Indie Artist Shehzad Bhanji on The Digital Hustle

Listen to the live interview Episode #445 Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://tobtr.com/9894767

GETTING TO KNOW SHEHZAD BHANJII
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

The digital evolution of music industry..
has given a wonderful platform for an indie artist as a whole. It has also changed the dynamics of the music industry in terms of marketing, distribution, royalties. However, on the other hand it has made jobs of indie artist more difficult since the digital world is full of content and to stand out from this noise is getting difficult day by day.

My learning curve was in figuring out how to reach the fans. I planned to receive the stress of releasing the music. I panned a lot of live appearances but it’s important to connect online as well.

What I have learned is…
that its very difficult to find the right partners when you are flying solo. It takes a while; there are hits and misses on the way and you learn from every experience. And if you managed to find likeminded people, you must stick with them. It makes life much easier.

Music Industry…
With the digital revolution vastly changing the face of the music industry, as well as how fans encounter and use new music, it is imperative for artists to ‘keep up with the times’. With the convenience of the Internet and downloading, there has been an underlying push over the last few years to deliver fresh content to fans on a more frequent basis, in order to stay on their radar and satiate their desire to have more from the artist.

Singles are the reason for why fans bought albums in the past. They wanted one song, but had to purchase the entire album to get it. Today, no one needs to buy an entire album anymore. iTunes, artist websites, and other online retailers make it very easy to sample songs and only buy the ones you like.

Inspiration…
I would love to spend it with Joe Satriani. I grew up listening to Joe. His journey is so inspirational right from where he started, his days of struggle and what he is today. Plus he is an amazing guitarist and a musician. He has been single source of inspiration for me and what I produce.

Till We Meet Again…
Till we meet again is an upbeat track with overflow of emotions and inspiration. It narrates the story of leaving your loved ones and move to a whole new world to explore. It has a positive kind of message to it. Although we leave places but the people we have met and memories we share will always have a special place in our hearts. Lets explore the world, take on every challenge and move forward.

Song inspiration…
can come from so many areas. I wake up in the morning and I’ll have a feeling about a place or somebody or something that happened to me. I might read something or bump into somebody and some feeling will hit me. And I go with the inspiration; If I want to write a song about summer coming and I’m driving in a convertible, I’m going to write a summer song. That’s my true passion: simply to write music around what I experience in life. And it connects very well with the listeners too.

The structure…
of the track was written last year immediately after the release of my first album. I was very clear that I wanted to create a unique sound for my second album. I also wanted to play in a manner that I make the guitar sing my melodies. That was my starting point. It was written closer to the date when I left reunion of friends. But I wanted to be optimistic about it since if we can manage to come together after 15 years we have definitely do it again. And then it just happened.

Profound Beginnings…
is packed with powerful melodies, soulful guitar playing and beautiful textures coming together and completing the whole story. Each track will take listeners on a journey, expressing the feel of that moment.

When I started working on the concept of the album, I was searching for something, something undefined and unknown. I was trying to push my own buttons with it. It can be frustrating to work like that – ‘What is it? What am I looking for?’ But when you get it, it’s really joyous. Although I was very clear that I wanted to sound different from my previous album. So I brought in different instruments, worked on the guitar tone, added some interesting melodic scales on the menu and created a sound that makes my guitar sing my melodies.

There were some constants there that gave me confidence that things were going to work in this new area that I was working in – you know, like you’d bring your favorite guitars and amps. That makes me feel very warm and comfortable. I was looking for a rhythm section that would change the way that I not only would play but think about the songs, where they could go and how they could sound. I’m always looking for the situation where a record is going to help me usher in a new era of writing, playing and expression and how I can take that message out to my fans.

I asked myself every second of the day…
‘Is this a real melody or am I just throwing my fingers around?’ I don’t mind kicking back and playing a lot less if it means creating a memorable musical moment that’s unique to a song’s particular story. I do get fascinated by harmonic situations and at the same time I’m interested in simplicity and elegance that goes right to a person’s heart and gives them a great feeling and so I kind of play around with things that would help to connect with the listeners. And that’s how I was approaching it this time.