WEBSITE!

HERE IT IS! I've been working on another one but I quickly put this one together it's temporary but I feel like it's a bit more organized that blogspot so here it is!

http://thefancyplatypus.weebly.com/

I'm working on a website!

I'm working on a website. Hopefully it'll be done very soon. A lot of complications have come up but when it's done I'll hopefully be able to do a lot more things! I'm looking forward to doing more interviews and dabble in a few new things as well! Thank you for your patience! 

FancyPlatypus Interviews: HarshlyCritical

Youtube Personality HarshlyCritical!

HarshlyCritical is a long time Youtube "Let's Player" that focuses mainly but not only on survival horror video games! For about two years now I've been a regular viewer of many of his one shots and  let's play series. From the start quickly becoming a huge fan, noticing a rise in popularity I decided to  have a quick interview with him to discuss all sorts of this about his life on Youtube. 

HarshlyCritical has spent the last 3 years working hard on what today has reached over 100 000 subscribers. Rising quickly his page has many great series such as playthroughs of games such as "Silent hill 2", "Alien Isolation" and tons of  amazing one shot series of short indie games. When asking him questions I tried to find out as much as I could about the life of HarshlyCritical and just what he's experiences through the years. Enjoy!

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TheFancyPlatypus: How’d you come to start making Youtube videos?

HarshlyCritical: I got inspired by the Angry Video Game Nerd and started the channel as a review channel. Then I did a Portal 2 LP and decided I liked that better.

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TheFancyPlatypus: Your number of subscribers has been increasing rather quickly over the last few months; do you feel pressure from this increasing number?

HarshlyCritical: Not really, though whenever you get momentum on YouTube it's really easy to lose it. I could grow much quicker if I just uploaded more Five Nights at Freddy's videos instead of putting up long playthroughs like Alien: Isolation - but growing the channel isn't as important to me as having fun.

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TheFancyPlatypus: Recording yourself on the spot calls for some very spontaneous speaking; have you ever said anything that thinking back you’d have rather you not said?

HarshlyCritical: I made a dumb Asian voice in my White Day LP that some took offense to, though it wasn't intended that way. I also said some rather insensitive things about the monster being "Mexican" in my Ao Oni LP. Other than that, I've stayed on the PC side of things.

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TheFancyPlatypus: You’ve said many times that you do this really because you enjoy doing this; have you ever felt the enjoyment dwindle a little? Maybe even become a little bit of a bother?

HarshlyCritical: Sometimes. Whenever you have something that you feel like you "have" to do every single day for three and a half years, it can be bothersome at times. You're not always in the mood to record, to talk spontaneously, to be "on", or to dedicate a couple hours to cranking out a daily video. It's a fun hobby, but the daily grind can be a little tough to handle, especially when you have to do it after coming home from your day job.

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TheFancyPlatypus: What are some of the weirdest comments you've received?

HarshlyCritical: I've gotten a lot of weird comments. Some people asking for my personal contact information (phone number, Skype, asking where I lived, etc.) or asking super-personal questions and not realizing that they're strangers to me. Overall though, private messages have been 99% positive and down to earth.

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TheFancyPlatypus: Having a indie horror focused Youtube channel you've played a lot of scary stuff; would you say that doing this, as frequently as you do, has changed your concept of what you find scary?

HarshlyCritical: I've gotten a lot more jaded over the years. You can physically see the evolution from my original Amnesia playthrough to my current ones - I was a lot more easily shaken back then. After playing for three years though, things become pretty predictable, especially with poorly made indie horror games that have clear "jumpscare" moments.

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TheFancyPlatypus: I've seen your editing video and it seems like you really try to stand out against all the other Youtubers. Do you think it’s important to do your research when making videos?

HarshlyCritical: Yes, it's very important to do your research and put effort into making videos. YouTube is more saturated now than ever, with everyone trying to "make it" - and every video you make is competing with literally every other video on the site for viewers' attention. It's integral to make them worth the time.

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TheFancyPlatypus: How has this life of being a Youtuber changed you?

HarshlyCritical: I'd like to think it hasn't had any negative impact, but I have a lot less free time now than I did before I started obviously. That's impacted social time, time for other hobbies, and "down time" where you're just "free" for a few hours at a time.

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TheFancyPlatypus: You've played so many horror games; how about we hear a little list of your favourites so far?

