Songs of Water

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If you love the conventional in music, then this following set of XXQ’s is not for you. If you love your music to always have the same time signature, to flow the same way, to unfold in a predictable manner… you might as well stop reading. The Greensboro, North Carolina ensemble, Songs of Water stand by their moniker – their music is always flowing, always changing. Since 2002, Stephen Roach, Jason Windsor, Elisa Rose, Michael Pritchard, Greg Willette, Luke Skaggs and Jon Kliegle have been layering more and more diverse instrumentation with “sparse” vocals to create a truly raw musical experience. Their answer to our question about their level of satisfaction from finalizing a piece, probably tells the Songs of Water story best:
“I think every artist aspires to have that experience of completion to a work. For us, I’m not sure we ever fully reach that experience. We just eventually reach an agreeable stopping point to work from.  From there, the songs tend to evolve on their own even years after recording them. To me, that keeps it living; It keeps it an adventure. Nothing remains static and predictable. Every song can exude a different quality you didn’t know it had the night before.”
If you like this philosophy as much as we do, you’ll certainly want to sample Songs of Water’s latest release, “The Sea Has Spoken”. The ensemble told us, “’The Sea Has Spoken’ is our first truly collaborative work that features songwriting from most everyone in the band.  We recorded much of it on location in very different spaces.  We went from a very incredible studio in Nashville to college auditoriums, stairwells, home studios etc. The production on the album reflects this sound spectrum in a very well blended manner.” While you’re downloading the record, check out some of the videos behind the music on their FaceBook page – it’s good, good stuff. Right now however, there’s much more to learn, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Songs of Water

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others in your genre?

I usually describe the sound we’ve created as a “world, folk orchestra”, though I say that hesitantly for we’re really just a group of experimentalists and our sound tends to take on many shapes and forms from one composition to the next.

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Sal Piamonte

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Sal Piamonte may not make his living in my backyard (he comes to us from Ottawa, Canada), but boy, does he tell a familiar tale concerning the real problem facing emerging artists today (and he tells it well!). He says, “The struggle of a professional musician is completely about communication.  The reality is that in order for you to push your art/music with the MOST efficiency and impact, people have to see you LIVE and in the flesh. I’ve always found that a kick-ass performance in front of an intimate crowd (15-50 people) has always been more effective in impacting and growing a real audience of dedicated followers. A great performance to a small crowd seems to get people ‘doing’ and ‘actively promoting’ rather than just passively acknowledging their approval.”

Preach on brother Sal! A great band or artist isn’t defined by their skills in a studio or by a plethora of followers on twitter… The real worth of an artist is found in the live, in your face, show! I won’t name them here, but more than a couple acts lost favor with the PEV clan following a live experience (you’ll have to ask me offline).

If Sal’s live show is anything like his new record, “Lives in Devil City”, we’re looking forward to getting blown away. He describes it best: “Fans can expect a hard-hitting rock record that they’ll hopefully want to blast in their car stereos, house parties, or during their workouts. This record hits hard from start to finish, with high energy and up-tempo songs to get your blood pumping and heart singing, reflective yet optimistic themes of moving on and dealing with love lost, and just enough ‘fuck you’ bravado to make you feel legit in raising up your devil horns.  The album is meant to be edgy, sexy, and full of hooks for those who love their Rock n’ Roll with a side of naughtiness.” Check out “Lives in Devil City” ASAP and keep an eye out for the new single, “Take Me Home” while you’re at it. Big things coming from Mr. Piamonte. There’s a lot more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Sal Piamonte

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound?

Sal Piamonte (SP): A bastard rock child conceived in an orgy of Hendrix love and Led Zeppelin haze, accompanied by Kid Rock and Foo Fighter-like passion and fire, sprinkled with harmonies and soul from the Almond brothers to Coldplay.

PEV: Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, what kind of music where you into growing up? Was anyone your main influence?

