The Fantastic Mr. Negrito: How A Grammy Won’t Define Him and Why It’s The Best Time To Be An Artist

Photo by Bridgette Aikens

“Everyday I wake up and it’s like, it’s my birthday,” Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz told me as we sat down to speak inside a pub on 57^th street in Manhattan earlier this month.

Dphrepaulezz, better known by the stage name, Fantastic Negrito, is a walking, talking inspirational machine. I spent almost two hours with him and in that time he had me in tears, stunned, and motivated but that is not even scratching the surface of one of the most interesting and talented human beings walking the Earth today.

The 48-year-old’s story doesn’t begin in the traditional sense like the rest of us. He was one of 15 kids to his parents, number 8 in fact, and had to fight for everything. He grew up in Massachusetts in a strict Muslim household; by the time he was a teenager, his family moved to Oakland where his life flipped over and around.

“I was in very W.A.S.Py New England and I went to the hood,” he said of his move. “It was great. It was like taking a bath in fresh water.”

While he says he respects both his New England and Oakland roots, the move to the West Coast was what would later define him. He would see the early days of hip-hop and punk in the streets as well as the crack epidemic.

“It was a motherfucker back then, I am surprised it didn’t kill me,” he said.

After being inspired to learn that one of his favorite artists, Prince, was self-taught, he picked up a guitar and began to teach himself. He also taught himself as many instruments as he could. By the early 90s, he moved to Los Angeles and linked up with a former manager of his hero and began recording under the name “Xavier.” By 1996, he released his debut, The X-Factor, which went nowhere and was later dropped by his label. 

He sold all of his gear and everything he had and moved back to Oakland and in 2000, his life changed forever.

He was involved in a near fatal car accident that left him in a coma for three weeks and extensive surgery had to be done to his right hand. He was left without any tendons in that limb and had to start over. There were also months of physical therapy needed in order for him to learn how to use his legs again.

All of his doctors told him he would never play guitar again.

“Things are what they are and we deal with it,” he said. “You can quit, you can give it all up but you are never over. It is never over.”

As he went through rehabilitation, relearning everything from walking, using his arms and getting around, he became a farmer in his city. He raised chickens, grew vegetables, and weed for money.  As he went through his simple life, he had a son, which sparked a creative energy in him that had not been unleashed in many years.

“I rediscovered Delta Blues,” he said. “It was better than any drug in the world. I was overdosing on Skip James, Robert Johnson, and it was so gangster and punk to me – one man, one guitar, his experience – how American is that?!”

From hearing his new heroes, Fantastic Negrito was conceived.  

“I tasted victory and tasted defeat,” he expressed. “I wanted to make music in the spirit of that music – rawness, realness.”

After many years away from playing, he picked up an old acoustic guitar that he did not sell before he left L.A. and despite what his doctors and all the experts said, he retaught himself guitar listening to his new heroes from the 1920s and began creating a new persona and sound that would not only define his next path of life but is the sound of a country divided and looking for healing.

Once he got comfortable, he began busking in train stations in Oakland and started making a bit of money.

“Some nights I would take home $1, some days I took home $700,” he claimed. “You go to a train station at 5 p.m., you find out real quick if you are good or not.”

After realizing that he could get some people to stop and listen to him during their rush hour as they left Oakland or San Francisco, he felt he was building a humble audience. He then went to New York City and busked some there, and eventually to other cities in the country with the same philosophy that if people could stop in their tracks and listen to him, even just for a moment, he knew he had something.

His “wherever there is people is where I want to be” philosophy began working.

Eventually, he retreated to a room in his house that he has dubbed the “90 percent room” because “90 percent of what I do in there sucks.”

When he emerged from the room in 2014, he self-released an EP, which got some attention in the music world and eventually he was invited to perform on NPR in 2015 where his new life would flip around. By the end of that year, he won the “Tiny Desk Concert” series and then it was time for him to present the country the record they didn’t think they needed but absolutely did. 

The Last Days of Oakland was released on June 3, 2016 and Fantastic Negrito proved he wasn’t just a fluke or a guy with an interesting backstory. He was the real deal. The album is about the change that has happened in his city through gentrification and the people who have called it home for generations.

The record brought on critical acclaim as well as a call from one of his heroes.

Chris Cornell came calling after he found the Oakland singer on YouTube and was blown away by his talents just before the album came out. The Soundgarden singer asked Negrito to open for him on his solo tours of Europe and America around the time of the record’s release.

Following Cornell’s “Higher Truth” tours, the former Audioslave frontman asked Negrito to open for Temple of the Dog on their very first U.S. tour later that fall, a stop which included New York’s MadisonSquare Garden.

