Sweet Sweet Music Blog

Sweet Sweet Music talked with Eytan Mirsky about funny songs on his new album, Funny Money. Eytan also shares his thoughts about the current state of the music industry and the thin line between ‘humor’ and ‘pathos’.  If you don’t know Eytan’s music but you like, for example, Peter Wolf’s solo albums, you should start listening to Funny Money.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

The most fun thing about making “Funny Money” was probably bringing in some of the “extra” musicians we needed to expand the arrangements beyond the usual guitar, bass drums.  For example, we had Arno Hecht come in and play sax on “It’s a Jungle Out There.” Arno is legendary for his work with the Uptown Horns, and he’s played with Peter Wolf and Keith Richards, among others.  We also had Robbie Kondor, who’s played keyboards with just about everyone, come in and play accordion on “My Dog Likes Your Dog.”

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

It’s hard to say that one song would be enough, but maybe “The Weed in Your Garden” from my album “The Year of the Mouse.” It walks the line between humor and pathos pretty well.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?

At my highest point, the music industry brought me the opportunity to do theme songs for a number of successful films. Or maybe that wasn’t the music industry – it was the film industry! Really, the music industry hasn’t brought me anything, when I think about it.  I’m in the same situation everyone else is in: the internet makes it easy to reach people, but fewer people buy music.

It must be very hard to write a funny song that stays funny for a long while. At least … That’s what I have heard. You have a couple that are very funny! What’s the trick? Shel Silverstein comes to my mind, is he an inspiration?

I do like some of Shel Silverstein’s songs, particularly some of the songs he wrote for Dr. Hook, but I wouldn’t say he was an inspiration.  The funny songs I’ve written are just a reflection of my personality. I don’t think you can sit down and write funny songs if you aren’t naturally a funny person. But beyond that, I think it’s important to write good songs that happen to be funny as opposed to songs that are just jokes. If a song is good all around and it’s based on something everyone can relate to, the humor won’t grow old.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mix tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

Oh God, if only I knew what the secret to this was! I’ll just go with my first instincts here:
“Maybe Tomorrow” by Mink Deville
“All the Way” by Frank Sinatra
“Play Me” by Neil Diamond
“The Vulture of Love” by Eytan Mirsky
“Kiss Me Baby” by the Beach Boys

What’s up for the next couple of months?

I’m doing a show in Madrid on Friday June 24 at a club called Wharf 73. I’m also finishing up a new song called “Me in My Natural State.”  It’s a long story, but the title was suggested by someone unknown to me. When I unveil the song I’ll find out who gave me the title.

Check the website for updates

Check out the videos

Sweet Sweet Music talked with Hunter Gogo about the release of the new ep, Turn Around.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last ep?

ELVYN’s Everybody is Calling My Name is one of my favorite songs of the last couple of months.

“… the vibe was right and of course the guitar assault at the end was executed flawlessly.  Reminiscent of a 70’s Eagles vibe.”

Check out what else  Joel (Drums, Vocals) and Ryan Beerman (Lead guitar, Lead Vocals) have to say about this song  and Elvyn’s last album, Valley of the Kilowatt Hour, a power pop gem.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album? 

Ryan – The real fun came in creating the over dub tracks after the bed tracks were laid down,  the lead parts and vocal harmonies are what we really focused on and we spent a lot of time making sure each song had something special in it for the listener.

Joel – It was a long process recording “Valley of the kilowatt hour”, each song was recorded several times, different ways, faster, slower…. But it was fun to hear the songs grow and take shape with each take.  We really wanted each song to stand on it’s own. We purposely kept most of the songs under or around the 3 minute mark.  The idea was that once the album was over, the listener would want to immediately play it again… leaving you wanting more.

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

Ryan – A.M….. it’s about a realization that no matter what sound your trying to capture, it’s always going to have to live up to the original great rock bands that started it all from the early 50s-mid 70s. It’s really out of the love for the song writing and the tones of that era, that we keep chasing the sounds we can’t replace.

