Celebrity & Musician Interviews and More

The Bacon Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Recently I spoke with Kevin and Michael Bacon about the music of the Bacon Brothers.

What inspired the both of you to form a band and go on the path of making music together with everything else you have going on in your respective careers?

Michael - We never really done a lot of planning. We've always played music together. Kevin played in my band for awhile and he played in lots of different bands So a friend of his put the possibility in our heads and said why don't you guys come down, put a band together and call it The Bacon Brothers and play for fun. That's how it happened. Timing is everything and at that time in our lives it seemed like a good idea so we did it. It worked out well to do it. It went on like that and we started putting on shows and pretty soon it started rolling on its own and now here we are 14 years later with 6 albums out.

How does creating music that you get to go out and perform live differ from what else you do? What does the live performance of music give you that the other things you do does not?

Kevin - For me I started out my acting career in the live theater. I love the live aspect and one of the things that I love about it is there is a certain element of danger. Because every night anything can happen live. Sometimes like at a Wednesday matinee you might have hardly nobody in the audience and then other nights you have a huge audience, which is a triumph. So sometimes you can't fall asleep because that memory of that time being up on that stage keeps running in your head. That is exactly what playing live music gives me. If something goes wrong you can't edit it, you can't stop and cut it. It is what it is. To have that in my life is very, very exciting and rewarding.

To read the rest of this interview please visit this link.

Interview with Kevin Bacon

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:24:00 +0000

I spoke with Kevin Bacon about his early days in acting. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed speaking with Mr. Bacon.

Date of Interview: 4/16/2009

Kevin Bacon was born July 8, 1958 and he got his first acting part on the big screen in 1978 as Chip Diller in "National Lampoon's Animal House". Kevin has since starred in a number of well known movies such as "Diner", "Footloose", "White Water Summer", "Flat-liners", "Tremors", "Rails and Ties", and "Taking Chance" to name a few.

I launched right in with the "meat" of the interview and Kevin answered openly.

What got you interested in acting?

Kevin - Well I had taken an acting class and I fell in love with it. I was already playing music -- I was playing in a band with my brother who took off on a music career of his own-- and I thought maybe I will do something else and I took an acting class. You know I really wanted to be rich and famous that was a really big part of it. I got out of high school and I moved to New York and I started studying acting, I fell in love with it and all of the sudden I wanted to get more experience in acting. The fame and fortune part of it wasn't as important to me as the actual acting part, it was really inspiring.

Your first spot in a movie was as Chip Diller in Animal House in 1978, correct?

Kevin - Yes

Can you remember what your thoughts were when you got that part? Did you even consider that it would become a full time career with so many amazing movies in your resume?

Kevin - Well you know I never considered that I was going to be doing anything else, so yes I knew it was going to be a full time career. It was not something that I was just trying out. You know those secret dreams that you have that you never express to anyone. Those dreams of stardom or seeing your name in lights or whatever it happens to be. But really it is baby steps, on a day to day basis. The fame part is not what drives you.

To read the rest of the interview go here.

Discussing “The Distance” with Taylor Hicks

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Interview Date: March 5th 2009

Recently I had the privilege of speaking with Taylor Hicks via phone for a few minutes about his upcoming CD "The Distance." Hicks recently formed his own music label -- Modern Whomp Records. You can read about what made Hicks decide to go this route and more about the album by going here.

What's Right is Right

What's Right Is Right @ Yahoo! Video

Artist2Market: It’s all About the Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:41:00 +0000

December 1st 2008

Artist2Market offers artists, labels and content owners a unique alternative to the traditional music label infrastructure. Artist2Market is an entertainment service platform. I spoke with the Director of Operations and Marketing, Rick DiLoreto, too find out more about Artist2Market. You can learn more about what they offer here.

Interview with Mark Miller, Lead Singer of Sawyer Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:40:00 +0000

Interview Date: January 24th 2008

In 1983 introduced the world to Sawyer Brown through the television talent show called Star Search. Sawyer Brown is a country/rock group that won the show. Sawyer Brown consist of five members. The band still tours and is currently recording a new album. Mark Miller is now also a producer. Among other artists Mark is now Bucky Covington's producer, Bucky was a season five contestant on American Idol. Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Miller about Sawyer's Brown music career, future album and Bucky Covington. You can read the review here.

Six Days on the Road

Interview with Indie Artist Jon Zucker

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:38:00 +0000

There are many great Indie musicians struggling to get their music heard and delivered to the world. Thanks to Myspace finding these great Indie voices is easier than ever. In my searches on Myspace I have discovered many great talents. Each one has their story and their voice. Jon Zucker is one such great voice I have discovered. He graciously agreed to let me interview him. Read the interview here.

Interview with Country Music Super Star Trace Adkins

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Interview Date: January 16th 2008

If you are a country music fan, than you without a doubt know who Trace Adkins is. I have always been a fan of Trace Adkins, therefore when I found out I had the opportunity to interview Trace Adkins I was thrilled. You can read the interview here.

