Tag: interview

Allgemein, Interviews

Wincent Weiss zum Zweiten

kekoaskorner

Kekoaskorner durfte zum zweiten Mal Wincent Weiss interviewen. (hier geht’s zum ersten Interview) Dieses Mal natürlich Coronabedingt per Zoom.

Dein Neues Album Vielleicht Irgendwann ist seit kurzem releast. Du hast einige Vlogs zum Songwriting gedreht. Wie, würdest du sagen, schreibst du deine Lieder am besten?

Am besten schreibe ich die Songs im Team. Ich schreibe mir kurz auf worüber ich schreiben möchte – die ersten Gedanken.
Das Ausarbeiten ist dann immer im Studio mit meinen Freunden. Songwriting ist für mich Teamarbeit.

Würdest du sagen, du hast zuerst die Melodie und dann Text oder umgekehrt?

Es wäre so schön, wenns da so eine Regel gebe. Es ist immer unterschiedlich. Mal ist der Text zuerst da und die Melodie wird drum rum gebaut und dann wieder umgekehrt. Es gibt leider kein Rezept wie Songwriting funktioniert. Schade eigentlich!

Sonst würden’s alle machen 😉

Was wolltest du schon immer machen, konntest es bisher aufgrund deiner Karriere nicht tun?

Da gibt es bestimmt einiges. Ich hab letztens gemerkt, dass ich gerne wieder in einem Verein Sport machen würde. So regelmässig Dienstag und Donnerstag in den Verein gehen. Egal was Fussball, Basketball…

Ich wollte eigentlich dieses Jahr Fallschirmspringen!

Diese zwei Sachen würde ich gerne machen.

Wow. Also keine Höhenangst?

Nee gar nicht.

Was hast du Neues über dich gelernt während Corona?

Das man sich Zeit für sich nehmen sollte. Das habe ich die letzten 5 Jahre nicht gemacht und das letzte Jahr aber viel. Zeit zum Selbstreflektieren, Zeit zum Wahrnehmen, Zeit für sich, das ist ganz ganz wichtig. Muss ich noch lernen öfters einzubauen.

Auch bei uns Konzertgänger ist das Thema Corona allgegenwärtig. Denkst du, wir sehen dich bald in der Schweiz an einem Konzert?

Wir arbeiten dran! Durch die Pandemie, darf man ja nicht so oft spielen wie man gerne möchte bzw. gar nicht. Ich versuch natürlich alles, dass ich wieder in Deutschland, der Schweiz etc. wieder auf die Bühne darf. Ich hoffe, dass es dieses Jahr noch klappt.

Wird es wieder ein Medley bei den Konzerten geben? Schon eine Ahnung mit welchen Songs?

Ja, ein Medley wird es sicher wieder geben. Ich möchte, das immer an den Konzerten machen. Wir hatten aber noch keine Bandproben. Dann schauen wir mal was es für Songs gibt und was man machen kann.
Ich liebe die Medley’s und bei den Fans kamen sie auch gut an. Jetzt können wir sogar 2 Jahre in die Medley’s packen! Wird ein langes Medley 🙂

Ein Sommersong für die Sommerkonzerte! 🙂

Du hast schon eine ziemliche Sammlung an Konzerterinnerungen: welches ist deine wertvollste Erinnerung und welches dein emotionalster Konzertmoment?

Boah, schwierige Frage. Das Konzert ist immer das Highlight am Tag – wie eine Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle. Einer der beeindruckendsten Momente war in der Schweiz im Stade de Suisse – weil es einfach eines der grösste Konzerte, die ich gespielt habe. Auch mein allererstes Konzert war auch im Hallenstadion in Zürich als Vorband von Andreas Bourani. Da war ich so unfassbar aufgeregt. Das war krass. Da denke ich aber gerne dran zurück. Habe letztes eine Erinnerung bekommen auf Social Media, das war vor 5 Jahren! Unglaublich.

Apropos Konzertmomente… Letztes Jahr als du da warst, verteilten Vanessa und Daniela 2000 Herze in der Samsung Hall. Vielleicht kannst du dich da noch erinnern.

Ich habe das Gefühl, dass bei mir die ganzen Fanaktionen extrem präsent sind. Ich kenn das bei anderen Künstler gar nicht, dass da soviel gemacht wird. Bei mir ist es so riesig, alleine 2000 Herzen!

Wie steht es mit deinem Schweizerdeutsch?

Puhh… jedes Mal wenn ich in der Schweiz bin, möchte ich es besser machen. Leider wird es nicht ganz so viel besser. Ich verstehe es, eigentlich ganz gut, aber sprechen kann ich es nicht. Ich bin auch schlecht darin, andere Sprachen zu sprechen.

Du hast ja nun doch schon das eine oder andere Tattoo – welches ist dein neustes und wofür steht es?

Mein neustes müsste eigentlich auf dem Knie sein. Da steht “Schreiben”. Das ist ein Partnertattoo mit meinem Songwriter-Kollege. Seit 7 Jahren schreibe ich mit ihm alle meine Songs und deswegen verbindet uns das Schreiben und jetzt eben dieses Freundschaftstattoo.

Schön. Tattoos müssen für mich immer etwas bedeuten.

Ja klar. Man muss etwas in Verbindung bringen, was einem etwas bedeutet. Ich habe mittlerweile 9 Stück oder so und weiss bei jedem, wann das war, wo das war, welche Situation und was ich damit verbinde. Viele schauen auf ihr Handy die Bilder an und ich auf mein Bein und hab schöne Erinnerungen.

Was bedeutet dir dein Without Fear Tattoo? Und hast du ein Lieblingssong von Dermot Kennedy?

Er ist ein Artist, der mich sehr inspiriert. Er darf gerne mehr Alben rausbringen 🙂 Er ist als Songwriter geil, als Sänger geil, die Livekonzerte sind super. Without Fear darum, weil ich wüsste noch wovor ich Angst haben sollte in meinen Leben. Ich schaue immer super optimistisch nach vorne, deswegen passte der Titel.

Beschreibe deine Crew in 10 Worten.

Familiär, weil wir ja seit 7 Jahren schon zusammen sind.

Loyal

Lustig

Manchmal auch schwierig.

