IndieSoupRunner.com

Spanish Indie Pop Mix: Grande-Marlaska, Souvenir, The Filetones and more!

Cof Cof - "Suffering Safari"

<Quant> - "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Octubre - "Déjame en paz (en directo)"

Grande-Marlaska - "De este lado"

Chá - "Euforia (cover)"

Nouvelle Cuisine - "El imperio roto"

Los Fresones Rebelden - "Suave"

Souvenir - "Dance it Away"

The Filetones - "Who Needs More Love???"

Zoé - "Nada"

The Pepper Pots - "You're Still On My Mind"

Polock - "Fireworks"

La Bien Querida - "Hoy"

Spanish Indie Pop Mix: Grande-Marlaska, Souvenir, The Filetones and more!

Debt Ceiling Mix: Nash, The Powder Kegs, Bombay Bicycle Club and more!

Bombay Bicycle Club - "Shuffle"

The Dodos - "Good"

The Scoundrels - "Sniff It Up"

Bare Threads - "Dirty Little Man"

Air Review - "Low Wishes"

The Wombats - "Avalanche"

The Apache Relay - "American Nomad"

The Powder Kegs - "When the Body Tricks The Mind"

Barry - "Carnival(e)"

JD Malone & The Experts - "She Likes"

Nash - "Sad Robot Harmonies"

Figurines - "The Great Unknown"

Debt Ceiling Mix: Nash, The Powder Kegs, Bombay Bicycle Club and more!

 

ISR interviews Canadian band of brothers, The Trews

 

Bands that weather the test of time do so because there is something intangible, unbreakable that binds them together.  Irish legends U2 is the perfect example of a band whose longevity is only made possible through the long-lasting friendship and brotherhood that kept them together all these years.  

Canadian quartet, The Trews, is another reminder of how a band whose past bonds seal their fate and legacy as a band that will be playing together for a long time to come.  Their unique blend of folk, country, rock and pop is a rare find, especially when combined with the masterful guitar playing of John-Angus McDonald and the crooning wails of lead singer and brother, Colin.  

The band is currently on tour in the US and abroad promoting their latest album, Hope and Ruin, currently available at your favorite online retailers (Amazon, iTunes).  Don't forget to check out the band on past ISR mixes Made In Canada Mix and Cadence Mix.

IndieSoupRunner recently had an opportunity to hang out with the band and attend a private concert tucked away in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Here is what the band had to say about life on the road and their road to fame:

ISR: You guys have been playing together since high school.  What keeps you guys ticking after all of these years?

Trews: A love of what we do. The desire to grow and improve as writers and players, and the gratification of finding a connection with a loyal and loving fan base, particularly in Canada.

ISR: When bands or artists say that they "have made it" usually it means that they achieved a Grammy or were nominated for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame or something like that.  You guys have had a string of successes with Den of Thieves and House of Ill Fame. When do you feel like you could say that "you've made it"?

Trews: I think you’ve made it as a musician if you can do it full time with no need for a day job…

ISR: There's this huge Americana-folk wave going on with the likes of bands Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Avett Brothers. What's your take on this? Wave or no wave, you guys have been around for some time now making music.  Do you think you guys though can increase your fan-base even more with this wave?

Trews: Maybe. We’ve always been sort of a square peg to the various scenes’ round holes that have come and gone over the years. We’ve been charting our own course since we started. If that happens to coincide with a scene that can help take our music to a larger audience then great. I certainly love the bands you mentioned.

ISR: I read an older interview with you guys where John-Angus mentioned that Big Sugar, a band in which you were touring with played a prank on you guys and placed some male porn on the stage while you guys were playing. Then you mentioned that you sought revenge on them. What did you guys do in return?

Trews: I think we just raided their rider while they were on stage and drank all of their booze but I can’t really remember…go figure!

ISR: With the advent of music blogs and social media being a highly influential medium for promoting music, how important is it for you guys to be played on American Top 40 radio?

Trews: I might be able to buy a new house if we were added to American Top 40 Radio and that would be nice! As far as I’m concerned it’s about connecting to people and that’s what we’re interested in. How it gets there is inconsequential. I’m glad that we seem to be moving away from the day when the public was force feed certain hits, when the only thing required to run something up the charts was a really fat bank account. Nowadays it seems that more music is being discovered organically.

ISR: You guys mentioned in another interview that there was a bit of a lag between the last record's release in the States and Canada.  Do you think you guys got the timing right this time?

Trews: It’s right in that it was simultaneous. What held our last few releases up was the business side of thing…trying to get major labels to release them. It’s naïve to think that people can’t get there hands on something everywhere as soon as it’s released anywhere so we decided to just put it out ourselves in the US at the same time as it’s release in Canada…

ISR: Do you guys have any favorite venues to play in the states? Be it festivals or concerts?

Trews: We loved playing CBGB’s while that was still open. We are also very fond of the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY.

ISR: Can you briefly describe the creative process around your latest project Hope & Ruin?

Trews: We all wrote and recorded the thing together in a farm house studio in rural Ontario.

ISR: You guys have opened for some pretty major acts: Rolling Stones, Kid Rock...do you have any favorites in which you feel like you made a strong fan connection with?

Trews: We had some pretty good hangs with Kid Rock while on tour with him a few months back. We always love to play and hang with the Tragically Hip when we get a chance. They were heroes of ours growing up…

ISR: Do you guys have time to do any workouts? What's your ideal workout?

