Their last album New Rituals off Alive Records has become one of my favorite new listens. The album is characterized by spacey song intros, powerful grooves and soaring vocals from lead singer Nolan Girard. Girard is backed up by Jake Sheley (guitar), Johnnie Cluney (drums and vocals), John Gamino (keyboards and sax), and Dennis Hockaday (bass).

The other week I gave them a shout out prior to SXSW, and now I had a chance to grab a few minutes with them.

1. For as long as i remember, i’ve always listened to psych rock acts like Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge. When I first heard your music, as familiar as it sounded, it sounded refreshingly new (in comparison to today’s music). For those not in the know, how would you best describe your sound?

Mondo Drag:  We’re into tons of music. lets start with: space rock, ’70s kraut[rock] scene, proto-metal, beatnik freakbeat, acid folk, free jazz, psych pop, flamenco, analog electronic, world music, Japanese psych, early punk, shoegaze — it’s a vast range. We’re into music that’s interesting and progressive.

2. Gotta ask, how did you come up with the band name?

Mondo Drag:  Mondo Drag can be whatever you want it to be. a day at the beach, a bad day at work, a large puff of grass. you know?

3. I got ya. So how pumped are you guys for SXSW. Is this your first major festival, and how many shows are you doing? (editor’s note: this interview was conducted before Mondo Drag melted faces at SXSW)

Mondo Drag: Yeah, were stoaked to go down. mondo drag has not played texas yet. our tour publicist carl from action pr really came through for us, he hooked it up pretty nice. we had a pretty heavy winter back home so we were all ready to get out of there. this is our first festival. we have five shows right now, but we are wide open for house parties, gun shows, etc. we will be down there the whole time. give us a call. 563 449 2660.

4. Your latest album New Rituals is great. In my opinion it should be heard by all. And like all bands, you guys want to get your music heard and ideally make a few bucks. So what’s your thoughts on file sharing? Good to get your music out or bad cause you’re missing out on money?

Mondo Drag:  well anytime someone hears your band its good, but anytime you loose money thats bad. the most important thing is for as many people to hear our record as possible without loosing our asses. file sharing is cool, its just like making a mixtape for someone. everybody steals music. im confident that people that like the record will buy it anyhow, i think in the end it all works out.

5. Looks like you guys have a huge stretch of touring ahead of you. So take us backstage at a typical Mondo Drag show:

Jake and Johnnie are ________, while Dennis is ________, all while John_______ and Nolan ________.

Mondo Drag:  Well we do need the proper party favors to get pumped, tea, tea, beer, snacks, a little conversation. We’re all very exciting people!

jake and johnnie are smoking grass and drinking beers while dennis is drinking coffee and rolling a cagarette, all while jon and nolan shine their boots and drink more beers.

6. Do you need to be on drugs to create space rock, or are you guys vice free?

Mondo Drag:  We’re all hooked on a feeling, we’re high on believing.

7. …That you’re in love with me? Any bands today you’d love to share a bill with? Perhaps some bands we’ve never heard of.

Mondo Drag:  We are actually playing with a few of our current favorites in the next few weeks. black keys, entrance band, dosh, sleepy sun. we would love to play a show with graveyard, comets on fire, acid motheres temple, and neil young.

8. Will we ever see you tour out east? Whats with all the middle america/down south touring. Come to NYC will ya.

Mondo Drag:  Yes, we actually did come to nyc in the fall of 2008 with our friends plastic crimewave sound. we played at the knitting factory. where were you?
9. When its all said and done, what will the band’s epitaph read?

Mondo Drag:  Here lies mondo drag, what a bunch of pricks!

LINKS! LINKS!

MySpace

Band Site

Facebook



The Dirty Heads are:

Dustin Bushnell – Vocals/Guitar
Jared Watson – Vocals
Jon Olazabal – Percussion
Matt Ochoa – Drums

The Fro was able to secure a few minutes with the band to discuss the origin, touring and banging chicks…you know the usual shit.