Super Musikalisch!

Unfassbar kreativ

Launisch *lacht*

Alt, ich bin ja der Jüngste

Verfressen, aber sehr sehr liebenswürdig

Dein Buddy Johannes Oerding ist ja zurzeit Host bei Sing meinen Song. Könntest du dir das auch vorstellen?

Ja, das könnte ich mir schon vorstellen. Aber erst zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt, wenn ich mehr Erfahrung gesammelt habe und bisschen länger im Musikgeschäft bin. Johannes hat ja mittlerweile 6 Alben und macht seit dem er Kind ist Musik, hat also super viele Erfahrungen schon sammeln dürfen.
Ich bin da realistisch und würde gerne noch mehr Erfahrungen sammeln, aber gerne in ein paar Jahren.

Funny Questions mit Wincent Weiss

Was war das Lustigste, dass dir je auf einer Bühne passiert ist?

Was ist dein Lieblingsspiel?

Ich glaube Wizzard, ein Kartenspiel. Das spiele ich auch mit meinen Grosseltern.

Dein Lieblingswitz?

Oh ich kann keine Witze erzählen… *überlegt*

Er fängt etwas an zu erzählen, aber die Zoomverbindung ist genau in dem Moment sehr schlecht…

Zum Glück! Ich kann echt keine Witze erzählen! 🙂

Beende den Satz mit Wincent Weiss

Danke Wincent für das Interview!

Follow Wincent Weiss’ career

Instagram: Wincent Weiss
Facebook: Wincent Weiss
Homepage: Wincent Weiss

Allgemein, Interviews

Rita Roof – ein Schweizer Powergirl!

kekoaskorner

Heute feiert Rita Roof den Release ihres ersten Albums “Stimm i mir”. Das Album ist der perfekte Soundtrack für chillige Sommerabende, die wir hoffentlich bald wieder geniessen dürfen. Kekoas Korner traf sie zum Interview. Viel Spass beim Schauen!

Das Album “Stimm i mir” auf Spotify. Loset ine!

Follow Rita Roof’s career

Instagram: Rita Roof
Facebook: Rita Roof

Allgemein, Interviews

Patrick Droney on songwriting and the magic of live music

kekoaskorner
Singer songwriter Patrick Droney moved to Nashville 5 years ago. The influence of the bustling music city and the mekka of songwriting can be heard in his new single “State of the Heart” which will be released this Friday, 26th March. The single is the second song from his album which is set to come out in June. Kekoas Korner was able to talk to him just ahead of the release.

We talked about how much we miss live music and Patrick gave us Nashville sight-seeing advice so I am sure you’ll enjoy our 10min talk which you can watch here:

Patrick Droney’s bucket list venues are also on mine! Slane Castle is a huge estate in Ireland which hosted many great live shows already such as Metallica or Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Situated in the middle of a 1,500 acre estate in the heart of the Boyne Valley, Slane Castle is the perfect venue for big outdoor gigs

Red Rocks of course. If you’ve been following my blog you heard a few artists already mentioning this amazing venue. The amphitheatre is located in Colorado and has been the home of many great nights of big artists such as The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and Colorado’s very own OneRepublic.

If you’ve enjoyed this interview make sure you follow him on his social media and check out tomorrow’s release “State of the Heart”!

Follow Patrick Droney’s career

Instagram: Patrick Droney
Facebook: Patrick Droney
Homepage: Patrick Droney

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Allgemein, Interviews

Sheppard talk new music, fans and food

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The Australian band Sheppard best known for their Uber hit “Geronimo” released their newest record “Kaleidoscope Eyes” on 26th February. We met up on Zoom to talk about their favourite songs and the differences between countries while touring.

Hi guys, how are you doing?

Amy: We just finished our production rehearsal. We have a show here on Friday. We had a full day of rehearsing and it’s going really well.

George: We’re very excited about it. It’s the biggest show that we’ve done for ourselves in a long time. It’s our first show in our hometown in Brisbane in about 2 years. All of our friends are coming. The whole Covid thing is easing up here in Brisbane. Vibes are good 🙂

That’s really nice. Hopefully we have some easier restrictions soon too.

Emma, George and Amy

Last year you did 12 songs in 12 months. How did you come up with this cool project?

George: We decided early on in the year that A we needed something to do with our year because we already weren’t doing a lot of touring. We toured the year beforehand. People consume music in such a different way nowadays. It’s all about singles and people don’t listen to a whole album anymore. So we decided to give each song of the album its moment in the sun and ourselves the challenge to write, record, release and film a video clip for a song every single month. We thought it was a good idea at the time. It was a really big struggle at times but I think it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

Emma: It was really rewarding. We got to enjoy every single instead of just being worried about one single and a lot of pressure on that one single. So it was nice to just release a song and focus on the next.

OK so you literally wrote the song in one month and did everything to it and then released it?

G: Sometimes. We did have some demos that we’ve been working on and we did have a basket of songs that we kept picking out: „What about this one, what about that one?“ „OK we try that one“ and then work on that one for the rest of the month.

That is a really big challenge!

G: There were some songs that we started from sratch like solid gold or animals.

Will they be on your new record?

G: Yes, so the 12 songs that we released last year are on the album. We also got another extra couple of tracks – sort of like bonus tracks.

We’re looking forward to „Kaleidoscope Eyes“!

G: Me too, can’t wait to have it out there properly!

What’s your favourite song on the record?

A: I think we all have different favourites. Mine is probably solid gold. It’s been picked up by NBC in the States as the official olympic theme song. That’s a really big deal for us. I just loved writing it. It nearly didn’t make the album because we had a really good chorus but for some reason the verse didn’t really fit. We couldn’t think of anything. So we thought we would just gonna abandon the song. Which happens to a song sometimes but we stuck with it and we came up with a new verse and it worked really well!

G: For me it’s symphony. I really like the energy of it. It’s very uplifting, anthemic, happy song. There’s not a single minor cord in that song which I find interesting. It’s just this massive uplifting declaration of love. You can just feel the electric energy in it and I really enjoy performing it on stage.

E: For me I would say Brand New it’s just really happy electric…

*Everyone laughs*

G: Happy electric declaration of love.

