Lazie Indie Magazine - Edition -23 : simplebooklet.com

Editors CornerInformationThe magazine ispublished byJay Pillai (Lazie J)Print Edition 40The month ofpublishingAugust 2023Editorial TeamEditor: Jay PillaiCoordination andpromotion: ManojVerified by:Inge ZimmermannProbstGuest Columns:Emma GoldbergLyia MetaMs. BenitaGalaxy FMHariCover Photo:OtykenCover PhotoCourtesy:OtykenLazie Indie Magazine a trueglobal Indie MagazineLazie Indie Magazine reaches Siberia. We are featuring artistsfrom one of the most remote part of the world and mind youthey produce one of the most interesting music of recenttimes. When I started the magazine I had only thought of onething as the vision to all my efforts and that would be to trymy best to bring artists from the most remote part of theworld to fellow musicians in another part of the world whowouldn't otherwise have met or known about and when Ipresent the interview with Otyken from Taiga, Siberia is amilestone in this direction. Our quest to reach out to the lastmusician in the remotest part of the world will continue toguide us and when we interview an artist from any where ourintention is not to fill our slots but to introduce a great artistto our readers and talk about their music.This edition has a lot more to offer we have some greatinterviews with some phenomenal from world over as wealways have. Also we have, artists take on Ai and its influence.We have the lineup of artists revealed for our prestigiousInternational Indie Music Festival.Lazie Indie Magazine is getting into a very crucial phase and Ipersonally request all of you to share the Magazine with allyour friends and accquaintances as we need to reach out to asmany we can collectively so that our voices become more andmore powerful. Let no artist feel that he or she is incapable topromote music because of no reach. Let us help each othertomorrow it will give each one of us positive results.-Thank youLIM Page 5

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OtykenFrom Taiga to MoonOtyken means a sacred land where warriors would lay down their arms and talk.The word has in it what the band from Taiga, Siberia lays it through their music.In the world of formulae based music or cookie cutter music we are instantlyrefreshed when we listen and watch these girls from one of the remotest part of thecrowded world we are in. Each of their song sounds very unique. I stumbled upontheir music when I was on my trip to Armenia interviewing a few key people in thecultural space and kind of got inspired by the depth they had. The fascinationtowards learning something new pushed me to explore further into Georgia andfurther up Russia and then to Otyken. Not that they weren't already mighty popular,I felt that I kind of discovered something which was very new and fresh but lovableand in a short time I have now become a fan of the band playing their music andvideos repeatedly without feeling bored. I also felt the immediate need to talk tothem and bring them on to Lazie Indie Magazine and share their music with ourfamily. Otyken to me conveys the harsh and difficult yet very beautiful and simplelife of the folks at Taiga which is a part of the vast icy cold lands of Siberia which is apiece of the largest country in the world, Russia. The band was founded itsproducer, manager and songwriter Andrey Medonos, in order to preserve Chulymfolklore, traditions, and songs which are nearing extinction. Medonos, though not ofSiberian ethnicity, grew up at his family’s apiary in the Siberian wilderness amongits indigenous people, who maintained a longstanding beekeeping partnership withthe Medonos lineage. He founded The Ethnographic Museum of Honey inKrasnoyarsk city and became its director to preserve the cultures of the Chulym. In2013, Medonos started a YouTube channel to share Chulym culture. There heshowcased an apiary made with traditional log beehives and Chulym folklore,dances, and songs that had historically accompanied honey production. In 2015,Otyken was formed and was partnered with Medonos in the production of wildChulym honey. Their honey products (Ethno-Honey) became popular in Japan andthe sales helped to establish the band through funding music production,instruments, equipment and costumes. They released their first album in 2018. Ayurt was constructed at the apiary in the following year to host rehearsals andmeetings, and they began holding concerts regularly at the museum. The band hasthe powerful vocal presence of Azyan the lead singer and a group of artists who playexotic instruments very much connected to the regional musical genres. The worldsaw Otyken through their videos and music with wide eyes and felt immediately inlove with them. Their songs hit millions in YouTube and Spotify and they have beena rage in many parts of the world music listening community. Their musicLIM Page 7

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has the wild beauty of the Taiga with thegrit of the people living there along withthe appeal of the nature all in one go andall these elements are tied togetherbeautifully by Andre's fabuloussongwriting and production skills whichalso incorporates a bit of EDM andmodern music very effectively notcompromising on the essence of theculture. Otyken is a very unique musicalexperience and any one who listens tothem can immediately fall in love withtheir music as it has the innocence andwild beauty of the nature which willappeal to any one. In very little time thisband has captured a huge fan base andwill soon be on the road and that will beall over the world as it looks to me now.I had the chance of connecting to Andreand I am happy to have interviewedOtyken to present this fabulous group ofmusicians to Lazie Indie Magazinereaders.- Jay PillaiThe conversation went like this:Jay Pillai (JP) from Lazie Indie Magazinespeaks to members of Otyken ...JP: Hi dear friends from Taiga, Siberia,welcome! It is a pleasure to speak to youand introduce Otyken to the readers ofLazie Indie Magazine. It is always afantastic feeling when you come across agroup or band that is so very original andvery fresh and impactful as yours it alsothrows up a lot of questions based on ourcuriosity to know more about yourmusical journey so far. Let me start byasking, how and where did it all start?How did Otyken come into being?Otyken: The history of Otyken bandbegins with the foundation of theMuseum of Ethnography in Krasnoyarsk,which is focused on the minor ethnicgroups of Siberia. The Museum visitors,especially foreigners, were very interestedin ethnic music. Andrey Medonos, theMuseum’s director, was born in SiberianTaiga in Krasnoyarsk region amongSiberian aborigines. He found the firstLIM Page 9

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Otyken members in the nearest villages.None of this band’s member had a specialmusic education, but the native peopleare usually very creative, so in everyfamily there is someone who can sing orplay some music instruments.JP: Otyken sounds distinct and fresh butit also would have thrown a lot of doubt inyour minds that will this kind of music beaccepted by the music world which ismostly based Pop/Rock/Hip Hop etc.When you built this pretty big band with9 members? What was your targetaudience?Otyken: In the beginning of our way weperformed our traditional music, our folkmusic, but then we started to improvise tosearch for our own unique sound and tocompose our own songs. We wanted toshare our music and culture with the bigaudience, so we decided to combine somepopular music trends with ourinstrumental music. This generated a lotof interest. Now our songs are listened toby different people of different ages, fansof pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz and manyother styles.JP: There is a lot of natural sounds and ofcourse a very powerful primal instinctpresent in your music though it also hassome modern elements like house musicor modern EDM built into it how did youconceptualize the sound?Otyken: We pack folk music into differentgenres to make it sound interesting andmodern. We released a new rock and rollsingle in August and this is just thebeginning! We are constantlyexperimenting with the sound.JP: I read somewhere that the languageyou use in your songs is followed only bya few people in the world (some peoplesay it is 44 and some say it is around 350)is it true and why did you choose to writein this language?Otyken: This is true. The first members ofthe group are the Chulyms, the smallestpeoples in Siberia. Now our group isLIM Page 12

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"Otyken music will be stored on the Moon for 1 million years. We cannot even imagine what will happenduring this time. But if our music is preserved in history and we are not forgotten by future generations,then our efforts have not been in vain".multinational and we use more languagesin our songs: Chulym, Khakass, Dolgan,Russian. We do not single out any specificnationality. The OTYKEN group is acollective image of the indigenous peoplesof Central Siberia.JP: What makes you endearing to massesis that your music stands very close tonature and the fact that you haven’t doneanything that takes away the impact ofthe wilderness in your sounds. What doyou have to say about the recklessmodernization that is taking place now adays?Otyken: It is sad to see how people losetouch with nature. In nature there is agreat power, energy that heals the souland body. Contemplation brings a personto balance. In reckless modernity, aperson is immersed in completelydifferent thoughts and feelings.Sometimes you can pause and listen toour music to distract yourself.JP: How long does it take to bring out acomposition as there are quite a fewinstruments and sounds that you presentin each song and each one is given its dueimportance too ?Otyken: The production of one track takes2-3 months. We do spend a lot of timegetting the right sound, but it's veryimportant to us. Sometimes the guysthemselves ask to re-record the sound orvoice. The members of the band areconstantly growing and developing, sofrom time to time we release remakes ofour own songs.JP: When one listens to Otyken. The vocalarrangement is very interesting. You havekind of built the vocal with Throat singingwhich is very low and the main vocals at avery high range to start with and soaringeven higher. What was the idea behindkeeping the vocals at twoLIM Page 14

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extremes kind of leaving the mid range for the instruments? This is very rare and isit a part of the ethnic music or was this carefully built in when you designed themusic for the group?Otyken: The Otyken group is unique in that it combines in its image the traditions,culture and music of different indigenous peoples of Siberia. This concept wasthought out by our producer - Andrey Medonos. There are many ethnic musicalgroups in Siberia, but Otyken is the only multinational group at the moment.JP: A question to Azyan, How do you plan your singing as your vocals involve a lotof gritty screams that resonates nature at is primal best. Where did you master thisstyle and each of your screams are pitch perfect too and not just wildly sung. Whoplans your singing? Do you bring your own addition in your vocal part or each songis planned to the pitch of the screams too?LIM Page 16