How did you guys meet and who came up with the name The Dirty Heads?

Met in school, and the name came from a lyric in one of our old songs wich we played with  duddys brothers band, then people started calling us that,  the lyric “dirty headed boy” came from one of our older brothers calling us that

For those not in the know how would you best describe your sound?

Reggae hip hop acoustic

We see you do a ton of touring on the west caost  how has the east coast  been receiving your music and any plans to tour over here?

We’ve actually been to the east coast twice and both times were killer. The support and feed back was awesome, planning on a tour soon,

You have some great players on the album; M Shadows, Slash, Josh Freese, how did you you guys hook up and how was the recording process?

Been friends with m.shadows and the avenged guys for since childhood, and the rest were met through mutual friends/ musicians,  every one of them were absolutely genius and unbelievable to watch play.

Which song of yours would best make for a porn soundtrack?

All of them. It just depends how hard you’re fucking!

Right on!

For more music and info check em out here

The Breakdown:

In the last couple of decades, the city of Glasgow has shone as one of the world’s most vibrant and diverse music scenes. Twin Atlantic – a young four-piece whose ambitious debut mini-album, Vivarium, is packed with enormous sweeping riffs, moods that flit from light to shade, and impassioned vocals dripping with gorgeous Scottish vowels – are powering out of that creative hub of a hometown to take on the world.

The seeds of Twin Atlantic were sown when front man Sam McTrusty and bassist Ross McNae met at school, united by a love of music. Guitarist and cellist Barry McKenna came on board after driving the fledgling band around Scotland to tiny pub gigs. The final piece of the puzzle came in the shape of drummer Craig Kneale, who had been in an earlier band with Ross.

“It’s very incestuous scene, but everybody helps each other and it’s genuine,” explains Sam. “If you’re from Scotland you’re pretty much an underdog from the start because everything’s going on in London. I think it’s awesome that there’s loads of amazing music getting made in Glasgow.”

TWIN ATLANTIC

Sam McTrusty – Lead Vocals & Guitar
Ross McNae – Bass, Piano & Vocals
Barry McKenna – Guitar, Cello & Vocals
Craig Kneale – Drums & Vocals

For more music and info check out click here

We sat down with band at CMJ to discuss the album and touring in the states…

Sorry for the poor audio but that’s what you get when a soundcheck is going on.

You can see them now on the Marked Men of 2010 tour. TWIN ATLANTIC have been selected as one of 3 bands to participating in one of the best tours of the Spring! Newcomers to the US rock scene, Twin Atlantic will be joining Envy On The Coast and Fall Of Troy (in what’s going to be the last FOT tour before they go their separate ways) on a North American spanning 35 dates in 2 month’s time. The Marked Men Tour will also stop off in Austin for this year’s South By Southwest (SXSW) festival. Right now you can visit themarkedmenof2010.com and sign up you will receive free MP3 downloads from each of the band’s participating in the tour.

Check out the interview from CMJ Week in NYC

To even call White a front man might be a misnomer – it’s much more tied to the attention he demands when he takes center stage. But the band speaks of themselves almost as a musical collective. Espiritu offers, “Writing is a collaborative process, and that often allows a sound to grow more organically. “ Listening to some of Atomic Tom’s veteran tracks like “Take Me Out” and “You Always Get What You Want” have orchestral sized sound with a deep pop rock footing. But early listenings to songs from their upcoming debut album like “We Were Never Meant to Be” and “The Moment” have a level of lyrical and musical depth that suggest real growth from the band and offer the listener a new reason to listen again and again.

The awareness of audience in Atomic Tom’s new sound is fitting for a band that has taken so comfortably to the demands of touring. Though they call New York City home, Atomic Tom consider themselves a traveling act. “We like to think of ourselves as modern day rogue gypsies, “ jokes White, “The stage is our home but it’s constantly changing. We leave everything on each stage as if it were our first and last.”

