Meet Dahshanae, Singer, Songwriter, and Producer

Dahshanae Denise Jones, known as Dahshanae,is a singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer from Chicago. Check out her latest song, "Sashay," on SoundCloud.

Dahshanae is currently managing her little brother's career as a upcoming rapper. He has a project coming out in June called G.A.S. Her oldest brother is also a rapper named Tazzie H, and he and Chewy Bandzz just came out with a song called "Rock," which is also on SoundCloud right now and doing amazing. Dahshanae was the director and shot the video for this song.

You can keep up with Dahshnae on Twitter as well as Instagram. Her website is at www.Dahshanae.com.

1. How did your career as a singer/songwriter get started, and would you tell us a little bit more about your family members being involved in music as well?

I've always had a passion for music since I was little. My entire family is like a boombox. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I started a singing group with my two cousins and we called ourselves The Talented Angels. We were like the young Destiny's Child, and I was Beyonce lol. We used to perform for family functions, and then we evolved to talent shows and competitions. I would always choreograph our dances and write our songs, if we weren't performing someone else's. It was nothing but great times.

As of now, I am a solo artist, of course and that venture is always exciting working on my projects and working with my brothers, Tazzie H and Kaza Block, who are both amazing upcoming artists.

2. What was your process like in producing your latest project, the "98:An Imperfect Masterpiece" EP?

Now that was an amazing experience I will never forget! I always knew that when I put out my first big project, I wanted to produce it myself, and that's exactly what I did. Every aspect of that project came from a soft spot in my heart for 90's music, and I love how everything came together. My whole thing was, this era of music is nothing compared to the 90's era, and one of my favorite things about music from that time was the pureness and how it made you feel. It made you feel things you didn't know you could, and I just wish we could bring back that aspect of music we so desperately need in this generation.

3. How have people been responding so far to your new single, "Sashay"?

I've been getting a lot of feedback and positive vibes so far! I hope that more people listen to it and love it as much as I do.

4. Who do you look to in the industry--are there people you see as reference points for your own work?

I look up to strong woman in the industry who continues to make the impossible possible. I love to listen to artist like Beyonce, of course, but I love Janet Jackson, Erukah Badu, Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse, Kehlani, and the list goes on. I also look up women outside of music like Taraji P. Henson, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Monique, Viola Davis, and the list goes on again. I like to take from those amazing women when it comes to patience, creativity, and confidence.

5. What are you working on now, and what projects are coming up for you over the next year?

I'm literally the multitasking queen right now lol. I'm of course working on my music. I'm working on a few special projects that will be released this year. I also recently came out with my official merchandise, which is on my website right now. I'm working on some modeling and acting projects, and I'm in the process of writing books and so much much.

I am also working with my two brothers. Tazzie H and Chewy Bandzz just came out with a hot song called "Rock" on SoundCloud. I shot the video for the track and their working on a dope project for July. My younger brother, Kaza Block, is also releasing a dope project for June called "G.A.S". Right know, we're all just non-stop working and can't wait for everyone to see what we're made of.

Thanks, Dahshanae!

Meet J-Hen, Recording Artist

J-Hen is an R&B/Hip-Hop recording artist from the Dallas metroplex area. His passion for music first began at an early age, and he taught himself how to write his own songs when he was in middle school. He and his friends released their first LP, which included tracks of J-Hen singing, when he was still in high school.

His latest single, "On To The Next," was produced in Miami, FL at the infamous The Hit Factory Criteria Recording Studios. Learn more about J-Hen by visiting http://j-hen.com.

1. Growing up, how did you teach yourself to write your own songs--and then did you teach yourself to produce as well?

Growing up, I started out as a rapper and I used to write lyrics for my homies so I slowed it down a bit and realized that I liked R&B better. I started writing about my life experiences and it just kept getting better and better. As far as producing, I started out with a program called Fruity Loops. I think every producer has heard of that program! I was just messing around with it and just started creating my own beats.

2. Your work seems to have some diverse influences behind it, from current hip hop music to 1980s pop. When you sit down and write today, who are the artists that continue to inspire you?

There's quite a few but Michael Jackson, James Brown, Prince, Genuine, and Usher are a few that I would like to acknowledge.

3. What is the music scene like in Dallas, and how has that influenced your work?

The music scene in Dallas is actually starting to really open up. It's always been here--it's just knowing who, what, when, where, and why and being in the right place at the right time.