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Azyan: I sang from early childhood in my native village and always dreamed ofentering the big stage. I spent a lot of time in nature: I chiseled ice to get water inwinter, went fishing with my dad in the river, walked in the forest. Many soundsremained in my memory, I often sang along. I can sing vocalises for hours onrecord, and then we will add a piece to the finished track.JP: Your music is now gone all over the world and also to the moon? Wow! That is afeat and a well deserved one too as it kind of justify poetically that the Earth speaksto the Moon because your music is close to the nature tell us more...Otyken: Representatives of "The Lunar Codex" project contacted us and offered toparticipate. For us it is a great honor. Music will be stored on the Moon for 1 millionyears. We cannot even imagine what will happen during this time. But if our musicis preserved in history and we are not forgotten by future generations, then ourLIM Page 18

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efforts have not been in vain.JP: Otyken is a treat to watch too yourchoreography and the ethnic dresses alladd color to your presentation that willstay long in the minds of each one whocome to your shows. Who plans the liveshow part and your videos?Otyken: Live performances and videofilming are appointed by our producerAndrey Medonos. We are workingtogether on our image, costumes andperformance program. It would bedifficult for us to come to a commondenominator without a leader.JP: You have huge following all over theworld, where all have you toured? Andwhat has been the response from the liveaudience outside Russia? How do you feeltravelling far from your own place as theclimate/culture/lifestyle can be quitetesting while touring…..Otyken: We still have not traveled on touroutside of Russia. We are planning anoverseas program for 2024. We wouldlike to visit many places at once and seethe world. We are often invited tofestivals in different countries, but nowthe logistics are very complicated,everything is delayed and postponed.JP: The best part of your journey so far isthat you have been well received by themainstream audience and not restrictedto the ethnic festivals promoted forcultural ties by countries, Why do youthink that your music well received by theregular Rock/Pop/Metal audienceworldwide all alike though they areotherwise quite restricted to their genreand artists?Otyken: In our music everyone findssomething for themselves. We are veryversatile, our listeners are also veryversatile personalities. Someone likes ourcostumes, someone likes our history,origin, culture. We are very happy whenpeople begin to show interest in worldethnic music through the Otyken group.LIM Page 19

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JP: Your website shows a lot of productsthat we can buy from Otyken… manywould love to buy what is seen there. Canyou let us know more details…Otyken: Our families live off agriculture,needlework, fishing, hunting andbeekeeping. We have listed some items onthe official website for sale. The honey ofwild bees from the hollow is considered tobe our most precious product. It is acomplete complex of natural vitamins andminerals. We ship parcels all over theworld.JP: What would you like to say to amusician (we are read in over 100countries mainly by musicians) who isstarting out on a career in music?Otyken: Believe in yourself! No matterwhere you were born, raised, whateducation you have, success can beachieved anywhere and at any time. Lookfor support among your friends, relatives,be closer to people.JP: Thank you for your time and eagerlylook forward to your performance hopingit happens in the near future in India andwill be there in the front to cheer you. Wecongratulate you on your phenomenaljourney so far and thank you for yourefforts to remind the world of preservingsomething we all are guilty of exploitingruthlessly for our benefit our MotherNature… Wishing you success from thebottom of my heartMembers of Otyken: Thank you!Interview and Photos Courtesy:Andrey Medonos - OtykenLIM Page 20

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CHARU SURI is a pianist and composer in several styles and fusing Indian ragaswith more traditional jazz. Born in South India, she was a piano prodigy performingin various concert halls at an early age. Charu's most recent album, Ragas &Waltzes, dedicated to her late father, debuted September 02, 2022. Her latestalbum, Rags & Ragas, was recorded with John Patitucci on the double bass, JoeLastie on the drums, and will feature Steve Gadd on percussion, and will be releasedin August. She is a voting member of the GRAMMYs (Recording Academy). Charu isalso mutl award winning artists and in the International Singer SongwritersAssociation (ISSA) Awards in 2023 and won a Silver for Band Single of the Year forher original, "Bluesy." In 2022, she won two Intercontinental Music Awards forRaga Jaunpuri (in Asia Jazz),and Keep Dreaming (North America Jazz). And justrecently she was awarded Entertainer of the Year (Gold) trophy by ISSA at itsLIM Page 23

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annual awards ceremony in Atlanta.Jay from Lazie Indie Magazine spoketoCharu Suri (CS)...Jay: Hi Charu, welcome to Lazie IndieMagazine. You have had a prettyimpressive journey from Tanjavur toNew Orleans as a career and with yourlatest album hitting prestigious awardsand shows. How do you see yourjourney in music when you look back?CS: I was born in Madurai, actually,and lived there and grew up inChennai as a young girl where I hadthe really good fortune of studyingwith one of the best piano teachers inthe city, Gita Menon. I see my journeyin music as a constant evolution and atime of self discovery and selfreflection. At the end of the day, it wasabout finding my identity and voicethrough music, and in the beginning Iwas always imitating other composers,and would do stylized versions ofBach, Mozart etc. It wasn't until muchlater that I started to hear music myown way, and develop my own voiceand that started with a visit to NewOrleans where I fell in love withPreservation Hall Jazz Band andstarted doing jazz. After I composedmy first "raga jazz" piece I knew I hadfinally found my voice, or at least, thestart of my true voice and I have notlooked back since.Jay: You are a classically trainedmusician and you are a pianist and acomposer too but tell me, what leadyou to Jazz Music? Who inspired youto pick up your style of music?CS: I actually have never thought ofmyself as a jazz musician but when Itook a trip to New Orleans about fouryears ago, I fell in love with jazz andthen started imagining what "ragajazz" would sound like because thatwas my training as a child, in Carnaticmusic (one of the first instruments Ilearned to play was actually the veena).Yes, I was classically trained but ILIM Page 24

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discovered my passion for jazz after a visitto New Orleans, when I heard thePreservation Hall Jazz Band. The energyin that room was amazing. I wascompletely and totally inspired to delvemore into jazz, and I also knew I neededto blend my heritage into jazz somehowand that's how everything really started.My first album, Lollipops for Breakfast,had some influences of Indian music (thedrone figure on the bass in "Raga Tala"for example), and then I startedexperimenting even more and taking riskswith ragas and jazz and Sufiimprovisation. Oscar Peterson, DaveBrubeck and Bill Evans have been mybiggest pianistic influences in jazz---Ikind of want to do for raga jazz whatOscar did for swing and piano virtuosityfor the jazz standards, it's one of my biglifelong goals to do brilliant raga basedruns and riffs.Jay: When you started collaborating withinternational artists one could see youmoving into unchartered territories inmusic. What made you do that and didyou ever think this will be actuallysuccessful when you started?CS: All this raga jazz music started outpurely experimental and it was what wassubconsciously building up in my head(all this cross pollination and genrecrossing was building in my head I guess,even though I never sought to apply anylabels or rigidity to my composing and mymusic), and I didn't imagine it would beso successful, really. I thought it would bea neat way to bring my heritage into theworld of jazz and even contributesomething to it. I felt a little tired oflistening to the songbook style of jazz(even though I love it and have composedin that vein, with the New AmericanSongbook), I was really itching to dosomething truly different and unique. I'vealways admired boundary breakers:Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Queenare just two pop stars I admire immenselyLIM Page 25

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not just for their musical talent but their willingness to take music where no one hasbefore---I kind of wanted to do the same in jazz.Jay: Your current album is trending and I heard it is also in the preliminary stagesof competing in the Grammys, Tell us more about this project.CS: RAGS and RAGAS is my next album, and perhaps the most ambitious of all thealbums I have done to date, and I'm planning to submit it to the Alternative Jazzcategory (the new one that was just created this year). It also features the biggestnames I have worked with: John Patitucci plays the bass on all tracks (except one),and Steve Gadd, the legendary drummer, plays on two tracks. Joe Lastie fromPreservation Hall, who graced RAGAS & WALTZES , is also the drummer on mostof the tracks for this record. The album is a real journey through various ragas andthe times of day they are supposed to be played, all with a nod to New Orleans.LIM Page 26