HarshlyCritical: Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Outlast top my list, personally. I also really liked Silent Hill 2 and 4. They weren't that scary, but were just good games. White Day is a really scary game, too.

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TheFancyPlatypus: What do you have planned for the future?

HarshlyCritical: More of the same in terms of LPs. I'd like to play more old-school games and more short playthroughs. I'm trying to post podcasts and "special videos" more often.

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TheFancyPlatypus: What’s the most scared you've ever been playing a game?

HarshlyCritical: Hard to say. I'd say either in the wine cellar of the original Amnesia, encountering the zipper ghost in White Day, or the first monster appearance in Phobia 1.5.

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HarshlyCritical is a really awesome guy if you love watching Let's plays! I know I do! Being funny but not forcing himself to be funny has a real charm to his videos, and you can really see the hard work he puts into every video. Extremely entertaining easy to sit down and watch I hope if you haven't checked him out already you will now! Anyway I'd like to thank HarshlyCritical for doing this with me, he was really awesome for doing it! Was really awesome getting to go back and forth a bit with him! Most importantly I'd like to thank you all for reading this. Please look forward to more interviews in the future and also please check out Harshlycritical in the links bellow! 

THANK YOU

HarshlyCritical Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSjXXHwfaDq1w9oQ0xgOFNg

HarshlyCritical Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarshlyCritical

HarshlyCritical Twitter: https://twitter.com/harshlycritical

HarshlyCritical Website: http://www.harshlycritical.com/

J-Mi And Midi-D The Galactic Ravers

J-Mi & Midi-D The Galactic Ravers!

The galactic Raver J-Mi and Midi-D are two Canadian electronic producers that live right here in my own province! Isn’t that cool?! I think so. These two are amazingly talented at what they do and I personally have been listening to their music for close to 3 years now. Recently I have come in contact with them and they kindly offered to do an interview with me to get my feet back on the ground in this area.

These two music producers have worked with amazing artists like Vic Mignona and have even gotten their music into the ever popular arcade game Dance Dance Revolution. Recently producing songs with Adam Barta and Margaret Cho these two producers never cease to amaze with each next song.   

When I interviewed them I asked them all sorts of Interesting questions about the past, present and future! Here’s how it came out:

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The Fancy Platypus: How’d you guys meet? When did you guys come to start making music? And what was the first thing you guys made?

J-Mi and Midi-D: We met in high school and we started making music around 2006 ish. First song? Probably "Some Stranger feat. Charlotte Summer - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (Cusimo & Co. Radio Remix)". 

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The Fancy Platypus: What kind of musical role models does each of you have?

J-Mi: I guess I'd say probably the vast majority of artists featured in Japan's Dancemania compilations series! And a lot from DDR as well!

Midi-D: There's several for me as well. There’s probably too many different ones to list for me.

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The Fancy Platypus: How long does it take you to make any given song? What kind of programmes do you use for them?

J-Mi and Midi-D: We use FL Studio 11 (currently), and we'd have to say, hmm maybe 1-2 days tops, depending on inspiration at the time!

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The Fancy Platypus: When working on a song do you guys work together or do you each work on your own section?

J-Mi and Midi-D: We work together, but (Midi-D) is the best at compositions, while (J-Mi) is the best with mixing things and getting that "sound" we're looking for. But we both occasionally switch roles from time to time. 

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The Fancy Platypus: What’s your favourite song you've worked on? Why?

J-Mi: Mine, would have to be Life is a Journey. Reason being is because I wrote the song entirely by myself and it holds great meaning to my own life.

Midi-D: Hmm... Perhaps Doki Doki from the Smile Dk album we worked on. I had completely did the composing part on that one, and I feel that it really turned out great! Also though I have another one that I really like which is our Remix of Werewolf Boyfriend!

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The Fancy Platypus: Are there any songs that looking back you’d wish to change?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Too many to list, but that's a producer for you right? haha.

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The Fancy Platypus: What do you consider as your greatest accomplishment so far?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Hands down, the 2008 return of SMiLE.dk. Man what a time that was. Had so much producing that record and we met our friends and partners in crime from Sweden, Dick Örnå and Hanna Stockzell!

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The Fancy Platypus: Having worked with many great people in the past, which would you like to work with again if given the chance?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Naoki Maeda. That guy is awesome. Super nice and super creative! 

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The Fancy Platypus: Following that these people you work with come from all over, so how does the collaboration process work?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Mainly the internet, and drop box... and skype... and... Well... the internet. Lol... not much more to say there :)!

