Interview with the Band Boozewa
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
Boozewa: No problem, thank you for taking an interest in what we are doing!
CV: Do you feel that
it's still possible for an unknown band today to be plucked out of obscurity
and make it to stardom? Can a dedicated core of fans sharing their music make
that possible or has the internet and social media changed the game?
Boozewa: I think it depends on what we are calling “stardom”. To me the idea of being “famous” has never jived alongside of creating art that I stand behind. I don’t think the days of plucking a band out of the bar and giving them a Grammy are here anymore. Honestly, I don’t think they ever really existed. It’s a tall tale told by industry people to mask the fact that it is just that, an industry. When the production line starts to slow down, they just throw some new polish on another one and start that one up. Now if the goal is to create a community and art that exists past the dollar sign, then YES a small group of supporters sharing it from the ground up can totally make all the difference in the world.
Boozewa: I think it depends on what we are calling “stardom”. To me the idea of being “famous” has never jived alongside of creating art that I stand behind. I don’t think the days of plucking a band out of the bar and giving them a Grammy are here anymore. Honestly, I don’t think they ever really existed. It’s a tall tale told by industry people to mask the fact that it is just that, an industry. When the production line starts to slow down, they just throw some new polish on another one and start that one up. Now if the goal is to create a community and art that exists past the dollar sign, then YES a small group of supporters sharing it from the ground up can totally make all the difference in the world.
CV: Do you feel that
given the accessibility and social awareness of modern times that a music
underground still even exists today as it once did?
Boozewa: There is totally still an underground. It may not look like it did in the 90s and 2000s pre-social media and instant gratification, but it is still there and THRIVING…from my experience at least LOL.
Boozewa: There is totally still an underground. It may not look like it did in the 90s and 2000s pre-social media and instant gratification, but it is still there and THRIVING…from my experience at least LOL.
CV: What do you see as
the biggest difference in music and how it is perceived from back say 35 years
ago compared to music today? Has both the music and the artist evolved from
your point of view?
Boozewa: I think one of the biggest changes…and best if I’m being honest, is the idea that ANYONE can do this. 35 years ago it was still a mystery to a lot of people. Bands and artists were viewed as a kind unattainable level, they were unreachable. The best thing to happen in my opinion has been the leveling of the playing field. When I was younger and wanting to make music I was told that it’s only for a select few who could “make it”. That “stardom’ we were just talking about. I think it’s wonderful that now people, kids, can say “YES. I can do that, I can play, I can tour, I can create.”
Boozewa: I think one of the biggest changes…and best if I’m being honest, is the idea that ANYONE can do this. 35 years ago it was still a mystery to a lot of people. Bands and artists were viewed as a kind unattainable level, they were unreachable. The best thing to happen in my opinion has been the leveling of the playing field. When I was younger and wanting to make music I was told that it’s only for a select few who could “make it”. That “stardom’ we were just talking about. I think it’s wonderful that now people, kids, can say “YES. I can do that, I can play, I can tour, I can create.”
CV: Do you believe bands
and artists who have the biggest impact on fans and other artists are aware
that they are or is there more of a tunnel vision sort of process for them
keeping them somewhat in the dark? Can influential artists see past their own
work to be aware of the ripples they make?
Boozewa: Man that’s a hard one. It’s a fine line sometimes between allowing the art to happen as it wants to and taking responsibility for it. If you are influential to a group of people, I do think you have a responsibility to not allow that influence to be used to their detriment. BUT in saying that, you have to remain true to yourself, otherwise you are creating the art for a reason other than the art itself. A band like Pearl Jam seems to ride that razor thin line the best to me. They know the weight of their influence on others, but somehow do not allow that shadow to be the final say in the music they are making. How you can do that on such a massive level consistently all these years is mind blowing!
Boozewa: Man that’s a hard one. It’s a fine line sometimes between allowing the art to happen as it wants to and taking responsibility for it. If you are influential to a group of people, I do think you have a responsibility to not allow that influence to be used to their detriment. BUT in saying that, you have to remain true to yourself, otherwise you are creating the art for a reason other than the art itself. A band like Pearl Jam seems to ride that razor thin line the best to me. They know the weight of their influence on others, but somehow do not allow that shadow to be the final say in the music they are making. How you can do that on such a massive level consistently all these years is mind blowing!
CV: Does music need to
be influential to be considered worth listening to in your opinion? Or can
music simply be just an enjoyable auditory experience devoid of substance?
Boozewa: It can be everything and nothing LOL! I don’t think it has to always have such a weight to it. I love the tune our little Roomba makes when it’s done vacuuming. There is nothing heavy or influential behind it. The notes just make me smile.
