Published: February 10, 2010 11:15 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight February 2010 Edition
Asia Mei
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Asia Mei
Our Webzine had the wonderful pleasure of speaking with an amazing indie Singer/Songwriter back in 2007 about her music, her ambitions and goals, and where she sees herself heading in the music industry. Two years have passed and many awesome things have happened to Asia Mei. In this follow up interview with the artist, Junior's Cave gets reacquainted with Asia and discovers what's new with the entertainer.
Isaac: Hi Asia, I wanted to first welcome you back to the online pages to Junior's Cave. I just listened to your new song titled, "big apple tree". What was the inspiration for making this song and your new album?
Asia: The inspiration for this song is The Big Apple, New York City. Looks all glamorous, but once you take a bite you see it for what it is. I was also playing with the parallel with the Garden of Eden story, biting from the Tree of Knowledge and finding yourself cast out and naked from knowing too much, therefore "Big Apple Tree".
The single has been released only a couple months ago as a preview for my next project that is still currently in the works, I hope to release it in late spring.
Isaac: Who were your influences?
Asia: I've always been influenced by my classical background, hard rock and blues. Lately, I've been really into different world music from around the globe. I am always interested in innovation and a unique sound, and aspire to do so myself.
Isaac: What do you consider to have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date since we last spoke?
Asia: Lots of highlights! Not only am I getting exposure as a singer/songwriter and getting ready to record a new EP and writing loads of new music, I have been doing a lot of work as a string arranger and a production assistant, getting credits with artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Moby. A string arrangement I did for John Wesley Harding's new release got a write up in the LA Times. I also joined the New York Choral Society that landed me a performance with Andrea Bocelli and in Carnegie Hall.
Things have been exciting, I can't think of significant lowpoints.
Isaac: Brief history about your background plus the style of music you play.
Asia: My style of music is alternative, piano driven rock. It's melancholy, moody, introspective, often relies on dark harmonies and I'm not afraid of distortion! I think it will sit well with any lovers of Muse, Regina Spektor, Tori Amos and so forth.
My background is in classical piano and voice. I also got a degree from Berklee College of music studying jazz, blues and rock as well as studio production and composition. I like fusing all this knowledge and variety to create something new and interesting but that's only half the battle - having passion, feeling and honestly in my songwriting and performance is very important to me.
Isaac: How easy is it to gets gigs for you as an artist? What is the live music scene like in your area?
Asia: NY had a diverse music scene and big enough to contain a variety of music. I often alternate between full band rock gigs and acoustic solo gigs, depending on the venue. However, the scene could be overwhelming with thousands of musicians and venues; it could leave a music enthusiast flustered and lost in the possibilities. So booking the show is the easy part, to draw attention to it in such a big scene is the challenge. I have been lucky, but there are always bigger venues to aspire to.
Isaac: What do you think of the state of Indie music at the moment? Do you listen to radio much
at all? Has the Internet helped music grow or hindered it in your opinion?
Asia: I listen to Internet radio all the time. I love the effect the Internet has on indie music, everything is distributed and out for everyone to see. You can discover new artists instantly. It opens up more promotion and selling opportunities and lets me retain all artistic integrity. You gotta love that!
It could be overwhelming, since everyone can record on garageband, upload on MySpace and potentially take attention away from good artists. Still, I like the odds.
Isaac: If you could create a fantasy band - what would be the line-up and why?
Asia: There are so many ways to go here!
How about Paul McCartney on rhythm and songwriting, Jeff Buckley as a fronter, Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar, Ben Folds on piano, Flea (Chili Peppers) on bass, Lars Ulrich (Metallica) on drums.
It might be awesome; it might be a mess - too many cooks in one kitchen...
Isaac: What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
Asia: My new single "Big Apple Tree" is available as a digital release on iTunes, Rhapsody and other downloading site. "Shards", my 2006 album is available on iTunes and downloading sites as well as CDBaby for a physical CD.
Isaac: Where can fans access your music, videos, blogs, and anything else about you online?
I have recently started a "song of the week" project, where I upload covers and originals weekly on YouTube, you can subscribe on my YouTube channel - asiamei10.
MySpace and Facebook are a safe bet too, asiamei is the name on that.
Isaac: Message to your fans?
Asia: Thanks for supporting indie artists that are trying to do something new, the best promotion us DIY artists have is word to mouth. If you like it, pass it on - post it on your Facebook walls and have friends hear songs you like, that's the best support.
Attend indie shows and support artists you like, and hey - buy some songs, they're less then a buck! Having people come out and respond to something I've experienced and written is very powerful, and nothing makes me happier then knowing my music resonates with listeners.
