Zac Brown's new group "Sir Rosevelt" - Harsh Comments
Sept 30, 2016 13:59:12 GMT -5
Post by sabre14 on Sept 30, 2016 13:59:12 GMT -5
Zac Brown surprised fans with a new Pop trio side group named Sir Rosevelt and released three new tracks by the group. The group includes Niko Moon and Ben Simonetti.
From Billboard:
But here's the comment that takes a direct shot at non-artists opinions of Zac's music:
And this piece:
From Billboard:
Country star Zac Brown dropped a surprise on fans this morning: three tracks by new project Sir Rosevelt, a trio featuring with Niko Moon and Ben Simonetti that combines southern pop with dance grooves.
Partly inspired by watching artists like Jack U, the dance music super pairing that unites Skrillex and Diplo, Brown says he has found an outlet to explore styles and sounds that go beyond the roots foundation that multi-platinum Zac Brown Band -- which, he reassures, isn't going anywhere and in fact has a new album on the way -- is known for.
In his first interview on Sir Rosevelt, Brown explains the origins of the trio, how the band fits into his musical pantheon and why he is excited to stretch beyond the country bucket.
When you have played Sir Rosevelt for people do they know itās you?
Some people do, some people donāt. Itās fun, we get to explore all the other influences that we like and I think itās just got a lot more international appeal. Itās not shoved in a bucket like country music is.
Is there a song that defined the sound of this record early on?
When we started creating it we got the first few tunes done and we were literally dancing around the bus excited about it. We just kept going and going and evolving, getting better at it as time went on. And the songs were better too. Then when we had a few people that came on the bus and heard it they were like, āWhoa.ā So itās been very reactive, people liked it a lot. I played it in all different walks of life. I played it for my super hick buddies I go camping with and [they] were straight white people dancing to it.
Are there artists that you admire in the way they have evolved?
We started listening to Jack U, Diplo and Skrillex, and I love listening to that music. So both of those guys and their production styles, I can definitely say the more EDM style was influenced by them and Avicii, DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, people that are a little more open with sounds and borrow from different vocalists. There are three of us that sing in Sir Rosevelt, so it allows us to come from different angles on the vocals. Weāll be able to play a residency in Vegas and weāll be able to do late-night TV, weāll be able to play with a big band as well. There are really no rules for it. We had kind of an absurd song on the record called āRobert Baker,ā and that might end up being one of the most popular songs because there are no rules to it. Curiosity as artists leads us to different things and different places and I think this will go a lot of places ZBB hasnāt gone.
Are there songs youāre excited to play live?
āSunday Finest,ā we just shot the video for that, itās going to be really amazing. The image campaign for Sir Rosevelt and all that stuff, itās just different. Sir Rosevelt is a little more of a persona and we dress up, three-piece Tom Ford suits and itās a little more refined visually. I want our stage performance to be art as well, so youāre entertained by the music and helping make people dance. But youāre also intrigued and what youāre looking at is very interesting, the fact we can perform and sing live is going to be a big strength compared to a normal DJ.
Are there artists that have really inspired the visual and stage show?
Absolutely, the people like David Gilmore, Pink Floyd, that there was this art that was happening with the build in the live performance of the show, David Byrne and Talking Heads. Visually a lot of the electronic artists have really interesting video and interesting things like that. We want to bring something really fresh to the table for what accompanies our live performance. Weāre definitely gonna have dancers and have that energy onstage. And there are gonna be props as well, theyāll be part of the art.
Does having both projects stimulate you more musically?
Absolutely, it was necessary because after I played 90 something shows last year I was really burnt playing the majority of the same songs every night. This gave me a feeling like I had the first time I ever had a band and we were in a garage playing music together, the first time two or three instruments lock together and people start singing. Thereās no fluff on the Sir Rosevelt record. Theyāre all really good in different veins, different colors and stories. Youāre having a party, put this record on.
What do you take from this record and what did you learn from it?
Itās definitely looking at a timeline when we go back and listen to where we started and the stuff that we were excited about really early on are kind of our least favorite now. I feel like reflectively when we look back that thereās a lot more to come, that we can do a lot more and develop this live show. Just for example, the video we made for āSundayās Finestā is the greatest music video that Iāve ever made. Weāll be somewhere between a DJ and a live band and I think we do both of those things well.
Will we ever see ZBB and Sir Rosevelt share a bill?
Yeah, absolutely, and also weāve paid for all that production with Zac Brown Band, itād be easy for Sir Rosevelt to play the after party because somebody is gonna go drink somewhere anyway.
Who would be the dream artists to do remixes off this album?
