METALLICA ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF NEW ANNUAL MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE THIS SUMMER ORION MUSIC + MORE HEADLINEDBY METALLICA TO BE HELD AT BADER FIELD IN ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY ON JUNE 23 AND 24, 2012

IN ADDITION TO METALLICA THE LINE UP WILL INCLUDE ARCTIC MONKEYS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, AND MORE METALLICA MET CLUB FAN CLUB PRESALE TO BEGIN FEBRUARY 8, 2012 10AM EST

Metallica, in conjunction with friends C3 Presents, today announced the creation of Orion Music + More, a new annual music, arts, and lifestyle festival founded and headlined by the band, a natural progression for a band that has headlined legendary festivals around the world for years. Orion Music + More will take place June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“We’ve had the idea of doing our own lifestyle festival with lots of diverse music and fun and games for years,” said Lars Ulrich. “Finally this year all the practical ducks lined up in a row, and we are beyond psyched to bring Orion to our fans, friends and the curious. After the most incredible of weeks ever in December 2011 celebrating our 30th anniversary at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA, bringing the spirit of that week, the looseness of that week, the possibilities of that week, the fan interactive elements of that week, and the (fill in your own blank here) of that week to a festival setting is so exciting we can hardly contain ourselves.”

Orion Music + More will feature multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of Metallica’s band members many personal interests. Metallica will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and play “The Black Album” in its entirety one night Ride The Lightning in its entirety the other. This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012. The lineup for Orion Music + More will span multiple musical genres. From punk to country, over 20 bands will perform, including: Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, Fucked Up, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, The Sword, Liturgy, and more to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Metallica Met Club fan club presale starts tomorrow – February 8th at 10am (Eastern) and runs through Friday, February 10th at 10pm (Eastern). Met Club members get first dibs on buying festival tickets and with a couple of options to choose from.

- A Super Special Price at $125 including all fees for a 2-Day pass OR
- The MET CLUB ULTRA 2-DAY PASS, which includes Front of Stage Viewing Area Access, Exclusive Ultra Lounge Access & More for $225 including all fees!

Tickets will go on-sale to the public on Saturday, February 11th at 10 am (Eastern) for $150 for a 2-Day Pass including all fees. Visit www.orionmusicandmore.com to buy tickets.

Stay tuned for additional Orion Music + More announcements.

ABOUT METALLICA
Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica (www.metallica.com) have become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold 100 million albums worldwide and playing to millions of fans the world over. They have scored almost a dozen multi-platinumalbums, including 1991′s Metallica (commonly referred to as “The Black Album”), which is the best selling album in history of Soundscan scanning almost 15.7 million albums in the United States alone, and over 28 million worldwide. In October 2008, their latest album, DeathMagnetic, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and in 27 additional countries around the world. It was certified platinum in the United States just six weeks later. Metallica have also garnered numerous awards and accolades, including nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, and multiple MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Metallica recentlycelebrated its 30th anniversary as a band last month, performing four shows at the Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco, CA, exclusively for members of their fan club, the Metallica Club. They released the Beyond Magnetic EP via digital retailers on December 13, 2011 after giving the songs away to their fan club members. A CD version of the Beyond Magentic EP was released on January 31, 2012.

ABOUT C3 PRESENTS
C3 Presents (www.c3presents.com) creates, books, markets and produces live experiences, concerts, events, and just about anything that makes people stand up and cheer. C3 produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza in Chicago. Along with these multi-day, multi-stage festivals, C3 books and promotes more than 1,000 concerts in arenas, theaters, casinos, and clubs across the US. In 2011, C3 was the number three promoter by sales in the US, and the number seven worldwide. In addition to event creation and booking, C3 manages the careers of select artists.

NIKON® AND WARNER MUSIC GROUP TEAM UP TO ROCK SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST® (SXSW) WITH STAR-STUDDED THREE-DAY MUSIC RESIDENCY

“THE WARNER SOUND CAPTURED BY NIKON” TO FEATURE LIVE SHOWCASE PERFORMANCES BY SANTIGOLD, B.o.B, WALE, MEEK MILL, fun., AND GARY CLARK, JR.

“Your 1 Shot” CONTEST OFFERS NEW ARTISTS A CHANCE TO PERFORM LIVE AT SXSW RESIDENCY

NikonInc. and Warner Music Group are uniting to host a star-studded residency at the upcoming South by Southwest® Music & Media Conference (SXSW®) in Austin, Texas. “The Warner Sound Captured by Nikon” will make its home at Austin’s famed La Zona Rosa, with two days and three nights of showcase performances slated for March 13th through 15th.