SP: I grew up surrounded by the sounds of Top 40, Motown, and Rhythm & Blues music.  My mom used to blast Bob Seger, and when I was really young, we shared a flight with Chubby Checker and his band on a flight to Australia…he was totally hitting on her too, go figure.  Michael Jackson was the only artist I truly idolized growing up.  I learned how to moonwalk because of him, and the infectiously catchy songs he wrote and performed are what really opened my eyes to the beauty of songwriting and strong melodic hooks…not to mention the power of performing with his magnetic and monstrous stage presence. Growing up in a very conservative, safe, and sheltered government town (our nation’s capital) actually didn’t create any type of ambivalent emotion or anything that made me want to lash out in true rock n’ roll fervor.

It wasn’t until I got to college that I started to truly gravitate to the sounds of Rock n’ Roll, appreciating and learning about all the greats that came before…discovering my love for old school Rock n’ Roll, Southern Rock, and soul. I feel that the chronology of my musical education and exposure is the reason that I have developed my own style of Rock n’ Roll, which is edgy and energetic, yet very pop sensible and accessible to a wide audience.

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Jon Reid

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Another PEV flashback! Norfolk, VA native Jon Reid has answered the PEV XXQ’s before, under the alias Jar-e. Back then we told you about Reid’s natural musical ability to perform across a gauntlet of genres, highlighting his latest record back in February 2009, “Chicas Malas”. Reid operated under the mantra, “one artist – one vision,” developing pieces for every instrument on the album, including the keyboards, bass, drums, guitars and horns.
Over 3 years later, a lot has changed for Jon. While he’s led bands playing guitar, bass, keys and trumpet, he’s now focusing on just singing and arranging. He’s also stopped drinking (an incredibly tough task), and he has a new record titled “Reverb and Tambourine”. Similar to “Chicas Malas”, Reid did much of the instrumentation himself, but did include some very talented guests on the collection, including Justin Ray and Jacob Rodriguez from Michael Buble’s horn section. Jon says the album “is a much more straight ahead rock record. I wanted to try to make something simple and honest… I would say it’s very heartfelt and ‘close to the ground.’ I’ve had people tell me it’s my best work yet.” Check out “Reverb and Tambourine” ASAP – the next Jon Reid record is just around the corner. There’s a whole lot more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Jon Reid

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you different from the others in your genre?

Jon Reid (JR): I’m not completely sure how I would characterize my sound. In the past, performing as Jar-e, I was a lot more focused on a Latin/soul hybrid. Reverb and Tambourine is a much more straight ahead rock record. I wanted to try to make something simple and honest. Maybe because of that, the soul singer, international traveler thing is a lot more peripheral this time.

PEV: What kind of music where you into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?

JR: I was a Beatles kid. My first concert was seeing James Taylor when
I was eleven or twelve.

PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene in your hometown, when you first started out as a band? What was your first
show like?

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Dashboard Madonna

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The mind behind the madness of Hamburg, Germany’s Dashboard Madonna is actually British-born guitarist and producer Sascha Carl; this student of 70′s funk has been engineering unique records for years now, including the first Dashboard Madonna EP, 2004′s “Blind Man’s Bluff”. He’s been involved with a few other projects since then, including endeavors with his DM partner in crime, Hungarian vocalist Honey Rhyder, but Carl’s appreciation for soul and acoustic style brought the duo back to Dashboard, and their latest record, “Neon Life”.

Sascha says the collection is “a very funky album with nice rock, pop and Latin flavors. The lyrics are mostly short stories about people’s everyday lives. But we don’t take it too seriously, so some of the lyrics are very tongue and cheek.” He continues, “Our sound comes from different angles… I would sum it up by calling it Hip-Trip-Rock-&-Roll.” Get into “Neon Life” and if you’re overseas, check out that live show schedule. There’s a whole lot more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Dashboard Madonna

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others in your genre?

Our sound comes from different angles. There is a lot of Soul and Funk in the music, but there’s also a lot Pop and Rock elements in the songs. Some have even said they can hear some Electronica in the tunes, so it’s hard to pin it down. I would sum up by calling it Hip-Trip-Rock-&-Roll.