“He was like a big brother to me,” Negrito remembers. “When I won the Grammy, he was more excited than I was… I called him ‘Christmas Cornell’ -- whenever he called, there was good news. He changed my career.”

On the morning of May 18, 2017, when Negrito woke up, he saw the news that his friend and mentor had committed suicide. He said they had emailed a few days before Cornell’s passing and said his friend “didn’t sound right.” Even though it was text over email, Negrito knew Cornell well enough to know something was off but never predicted what would happen next.

“He believed in me,” Negrito said. “He predicted all of this would happen [to me].”

 As Negrito, who is currently on tour with Sturgill Simpson, can add Grammy winner to the prefix of his name after winning the trophy for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” earlier this year, says he does not want to be defined by the award.

While he calls it “a great honor” and “amazing,” he says he does not want it to stifle who he is as an artist. “I don’t want it to define you or restrict you,” he added. “I love that it is a big deal for other people.”

“I want to make music that connects with people,” he says. “We have to put out the truth.”

He says his music is for all and “as artists we are the last line of defense. Politicians want to divide people. Musicians, we want to unite the people. There is no room for hate – fuck that.”

He says that “we are all a family in this country” and being a black musician in Trump’s America makes him want to push the envelope further and is “more compelled to make records.”

In November, Fantastic Negrito will return to the “90 percent room” to begin working on new music.

“It is the best time to be an artist and one of the most important [times],” he claimed.

This is the story of a man who had no A&R, no major label, and corporate machine backing who reinvented himself in his 40s after being told he is lucky to be alive. The story of Fantastic Negrito isn’t just the story of one man; it is the story of the American spirit and what we can all do when we really put our head to something.

“You’re story ain’t over, even when you think it is over, it ain’t,” he closed.

Peter Hook On His New Order Book 'Substance': 'I'm Amazed We All Survived'

Some artists are lucky enough to be in one band and make a career out of it. Some artists are lucky enough to make music that changes the world. It is even odder to find an artist that is in two bands that not only were successful but shaped music forever.

Peter Hook was lucky enough to experience an occurrence as rare as Haley’s Comet.

The bassist played in both Joy Division and New Order, two bands that shaped indie music, rock, and generations forever. The 60-year-old has documented his career with New Order in a new book called Substance: Inside New Order.

 We spoke to Hooky about his new book, his legacy with both Joy Division and New Order, and if his favorite club, Manchester United have a shot at glory this season. Take a look:

As music continues to evolve, a new appreciation for the sounds of New Order come to life each year. Why do you think that is?

Well that was all to do with the uniqueness of the sound and equipment that we were utilizing in the Eighties. It really was a new sound that was brought forward by new equipment. It is quite recognizable as being from that period and has a very individual and distinctive sound. If you hear an Eighties record now, even though you know it's from the Eighties, the production values make it still sound contemporary and current. That's why it stands up to the music of today in my view and long may continue to appeal to new audiences and fans. All good music is timeless really, and most of the music we did in the Eighties, we're lucky that a lot of what we did falls into that category. 

I have seen you on each and every single tour you have done since you began the albums gigs with "Unknown Pleasures," but I must say "Substance" was by far the best. Were the shows as much fun to play as they were to watch?

It was difficult I have to say. New Order "Substance" is a beast of an album to play so it was a tough nut to crack but we all put a lot of work into getting it right, Joy Division always feels a lot more natural to me to play but yes they've all been great fun, each of the albums in turn. The funny thing is I've developed a fondness for a lot of tracks that I've never been particularly enamored with before such as "Shellshock", "1963" and "State Of The Nation" Now I've grown to love them as much as the other tracks. It has been a strange but gratifying experience rediscovering those tracks.
 

Still playing with your son, what is it like to have Jack play your parts each night?

The way it works with me and Jack is that he plays the bass parts when I'm singing and we both play bass together, kind of dueling with our instruments during the instrumental parts. It is great to have Jack in the band with me, he's very hard working and also a very gifted musician. He has been on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins as well but he's very dedicated to The Light and to the material. It's fantastic for me as a father to have his son playing in the band. When I look over and see him on stage, I get an enormous sense of pride."

With the new book, you give us the intimate look on New Order as you did with Joy Division many years ago. Looking back on these stories and works, was it harder to put together than the Joy Division stories since there was a beginning and end with that band. While New Order continues to play, but without you?

The weird thing is that none of the books have had a happy ending which is the most frustrating aspect of the whole thing. You would love one of them to have a happy ending. Maybe it'll be the next one. Was it easier, the difficult thing was the length of time. The Joy Division book was my musical childhood, at three, four years. The Hacienda book was 16 years and New Order was 31. So the sheer quantity of time is what dictated how long it took. 