Artists from Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records and other WMG labels will appear live at these official SXSW showcases; all SXSW badge-holders are welcome. Among the artists will be such acclaimed acts as Santigold, B.o.B Wale, Meek Mill, fun., and Gary Clark, Jr. – a full line-up will be announced shortly.

WMG and Nikon are also teaming up to search for the next great music superstar via the “Your 1 Shot” contest. Bands/artists are invited to submit one live performance video to the “Your 1 Shot” contest site, located at http://www.talenthouse.com/nikon-perform-at-sxsw. One winner, courtesy of Nikon 1, will be selected by a stellar panel of music industry experts, including A&R executives from both Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records as well as guest artists from each label’s prestigious roster. The winning artist or band will be brought in to Austin for a Wednesday, March 14th live performance at “The Warner Sound Captured by Nikon.”

In addition to earning a live performance, the “Your 1 Shot” winner will receive a new Nikon 1 J1 camera kit to capture their most memorable moments, travel and three nights’ accommodation in Austin and VIP access to “The Warner Sound Captured by Nikon.” One runner-up, as selected by Warner Music Group, will receive new Nikon photography equipment valued at up to $1,000. In addition, the “People’s Choice” artist receiving the most votes online will receive Nikon equipment valued at up to $2,000.

Artists’ submissions will be accepted through Monday, February 20th at 10 a.m. PST, with online voting set to run from February 21st through February 27th. The “Your 1 Shot” winner is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, March 6th. Warner Music Group will choose the winner(s) from all qualified submissions with special consideration for the top People’s Choice voted entries. For Official Rules, Guidelines and Terms & Conditions please visit http://www.talenthouse.com/nikon-perform-at-sxsw.

“The Warner Music Sound Captured by Nikon” is presented by Nikon, Inc., with additional sponsorship provided by TIGI Haircare, which notes that “TIGI’s Bed Head is proud to be the official hair care partner of the Warner Sound Captured by Nikon, providing fans the opportunity to primp before they rock out at the show!”

Follow @thewarnersound on Twitter for more announcements about WMG’s SXSW® showcases at “The Warner Sound Captured by Nikon.”

ABOUT NIKON: Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics as well as the new Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system. In 2011, production of NIKKOR lenses surpassed 65 million, creating a new milestone in Nikon’s heritage of superior optics. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web’s most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nikon and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @Nikon_USA.

ABOUT WARNER MUSIC GROUP: With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

SANDÉ ON THE ROAD WITH COLDPLAY IN THE UK AND EUROPE THIS MONTH

New York, NY — Scottish-born singer and songwriter Emeli Sandé, who has been thrilling fans across the Atlantic over the past year with her rich, soulful voice and sophisticated songwriting, will release her debut album in the US, entitled Our Version of Events, in late spring. The recent winner of the BRIT Critics’ Choice award (previous winners include Adele and Florence + the Machine), Sandé’s album will include UK singles, “Heaven,” which climbed to No. 2 on the British singles chart, and the recently released “Daddy,” which she performed on the UK edition of The X Factor.

Sandé has also been hand-selected by superstar rock band Coldplay to open its current arena tour, including shows in London, Paris, The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium this month. She also opened for Alicia Keys earlier this year in London. Keys was so impressed she told UK magazine Dazed and Confused Sandè’s, “a magnificent new artist… We did some writing together for my upcoming record. I just love her style and her flow – super raw” and Adele, upon viewing Sandè’s performance on Jools Holland, simply Tweeted “How incredible is she?”

Sandé was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a Zambian father and a Cumbrian mother. A fervent songwriter since the age of 10, she relocated to Glasgow for college where she studied medicine for six years before deciding to commit herself to a life as a musical artist. She scored her first Top 10 hit with “Diamond Rings,” a track she wrote for British rapper Chipmunk, and scored another, “Never Be Your Woman”, with grime DJ Wiley. A favorite of music impresario Simon Cowell, who called her “his favorite songwriter at the moment” and tapped her to write for Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, Sandé has also worked with Tinie Tempah, Cheryl Cole, and Professor Green, scoring the No. 1 “Read All About It” with him.

Our Version of Events, which will be released in her native land in February, reveals Sandé to be an uncompromising creative force in the vein of Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Lauryn Hill (each of whom Sandé namechecks as a key influence on her heady, unforgettable sound. Taking a cue from Mitchell and her other songwriting idols, she achieves an irresistible contemporary-yet-timeless quality on Our Version of Events. “I can still relate to a Joni song, even though it’s 25 years old, which is what is important to me,” she says. “I’m not too bothered about what category my music goes in and there’s no point in limiting who you can reach, but I want it to be respected.”

