Almost everyone has a decade from the past they look at with hearts in their eyes. For me, it’s the ‘70s. So whenever I hear music that even hints at the era that brought us bellbottoms and burnt orange, I live. This is why Daphne Parker Powell was a delight when I pressed play. Everything about her October 14th release, ‘The Starter Wife,’ transported me to a time I wish I’d experienced myself. For me it was the aesthetics, for her, the ‘70s are about so much more. We got into that, drink specials, and more in this new back-and-forth exchange. 

Kendra: You’ve been releasing music for some time now. With half a dozen albums under your belt once ‘Starter Wife’ drops this October, did you have any initial fears or concerns about being an artist when you started that you’ve since faced and gotten over that now seem like they were sort of silly to worry about looking back at them?

Daphne Parker Powell: I don’t think I ever saw being an artist as an option. It’s more of a compulsion, really. My heart and body would keep doing it even if my mind said no. Creative work has never felt threatening, I’ve always been pretty brave (foolhardy?) about sharing even work in progress. I love to experiment, try on all kinds of different creative “outfits” and see what happens with odd creative bedfellows like cabaret and electropop on Moxie, or retro pop and disco on Frost. 

I don’t think I will ever stop testing boundaries that way in writing and producing. Performance has been more challenging, I tend to second-guess myself and I can get very anxious in some social situations. I used to throw up every time I would get off stage. That’s calmed down quite a bit, through meditation and really spending time with the “why” of performance. It’s all about connection, and if I can find even one friendly face in the audience, I’m able to center and take us on that journey. 

Kendra: Speaking of looking back, in so many ways “The Starter Wife” felt very ‘70s. It’s my favorite era after the ‘90s so I was pleased by what came forth after pressing play! With this song and record focusing on the idea of divorce and whatnot, were you inspired to lean into the ‘70s given that was the era that many women started to file for separation? 

Daphne Parker Powell: A lot of the writing around this album came from my love of Joni Mitchell, her independence and power, and unwillingness to budge under the pressure of such a strongly male-dominated creative culture and industry. The ‘70s were a really potent time for women’s rights as well as a more cynical time following the wild abandon of the ‘60s. I didn’t live through it myself, but it seems like maybe like a little bit of a hangover and a resolve to get back to the work of society. 

Equal Credit was passed in 1974, where an unmarried woman could finally get a mortgage on her own. Bodily autonomy finally got a foothold but still finds itself precarious in much of the country. It was also the moment singer-songwriters came to really rule the airwaves, acoustic guitars were everywhere, storytelling was hip, and popular music was accessible to people with less technical knowledge and more of a desire to participate in art themselves. All of that stuff adds up to more equity for women and for everyone, really, more choice to live life on your own terms and as fully as you want.

Kendra: When I see a song like “Little Prince” and think of you noting your “radical trust” when you were younger, I can’t help but think of the idealized romanticism placed upon us as kids. Do you think the likes of fairy tales and Disney lead us towards being blind when it comes to aspects of love? 

Daphne Parker Powell: Disney definitely didn’t do a lot of favors for my generation’s understanding of how relationships, particularly romantic ones between cis-het couples, are supposed to be. But if I had to blame anything for my hot mess of relationship expectations, I might have to lay it on Boyz II Men and all the great R&B singers of the ‘90s that told me how much men adored and respected women. 

We get information about this stuff from so many sources, and while I was mostly pre-internet learning about love and sex and relationships, it’s always been such a gumbo. “Little Prince” might be my favorite song on the album in terms of it coming closer to the bone than any of the others, even ‘The Starter Wife’ itself. 

My trust came organically in the beginning, that desire to be known and loved for who I am. A wild animal being tamed over time, unlearning wildness, embracing comfort and care. You can’t just throw a tamed animal back into the wild and expect it to survive, but it happens all the time. And that’s where the radical part comes in. Fighting for your life alone in the unknown outside, and still finding it in yourself to trust love again. 

Kendra: Another song on the record is “Ghosting,” which in our lives has come to be a pretty normal, yet disturbing, aspect of dating. Do you think that’s the coward’s way out of a situation? 

