Interview with Dean Wallce of Dean Wallace & The Black Flames
By Mick Michaels
Cosmick View: Hello, Dean! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
Dean Wallace: Hi Mick, and hi everyone at Cosmick View. Thank you so much for this interview and for your interest in my music.
CV: Describe your definition of Dean Wallace & the Black Flames’ sound and style and how does that definition uniquely describe the music?
DW: The band's sound is deeply rooted with the metal from the late 80's early 90's. I'm a big fan of this era, my favorite bands have released most of their best albums in this decade (Metallica's Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, Black Album, Megadeth's Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, Pantera's Cowboys from Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, Far Beyond Driven...). Let's say it's the starting point of our style and sound, we didn't really take the turn of Nu Metal and all its subgenres. We don't try to emulate any modern style or band, so we're pretty unique in that way. It's a bit old school to be fair, but we don't follow any trend.CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist or band and if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
DW: First of all, I don't consider we have made the connection with our fans. Our first album has been streamed 18,000 times on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/album/5I8EgF6wrbhzcAUFaIDTmx), mainly in Mexico and South America. On Apple Music, we have a peak in Russia... I don't know if these guys follow us on social media, I don't really know how to reach them. Once again I'm a bit old school, but I think the only way to achieve this connection is by touring, that's why it's our main goal right now.CV: Is fan interaction an important part of your band’s inner culture?
DW: Live interaction, yes for sure. Everybody should be involved in a concert, and we try to spend as much time as we can with the audience after the show. But online interaction isn't really our best asset. None of us is a fan of social media, so it's a new game we have to play. It's always good to feel the support from your fans, but it also can be a trap. We live in an era where everyone gives their opinion, and you'd better be solid before you release something, because everybody's gonna criticize it, in good or in a bad way.CV: Can a band or artist truly interact
with its fans and still maintain a level of personal privacy without crossing
the line and giving up their “personal space” in your opinion?
DW: Yes I guess. When you decide to get
involved online, you can set the limits wherever you want. For sure, you will
be invited to be more and more intimate, but you can set the limits. Social
media can once again be a trap, as you need to post constantly, you sometimes
need to create content from scratch and end up sharing some of your personal
space. My opinion is that I'm not an influencer…I'm a musician, so I don't need
to create content besides my music and my videos. If you want to get a piece of
my personal space, read my lyrics, they are very intimate and reveal who I am
in depth, and not only the shiny side. Music is the place where you have to be
honest and intimate, and social media is the place where you advertise and
reach your audience, not the other way around.
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?
DW: What varies around the world, besides the musical tastes, is the importance people give to lyrics. In France or Italy for example, people care a lot about lyrics, and the groove is secondary. In the UK or in the States, it's the opposite. This considerably influences the popularity of each genre in a country. But if we make a comparison of the different views people have on music around the world, there are more common points than differences.CV: Do you feel that an artist or band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect more so to American audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see that act over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
DW: I think America is quite protective with music, and very elitist. They judge the quality of the production (songwriting, sound...) more than anything else. I don't think a foreign flavor is enough to catch their attention. It is definitely an audience I want to reach, not because it's a big market and it would be a strategic move, but because I love America. It's the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and I travel a lot. I've been there 6 times already. I look forward to touring North America. When we won the radio contest in LA in 2011 with "Get Away From My Home" (https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/track/61MDE8zOn7NZSPj1oVBbgy), the fact that it occurred in California meant a lot me.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?
DW: Digital technology has made everyone a potential music creator, for sure. With chord libraries and drum samples, you can actually create a song without knowing how to play an instrument. Music being an art, you're supposed to become an artist when you start creating music. However, Pablo Picasso used to say: "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist". From his perspective, you had to master your craftsmanship before you could call yourself an artist. The line is very thin, and very subjective. For some people, Andy Warhol is an opportunist, for some, he's one of the greatest artists ever. Here is my point of view : If you make a living out of your creativity, you're an artist. For now, I call myself a musician and creator, and look forward to calling myself an artist.CV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
DW: You can follow trends, for sure, but you cannot create trends purposely. You just have to play what you wanna play, and be who you wanna be. Hopefully your music will be trendy someday. Once again it's a very thin line. You can set trends as a young artist, and follow trends as an older singer. You can set trends on songwriting, but follow trends on sound. Artists just have to be creative, becoming trendy is so out of control.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?
DW: Yes I agree. It's a new era of marketing. Big companies are gathering information on us to understand what we love, how we behave, in order to predict what we are likely to purchase. But for music it's different, no one can predict what we're gonna like; it's a matter of sensibility. A lot of people reach me to say "I don't listen to metal, but I like your music", which is great. I personally don't put any importance into genres or sub-genres, as it's not a guarantee I would like an artist or a band. "Queen" for example, how do you qualify them? It's impossible, they're too versatile. I just know I'm sensitive to their music and to Freddy's voice. I love metal, rock, funk, pop, as long as it's creative, groovy and well performed.CV: What can fans expect to see coming next from Dean Wallace & the Black Flames?
DW: The band has been inactive between 2017 and 2023, so it's a new start for us. We are about to release 4 singles before April (first single's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYy46y-kgoI ), and these 4 singles will be gathered on an EP released with The Animal Farm Music, our label. We are working very hard right now to find gigs in clubs and festivals, I'm sure it's gonna pay off soon. I keep on writing; I got about 8 songs ready, so an album is likely to come out in 2015.CV: Thanks again Dean for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
DW: No problem at all, thanks for these profound and philosophical questions, it was very cool answering them. See ya Mick!Check our Dean at:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeanWallaceBand
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeanWallaceOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanwallaceband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeanWallaceBand
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/7njh22YVLsbE1Fb9lxkEzZ
The Cosmick View
Where the stars always shine bright
www.thecosmickview.com
www.facebook.com/TheCosmickView
www.thecosmickvoice.com
www.anchor.fm/the-cosmick-voice
Spiritual Counseling and Sessions Available
www.pamelaaloia.com
 |
| The Cosmick Voice Music, Talk & Nothing But Business www.facebook.com/TheCosmickVoice |
Family owned & operated - Made in the USA
www.blackbeltammunition.com
Want to see your logo here? Contact The Cosmick View for details and rates.
Comments
Post a Comment