E: It really is though. I just love the lyrics and what they mean to me.

Uplifting is good. We need it right now. Who were/are your musical i nfluences?

G: We’ve got a couple. A lot of old timy songs. Artists like Elton John, Cat Stevens and the BeeGees. We grew up listening to that sort of music. Our Dad and Mom instilled that timeless sense of classic songwriting in us from an early age. So we always try to instill that in our music. In terms of bands nowadays I’m a huge Coldplay fan. I really like the vibe they have – that stadium feeling – we’re in it together. It’s really lovely energy in a live show. That’s one of my fav band of all time. What about you Emma?

E: I love Noah Cyrus at the moment. Love her songs and her voice as well.

A: My biggest influence is more old timey stuff like Fleetwood Mac because they have the male female lead vocalist, lots of harmonies, great hooks and everyone of their songs are quite unique. That’s something we really do well as well.

You do! 🙂 Now touring internationally has been impossible the last year. But as soon as it’s allowed again will you be coming back to Europe?

*All three of them are nodding emphatically*

G: Absolutely! Kind of want to sneak over there somehow now. Nearly get a boat and find out where we land.
We’ve got a big fanbase in the netherlands and belgium and Switzerland and Sweden. There is this whole collection of European countries that are really big on Sheppard. We just can’t wait to get back over there and play to our fans again. It’s a long time coming. It feels like we really need to get back over there.

Yes, it’s been 6 years since you’ve been here!

G: 2015 when we played in Zurich.

Yes, at Mascotte and look I still got the set list!

Sheppard, Mascotte 2015

All: Wow. Oh my God. 🙂

G: That’s Emma’s handwriting! 🙂

Do you still handwrite your setlists?

G: Sometimes, if we haven’t got a printer but right now we’ve got a bit more professional. We have a laptop and portable printer. But still people take them and we sign them for them. Maybe if we come back to Switzerland you can have one again!

Hopefully so! And you can sign both of them! 🙂 Speaking of touring… What would be your favourite or most special venue you’ve played in or want to play in?

G: Over in Europe we really enjoyed Paradiso in Amsterdam. I thought that was a really beautiful venue. Those really big nice theatrical venues. We are actually doing one right now here in Brisbane. It’s probably the best venue you can play here. It’s called the fortitude music hall. It’s brand new. 3000 capacity and right in the center of town. It’s something we’ve needed in Brisbane for so long! It’s this really beautiful venue. We’re stocked to be able to play it last Friday night!

It’s so nice hearing about concerts! It’s like I wish!

G: I know! We’re gonna have 1000 people there so it’s not full capacity but we still get 1000 people at a show, we get to perform live. I’m pinching myself!

Do you notice cultural differences in fans? Like people from Australia are different to people from Switzerland or Amsterdam?

E: Yes, for sure. We talked about this in another interview as well. In Japan they just stand there and they’re trying to be polite. That’s just the way that they are. You don’t know on stage and you think you are playing really badly and then they’re clapping and cheering at the end. Every different country has a different way of celebrating music. We went to Italy once and they sang every single song even though they probably didn’t know them – which was amazing! What would you say?

G: Germany is I think the same as Japan where they just stand there and watch. They are enjoying it and they just take it in. You think that you’re bombing out on stage. As soon as the song finishes that’s their time to show appreciation whereas in Australia, Holland and Italy I’ve noticed it especially they just don’t stop making noise.

E: I noticed it in Switzerland as well. They’re very quiet during the set and we went off stage and thought „Oh God we really did a bad set!“ and they were calling for an encore! And we were like oh we did all right then if they’re calling for more!

I enjoyed it a lot I can tell you that!

G: We I hope you’ll enjoy the new show as well!

I’m sure! I can remember it so well! A little show but a great one! I’ll be back 🙂 What do you like most about Switzerland?

Sheppard about Switzerland

You’re three siblings in a band. What would you say is the most difficult part?

Everyone: Mhhhh

G: It’s not really too much that’s difficult about it. I think we fight more than a normal band would but it’s also not really anything too serious. So whenever we do have a fight it’s more common. We might fight about something stupid like who gets the front seat of the van. It’s very trivial stuff. We can be honest with one another and just get past it which I don’t think a lot of people can do in other bands. I don’t really think there is anything bad…

A: Except for like it’s Christmas Day and it’s hard to switch off from work. You’re talking about the album. Sometimes it’s hard to switch back to family mode. That sometimes gets a bit difficult especially if you had a bad day or something negative happened it’s hard to remember that we were family before this.

G: That’s a good answer.

What would you say is the best part of being siblings in a band?

E: That we can be honest with one another.

A: On the flipside where you have each other all the time. You can run ideas by each other at all hours and you can really rely on each other because you’re family and obviously you’re not gonna – hopefully *looks at George and Emma* – stab me in the back  That’s definitely a benefit for us.

G: You’re never lonely on tour. We’re always together. There are so many moments where the other guys in the band are like I wish we had family with us and we get to do that every day. We are very lucky! We just miss our father who’s up in Papua New Guinea and we don’t see him as often as we’d like. Our Mom comes with us everywhere and we’re always together so we’re really lucky.

Now we have some Fan Questions:

With Corona Virus making it difficult for artists at the moment. What do you miss most?

E: I would just say miss flying. Being able to choose whether to tour or not. Our songs are taking off overseas and we can’t go over there to push them. So it’s a bit annoying.

A: I think it’s just the human connection for me. We spent so long in the studio. We’re so used to being able to then go to a show and meet and play for our fans and hear them singing back to us. That’s all been taken away.

G: That’s where you really discover what impact your music is having. Because you can do livestreams and play for the fans and then see the comments coming up and you get likes on Instagram but it’s not the same as being at a show seeing the people’s faces in the crowd, feeling the energy and that happiness and the impact your music is having. That’s when you get to gage it and you loose that when you don’t get to tour live. It’s easy to feel like you’re not succeeding or your music is not really going anywhere. It feels like you’re just stuck.

What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you on stage?

George about his most embarrassing moment on stage

What’s your favourite food?

E: Ohhhh!

G: Emma!

E: This is a hard question.