I also wanted to balance out the excesses, the sex, drugs and rock and roll with the hard work and graft that went into producing the music. That was why I included the "geek alerts" about the equipment we were using because I wanted people to realize how hard we worked and how difficult it was to create that sound. You've got to give all of us, Barney, Steve and myself, the credit for doing that.

  

Has there been any contact with your old bandmates? Will there ever be?

Only through lawyers as it stands.

When putting together the new book, what surprised you the most?

It struck me that New Order were an absolute product of the Eighties, beginning in May 1980 and then finishing in June 1990 with the England World Cup single. Ten absolutely fantastic, wonderful years.  It was action packed, it really was an intense period of time. Looking back on it, I am amazed we managed to survive it all. I was amazed that we all survived The Hacienda after I wrote that book but I'm even more amazed that we managed to survive New Order.

Read Our 2014 Interview with Peter Hook

One thing I did realize is that time flies by so quickly, that was the biggest surprise. To be here and think that this is 41 years since we started the group as Joy Division following the Sex Pistols gig. I can't believe its gone in a heartbeat. I long for it constantly, to have it again, I wouldn't mind that 41 years back.

What was it like to remember all of this? How did you manage to recall all of these stories and incidents?

The writing process has become easier as it's my third book but as I think people can tell each book has taken a lot of time and they're quite in depth. The New Order book is some 800 pages long but it does deal with twenty six years of the band. As for rediscovering the past I find it sometimes weird, especially when you're concentrating gig by gig, session and trying to remember precisely the details but it can be interesting when a revelation appears. It can sometimes be a little unnerving but I have learnt to deal with it by now.

 

Considering Bernie has his book out as well, many of his accounts seem to be different than yours, which is the real tale?

Well the audience will be the judge, jury and executioner there. It's a matter of who you choose to believe. Bernard and I were never able to agree on anything so ultimately it's down to the reader to decide.

New York plays a massive role in the story of New Order. Does the city still inspire you?

  

Yes it does actually. I had a little downtime a couple of days ago on the book tour in NY and I had a wander around West 44th and a meal in the Red Flame Diner for old times' sake. It really does make me smile, the Iroquois is now a four star hotel. I might have to book in.

New York is a very vibrant city. It's never changed. It still rocks. When you walk down any hour of the day and night, it is still very, very vibrant. I'd love to go to a few clubs again to see what they are like nowadays. I suspect they'll be similar to what we have in Manchester, people going nuts having a great time. 

Looking back on it, working with Arthur Baker, who remains a great guy and great friend, as well as the clubs of the New York, especially Danceteria was an absolute inspiration to us. Every time I go back there, I almost feel like it's a second home. We owe a great debt to Ruth Polsky for bringing us over.

 As you have toured both of your old bands works, has there been discussion of original material featuring The Light?

We've discussed it many times but I'm not really looking to record with The Light because I consider The Light as a band for playing my back catalogue. That's what people have come to expect so I'm not sure it would work. However since Pottsy, David Potts has joined The Light, he was my writing partner in Monaco and we're planning to work together on new material for Monaco this year so you can look out for that.

Dance and electronic music owes a great debt to you and New Order, do you listen to the modern electronic and dance music of today? If so, who?

All the time, most bands now use a combination of dance and rock. In fact most acts are like that, even if you listen to Rihanna or Beyonce, it's the same recipe so I listen to all of it. I'm a great consumer but I tend on the whole to prefer groups at the moment.  There's a band from Stockport, near Manchester called Blossoms doing very well, the NY band, Cults and a London band, Savages, those are my picks for now.

You have seen and been a part of all facets of the music world, what advice do you have for a young musician wanting to make a career out of this?

Never, ever, give up.

As we always do when we chat, let's discuss another passionate topic --- Manchester United. Do you think the price tag for Zlatan and Pogba were justified?

Well Zlatan was a free transfer although obviously he's on a good screw out of it. Bringing Pogba back also made a statement but of course it was justified. To make our team great again is worth any price.

I was there when Rooney scored that 249th goal to equal Bobby Charlton's record which was a great moment. I was delighted to be at the ground when that happened. I felt sorry for Bobby but happy for Wayne who has taken a lot of stick but been a great player and guy for both United and England

Where do you think United will end this season? Will they make Champions League?

Top three and definitely. I think we could also wind up with a couple of cups, we're in the league cup final and I wouldn't be surprised if we added either or both of the FA Cup and Europa League to that. I think we have some very strong players and after a bit of bumpy start, we are looking formidable in the cup games.

