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(11/29/22 8:21pm)
As a huge Drake fan (and former stan), I was excited for November 4th, 2022. The collaboration between two of my favorite rappers culminated in Her Loss, released at midnight on the east coast. It was also surprising to see a smooth rollout for this album, as some of Drake’s other projects had issues appearing on streaming services over the past few years.
(11/29/22 8:03pm)
Why are there so many deluxe tracks in music recently? Often, they do not really fit the typical idea for a deluxe either, as they're often released immediately after the album's standard edition. Unless you happen to be one of the artist's biggest fans, it can feel like a ploy for more revenue. The bigger the artist, the more this occurs, with recent examples seen with albums by artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, and Baby Keem. In the past, a deluxe version of an album would usually be released after an extended period, such as an album's anniversary, and contain demos or exclusive tracks from the artist. But now, these versions often contain many more songs and are released shortly afterward, sometimes just a few days later. Has the deluxe edition of an album lost its charm, or is it just a quick way to make more money?
(11/29/22 7:55pm)
Blue Rev, the new studio album released by Canadian indie and dream-pop band Alvvays, was always going to be a process to put together. This process was even more exacerbated by the many problems that all came together to stifle songwriting and recording. Thievery, flooding, COVID, and a whole new rhythm section swept away any hope of finishing their third album with any sort of speed, but despite all this, the record slaps. The songs are dense and layered with the sounds of buzzing guitars and washed-out vocals. Lead singer and songwriter Molly Rankin is at the top of her game, giving boisterous vocal performances that sound as if your speakers are about to blow apart on every track. Every track bleeds euphoria and summertime even more so than their previous work.
(11/29/22 7:51pm)
The Backseat Lovers have been known for the songs that remind you of your first love, the bad boy, the most uncontrollable and unruly time of your life. On October 28, their music underwent a transformation through their latest release, a 10-track album, “Waiting to Spill.”
(11/29/22 7:31pm)
The mainstream music scene has been on fire recently, especially after Taylor Swift's Midnights was released this past Friday. Even more, stars are coming out to play, as Drake and 21 Savage announced a collaboration album titled Her Loss. This news went public after a video was posted to social media featuring the two artists, confirming previous speculations.
(11/29/22 3:04am)
Cosign by Foredaze
(11/29/22 3:06am)
We like to think that the music coming out in 2022 is futuristic and the first of its kind, but that is only sometimes the case. Most songs on the radio today take inspiration from songs of the past. These inspirations can be found in countless ways; they can be found through the bass riffs of the songs, the lyrics themselves, or can even find inspiration from a whole decade. The 1980s, in particular, have greatly impacted the music we listen to today. The music of the '80s is taking over the pop charts, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
(11/01/22 4:34am)
The U.S. Department of Labor released a proposed rule this Tuesday, Oct. 11, that would impact how companies are able to classify workers as independent contractors. The rule would allow for millions of workers, such as gig drivers, home-care and construction workers to be classified as employees instead of independent contractors.
(11/01/22 4:24am)
On what would have been his 76th birthday, many musicians, Baby Boomer dads, and the occasional 70s Americana-Folk music enthusiast mourn John Prine: one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time. Though his influence spans genres, inspiring artists like Bob Dylan, Kacey Musgraves, and even Roger Waters, public recognition of John Prine's name dwindles with each passing year. However, his timeless lyrics, effortless melodies, and unpretentious spirit have left an imprint on American music that will remain forever.
(11/01/22 4:36am)
Seconds are all it takes to capture a listener or elicit a skip. Listening to the Philadelphia experimental band They Are Gutting a Body of Water (TAGABOW) will surely either scare or entrance a listener instantly. Originating as the solo project of Douglas Dulgarian in 2018, the band has come to include Ben Opuat on drums, Emily Lofing on bass, and PJ Carroll on lead guitar. Having recently been featured on Stereogum and Audiotree Live, their unique sound is reaching more listeners than ever. But, when asked how to describe their sound, one might struggle, as each song is a mixup between shoegaze and drums and bass (DNB) electronic music.
