In this interview, conducted after her live set at Spark, Carla Werner offers up her insight on being a musician in this day and age. It is insight that has been formed by 15 years in the music industry, a major label deal, and her own start-up indie label.

Her experience also includes a collaboration with Paul Oakenfold, a dance track called “Southern Sun,” which became an international smash hit and resulted in a performance on the hugely popular BBC show, “Top of the Pops.” There’s a lot of great stuff in this interview. Check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And check out Carla Werner at carlawerner.com or myspace.com/carlawerner.

The song used in this video:  My Lovers Ghost, Carla Werner

After their show at the Murray Theater last year, Ian Metzger and PJ Waxman of Dear And The Headlights were great enough to answer a few questions for us. They discuss informational gems such as what they think of digital exposure and how they’ve approached creating a follow up to a successful album.

Special thanks to Nate Shields for guest editing this one.

Song: “I’m Not Crying. You’re Not Crying, Are You?” by Dear and the Headlights

A lot has happened to Neon Trees since we did this interview with them last year at Velour (Provo, UT), including the release of their full-length–Habits–on Mercury Records, a hit with their first single “Animal”, a tour with 30 Seconds To Mars, and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Oh yeah, and the Jonas Brothers have tweeted about them.

In this video interview, we catch a glimpse of Neon Trees not long after “inking” their deal with Mercury Records, and get to see them before their roller coaster ride began. Neon Trees give us four stories about the origin of their band name (all of which are entertaining; one of which is actually true), touch on their record deal, discuss their songwriting influences and philosophy, and talk about some of the more interesting aspects of their band dynamics.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Taking a departure from our typical musician interview, we visited the headquarters of Neff Headwear to see exactly what their clothing line had to do with the music community.  As we found out, they have quite a bit to do with the music world, including major involvement with the hip hop community and MTV (I know, I know…they barely qualify as music television anymore, but like it or not, MTV still plays a big role in defining pop culture, including broad musical tastes).

Neff Headwear is certainly not the first clothing label to have teamed up with members of the music community, nor will they be the last; however, in industries that can seem too serious at times, one can argue that Neff is having the most fun.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Music used in this video:  “Monsoon” by Delorean (used with permission from Mushroom Pillow Records)

To find out more about this amazing group:  http://www.myspace.com/deloreandanz

To preorder Delorean’s new album: http://www.matadorrecords.com/store/index.php?catalog_id=488

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the third of our Video Spotlight series, we feature Bishop Allen, a band that formed back in 2003 and have since found success through a lot of elbow grease and a little luck. Constant songwriting and touring–plus a marketing effort that spanned DIY and more traditional means–endeared them to the blogosphere and a loyal base of fans. Last year they even played two sold out shows on consecutive nights in Utah, no small feat for a performer not named Glenn Beck or Brian Regan.

Bishop Allen’s Justin Rice and Christian Rudder sat down with us to talk about how the Internet has affected their musical careers, how they got involved with Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and how they crossed paths with a cat they call “hellbeast.” And yes, there is actual footage of the hellbeast.

The purpose of the Artist Features page is to highlight new, up & coming, or outstanding artists that are having success adapting to the changes taking place in the music industry. How are they embracing (or fighting) music piracy, and in what ways is it helping or hurting artists? Besides selling albums, concert tickets, and paraphernalia, what other ways are artists making money with their music? You’ll hear it straight from the lips of artists and musicians.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Crystal Antlers got together because their high school music teacher was being investigated for child molestation. As absurd as that sounds, it actually starts to make sense in context of the world that is Crystal Antlers. It’s a place in which guitarists take kickboxing sabbaticals to Thailand, albums are crafted in a tour van using a boom box and a four-track, and vans are powered by restaurant grease.

Unfortunately, Crystal Antlers’ world also includes the near demise of their record label, Touch and Go Records, as it announced earlier this year that it would be closing down its distribution arm and suspending any new releases until further notice. Despite (or maybe because of) their eccentric circumstances, this Long Beach six-piece has managed to join a growing number of musicians that are gaining popularity through a little DIY elbow grease and online buzz.