Is Jose Mourinho still "The Special One" or has that gone to the Italian managers that have invaded the Premiership? 

No, he's definitely still the special one. It's nice that it's made United fans come up with a new song, based on the Herman's Hermits track "Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good". We're playing well and seem to be looking good, and we have Jose to thank for that.

Monique Powell On Save Ferris' Rebirth: 'All I Wanted Was To Bring The Show And The Music Back To The Fans'

In the mid-90s, the ska scene sort of exploded from nowhere. In New York City and Long Island, bands like Spider Nick and the Maddogs, The Scofflaws, The Slackers were invading the clubs in the area. Boston had the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, of course, but Southern California had the biggest emergence of ska revivalists. Artists like No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, Buck-O-Nine, Voodoo Glow Skulls were all in full force. There was also the ska punk band Save Ferris, who fronted by the charismatic Monique Powell brought something new to the table -- vocal talent and some of the most personal and catchy tunes anyone has ever heard.

Read Our 2011 Interview with The Original Rude Boy -- Neville Staple of The Specials 

Save Ferris hit the mainstream thanks to their cover of Dexy's Midnight Runners' classic, "Come on Eileen," and with two albums and sold-out shows everywhere, by the end of the decade they called it quits. They were on-again and off-again in the early Millennium and now for the first time in almost 20 years, the band are back with a new EP called Checkered Past.

We spoke to the brilliant frontwman who was determined to breath life against into the band.

After so many years away, what caused Save Ferris to reunite? 

Well, in 2012 I received a diagnosis in which I would have to have emergency neck surgery. The damage from the degeneration in my neck was so severe I was losing my ability to walk. That being said, the surgery is typically performed through the front of the neck, and with the extent of the damage, I would never be able to sing again if they were to do that. I had three doctors ask me to choose, they said “do you want to walk or do you want to sing?”. First I had a virtual nervous breakdown, then I decided I was going to find a doctor just crazy enough to go through he back of my neck and if I survived the surgery with my voice and my legs in tact, I was going to do bring SF back! After months of physical therapy in which I had to learn literally how to hold my head up again, I was ready…..

The music world has changed so much since you have been gone, what was it like coming back into it all? 

Well, social media makes things so much easier and harder at the same time. Its made it much easier to have control over my business and to operate functionally even when there was no money to be had. Radio’s also different. Fewer people listen to radio anymore.

What were you up to in the years the band were inactive?

I got into some successful business ventures and did a lot of studio singing.

Your new EP, Checkered Past, picks up where you left off but also gives a fresh take on a new chapter in Save Ferris. What were the influences that helped craft the EP?

The first Save Ferris EP, my favorite, was probably my biggest influence. Everything was so new then, and after all these years I had the same feeling going in to write and record this album. I wanted each song to represent a different facet of SF, with one song as an introduction to the future SF sound.

  
 Is a full length record in the works?

Why yes!

There was a lot of legal and personal issues among the band when you reactivated in 2013. Now that the dust has settled and it has been resolved, what is it like to be in control of your art after the fight to get your assets? 

Fuckin' awesome. It was worth every single second of it. All I wanted was to bring the show and the music back to the fans, and, well, I get to do that now. Even more, I get to help create an environment for my band and the fans that is filled with camaraderie and friendship, compassion and encouragement. I built a new foundation from the ground on up….of course it’s not perfect, but it’s beautiful. And it’s mine.

Ska took off in such a big way in the late 90s, do you ever see it coming back or has that time come and gone? 

I always see it coming back! Ska-history has repeated itself enough over the last 50 or so years, it makes it clear to me that it’s not going anywhere.

You used PledgeMusic, the fan funded site, to help finance the making of the new EP and you hit your goal in a matter of days. What was it like to know that the fans still want new material from you? 

It was a relief. It completely validated what I had prayed for….people still knew who we were.

Now that you are back, what is it like to have the fans respond, reach out, and still here for you after 18 years away? 

Well, technically, I was only gone for 10 years but who’s counting? 

I’m seriously overjoyed. Thanks to the fans I get to continue to have the greatest job in the world. I get to write, record and play music for the fans, I get to entertain them, I get to hang out with my band and create beautiful stuff with the greatest people there are. Thanks to the fans, all my dreams are coming true (again) :) I owe them everything for sticking around. 

I want to take it back to 1999 for a second, the final song on "Modified" -- "Let Me In" -- I still say is one of the most underrated and beautiful songs of the 90s. I need to ask, what was the inspiration of that track?