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Hence, titles like "Bourbon Street Stroll"(Raga Hemant), or French Quarter (mynamesake, Charukesi), and Raga Rag No.1 , is a nod (at least in the title) to ragtimein New Orleans although it is its ownthing, even featuring a bebop/makambased solo by Kobi Arad. It will mostlikely fall into the Alternative Jazzcategory in the GRAMMY awards thisyear, and this was a new category thatwas created. RAGS & RAGAS continuesmy love affair with New Orleans, and Inow have the pleasure of visiting the cityand performing there on a regular basisand learning from Mr. Lastie's amazingband, which preserves and continues therich legacy of NOLA-style jazz.Jay: Devan Ekambaram I learned, is oneof the producers of this project can you letus know how you both came to worktogether?CS: I met Devan through the RecordingAcademy and have been friends with himfor a few years and have admired a lot ofhis work. He is a passionate musician andextremely talented and I have admiredalso his prolific output. So I asked him tobe co-producer on this album because Iknow he was an admirer of my style ofjazz and he agreed.Plus, we are both from South India, so weare on the same wavelength when itcomes to musical choices andbackgrounds.Jay: You had substantial success withyour earlier albums too and you werenominated for a number of InternationalMusic Awards like ICMA and ISSA…What is your take on awards apart fromvalidation of your effort do awards helpyou in expanding your scope as amusician?CS: I have never ever for a moment donemy music or art for the sake of awards; infact, I didn't even realize I could enter towin an award but my friends were doingso and I thought it would be cool and I doit more to stay in tandem with what mypeers are doing, really, so I can learn fromthem and be part of a community. So I'mdelighted of course, to be recognized bymy peers who I deeply respect. In thatsense, it is great for validation. But thereis the danger of awards is that you can getso caught up with getting recognition or anomination or a win that you lose sight ofthe bigger picture--to keep doing musicand striving towards musical excellence.It might be worth noting that Bob Marleynever got a GRAMMY nomination even,and there were many who never won aGRAMMY even, like Diana Ross, who hasbeen nominated numerous times. Youhave to take them with a pinch of saltbecause no serious musician that I knowdoes music for an award or recognition:the prize is the music. It really and trulyis, that's the reward, and that's what weneed to remember.Jay: At are your current projects? Do letus know…CS: Bringing out the album, RAGS &RAGAS is my sole focus at the moment:There is so much to do--send it out topress, print CDs, make it get awarenessand traction and of course, submit it tothe GRAMMYs. Then I will work on moretours and appearances for 2023,including concerts in India, Sedona, andSt. Croix. After that, planning a Europetour for 2024 and more internationalLIM Page 27

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appearances. I'm also focusing more onthe quality of my jewelry line which isinspired by Ragas.Jay: Out of all your collaborations whichone do you rate the best yourself thoughnormally you will like all your projectsbut select your absolute best and whatyou could gain out of that as a musicianand as a person?CS: I think the upcoming album RAGS &RAGAS is unquestionably my best work,not only because of the quality of themusicians but the composition hasbecome a lot stronger too: It is an albumthat feels like jazz, while really capturingthe essence of the Ragas. Wait till youhear it, I think you will agree with me.RAGAS & WALTZES is a close second.For me the ultimate litmus test is, can Ilisten to it again and I find myself playingthese two records again and again, a goodsign that I'm growing and getting better(heck, I can even tolerate myself! )Jay: What would you advise an upcomingmusician to take care in order to besuccessful in the music scene today?CS: The going can be tough, and rocky atmany times but true passion and love willwin in the end. I would advise anupcoming musician to be both passionateand practical if possible (that's not alwayseasy!) and realize that many things,including recordings, marketing etc. takesresources and financial backing.Otherwise it's just not possible to do itwell. But then again, no one wants to heara bad record, no matter how wellmarketed it is, so balancing both of thesethings can be tough. Be humble,respectful, work hard and try not tocomplain too much (I have had my shareof negative Nellys and I won't work withthem again because everyone has a sobstory to tell) because doing music andmaking a living and career of it is awonderful and rare privilege.I'd also tell them to surround themselveswith people who are truly great and whopush them to greater heights. Keepimproving, keep practicing, work hardand always be passionate yet humble,that's my advice for success.Jay: We thank you for your time. One lastquestion, what would you like a LazieIndie Magazine reader who is a first-timelistener to your music?CS: I'd love for them to listen to Ragas &Waltzes, it's a real nice window into whatI do!https://charusuri.bandcamp.com/album/ragas-waltzesLIM Page 28

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Jay Pillai (JP): Hi Lynda, you have had agreat run after we spoke some time backhere at Lazie Indie Magazine... tell usmore about your journey ever since weinterviewed you?Lynda Law (LL): A lot of music has beenreleased since we last spoke. These songsand a couple of music videos did reallywell to extremely well. The song “CentralPark” hit nearly 500,000 streams. Andwe were so happy when we reached 3million all time streams on Spotify inMarch. As a songwriter it makes mehappy to know that people love whatyou’re doing.JP: Your new collaboration withlegendary George McCrae is goingsensational internationally... tell us moreabout the song?LL: Soul music has always been in myheart and veins. I must have got that frommy dad because he loved watching theseartists on stage after I did myperformance. So one day I decided towrite a soulful dance song but as a duet.The words and the melody came as anatural flow. The only missing bit in myproject was a duet partnerJP: How did you both come together? towork with George is a great achievementand congrats on that...LL: Thank you, I was very happy whenGeorge said yes to sing the song with me.George McCrae is a very nice and friendlyman. I met him several times when I wasopening act for him during his tours inthe UK. We never kept in touch untilrecently I discovered that he and hislovely wife don’t live too far from us. Icontacted him, we got together and StepInto My Heart was born.JP: Tell us more about the process ofmaking this fabulous song and how andwhere it was produced.LL: The process of making Step Into MyHeart was quite a smooth one to behonest. I made a demo of how the songwould roughly sound. I sent it to Georgeto ask him if he liked the idea, which hedid. So we recorded it and shaped it intothe final version you can hear today. Itwas an international production that wentLIM Page 31

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from The States to Belgium and TheNetherlands. We sang it together on a bigstage in Holland the other week.JP: What are your immediate plans forpromoting the song do you plan to tourtogether?LL: I love promoting because you canwitness the results of your work nearlyimmediately. We sent the song to radiostations and DJs that are into soulfulmusic all over the world. Because of thepromotion on our social media manypeople in the music industryspontanuously stepped forward too. StepInto My Heart has had media coverage insome major newspapers in Belgium andThe Netherlands and on online musicplatforms. We are very happy.JP: You are also a fabulous radio host.Tell us what kind of music you lookforward to and how can one reach you.?LL: Being a soul music lover I love todwell in the memories that I have of thereal deal artists, you know. People whostraight out of their heart for the love ofmusic. Recently my producer and Ichanged the format of my weekly show toclassic and modern soul music from themid 70s to late 80s. Any new music thatcan match the feeling of that era will bewelcomed in The Lynda Law Soul Showvia the contact form on www.lyndalaw.euJP: What was the best advice given toyou and what would you give as a piece ofadvice to fellow musicians?LL: I was given the advice to stay humbleand grateful for everything good thatwould happen to me. Also to work hard toachieve your dream and never give up.The advice I would give fellow musiciansand particular to starters is that if you aredoing it to get “likes” and followers, youare probably in the wrong business.Building fame in 5 minutes could equallybe taken away as fast.Thank you again for this opportunity.Changed the format of my weekly show toclassic and modern soul music from theLIM Page 33

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A little 5-year-old girl and a dream that one day the whole wide world would knowher, like the world knows Dolly Parton spent years of hard work and dedicationperfecting her craft toured the world, singing everywhere and anywhere, that wouldallow her at the age of 13, score her first record deal and went on to release her firstfull length album,Amy Rose "One Special Girl". With 2 Music Row Top 100 songs, 4NMW Top 50 songs, two of those songs going all the way to #1 under her belt, thisRedneck Princesswas ready to show Country Music exactly what she is made of.When the covid waves struck the world breaking the back of music industryespecially live music. Amy had to stay home and work on new content and she didwork with grammy award wining producer Dale Oliver... Now she is back on theroad performing. Let us check out a conversation betweenJay of Lazie IndieMagazine and Amy Rose... Thanks to Galaxy FM-NZL for the introduction.LIM Page 36

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Jay: Hi Amy, welcome to Lazie IndieMagazine. You have had a great career sofar. How do you see it yourself?Amy: Oh gosh, it's been a wild ride so farthat's for sure, but I am loving everysingle minute of it. Hearing my songs onthe radio still blows my mind. I mean Iam just a bag full of emotions every darntime I hear them being played. I cry, Ilaugh, it's just so surreal I think for anyartist to hear yourself on the radio. Thereis still so much more I want to do. Mybiggest dream has always been and is toperform in the mother church of countrymusic (Grand Ole Opry) and have my idolthe incredible Dolly Parton introducingme to the stage. Hopefully one day I canmake that dream a reality too.Jay: Who is/are your musical influences?Why did you choose your genre of music?Amy: Well, that would be the IncredibleDolly Parton. What can I say about Dollythat everyone in the world isn't alreadysaying about her. I mean she isn't just alegend but also a role model. Everythingthat lady touches turns to gold. Her heartis pure and honest with so much kindnessto last a lifetime and beyond. She is trulyone of a kind. I remember telling myparents when I was a little girl that Ididn't just want to be famous when I grewup, but I wanted to be Dolly Partonfamous. I'm not just obsessed with howincredible she is, but I honestly trulybelieve that this crazy world would be abetter place if it had more people likeDolly in it. TEAM DOLLY ALL THEWAY!!! She is the reason why I singcountry music!!! (Well that and the factthat nothing else was played or evenallowed to be played in my parent'shousehold growing up other than good ol'country music).Jay: How do you go about your musiccreation? How are the songs written andproduced?Amy: When you work with the rightpeople it just comes so easily. It's assimple as that. I have a team ofsongwriters that I write with regularlyand we'll just throw ideas out at eachother and then BANG!!! MAGICLIM Page 37

