Author: Music2Deal

English · This & That

Get to know Andrew James Liles

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My passion has always been writing music and I have been playing guitar since 1979. I composed and performed in bands from 1985 to 2004 in multiple styles until I left the stage for family and career. In 1991, I earned an Associates in Fine Arts with a major in Theoretical & Harmonic Analysis and a minor in Performance (Classical Guitar). This education refined my raw technique, broadened my musical genre awareness and strengthened my understanding of part writing. In November of 2010, I joined Roadrunner Record’s “SignMeTo” demo submission site where I was an Affiliate Scout with over 3,200 reviews to my credit. My experience reviewing artists at Roadrunner Record’s site opened my eyes to a new level of constructive criticism across a broader spectrum of points from song structure and hook writing to marketing and overall image development.

Music2Deal has been a breath of fresh air. It is the ideal community to showcase my music for feedback as well as a great networking tool for my specific interests. Beyond that, it serves as a fantastic platform to seek a wide variety of artists within many genres and countries. It has become home of my first experience promoting an artist other than myself as well as guide me along the new territory of licensing and other music business aspects.

Artist Offers

I am currently promoting the Saltville, Virginia artist GYPSUM as one of my Artist Offers as a friend and   fan of the band. I first discovered them back in early 2011 on Roadrunner Record’s “Sign Me To” demo submission site and have watched them make great strides. After some bumps in the road and a long hard reflection on the stylings and direction they want to take, they have taken all they know and funneled it into a tight, punchy, in your face rock/hard rock ensemble. Now led by the soaring vocals of Amber Collins and the best hard rock rhythm section that can be found, Gypsum will take audiences by storm. Gypsum just finished up the recording of their debut EP with Mike Watts, who has worked with such bands as Saliva, Theory of a Deadman, Story of the Year, and many more. The EP is also Co-produced by Steve Haigler, who himself is credited for such bands as Fuel, The Pixies, Local H and holds many certified gold and platinum records. Visit Facebook and “LIKE” Gypsum for support at https://www.facebook.com/gypsumband as well as http://www.reverbnation.com/gypsum.

 

The other Artist Offer on my profile is BAD ANDROID. BAD ANDROID is a conscious effort to push my creative boundaries as a composer by challenging myself to express my ideas beyond traditional scales, structures and timbres. The songs are manipulations of guitar and occasionally voice or other items. There are no loops used at all. What you hear is what I actually play and then transform at my studio in West Warwick, Rhode Island. I envision this project writing soundscapes for movies or other markets where non-traditional music is required. The inspiration of the songs comes from simple boredom to intense pain of losing a child and everything else in between. All songs are written, performed and produced by Andrew James Liles and the 4 song EP “BAD ANDROID ONE” is available for download at http://badandroid.bandcamp.com.

Andrew`s Music2Deal: http://www.music2deal.com/us/AndrewJamesLiles

English · This & That

Interview with Mauritz Lotz by Antionette Cronje (Part 2)

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Q:  How do you think the music industry has evolved over the past 3 decades, in terms of making a breakthrough in the industry?

A:  In my opinion, 20+ years ago, the recording scene, music industry and artistic expression seemed a lot less “democratic” and more “exclusive” in some way. The industry and society as whole in my opinion has changed dramatically since then. We are driven more by social media, internet and technology than ever before. Today you can for example become a YouTube superstar long before you get out there and somehow really connect with your audience. We are living in the “download generation” and record companies, producers and artists now have to keep finding new, different and effective ways to impact on the market. Even though we do have so many more ways and means to express ourselves with the help of social and internet media etc, making an impact is probably even more challenging due the market being almost “saturated” and/or “bombarded” with so much product through broadcast and especially internet media… having said all of this, there is a lot of creativity going on the planet, a lot of greatly talented people everywhere if one stops for a second to realize how much there actually is out there, whether it be a new artist/s or song that pops out of “seemingly nowhere” or a new song album from a well known artist…either way, what really resonates at the end of the day will remain…a great song, a moving piece of music or a painting or piece of literature… whatever the artistic expression, let it be bold and truthful..

Q:  Why do you think some artists are what we call a “one hit wonder”?  What do think could be the reasons, why they could never release a chart topper again?

A:  I think today, quite a few “ideas” are often driven by technology/production and arrangement as opposed to the thing that really resonates with all of us…a strong melody/lyric etc…I think a lot also has to do with what I also mentioned in my previous response (see above)…I, like everyone else nowadays I guess, do also rely on technology to facilitate and enhance the creative process but try to focus on the tune + feeling/message I am trying to get across primarily..

Q:  As a composer, from what do you mainly draw inspiration from and do you follow a kind of “recipe” when you compose?  Do you have any tips for young songwriters which they can apply?

A:  This will sound probably very cheesy now but, I guess, that what inspires me is life itself, creative people + what I refer to as the “creative universe”…that what does not seem tangible, measurable or controllable…If it is something I am writing for picture, “the story is always king” as they say sometimes, making sure I am getting the director’s perspective and intention across…In terms of the process itself, I don’t think I have some kind of formula/recipe of sort…however, as mentioned, I just try and get the “feeling/sentiment” across and then draw from my influences/bit of knowledge and mostly experience to do that….

