Jazz Fest Dad (Image via Jazz Fest Dad’s Instagram).
Buried deep inside of me is a desire to become Jazz Fest Dad. It is an eventual life goal for me. Their Instagram account is like looking into a living mirror and seeing myself in the future. Often red faced and sunburned, wearing their trademark NOLA shirts, the Jazz Fest Dad is an important subculture of Jazz Fest. Nothing wrong with being a trippy older dude with a large collection of Irma Thomas b-sides. If you’re gonna be a dad, why not be funky dad?
A Jazz Fest Dad “Cissy Strutting” his way to the Fair Grounds (Image via Jazz Fest Dad’s Instagram).
The Jazz Fest Dad and Jazz Fest Mom lurks within the heart of many a NOLA funk supporter. If someday I end up looking like a discount member of the Radiators, I’m totally fine with that. Money is overrated. However, I just want to make enough money to do both weekends of Jazz Fest. I’m sure there are worse ways to spend retirement. EH LA BAS! FILÉ GUMBO! FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE!!!
“When ur a JFD and Trombone Shorty is closing out your life and you die and get to heaven and it’s just more Trombone Shorty.” (Image via Jazz Fest Dad Instagram.
There have been a bunch of volleyball players invading downtown Kansas City. These kids are so toned. I feel like a noble land manatee, blobbing around downtown.
This volleyball player had a team shirt that read on the back, “We eat the weak.” It seems a bit overkill. I didn’t know most volleyball players are cannibals. Kids these days! “Please don’t eat me. I’m high in fat content. I am but a noble land manatee.
Just a friendly reminder that funk isn’t just a genre of music, it is a lifestyle decision. Funk can be the way you carry yourself through life. Being square is for, well, squares. Dig within and tap into the trippy joy within you. Every day, it can be helpful to ask yourself, “What can I do to be funkier today?” Listen to that internal voice and let it guide you to a different view of yourself.
The Greeting Committee is an up-and-coming Kansas City-based band. They are signed to Harvest Records, which also features artists such as Glass Animals and Best Coast. They played SXSW and are playing Lollapalooza 2016. I go to a lot of shows, I’ve interviewed a ton of bands over the years. The Greeting Committee has something special. Their well-crafted indie rock and joyous live performances are gaining them fans nationwide.The future is bright for this band. The Greeting Committee features guitarist and lead singer Addie Sartino, bassist Pierce Turcotte, guitarist Brandon Yangmi, and drummer Austin Fraser. I recently sat down with the band to discuss the insanity of SXSW, signing with Harvest and their creative process.
I’m here with the legendary Greeting Committee here, up-and-coming, soon to be legendary, in my opinion, but they already know that. How did you all get started?
Addie: I wrote and performed music as a solo artist and I decided that it wasn’t fulfilling enough. I’d previously written music with Brandon Yangmi, our guitar player. When it came time to make a band, I knew he was the first person to call and from there he got Pierce Turcotte, our bass player, and Austin Fraser, our drummer.
Your EP, It’s Not All That Bad, is out now and doing well. You’re getting radio play, you’re really growing. How does your song writing process work? Do you start with lyrics first, melody first?
Brandon: Usually, it starts off with the music. Someone will bring an idea, me, Pierce or even Addie. One of us will bring an idea and we’ll kind of build it off of that. Usually, it’s like one idea and bringing in the rest of the band. We then mold it together as a whole band. We just kind of jam on stuff. Then, lyrics go on the top of the music that we’ve already written.
You guys really dig into your songs and that’s a beautiful thing to see. You’re really focused and I see a lot of bands that are not focused. You guys are locked in and that’s awesome. How often do you find yourselves writing?
Addie: Writing is more of a continuous project. It’s harder to write while we’re on the road. Since we’ve been on the road a short amount of time, it’s not that difficult. I would say writing is a continuous process and not something that we take breaks from. If we have an idea, we go with it. If not, we don’t put pressure on that.
That’s the thing about being creative, you just have to let it flow. You guys are signed to Harvest Records. How did you get hooked up with him? How did that happen?
Addie: The first email we got was from Republic Records and then Atlantic Records. After that, we spoke with Lazlo, who’s our manager, and he kind of made the connection with Harvest. He’s been best friends with Jacqueline, who is the general manager. They’ve been close for about 20 years or so. After having meetings with Republic, Atlantic and Harvest, it was just kind of clear which one was the best fit for us personally. Harvest just felt like home.