(05/15/22 3:59am)
(05/03/22 4:20pm)
2019 was deemed by many as the “year of the scam”. The competing Fyre Festival documentaries (Hulu’s Fyre Fraud and Netflix’s Fyre), and the success of Hustlers and The Laundromat grabbed audience’s attention with fictionalized depictions of real fraudsters. Streaming services carried this momentum into 2020 with scam documentaries, such as McMillions and Made You Look. In 2021, this only continued with Operation Varsity Blues, I Care A Lot, and LuLaRich depicting a variety of fraud stories rooted in truth. Now, only 3 months into 2022, we’ve seen five scam story releases already. From the dating horror stories of the victims of The Tinder Swindler, the bizarre character of Anna Sorokin in Inventing Anna, and the corporate catastrophes brought to light in Super Pumped, WeCrashed, and The Dropout, it seems that the year of the scam has become an era. These kinds of stories have always been told and have always been entertaining, but with the recent rise in media centered around fraud, it begs the question of why, and why now? Scamming: The American Spirit Outside the film and television industry, scamming is incredibly prominent. Just by reading the news, we can see major political scandals, election meddling, police misconduct, big bank bailouts, and other situations in which the fraudulent activities of major institutions have come to light. Many people find their faith in these people and the surrounding systems dwindling. The hope that justice will be served can feel unrealistic after constantly having to witness unjust situations. The idea of righteousness is increasingly fleeting. Scam media has the unique ability to provide audiences with a scrap of optimism. The sheer multitude of scam stories in entertainment (most of them being about or based on true stories) only adds evidence to the fact that scamming is everywhere. But in order for a scammer’s story to be told, they must be caught. Watching these movies comes with the reassurance that the culprit doesn’t get away with it in the end. This can bring back faith in the integrity and goodness of mankind to those who have lost it, and this comfort has drawn in an audience of millions. The exciting and satisfactory nature of catching a scammer has led scam media to soar in popularity, inventing its own genre. True crime is massively popular, but many consumers often feel shameful about finding entertainment in violence and trauma experienced by others. Scam stories are much easier for audiences to take in. Not only do they typically lack gore, but viewers can also easily divide the on-screen con artist characters from the real suffering they caused for many. Many people watching have the notion that they are not vulnerable to these situations and see the victims of scams as stupid or naive. The reality is that we are all just as vulnerable as anyone else. When the victims of a scam are not seen as someone a viewer respects, there can be a large element of schadenfreude (pleasure derived from another’s misfortune) drawing people in. It can be cathartic for those struggling financially to watch the wealthy lose their money or to see outsiders disrupt organizations that are inaccessible to most of the population. Scam media has created its own style of true crime that keeps what fascinates us and leaves what upsets us, even when the consequences of these situations can be just as bleak. By focusing these stories around the scammer, these shows and movies depict incredibly charismatic characters that simply fascinate us. The idea that someone could be so blatantly confident in themselves and so sure of the fact that they will get what they want is shocking. It’s the polar opposite of the imposter syndrome and numerous obstacles faced by many people every day. Dishonesty, and those who weaponize it, is itself incredibly compelling. A huge tenet of human society is the idea of honesty. We go through life assuming most people have the best intentions. When someone does the opposite, utilizing false kindness for evil, it is a riveting experience. We have a deep desire to understand this kind of personality because it is so unfathomable to us. Scam media digs deep into the minds of these characters and captivates audiences by exploring their motivations, not just their crimes and their consequences. The film and television industry has told many scam stories over the years, but for a long time most were rooted in the finance world. Now, we can watch scams of every shape and color. From romance scams to medical scams and every kind of fraud you can imagine in between, scam media is a wide-spreading genre. Because of the variety of scamming itself and the media that depicts it, every piece of scam-centered media captivates audiences for its own specific reason. In 2022 alone, we’ve seen Anna Sorokin charm her way into New York society (Inventing Anna), Simon Leviev use dating apps and the real women on them to his financial advantage (The Tinder Swindler), and Elizabeth Holmes climb to the top of Silicon Valley only to crash down once it came out that her genius invention never successfully worked (The Dropout). By analyzing these pieces of scam media, we can begin to understand how uniquely captivating each story can be.
