Ariel Publicity

Site: www.dailyvault.com
Blog: dailyvault.blogspot.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/dailyvault
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Daily-Vault/13940029846?ref=mf
 

Q: What is your favorite Genre to play?
 

A: All of ‘em. No, really. On any given day my listening habit might include power-pop, progressive rock, jazz, alt-country, soul, classical, blues, folk and the list goes on. The Daily Vault contains over 5,400 reviews of over 2,600 artists and one of the things I love best about the site is that within the universe of music, it acknowledges no boundaries. We’ve done features on punk and Broadway soundtracks, hip-hop and Jethro Tull. We’ve reviewed Japanese New Age artists and Swedish death metal bands and African folk singers. And our writers, past and present, hail from all over the globe — Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Norway, the Philippines, South Korea, and half the states in the USA. I personally listen to a lot of “guitar music,” but for me that extends from Yes to Fountains of Wayne to Montrose to James Taylor to Switchfoot and back. Even so, I find myself frequently using our “Randomizer” button (the Pandora of music reviews) to get inspired to try something I haven’t listened to in a while.
 

Q: What do you like to see in a CD that you review?
 

A: There has to be a spark. No matter what genre you’re working in, there has to be something — a line, a riff, an arrangement, an honesty in the vocals — that reaches through my speakers and grabs me. If I had one bit of advice to offer — and really, you shouldn’t listen to me because I can’t play a note! — it would be to make sure that you’re making music that you are completely excited about and committed to. If you over think it or spend your time trying to be “the next” anyone else, your end product is almost guaranteed to come out beneath your potential. Figure out what it is you want to say with your music, and commit to that 110 percent. The more of yourself you can give to the music, the more interesting and different it’s going to be. Spark and commitment, that’s what reaches me.
 

Q: In your long history of reviewing CDs, what is your opinion on what makes a good CD great?
 

A: It all comes back to that spark. Albums that I love — Born To Run (Springsteen), Who’s Next (The Who), Innervisions (Stevie Wonder), Close To The Edge (Yes), August & Everything After (Counting Crows) — are albums in which talented artists reached back for that something extra and blew past the highest expectations anyone had of them at the time. They’re albums that speak boldly and with an almost complete lack of self-consciousness, and that take personal experiences and transform them into universal truths. There is so much artificiality in the world. Any album that breaks through the everyday facade and speaks deeper truths — and does it in an engaging and entertaining way — has a shot at greatness in my book.
 

Q: How long have you been broadcasting, and what made you start?
 

A: I’ve actually only been editor of the site since January 2003, less than half its existence. Christopher Thelen launched the Daily Vault in January 1997 and ran it for the first six years. In the first year he brought on a group of staff writers that included me and a couple of other folks who have stuck around all this time. The reasons why are simple — we love music, we love writing, and we want to help artists and listeners to connect with one another. I personally can’t count the number of artists I first learned about from other Daily Vault writers and who have subsequently become favorites of mine. Plus, I’ve made a lot of friends among our writing staff, our readers and even among the artists we cover. When you’re as passionate about something as we all are about music, starting a conversation is never an issue…
 

Q: What do you think is the biggest pitfall for artists to overcome?
 

A: Despite all the changes we’ve seen recently in how music is delivered to market, I think the core problem artists have to solve is still the same as it has always been: how do you find an audience without compromising your art? Art that compromises isn’t really art anymore, it’s shtick — imitation and gimmickry. And art that’s true and meaningful and resonant will always find an audience, even if it’s only a small, devoted one. Don’t get me wrong — I love a good pop tune and as hard as it is out there, I sympathize with bands who end up making compromises in order to make a living playing music. It’s a dream no one would ever want to give up. But with that said, my entertainment dollar is more likely to go to artists who make the sometimes-difficult choice to stay true to their own voice and let the chips fall where they may. People who make that choice have my complete respect.

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http://www.rubyfruitradio.com/

All indie, all female awesome weekly podcast from NYC

Q:  You have aired over 100 shows so far, what keeps you going, why do you want to promote artists?

A: I like hearing new music and I like sharing music I find with people around the world. I sometimes look at the show as being my mixtape for the masses. I used to make mixtapes for friends of music I would stumble upon and this is not different. The internet just takes it to a much larger scale.

Q:  How long have you been broadcasting?

A: The first episode of Rubyfruit Radio was in November of 2005. I have a background in radio as a dj and a producer and I used the podcast to get back into that.

Q:  In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: A good song needs a good beat and a good melody, even songs that aren’t necessarily thought of as being melodic like punk. Great lyrics also don’t hurt.

