Music News

Introduction

WXOU likes to cast spotlights on Metro-Detroit area bands, who deserve more publicity. These bands selected not only have talent, but they are some of the friendliest and most passionate type of people you could find. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing a self-labeled “Psychedelic Alternative” band known as The Indigo Curve. We met via Zoom Call in order to abide by Covid-19 social distancing rules. The Indigo Curve is comprised of five very upbeat guys; Adam and Mike Liles, (Guitar, Keyboard), Nico Kannapell (Bass), Marcus Kennedy (Drums), and Ish Chowdhury (Singer). In speaking with this group, I asked them about how the band came to be, their music writing process, and how they are coping with being musicians in the time of the global pandemic.

The Origins of The Indigo Curve

Before this enthusiastic group came to be, they were actually all apart of different projects. Ish, Mike, and Adam were in a band together, before they had to break up due to the old drummer moving out of state. Some time after the former bands split, Adam met Nico and Marcus online, and he joked that it was a lot like “Tinder for Bands”. At this point, though they were making music together they had not yet settled on a bad name. Ish, described that he knew he wanted the word Indigo somewhere in the name, but was doing a lot of spit balling. Originally, he had liked the name Indigo Sun, but that had been a bust when he later found an Irish band with the same name. The name did come later, but from an unexpected source; “I was at a wedding with my younger brother, and we were walking around the ball room looking for inspiration y’know. After tossing some stuff around, he suggested The Indigo Curve and it stuck”. When asked what the band would call their sound, Mike piped up with Psychedelic Alternative. While all the guys were in agreeance with this rough label, they all talked on how they enjoyed pulling bits and pieces of inspiration from multiple genres, rather than trying to fit into one box. After listening to the group’s music, myself, I would agree that they have a unique sound that isn’t done justice by one cookie cutter label.

Making Music

The guys from The Indigo Curve have released an EP which is now playing at WXOU radio station, and a few of their songs can be heard via YouTube when you search up the band. However, I was informed that the band is currently working on an album, which they hope to release soon. When I asked them what their favorite song was from what they had made so far, they stated that their song American Dream was up there, especially for Mike when he added “I am actually in that one.”

I prodded a little bit into the song writing process of the band, and I found the way they write music to not only be unique, but was also impressed with the way they work as a team. Adam Elaborated, “Usually, someone comes to the band with an idea and it gets changed and transforms from what it started as – as we all add our own flare into it”. The sound of the instrumentals itself comes from the group, and then they sort of work backwards. Adam and Ish take the instrumentals, and use them to write lyrics to fit the sounds. “Sometimes I come in with lyrics already and we adapt them to the instrumental, but usually we work backwards” is what Ish described when I asked about how they wrote. I was really impressed with this process, as it seems most bands are lyric oriented, but The Indigo Curve takes a creative approach by melding words to how the instrumental feels.

Being a Musician During Covid-19

The Coronavirus has made things very difficult for small businesses and those in the music industry. The band itself had felt the effects, as they actually formed back in early March before the state of Michigan went under lockdown. Before that, the band went out of their way to play several gigs such as Simons After Dark, Cashew Café, and Jam-ex. They also shared a story about how Nico, actually built them a stage in Adams backyard so they could have a party, in which they invited other bands to play sets. Once the state shut down however, things changed for these guys. Like many others, they could no longer play gigs due to social distancing concerns and the rapid infection rate of the virus. While they were upset that they could no longer play gigs, they actually expressed greater concerns for others in the industry, and small businesses.

“Anyone who’s business functions based on being able to go out and sell what they make right now, I really feel for them”, is what Ish told me when him and Nico went to an outdoor socially distanced craft show.

Marcus also had some feelings of empathy; “We at least have other jobs you know; I feel bad for the artists who make their living based on performing, cause with this pandemic it just isn’t an option. The people who get their source of income from going out and selling their merch, they’ve got to be hurting right now.

It is true that the music industry and many others are suffering right now. Musicians are surviving based on releasing music from home, but that’s only the case for those who have at home studios to work from. Many smaller artists trying to make a name for themselves cannot get noticed on social media as they are not popular enough, and opportunities for scouting are blocked when concerts aren’t allowed. Aside from the musicians, sound engineers, venue owners, and other crew members who make concerts possible are out of jobs. It is important now more than ever for us to support small business, bands, and venues by shopping local and buying merch online when we can.

In closing up with The Indigo Curve, I was very happy that I had gotten to talk with a kind group of dudes who are obviously very passionate about what they do. They kept me laughing, were very positive, and had a sense of light to them when they talked about the band. This group is definitely going places, and I am excited to watch their growth.