In this video spotlight, vocalist/bassist Johnny Bell and guitarist Andrew King talk about their songwriting, future plans, and their outlook on the future of bands in an industry that is redefining itself.

The text version of the entire interview is on the way.  Special thanks to Bree for transcribing the whole thing.

Yes...I am always this creepy. Image courtesy of Tyler Dixon

I know it’s been a while since our last video spotlight went up. Let’s just say that while some people spend their  summers riding beach cruisers, eating otter pops, and pouring into music blogs, others are digging out piles of rocks from an otherwise great yard and then dealing with back problems that are usually reserved for men 40 years my senior.  I’m just saying…

But instead of making excuses, I’ll just mention that we have a handful of great videos on the horizon–15 to be exact. In the next couple of weeks we’ll have Crystal Antlers and Dear and the Headlights video spotlights up (special thanks to Nate for being a soldier and helping me edit my footage/interview from the DATH show).

Here is the complete list of videos you can expect to see soon on motorcademag.com/motorcade.tv (the video arm of this site). After Crystal Antlers & Dear and the Headlights, this list is in no particular order:

1. Crystal Antlers (within 2 weeks)
2. Dear and the Headlights (within 2 weeks)
3. Bishop Allen
4. Neon Trees
5. Shark Speed (sorry for the wait NT & SS; we ran into some crazy technical difficulties with your Velour footage due to our hard drive dropping frames)
6. Ponytail
7. Miniature Tigers
8. Cub Country
9. The Black Lips
10. Drew Danburry
11. Love Like Fire
12. Awesome Color
13. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
14. The Depreciation Guild
15. Cymbals Eat Guitars.

In the meantime, I’ll be getting up some still frames of the upcoming videos to wet your palette.

All these artists have been amazing to interview, have put on incredible shows, and have all had great things to say about some of the issues confronting musical artists in this day and age. For me, meeting these artists is truly one of the finest parts of this job.

The Upsidedown performing live. Courtesy of Jsun Atoms.

Legend has it that the history of Portland-based band, The Upsidedown, begins in the 3rd grade and involves the soundtrack for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and the monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.  Rattlesnakes and wooden clogs are also in the mix.  In his email interview with Motorcade Audio, The Upsidedown vocalist/guitarist Jsun Atoms confirms and clarifies the band’s formation lore, while diving into The Upsidedown’s latest album–Human Destination, his psychedelic “tech-head” movie concept, and how his extended family compares to musical piracy.

1.  How did the Upsidedown come to be and what inspired the band name?

The band basically is made up of these things….In 3rd grade Jason (voice, guitar) and Brett (guitar) met in the Memorial elementary school gymnasium.  The soundtrack for the good the bad and the ugly was playing on the loud speakers, we did all the things that fellows do throughout their young lives.  Our friend had a tree fort near the high school and there were train tressels and girls and the skateboards and monkeys from the wizard of oz and all the things that go along with that.

Matt (guitar) moved to Oregon from the Missouri sticks with a girl and they broke up.  She moved back to Missouri and married Bob (drums) her in St. Louis.  Bob and said girl moved back to Oregon and said girl introduced him to her ex-boyfriend Matt.   They began playing music together.

Matt and Jason met at a bikram yoga retreat where Matt saved Jason from a rattlesnake that had crawled inside Jason’s shoe (a wooden clog) during the class.  Matt used his Missouri ways to finagle the creature out of the clog and into a belt that Jason wears to this day.