4. What projects are you taking on in 2017?

My new album is coming out in January 2017, as well as a tour to introduce my new album "On To The Next," a feature part as an artist trying to make it in the music business in a movie called "Caught Up" by Sharon's Revelatory Productions, as well as performing on the 2017 The Experience Factor Cruise on Carnival.

5. For readers who haven't heard your music before, what would you like them to know about it, and what song or album of yours would you suggest that they listen to first?

My music is about relationships and life experiences and is typically written so that people can relate to and really feel and be inspired by it. I love to paint vivid stories in my music so that you not only hear the music but you can close your eyes and see it also.

The album I would suggest they listen to first is "The Prelude." This album gives you a peek into what my music is all about. It's a prelude of what's to come. It's all about feeling good and just enjoying and being able to relate to my music. My next album "On To The Next" showcases the level I am on now in my career.

Thanks, J-Hen!

Meet Rich Marcello, Author

Rich Marcello is the author of three novels, The Color of Home, The Big Wide Calm, and, most recently, The Beauty of the Fall. He also writes poems and songs, and teaches writing at Seven Bridges' Writer Collaborative. He previously had a long and successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.

Learn more by visiting http://richmarcello.com. You can also find the author on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SoundCloud.

1. What gave you the idea to write The Beauty of the Fall?

When I started the novel three years ago, I was interested in writing about technology as a healer and a community builder. There are many good novels out there about the evils of technology, but few, if any, about technology companies that bring about positive social change. The idea of using technology to enable true democracy, as opposed to the slew of representative democracies in existence today, intrigued me. The events in the world this last year­­–--the rise of fake news, populism, racism, and sexism--confirmed that I was one the right track. However, as my protagonist, Dan Underlight, emerged, I realized I was actually writing a redemption story. Once I was clear on that point, the themes broadened out to include non-violence, trust, honor, forgiveness, and simplicity.

2. How did your past experience as a technology executive come into play in shaping some of the aspects of the novel?

I spent many years in tech running different kinds of hardware and software businesses. Even though the technology used in the company Dan starts, Conversationworks, is beyond the industry's current capabilities, I wanted the feel of CW to be as real as possible. I spent a lot of time speaking with technology executives, many of them friends, to make sure the business scenes were authentic. And yes, I drew on my experience, especially around the norms of a healthy company.

3. What are some of the challenges you experienced in writing about grief?

The Beauty of the Fall is, at its core, about grief. That's why it was important for me to spend so much time developing Dan's inner life. I wanted to show, through his actions and his thoughts, what he was going through as descended further into his grief. At the same time, I wanted to show Dan ascending through his work at CW. Getting the balance right between the ascent and the descent was the hardest part of writing the book.

4. How does being a poet inform or enrich your prose writing?

I think it mostly informs at the sentence and phrase level. There are days when the poet in me takes over in a given scene, and I spend hours making sure the words I'm using have the right level of poetry in them. A number of my writer friends are also poets, and we seem to all agree that our best writing happens when poetry and prose meld together.

5. Do you see the fictional companies in your novel, RadioRadio and Conversationworks, as offering a commentary on the social media and/or tech climate of the moment?

Yes. I think many companies, particularly in America, have lost their focus. They're too focused on profit and quarterly results and have lost their way when it comes to the customers, communities, and employees they should serve. RadioRadio is the composite of many of these broken companies. On the other hand, I tried to show Conversationworks as a company of the future, one that better balances customer needs, communities, employees, and profits. I'm a firm believer that a revolution in business is coming, and it will be leaders like Dan Underlight, and companies like Conversationworks that lead the way.

Thanks, Rich!

Meet Seraphim Aun Weor, Musician and Film Director

Seraphim Aun Weor grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi. Her debut single "You Never Loved Me" delivers a first-hand view of the raw emotional conflict of self-affliction; it's the first of many singles to be released from her studio album, Chaos and Innocence. Other announced single releases are "You're My Biggest Mistake" and an intriguing alternative industrial mix entitled "Make-Up".

Seraphim is also an independent film director, and her latest film, Ünholywood, guides viewers into the mysteries of the forbidden unknown while taking them on the emotional rollercoaster of a downward spiral in a town that lost its wings when bloodshed became a virtue.

Learn more about Seraphim by visiting www.SeraphimAunWeor.com.