(05/03/22 4:15pm)
Bloomington, IN - I sat down with another one of WIUX’s Music Market headliners, Westhead. Westhead is an indie-folk band, located in Chicago, Illinois and Bloomington, Indiana. I sat down with band members Max DiFrisco, Avery McGuire, WIUX’s own Jimmy Diskin, Braeden Janes, and Reeder Vyain. As always, I opened with the question that is rooted in the very fibers of Music Market:What does the Bloomington music scene mean to you?DiFrisco: Post Covid, it means so much more to bring a level of music back into the community. I feel like everyone needs it, and it’s that much more impactful. Every show means so much more on an emotional level. The Midwest is underrepresented on a national stage, what does being from the Midwest mean to you guys?DiFrisco: I was a part of the Chicago scene as a teenager, and had a lot of great gigs. It was very supportive, but I could tell there was a weird ceiling for Midwest bands. Like, ok great, you reach this level and now, you want to move to New York? Or L.A.? Which I do find very weird. But, I love being a part of that scene, and the Bloomington scene now. What I love about the college scene is that everyone just wants to make stuff, which is awesome. Which is inherently a Midwest thing: everyone wants to help everyone. In the Midwest, there is a prevalent feeling of being at home, and that is a hard thing to come by. McGuire: I feel like I’m proud of the Midwest, I’ve seen a lot of stuff come out of the Midwest, and we are underrated. I’ve seen a lot of talent from here in Indianapolis and Chicago, and I think it comes from the “underwhelmingness” of the Midwest. It shocks people when they play good stuff and there’s this awesome underdog feeling.To keep up with all things Westhead, follow them on Instagram, Bandcamp, and search Westhead on every streaming service! Visit HERE for more information.
(04/28/22 5:10pm)
Listen to "Ep2 - NCAA Rankings, NBA Playoffs Review, and MLB Win Totals" on Spreaker.
Welcome back to Hoosier Hot Takes! In today's episode, we take a look at the recently released NCAA Preseason Rankings, along with the NBA playoffs and MLB projections prior to opening day.
(04/28/22 4:13am)
I had the exciting opportunity to sit down with Shane Pi, an up and coming indie-alternative singer/songwriter to discuss the big moves he’s been making this year as an artist- Releasing an EP entitled “Is This Art?”, performing more shows, and gearing up for the future! To start can you speak a little bit about where you’re from and what influences that has on your music? I’m from Massachusetts. I grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts which is on the commuter on the way to Boston, so I had easy access to the city growing up. I was around Berklee students all the time and I think that just shaped my music outlook because the people around me all had big aspirations and were very musically passionate. And then in college, being involved in the DIY scene and house shows in Boston really shaped who I am as a musician for sure. Can you speak more on how performing at house shows specifically helped shape your style, and have those experiences influenced your current EP at all? Yeah, I just think that it’s very different from a venue because it’s more intimate and most of the time it’s someone’s actual home, so it just feels more personal. I think it shaped me to feel a more human and intimate connection to music, like live music and music presentation. You first started releasing music under a different name. What moved you to start producing under Shane Pi and what was that transition like for you? I went a slightly different kind of direction with the sound [of my music], and also I found that the name I had before was kind of hard to spell and there were some branding things that were tough. Ultimately, I felt that the album I had made as Bellweather was something that I didn’t want to delete or get rid of, I want it to be out there, but I also don’t think that it’s a good first step towards what I’m doing now musically. It just felt like a fresh start was the right move and just using my actual name was a better plan. The album was more like an artistic statement, I was processing a lot of grief and learning a lot about myself through that. It was a good thing for me at the time, but also I do other art forms like animation and visual art, so having my name is helpful to have that umbrella for all the things I create. What has drawn you to create concept albums and are there any additional challenges you face by ascribing deeper meanings to your music? Yeah, that first album was a concept album and I think that a challenge it posed was trying to make the songs themselves coherent while also having the body of work be in and of itself coherent. I’ve definitely improved as a songwriter since then, and I think the challenge mainly was making each individual song its own statement while having the overarching project be in and of itself another