Matt and Jason had a beer on Hawthorne in Portland and Tristan drove by.  She honked at Matt because he was the dishwasher at the Sapphire Hotel where Tristan waitressed.  Jason and Matt were talking about the band and how they didn’t have a bass player right as Tristan drove by and honked.  The boys said, “I wonder if she plays bass?”  She did,  As a matter of fact, her father had given her the bass that the band Kansas had used in the 70′s.  There have been 4 other members of the band over the past 5 years.  We are always evolving and the world keeps spinning.  We have been all over the continent together, 42 states.  We have done quite a bit of touring in Canada and we have quite a love affair with those hosers, especially in Victoria and Toronto.

2.  The Upsidedown sound has been described as a combination of everything from neo-psychedelic to spacy garage to fuzzy goth, etc.  How would you describe The Upsidedown sound and what influences the development of The Upsidedown sound (both musical and non-musical influences)?

Still from The Upsidedown's "Umbrella" video. Courtesy of Jsun Atoms.

I like to describe it as the sound of color, the sound of the heart.  Every musician and kid loves  making sounds that weren’t there before we made them.  The question I’m asking myself is, If pedals are alone in the basement, do they come alive?  That would be a cool music tech-head movie, “Night at the Practice Space.”  Enough feedback and strangeness to please Peter Holmstrom or The Edge or anyone else that has enough pedals to cover half the stage.  Sort of Muppet-like instruments.  I would have Spindrift do the instrument voices.  Dave K would be the voice of the space itself, because he’s like the coolest storyteller I know.  Plucky would steal the show as the drums because the guy has a gift.  Henry would be the bass, Julie the keys, and KP would be the voice of the microphones.  There I’ve cast half the film already.  I’m checking to see what was in my coffee this morning.

3.  You guys just finished a tour in support of your latest album Human Destination, including a few shows at SXSW.  How did that go (any fun adventures on the road)?  What’s it like touring with a six-piece?

Touring with a six-piece is like bringing the circus to town.  Tour highlights:  hanging with Will Sargent of Echo and the Bunnymen.  Crawfish boil with The Black Angels.  Escaping from being chased by Texas Zombie meth heads that chased me with knifes and cars.  2 days in trapped in blizzard in Cheyenne Wyoming.  We got to go to Museum Mechanique in SF.  Playing some really great showcases and enjoying Austin.  Stopping by Beijing Lilly’s in El Paso.  Torchy’s tacos in Austin. Yum.

4.  There was about a 4-year span between Trust Electricity and Human Destination. Was the majority of that time spent crafting the new album?  What was the songwriting process like for a six-piece band and specifically for this album?

The songs wrote themselves this time around.  We had an excellent producer in Jeremy Sherrer, who has since done remixes for the Raveonettes and the last two Warhols remix releases.  He is really fun to work with and he’s so thorough and relentless when searching out sounds and tones.

5.  What’s the inspiration behind the new album?

The inspiration was a combination of transcendental medication combined with BBQ and friendship and having some empathy and mercy on ourselves, always equally suffering and flourishing inside this human condition.  I think the album is about life music and the love of music, while sometimes feeling like a mutant.  We are huge music fans first and foremost.  We really didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as one kind of genre.  We explored a lot of different sounds and spectrums and we ended up at a human destination.

6.  Many people like to mention your friendship with The Dandy Warhols and I hear you guys rehearse and record at the Odditorium.  What’s that like?

Jsun Atoms of The Upsidedown. Courtesy of Jsun Atoms

We are in love with them.  We spend a lot of time with them because…  we are lucky enough to.  They are amazing people and DJ’s and parents and husbands and wives.  The thing we most love about them is that they make exciting decisions and they are artists and music lovers to the core.  I never take their rock and roll wonderland (The Odditorium) for granted, it is such a cool crazy dream of a studio space and more.  I can’t say enough about The Dandy Warhols being misunderstood.  They couldn’t be better humans.

7.  Nowadays, it seems like a lot of independent bands have embraced licensing their music for commercial use (advertising, tv shows, video games, etc.) and I feel like The Dandy Warhols helped pioneer this trend.  From the perspective of someone that was close to The Dandy Warhols as they were licensing their music, what is The Upsidedown’s take on bands licensing their music for commercial purposes?   Does The Upsidedown plan on taking a similar track for getting their music out there?

