford to miss these.

#1. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot, as covered by Derek Kurth
This was the song that got this idea rolling, and I had to start off with a special one. It's interesting how well an acoustic guitar lends itself to the notoriously poetic lyrics.

#2. No Diggity by Blackstreet, as covered by The Klaxons
I suppose you never thought you'd ever hear a cover of this song. I didn't either. This is one of the few songs on this list that is a faithful remake (As opposed to a re-imagining), but it's so well-done that I could hardly deprive anyone of this. One of my personal favorites here.

#3.Toxic by Britney Spears, as covered by Yael Naim
Honestly, I can't personally stand the original. I love this version, however. I think it's that she hits the notes that Britney intended to hit when she wrote the song, but couldn't quite pull it off. Ms. Naim, on the other hand, has one hell of a voice on her, and really nails this one.

#4. Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, as covered by Vivek Shraya
Has a voice that rivals Jack White's, and the beat is as infectious as ever. There's something of a unique, atmospheric twist here though, and it's definitely worth a listen.

#5. Straight to Hell by the Clash, as covered by the Menzingers
I was a little skeptical of this at first, being a huge Clash fan—and the fact that I think he misses the first couple of notes threw me in the beginning, but they really make this song their own from then on, and it truly is one hell of an homage to the original. It's got new energy, and it's definitely won me over.

#6. Maniac by Michael Sembello, as covered by Mark Nicholas
Yes. It's that song from Flashdance. You love it, you know it, and you're going to like this even dancier cover.

#7. Surrender by Cheap Trick, as covered by Ox
I always thought this song could not be covered. As soon as I saw the title, I figured I should be ready to get pissed off, but I was pleasantly surprised. He stayed faithful while still making it his own—it's pretty awesome.

#8. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles, as covered by cavestar. Kind of.
The video star's reign only lasted about twenty years, as the Internet star has since killed it off in turn. If you liked the original version, you'll like this one; but perhaps these lyrics will hit a little closer to home.

#9. Across the Universe by the Beatles, as covered by Kate Enlow. Kind of.
Some of you are going to love this. Some of you will probably hate it. The Beatles, meet the Smashing Pumpkins. Smashing Pumpkins, meet Kate Enlow. Play nice.

#10. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2, as covered by RX2008. Kind of.
Like it or not, you cannot deny that this is impressive.

#11. Yellow by Coldplay, as covered by On the Rocks
I am of the school of thought that Coldplay has far more fans than they will ever know, because it's so fun to hate them. I'm not ashamed to say that I like Coldplay, I like the original, and I like this cover. Chris Martin would be proud.

#12. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow by the Soggy Bottom Boys, as covered by Rench
Another song I never thought I'd see covered. This guy had the voice to do Mr. Clooney some justice, and, apparently, lots of spare records. Enjoy.

#13. Such Great Heights by the Postal Service, as covered by Rhythm & Blue
Rhythm & Blue are something of a sixtyone staple. Everyone on there has heard them by now, and they rarely disappoint. They're one of the most dynamic groups on there, and it's songs like this that remind me of the amazing things that can be done with nothing but the human voice. If you like this, they have a handful of others here—this one just happens to be my favorite.

#14. Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N' Roses, as covered by Mylo
Another track that will probably find as many lovers as haters. I'm personally in the former category, and having always been a fan of the song, I never thought I'd see it turned into a dance track. I'm starting to expect pleasant surprises from this site, though.

#15. Mister Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra, as covered by Lily Allen
What can I say about this one? It makes me happy; it makes me want to dance; it makes me wonder why no one else thought to cover this gem before. Either way, I'm glad it was Lily, because this is a superb remake.

#16. Careless Whisper by Wham!, as covered by the Gossip
Whether or not you like Wham!, this song has been given a completely makeover, and it is is wonderful. For some, it might take a little bit before you get into it, but if you're not singing the chorus with her by the second listen, I'll be impressed.

