I am pleased to announce that in an attempt to make this blog even better, the WILD honey pie will now include EXCLUSIVE musician interviews. For our first interview, we have Brian Sendrowitz of the band, Beat Radio. For background info and music from the band, check out the articles we featured them in previously by clicking here and here.
the WILD honey pie (TWHP): Good to have you Brian!
Brian: Thanks man! We really appreciate you helping us spread the word about our music!
TWHP: First off, why did you name your band Beat Radio?
Brian: I've always been really inspired by the beat generation writers of the 1950's. I feel like that movement embodied a certain artistic spirit that a lot of musicians identify with. I guess I always have them in mind as a sort of guide post to my creative life.
TWHP: How did you originally get into music?
Brian: I was always really into music as a kid. I was also into writing. When I was in the fourth grade, I wrote some poems in school and my teachers and family made a big deal about them. I guess that early positive reinforcement started me off on a creative path. Pretty much as long as I can remember, I've felt compelled to try to make sense of the world through words, music, or some kind of art. I started playing guitar in the eighth grade. My first band was with Daryl Palumbo, who went on to be famous with his bands Glassjaw and Head Automatica. We played lots of Anthrax covers.
TWHP: When was the first time you noticed you were being recognized for your hard work?
Brian: I feel that's been a gradual thing. The longer I've worked at it, the more I've gotten out of it. I guess when I was at college at SUNY Purchase is when I realized that music was really going to be my life's work. Up until then I had been torn between music and creative writing, and academia I guess.
TWHP: Is it true that you have a day job? What is it like to balance the rigors of creating an album with your job?
Brian: Yeah, I've always worked, and there's always been a push and pull between a living and being an artist. My goal used to be much more about quitting my day job, but honestly with the way the music industry is pretty much in shambles these days, I actually feel really lucky to have a job. I have a family now as well, so I've really had to commit to making the time to work on music. Mostly I just sleep less. And drink lots and lots of coffee.
TWHP: A lot of bloggers have been praising your recent album, Safe Inside the Sound. What's it like to see the reaction that people have had to the record?
Brian: I don't think I can overstate how important it is to me to have that support. I remember seeing Glen Hansard playing at a small club with his band The Frames a few years ago, before he had really found the success he has more recently. He was talking about how, as an artist, what you really live off is the applause. I didn't really understand it until more recently. The reward is knowing that the music is connecting with people. I feel like I have something to say. I feel like what we're doing is genuine, but if I didn't know that it was connecting with people, then there really wouldn't be any point in doing it.
TWHP: I'm a huge fan of your album's title! Where did you come up with it?
Brian: It was a lyric I had floating around for a while, it ended up in The Lion and the Lamb and was also in another song called Coney Island. I just thought it had a great sound to it, and the whole album is really about the redemptive powers of music, so it fit thematically.
TWHP: How do you believe your music has progressed over the years? Do you see a big difference between Safe Inside the Sound and your debut album, The Great Big Sea?
Brian: Yeah, I mean, the biggest difference on this record is I recorded most the instruments myself and did everything in my home studio. A good deal of the last record was recorded in much more of a professional studio environment. I think there are trade offs. I still write the same kind of songs I always have, but I did try to push things in a more pop direction. Also, the instrumentation is more electronic and the approach to the arrangements is definitely more experimental.
TWHP: If you were to meet someone for the first time, and they asked you what kind of music you create, how would you respond?
Brian: I usually tell people it's indie rock. Of course, that can mean anything. Really, it's pop music.
TWHP: What track are you MOST proud of? Why?
Brian: It changes, but I really love Sunday Matinee. I feel like its sort of like a little short story within a pop song. It feels like a movie to me, I can see the characters in a really visual way. And I also think it gets to the heart of what the whole album is about.
TWHP: Being from New York, you are surrounded by a sick music scene. What musical genre would you consider to be your favorite?
Brian: I really love old school indie rock bands, that sound kind of like indie rock did in the 90's. Some of my faves are The Diggs, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Aeroplane Pageant.
TWHP: I currently work at MTV UK. Tell me the truth, what are your feelings about MTV?
Brian: I don't really have anything anything bad to say about MTV. It's a business like anything else. I don't really think it has anything to do with music though.
TWHP: If you could collaborate with anyone right now, who would it be?
Brian: Probably Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse.
TWHP: You make it pretty well known that your tracks are available for free on your website. What are your opinions on the state of the music industry and illegal downloading? Is this your way of combating it?
Brian: I think about this a lot and it just seems like people don't really pay for music anymore. I know as a fan I can find more music than I'd ever have time to listen to for free. Our last record, The Great Big Sea, got downloaded over 50,000 times. I'd much rather have a bunch of fans around the world than have hardly any and make a negligible amount of money. I think until we've reached a certain point where we can assemble a team to properly promote the record on a blogger level, it makes sense to just have the music available for people.
TWHP: Wow! Thanks so much for sharing all that with us Brian. Best of luck in the future!
To find out even more about the band, visit their website by clicking here. Please support Beat Radio by downloading their album (for free), and spreading the word. Any comments below will be forwarded to Brian and his fellow band mates.