For now, the future of Atomic Tom looks and sounds exceedingly promising. With songs already making their way on to shows like “The Hills” and their new album garnering strong buzz through out the industry, it would be easy to understand if Atomic Tom went Hollywood on us.

Thankfully, AT is that rare glimpse of honest talent in a musical world overrun with too many ‘somebodies.’ “We know who we are,” explains White, “and because of that, our sound may change as we grow as a band, but we’ll always inherently be the same people. Four guys, four instruments, and one evolving sound.”

Listen to the evolution of Atomic Tom when their new album arrives early 2010. Check out their myspace here

Dead By Sunrise is Bennington, Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh, formerly of Orgy and current Julien-K members, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony “FU” Valcic. “It was just me writing the lyrics this time around, so I was very straight to the point, very forward, and very personal with the lyrics for this record,” Bennington says of his first endeavor outside Linkin Park. “I got to the point where I thought, ‘Okay, it’s time to be real.’”

The album Out of Ashes is out today.

FROMAN: Dead by Sunrise has more of a metal feel to it than Linkin Park, is this a sound you are looking to pursue?

DEAD BY SUNRISE (CHESTER): I wouldn’t say it’s metal so much…I think it has more of a grungy sound to it, but there are metal elements to the record, and that’s a style we also like.

FROMAN: Everyone has a couple guilty pleasure songs mine is Boz Scaggs- Lido Shuffle, I love that dumb ass song. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure band/song?

CHESTER: You Spin Me Right ‘Round – Dead Or Alive

FROMAN: If you were to go to the P section in the artist list on your ipod, what would the first artist that comes up?

CHESTER: Proxy

FROMAN: Out of all the years of being a musician what was your favorite year?

CHESTER: This one by far.

FROMAN: What are your feelings on the music industry today?

Nikki: It’s kinda a jungle. There are thousands bands and artists playin’ all kinds of music and ready to sell their asses to even do something bigger.
Brian: I totally agree with Nikki, there are lots of bands in the music industry, and the majority of these bands are very ridiculous.

FROMAN: Who are your biggest musical influences?

Nikki: Personally the street metal of the 80′s (Guns N’ Roses majorly), Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Sex Pistols…and I love Chinese Democracy.
Phantom: 80s street rock and glam metal, but also punk rock and a bit of thrash metal and visual kei.
Brian: I’m influenced by bands like Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Kiss, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Def Leppard, AC/DC, L.A. Guns, Cinderella, Skid Row, Whitesnake, Hanoi Rocks, W.A.S.P., Ramones.

FROMAN: What’s different about your music that makes it worth listening to?

Nikki: Oh man, I don’t know… let me think… the energy, the attitude and the songs’ quality I guess.
Phantom: We take it seriously!!
Brian: The rage and the spontaneity of our songs.

FROMAN: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened during a live performance?

Nikki: The sound on stage is messed up almost everytime thanks to the genius soundguys that we find in the clubs.
Phantom: The drums wasn’t there! hahah

FROMAN: You guys know in America, a cream pie refers to a vagina that’s had a load of semen shot into it.(And note, semen ON a vagina is NOT a cream pie. Cream pies have cream on the INSIDE. A vagina that merely has semen ON it is just a messy vagina). Is this what you guys were going for when naming the band? I mean, pie is american, why not go for canoli?

Nikki: Actually canoli is an american word too. The italian one is “cannuoli”. And anyway it would sound really bad. So yeah, let’s think about the messy vagina and keep it like Cream Pie.

FROMAN: The music scene desperately needs more hard rockin, adrenaline powered, pussy smashing rock music. For those who don’t know about Cream Pie, what will one see and hear at a Cream Pie concert?

Nikki: Surely a very good show, a lot of guitar playin’, a lot of screamin’, a powerful drumming, some throbbing basslines, a lot of energy, attitude, and much much fun.
Phantom: and some naked Italian guys!
Brian: Our shows are totally crazy, nobody knows what can really happen.