#17. Closer by Nine Inch Nails, as covered by T.J. Masters
One of the great under-appreciated songs on this site, I stand by this cover. It's almost reminiscent of Richard Cheese, but its newfound atmosphere gives it a bit of a push in the direction of serious. The kid's got a voice on him, anyway, and as a die-hard NIN fan, I stand by this cover. Lighten up, haters.

#18. Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki, as covered by Dr. Dog
We're getting into the more modern songs now. Fewer of you may recognize this song than in previous cases, and that may be true as well for some of the upcoming tracks as well, but you can't miss this song either way. It's catchy as all hell, and I think you'll appreciate the song even if you don't know it as a cover.

#19. Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids, as covered by Florence and the Machine
As one comment on this track so aptly put it, “She sung the hell out of this one.” If you have not yet heard of Florence, get used to hearing her name, because she's got a great future ahead of her if she keeps making music like this.

#20. Teardrop by Massive Attack, as covered by Jose Gonzalez
Fans of House might recognize this one. It was recently featured in an episode, and it just so happens to be a cover of the song that became House's notorious theme. Though indeed I was a fan of Jose's before coming to TheSixtyOne, and had also heard this song, I felt it was necessary to include it for those of you who have been unfortunate enough to miss out on this so far.

#21. Heartbeats by the Knife, as covered by Scala & Kolacny Brothers
I had never even heard of the Knife when I first heard this song, but was happy to find that I got to include it in this list when I discovered it was indeed a cover. This song is beautiful, and the vocal harmonies are nothing short of angelic.

#22. Stronger by Kanye West, as covered by 30 Seconds to Mars
I was tempted not to include this song in this list simply because the band is so well-known outside the walls of TheSixtyOne, but it's such an interesting remake that I felt compelled to include it on its own merits. They really manage to bring out the power of Kanye's deep, poetic lyrics.

#23. Hey Ya by Outkast, as covered by Obadiah Parker
On one hand, I had heard this well before coming to TheSixtyOne. On the other hand, it's been spread so far and wide that I was hesitant to put it on this list. But, as of this writing, it currently stands as the single most-bumped track on the entire website, and deservedly so. I could not, in good conscience, exclude it. So, if you've heard this amazing piece of work already, I am sure you won't mind hearing it again. Otherwise, sit back and relax, because you are about to experience something beautiful.

What once was the 24th song is no more. Sorry.

I'll have some Brie with that baguette: Parisian take-away shows

2008-06-29T10:40:00.008-04:00

I just came out of one of those never-ending youtube sessions... One clip leads to another, and another and another…and before you know it, half the day's gone. Well, this time, I discovered a goldmine for music magic. It’s a youtube channel called “LaBlogotheque” and their thing is to capture live performances in very intimate/unusual settings in Paris. What got me all excited was the fact that so many of my current favourite artists have taken part in these “concerts a emporter” (“take-away shows") and that it all takes place in my hometown (I can now see on the original blogotheque website, that they've branched out to other cities such as New York)

the website is called blogotheque.net. Here's a link to the English version

Here’s a small sample of these moments of pure magic:

Alela Diane outside a Parisian church

Arcade Fire in an elevator

Beirut on the streets of Paris, making good use of the trash cans

Grizzly Bear in a Parisian bathroom

Vampire weekend in a van

Bon Iver – there are so many to choose from, so I’ll go for the one that features this funny French building attendant at the beginning. Make sure to watch this one till the end for they hit the streets half way through the performance.

On the road with d: Cassettes Won't Listen

2008-06-28T23:45:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite albums that I've been listening to this month is Cassettes Won't Listen's Small-Time Machine. Now, this isn't a particularly new release; the album came out in March, but I hadn't given it a listen yet until earlier this month and I'm glad I checked it out.

Cassettes Won't Listen is Jason Drake and he's a one man band blending electronica and indie rock. When he started, he was just having fun with it and he wanted to trick people into thinking that it was a full band. He fairly effectively did this with his early songs including the first song he had written under the name Cassettes Won't Listen, Cutting Balloons.

