NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW

For filmmakers, musicians, & creative people who do amazing things and want to make the world better in some way.

Wumbo: Serious About Space-Rock Whimsy

By

Wumbo is a word coined on SpongeBob SquarePants. It is also an indie-rcok band that The Advocate recently included in their list of 10 bands to check out in Baton Rouge. The band has played at most of Baton Rouge’s esteemed music venues including The Varsity, Spanish Moon, Mid City Ballroom, Happy’s Irish Pub, 524 Studios, and more. In a few days they’ll be starting their tour across the South and Midwest.

There’s no blueprint to being a band.” – Jake Heflin

The band describes their hard-to-pinpoint sound as “space-indie-rock-jazz-pop” and released their self-titled EP back in December 2017. I heard them play at 524 a few weeks ago and liked their show enough to invite them on the podcast and to pick up their EP, which has come to remind me of Radiohead’s seminal album, OK Computer. 

Wumbo music podcast interview

I had the opportunity to interview band members Kevin McCabe (drums), Jake Heflin (vocals, guitar), Mitchell Mobley (vocals, guitar), Tanner Yeldell (synth, percussion), and Zak Ocmand (bass) at Jake’s place, where the band usually practices. Some of the things we discuss in this episode  include

  • How to riff on a song until it’s right
  • Influences that have shaped their songs
  • Using digital effects to emulate an analogue sound
  • Conventions of shoegazing music and how that influenced the band’s approach to mixing
  • How to work through the challenges that come up when booking a tour
  • Why innocent nonsense is worth celebrating
  • Tips on how to book more shows at venues

 

iTunesGoogle PlayShare StitcherClammr ItListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudAndroidLeave a ReviewSubscribe via RSS

Want to hear from another band in Baton Rouge with a distinct sound?  Then check out this interview with another local music darling, Ship of Fools.

 

 

#

Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories.
#
The right music video can open doors to venue owners, agents, and other decision makers. My videos have helped musicians, businesses, and creative people take their dreams to the next level. Let’s talk about what we can do together.
#

#

Related Things

Music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

#

Bands & Musicians Mentioned

  • Beethoven
  • Django Reinhardt
  • Fine Divine, one of Zak’s other bands
  • Hydra Plane, psychedelic fusion band in Baton Rouge
  • Loudness War, garage rock band in Baton Rouge
  • oh, hi mark., another one of Zak’s other bands
  • Pacifico, former guest on the show
  • The Patsies, Zak’s first band
  • Radiohead’s OK Computer album
  • Sammy Hagar
  • Will Hinchliffe, guest vocalist on Wumbo’s song “Perch”
  • Wumbo

#

Films Mentioned

  • Bee Movie 
  • Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee 
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  • The Goonies
  • Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
  • Interstellar 
  • SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Stranger Things
  • Westworld 

#

Books Mentioned

  • All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
  • The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell book
  • No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
  • Radiohead: Hysterical & Useless by Martin Clarke
  • The Road by Cormac McCarthy

#

If You Liked the Show

  • Subscribe or leave an honest review:

Apple Podcasts

 

nsavides podcast on Spotify

Spotify

Thank you for visiting!

Getting 1 Million Plays on Spotify & Keeping the Faith – Kris Neel

By

Kris Neel is one of five friends who compose The Assemblie, an indie gospel rock band from New Iberia. “Stray,” one of their songs, has gotten over 1 million plays on Spotify, which brought them to the attention of a few labels. The band heard a few offers but ultimately decided to remain independent.

As the band regroups to take into account shifting priorities of the musicians involved, Kris has branched out as a solo singer-songwriter and recently released a self-titled EP.

Musician Kris Neel on The nsavides Podcast

If we do not define what success is worth personally, we’re just going to be chasing after what others have defined success to be.” – Kris Neel  

Kris came on the show to discuss how his band got over 1 million plays on Spotify, the inspiration behind his new EP, and the way that his faith shapes all of his music. Some of the things we discuss in the episode include
#
  • The importance of honesty and vulnerability in art
  • Why staying indie makes sense for some musicians
  • How a community connection can supercharge an album release
  • What kind of misconceptions sometimes arise about gospel music
  • Whether there’s a difference between being a Christian artist and being an artist who explores Christian themes
  • Finding a balance between music aspirations and family connections
#

Listen to the Episode


#

Sponsor for this Episode

Fable House and I are partnering together to produce distinguished music videos for bands with big visions who want to share their music with the world in memorable, imaginative, and soulful ways.

