The Spies have some nerve
To air the revolt on TV
We all want to see

The Spies are: Mark Matkevich, Leo Francis, Adrian Barrio, and Dylan Giagni
Names do not correspond with picture above, The Spies wish to remain a mystery

Explain to us the title of your album, Televolution?

LF:   The idea for the title came as a response to an old spoken word piece by Gil Scott Heron called ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. Now, when it was written, the sentiment was that it was directed to the underground. The individual thinkers were not the people who sat in front of the evening news, they wanted to know what was really going on. They wanted to affect real change. But with the advent of the internet and independent media, they could then use these technologies as an effective tool. In our culture today, everything is televised and covered by media. Every little move we make is tweeted and blogged about and posted on Facebook immediately. I began thinking that today, the title may have been ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’. Then I just pushed the words together to make it catchy.

Leo and Mark, you both moved to LA from Philadelphia, what was reasoning behind that decision?

LF:   Warmer weather and hot girls in bikinis. Seriously. Also, I heard that there are many a music  and acting scene here.

MM: I actually moved from Philly to NYC, where I lived for 3 years, then to LA.  I was flying to LA to audition a lot, my lease was up in New York, so I moved.  So, I guess the answer is acting…and homelessness .

What song seems to get the best crowd response live?

MM:   I would say 2 songs.  “You Got Some Nerve,” which gets the dance groove going, and “National Pastime.”  Craig Finn of The Hold Steady once said that their “songs are sing along songs” so is “National Pastime.”

AB:  “Shatterproof” or “You Got Some Nerve”

Mark, you recently got out of acting, what was your favorite acting experience?

MM:  Haha.  You make it sound like I escaped from Rikers Island.  I’d have to say my first TV gig I guess, which was on Law and Order: SVU.  It was a scene with Chris Meloni.  It was their first season, and he was fresh off of shooting Oz for HBO.  I guess he was still holding on to that character’s prison mentality, because he kicked my ass in an interrogation scene.  I was like wait, I’ve taken a stage combat class, and you’re not supposed to really hit people!  It was great. Three cheers for method acting.

In the 90s boy bands, there was always the sexy one, the baby, the goofy one, and the smart/sensitive one in a band, what role are the members of The Spies?

MM:   I would say Dylan is the Tin Man, Adrian is BA Baracus, Leo is Luke Skywalker, and I am of course, Bill Murray.

LF: Mark is the sexy one, Adrian is the goofy one, Dylan is the baby, and I guess that leaves me as the smart sensitive one….though I am not sure anyone else would use that to describe me…except my mother. I’m more like the edgy one….like that one Backstreet Boy that was allowed to grow a beard and get his ears pierced, or maybe it’s more like we are all the goofy one.

Have you ever been mistaken for Russian spies?

LF:  Not since we changed our names from Sergei, Boris, Stalin and Lenin, and stopped calling everyone ‘Ruskie’.

DG:  Only once, but by the Russians. Apparently I look a lot like one of their operatives. They were actually very gentle about the whole mix up.

What was the craziest thing you ever saw that you weren’t supposed to see?

MM:  The Philadelphia Phillies winning the 2008 World Series.  Awesome.

AB:   A prehistoric flying turkey in Philadelphia, on tour.

DG:  Don’t tell him I said this, but I saw Leo changing out of his super hero costume.

What 3 personalized tools would you each have on your Swiss army knife?

DG:   A drum key, a salt shaker filled with Lawry’s salt, and a Japanese kataha saw.

LF:   Guitar tuner, guitar pick, and my Netflix account.

MM:   Adrian Barrio, Leo Francis, and Dylan Giagni.  But only if I could be a tool on theirs.  Ok, now this interview is getting weird.

Find out more about The Spies on Facebook or here

When you were growing up, was there ever that kid in your class that was good at everything? Good at school, good at sports, good with the other kids, and good looking? Well, if that kid grew up to be a musician, he’d probably be like Julian Shah-Tayler who switches from songwriter to producer to performer to DJ with the greatest of ease, talent unwavering.

Already Julian has worked directly with Joaquin Phoenix, JC Chasez, and Violet Flames to name a few.  As a sonwriter, he co-wrote the smash hit “Wrap It Up” which has been featured in Whip It, GTA 4, Sopranos, Kyle XY and CSI Miami. He has also remixed a number of artists and DJed in clubs worldwide from the from The Razzmatazz in Barcelona, the Maria in Berlin, Death Disco/Kill All Hippies/Transmission/The Queen is Dead/The Secret Door in London, Happy Endings in New York, and Standard Hotels in Los Angeles. Do you see what I mean? Julian Shah-Tayler is an artist to watch for his versatility,musical integrity and sophisticated artistry.

You have been in a number of bands over the years, how you feel about having a solo project?

It feels great. I have been writing with a solo project in mind before, during and after the time I was in bands. It would be fair to say that in a lot of the bands, the songs were tantamount to solo efforts anyway. Finally because I play all the instruments and produce the songs as well as sing them, I get to do exactly what I want with them now.

