TV Girl stopped by to perform a few of their exciting genre defying indie pop songs and talk about their recent migration to LA from San Diego, their broad influences, and being best friends with Fred Durst.

On LA public transportation…

I got a ticket on the subway trying to go with an expired tab card.  They have a little thing that reads them now so don’t try it.

On samples…

The way that we normally write songs incorporates sampling so it’s sort of a challenge to see what kind of balance between live instrumentation and sampling we would have when we play live.  It would be boring to have two people play a sampler so we kind of do a rock band thing but we kept the sampler so it would be kind of hip hoppy.

On San Diego bands…

Since LA is so close once you have an opportunity to do it bigger it’s not that hard to move.  So a lot of the good bands just kind of move out of there which is a shame, but you can’t blame them really.

On their genre…

Crunk-chill-rap-wave-rock-limp-bizkit… [Note From the Editor:  They sound nothing like Limp Bizkit]

Bua returns with the release of his new book, The Legends of Hip Hop, featuring the key pioneers of hip hop during his time as a practitioner of the elements. Aside from his incredible work, I was interested in hearing  about his perspectives on life and art and how it has influenced his pieces throughout the years. He discusses the hustle, the struggle and the much needed attitude that has allowed him to breakthrough as a leader in creating compelling visuals to reflect his distorted reality. Digging through Bua’s intellect, I was enlightened by what he had to share with our audience and encourage you to check out his work, both new and old. Bua can be found at his next event on Monday, Dec 12th at the LACMA, along side DMC himself from Run DMC. Check out more info at www.justinbua.com.

On defining his style…

The architecture and the characters are a little bit more of a heightened reality, but it’s a nice place to be. Maybe you go there in a dream state, and that’s basically where I want to take you in my painting.

On how he developed his style…

It was the infusion of both the classical world of my home surroundings, my apartment, and that infusion in the intersection of graffiti that kind of gave a birth to my work-a classical kind of graffiti style.

On his transition from NY to LA…

For me, when I was in New York, I didn’t see that I was on a treadmill until I stepped off. That was LA for me. And I was like, “Whoa, the world has really slowed down.”

On advice for aspiring artists…

Perseverance is really the best thing. You have to keep knocking on the door. You really just have to try and try and try and believe in yourself because no ones gonna believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.

Sydney-Allyson Banta’s LA Girlfriend project is only in it’s first year but the melancholic and upbeat electro pop soundscapes she creates are well beyond her 21 years.  In podcast #84 she performs a few songs with her brother (Trevor of I Heart Comix), discusses her early influences, and being a jack of all trades.

On what’s in a name…

The name was kind of a joke with myself because I’ve never been anyone’s real girlfriend.

Trevor on his sister’s many talents…

She’s like a complete music industry in one person: she can silk screen her own merch, she can design her own flyers, logos, artwork, writes her own songs.  She’s crazy.

On balancing school and music…

It’s just doing the things you don’t want to do.  Nobody wants to do homework but the sooner you get it done the sooner you can go play on your drum set or your guitar.

On her veteran stage presence…

I think being comfortable in front of people comes back to my musical theater days in high school.  I wasn’t that gung ho about it, but yeah, I played shows.

-Lee

CHOPS took a break from his session with DFD to have a conversation about his past with the Mountain Brothers, his transition from samples to live instrumentation, and The Creep.

On getting his big break…

There’s never been, band there may never be, an opportunity where it’s like “that made me”.  I’m not “made”.  I’m still grinding.  I’m still trying to get better placements and get more music out there and work with more people that are creative, dope and enterprising.  I’m always looking for new angles and ways to do that.

On sampling vs. live instrumentation…

When I started I just sampled.  I found it to be limiting.  I have a lot of stuff that goes on in my head…a lot of music going on, so the easiest way for me to get it out of my head and onto tape or hard disk is by playing the instruments as best as I can.