FROMAN: You guys were inspired by the hair metal scene. What’s your all-star hair band if you could create one? Who plays what?

Nikki: I’d just leave the bands like they were, everyone was perfect in their own time. Don’t make me fuck things up and create some kind of monster!

Brian: It’s very easy: Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, anything else?

FROMAN: Who gets the most pussy in the band?

Phantom: Brian, absolutely, then me! hahaha
Brian: I really don’t know, we don’t count the pussy we get.

FROMAN: What the major differences between Italian and American groupies?

Brian: There are no differences for me, the pussy is always the pussy!!!
Phantom: Italian groupies don’t exist, those girls just want to fuck someone at the show…which is good!!

check out some vids here

THE DEAR HUNTER (ANDY WILDRICK): We’re a little indie rock. We’re a little progressive rock. We’re a little ambient mellow rock…and we’re quite a bit classic rock. We like harmonies a lot and we don’t believe you have to play a million notes to get a good point across.

FROMAN: How did you come up with the name?

DH: Casey came up with it about 8 years ago when he was still in high school. The play on words is pretty cool I think.

FROMAN: How has it been touring with the new album? Any new elements you added to this tour?

DH: : Touring with a new album makes things more exciting that’s for sure. It’s always more fun to play new songs and to try and win the audience over with them. The long time fans that have been coming out to shows are so excited to get ACT III in their hands…and they try to guess what new songs we’re going to choose to play.

The newest thing to the band is our reunion with original bass player Josh Rheault. He makes 6 people on stage and plays the acoustic guitar, keyboards, glockenspiel and has a great voice for background vocals. We have every person in the band singing throughout the set now. We even do a near a capella version of a song. It takes a lot more rehearsal to get everyone singing strongly, but it’s so rewarding when it’s tight.

FROMAN: What are your thoughts on the band deer hunter? Do you think this confuses people?

DH: I do think it confuses people. It’s really hard to tell who had the name first. And neither band probably thought it would matter at the time. It looks like both were conceived in the same year. If both bands can be successful, I think more people will be able to separate the two. It could even become an interesting conversation topic. And I can see how both bands could appeal to fans of the other. I feel like all the music falls under the indie rock realm. I think it would be fun to do a tour with them honestly. A lot of people definitely asked me if we were touring with Nine Inch Nails last year…because Deerhunter was. haha.

FROMAN: What’s the inspiration behind the concept albums?

DH: The inspiration is a fictional story taking place during WW1 that involves the coming of age of a boy whose mother is a prostitute and whose father is unknown. The boy grows up and struggles with emotional battles within himself that are deeply rooted in the past. Some songs are used to try and convey the character’s emotional struggles. Other songs are more literal, and take the standpoint of different characters involved in specific events…such as a thief scheming to steal from the main character. Sometimes there’s even dialogue and sometimes songs are written from an observant narrator’s standpoint. But everything follows a story that’s already written.

FROMAN: What are your thoughts on the music industry today?

DH: The music industry is secure in knowing that people still love music and will continue to seek out what appeals to them. What is unknown is a standard for how to make money as a musician today. It must be equally hard for companies to turn a profit with so many expenses, as well. There isn’t enough money to go around to all the bands trying to be popular. I feel like whoever can make it through the next five years while still putting out quality music will be on top when the time comes. Longevity has quite a bit to do with overall success in some cases. Music goers seem very excited about vinyl again which is awesome. People like having a nice product in hand to represent a band that they love…and records look the most artistic. We are asked daily if we have any plans to release something on vinyl. And we do.

FROMAN: Are you pro music/file sharing?

