Category: Interviews

Randy Jackson Discusses Hollywood Week on ‘American Idol’

This week, the competition on American Idol heats up as the contestants take on the challenges of Hollywood Week. Recently, Idol judge Randy Jackson spoke with various media outlets about how he feels Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are doing during their second season on the show, the new challenges the contestants are facing during Hollywood Week, and whether returning contestants already have the edge on the competition.

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Scotty McCreery Discusses Handling Success and Having Fun on Tour

American Idol season 10 winner Scotty McCreery talks about his latest tour with Brad Paisley.

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Graham Colton Goes Green on His Latest Tour

Singer-songwriter and Oklahoma City native Graham Colton released his latest record, Pacific Coast Eyes Vol. 2, this past October. This new volume of Pacific Coast Eyes includes three new tracks, “Hold Onto My Heart,” “My Resignation,” and “Wide Open Inside,” as well as alternate versions of three previously released tracks.

In support of his latest album, Colton partnered up with CNGnow as a way to advocate for the use of compressed natural gas versus diesel fuel. In addition to driving a CNG-fueled vehicle throughout the tour, the singer-songwriter has been documenting his experience on CNGnow.com.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Colton, who shared with me his decision to embark on a green tour, what keeps him motivated while writing new material, and the benefits of being an independent artist.

What was the inspiration behind doing this green “Go Natural” tour?

Well, I think it started with just the ever-changing landscape of not only the music business, but the touring business, which is how I made my living and connected with my fans for the last almost-eight years now. It’s really hard to not only tour the country by myself, let alone with a band: to pack everyone in the van, trailer, bus, train, plane, whatever you want to call it.

It really started with me trying to investigate ways that I can not only tour the country, but [do so] cost-effectively. And once I started researching, I started thinking about the environmental aspect, and I came across the CNGnow.com website and what natural gas can do for not only our environment and our alliance with foreign oil, and, really, my pocketbook. It’s been kind of a perfect marriage of the two things.

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Carolina Liar’s Chad Wolf Talks Touring and “Going For Broke” on ‘Wild Blessed Freedom’

Chad Wolf, lead singer of Carolina Liar, discusses touring with David Cook and  Gavin DeGraw and the band’s latest album, Wild Blessed Freedom.
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James Durbin Discusses His Debut Record, ‘Memories of a Beautiful Disaster’

On November 21, American Idol season 10 favorite James Durbin released his debut record, Memories of a Beautiful Disaster, on Wind-Up Records.

The 11-track album, produced by the highly acclaimed Howard Benson, is a well-crafted mix of rock music. From the roaring “Higher Than Heaven” to the nod to Aerosmith on “Love in Ruins,” to the power anthem “Stand Up,” 22-year-old Durbin proves to be a real contender in the world of rock.

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Durbin, where we discussed his debut record, which collaborator he’s learned the most from, and what’s coming up next for him.

How does it feel to have all your hard work out there for people to hear?

It feels great. That’s exactly what it was; it was a lot of hard work. I actually finished the vocals on the record in two and half weeks. It was basically singing three songs a day and getting them finished, having to sing each song 15 times or so to really get the right one. That was a lot of wear and tear on my voice, but it was well worth it.

On the release date, were you more anxious or more excited about your record coming out?

Definitely more excited. Before the release, all my fans were counting down the days, and I was counting along with them. It was very, very exciting. I think it’s more exciting to have it out there. I found out today that I sold 28,000 copies my first week. It’s like, wow, you know? This is like the moment of truth. This is what all the hard work paid off for. It wasn’t just having a record out there, it was really seeing the extent of my fan following. It’s so great to know that I sold that many. It’s unbelievable.

So you had a signing in your hometown of Santa Cruz the day your album was released; what was it like being home on your big day?

It was great. Not only that, but one of my favorite things to do is to see all my fans; just to see all my fans face to face, see who’s buying this record, getting to thank them and shake their hand. And be like, “You know what, thank you so much for your love and support. It means so much to me, it means so much to my family.” This has been my dream. And now my dream’s come true. I get to work in music and support myself and support my family in the process. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.

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David Cook Discusses Hitting the Road with ‘This Loud Morning’

David Cook on touring: “I think as long as people want to watch us play, we’ll  keep playing.”
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Q&A with ‘The Sing-Off’s’ Nick Lachey

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, the remaining six groups from the second bracket of the competition will be singing “Radio Hits” and “60’s Classics” for judges, Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds, and Shawn Stockman.

The show’s host, Nick Lachey, recently did a question and answer session with various media outlets, where he spoke about aspects about the show, the judges and contestants, plus his love of acapella music.

What was the decision to expand the competition to 16 groups this season?

We were afforded the opportunity to have a longer season, 11 episodes this year opposed to the five we had last year. So, it just gave us an opportunity to expand the search and expand the audition process and ultimately have more groups compete, which I think is great.

You see, a real diversity between the groups, everything from high schoolers to our first ever rapper on the show, and the old doo-wop guys, North Shore. You’ve got a wide range of acapella represented. And think it’s great we’re able to expand it.

What does Sara bring to the table as a judge?