I would have to agree with you. Although I did not write that song, the person that wrote it took the words out of my heart that I just didn’t have the strength to express. At the time, I was going through one of the toughest experiences of my life…..but that song was the best thing to come out of it. For that I will always be grateful. I will always love that song and the person that created it.

Take a listen to the band's new single, "New Sound" featuring Neville Staple of The Specials!

Speaking to Dashel Hammerstein, Hear a New Song!

Brooklyn Singer / Songwriter Dashel Hammerstein released his latest record, Grapefruit Rhythm, in the fall and following it's release, our own Raf Richardson-Carillo spoke to the musician about the record, his influences and crafting the record. 

Take a look at the interview and then hear his new song "Audition," below.


1) I texted you after listening to “Grapefruit Rhythm” saying it sounded like Elton John, Monty Python and the Incredible String Band got together one weekend -- I don't want to ask you who you think your influences are, but were you listening to (or reading, or watching) anything at the time of recording that you think might have bled through and influenced the album? 

There are definitely a lot of direct influences on this album - Ada is straight out of the book by the same name, the lyrical theme of “Black Phillip's Boy” is straight from the movie The Witch, “Quantum Entanglement” is a physical phenomenon I learned about, etc. I think it's safe to say at this point that “Violence Now” is just about 2016. I find that when I go into the studio to write a song that sounds like a horror film or a book or like a physics lesson, I'm much more successful than when I go in trying to write a song like John Lennon.

That said, my three biggest influences on this album were Elton John, Monty Python and the Incredible String Band. 

2) Hardy har har. I think that's healthy, not trying to sound like Lennon. Did you ever catch yourself emulating admired predecessors too closely?

Of course! Usually those are the worst songs of all. I'll definitely take pieces though. For example, the song 'Please' - that's me trying to write a song with a 'Panic in Detroit' feel. But when Bowie was writing that he was almost undoubtedly trying to make a song with a Bo Diddley feel. Same with 'Ada.' Most people hear the first few seconds and think 'Oh Elton John!' The truth is I don't really listen to Elton (though I recognize him as a great songwriter), I just wanted to use that rhythm because it's fucking solid. Plus he got it from Donny Hathaway's cover of Jealous Guy. It's all a conversation - I'm just adding my own voice to it. 

3) "Violence Now" reminds me of The Velvet Underground's "Who Loves the Sun" in the sense that there's a dissonance between the sound and the content. You've got this jaunty rhythm and melody paired with somewhat grim lyrics, which is an effective approach for a piece of art with some social commentary in it. Was this a conscious thing or just what happened?

 Actually this was a conscious thing. I don't want want to say that song is a joke but it kind of is. That bright California sunset girl-group sound underneath those dark lyrics - it's funny! It doesn't make any sense - you think twice. Not to sound like some kind of academic but I wanted to highlight the absurdity of violence in our culture. On one hand, we detest it and petition for it to end. On the other, we can't get enough of it. Depends on where you are and what you're doing I guess. So goes the song - on one hand, its a very nice and happy song. On the other hand, it's fucking brutal. If you have some element of discordance between the message and the aesthetic - songs, paintings, film, whatever - then it's going to be interesting. 

4) Can you identify a unifying preoccupation or idea that the album deals with as a whole? If so, was that always in mind or did it develop naturally as you worked?

No, but this album wasn't really written that way. It was sort of borne of necessity. About a year ago, I had a great band, playing a lot of shows and this music thing was feeling good. I met with a manager who told me to take all my music off the internet. He managed all these great bands I admired so I did what he said. The relationship didn't work out but I still trusted him on the

internet music question. Then sometime in the fall, I get a great placement on High Maintenance on HBO and I think, shit I need to have something out there! So I started developing a few of my favorite old tunes, had them mastered and called it an album. It's nice because it was written over a long time and I think each tune stands alone nicely. But for the next one, I'd like to make an album that's more focused.
I guess if I have to pick a unifying preoccupation with all my music it would be crippling anxiety. 

5) Taking your music off the internet seems like creative suicide at this point, but I imagine there's something empowering about controlling supply. Anyway, I ask that question because to me there's this undercurrent throughout -- particularly in the lyrics of "Look Back" and "Better by Now" -- of the past meeting the present, and the essential questions being, "Have I learned anything? Do I make better decisions now than I would have five years ago." You and I are at this late-twenties nexus stage and I think those questions are in the ether. Fair? 

Oof yeah, that about sums it up. I think when you're not on an obvious career path, where each step is laid out before you, you're bound to scrutinize every decision all the more. Better By Now was the product of financially responsible friends. Oh, you have stocks and bonds? You're buying an apartment? When did we learn how to do this stuff? I just opened my first savings account a few days ago and it was pretty much 100% because the banker was a musician who talked me into it. I've spent a lot of my life so caught up in music that I often feel like I've missed some of the practical lessons. But I wrote a song about it so I'm good. 