DH: It’s kind of a pain that it exists honestly. If someone told me I could never download something again I wouldn’t be too hurt. I’ve been playing in bands and have been trying to sell records for a long time. Since the beginning, people have come up to me and said, “You know people are just going to download it and not pay for it.” After you hear that a thousand times, it starts to become an annoying frustration that nobody can really do anything about.  I would actually prefer if someone had to put 10 dollars in an envelope and mail it to my band to get the CD. At least then I would know where the money was going. It seems like money has to be transferred through too many mediums between the consumer and the artists…and everyone enjoys taking a piece.

FROMAN: Which band member is most likely to roofie a chick?

DH: I’ve done it a dozen or so times already….so I guess I am. Righttttt. We’re good moral guys actually that just like to write songs about prostitutes and guns and poison and other cool shit.

The Dear Hunter – The Church and The Dime

THE BREAKDOWN:

The Dear Hunter started as a solo side project by singer and keyboardist Casey Crescenzo, formerly a key member of Boston emo act the Receiving End of Sirens. An outlet for Crescenzo’s songs that didn’t fit the Receiving End of Sirens’ heavy post-hardcore vibe, the Dear Hunter was initially envisioned as a concurrent project. Indeed, Crescenzo’s first gig as the Dear Hunter was an opening slot for the Receiving End of Sirens, at which he was backed by the other members of the band. Shortly afterward, however, Crescenzo decided to leave the Receiving End of Sirens and focus full-time on the Dear Hunter.

Following a self-released EP taster called Dear Ms. Leading, Crescenzo wrote and recorded the full-length concept album Act I: The Lake South, the River North. The story of a young boy’s birth, adolescence, and death, the album matches the exceedingly sensitive lyrics with prog-influenced chamber pop arrangements played almost entirely by Crescenzo, with a few family members and friends helping out on drums, keyboards, trumpet, and harmony vocals. For touring purposes, Crescenzo — now calling himself Casey Blue in the band’s official bio — put together a full-band version of the Dear Hunter with guitarist Erick Serna, additional keyboardist Luke Dent, and drummer Sam Dent. The lineup was used to record an even more dynamic and symphonic second album in 2007, titled Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading.

~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

The band’s latest full length, Act III: Life and Death was released on June 23rd.

MySpace

JOLLY: JOLLY is the return of thoughtful music. Not thoughtful like “Oh wow you got me an orange box for my hat, and I love orange, how thoughtful!” Thoughtful as in full of thought.
JOLLY is a sound that comes from such a wide range of influences so as not to sound like any one of those. It’s kind of like taking many different colors of paint and mixing them together creating the greatest band in history…or something like that.
JOLLY is Ambient-Neo-Progressive-Alternative-Ye-Olde-Space-Rock with dash of pop and a side of fuck you sideways with a pogo stick.
JOLLY is God. Worship JOLLY or DIE.

Froman: We are big fans of the album. What’s the biggest challenge you face getting your music out to the masses?

JOLLY: Oh gee what a question. What are the challenges you face when trying to take a beer shit at 9am without waking up your one night stand?
The answer is you don’t want her to hear it. So go figure the analogy out for yourself.

Froman: I’ll shit right in a chick’s bed. I don’t give a shit. So what are your thoughts on the music industry today? I mean, a ton of shit sucks. If it were possible, would you want to remove pop music as a whole?

JOLLY: Ok lets be honest. Pop music is amazing. Anyone who doesn’t like pop is either a failing musician, someone who plays Warcraft, or just a complete douche altogether. The problem is that pop music has been ass-fucked by capitalism creating a pre-packaged unoriginal shit baby that people could ingest easily, comfortably, and cheaply. All (or most) of the art has been sucked from pop for one basic reason: people will buy the same shit over and over. Pop, when done right, and when it’s original is the third most infectious thing on earth (first being AIDS, and second being SEINFELD).
The music industry today is like rock star purgatory. Nobody knows what to do. Every trash ball with a mic and a computer has a myspace page and is trying to “make it.”

