Contest # 1: What Music Means to You

This post is going to stay up at the top of the page for the next month, but there is lots of new stuff going on down below so check it out!

We're featuring our first ever contest on Voices to hear and boy are we excited! We don't get a lot of comments so I'm hoping that this contest motivates some of you out there to talk to us. In keeping with the theme of Sunday, which is the group Assembly of Dust, this contest was conceived from an answer that Reid Genauer gave to a question. His answer is

I know this is a potentially controversial thing to say but I believe music is like religion for many people. It’s not an either or decision (although for some it is) but it gives us hope, something to believe in, something to inspire us, somewhere to hide when the day beating you down, something to belong to. I think it is a powerful part of our culture

This parallels some of my own thoughts on music. Back when I was talking about Bruce Springsteen's appearance at the first Jazz Fest after Hurricane Katrina I had this to say.

I'm not a religious person and I have never gotten what such a person gets from going to church, until this show. This might be the closest I have come to finding my religion. I've always thought music was the closest I've come to following a religion and today I was in church.

So the topic of this contest is: What does music mean to you? Is it something to just act as background noise to your life or does it mean more to you than that. I have a feeling if you're reading this site music means something important to you. So in the comments leave a post as long or as short as you want and tell us what music means to you. I'll pick, I won't say the best, because in this case there isn't a best or worst, it's what moves you, but I'll pick the post that moves me the most and the winner will receive Assembly of Dust's newest album Some Assembly Required. It's a great album so it's worth taking the time and commenting. We'll let the contest run for the next month, so don't make me look dumb here and not have any comments, tell me what you think.

Video Wednesday: Shannon McNally

Okay, we've been posting a video pretty much every Wednesday so we thought we'd make it official and make it Video Wednesday from now on. And for our first video on our first official listing we present Shannon McNally singing "Bohemian Wedding Song" from her new album Coldwater. Regular readers of Voices will know the high regard we have for Ms. McNally. Look for a review of her new album coming soon.

SIMPLY SIX: David Wilcox

David Wilcox is a folk singer from North Carolina.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

When I first got to college, I heard a woman playing a guitar in an open tuning in a stairwell at the end of a dorm. I knew that I wanted that sound in my life.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Anais Mitchell and Andrew Bird come to mind immediately.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Probably playing the "Last Chance Walz" - the High School Reunion song - ten years later for the girl I wrote it for, outside of Chautauqua in Boulder.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Music makes me feel more alive - and wakes up the passion to change my corner of the world.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Songs can be more intimate because of technology - more people listen to music alone. If I'd been born in the 30's, it would have been dance hall music - there wasn't a need to have the performers sing straight to you - but the technology changed to allow people to listen individually. Because of technology, when I sing into a microphone, my music will find people when they're by themselves. That signal is most often going into individual earphones, rather than imagining that I'm speaking to a crowd, I can shape my songs and my tone as if I'm singing for a friend.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Fantastic - That's the best question so far. There are some songs like shoes that are made to fit the fashon rather than fit your feet. Then there are songs like shoes that are made with the traveler in mind - places to go and vistas to see. Some shoes hurt your feet when you walk in them, then there are shoes that can take you where you want to go, up the mountain. I'd be a good pair of broken in Vasque hiking boots that you could hike to Chile in and they wouldn't wear out.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Our song this week is "This Ain't My Home" from the new album Coldwater by Shannon McNally.

SIMPLY SIX: The Radiant

The Radiant is a band from New York City.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

It was always a given, actually from very early years...what defined it was simply being allowed to continue to do it...getting some encouragement...and of course it's a condition that's difficult to cure.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Everything new and interesting...challenging...refreshing...and going inside.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Quite a few....receiving a record deal...playing at Donnington Monsters of Rock in front of quite a few people and being well received...being in the studio, quite a few times, and creating some music that I really loved, and still appreciate even:))) Oh...the day I found out Cher had recorded a song I wrote...that was amazing.

4. Do you believe musi c can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

I think music is the center of alot of people's lives. The soundtrack for our lives...no matter what our "day gig" may be...it's another language...a release...don't think we could survive without it. How boring would that be???

And yes, creative people in general are often the vanguard for social change...expressing a voice.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

It's completely different now...with piracy and sharing...selling CD's way down and maybe not even a goal...I think it's live performance that allows a musician to earn a living...

and of course now it's possible to do a world class CD in your living room, as opposed to having to wait for alot of money to get into a "real" studio...as we did before.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Something realy comfy....in a size 9 1/2.