6) This is your third or fourth album (don't recall exactly) -- have you found that you're any quicker or more efficient at writings songs than you used to be or is it the same old struggle?

 I think I'm slower now actually. Maybe after this many years of writing, I'm better at recognizing a crap song when it comes out. In the past, I'd spend hours writing and recording something only to get home and realize that it's simply a terrible song. Utter garbage. What the hell were you thinking? I don't have time for that anymore, what with all the kids and jobs and properties around the world. I only follow through with something if I'm confident that it's good. At least to me. 

7) Did you show songs to people as you came up with them, or write and record everything before getting feedback? 

I'm so obsessive about (almost) finishing something in one sitting - it's maybe my biggest flaw as a producer. I wish I could record an acoustic demo, show it to someone, get ideas, build it gradually. But if I'm working on something I like, I can't leave the studio until basically all the pieces are there. I physically can't. I'll be giving it one last listen before I go home and I'll think, the 12-string would really be a great texture for this chorus and then I have to stay to finish it. And when I do, it'll happen again with something else. 

8) Is it hard for you to know when a song's finished, or to accept that you can do no more to improve it? Do you have any mechanisms in place to keep yourself from overworking it? 

I inevitably overcook a song. When you're recording, especially when you're doing it on your own, there are limitless opportunities to fill every nook with a hook and its easy to lose sight of a song's overall feel. So after going to far, I'll show it to someone (usually Anamaria), get their impression and begin paring it down. There's nothing worse than having every hook spelled out for you. A song is like any other piece of art - it's just as important to hide as it is to show. Unless magic is your art, then it's probably more important to hide?

 9) Do you feel as though you got each of the songs on Grapefruit Rhythm to where you wanted them? Or will you go right back to working them over when this interview's finished? 

No and definitely not. The songs could always be better and for most of them, I know specifically how (a solo, a bridge, some mixing issue, etc). But once a song a song is out of my head, I rarely return to it. I just want to make something new. That's why it's good to work with other people who will sit me down like the hyperactive child I am and say "Today we are just recording bass and drums and we are going to get it perfect." 'Look Back' and 'Valdosta Moon' were both done with a band and an engineer and it shows. If it were just me, I would have stopped halfway though so I could start something else?

 10) What's more important to you: making great music or having fun making music?

Having fun making great music (you walked right into that one Raf you IDIOT!)

Speaking with Astronoid

Just last month, our musical world was flipped upside down after we heard of Boston prog rockers Astronoid. We tapped the band as our December Rising Artist and described them as the soundtrack of a meteor shower if you were on board an asteroid falling into Earth. It is not only vicious and well thought out music, their is a quality of intricate genres that they tie together and made one of the most surprising records of last year with their debut, Air. Now, we speak to member Brett Boland about the band's beginnings, influences and work.

Take a look at our interview with Astronoid, below:

How has Boston influenced your work? 

The Boston area has always had a great music scene and is always giving birth to bands that really have a sound of their own. We also have a great group of friends in other bands that are really talented and great people. We were lucky to have run into all of them and can attribute that to Boston. We aren't technically from Boston, but it’s certainly our home city. 

Given the massive scale of sound you guys produce, who are some of your biggest influences? 

We grab influence from so many places. Bands like Enslaved, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend fuel the metal side, while other bands like Mew, M83, HEALTH, and Coheed and Cambria fuel the other side of it. We are shameless when it comes to our influences. There's no such thing as a guilty pleasure. We love what we love because we find something special in it. 

Given your name and the from the band really does sound like it comes from another planet, how fascinated with outer space are you? 

The band name came from a video game conversation, which stemmed from my love of Sci-Fi. 2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite movie of all time. I think its the concepts of science fiction that I love more than the actual Space aspects of it. I love the questions of morality and sociology that the twilight zone alludes to, and these concepts make their way into our music. I do a lot of reading into space though, like weird theories about the moon and stuff. I do find it all really fascinating. 

2016 was a big year for you with the release of your debut, how do you top it in 2017? 

This is a great question. I have no idea. We did not expect the album to have the impact that it had. We knew we had something different and something that we really believed in. 2017 has a lot in store for us. We hired our dream booking agent, we have amazing things happening in the background. We want to get out and play in front of as many people as possible. Since June we have been practicing and re-imagining our live show. Relearning the songs and orchestrating them better for playing live. We have only played the songs on “Air” twice and we are about to play the album in its entirety for the first time. I’m really excited to see what happens next. 