What inspired the lyrics to the song “Wetter”?

Ha ha. Strangely I wrote the backing track for JC Chasez (*NSYNC) because I was working with him on some other projects. When I thought of the “naughty” lyric, it just stuck, and I decided to finish the song myself. I read a lot about Prince in my youth, as I was a huge fan. I think that using provocative lyrics does not necessarily denote a lack of subtlety across the board with the rest of the oeuvre. It was only ever intended to be a fun song, and it has certainly proved itself a favourite with my live audiences and radio stations.

You have a full length coming out at the end of the year entitled Coito Ergo Sum, what does that mean and can you expand on it?

Coito ergo sum is a corruption of the Descartes maxim: “cogito ergo sum” which means “I think therefore I am”
Coito, however means “I procreate”…….. The idea is that the use of latin is a little highbrow, but the message is quite cheeky really. I think that meeting of highbrow and lowbrow culture and intent reflects the content of my music nicely. I am quite serious, but irreverent and silly at the same time. Think perhaps of CNN presented by Monty Python…..

How does making music in the UK differ from making music in the United States?

My methods do not differ in the slightest bit between the US and the UK. I think the way it is perceived is the chief difference. Los Angeles is obviously a far cry from London, but my process is the same. Filter life through art and make it sound as interesting as possible….. Repeat.

You have collaborated and/or produced a number of other acts including JC Chasez, Joaquin Phoenix, and Whitey, who was your favorite to work with?

My favourite collaboration is the ongoing one I have with Scott Fairbrother in “adamandevil”, although the experience of working with Joaquin was the most “unusual” as he is a self-confessed non-musician, articulating himself most often in sensate terms. He’s quite brilliant as a producer actually, as he could take the musicians out of their comfort zone into a non-musical paradigm. This creates a very specific mood which helps create an idiosyncratic sound.

What role do you prefer, producer, songwriter, or DJ?

I am most definitely in my element as a singer/songwriter which comprises certain production things as well.

I read somewhere that you write between 50-70 songs a year and put out a new EP every few months, where do you get all this inspiration?

The songs are cathartic. I guess I am writing my diary/autobiography in song form, I guess you could say. Any emotional baggage can be offloaded in musical form.

You were once in a band called Drink Me, so if you were a vampire and could blend any 3 celebrities’ blood into a drink who would they be?

Shannyn Sossamon, Prince, (it would be purple) and Sigourney Weaver (for that added zing).

Find him on Facebook and keep an eye out for his label Impossible Things Records.

What does it mean to be finished, yet unpolished? Does that mean that the work is incomplete or lacking? Or perhaps, could it be that the piece of work is actually more complete. More true to life due to it’s gritty rawness. Consider that when listening to The Will who craft high energy rock with all the edge and grit that rock deserves.

Your music has a very authentic punk-rock sound, unlike so many of these new “punk” bands today, who are some of your major influences?

Well, we don’t necessarily consider ourselves a “punk band”, but punk rock did influence our playing in the early years. We’re heavily influenced by many different genres of music over many decades, such as metal, country, jazz, and classic rock. But when it comes to our actual sound, our biggest influences are Foo Fighters, Hot Water Music, Nirvana, Alkaline Trio, Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who among many others.

It’s clear from your band photos and songs such as “Whiskey” that you like to drink, what is your favorite poison?

We’re all in to drinking craft and microbrewed beer. Pretty much anything from breweries such as Stone, Lost Abbey/Port, New Belgium, etc. We’re also a big fan of whiskey and scotch; with Maker’s Mark, Jack Daniels, MaCallan and McClelland’s being a few of our favorites.

Who in the band has the strongest ‘will’?

All three of us moved from the Midwest to Southern California to follow our dreams, so it’s safe to say that we all have a strong will. No matter where we live, no matter what our “day jobs” are, we’ve always made music. We started in a garage in single-digit temperatures, with hand-me-down gear. Now we’re in a house that has an isolated three room recording studio, but our drive is still the same.

What is the concept behind the name “The Will”? How about the album art?

It’s essentially the will, or the drive, to follow your heart and do what you love to do. High energy was a big theme when we were writing the music, so we felt that is was only fitting to have our artwork reflect that. It also didn’t hurt that our backyard was filled with high-tension wires and it was something that we looked at every day while writing the record.

With three-piece groups, band members are usually like family, tell us about some family feuds?

Well, it all started with Richard Dawson, then Ray Combs came along, but Dawson eventually came back in the mid 90′s. After he left, Louie Anderson took over. Then Richard Karn and John O’Hurley each did four year stints. The current show is hosted by Steve Harvey.

But seriously, we’ve been in bands together since 1999, so we’ve fought about anything and everything you can think of. But the feuds obviously weren’t that serious or else we wouldn’t be still be playing music together.