G: No it’s not! You know…

E: If I could eat it everyday I would. Crawfish!

G: That’s not at all what I thought she was gonna say!!

E: I could eat anything Asian but Viatnamese is at the top of my list.

A: I’m a simple gal. It’s chocolate ice cream.

So you definitely have to come back to Switzerland.

A: Yes! I love chocolate! 🙂

G: I’m an even simpler guy. I love Vanilla ice cream.

I love the fact that two out of three mentioned a ice cream as their favourite food! 😀

G: Emma’s the adventurous taster. She’s the first to eat crickets in Mexico. She really wants to eat Tarantula if she gets a chance.

Wow! 🙂 Well thank you so much for the interview that was a lot of fun!

Allgemein, Interviews

Nathan Evans the guy behind the sea shanty success Wellerman

kekoaskorner

Kekoas Korner is super stocked that I got the chance to interview Nathan Evans. His song “Wellerman” is currently at No. 10 in the Swiss charts and I’m sure it’s still going to rise. So are you ready to find out the funniest thing that happened to Nathan back when he was still a mail man? So let’s dive right into the interview:

How did you find the „Wellerman“ song and what made you cover it?

I’ve been doing Tik Tok videos since last January covering  different songs. In July someone left a comment underneath one of my videos saying «I think you’d be really good at this song and I think you should try it. It’s a sea shanty called «Leave her Johnny». Could you try that song?»
So I went away and I’ve done some research and I thought that’s quite good. So did it and I uploaded it. The comments under that one were like «Oh My God, that’s amazing!», «Could you do the Drunken Sailor?», «Could you do the Wellerman?». Just basically all those sea shanties.
In December I got around to do the Wellerman.

And then it took off! 🙂

Yes, that’s it! 🙂

You probably heard your song on the radio right?

Yes!

How did you feel when you heard Wellerman on the radio for the first time?

Probably the first time I heard it on the radio was at the start of January. It was insane! To hear myself on the radio is crazy. And ever since then it keeps getting crazier and crazier.

Wellerman is a sea shanty but generally what are your musical influences?

I’ve been singing since I was 6 and I’ve been playing guitar since I was 8. So it’s been a big part of my life forever. But now who influences me are Dermot Kennedy, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi. They’re like the main three front runners for influences but back when I was growing up there was Elvis, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. It’s quite a large group of people who can influence me.

Can we expect your own songs after Wellerman?

Possibly! I’m hoping to let everyone see that I don’t just do sea shanties. I can do other stuff as well. I want to let people see that I can do loads of different music. That’s the plan.

Zoom call with Nathan Evans

 So you’re writing your own music? What’s your writing process?

It depends. Sometimes I am sitting on my computer playing or I’ll be out doing something and some words come to mind. So I grab my phone… My phone is absolutely stacked with once sentences. 🙂 Other times a melody will come to me so I just sing it in my phone in voice notes.
I also actually sit down and say I’m gonna write a song. It just depends on where the mood takes me that day.

I’m sure were a few crazy things that happened the last few weeks but what was the craziest?

Going to No 1 on Capital Radio’s big top 40 was insane! Sitting at No 2 still on the official charts. And probably Brian May mentioning me. That was one of the highlights. That’s insane!!

Yes, I saw that on Tik Tok today!

Yeah, incredible.

In Switzerland you’re No 10 this week! That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?!

Just incredible. *Smiles and shakes his head in disbelief*

I’m sure this overnight success is quite incredible as you just said. How did your family and friends and wife react?

They’re all so happy for me. They look forward to what’s to come next. Everyday they’re texting me wondering what I’m up to and want to see what’s to come. They are just so happy! It’s good because they’re all very supportive.

That’s great! Are they concerned as well for example that they won’t see you any more?

Noooo. They’re all the same. I think everybody is used to not seeing me now because of the Corona virus and being stuck in the house. If need be I will give them a Zoom call.
They’re just all very excited and happy.
It’s good because they’ve obviously seen that this has been a big part of my life for while now. It’s been something I wanted to do and now it’s happening.

You just mentioned the corona virus which is making touring impossible. But we all hope in 2022 or later this year there will be some live music again. Do you plan to tour Europe or the world then?

Possibly. I would like to imagine it. That would be absolutely amazing. We never know. It might come still but wait and see what happens.

Note by Kekoas Korner: His first 4 live gigs in Dublin, Manchester, London and Glasgow for later this year are going on sale 19th Feb!

Are there any live streams planned?

Possibly. Obviously Tik Tok has been a big place for me. I used to go live on there. It’s not a far fetched idea to think I could do a live stream. So yes, that’s a possibility.

I’m sure all the fans would love to see it! I’ve seen a few myself and yes it’s not the same as live concerts but at least it’s something.

It’s as close as we can get! 🙂

Yes! So when you’re touring or maybe even later down the road what would be your favourite or most special venue you’d like to play in?

One day the biggest and most ambitious has got to be Wembley. That is like the number one spot for me. If I ever manage to get to play that, that would be outstanding.

And what would you say needs to happen that you can say you’ve made it with your music? Is that already the case or at what point would you say that?

Once I released a song that I’ve written and I’ve done everything myself and that everbody loves the same way they love the Wellerman. That would be the moment for me that I’m like right OK people like this and I’ve made it. Until that happens I’ll just sit with my fingers and toes crossed hoping that will happen.

Well hopefully in two to three months! *Crossing my fingers*
The interview was quite last minute so I didn’t have a lot of time to ask my follower on Instagram to send me some fan questions. But here are a few:

Do you watch football and what team do you support?

Yes I watch football. I like to keep up to date with all things football. I watch the Scottish leagues, the English Leagues, Europa league, Champions league when they’re on. So I love football.
I do support a team. It’s a local Glasgow team.

Support your local, right?! 🙂

Yes, that’s it 🙂

What was the funniest thing that happened to you when you were a mail man?

Nathan tells us his funniest story as a mail man

What’s your favourite food?

Probably a rare steak and chips. Nice and simple nothing too fancy 🙂

What about desserts?

I’m not big for desserts. I’m quite fussy. Just a plain chocolate bar that’s probably my favourite.

So you should definitely come to Switzerland! 🙂

Yes, exactly! 🙂

Will you be continuing doing tik tok videos?

