A Popup Interview with BITTERSWEET

A Popup Interview with BITTERSWEET
[ Artist Website ] | [ Buy Our CD ]

VR:
What have you enjoyed the most about doing what you do?

BITTERSWEET:
The rush we get when a club is packed, the dance floor is jammed, and people scream like banshees when we finish a song!

VR:
Who drives the tour bus?

BITTERSWEET:
Our faithful and high-strung worrywart of a soundman, Brian Wolcott....affectionately known as "Sly"

VR:
Virtually Records needs a theme song, would you be interested?

BITTERSWEET:
Always!

VR:
Somethings burning.. Did you leave dinner on the stove?

BITTERSWEET:
That..um...would be my attempt at lasagna

VR:
Discribe the times revolved around your song "nameone", that led to it to be written:

BITTERSWEET:
"Fallen" was written by our singer, Josh, about our guitarists' breakup with his girlfriend.

VR:
Who is your favorite unsigned Band?

BITTERSWEET:
"Rumor Factor..." another local band that we trade insults with.

VR:
What are your thoughts about the solar system?

BITTERSWEET:
Considering we never see daylight...we're more inclined to comment on the galaxy at nighttime.

VR:
Do you have all your songs downloadable at mp3.com?

BITTERSWEET:
Not yet...most of our stuff hasn't been recorded yet...we can't seem to take enough time off the road to get into the studio yet!

VR:
What makes you and your band unique?

BITTERSWEET:
Besides the music, the fact that the whole band is very dedicated and also is willing putting all of our resources into the business end of the band.

VR:
What do you like most about being an INDE artist?

BITTERSWEET:
So far, that we can control where we are in the sceme of things in all aspects....The only limitations we have are the ones we create!

VR:
What made you want to pursue songwriting?

BITTERSWEET:
I have no idea...at age 6, I was making up my own "songs" which were just new lyrics to songs by KISS and AC/DC! (laughs)

VR:
What do your lyrics talk about?

BITTERSWEET:
They run from the usual insight of personal relationships to songs about the band and the crowds to...deaths caused by drunk drivers...you name it...we're unlimited!

VR:
Do you desire to come up with a new form of music or do you like safety in numbers?

BITTERSWEET:
We write what we write...some songs last, some don't!

VR:
If your band could open for a headlining act, who would it be and why?

BITTERSWEET:
Ozzy - Ozzfest! Could happen!

VR:
How important do you think tour support is?

BITTERSWEET:
Touring couldn't happen without it!

VR:
Are there any established artists with whom you would like to collaborate?

BITTERSWEET:
Oh God....Prince....Traviss Tritt....Nikki Sixx...Dwight Yoakam...Ozzy....so many dreams, so little time!

VR:
How big of an impact do you think the underground, indie scene has on the current pop culture?

BITTERSWEET:
With the WWW so prevalent in recent years, I think it's far more influentual than ever....Now there's this new way to get a national, even international, audience...from the comfort of your living room! Before, all a band could do is play regionally and pray a lot.

VR:
Tell us a story about the making of a song:

BITTERSWEET:
Hard to do...mostly we just jam together and one of us will throw something out there and someone else adds to it...we wind up getting something recorded then send the tape home with our singer to write words to.

VR:
Do you do any recording on your own?

BITTERSWEET:
Every day!

VR:
Has the internet really been helpful to your promotion?

BITTERSWEET:
Definately....most of our promotion is done locally...mostly gig promotion, but people log on to see pictures from the shows and to see if they're IN any of the pictures! We get about 75 hits a day on the site, and 99% of them are local.

VR:
Will mp3.com really provide an avenue for people to make it?

BITTERSWEET:
I think, no more or less than anywhere else...Due to the traffic MP3.com gets, there may be a better chance that someone will stumble across your music there, but I've found that most of the people who download your songs have been referred to the download area anyway, via word of mouth...so no matter where they are on the net, people will be directed to the songs.

VR:
Where do you think this MP3 business is going?

BITTERSWEET:
It's got to be the only way that I know of, that an independant band can get music to the masses cheap to free.

VR:
What is your favorite song on your current album?

BITTERSWEET:
So far, it's "Fallen"...subject to change with moods!

VR:
If you could put on a show anywhere were would it be?