Daphne Parker Powell: I think everybody is working with different tools, attitudes, fears, abilities, anxieties, and I try to understand and forgive when things like that cause me pain. One of the biggest surprises for me during the divorce was the way friends came into and out of the picture. People I felt I could trust disappearing, people who I only knew peripherally swooping in to become real heroes. I’ve never felt that anyone owes anyone their time and energy, that should be consistently respected, deserved, and mutually joyful. Dating in your 40s, post-divorce, comes with a smirking jaded frustration for sure, but in my experience, I’ve been glad of the honesty when someone shows me they don’t want to be around. It saves us all a lot of unnecessary drama.

Kendra: In “The Starter Wife” you sing, “…pour another glass of what gets you by.” With that, I’d love to know what beverage you feel would best pair with the album as a whole, and why?

Daphne Parker Powell: Well, in that case, it was an inelegant sufficiency of beer- like get-you-arrested kind of inelegant. Where’s the joy in that? I think this album requires something substantially introspective, something you want to sip and savor, complex and delicate; Spicy Fifty.

Kendra: It’s time for a side note: With it being spooky season, I’d love for you to share your favorite movie to watch around Halloween – could be scary, funny, or a little of both!

Daphne Parker Powell: I love psychological thrillers, stuff that stays with you and finds its way into your dreams. And I LOVE religious iconography and mythology. One of my favorites, being in Louisiana these days is ‘Skeleton Key,’ might even watch that tonight…

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘The Starter Wife’ out on October 14th, do you have plans in the works for 2023 as far as touring is concerned?

Daphne Parker Powell: I want to finally experience Mardi Gras season this year, but once that wraps, we are headed to Europe for a bit in April and May and I’m going to try to get out to the West Coast next summer and hopefully out to Australia next Fall to finally meet my collaborator Kieran’s crew out there.  

The post Starting Something with Daphne Parker Powell  appeared first on ZO Magazine.

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When you’ve been writing about music for well over a decade, songs can tend to sound the same. Once in a great while one walks in that you have to sit and listen to on repeat because it’s that damn good. Katie Austin and “Got Me Like” is one of those songs. A country tune that is as great as a glass of lemonade on the hottest day of the year, it’s refreshing and hits the spot each and every single time. We talked a little about her past and present, but rest assured – this girl is going places and when she gets there we’ll say, we knew her when!

Kendra: While MTV and Vh1 have sort of put music on the back burner, CMT still seems like it’s a great place for artists to shine. When you got to premiere “Got Me Like” on CMT earlier this year, did you do anything to celebrate?

Katie Austin: CMT is such an amazing platform for artists and everyone with the company is amazing! I definitely celebrated getting that premiere! My celebrations usually require wine and dessert of any sort and you better believe it was the same celebration for the “Got Me Like’ premiere!

Kendra: Your latest EP, Wild Child made me think of those kids back in the day that made kids like me nervous. I was/am a quiet, shy person. Were you always the one to make a scene in class? Run around like crazy on recess?

Katie Austin: Haha this is such a great question! Wild Child, for me, was more inspired by friends of mine who were the “wild ones” of the group and the fact that we all have “that one friend.” I do have one friend in particular who was always down for spontaneous trouble making, but she knows just as much dirt on me so I would never give away her name!

In school, I can’t say I was the shy one, cause I was definitely a social butterfly! But I will say I was shyer than my friends. I often sat back and watched them experiment before I made a “crazy” decision. This makes me wonder how they would respond to this question!

http://open.spotify.com/track/2BTZbiW46isEKBdQl4bpos

Kendra: In “Nirvana” you sing “wearing out a ’90s song.” Was that inspired by any one song in particular? Because for me, I have probably played Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones” more than I should in my lifetime.

Katie Austin: Nirvana was inspired by a conversation I had with Nashville hairstylist Daniel Dalecke! One night at a house party, Daniel started talking about his $600 first car and that he remembered being so excited because it had a CD player. The first CD he played in the car was Nirvana’s Nevermind and it got stuck so it’s the only CD he could ever play in it!