As The UK’s ID magazine has noted: “Emeli Sandé is not the next so and so. She’s the person other acts will be compared to in the coming years.”

“dreamy, melancholy and utterly captivating” – NPR World Cafe

“[Marissa Nadler] isn’t the work of an artist who discovered what she wants to sound like;
it’s the work of an artist who’s just discovering what she’s capable of. ”
- Pitchfork’s Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention

Watch “In Your Lair, Bear” video

Boston-based dream-folk artist Marissa Nadler has debuted a brand new video for “In Your Lair, Bear,” the first track off her critically acclaimed self-titled full-length, that Pitchfork awarded with an “Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention” and was featured in American Songwriter, WXPN, and Drowned In Sound ‘s favorite albums of the year lists. Marissa produced the video alongside Alec K. Refearn, who also directed it. Shot in her Massachusetts home, Nadler said “This is a video to encapsulate the themes that are lyrically portrayed in the song.” Nadler is now putting the finishing touches on a followup EP to her s/t release due out in 2012, and will perform a one-off show in San Francisco and a NYE show at the Boston Public Library with Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O’Doherty. More details about the forthcoming release to follow.

Nadler recently gave away two covers of Loudon Wainwright III’s “Motel Blues” and Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” from her Covers Volume II album available now at her Etsy shop. Covers Volume II follows her s/t album released earlier this year with her own Box of Cedar Records. After releasing several albums with Kemado (and having one of her songs inspire the name for vinyl start-up Mexican Summer), Nadler ventured out independently for this s/t album, which has been featured on NPR “World Cafe: Next,” NPR First Listen, Vogue, KEXP, Pitchfork ‘Overlooked Records of 2011′ with an 8.1 album review, one of SPIN’s “5 Best New Artists for June.”

Marissa Nadler Live

12/8 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord w/ Emily Jane White
12/31 – Boston, MA – Boston Public Library-Rabb Hall
w/ Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O’Doherty

Over the course of ten albums, not to mention an avalanche of side projects, remixes and collaborations, Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars established themselves as two of the most inventive and unpredictable artists in electronic music. However, since they delivered the bracing, angular salvo that was Varcharz back in 2006, there has been an uncharacteristic period of silence.

In 2012, that silence is broken. Mouse on Mars’ triumphant return comes in the shape of Parastrophics, a life-affirming and constantly surprising album which is crammed with ideas, exuberance and sheer kinetic energy. It’s like listening to the entire history of pop music – distilled, refined and crystallized into a string of compulsive new shapes, full of glitter, intrigue and addictive detail. Atomized fragments from two lifetimes of listening flare and fade, tiny scraps of memory shrapnel hover, tantalizing and insubstantial, before being whisked away by the next impatient idea.

Despite all that restless curiosity, Parastrophics also demonstrates a peerless command of pace. Whereas some previous Mouse On Mars’ releases have bordered on the frenetic, their latest displays a subtle but persuasive sense of control. Even when tempos climb, 303s squirm and kick / snare patterns snap to brisk attention, there’s an elegance to the way that each element slips in and out of the mix which speaks of maturity. Parastrophics is as a playful as ever, but it’s never throwaway. The closing track “Seaqz“ is the perfect illustration, a frenetic romp which is perfectly held in check by gracefully undulating melodies; it brings into focus the beguiling sense of confidence that suffuses the whole record. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that, after six years away, Mouse On Mars have come back with their best record yet.

Mouse on Mars’ Parastrophics is out February 28, 2012 on Monkeytown Records.

Listen to a sneak peak of Mouse on Mars’ “chordblocker, cinnamon toasted” here:

Parastrophics Tracklisting:
01. the beach stop
02. chordblocker, cinnamon toasted
03. metrotopy
04. wienuss
05. they know your name
06. syncropticians
07. cricket
08. imatch
09. polaroyced
10. gearknot cherry
11. bruised to imwimper
12. baku hipster
13. seaqz

In the spirit of the season, Anna Vogelzang has carried on her tradition of recording holiday songs towards the end of the year to share with friends and family. The practice began in 2008 when she’d just moved to Madison, WI after a stint in Chicago. Having yet to start a new day job, she found herself without a lot of extra funds to buy gifts, but also with more space for home recording in her new apartment than she’d ever had before. So as a way to show appreciation to friends and family, she and her partner Andrew Young recorded a six song EP, and packaged it in hand-made sleeves to give out as presents. Every year since she’s continued the tradition, and while she hasn’t made them public in the past, this year she’s putting a few songs on display for fans. Below you will find some great options for your 2012 holiday party playlist. Stream, Download, and feel free to share.

