Famous October

Photo credit:  Jesco Tscholitsch

Catch up with Sarah Bowman of Switzerland-based indie folk duo Famous October and listen to their single "It's Not A Dream" off their debut album One Day Baby, out now.

What brought you two together?

Sarah: Famous October started as naturally as our relationship did, I think. I was touring with my twin sister, and Rene was touring with his band. When we first met in Luzern at a concert of mine, we had both already been making music for several years. We started appearing as guests in each other's concerts both in the U.S. and in Switzerland.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

Bob Dylan has an equal share of mine and Rene's musical blood, I would say. Neil Young's Harvest Moon was our wedding song, and we felt very connected to the American and Canadian singer-songwriters of the late '60s and early '70s. Joni Mitchell's Blue album gets a lot of wear, as do some newer artists' albums, such as Anais Mitchell, Gregory Alan Isakov, and many others we are so lucky to call friends.

What words would you use to describe your sound?

Cello driven indie folk with atmosphere and attitude.

Where does your name, Famous October, come from?

October is the month we both cherish the most on the calendar, because it is the month that everything slowly goes through a process of wondrous and beautiful change. We feel that represents what we are doing with our music by working together.

What were your inspirations behind your single, "It's Not A Dream"?

This is a love song that resulted from a very cold and grey winter in Stans. I wanted to lighten things up a bit, sing about the sun and the sea, and reflect on how Rene and I came together.

Could you tell us more about your album One Day Baby?

Imagine two people writing songs during the course of their new marriage and the anticipation of becoming parents for the first time. These songs capture the greatest excitement either of us have ever known. I was 7 months pregnant when we recorded. Cecilia was literally between me and my instruments for much of the writing process.

How would you sum up your new album in one sentence?

One Day Baby is the album that brings the short history of two people's lives together to life through song.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I think the best answer comes from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who's birthday is the same day as our release: “We were made to enjoy music, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, to enjoy looking at the billows of the sea and to be thrilled with a rose that is bedecked with dew… Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful... and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things".

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Jamil Kassam

Catch up with NYC-based singer-songwriter Jamil Kassam and watch the video for his single "Rise Now" off his upcoming 2 part album.

What first got you interested in music and songwriting?

Jamil: It's always been a part of my life. When I was little, my parents took me to singing classes, so I've been singing my whole life. I took a break from music after high school - I went to college at a business school - but the music was very present and, after finishing my Masters and going through my thesis, I realized that I really wanted to go into music and I was not going to be happy unless I did it. So, I quit everything and I wanted to have a proper education in music, so I applied to Berklee and I just finished it. And at Berklee, I actually explored all the different fields like performance, arranging, composition, and I realized that songwriting was actually the field that I really wanted to be in.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

Yes, I actually remember. The first song that I wrote is going to be part of the EP; it's a special song called "From Your Heart".

Which musicians would you say that you've been influenced by?

Michael Jackson is a big influence on me. The RnB vibe of Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, all of them, but Michael Jackson is one of my idols. And I'm also a big fan of Freddie Mercury from Queen. Those two are like my mentors [laughs].

Is there a song or an artist that you're hooked on right now?

Right now, I'm in love with Years & Years, 'cause their whole album, Communion, is amazing; I've been listening to it over and over. I am a huge fan of the songwriter, Justin Tranter, who actually wrote "Sorry" and "Hands To Myself", so most of his songs, I love them... I'm also a big fan of Sia.

What words would you use to describe your own sound?

So, I think that my music has a strong pop soul identity, but my sound is probably influenced from my cultural background and style, because I grew up a little bit all over the world and I feel like my sound is a combination of a multifaceted musical journey. It's a little bit of RnB, a little bit of pop, a little bit of world, and a little bit of electronic music.

What were your inspirations behind your single "Rise Now"?

It actually started at Berklee. We had to write a song about someone else's story and I had a good friend of mine who was going through the struggle of coming out as a gay man, so I actually started writing a song about him and that struggle and, as I was writing and showing it to people, I actually realized that people started to identify with the song and it related, personally, to their own struggles. So, I wanted to get something more universal so everyone could relate to it; whether it was an issue of race, gender, orientation, being bullied, or just any sort of conflict, I wanted the song to be a hymn to all of those who needed those words, basically.

Are your singles "Have Me All" and "Rise Now" indicative of what we can expect to hear on your upcoming album?

You're going to be able to hear "Rise Now" but not "Have Me All". I think, as an artist, we all make, not mistakes, but we start with something and then we realize that our sound is somewhere else and want to explore a different kind of sound and I believe that "Have Me All" is me as a former musician. I want to bring something fresh and new. I'm going to have 12 songs, I think, and I might want to break up the album into 2 parts, because the whole album is actually a story and the Part 1, the one that we're going to release first, is going to be called Citizen Of The World.

Is there a song off Citizen Of The World that you're most excited to share with fans and listeners?

The song "Citizen Of The World". Because it's actually my story and I really want to share it with people. I was super excited to share "Rise Now", too, because it's a really special song to me. The other song that you referred to, the first song that I wrote called "From Your Heart", was the song that I wrote when I made the switch between my business career to my musical career, so those three songs I'm really excited to share [laughs].

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I really want to inspire them to go out of their comfort zone and then be whoever they want to be, basically. I also want them to have fun and dance to my music and relate to it. I know that my struggles and my story, I'm not the only one who actually went through that, so I hope it will be something that will inspire them.

