Volume 2, Issue #11

Jason Tripp

As a youth, Jason Tripp found himself frequently traveling back and forth from Maine to Florida with his family. The constant shuffling between states and schools frustrated Tripp as he was unable to develop any solid friendships. But that was until his mom lent him her Sterling 12-string acoustic guitar. Tripp found an escape from reality every time he picked it up and it became his best friend. His love for music eventually landed in the Full Sail Center for Recording Artists in Florida where he learned production and engineering in which he used to produce a few local albums in Maine. Tripp recently recorded a ton of his own music and is currently searching for an outlet to be heard through.

Five Questions for Jason Tripp:

1) Once you started strumming, how did things in your life start to fall into place. ”I had written a lot of poems and lyrics before I turned 16 but didn’t have a way to fully express myself. Music for those words was what I was missing. That’s when it felt complete.”

2) Traveling to Florida eventually brought you a great opportunity, right? “I was looking through a Rolling Stone magazine and I found an add for a music school called Full Sail Center for Recording Artists. It was a great school where I learned production and engineering.”

3) You recently pulled a Dave Grohl and put together an entire albums worth of material entirely by yourself. How difficult was that? “I had a studio set up in a house in Brooklyn and I would start recording and then run over 15-feet to the guitar and play and then run back to stop the recording. I did it for the drums and vocals as well. It was a lot of work but I had so much fun doing it.”

4) If you can do all of that, why on earth would you ever need band mates? “For the creativity. You think you have something good and someone can say well how about this? And you can make a song even better. I think the music becomes richer and fuller that way.”

5) It doesn’t matter to you how your music finds its way into people lives. Can you expand on that? “In other words I wouldn’t mind if my music is used in films, tv, or other outlets. I don’t need to be a rock star. I just want people to hear my music. By whatever means necessary.”

----Joseph Barracato  

Qatsi

Talk about chemistry. Even though they’ve only been playing together for a little over a year and a half, Qatsi have already taken major strides towards becoming another classic New York rock band. The trio of Dave Hollinghurst, Jude Flannery and Luke Hughett have played a ton of rockin’ gigs, including one at the legendary CBGB’s and have put together an intriguing freshman album entitled “We Love The Urge” that is set for release this Tuesday. The record, which was mastered by Fred Kevorkian (White Blood Cells) and recorded by Jason LaFarge at Seizure’s Palace in Brooklyn, is loaded with hard hitters and epics. It fully captures the energy of the late 60’s, early 70’s when “rock” music began to discard the “roll”.

Five Questions for Qatsi:

1) Once formed, you guys only had nine days to prepare for your first show. How the hell did you do get ready in time?
“Luckily, two of us (Hollinghurst and Flannery) had played in bands already. We didn’t even have our drummer yet. We got someone to play that show for us. We chose some songs to play and really stayed focused. And it worked out.”

2) The band has played in some interesting venues, but none as nostalgic as CBGB’s. What was going through your minds when you got onto that historic stage? “CBGB’s has changed a lot over the years. No one really plays there anymore. And it got so expensive. But once we got there, we all realized the history involved and were really excited. It’s such an old-school place. Every band should play there at least once.”

3) Tell us about your first album “We love The Urge”.
“It’s an interesting record considering we were only together seven months before we made it. There’s all different kinds of melodies on it. It’s going to appeal to a bunch of different genres.”

4) What’s the game plan for promoting this record?
“We are in the process of choosing dates for a tour. We are targeting sometime in mid-to-late October. Probably the Northeast first with shows in Boston, Philly, Baltimore and North Carolina. After that, we would like to head out to the Midwest.”

5) Your music has so many different sounds. Who are your major influences? “We like a lot of classic rock. David Bowie, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, T-Rex. Some modern bands as well, especially Sonic Youth.”

----Joseph Barracato

Can U2 Revitalize A Stagnant Rock Market After A 4 Year Stint?


In 2000, U2 revitalized the rock scene with the brilliant “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,“ which has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Now, after almost four years they intend to get rock back on its feet again. Their long-awaited follow-up entitled “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” is set for a November 23 release and has immediately become the most anticipated rock album of the year. The first single “Vertigo” is a vintage U2 anthem, complete with thunderous guitars and hammering drum work. Two other vital tracks on the record are “Full Metal Jacket“ and “Tough,“ an emotional tribute to Bono’s late father.



The record has been in the works for the past two years and for a while it seemed would never be finished. A copy of the album was reported stolen by the group who feared that it would leak through the internet prior to its release date which kept being pushed back, but it somehow never surfaced. Impatient fans would surely have leaped at any opportunity to snag the album that was recorded in Dublin and the South of France by Steve Lillywhite, who produced U2’s first three albums and former Sex Pistols producer Chris Thomas. The band is also planning another huge world tour that should kick off early next year, with a visit to the U.S. in the spring time. And just like their 2001 “Elevation Tour”, U2 is expected to be the top-grossing live act of 2005.



It’s sure going to be a year to remember for Bono and Co. as they have just found themselves amongst the nominees for the 2005 induction class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which includes the Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grandmaster Flash and the Pretenders. They may have been gone for a while, but U2 is certainly back in full force and just at the right time. Again..

----Joseph Barracato

Q:How valuable are music sites like iTunes or Napster for Indie artists? -- Adam

A: No matter how much something changes, doesn't it seem to remain the same? Yesterday, physical distribution (real estate in retail chains) was a top concern of the Indie artist/label. It was thought that the Internet was going to open the pearly gates of global distribution for all. And distribution would be less of a concern.

Today that vision is a vague memory. Behemoth corporations like Apple, and Microsoft have staked their claim to become the leading distributor of digital media. Unfortunately, this has negative implications for Indie artists.

What do I mean? Well have you been to any of these sites/services? Have you noticed the limited amount of visual space that is available? This is a huge problem because only the larger labels can afford to have their products placed in high trafficked areas (homepage, etc). These are the artists that are going experience the highest impulse purchases. These are the artists that will continously make the Top 100. These are the artists that are going to overlap Indie artists.

So how valuable are these services? Indeed, they should not be neglected. However, unless you have the budget to get your product placed in prime real estate your song will be relegated to hopeful search queries. And for new artists, hopeful queries aren't the best tool for increasing your fan base. So, Indie artists should view these sites as what they are, another channel for getting product to your existing fan base.

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