Silent Night – Stream
Jingle Bells – Stream
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Stream

In the new year Anna will begin preparing for the release of her new album Canary In A Coal Mine, out February 28th on Paper Anchor Music.

In recording Canary In A Coal Mine, Vogelzang enlisted the help of a wide cast of professional players including Franz Nicolay on accordion (former Hold Steady), Brian Viglione on drums (Dresden Dolls), Todd Sickafoose on upright bass (Righteous Babe/Ani DiFranco) and Emily Hope Price on cello (Pearl & the Beard). In the studio she teamed with producer James Frazee (Blondie, Betty LaVette) to create a shimmering and fully crafted folk pop landscape accented with flowing strings, plucky banjos, and Vogelzang’s warm and inviting full-throated vocals filling and floating above the spaces in between.

In The Rock Hall is the epic second album by Bidiniband, the estimable Toronto quartet led by former Rheostatic and award-winning author Dave Bidini. Bidini is the only Canadian artist to be nominated for a Juno, Gemini and Genie Award, as well as a finalist in 2012′s CBC Canada Reads series. With In the Rock Hall– released January 24, 2012 on Pheromone Recordings– Bidini returns to his roots as an artist alongside his longstanding bandmates drummer Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith), guitarist Paul Linklater (Pinecones) and bassist Doug Friesen (John K Samson, Peter Elkas). In The Rock Hall was recorded in only six days at Revolution Recording in Toronto with engineer Joe Dunphy. The record was mixed by Michael Phillip-Wojewoda (BNL, Rheostatics).

This was the first album to be recorded in Toronto’s new state of the art studio and was the result of two years of constant gigging in the clubs, taverns, bars and shanties of Canada. The songs were also recorded live off the floor with but a single guitar overdub. The title track is based on the poem “In the Rock Hall” by author Paul Quarrington, and another track, “Eunoia,” draws its lyrics from the epic literary work of the same name by Christian Bok. Other songs explore similarly wild and esoteric Bidiniband themes: pirates, war, dating, travel, The Smurfs, engines, the waterways, and movie-making. All of that and a song about Johnny Winter.

Mastered by Joao Carvalho, In the Rock Hall is an expressive, white-hot rock and roll statement from one of Canada’s longstanding musical and literary pioneers and counts among his finest work in an artistic life that has already spanned four decades.

In celebration of the release of In The Rock Hall, Bidiniband will be playing The Dakota Tavern on January 24th from 7 until 10 pm. The night will be filled with surprise guests, noisemakers, amp throwing, squirrel-toss, balloon drinking, dart poker and underwear bingo. And, one really good drum solo.

Catch the band while they make their way across Canada:

01/26/12 – Hamilton Bidiniband and reading Casbah Lounge
01/27/12 – Toronto Bidiniband (7pm) Toronto Reference Library
01/27/12 – St. Catharines Bidiniband (11 pm) The Merchant Ale House
01/28/12 – Toronto CD Release Show The Dakota Tavern
02/07/12 – Halifax with Sean Panting Carleton
02/09/12 – Charlottetown Bidiniband Stolen From a Hockey Card Show
02/19/12 – Toronto Bidiniband Harbourfront Skate Festival

John Flansburgh aka DJ Flansy Curates Playlist
For Guggenheim “Art After Dark” Event, Dec 9

International Tour Continues in the US This Winter

“After 30 years, They Might Be Giants retain the virtues that have endeared them to everyone from indie-favoring hipsters to the preschool set… ”
- USA Today ***

“They Might Be Giants is a band that simply loves making music, something that still excites them after almost 30 years.”
- Billboard

“As nerd culture and popular culture have become virtually indistinguishable, TMBG is nobody’s secret; for proof, ask just about any kid.”
- NPR

In the many months spent creating and then promoting their summer hit record Join Us, They Might Be Giants recorded several new tracks, not all of which made it onto the album. The band has compiled the best of these recordings to create a brand new full-length, made up of rarities and many previously unheard tracks. An eclectic follow-up to their latest LP, Album Raises New and Troubling Questions is out now alongside Join Us on Idlewild Recordings.