Yes. There’s a thing called pirating that has occurred with music.  We are actually on more torrent sights than we have relatives, and my grandma has 7 brothers and sisters, so you can imagine how many cousins I have.

8.  What’s next for The Upsidedown?

Next up is… BACK IN THE STUDIO! We have a plethora of new songs that are like the love boat, “exciting and new.”  and we have a great show coming up at the Doug Fir on May 9th.  We also are on a new compilation disc with A Place to Bury Strangers of all songs by The Prids to help with their hospital bills from their van crash while they were on tour.  We also plan on enjoying ourselves as much as possible and we will continue to try to be fluid like the river and go around the mountains and the trees.  Aerosol or Errol Flynn, thanks for your time and cujos.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with New Zealand band Cut Off Your Hands while they were unwinding in the Kilby Court green room post-energetic set.  Armed with an etch-a-sketch and a bag of chips they dug up a little dirt on their record labels, some “unlearned” tracks from their new album You and I, and the status of their future.  Just in case you’re wondering, I never got to see what Nick was drawing on that etch-a-sketch.

UPDATE:  Some sad news from the Cut Off Your Hands camp.  Cut Off Your Hands drummer Brent has been suffering from a decline in his hearing since he was a teenager and recently it has gotten to the point now where must give up drumming for the next year in order to help determine the cause for his hearing loss.  You’re a great guy Brent and we wish you the best of luck.  Here’s the link to Brent’s post on the COYH blog.

Tell the story behind your band name and then each of you introduce yourselves and say what you do in the band.

Brent:  The story goes like this.  3 years ago, 4 years ago maybe, we started a band called “Shaky Hands”
Phil:  Was it 4 years ago?
Nick:  December 2005
Brent:  2009 now, yeah well that’s like 4 years eh?
Nick: Well it’s March now.
Brent:  3 and a half years…
Nick:  Three.
Brent:  Hehe…Anyway, so yeah we did that and we were based out of NZ so we would spend a lot of time touring NZ and did a bit of time in Australia and we had an EP that came out called Cut Off Your Hands.

About a few months before we came over for SXSW in 2007 we got an email from a Portland based band called “Shaky Hands” and they basically just said to us–like legally and formally said–that we had to cease using that name or we’ll sue your ass.  So we tried to come up with a compromise like calling ourselves “Hands Are Shaky” or “Shake Your Hands” or “Shaky Hands 1979″ or anything like that.  They weren’t really willing to compromise so we thought, “Oh fuck it, we’ll just change our name to the name of the EP,” which was “Cut Off Your Hands.”  That’s basically how it all came about.

Brent:  My name is Brent and I play the drums.
Jono: I’m Jono and I play guitar.
Phil:  Phil, bass.
Nick: I’m Nick and I sing.

You guys have been on the road since February right?  How’s that been going?
All:  It’s been good.

What was it like tonight, playing your smallest show since probably your first practice?
Phil: Tonight was a bit different.  It’s always weird coming from doing the Australian summer circuit, festivals where we’re we reasonably high up on the bill to coming over and doing the West Coast.  A few of the shows are really big, like the [armory?] was sold out in LA.  And so to play to 10 people, I found it kind of fun; I enjoyed it.  Did you guys count?  Was it 10? 12?

Brent: Its nice when there are a small handful of people that really enjoy it; that are actually into the band.  You kind of feel like it makes it more worth your time anyway.  If there are a couple of people there that like the band and want to buy the record and want to say “hi” then that kind of makes a bit more pleasant.