Froman: I thought blowing cocaine off hooker tits was #3 on the addicting list? So, being a new band, do you embrace file sharing and look at it as a way to get the word out?

JOLLY: It goes both ways. What guy who wants to be a rock star doesn’t dream of the days of going gold, or platinum, and making millions from it. It was a glorious time, but the true fact is that it is over. Music will eventually become completely free in every medium. We’ve all stolen music, so we are all guilty. The time now is to embrace it as free publicity for live shows. And perhaps this will create incentive for bands to work more on their live acts creating a surge of live talent. The worst thing about it all is that it dumbs down the art of recording in a studio.

Froman: Which band member is most likely to roofie a chick and which band is member is most likely to roofie himself?

JOLLY: Anadale is most likely to roofie himself while trying to roofie a chick, sort of like the goblet scene in ‘Princess Bride’. “Inconceivable!”

Froman: How are you guys going about planning a tour to support the album? Hitting up any colleges?

JOLLY: Right now we are focused on sending out press kits around the world and searching for bigger bills that would fit our style. Then from there we will just latch on to them like that fat girl in junior high who used to give you her dunkaroos everyday and then you felt guilty about it so you fingered her in the locker room and then walked around questioning how all this happened to begin with considering the fact that you never even really liked dunkaroos in the first place, you just took them because they were free.
So basically what I’m saying is that hopefully one day Dream Theater will finger us in a locker room.

Froman: I read an interesting story from your autobiography. Tell us about that time you were getting a lap dance from this hot chick then when she removed her thong a huge cock popped out.

JOLLY: Yeah It was crazy, as I stared at this she-males multicolored, crooked member, trying to pinpoint the precise substance it was discharging, she mentioned that her son Mikey worked for Afro Jacks, subsequently leading to this interview. And yes, I blew her.

Froman: Hey, a lot of kid’s mom’s are post-op trannies. It’s just not widely reported. And remember, it’s only gay if you push back. Anyway, killer music video for Escape From DS-3. What’s the back story behind that one?

JOLLY: These are clips from an early 80′s movie by the same title. The father of drummer/producer Louis Abramson is actually the guy with the dark curly hair in the yellow pajamas who almost gets his ass kicked by the guy that isn’t hightower from Police Academy, or the wimpy guy with the 5 o’clock shadow.
This movie has such a classic B-movie feel to it, and goes perfect with the spacey epic sound of the song, so it was a perfect match, aside from the fact that the song and the movie coincidentally happened to have the exact same title.

Froman: Which one of your songs would best make for a porn soundtrack?

JOLLY: Renfaire, simply because it’s about raping.

Froman: When the band dies, what would you like its epitaph to read.

JOLLY: JOLLY – At least they did that shitty Afro Jacks interview.

Froman: Touche.

SEE ‘EM LIVE:



ALBUM REVIEW:

“JOLLY’s first full length release “Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve seconds of Music” is an aggressive, and eclectic blend of musical soundscapes both elegant and hard-hitting. JOLLY covers all auditory ground in this release, venturing from haunting ambience, to slicing guitar riffs, all interwoven with beautiful melodies. This album contains stunning originality while simultaneously striking a familiar chord with the listener.

Aside from the impressive musicianship, and refreshing writing styles, 46:12 also offers something new. Embedded throughout the album are various forms of brain wave stimulation known as Binaural Tones. These tones are scientifically proven to enrich feelings of happiness, focus, creativity,and relaxation through inaudible changes in audio frequencies. This phenomenon will greatly enhance the listening experience, drawing listeners deeper into the world of JOLLY.
46:12 is an album for the ages that will not be forgotten.”

ESCAPE FROM DS-3

CAROUSEL OF WHALE

THE RUNDOWN:

Progressive music is an interesting thing when handled correctly by bands like Jolly, it can produce some of the most captivating music in the world. Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music feels like an art rock record. It takes many different twists and turn down many different roads and avenues. Never conforming to a certain musical structure, no two songs off the album sound quite the same. Each instrument is represented well. Anadale’s vocals and Joe Reilly’s piano skills are on display at their best in ‘Red Sky Locomotive’, ‘Peril’ showcases Louis Abramson’s drumming ability and Mike Rudin’s bass work is excellent on ‘Renfaire’. Obviously, this quartet knows what they’re doing.