1. How would you describe your music to listeners who haven't heard it before?

I have a lot of amazing influences; however I am a bit different in my creations and writings. It takes you back to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" with a twist of Nine Inch Nails. I am a broken Valentine, so my lyrics are colored as such; it could be considered Vamp.

2. What inspired you to form your new band, Deliver Me Up?

I am a rocker chick at heart, and in the past I was a solo artist; during this time, I found it a bit awkward to rock out without a live band backing me up. My shows are dramatically set--think of a dark Katy Perry show as in Creole Voodoo extravagant--but I had no guitar to smash and that bothered me. Hence back to the future I formed Deliver Me Up, and am looking forward to my future world wide tour, "Soul In Tacked".

3. What was the process like for creating your debut album, Chaos and Innocence?

It was a very emotional process as the lyrics mean a lot to me and they shade my past, my present, and my future. Although I am a broken Valentine, I still have joy some how that allows me to create honestly, bringing the listener into my world just for a moment in time. My producer is Jason Charles Miller (Godhead) who is an amazing producer I may add, as I do over write my songs and every studio session turns into a writing session, so you get the short end version of my album Chaos and Innocence.

4. How do you balance your time between music and your filmmaking projects?

Usually I am in the studio twice a week recording or rehearsing which allows me to have a lot of extra time to do my films... I am currently in casting for my new film Unholywood which is an incredible process watching my characters come alive in the auditions. I have cast most of the lead roles already, but am not yet finished with the bit roles; you can follow my films and filming process under Sin Icon Motion Pictures.

5. As someone who has been a solo artist, how has your work evolved through opportunities to collaborate with others, such as your new band?

Collaborating with others such as music artists, this is very much in my near future and I am extremely excited about that for Deliver Me Up. I am in the treatment creating process for my new music video, "You Never Loved Me," in which we are certain it will open up a lot of doors and new opportunities in music. For all enquiries for me to collaborate with another artist or be featured on another artist track, please contact my publicist Domenick Nati.

Thanks, Seraphim!

Meet Gideon Smith, Musician

Based in North Carolina, Gideon Smith got his start singing in rock bands in 1989, and he founded Gideon Smith & The Dixie Damned in 1996. His music is classic rock, psychedelic bluesy retro rock music. His songs have been featured on television and film, including placements on well-known shows like The Sopranos and Sons of Anarchy. He's influenced by sixties and seventies rock, and he also loves anthropology, studying world religions, archery, yoga, etc. He focuses on the positive!

Check out www.gideonsmith.net for much more about Gideon and his music.

1. As someone who has lived in many countries and is an avid reader of texts from many cultures, what do you see as the key influences on your work when you sit down to write a song?

Hail and how're you? Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I celebrate and enjoy many cultures that bring knowledge, inspiration, peace, power and beauty to my life. When I create art, whatever the style or theme may be, it all figures in there somewhere. My music may be seen as southern American rock and roll for the most part, but I believe music belongs to us all and is universal. Rock music and blues came from the southern states, but music is ancient with tribal rhythm, singing, poetry and lyrics which know no singular time or culture, so all of it comes together with any songwriting. As people are the sum of every experience they have ever had, creating art of any form can come anything they have experienced in whatever way that had an effect on their life. As for southern America, blues singing or rhythms, things like that, actually come from many cultures and blended here into music people identify with the culture. Mountain folk tend to enjoy bluegrass or Celtic/Irish sounding music, but also there are reggae bands way up in the Appalachians. Beach music tends to be island sounding, and swampy southern music like you'd hear in New Orleans ranges from blues to zydeco, jazz and very heavy metal. I think without exception, tribal drumming calls everyone and people like to dance or sing: it strikes with passion and excitement, and it's all part of the way nature takes control over the listener. Way back to ancient Greece, the god Pan with his pipes and forest stories, Apollo with his lyre, mermaids and nymphs singing. Women love music and dance, and men love beauty and rhythm which brings out their sense of passion but also empowers their strength like a war chant.

2. Do you feel that your music keeps changing over time, and on the other side of the coin, do you see any constants or themes in your work?