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HAPPENS!!!Jay: Where can we see your music releases over the internet? Tell us about yourlatest or upcoming release.Amy: My newest release is a beautiful power ballad written by Josh Ramsey fromCanadian rock band (Marianas Trench). "One Love" takes you through a chillingjourney of heartbreak, pain, loss and regret. You can find me and my music prettymuch on all social media platforms!!! YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music,Deezer and beyond, (or you can do it the old-fashioned way and call your localcountry music radio station and request it.) Also don't forget to look me up onFacebook, Instagram and TikTok!!! (I always love meeting new friends).Jay: What is your choice of recording/performing gear? Why do you prefer them?Amy: I am an easy-peasy, laid back country girl who leaves those choices up to theLIM Page 38

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professionals. I'm not high enough in my career just yet to demand that all the greenM&Ms be removed from my bowl, so I'm certainly not going to tell the professionalsound engineers what equipment to use. Remember those sound engineers canmake you sound like yourself "OR" Donald Duck!!! Never mess with the people incharge of making you sound good!!! HahahaJay: What do you like to do the most in music? Writing, producing or performinglive... Even though each one has its own flavor what do you like the absolute best?Amy: Oh, that is a good question. For me it's performing live. (Especially when it's apower ballad.) I am a girl that feeds off the crowd's energy. The stage has alwaysbeen my home and where I feel most comfortable. You know what they say, Home iswhere the Heart is.Jay: What are your immediate future plans say for 2023?LIM Page 40

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Currently right now we are in the mist ofpromoting my single "One Love" as wellas I am always writing new material forfuture projects!!!Jay: If you want to tour as a band what doyou want to tour?Amy: Well touring Europe has alwaysbeen on my bucket list. I would not objectto going down under to BEAUTIFULAustralia. Oh, and let's not forget NewZealand and Tokyo!!!Jay: What was the best advice given toyou and what would you give as a piece ofadvice to fellow musicians?Amy: Never lose sight of yourself andwhere you came from. If there is onething, I've learned from being in thiscrazy music business for so long is thatkey piece of advice. There are going to bepeople who will try to change you, yourlook, your sound, your beliefs and trustme you will question yourself many timesover, however, never lose sight of thedreams and goals you've set out foryourself. At the end of the day "YOU" arethe leader of your own happiness andsuccess!!! That is the message I stand forin everything I do including my music...Thank you...LIM Page 41

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In a solo career which now spans over 20 years, Ben Reel has received worldwidecritical acclaim with numerous high profile TV/Radio appearances like BBC, RTEand Dutch NPO Radio. Supporting the likes of Jools Holland, & The Cranberriesand he has collaborated musically with such names as Hal Ketchum & TheBlockheads. He has co written and performed live with his fellow countryman TonyMcLoughlin and some of Nashville's finest such as David Olney, Nanci Griffiths &Irene Kelley. In the past Ben was selected to play an official showcase at FolkAlliance in Memphis and has toured as double bill with Tommy Womack (Nashville)in the U.S & UK and also with legendary American folk singer/songwriter EricAndersen in the UK & NL and many more tours...Grant and Barbara from GalaxyFMspoke to Ben Reel ...LIM Page 43

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Grant: You have had a pretty impressiverun so far as a musician, how do you see ityourself?Ben: Yes I been playing music in bandsnow since 1989 basically since I leftschool at the age of 17. I then started mysolo career in 1999 as artist name BenReel (real name Brendan Reel). I amproud of the fact that I have earned aliving from music since then and released11 studio albums thus far. It also hasenabled me to travel to many countriesaround the world playing my own originalmusic. I am not yet world famous but Iguess in a way I have been successful asan indie artist to be doing something Ilove for a living and thriving notsurviving.Grant: Who is/are your musicalinfluences? Why did you choose yourgenre of music?Ben: It started out with The Beatles (Johnmy fav) & Bruce Springsteen and ofcourse been Irish - U2, Thin Lizzy & VanMorrison. Also a long the way Bob Dylan,Neil Young, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison,Bob Marley just to mention a few. I didn'tchoose a genre and I don't think I have aparticular one as I was influenced by somany. I think I kind of followed my museand let it morph naturally into what it istoday, which one music critic said is kindof the middle ground between Rock &Jazz. If I was forced to call it one genre Iguess it would be Roots Rock.Grant: How do you go about your musiccreation? How are the songs written andproduced?Ben: I never sit down to intentionallywrite a song unless on seldom occasionsits a co write with another artist. Ingeneral there are no rules as ideas cancome at any moment so you just have tobe ready to catch the rabbit when it jumpsout of the hole. Sometimes it can come indream like states early in the morning orlate at night when you are in that zone ofhalf awake which I find my mind is mostcreative. Only problem is that you have towake up, get out of bed and play or humthe idea in to your phone. As forproducing, I have my own studio so ILIM Page 44

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"Just keep writing and doing your thing as nobody does what you can do - I was once told this. Iwould say - keep trying to improve as a musician".produce mostly myself.Grant: Where can we see your musicreleases over the internet? Tell us aboutyour latest or upcoming release.Ben: Best place to find my music & merch/ CDs & Vinyl is directly from my websitehttps://benreel.com there you will alsofind all the links to Spotify, Apple Music,socials etc. My latest release is new album- Come a Long Way - 11th studio album.Previous album 'The Nashville Calling'recorded in Nashville featured legendaryE Street band member Gary Tallent onBass guitar.Grant: What is your choice of recording/performing gear? Why do you preferthem?Ben: I use the Universal audio Apollointerface as I like the UAD plug ins. I alsohave some great outboard gear like theRupert Neve Shelford channel strip whichis a great all round strip with amazing preamp, EQ & compression. I have in myopinion the 2 best microphones in theworld - the Neumann 47 & 67 which areamazing on vocals and miking acousticinstruments. As for guitars - I have a 1978Fender Telecaster which looks likeSpringsteens's & a beautiful silversparkling Gretsch which I call my Vegasguitar. Acoustics I play Takamine's. TheTakamine is a great work horse.Grant: What do you like the most?Writing, recording (producing music) orperforming live?Ben: For me it is performing live in frontof an audience. Especially with my band.You can't beat that feeling of a great gigand love of an audience. Recording cansometimes be hard work but it isrewarding when in the end of the processyou create something beautiful. Writing agreat song can be a wonderful feeling, likewhen it comes to life out of nowhere.LIM Page 45

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Creating something that didn't exist untilyou grabbed it from the ether or subconscience. Like its not yours but wassent to you in some sort of cosmic emailto your brain from a timeless place.Grant: What are your immediate futureplans say for 2023?Ben: I have a lot of shows coming up inIreland, Netherlands, Germany, Belgiumfrom now to Christmas so I will be busyon the road. Maybe in between in theAutumn I will find some time to get somework done in the studio for the nextrecord which is half finished. MaybeAutumn 2024 will see its release.Jay: If you want to tour as a musicianwhere do you want to tour?Ben: I have lots of places left on mybucket list to tour like New Zealand,Australia, Asia, South America. I amlooking forward to next year when I willplay Italy for the first time and of course Iwould like to come to your country Jay -India. The covid years was hard as wemusicians lost out on touring. At timesduring the pandemic I thought I mightnever play in another country again whichwas a very sad thought. Thankfully we areback at it and raring to go.Barbara: What was the best advice givento you and what would you give as a pieceof advice to fellow musicians?Ben: Just keep writing and doing yourthing as nobody does what you can do - Iwas once told this. I would say - keeptrying to improve as a musician. Playingwith other great musicians can help youimprove as long as you are willing tolisten and feel what is going on aroundyou. Try to listen to all music to widenyour spectrum. Especially for youngmusicians it is important to discover allthe great artist from the past, to reachback to the golden age of popular musicwhich I believe is the 60's & 70's eventhough the 50's & 80's where also great &the 90's had its moments, since then thejury is out. No more heroes anymore...LIM Page 46