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The Fancy Platypus: What about the music industry has surprised you?

J-Mi and Midi-D: How many different kinds of people there are. It's not just artists and producers. There's like a whole other layer of stuff between all of that. (Stuff that can sometimes drive us nuts lol)

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The Fancy Platypus: Getting your music in popular games like DDR is an amazing feat! Has being involved in such a market opened up doors that otherwise might be out of reach?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Yep. It's probably because of DDR that we've managed to make some nifty collabs with people! And that's pretty sweet. We love working with different people and trying our take on their creative world!

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The Fancy Platypus: Where do you guys draw inspiration from for your music?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Well, there's a long and short answer for this one, but I'd say, emotion and color. Don't ask. We know. (we sound crazy!)

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The Fancy Platypus: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind for you when creating a song?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Not to get distracted and let your mind stray. Staying focused really keeps that idea moving! 

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The Fancy Platypus: What are some of your future goals for your musical Careers?

J-Mi and Midi-D: Not sure. We'd mainly like to open our studio full time, but we also just wanna remain what we are, producers. (Not artists) Since we don't really perform, nor have any skill with performing! We like sitting back and letting our imagination flow!

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The Fancy Platypus: To finish off do you guys have any words of advice or any messages you’re like to give to your fans?

J-Mi and Midi-D: listen to yourself more. Stop listening to that moan of society trying to bring you and your dreams crashing down. (Mostly trolls on YouTube lol)

Thanks for asking us to answer some questions!

J-Mi & Midi-D

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These guys are outstanding at what they do and I could not thank them enough for what they have done! If you haven’t already gone to check them out what are you waiting for?! You’re done here go! Please leave a comment bellow if you have any questions for J-Mi & Midi-D or me. Please follow this blog, and expect more in the future! Thanks!

J-Mi & Midi-D’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmiandmidid

J-Mi & Midi-D’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmiandmidid

J-Mi & Midi-D’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/j-miandmidi-d

J-Mi & Midi-D’s Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhOGMeDVGBREl8vTooGtuA

Brittany Kwasnik

Interview With Brittany Kwasnik

Going to school shows throughout highschool is something most highschoolers do their years. My highschool life was no different. As I didn’t really have any skills that would put me into these shows , I simply went there to support them as best I could. This is how I heard my good friend Brittany Kwasnik sing for the first time. Her beautiful voice lit the entire auditorium with bewitching words spoken softly for all to hear. A lot has happened since, we both graduated from highschool, leaving those kinds of shows behind, now for Brittany her Auditoriums are a bit bigger, she never ceased to be one of my most amazing friends. Brittany Kwasnik showed me how you can reach for your dreams, so when I set my mind on journalism I asked her if she could spare me a few minutes and answer some questions for everyone. Enjoy!

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P: How did you start writing music?

BK: Actually, when I was nine years old, I begged my parents for a guitar. It was supposed to come with lessons as they promised, but they never came around. I taught myself how to play the guitar, and then I started to write naturally. I didn't decide to...Actually, It just happened! In the middle of learning cover songs, I found myself making up my own music. I would begin to hum my own melodies along with it. Then, I started to add lyrics, and thus, songs were born!

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P: Who discovered your voice?

BK: Actually, it's funny because when I was a kid, I had vocal cord dysfunction and doctors told me that I would never be able to sing -- all the more reason to try and prove them wrong! I went to therapy for years, learning how to breathe properly without my vocal cord dysfunction getting in the way. I was fourteen, when I posted an original song, "Breathe" on YouTube, and it went viral! Greg London (an impressionist from the U.S) found it. He and his team started to work with me, helping me record songs for my first album.

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P: What inspires your music? Is it from experiences?

BK: Yes, every word of every song means a lot. Most of my songs if not all, come out of personal experiences. I get inspired by many things. The obvious bad days are one, but even the soft moonlight can inspire a song out of me!

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P: How do you get ready to write? Do you have writing rituals?

BK: I actually don't have any writing rituals. If I feel like I am having trouble to come up with more words or more melodies during song writing, I usually close it up and put it away. I let songs happen naturally, and I never plan a writing session.

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P: What are your hopes for the future?

BK: My hopes for the future are that I will continue to release new music and have the privilege of being heard by people all over the world. I want people to connect with my words and I want to help people feel something through music.