On Album Raises New and Troubling Questions, the band puts a unique electronic twist on their classic track “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” Today the band has unleashed the brand new video for the Electronic Istanbul (Not Constantinople)– watch the trippy video

The Guggenheim is hosting an after-hours celebration of Maurizio Cattelan: All, the exhibition the New York Times calls, “one of the most audacious exhibitions in the Guggenheim’s half-century.” The event will take place on Friday, December 9th and features a specially curated playlist by TMBG’s John Flansburgh AKA DJ Flansy. Click here for more detail on the event. Tickets are available for purchase at the door.

Revered for their unique brand of rock and energized live show be sure to catch They Might Be Giants as they continue their US tour with Jonathan Coulton this winter in a city near you!

?They Might Be Giants Tour Dates
# = w/Jonathan Coulton

1/27: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Rio Theatre
1/28: Los Angeles, CA (Special Family Show) @ Royce Hall UCLA
1/28: Los Angeles, CA – 30th Anniversary Show @ Royce Hall UCLA
1/29: Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
1/30: Tucson, AZ -@The Rialto Theatre
2/1: Tulsa, OK (Rescheduled from Sept.) @ Cain’s Ballroom #
2/2: Dallas, TX @ The Granada Theatre #
2/3: Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa #
2/4: New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s #
2/7: Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor #
2/8: Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live #
2/9: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall #
2/10: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
2/11: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
2/12: Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29 #
2/14: Charlotte, NC @ McGlohan Theater at Spirit Square #
2/15: Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre #
2/16: Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre #
2/17: Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
3/8: Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theater #
3/9: Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel #
3/10: New York, NY @ Terminal 5 #

Work Created Specifically for MoMA

PopRally Presents RELIQUARY HOUSE: An Evening with Oneothrix Point Never and Nate Boyce
Saturday, December 17, 2011
9:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
The Museum of Modern Art

WHAT: PopRally will premiere of the multimedia performance RELIQUARY HOUSE by Oneohtrix Point Never and visual artist Nate Boyce, created specifically for The Museum of Modern Art.

OPN and Boyce re-imagine the canon of modernist sculpture through hallucinatory reconstructions of works by David Smith, Jacob Epstein, and Anthony Caro, among other sculptures in MoMA’s collection. Boyce uses computer-generated imagery to transform these sculptures into kinetic apparitions that inhabit incongruous and “impossible” landscapes and architectural environments. Abetted by OPN’s sound design, Boyce reconfigures the museum setting, pulling historical art objects into a new context.

The performance is bookended by a screening of selected video works that confront notions of “the image as object” and the visceral dimensions of sound and images. In addition, Matt Werth provides interstitial “sound sets.”

Attendees will have access to four MoMA exhibitions throughout the evening: Contemporary Art from the Collection, 1980–Now; Harun Farocki: Images of War (at a Distance); Thing/Thought: Fluxus Editions, 1962–1978; Sanja Ivekovi?: Sweet Violence; and Projects 96: Haris Epaminonda.

PopRally: Launched in April 2006, this program of events at The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 features collaborations with artists and musicians, performances, film screenings, receptions, and special viewings of exhibitions at moderate prices. Past events have included performances by Sigur Rós, Cat Power, Les Savy Fav, Patti Smith, Chicks on Speed, The Raincoasts, DFA records, and PaperRad and friends. Additional information on PopRally is available at MoMA.org/poprally.

WHERE: The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street

WHEN: Saturday, December 17, 2011
9:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
The performance beings at 9:30 p.m.

TICKETS: $18 in advance, $22 at the door. Available online at MoMA.org/poprally.
Admission includes performance, access to galleries, and cocktails.
Attendees must be 21 or older to attend this event.
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SPONSORSHIP: PopRally is supported in part by The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art. Additional support by Sud de France Wines and Brooklyn Brewery.

Gramatik is one of the flyest and most passionate artists in music. I had the opportunity to catch up with him and Michael Menart at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge, where this dynamic duo dished out their thoughts on their art, business, and…tomatoes. 

One of the most difficult aspects of working in the music industry is finding the balance between business and art. Gramatik and Michael Menart have successfully mastered this recipe. They have the perfect varietal blend of samples, beats, and melodies that make it hard to find a genre for their eclectic songs.  Essentially, channeling this constant use of variety makes their pieces simply amazing. 

G: I’ve never been a fan of labeling myself as one genre. To an artists, that’s a total limitation and it’s not natural.  It’s weird to me because we look at it and we are making art, and every art is unique.  My appetite is way more than one genre.  In fact, I listen to twelve different ones on a daily basis.