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Emma: You have had a long and excitingcareer in music so far, how do you see ityourself?YC: Honestly, I haven't seen time pass by.I started my career more than 20 yearsago, and have always done it with greatpassion. Today still, I see my workdifferently as I evolve but still do it withas much pleasure!Emma: Who is/are your musicalinfluences? How did you pick up music asa career option?YC: I like all sorts of music, everythingthat gives me sensation. My taste can gofrom vocal jazz, to french songs andclassical music. As for my career,everything started off with encounters, Ihad the chance to meet many greatwomen, who believed in me and gave mea chance as a producer.Emma: How do you go about your musiccreation? How are the songs written andproduced?YC: Creation always starts withconversations with writers andcomposers.These moments make me feelthe essence of the feelings they want topass by, I then try my best to sing them togive all the same sensations that I feelwhile talking.Emma: Where can we see your musicreleases over the internet? Tell us aboutyour latest or upcoming release.YC: My songs are available on everyplatform. My last album came out a fewmonths ago, it was written and composedby the incredible musician, that I greatlycherish: Lucid Beausonge. We were bothinsistened by subjects such as lonelinessand time passing by. After talking aboutit, we decided to put all our words andfeelings into a work we could share on thealbum "Quelqu'un parmi les gens" .Emma: You have worked with a numberof greats, Who are musicians whom youloved to work the most with and why?YC: All the artists I have crossed taughtand brought a lot to me: Discipline,respect of the audience, never stopping totry and to still be singing today is the besthonour I could do to them.Emma: What do you like to do the mostLIM Page 50

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in music ? Writing, producing orperforming live?YC: What I like the most is the process ofmaking it come alive, from a word on apiece of scratch paper, to hearing itfinished with all the instruments perfectlytoned. What I especially enjoy isrecording in the studio, as it is a decisivemoment that makes the body of the songsemerge.Emma: What are your immediate futureplans say for 2023 or 2024?YC: I'd like to keep on defending thisalbum, as it is very dear to me. I will alsogo back on stage , starting with a firstconcert here in Paris the 22 of January, atthe iconic " Cafe de la danse".Emma: Among all your collaborationswhich one is the dearest to you? and why?YC: From all the artists I have workedwith, the one who touched me the mostare the ones from the beginning of mymuch experience yet, just passion andcareer, as I was very young, with not sowillingness, and they trusted me and gaveme a chance, something I am so gratefulfor... I am especially thinking of AnnyGould, Jacqueline Danno, CoraVaucaire... Great ladiesEmma: What was the best advice given toyou and what would you give as piece ofadvice to fellow musicians?YC: An advice I have not forgotten is tosing with the same devotion for tenpeople as for a thousand. The advice Iwould give to all of those who want tobelieve in their chance is that in thisindustry , everything is possible, whichmakes this scary and magical at the sametime!Thank you.LIM Page 51

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Tony West was raised in the Bronx on New York Dolls, Ramones, Bad Brains, andNYHC. Tony made his way to Los Angeles at 19 years old. He worked with guitaristTodd Youth (Murphy’s Law/Danzig) in Malfunkshun, which was kept active byAndy Wood’s brother Kevin Wood. Tony took a break from L.A. to try out Memphisin 1998. While he was there, he attended the first Saliva gig with Paul Crosby ondrums. Paul and Tony formed Blacklist Union. . Blacklist Union have released fouralbums to date and are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming release‘Letters from the Psych Ward.’ The first single and video for “The Queen ofEverything” is out now. The next single and title track, “Letters from the PsychWard” is available on all digital platformsJay from Lazie Indie Magazine speaks toTony West to know more about Blacklist Union.LIM Page 54

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Jay: You have had a great run as a bandso far, how do you see it yourself?Tony: I don’t know about a great run…We still have a long way to go. I wanna bein a tour bus on the road opening forGuns N Roses. Real shit in Europe,Australia and South America, realtouring, and real rocking every night.That’s our goal. We need to find a recordlabel to partner with.Jay: How did the band come into being,who picked whom to form the band?Tony: I started the band because I wouldaudition for bands and I really wouldn’tlike their music, I wouldn’t get the gig, orpersonalities would conflict. I startedBlacklist Union by playing the kind ofmusic that I want to hear… Up-tempokickass rock and roll.Jay: Who is/are your musical influences?Why did you choose your genre of music?Tony: My biggest influences are AndrewWood from Mother Love Bone and KoryClarke from Warrior Soul. I loveSoundgarden, Alice in Chains, Aerosmith,AC/DC, Turbonegro... I like a lot of punkrock too. GBH is one of my favoritebands. Hard rock and punk rock are myforte. That’s what I do. I’m not gonna picka genre of music because it’s the hip coolthing to do at the moment, I don’t careabout that. I have to stay true to myself.Jay: How do you go about your musiccreation? How are the songs written andproduced?Tony: I’m always writing lyrics. I’ll comeup with a melody and then add the lyrics.We have been working with the sameproducer, Chris Johnson, for all fiverecords. We do these records in prostudios with pro people. We’re not doingthe records at home, that’s for sure. I likethe whole vibe of going to a studio thathas history and other people are theremaking records, big producers, and bigbands. The environment is important.Jay: Where can we see your musicreleases over the internet? Tell us aboutyour latest or upcoming release.Tony: Blacklist Union’s music is availableon all digital platforms. We also have CDsand Vinyl available on our website atLIM Page 55

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BlacklistUnion.comVisit https://linktr.ee/blacklistunion forall things Blacklist Union. “Letters fromthe Psych Ward” is about trying to staysane in a world that’s gone mad. We havereleased three singles from our upcomingrelease ‘Letters from the Psych Ward,’which will be out September 15th, 2023.Jay: What is your choice of recording/performing gear? Why do you preferthem?Tony: I’m not really a gearhead guyexcept for In-Ears and ShureMicrophones. I use Sennheiser In-Ears.JH Audio Ultimate Ears are the actualears I use and Sennheiser is the system.In-Ears for me, or any singer, areessential to be able to hear yourselfbecause it’s so inconsistent when you’replaying live. Naturally as a singer, and asa human, your voice tries to compete withamplified instruments. That isimpossible, but it’s like an instinct. It’sreally weird. You gotta be aware and havecontrol. The In-Ears definitely help withnot having to strain your voice and beingable to relax. I also love Shure 58Microphones. That’s a standard thing.Jay: What do you like to do the most inmusic? Writing, producing or performinglive... Even though each one has its ownflavor what do you like the absolute best?Tony: I love it all. I love writing, I loverecording, and I love performing.Jay: What are your immediate futureplans say for 2023?Tony: Keep moving forward. We have thenew record, ‘Letters from the PsychWard,’ coming out September 15th. Weare putting together a local CD Releaseparty and are looking at record labels andtouring.Jay: If you want to tour as a band, wheredo you want to tour?Tony: We definitely want to tour Europe,Australia and South America.LIM Page 56

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Ms.Benita in her new column"Celebirty Tea with Dr. Benita" introduces the verypopular artist & record label owner from USA,Coreleone. Corleone is a musiciansince he was 16 and was raised in Baltimore Maryland. He has been performing foralmost 3 decades. He started his career when his friend sent him to Oz RecordingStudio owned by ex NFL player Michael Jackson. He was inspired mainly by Krs1,Scareface, Tupac & Slick Rick. He also owns the Corleone Records, his label which iscurrently managing 8 artists. He has contributed through many roles in the musicindustry for a very long time. Ms. Benita quizzes this fabulous artist to learn moreabout him, his career in music so far and his plans for future .... Let us read.LIM Page 59

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Ms.Benita: Where are you from?Coreleone: Born in NY raised inBaltimore Maryland.Ms.Benita: Have you always had a lovefor music?Coreleone: Yes I have all my life.M.Benita: What age did you start doingmusic?Corleone: At the age of 16.Ms.Benita: How long have you been aRecording Artist?Corelone: I've been a recording Artist forover 30 years.Ms.Benita: Who were your inspirationsgrowing up?Coreleone: There are so many but Krs1,Scareface, Tupac & Slick Rick are mymain inspirations.Ms.Benita: When did you dicide to bemore than a Recording Artist?Coreleone: In 1997 I decided I wanted todo more be more! I had all these big ideasthat I wanted to turn into reality and Idid.Ms.Benita: When did you start yourrecord label Corelone Records?Coreleone: In 1997 I decided to start mylabel to help artists like myself.Ms.Benita: How many artists are signedunder your label?Coreleone: There are 8 Artists signedunder my label Corelone Records.Ms.Benita: You also have a movie comingout Detective Brooks, let us know moreabout that?Coreleone: Detective Brooks is a sci-fimovie created by STC films written byTodd hunt about aliens taking over andthe only person to stop them is a cyborgnamed detective Brooks.Ms.Benita: What else do you have comingout?Coreleone: We have several differentmovies coming and a sitcom calledFinance Dept which is written by ToddHunt & Myself & produced by STC films.Ms.Benita: What is Finance Dept about?Coreleone: It is based on things that havehappened in my life and about peoplewho I'm around. Very funny a show toremember.- Thank YouLIM Page 60