statement. Do you have any specific artists that have inspired you, whether they’re famous or people you’ve worked with, maybe from your time in Boston? Yeah, as far as famous artists, big ones would be Pink Floyd. On the concept album topic, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra to name a couple. Those are big ones that I’ve really drawn a lot of inspiration from, whether it be from their approach to music or their actual aesthetic or their sound or their songwriting. In Boston, I found influence from my friend Nick Sabet, who goes by Foto. He just makes unbelievable music and I’ve known him for a good majority of my life, and he’s someone who’s helped me pull myself along and I know the speed that people can be going at and the quality of art people can make because of him. What changes have you seen in the music industry during your time as an artist? Obviously the first thing that pops into my head is Covid since all my gigs got canceled and shows became obsolete for a while. I think that a lot of people are realizing the importance that shows had, and it’s not that people didn’t realize that before, but with them gone they really missed it. I forget who said this, but I heard someone say in an interview that music for a while was a product, we were selling it as vinyls or CDs or tapes, but now with the streaming era it’s become so accessible that music is returning to its roots as a service. You perform it, and that’s really it, because no one is making a lot of money from streaming. I thought that was really insightful and that it’s very true, that it’s now a service again and it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but it’s cool to share music live with a group of people. You said you were a visual artist and an animator. How do you think this influences your perspective on creating music? It’s really hard to put into words, but I think if you’re a creative person, it all kind of blends together like a Venn diagram. I definitely think that my affinity for the film has affected the way that I think of music because I think of these big, grand scenes. I think the brain has this way of combining different stimuli and sound and visual are not so separate. I think that having avenues to be creative in both kinds of realms is just inevitably going to have a huge effect on what I do. Before I move into questions about the EP, is there anything about you that you think is important for your audience to understand when they’re listening to your music? I just try to keep it playful, and have this child-like wonder about it. I think it’s really easy to grow up and be in your mid-20s and fall into these patterns that have worked for other people and try to be too professional. The way I’m looking at it is I just want to make music and art and I want that to be my life. I think it’s important to not put so much weight on it and have to be so professional and fit into a paradigm of money and making you famous. It just has to be good for you and work for you. Is that something you feel that you felt throughout your entire time making music, or something you feel you learned recently after a few years of being in music? I think both. I’ve always just known that whether or not I ever find any measurable success from music or art, it’s just something that I’m going to do because it’s just something that I did as a kid before I even knew what money was, so it’s not like I’m driven by money. Frankly, if you’re driven by money, music is not the best place to do that. I think that what I’m realizing now is that that’s not even the most important thing. So, if you can make enough to just keep doing it in a way that you enjoy, it’s a bonus if other people enjoy it and if you gain an audience and if people have fun that’s a beautiful thing. Can you speak a little about the inspiration for “Is This Art?” and the meaning behind this project? Sure, the music itself is just kind of a collection of five songs that I’ve written over the course of a couple of years. They’re mostly love songs, breakup songs, little pockets of emotion that you find while you’re growing or grieving. The concept for the album art and name is because I realized that I wanted to release this album under a new project name and I found myself distilling my art to its effectiveness as content. The whole idea I was grappling with was if this is even art anymore if I just have to make it marketable and if people just have to double-tap it on Instagram. Like is that even art or is that just content? My thing is that I make it as art, but will anyone else care? So I’m just posing the question “Is This Art?” to ask if this is just content, something that you will just consume and move on, or is this art? Can you expand on what it’s like to be a musician in this age of content creation and what it feels like to produce art in this context? Yeah, it feels like it’s a balance of honesty and consistency. The whole thing is that you have