Yes I do, each piece I have done has captured the time period and moment and the next definitely changes and grows like the next chapter, or just a few new pages of a book. Some of it is of course similar, but also there are no walls around my music, so I just play what makes me happy or comes out. While I have always just created without calculation, I also have made a point when necessary that my music would not be painted in a corner so to speak that I was only known for one thing over and over. All artists should be free to be real natural and create as allows and they are inspired. But yes, I think if you dig what I do, for the most part, all my music runs like a river a listener may be familiar with, and it becomes like a well-loved old friend you just have different conversations with but it remains the same you knew and loved to begin with. I try not to look back on my music history too much--there are hard times I’m glad I left behind and happier ones I’m thankful I had. But one must always look ahead and keep creating with eyes on an awesome today and tomorrow.

3. How did you break into having your music on TV and in movies?

The first big show one of my songs was on was The Sopranos, and I am so thankful for that. I think at the time my music was just spreading around a lot in Europe and the USA, and after that happened, it opened a new avenue in the music industry I had previously never even thought about. I had always concentrated on shows and recording albums not necessarily other forms of media entertainment industry, so after that I became aware of all the awesome ways my music can reach people if you expand your vision and work very hard, and work only and always with professional people who have your best interests at heart. It opened the world for me that way, and so music just expanded in my life beyond shows in my area or recording for a specific fan base. I'm so thankful my music has been in film and television and equally thankful for people who knew me otherwise, I give them all the same music and gratitude. Artists should treat their fans well: if you're a rock star or indie musician or whatever, it's an exalted gift, the position to provide music for the world. Big love for everybody who supports what I do and all the good you send my way.

4. What projects are you currently working on, and do you have any plans for 2017 that you want to share?

I have several side projects going. One is my doom metal band which is very heavy called Cemetery Crows--it is doom metal, gothic rock, psychedelic heavy music. I have a few others on the way in the future, too, and my usual music which is known under my name. In 2017 I hope to release new records and eventually get back to performing live when the stars align.

5. For other musicians and indie writers/artists who are looking to find wider exposure for their work, what's your advice?

I would say don't pay attention to trends, as in worry over what's popular right now. Make your own trends and be yourself, and don't try and imitate something you see is popular exactly right now because the people who created that did so a few years ago. Make the trends and stand your ground. You have to be yourself to make your mark. Don't get too caught up in social media. Social media is a great communication tool, and for an artist networking and promoting your band is important on some levels, but it's also a huge sea of completely lost people vying for fleeting attention and recognition. I think it can be very unhealthy to be too preoccupied with it, personally and as a musician. Don't let social media run your life.

I think if artists focus on their songwriting, delivering their best live performances, working on their instrument and singing, they will gain recognition. Put yourself out there, and just don't follow the crowd or you're just a number in a "scene." Take the road less traveled and make your own path. All of the greats in any field carved their name by being original, so don't seek to imitate. Look inside, not outside, and write songs. Recognition will come if what you give is emotionally pure and high quality. On a work ethics level: work hard but more importantly work smart. The industry itself can be a strange place full of tricky smoke and mirrors, so keep your eyes ahead and sing from your heart. Minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. Treat everyone you deal with with dignity. Treat them well on all levels and deliver great music, and you will be respected. If people you deal with treat you badly, rid yourself of them and keep moving. The best way to succeed is to be real, work hard, and keep your heart pure while you're doing it. The rest will unfold as it should.

Thank you for the great interview and wishing you well, friend. Follow your heart to the adventures of tomorrow.

Thanks, Gideon!

Meet Doug Cash, Musician

Doug Cash is a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and performer. He is the President of Pryor 2 What ? Records, and owner of Pryor 2 What ? Music Publishing. His work is heavily influenced by Sly & the Family Stone, the Beatles, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Yes. He was raised on big band (Basie, Ellington, Miller, Goodman) and bebop (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk). In his own words: "I was groovin' with the muse before I could walk."

Listen to samples of Doug Cash's music and learn more about him by visiting http://dougcashmusic.com.

1. How did you first get started playing music?

I was inspired by The Beatles to become a singer songwriter. Namely seeing John Lennon playing "Hide Your Love Away."

2. As someone who has a lot of different musical influences, how have you found your own sound as an artist?

While in high school, I wrote a song called "You Ought to See You." I knew I had reached a new plateau. That's when my sound was born. It took a few years, but I knew it when I heard it. My own voice!

3. What inspired you to start Pryor 2 What? records?

It was all about owning the publishing so I could negotiate with the industry as a label.

4. What projects have you worked on lately that you're most excited about?

I just released my newest compilation, Singer/Songwriter, featuring the singles "Emotional Treason" and "You Wept for Yourself." I've also released a new blues single "Not Waiting."

