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By Greg Swan, on October 14th, 2010%
Key quotes from Sufjan Stevens‘ interview with The Quietus:
In the past we’ve been limited by media; because records were limited to 40 minutes, the CD was limited to 70 or 80 minutes… an MP3 can last as long as you want it to last. So I think it’s ironic that attention spans are lower and songs become shorter when there’s so much more potential there….
Yeah there’s definitely an awareness of the value of music today. There isn’t any standard by which to measure work, the work of a song or the work of an album because everything is accessible now . . . → Read More: Sufjan Stevens on the music industry
By Greg Swan, on September 28th, 2010%
So I got this pitch from New York singer-songwriter Don Ryan who did his homework and read in a recent post that singer-songwriters are my least favorite genre. He said they were his least favorite also, which is the ultimate irony.
I checked out his new single, “Our Town,” like it and sent him some interview questions. Good stuff here….
Dig it? Download it:
MP3: Don Ryan – “This Town”
So you’re a singer-songwriter from NYC, but who are you, Don?
Wow, we’re digging pretty deep right off the bat in this thing, huh? Haha! I’d guess I’d have to say I’m just a small . . . → Read More: Interview with Don Ryan
By Greg Swan, on July 20th, 2010%
Marshalltown, Iowa folk throwback duo Crystal City recently sent me their debut album, and I can’t stop reaching for it.
With retro harmonies and only an acoustic guitar for instrumentation, Crystal City’s debut album tempers ambitious nu-folk songwriting with their midwestern roots. Love it.
RIYL: The Swell Season, The Civil War, Damien Rice.
Here are a couple tracks off the album:
MP3: Crystal City – “Baby Says She Loves Me”
MP3: Crystal City – “I’ll Be Real Nice”
We had the opportunity to chat with Crystal City’s Sam Drella about the group, the album, and the Marshalltown speedway…
Who is Crystal City? How did the band come about?
crystal . . . → Read More: Interview with Crystal City
SXSWORLD Magazine featuring Perfect Porridge and friends
By Greg Swan, on April 13th, 2010%
I finally got my grubby hands on a copy of the March Music issue of SXSWORLD Magazine.
It features my article on music blogs based on The State of Music Blogs in 2010 SXSW panel and borrows heavily from my 20 part interview series on the subject.
You guys were all super smart, so I quoted lots of friends here, including Junkyard Empire, Paragraphs, Andrea Swensson, David De Young, Taylor Carik, Marni Wandner and Jesse Ervin.
Except for the crazy big pictures of Jesse and me (I sent them others, I swear!), it turned out pretty well.
Check it out (click to enlarge, so it’s . . . → Read More: SXSWORLD Magazine featuring Perfect Porridge and friends
By Greg Swan, on March 26th, 2010%
Minneapolis electronic duo, The New Monarchs, will celebrate the release of their new EP today. Electrocaching is one of my favorite local releases of the year.
Here are two mp3s off the EP:
The New Monarchs : “Electrocaching” (mp3)
The New Monarchs : “Tangent” (mp3)
This week I had the chance to chat with the band about the new album, the CD release gig, and my favorite topic of the month: music blogs…
Who are The New Monarchs?
Sean Hogan and Taylor Nelson.
How would you describe your sound?
Sean: We have all the components of a traditional band, drums, bass, guitar, keys – only the drums and bass . . . → Read More: Interview with The New Monarchs, EP release gig tonight
By Greg Swan, on March 15th, 2010%
Photo by Leslie Plesser (shuttersmack.com)
This is an interview series in preparation for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010. I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we hear from musician Toby Cryns of Cryns #3, which is celebrating its second full-length album release at the Acadia Cafe on Friday, April 2nd.
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
I think music blogs are popular amongst folks who try to . . . → Read More: SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 20
SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 19
By Greg Swan, on March 14th, 2010%
This is an interview series in preparation for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010. I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we hear from Matt Lombardi, co-founder of Hear It Local.
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
Music blogs are popular because they are so accessible. Fans like hearing about music from other fans – and blogs allow you to easily indentify like-minded writers with similar music tastes. . . . → Read More: SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 19
By Greg Swan, on March 10th, 2010%
Photo by Tony Nelson
This is an interview series in preparation for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010. I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we hear from songwriter, guitarist and self-described arrogant frontman Nick Leet of High on Stress.
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
I really enjoy music blogs. Fuel Friends is probably my favorite. I have a very similar taste in music as . . . → Read More: SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 18
SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 17
By Greg Swan, on March 9th, 2010%
This is an interview series in preparation for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010. I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we hear from local Minneapolis musician Tim O’Regan of Darkfold.
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
Because they give people exposure to music they would not have heard of otherwise. Once you find a blogger with similar taste it becomes a no-brainer to follow their lead.
How do . . . → Read More: SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 17
SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 16
By Greg Swan, on March 8th, 2010%
This is an interview series in preparation for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010. I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we hear from politically-charged hip-hop/jazz group Junkyard Empires
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
Brihanu: I think people are unconsciously sick of being fed the same formulaic music from corporate controlled media (mainstream radio, cable, etc.). The internet provides a space where we can have . . . → Read More: SXSW: State of Music Blogs in 2010, Part 16
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