Interview with Judd Starr

By Cindy Wright
You may not have heard of Judd Starr yet. I had not heard of him until a few days ago. I found the video "Firefly" and it caught my attention so much that I was immediately interested in finding out more about Judd Star. I wanted to share this music with more people.
Here is some background information about Judd Starr before we get to the interview. Judd Starr writes, plays all the instruments, mixed and recorded each song on his CD "Luminescent". Judd has recorded music that has appeared on MTV and NBC television shows as well as movies and more. Judd's fans or supporters, (which is what he prefers to call them), support him completely. One such supporter said something to me that I think sums up perfectly what his supporters think of Judd Starr, as a musician and how he treats those who support him. I am sure she does not mind me quoting her; Debbie said this about Judd "This man is VERY devoted; he knows each of us and is grateful for the support and friendship. I love him, so many of my friends are now his friends and fans and many have become Judd addicts and have purchased his album. By the way, it is VERY good; He is truly a music genius."

When did you get started with music?

Judd - Probably 9 or 10 years old, I remember teaching myself the piano (we had a really beaten-up piano with broken keys), figuring-out which keys sounded good together, etc. Then at about 11 years old, I took 2 tape recorders, which were lying around the house, taped myself playing the piano on one, then recorded myself singing on the other, back and forth....so I was laying tracks without even knowing it. My mom and dad were pretty shocked when they heard it. I still remember the song. That eventually led to my first professional recording at 14.

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Firefly - Judd Starr

My 2nd Interview with Taylor Hicks

August 10th I got my second opportunity to interview the very talented Taylor Hicks. I hope you enjoy reading this interview and maybe learn some new things about Taylor.

How is everything going with the concert and book tour?

Taylor - It's going really good. It's fun.

Is the super rocket into stardom all that you expected?

Taylor - Yes, it is and more

Are there any regrets?

Taylor - No. None at all, when you're working as a musician for 10 years and the phone never rings, you are thankful when it does.

When you were dreaming of your big break, do you feel that this all played out how you hoped?

Taylor - Oh Yes! I was just hoping for "a break".

When you first saw a fan walk in too meet you, with a copy of Heart Full of Soul, what were your thoughts?

Taylor - I was glad. I was glad that it got finished and got out. I'm glad it's helping people find a positive light.

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Interview with Ben Romans from The Click Five

The Click Five is a power pop band from Boston, Massachusetts, they enjoyed success on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with the song "Just The Girl" (written by Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger) in 2005.

June 28th I spoke with Ben Romans via phone. They were in transit and were in the middle of Texas. I had a great time talking with Ben about the band, the music and much more. It is a very entertaining and enlightening talk I had with Ben. Enjoy!

What are your favorite songs from the album?

Ben - Well that changes by the day. I think right now there are two that I constantly feel very close to. One of them is "Addicted to me" because that's one that's been ongoing for like three years. It's one of those things, I work on it and I put it away and then I work on it again. I remember Ethan and I sitting down it was like around December of 2005, really working up the lyrics, but then we re-wrote the chorus again three or four times to make it what it was. It's always good to see a song evolve like that. It's such a band oriented song to because the way like the production works is like, it's almost like the "Chili Peppers were, if they did individual parts on their own it may not make since but together it comes out great. I also enjoy "Empty" just because I'm a sucker for songs like that. I'm glad we finally got to get something like that on the record.

What inspired you for the lyrics for "The Reason Why"?

Ben - "The Reason Why" is like trying to take a picture of a moment. It's a thesis statement. It's kind of like writing a paper. I picture like an old man watching youth and watching his life and watching the younger generation and be like Wow, I may be tainted with age but one of the beauty's of making mistakes is that falling in love comes with mistakes and that's what it's all about its about learning from those mistakes.

Which song was the most fun to record?

Ben - "Flipside" was a lot of fun because we really got to experiment a lot. One of the great things about playing together for years is that you learn where your part is in the band as a player. You learn how to contribute and how not to contribute. Everybody in this band as some really special things going as far as musicianship, so it's like learning how to squeeze it all in but because we have been playing together so long we have time to really build up the talent on a album fast. Then we have time left to experiment with different things. "Flipside" for me I got use a Optigon, we were just messing around in the studio, the Optigon is from the 1970's and it reads laser discs and it's almost like a sampler of something from the 70's and you will hear it and its like the must funky little thing. We used that in the second verse. I used a Melotron, there are only about 30 of those left. It's the same thing like the "Beatles" used on "Strawberry Fields". It's like all these broken instruments, you almost have to tie them together with like tape and whatever and we made a modern recording.