5. As an artist who has spent many years balancing a "day job" with pursuing your music, how do you keep finding the energy and motivation to produce the work that you love?

Like many musicians, I know what it is to raise a family, while working a full time job, plus producing and recording in the studio, performing on stage, and trying to nail a contract. That was me in my 20s. Many moons ago. I'm now in the fortunate position to be able to focus on my label, write in multiple genres, and pitch to licensing agencies for television, film, games, and commercials.

Thanks, Doug!

Meet Ed Roman, Musician and Songwriter

Ed Roman is an award-winning singer/songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist from Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. Blurring the lines between pop, rock, folk, and country music genres, Ed's uniquely crafted songs have received regular rotation on more than 100 terrestrial radio stations across North America. Ed is a 2014 Artists Music Guild Award Nominee and a 2014 Artists In Music Award Nominee. He is also a 2014 International Music and Entertainment Association Award Winner. His current album, Letters From High Latitudes (an homage to his Ontario home) is a critically-acclaimed vehicle for Ed's socio-political, earthly-conscious, and globally-aware messages. This earthy, funky, and magical mix of music has earned Ed Roman airplay chart recognition and won over legions of fans around the world, known as Ed Heads. Learn more about Ed by checking out his website, EdRoman.net.

1. What inspires you to write a song, and did anything in particular inspire you as you worked on your latest album?

First off, let me say thank you for having me today, and it's a pleasure to speak with you.

It's really hard to pinpoint what inspires you to write a song as there are so many things that propel us into an emotional framework of thinking. I'm continually inspired, moved, and enlightened by so many things I see from day-to-day. Not only other people's lives but my own. I am greatly inspired by things that affect our habits of living, the things we do and don't understand about other people including ourselves. I'm very passionate about politics, agriculture, and the state of the human condition. In the day and age that we live in, it is essential to feel passionate about the circumstances that we love and the things that bring us to anger, then to take action. These two extremes are like a melting pot of emotional thinking.

A song like "I Told You So" on my new album Letters From High Latitudes is posing metaphors that are asking questions about where the commodities that we consume come from and how they are manufactured, to the political discourse and state of corporate federal politics that overrides, in many cases, civilian rights and freedoms. Because I study politics and come from a very political background, I can understand how these subtle changes have occurred over a long period of time and yet in our existence of human civilization, a blink of an eye. I feel most connected to my music when I'm singing and playing about things that matter not only to me but to my fellow brothers and sisters.

2. Considering that you play 90% of the instruments on Letters From High Latitudes, would you tell us what your recording process was like?

That's true, and on much of the music or songs, I play a little bit of everything. Of course, I play bass because that's my primary instrument, but also drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, and the multitude of squeaks and whistles that are more like icing on the cake.

I played with so many wonderful musicians, including Chris Taggart, Antony Cook, David Patel, Michael Freedman, and Tobias Tinker. In our own right, we have created some incredible recordings, but at the same time, music is more like a candy store of limitless possibilities. So many musicians I know, including the ones that I've mentioned, all dabble on different instruments, and it's a really healthy way for you to release yourself from the things you're always working on with your principal instrument.

As I have my own studio, Area 51, it's very easy for me, day-to-day, to experiment with different instruments in my audio laboratory, more like a mad scientist hidden in an old airplane hangar on some distant field in a forgotten forest. As I'm writing the songs, they themselves are the ones that tell me how the music needs to unfold in the recording process. As I am a composer, I can start to see how music needs to be painted, so to speak. Some of the music, because of its construction, requires a band in a live off the floor process. It's important to try to capture these electric moments as they happen as opposed to a sound on sound recording that you can build over the course of the day or period of time. I always love interacting with other musicians and love getting other people's opinions on the flow, rhythm, and textural colors that make up the overall tapestry of the song.

3. How does your connection to Ontario influence your work as an artist?

Ontario is the birth canal of my life. I was fortunate enough to have a rural childhood which included long summer days spent by creeks, catching fish, and taking endless bike rides without the worry and troubles of an inner-city whether it was building tree forts in the woods or building tightly woven constructions of corn to make fortresses in our fields. We lived symbiotically on our farm with our animals in our environment on almost 1500 acres.