Video: Loomis & The Lust

2nd Look

In which we take a 2nd look at some great artists that appeared on our site previously.

And to kick off this new feature we are showcasing Jessica Dawn. We first met Jessica through a Simply Six interview back here. Jessica is a singer/songwriter originally from Virginia Beach now living in Nashville. Jessica started her song writing career as an eight year old on an old Casio keyboard and using her Mom's old tape player. Moving through school she took piano lessons and voice lessons and taught herself how to play guitar. "I started making my own tapes for my friends in elementary school. And while everyone was into Madonna, I loved Debbie Gibson because I thought it was so cool that she was only 17 and writing her own songs and played piano."

After graduating high school she started to play the local club scenes around Virginia Beach as a solo artist or as a member of one of the several bands she started and moved through. Realizing that she was only going to go so far in her home town she decided to make the move to one of the country's leading town for singers and songwriters and moved to Nashville.

Ten years later Jessica is still holding onto her dream and recording and releasing music. Her most recent release was the ep Graffito that came out last year. She remains true to her vision of her music. "I’m attracted to artists who I can respect and learn from as a musician and songwriter, usually people who have some longevity or aren’t trying to fit some generic mold…and definitely artists who take chances and are unique because they don’t compromise who they are."

SONG OF THE WEEK

This week our song, "Cyclone Country" is from a singer named 8 Ball Aitken from Australia.

SIMPLY SIX: Dean & Britta

This Simply Six if from Britta from the duo Dean & Britta.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

Britta: When I first sang alone in my car at 16.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Britta: Ennio Morricone, The Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, New Order,
The Crystal Stilts, The Beach Boys

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Britta: Our album "L'Avventura" is something I'm very proud of...
as for a live performance, I'd have to say performing "13 Most Beautiful... song for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests" at the Allen Room in NYC with Lou Reed in the audience.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Britta: Everything changes the world. Music definitely changes my world. I think music is personal, though, so I don't see how it influence "events." But personal change... people becoming more fully human -- full of joy, empathy, the mystery of life -- that can change the way people approach life and other human beings. I hope that it makes them less susceptible to the politics of fear.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Britta: People don't buy CDs anymore. This is putting the big record labels out of business - which is only a good thing! - but I think that music will become like poetry in the future. No way to make a living. People will just do it for love/fun. We don't make money selling CDs anymore, so we have to do other things. Currently, we were commissioned by The Andy Warhol Museum to write and perform music for 13 of his "Screen Tests" (silent black & white portraits shot on Bolex film shot in the mid-60s at his Silver Factory). We're been touring with that for the past year. Dean also wrote a book, "Black Postcards," and I do voiceovers for a couple of shows on Adult Swim (Moral Orel and a new show which has not yet aired called "Frankenhole").

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Britta: Black leather boots (think Bardot in the late '60s)

Video: Chris Smither

This is a video of Chris Smither performing "Train Home." We'll be talking more about the talented Mr. Smither in the future and his wonderful new album Time Stands Still.

New Url

For those interested if you're looking for Voices to hear now you can type in http://www.avoicetohear.com. No more blogspot in the title. But if you use the old title with blogspot in it you'll be re-directed back to us, so don't worry, you can still find us here.

SIMPLY SIX: Ariane Mahryke Lemire

Ariane Mahryke Lemire is a singer/songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

There was no particular defining moment. I started making up songs as soon as I could talk and later put on recitals and plays along with my cousins that lasted much too long. I decided I was going to be a writer after reading "Anne of Green Gables" when I was about 12...I had forgotten about the music. It came again, later, when someone asked to use some of my poetry to put to music. When I went to the concert and heard how my writing had been butchered, I decided that I would be doing to composing and singing from then on.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Dad was a classical guitarist so there was always something playing on the jukebox or the stereo. My standard go-to s are the 60's classics (everything pop to Jimi, Janis, Jethro, King Crimson...). Other staples: Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Ricki Lee Jones, Tom Waits, Ryan Adams, Djavan, French singer-songwriters, and then there are the up and comers: Eamon McGrath, Andrea Lindsay, Geneviève Toupin, Scott Cook, Derek Frank, Madame Moustache, Joe Nolan...the list goes on and on and on...