What’s the story behind the band name?

Ryan- It was the name of the evil mad man character “Elvin Atombender” on the 1980s video game “Impossible Mission”. We just swapped out the “I” for a “Y” and the rest is history.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not? 

Ryan – We’ve avoided trying to seek out a record deal that can force you to “sell your soul”, we are a very independent band. We are in charge of every aspect from the production and recording right down to the mixing of the music. I think the industry has had a bit of a melt down because artists are becoming more and more able to hold onto the ownership of their music and have a say in how their music is used. Being independent hasn’t brought fame but it’s given us a boat load of pride.

Joel – It is easier than ever to record a great album in a home studio.  The need to have “Big Label” push is not as attractive as it once was. If a band is willing to put in some hard work and willing to self promote themselves, you’d be surprised at the success you can achieve.

Everyone is calling my name …. That is a killer song between a lot of other killer songs. What’s the story behind it? And why do I want to hear that guitar part again and again and again :-)?

Ryan – “Everyone is calling my name” is a personal song about the pressures that come from being self- employed and the inability to ever just turn work off, and have a moment to yourself. It’s about sleepless nights and a realization that you only have one life to live and you’ve already lived it.

Joel – We recorded that one several times, in different keys and slightly different tempos.  In the end, the album version is the take we settled on, the vibe was right and of course the guitar assault at the end was executed flawlessly.  Reminiscent of a 70’s Eagles vibe.

Who is the best musician in the world nobody has heard of yet?

Ryan – I love the song writing style of the band “The Sadies”, fantastic guitar playing and music that can be extremely emotional at times. They are a fairly well known band in Ontario, but deserve worldwide recognition in my honest opinion.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mix tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

The Shirelles – Will you love me tomorrow

Santo and Johnny- Sleep walk

Everly Brothers – Oh so many years

Neil young- Only love can break your heart

Willie Nelson- Always on my mind

She’d probably have a wedding planned by the 3rd date.

What’s up for the next couple of months?

Ryan – Hopefully record sales 🙂

Joel – We will be further promoting the new album with some live dates.  We also have our latest single “Ellie” featured in an upcoming episode of “Private Eyes” starring Jason Priestley.  That song has done well for us.

Check ELVYN’s website for updates

PARTY ROCK & POWER POP (from Nashville). Very very good PARTY ROCK & POWER POP!

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

This time around in the studio we had much more confidence in ourselves as a band and playing as a single unit. Because of that we are excited about the sound we got out of these songs which to us sound more cohesive than our last album.

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

We have so many different sounds depending on who wrote the song that it’s impossible to nail one song down. I think Roll Baby Roll and Green Leather jacket are a good glimpse in to our “fun” rock side, but we also have more emotionally charged songs like Never Lie to You and sing alongs like By the Water and We Cry. So basically listen to the entire new EP lol!

What’s the story behind the band name?

A few of the band members were watching a true crime documentary and heard the term roscoe being used as a reference to a gun which they thought was a cool term. We started out more acoustic based so we put easy in front of roscoe to chill things out and ever since we’ve been Easy Roscoe.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?

We do everything in house and on our own so we don’t have a great view in to the actual music industry such as record labels, but I think the social media aspect of music now allows every artist direct access to their fans and music lovers in general. With the internet, everyone has access to 3 billion possible consumers so it’s a great platform to display your music.

Somebody must have decided to turn Never Lie To You into an epic? How special is it to write such a exceptional good song?

Nice of you to say that! That particular song started out just like all our other songs in that someone brought the chords, lyrics, and melody to the band and everyone wrote their own part from there. We never set out to write an epic song, but glad it sounds that way!

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mix tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

If we’re talking about any 5 songs ever made, that’s really tough! Everyone in the band has very different taste in music so it would change depending on who you ask, but I think we would all agree that any Beatles song is fine by us.