To Keep up with the band:

Debut EP “Indian Summer” - https://theindigocurve.bandcamp.com/releases

Instagram – theindigocurve

Introduction

We all hear origin stories of bands all the time. Through documentaries, interviews or life action remakes, a tale is spun about the most American of origins - friends jamming out together. Many of the greatest bands had the most modest and passionate beginnings. A Few weeks ago when I interviewed Ben McNamara, the guitarist of Similar Kind, I was met with a brilliant example of small beginnings to something great. The band Similar Kind is a five person Indie-Pop Band from Connecticut (Consisting of Julia Breen, Ben McNamara, Evan Murphy, Finn Mangan, and Miles Dominici), who have been making waves in the music industry with their tunes. In this interview I conducted, I learned not only of the band’s origins, but their current works, and their take on how Covid-19 had affected the performing world.

Similar Kind – The Beginnings

While talking with Ben, he talked to me about the group's humble beginnings. Three of the members: Ben, Evan and Miles, started out as members of a high school band. The group were all part of a school of rock program, which allowed them to meet. As time passed they took an interest in performing at Porch Jam, but were short a few members. Julia - whose prior band split - offered to join up to play Porch Jam, and they later recruited Finn. After playing Porch Jam, the group enjoyed working together so much that they decided to make the group permanent. When they played the gig however, they were still without a name. Ben shared a particularly funny but sweet story with me about how they coined their label;

“Evan just called me up one day, he had apparently been watching Dexter was what he said. The main character I think had spoken the line ‘We are a similar kind of people’ and liked how similar kind sounded. It's been that way ever since”.

Current Music Career

The Band has released an EP and several singles; the most recent of which being “Lost and Lonely” which can be accessed like the rest of their current music on Spotify. I asked Ben what he would say their genre of music is - and it led into an interesting conversation about music history. Ben described their sound as Indie Pop/ Alternative - and he shared his feelings about the genre;

“ You know, for a long time Indie wasn’t a genre. It was a coining term for an artist that was self produced or self published - y'know an Independent Record Label hence the name. It’s so interesting how these artists who were running their own show started to develop similar sounds and got put into the genre as we know it today. Sure there is a lot of variance in the genre of Indie itself - yet we can all still listen to a random album and go ‘Yup, that's Indie.’”

Pre Coronavirus, the band played several gigs and opened for a few other up and coming artists such as Charly Bliss. They themselves also took a mini tour through New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Maine. Ben said that the best part of that tour was not just getting to play the gigs but rather making the outreach. Meeting other artists, networking with fans, and just getting to spend time in the music world with others who were so passionate about it, was his highlight. The band had actually planned another tour for the Summer of 2020, but it was sadly cancelled due to the Global Pandemic.

While we were talking, I pried a little bit into the process of how the band wrote their music. He elaborated that they usually start with some type of progression or sound, and then they all throw something into it to see what fits. As a team they play trial and error with the sound, and often Julia will bring lyrics in for it later. I made the comment that I found it interesting that they did not start with lyrics, and Ben gave me some food for thought;

“I feel like people often forget… not every musician is a writer! That's why some of us play instruments, and others of us sing. I am by no means a writer - and I think music is often only associated with the quality of its lyrics. Lyrics are very important, and there are some talented songwriters out there. But for most of us it's the sound or the feeling of the instrumentals that we focus on. Making it elicit feelings just as much as the words do. Without instruments we would all just be over glorified poets”.

Dealing with Covid-19 In Our Industry

The topic of course came up - our global pandemic. It is no mystery that Covid-19 has been hard on everyone, but the music industry still has not recovered. While many of us are now back at work, those who work gigs, folks who run event buildings, and musicians are not. I asked Ben what it was like being a musician at this time - and he said a lot of it is figuring out how to work social media. “Everyone spends more time online now, it’s not like before where people could stumble upon your concert and suddenly become a fan. Online - people stick to what they know so outreach is hard”. He shared with me some Instagram secrets, like how its algorithm prefers faces to posters, so it is easier to get more publicity if you post pictures of the band members first. Ben stressed that their fanbase is dependent on getting people's attention, and their prior networking from their tour. Now more than ever - it is important to stand out.

“The thing is, new artists often seem to do what they think is popular. They mimic sounds of popular artists and maybe in theory that gets them more views. However it affects the quality of their fans. They like them because they sound like (Blank). Personally, I would rather have 10 fans that liked my own personal sound, than thousands who like that I sound like someone else”.

Up and coming artists depend on their performances in order to catch people's attention. In a world where we can no longer perform, the focus has shifted to how good you can work the media. This is why networking is so important to musicians. Those connections you make can boost you up in the future. The band has been working together on stuff distantly while they are all doing school - so with the promise of more music to come - my eyes are glued to their Spotify page. The bands unity, uniqueness and undeniable passion; have made it very clear that they are a group to follow.

To keep up with the band:

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/67jp9dtthPw2v0no8iFg3k

• Instagram - @ similarkind