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

The circus that is producing TWO albums at once! It's almost over, they're almost finished, and it's been one heck of a ride. From picking the songs to organising the recording sessions, to handling the budgets (and lack of budget), working out the arrangements, and the absolute thrill of seeing it all come together.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Music has always played an imperative roll in society. It used to be a way to transmit news from village to village, to transmit heritage and tradition from generation to generation. It can soothe or torture...Governments have used music to influence the population: rally songs, party songs, jingles...anthems. Music plays a powerful roll in triggering emotions. Just as it can put a baby to sleep, it can compel a group to battle. My 87 year old great uncle told me being an entertainer was as important to the a society as a bus driver, a lawyer, a teacher or a loaf of bread. He says that for many people, seeing a play, a movie, or going to a concert makes the rest of the week worth living.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Technology, its accessibility and relatively low cost, has allowed pretty much anyone to make their music accessible to the masses in one form or another. It's the doubled edged sword. On one hand, there is an increase in people listening to a larger variety of styles, languages, etc.. Labels and the music industry are no longer dictating what we listen to. Music can have a global reach much faster. The resourceful can make a career of what they love doing. On the down-side, it is becoming increasingly difficult to create a long lasting bond between the listener and the creator. Everyone is constantly bombarded with a plethora of new artists. Then again, this could also be a good thing since it pushes us to work harder at upping the quality, originality, and honesty of what we put out. I guess what I'm trying to say, in regards to that question is.....?.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

If I were a pair of shoes...I'd have to be some weird cross-breed of spiked heels, skate shoes, flip-flops, and mid-calf boots.

SONG OF THE WEEK

This week's song is by a favorite of this site, Nicholas Howard. This is "Mother" from his God In The City album.

Video: Mason Jennings

SIMPLY SIX: Edgar Allan Poets

Edgar Allan Poets is a band from Italy.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

HI I'M CHRIS, VOX IN EDGAR ALLAN POETS' BAND...WELL MY MUSIC'S BIG BANG

HAPPEN WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN. I HAD JUST FINISCH TO ROLLIN SKATING WITH A GIRL IN HERNE BAY (UK) WHEN A GUY INVITED US TO DRINK SOMETHING IN HIS HOUSE. WE WENT THERE, WE DRANK A REALLY BAD CAFè...BUT THEN THE GUY TOOK THE GUITAR AND STARTED TO PLAY A SIMPLE BLUES. I'VE BEEN MELT BY THOSE NOTES. I LOOK HOW THE GIRL WAS LOOKING AT THAT GUY AND I'VE BEEN CONVICED... MAN IF YOU HAVE CHANCE WITH GIRL YOU HAVE TO PLAY GUITAR AND SO MY ADVENTURE STARTED

. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

I LOVE ALL THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY

NIRVANA... I FEEL THE PAIN OF COBAIN IN THOSE SONGS

GRAND LEE BUFALO... I FEEL THE SPACES OF U.S.A

SISTEM OF A DOWN... I FEEL THAT THEY ARE FROM ARMENIA (crazy)

LIVE...GREAT BAND, GREAT SONGS

BLIND MELON...MY HIPPIE PART NEED SOME MUSIC

AND MANY OTHERS MOST OF ALL AMERICAN AND UK ARTIST. I'M FROM ITALY AND HERE THE MUCIC IS REALLY BAD EXEPT FOR EDGAR ALLAN POETS OF COURSE

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

THAT'S DEPEND IF YOU PLAY LIVE IN FRONT OF 50.000 PEOPLE CRAZY FOR YOU IS BETTER LIVE, BUT IF YOU ARE A SMALLER BAND AND YOU HAVE TO PLAY IN THE WORSE PUBS WITH THE PEOPLE THROWING YOU THE BEERS AND WITHOUT TO EARN A CENT WELL I DON'T THINK IS SO FUNNY

FEW MONTH AGO WE WANT TO L.A TO RECORD OUR ALBUM...WELL THAT WAS THE BEST EXPERINCE IN MY LIFE. A DREAM COME TROUGHT. IS GREAT WHEN YOU SEE GROWING YOUR SONG, IS GREAT WHEN YOU FEEL IN THE AIR THE RIGHT VIBES

IN THAT MOMENT YOU ARE NOT IN A STUDIO, IN THAT MOMENT YOU ARE IN FRONT OF THE WORLD

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

WELL THERE IS A THEORY FROM WAZLAVICK "THEORY OF THE MAGIC BULLET"

THAT TELL:

IS THE MEDIA INFLUENCING THE PEOPLE OR IS THE PEOPLE INFLUENCIN THE MEDIA?