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P: Who encourages you the most to music and perform?

BK: It has to be the fans. It is so heartwarming to get messages from fans telling me how they connected with a song. Hearing that people are enjoying my music is the greatest encouragement!

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P: How does it feel to be such a young up and coming artist?

BK: It feels great to be young because often, young people aren't taken seriously. Also, a lot of pressure is taken off, knowing that I've got time to become successful, it is more relaxed, and I am not going to rush myself.

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P: How do you promote your Cd's?

BK: Promoting CDs usually happens online. Also, I promote my CDs at shows, where people can buy a hard copy and have it as a souvenir. I still look at my cd collection now and again, and there is something about having a real copy of an album in your hands. It is much more satisfying than looking through files on a computer.

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P: What's your favourite part of what you do?

BK: My favourite part is connecting with the fans both online and at shows. Reading comments and messages, seeing the faces of my listeners and talking to them at live shows always brings a smile to my face!

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P: Where has your music brought you?

BK: My music has physically brought me to different parts of the world. I have travelled to France to perform and to work at Laurent Wolfe's studio. In addition, I have been flown to many parts of California to record and perform! I've travelled a lot in Canada as well for my music. But the greatest of them all, is the fact that people all over the world can connect with my music even if I'm not there physically. Actually, a lot of my YouTube views come from places like Australia, Chile, Singapore, Poland and the United Kingdom.

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P: What are your plans for the next few years?

BK: Well, I plan to release my new album and tour Canada in the short term. In the long term, I'd like to tour other countries, release more albums, release music videos and continue spreading my music to new ears!

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P: What do you do when you're not performing and/or writing?

BK: When I'm not spending time on my music, you can find me watching films (including documentaries), reading interesting articles, studying creative arts, and giving vocal and guitar lessons to people who want to learn!

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Hey guys sorry I took this down for so long, it took me a while to really get my confidence back for all these interviews because I kept being shot down but I'm back now. I'm bringing back my interview with Brittany that I originally took down to correct some of my errors then started feeling bad like I was using my friend. I've come to realize this girl is just so amazing, a great friend and musician and she's doing me a great favour to be on here. Thanks for coming back to check this out thank. Please spread the word of my Blog! 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanykwasnikmusic

Twitter:https://twitter.com/search?q=brittany%20kwasnik&src=typd

Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/user/brittanykwasnik?feature=watch

music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGtnI2-Zm-Q

Any Questions? Email me at Thefancyplatypus@gmail.com

The Amazing BrandO

The Amazing BrandO

   As a kid my Gameboy was my best friend, and I won’t lie, I was very fascinated at a young age by video games. One thing that constantly caught my attention was 8-bit music, it would draw me in and keep my listening. This fascination drew me to later on start listening to amazing groups and people who would play around with these songs, and one day I discovered BrandO on YouTube, and I’ve been listening to his songs ever since. He mixed my two favourite things together into music, 8-bit and rock! So much has changed in the years that have gone by, but I still love everything he’s released! When I asked if he would answer a few questions he kindly accepted my proposal, so here it is!

Interview With The Ammazing BrandO

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The Fancy Platypus: When did you get interested in music?

The Amazing BrandO: "I've been interested about for as long as I can remember. I used to sit and play in my dad's guitar case, and can recall trying to play his guitar. I had rhythm, but I didn't know any chords until I was about 13."

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The Fancy Platypus: What came first? Becoming a lyricist? Or a Guitarist?

The Amazing BrandO: "I played the clarinet in Elementary School. I traded my clarinet for a guitar and soon after formed a garage band with friends. I played guitar and sang; I was the only one in the band with the coordination to do both, and so I was the vocalist by default."

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The Fancy Platypus: When did you start writing your own music?

The Amazing BrandO: "After learning some chords on guitar and learning / playing cover songs with my first band, I went on to front a band called (after many name changes) Uplift. This was my first opportunity to write lyrics. I started writing my own music shortly thereafter, simultaneously learning the ups and downs of home recording in the process."

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The Fancy Platypus: Where do you get your inspiration from?

The Amazing BrandO: "Inspiration for what I do stems from all kinds of different places. With Uplift, my inspiration was being an angsty teenager. With Exit Mindbomb (my solo project during and after Uplift) my inspiration came from being able to write the music I wanted to hear. It was a bit more personal than anything I'd done; they're feelings frozen in time. Very few of the Exit Mindbomb tracks are based on any particular true story, but more of a concept art.