Interview with Country Music Star Luke Bryan

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Interview Date: December 21st 2007

Luke Bryan is a country music singer/songwriter, he made his debut in 2007 with the song "All my Friends Say" off his album titled "I'll Stay Me". Luke was born and raised in Leesburg, Georgia. Before his CD debut, Luke Bryan moved to Nashville in 2001 and got a deal as a songwriter. Luke co-wrote "Good Directions" which spent three weeks at #1 on Billboards U.S hot country songs charts in 2007 for country singer Billy Currington. Luke is having great success in country music and I was lucky enough to land an interview with this country artist, who has already achieved so much and has many great things ahead of him.You can read the interview here.

All My Friends Say

Interview with Judd Starr

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:42:00 +0000

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.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Firefly - Judd Starr

My 2nd Interview with Taylor Hicks

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:06:00 +0000

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.

Read more from Taylor.

Interview with Ben Romans from The Click Five

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:03:00 +0000

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.

Go here to read the rest.

Interview with Kenny Vasoli from The Starting Line

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Read the rest by going here.

Interview with Dan Hunter - Play Radio Play

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:57:00 +0000

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.

To read the rest of the interview click here.

Bucky Covington A Different World

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:28:00 +0000

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.

Read the Rest here

Interview with Relient K

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:07:00 +0000

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.

Read the Rest Here

Ross Copperman

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 21:03:00 +0000

Ross started writing songs in college. A teacher encouraged him to keep it up. Ross Copperman soon won several prestigious competitions, one of which earned him a 40 date US college tour. After this it didn't take long for record deals to start being offered to Ross, who finally made the decision of signing with a UK label. This blue eyed soul boy of indie rock then moved to London and his career started taking off. Here is what Ross Copperman has to say about his new CD "Welcome to Reality", having a song played on a popular television show and much more.

Tell me about your newest CD?

RC - My New album is called "Welcome to Reality" and it's a 13 track record. It is basically my life from the past 2 years. It is a very raw and real exploration of my past experiences.

What are your other CDS called and when released?

RC - My first CD was called "Believe" and it was released about 3 years ago.

Where do you typically play or do you go all over?

RC - I have played over the United States and I am currently touring the UK.

Read the rest of he interview

Hughes

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Hughes is a band that consists of musicians that have been out in the music scene for a long time doing different things, before coming together and forming Hughes .

Hughes is currently a semi-finalist in the 2007 Emergenza Festival and they were recently selected as a finalist in The Unveiling Christian Music Talent Contest hosted by onseeker.com. Now on to the interview to see how Hughes was created and what they want for the future of their band.

Can you tell me a little bit about who all's involved in the band?

HB - Well right now it's myself Adam Hughes, I was the lead singer of Second Stone for 10 years and me and Dave Ashley hooked up about a year ago and decided to put Hughes into existence, we have Frank Romero he's on bass he joined us in September or October, Al Boyce on Drums who joined us a couple months ago and then we have David Busby on lead guitar and he just joined us last week. That is our crew

When was the Debut CD Released?

HB - "Do it all Again" was released in September. After we got the CD done Dave and I put the rest of the band together. So these guys actually aren't on this CD they will be on the next and they play with us live. This CD was already done before they came onboard.

I saw the myspace site for "Polaradio" and noticed the name Hughes there. Is that a band of yours also?

HB - No that's my brother's band. Dusty Hughes is my brother and he was the producer on the CD. He has won several awards for his producing career and he has done work with The Cranberries, Depeche Mode, David Bowie, and Collective Soul. We are real fortunate to have him producing us.
To learn more click here

No Video but listen to Hughes at http://www.mp3.com/media_player/viewer.php?action=launch_player_by_id&ref_id=21700513&ref_type_id=3&edid=&ptid=&ontid=&rgroup="

Chubby Checker

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:54:00 +0000

I was very much honored to be granted the privilege of having a very nice chat with The King of The Twist. The man who started a dance craze that changed the way we would dance forever. There is no way you can talk to Chubby Checker and not come away feeling like you have talked to a long time friend that has a lot of insight into the music business as well as life in general. Chubby and I chatted for a few before the interview began about how each of us was doing and such.

Chubby started the interview by asking me a question.

Chubby - Have you heard my new CD "Knock down the Walls?"

I told him no I did not know he had a new CD.

Chubby - (laughing) "Oh you think I just died huh?"