FOR THIS THEORY DURING THE WARS THE MEDIA INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE TO THINK THAT THE ENEMY IS A MONSTER.

I THINK THAT WE ARE LIVING INSIDE A LIE AS I SING IN ONE OF MY SONGS

THE MEDIA INFLUENCE ME A LOT. 15 YEARS AGO I WAS THINKING THAT THE AMERICAN INDIANS WERE REALLY NOUGHTY...THEN THE MOVIE STARTED TO SHOW ME ANOTHER FACE OF THESE PEOPLE...NOW I HATE JHON WAYNE

I FEEL LIKE A FLIPPER'S BALL... I HIT CASUALLY TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT ANSWER...BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS NO ANSWER

I'M SURE THAT THE MUSIC CAN NOT CHANGE THE WORLD BECAUSE IS MADE BY MEN

I CAN'T LIVE AWAY FORM THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD...THOSE THING PUSH ME TO THINK IN A CERTAIN WAY AND WHEN I SING THIS CERTAIN WAY COMES OUT...

NOW I LIVE IN ITALY AND EVERYBODY HEAR THINK THAT MONEY IS IMPORTANT ...I WAS IN AFRICA AND A PUT SOME MONEY IN THE HAND OF A GUY...THIS GUY TOLD ME WHAT'S THIS? I CAN'T SURVIVE WITH PAPER...I NEED FOOD...DO YOU HAVE A POTATO?

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

WELL I HAVE TO SAY THAT INTERNET IS A BIG INNOVATION

NOW IF YOU WORK HARD YOU CAN DO YOUR MUSIC CARRER WITHOUT A LABEL..AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. YOU CAN FIND FANS AND THEY CAN EASILY BUY YOUR MUSIC...THERE IS MORE FREEDOM. THE GREAT VAN GOGH DIED UNKNOWN FORGOTTEN BY THE WORLD...THE PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP YOUR CARRER TO GROW ONLY FEW TIMES MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION...SO NOW YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO BAYPASS THESE PESONS AND THAT'S A GREAT GIFT

OF COURSE THERE IS ALSO THE FREE DOWNLOAD, BUT IN THESE YEARS I SAW MANY NEW BAND DOING PRETTY WELL....SO

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE AGAIN TO WALK BAREFOOT

SORRY IF THERE ARE MISTAKES BUT I'M ONLY AN ITALIAN MAN

THANKS CHRIS

SONG OF THE WEEK

This weeks song is from a band called F&M from Canada. I'm really digging their music. This is the title song from their newest album called Every Light Must Fade.

ALBUM REVIEWS

The actual cd version of this album doesn't ship till next month, but I purchased the advance vinyl copy that came out earlier this month. I could write a post about my aversion of switching from vinyl to cd back in the day, but this isn't the place, but suffice to say I am a big fan of the vinyl format.

Before we even talk about the songs I have to comment on the package itself. One of the things that we lost when albums shrunk to the size of a extra large postage stamp cd was the artistry that went into an album cover. An album doesn't have to be Sgt. Pepper's style to be considered artwork, the cover to Will Hoge's The Wreckage is in essence a fairly simple look but it reflects the songs within and in its simpilitcity reflects the artistic choices that go with picking the look of an album's cover.

The album shows a house in slight disrepair, bricks crumbling, paint peeling; but still standing, much like the people Will sings about in the songs within the album. Will stands off to the side, not taking center stage, willing to let the songs speak for themselves. The colors give it an old time feeling, making one think of the best of rock and roll from the past. In the past an album was considered a gatefold, but since so few vinyl albums are made today I think gatefold is fairly standard. Opening the album you find the lyrics on the left and more pictures of Mr. Hoge to the right. I'm glad the lyrics are included, I'm one of those complusive people that always read the linear notes to an album and always reads the lyrics if they're included.

This is an album about grown ups and grown up real world love. The first song "Hard to Hold" summarizes it:

Kisses don't fade like those Hollywood scenes
It gets worse before it turns around

This song lets us know that there aren't going to be easy answers here. Or good guys and bad guys clearly indicated, like so much in life, there are two sides to every story and depending on which side you're on is whether you think you're the good guy or the bad guy.

The next song, "Long Gone" tells of a man in love with a woman that has been hurt too much to trust anyone now and the singer is worried she'll be gone from him before she realizes how much he loves her.

The next song is the title song "The Wreckage" and the music slows from the fast loud sounds that have been playing for the first two songs and the tone gets more confessional. The singer is facing the end of a marriage or love that he should move on from but finds he can't. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Will's voice on here has never been better, there is a yearning in his voice that helps carry this song.