Q: I see that you did two of Ariel’s artists in your last episode, KaiserCartel and Carla Lynne Hall, what was your reason for choosing these musicians and what do you think of Ariel’s artists?

A: KaiserCartel and Carla Lynne Hall both fit perfectly in with the type of music that I play on Rubyfruit Radio. Carla Lynne Hall is an amazing artist who has been on my list of people to play for a while, but I was saving her for this particular episode. Likewise, the first time I heard KasierCartel, I immediately fell in love with their sound. I saved both of these artists for episode 142 because they are both based in NYC. I recently moved from Atlanta to NYC and did a special episode where I only played NYC based artists.

Overall, I have never seen an organization with such such a high calibur of artsts. I’ve played many Ariel artists in the past and have many set to go for future shows.

Q: How can Ariel’s artists reach out to you to try and get their songs put onto one of your new episodes, what are you looking for?

A: First and foremost, the artists need to be female or be a female fronted band. I play a wide variety of genres on the show from alternative to folk to country to punk so there is a place for almost anyone. They can send me an email at rubyfruitradio@gmail.com with an mp3 or a link to their Facebook or Myspace profiles and we can go from there.

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http://mikeshotdish.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikeshotdish
 

Are you sick of hearing the same songs day in and day out on the radio? Do you find yourself listening more and more to your existing music collection? Do you wonder where you can find more great music like what’s already in your music collection? There are literally hundreds of independent bands that you have never heard of that would drastically expand your music collection, and Mike’s Hotdish is here to help. Mike looks for music from the hottest heavy metal to the mild (but flavorful) rock and pop. Each show will bring you something new that you can add to your music collection. The best part is, if you loved the song, you can rewind and listen again. If you hate the song, fast forward to the next song. You control what you hear and you can tell us what you like.
 

Q: What is your favorite band and why?
 

A: While grew up with mostly country music, I always liked the music that was a bit heavier. Garth Brooks really filled that ticket real well. Now after listening to all of the independent music I play on my show, I can’t just really pick one. It really depends on my mood. Matthew Ebel is one that really enjoy listening to. His music allows my mind to wander and build my own story with his lyrics. On the hard rock side, I have been enjoying Nick Black and Clawfinger lately.
 

Q: What do you think artists can do to prevent themselves from becoming ‘One-hit-wonders.’
 

A: Don’t release all of your music at once and don’t focus solely on the single, a well done album could be full of great singles. You need to stay in touch with your fans and those that play your music and inform them of your new single. Maybe create a new song that isn’t on any album or send a station ID to shows that have played your music in the past and introduce a new single. Nothing is cooler than a band sending a station ID to a show without having to ask for one.
 

Q: Is there a reason why you tried to incorporate the idea of food with your blog and podcast? If so why?
 

A: I first started out with a different show. Being inexperienced at the time, I branched that show off so quickly that I didn’t have time to focus on them all. I threw that whole concept out the window. When coming up with a new name, I wanted something that reflected the variety of different things that I would have in the show and have a simple name so it would be easy to remember. But I also wanted something fun and something that would make a person do a double take and came up with the name “Mike’s Hotdish”. Hot dish is a term in the Upper Midwest for a dish that contains some sort of combination of meat, sauce, noodles, vegetables, and cheese. I believe it is also known as casserole in some areas. That really fits my show. It is a combination of various types of music and other things. Whatever appeals to my “taste buds” for that show is what you get. To add to the fun factor, I like to make use of the many puns available to me.
 

Q: What inspired you to become a music critic?
 

A :I don’t think I am much of a critic. I usually play only what I like to listen to. I have little musical background but have always loved music. I usually don’t pay much attention to the details of the band or who is in what band. If I like their music, I listen to it and play it on my show.
 

Q: What do you think is the number one mistake artists make?
 

A: Marketing. Either they are doing it the wrong way, or they aren’t doing it at all. Many times I have had a band just send a message saying something like “Hi, could you play my music?” They don’t make any sort of effort to make it look personalized, even if it is a mass mailing. More often than not, those emails get deleted because I have access to so much music and get so many emails that I don’t have the time to play it all or listen to it all. Make your email catch my eye somehow and I’ll definitely look more into your band. Many times that includes mentioning my show by name or my name. Another part of that is if all they have is a MySpace page, what will happen when MySpace closes up shop? They need their own website with some way to reach out to their fans and it needs to be something they have more control over. I don’t think the band has to have a degree in marketing by any means, but they should invest at least some time in learning some of the methods that work or find some people or fans willing to help them out.

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