Sunshine Sound Podcast: #008 – Veronica May

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Episode 8 Veronica May

In this episode, I interview the talented Veronica May. She’s a local musician and mental health advocate, as well as an amazing songwriter and performer. We chat about the different facets of being a musician and creating a life around music, and the struggles we all seem to have with marketing. Veronica also discusses her experience educating on mental health, and what it’s like to live with Bipolar 1 Disorder. As always, we have the chance to listen to a few of her powerful and beautiful tracks. … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #007 – Emma Byrd

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Emma Byrd podcast

In this episode, I interview Emma Byrd, a music therapist based in San Diego. We talk all about music therapy – what it is, who can benefit from it, and how it’s done. We also talk about Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego, what it means to empower women, finding your voice, and the San Diego music scene (particularly as it compares to New England, where we both are from). We also have the chance to listen to one of Emma’s beautiful original songs. … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #006 – Fistfights With Wolves

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Episode 6 Fistfights With Wolves

In this episode, I interview Mat Rakers and Ryan Bradley of Fistfights With Wolves and the San Diego Music and Art Cooperative. Fistfights is an 8-piece progressive math rock band based here in San Diego, and their music is harmonically and rhythmically complex, weaving in elements of classical, folks, and rock music. We talk about the process of creating and performing these epic tracks, pushing yourself as a musician, their experience in running and teaching at SDMAC, and much more … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #004 – Pony Death Ride

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Episode 4 Pony Death Ride

In this episode, I interview Joe and Jaye MacAskill of Pony Death Ride, a half-Canadian musical comedy duo based in San Diego. We talk about their involvement in the burlesque scene, where inspiration comes from, why they have an entire album about cats, the role of comedy in music, their fantastic style, and of course their amazing Christmas shows. … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #003 – Tommy Bobcat

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Epsidoe 3 - Tommy Bobcat

In this episode, I interview Tommy Bobcat, local musician, sound engineer, and co-founder of Sunshine Sound Center. He plays guitar in Denim Robot, and also has his own experimental solo music, which we talk about. What is experimental music, anyway? How does being an audio engineer change the way you create music? Why do we get stage fright, and does it serve a purpose? All this and more. Enjoy. … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #002 – RC Krueger & Moses Constable

Posted on by May 22, 2018
Podcast Episode 2

In the second episode of the Sunshine Sound Podcast, I interview RC Krueger and Moses Constable. RC is a filmmaker and founder of Villains Records, and Mo IS Moans, a recording collective project putting out danceable groovy synth and bass-heavy tracks. RC directed the Moans video, Body Type, which won Best Video at the Music Video Extravaganza. Listen in to learn about the process for making that video, hear some great local music, and enjoy our observations on the music scene, having big dreams, and what it means to be an adult. … Continue reading →

Sunshine Sound Podcast: #001 – Jeff Trageser

Posted on by May 22, 2018

In the first episode of the Sunshine Sound Podcast, I interview Jeff Trageser. Jeff is the co-founder, host, and sometimes performer at Open Oscillator, a bi-monthly open mic for electronic musicians. We talk about how that event came together, what exactly electronic musicians are doing (and why they don’t like being called a “DJ”), the San Diego music scene, and Jeff’s other projects.

Devil’s Night Show Featuring DLA and Denim Robot

Posted on by October 27, 2017

Ever ponder the what night before Halloween is called? Me neither, until today. Apparently, according to this article, it all depends on where you live, with names ranging from “Cabbage Night”, to “Devil’s Night”, to “I Have No Word For This.” Regardless, that fun spooky holiday is almost here! While you probably have exciting plans already locked up for Tuesday night, I would like to cordially invite you down to Soda Bar this coming Monday (10/30) for a great night of electronic music, featuring two SSC artists, Denim Robot and DLA. Denim Robot will be debuting several new songs never played live before. If you have checked out any of the awesome Open Oscillator events, you might also recognize artists GSE and prettyhowtown, who will also be sharing the stage on Monday. This will be a great opportunity to see these artists perform extended length sets, and you get to show off … Continue reading →