Ontario breathes more like an abundant basket of life, energy, and hard work. As kids we pushed ourselves in every environment when it came to art and being creative: music coursed through Ontario and us. It was infectious to the point of a complete embrace. So many people that I knew in late grade school and all through high school all played instruments of some kind. Whether it was Sadie Hawkins dances, battle of the bands, assemblies, or hours on a frozen pond at local carnivals or fall fairs, music was a part of our DNA and Ontario. Its abundance of freedoms and abilities to create at whim is what fueled us as young artists.

Today once again in Ontario and the country of Canada, all those things which I just mentioned that I hold so dear need to be protected and preserved for all Canadians and Ontario's people to enjoy once again. It propels me to take action in my language and lyrics and music that I write to try and reinvigorate people's emotions and passions when it comes to the things that we are most concerned about. I write about pharmacological acts, bills, and Parliament that affect the civil rights and freedoms of not only people in Ontario but in this country. My guitar is the greatest and most powerful weapon that I can wield in a passionate and pure way towards these concepts every day of my life.

4. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?

That's a great question, and as I'm always being asked by so many people who have not heard my music, you need to be able to explain what that is in very few words. I could say my music is thought-provoking and has elements of satire and humor. I could say my music has a bulky and funky edge that is reminiscent of things of the past yet the same time has a new and innovative feel. I could say my music is political commentary on the day and age that we live in. I could say my music has elements of folk, rock, jazz, country, progressive, or even funk; but if I had to say in a few words, it's like a 57 Chevy blowing up in your kitchen.

5. What projects are you planning to work on over the next year or so?

Letters From High Latitudes has been doing extremely well over the last year, and as I've been doing interviews, TV appearances, and a whole whack of radio, I also have been releasing videos the whole time. The latest video for the track "I Found God" has been doing extremely well and getting a lot of plays as well as being embraced in social networking by a great a deal of socially consciously active people.

I'm planning a trip to the island of Jamaica to record my next video. Letters From High Latitudes features the song "Jamaica," and as I have a godchild and incredible amount of friends and newfound family, I plan to shoot a video and release it sometime in the month of May or early June. At the same time, I've also been doing a lot of writing, and I'm planning to embark on a new recording project for a new album that will be released sometime in late 2015.

I'm also headed down to Austin, Texas to play at the Red Gorilla Music Festival, running parallel to SXSW. The band and I will be at the Thirsty Nickel on 6th street in the heart of beautiful downtown Austin, smack dab in the middle of the festival. We will be on at 7 PM. Then we're down in New Jersey in Cape May on 27th of March for the Cape May Music Folk Festival. I'll be playing at the beautiful old Alethea's at the Inn of Cape May.

Once again, thank you so much for having me, and it's a pleasure to be able to speak with you today. If you're listening to Ed, then you are an Ed Head. Come by and check me out anytime at www.edroman.net. Over and out.

Thanks, Ed!

Meet Alanna Lin Ramage a.k.a. FASCINOMA, Singer and Songwriter

Alanna Lin Ramage a.k.a. FASCINOMA is an Asian-American (Taiwanese), LA-based (originally from OH), folk-pop, singer / songwriter who will be releasing an ten-track album featuring Beatles classics such as "Something" and "And I Love Her" under the auspices of a project reportedly dictated by an alter-ego named Chairmeowww. She has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help her bring the album to completion (mastering, videos, promotion, etc).

You may also recognize her work from FOX'S animated TV show American Dad which included her song, "I'm Walking This Road Because You Stole My Car (Don't Go)," in the episode, "Choosey Wives Choose Smith" in 2008.

1. As someone who didn't encounter The Beatles' music until you were an adult, how did you respond to it when you first heard it? 

I liked it! Who doesn't like the Beatles? I actually did hear some Beatles growing up. In movies and TV commercials, etc. They just weren't a part of my parents' record collection, because my parents are Taiwanese immigrants... who didn't like the Beatles I guess?

2. What inspired you to do a Beatles cover album, and how did you choose the songs for the album? 

I have an alter-ego named Chairmeowww who suggested it to me as an interesting challenge for me because I didn't grow up in an normal American household (if there is such a thing), and I wasn't that familiar with their music. It was also question of how do you take something that's everyone's and make it your own?

My friends Joey Maramba (who played bass), and Mike Corwin (who played guitar and Wurlitzer on the album), both know me well and sent over CDs with the tracks they thought I should do, and in the end they determined what got recorded for the album. We had a Beatles songbook and some lyric sheets so I could look at the words of some of the songs I had never seen before.