to play to the algorithm, which at the moment is heavily geared towards people who release content consistently. And then the flipside of that is being authentic to yourself and your creativity. For me, it’s been a journey of trying to find where those two things intersect, where I can be honest and also be consistent, and it does feel like a little bit of a song and dance at times. It’s not necessarily something that I want to do a lot but also I’m finding that it’s not exactly such a curse. It’s kind of fun and kind of cool to be able to connect with all these people. Social media is undoubtedly a double-edged sword, I would never say it’s all good or all bad, but it’s definitely changed the landscape of the music industry even since I’ve been making music. Tell me about your single “Company” and why you chose it as the opener for the EP. I think it’s just the most fun song, it’s very dancey and it kind of grabs you. It’s the one that I think I am most satisfied with as far as nailing a unique kind of vibe that I can’t really put my finger on where the influence is. I can look at some of my other songs and I know exactly what I was going for, but “Company” just sort of fell out of me and I don’t really know where it came from. I’m just most excited for people to hear that side of my creative output. I saw that the EP is part of a three-part series. What’s the process like for creating music in that kind of format? This kind of ties back into what we were talking about with the concept albums before. The plan for Bellweather had been to have this sound at the end of the album that was supposed to lead into the next album, so I’m just really a huge fan of coherent works that kind of tie to one another, almost like world-building. I guess this is how film or other mediums play into the way that I make music. I’m always inspired by coherent world-building and consistent character arcs and things like that. The idea here is that these three EPs will be kind of ruminations on three different questions, so this one is just the first in that series. Do you have any favorite or least favorite parts of the creative process, specifically for this EP or just in general? Yeah, I’d definitely say that my favorite part is the actual recording phase and playing shows. Those are the two best because they’re the most pure. One is the actual creation, bringing the song from an idea or emotion and getting it down on paper or having it be a recorded, tangible item is really beautiful. And the live aspect is this kind of spontaneity, an in the moment, unique situation where you get to actually share what came from you to a whole room of people and if you’re lucky people dance or sing along. Those are my two peaks. My least favorite part is probably all the logistics stuff, figuring out how to get it all up and distributed and all that stuff. I’m really bad at filling out forms and things like that, and I’m definitely more of a creative brain than a professional brain but that’s where I get help from friends who are good at that type of thing. Can you expand more on what it’s like to experience the more professional, business side of the industry after working as an artist? It’s pretty terrifying. There’s a lot of pitfalls, and you can get swallowed up really easily just by signing the wrong piece of paper. It’s frankly pretty daunting, but I think as long as you are able to navigate those situations with some level of expertise on your side or you’re able to ask the right people the right questions, it’s not so bad. But I definitely find that it can be quite the minefield. So with “Is This Art?”, what do you hope people will feel or experience when they listen to this and what do you hope people take away? I just want them to be songs that people enjoy. It’s kind of my first impression as an artist and I just want people to listen and feel that it’s something new, something unique that they want to come back to and want to enjoy for a long time. I don’t want it to be just a quick “bubblegum and spit it out” type of thing, I would like it to be something that resonates with people. But we’ll see, time will tell. Listen to “Is This Art?” HERECatch Shane Pi live at an upcoming show:
(04/28/22 4:08am)
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(04/19/22 4:49pm)
Bloomington, IN - WIUX’s Music Market, like any music festival, isn’t complete without its headliners.
Today’s spotlight is on ForeDaze, a Bloomington-based alternative-indie band. Members Marty Abaddi, Carsen Outwater, Alex Cappelli, and Ethan Williams sat down with WIUX after their set to speak their mind on all things music, Bloomington, and their inspirations behind their sound.
When asked what the Bloomington art scene meant to her, Marty Abaddi says “The scene provides a fun and a creative space for me, and my bandmates, to express ourselves. There is a lot of opportunities for us to do so, and we are really grateful for the booming music scene. It’s awesome.”
