Interviews

This area includes a running list of all the interviews we have published. We interview bands, venues, studios, business owners, producers, engineers, and any one else who spends a significant amount of time supporting independent music.

Interview with FM Down – This Is How You Rock In Eau Claire

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 22, 2013 10:12 pm Tagged With: Acoustic, Alternative, Pop, Rock, singer, songwriter

Let’s get the pleasantries out of the way. Who are you? Where are you from? What style of music do you make? I’m Will Wall (Vocals, Guitar) of FM Down. We’re from Eau Claire, WI. We’re a loud bombastic rock band with some cool 80’s style synth leads tossed in from time to time. How […]

Interview with Faction – Funk Volume Contest and Hip Hop Is Back

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 20, 2013 10:12 am

Interestingly enough, Faction submitted their album to us about the same time I found their video for the My Funk Volume contest on Hopsin’s Facebook page. I assume the universe just meant for me to know about these guys because that’s never happened before…and I have been blogging since 2007. If you don’t know about […]

Interview with 2Four – Long Hair Don’t Care

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 9, 2013 12:19 pm Tagged With: Hip Hop, Nashville, Pop, R&B, Tennessee, United States

I have been following 2Four’s musical journey for several months, if not longer, at this point. He’s definitely a young talent to be watching out for. His chill combination of hip hop, pop, and electronica/dubstep is something fresh to the ears and really easy to get into. I have also had the honor of sharing […]

Matthew Heller joins JediBret – audio interview

by C Bret Campbell February 8, 2013 11:16 pm

I had the pleasure of talking with Matthew Heller yesterday. Joshua turned me on to his music which is like a velvet covered sledge hammer that pummels the psyche into blissful submission. Heller’s tunes are complicated, simple but complicated… they tell bits of stories from his own life mixed with reality and fantasy, hope and […]

Interview with Devin Farney – composer, pianist, teacher

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 8, 2013 12:05 pm Tagged With: composer, pianist, San Francisco

I recently had the opportunity to interview Devin Farney, who is a pianist, composer, and teacher in San Francisco, California. Devin’s music is very interesting and one of the most intriguing soundscapes I have heard in a while. Feel free to click play below and listen while you read. Let’s start from the top. Who […]

Pre-Show Interview with DJ Xtra Credit

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 8, 2013 11:50 am

We caught up with DJ Xtra Credit backstage at MTSU’s Tucker Theater for a brief interview. The best part of being at events like this is meeting new people. I spoke with Xtra Credit about who he is as an artist and who he has been working with. He was one of the special guests […]

Interview with Maxwell Demon

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 5, 2013 9:36 am Tagged With: New York, shoegaze, singer, songwriter, United States

Maxwell Demon is a true DIY artist. He records all his music in his small New York apartment and wears the many hats it takes to move any music career forward. His new EP is scheduled for a summer release so we sat down to speak with him about his creative style and what keeps […]

Interview with Tu P – Brisbane, Medicine, and Hip Hop

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman February 4, 2013 9:03 am Tagged With: Australia, Hip Hop, rap

Tu P is the perfect example of an artist on their grind. When this Brisbane, Australia emcee isn’t creating music you can find him practicing medicine. We were fortunate enough to get a little bit of his time for this interview to discuss hip hop, medicine, and influences. Instead of repeating your bio, briefly tell […]

Nakia – SXSW Bound, via HOA!

by C Bret Campbell February 1, 2013 3:37 pm Tagged With: Austin

I just got a hangout invite from my new friend, Hayley at Google-Austin. What a groovy hangout, too! She’s got Nakia (with guitarist Ulrich) on and it’s just rockin’! Now, you probably know I don’t see a whole lot of TV, so this is a brand new find to me. A bit of background: Austin-based, Alabama-raised singer/songwriter […]

Interview with Sister Helen, Indie Progressive Rock from Brooklyn, NY

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman January 31, 2013 10:33 am Tagged With: indie, New York, New York City, Progressive, Rock, United States

Sister Helen is Brooklyn, New York’s top indie-progressive-rock contortionist act and we managed to get them to stay out of their strange playing positions long enough to give us an interview. Reading this one should be quite fun. To start, let’s tell everyone who you are, where you are from, what type of music you […]