As a band, it’s difficult to tour today but live streaming has made up for that. – @themotelpines
Live Interview
Episode #405: A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://tobtr.com/9682369
GETTING TO KNOW THE MOTEL PINES
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
Interviewing:
Michael Carrasco (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar)
John Rowland (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals)
Benjiman Gaither (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals)
Mark Starling (Drums/Backing Vocals)
The Music business…
The fact that art and business have fused is a mixed bag to say the least. We actually talk about that a little bit in our song “A Declining Trend”. The goal of business is generally maximization of profits. In order to achieve that businesses have to appeal to as many people as possible and so sometimes it seems like a race to the bottom. Maybe I just take myself too seriously but I have always found music that appeals to the lowest common denominator to be trite and banal. (I am probably coming off as a huge pretentious asshole here…I promise I’m not ☺ )
There are certainly pros in the recent advent of social media and streaming services. It makes it much easier to get music to people but it also makes the demand for music (or the perceived value of it) go down tremendously. It’s also so much easier to get that I feel like the experience of listening to music has become devalued (man I’m pessimistic).
As a band, it’s difficult to tour today but live streaming has made up for that. As a musician, it’s difficult to push your own music. It’s easy to create. As a singer songwriter it’s hard not to write all the time but there’s big value when you grind the marketing.
I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
I’d love to have been able to meet Leonard Cohen. He is my favorite song-writer. I think he has a terrific worldview and he writes amazing lyrics.
Pre-Orders for the upcoming album available now.. Every pre-order will receive an early copy of the first single “Circadianism” . The full Album releases on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play along with the NW VIDEO available 3/14.
Circadianism…
The song is about the cyclical nature of power and authority and the inherent weaknesses in a democracy. I wrote is during the 2016 presidential campaign after a conversation I had with a friend about the candidates.
I wrote it in about 5 minutes. It’s one of those songs that just comes to you in a fit of inspiration. When I showed it to the band it only took us a few practices to arrange. Sometimes they work out that way. It’s always so much fun when everything just works and you don’t really have to sweat over it.
I like to think that we have an urgent message. I tend to write about issues in politics, science, religion, philosophy and the general human condition. I know that that likely alienates a huge portion of our potential audience but I am ok with the trade-off. My hope is that the people that we reach will really appreciate what we have to say.
I try not to be topical because I think the message has been the same throughout all human history. There are issues with being human that cause problems and those issues likely won’t change (I actually talk about this some in the song #nolivesmatter which will be the second single off the album). Anyway, if some of these songs reach a few people maybe I can contribute a tiny bit to that change.
I live in Dallas, Texas…
and the music scene here leaves something to be desired actually. There are a lot of places to play but like any industry they are mostly interested in making money. I don’t guess I blame them. I’d like to make some of it too. It’s tough trying to marry art and financial security.
A lot of clubs here (at least the ones that pay) expect 3 hrs worth of covers and we don’t really want to be a cover band so we don’t play out all that often. It’s difficult because you have to balance the desire to build a following with the risk of over saturating yourself and discouraging your current fans from coming to see you play. We’re still trying to find the right balance.
Social Links:
Webpage – themotelpines.com
Facebook – facebook.com/themotelpines
Soundcloud – soundcloud.com/themotelpines
Bandcamp – themotelpines.bandcamp.com
Instagram – Instagram.com/themotelpines
Reverbnation – reverbnation.com/themotelpines
Twitter – @themotelpines