Cassettes Won't Listen - Cutting Balloons

Cassettes Won't Listen - The Freed Pig

Cassettes Won't Listen - Change

In 2007, Cassettes Won't Listen released a free EP called One Alternative, his most recent in a string of EPs that were released only in digital form. This 5-track EP consists mainly of covers of songs that Drake used to listen to growing up and two songs on the site are from this EP: his cover of Blind Melon's Change and his cover of Sebadoh's The Freed Pig.

Cassettes Won't Listen - Paper Float

Small-Time Machines is the first physically released album that Cassettes Won't Listen has made. Small-Time Machines shows Drake's skill in layering putting many instrumental lines together and making the countermelodies work. The site already has one of the album's strongest songs, Paper Float, layering electric guitar, piano, and synth with his vocals into a catchy song. Below is another track from this album.

Cassettes Won't Listen - Large Radio

Cassettes Won't Listen also has various remixes to its name such as one of Pela's Lonesome Hearts. On his remixes, Drake has said, "I approach a remix from a hip hop producers mentality. I rarely use anything other than the vocal track and I usually don’t listen to the original song much. I feel it would have a negative effect on the outcome. I usually scrap the chord progression and song structure and create the music from scratch. I often look at it as a puzzle where I have to unlock the music within the vocals. I can usually listen to music and hear a completely new song underneath the vocals. That's usually how I start."

Pela - Lonesome Hearts (Cassettes Won't Listen remix)

Cassettes Won't Listen website
Cassettes Won't Listen MySpace

AnnieB's Detour: Minipop

2008-06-28T11:01:00.002-04:00

For me, this week’s t61 highlight was that San Francisco-based band, Minipop, joined the site. Honestly, with so much music from the SXSW sampler, I was easily overwhelmed, especially with more of the rock stuff. However, Minipop was one of those bands that just stood out to me after listening to their song, “Like I Do”. If you don't know already, I have a slight bias toward dreamy indie pop songs. I actually thought about blogging about them before, but now that they’re t61 official…even better!

Minipop’s website

Minipop’s myspace

Another take on Radiohead's "Nude"

2008-06-28T10:39:00.003-04:00

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

Obviously with the whole contest and all, there have been numerous remixes floating about. Here's an interesting one that missed the deadline. (Be patient, the song begins at 1:21)

...and here are a couple mixes on t61 that posted (in case you missed them).

Thanks, James!

AnnieB's Detour: Moulinex and SymbolOne

2008-06-28T10:00:00.004-04:00

A double post!

Before t61 came along, I had no idea I’d be digging this electronic, 80s-vibe sort of dance music. Particularly, I’ve been very pleased with the two mixes from Moulinex that have come to the site, and I hope more are on their way. Not to be confused with the French manufacturer of small household appliances, Luis Moulinex is a Portuguese dj/German producer who is part of D.I.S.C.O.Texas, a collective of artists (think RAC). I didn’t think anything would come about my random question during my interview with Andre (of RAC) about being from Portugal, and then I read this interview with Luis Moulinex who also admitted Portugal not having a thriving music scene. Portugal sure looks like it's missing out as these artists are fleeting their native country and going elsewhere. Anyway…Moulinex = good stuff!

Cazals – Somebody, Somewhere (Moulinex Remix)

This is the first remix of his I heard.

…and obviously I immediately liked SymbolOne too. Apparently these are long lost “musical” twins that reunited. Not only that, they are Justice and Danger-approved! Justice featured “Love Juice” on their (rejected) Fabric Xmas Mix, and Danger has put his own spin on the track as well.

SymbolOne – Love Juice (Danger TV Remix)

This is another SymbolOne track I like. I should say they have Erotto’s seal of approval too as it is featured in his mix, "The Double Edge".

SymbolOne – Everything Louder Then Everything Else

Moulinex’s myspace
SymbolOne’s myspace

Review: Lux Lisbon - When I Hear The Culture I Reach For My Revolver

2008-06-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

Lux Lisbon, one of the first bands to really catch my attention at The Sixty One, makes infectious pop rock. Their mini album is called 'When I Hear The Culture I Reach For My Revolver', four tracks of monumental epic guitar rock. Their bio on The Sixty One declares a clarion-call guitar sound (a clarion-call is a powerful request for action or an irresistible mandate). They're pretty spot on with that assessment. The sound erupts with a confidence that you don't often see in a band's first release.