3. Why did you decide on Kickstarter as the means of funding the completion of the album/videos? 

I like the word "Kickstarter" because it brings to mind being kicked in the ass. 

4. As an independent artist, how do you balance a "day job" with finding the time to create music? 

I've changed my concept of time. :) You don't need a lot of time to be inspired every day. It's nice if you have all day, but if you do have to work or make ends meet, you need a creative life (sometimes only a few minutes a day of writing / reading), and people always says this--but a deadline is very important. It can help make things materialize that would otherwise just stay in the ether indefinitely.

5. If you could tell people just three things about yourself to help them get to know you, what would you say? 

1. FASCINOMA is pronounced like "fascinate" and "carcinoma" mixed together.   2. I grew up in Cleveland, OH: the home of rock n’ roll. 3. My favorite book for 2014 was called The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. If you want to time travel and mind travel, it's an amazing experience.

Thanks, Alanna!

Meet King, Lead Vocalist and Guitarist of Happiness to Life

King is the lead vocalist and guitarist with Happiness to Life, a Florida-based band which has just completed its first indie pop/rock studio album. King grew up in New York and moved to Lakeland, Florida in 2000, where he studied to become a nationally certified massage therapist. Look for Happiness to Life's album on Amazon and Google Play in October!

1. Would you tell us a little bit about your new band, Happiness to Life?

I just finished our first studio album. I am grateful to have formed my new band, and at this point in time, the band consists of: myself as lead vocalist and lead guitar, a bass player, a drummer, a keyboardist, and a rhythm guitar player. All the musicians in the band are hired members at this moment. We are rehearsing the songs a couple times weekly in preparation before we hit the road.

2. How did the band form?

Originally the band was formed with one person: me. Gradually I started to hire the band members.

3. When it comes to writing songs, what's your process like?

For me, there is no exact formula. A lyric or a melody might pop into my head, and I can use that as a starting point for a song, or I can sit down and concentrate only on writing lyrics or writing the musical structure.

4. How do you balance your music career with your work as a massage therapist?

I took a long break from music. I dedicated a lot of time to my therapy work, and I achieved my objectives. Now my main focus is strictly on my music. On my days off, every now and then, I can do a little therapy work.

5. Why do you feel that you are drawn to creating music with positive, uplifting messages?

As I enter into a higher state of consciousness, I begin to realize that my word is my life, and my feeling is my life because I choose to create them. I can send my word or my feeling to any part of the universe. It will travel, and it will stretch out, and then my word or my feeling will come back to me. Why? Because I am the creator, and this is a very simple universal law whether we are conscious or ignorant of it. So therefore, I decide if I have to say something, I would rather say something that is constructive, positive, and uplifting .

Thanks, King!

Meet Bianca Hendy, Musician and Songwriter

Bianca Hendy is 21-year-old musician and songwriter from Adelaide, Australia. Bianca's guitar skills and warming vocal talents complement each other perfectly to bring a raw and natural sound. Check out her work on SoundCloud, and follow her on Facebook.

1. Have you been interested in music since you were a small child, or did your interest come later?

Yeah, my interest sparked at a pretty young age. However, it wasn't till I was a bit older when I had the guts to be able to perform.

2. Who are some guitarists who have influenced you in developing your own style?

Um, that's a hard question as there's so many possibilities. Tom DeLonge was always up there.

3. As a songwriter, what's your process for writing a new song?

Well, normally I just pick up my guitar, start playing something random, and then sing along to it. I'm terrible as I never write anything down, so a lot of my songs get lost somewhere in the back of my mind.

4. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?

I'd describe it as a story: every song has a story behind it. It's normally based on someone I've come across and their story or my own.

5. What plans do you have for the next year or so in terms of releasing new music or live performances/touring?

Well, I'm currently in the process of working on my new ep titled "Cheap Rumours," and once that's done, we'll go from there!

Thanks, Bianca!

Meet Rich Marcello, Author

Rich Marcello is a contemporary fiction author, poet, and songwriter. He worked for many years as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies. During his time in technology, he never stopped creating art, and eventually his love for song and the written word grew to the point where he walked away from his first career to pursue poetry, song, and fiction with the same enthusiasm and discipline he demonstrated in business. Rich has published two novels, The Big Wide Calm and The Color of Home. Born in New Jersey, he lives in New England.

1. Reading about your novels, I like that your lead characters are artists. How do you choose your characters' professions and other key details about their lives?