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Hari: You have garnered quite a few fansby putting out covers on social mediaplatforms. How has that helped indevelopment of your own songs?Saroj: Well, it has helped me quite a lot injust building that courage to even put outthings that I am unsure of. You see, Istarted posting covers within 2 months ofpicking up the guitar and when I revisitthose clips now, I wonder what was I eventhinking back then. However, there havebeen a few amazing human beings whohave been my constant cheerleadersthroughout this journey. I have atendency to disappear from social mediaevery now and then and despite that thesefolks have stuck by me and cheered meon. That gave me the confidence to try outnewer things because I was convincedthey will stay and I don’t really have tofollow trends to stay relevant.Hari: Continuing from last question, hasthat helped you market yourself better?Can you detail it for our readers who aremusicians?Saroj: Yes and No. Yes because your fans(however few) help you to a large extentin getting the word out. However,considering how you need to beconstantly churning out content in orderto not be forgotten, it becomes achallenge for introverts like me that arenot very inclined towards it. Afterall,content creation is not a joke and takes alot of effort and creativity. I alwaysclassify this part of my work as gruntwork and end up procrastinating which isnot a very good strategy if you want yourmusic to be heard by a bigger audience.It’s definitely a choice you have to maketo get out of your comfort zone and dothings. I personally am still trying to workmy way through it.Hari: You had an impressive crowdfunding round for your first singleDancing with the demons, how did yousee to its success?Saroj: Honestly, it was a pleasant surprisethe way it worked out. I was expecting toprobably hit just about 50% of the settarget. But, in hindsight the few thingsthat I did right was to do things myLIM Page 64

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way and not heavily depend on just socialmedia. A lot of times, we talk aboutengagement on posts and stories. And inall this, we deprioritise the actualengagement with real people. And theother thing was to identify your targetaudience. Again, outside of social mediaas well. These two things worked for me.Hari: What is your approach tosongwriting? Where are all the ideasfrom?Saroj: I try to use music as my outlet andso, most of my songs revolve around mylife experiences and of course there isalways a bit of added drama. I havechosen to voice my vulnerabilities andinner turmoil and let the emotions andthoughts guide the way in terms of thelyrics. The melody follows the mood.Hari: Do you have a specific genre thatyou gravitate towards? What are we goingto hear more of (in terms of sound)?Saroj: I love Rock and Carnatic and evenenjoy a little bit of pop and country. So, Iam looking to make more music whichhas some elements of these. Although, Ido find myself swaying between differentgenres all the time.Hari: Word around the block is thatthere's another single coming from you!Could we have some more info about it?Saroj: I am currently working on 2 songs.One is called Bruises which is a verypersonal track. It’s about some of the not-so-pretty memories of my growing upyears that I have been unable to shake off.The other track is a groovy, happy songabout finding your ‘The One’. It’s got avery light breezy feel to it.Hari: What is your primary motivation asa musician or an artist? Is there a biggerpicture that you see or are workingtowards?Saroj: The happiness you experiencewhen you see an idea of yours come to lifeis incomparable. I wish I could say thingslike I want to make music that ageneration can relate to or someone findssolace in. I mean, that would be amazing!But, I want to be really honest in saying,my motivation and goal, both have beenclosure. It’s like that love letter in yourdrafts that you finally send and you feelan immense sense of relief to have just letit out of your system. The only differencebeing, anybody can choose to read it andif they take a liking to it, it’s a win-win.Even if not, it is still a win because yousucceeded in unburdening yourself andthat’s not an easy thing. I want tocontinue using songwriting as an out andhope that a few people enjoy reading mylove letters irrespective of who they weredirected to.- Thank youLIM Page 65

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Jay: You and Misty Blues have had afantastic run as an authentic Blues bandover the years since 1999, How do youlook at the journey yourself?Gina: Well, I hope our long journey turnsout to be one that embodies the adage“slow and steady wins the race.” We havebeen honing our craft for nearly 25 years,playing approximately 150 shows a yearand now it seems like folks are starting totake notice. I’m honestly less concernedwith how long it took people to come tothe party; I’m just appreciative that theyfinally made it and are enjoying what weare offering.Jay: How did you come into music? Whydid you pick up Blues as your genre ofmusic?Gina: Although I studied piano from theage of 5, it wasn’t until I graduated fromcollege when I found my voice. Some ofmy friends dared me to sing a song at alocal club’s “Open Mic Night” and since Iwas fortified with a healthy amount ofliquid courage, I signed up and won thecompetition that evening. That was thebeginning of my career as a lead vocalist.In the summer of 1999 I had the fortuneof performing in the WilliamstownTheater Festival production of “A RaisinIn the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. I wascast as a gospel singer and I wouldperform songs between the act changes.The lead actor of that production, RubenSantiago-Hudson told me my voice wasperfectly suited for the blues and he gaveme a cd collection entitled “Men Are LikeStreetcars” which was a collection offemale blues artists from the 20’s to the60’s. It was transformative, so I called onthe guys in my band, Cole-Connection, ifthey would like to start a blues band andthat was the birth of Misty Blues.Jay: Read that you are a theatrepersonality too, how do you balance bothyour careers or are you only into musicnowadays?Gina: I actually only had one formaltheatrical experience, and that spurredthe birth of Misty Blues. Along with themusic, I have simultaneously heldpositions in educational administrationLIM Page 70

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and as a college rugby coach for most of my adult life. Thebalance hasn’t been too The balance hasn’t been too taxing sinceI don’t sleep much. In fact, I wrote a song on our last albumentitled “I Don’t Sleep”.Jay: As one of the top Blues bands from your county, how didthe band come into being? Who picked whom and tell us aboutyour Farm team...Gina: The first members of the Misty Blues core band camefrom my acoustic folk/funk band, Cole-Connection. As the yearsprogressed and the direction of the music evolved, I have beenexceptionally fortunate to find world class musicians in my localcounty to fill in the ranks. I have also given birth to anincredibly talented multi instrumentalist who performsregularly with my band … my son, Diego. Diego actually residesLIM Page 70

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on my Farm Team. The Farm Team is agroup of exceptional musicians who haveagreed to keep up to date with our catalogand are called on if a core band memberis unable to take a show I’ve decided toaccept. Today I have approximately 10-15musicians on my Farm Team.Jay: You have toured all over The USA,have you taken your music to other partsof the world say Europe or Asia?Gina: Yes, we have toured Canada andjust recently returned from an extensivetour of England where we got to performat several venues including the 100 Clubin London and the iconic Cavern Club inLiverpool.Jay: How do you go about creating yourown music? Do you totally rely ontraditional Blues or do you experimentwith other related genres also?Gina: My band mates would say I’m a bitof a clairvoyant when it comes tocomposing music for the band as musicand lyrics simply come to me in my sleep,day dreaming or inspired by the rhythmsgenerated from the windshield wipercadence from my truck. I also collaboratewith other musicians in the band like myguitarist, Seth Fleischmann, my player,Ed Moran or my son Diego. They willsend me clips of music they’ve createdand wait to see if I hear anything from it.It either comes to me or it doesn’t.Although my heart and soul are rooted inthe blues, I have always been open to thejoy and inspiration I’ve garnered fromother genres of music. We are squarelycontemporary blues artists in that regard.Jay: Tell us about your latest release andthe artists who worked on the album.Where can we listen to your songs on theInternet?Gina: Our latest album is called “OutsideThe Lines” and it is our 12th album andwas released on the 30th of March, 2023.It is probably my favorite release, but Isay that of every new release. This one ispalpably different in that we were with anew label, Guitar One Records, andguided by Executive Producer, MarcSwersky. Additionally, it was mixed bySeth von Paulus and mastered by LeonZervos; all individuals who were new tous. The new team was exactly what weneeded given the creative direction of thecomposition. We kept the blues at thecore of songs, but leaned more heavilyinto other genres than we had previously.It was clearly a good decision as we havegarnered more interest in this album thanany of our others. In fact, this album hasbeen submitted for Recording Academyconsideration in six categories: BestContemporary Blues Album, BestProducer, Best Liner Notes, Best MusicVideo, Best American Roots Song(“Where Your Blues Come From”) andBest American Roots Performance(“Where Your Blues Comes From”). Nowour 13th album will be released later thisAugust. It’s our first live album, our firstacoustic album and our first tributealbum. “Tell Me Who You are: A LiveTribute To Odetta”. This was a passionproject that took 30 years to happen. Imet the great Odetta nearly 30 years agoat famed Bottom Line Club in NYC in themid-90’s and have wanted to pay homageto her ever since. The Odetta tributealbum has already received somesignificant reviews and it will also besubmitted for Recording AcademyLIM Page 71