I've been listening to the album on my iPod on morning walks and it definitely gets the blood flowing. Track 1, 'Plastic Lullaby' has a luscious jangly guitar sound, reminiscent of U2, with beautiful boy/girl harmonizing. Stuart Rooks vocals take off in the chorus and I caught myself singing along after just a couple of listens. Total ear candy.

'Poppy Fields', the second track, has been some compared made to the chorus of U2's 'City of Blinding Lights' because the line "Oh you are so beautiful tonight". Yes, they're the same words, said in a similar manner and I do hear some U2 influence in their music. However, my take, it's a completely different song. I mean, how many songs are titles 'All I need?' I was thinking about that on my morning walk yesterday when Radiohead's All I Need came on. It got me thinking about Jack Wagner's sappy song with the same title. Air, Fat Joe, Matchbox 20, Amerie and probably 1000 other bands have songs of the same title, but I digress... 'Poppy Fields' is a fantastic song.

'Cherry Blossom Tree' is a sweet, softer song, just as the title suggests, but the guitars get going in the solo and the song crescendos into a grandiose spacious sound. It's another song fromt the album that lodges firmly in your brain and you can't get it out of your head (but do you want to?!)

'Animals' has great hooks and lyrics, but it is so steady and rocking that you're almost tired after hearing it! OneMonkey of The Sixty One commented that "You need to check your pulse!" True true.

The final track 'Sunflower' is in the same vein Rob Thomas sound, a mid-tempo pop-rock that really shows off Rook's flourishing vocals.

Technically, all of the musicians play tightly and it's obvious that they've pushed themselves in their craft. Stuart Rooks vocals are always powerful and emotive, allowing him to sing both the ballads and the more rockin' music with equal skill. The band has clearly found their own distinctive sound and if they can get the exposure, they could be chart toppers.

What I don't get is the title of the album, When I Hear The Culture I Reach For My Revolver. I should have asked them about this in the interview. Is it a commentary on the bad music that is so popular and pushed by the RIAA (like the 'New country' genre that I so loathe)? Is it some statement about gun culture?

Experts say that music with exercise boosts brain power. The extra cerebral assistance obviously hasn't helped me figure out the meaning of the album title, but it certainly keeps me from getting bored and quitting my exercise routine early. My only complaint is that five tracks clock in at just over 20 minutes and it's simply not long enough to satisfy my needs. It's finished just as I'm completely into the groove. Gimme more, Lux Lisbon!

Lux Lisbon's mini album is available at iTunes.

Batface89 on Elijah Saint's Podcast!

2008-06-24T18:58:00.003-04:00

Listen to me blabber about The Sixty One on 'As Real as it Gets', podcast 29.

A Conversation with James Miao, Co-Founder of The Sixty One

2008-06-24T18:22:00.004-04:00

This was an interview that Silkworm did with James a month or two ago but it never saw the light... until now. A Max Bumps exclusive interview with The Sixty One co-founder James Miao!

Silkworm: Hi James. Thanks for taking the time to do this, I know you guys are busy so I appreciate it. Our blog contributors are curious - what's an average day like for you guys? Is the majority of your time working on thesixtyone.com spent coding or planning, or in some other ways?

James: Our day starts pretty much like everyone else: get up, get dressed and go to work. Except "going to work" means walking 2 steps from bed to desk. It's quite the luxury.

Tasks generally revolve around development, though we spend a good deal of time analyzing site data/trends to help keep the game elements of thesixtyone fair and balanced. I also spend a fair amount of time prototyping new features.

Silkworm: Maxbumps.net founder batface89 was wondering, what kind of bandwidth are you guys burning through, and how are you managing to pay the bills so far? What's your vision for future revenue apart from click-through ads?

James: Funny question. I'll just say that it's expensive, but we've invented some clever techniques to help keep costs under control without affecting the user experience.