Boozewa: It can be everything and nothing LOL! I don’t think it has to always have such a weight to it. I love the tune our little Roomba makes when it’s done vacuuming. There is nothing heavy or influential behind it. The notes just make me smile.
CV: The world has been
rocked by the COVID pandemic. The economy has been sent into a tailspin
in its wake, unfortunately. Bands worldwide have been restricted with
performing live and some it seems, restricted from earning a living. How
has the pandemic affected your band? Are you hopeful that 2021 will see many of
the restrictions lifted?
Boozewa: My gig outside of playing music myself is as a guitar tech/stage manager for a touring act. The pandemic has COMPLETELY halted my income for the foreseeable future. It has honestly crushed most of everything I had worked for and was working towards for the better part of two years. But I am alive. My other band BACKWOODS PAYBACK was shelved or the foreseeable future as well…members are spread across multiple states, etc. BUT the lockdown resulted in this band BOOZEWA being formed. Just the folks who live in our house here, since that’s all we could really interact with anyway. So it has made something beautiful out of something tragic…doesn’t that always seem to happen. As far as the restrictions being lifted, I think it will happen at some point this year. As long as people here continue to, and for some BEGIN to, TRUST SCIENCE.
Boozewa: My gig outside of playing music myself is as a guitar tech/stage manager for a touring act. The pandemic has COMPLETELY halted my income for the foreseeable future. It has honestly crushed most of everything I had worked for and was working towards for the better part of two years. But I am alive. My other band BACKWOODS PAYBACK was shelved or the foreseeable future as well…members are spread across multiple states, etc. BUT the lockdown resulted in this band BOOZEWA being formed. Just the folks who live in our house here, since that’s all we could really interact with anyway. So it has made something beautiful out of something tragic…doesn’t that always seem to happen. As far as the restrictions being lifted, I think it will happen at some point this year. As long as people here continue to, and for some BEGIN to, TRUST SCIENCE.
CV: What do you feel
artists and bands can do right now to stay relevant, especially in an
environment, such as the present, where performing in front of a live audience
is being restricted? What immediate options do you see available?
Boozewa: I know the classic response is to say streaming shows and more social media and more interactions…but I think that misses the point of why we do this to begin with. These times we find ourselves in, to me at least, have been better spent LISTENING and CREATING rather than trying to find attention. If you’re always talking, how will I know when you ACTUALLY have something to say?
Boozewa: I know the classic response is to say streaming shows and more social media and more interactions…but I think that misses the point of why we do this to begin with. These times we find ourselves in, to me at least, have been better spent LISTENING and CREATING rather than trying to find attention. If you’re always talking, how will I know when you ACTUALLY have something to say?
CV: As an artist, what
have you learned from the events of 2020? Are those lessons learned different
for you as a person than as an artist or are they one in the same in your
opinion?
Boozewa: They are one in the same. Some lessons I have learned as an individual have found their way into how we act as a band and vice versa. If nothing else this past year has forced me to be still and listen for that wave of inspiration forming, whereas in the past I would wait for it to hit and then ride it as far as I could. Nowadays I listen for the smallest notion that it’s happening…if for nothing else it makes for a longer ride haha.
Boozewa: They are one in the same. Some lessons I have learned as an individual have found their way into how we act as a band and vice versa. If nothing else this past year has forced me to be still and listen for that wave of inspiration forming, whereas in the past I would wait for it to hit and then ride it as far as I could. Nowadays I listen for the smallest notion that it’s happening…if for nothing else it makes for a longer ride haha.
CV: What's next? What
can fans expect to see coming in 2021?
Boozewa: BOOZEWA has released our first demo tape on FEB 5th and we are PUMPED! Recorded entirely here at the compound on my old 4 Track machine and every copy is hand dubbed printed and assembled. It’s a total labor of love and tribute to the DIY spirit we have always had. I believe we are playing MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2021, if all goes well, and beyond that I have no idea…just music music and more music.
Boozewa: BOOZEWA has released our first demo tape on FEB 5th and we are PUMPED! Recorded entirely here at the compound on my old 4 Track machine and every copy is hand dubbed printed and assembled. It’s a total labor of love and tribute to the DIY spirit we have always had. I believe we are playing MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2021, if all goes well, and beyond that I have no idea…just music music and more music.
CV: Thank you again for
spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was such a
pleasure. I wish you all the best.
Boozewa: Thank you! I wish you nothing but health and happiness this year.
Boozewa: Thank you! I wish you nothing but health and happiness this year.
Check out Boozewa at:
Bandcamp: http://boozewa.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boozewa/
Bandcamp: http://boozewa.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boozewa/
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The Cosmick Voice
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, 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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