Definitely Sonny, Iād love have Skrillex on this stuff. Iāve already hit Diplo up about it, Iāve been waiting to hear back from him. Drake would be another guy weād love to work with one day and then DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, there are just a bunch of them that make legitimate music like that.
What is the timeline for when people will hear this?
Well, pretty soon. First weāre gonna announce the new Zac Brown Band record thatās coming because I donāt want anybody to be running around scared that Iāve quit my band. So this is just another brand thatās exploring a different sound and music, a lot more world-type stuff too. You canāt really take Zac Brown Band and go play Germany and Switzerland because when weāre forced to be called something, which people generally call us a country band, it closes the doors in some places. Even though our touring is unrivaled and weāve been extremely blessed in those categories this wonāt have that kind of stigma to it. Itās hard to crossover once some people coin you as something, so it would take a different persona like this for us to get a fresh look in other areas.
Where would be the ultimate party to play this and the scenario with which you are doing it?
Coachella, a lot of the big festivals, Bonnaroo. We want to do it with some ZBB shows. After it gets established and people know what it is ZBB can finish playing at 10:30, 11 and Sir Roosevelt would go on from 11:30 to 1:30 and we get to use all the big toys, all the big production and speakers and our crowd. The live show needs to be bonkers and fun and beautiful. This will bring people that would never even give Zac Brown Band a chance, never even open the door to it. Weāre going straight back to our roots with this next Zac Brown Band record, straight back to the foundation of where we started with that and then Sir Rosevelt is gonna come out. Itās gonna be interesting to see but I donāt see any of our fans that love what we do not loving Sir Rosevelt. Theyāre not losing Zac Brown Band, theyāre gaining Sir Rosevelt.
Partly inspired by watching artists like Jack U, the dance music super pairing that unites Skrillex and Diplo, Brown says he has found an outlet to explore styles and sounds that go beyond the roots foundation that multi-platinum Zac Brown Band -- which, he reassures, isn't going anywhere and in fact has a new album on the way -- is known for.
In his first interview on Sir Rosevelt, Brown explains the origins of the trio, how the band fits into his musical pantheon and why he is excited to stretch beyond the country bucket.
When you have played Sir Rosevelt for people do they know itās you?
Some people do, some people donāt. Itās fun, we get to explore all the other influences that we like and I think itās just got a lot more international appeal. Itās not shoved in a bucket like country music is.
Is there a song that defined the sound of this record early on?
When we started creating it we got the first few tunes done and we were literally dancing around the bus excited about it. We just kept going and going and evolving, getting better at it as time went on. And the songs were better too. Then when we had a few people that came on the bus and heard it they were like, āWhoa.ā So itās been very reactive, people liked it a lot. I played it in all different walks of life. I played it for my super hick buddies I go camping with and [they] were straight white people dancing to it.
Are there artists that you admire in the way they have evolved?
We started listening to Jack U, Diplo and Skrillex, and I love listening to that music. So both of those guys and their production styles, I can definitely say the more EDM style was influenced by them and Avicii, DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, people that are a little more open with sounds and borrow from different vocalists. There are three of us that sing in Sir Rosevelt, so it allows us to come from different angles on the vocals. Weāll be able to play a residency in Vegas and weāll be able to do late-night TV, weāll be able to play with a big band as well. There are really no rules for it. We had kind of an absurd song on the record called āRobert Baker,ā and that might end up being one of the most popular songs because there are no rules to it. Curiosity as artists leads us to different things and different places and I think this will go a lot of places ZBB hasnāt gone.
Are there songs youāre excited to play live?
āSunday Finest,ā we just shot the video for that, itās going to be really amazing. The image campaign for Sir Rosevelt and all that stuff, itās just different. Sir Rosevelt is a little more of a persona and we dress up, three-piece Tom Ford suits and itās a little more refined visually. I want our stage performance to be art as well, so youāre entertained by the music and helping make people dance. But youāre also intrigued and what youāre looking at is very interesting, the fact we can perform and sing live is going to be a big strength compared to a normal DJ.
Are there artists that have really inspired the visual and stage show?
Absolutely, the people like David Gilmore, Pink Floyd, that there was this art that was happening with the build in the live performance of the show, David Byrne and Talking Heads. Visually a lot of the electronic artists have really interesting video and interesting things like that. We want to bring something really fresh to the table for what accompanies our live performance. Weāre definitely gonna have dancers and have that energy onstage. And there are gonna be props as well, theyāll be part of the art.
Does having both projects stimulate you more musically?
Absolutely, it was necessary because after I played 90 something shows last year I was really burnt playing the majority of the same songs every night. This gave me a feeling like I had the first time I ever had a band and we were in a garage playing music together, the first time two or three instruments lock together and people start singing. Thereās no fluff on the Sir Rosevelt record. Theyāre all really good in different veins, different colors and stories. Youāre having a party, put this record on.