Definitely! The base fans and loads of support came from there. I’m not gonna stop. It’s where I started and it would be unfair to them if I just stopped.

Do you have anything else you’d like to say to your Swiss fans?

Just thank you for your support! It’s incredible that the song is doing so well. I’m super grateful for everybody who’s been listening to the song and been streaming it and shown so much so support.

Thank you Nathan for the interview! I’m hoping to see you live soon!

Can’t get enough of Nathan?

Read my last post about Nathan Evans
Tik Tok: Nathan Evans
Instagram: Nathan Evans
Spotify: Nathan Evans

Allgemein, Interviews

Ten questions for Ten Tonnes

kekoaskorner

Are you a fan of indie rock? Yes? Then you’ll love Ten Tonnes. This lovely lad from England started out in pubs and slowly making his way across Europe now. Before his performance at this year’s RADAR Festival I got to speak with Ten Tonnes about his debut record, his relationship with his famous brother and Bob Ross!

I gotta ask Ten Tonnes is a super special name. I read somewhere that you came up with it while you did open mic shows and you wanted to have a name that no-one else has. But that doesn’t really answer where it came from, does it? 🙂

I don’t actually know where it came from. It just came out of no-where. I wish I had a better explanation than that! 🙂 I was at the pub and it came out of thin air. I’m sorry it’s not really a satisfying answer! *laughs*

Continue reading “Ten questions for Ten Tonnes” →
Allgemein, Interviews

Nico Santos steps into the light of the music business

kekoaskorner

Nico Santos released his debut record “Streets of Gold” on Oct, 12th. “Rooftop” immediately resonated with me and it became this spring’s favourite song of mine. But he was already working behind the scenes as a singer songwriter for years. We all know Mark Forster’s “Wir sind Gross” and yes he co-wrote the song. So when I was told that I could have a quick chat with Nico Santos I was really happy and I was super excited to get to know the person behind those songs.

So Nico, you’re not a newbie in the music biz. So why did you release your debut album only just now?
I wanted to have the album just right so that I won’t say in 10 years time „Ahh I should have spent more time on it“. I wanted to have it perfect. I can listen to the record in one go and think wow I love every song so that I don’t have to skip one.
How long did it take for it to be just perfect?
Streets of Gold – the title track I wrote 4 years ago. Since then I wrote 200 or 300 songs. Those are the 14 best songs which transport the best emotions I had at that time.
Streets of Gold – What does the the name mean?
It’s about the time before I started with music, before I found the right people to play music and the desire to play music. It’s about the desire to find the right path in life. Everyone knows that feeling. And for me it was music.
The cool thing was that when I moved to Berlin I find the right guys to build a team and create my new record.
But what does it actually mean?
If you look up synonyms for lucky „Streets of Gold“ comes up so it’s the pursuit of happiness.
(A little side note on that: The saying comes from the time where Europeans immigrated to the US because people would say the streets are paved with gold over there.)
The record is so versatile. This morning you posted outtakes from your video shoot where you danced like Michael Jackson. So I assume his one of your idols but who else are your musical inspirations?
My parents, definitely. My Dad’s a Jazz musician and my Mom does rock. But other than them Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake.
Did you see them live?
Yes, both. 🙂
Prince and Stevie Wonder are inspirations too. My parents gave me a lot of music to listen to.
I think songwriting is so exciting. I saw John Legend on Saturday…
John Legend, really? That is so cool I was just googling Gigs John Legend 2019 and found nothing! Where did he play?
At the Baloise Session. It’s a very cool venue with 10 gigs over 3 weeks and you are sitting at tables with candle’s on them. It has a Jazz club vibe.
Wow that sounds really cool!
It is. Anyway John Legend mentioned that he starts with a melody and then finds words that fits the melody. What about you? How do you write your songs?
It’s different every time. I think if you had a recipe how to write good songs everyone would want it. There are certain tips or ways how it’s best to write songs. I usually sit at the piano and transport my feelings into chords. Quite often a little lyrics slice comes up and then I use my phone to write it down. I think I have like 1500 voice messages! 🙂 A lot of ideas…
But most of the time I sit at the piano like 40 / 50 % and see what happens.
Sounds a lot like John Legend! 🙂
Your stage name is Spanish and you are German. So why did you choose English as your language of music?
I grew up with English music. Back then I wasn’t interested in Spanish music and I wasn’t familiar with German music because I grew up in Mallorca. My parents inspired me with English music and that’s why English is the language I felt most comfortable with when I write songs. Now I’d gotten used to it and I feel like I can get across my feelings better in English. When I’m at songwriting sessions I see that my German isn’t as good as others. They grew up in Germany and went to school there. That’s why I’m happy to be able to sing in English and there are not many German artists singing in English.
That’s why my blog is in English too!
Kekoas Korner and Nico Santos
Your – I call it “spring hit” – was „Rooftop“. When I heard it the first time I knew I loved it immediately!
Very cool! Thank you that makes me happy 🙂
Sometimes you have those songs that you know that you love them immediately. Do you have this too and if yes, which one’s are yours?
From others or my own?
From others.
At the moment I love the record by Khalid that just came out. I just loved every song… „Better“, „Saturday Nights“… I like R’n’B a lot. 6LACK is really cool. He’s got some cool features too. Amazing record!
And now your songs?
With „Rooftop“ I had a good gut feeling. If you jump up in the studio and you’re really happy that you wrote the song then it’s a good sign. Sometimes you think it’s good and then it’s bad but if you get up…
Oh yeah, I know that feeling!
I googled and I found this Filipino actor Nico Santos. How often do you get mistaken for him? 
When „Home“ came out a lot of people wrote and tagged him by mistake because I didn’t have Instagram and Twitter. So he wrote on Twitter: „I’m not Nico Santos the singer“. It started to annoy him so he tweeted: „Nico start your own IG and Twitter account!“ And I think OK, now I really have to.
So you two are in contact?
No. He wrote it and others sent it to me and so I knew I had to something now. I’ve never met him but I think it’s funny how two complete different people have the same name.
3rd of May you’re back in Zurich at X-tra for the final gig of your tour. What do you expect from the Swiss audience?
I was in Berne at Energy Air and I had one of the coolest shows ever! The energy was unbelievable, it was a lot of fun. It’s weird because in Germany people say they’re a bit aloof and you Swiss say it too but in Berne I thought I was Justin Bieber! 😀 I pointed at something and everyone completely lost their minds. It’s not like that in Germany. I tried a few different spots and the energy was the same!
Really? I had a very different experience the last few years? Maybe it’s the front rows I’m too old for that! 🙂
Ha, no! Maybe it’s that but you know during the „ohh ohh ohh“ part I thought the whole football stadium sang with me!
Cool, so the same at X-tra in May! 😀
The same at X-tra in May, yes 🙂
Last question:
What needs to happen that you say „Yup I made it“ with my music?
I don’t think this exists. I never want to have this thought. Music is ambitious as well as your whole life. I don’t think there’s ever a point where I say „Now I have 100 golden records“ I made it. I think my wish is that I can make music my whole life and be happy and then, yes, then I made it 😀
Fan questions: 
Daniela who’s joining us at the gig in May asked: What made you step in front of the mic and not only write music for others anymore?
It always was a bit of a wish for me. When „Home“ worked in Germany with my voice, a song that I wrote in my when I was little, I thought it be cool to do my own music. The song was a bit too deep house for me so I wanted to do my own and perform them. That was the first moment I thought OK now I gotta start doing it.
Then I wrote „Safe“ and after that „Rooftop“.
Kellin asked: What’s your dream location where you want to perform?
Madison Square Garden. Every artist wants to play there 🙂
True. I heard it before in my previous interviews.
I heard that Stromae is the only French singing musician that sold out Madison Square Garden twice. If you managed to that, that’s not too bad!
And I’d love to play Plaça de toros de Palma in Mallorca.
Oh wow, yes that’s a great location 🙂 I think that’s where the show „Wetten dass“ was filmed. Have you been in that location?
Yes, I actually watched “Wetten dass“ and another programme where Melanie C performed her hit „Never be the same again“.
Last Fan Question from Anna: What’s you favourite dessert?
It changed recently! Now it’s cheesecake.
What was it before cheesecake?
Everything with ice cream. It didn’t matter it just needed ice cream. I ate like 3 ice creams a day and now it’s cheesecake. Princess Cheesecake in Berlin is awesome. People might start saying „Nico stop it“.
I totally get what you mean I don’t know how people can have summer bodies! I have the best ice cream guy around the corner called Gelati am See and I’m there every lunch time.
Yeah, everyone talks about summer bodies but I don’t know how they do it either.
So that was it! Thank you so much Nico!
Cool, thank you!