You guys have toured all over the world–Japan, Australia, Europe.  What makes touring in America different than other places?
Brent: There’s obviously the size issue.  America’s a really big place.  In NZ you can do an extensive tour of the country in 3 weeks maybe.  And that’s playing to all the small towns. So its kind of like the difference is the size.  In America there’s so much going on.  You have to do so much to even make any kind of a mark.  Another interesting thing about America is its got a depth of culture I suppose, you know, where everywhere is really different.  It was really interesting just driving to Salt Lake through Nevada and seeing these like crazy little places that you’ve never gotten to see before.

MA: You guys missed Vegas though.

Brent: We got to Reno though, which the “littlest biggest city in the world.”

On your album, especially the latter half, you guys have a few slower tracks.  Do you guys ever play those live?
Nick:  No, we never really learned those.  We’ve never played those together as a band.  Like the last song on the album I just recorded by myself.  We haven’t learned it.

I notice those lyrics are very religiously based.  Did you guys grow up in a religious community?
Nick: Yeah we grew up in church and that’s what the story’s about.  Just interesting stories that I could recall from childhood but at the time didn’t really think about and looking back as a 23-24 year old kind of went “there’s something interesting going on there.”  That’s basically it.

In another interview, someone asked a question about your time on Levity records, kind of a unique one-off kind of record deal with a clothing company.  It made me think about how a lot of bands are using other means of promoting themselves.  It’s no longer the standard, just sign with a record label and hope that they pump your music out there.   Are you guys doing anything interesting or differently to try and take advantage of that?
Phil: Not really since then, but it was a really good was for both us to get money to record an EP; it was just a 4 song EP.  So that got us a record to start with and then for them it was a chance to promote their brand and associate it with a cool band.  So it makes sense for both people.

Nick: We probably wouldn’t do it again unless there’s lots of money.  Just anyways to get money’s all right pretty much.  It’s funny because pretty much right after that we actually got signed to the classic major label thing after all those interviews.  At the time we were like, “we’ve got to do it this way [not with a major]” and then we got the classic major label deal.  And now we’re not on there anymore.

What were the differences you noticed between the major and non-major?
Nick: Major labels don’t really care about music, they’re just in it for the money.
Phil: They’ve got heaps of money; they don’t care about music at all.
Brent: What we kind of realized was you may as well be signed to like anyone…like McDonalds or Sanyo TVs or whatever.  If they’ve got money.  The better thing is if the give you money and you have a couple people that know what they’re doing to advise you.  That would probably be a better way to go about it than signing to a major label; like the one we signed to anyways cause they didn’t really care..at all.  And they had a bit of money to help us get somewhere, but we didn’t get anything from it.  We made a record which is the cool thing about it.

And now you guys are on French Kiss.  How’s that been?
Nick: So far so good.  But we would have said the same thing about this time into our major label deal.  You can’t trust anybody except for the four guys in your band.

You guys recently lost Michael Ramirez right?  And now you’re [jono] in on guitars.  How has that shift been for you guys?  Was it an easy transition?
Nick: Yeah, pretty easy.  What was it like 3 weeks to learn all the songs?

Did you [Jono] know them from back home?
Jono:  Yeah, we all grew up in that whole church background and knew each other through there.  And then even growing up, later on, older and older, I was in other bands at the same time as these guys.  And actually, it’s kind of  funny cause the first show I played with these guys, my old band was supporting them, so it was cool.  So yeah, it’s been pretty natural.

You guys are hitting SXSW pretty hard.  You’re playing 10 shows down there.  Are you guys excited or nervous?
Nick: We’ve done lots of showcases before.  We did SXSW in 2007 and then we did CMJ in 2007 and 2008 and then Great Escape.  So its probably going to be real exhausting.  Cause the most we’ve done is I think 7 shows at CMJ a couple years ago and I remember the last show was really exhausting.  You normally put your best show into those shows as well, which means really energetic, so its going to be really hard but at the same time there’s bit of a purpose in those shows so it’ll be all right and fun to be considered an all right band for at least 3 days.

After you’re done touring in April, what are your plans?
Nick: Don’t know yet.  Nothing.  Might break up.  Anything is on the cards.