“I agree”, says Alex Cappelli. “It’s been a really nice creative outlet. It’s cool to not be together as a band for that long, and already play shows live and get to know other bands. It's been nice to connect with other people who love music.”
Their songs “In Between”, “Wendy’s on Second Street”, and a cover of the Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” opened the festival with a fresh air of alternative rock with a twist. Paying homage to the indie-rock of decades past, ForeDaze had an equal mix of a classic and new take on alternative music that captivated the crowd. Their originals had emotional lyricism paired with impressive instrumentals, creating an angsty yet easy to listen to sound.
When asked about their sound, drummer Carsen Outwater says “Inspiration-wise, definitely heavily influenced by 90s punk rock. In terms of drummers, Travis Barker is where I draw my musical inspiration from. These guys call me a boomer, but I love 90s music, specifically grunge and alternative.”
Adding onto that, guitarist Ethan Williams says “As a guitarist, I am still relatively new to the instrument. But, my biggest influences are Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Jack White for the ‘improvey live sound’.”
Although ForeDaze does not currently have any music released, this band is one to watch out for in the Bloomington music scene. Their confident stage presence, incredible instrumentation, and cool style indicate nothing but a bright future for themselves.
Make sure to follow them on Instagram @foredazeband for updates and show announcements.
(04/19/22 3:37am)
At WIUX’s Music Market on March 26th, 2022, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Namen Namen, an alt-rock band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. We discussed their performance at Music Market, their freshly-released EP, and their plans for the future. Enjoy!
(Alanna) We were so excited to have you perform at WIUX’s Music Market festival! Please introduce yourself to WIUX’s audience.
(Zara) Hello my name is Zara McCord and I play the bass guitar. (Ron) My name is Ron Record and I play the drums in Namen Namen. (Kellen) My name is Kellen Baker and I play guitar in Namen Namen. (Dylan) My name is Dylan Record and I am the singer.
The band had a great time cracking jokes while introducing themselves. It was explained that Ron and Dylan are twins and Kellen made a joke that he is the “four leaf clover of the band” because his name doesn’t rhyme like his bandmates' last names do.
My next question for you is how did you guys come together as a group?
(Ron) Well they’re lovers [pointing to Zara and Kellen], and we’re brothers [pointing to himself and Dylan]. (Zara) Kellen and I have been dating since middle school. (Kellen) We had a new wave cover band in high school and then that kind of fizzled out. We all started writing our own music and then came back together a few years later with a fresh lease on life and put it all together and created Namen Namen.
It was very sweet to hear that Namen Namen started from young love, friendship, and a high school cover band. Zara and Kellen have been dating for a very long time and I think the formation of Namen Namen follows a similar narrative to other bands in this genre- taking some time apart and then finding their way back to creating with one another.
That’s a great segway into my next question which is how did Namen Namen get its name?
(Dylan) Actually from the Muppets. You know how they always name that sound “namanama”? (Kellen) Yeah if you push the sound forward and cut off part of it, that’s how the name was formed.
The band joked that the name was decided through a very meticulous process when in reality it was decided very quick. In band origin stories I have heard before, bands have named themselves based on acronyms (5 Seconds of Summer- 5SOS), purpose (One Direction- 5 solo vocalists coming together as a group), and even last names (MCXX.- based on the front man’s last name); however, I have never heard of a band using a abbreviated sound as their band name.
What is the band’s favorite song to play live?
(Kellen) Our new single. Actually all six songs on our new EP out April 1st [the EP wasn’t out yet at the time of the interview] on Massif Records out of Chicago, Illinois.
The band was very clever in mentioning their new EP that was releasing a few days after the interview. The band’s self-titled EP can be found anywhere you stream your music and a review of this EP will be coming shortly to the WIUX website.
Is this your first record? Tell me a little more about this EP.