That’s awesome. There are some heavy hitters on Harvest, Best Coast and Glass Animals. These guys are melting kid’s faces off. You’re going to melt their faces off too. Have you guys started tracking your debut album yet? Are you writing right now?
Pierce: We have been writing, but not tracking anything.
Austin: We haven’t recorded anything, but we have been getting ideas and stuff. I think we’re going to record it over the summer. We haven’t recorded anything yet.
The Greeting Committee, 4/9/16
Do you have favorite quoted motto that you live by?
Addie: Peyton Marek and I, she’s our tour manager, we just say, “Be a girl boss,” all the time. I don’t know if that works for the guys. I don’t know if they have their personal motto.
Austin: “I like Dirt.”
You’ll be seeing those boys soon enough. Are you pumped for Lollapalooza?
Addie: I am really excited for Lollapalooza. A lot of my favorite artists that I haven’t gotten a chance to see, like Daughter is on the same day as us. I am really excited for that.
Austin: I’m glad you got the “I Like Dirt” reference. Did you notice us go into it when we played MGMT’s) “Kids?”
Yeah, I did catch that. It was nice. You had a spacey jam segment.
Pierce: I just wanted someone to catch the “I like Dirt.”
You did throw it in there. You’re loose enough too that it works. You guys are really in the moment live. It’s all about being good live. You’re going to rip Lollapalooza apart. Did you enjoy South by Southwest too?
Pierce: Yes, it was a lot of fun.
Austin: South by Southwest was insane. It was definitely a new experience. Besides the venues, just the whole city and the people. It was a great experience. We got treated really nicely. We played a Stubb’s Showcase where a notable artist, Charli XCX, was playing outside. That was a really fun performance. Everything was really fast paced. I’m glad we only dd two shows because I felt like if we did more, then there would have been a lot of things that we wouldn’t be prepared for.
You don’t get burned out. I know people that have done like 12 showcases. They feel like they’re going to die. I went a few years back. You feel great, but you’re falling asleep at the Korean taco truck. It’s like a Hunter S. Thompson music fest put on by Taco Bell. I’m watching Youth Lagoon and people in flannels are shoveling Taco Bell in their faces. It was confusing.
Brandon: That’s the life. People go down to South by Southwest just to sell stuff. They know tons of people will be down there.
So many voices all shouting. What advice would you give to the artists who just starting out? You guys are still young and you got the future in front of you.
Brandon: We are still starting out.
Addie: Play as many shows as you possibly can. You’re never too good or too above anything. Just play music and have fun doing it.
Austin: Practice a lot. Chemistry in the band is one of the most important things for a band.
Pierce: There can be very special things about each individual, but it’s also important how everyone kind of gets together and kind of bonds with the music too. Put in the work and stay humble.
Austin: I think it’s also important to really show off your individuality in the music too, because everyone comes from a different backgrounds. I think it is very important.
Brandon: You shouldn’t set roles for yourself. You shouldn’t be like, “No one else is doing this, I probably shouldn’t do it.” You should do do whatever you feel like you want to do.
The Greeting Committee at the Power & Light District, 4/9/16.
The Greeting Committee is a young indie rock band on the rise. The Kansas City-based band recently played SXSW and they are playing Lollapalooza 2016. The Greeting Committee features guitarist and lead singer Addie Sartino, bassist Pierce Turcotte, guitarist Brandon Yangmi, and drummer Austin Fraser. All of the band members are still in high school. They are signed to Los Angeles-based record label Harvest Records, which also features Best Coast and Glass Animals on its roster.
I recently caught the Greeting Committee’s headlining set at local radio station 96.5 the Buzz‘s Homegrown Buzz Music Showcase. Live, the songs have even more power and Addie’s vocals soar. I go to a lot of shows and the wonderful joy the Greeting Committee have playing is infectious. Those indie rock happy sensors go off in your body and gets you fired up. Their single “Hands Down” is a tight, well-crafted indie-pop song. It’s so inspiring to see a young band having fun doing what they love. The future is bright for the Greeting Committee.
