Category Archives: Interviews

Pablo Faragó (Interview)

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(Hagan click aquí para leer esta nota en español)

Pablo Faragó

Pablo Faragó

Born in Argentina, Pablo Faragó was to move to Uruguay in his late teens and form Níquel along with Jorge Nasser. The band made history in the country with its ability to mix styles and always retain a true River Plate sensibility, setting the scene for a younger generation of performers that sounded intrinsically autochthonous.

Níquel split as the 90s came to an end, but Pablo Faragó has continued making music to this day. I had the chance to talk with him about Mantras, his ongoing musical project – a project that is becoming 10 years old in 2011. What better time to ask him about his musical past, present and future?

We all remember you as one of the founding members of Níquel, a legendary band within Uruguayan music because it blazed a trail for a whole generation of younger performers to follow. Although you don’t make rock music any longer, you are still actively involved in the creation of music with your current project, Mantras. What can you tell us about it?

Mantras is a musical adventure that consists of electric guitar improvisations, using loop samplers that make for creating sonorous and rhythmical textures of different form and shape. The repertoire is always generated live, the music is created as I am playing. My music is nurtured by different trends and schools like minimalism, Afro-American rhythms and modern arts.

Which musicians are part of this project?

Mantras is basically a one-man show, but as the years went by I had the pleasure to be joined onstage by percussionist Fernando “Cacho” Rodríguez (who has played with Congo Bongo, Abuela Coca, Jorge Drexler and NTVG) and bassist José Ignacio Landoni.

Pablo Faragó, Cacho Rodríguez & Jose Ignacio Landoni.

Pablo Faragó, Cacho Rodríguez & Jose Ignacio Landoni.

What is the equipment that you use to create your Mantras?

Essentially, an electric guitar (which has changed over time – I currently use an Epiphone 335 Dot) and a lap steel. Their sound is processed using a pedal, and I have two machines for generating loops: a Boss RC-20 Loopstation, and a Line 6 DL6. A small console is used for mixing everything and sending the sound (in mono) to my amp, which is either a Valvular Peavey Deuce or a Crate 80 Solid. Continue reading →

Pablo Faragó (Entrevista)

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(Click here to read this post in English)

Pablo Faragó (el recordadísimo guitarrista de Níquel) ha continuado su aventura musical desde que la mítica banda se disolviera. Su proyecto actual (Mantras) pronto cumplirá 10 años de existencia.  ¿Qué mejor momento para conversar con Pablo sobre su música presente, pasada y futura?

Pablo Faragö

Pablo Faragö

Todos te recordamos siempre como uno de los miembros fundadores de Níquel, banda legendaria dentro del rock uruguayo pues abrió una senda que le permitiría llegar lejos a generaciones de músicos más jóvenes. Si bien ya no te dedicas a hacer rock, sigues estando muy involucrado en la creación de música con tu proyecto Mantras. ¿Podrías contarle a la gente en que consiste?

Mantras es una aventura musical cuya característica fundamental es la improvisación con guitarra eléctrica a través de generadores de ciclos de sonido (loop samplers), con los cuales se crean texturas sonoras y rítmicas de variadas formas e intensidades, el repertorio es siempre generado en el momento, la música se va creando a la vez que voy tocando. Mi música se nutre de diversas corrientes musicales y estéticas como el minimalismo, los ritmos afro-americanos y el arte moderno.

¿Qué músicos te acompañan en esta propuesta?

Mantras es básicamente una performance unipersonal pero con el correr de los años he tenido el gusto de ser acompañado por el percusionista Fernando “Cacho” Rodriguez (Congo Bongo, Abuela Coca, Jorge Drexler, NTVG) y el bajista José Ignacio Landoni.

Pablo Faragó, Cacho Rodríguez & Jose Ignacio Landoni.

Pablo Faragó, Cacho Rodríguez & Jose Ignacio Landoni.

Exactamente, ¿qué equipo empleas para crear tus mantras?

Básicamente guitarra eléctrica, que ha variado con los años, actualmente tengo una Epiphone 335 Dot y una lapsteel. Ambas van a una pedalera para procesar el sonido y dos máquinas para generar los “loops” una Boss RC-20 LoopStation y una DL6 de Line6. Todo termina en una pequeña consola donde mezclo y envío un sonido mono a mis amplificadores, que pueden ser un Peavey Deuce (valvular) o un Crate 80 (sólido). Continue reading →

Josh Roberts (Bandhack) – Interview (Part 2)

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This is the “Music & You” part of the interview conducted with Josh Roberts from Bandhack.

If you haven’t read it yet, the first part of the interview is here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I started really getting interested in music around 6th grade which is probably a little later than most.  My first album was Schubert Dip by EMF and single was Slam by Onyx… don’t judge me!