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consideration in the category of Best Folkalbum. 8. Blues is a very live and personalexperience for most audiences, so as aBlues Band...Jay: How did you cope with thelockdowns when you had no-shows? Didyou spend time creating new materialduring those days?Gina: We didn’t stop working. We createdour own COVID family and did a weeklyperformance via live stream starting on13th of March in 2020 … that was thedate of our first canceled performance.We did that live stream show every Fridayuntil we were able to perform to a liveaudience again. Additionally, we wroteand released 3 albums during thepandemic. I can easily release two-threemore albums from the material createdduring that period. 9. Blues is stillfollowed all across the world, we haveinterviewed a lot of great blues artists andmany of our readers who are mostlymusicians themselves have thisquestion...Jay: Do you think that Blues as a genreneeds to be re-imagined to suit theyounger crowd who have very littleknowledge or interest in Blues-basedgenres or the genre shouldn't becompromised at all?Gina: I think there is room to celebratethe more traditional structures of thegenre as well as explore the pathwaysthat will entice a younger generation oflisteners. I firmly believe that ourlatest album, Outside The Lines,provides hooks to entice a youngerbase and at the same time they arediscovering and enjoying the elementswhich are at the foundation of thegenre. Just listen to “Where Your BluesCome From” for my musical answer tothis question.Jay: Being a very established musicianyourself what would you advise ayoung upcoming musician to sustain inthe music industry?Gina: Fame and fortune are not thebarometer of success. Do music if youhonestly feel your life will be a shell ofan existence without it. If you areskilled enough and dedicated enough,you will manage to create a modestliving, but if you think music willafford you great riches and a life ofluxury you are truly misguided. Don’tget me wrong, that’s a brass ring I’velonged to have, but the music and thechase is what really sustains me.- Thank youLIM Page 72

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Thoughts, Musings and the White Elephant in the Room.The Impact of AI? Evolution of Music?ByLyia MetaIam prone to having random thoughts that get scattered inthe wind. However, there are times, like today, when theylinger and become that white elephant in the room. So,here I am, in what I hope doesn’t come across as me beingunenlightened or “behind the times”. Here is the questionthat I have been asked countless times: as we stand on thecusp of a new era in music, do we embrace the coexistence of artificial intelligence?While others are optimistic about the potential of AI in the creative process, somecritics are sceptical. A quick google found that the earliest successful AI programwas written in 1951 by Christopher Strachey, later director of the ProgrammingResearch Group at the University of Oxford. So, why are we worried if we have beenliving with AI for over 70 years in some form or another? Do we have enough depthof knowledge regarding the topic to draw conclusions? I believe the recentuncertainties stem from the daily news of jobs being lost and replaced by AI,followed closely by the possible economic disruption as an obvious outcome to that.But I am not going too far down that rabbit hole! Because it is often the case that wefear what we do not understand, I shall briefly touch on some highlights that may beinteresting. The rapid advancement of AI technology presents a unique opportunityfor us to reimagine the music industry, yet the blurring of lines between humaningenuity and machine intelligence has me in doubt! All I can think of is that myworld of music will cease to exist the way it has been for the last few decades. Willthe way we present, serve and consume music change? Will live shows and giggingmusicians be a thing of the past? Do we have reason to worry? So many questionsand yet predicting the exact impact of AI on the musical landscape is challengingsimply because it involves numerous factors and uncertainties. This month’s topicisn’t my typical offering, as I step away from my regular interviews. I was on thefence about writing this article but as I sit here, contemplating the inevitableblending of human and machine, my thoughts drift to the vast expanse of music thathas woven its way into the very fabric of our existence, my existence! As an artistand a lover of music, I find myself standing at the crossroads of awe andanticipation, contemplating the impact Artificial Intelligence is going to have on ourmusic industry. With trepidation and curiosity brewing within me, I can't help butwonder how this ‘collaboration’ between humanity and technology will affect ourfuture. The thought of AI collaborating with musicians, composers, and producersignites a curiosity within all of us. Some of us, uninterested by AI’s intrusion, stillhave questions about the future of creativity, the core of human expression, and thedelicate balance between innovation and authenticity, and how this willundoubtedly affect us. The blurring of lines between the artificial and the authenticis cause for concern. Like any technological advancement, AI's merging into musicbrings with it a series of possibilities and considerations. While it will open doors tounprecedented creativity, efficiency, and personalized experiences, I think it wouldbe also good to give thought to the potential implications it holds for theLIM Page 73

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authenticity of artistic expression and the human connection deep-rooted in music.Dipping my toes into these deep waters, let’s briefly examine both the pros and consthat AI introduces to the music industry, as we navigate the ever-evolvinglandscape, where technology meets the intricacies of human emotion. Based oncurrent trends and emerging technologies, here are some possibilities I feel wemight expect from music in the future. With the upsurge of streaming services andguided algorithms, music will probably become even more tailored to individualpreferences. It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that personalized and interactiveexperiences would be the first to manifest from this merge. From personalizedplaylists, customized concert experiences, and interactive music apps, these couldbecome increasingly common as it will allow listeners to have unique and engaginginteractions with their favourite artists. As I already struggle at times with figuringLIM Page 74

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out genres for some songs I release, theblurring of genre boundaries wouldpresent even more challenges. And, as theboundaries between different musicgenres become increasingly blurred, thetrend will likely continue, as artistscontinue to experiment and combineelements from various genres resulting inexciting new styles of music. My favouritewould be collaborations and globalinfluences. The interconnection of theworld through the internet and socialmedia has made possible collaborationsbetween artists from different culturesand backgrounds. I am one such example.We can expect more cross-culturalcollaborations, resulting in the blendingof diverse musical styles and influences.This may lead to exciting new outcomesand/or it may lead to an emergence ofnew music movements. And how can wenot acknowledge how the COVID-19pandemic accelerated the adoption of livestreaming and virtual concerts? Ispeculate that live streaming and virtualconcerts will likely continue as anadditional revenue stream and a way toreach global audiences. And while it ischallenging to predict all the definitedevelopments, there are several trendsthat have already emerged, some of whichwe can explore further. Traditional albumformats may continue to evolve, withartists exploring alternative ways torelease and present their music. Conceptslike multimedia albums, interactive musicvideos, and immersive live performancescould become more prevalent. Streamingplatforms have already become thecurrent primary mode of musicconsumption, and this trend is likely tocontinue. Physical media like CDs andeven digital downloads will likely becomeless prominent as streaming services offerconvenience and accessibility.Advancements in music productiontechnology will enable musicians to createmusic with greater ease and flexibility.From improved software and plugins tomore accessible hardware, artists willhave expanded tools to shape theirauditory perspective. It all soundspromising and rosy on paper butconcerns about its impact on the jobmarket and the fact they have alreadytaken over tasks that were once held byhumans makes me extremely concerned.And there is a concern that AI-generatedmusic can produce compositions thatmimic various musical styles and genres,even going as far as being able to createoriginal pieces that are indistinguishablefrom those composed by humans.However, there are several factors toconsider: creativity, emotion,improvisation, human connection withthe audience, and collaborative aspectswhere creating music involvescollaboration among multiple musicians.I reached out to a few fellow artists andpeers to gain an opinion and theirthoughts on how they perceive theintegration of AI in the music industryand its potential impact on artisticexpression and creativity.LIM Page 75

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KITT WAKELEY - Grammy Award-winning composer,songwriter, musician and music producer.“A.I. has been an integral part of the music industry for decades.Especially, when you consider all the tools using algorithms toemulate sounds for instruments, vocal fx, mixing, mastering andproduction. As music creatives, we’ve been using technology as aresource in our creative process and to accentuate our art. However,over the past couple of years, A.I. has catapulted into anotherstratosphere and an entire song is created within a few clicks of abutton, bypassing the traditional creative process. It no longer servesas a resource or tool, rather a final throughput of a few clicks of abutton. Each time there has been a new development in technology,the music community has had to pivot to determine the legitimacyand role within the creative process. For example, at one time it wascompletely foreign to use a computer versus a stand-alone analogueLIM Page 76

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board during the recording and mixingprocess. For years, the idea of using drumsamples, autotune or loops on a song wasblasphemy, but over time, the industryresolved itself and all of these things arecommon in the creative process. As A.I. haspolarized the music industry, we have toascertain its legitimacy. Just like every othernew technology that has come into existence,we have the foresight to navigate theimplications on transparency, the financialimpact on our industry, unforeseencircumstances, the positives and thenegatives. However, due to the magnitude ofA.I. capabilities, this one is going to take a lotmore mental gymnastics to play out all thecircumstances.”JOHN BUCKLEY McQUAID - Irishmusician, prolific songwriter, singer, lyricistand producer.“The short answer is I don’t know. From awriter’s point of view: There was no AIpresent when two guys from Liverpool weresitting eye to eye writing so many wonderfulsongs. Nor was AI present when Gerry Goffinand Carole King wrote “Will You Love MeTomorrow?” AI is more desert than oasis andappears to be an easy way of getting thingsdone. Like Spotify is a way of financiallydevaluing the fruits of our creative labours.People will eventually incorporate AI in theirwork as a tool - it will never replaceinspiration - going the extra mile to get thesublime. It encourages laziness which isdeadly for creativity. I have heard a recordingof a Beatles’s song which had AI John singingone of Paul’s songs instead of Paul and itsounded bland and simply wrong. Theindustry will end up sawing off the branch onwhich it sits. People are extremely creative.We can do so much; we can also choose notto. On the other hand, there have beenexamples where A1 is used creatively as inthe ABBA Voyager Show, which brings theband back to life in 3-D, which is great. Likeeverything else in life, things can be used orabused. Let us hope that people are capableof understanding the difference and actingaccordingly.”LIM Page 77