Trews: I like to think I burn a lot of calories being on stage but other then that I try an go for a run when I can and I think stretching is really important… staying limber and flexible.

ISR: What's next for the The Trews? Solo projects? Another record? Down time, perhaps?

Trews: Solo projects kill more bands then heroin and small planes so none of that in the horizon for us. We’re gonna keep touring Hope and Ruin as it’s still new. We have trips back to Australia and the UK booked for the fall followed by more North American touring then maybe some downtime.

 

Ivy League Indie Mix: Bishop Allen, The Disco Biscuits, The Kitchen Cabinet and more!

Chester French - "C'mon" (Alan Wilkis Remix)

The Disco Biscuits - "You And I"

Filligar - "Mumbling Girl"

The Crooners - "Leave It Up To Me"

Anthony D'Amato - "Never Grow Old"

Bishop Allen - "Dimmer"

Elefant - "Bokkie"

Magic Man - "Monster"

Modern Rivals - "Bloody Trick'

The One AM Radio - "Sunlight"

The Kitchen Cabinet - "Dogwood"

Jake Snider and Scot Sax - "United States of Anywhere"

Ivy League Indie Mix: Bishop Allen, The Disco Biscuits, The Kitchen Cabinet and more!

 

An Interview With Emerging Artist Lee Coulter

Part-time pop singer/songwriter and full-time dad, Lee Coulter is a very busy man. The emerging Aussie artist recently talked with IndieSoupRunner.com about his latest side and solo projects.

ISR: Lee, thanks for chatting with us. You mentioned when you were younger that you and your brother would listen to Simon and Garfunkel's music. Specifically what was it about their music that has had the biggest influence on your sound and style? Also, what is your favorite Simon and Garfunkel song?

Lee: Firstly, thank you for caring to chat. I was probably around eight or nine when I first heard Simon and Garfunkel and I guess it was the emotional yet non-dramatic mood of the music that I took to. The equal emphasis on lyrical content and melodic aesthetic is definitely something I strive for in my songs. My favorite depends on my mood but "The Boxer" gets me every time for sure.

ISR: You have a YouTube video on your blog of yourself singing a cover of one of Skyler Stonestreet's (another
emerging artist) songs. Would you ever consider adding some covers to your albums? Which ones?

Lee: I probably wouldn't put a cover song on an album... maybe on a live concert recording but because I see an album as a artistic expression of oneself, and I see myself as a songwriter, I wouldn't feel right about it. It's the same reason I tell people I won't do American Idol - I really only perform because I like to share what I write. The covers I share on YouTube are simply to raise awareness about writers who I think deserve more recognition, I don't see it as me expressing myself.

ISR: You have an alter ego known as Walter Legeaux, who plays hip hop for the project Square Pegs Baby. Can you briefly talk about how that project came about? What was the inspiration for forming?

Lee: Ha. It's just pure fun. I like to produce all styles of music and this mixture of retro rock and hip hop that is Square Pegs Baby, is just an outlet to get my funk on. I have it in me to jump around and rock out but my solo music is more for my mellow side. I was talking to my friend LA rapper, Stepchylde, and we just said let's do a whole album together and act like fools. Then we met this eurofolk vocalist, Anika, and knew it was a perfect blend. We're finishing up the album now and will release it in the summer.

ISR: You're a husband and father. How are you handling the challenge of promoting your music and being a family man all at once?

Lee: Well, being a husband has actually helped me promote my music because I am fortunate to have a wife who happens to enjoy a lot of what I don't about the business side of music. She calls herself a research nerd; I call it convenient. Being a father has balanced itself out because on one hand, I have barely a fraction of the time to spend on the career compared to before my son was born, but on the other hand I am more motivated than ever. Phone calls about bookings or getting paid that used to seem scary are nothing when you've got your pride and joy depending on you.

ISR: Any plans for touring this summer? Music festivals for 2011? CMJ? SXSW for 2012?

Lee: Right now they are all more thoughts than plans of hitting specific select cities for 2011. 2012 will be more a year for touring for me because I am still working on multiple recording projects right now with Square Pegs Baby and another solo release.

ISR: If you weren't in the music industry producing or recording or songwriting, what would you be doing?

Lee: My jobs before I took up music full time were in radio either as a sound engineer or a copy writer and I enjoyed both. I love to cook though, so I would say I'd be a chef.

ISR: What is your typical exercise workout? What do you listen to when you're working out?

Lee: I like to run, usually around 4 miles with a few quick little sprints between telephone poles half way into the run. I'm also a frustrated tennis super star as well as basket baller. Because I like to exercise out doors, I honestly like hearing my surroundings when I'm exercising.

ISR: Have you been approached by any record companies?  Which ones?

Lee: Just a few small indie labels that wanted to "talk" but nothing solid yet. However, the trajectory that I've been on these past few years has made me feel okay with that.

ISR: Thanks for talking with us. Best of luck on your next solo project. We'll be checking you out next time you play in NYC!

Lee: Thank you! Planning on being in NYC again in the coming months. Hope to see you then!

Buy Lee's latest albums on iTunes. Also, check out his website at  http://www.leecoulter.com.  Hear his his latest single, "Booty Voodoo," on IndieSoupRunner.com's Sole & Rhythm mix, on iTunes.