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Fiona Joy Hawkins

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You may recall in late April, PEV featured a wonderfully talented Australian pianist named Trysette. You may also remember we mentioned that she often plays with a just as gifted Aussie named Fiona Joy Hawkins. Today, it is our pleasure to feature Ms. Hawkins, who much like Trysette, blew away the PEV crew with her hauntingly beautiful melodies. She says her piano-driven instrumentation comes from influences from her classical training, as well as jazz rhythms and world music (she very much loves ethnic instruments and sounds). And trust us; she’s not lying when she says her vocals are “very Enya’ish”.
Hawkins approaches her music in a very unique way – she’s not looking to build from a verse of chorus. She’s much more interested in the “build”. She says “I remember lying in front of the speakers when I was 8 years old (for hours) listening to Ravel’s Bolero and trying to work out how he achieve the ‘build’.  I did this by deconstructing every instrumental layer till I could understand how the entrance and layering of each instrument played its part. To this day one of the main features in my music is the ‘build’.  My pieces start of like an English essay, with an introduction, an expansion of the subject, a climax and a summary.  You have to listen past half way to really get what I’m doing with every song.” You can listen to this songwriting philosophy in some of its purist form through Hawkins’ latest release, “Live at the Q”.
From this collection, Fiona says to expect “A LIVE album is the honest truth. No studio tricks to hide behind, just the performances… The DVD of the concert is coming out towards the end of the year and the promo clip for this is on my Continue reading →

JT Moore

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There’s no doubt that Columbia, South Carolina native JT Moore has a knack for making music – he once wrote a song in less than 25 minutes after receiving a new beat from one of his collaborators. And there’s no doubt he has the attitude to succeed in music; one of the most competitive job markets on the planet. When we popped one of our favorite PEV questions (what’s the one word that describes you best), he answered, “Adamant. In all my ways, I’m adamant. I’m solid as a rock on my ideas and the way I think, for the most part.” Nice.
Moore is preparing to showcase his urban pop/R&B talent this summer with the release of his first single, “Body of Water”. JT gets into it: “Body of Water is that feel good song. It’s that song that makes the ladies feel good, and gives the fellas the confidence to tell a woman ‘I want to get to know you.’” He told us a bit more about his sound as a whole, stating, “My sound is a combination of gospel roots (from singing in the church) mixed with R&B soul (which is heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder) and urban pop. I think that best describes my sound, and while we’re on sound, it’s that sound that uniquely separates me from others in my genre.” Keep an eye out for “Body of Water” this summer – you’ll be seeing a lot more of Moore in the very near future (he’s working his trade hard). Keep reading now for all the answers below in the XXQ’s.

XXQs: JT Moore PensEyeView.com (PEV):  How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others in your genre? JT Moore (JT): My sound is a combination of gospel roots (from singing in the church) mixed with r&b soul (which is heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder) and urban pop. I think that best describes my sound, and while we’re on sound, it’s that sound that uniquely separates me from others in my genre. I don’t sound like anyone else that’s out there. I believe that every artist contributes to the industry in their own unique way, and the swag and qualities that I’m bringing to the game are in my own lane.

PEV: Calling Atlanta, Georgia home, what kind of music where you into growing up? Was anyone your main influence? JT: My home is actually Columbia, South Carolina but Atlanta has treated me like a home, so that’s cool. Growing up, the artists that caught my attention always varied, so there were a lot of different influences, from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder to Usher. I’d give my main influence to Stevie Wonder though, just his style of singing and his music as whole had the greatest impact on me. Continue reading →

DRUNKSOULS

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Drunk Souls comes from a country we haven’t featured as much as others on PEV; the outfit out of Marseille, France is large in number (members include Djamil Ramdane, Julien Mur, Pierre Pesin, Jean Marc Layani, Fred Albertini, Julien Heurtel, Romain Morello, Philippe Bonnacier and Kevin Garcia), but they agree on this statement: “Any groove instinct can be satisfied by DRUNK music.”

What is “drunk” music you ask? Sample the latest release from Drunk Souls (a collection titled “Revolution”) to get a clearer picture. It combines so many genres – from rock to reggae to electro, funk and pop, these gentlemen tell us to expect “Diversity, engaging rhythms and groove” from “Revolution”. “There is a song suitable for each state of mood you can get. And if some of our songs can make you think a little bit about the world we’re living in… It would be great.”
They continue, “This is a Drunk Souls album but you can’t define the entire album with just one song, or one strict genre of music. This is part of our originality. This is part of Continue reading →