Archive for June Owatari

Artist Spotlight: Chancius

Bando by Chancius

Chancius is a New York-based artist who recently came out with the sci-fi concept album Bando. The album follows an indie rock/dreampop exploration of transhumanism (the use of technology to transform humanity) by telling the story of Bando, a man who is about to die but gets a second chance.

By email, Chancius and I talked about what inspired the album, his experience as a subway busker, and his frustration with the New York music scene and mainstream record labels. Listen to his new album Bando and read his responses below.

Are you an indie label or artist? Wanna chat? Shoot me an email at june@villainsrecords.com.

 

What inspired you to write a sci-fi concept album?

Well, I’ve always been into sci-fi more than any other genre. I was a shy and sickly little boy with a big imagination, so that’s what I gravitated towards for escapism. My parents were never too controlling and supported whatever I was into. I believe that anything is possible. Every time someone says it can never be accomplished or there is a long standing record or that’s not how it’s done, someone else comes along and proves them wrong. We each have within ourselves the ability to do anything if we set our minds to it.

The concept part was a marketing idea.  So many people say that listeners only want one or two songs off an album (usually the hits) and I figured I give listeners more of a reason to want to listen to the entire album. This and I wanted to actually see if I could do it.

I believe that anything is possible. We each have within ourselves the ability to do anything if we set our minds to it.

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Record Label Spotlight: Reticulum Records

Reticulum Records
Reticulum Records is an indie label based out of Wyoming that covers death metal bands Cavernlord, DungeonCult, and Natanas. Their core values of sharing and DIY speak to our own, which was why I sought them out after reading about them in a Reddit thread. I’ve found that they’re very similar to us, often sharing equipment and taking on recording and distribution duties amongst themselves.

You can read their responses (mostly coming from Nathaniel) from our email correspondence below.

Are you an indie label or artist? Wanna chat? Shoot me an email at june@villainsrecords.com.

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Interview with Roy Silverstein of Rarefied Recording

Coming up in a little under a month on Saturday, December 13, 2014, Handmade Holiday is a fundraiser held in the courtyard of the new San Diego Central Library (330 Park Boulevard) between 9:30am-4pm. They’ll be featuring over 30 local artists, designers, and vendors “to get a jumpstart on the holiday shopping.”

But why are we talking about it? Because of the afternoon entertainment!

Starting at noon, four local musicians — hand-picked by Villains friend Roy Silverstein of North Park’s Rarefied Recording — will hit the auditorium stage.

The four artists are lounge singer and pianist Normandie Wilson, banjo-and-ukulele shoegrass band Kalashnikov My Wife, indie rockers The Gift Machine, and solo artist Erik Canzona of The Heavy Guilt.

Below, you can read a little about Roy’s thought process in choosing these musicians and his thoughts on the music and art communities.

(And if you want to read more about the musicians, I’ll be posting interviews from each on the Handmade Holiday blog in the coming weeks.)

Click to read the interview below.

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