What’s up for the next couple of months?

We are doing a few weekend runs to Alabama, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Our next show in Nashville is in July and other than that we’ll continue to write new songs and keep grinding away!

Facebook for updates

Genre: Power Pop / Mod / Merseybeat / Garage Rock / Psychedelic / Surf / Blue-Eyed Soul.
If you can mix those styles into something crispy … Trolley can. Caught in the Darkness proves it.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

Hearing the final mix of a song as it was being finished.

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

I would probably say “Step Into The Clear” because it has all of the quintessential Trolley trademarks. Great melody, chiming guitars, lots of harmony vocals and fun little ear candy keyboard flourishes.

What’s the story behind the bandname?  

mmmm…not real sure really. I think it maybe has a faintly 60’s ring to it? I dunno

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not? 

I would say we are as far removed from any sort of industry as we possibly could. We are pretty much DIY every step of the way, from recording and mixing our music, releasing it ourselves, to promoting and marketing the band and our music. Some of this is by choice and some of this out of our hands.

Who is the best musician in the world nobody has heard of yet?

I’ve never really got caught up in how good of a musician someone is…it’s usually songwriting and a voice that matches it goes further for me. Having said that, I think one of the groups we are all digging now and were lucky enough to open for a couples is Pugwash.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mix tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

ha…how about the first 5 songs on The Zombies Odyssey & Oracle or The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds or…each band member would probably have very different mixes.

What’s up for the next couple of months?

Hopefully doing some recording and we have a big outdoor festival coming up in August

Listen & buy here

Check their facebook for updates

Sweet Sweet Music talked with these Spanish Power Poppers about their new album, Beach Closed. If you like Weezer, Fountains Of Wayne and the Beach Boys, and who doesn’t, you should try this one.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

We’ve had a great time while recording. We were looking forward to doing this album and we enjoyed every minute. We were all day together. We recorded in the morning, we had lunch together, and then we carried on in the afternoon. And like this, 24/7. It was a very intense week, but we loved it.

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

Maybe, “Where is Barbara Ann”. It’s a song with vocal harmonies that reminds us of ‘Beach Boys’. It could be a good example.

What’s the story behind the band name?

The name started as a joke from Paolo and Dani. A Latin singer had an album with the same name.

There was a time when we couldn’t go back…

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?

We are really quite out of the industry. We simply make songs. We’ve never suffered the changes undertaken by the music industry, since we’ve never been in. What we notice is the facility that we have nowadays to make our music reach everybody through internet. A few years ago, it was impossible to contact people from different countries, and now you can do it instantly.

After my visit to Sweden I was a bit disappointed because I thought there would play a melodic rock band on every street corner but ….. Not. As I go to Spain I expect a power pop or American band ….. But … probably not?

It’s not really like this. We’ve read and heard many times that Spain has a very deep music tradition, especially, power pop, but the thing is that the CD sales or the concerts don’t prove this. It’s very difficult to have your followers in our own country. It might be even worse in other countries, but the music you expect to have is not the one you are going to find.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song- mixt tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

“Everything is wrong” by Gigolo Aunts,

“Please don’t rock me Tonight” by Fountains Of Wayne,

“She goes to bed” by Jason Falkner,

“God only knows” by Beach Boys and

“Running down a dream” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

What’s up for the next couple of months?

We’ve been thinking of filming a video clip and play as much as we can. We can’t wait for this album to be heard.

Check Champagne’s Facebook website for updates.

Sweet Sweet Music talked to Steve Smith about Bee in Your Bonnet, Fallon Cush’s new album. If you like The Jayhawks, The Well Wishers or The Junior League … please try:

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

Well, recording in a studio chock full of vintage gear including a 70’s neve console with a bunch of great people is as much fun as you can having standing up. It’s really the reason I keep doing it and it’s always a let down when we finish. I really want to get back in there to start the next Fallon Cush record as soon as we can because it is just so much fun. If I had to pick one thing though I would say I’ve never seen anyone get such pure joy from singing or music in general as Suzy Goodwin who sings B/V’s on this record does. Watching and listening to Suzy sing when she’s in the moment is always confirmation of what everyone’s motivation for making music should be.