What do you take from this record and what did you learn from it?
Itās definitely looking at a timeline when we go back and listen to where we started and the stuff that we were excited about really early on are kind of our least favorite now. I feel like reflectively when we look back that thereās a lot more to come, that we can do a lot more and develop this live show. Just for example, the video we made for āSundayās Finestā is the greatest music video that Iāve ever made. Weāll be somewhere between a DJ and a live band and I think we do both of those things well.
Will we ever see ZBB and Sir Rosevelt share a bill?
Yeah, absolutely, and also weāve paid for all that production with Zac Brown Band, itād be easy for Sir Rosevelt to play the after party because somebody is gonna go drink somewhere anyway.
Who would be the dream artists to do remixes off this album?
Definitely Sonny, Iād love have Skrillex on this stuff. Iāve already hit Diplo up about it, Iāve been waiting to hear back from him. Drake would be another guy weād love to work with one day and then DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, there are just a bunch of them that make legitimate music like that.
What is the timeline for when people will hear this?
Well, pretty soon. First weāre gonna announce the new Zac Brown Band record thatās coming because I donāt want anybody to be running around scared that Iāve quit my band. So this is just another brand thatās exploring a different sound and music, a lot more world-type stuff too. You canāt really take Zac Brown Band and go play Germany and Switzerland because when weāre forced to be called something, which people generally call us a country band, it closes the doors in some places. Even though our touring is unrivaled and weāve been extremely blessed in those categories this wonāt have that kind of stigma to it. Itās hard to crossover once some people coin you as something, so it would take a different persona like this for us to get a fresh look in other areas.
Where would be the ultimate party to play this and the scenario with which you are doing it?
Coachella, a lot of the big festivals, Bonnaroo. We want to do it with some ZBB shows. After it gets established and people know what it is ZBB can finish playing at 10:30, 11 and Sir Roosevelt would go on from 11:30 to 1:30 and we get to use all the big toys, all the big production and speakers and our crowd. The live show needs to be bonkers and fun and beautiful. This will bring people that would never even give Zac Brown Band a chance, never even open the door to it. Weāre going straight back to our roots with this next Zac Brown Band record, straight back to the foundation of where we started with that and then Sir Rosevelt is gonna come out. Itās gonna be interesting to see but I donāt see any of our fans that love what we do not loving Sir Rosevelt. Theyāre not losing Zac Brown Band, theyāre gaining Sir Rosevelt.
But here's the comment that takes a direct shot at non-artists opinions of Zac's music:
Do you think fans will be accepting of the style switch?
Weāre still gonna make the down the middle music thatās Zac Brown Band. When we cover a Chainsmokers song in our live show with ZBB people are dancing and going crazy. I think itās up to us to make sure what weāre doing has that mojo in it that makes people feel something, regardless of their background. Some people are gonna hate anything, theyāre gonna hate when anybody tries to go or do anything and thatās usually the people who donāt ever create anything themselves. Thatās okay, they can sit and spend their time writing review of other peopleās art when they themselves donāt do anything besides probably still 40 living in the basement waiting on mom to finish dinner to go upstairs and eat.
Weāre still gonna make the down the middle music thatās Zac Brown Band. When we cover a Chainsmokers song in our live show with ZBB people are dancing and going crazy. I think itās up to us to make sure what weāre doing has that mojo in it that makes people feel something, regardless of their background. Some people are gonna hate anything, theyāre gonna hate when anybody tries to go or do anything and thatās usually the people who donāt ever create anything themselves. Thatās okay, they can sit and spend their time writing review of other peopleās art when they themselves donāt do anything besides probably still 40 living in the basement waiting on mom to finish dinner to go upstairs and eat.
Is this a way to make a fresh start out of the country world as a musician and personality?
Yeah, and this is the outlet I get to do that because weāre criticized and given one-star reviews now for people saying this isnāt country. Well, we had to pick one category on iTunes to release our record, we had to pick country. So people got our last record, would listen to āHeavy Is The Head,ā the song we did with Chris Cornell. They would listen to that record, say, āThis isnāt country, one star.ā Its either good or itās not, Iām sick of the country bucket, sick of being in a bucket, hereās Sir Rosevelt.
Yeah, and this is the outlet I get to do that because weāre criticized and given one-star reviews now for people saying this isnāt country. Well, we had to pick one category on iTunes to release our record, we had to pick country. So people got our last record, would listen to āHeavy Is The Head,ā the song we did with Chris Cornell. They would listen to that record, say, āThis isnāt country, one star.ā Its either good or itās not, Iām sick of the country bucket, sick of being in a bucket, hereās Sir Rosevelt.