Tommy Bobcat Releases New Tracks “Wine & Turkey” and “Bosintang”

Posted on by September 27, 2017

SSC artist Tommy Bobcat, who put out his fourth solo album this past July, has just released a few more tasty tracks. “Wine & Turkey” starts off as a heavy rocker that slowly reduces its tempo incrementally until coming to an almost complete stop, then brutally transitioning into a Doo-wop inspired grove with soundbites overlaid. TB’s other track “Bosintang,” which refers to a Korean soup containing dog meat, has a completely different approach, beginning with creepy female laughter over a jazz fusion-type chord progression. This tune is much more ominous sounding than his previous work, and as Bobcat explains “I wanted to try something different for the vocals this time. I have never heard anyone do layers upon layers of just whispering. It sounded interesting, so I went with it.” The track culminates in a demonic electronic/hard rock hybrid that leaves no resolve for the listener. In contrast to his last … Continue reading →

Denim Robot Releases New Track “Lucid”

Posted on by August 28, 2017

Denim Robot’s previous release “Lost Generation,” off their upcoming album “Nonexist,” marked a bit of a shift in the group’s sound — away from the synthpop-ish elements prominent of their last record, towards a more dissonant and experimental space. It is no surprise then that the duo’s newest track, “Lucid” goes even further in this direction, despite maintaining that signature DR style of tension and release, and multi-layered moods. Lucid open with a soft solo marimba synth pattern that establishes for the listener a feeling of unease and uncertainty. Although it may seem like the song will build into something more heavy, it actually brightens up a bit for the chorus, feeling more happy and optimistic despite the seemingly conflicting repeating line: “this monstrosity that is existence”. The song then descends into apparent madness, while somehow maintaining a steady and danceable groove throughout. According to Tommy Bobcat, this track marked the … Continue reading →

A Night of Electronic Music @ Open Oscillator 17

Posted on by August 28, 2017

Tonight marks a special night for Open Oscillator. If you haven’t heard of this event, it is much more than an open mic for electronic musicians, but a place to experiment musically and meet like-minded supportive artists of diverse genres and backgrounds. The organizers produce such a compelling atmosphere and the transitions between musicians are seamless. This gives the event a more professionally run feel than one would normally associate with the term “open mic.”   These events happen on a semi-monthly basis and we are now up to number 17. Normally, artists put their name on a signup sheet and perform 8-10 minutes of material, but tonight will also feature 30-minute sets by seven featured electronic musicians, including a not-to-miss performance by SSC artist DLA (on the Casbah main stage from 11:30 pm to 12:00 am). Denim Robot will also be doing a standard two-song set in the Atari … Continue reading →

DLA Releases New Track “Sidelines”

Posted on by August 28, 2017

If you are a fan of electronic chillwave or just relaxed groovy beats, you definitely want to check out DLA’s new track “Sidelines.” DLA always delivers the goods with his catchy Nile Rodgers-esque guitar loops layered over the top of those signature synth riffs. This tune contains an epic crescendo, building and building on textures which culminate in a raucous and chaotic ending chorus. In contrast to prior releases, which contained sampled vocal loops, DLA adds his own vocals to this track. The first vocal line actually has 8 different (slightly detuned) versions of the melody, and he pitched the VOX down an octave to get that deep, subby effect. Chorus and delay effects were also added to fatten it up a little. As far as the recording process goes, DLA explains, “[n]o amps were mic’d up in the making of this tune!” which really goes to show you how … Continue reading →

Songwriting During Periods of Writer’s Block

Posted on by August 28, 2017

For me, creativity rarely flows like a continuous stream. In fact, more often than not, it comes in violent volcanic bursts. We’ve all had those stretches where songs seem to fly out with ease and other times where we stare down at our instrument or notepad for hours and nothing seems to really work. Sometimes this can stretch out over days, into weeks. or even months or longer. That feeling of burnout — when writing feels like a chore — can be brutal. So, what exactly causes this writer’s block and what can be done about it? I can really only speak for myself, but typically when I have extended periods where I am not excited about anything, there is usually some underlying expectation that isn’t being fulfilled. In other words, I have an idea in my head of how something should sound, but my fingers don’t want to cooperate. … Continue reading →

Are Music Videos Keeping Experimental Filmmaking Alive?