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

Every Fallon Cush song is based on personal experience. I’ve tried to write lyrics in a detached kind of way and just can’t do it. So, pick any song and you’ll learn something but I’d probably say There’s A Dark Side To That Moon off Bee In Your Bonnet isn’t a bad place to start. It sounds pessimistic but isn’t. It’s optimistic. Stylistically it’s probably a pretty good intro to Fallon Cush.

What’s the story behind the band name?

Once upon a time, you’d think of a band name, ask your mates whether they’d heard of a band of the same name and if they hadn’t and there was no band of that name with a record in your local record store then you’d run with it. The internet’s changed all that. When we decided to release that first batch of songs as an album I needed a band name, there are too many Steve Smith’s in the world and every name I came up someone, somewhere had already thought of it and set up a Facebook page. My wife was looking at Ancestry .com one night and found this distant relative of mine, Fallon Cush. We just thought it was a great name and decided to steal it. Truth be known though I probably wish we’d come up with something a little more conventional.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?

Well, there’s no going back. Maybe music fans, people who buy CDs or LPs will be like stamp or antique clock collectors or those weird dudes with model train sets in the future. You know, sitting upstairs in the attic doing stuff no-one understands other than other weird dudes sitting in their own attics with their own train sets. Maybe it’s like that already.

Who is the best musician in the world nobody has heard of yet? And why will this change very soon?

Well, I don’t know that they’re the best musicians in the world but seeing this is largely a pop blog, there’s a band from Sydney, The Nature Strip who are about to release a new album, ‘Presents’ within the next month or so. They say they shamelessly raid 70’s and 80’s power pop and rock to create songs that are immediate and memorable and it’s hard to disagree. Keep an eye out for that. And it’ll be on vinyl.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mixt tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?

Ain’t Too Proud To Beg -The Temptations

Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Neil Young

Hot Burrito #1 – The Flying Burrito Bros

Reason To Believe – Rod Stewart

I Am The Cosmos – Chris Bell

What’s up for the next couple of months?

Gigs! We recently did the first Fallon Cush full band gig which was a blast so the plan is to do a couple more of those and we also play gigs as an acoustic trio so we’ll do some more of those as well then hopefully back into the studio before the end of the year.

Check out Fallon Cush’s website

Read what Absolute Power Pop has to say about Bee in Your Bonnet.

Absolute Power Pop writes:  … Every Little Thing is … : fine melodic pop/rock that owes as much to power pop as it does to Brian Wilson-styled California pop and roots rock/Americana.

Sweet Sweet Music had a nice little chat with this Australian singer – songwriter.

What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?

Watching the songs take a life of its own once all the musicians involved started to add their playing and personality to it. It was beautiful to watch. And recording near the beach (Bondi Beach) with a recording studio with ample natural sunlight was a definite positive!

If we want to know you, which song do we have to listen to? And why?

That’s a tough question to answer as each of my songs and albums are a snapshot of me as a person, at the time that the song and album was being created. If we were to look at my new album I’d say ‘Think of You” and ‘Don’t hurry baby’.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?  

The music industry changing and evolving is a given. It has to. For me it meant trying my darnest to stay on top of all the changes such as the digital age of music, whilst still not losing focus to why I write songs and love music so much. All the bullshit that comes with being a musician is often cancelled out by that one great song, melody, album from your fave artist or a great gig you just played. Technology can never take that pure musical joy away.

Who is the best musician in the world nobody has heard of yet?

There guys in my band, The Tempe Two. Dave Keys (Bass) and Russell Crawford (Drums). I am as biased as you can get but their playing speaks for itself. Tremendous musicians.

She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mix tape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?