Q:  Please tell us about your latest project Orbium?

A:  Orbium is a project I am extremely excited about and have been busy with on and off since 2009….I’m currently busy putting together the conductors score of it with the help of maestro Graham Scott…It feels a bit like my “best kept secret” for now….hehe…watch this space for more detail…..;)

Q:  What do you think about Music2Deal and how can it benefit South African artists?

A:  I think Music2Deal is certainly a great way to and meet and network with other industry people on a global level. It is and should be always about expansion and sharing of music and experience. I therefore trust that Music2Deal is already doing exactly that, thank you.

Thank you in advance in participating in our quest to broaden the SA Music2Deal network.

My pleasure and privilege!

Play it LOUD!!

 

Here’s a link to Mauritz’ website: http://www.mauritzlotz.com/

English · Interviews

Interview with Mauritz Lotz by Antionette Cronje (Part 1)

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Q:  Your career as a guitarist, composer, and producer spans nearly 3 decades.  Where did it all start?

A:  I guess it all happened in a kind of “unassuming way”… At the age of 10, my father brought home an acoustic guitar the one afternoon. I was curious about the instrument and he then showed me how to play some basic chords…My intrigue/curiosity and obsession with the instrument led me to pursue a career in music. For me personally, back then and even now still, music as a whole remains to be a world of wonder which I will continue to explore and learn from…

Q:  If you were to take a walk down memory lane, what is the one moment in your career, which stands out from the rest?

A:  Wow, it is really challenging for me to single out just one because ’till date there were so many memorable moments in studio + on/off – stage I was fortunate to experience…when I first went to LA in the early 90’s, I met one of my absolute music heroes Trevor Rabin. We spent a whole afternoon in his studio just chatting about music and guitars etc. It was an awesome and inspiring experience for me. I guess part of the reason it somehow stands out is that it was my very 1st trip overseas + it happened shortly after the release of my 1st solo album so; a lot of 1st impressions/new experiences for me back then.

Q:  In South Africa, you’re mostly known as a stellar session musician, but in fact you are also the man behind various film and stage productions as a composer and musical director.  Please tell us more about your work as composer and musical director and the productions you were involved in.

A:  Thanks for the compliment. For most of my musical journey so to speak, I have always felt that I wanted to learn/explore music as a whole. I therefore feel, not just inspired, but also somehow compelled to contribute in different ways musically. As much I enjoy playing the guitar, I see it as only a part of the “bigger picture”, thus indulging in music production, composition, arrangements etc. etc… Writing music to picture is something I have had a passion for a long time. The most recent film I have scored for is a movie entitled “Ordinary people” and I thoroughly enjoyed working on the music. “Handel’s Messiah – An African Renaissance” was a stage musical which I was fortunate to be involved in. quite a few years ago I had to do a “re-work” of it and analyzing that particular score taught and inspired me so much!

Q:  You’ve had the opportunity to support international acts, such as The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roberta Flack, “Mr. slow hands” Eric Clapton and Chris de Burgh, to name only a few.  What was it like to work with these big name artists?

A:  The sizes of the audiences + the energy/vibe at these types of events are quite a rush. It was also sometimes refreshing for me having had the opportunity to meet some of the musos in the band and chat about how they see and experience their musical journey. It certainly puts perspective on a few things as I think we perhaps sometimes tend to easily get caught up in our “immediate” environment on a “functional/survival” level. There are so many things to explore beyond our own borders/parameters and obviously internet and technology has also made this a lot easier and convenient.

Q:  According to my research, you’ve worked on more than 1000 local albums as a session guitarist, composer and / or producer.  That leaves me with the question, have you ever experienced “writers block” and if so, what advice can you give young song writers and composers to overcome this?

A:  Jip, it happens sometimes. Whenever I experience a “lull” in the creative flow, I then try to remind myself that I need to trust that creativity is not something one can always measure or even control for that matter. Without perhaps losing the focus or determination to complete a task or idea, I do however then walk away for a few minutes, sometimes hours or days if I need to and can afford it…and then come back to it with a “fresh mind/perspective”. Sometimes it also just helps me to listen to a piece of music or something completely different in order to force my mind out of what seems like a “rut”… Inspiration and creative flow sometimes can come from different places/experiences and often when one least expects it…I don’t think there is a right or wrong way…whatever works I think..

Q:  As an award winning artist and several award nominations behind your name, what qualities must young songwriters cultivate to reach this level of musicianship? 

A:  Having said that I believe that one can’t really control or measurecreativity, I do however feel that regular practice (even if just “mental rehearsal/visualizing notes”…I seem to do a lot of this by default for some reason…) helps me to stay “aware/in tune” for what ideas may come. For me personally, time management and the discipline to regularly spend time and focus on developing one’s skill/s are imperative. Whether it be in the very late hours of the evening or in my car on a plane somewhere, I always will make and find time to listen to music. I do however tend to listen to a variety of stuff I find inspiring from a writing point andproducing of view as opposed to a lot of guitar driven music.
The second part of the interview will be published on Monday.

Here’s a link to Mauritz’ website:  http://www.mauritzlotz.com/