BITTERSWEET:
Tough question....I'm thinking....Hawaii, Cozumel, Cancun, Bahamas....see a trend here?

VR:
Nice shirt your wearing, where did you find that?

BITTERSWEET:
It's (guitarist) Reno's! (laughs) I borrowed it and got amnesia...

VR:
How do you feel about NAPSTER's situation?

BITTERSWEET:
I think they made the right choice in paying royalties...when all this controversy started I thought..'They should pay out just like a radio station does'...Now, they are. Perfect.

VR:
Have you ever paid for advertising for the band?

BITTERSWEET:
Oh hell yeah...in money, time, effort, frustration, pain, ...we've paid in every way possible!

VR:
Where would you want to be musically say a year from now?

BITTERSWEET:
(laughs) On tour, with Metallica as our special guest?...Failing that, just making a comfortable living doing this and hopefully making new inroads as the band builds and builds.

VR:
Where do you want to be a year from now personally?

BITTERSWEET:
Winning the Readers' Digest Sweepstakes so the band can go on forever, regardless of the buisness end....We'll buy our way to stardom! (laughs)

VR:
What are your plans for the future with your band?

BITTERSWEET:
Right now we;'re working on getting the recording done, while playing covers and adding to our mailing lists...Gig-wise we're adding 2 major markets to the roster, where it's repeat...adding to the lists, building the name....By time the CD is done and in our hands, we'll have a HUGE mailing list in 4 major markets, plus about 50 minor ones, and we push product! Hopefully, it'll just keep expanding from there..Today, the midwest...tomorrow the world! One stereo at a time!

VR:
Tell us about the hardest time surrounding a gig or studio project.

BITTERSWEET:
A local club was changing over from country to rock....As we set up, theres about 300 people aged 40 to 60 in flannel shirts and John Deere hats....during soundcheck we were saying things like "CHECK 1...2...You will NOT hear any Skynard tonight...CHECK 1....We don't do no fucking Segar"...By the end of the first set we were playing to the bartenders and our soundman(laughs).

VR:
Give us a run down of your audio equipment:

BITTERSWEET:
You'd have to ask our sound man for the spefics, but he just spent 28 grand on a new P.A> and it handles the largest clubs in the midwest, so let's just say it's HUGE!

VR:
What is your favorite chord?

BITTERSWEET:
I'm a bass player...but I always did like an A chord immediately followed by an A minor....don't ask me why cuz I couldn't tell you.

VR:
Tell us about your website:

BITTERSWEET:
It's updated about every week...we take about 3 rolls o0f film at every show, mostly of the crowd that came...people love to see themselves, so we put em up there! Plus our stage show is very unplanned....we never know what might happen or if it will ever happen again so we like to look at the pictures of the goofy shit that we do and laugh.

VR:
What is your favorite song on the radio?

BITTERSWEET:
Right now its "How You Remind Me" by Nickleback. That could change at any given time, depends on my mood.

VR:
What is your favorite local venue?

BITTERSWEET:
Large clubm, definately Phoenix Hill Tavern in Louisville...Small club, Sevenbth Street in Bedford Indiana...because it's our hometown and it's so cool to go back there and see that the people at home like us!

VR:
So, tell me..what exactly, motivates you, the artist to write songs?

BITTERSWEET:
It's all a mood thing....sometimes I can crank out songs all day long, sometimes I can't get anything out for a month...If I knew why that was, I'd fix it and write about 10 a day.

VR:
What you feel is the most important thing about your music?

BITTERSWEET:
Personally, that it gives me wood every time I hear it or think of it in my head...On a more business point of view, that we're fairly commercial as well...not that that matters personally but it's kickass to be in a band that has both!

VR:
Name and describe your most memorable gig.

BITTERSWEET:
Our very first gig, in our hometown. We didn't know what to expect, if people would like us or not, if they'd even show up... We spent about 300 bucks on flyers and put them EVERYWHERE, and it was packed! We didn't create a buzz, we just kicked the door down and came in guns a-blazin'!

VR:
What would you change about the music business in general?

BITTERSWEET:
I'd probably get juniour A&R people out there, based on comission only, to look in the nooks and crannies of the world for great bands and songs...There's so many good tunes that will never see the light of day because the artist doesn't know how, or doesn't care, to get into the business end of music.

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