Posted on by August 28, 2017

I have been getting into experimental filmmaking recently.  Although I don’t know a great deal about the movie industry, it is perhaps fair to say audience for these pictures is niche, to put it favorably. Unlike music, where artists have bridged the technology gap and can more easily self-release professional grade material, the lack of strong studio backing for unconventional films leaves filmmakers with limited budgets and crews, making the process much more difficult. But, one intriguing aspect about experimental film techniques is their rather widespread use and general acceptance in music videos. This is true even when the underlying song doesn’t seem to require such an unusual interpretation. Interestingly enough, mainstream audiences seem to be totally accepting of the fact that these videos may have little to no coherence, contain extreme visual effects, and utilize unconventional camera work. In fact, it often seems like weirder has always been perceived as … Continue reading →

Songwriting in an Era of Options

Posted on by August 28, 2017

When it comes to creating art, taste is everything. We often think of songwriting as an additive process, which might start with a basic chord progression and build from there. But, sometimes it is what is not included in the final product that gives the work its aesthetic quality.  Today, we live in a time of excessive options. Electronic musicians often get cited for not playing instruments the traditional way, and yet the process has never been as simple as pushing a few buttons. Given all of the plugin and looping options, it is perhaps knowing what to leave on the cutting room floor that shapes the character of the modern musician. With this reality, decision paralysis becomes a real problem in songwriting. There is a tendency to fall into the trap of believing that more is always better, or wondering if something could be tweaked to make the piece … Continue reading →

PRODUCT REVIEW: PreSonus TubePre v2 Preamp

Posted on by August 28, 2017

For the better part of a decade, my mantra had been “just do it in post.” Perhaps this developed due to the fact that I initially took up audio engineering out of necessity — none of my bands could afford legitimate studio time, and we wanted to make records. So, I utilized whatever basic gear I could get my hands on and tried to bridge the gap between amateur and professional via software plugins. I did several albums with no outboard equipment, which required tremendous “massaging” of each instrument track during mixing. In many ways, I prided myself on this gear minimalist way of doing things. Yet as I get older I find myself embracing hardware more, particularly decent preamps. Now I really had no complaints with those that came loaded in my Tascam 1641, but then again, I wasn’t expecting anything magical out of them, either. However, when I … Continue reading →

The Dive Right In Approach

Posted on by August 28, 2017

I am typically not a huge fan of so-called “book learning” or really any theory-based classroom instruction. I would argue that becoming comfortable with audio engineering takes getting your hands very dirty and being unafraid to press any and all buttons at least once (just to see what happens). Yes, you will mix yourself into a corner over and over, but each time will serve as an opportunity to learn and get better. The transition from Garageband to a full-service DAW presents a steep learning curve, and while Youtube tutorials can be very helpful, there will no doubt be many periods of frustration along the way to you getting the sounds you desire. However, admittedly, there is at least one drawback to this “jump right in” approach, which involves the development of bad habits. Or, perhaps, a better way of putting it is that you may learn ways of doing … Continue reading →

Girls Rock!

Posted on by August 28, 2017

Last week I had the pleasure of doing sound for Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego, a nonprofit music camp aimed at empowering young women through music. The girls — ranging in age from 8 – 17 — were tasked with learning an instrument, forming a band, and writing an original song, all within five days. The campers then went on to perform the music at the House of Blues downtown. Very cool. Upon arrival the first day, I quickly found that I had my work cut out for me — well, we all did. The camp space was a performing arts center with one decent size auditorium and a smaller “fun room,” along with several rehearsal spaces. In addition to helping with general tech, I did live sound during both a daily morning jam session and a lunchroom performance, plus a grand HOB dress rehearsal in the … Continue reading →