Of course I informed Chubby that I had seen him in concert this past summer, however I did not know he was still recording CDS, until I saw on the Internet that he had a new CD titled "The Original Master of the Dance Hall Beat" by Chubby C & OD, featuring Inner Circle. It was on the Billboard Chart in 2004 attracting a new generation of Chubby Checker fans. He informed me however that, that CD was a couple years ago. It's high point in 2004 on the Billboard Maxi Single chart was #3, for the whole year it was #17 on the chart. That is a great accomplishment for someone who has been in the business as long as Chubby has. From the sample I heard online this is defiantly different music than I expected but I did enjoy what I heard and so does my 16 year old son. Chubby told me that this however is not the CD he was talking about. He has another CD called "Knock down the Walls." Chubby is sending me a copy of the CD and in a few days I will have a review up for all of you to read. It can be purchased on Itunes as well.

Approximately how many shows do you do during each year?

Chubby - Oh... 1 or 2 a month

Where do you mostly play - any certain areas or all over?

To find out what else Chubby had to say go here

Kellie Pickler Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:30:00 +0000

Kellie Pickler's bubbly TV presence has led to work as a red carpet correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Where she got to interview several celebrity's on the red carpet. Kellie will tour with Brad Paisley in 2007.

20th Century Fox and 19 Television are currently working on a situational comedy that will be starring Kellie Pickler as a naïve small-town Southern girl, who discovers her biological father is the state's governor. Today I spoke with Kellie Pickler on the phone for a brief interview. Here is the conversation we had.

What song on the CD was the most fun for you?

The most fun, oh gosh they were all great for me. Umm I love "Red High Heels" of course because it's kind of like my girls anthem. And I love shoes so that's always fun to sing about (laughing). "Things that Never Cross a Mans Mind" is probably one of my favorite upbeat tempo songs because it is just a sassy song, and it's a fun song.

What song on the CD is your favorite?

Didn't you Know How Much I Loved You? That's my favorite one.

I let Kellie know we have the CD and like every song on the CD. She enthusiastically replied

Thanks!!

Do you have any future plans to make a second album?

This album has just come out three months ago. So right now we're just riding this one and we have only released one single. But I am planning to record again in the future. However not until this album has done what it's going to do.

To read the rest of this interview click here

Katharine McPhee

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Katharine McPhee was born in the Los Angeles, in the neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, She has been singing since the age of two. She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang "God Bless the Child," originally performed by Billie Holiday.

Katharine toured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and performed in three of his concerts during his tour in the United States from June 9 through June 11, 2006. The duo performed "The Prayer and "Somos Novios"/"It's Impossible" In June of 2006. . Her self titled CD Katharine McPhee will be in stores January 30th 2007.

January 16th I got to speak with Katharine McPhee for a brief interview via phone.

What have been the best and worst moments of this past year?

Katharine - I would say the best would be the whole experience of Idol. There are some great moments with Idol overall, it's such a positive thing. But when the show was finished I was relieved that it was over. That was one of the best.

I would say that the worst would be coming off of Idol and then becoming really fatigued and then my vocal cords and then breaking my foot right after that. Those were a few rough couple of months for me.

So is everything going alright now?

Katharine - "Yes everything is fine."

To Read the rest click here

Taylor Hicks Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Wright) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:19:00 +0000

Taylor Hicks has fans all over the world. The fan base known as The Soul Patrol is a huge fan base that continues to grow each day, as more and more people that hear Taylor Hicks know that his soulful voice is addicting. His love of music and his enjoyment of pleasing his fans is a joy to experience in todays world of the same music everyday. Taylor Hicks is bringing back soulful/bluesy music that tells a story in each song. His New CD titled Taylor Hicks is filled with 12 truly great soul inspiring songs. There is something on this CD for every musical taste. Taylor Hicks worked his butt off for 10 years trying to get someone to take him seriously. Thanks to American Idol, Taylor Hicks was seen by America, and he was instantly loved by thousands. Each week he gave it his all and the fan base grew, eventually becoming known as The Soul Patrol. American viewers knew Taylor Hicks was the one to bring real music back and he was voted #1 and given the shot to prove what his fans already knew, Taylor Hicks was the best choice.

I was given the opportunity to interview this extremely talented man via phone. I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed talking with Taylor Hicks.

First J Records called and connected me to Taylor on speaker phone. Taylor and I greeted each other.

How is the promotional tour for you album going?

Taylor - It's going great, I'm having a ball, I'm loving my job, I love my job!!

I told Taylor I really enjoy his music and just that day, Dec 5th had heard the whole album at VH1 and I thought he defiantly had a winner album.

Taylor- Good I'm really happy about that I think it's you know a good soulful start to my major debut.

I then told Taylor I think the album is exactly what he said it would be.

Taylor - Well thats really too good to hear, I'm really glad to hear that.

You're used to writing your own songs and having full creative control,

Taylor - Yep!

However, of some of the songs on this album that were offered to you - which ones are you most excited about?

Taylor - I'm excited about The Right Place the one Bryan Adams gave to me. I just really think that's a great representation of me and you know, where my artistry is going, and I just think it's just that good old soulful tune, you know.

To read the rest of the interview click Here