Detroit’s Happy Curmudgeons deliver pure, uncut, rock and roll music that is guaranteed to having you jamming along with your air instrument of choice in no time. Recently selected as one of the Choice 5 bands by Modern Rock Radio, Happy Curmudgeons combine elements of blues, folk and good ole classic rock and roll for an authentic 11-track jam session on their latest album Meant 2 Be.
In this interview spotlight, I speak with Happy Curmudgeons about the latest project, challenges, music consumption preferences and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We play a lot of different genres. Everyone brings their particular influences to the table. On our debut album, Meant 2 Be, we explore several different genres – contemporary folk, blues, classic rock and a bit of country with indie edge. We create music that is appealing to us. If it sounds good to us, we think others will like it as well.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Everyone who plays with the Happy Curmudgeons has been inspired by music at a young age. Music is life to us and we are making the most of it.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Meant 2 Be was our first release at the end of 2017. We were looking to show our versatility and pay homage to genres we enjoyed with 11 original songs. Dave Hamilton wrote or co-wrote all the tracks for Meant 2 Be. We are currently working on our second album and more members are writing and bringing new material to the studio. We are very excited about the second album and we think listeners will be too. We are trying to make a statement that we are here to stay and make music that people can listen to with a positive outlook without political overtones.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Being an indie act is quite challenging to break through barriers to get your music to listeners and fans. You Tube, Spotify and Soundcloud are great tools for bands to get noticed. You need to have a unique voice or voices to rise above the other act to get attention. We work on getting attention by working diligently on the craft of our music and not taking our listeners for granted. We want them to come along for the ride – wherever it may take all of us. The digital age allows us to get MP3s out there, so people can hear our songs.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song we all listened to was 2nd Chances. 2nd Chances will be the first song released for our 2nd album. Amy Dixon-Lavery wrote the lyrics and performs the vocals. Dave Hamilton and Jeff Warner wrote the music with Mark Byerly (producer). 2nd Chances gives us a real chance to break through to the next level with the critics and our audience. It is a song about new hope and not falling into the same traps life can spring on people.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Most of the band loves vinyl. Vinyl not only gives a vintage sound, but room for artwork. Our artwork is done by Pauly M. Everett who is an artist from Flint, MI. Pauly has done some great stuff for his community that is still dealing with the water crisis currently.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Well, we really do not prefer any since they take advantage of the artist. It is great to have a platform, but iTunes, Spotify and Reverb Nation only pay about 2 cents for streamed songs. It is tough to make it that way after spending money on studio time and marketing.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Fans can find us on Facebook and Reverb Nation. We have our website www.happycurmudgeons.com as well. You can listening to our music on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Plus, Spotify, Reverb Nation, Soundcloud, CD Baby, and Bandcamp. Amazon does sell our CD, Meant 2 Be. We not sure exactly where else you can hear us, but the number of places to find us is growing…..thankfully!
Anything else before we sign off?
We are working on our second album with producer, Mark Byerly. Mark is currently touring with Bob Seger on his final tour. We believe this new material will speak to our audience and show the diversity of the musicians that play on this project. Pauly M. Everett will be doing the artwork again as well. We hope to hit the road in 2019, so we can reach more people and new areas.