Big Gigantic brought their live electronica jams to the Midland April 2nd. The Colorado-based drums and sax duo represent a fresh take on dance music. Big Gigantic’s sound is a mixture of dubstep, house, hip-hop and jazz. Their instrumentation and sound is a nice change of pace from the standard DJ playing beats. The songs flowed effortlessly and the mix of bass drops and breezy sax lines got the crowd moving.
Big Gigantic at the Midland, 4/2/16
A lot of the set was focused on remixes and covers. Their remix of Major Lazer’s “Wave” was a highlight. It was a quality evening of party music. With their mix of sax and hard driving beats, Big Gigantic kept the crowd fired up and hype all night.
The Flaming Lips at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience (Photo credit: Ellen Maloney)
I heard a good Wayne Coyne story today. If you go to a lot of indie rock shows over the years, you probably end up with a Wayne Coyne story. The Flaming Lips are trippy indie rock legends. They have always created music with a weird and wonderful vision. Their live shows often explode into glorious expressions of joy.
I met Wayne briefly, in New Orleans, at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience. He was wearing his signature suit and chilling out before heading onstage. A friend of mine’s father had recently passed and he happened to have been a big Flaming Lips fan. It was nice to be able to chat with Wayne. I told him that his music brings joy to so many people, myself included, and that my friend’s dad was a big fan.
Wayne Coyne, of the Flaming Lips, at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience (Photo credit: Ellen Maloney)
I met a woman today from Oklahoma City. The Flaming Lips are based out of OKC. Like many people, she had a quality Wayne story, “Wayne Coyne is in our yoga class. He is kind of distracting. He does yoga shirtless, wears yoga tights and has big hair. He’s very expressive.” That will realign your chakras!
It is wonderful to be able to tell a musician that their music has a positive impact on you. If you like someone’s music and you get a chance to talk to them, speak from the heart and tel them why you enjoy it. It was interesting to hear a story about one of music’s weirdest and best artists. Wayne Coyne fearlessly freaking out his yoga class probably keeps the world in balance. People that bring their strange and honest creative visions to the world help to tip the scales away from the bland zone. Be yourself and remember to keep it weird!
Canadian bass music DJ and producer Excision brought the Paradox Tour to Kansas City on March 25th. He sold out the 3,000 capacity Midland Theatre. There was no chill. I am not a big dubstep/bass nerd, but the energy and passion for electronic music showcased on the Paradox Tour couldn’t be denied. It was a joyous night of stunning visual production, quality mixing and 150,000 watts of bass mayhem
Bear Grillz got the show rolling with a diverse mix of tunes. He smashed through a set while wearing a bear costume. So much (literal) beasting. Damn y’all, Snuggle goes hard!
Bear Grillz in Kansas City, 3/25/16
Bear Grillz was followed back-to-back by Figure. The Indiana-based DJ really got the crowd moving with his hard-edged version of EDM.
Figure in Kansas City, 2/25/16
Excision hit the crowd hard with his heavy take on bass music. His hour and 30 minute headlining set proved why he is one of the best mixers in today’s dance scene. The production really helped to create a fully immersive show. Excision played a lot of the tracks from his excellent Shambhala 2015 mix. The balcony was bouncing with joy to his vicious tunes.
Excision in Kansas City, 3/25/16
I’ve been a fan of electronic music for a long time. It’s wonderful to see people getting down, having a good time and raving hard. When it comes down to it, quality dance music is all the joy it brings you. The Paradox Tour filled the Midland with a glorious evening of bass music.
It’s important to draw inspiration from the people around you. I often meet people who are so great at their careers and passions. There are many different people in my life that help keep me inspired and focused. For example, I have a funk shaman that keeps me motivated to dive deeper in the funk and spread the glory of funk to the people. When you see someone doing something well, ask yourself, “What can I learn from their ability and success? Is there any way I can apply some of those qualities to my career and life?” Being jealous or envious can be counterproductive to your creative spirit. Knowing people that are so driven is inspiring.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to meet a few of my local journalism idols over the past few months. One of them told me, “Just keep writing.” It’s a simple concept, but he has a great point. The 10,000 hour rule has often been debated, but it is a solid idea. The rule was popularized by author Malcolm Gladwell. It basically states that if you practice your skill for 10,000 hours, around 10 years, you will have mastered your craft. If you keep working at something you are passionate about, you are bound to improve. You have to keep working on your craft and pushing ahead.
