Dave Thompson: Wormwood, the Film Community, and Acting

 - Toronto, Ontario - Many musicians have made the jump from music to film, challenging their creative skills in the thespian art. Sometimes it translates poorly, while for others, it comes naturally, as their experience in the performance of music on the stage and in music videos lends greatly to an ability to act out scenes without musical accompaniment or lyrics. However, to make the jump from being a musical producer to a film director represents a rather unique challenge, and it is one that Dave Thompson is taking on himself.

I had the chance to talk to him about his newest film project, Wormwood, and many of the challenges that he has faced in the process, in addition to learning a bit about his journey through music towards film. When one talks with him, it is not hard to get the sense that Thompson is highly motivated, seeking out this new creative passion of his without compromise. Dave Thompson is a music producer and mixer at Digital Underdog Productions in Toronto, Ontario, though Canada is not his original home. He was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to a family that could hardly be described as musical to say the least.

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The Icarus Account: Honesty, Independent Music, and Navigating the Business

 - Fort Myers, Florida - Today, in the digital age of music, the average music connoisseur is flooded with a variety of bands, each pleading that their music be given a spin. I remember in the early days of MySpace when I would receive about five band friend requests a day before MySpace gave us the option of blocking band requests. Many of the bands sounded the same, but once in awhile a band came across with a unique sound or a unique voice. The Icarus Account is one such band, bringing a memorable acoustic, harmony-driven sound to a vastly over-saturated acoustic pop/rock scene.

The Icarus Account is comprised of twin brothers, Trey and Ty Turner, who hail from Fort Myers, Florida. Since their formation around 2007, the brothers have developed a loyal fan base, resulting in them postponing their academic pursuits in 2009 in favour of their musical ambitions, despite still being unsigned. I talked to them about some of the challenges of trying to make it in today's digital music age, as well as a bit about their music, and their backgrounds.

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Tylor Piffer of The Light Machines: The State of the Music Industry

Tylor Piffer of The Light Machines on stage: Photo credit: Kim Akrigg- Vancouver, British Columbia - Tylor Piffer came to my attention in October 2010, when someone suggested I check out the tunes of his band, "The Light Machines," which is comprised of Tylor (vocals and guitar), Jeff Zipp (lead guitar), and Nick Beddow (bass). Usually when friends tell me to check out a new and up-and-coming band, I listen to their music and am largely disappointed. Very rarely do I hear anything new or unique, even from new upstart bands. Furthermore, the talent is still often in development, so my track record for enjoying new bands that friends try to tell me to check out has not been great. Then I heard The Light Machines and was quite impressed. Here was a band that actually seemed to have some presence, creativity, and a solid voice to lead it. I decided that Tylor Piffer would make an interesting interview to discuss the state of the music business, as the frontman for a band still trying to make it big. The music business has changed so much since music went digital and in many ways, we've seen positive changes, but there have also been some negative consequences. We discussed this in the interview, so I hope you'll enjoy!

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