The band has gotten much critical acclaim, how do you respond to it? 

It's really nice seeing that others wanted the same thing we did. We made the album we were itching to hear, and blended the genres we love. I love that people are loving the record. It means so much to me when people reach out to us about how it has enriched their lives in some way, whether it just made their day or it's helping them through a tough time. 

Astronoid came from the ashes of other bands, what makes this combination of artists work so well? 

Dan, Casey, and I were in Hetfield & Hetfield which was pretty much the polar opposite of this band. This forced me to try to write something a bit simpler which lead to Astronoid. Matt was in Vattnet Viskar, and Mike was in Feels Like Home. We all bring different things to the table that help the creative process. We have been friends for years, and Casey and I have been in bands together since 6th grade. I couldn't be happier with the group we put together. 

What was it like crafting your debut? 

Working on “Air” was a lot of fun. We weren't really sure what we were trying to do. There were many different directions the songs were taking, but some of them just didn't feel right. We had some in a more prog rock direction, and some more in a metal direction. Tin Foil Hats was the first song that was written for the album, and that seemed to be the cornerstone of what we wanted the album to sound like. It took 3 years to finish the album. We took our time and made sure that everything was where it needed to be. There were parts that were added to some of the songs during the mixing stage that made them what they are. We recorded the album in a very “non conventional” fashion too. The drums were recorded in Dan’s parents livingroom/Kitchen in 3 days when they were away on vacation. The guitars were done in my garage and Re-amped....also in my garage, which was the same place we did vocals and everything else. Dan and I have both worked in conventional studios, so it was fun to see what we could do with what we had. If we had recorded this in a studio, it wouldn't have been the same. 

Has work for your second record already begun? 

I am always writing new music. Some of it will probably end up on the new record, but we have not officially started on the next record. Dan has sent me a couple songs too. While we were working on “Air” we stopped playing live because we didn’t want to play any of the new songs until they were done. Now it’s time to play these songs live. I assume once we start working on the new album we will go about it in the same way we did for “Air”. It’s going to be a process of finding out what this next album is going to sound like, and what limits we want to push. Heavier? Lighter? Both?! I’m excited and nervous thinking about it.   

As the landscape of music changes by the day, what advice do you have for a band starting out? 

I think the most important thing about playing music is to play what is true to yourself. Don’t play what's popular, or what your friends like, or what anyone else thinks you should be playing. People can see through something that's forced or false. Also, practice to a metronome and backup your hard drive's. 

What are the biggest hopes of Astronoid? 

The biggest hope we have is to continue playing the music we love with our friends. I’m really looking forward to the tour adventures we will have and the bands we will get to play with. It’s crazy to think that something that started in my dorm room has grown so immensely and we all just want to keep going and see what happens. We are very fortunate and really looking forward to kicking some ass on tour.

Speaking with Leon Else

As the year winds down and we begin to look ahead, the future seems to be bright following a dark 2016. As new music will arrive next year, one artist who has been burning up the dancefloor is ready for his close up. British singer, songwriter and performer Leon Else will release his Interscope Records debut sometime in 2017 and as he preps for it, the 24-year-old released his acclaimed EP, River Full of Liquor and has captured the attention of fans, critics and music lovers around the world. We caught up with the young lad about his new singles, "Black Car" and "Dance," as well as his battle with ADHD and depression, plus what lies ahead.

Take a look at our interview with Else below:

Off the bat, I want to say that your song "Black Car" might be the sexiest song of 2016. What was the influence behind the track?

Haha, ahhh thank you!  I appreciate that a lot. I wrote "Black Car" whilst in my then brown car (I know have a black car) that I hated. It didn’t fit my “look” or vibe and I loathed driving it. Therefore, one day I was driving to go hiking and I started singing the melody from "Black Car" with the lyric - “gotta get a black car, the blackest car you’ve ever seen,” and that's where the original idea came from. My vision of this dark, mysterious, sexy, cool menacing black car that I was so desperate to have and drive, so everyone could see me.  I developed it further and deeper into the whole allure of an object..and desire of having materialistic things can make you more attractive to people, and make some people do stupid tings, or get themselves into sticky situations ( like Suki Waterhouse in my music video haha).

There is so much soul in your music, who were some of your influences?

The people who I look up to are David Bowie, Prince, and Queen mainly. I do look to other musicians for influence, but these are my main ones. They are the best. They were themselves. They were trail blazers.

With a few singles under your belt, when can we expect your Interscope debut?

