Matt’s Answers
what is your name?
Matt Spatial
how would you describe what you do?
Bassist/Songwriter/Producer/etc./etc. for The Julia Dream
what are you currently working on?
We’re gearing up to start recording the follow up to our last EP, “Above From Beneath.” I’m pretty psyched about getting the new material out there!
We also have a video shoot coming up as well and a few other surprises to be announced throughout the year.
what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Simply stated: Life. Every piece of music I write/co-write either returns me to some emotion I’ve experienced or introduces me to one I’ve been needing to experience (and just didn’t know it yet.)
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
Re: the band’s music… that we need a keyboard player! (ha)
Our sound is certainly influenced by many of the 80’s new wave/post-punk bands so every so often we are told that a keyboard player would make us “sound just like” those bands. I get where they are coming from, but we’re The Julia Dream and sound like The Julia Dream. I can’t imagine ever making a conscious decision to sound more like someone else and less like us.
Re: me… that I’m inflexible (?) haha
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
The main strength of using music to express myself is that there are no physical boundaries to work within. I tend to feel a bit claustrophobic when I try to create in other mediums.
I suppose the lack of a constant or consistent visual might be considered a weakness of working in song alone though… especially in the visually driven world in which we live. No matter how good the song or band, it’s pretty easy to get distracted by whatever else is around you if you’re not in the zone.
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
It’s had a considerable impact… far beyond anything I could even begin to describe in just a few sentences. Recording technology has changed dramatically making it entirely possible for a band to record a great-sounding record on a small budget. Distribution, networking, marketing and promotions have all become easier to do and less expensive as well compared to the days of the record label. Just the internet alone continues to change the face of the music industry on an almost daily basis. All in all, there are endless opportunities to reach an audience for your music, whatever the genre. The key piece of the puzzle, however, is not just using the technology but using it well!
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
My advice for any artist of any kind would always be to love what you do and to do it for yourself, first and foremost. If others happen to like what you do too, then that’s just icing on the cake.
where can we find you online?
thejuliadream.com
facebook.com/thejuliadream
twitter.com/thejuliadream
what are you reading at the moment?
“Memories of John Lennon”. It features about 80 different contributors – people who knew or have been touched by the music of John Lennon, including everyone from Elton John and Mick Jagger to Paul Reiser and Annie Liebovitz. Before that I couldn’t put down, “The Daily Adventures of Mixerman.” This book was hilarious and such a spot-on commentary (thought reportedly non-fiction) of all that went wrong in the music business. A must-read for anyone who has ever been in a recording studio! (or just wants to be…)
what are you listening to at the moment?
Placebo – “Battle For The Sun”
This is easily their best album since “Without You I’m Nothing”, which any fan of Placebo will probably always hold as the benchmark of their best work. “Battle For The Sun” is a close second.
anything else we should know?
Get a free download for the song Transistor here:
http://www.thejuliadream.com/free
Vernon’s Answers
what is your name?
Vernon P. Love
how would you describe what you do?
Singer Extraordinaire / Party coordinator / Minister of Propaganda
what are you currently working on?
Melodies melodies lyrics galore
what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Heartache, pain, winter season, Bowie, the Killers, Andy Warhol, discovering new colors, vodka
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
That I do not or have not lived the lyrics I write…
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
Strengths are that you can affect people in a positive way and move and touch them with music…
Weaknesses are that you are criticized for everything you do being you are an “artist”
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
Technology has totally changed the business in all areas of music, being producing, recording, promoting and advertising…
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
Come from the heart/ do not be afraid to put yourself out there
where can we find you online?
www.thejuliadream.com www.myspace.com/thejuliadream
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/vernon.p.love?ref=profile
what are you reading at the moment?
I start books and don’t finish them because I pick something else up… but I’ve started reading
Open Up and Bleed Iggy Pop story
SEX: Discovering Real Love In a World of Counterfeits
Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John by Gavin Edwards
Kill The Music by Michael G. Plumides
what are you listening to at the moment?
The Replacements
The Killers
John Mayer
Snow Patrol
Annie Lenox
Chris Isaak
Paper Route
Civil Twilight
David Bowie
U2
Stevie Wonder
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Monroe
Mr. North
Just about anything on my I Tunes….
Anything else we should know?
“There is no restraining order on the truth…”