If you won “The Lottery” what band would you pay to stop playing music?

The song “The Lottery” is kind of the exact opposite of the name “The Will”. It’s about the people that spend their whole lives waiting to win the lottery, before they would consider pursuing their dreams. But if we ever did win the lottery, we’d never telling anyone to stop playing music for any reason.

What song on your new album has the most energy live?

“The Lottery” is always a great way to kick off a show and get the crowd going. “Whiskey” is the most energetic for both us and the crowd. It follows somewhat of a free-form structure when we play it live, determined by the rowdiness of the crowd.

Find The Will on MySpace and The Sixty One

Here’s a few artists that you most likely won’t see on stage getting an award or even performing at the Grammy’s BUT certainly could be.

See if you agree by pressing play now.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Hype – “Push Me” (Available at CDBaby and iTunes)
Kelly Richey Band – “I Want You” (get it free on eMusic)
John Taglieri – “Booty Call” (get his older stuff free on eMusic)
Pauline Pisano – “Don’t Forget” (get it free on eMusic)
G Tom Mac – “Wish You Well” (get their older stuff free on eMusic)
Daydream On Autopilot – “Better Off Alone” (get it free on eMusic)
Daydream on Autopilot – “Call Me” (Blondie Cover)

Websites Mentioned on this podcast;
Mike Cameo’s Indie Top 10
Social Blend
Mixx.com

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Image Source:Criminal Justice

Today’s the day. We are finally gonna do it. You and I are going to tell the boss to take a freakin hike. We are gonna play hooky. Yep, we are going to the beach or the bar or wherever and we are gonna have couple….and just chill! Hold that thought, press play and check out my latest offering…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

Read the rest of this entry

Spanning the globe to bring you music with no boundaries. Where the niche is not having the niche, I give you eight great songs by eight great artists.

Please your ears by pressing play now.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.
Read the rest of this entry

Did you ever think you would hear Nine Inch Nails, Buckcherry, Bob Mould and Ice T on the same radio show podcast? Me neither but the pieces fit.

See how the pieces all fit together by pressing play now.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.

Here are the songs heard on this podcast and links to each artists website;
Last November – “Sunday After Noon”(get it free on eMusic)
Nine Inch Nails – Discipline (Download Free at NIN.com)
The Crash Moderns – “Where’d All the Scene Girls Go”(get it free on eMusic)
Buckcherry – “Sorry”
Bob Mould – “The Silence Between Us”
Hot Rod Circuit - “Gin and Juice”
Black Ice (featuring Ice T and Black Silver) – “So Fly”
Three Miles Out – “Knock Me Down”

Stop by my iTunes page now, tell me what you think by posting a comment and then subscribe.

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Dip your mood into this mellow but upbeat, chicken soup for the soul music offering. This is the kinda of music that grabs you and says “everything is gonna be alright.”

See if you agree by pressing play now.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.

Here are the songs heard on this podcast and links to each artists website;
James King – “Gold”
LouLou – “Sunday State of Mind”
Sean Costello – “Can’t Let Go” (get it free on eMusic)
Candy Butchers – “What To Do With Micheal”
Justin Hopkins – “Why Would God Ever Come to L.A.” (discover his older stuff free on eMusic)
Lo/Fi Pioneer – “Got To Know”
Jaik Miller – “Movin”
City and Colour – “Waiting” (discover his older stuff free on eMusic)

Other links mentioned in the show:
Experience what it’s like to be truly free. Watch the Into the Wild movie and be very glad you did.

Stop by my iTunes page now, tell me what you think by posting a comment and then subscribe.

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Strap on those earbuds, turn up the volume and let these great artists take you to a higher place.

Press play now.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

NEW! Have a comment, request or review of your own that you would like played on the show? Call (206)202-7672 now and leave a message.

Here are the songs heard on this podcast and links to each artists website;
Brother Love – “Turn It Up”
JTX - “Party Like A Rockstar”
Munk – “Dirty Work”
Duran Duran – “Falling Down”
Running Still – “Ordinary” and “My House”
P. Hux - “My Friend Hates Me” (get P. Hux’s older stuff for free on eMusic)

Other links mentioned in the show:
Accident Hash
Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

It is almost impossible to keep up with all of the review requests I get. Most of the time I just take a quick listen to see if there is anything I can use in my podcast. If it is really good, I will write something if I REALLY think it is worth it. But today I want to give you the chance to participate.

Starting with this post I to give you the opportunity to read and hear the music review requests I get from artists. I’ll call it the “You Music Review.”

Here’s how me can do it, Rather than me spending hours upon hours writing about why I like it and why you should, why don’t I let you play the roll of reviewer. I will post a portion of the review request on the blog, you can check it out and then – love it or hate it – put your comments below.

To make it interesting I will be posting requests from different genres. For those of you interested in doing a more full scale review I have a bunch of CD’s at home that I could send you to review.

Today I start with Read the rest of this entry