With The Adventures of Duane & BrandO, the inspiration was, of course, driven by nostalgia. Vocally and lyrically, I wasn't used to rap music. If I have rap influence, it's more on a rhythmic level than anything. The attitude and inflection in my voice is/was intended to be taken parodically.

For my newer solo VGM work, "The Amazing BrandO," I draw inspiration from absurdity. Where D&B was a kind of childhood attitude, I've found that my newer work reflects replaying my (still) favorite video games as an adult. It's a new take on nostalgia, stemming from childhood and evolving into a different personal viewpoint."

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The Fancy Platypus: Where did the idea of writing lyrics to game music come from?

The Amazing BrandO: "As a kid, I'd write words to the melodies in video games in my head a lot, but It wasn't until Duane came into the picture that everything came rushing back. Duane really taught me how easy it is to tell a story through rap music; he was the first person I'd ever heard rapping to video game music, and it was so hilarious that I gained more appreciation for it. He needed a producer, and so I set some beats, learned and recorded the parts, and eventually joined on vocals."

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The Fancy Platypus: How do you think of lyrics for songs?

The Amazing BrandO: "Syllables are very important in writing lyrics. The rest comes fairly easily. Lyrics don't have to be anything you don't want them to be. Rhyming isn't too difficult, especially these days with the world at our fingertips, but syllables are very, very important. With VGM, it's more of a "fill-in-the-blanks" but with original music, it's sometimes difficult not to fall into bad patterns. I definitely suggest reading. Not just poetry, but books in general. Literature is literature, and storytelling, descriptions, dialogue, and mood are just as important as syllable placement."

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The Fancy Platypus: On average, how long do you spend on a song?

The Amazing BrandO: "On average, I spend anywhere from 2 to 9 months on a song. I also produce my own video, which takes a lot of time and patience as well, especially since I've still got a lot to learn. I usually work on a song until I'm as happy with it as I can be."

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The Fancy Platypus: How do you feel about your fan base?

The Amazing BrandO: "I have the best, most amazing fans in the world. We all have something in common. I've never seen so many friendships take off and grow. It motivates me to carry on."

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The Fancy Platypus: What are some pros and cons of:

• Writing songs from video game music?

The Amazing BrandO: PROS:

- It's a learning experience for everyone, especially fans.

- The opportunity to tribute my favorite video games and their soundtracks is worth a lot of Exp.

CONS:

- Genres, subgenres, sub-subgenres...

- Expectations / requests

- Blisters x2

• Being popular on the internet?

The Amazing BrandO: "Fame is a double-edged sword. It almost feels like the more energy you put out, the easier it is to lose yourself. I became known as something I was parodying, and moving on from that has proved incredibly difficult. Fame does not always equal fortune. It's hard to keep moving sometimes, but when I recieve messages about making someone's day better, that's what really matters. That's what it's about."

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The Fancy Platypus: Do you control everything about your music? If so does that make you feel closer to your fans?

The Amazing BrandO: "Being a production company on legs allows me to release media I am proud of. However, it is very tiring and time consuming. By default, I have gotten to know my fan base pretty well. The D&B fallout was rough because, like I said before, I had become known as a parody. It has been difficult to help people understand where I'm coming from, and who I am as an artist and a person. It's also been difficult with as much work that goes into my productions not to take things personally, but overall, I feel closer to my fans than ever before. It's been a rough trip, and their support and understanding has kept me upright." 

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The Fancy Platypus: What is your hope for the future?

The Amazing BrandO: "I hope to build and maintain a recording studio and/or record label. Hopefully, with awesome support, this can become a reality and I can do more with the talents I have to make the world a better place. I hope to keep doing what I love to do."

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The Amazing BrandO is just an amazing Artist. Be it lyrics to an OST, or one of his compositions, they're all fantastic and fun to listen to. I enjoy listening to him every chance I do and I do listen to his music quite on the often side. He's nice to his fans, and I enjoy the fact that he takes his time out of his day to even answer people when they ask him a question. If you're like me and you love rock music, but with some spunk The Amazing BrandO is the guy for you!

I would like to thank you all for reading my article and a very big thank you to Mr. Brandon A.K.A The Amazing BrandO For allowing me to interview him. It's been a pleasure everyone I'm sure! Now all you need to do is check him out!