Sara has been such an absolute joy to around to work with. I think she’s such a brilliant songwriter and musician in her own right, and she brings a wealth of knowledge to the panel. I said this before and I’ll say it again, I think she’s the absolute perfect fit for The Sing-Off is and what The Sing-Off’s all about.

Although you’ve had a solo career after 98 Degrees, do you ever yearn to be a part of a group again after watching these talented acapella groups on The Sing-Off?

Sure, sure yes. It’s a contagious show to be a part of. And I think there’s a camaraderie that comes with being in a group of any kind or a band. And certainly that was true for 98 Degrees. There was a real kind of special brotherly kind of bond that we all shared.

And yes, I miss that. It’s fun to go through those experiences with other people and guys you care about. And so yes, there’s definitely something to be said for being part of a group like that.

How do you feel this year’s groups compare to the previous season’s?

Not to take anything away from previous seasons, but I think the groups this year have been just unbelievable. The talent level across the board is certainly improved this season. And as I said earlier, the diversity of the groups has really I think improved this season.

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Tim Halperin Talks About His Debut Album, ‘Rise and Fall’

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on singer-songwriter Tim Halperin since he appeared on season 10 of American Idol this year, allow me bring you up to speed.

Halperin released his first single, “The Last Song,” in less than a week after not advancing to the Top 13 on Idol. He was recognized by a nationally syndicated radio host, “DJ Kidd Kraddick,” and took part in a Kidd Kraddick in the Morning segment called “Idol Got It Wrong,” where fans could vote on whether his version of an Idol performance was better than the contestant’s version each week. Add in raising $8,000 to make a video for “The Last Song,” a mini-tour and his ongoing work for Komen For the Cure, you could say that Halperin’s managed to keep himself pretty busy so far during his post-Idol career.

On September 26, Halperin spent the final 24 hours of his American Idol contract in “Idol jail” outside a shopping center in Texas, while entertaining 50,000 viewers on USTREAM with live performances of songs from his debut full-length album, Rise and Fall. On September 27, the day after his contract with Idol was up, Rise and Fall was digitally released to iTunes at midnight.

Later that week, Halperin graciously took the time to talk with me about where the idea to go to “Idol jail” came from, his fantastic new album, and what’s coming up next for him.

How was your caged existence on Monday?

[laughs] You know, I see why it’s not fun to be in jail. I did have some fun, though, because my jail wasn’t your typical jail. I had people bringing me Starbucks and coming and hanging out with me and dancing around. I had a piano in jail and for me, that’s not jail at all. It was good. It was long, though. It was very exhausting. I only slept probably 30 minutes during the 26 hours that I was in prison. I really enjoyed it, though.

I had tuned in for an hour or so during the afternoon, and then I tuned back in after your album was released, which was like 9:30-10:00 my time (PST), and you looked so tired by then.

Yeah, the interesting aspect of it is that it was live the whole time. And whenever I have people watching me, I love entertaining people and interacting with people. I felt like I had to entertain and interact with everyone the whole time. Because I’d look and there’d be like 276 people watching, 500 people watching, 400 people watching right now. I’m like, “Oh my gosh!” You know, I thought, This would be like a really good show, like a really good gig to have 500 people sitting there watching me. I can’t waste this time, I can’t waste this opportunity to share my music with people and hang out with people, and talk with people.

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Gavin DeGraw Discusses His New Album, ‘Sweeter’

Gavin DeGraw on his new album: “I really feel that it’s the best piece of art  that I’ve ever been affiliated with.”
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Backstage with ‘American Idol’s’ Stefano Langone

Before the Top 11 contestants from the tenth season of American Idol took the stage at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on July 13, I had the opportunity to sit down for a one-on-one interview with Washington native, Stefano Langone.

Langone and I talked about the current tour, his post-tour plans, and his advice for the American Idol season 11 hopefuls.

How has the tour been going so far?

The tour’s been going great. We’re getting some great reviews. Just trying to establish myself as one of the top-notch performers. Everything’s been working out.

So you tried out for Idol initially in San Francisco, and now you’re performing tonight in the Bay Area, how does it feel to kind of come full circle?

All of my family’s from the Bay Area. I’m really, really pumped to perform tonight. There’s going to be a lot of Langones in the house.

Stefano Langone live in Oakland, CA - credit: Karen DatangelWhat has been the most fulfilling part of the tour so far for you?

Just getting to see the crowd’s reaction, and getting to see the fans after the show. My goal really is to make a name for myself, and really show people who they voted for and just making more fans, you know? Creating a buzz and making sure I establish what I want to do after the show. Unfortunately I didn’t get to pick the songs that I wanted to do, and I didn’t get to perform in the way I wanted to, but I’m taking what I’ve got and I’m making the best of it. I’m going out there and giving great performances and that’s number one.

Having to perform the same set every night on tour, how do you stay amped for each show?

It’s the crowd. The crowd keeps you hyped up; you can always count on that. You can’t get sucked into the, “Ugh, I’m doing this again.” You can’t get sucked into it; you’ve got to realize what you’re doing it for and why you’re here. It’s about the music and about your performances.

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