Published: June 20, 2010 11:16 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight June 2010 Edition
Cowboy and Indian
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Cowboy and Indian
Our Webzine introduces the magical music of the group known as Cowboy and Indian. Brett and Indrany make up the group and the two of them blend nicely together to create something that fans will not soon forget. Indrany’s voice is another strong point to Cowboy and Indian as her vocal range illustrates her wonderful talent. If you are looking for something that is original, fresh, and unique, then check out the music of Cowboy and Indian. In the meantime, check out what Brett and Indrany had to reveal about Cowboy and Indian in this special feature.
Isaac: Let’s get started with this interview. When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music?
Indrany: We've both been playing music all our lives. I began piano lessons when I was 5 and played viola in middle and high school. I've always sung for fun, but when I joined the chapel choir in college, I started taking it more seriously. Brett's been playing the bass since he was 10 years old. He was classically trained on the double-bass, before moving to the electric bass in college. But I've seen home movies of him at the age of 3 or 4. When music was on, he would ignore everything else and just walk to the beat in circles.
Isaac: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences and why?
Indrany: Brett's bass-playing is heavily influenced by classic soul bass players, such as James Jamerson and Donald "Duck" Dunn. I, on the other hand, grew up in Humble, TX, listening to a lot of classic country. Patsy Cline is a big vocal influence for me. In high school and college, I was a huge fan of Tool and A Perfect Circle. I've been told that those influences are evident in my song-writing, though it's not always obvious to me. In addition, I introduced Brett to Portishead, and that became a jumping off point for what we could accomplish.
Isaac: What has been the greatest highpoint in your career so far?
Indrany: Because we're such a young band, the highpoint so far was probably our very first show, which was during SXSW in Austin. We'd been thinking about doing this for a while, so to actually make it happen was exciting. On top of that, we opened for tUnE-yArDs, whom we'd never heard of before. She really impressed us, and we've been huge fans ever since. We're proud to have opened for her at our very first show.
Isaac: What has been the greatest disappointment in your career so far? What did you learn from that experience?
Brett: How long everything has taken! Not just getting the EP out, but also getting our live act together and even convincing Indrany that we should do this in the first place. The lesson we've learned is that, since everything takes so much time, we can't afford to sit back and wait for stuff to happen. That's why we'll be back in the studio this summer, hopefully with another release in the fall.
Isaac: What draws you to want to play the type of music that you do?
Brett: I used to be in a more traditional rock band (bass, drums, guitar, vox). This is my chance to do all the things those guys never let me do as the bassist. Beyond that, we're interested in bringing some element of soul to indie rock.
Isaac: What do you feel it takes to play this type of music that you play?
Indrany: It definitely takes an open mind and a willingness to collaborate. Everyone involved in this project has different tastes and musical influences. In addition to Brett and me, our producer ROAR plays a major role in song-crafting. He actually does most of his work in hip-hop, so he brings a completely different ear to the process. We all go into the studio having very different ideas about a song, but our time together is really dynamic, and we come out with something none of us had ever imagined.
Isaac: What do you think you will create that will make your performances and who you are stand out in the music industry?
Brett: Literally? I modified a Gibson G3 bass. It now has three output jacks and a unique switching system that allows me to select which pickups go to which jacks. This enables me to get a bigger sound live and to create some complicated looping parts that I couldn't do with a traditional bass. Indrany named it "The Hydra." More generally, we have a unique sound, a unique image, and a unique message. We're trying to depict a "new Americana" for the 21st Century. Indrany draws on her experience as a first-generation American in her lyrics, and our varied influences prevent us from falling within a single genre. On top of that, Indrany has a killer voice.
Isaac: If you had the opportunity to do one cover, what cover would you do and why? How would you put your own spin on this cover?
Brett: I've really been wanting to cover the Bill Monroe bluegrass classic "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Timeless songs can usually survive "translation" into multiple genres. There are so many great recordings of this song out there, but I've never heard one grounded in bass. I've been playing around with a bass part, and I think we can really make it groove.
Isaac: What does it take to be a good songwriter?
Brett: The single, most important thing is to be open to inspiration. I recall once reading a Jimmy Page quote about traveling and how the artist’s job is to stay inspired.
Indrany: Yeah, I was going to say that experience is key, but that doesn’t just mean traveling around the world or working every odd job. There’s inspiration to be found in every experience, no matter how mundane it seems. You just have to be open to seeing it and appreciating it. I think that’s true for all art. Other than that... we're still trying to figure it out ourselves.
Isaac: How difficult is it to juggle music, family and work obligation, and life in general? Explain.
Indrany: It’s been pretty tricky for me. I’m finishing up my first year of medical school and, obviously, time is an issue. Meanwhile, Brett has been on the market for a professorship for a couple of years while free-lancing from home. As many people know, the lack of control over one’s future in this economy and the stress of uncertainty can really weigh on a person. However, the band grew out of what we’re currently experiencing. It’s really helped both of us get through this year. In addition, making music together is an opportunity for us to spend time together.
Isaac: What is your definition of being an Indie artist/band?
Brett: Since we’re not currently on a label, we have complete artistic control. That’s probably the biggest and best part of being an Indie band. Also, we have lots of debt.
