New Media Pioneer: Jason Warburg of The Daily Vault

Site: www.dailyvault.com
Blog: dailyvault.blogspot.com
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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.