Is there anything you want to add?

I'm still working on music. I'm actually in Boston right now to record more songs. I want to pitch, also, to other artists because, as a songwriter, I'm being very prolific.

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Saint Adeline

Catch up with sibling band Saint Adeline and watch the video for the folk-pop trio's single "Fight For It" off their self-titled debut EP, out now.

What got you interested in starting a band together?

Being siblings is kind of already like being in a band. We have each other's back, we are supportive of each other's ideas, and we are very good at taking long drives together! The fact that we are all singers, writers, and musicians who get along and love each other made it a pretty easy decision to just go all in and form a band together.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

We listen to just about everything and everyone. But some artists that have influenced our band's sound (just to name a few) are The Beatles, Paul Simon, Nickel Creek, and The Staves.

How would you describe your sound to someone who had never heard your music?

We've adopted the label "folk-pop", but in practice our music ranges song to song. To someone who's never heard our music, we'd probably say that we'd love them to go listen to it!

What were your inspirations behind your single "Fight For It"?

"Fight For It" is written from the perspective of someone who wants more from the person that they are in a relationship with. It's a plea to their partner to try harder to make things work, to "fight for it". There weren't any clear cut songs that inspired the tune, though at the time we were listening to a lot of Adele and Selena Gomez, actually. It wasn't really until we began to work the arrangement with a full band that the song started to sound the way it does today!

Could you tell us more about your debut EP?

Sure! The whole thing is pretty special for us for many reasons. It was crowd funded, so we are overjoyed that we had that support coming from our family, friends, and fans to make the record happen at all. We are a sibling band and, for this EP, the cover art was designed by our other brother, Danny, who lives in the Bay Area with his wife and our beautiful nephew. So it's cool to have our other sibling's stamp on this record, as well. The songs are all a collaboration between the 3 of us and are a good representation of what our sound is. It's wonderful to get to creatively connect with family - it's something we're mega grateful for.

Is there a track off that EP you were most excited to share?

It kind of depends on the day! Thanks to the amazing ears and brain of our producer, Justin Goldner, all six songs kinda turned out better than we even thought they could, so we are truly excited to share ALL of them. Currently, the one that we are boogieing to the most is "Status Quo". We tend to end our shows with this one because it seriously becomes a party; and it sounds beastly on the record!

How would you sum up that EP in one sentence?

The new Saint Adeline EP might not be better than sex, but we promise it is just as good.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

As a band, we are equally focused on the writing and on making sure we deliver great live shows. So we hope whoever gives us a listen hears the honesty in our songs and we also hope it makes them want to check us out live! Either way, we are just grateful that there are listeners in the first place and we can only hope that, as long as we make music together, they will be there listening!

Is there anything you want to add?

Just thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us! Happy Fall!

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Danny Cal

Catch up with NYC-based singer-songwriter Danny Cal and watch the video for his latest single, "Can't Let You Go", out now.

What got you interested in music?

Danny: I grew up around music - my dad played guitar and piano with us as kids and made sure we took lessons and understood theory - but music was always the thing that gave me confidence among my peers. I loved performing as a kid because it was almost an escape from the everyday awkward me; I had this talent that was mine and made me stand out. As I got older I honed and experimented with my music and eventually found the right path. 

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

Sia is one of my strongest influences as an artist and songwriter, but I also love the theatrics of Lady Gaga, the timbre and relatability of Justin Timberlake, and the transformative talent of Freddie Mercury.

Which words would you use to describe your sound?

Autonomous, relatable, driving, passionate and exciting. 

What were your inspirations behind your single and the video for "Can't Let You Go"?

I have a tendency to fall in love with people very quickly. I might meet someone once and not be able to get them out of my head for weeks. "Can't Let You Go" was written as a personal anthem driven by this emotion - when you just can't let that person out of your life. I wanted to reflect that feeling with visuals, and realized that the fun and energy of summer, and the desperation of not wanting to let go of it, could do just that.

How would you sum up your dual release, Can't Let You Go, in one sentence?

The dual release ("Can't Let You Go" and "One Last Time") came out of a spark of creativity between my producer, EGM, and I to write and record a couple of super fun pop songs that people can sing along to in their cars, work out to at the gym, and connect to while dancing alone to them in their rooms.

Do you have plans to release an EP or album?

Yes! We have been performing a series of shows in the NYC area, experimenting with new sounds and new music. We are very close to a final set which we will then finalize in the studio.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I hope that listeners can laugh, dance, and sing along with their friends. I've taken a lot of inspiration from the pop music I grew up with in the late 90's and early 00's - music that made you want to hide out in your basement for hours with your Walkman and MTV on so you could learn all the words and the choreography from the music video. I hope that my music elicits that kind of joyous energy, but with a more modern sound.

What are your aspirations as an artist, immediate and in the future?

I can't wait to get into the studio again and record my EP; I may even put together a full album but that's still up in the air. In the longer term, I hope to go on tour to promote the EP because, up to now, most of my live performances have been in New York.

Is there anything you want to add?

Thank you so much for interviewing me and sharing my music! Follow me IG, Twitter, and FB, and check out my site dannycal.com. If you're in the NYC area on Friday Oct 14th, 9PM, I'll be performing at The Bitter End. Would love to see you there! 

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