Based in Louisiana, Fable House is a production company that has produced millions of dollars worth of content. They have shot features for the SyFy channel, produced a number of polished music videos, and shot a short film that screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

#

Ready to bring your music dreams to life? Let’s discuss: podcast@nsavides.com

#

Related Things

Kris Neel gospel music EP

 

 

  • Bono discusses the Psalms with Eugene Peterson, author of The Message translation of the Bible
  • Anchor Chapel, where Kris and I go to church
  • Some recent music episodes of The nsavides Podcast that might also be of interest
    • Live music producer Wade Sutton on how to optimize your live shows for maximum impact
    • VP of Marketing at CD Baby, Kevin Breuner, on how to make money as a musician without a label

#

Bands & Recording Artists Mentioned

  • The Assemblie – “Stray”
  • Bono
  • The Brilliance
  • Cool Hand Luke
  • Ed Sheeran – “Supermarket Flowers”
  • Future of Forestry
  • Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah”
  • Johnny Cash
  • Kris Neel
  • Lukas Graham – “Happy Home”
  • Smalltown Poets

#

Books Mentioned

  • Bible
  • The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Message by Eugene Peterson

#

Art Mentioned

Isenheim Alterpiece

Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald

#

If You Liked the Show

  • Subscribe or leave a friendly review:

iTunesBigC

bit.ly/nsavidesPodcast

Stitcher

Stitcher

Thank you for visiting!

BUKU Music Festival 2016 – Band Interviews & Personal Reflections

By

BUKU Music + Art Project is a music and art festival in New Orleans that takes place at Mardi Gras World, where many of the Mardi Gras floats created by Kern Studios are stored. This adds a surreal quality to the festival, which meshes well with the electronic dance music performed there. While EDM is the primary music genre at BUKU, the festival also includes indie rock, hip hop, and other hybrid music styles.

Some of the better known acts at BUKU 2016 include Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi CHVRCHΞS, Miike Snow, Griz, and Above & Beyond. The festival has only been around for five years, but the event sold out, and there were over 30,000 people in attendance according to the festival’s estimates.

Buku2016-nsavides-podcast-coverage

Based on other festival coverage I’ve done (like the New Orleans Film Festival and the Twisted Oak Music Festival) I was given the opportunity to do media coverage for BUKU. At first I was apprehensive since I don’t know a lot about EDM, but then I noticed that some bands I recognized were playing there.

 

I decided that doing media coverage for the festival could be a good opportunity to learn more about EDM and some of the related genres that have grown popular in recent years. To prepare for the festival, I talked to some music enthusiasts who were well versed in the electronic music scene and listened to some BUKU-related playlists.

I attended both days of BUKU and saw as many performances as my schedule would allow. At the festival, I interviewed

  • CRWNS
  • Donovan Wolfington
  • Fro-Yo Ma
  • DJ Soul Sister
  • Taylor Guarisco from the Givers

DJ Soul Sister during her set at BUKU

 

Some of the topics that came up include: mixing musical genres, audience interactions, drug use, and how to have better collaborations with other artists. After the interviews, I share my festival impressions and some of my experiences while attending.

Prior to BUKU, I had some things on my mind, and they stayed with me throughout the festival. In short, I was wondering if it was possible to find answers to some of the bigger questions while surrounded by all the noise and flashing lights.

I address some of those questions in the episode, which turned it into one of the more personal episodes I’ve recorded.

 

Listen to the Episode

Related Things

2016-03-12 16.25.09

Fro-Yo Ma and his peeps try to teach me the fine art of hand signals. Still not a skill I’ve mastered. 

In addition to musicians and venues, I also photographed some of the outfits that caught my eye.

Here’s an example:

If you’re curious, you can see more of my BUKU photos on Instagram.

a

Sponsor for this episode

nsavides productions – This is the “Alone in Space” music video I mentioned in the show:
a
space
Let’s talk about what we can do together. Email me: podcast@nsavides.com.
d

If You Liked the Show

  • Subscribe or comment:

iTunes, stitcher-icon-50x50

Pacifico Band – Matthew Schwartz

By

In this episode I talk to Matthew Schwartz, the creative force behind Pacifico. “Pacifico is not a band. It’s an idea.” That’s the first line you’ll see on Pacifico’s website. Talking about ideas is a good way to get the attention of The nsavides Podcast, and so is putting together albums of accessible, open-hearted indie rock. Pacifico’s music has  been compared to to the songs of  Elliott Smith and The Beatles by absolutepunk.net. I’d say it’s a distinct sound, but it makes me think of Elvis Costello.

We discuss the collaborative process behind running a band as a collective, what inspires Matthew as a musician, and the effort it takes to keep fighting for our dreams. We also talked about the upcoming music video for Pacifico’s song, “I’ve Finally Found What I’m Looking For.” (It involves puppets, so it should be worth the wait!)

Without_Heroes_Pacifico

Without Heroes, the latest album from Pacifico

Matthew really opened up about his creative process and some of his struggles, and I think anyone who is an artist or wants to support artists producing honest, personal work will appreciate what he has to say.

 

Listen to the Podcast

iTunesGoogle PlayShare StitcherClammr ItListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudAndroidLeave a ReviewSubscribe via RSS

 

NickWpuppet

That’s me at the premiere alongside Clay Achee, the director, and Matthew Schwartz.

 

Related Things

Update: The music video has been posted! Here it is:

If You Liked the Show

iTunes, stitcher-icon-50x50

 

Thank you for visiting!