Silkworm: Speaking of maxbumps.net, what does it feel like to have a fan blog for your site? Have you guys been able to check out any of the content on the blog or forums?

James: It's neat. We aren't too involved but check in from time to time.

Batface89: Thanks, James!

Silkworm: In what ways does the thesixtyone.com embody what you guys set out to achieve, and in what ways is it different? How do you see it evolving over the next year, or five years? For example, one blog contributor wanted to know if your eventual goal is to sell the site to a bigger company.

James: I'd say we're pretty much on target. I won't bore you guys with "big picture" mumbo jumbo (since the beginning of time...), but I will say that Sam and I didn't start thesixtyone to flip it. We made thesixtyone because we believed it would help people by empowering listeners and artists alike. It wasn't -- and will never be -- about money.

Silkworm: A recent changes that has generated the most controversy since the removal of browse:new are the use of meta-data to recalculate artists rankings (the gripe for some of the artists being that this reduced their ability to upload songs, while others benefited)

James: We realized that artist rankings were being gamed across the board, which -- this may sound harsh -- unfairly rewarded some for progress they didn't actually achieve. The goal behind the change was to use more reliable means to calculate a far more accurate measure of artist progress. We're well aware of the expressed discomfort from existing parties in the artist community (it does suck to feel like you've "lost" something), but it's important to remember that this was a problem that we simply wouldn't have been able to anticipate until thesixtyone grew to a certain scale.

Silkworm: The adjustment to the bump reward formula which saw drastically reduced points being awarded to listeners... could you address what you were trying to achieve with the changes, and how these have been re-balanced since the controversy, if at all? What specifically would you like to achieve in terms of bump usage and the gaming aspect of the site?

James: We observed that too many people were getting rewarded for doing very little. While it can be a great feeling to earn point rewards, it only stays fun when points are actually earned and risk (spending points) is properly balanced with rewards. In this case, we had a mini bubble on our hands where pretty much everybody was hitting the jackpot because we hadn't adequately scaled our rewards algorithm with traffic growth.

Silkworm: It's clear from reading the forums that the site inspires a lot of passion and commitment, in both artists and listeners, in what's ostensibly a late-stage Beta site. There's been a lot of sentiment expressed in both the t61 and maxbumps forums, from both artists and listeners (including myself) that there needs to be more frequent and more specific communication from you and Sam. Blog contributor iyzie notes that he doesn't think users need to know all the formulae, but when major changes occur, users may deserve a) some advance notice, and b) some specific reasoning as to why the changes have been implemented. What do you feel could be done to improve communication? Do you guys have any procedures in place for keeping users in the loop?

James:I'll be starting a development blog in the near future (editors note: The blog was launched last week. A blanket answer to your question would be:

- We hypothesize and implement a lot of changes throughout the day, most of which goes largely unnoticed. Some tweaks work and some don't. The bottom line is that there's such a quick turnaround that it's not practical to document such madness.

- The unfortunate fact is that there are people out there that will take advantage of any transparency for unsavory goals. We'd rather be tightlipped (safe) for now until we eventually work out an optimal balance in communication flow. There's a reason why Google doesn't maintain a comprehensive change log on their search engine algorithm.

Batface89: Yes, I can see how you wouldn't want anyone stealing the forumula.

Silkworm: Blog contributor radhruin is wondering how you feel about the creation of user-generated scripts to effect the behavior of the site on the client side?

James: Don't always see the need, but it's cool that somebody's taken the time to share tweaks with others.

Silkworm: Lastly, are you guys still having fun at this?

James: Of course!

On the road with d: The Virgins

2008-06-21T23:45:00.008-04:00

Annie's interview with André Anjos of RAC last week reminded me that I wanted to talk about The Virgins, whose new album I've been listening to a bit recently. The Virgins are a New York City-based band formed in 2005. Frontman Donald Cummings and guitarist Wade Oates met on a photo shoot. They became friends with Nick Zarin-Ackerman and met final member Erik Ratensperger when they were auditioning for a drummer.

