Billy Ulrich is a musician and songwriter who, in 2011, used the money he'd been saving in his vacation fund to build a music studio in his house. He's a health care practicioner by day, a rocker by night, and a full-time dreamer.
1. For listeners who haven't heard your music yet, how would you describe it?
Our fans have been calling it "California Country." I think that's because the songs are very focused around storytelling, but there's also a lot more Rock edge than you'd find from mainstream Country coming out of Nashville. It's very much music for regular people who go to work, people who like to have a good time, and people with a sense of humor. "Country Music for Democrats" is another term that's been flying around. I'm not sure why, since there is no political content in our record.
2. Do you have plans to tour soon in California and elsewhere?
We'll be getting up and down the West Coast this summer, and with a little luck, a national tour could be on the horizon soon.
3. How did you become a Jagermeister sponsored band, and what are the perks of this connection?
We've always had a taste for Jager Bombs and had several songs with Jager shout outs before any of this came about. "Nightshift" on our recent release is one of them. Some of the perks of being a Jager Band are that they send us co-branded merch, like guitar picks and shot glasses, that have both Post Trauma and Jagermeister logos on them. We've had the Jager Girls out to a lot of our concerts, too, which makes for a good time. We got to hang out backstage at the last Jagermeister tour, and man, what an experience. Being part of the Jager family has definitely become part of our identity.
4. What made you decide to produce Sleepless as half of a double album, and when will the second half be released?
I had about 25 songs that I felt were really good and needed to be recorded, but they had a wide range of styles. Some of them had a lot of twang and a sense of humor, while others were dark, introspective Hard Rock. So rather than speculate which ones would come out best, I thought it better to just record them all, and then after they were all done, I'd be able to pair up the songs that flowed best together without worrying about genre. It was a risky undertaking that tied us up for a year, so I feel very fortunate that my band mates were up for the challenge and trusted that my vision would someday come to life. Something like this could break up most bands out there.
Dreamless (part two of the double-album) is actually completely done and just sitting in my computer until May. It's a little darker and more on the Rock side. "Sleepless" has more sense of humor, and more Country. It has been getting great reviews, and I'm sure that when Dreamless comes out, our fans will understand the full picture.
5. How have sites like YouTube and ReverbNation helped you get the word out about your music?
YouTube has been especially helpful with getting our music video "Get Up in the AM" seen. It has around 10,000 views right now--and counting. We've had quite a few fans tell us at our concerts that they discovered us through the music video. We have another one on the way in just a few weeks, so I hope it will get the same overwhelmingly positive response. ReverbNation is great for connecting with other bands, especially as a Country Rock band in California. There aren't too many of us out here, so we have to stick together.
Thanks, Billy!
No comments:
Post a Comment