The first track, ‘Escape from DS-3′ shows off Jolly’s particular style, blending heavy and soft music into the song. The same can be said for ‘Renfaire’ and ‘Peril’. Continuing from there, ‘Red Sky Locomotive’ is a truly beautiful song. At several points in the song, vocals, bass, drums and piano crescendo into an amazing display of what this band has to offer. ‘Downstream’ is another great example of this. Bluesy guitar riffs and a soulful solo make this song a late standout. Both ‘Carousel of Whale’ and ‘Solstice’ seem heavier and have faster tempo than the previous tracks but fit nonetheless.

A quick mention must be given to the inclusion of binaural tones in ’46:12′. Information about these can be easily found from a portal on the band’s website. In layman’s terms, binaural tones are two slightly offset frequencies played together in stereo. The properties of these tones alter the brain’s natural frequency. Different frequency ranges are said to have different effects on the brain. Inside the album this warning is offered; “Caution: Binaural tones can alter brainwaves. Do not use while operating machinery or driving. Do not use if you are epileptic, wear a pace maker, pregnant, and/or prone to seizures.”

Binaural tones aside, Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music is a fantastic album and I expect great things of Jolly in the time to come. Their mix of alternative and progressive rock elements creates an ambient sound unlike anything else heard today. – Dangerdog.com

The Fro caught up with the band in between melting faces . . .

FROMAN: Hi guys thanks for taking the time for the interview. Looks like things are going great for you guys and are starting to blow up. Seen you on Jimmy Fallon, Jack Bauer directed your video… what has been the best part this experience so far?

BILLY BOY ON POISON: BEING ABLE TO PLAY FOR SO MANY PEOPLE AND HAVE THEM REACT POSITIVELY TO OUR ENERGY AND MUSIC!

FROMAN: We hear a number of bands in your sound and style, who influences you and what’s rocking in the 8 track player these days?

BBOP: REALLY WE THINK THEY’RE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN? WE LISTEN TO THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, QOTSA, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, DEAD WEATHER AND ANYTHING JACK WHITE DOES.

FROMAN: If you were going to make your girlfriend or boyfriend (who are we to judge I mean in it is the 90′s) a mix tape. What are the top 5 tracks you would include?

BBOP: FORGOT ABOUT DREW – DR DREW, TINY DANCER – ELTON JOHN AND BERNIE TAUPIN, SHAME ON A NIGGAH – WU TANG CLAN, HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN – THE BEATLES, MONKBERRY MOON DELIGHT – MCCARTNEY

READ THE REST HERE

1. For those who aren’t in the know, who is Jon Famous?

JON FAMOUS: I would like to welcome all to the future!! I am an artist/producer “JON FAMOUS” “the crazy genius”” from Sacramento California Reppin “Fresh Exec” The label. I’ve worked with a number of major artist from lil wayne, tyga, rich boy, jim jones, yung la, too $hort, Slim of 112, Wale and the list will continue. Currently working towards my debut album “Crazy genius” that will showcase my Lyrical artistry along with my production.

2. If Famous Amous Cookies were to take Famous Rays Pizza in a battle of the famouses, who would win?

Yo, Famous Amos Cookies all day any day. That the only bagged cookies I really get down with.

3. Tell us your thoughts on the music industry and what needs to be changed?

Honestly I look at the music industry as great avenue to express dreams, Reality, Pain, Passion, Love, and talent with opportunity of making a living off of it. Unfortunately The business of this of industry has become more important then the music, now days it doesn’t matter if your music is good, if you business is top tier you will be heard. I don’t have any problems with good business but when it over rides good music, we are leading our selves into destroying the substance that created this industry.