I'd really been looking forward to the LP (released June 3) after hearing the EP that they released last year. They released that EP back then because they wanted something to give out on tour and they didn't have enough songs properly recorded to make a full length album.

The new album is full of fun danceable rock with a taste of funk and disco. Their songs don't cover much ground lyrically focusing on the rock staples of girls, sex, and drugs, but the songs themselves make up for it permeated with brash energy and fun choruses while maintaining a catchy groove throughout.

The Virgins - Rich Girls

The version of Rich Girls that appears on site is actually the version from the EP. When I was first listening to the new album, I was actually caught a bit off guard because I hadn't realized that the songs on the EP had been noticeably redone. For instance, my favorite thing about Rich Girls off the EP had been its fun bass line and this was in fact the most noticeably changed aspect of the song. In the earlier version, the bass line is repeated a lot more throughout the various sections of the song than in the newer version, but I really liked that because that bass line really got under my skin. I did find that I liked some of the other updates to the song such as shortening of the song, but at the end of the day I actually preferred the EP version over the version on the new album.

Rich Girls isn't the only song where I preferred the version off the EP, I felt the same way about Love Is Colder Than Death, which was slowed down on the LP. This isn't to imply that I dislike the LP; this album is still one of my favorites so far this year.

The Virgins - Love Is Colder Than Death (from EP)

The Virgins - Love Is Colder Than Death (from LP)

Another song from the EP is below.

The Virgins - One Week of Danger (from EP)

The Virgins' website
The Virgins' MySpace

A Conversation with Prompter

2008-06-18T01:48:00.005-04:00

I started listening to Prompter when I first joined T61.

I think the amazing thing about music and a site like T61, is that upon hearing a piece of music, the last thing that comes to mind is the age of the musician. It wasn't until around the time of the Michael Miller wake that I started to chat with him about his music. I was a bit surprised; though not entirely, that although I thought him young it never occurred to me that he wasn't studying music on at least a university level.

There is a lot of maturity influencing the themes of his music. Not a dark cynical, angst-driven type of maturity that people mistakenly assume is the badge of youth, but a willingness to explore all avenues of the medium with an openness that shows how very much at ease he is with himself and his art.

...but he explains himself far better than I ever could...

Prompter: My name's George Feledichuk. I was born in Victoria, BC, raised in an Edmonton suburb until suddenly we moved to Texas when I was 10.

Mom is a music teacher and singer and Dad enjoys music as well. Inevitably I got my appreciation for music from them. Around 8th grade I started writing some music, but didn't pursue it too intensely until recently, when my first album "away.from.the.source.of.life" was released on Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.

myktoronto: Do you have any close friends that have influenced your music and music appreciation?

Prompter: Definitely. my friend Taylor perral1 on T61. He's the one who introduced me to the site and was really the one who convinced me that my music was actually worth putting out there.

Taylor spotted me the money to put my album up on iTunes and Amazon through Tunecore, He's been the most encouraging person in this whole thing; although my mom and dad are both really supportive, too; which is definitely helpful.

myktoronto: What kind of outside stimulus seems to trigger your creativity? Do you go for walks or is it stimulating activity that makes thing happen?

Prompter: ... well, I don't know if this is the healthiest trigger, but my best songs have been written while either incredibly angry or incredibly depressed by some situation. I can sit and stare at my monitor for hours and put out maybe an 8-measure loop. But; if I'm inspired by something emotional I'll have a fully scored song out in maybe half an hour. Of course, normally when such a situation occurs, I'm nowhere near my computer. One of these days a laptop should solve that.

myktoronto: Do you constantly write or score tunes in your head ? (I had to ask because; I do that and I just don't know if it's common or normal *yikes*).

Prompter: Actually, I always find myself beatboxing or drumming on desks (to the point where people constantly tell me to shut up). What's ironic is that I can beatbox on the spot, but I have trouble writing drum parts because I can never get the sound I'm looking for. As far as full songs go, I've had occasions where something happens that just causes me to hear one; and I'm lucky when I can get one of those out. Fire's probably the best example of that.

