Interview with the Pop Punk band Spacejam
By Mick Michaels
The Cosmick View: Hello, and
welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten
Pounder! Thanks for taking some time
to chat with us!
CV:
Describe your definition of the band’s sound and style and how does that
definition uniquely describe the music?
Spacejam: Honestly,
I don't know how to answer such a question. For me, each band is unique because
of its constitution of human beings that compose it. The energy of all these
human beings together forming a band will find the sound that corresponds to it
and that will correspond to its energy at some point in its life. The proof,
very often when members of a band are replaced, the sound of the band changes
because the energy of the guys in the band is no longer the same. Each member
of a band bringing their own energy and their universe creates their own
corresponding sound. The band evolving over time we also notice, the evolution
of the energy of the guys in the band, and therefore the sound will change
because it evolves with the band. Take for example the first album of any band
and its last and you will automatically hear the difference. Nothing in life
remains frozen, everything evolves all the time and we are no exception to the
rule.
CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
Spacejam: Yes,
it's part of the evolution of the world in which we live nowadays. We have
smartphones that are smarter and faster than our brains! I think that today if
a band doesn't connect with its audience, it leaves for certain death. We can
no longer pretend living in this world and not be connected with it! Only those
who adapt survive. All the bands have adapted and all are connected with their
audience with more or less intensity depending on the reputation of the band.
Take a band like The Cure or the Foo Fighters, they interact with their fans
and are connected with them in their own way, although the Foo Fighters are
better communicators than The Cure in my opinion…because they have teams that
are paid for that, community managers etc... While an artist of a smaller scale
will often have to do his communication alone and will take him time. The
connection must be made because it is the demand of the audience today…we have
no choice.
Besides the concerts, which give us a very special connection with our audience, we have an Instagram account and a Facebook page in addition to our website. I manage all three and it takes me time, but I organize myself to plan it and it has become a recurrence necessary for the expansion of the band. It is a question of organization in my agenda.
Besides the concerts, which give us a very special connection with our audience, we have an Instagram account and a Facebook page in addition to our website. I manage all three and it takes me time, but I organize myself to plan it and it has become a recurrence necessary for the expansion of the band. It is a question of organization in my agenda.
CV:
Is fan interaction an important part of the band’s inner culture?
Spacejam: Yes
and for all the reasons I mentioned above.
Spacejam: Yes,
I believe you can interact with your fans and still maintain a level of
personal privacy, I don't think you can cross the line if you don't want
to. It's the artist who defines his own rules for communication and
interaction with his audience. The artist is the only master on
board. If he crosses the line between public life and private life it's
only that he wanted it after all, right?
CV:
Is music, and its value, viewed differently around the world in your
opinion? If so, what do you see as the biggest difference in such
multiple views among various cultures?
Spacejam: I
don't think music and its values are perceived differently in the world
really. I remember the explosion of the Punk movement in 1976 for example
in London, its music and its values were well perceived in all the countries
where Punk was present, afterwards, each country has its own cultural
background and its own references, but the basic message remained the
same everywhere. Everybody on earth got it!
CV:
Do you feel that a band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect
more so to American audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see
the band over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
Spacejam: Obviously,
and this is true for all countries. A foreign band, in general, will
attract more audiences than a national or local band…apart from bands that have a well-established career in their
country. For example, the Rolling Stones in the UK, they will always draw
crowds in the UK…which make venues bookers more willing to bring
them in knowing this. I have experienced it more than once. There is
a saying that "no-one is a prophet in his own country" and it's still
relevant!
CV:
Has modern-day digital technology made everyone an artist on some level in your
opinion? Have the actual lines of what really is an artist been blurred?
Spacejam: Not
at all, modern technology has helped some artists to create faster and at a
much lower cost than before. We saw home studios come out of the ground
everywhere and again there is a real difference between amateurs and music
professionals. The creation process has become much faster and in almost
equivalent quality. Now indeed, nothing will replace a good old NEEVE
analogue console but do we still need it? The real lines of an artist have
not been blurred in my opinion…the real artists are still there and the fakes
do not last long, except that today everything goes much faster…the fakes
appear and disappear at a speed! Crazy ain’t it?
CV:
How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and
one who sets them?
Spacejam: To
put it simply, the ones who follow them are uninteresting copycats and often
have nothing to say or to offer as artists, which can be their choices
too, but the ones who define the trends are ultimate creators who make fun of
trends, fashions and what people think in general…they offer their unique
version of their art, which makes them avant-garde. And I love that!
CV:
Has music overall been splintered into too many sub-genres in an effort to
appease fan tastes in your opinion? And has such fan appeasements, in
actuality, weakened music’s impact as a whole by dividing audiences?
Spacejam: I
don't think so, music is limitless and each genre or sub-genre corresponds to a
demand from the audience. We are in niche markets here, and I like the
variety enough. Why would we only have a few genres of music, it would be
boring at the end and very uncreative.
CV:
What can fans expect to see coming next from you?
Spacejam: Very
soon we will do a radio edit version of our song “Stay Alive,” with our record
label The Animal Farm Music. I am currently filming the video to the
song. I created the sets, the storyboard and I am filming the whole video
on my own. I will do the editing and broadcasting.
We are working on new songs…I have about thirty in stock so we have a lot to do!
We are also going to make a teaser for the band that we are going to send to bookers…I think they will be surprised. We have a lot of projects in progress, so we don't have time to get bored!
We are working on new songs…I have about thirty in stock so we have a lot to do!
We are also going to make a teaser for the band that we are going to send to bookers…I think they will be surprised. We have a lot of projects in progress, so we don't have time to get bored!
CV:
Thanks again for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
Spacejam: You are more than welcome Mick, it's been a real pleasure.
Check
out Spacejam at:
Official: https://spacejamband.com/
Official: https://spacejamband.com/
Bandcamp: https://spacejam1.bandcamp.com/
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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