Listen to the live interview 
Episode #438: A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://tobtr.com/9831417

Jacqueline Jax logo photoGETTING TO KNOW Damien Rattler & the Electric Soul Circus
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

Interviewing: Damien Rattler

 

You can definitely hear a lot of influences in the blues and funk music with a rock dynamic. This is significant for us as a band and as human beings living in a city like Toronto because like most artists a lot of their story telling comes from the road and/or their hometown. Nobody slows down anymore because as soon as you do in some environments you’re done! Everything is “go, go, go” and that’s just the way it is in most urban places in the Western World.

Europeans in general would think we’re all nuts if they ever seen the pace over here- it’s just different. Being from an Italian background, I can affirm this. When I wrote this tune, I think I wrote it in thirty minutes- not much more or less than that. It was designed to be a happy tune- something that I could put in the live setlist that would make people feel good and hopefully would make people grope their headphones at home and nod their heads in a forward and back motion. We didn’t over analyze or produce it. We were really lucky to have Steve Kirstein (sound engineer) and Ray Melana (Videography) there to capture the naturalness and rawness of what we recorded that day.

I would love 5 minutes alone with Buddy Guy….
A man that has such a respect for music and particularly the blues is someone I have looked up to ever since I was a young teenager. His style is unlike no other and his pipes are second to none. The best of every world put into one is Buddy Guy. I would want him to give me a slap upside the head just like Muddy Waters did to him when he wasn’t playing the way he wanted on the session. He was such an inspiration for me that got me started and fueled to want to play and write. With so many virtuosos that looked and still look up to him it’s a no doubter that I would pick him. I would want him to sing one of my tunes “Funk Your Blues” for the entire five minutes while I just sit back and laugh having fun watching him do his thing to it!



Downtown Hustle…
is a commentary of the upbeat lifestyle in an over populated urban mega city. In order to survive this environment, one must sprint constantly in this seemingly “zoo on the loose”. The speaker is a struggling, touring musician who is on a quest to meet up with his lover in LA California- another landscape where entertainers thrive and where lifestyles are busy.

The speaker’s obstacle is that he’s contemplating what his life would be like if he wasn’t a travelling musician. If his life was just quiet and rather boring, would he be happier? Would he breathe easier? All in all, “Downtown Hustle” is a “feel good tune” combining Rock, Blues and Funk sounds. Damien Rattler wrote the music and lyrics and then collaborated with band members, who then spiced it up with funky bass lines, “in the pocket” beats, blusey rhythm work and jazz heads. It was then recorded live at River 16 Studio in Oakville, ON.

https://www.reverbnation.com/damienrattler/songs

 

 

 

Music industry…
Being an indie band, it’s really tough doing it all on your own. Pros are we got all the resources at our fingertips now days to excel your brand. Cons are that there is so much competition that it’s not enough to be a great musician or songwriter anymore and everyone is doing the same thing- so how do you stand out? On the other hand, the music business isn’t that much easier, although I’m almost completely ignorant to that world, I can only imagine those challenges. We’ve got some exposure, but not nearly enough of what we are going to need to attract a larger audience and make a full time career.

 

 

Links: iTUNES “Downtown Hustle” Link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/downtown-hustle-single/id1153219475

Google Play “Downtown Hustle” Link:
https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Btb6zt3eybuh7egai7g6rodmy54&tid=song-Tdehhpjyja53mlmqnvshrbnjnhy&hl=en

Website:
http://www.damienrattler.com
https://www.facebook.com/DamienRattlerAndTheElectricSoulCircus
https://twitter.com/DamienRattler
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBtBz0BhdzsPycwTXykW9RA
https://www.instagram.com/damien_rattler/