Example: A kid was threatening my sister at school and the whole situation really upset me, but I heard about it sitting in front of my computer... so full songs, like with Fire, come occasionally, but not as often as I'd like.

myktoronto: Are you involved in any other artistic pursuits?

Prompter: That depends on when you read this. I'm tentatively starting a band with a few friends. The idea is to try and get different styles together and see the child of that musical union. The guitarist likes modern electro rock and industrial, the drummer in the style of Incubus and 311, a classically trained pianist in the group happens to love U2, and me on bass (another reason it's tentative) with my amalgamation of influences... so we'll see how it pans out...

myktoronto: How do you relax?

Prompter: Most of the time I listen to as much music as I can. I've got like; 34 days of straight music in my library and to be honest, I haven't heard near enough of it.

I'm obsessed with web-comics such as Questionable Content and Sam and Fuzzy, and I'm always anticipating updates. Plus, I'll go ahead and confess that I play role-playing games (the old kind where you roll dice... remember dice?) As well, I mooch off of my friends' riches and go over to their houses to marvel over the various available consoles. Other than that; I read (more than I should).

Actually I failed a class before because I was too busy reading. My favorite author is William Gibson. Oh, man, I wish I could write like that. There are plenty of others too.

My general literary interests are sci-fi, philosophy, and scientific non-fiction.

myktoronto: What musician living or dead would you most like/have liked to spend a day with?

Prompter: Aaahhh.... that question isn't fair. I'm going to finish the other ones and come back to ponder this one for hours....
...okay, I'm back.

You sure I can't just make a list?... got to choose one?... I'll make a list of candidates and throw a dart (seriously.)

...alright, looks like we're going with Brian Eno - man! He's a genius. It's like every album he even puts his name on becomes instantly that much better from the influence he has. I'm in awe of his work; the way he's helped produce so many pinnacles of what music today 'is'.

I was talking to KRay recently about the 'shape of sound' and how few people know it. Eno was the first person to come to mind. That's the best way to describe him. He knows the shape of sound. (thanks to KRay for the quote.)

Man, I wish I could go on about some more people, but alas, the dart has already chosen the fate of this interview.

*Some other incredible people are Scriabin, Boards of Canada, Armin van Buuren, Gabriel & Dresden, Mike Foyle, and Daft Punk.

myktoronto: Is there anything funny or odd that happened to you either in the school band or when you were performing? (or both)

Prompter: Well, I'm a percussionist; so hijinks abound (we're all crazy). Thinking of a specific incident...let's see; the biggest problem is the sheer amount of inside jokes that wouldn't make any sense to the readers. I'm trying to think of something that could be standalone.

I guess the day I tried out to play tenors. I hadn't come to any of the clinics and I had written the solo around 4:00 a.m. that morning (I always write required music a lot later than I probably should). I had put on my tryout sheet that tenors were my first preference, and I listed being in 'pit' (mallets and xylophones and such) as the very last thing I wanted to do. I'd say that tryout influenced me quite a bit, as my horrid failure led to my being placed in pit and realizing "hey, I don't have to carry heavy drums like those other poor guys! sweet!" and I stuck with it.

Next year will be my second year as pit captain, and I'm proud to say; I still don't have to carry those heavy drums.

myktoronto: If you could meet any artist on thesixtyone, who would it be?

Prompter: I'd have to say BEARBOT. I've maxbumped each song (on my listener account) and not only has it been incredible on the point payback, but I have enjoyed every track and played them all several times. Plus, the Daft Punk mixes are all brilliant. My favorite song is $m0k3 d4t cR4cK... go check it out if you haven't.

myktoronto: Thanks so much for sharing some of yourself with us, George. At the rate you're going, I think we on the outside, can all foresee a bright and productive musical career ahead of you.

You're an interesting individual that I am pleased to have had the opportunity to get to know better.

Visit Prompter on T61 and MySpace.

Prompter's music is available at Amazon.com and iTunes.

Podcast Interviews from Elijah Saint

2008-06-15T18:35:00.003-04:00

Listen to Interviews with Alex Gloworld, Sumkid, Suzen Juel and others at Podcast alley.