News

Interview With Van Tastik by Julia Maehner – Music to Conquer Mountains

28 February 2018

Talking to musicians, even only via email, is such a treat, especially when they can offer pleasant things such as humor and real insight. Van Tastik, an American expat living in Europe, offered just that in our brief conversation on the internet. I’ve selected his song “Drag Me to Hell” for the Music to Conquer Mountains playlist (link to song here please). Because the song is just so damn interesting, Spotify even selected him for its Delta Blues Playlist. I wanted to talk to Van Tastik about all that – his songwriting, being an expat and the power of streaming. Check it out!

Julia Maehner – Facebook Live Interview!

27 February 2018

This was so much fun – Julia from the brilliant Music to Conquer Mountains playlist stopped in for our first Facebook Live Interview.  Julia talks about the state of music journalism in Germany, being 8 when MP3s hit the market – Andrew totally lies about his age and we end up in a great discussion on what makes a great track – enjoy…

Ada Bayramoğlu – Music to Curator Interview

22 February 2018

1/ So First Off – Tell Us your Name, City and Country and what you currently do for a living?

My name is Ada Bayramoğlu. I live in İstanbul, Turkey. I am a student.

2/ Is This Something You Always Wanted To Do?  What Do You Enjoy About It?

I spend a lot of my time creating personal playlists and I am very happy to finally share them with the world. Before I joined Musicto, my playlists were just for me and my friends. But now, everyone can look up keywords on their laptop and find my playlist.  I love that I can reach out to someone very far away from my own house. People trusting my taste of music is what I really enjoy about it.

Julia Maehner – Music to Curator Interview

14 February 2018

My name is Julia, and I live in Munich, Germany. I’m a trained journalist and I do a lot of things – play guitar and sing, make awesome salsa and bread, write about music and hiking. My job is working as a marketing specialist for .objective Software, an IT company based in Munich. They build software for the automotive sector – autonomous driving, car-sharing and all that – as well as smart cities. 

Ana Clara – Music to Curator Interview

8 February 2018

Hello, my name is Ana Clara and I live in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil. I am a lawyer, a writer/blogger/copywriter and a songwriter! …

Bill Randle And The Radio DJs Of The Fifties: Music Bloggers Of A Bygone Era

3 February 2018

Randle is an interesting character from the perspective of this article because his way of working was reminiscent of a modern music blogger. He was the antithesis of the 1950’s screaming radio jock and his style was very down-to-earth and straightforward, focusing on the artists and their music, not on himself…

Cormac McGee – Music to Curator Interview

31 January 2018

I’m Cormac McGee, from Toronto, Canada. Similar to many folks in the music industry, I’ve got a few different gigs. I do some concert production and promotion, artist management and DJing, and help run The Music Den: An incubator for musical entrepreneurs based at Ryerson University. 

Adrian “Science” Robinson – Music to Curator Interview

24 January 2018

From our weekly series of Music to Curator Interviews, this week we’re chatting with Adrian “Science” Robinson from Music to Taste The South – check it out:

Big Inf – Music to Curator Interview

17 January 2018

From our weekly series of Music to Curator Interviews, this week we’re chatting with BIG Inf from Music to Rep New York – check it out:

Shooting Questions At The Messenger – An Interview With Apostle

16 January 2018

Apostle is a new rising talent from London, England, whose debut single “Dakota Thunder Rising” came out right before Christmas. It’s a brilliant pop song with a very thought-provoking and poetic lyric – one of those songs that stay with you even after you’ve taken your headphones off and gone to bed. 

Impressed by the songwriting talent of this young man, I asked for an interview and was granted one. I was excited. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about Apostle and more importantly, spread the word about him and his music. And no, the irony of becoming a messenger of the messenger (the definition of the word “apostle”) did not escape me.

Sean Machado – Music to Curator Interview

9 January 2018

From our weekly series of Music to Curator Interviews, we start off the new year chatting with Sean Machado from Music to Soundtrack Souls – check it out:

An Interview With Nigel Powell By Julia Maehner

18 December 2017

Nigel Powell is a pretty sincere man. Although I only got to interview him via email, his answers ring with a clarity and honesty that’s pretty damn impressive. His portfolio is pretty impressive, also. He’s been a part of Frank Turner’s touring band The Sleeping Souls for ever now and working on several projects on when he’s not on the road. The Sad Song Co. is the one project where he’s most himself and doesn’t depend on the vision of others. Powell’s new record Worth is due February 9, 2018. It’s a collection of songs that flow seamlessly into one another, in spite of the impressive eclectic songwriting style he displays. While a solemn prog rock vibe is the thread holding them together, Powell plays with whimsical pop arrangements, minimal synthesizer rhythms and sweeping guitar solos to craft his intricate music. 

Q: You use a lot of spiritual imagery in your lyrics. How does religion influence your songwriting?