As he was telling the story, I was thinking about my first car and the CD’s I played in it, and then it hit me that “this is what songs are about; memories, feelings.” So I took out my phone and asked him if I could record him telling the story and write a song about it one day. And not too long after, I took the idea to my co-writer, Lainey Wilson, and we intertwined our own “first car” memories and “Nirvana” was born.

Kendra: Circling back to Wild Child, if you had to compare the overall sound and mood of the record to one place in Louisiana, where would that be and why?

Katie Austin: If I had to relate Wild Child to a place in Louisiana, I would have to say, New Orleans! The song is upbeat and moody and so is NOLA!

http://open.spotify.com/track/2bWcs53ZuOaJEQEPSmWMCF

Kendra: Oh, yeah…we have to talk about Chris Young. When you won that mentoring session with him, what did you expect to take away from the whole experience and did you in the end?

Katie Austin: When we won the mentoring session with Chris Young, we didn’t have any expectations other than great advice and that’s exactly what Chris gave us! He’s a humble, nice guy and took his time to have a conversation with us and it was awesome! His voice is one of the best voices in country music in my opinion! It’s SOLID.

Kendra: What’s in store for you for the rest of 2019? More music? Touring?

Katie Austin: For the rest of 2019, I’m playing in town acoustic shows, planning 2020 shows and exploring what I want to say next!!

The post Katie Austin: Country’s Wild Child appeared first on ZO Magazine.

First inspired by the likes of Mary GrandPré when she was only 12, Ashly Lovett loved her illustrations for the US version of the Harry Potter books just as much as she did J. K. Rowling’s words that surrounded them. Ashly noted, “I was absolutely in love with each cover and always looked forward to the spot illustration accompanying the chapters. That’s when I fell in love with illustration and how it fuels the mind with the written word.”

Today Ashly is working on the illustrations for another classic tale, finishing up work on a solo show at Gallery 1988, and so much more. Like, seriously, she’s busy as can be and we’re so grateful she took the time to sit down and chat with us about her beautiful work.

Kendra: A fan of horror and fantasy, you’ve noted how much you love Stephen King. Was he the first creative person you looked to in terms of inspiring you to make your own artistic mark on the world?

Ashly Lovett: Do love Stephen King, but that started while I was in college. I think what draws me most to his writing and the horror, suspense genre, in general, is the characters. I enjoy getting into their heads as they unravel their situation. With King’s work, the characters will often shrug off the supernatural as a trick of the light or just their imagination. It isn’t until they’re in the mouth of the beast that they realize the nightmare is actually real. Ironically, I don’t like horror movies as much. Especially if there is too much gore. You just can’t get into the characters’ head like you can with a good novel.

Kendra: You wouldn’t have headed off to art school if you hadn’t been into it, but at the same time you didn’t get into your medium of choice, chalk pastels, until college. What’d you start out with and did it instantly click when you started working with what you use now?

Ashly Lovett: I get this question a lot since chalk pastels aren’t a popular media. In college, I tried all media on all surfaces. And I’d suggest that to any student. I eventually realized my brain worked best with dry media on paper. Something did just click. I was able to translate my intentions easiest with chalk pastel on paper. You’ll never know until you try everything.

Kendra: I just saw you were a part of Gallery 1988’s ’90s show and come August you’re going to have a solo one. Congrats! How long have you been working on “The Female Gaze” and how did you go about picking and choosing which iconic characters to feature? I see you have characters like Gamora so far…

Ashly Lovett: I decided on the theme for the show based on the work I had already been doing. I had been working with Gallery 1988 for over a year doing group shows and I had an affinity for women portraits. It came together organically. I knew I wanted to do strong female portraits of characters from sci-fi and fantasy tv and film. Who wouldn’t want to draw a badass Hela from Thor or heartbroken Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy?

I made a list of all the female actors I loved and narrowed that list down by their roles in the film. Not just what they physically did in their respective roles, but what their characters represented. Whether that was a ruler, a villain, a soldier, a victim, a survivor, or a scientist. Each has a different story to tell, and I want to showcase their strength and vulnerability.

Kendra: You are also hard at work on your own illustrated adaptation of the OG Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen. Many don’t even think about that one and only refer to Disney’s. What about Anderson’s made you want to adapt that in your style?