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

I am not in a band currently.  I was in a pop/punk band in high school called Scastic9, but was forcibly removed due to lack of talent.  Luckily, there are no videos; however, I did recently run across a picture of us playing a show at a coffeehouse.  We weren’t wearing pants for some reason.

http://images.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/UBLPORTRAITS/440561.jpg
I am the classy guy playing bass in the middle with my pants at my ankles.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I’m all over the map with my taste in music.

I’m a big punk rock fan… one of my favorites is The Reaganomics, a Chicago punk band with Red Scare Industries.  I’m also currently listening to Cobra Skulls, and just about everything else that Red Scare puts out… also Groovie Ghoulies and Koffin Kats.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have an incredible soft spot for innovative acoustic guitarists… Michael Hedges, Adrian Legg, and Leo Kotke.  I’m also a huge Keller Williams fan. Continue reading →

Josh Roberts (Bandhack) – Interview (Part 1)

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Quite a juicy interview, this is the conversation I had with Josh Roberts from Bandhack (the directory for local bands & musicians recently reviewed on MusicKO). He makes a far share a valid points, especially as regards the future of Facebook and the role the Internet plays (and has played) in the distribution of music.

And don’t forget to read part 2 of this interview (“Music & You”).

Full Name: Josh Roberts
Age: 27
Startup: Bandhack.com
Position: Editor & CEO (Chief Ear-Candy Officer)

bandhack

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

Bandhack.com is a website intended to serve as a directory for local band/musician Facebook pages.  Local artists connect their Facebook page to our site and we stream a consolidated view of band info, shows, photos, and videos.

The site was conceived by my partner in both business and crime, Clayton Pyrant, as well as my wife, Holly.  The idea actually came from a few too many rum-and-cokes as well as the frustration of trying to find local band pages.

If you want to fully understand the concept behind our site… go to Facebook and try to find a list of local shows or local bands in your area.  As soon you see that Facebook doesn’t offer a meaningful platform for doing such a thing, you’ll understand the gravity of what we’re trying to do.

The most distinctive feature is the connectivity.  There have been many other local band directories before us.  Most die off quickly, though, because their model requires bands to manually update info, shows, and other content.  Since Bandhack.com pulls its content directly from Facebook pages, all of our content will always be pertinent and up-to-date.

What was the original launch date?

The first band connected to our directory on December 28th, 2010.

What has been the response so far? What features have people requested?

The response has been great!  We’ve had a number of bands connect to our directory in the short amount of time we’ve had the site up.  We’ve also gotten some great feedback on our local artist reviews!

There are some really great local bands out there that no one’s ever heard of yet.  So we’re thrilled to be able to put them out there a little bit… and they seem to really appreciate it too.

We haven’t had too many requests for additional features; however, we have a pretty long list of things we’d like to do ourselves.  We just completed a major site redesign and are now working on developing in-house band profile pages and syndicating our calendar of local shows to other sites.  We’re also bringing on a really great amateur music writer to write news and reviews. Continue reading →

TuneCrank – Interview (Part 2)

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(Check the first part of this interview here)

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

The Beatles, Ace of Base, Counting Crows, Wu Tang all in the same memory haze…

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

Let’s not go there.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

Johnny’s Body, Kingston Hughes, Felix, Jack Trainer and Bend to name but a few! Continue reading →

TuneCrank – Interview (Part 1)

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The first interview in a month that will see a fair share of them (some coming from unexpected angles… just you wait and see) finds me talking to the TuneCrank team.

TuneCrank is a startup I featured way back in November. It lets you discover new music and then share it with others. But there’s no need for you to listen to the story for me – the team responsible for it is going to tell you everything below…

Full Name: The TuneCrank Team
Age: Infant
Startup: TuneCrank
Position: VPs TuneFinding

TuneCrank

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. Where did the idea come from? Was it developed after any particular incident or negative experience either you or someone in your team had with the music industry?

We just love music. And upon finding something awesome we’re like “Man, where can I get some more of this?” Simple as that. Find great tunes and show them to the world. Then the world can take it from there.

What are its most distinctive features?

Clean. Open. User-friendly. Unlimited upload.

What was the original launch date?

No real launch date. Soft launch was in the latter half of 2010. Not sure we’ve actually launched yet. Haha.

What has been the response so far? Which countries are you focusing on the most?

The world. Seriously. Anywhere. Tuvalu.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We’re working on playlists or fav-lists for TuneLovers. Continue reading →

Bryce Clemmer & Elliot Swan (DuroCast) – Interview (Part 2)

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This is the second part of the interview I conducted with these really fine guys from DuroCast, Bryce Clemmer and Elliot Swan.
The first (where we talked about the company and its goals) can be read by clicking here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

BC: I have always been interested in music. Music is an essential piece of our society, and will always be. My first album ever purchased was Chumbawamba and my favorite song on it was Tubthumping. I listened to it everyday in the car to and from soccer practice as a kid. Great song!