4. What’s responsible for Hip-Hop’s decline?

Hip Hops Decline? I don’t really see it that way. Judge if you may, but It seems to me hip-hop is on the incline. We have pioneers that are passing the torch to new, HOT, young artist like myself that have the vision and talent to take hip-hop to new horizons. Never should we forget the content and vision of the hip-hop Area that came come before now, but we do have to open our ears to the new area of hip-hop. To keep this on the incline we have to continue to support new, good music.

5. Has the internet reshaped the way you think about mixtape distribution?

It definitely has, with new advancements in technology we (artist) are now finding ways to sale, promote, leak, and create/maintain a buzz by sitting on a laptop all day. Now when u have a new material, weather it be a mixtape, Album, New song, or what ever, you can promote it and make it available by a few clicks of the mouse. There is really no need to press up thousands of mixtapes and hit the streets now, the streets of hip-hop are all on these sites and blogs. Internet is distribution is actually better, because you can make your material more accessible.

6. If you could shit on anyone in the game who would it be and why? Who do you want to collaborate with?

Im not shittin on nobody, im about building! If your not with that, you will shit on yaself in the long run. Kayne West is who i wouldn’t mind building with

7. How can we get certified in hustling?

Hustla Certification come from, First: “Having a Hustle” Second: You must become extremely efficient in the hustle. Third: work sooo hard that you can’t be mistaken for anything other then a “Certified Hustla”

8. When is the video for your single “Certified Hustler” (ft. Jim Jones) coming out and will it have video hoes?

The visual for my record “Certified Hustla” Feat Jim jones will be available Soon, Just making sure everything is done sequentially, gotta promote the right way at the right time, to the right people. As far a video hoes “no” Beautiful young women that represent my movement, my music, and a certified hustle “Yes”.

9. Your second single is titled “Pop My Tag” featuring Yung LA. How did you get in contact with these 2 major heavyweights?

We’ve had the record for a while but now was the more appropriate time for release. I’ve been working with Yung L.A. on the production since the beginning of his signing to Grand Hustle. My artist D-Mac was in Atlanta in the Thomasville Projects playing some of my instrumentals in the car, caught L.A.’s attention, he came over to the car and start rapping to the tracks, asked who made them and then gave me a call. A week later we were in Grand Hustle Studios (Echo Studios) making records. When your creating a Buzz with in this industry your network game gotta be on point, then you have to have to music to back it all up.

10. When can we expect your debut album “Crazy Genius”?

Expect my debut album “Crazy Genius” sometime summer 09, its gonna be incredible!!! The Production on it is out of this world! Big feats. From Jim Jones, Young LA, Lil B (The Pack), Polow da Don’s R&B Group “I-15”, And some BIG secret surprises

11. You are currently working on a dope mixtape project. You will drop a “Jon Famous: The Artist” and “Jon Famous: The Producer” mixtape. Talk about it…

That’s right 3 projects in total! “Mr. Famous LAB 101” the production mixtape will feat. Records I’ve produced for major artist. Lil wayne, jim jones, rich boy, yung la and many many more! “the experiment” is the mixtape where I will be showcasing the lyrical side of Jon Famous and I will be rippin and remixing on some some of the hottest notable industry songs. And of course the album “Crazy Genius”

12. Walk us through a day in the life of Jon Famous

Wake up, pray, shower, Studio………………………………..Twitter, Facebook, myspace, Studio…………….eat…………studio

13. On the day you die what do you want your epitaph to read

“Here Lives the soul of a man that strived everyday to live outs his purpose, a purpose to share a gift of message through his music to all people”

Best of luck bro. Thanks for the time. Be on the lookout for my man Jon Famous….

Jon Famous ft. Jim Jones – Certified Hustla

DOWNLOAD ‘FAMOUS ROUND HERE’. . .HERE