I would say they are introductory songs. The start of introducing people to the real me and my world. I think expect the unexpected, because you can’t predict me because I can’t predict myself. I’m different people everyday. I’m not one thing. I’m a thousand things on rotation. So much music changes with me, depending on how I’m feelin. It will still be pop, but just wrapped differently. i want to keep you guessing. I want to explore, and I want people to come with me on that exploration. There's so much out there, and I’m like a kid in a sweet shop with sounds and music - I want to try it all. So basically don’t expect, I want my fans to just be open.  Oh shit - I just realized that you ask what can we expect you were meaning my album. HAHA!. Oh well keep that bit in cause we spoke about it now. Debut out next year.

Your story is one of resilience, you grew up dirt poor in the UK, how important is it for you to make this career and life work?

It's everything. It's absolutely everything. I have no plan b, and I don’t intend to go back to where I came from. When you come from nothing you then know what having nothing feels like. I don’t and I won’t go back to that place. i just have plan A. I've worked eveyday since i was so young. I've sacrificed more than people will ever know or could imagine. I’ve over come things people wouldn't believe and that was not in vain.  I’ve lost so much for this, but I won’t stop. I will never stop. It's all I have, all I truly have, so I always make it work.

How has your upbringing influenced you?

It has made me learn when you want something, you get off your arse and make it happen. Don’t wait around for anyone or anything. Hard work is something I’m so grateful for, and the struggle of growing up I am also so thankful for as it has made me resilient, and so driven. It gave me that hunger to do something, and to make something of myself. So my upbringing’s influence on me has been pivotal.

You also have ADHD and depression, how important is it to erase the stigma of mental health in what you do?

It’s really important to me that I speak about it, and share my ups and downs with people. So many people pretend everything is ok because they are worried and suffer in silence because society judges us. I don’t want to just help erase stigma in the arts, but I want to help erase it in the world. So many of us have mental health issues, and I think it's something that should be bringing us together if we would just speak about it. We would realize more people, than not, suffer from some sort of mental health issues. No matter what class, or where you live, or how rich you are, mental health is something that effects everyone, and it should be something that we speak about and actually support each other. Life isn’t Instagram. Behind that picture, life is fucking tough. I just want to be open, and speak freely about my issues I face, and hope it helps someone else somewhere know they aren’t alone. Most people feel alone, when they don’t have to be.

Your music has so much release and emotion to it, both joyful and morose, when crafting a song how much of you is being put into the lyrics and subject matter?

Everything. Sometimes I'll push it slightly to change how honest I actually want to be, but everything I write is truth. The matter is me. The music has to be me. If it's not, then it wouldn’t be me and I couldn’t create it. 

Your single "Dance" is an instant club banger and the video shows you having the time of your life. How long have you been dancing and was it something you always saw yourself doing as a profession?

Thank you! I was friggin dying on set - 12 hours of dancing straight was tough!! I got into dancing as an escape to get out of my hometown. I was kinda like 'Billy Elliot.' I started late, and I would go and do ballet with the little girls when I’m tall, and was so out of place. But I kept at it. I worked peeling potatoes to save up and pay to get to London to auction for the top dance schools. I honestly didn’t think I would be good enough to get it, but I thought if I could just show them how much I’m willing to work. It paid off and I got scholarships to my surprise. I then moved to London and trained professionally for 3 years, and danced professionally for about 3 years.

You were also in the film, "Nine," a take off of Fellini's "8 1/2," what was that experience like? Also, much in character was Daniel Day-Lewis during filming?

It was the most incredible experience. Truly. To work with Rob Marshall was a dream. We were treated so well and that was amazing because most of the time dancers work the longest and hardest hours and treated the worst. However, not in 'NINE.' It was more like being treated like royalty. It will be something that stays with me forever. Daniel was properly in character, the whole time, no resting. It was inspiring to see someone get so into a character. He's amazing.

How did the role in "Nine" change your career?

It changed my career, because that was when I said to myself “fuck this, fuck being the background guy.” After that I decided that's it. I’m going to do my music, I had always continued to write music all this time whilst dancing. So being on that movie set was a changing point for me, since as a dancer I didn’t know how to top that. I had achieved so much, so early on, as a dancer that I needed and wanted so much more. Watching everyone stand in the spotlight as a star and the lead I thought I could that. I was done and never danced professionally again.

Where do you go from here?

Forward; I continue and carry on working my ass off, putting everything into my music and craft, seeing where it takes me. I want to be the best, I want to be the biggest, and I don’t intend to stop even when I’m there because I'll need something else. I want to do so much, with so little time. Time is just running away from us. I have an amazing label, amazing team, amazing fans, and together was just move forward. oh and I need to try and find time to enjoy it more, because I’m always onto the next thing. Or looking for something more..whatever more is.