Ashly Lovett: I chose the story of The Little Mermaid because it was the perfect match for my fondness of dark fantasy, romance, and drawing flowing organic shapes. Andersen’s work is melancholy, which fits my aesthetic perfectly.

Kendra: Will you dive into other classic fairy tales in the future?

Ashly Lovett: I’m not sure. I’ve had several suggestions from people who have loved my rendition of The Little Mermaid. It may be something I’ll purse eventually if the story has the right tone. But, I think I want to do an Art of Ashly Lovett book next. I want to break it into different chapters where I explore new techniques, compositions, and media. Another passion project to challenge myself. We will see, though. I still need to finish the two personal projects I’m currently working, “The Female Gaze” solo show and The Little Mermaid book.

Kendra: Looking through your work I was like, why haven’t I seen this girl at conventions. You’re based out in Louisiana and I’m in California. I get it, but do you have any plans to ever head west for cons?

Ashly Lovett: Thus far, I’ve done about three conventions a year. I did Spectrum in Kansas City, KS, and Illuxcon in Reading, PA. Both of which are illustrator and gallery artist conventions. But, I did do Dragon Con in Atlanta last year and even won “Best Black and White” Award. I’ll be attending again this year Aug 29-Sept 2.

2020 will be the big convention year. It’s something I’ve been building up to. I have the experience of running a booth under my belt and a much bigger portfolio now. I feel I’m ready to take on Gen Con, Rose City Comic Con, Monsterpalooza, etc. I’ve applied, so we’ll see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Kendra: I love anyone who is a TV fan, which you are. Westworld, Stranger Things, and The Walking Dead. YES. Really quick, what’s a typical Ashly Lovett TWD Premiere Party like?

Ashly Lovett: I’ll try to paint you a scene from one of my favorite TWD parties. It’s night and you walk up to a door with layers of cardboard taped with a warning of “Undead Inside.” You’re welcomed into a dim apartment lit by candlelight, and each guest is handed a precious mini flashlight. On the floor are more torn pieces of cardboard, black garbage bags (with my washed plastic recycling in it), stacked canned good as the “food stash,” and a mattress with mixed-matched sheets and pillows (compliments of our spare bedroom). The windows are covered as well with scraps of cloth. On the far wall, lit with multiple candles, is a table with finger foods on aluminum foil. And finally, the names of the ones we’ve lost are written on the walls (good ol’ vine charcoal.) It was a fun night in our makeshift safe house. It set the mood. Finger foods included a pecan pie with a zombie hand coming out of it, brain cupcakes with strawberry filling, and lady finger sugar cookies.

Kendra: You have some other shows coming up at Gallery 1988 after your solo one. Can you tell us about those and anything else you have in the works we can be on the lookout for?

Ashly Lovett: I have two group shows later in the year with Gallery1988. One is for Weird Al and the other is called “Cult Classic.” I always look forward to the “Cult Classic” show since it’s very open. I’m considering doing a Battle Angel: Alita piece. I’ve loved the mangas since high school.

Once September hits, I think that’s when I’ll start working on the Art of Ashly Lovett book idea. I know I’ll be exploring that with my patrons on Patreon for sure. All while getting the Kickstarter rewards finished for The Little Mermaid book. It’s been a busy year.

The post Ashly Lovett & The Chalk Gaze appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Today she’s not so shy about her performances or her talents. With Tainted we hear all of her talents and then some, especially on her latest single “Plans.” We talked about all of the above and more in this back and forth between an amazing vocalist and a girl with a laptop in hand.

Kendra: Was the piano something you got into after singing or did playing encourage you to utilize your voice?

Geron: Piano helped encourage my singing. As soon as I learned how to play I started learning cover songs, so I could sing along.

Kendra: Do we hear your piano skills on Tainted?

Geron: We don’t, but I plan to implement them in my next EP.

Kendra: Other than possible piano playing, what can we expect from Tainted as a whole? Does “Plans” set the overall tone of the rest of the EP?

Geron: The intro mostly sets the tone for the EP. I wanted to set a certain mood from the very beginning.