Site:http://www.theamazingbrando.com/news.cfm

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Amazing-BrandO/154158994622625

Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/user/theamazingbrand0?feature=results_main

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Bradley James Skistimas

Bradley James Skistimas of Five Time August.

Indie Music singer and song writer.

If there's one thing that almost everyone does it's listen to music!

Personally when I look for a group I try to find songs that are meaningful, and something I could relate to. In early 2009 I happened to find myself listening to a Five times august song, and I haven't stopped since. Though there were always questions on my mind, like how he does it, and what it's like to write a Cd. So In this interview, I ask him! 

Interview With Bradley James.

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Fancy Platypus: When did you get into music?

Bradley James Skistimas: I’ve been into music my whole life, ever since elementary school. On the

bus ride I always had my Walkman on. My interest has been a gradual (and

obsessive) build ever since then. I kept finding more and more music to

listen to and discover, eventually landing at the Beatles who made me want

to pick up a guitar at age 11. Once I started playing guitar it was all

over for me… THAT’s when music really took over my life.

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Fancy Platypus: How did you discover your voice?

Bradley James Skistimas: In high school I played guitar for the choir band. I wasn’t actually in

the choir but I picked up a lot from just being there and watching others

sing. I wasn’t really any good for a long time. I didn’t begin to find my

voice until I started writing the first Five Times August songs around the

age of 17/18. That was when I started developing my own style and tone.

However, listening back to early FTA recordings I don’t think it sounds

anything like my voice now, so it seems to have taken on a life of its

own over time, developing certain nuances and inflection built off my

years of performing. The same goes for my guitar playing and really the

two (my singing and guitar playing) go hand in hand. I don’t like singing

without my guitar.

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Fancy Platypus: What groups/artist would you say are inspirations for your music?

Bradley James Skistimas: When I started Five Times August I was really into John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews… the whole acoustic singer/songwriter thing. These days I’m

listening to a lot of music from the 50’s and 60’s, Jazz, Soul R&B, Blues,

really a whole mess of stuff… so my palette has become pretty broad. I

really like artists that write, sing, and play their own music. I relate

to that and have a lot respect for it because that’s where I fit in. It’s

getting harder for me to relate to modern music because it’s become more

about fashion and trends than true artistic merit.

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Fancy Platypus: Where do you draw inspiration for a new song?

Bradley James Skistimas: I never really know, sometimes it just builds and builds off messing about

on the guitar. Most of the time I’ll sing gibberish melody over the chords

and eventually sing something and think “hey that sounds like I am

saying…” and all of a sudden you have a lyric line that inspires the rest

of the song. I think the main inspiration for new songs just comes from

wanting to write music that I’d listen to myself. If I am happy with it in

the end then that’s great, hopefully most people like it. If not, well,

can’t please everyone!

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Fancy Platypus: What are your rituals for writing a song? When do you feel like your message has been passed?

Bradley James Skistimas: I don’t really have any rituals. I just sit down with a guitar and “feel

it out” as it happens. Sometimes it’s a few chords that sound nice that

lead to some humming that lead to lyrics, sometimes it hits me a whole

other direction. I don’t ever really know if my message gets through to

anyone until somebody tells me. A song like FTA’s “Up To Me” was extremely

personal when I wrote it; I didn’t think anyone would relate to it. But, 

out of all the songs I’ve released that one is the song I get more people

telling me they relate to than any other. So you just never know.

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Fancy Platypus: Being an Indie singer, songwriter, what are some of the pros and cons?

Bradley James Skistimas: That’s a loaded question for me. I could write several books on the pros

and cons of being independent. I guess when it comes down to it the

biggest pro is having complete creative control in every realm of my

career. The biggest con is the general public putting you in the same

class as an artist in the Top 40 who’s on a major record label. That has

an effect on how your success is perceived because when people decide

“I’ll just download his music for free” they think “He’ll be okay because

somebody else will buy it.” When in truth every sale matters to

independent artists. We’re not marketed like Katy Perry or Adele, we don’t

have that kind of money. Those artists might not miss a few CD sales, but

every indie artist out there could use that sale to invest back into their

career. The problem is most people don’t take the time to discover the

artist behind the music anymore so we’re all lumped together.

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Fancy Platypus: Where did you get the name “Five Time August” from?

Bradley James Skistimas: The name is derived from my birthday August 5th. I didn’t want to promote “Brad Skistimas” because my last name has always been confusing to some

folks so I thought it would be easier with a band name.

