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Archive for the Interviews Category

Human Potential Tells Story Behind New Single, ‘Hoosi, No!’

Posted in Interviews with tags Human Potential on 02/07/2023 by korzeck

Charles Bukowski famously said: “Potential doesn’t mean a thing. You’ve got to do it. Almost every baby in a crib has more potential than I have.”

Whether or not Andrew Becker knows Bukowski’s axiom, he might’ve had tongue in cheek when naming his solo project “Human Potential.” But, sarcasm or not, Becker is continuing to raise the bar — or pushing his potential even further, as it were.

The former drummer for Dischord Records’ Medications, Los Angeles-based Becker formed Human Potential about a decade ago so he could do his own thing. Each Human Potential release demonstrates Becker’s ever-expanding tool kit of musicianship. His latest single and video, “Hoosi, No!” dropped today, and they’re no exception.

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Bonnie Raitt Talks About ‘Favorite Track I’ve Ever Cut’

Posted in Interviews with tags Bonnie Raitt, Grammy Awards on 02/06/2023 by korzeck

Big props this morning to Bonnie Raitt, whose tune “Just Like That” won Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards last night. The music legend now owns 15 Grammy statuettes, including her wins for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal album and many more. But this was the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s first victory in the Song of the Year category.

In honor of her win, here is an interview I conducted with her for ICE magazine in 2002.

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Mantar: ‘We’re Not Super-Good Musicians’

Posted in Interviews with tags Mantar on 01/30/2023 by korzeck

January is winding down. That means February is almost here. Then it won’t be long till spring arrives. Spring, you say? How about some early spring cleaning? Ain’t that a killer segue?

Here is my still-kinda-recent New Noise interview with Germany-based two-piece Mantar, who revel in sludge, black metal and melodic doom. Better yet, go here and buy the magazine’s issue in which the interview appears. It’s only six bucks, which is the best value you’ll find among the top music publications in the U.S.

Interview: Mantar Talk New LP, ‘Pain Is Forever and This Is the End’

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Chase Matthew: Nashville’s Top ‘Unicorn’

Posted in Interviews with tags Chase Matthew on 01/29/2023 by korzeck

Pick up the latest issue of Music Connection — or check out the magazine’s website — for my feature article on country-music newcomer Chase Matthew.

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The Moss ‘Stoked’ to Sprout Tour Tonight in Boise

Posted in Interviews with tags The Moss on 01/25/2023 by korzeck

At a time when so many bands are wrangling to gain a foothold after a brutal few years for artists, young rock band the Moss are staying humble and letting their music do the talking. Well, almost.

“We’re stoked to start our tour tonight in Boise,” Moss leader Tyke James recently told the Bad Penny. “There seems to be a lot more support for younger bands than most cities. We’re building support in new places this year.”

The singer/guitarist and his friend Addison Sharp, also on guitar, started playing together in Oahu, Hawaii, as teens. About four years ago, James and Sharp landed in the Salt Lake City area, where they formally started the Moss with drummer Willie Fowler and bassist Caiden Jackson.

Together, they channel a sound resembling West Coast faves like Waaves, Ty Segall, Cayucas and Best Coast. It’s a hearty blend of distorion-laden surf-rock, alt-rock and grunge.

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Hear Covert Stations’ Latest Reworking: Roxette’s ‘It Must Have Been Love’

Posted in Interviews, MP3s with tags Covert Stations, Roxette on 12/19/2022 by korzeck

Covert Stations, Craig Cirinelli’s ambitious project that reimagines classic pop songs, is getting visible enough that the word “covert” is now something of a misnomer.

On Friday, Cirinelli and his latest crew of cohorts unveiled the fifth “borrowed” tune in the ongoing endeavor. (He prefers “borrowed” to “cover,” as Covert Stations drastically rework the original versions of the songs they select.)

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Exclusive: False Gods — Meet Metal’s Newest True Believers

Posted in Interviews on 12/05/2022 by korzeck

Try this homework assignment:

1. Form a new band with six musicians from China and Canada.
2. Make sure they’re all well-versed in a wide array of heavy-metal genres.
3. Assemble the project during the pandemic.
4. Release an album before the lockdowns end.
5. Play a few shows around the time of the album release.

Somehow, music phenom Yuqiao Man managed to pull off that impossible-sounding feat over the past two years.

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Joshua Lewis, Multi-Instrumentalist Extraordinaire, Conveys a Sense of ‘Friction’

Posted in Interviews with tags Built to Spill, Joshua Lewis on 11/11/2022 by korzeck

Most mystics and some musicians, when asked for advice, inevitably stress the importance of silence. One of the most healing aspects of retreats, hikes and the like is embracing the lack of noise and letting one’s mind go undisturbed. Miles Davis famously said, “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.”

Through no fault of their own, musicians — who want to be at least heard, if not worshipped — have a tough time staying humble.

Cerebral multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer Joshua Lewis doesn’t have that problem.

For the first 10 years of his career, the Boise-based artist played nary a note on a stage or in a studio. Instead, his primary trade was (and still is) engineering and producing music for other artists. Most recently, he helped record and mix the new album When the Wind Forgets Your Name by Boise’s best band of all time, Built to Spill.

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Cover Story: Zhu

Posted in Interview Transcripts, Interviews with tags Zhu on 11/05/2022 by korzeck

Go here to read my latest cover story for Music Connection, spotlighting revered electronic-music artist Zhu.

Q&A with Zhu

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Orchestra GOLD Roll Out New Song, ‘Keleya’

Posted in Interviews, New Releases with tags Orchestra Gold on 10/19/2022 by korzeck

It’s been a minute since we caught up with our pals, African psychedelic-rock combo and Treefort Festival 2021 participants Orchestra GOLD. But it was a good time to do so recently, as the Oakland combo just unveiled a new song, “Keleya.” Check it out here:

https://orchestragold.bandcamp.com/track/keleya-2

“Back in 2019, we recorded at Tiny Telephone Studios in Oakland, CA and now we are finally getting Medicine out into the world,” frontman Erich Huffaker recently told The Bad Penny. “It was mixed by Chico Mann of Antibalas, Afrobeat Orchestra and Here Lies Man. We are super-thrilled with the sound.”

Huffaker further commented: “This song is about jealousy in the context of polygamy/polyamory. It illustrates how destructive it is when men pit women against each other for selfish reasons.”

The tune will appear on the group’s third album, Medicine, due January 20. Orchestra GOLD are self-releasing the effort, with a vinyl version to follow later.

A press statement issued with Wednesday’s release of “Keleya” reads: “This profoundly spiritual and dance-inducing ensemble continues their pursuit of spreading healing and community through the universal gift of music.”

Huffaker imparted to The Bad Penny that Orchestra GOLD will give two more early tastes of their new Medicine when they release new songs from it on December 7 and January 11.