Kendra: Speaking of “Plans,” I love the beach and live about four miles from one but the sand…the sand. Did you like those shots or were you ready to head back to the cityscapes after a day in the sand?

Geron: The beach scenes were definitely impromptu, but I have always loved being on the beach. It was certainly a different experience rolling around in the sand with a wet floor length dress on, but it was still freeing.

Kendra: More with plans, what’s the worst excuse someone can use when breaking plans they made with you?

Geron: Honestly excuses don’t bother me as much as someone just not responding at all and going completely MIA. That drives me crazy because when they finally do come back around, they don’t even want to acknowledge what happened.

Kendra: Back to the music. In terms of R&B, the genre is always evolving. You can pinpoint a ’90s R&B song just like you can one from the early ’00s. What do you think are the defining characteristics of your generations’ R&B?

Geron: My generation of R&B is a generation of storytellers. When you hear our songs it’s like listening to someone read a page out of their diary, so the productions are a little simpler just so that the voice stands out more.

Kendra: Now for a little game of Cover, Duet, Tour With. When it comes to Whitney, Christina, and Mariah which would you rather simply just cover on a record, a duet within the studio, and tour with around the country? In this game, we never lost the greatest vocalist of all time.

Geron: I would like to cover a Whitney song, do a duet with Christina and tour with Mariah!

Kendra: As far as the next few months go, what’s on your plate? What are you serving up for the people?

Geron: I’ve really been focusing on rediscovering myself as an artist, so my next project will focus on who I am as an artist and a creator and less about certain situations from my past.

The post It’s Time to Make Plans with Geron appeared first on ZO Magazine.

His parents had noted his talents before, but that was the first time someone outside his DNA makeup had. From that point on drawing became a part of him. That, along with music and photography. All of which he’s done to some extent, but it’s his drawings that led us to one another. From his #FatKidProject to his other depictions of pop culture, MonkeyMan has captured beloved icons in a way that is unique to his style, which we talked about a bit along with a big move and plans for the new year.

Kendra: What came first, your love of drawing, photography or music?

MonkeyMan: It was either music or drawing. I’m not sure which came first, to be honest. One of my earliest memories is sitting in the back seat of the car, singing along to the radio. I clearly remember belting out George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” while my dad drove me to school. It’s still a guilty pleasure song of mine. I’m not sure if that came first, or the nude drawing in kindergarten. Both were early on. Both times I was doing something that made me feel good. Musical aspects have influenced all aspects of my work. I was in a band for a good portion of my high school and college years. I often draw inspiration from music. The right chord can set a vibe to get creative juices flowing.

Kendra: Do your moods vary depending on what you’re working on; art, graphic design, photography?

MonkeyMan: I think it’s more of the other way around for me. My mood dictates the project. More often than not, I’ll have an idea for a project, and my mood will dictate the medium. For the last year or so, I have been working off-and-on painting some of the old black and white horror movie monsters in watercolor and ink. They could easily have been put together in another medium if I was in a different mood that day. But when I started with the first one, I was in a festive Halloween mood and just watched a bunch of the old Universal Horror movies. I was inspired by the craftsmanship that went into those movies.

Everything from the hours spent in the makeup chair to create these creatures, to the atmospheric lighting on the sets just moved me. I felt like I really needed to spend some of my time to show my respect for the time they spent on their art. And if I have the time to really craft something, I feel that it should have a tactile feel to it – something natural that you can’t really get from a digital project.

That being said, if I’m excited about an idea and really need to get an idea out into the world, I am more than likely to work digitally. That mania of finishing a project is helped by the fact that using programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and so on, allow me to quickly paint large sections with color or effects that would take a long time to do by hand. They allow me to quickly assemble all of the pieces that I see in my head. Plus, I don’t have to worry about running out of paint or cleaning up afterward. And when I’m in that frenzy, it’s easy to make a mistake. When working digitally, it’s easy to fix those mistakes.

@MonkeyMan

Kendra: How has the move from New Orleans to Australia changed you as an artist, and an overall part of the human fabric?