Because I've been around the arts all of my life, either through songwriting, poetry, or over the last four years, writing novels, I tend to include at least one character in each novel who is an artist. In the first and second novels, I chose musicians. In the third, one of the main characters is a poet. It's a way for me to write, at least in part, from something I know and love well. The artists in my novels tend to be surrounded by folks who are not traditionally artistic which provides lots of contrast.

2. What inspired you to leave your job in technology and pursue your writing career?

Back in college, my English professor told me he would teach me to write novels if I switched majors from engineering and business to English. I was broke, so I stayed with engineering and business, but the desire to write remained with me all of my technology years. A number of years ago, I got the idea to write three novels about different kinds of love, and decided to leave everything technology-wise behind and go for it. It was the best decision of my life. The Color of Home, about romantic love, came out in 2013. The Big Wide Calm, at its core about platonic love, was just released. And The Beauty of the Fall will hopefully be out next year. After that, I have ideas for ten novels floating around, and plan to write for the rest of my life.

3. How does your previous experience in songwriting carry over into your current work as a novelist?

In two ways. First, I sometimes write about the songwriting process in my books. How one goes about creating a song is a process many people have not seen in detail, so it adds richness and authenticity to the main characters. Second, because songwriting is in part about conveying emotion and about the beauty of a phrase, I try to carry that over in my novels. Sometimes I'll spend an hour just on one sentence trying to get the words just right. With that said, because the first two novels had musicians in them, I've decided not to include any in The Beauty of the Fall.

4. What do you find most fun--and most challenging--about writing novels?

I like the process of writing every day first thing in the morning. When I wake up, it's loads of fun to start with a blank page and create something new. But not just that. I really love all aspects of writing. Creating something new. Re-writing. Word-smithing a sentence or phrase. Plotting. Pacing. Becoming a character for a time. All of it. The most challenging part is knowing I can only write five hours each day. After that, I'm toast. I have so much to write about, I wish I could up my hours. Smile.

5. What do you see as your goals as an artist over the next few years?

I'll finish The Beauty of the Fall. After that, I'll just keep going and write the next novel. I tend to love literary fiction, so I'll probably keep writing novels with which focus on truth, honesty, kindness, compassion, and love. Or more accurately, how folks intentionally and unintentionally have a hard time living their lives in those things.

Thanks, Rich!

Meet Rylei Franks, Singer, Songwriter, and Musician

Rylei Franks is a singer and songwriter living in Soap Lake, Washington who was previously in a band called Solution Zero. He split from the band to write his own songs in a different genre. Rylei is 24 and can play the piano, saxophone, and guitar. Keep up with Rylei's latest on Facebook and ReverbNation.

1. What's it like living in Soap Lake, and how does your environment influence your songwriting?

Soap Lake is a small town but with an amazing view. With lots of little places to escape to, I feel Soap Lake is one of the best towns if you want to write. People spend a lot to have the kind of retreat I get every day.

2. When did you first start learning to play an instrument, and do you have a favorite instrument to play, or do you enjoy all three equally?

I started playing piano at 10 years old; it wasn't my favorite instrument to learn in the world, but it taught me how to read music and understand how songs can be created so differently. I'm best at playing the saxophone, but my favorite instrument to write songs on is the guitar.

3. Do you feel a big difference between being part of a band and working on your solo projects?

There are some good things and bad things about being in a band as a part of going solo. I miss the camaraderie, and when writing a song, having someone who is skilled with that instrument makes it easier to create complex songs. Being solo I find it harder to write musically challenging songs because I have to be able to perform them on stage, so playing and singing which can be difficult. The one good thing is only having to worry about yourself. I took on the manager roll in the band which took a lot of fun out of it.

4. How would you describe your music to people who haven't heard it yet? Does it fall into a particular genre and/or have connections to other artists that people might recognize?

I describe my music as Indie acoustic rock. I try to write songs that tell life stories; they're not always chart toppers, but they're real about real life as well. If I had to describe myself by comparison with another artist I would say Thriving Ivory for the lyrics and voice, with Ingrid Michelson's melodies and instrumentals. Every once in a while I dabble into other genres like the feel of Never Shout Never as well.

5. What are your goals for your music over the next couple of years?

I truly want to be a songwriter. Right though my goal is to travel and try to make a name for myself. I want to share my music with anyone who will give a listening ear to my songs. Anything that leads to a musical career would be great.

Thanks, Rylei!