ES: I’ve always loved music. I believe the first albums I ever owned were by a couple ska bands. I remember it was right at the time that CDs were becoming popular—funny to think that when I first started getting into music, we were right at a technological transformation in the way it would be enjoyed, and here I am launching a company right in the middle of another one.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

BC: I never have, but have many friends that are in bands. My girlfriend actually currently plays the violin and has played in many concerts with the Salem Chamber Orchestra.

ES: I’ve never been in a band myself, though I’ll probably always be a little bitter I never became a rock star. I started playing piano when I was 10 or so, and I’ve recently started learning guitar.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

BC: I like all music. Music is art and it should be discovered and shared.

ES: Hmm, tough one. I like a lot of different things, though I’d say my favorite artists are probably the Goo Goo Dolls and The Killers. Continue reading →

Bryce Clemmer & Elliot Swan (DuroCast) – Interview (Part 1)

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Durocast logo

I had a fantastic time talking with Bryce Clemmer and Elliot Swan from DuroCast (a startup featured on MusicKO just last week – check the review here). Below you will find the first part of our conversation. There’s lots and lots to read and ponder. And when you have finished,  give Part 2 of the interview a good look, too.

Durocast's Offices

Durocast's HQ

Full Name: Bryce Clemmer
Age: 22
Startup: DuroCast
Position: Co-founder & Operations Director

Full Name: Elliot Swan
Age: 21
Startup: DuroCast
Position: Co-founder & Creative Director

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. Where did the idea come from? Was it fully translated into the finished product?

BC: DuroCast is an online portal for all terrestrial radio. The idea initially came from me sitting in my dorm room sophomore year at college wondering what some friends were listening to on the other side of the country. DuroCast is not a finished product and we are continually evolving. There are great things in the works.

ES: Bryce came to me in May 2009 with an idea for creating an online radio hub, and at that time, Matt had created a barebones, searchable directory. After that, it took about 6 months to develop into a solid private beta. Since then, we’ve completely reworked the site and just launched less than a week ago with what we have now. Like Bryce said, DuroCast will never be a finished product—that’s one of the great things about the Internet, it’s always on the move!

What are its best features? What will make people who try DuroCast keep coming back to it?

BC: Everything in the world is social, and DuroCast is and will become increasingly more social. It has helped many users find and share their most favorite stations and radio shows. DuroCast also allows you to save and organize your favorites to an easily accessible dashboard.

ES: DuroCast already is a great way to keep track of your favorite stations and find new ones that you’ll love just as much. I’m even more excited though about some things we have brewing that will help really reinvent radio as an even greater medium.

What was the exact launch date?

BC: Monday, November 8, 2010 Continue reading →

John Jones (BuyWidget) – Interview (Part 2)

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This is the second and final part of the interview I had the pleasure of conducting with John Jones from Buy Widget. I’m sure you’ll like it as much as the first!

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

At a very young age – growing up in Toronto in the late ‘60s, I listened to radio all the time. First single was Badfinger – No Matter What and first album was The Best Of The Guess Who. Probably the Canadian influence on the last one, but it actually purchased on a trip to the US!

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

Never in a band. However, I’ve had the good fortune to work as a producer in both live and studio environments and have worked with some incredible talent across genres from rock to alternative to jazz to blues to world. Here’s a link to some of my productions: http://www.fortyninegroup.com/radio-shows-and-live-and-studio-recordings/

Also, as a radio and TV producer I got to work or interview with just about everyone I had ever hoped to work with at some point. Here’s a link to a subset of TV productions: http://www.fortyninegroup.com/videos/ Continue reading →

John Jones (BuyWidget) – Interview (Part 1)

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Back in May I wrote a post about a system for the monetization of music named BuyWidget, and just last week I managed to talk with its CEO, Mr. John Jones. I did wish I could have featured him before on MusicKO, but now I know that the saying “Good things come to those who wait” couldn’t be truer – just look at his answers. Incredibly insightful, rich in content and a joy to read.

But enough of my chatter. On with the interview!

BuyWidget_logo_395x96

Full Name: John Jones
Age: 50
Startup: BuyWidget
Position: CEO

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What gives it an edge?

BuyWidget was conceived as a means of allowing any site, blog or portal to quickly set up their own music download sales store. The core idea was to give sites a means of enhancing their visitor’s experience, increasing their user engagement, and increasing their revenue. The significant advantage is that the signup, and build process of creating a BuyWidget only takes a few minutes – less than it takes to watch a video explaining it actually! And it works on WordPress, TypePad, Blogspot and any HTML site. BuyWidget is a product from our parent, fortyninegroup, a digital products and services company.

What was the original launch date?

The service launched in beta in May 2010.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

Great, thanks for asking! BuyWidget is now on more than 250 sites. The US has the most installations.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We recently added a PayPal payment process. All site owners who host a BuyWidget can be paid through PayPal. We are working on a number of new additions. The great thing, from the beta launch, is that the code has been stable, and our hosting provider is fantastic, so reliability has not been an issue! Continue reading →