Look at the beasting of the people that inspire you and it can help awaken a whole new level of beasting inside yourself. Learn from people who are passionate about what they do and it can light a creative fire within you.
Excision is a Canadian DJ who combines many different styles of dance
music to form his own bass-heavy sound. His music transcends
genres and labels. From a mixing standpoint, he is one of the best live DJs I have ever seen. Excision discussed his first musical memory and his approach to creating a quality live show. What was your first musical memory?
The first electronic music I heard that stood out to me was the
Prodigy’s “The Fat of the Land.” I loved it, but couldn’t find
anything else even close to it. It wasn’t until 2005 that I
discovered drum ‘n’ bass and the Vex’d album “Degenerate,” which
showed me the extent of what dubstep and all electronic music is
capable of.
I started producing and DJing at the time, dropped out of the business
degree program I was taking at the University of British Columbia and
decided that this was what I needed to do. My parents weren’t too
impressed, but they had some level of faith when they saw I was
putting in 12 hours a day to get better. Living in Kelowna, I didn’t
know a single other DJ for over a year and didn’t meet any other
producers until I was touring in 2007. It was 2005 when I started and
although the Internet had a few places you could read up on various
techniques, it definitely wasn’t like today where there is a YouTube
tutorial for everything. Learning how to produce the sounds of your
imagination is a long, arduous process that I wouldn’t recommend to
anyone who isn’t willing to sacrifice a big chunk of their life.
How is your live setup differ from your studio setup?
The new stage “The Executioner” has been in progress since April of
last year. When we built Xvision, we learned what projection mapping
is truly capable of, and with a bit bigger budget this year we were
able to produce something far more complex. We wanted to get away
from the 2D “trippy visualizations” as much as possible. My team and
I felt that we had learned enough from Xvision to tackle the entire
project ourselves.
I worked with Ben from Beama and went through 66 revisions before we
finally settled on the current design. I then went and hired 50 or so
animators from around the world, created storyboards of what we wanted
each animation to look like, how we wanted it to sync with a specific
song and spent a huge amount of time on each of them really dialing it
in. Justin is our Mr. Fixit guy who knows a lot about a ton of
different things. He handled the window to the DJ booth, which goes
up and down based at the push of a button, as well as the panels that
open and close to reveal lasers within the stage, as well as CO2 jets,
crazy, low-lying fog machines, and even snow machines! A Canadian
crew can’t truly put on a high production value show without snow.
Justin also helped with the Serato/Ableton dual setup.
I wanted to keep everything as close to a traditional DJ setup as
possible, and still have the freedom to play whatever tracks in
whatever order the crowd wants them. We use Serato music videos for
70 songs; usually I get through 55 in a set. Each of these videos stay
in perfect sync with the attached song and the Serato video technology
is perfect so far. Where we ran into trouble was creating a fully
synced lighting show. We bridged Ableton to Serato and hacked a bunch
of things in order to get the time code sent out to the lighting desk
and trigger all the cues. The result is a system that gives me full
freedom to cater to the crowd and still be a real DJ, but at the same
time give a fully synced audio-visual show.
You might think this has been done before, but every artist I’ve seen,
and I’ve seen nearly all of them, have a 100% pre-planned set that
they literally just press a play button at the beginning of the show
and fake it for 90 minutes. Fuck that!
Due to how long it takes for movie-grade animations to be created, I
had to be careful about which songs I had them made for. I won’t ruin
the surprise, but it’s going to be an epic set that stays true to my
roots, but still has enough diversity to make everyone happy. Expect
to leave exhausted.
The Executioner features every bit of cutting edge technology that we
can cram into it, and it’s our goal to deliver an experience that is
as close as you will get to the future of EDM in today’s world. As far
as the future years and years ahead goes, we will always be working
hard to stay at least a few steps ahead of the rest of the industry.
You tour constantly. What have been some of your favorite moments on the road?
The most memorable achievements that first come to mind are headlining
shows playing to 10 or 20 thousand people at epic venues like Red
Rocks in Colorado or The Gorge in Washington. Looking out onto the
crowd and the awesome view and seeing so many people rocking out to
such nasty music is a pretty righteous feeling.
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