MM: If you do one thing that’s a signature, it’s hard to break away from it. If you follow one element of style, it limits you to a certain style and feel. It’s hard to have certain elements of music in certain genres that have this categorical feel to them.  Some artists flock to that.  That’s all they do and I never want to do that in my life.

Both Gramatik’s and Michael Menart’s true artistic form beams through when discussing the topic of business.  Even when it comes to their performances, both of them express their desire to make music as an art form rather than being controlled by any source other than their own. Thankfully, they both have the fortunate opportunity to channel their artistic skill and philosophy by being on the independent label, Pretty Lights Music.  From their music to their shows, they are creating an independent avenue that is often rare to find among musicians. 

G: One example is me and Michael are co-headlining this tour so our managers thought we would choose the obvious route when we co-headline where each night, one goes first, and switch off. It arouses two tensions for who’s going to headline the last biggest cities.  In order to avoid that, we came up with the idea that during every show there is going to be 4 slots for 40 minutes.  I go on, then he goes, I go on he goes on, then encore together.  Every night we end up together. If offers variety.  I start off with more hip-hop beats, like more street bangers, and then Mike comes on with his mellow sound.  Then the other two sets, we just kind of crank and go through that glitch-hop.  In the encore, we just go crazy and each of us drops one track.  It’s fun!

In terms the overall music business…

G: We are not competing with anyone and we are not making products.  We are making art and that’s the way we want to keep it. We want money just as much as the next guy, but we don’t want to do it the wrong way. There’s a right way of making money.  We don’t want to do music because that’s the hot thing to do.  We’ve always been doing music and we like it. There are many things in my life I’m not good at, but this is one thing I am.

MM: We didn’t hear music and get moved by it and say, “Oh I bet I could get money off this song.”  Since I was a small child, I was immersed in music and wanted to discover it.  There was nothing to do with money in return.  The return was being a part of the music.

G: To me, music is personal.  People always ask us, “What does your work process look like?” They always presume we have a steady 9-5 working process or we are working in a factory.  It’s never like that.  It’s never in the same process.  When you are making art, you are a slave to your creative impulses and it cannot be predicted or forcibly produced.  You have to wait for it to come and then be ready to seize them because they go away very fast. Many people have creative impulses but just ignore them and go about their life. I have friends that have just as good as impulses as I do, but do nothing with it. You have to try to know yourself as much as possible to see how your thought process works and work within that.  To a certain extent, you have to be responsible. You keep yourself in mind and figure out a way to harvest those impulses.  I used to ask myself, “How can I make a good track one day and a crappy track another day?” You just don’t know how your thought process works.  As you get older, you get wiser and you work around that. The past 2-3 years, I’ve been happy with the way I work and try to keep a system which keeps it all together. I’ve only figured out about 10-20 % of how my mind works, and I’m still getting there. I started being more focused on achieving my goal in music for the soul reason I didn’t want to be doing a 9-5 job.  Humans are dynamic beings that are not robots and putting ourselves in a static environment for 30-35 years destroys you.  I’ve seen what it does to people. It crushes your spirit.  If you have a choice to not do it, why not?

MM: Everyone puts their dream in the back seat and they say, “When I retire I’ll do that.” I don’t even know if I’ll live that long.  I would rather regret doing something than not doing it.

G: “I would rather die trying than die wondering.”  That’s one of my favorite quotes.  Life is short and what does it amount to at the end of the row?  All it comes down to is trying to do your best and be happy.  Me and Mike have been blessed with talent in being able to make music; music that people like.  It would be irresponsible for us to not try and pursue our dream because there several people that don’t have talents and would love to have them.

Not only does this dynamic duo share the same opinions on music, but they share the same opinions on….tomatoes as well. 

G: Mike and I discovered we have alot of points in common; for example, we both don’t like tomatoes.  We always say, “No egos, no tomatoes.”  Egos are bad, but tomatoes are even worse. There’s a holiday in Spain where the entire city is covered in tomatoes and that would be a nightmare for us.

MM: We are going to try to do that for immersion therapy.  Overcome the fear.

In terms of life (not tomatoes), both these fellas should fear nothing and seem like they can take any obstacle that life throws at them.  Their interview was undoubtedly the most sincere, passionate, and refreshing interview I have ever conducted.  Both represent the type of artists who will save the music business from the commercial corruption and they will forever bestow hope for the business. Much appreciated. 

Oh, and did I mention that their show was absolutely ohmyfuckinggawdincredible???