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Interview with Kenny Vasoli from The Starting Line

The Starting Line is a pop punkband from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area that formed in 1999. Their new upcoming album Direction is set to be released July 31st on Virgin Records. Members in The Starting Line are Kenny Vasoli on vocals, bass, Matt Watts on guitar and Mike Golla on guitar and Tom Gryskiewicz on drums. June 11th I spoke with Kenny Vasoli via phone for a brief interview.
How have things been going for The Starting Line?

Kenny - Things have been going very good

What have you guys been up to?

Kenny - Well we finished up our record in February and we have been getting ready for the Warped Tour.

The new album Direction comes out July31st correct?

Kenny - Yes, July 31st.

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Interview with Dan Hunter - Play Radio Play

Seventeen year-old Texan, Dan Hunter is the 'poptronica' genius behind PlayRadioPlay (PRP), his site has already hit over one million plays on MySpace and he has opened for Fall Out Boy in many more all in the space of a single year. The highly anticipated EP The Frequency became available in stores April 24, 2007. Dan has a devoted fan base that discovered his music at myspace. Soon word got around about Dan and many more were tuning in and listening to his music. Soon he was signed to a record label.

May 30th I got to speak with Dan Hunter on the phone for a short interview.

What got you interested in making music with your computer?

Dan - High school, in a music class at my high school. In that class I learned to use Fruity Loops and some other computer programs that make music. So that's how I got started. Then from there I staring writing songs.

What made you decide to put your music on myspace?

Dan - I don't know really. I just started to share my music and it kind of stuck.

What did you think or feel when you first realized that people were really enjoying your music?

Dan - I was excited. It was exciting that so many liked it.

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Bucky Covington A Different World

I Interviewed Bucky Covington yesterday, April 4th. It is now published check below for link

How are you handing all the fame and the fans?

Bucky - It is going great. I love it to death. The way I look at is if I leave my house, I'm out in public. So come up to me and say hey, my goodness your not bothering me. As much as fans do for you the least I can do is a picture and autograph.

Is there anything you miss about your life before idol?

Bucky - Seeing my dad, my brother and cousins every day at work. Not so much the work but being with them, and then every weekend during the summer we would always go up to PeeDee River. We would always go there with our boats and hang out all weekend. I would say I miss that a little bit.

How has your life changed since being on American idol?

Bucky - Well I never had anyone come up to me and ask for my autograph, because of a car I painted. That has definetely changed. Oh goodness its been awesome. I've always wanted to travel around and see more of the world and I am doing that times 10. Being able to have fans is a awesome thing.

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Interview with Relient K

Reliant K is considered to be among the Alternative, Christian rock and punk rock genres. The band has received numerous awards including a Grammy nomination in 2003 for Best Gospel Modern Rock Album and two Dove Awards. Reliant K broke into mainstream music in 2004 when they signed with Capitol and they released their fourth record, Mmhmm, which has produced three top five hits on Christian radio and two top 20 hits on mainstream radio. Their fifth full length record, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, was debuted number six on the U.S. Billboard 200. It sold approximately 64,000 copies in just its first week. Five Score and Seven Years Ago" debuted at number 2 on the iTunes best selling albums chart.

I have listened to the album at myspace and I like "Pleading the Fifth" and "Must Have Done Something Right" the most. I am a huge "Beach Boys" fan as is Reliant K and I can hear the "Beach Boys" tone in these songs. Check out Reliant K you may just be surprised and enjoy what you hear. In Reliant K are Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, John Warne, Jonathan Schneck and David Douglas. I spoke with Matthew Thiessen via phone.

Where did you come up with the name "Five Score and Seven Years Ago?"

MT - Well it's our fifth album and it's the first time we are five guys. The last album we were only four. So there was all this stuff concerning five coming up and I wanted to do something with the number five. I didn't want to just call it five. So I was just kind of thinking about stuff and "Five Score and Seven Years Ago" came up and I just went with it.

How is the album doing?

MT - It's doing alright.

Did you write the songs on the album?

MT - Yes

What inspires you in the songs that you write?

MT - I just kind of keep my schedule clear and sit around and think a lot. Especially with this record, I was under a little bit under pressure because of time constraints. It is almost becomes like homework you just sit and you just write. It's fun though.

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