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Fancy Platypus: Why did you choose to drop the band name and continue under your own?

Bradley James Skistimas: I’m writing different music now and I really wanted a clean slate to work

from. I felt if I released this new stuff as “Five Times August” there

would be some sort of expectation based on my previous work. Releasing the

EP as “Bradley James” (my first and middle names) has cleared that

distraction for me. I’m sure fans will still compare it to what I’ve done

before but for me I just wanted a blank canvas mentally.

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Fancy Platypus: How many instruments do you play?

Bradley James Skistimas: Guitar, Bass, Piano, and whatever else I need to figure out for various

bits while I’m in the studio.

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Fancy Platypus: What was your inspiration for “Where did I go?”

Bradley James Skistimas: I’ve been wanting to do a side-project since 2009, something different

from FTA. I’ve grown a lot as an artist and musician and have wanted to

see what else I can do. I wanted to make music that was something of a

tribute to the way it used to be made. We recorded the basic tracks live

in the studio together without a click track, so you’re getting a real

live performance. With FTA tunes a good 60-75% was modern programmable

instruments. Rather go that route again, about 95% of the instrumentation

on the new EP is all performed live by real people.

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Fancy Platypus: What are your hopes for “Where did I go?"

Bradley James Skistimas: Right now I’m just hoping to get through the Pledge Music campaign so I

can release the songs. If I can get the tracks mixed, mastered, and on to

CD I’ll be happy. Once I get there we’ll see what else happens but I don’t

really want to get ahead of myself right now. Just taking one step at a

time.

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Fancy Platypus: What is your favorite thing about writing a new cd?

Bradley James Skistimas: I’m most happy as an artist when I’m moving forward. Making new music and trying new things, releasing a new record, that process always makes me

feel like I am doing that. I usually favor whatever I am working on most

recently over anything I’ve done in the past. I like that if you go back

to the earliest FTA recordings and listen from one album to the next you

hear growth and maturity. My favorite thing is whenever I impress myself.

Turning around one day and getting to say “I made that” is pretty awesome.

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Fancy Platypus: Is there a tour planned in the future?

Bradley James Skistimas: Not any time too soon, perhaps next year. I spent six years straight on

the road with my wife Kelly and we just had a baby this year so we are

enjoying home life for the first time in a long-long time.

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Fancy Platypus: What are your plans for the future?

Bradley James Skistimas: After I see what happens with the new EP I’ll probably dabble in several

other side projects. I’d really like to work on a children’s album or TV show. I also have a lot of ideas for funny film shorts that may eventually get made and posted on YouTube. I’m really just playing it by ear right now. The current music industry is completely unreliable so I don’t want

to bank on keeping my career afloat on the same things I have previously.

It’s a good time to try new things so I’ll have my hands in a lot of

different projects over the next few years.

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Fancy Platypus: What do you do when you’re not writing, performing, or recording?

Bradley James Skistimas: Right now any spare moment I have is spent with my new son Dylan who just turned 6 months. It’s a completely new world being a dad. I absolutely

love it, but I am adjusting my schedule completely. It’s a new challenge

but it’s so nice to not feel like I have to be anywhere but here right

now. We’ve never had time to just be at home so we’re literally just

“hanging out” watching TV or grocery shopping like normal folk do when

they’re not at work.

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Fancy Platypus: What words of wisdom would you give to new coming artists?

Bradley James Skistimas: Be prepared to work hard. Success is not an overnight thing for most

people. It doesn’t matter if you think you have the greatest song in the

world, nobody will hear it unless you rely on yourself (and only yourself)

to get it out there. The one great thing about today’s music industry is

that there are no rules, so however creative you can be in getting your

music out there and make money doing it the better off you’ll be.

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Bradley James is honestly has one of the best voices ( In my opinion) around at this time.

If you all haven't already ran to Youtube to sample one of his songs you should really do that! 

Five times august has been one of my favourite bands since I heard beautiful girls back when I was 14.

I would like to thank you all for reading my interview, and a very big thank you to Bradley James for actually giving me his time.

Also Please check all these links out! Especially the Pledgemusic page!

CHECK IT OUT!

PladgeMusic: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/bradleyjames

Bandcamp:http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/

Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/user/FiveTimesAugust

Five Time August Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/FiveTimesAugust

Bradley James Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/MusicByBradleyJames