The next song the singer "Favorite Waste of Time" cranks the energy back up as the singer sings about a break up.

"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" is my favorite song on the album and fast becoming one of my favorite tracks by Will overall. This is one of those songs Will Hoge does so well. It starts off fairly quiet as it recounts his early fascination with rock and roll and grows in volume as he realizes that the dream he has of rock and roll may never live up to his expectations. Thought the song is about rock and roll it could be about any dream someone has and how tough it is to try and fulfill that dream.

Some dreams stay with you forever
Drag you around and lead you back to where you were
Some dreams keep on getting better
Gotta keep believing if you wanna know for sure

But that no matter how hard it is and how tough the costs you have to keep fighting if you want to capture that dream, it's worth the fight.

The final song on side one (and how strange that sounds nowdays) is "What Could I Do" and it chronicles the betrayal in a marriage. In this song no one is completley innocent. The singer sings about betraying a confindence (you assume it's an affair) that the wife has already committed. Does tit for tat make things right? That's what this song asks and comes up with no easy answers, the singer knows he did wrong, but the hurt from the first betrayal leaves him lost.

Side two opens with "Goodnight/Goodbye" and is about a marriage that has become a shell of two people living together without love or emotion. They are going through the routine, neither willing to admit the truth that it's over and rather they would sink with the ship as the song says.
The details in this song help carry the feeling of truth in the words.

I'm gonna ask about your day
You'll just smile and look away
As you turn the hall light out
You'll ask me how work was
Put on an old t-shirt
As you turn the cover down

"Just Like Me" is the story of a man that changes his habits after his love leaves him. She thinks she knows him and can't understand why he acts the way he is acting now, but he is a different man without her.

"Highway Wings" is the song of a man wanting to get out of a small broken down town.

While "Just Like Me" is told mainly from the man's POV as being in the right, "Where Do We Go From Down" takes that POV and twists it, with the singer admiting that he..."stole from you things no one should steal/And I made in you hurt that no one should feel." From his point there is no hope, he's screwed up too much to be forgiven.

The final song "Too Late Too Soon" is a man's plea to be given a second chance. He knows he has no chance in getting that respite but he still holds out some hope that she might reconsider even though she won't.

In a year with a lot of Big Name album releases, and some great music from these Big Names and even some smaller names, this is one of the best albums of the year. Will has always had a certain sound in his voice, but here it just carries the emotions even more. How much different would this album had been if it had been released a year ago, before his accident we'll never know, but I'm glad to have it here as it is.

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Will Hoge on CBS Good Morning Show

Will appeared on CBS' Good Morning Show this past Saturday. For those that missed it here it is:


Watch CBS Videos Online

SIMPLY SIX: Jeff Jacob

Jeff Jacob is a singer/songwriter from Nashville.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

My defining "moment" would have been a combination of being in school musicals as a very young kid all the way up through high school, quiting piano lessons after 6 years in my early teens and then realizing I could just write my own songs. They were pretty bad back then, but I recorded some with the guys in the house band on a river cruise ship and then just kept going...It was all about getting in the studio and recording for me.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

I love SO much of a variety. Favorites include - Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, John Waite,early REM, The Beatles, The Stones....Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, John Fogerty, Dobie Gray, Ray Charles....Billy Joel, Elton John...Elvis, Steve Earle, Tina Turner....

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Generally speaking, I think there are small moments when people come up to me after a gig, or listening to a recording of mine and say how much a certain song moved them or meant to them. I have this song God Backwards, about a dog who has been put down by his owner as a humane choice, and the dog is talking through God back to his owner telling him how grateful he is....Only one time in the years I've been playing this song live, have I not had a least one person come up to me after wards and tell me how much that song meant to them because of their own experience with a loved pet.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Music can change the world, because change and revolution really happen one person at a time, until a critical mass or one huge unified voice rises up and demands that things change, and music can certainly if not directly lead to change, help inspire, galvanize and unify that focus.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Technology has been killing the commercial recording studios for the past 6-7 years at a very fast pace, but on the flipside here we indies have all sorts of digital avenues to promote and sell our products and gigs...that's pretty great. I really need to get more with that!

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

It's a battle between an old pair of "Chucks" and a comfortable pair of flip-flops these days. Check with me in the next few years...If I move to the beach as I'm hoping to do in the near future....you'll know which shoe wins!

Video: Assembly of Dust