Hello World!
First off, I would just like to say, that having never written a blog before, I would love any insight, ideas, and criticism regarding this blog. I actually need all of the above. So please comment away!
Basically, I am writing this blog to promote a really fantastic girl I met, Claire and her band "The Gypsy Affliction." I interviewed Claire about her band recently and here are the responses from that interview:
Lauren: How did you start this group?
Claire: I met Cass last year and we decided to move in together. After that,
it just became really natural to play and write music together. we did
a few shows and when it came time to record a few songs last year, we asked our friend Mathew to play drums. he hinted that he would be interested in playing shows with us, so we invited him to be an official Gypsy.
Lauren: How would you describe your sound?
Claire: haha, "blues-infused anti-folk" basically Regina Spector mixed with Pat Benatar. The cool thing about us is we have a great blend for harmonies and diversity of instruments at our disposal.
Lauren: How would you like to be marketed to your target market? Basically,
what do you think your image is?
Claire: I would like to reflect a sort of worldly experience. The name of our band comes from our desire to travel. The affliction is the inability to be content in one place. I always imagine us as contemporary hippies, wandering the country in a
Volkswagen van.
Lauren: Haha, Who do you think your target market is?
Claire: Probably 13-20 yr old girls. I would like to be a band that inspires young musicians and gives them something to aspire to.
Lauren: What types of music inspire you?
Claire: Cass loves Jazz and deerhoof, i am finding my way into soul and funk/rock, and I love folk/country (not the pop country that's on the radio, but authentic southern folk music)Bright Eyes (emo/folk) will always get my creative juices flowing.
Lauren: How do you go about writing your music/ lyrics?
Claire: Usually Cass will bring me a piano part she's been working on, or a single lyrical hook. Then I have her play it a few times and just start spitting out lyrics
until something interesting falls out. Then we scramble around for a pen, write it down and try to follow that path. Very spontaneous. When we write individually, it's more methodical and controlled. Cass works on songs a lot longer than I do, which is usually why hers are so sophisticated.
If you couldn't tell from the interview, Claire is a very interesting and creative person. I think she has something not many people have, and that is the capacity to dream and think outside the box. She follows a lifestyle that most do not, and that is to be free and different, this freedom she emits is exciting and it is also why I was drawn to her in the first place.
My ideas for Claire are as follows. Ideally I would like to focus on creating a website for her fans. Currently Claire doesn't have any sort of site for herself or her fans, so getting this web page up and running is of the most importance. On this website I would like to feature a bunch of options. I would like to have a merchandise site so Claire can sell her albums and future merch. I would like a listening page where fans can listen to full songs and clips of songs, this page will also feature videos of Claire and her band behind the scenes, hanging out at home and of her performances. I think the videos are very important because they give another way for her fan's to connect to their favorite artist. The website will also include a list of her upcoming shows, and a blog/forum function so her fans can talk with Claire.
The purpose of this blog is to generate ideas and get any insight from the outside world. I would greatly appreciate other marketing professionals, students, and musicians to tell me what you think.
Thank you to all, let the journey begin!