Get your tix for Nico Santos’ show on May 3rd at X-tra via Ticketcorner. Check out “Streets of Gold” and leave a comment below which song is your favourite or head over to Instagram and let me know there 🙂

P.S: Please vote for Nico Santos to win this year’s Bambi award: https://www.bambi.de/nico-santos

Allgemein, Interviews

Following his dreams from Basel to Hollywood

kekoaskorner

Benjamin Keys contacted me a few weeks ago. His e-mail immediately touched my heart and I knew I had to know more about this guy and support him in his dream: Living in Hollywood and tour the world with other fellow musicians. So of course I went on a little internet search including his homepage: benjaminkeysmusic.com
Obviously we couldn’t meet in person so we schedule a Skype interview even though the time difference was super difficult to overcome 😀 So here it is:
You’ve been on big tours with artists like Ira May. So what would be your favourite or most special venue you still want to play in or have played in?
When I lived in Switzerland I went to the Openair Frauenfeld every year. I must have gone about 9 times in my life. If I ever play there with an American artist, that would definitely be a dream come true and very special for me. Other venues I would love to play are the Hallenstadion in Zürich or Madison Square Garden in New York.
I understand. Lots of artists would love to play in the latter one. So speaking about venues I read that you’ll be touring with Ollie Gabriel next year. Who would be your favourite artist to tour with?
When people ask me, I always used to say my favorite artist to play for is Justin Timberlake. Bruno Mars recently took his spot though and is now definitely my dream tour. My dream tour of all time would be Michael Jackson, no doubt.
Why did Bruno Mars take JT’s spot?
Timberlake’s Futuresex/lovesound tour was just the ultimate modern pop tour for me personally. But then came Bruno Mars with his 24K Magic tour and topped it! Plus I don’t really like JT’s new record.
What’s your favourite thing about touring?
The idea of traveling to different places in the world and at the same making music is an incredible thought to me. Also getting paid for it instead of paying for it. 😉
Haha I totally understand that! So we spoke about Bruno Mars, JT and Michael Jackson. Who are your musical influences?
I had many different phases of heros and inpirations. My first album was “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles. Later I got into Rock and Punk and went from Blink 182 to Limp Bizkit to Rage Againt The Machine. And then one day I discovered hip hop and fell deeply in love with it. My favorite rapper of all time would be Nas. My favorite album of all time “Voodoo” by D’Angelo. And my favorite artist hands down Michael Jackson. Today I mostly listen to R’n’B influenced music and love to dig out old Prince records or see what Anderson Paak is up to.
Hollywood
 Wow that’s a pretty big range. Just like me 🙂 Now let’s fast forward 5 years where do you want to be? Sorry I know it sounds like an interview question haha
I want to be a respected and in-demand keyboard player and tour the world. Also be healthy and live a happy life in Los Angeles.
We spoke about where you want to be but not where you’ve came from. After graduating did you just pack up and leave without any job offer or did you organize everything from Switzerland?
Yes, after graduating my jazz studies in Luzern I basically packed up and left to go to Musicians Institute in Hollywood. I started planning my move around two years earlier though and had to apply for many scholarships and foundations to get the financial side of studying in the US covered.
Last question: What needs to happen that you would say „Yup I made it with my music!“ Or did this already happen?
Oh I absolutely didn’t “make it” yet. I might have a slight feeling of making it, when I’ll embark on a world tour with a famous artist. But even then, the hustle obviously doesn’t stop. You have to always be on your toes to survive this fast-paced and crazy music business. And there is always a next step, so you must consistently find new ways to “make it”.
Well that was really interesting. Thank you for speaking to me and I wish you all the best for the future!
Do you want to book Benjamin Keys for your next tour? Contact him on his website: Benjamin Keys or on his IG: Benjamin Keys

