How did the contributions
of others to the go-go music you originated make you more creative?
"It was a great compliment to me that so
many groups and musicians have been inspired by go-go music and included it
in their sound and music. So many bands in Washington have formed and play
go-go exclusively. I love to hear go-go-influenced records by popular
artists on the radio. It inspires me to keep doin' what I do."
- Chuck Brown
www.windmeupchuck.com
Sample
the music on Amazon
Chuck Brown is the "Godfather of Go-Go", a
type of funk especially popular in the Washington, D.C. area. Go-go is one of
the inspirations for my own East of the River
- [SAMPLE]
[LINK].
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Lydia Salnikova
What work are you most proud of?
"As a constantly searching and developing artist, I think I’m yet to create
music I’m most proud of. At this time, though, that would have to be one
track I did on
Bering Strait’s (the band
I used to be in) second album
Pages,
called
Safe In My Lover’s Arms.
I wrote the song and got to sing it against a symphony orchestra (and not
much else). An interesting story on how the song was written – in Sanford,
Florida where
Bering Strait
once performed,
I was warming up before the show in the green room. I heard a droning sound
that wouldn’t go away – it was the sound of air-conditioning. I started
humming, then harmonizing with it, and before I knew it a melody started
shaping up and this song was born. I’m hoping to go in the studio next week
and work on another version of that song, different from the
Pages
cut –
simpler and more intimate."
- Lydia Salnikovawww.lydiasalnikova.com
Sample
the music on Amazon
Listen to Safe in
My Lover's Arms on Lydia's website -
magnificent! www.lydiasalnikova.com
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Nancy Rumbel
What's the most unusual instrument you've
used?
"The double wooden ocarina because you play and hear two notes at once. I
first saw this amazing little instrument at a craft fair in New York in the
late 70s. Some years later, Alan, the original instrument maker, stopped
making them and moved to France. I prayed that mine would not break, get
lost or stolen. In the meantime, I met some people in Alaska who Alan
eventually decided were the right ones to pass on his instrument-making
knowledge to, so now I have a wonderful source for ocarinas (www.doubleocarina.com). Often people don't know what an ocarina is, but more young adults and
children know about them because of the video game, Zelda the Ocarina of
Time. Eric [Tingstad] and I are getting ready to tour Korea where apparently
thousands of ocarina players have created clubs. It will be fun to
introduce the double wooden ocarina to them!"
- Nancy Rumbel
www.tingstadrumbel.com/
Sample
the music on Amazon
T&R won a Grammy in 2003 for their New Age
album Acoustic Garden (Amazon link to
the right).
Nancy Rumbel's 'Notes from the Tree of Life' album is a gem.
You can order it directly from her at
NRumbel [at] aol
[dot] com. She likes to hear from her fans, so drop her a note of
appreciation.
Nancy Rumbel writes: "There
was terrific enthusiasm for the ocarina in Korea --- and they kept giving me
gifts of ocarinas --- I even SIGNED ocarinas! Very wild!"
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Animal Collective
How do you maintain your creativity?
"By living a life and not just staying inside and petting our cats."
- Brian Weitz ('Geologist')
Animal Collective released a new album in January 2009 -
Congratulations to the band
for making Billboard's Top Independent Albums and Heatseekers (new artists) charts!
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
What's your favorite CD?
"'Noche en Vela' by Christian
Vieussens. He's a wonderful French woodwind player; the CD is spectacular
and brilliant."
- Ken Field, Saxophonist
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
What really helped you learn your instrument?
"After failing to learn the classical guitar, the songs of Tom Jobim proved
more appealing to both heart and fingers."
- Sondre Lerche
Norwegian Pop Artist www.SondreLerche.com
September 2009 -
Heartbeat Radio, "Sondre Lerche's boldest and most challenging record
yet" - Amazon
CD
MP3
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Low Millions
Which of today's hot acts is most likely to endure?
"U2 is at the moment my favorite band.
They
manage to infuse their music with a transcendent value that gives them an
edge over all other popular bands today. Pound for pound, song for song,
they are outranked only by the Beatles and the Stones."
- Adam Cohen
of
Low Millions
www.lowmillions.com
Sample
the music on Amazon
Congratulations to Low Millions for
hitting number 3 on MediaGuide's Commercial Triple A Radio Singles
Chart with their song Eleanor (sample it on Amazon).
U2 was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in March 2005.
'Ex-Girlfriends' was picked
as a DJ favorite of the year for 2004 by Barry Cosgrove, on-air host
at WEHM-FM in Long Island, New York.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Bjorn
Lynne
Who was your biggest influence? "My biggest influence was the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Their music
was so inventive, so powerful, so colourful. Among others, I thank ELO and
their main composer/arranger, Jeff Lynne, for pointing the way for me into
music, and for giving me the burning interest in music which has since
become both a hobby and a profession for me." - Bjorn Lynne, Norwegian-born
electronica, TV, and videogame composer
www.lynnemusic.com/
Sample
the music on Amazon
Video games are bigger business than
first-run movie box office in the US, so
success in this area is nothing to sneeze
at.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Jody Marshall
What drew you to the dulcimer?
"I was
enchanted by the sound and the way it looked when it was being played, like
little wooden shoes dancing all over the strings."
- Jody Marshall
If you ever get a chance to see Jody in
concert, by all means go - she's delightful! She told me during intermission
that she pulls different sound qualities out of the dulcimer with different
types of hammers, e.g., leather-tipped.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Al Petteway
& Amy White
What Adventure in Music do you recommend?
"For a great adventure in musical
creativity and inspiration, we
recommend exploring unfamiliar tunings on your stringed instruments."
- Al Petteway
& Amy White
Award-Winning Contemporary Acoustic Artists www.alandamy.com Heard Daily on NPR
Read
about Al's contribution to Ken Burns' 'Mark Twain' soundtrack
here.
Sample
the music on Amazon
Al Petteway's original 'Dogue Creek', later adapted for Ken Burns' 'Mark Twain' soundtrack, appeared on the
1993 'Waters' album -