MonkeyMan: Wow! That’s a deep one. I think the move forced me to examine my work and how I saw it in terms of its value to me. In 2005, I lost nearly everything that I owned in Hurricane Katrina. That included every drawing, painting, or sculpture that I ever made that wasn’t digital and uploaded to the internet. Physical pieces were lost. All of that hard work and practice were gone. But, I’ve come to realize that they really had no value to them because I wasn’t sharing them with people. It had no value because it just sat in my house.

Occasionally a friend would see something that I was working on. But once the project was completed, it just sat in the corner. In the years since then, I’ve come to realize that sharing your work with others gives it value. Keeping the work to yourself is just like masturbation. You get the release, but it’s a hollow act that means nothing in the end.

Sharing your work can validate you, as an artist. When you share your work and someone says “yeah, I like that”, that’s a better feeling than just completing the project. Artists spend a lot of time and money birthing the ideas in our heads. When someone responds to your work, good or bad, it makes all of that effort worth it. And bringing that attitude to new projects in a new country, and meeting new people, and sharing my ideas with them…well, that’s just a great feeling.

Kendra: You’ll be back in the States for Comic-Con next year. Will you be bringing your art to San Diego?

MonkeyMan: I’ll be going as a spectator this time. I’ve been to California several times, but this is my first trip to San Diego Comic Con. It was a bucket list trip, and I was lucky enough to get tickets. If I like what I see, and it’s in my budget, I may get an artist’s table for 2019. I may get an artist’s table at Adelaide’s Supanova convention in 2018. I have had an artist’s table at several other pop culture/comic conventions in the past, and I’ve always had a great time. It’s always a great feeling when someone who has never seen your work before discovers you and becomes a fan right in front of your own eyes. It’s really cool when it’s someone who’s also an artist and you know and respect their work too.

I find that “nerd culture” is more accepting of my work. It’s just a little weirder than your traditional art, but still accessible for most people to get into. I was a fine art major in college and studied the works of Degas and da Vinci in between painting bowls of fruit and figure drawing classes.

I get validation, as an artist, from seeing someone’s face light up when they see my drawing of a fat Spider-Man or a watercolor of Bill Murray. My work may never hang in a museum, and I may never be able to ditch the day job to paint full time. But connecting with a total stranger through something you’ve creat
ed is amazing.

@MonkeyMan

Kendra: What brought about The #FatKidProject? Does it have anything to do with spreading a body-posi message?

MonkeyMan: It can be. I fully support anyone who is happy with who they really are. I’m far from body shaming anyone. As for the #FatKidProject series, I could give you the pretentious artist’s answer and say that the figure of the Fat Kid represents the viewer itself. It’s gender, ethnicity, and age are indeterminable in its original line-drawing form.

Therefore, it can be anyone – you, me, anyone at all. And just like most people, it’s a person who puts on a mask/outfit in order to project to the world this image that they want others to see. An image of a tough hero, or a vulnerable and downtrodden every-man. Its expression is dull and vacant, and leans towards exhaustion, conveying a feeling that we all can relate to in a modern world that moves so fast that some days, all just want to take a fucking nap…

I was bored one day and couldn’t express in words how bored I was. So, I drew the original base figure to show how bored I felt. After finishing, I was still bored. So I put an arrow through its head. Then had a bird shitting on the kid’s shirt. I put it in a luchador mask. Then dressed it up like Dracula. I created one a day for nearly a year, and then a few a month after that. I’ve created over 230 different designs and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. There are former Power Ranges and pro-wrestlers with #FatKidProject prints in their homes.

It’s meaning isn’t as deep as it could have been, I guess. I just liked throwing outfits onto that pudgy frame and seeing how they would look. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. It was really just out of a way to fight off boredom and challenge myself while making my friends laugh.

Kendra: Other than Comic-Con, what’s going on with you in the new year?

MonkeyMan: Even if I only get to complete half of the things on my list, it’s going to be a very busy year! I’ve been writing a graphic novel for the last year or so. Between writing a compelling story and designing every character, and trying to make them look interesting, it’s become a long process. Who knew that universe-building was so time-consuming?