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ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS -2 x Grammy®Nominated Artist“Thanks for asking Lyia. I would love tocomment! All of this depends upon whetherthe industry embraces the inevitable, or triesto patch it up again, turning it into a noman’s land like they did with streaming.There is a big grey area on the legal side withAI at the moment, which is currently trulypreventing it from an actual definition.Branding is also tricky, for racial issues willsurely come into play with how the AI ismarketed. AI tech is far removed fromcreating poetry, it might eventually get there,but the corporate music industry is alwayslooking for ways to devalue the actual assets[artists] in favor of greater return. I don’t seeit as a threat really, for it’ll either be used tomake copycat songs of hits/catalogue artists,or used to make catchy pop hits withoutan actual living, breathing person, whichwould require more tech investment for livepurposes...which the industry has failed miserably indoing over the last 20 years. In the end, thereare many ways to utilize it for monetization,but there is no across the board definition ofAI. I personally consider Melodyne AI, oreven spellcheck. I think at this stage peopledon’t really know what it all means, and asusual, are afraid of what they don’tunderstand.ANNEMARIE PICERNO - AnnemariePicerno is a Grammy member, AmericanaMusic Association member, and IndieCollaborative Artist. She is a Josie MusicAward Winner."I think AI is a crutch for people that areNOT true artists and people without anounce of originality or creativity in theirsouls. music has already become overprocessed and commercial , and similar to"Mtv Unplugged" where people were amazedat a radio hit being sung acoustic, I thinkover time live music will become even moreimportant. If an artist cannot duplicate in alive performance what is heard on the radio,LIM Page 78

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then they cannot be a true artist or authentic.True connection with others, and emotion ina performance will always be the real deal!"-Annemarie Picerno Nashville Entertainerwww.annemariepicerno.comSUDI(RICK) KARATAS - Screenwriter/Author/Actor/Producer/songwriter- authorof How Catering Sucked The Life,Right Out Of Me I personally have no desireto use A.I. for my songwriting or scriptwriting. The human experience is whatmakes good art, music, and movies, not arobot that has no emotion. A.I. doesn’t have asense of humor or feelings which is animportant part of telling stories.SAIRA JACOB - Singer songwriterArtificial intelligence (AI) is becomingpopular all around the world and I feel realtalent/skills shouldn't get affected by AI. Yes,it is true that AI can remake the lost voices offamous musicians and keep them alive andthat I feel is a good thing, but it should beused judiciously. Without AI itself, real skillsare questionable to become an artist. As longas you can sing, the output could betempered with and it would soundcompletely different with technology alreadyexisting in the music industry. Now with AIcoming in, I feel musicians would be replacedeasier. With AI we could learn the differenttrends in music that lasted throughout theyears, but replacing other musicians wouldbe so devastating and I really hope it doesn'thappen. I do wonder what would happen tolive shows if AI takes over the musicindustry, because after all AI can make musicbut it cannot be a performer on stage, so withthat one hope, let all of us musicians keepmoving forward and not lose hope in musicand industry.SHARON LIA - Founder and CEO CreativeDirector and Event Producer, Musician,singer, composer/lyricist/songwriter,recording artist, and producer at SharonLia Band/Sharrick Records, GRAMMY®Voting member, and balloted artist."I look at AI like any other tool. It canjust help you to do what you do better ifLIM Page 79

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you know how to use it. So my suggestion would be to learn as much about this tool as youcan, be aware of its potential problems – and never forget to allow your creativity to beauthentic. In conclusion, few art forms have captivated and united us as profoundly asmusic. Its refrains have traversed the centuries and aspired countless generations. Butnow, on the apex of a new era, we find ourselves poised on the precipice of atransformative chapter in music's rich history. By embracing the change, we open doors tonew artistic expressions but striking a balance between change and setting boundaries isimperative if we want to safeguard our core values and preserve cultural diversity. Themusic industry has already started to explore and adopt AI technologies to some extent.However, whether it is “too soon” to fully embrace AI in the music industry depends onvarious factors. Ultimately, the decision of whether to embrace or set boundaries forchange should be collaborative effort among artists, industry professionals, policymakers,and the public. It requires ongoing discussions, critical thinking, and a sharedLIM Page 80

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commitment to creating an inclusive,sustainable, and vibrant musical ecosystemthat embraces innovation while upholdingethical and cultural values.”About the ColumnTHROUGH CORRIDORS is a column byLyia Meta.“Musings, observations, music relatedarticles and interviews from around theglobe. Anything and anyone that resonateswith me.”Lyia Meta is an international multi award-winning singer and songwriter, producer,song stylist and an exhibited visual artist.When she is not travelling and performingacross the waters, she performs full-time inthe Kuala Lumpur club circuit. She finds hergreatest influences in rock and blues, yet shefearlessly defies genre barriers in everyproject she creates.”LIM Page 81

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Chris Weeks is one of the UK’s finest Jazz singers, as well as an actor, musician,session musician and producer. Chris started singing professionally at 16 years old,having sung with the County and National Youth Jazz Orchestras. He has performedat the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, The Cavern Club in Liverpool, TwinwoodVintage Festival, The Big Feastival as well as at parties, weddings, private eventsand on cruise ships and in hotels across the world. One of his most popular projectswas as the featured singer on ‘100 Years’ for YouTuber OR30, a wonderful songcurrently on 13 million streams. In 2023, Chris once again had a chance to play therole of Buddy Holly in the revived 30th Anniversary Tour of Buddy: The BuddyHolly Story, running until October.Jay From Lazie Indie Magazine speaks to ChrisWeeeks. Thanks to Damian Carruthers for the introduction.LIM Page 83

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Jay: You have had a great career so far,how has this new project been a differentprocess to previous ones?Chris: This is my first release as a soloartist, my first in the jazz genre and myfirst entirely covers release... quite a fewfirsts!Jay: Who is/are your musical influences?Why did you choose Jazz?Chris: My greatest influence is Sinatra. Ilove his style, his musicality, his tone andhis wide set of skills. I've alwaysappreciated other singers though, likeMel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, LouisArmstrong, Chet Baker, and morerecently Kurt Elling and Gregory Porter. Ilove jazz because of the freedom it allowsyou as a singer. The same song can becompletely different, night after night,depending on how the day's gone, howyou're feeling, or just the direction youwant to take it that day!Jay: How do you go about your musiccreation? How are the songs written andproduced?Chris: It all depends whether I'm theengineer/producer. When I'm writing, Igenerally start with a hook, either a lyricor a melody. Then I'll develop the generalidea with nonsense sounds and find thechords, then I'll drag the lyrics out ofmyself until I'm satisfied. That's whattakes the most time. I'll then arrange thesong in Logic and write the instrumentparts, to be replaced by live instrumentsfurther down the line if it's brass ordrums. Then, once everything's in placeand recorded, I mix it and master andwe're ready to go! Other times, such aswith 'To Be Frank', I'm fortunate enoughto working with wonderful producers socan just be the singer... that's a real treat!Jay: Where can we see your musicreleases over the internet? Tell us aboutyour latest or upcoming release.Chris: You can find my stuff on all thestreaming services and on YouTube. Mylatest release is 'To Be Frank', a Jazz EPwhich came out a couple of months ago.Jay: What is your choice of recording/performing gear? Why do you preferthem?LIM Page 84

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Chris: I love the U47 mic, it suits my voicereally well and has such lovely depth ofsound. I've been lucky enough to use thereal deal a couple of times, and I own aWarm WA47, which is an excellent clone.When I'm at home, I tend to use myShure SM7b through a UA Apollo Twin.It's a real workhorse setup, but producessuch great results. I've done the vastmajority of my session work with thatcombination and producers love thesound.Jay: What do you like to do the most inmusic? Writing, producing or performinglive... Even though each one has its ownflavour what do you like the absolutebest?Chris: I like a little bit of everything, butmy favourite has to be performing live.There's something about being in front ofan audience which really gets you out ofyour head. Everything can focus on themand selling the song.Jay: What are your immediate futureplans say for 2023?Chris: I'm currently playing the lead in atheatre tour (Buddy: The Buddy HollyStory), so once that wraps up in OctoberI'll get back to gigging and hopefullyworking on a new release!Jay: If you want to tour as a band wheredo you want to tour?Chris: I'd love to tour in America! I'veonly ever been a couple of times andnever for any long period. Definitely onthe list.Jay: What was the best advice given toyou and what would you give as a piece ofadvice to fellow musicians?Chris: Get as many skills as you can anddon't ignore opportunities... sometimes itwon't lead to exactly what you're after,but it might broaden your horizons oreven open some doors!LIM Page 85