On his workflow…

I definitely work around the family schedule, but I’ve learned to work somewhat on demand.  When I was younger I was kinda like “I’m not inspired today,” but now I’ve found that if I need to, I can make it happen.

On using social media in its early form…

One thing that we did early on was use the Internet.  Just through reaching people via email lists, our website and forum.  People were very active on it.  People like Jin were on our forums posting freestyles.  [Mountain Brothers] were early on in doing that and if we were out today this landscape would’ve suited us.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis took time from their tour to rip the roof off of the Knocksville studio and talk about their hands on approach with branding, how they’ve created such a hungry fanbase, and running naked around Capitol Hill.

On their extended breaks between albums …

In terms of having a high standard for the art that we put out that was something we both shared, just perfectionism…almost to a fault. That’s why we don’t put out as much music as a lot people. We’re constantly fine-tuning and reworking stuff.

On the importance of winning at home…

When you’re proud of the place you’re from, and you rep it well, and you do it from a place of sincerity, people connect with it.

Macklemore on rehab…

There wasn’t this climactic downfall of a rock bottom, but all those years of wasted time accumulated into “Okay, I’m down to get help.”

Macklemore on his approach to making music…

I don’t like to be contained by a beat, I like to be able to be free within it and what I feel. I’d rather break those barriers of what those traditional norms are of rhyme schemes.

Murs stopped by to share his insights about working with the majors, his contempt for complacency, and his creative process.  He discusses a myriad of topics ranging from his constant touring schedule to his new book.

On never settling…

Familiarity breeds contempt, and I’ve had a lot of contempt for familiarity…we can be honest, mothafuckas got famous on the west coast and just got real comfortable with it.

On working with Warner…

It disproved a lot of the myths that underground people have about working with major labels.  There’s not somebody up there making people make negative music.  It’s a bunch of ni**as…excuse my French…trying to be famous that make their own negative music.  Has nothing to do with any engineering of the system, or the white man, or whatever the fuck you think is going on.

On touring…

I’d rather play for 30 people in Philly than play for 3000 people in Seattle because Seattle will always be there (for us), and I love the West Coast, but I want to bring West Coast music to the East…Everybody tours, but nobody goes West of Colorado.

On sampled beats…

I love rapping over sampled beats but I got sued…like I was on Perez Hilton for being sued. So, I’m hot…I’m the guy that you DON’T want to sell drugs to. I’m the guy that you don’t want to send sampled beats to cause we’re both gonna get sued.

Kimya Dawson performs select songs and talks about her new record Thunder Thighs, life as a touring mother, and gobbling airplane farts.

On making a children’s album…

I had a kid and I was finding myself constantly making up silly little songs for her.

On her sense of community…

Some of my favorite shows are the shows where I go and play in some kids back yard and everyone brings food and hangs out together.

On back row plane seats…

We were just sitting there being bombarded by the farts of the people waiting for the lavatory for the entire cross-country flight.

On Pooping in a Porta-Potty…

Sometimes you just have to.

Robert Raimon Roy performs a few songs from his upcoming record Le Tigre Blanc and talks with us about signing with Dim Mak, his unique creative process, and how being ahead of the curve can be a blessing and a curse.

On his creative process…

Essentially it’s collage…pulling these different source materials, piecing them together in a way that I feel is interesting, and giving birth to a new form.

On digital marketing…

I had a lightning in a bottle moment when the Fur In My Cap thing happened…that’s probably about the closest to organic that something can actually get.  Nothing is ever really organic.

On his span of influence…

I would definitely say there are ideas I was toying with on the “King Warrior Magician Lover”  record that eventually ended up getting co-opted by the mainstream.

On working with Dim Mak…

The biggest attraction to the Dim Mak situation was not that I’m in love with dance music or electro, because I really don’t listen to either, it was definitely more of a creative control thing.

DJ CPlus with his third installment of Beat Macheen. Chock-full of skratches, juggles, and in the words of EOM.. “MAD BEATS”

Check out Vol. 2 in case you missed it!