And of course, I’ll be drawing, painting, and working on my #FatKidProject series. Needless to say, I expect to be as busy as possible and take advantage of every opportunity presented to me.

Kendra: In trying to bridge all the artistic realms we represent at ZO if you had to make a MonkeyMan Playlist that represents your art, what five songs would have to be on it?

MonkeyMan: Hmm… that’s a tough one. My musical taste, as well as what I do visually are all over the map. Tempted to say:

“Monkey Man” by Baby Huey & the Babysitters
“Monkey Man” by the Rolling Stones
“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey” by the Beatles
“Monkey Gone to Heaven” by the Pixies
“Monkey Man” by the Toots & the Maytals

But here’s the real list (in no particular order):

Dr. John – “Loop Garoo”
Ween – “Object”
Puffy Ami Yumi – “Lemon Kid”
Johnny Cash – “Man in Black”
Nine Inch Nails – “March of the Pigs“

The post MonkeyMan Designs Laughter Down Under appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: When you set out and play a jazz fest, do you take the time to get to check out the other artists or are you too focused on your set?

Lou Hill: It all depends. If we have time to check out other acts we definitely make our way over to their set. When we performed at the Richmond Jazz Fest we got a chance to see a few amazing performers. Babyface, Cameo, Fred Wesley just to mention a few. We actually got a chance to talk to a few as well. They were all very nice. It’s truly a humbling experience.

If we are on tour we really don’t get a lot of time to do anything. It’s usually van, hotel, stage, eat and sleep. Not always in that order.

Kendra: Your latest album has a universal appeal on a grand scale. We Are Stars makes me think of the cosmos, so with that…if given the chance, how many of you do you think would take the chance to be the first artist to play a show on Mars? Hey, it could happen.

Lou: I don’t know about Mars, but I think that we would be more than open to playing on Jupiter and Saturn. Imagine the vibration of Water Seed Funk terraforming those planets. That would be a funky race of creatures.

Kendra: People often don’t like to play favorites but if you had to pick a personal fav off We Are Stars, which would it be and why is it the one closest to your heart?

Lou: I’m going to have to stick with the norm. I can’t pick just one. We really think about each album as it’s own body of work. It’s a chapter in the book that is Water Seed. You can’t pull a page of a book and think that it wouldn’t affect the energy of the entire book. Maybe that page introduces the protagonist. I can’t just pick one. I know that our fans create their own playlist from our catalog, but that’s for them to do. They can create their own Water Seed story. It’s our job to be truth to our story.

Kendra: You’ve been praised by a number of people, including Tisha Campbell who most should know from Martin. This, of course, made us wish we could travel back in time, sadly that isn’t on the table BUT if it was, which ’90s sitcom do you think Water Seed would be perfect guest starring on as a house band?

Lou: Wow. That’s a good one. So many great shows back then. Hmm, there are so many. Though most of us still watch Martin on a weekly basis I think I will say New York Undercover. I used to love the way they presented music on their show. Maybe one of us could play the bad guy or something as well. You know Nino Brown style.

Kendra: Speaking of Tisha, you’ll be at her Xen Lounge in July. You also have some other dates that month out west. How does the west coast often treat you?

Lou: The west is always great to us. We aren’t out there enough, though. We are always met with lots of love and support. The coast is beautiful as well. We can’t wait to perform for Tisha again by the way.

Kendra: Will you be adding to that list of dates?

Lou: Yeah we are adding every day. Right now we are hitting about 38 cities in the states. We have just started locking in Texas and Colorado. Touring is always amazing. It’s when you see the fans and get to feel their energy. The stage brushes off all the road worries.

Kendra: Other than touring and the new album, anything else on the books you can talk about coming up?

Lou: We have a lot of new stuff up our sleeves. This album took about three years from beginning of production to the end of marketing and promo. The whole time we have been creating and growing, so we have a ton of new stuff brewing. Of course, that’s about all I can say right now.

Kendra: So we know you’re about the music, but we want to switch your focus to art for a second. If you had to choose an art piece that best represents your sound, what would it be?

Lou: That’s an easy one. I can’t say for all of our music, but for this album, it’s this piece by Kadir Nelson.

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