Allgemein, Interviews

The Coronas – one of Ireland's finest

kekoaskorner

I’ve met the Coronas a few times after the show but never officially for an interview. So I kinda knew what to expect and I was super excited for them to answer my questions. When I arrived they were still sound-checking. To me it sounded great already and they proved it later. Read more about the gig here.
Right after I met Danny backstage for the interview. Dave seemed famished so I let him off the hook and talked with Danny who promised to know Dave’s answers too! 🙂 So let’s see about that:
You’ve been around for quite some time and played a lot of venues. So what would be your favourite or most special venue you’ve played in or want to play in?
Danny: If I could pick anywhere I would love to play in Madison Square Garden in New York because that’s like an historic and huge venue. I went to a Basketball game there when I was really young and it’s just amazing. It’s in the centre of New York but I don’t know why it always stood out to me. That would be cool to get to that stage.
But we’ve been very lucky to play in some amazing venues. In London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire which is a great venue. At home the 3E Arena which is unreal. Just this summer we had this big outdoor gig in Kilmainham which was amazing as well. Our favourite place is a small theatre in Dublin and the Marquee in Cork. West Cork is lovely we always have great shows down there there. We’re lucky that we always have great gigs. But we love travelling and playing small venues like these too. Sometimes a big venue doesn’t necessarily mean a good gig. We’ve had some shows on this tour that we’ve all been buzzin’ after even though they were only 100/200 people at the gig and we have to say to each other that was amazing. The night we played in Hamburg and Freiburg the night after and we’ve never played there before and it was a big venue and we didn’t know if people would be there. It was a really good crowd, they were brilliant! It’s also refreshing to see on this tour so far in Germany it was all locals coming to see us and hopefully tonight in Switzerland too as opposed to Irish. It always is a bit of both but in Germany there were a lot more locals so I think that’s cool for a change. It’s nice to see us making some ground with the locals. So hopefully it’ll be the same here. 
I hope so too. You are really good. I’ve been to a few shows and I don’t know why you haven’t gotten much bigger yet. 
We’re lucky that we are big in Ireland. There are so many bands who don’t make it. We’re still trying and making baby steps forward. As long as we get to travel and play our music. That’s all we want. 
As a fan I noticed quite a few differences in the fan culture depending on which country you’re in. Do you notice it as well and what are the differences?
In Ireland the crowds are much louder and they are up for a party and they are noisy, dancing and sing along. They go crazy. Whereas here in Europe in general but also in Switzerland they listen. They know their music and they are a bit more laid back. It’s cool I love the different crowds. Every country is different. In Australia they go a bit crazy. The UK is sort of in-between. We played in some crazy places in Asia for example in Japan it was so quiet. You could literally hear a pin drop no matter how many people are there. It’s amazing. They have that respect. So it’s different in every country but we love it all. 
You just released a new album called “Trust The Wire”. Who were/are your musical influences?
We are influenced by everything, by music or people influence us: relationships, friendships. Everything influences us. Surroundings too. We wrote this album in Dingle, County Kerry, which is in the Southwest corner of Ireland and it’s beautiful. We locked ourselves away and it was beautiful scenery and very quiet and atmospheric. That made a difference to the album as well.
Musical influences I would say the National are big that we love. Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow, Bell X1, Glen Hansard loads of different musical influences personally and I’m sure the guys are different as well. 
What would Dave say?
What does Dave like? Ohh I don’t know you’ll have to ask him. No he likes James Vincent McMorrow and those bands as well. That answer works for both of us.
What is your way to connect to fans?
We always make an effort to say hello to people who come see us in these venues. It’s nice to be able to do that because at the big shows back home it’s too big to go out and meet people and get that reaction off people. It’s nice to know what they liked about the show or if they’ve seen us before. We like that. We’re quite active but we are trying to be even more active on social media. It’s a great way to stay in contact with people in Twitter and Instagram etc. It’s so important these days and makes a difference. Especially now that we are on tour. It’s nice to put up shots of the tour so people at home can see what we are doing and when we are at home people here can see. It’s a way to keep in contact. 
Yes, the Marquee gig I saw.
Exactly!
I have to ask since I am a huge The Script Fan too. How did the cooperation between you two start?
We’ve met them on a TV show long long time ago in Ireland. They were about to release “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and we just released “Heroes or Ghosts”. We sang both our songs and we met and got along really well. So the guys just said “Do you want to come on tour with us?” And we were like yeah that would be amazing. So we went on tour in Ireland and all around Europe and it was so much fun! I’m saying to Glen you have to get us back again.
Oh yes, I support that!
And he keeps saying yeah we’ll do it sometime. Great guys, great band and so much fun. We learned a lot from them. 
You are visiting Switzerland quite often – lucky for me – what do you like most about Switzerland?
Yes, we’ve been here a few times. It’s beautiful but unfortunately we haven’t had that much time off. Every time we’re here we are doing promo and the gig – just in and out. So lots of stuff going on. The lake and the scenery is beautiful. There’s some green and some water. It reminds me of Ireland in many ways. The people as well. Friendly people. We love it here. Every time we come we’ve gotten a great response. It’s cool to see different cities. The people here are maybe a bit warmer, friendlier or outgoing than in Germany but I suppose every city is different. 
Now last question is actually about your country. I will be visiting Ireland next year for The Script gig in Dublin. What’s your favourite place or what would you recommend to do?
If you’re going to Dublin for the show I’d say if you go down to Dun Laoghaire, which is on the south side coast of Dublin and maybe 20 minutes from the city centre by bus, with a lovely pier and beach area. It’s really nice with little ice cream places and cool coffee shops and nice vibe. I love Dublin city maybe just walk around there if it’s nice weather – fingers crossed. When are you going?
February.
It’ll probably be terrible and freezing! The Storehouse is good, some good pubs in Temple Bar. Do the touristy things, they’re fun! Hope you enjoy it! I might go to that show myself if I’m around.
See you there then!
Nina, thank you very much, is that okay?
Yes, sure! Thank you very much!! 🙂

