How would you describe what you do?
Post-modern pop rock for the apocalypse. You can get a free track if you go to: http://www.teamilluminati.com
How long have you been doing this and how did you get started?
I started writing when I was 4, with the landmark childhood classic "I hate my car" and it just kind of went downhill from there.
Who made the most impact on you and why?
I think that's a 3-way tie between Trent Reznor, Peter Gabriel and Frank Zappa. Because each one of them not only created their own universe, with groundbreaking music that came out of intense, focused, challenging songwriting; they also did it in a way that could survive the test of time, and still be relevant to people of all ages, years after their initial hits.
Give us a recap of the year 2008. What have you done to add to your success?
We made a record, "American Dream", put it on iTunes, made a basic 1 page website, and learned a lot about business. The first thing that happens when you start learning about business is, you learn about how the economy actually OH MY GOD WE ACTUALLY ELECTED OBAMA!!!! HOLY CRAP !!!!! SERIOUSLY, HE'S GOING TO BE THE PRESIDENT!!!! YYEEEEEAAAAAHHHH!H!!!!!
Anyway, back to the economy. REAL success trickles UP. The music industry is no different. Anything that is based on debt, investment, and loans, instead of real money coming in, is fake. The $700 billion bailout taught me that the old people who look smart and important - in any industry, not just the government- are often clueless idiots. The music industry has been suffering from this hangover for a while so I think we'll pull through before the rest of the economy, and learn how to sell things that have actual value, and drop everything that isn't working.
The best thing I've done to add to my success this year is start learning about what it takes to have a real career, that isn't just based on hoping someone will come along and drop money on your head.
If you could have done something different last year, what would that have been?
Elected Obama ahead of time. Well, actually what I would have done last year is master the internet more- learn how to make my own website, because I'm learning right now and it's kind of slow. But it's crucial. It's the secret weapon of the indie artist- the internet is what allows us to be our own boss.
Other than a stack of money, what are the resources that you need to help you?
People have to believe in something, they have to want it, they have to need it, for it matter at all. So more than money, the resources that I need are people who love what I'm doing, who want to be a part of it, who can see the potential, and who have a similar vision. And from that initially small group of people, through 6 degrees of separation, anyone can reach the entire world right now.
What do you think you are going to need to learn about the business to help you be successful?
A lot of people seem to think the music business is "falling apart" or has kind of gotten in a rut. There's not a lot of money flying around anymore, it's so unpredictable, blah blah blah. Well I have a different perspective- the "old" music business we got so used to in the 80's and 90's was FAKE. It was based on the same lies as the entire credit crisis we're seeing right now. It was based on Reaganomics- Trickle Down Entertainment, applying supply-side economics to something that, in the 60's and 70's, was all about creating art, culture, truth, challenging the status quo, being brave, from the ground up, that's what rock and roll used to be. The Seattle scene was a sudden memory of the real roots of rock and roll- that's why it was so powerful. But MTV ate it for lunch. That was before the internet was strong enough to give individual artists power.
So what we're seeing now is a return to the roots. What's it based on now? REAL DEMAND. You can't shove crap down people's throats anymore. So the only way to get anywhere is to create demand. And that can be done for free on the internet, with one important point: you have to actually have something people want.
Are you working on anything new?
Every day. New songs, web ideas, stage ideas, costume ideas, OH MY GOD BARACK OBAMA IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!!
Where are some of the places that you have been playing?
Local gigs in Nashville and Murfreesboro- house parties, Club 527 Main, The Rutledge, The End, Mercy Lounge, building a local crowd. If you go to http://www.teamilluminati.com and click the big thing in the middle, and put in your email address, we'll give you a free MP3 and tell you when we're playing gigs in your area.
Where can people learn more about you? What's your web site?
http://www.teamilluminati.com, and the links on the right and left go straight to iTunes and www.Myspace.com/teamilluminati
If you want to join our street team, go to http://www.teamilluminati.com/signup
and we'll give you a TeaM iLLuMiNaTi ID Card that you can use to get arrested with the next time you get pulled over.
What words of wisdom do you have for others who are just getting started?
Learn how to do as much as you possibly can for yourself, and surround yourself with people who are dedicated to what you are doing, as a group, together, to create a real sense of community. Before you are making any money it has to be a real community of people who love what they do. And once you start making money, as fast as you can, hire the best people you can find to do all the day to day stuff because you really don't want to be bogged down in all the details. The catch is, you have to do all the administrative, boring, phone calls, follow up, emails, secretarial shit until you have earned the right to hire someone else to do it. Just eat your pride and get that education and don't ever give up, and at the right time, bring people in who love what you're doing, who want to be a part of it because it's good for them, and create a community.
Is there anything else that you'd like to share with the readers?
We are the one we're searching for, We are the key, We are the door, We are the endless shore, I know, we are the only reason why, We are the truth, We are the lie, We are the other side, I know, We are.
