Friday 21 November 2014

(i am) isis Q&A

Your name:
isis.

Where are you from?
I’m Newark-­born, Minneapolis-­raised and now residing in Brooklyn.

Name of band:
(i am) isis.

Who else is in your band?
Diamond Dave (guitar), Isaac Childs (keys), Manny Mavrakis (drums) and Mike Koltosky (bass)

How would you describe yourselves?
We’re an eclectic rock band infused with elements of soul, spoken word, blues and everything in between.

Who are your main influences musically?
Well, since our our individual core genres are all over the place, so are our influences ­­from metal and blues to soul and classical music. For instance, Isaac’s jazz influences include Dave Brubeck, D’Angelo and Ahmad Jamal. And Mike is totally classical and is inspired by Croatian virtuosa classical guitarist, Ana Vidovic (random right?). Personally, I’m moved by all things authentic and honest, so most of my faves are emerging or underground artists. Outside of that, all the icons ­ ever. Seriously. There’s something magical about music before it become so mechanically commodified. I do love the creative depth of genre­bending artists like Cee­Lo and Andre 3000. I also love P!nk and Macy Gracy definitely interests me. The type of artists who continue to reinvent themselves in the midst of such a cookie­cutter industry. I think that’s where we are and want to exist ­ in a space where can continue to grow and challenge our sonic senses.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
To reach a level of freedom in our art where we can make good music, tour and live off of our works and not be worried about the cost of its creation or how to market it. That would be a blessing.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Every experience brings new highlights. Right now, it’s our first all­-band EP that we’re releasing later this month. Over the past two years, it was just bits and pieces. Some things worked ­ and some didn’t. Now, we’re a solid unit that I hope will continue to reflect different colors, sounds and senses as we grow and experience life and music.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Well, we have completely erased from our memory an extended road trip to play one of the most disorganized and disappointing festivals I’ve ever attended. And it’s sad, too, because I was called a “diva” for expecting the basics that we were promised ­ like a working PA and microphone. But, that’s life and we move forward to bigger and better ­ always!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
That’s impossible! Each song represents a piece of our mosaic. They’re only one part of the reflection that is us. Given that, our latest track “Take It Back” is a great representation ­until you hear our next release, and then the next one.

Where can we listen to it?
You can hear our latest track on soundcloud at soundcloud.com/iamisis/take-it-back



Where can we find out more about your music?
Check out our main site at www.iamisis.com. 
You can also find us on all the major social media platforms:

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Our EP, Mosaic, will be released digitally November 28 and we can’t wait!

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