Allgemein, Interviews

Welshly Arms are more than Legendary

kekoaskorner

It was a very special night for me. Not only did I get to interview the lovely lads of Welshly Arms thanks to ARTNOIR I also got to be their Merch seller. Read more about by adventure by clicking here. After they finished the sound check they came to greet me and the interview could begin.
I’m always interested to know about other venues. So where was your most special venue and what kind of venue was it?
Sam Getz: There is a couple that really stick out and one that always makes top of the list for interesting venues to play is one we got to play last fall called Red Rocks in Colorado, US. It’s a natural amphi theatre carved into this mountain with red clay rocks. So it’s really really amazing and it holds about 10’000 people and they are just sitting up the mountain and you are playing to this mountain of people. It’s a bizarre almost spiritual type of experience.
Mikey Gould: I have one that I’ve been in a few times but I’ve been never able to play in and that’s the Ryman in Nashville. It’s one of the most accoustical sounding places in the world. I would enjoy to play there someday.
Sam: Rock am Ring was a really cool place. It’s not always a venue. We played it 2017 when they brought it back to the actual racing ring. So you could tell people were really excited to be back. That was a really fun stage to play.
As a fan I noticed quite a few differences in the fan culture depending on which country you’re in. Do you notice it as well and what are the differences?
Sam: We had a fun night in Solothurn in March – not to long ago. It was a really fun crowd in a smaller room which was jam-packed. Those are the shows that I tend to have the most fun at because everbody that goes in is all-in it together. We’re all going to walk outta here kinda sweaty and grose and smelly but you know what? The guy next to me smells but I smell too so it’s fine. When people embrace that then we have a really fun show and those stand out to me. So Solothurn was awesome and I really enjoy the Swiss fans. They are really fun. They sing a long to songs and I love that.
And that’s unusal?
Sam: I wouldn’t say it’s unusal. It’s becoming more normal but it’s something that will never get old.
Mikey: Maybe a little unexpected.
Sam: Especially in a new country. That was our first time playing in Switzerland.
There are little differences in different cultures for instance in Germany at Rock am Ring there was a moment when they all sat down in front of us and started synchronised rowing. It realy freaked me out because I thought it was one of the things where they didn’t like the show. So this was like we are trying to get out of here and they’re rowing to the next show. You guys just leave. But then I found out later that this was a very good thing. It meant that they were enjoying it and this was like an honour to have. You have to learn the different cultures things. In Switzerland they were calling for an encore and we had no idea what they were saying.
Mikey: Oh yeah I remember. It was probably just encore.
Maybe they said Zugabe? It’s the german word for encore.
Sam: Maybe I just don’t remember it.
How important is fan contact to you? What is your way to connect? You just wrote me on Instagram actually 🙂
Sam: Oh yeah? Cool! So yeah we try to use Instagram which is our favourite. Because it just feels like you can do so much. They say a picture is a thousand words so it really does feel that way. You can say so much with just snapping a picture of what we’re up to or where we are playing tonight or how the crowd looked tonight. Those kinda things say so much to the people back home who maybe couldn’t make the show. The live stream videos have been a really cool way too.
Mickey: Facebook seems a bit more formal like you are asking something. „Hey, we are looking for a merch volunteer tonight!“
Yeah, like me.
Mikey: Yeah, exactly. It’s like a forum. Instagram is just fun. If you want to see what we’re up to and what we’re doing it’s the best way.
Sam: It’s usually pretty easy for other people to comment or have an interaction with us. It’s my favourite way. Facebook is also good because it has such a big network. Social Media and Live Videos are ways that we’ve been trying to stay in touch with fans.
You had one of your songs featured in Tarantino’s Hateful 8 – which I loved – how did this happen? Did he call you and said I love your song?
Sam: I wish that we’d received a call from Quentin Tarantino pesonally but it was more his people called our people. The publisher who handles our music catalogue does a really good job getting it in the hands of producers and directors. They did their job there.
When we found out that there was interest from them in our music it was such a huge honour. He is one of those special directors – whether you like the style of his films – you still respect it.
Talking about movies, maybe you’ve already seen it. The Zurich Film Festival is just outside.
Sam: Yeah, that’s great!
I read that Jimi Hendrix is one of your musical influences. Who are currently your favourites?
Sam: That’s a good question. We’ve been enjoying the lastest record that spoon put out.
Mikey: Back! A lot of his stuff.
Sam: Yeah we’ve always been fans of Back. I enjoy bands like Cage the Elephant and that are stirring it up a bit or have the rock n roll spirit and doing it in a fresh way. I like to think that this is part of our agenda too. We try to keep rock n roll alive to some degree but doing it in our own way. The Killers we enjoy, they are keeping rock alive too.
So „Legendary“ I have to ask. How did it change your musical way and how has it affected you? 
Sam: It certainly had its influence. When we decided to release „Legendary“ we knew that it would change a little bit of our musical path and the sound. It was a little bit of a departure of what we had been doing up to that point. Legendary is little bit more modern leaning on the production side.
Maybe a little more mainstream? 
Sam: Yeah, maybe a little as far as the theme of it and the melody. But it does also lean really heavy into some of those gospel things that we love. It changed our musical path a bit or at least expanded our platform and we’re able now to do some song like „The Only“ and similar ones. And then what it did for us is being able to tour Europe. It opened so many doors for us that we are really thankful for. That song definitely changed some things.
So you are grateful for it. 
Sam: Very grateful for it. Just so grateful that people have been so open to it and welcoming the song so much they come see us live and get to see the whole picture. That’s what I enjoy the most.
You’re here the third time now. What do you like most about Switzerland?
Mikey: The chocolate for one and I got to say your cheese here is tremendous. I am big cheese fan, I love cheese. The views! Beautiful mountains and we keep talking about going out snowboarding.
Sam: Yeah, it’s so so beautiful. Last trip we came here we got to stay the night and we went to a really great restaurant and had cordon bleu because our European tour manager, David, lives in Zurich. I’ll never forget that meal it was amazing.  
That was it. Thank you so much for the interview!
Sam: Our pleasure and thank you for signing up to do the Merch tonight.