(Kellen) Massif is a one-man operation under PJ Sauerteig. Someone in Fort Wayne sent him our music and he took a liking to it. We had a couple conversations with PJ before he came to one of our shows in Fort Wayne at the Brass Rail and in his own words, he had seen all he needed to see; he was up to release the record and we were super excited [to work with him].
This is the band’s first record and they were very excited to share about their experience meeting and recording with PJ Sauerteig. Up until this point, there had only been a couple singles released by Namen Namen so I was excited to learn more about the songs and recording process.
What more can you tell me about the songs on this record?
(Ron) We recorded the songs in Nashville, Tennessee. (Zara) We recorded at Blackbird Studios where lots of cool people have also recorded. (Kellen) A friend I met many years ago, Tommy Cannon, was a student at the Blackbird Academy. They all have a project at the end of their semester where they’re supposed to record a song. They have one session booked out, which between setup and teardown is about four hours of recording time. We did the whole EP in four hours. We had played the songs live quite a bit at that point. (Dylan) We had the songs down pat so we were able to record them quickly.
Loads of well-known artists such as Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson have also recorded at Blackbird Studios. The band shared that they were able to record there for free because of Kellen's long-time friend who used recording with the band as a project for his studies at the Blackbird Academy. The band was so excited for their first professional recording session that they ambitiously recorded six songs in a four hour recording session which is insane.
You guys perform with sunglasses on stage. What’s the story behind that?
(Zara) We’ve never gotten that question before. (Kellen) A lot of artists that we look up to perform with shades on so it became a tradition.
The band explained that wearing sunglasses to perform occurred naturally and a big reason for this is because it makes them more comfortable on stage without making awkward eye contact with audience members. They also want to seem a little mysterious.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
(Zara) We like… (Ron) King Cruel. (Zara) Yeah! And we like… (Dylan) James Brown. (Zara) And we like… (Kellen) The Wipers.
It was so cool how the group collectively agreed on their biggest musical influences. The artists that they named range from singer-songwriters to funk and punk-rock.
How do you guys curate your stage presence? What is your rehearsal process like?
(Dylan) For me, I think for all of us, it’s a theatrical performance because we are performers. (Zara) Moving around the stage and everything, you are a performer. You’re putting on a show. But, at the same time, we don’t have any choreography or anything. (Kellen) It’s different every single night for us. When we practice in my basement we’re usually sitting down.
The band explained that their audience’s energy greatly affects their performance and stage presence. They don’t practice any sort of stage antics, what happens on stage is their reactions to those around them in real-time.
The final question I have for you is one I like to ask all of the artists I interview. What are your goals as a band? Within the near future or later on down the road?
(Ron) My goal is to have fun and continue to make music I enjoy with my friends. (Zara) I want to play Pitchfork Music Festival. Music Market is the first step. (Kellen) As long as I am proud of what we’re doing and enjoying it musically, anything else that may come along is a product of what we’re doing. Being friends and making music together. (Dylan) I kind of want to be famous a little bit. I want people to hear our music and I want to be creatively fulfilled. We’ll see how it goes as time passes. It’s fun to create good music with good people and unique voices.
Each of the band members had slightly different goals they named, but each added up to the same thing all together- to continue to make music with each other and to share it with the world. They have diverse goals big and small that I’m sure they’ll meet.
WIUX’s Music Market 2022 was my first introduction to Namen Namen and it was so special being able to share a post-performance chat with the four band members. Make sure to check out Namen Namen’s newly-released EP and maybe even catch one of their upcoming shows!
Listen to Namen Namen’s EP, Namen Namen HERE.
Watch the official music video for “The One I Love Most” HERE.
Catch Namen Namen at one of their upcoming shows!
4/21 with Heavy Mother - The Root Cellar - Bloomington, Indiana
4/22 with Man of the Flood - The Ruin - Fort Wayne, Indiana
4/23 with BRNDA - Blockhouse - Bloomington, Indiana
4/24 with Screaming Females - The Muse on Main - Fort Wayne, Indiana
Follow Namen Namen on social media for more updates HERE.