Artist of the Month
billionsandbillions.us
facebook -http://www.facebook.com/pages/Billions-and-Billions/124500474229634
http://twitter.com/#!/bilyunznbilyunz
It was a huge pleasure to sit down with, Carl Sagan, deep-space inspired post rock, ambient artist - Billions and Billions. His music is intricate as the cosmos, more beautiful than the crab nebula and pulls you in deeper than a black-hole. With mellow guitar riffs accompanied by a sublime ambiance, BnB will put you at ease. This is Billions and Billions debut album and with the creative talent he posses, I doubt it will be his last. The only thing I enjoy more than the album, was the interview.
Billions and Billions - Ghost View by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Hey, we are here with Xristos, from Billions and Billions. How are you doing today?
BnB : I'm doing alright. Thanks for having me.
DnM : Xristos, for those unfamiliar with BnB would you care do tell the folks a little about your style of music?
BnB : Basically, I combine a sort of noodley/midwesat guitar style with some ambient beats and synths; maybe throw in a tad bit of European skramz or something heavy, then add poop/fart noises, and then you have yourself a Billions and Billions record, but don't hold me to that! Honestly, I'm really bad at describing my music with words. The best description would probably be the album cover, or just do some stargazing; that's Billions and Billions.
DnM : Post-Rock is such a small unearthed niche, what drove you to pursue this genre?
BnB : I honestly didn't intend to make a post-rock record, but it was definitely one of the brighter influences that shined through the music, so I understand why people would consider it that; especially how the album flows like a post-rock record. There are a lot of post-rock bands that I like, and there are also a lot I don't like. So yeah, it just sort of happened on it's own.
Billions and Billions - It Was Beautiful by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Your Bandcamp page states that all music on the album was written by you, does that mean you play drums/piano as well? Or are you using some sort of software?
BnB : I really do wish I could play drums and/or piano, but I do not own any of those instruments. I've always played around with production software just for fun, and one day decided to use what I've learned over the years to compensate for the lack of instruments I own. I'm not huge into theory, but I know enough to compose what's playing in my head. In the future, I will record some songs with guest musicians, and use real instruments.
DnM : Your song 'A Shift in Orbit' transverses so many emotions, from troubled-nervousness to peaceful-serenity. What I imagined was being pulled away from the earth, through the cosmos. What inspired this song? (By the way, the Carl Sagan vocal recording is a perfect fit, loved it)
BnB : Thanks! It's sort of a weird how that song came together. I decided to spontaneously record a jam session with a dirty guitar that was missing a string or two. During this time, I was going through some dramatic changes in my life, and just sort of poured myself out while playing. After I got the guitars recorded, I came up with the beats and piano sections, but felt it was still lacking something. Since this song was very personal to me, I decided to use a message in it from Carl Sagan -- the man who really helped me make sense of the world at a time when everything was totally new to me. I had no idea if the sample would even fit in the song where I wanted to put it, but it ended up working out way better than I hoped. It was like the song basically made itself.
Billions and Billions - A Shift In Orbit by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Cliche question #1 - Who are your biggest influences?
BnB : I could say it's my friends and family, a past memory of a stranger, the inspiring ideas from history's greatest thinkers, works of art, or maybe just a night of stargazing, but musically, it's even more hard to define. I listen to a very wide variety of music, and I try to absorb all these things that inspire me, but to name just a few bands that really shaped the way I make music, it would be Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kaki King, The Album Leaf, and The Appleseed Cast, Owls/Ghosts and Vodka (anything Victor Villareal has touched).
DnM : Being that your music, borderlines on say...a unconventional form in concert, what does/would one consist of exactly?
BnB : I never actually intended for any of the songs to be performed live, although I would really love to perform some of them live. It wasn't until recently that I've been able to get a band together, and we're going to work on recreating the songs for a live setting. The new material is definitely being made for a live performance and hope to be playing shows before the end of the year.
DnM : Alright Xristos, If you had the opportunity to any drug with anyone from past or present, who and what would it be?
BnB : Bong hits with Dave Chappelle.
DnM : Thank you so much for spending time out of your day to chat with Drugs and Mirrors, Xristos, Take care.
BnB : Thanks again for doing this with me!
It was a huge pleasure to sit down with, Carl Sagan, deep-space inspired post rock, ambient artist - Billions and Billions. His music is intricate as the cosmos, more beautiful than the crab nebula and pulls you in deeper than a black-hole. With mellow guitar riffs accompanied by a sublime ambiance, BnB will put you at ease. This is Billions and Billions debut album and with the creative talent he posses, I doubt it will be his last. The only thing I enjoy more than the album, was the interview.
Billions and Billions - Ghost View by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Hey, we are here with Xristos, from Billions and Billions. How are you doing today?
BnB : I'm doing alright. Thanks for having me.
DnM : Xristos, for those unfamiliar with BnB would you care do tell the folks a little about your style of music?
BnB : Basically, I combine a sort of noodley/midwesat guitar style with some ambient beats and synths; maybe throw in a tad bit of European skramz or something heavy, then add poop/fart noises, and then you have yourself a Billions and Billions record, but don't hold me to that! Honestly, I'm really bad at describing my music with words. The best description would probably be the album cover, or just do some stargazing; that's Billions and Billions.
DnM : Post-Rock is such a small unearthed niche, what drove you to pursue this genre?
BnB : I honestly didn't intend to make a post-rock record, but it was definitely one of the brighter influences that shined through the music, so I understand why people would consider it that; especially how the album flows like a post-rock record. There are a lot of post-rock bands that I like, and there are also a lot I don't like. So yeah, it just sort of happened on it's own.
Billions and Billions - It Was Beautiful by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Your Bandcamp page states that all music on the album was written by you, does that mean you play drums/piano as well? Or are you using some sort of software?
BnB : I really do wish I could play drums and/or piano, but I do not own any of those instruments. I've always played around with production software just for fun, and one day decided to use what I've learned over the years to compensate for the lack of instruments I own. I'm not huge into theory, but I know enough to compose what's playing in my head. In the future, I will record some songs with guest musicians, and use real instruments.
DnM : Your song 'A Shift in Orbit' transverses so many emotions, from troubled-nervousness to peaceful-serenity. What I imagined was being pulled away from the earth, through the cosmos. What inspired this song? (By the way, the Carl Sagan vocal recording is a perfect fit, loved it)
BnB : Thanks! It's sort of a weird how that song came together. I decided to spontaneously record a jam session with a dirty guitar that was missing a string or two. During this time, I was going through some dramatic changes in my life, and just sort of poured myself out while playing. After I got the guitars recorded, I came up with the beats and piano sections, but felt it was still lacking something. Since this song was very personal to me, I decided to use a message in it from Carl Sagan -- the man who really helped me make sense of the world at a time when everything was totally new to me. I had no idea if the sample would even fit in the song where I wanted to put it, but it ended up working out way better than I hoped. It was like the song basically made itself.
Billions and Billions - A Shift In Orbit by Drugs and Mirrors
DnM : Cliche question #1 - Who are your biggest influences?
BnB : I could say it's my friends and family, a past memory of a stranger, the inspiring ideas from history's greatest thinkers, works of art, or maybe just a night of stargazing, but musically, it's even more hard to define. I listen to a very wide variety of music, and I try to absorb all these things that inspire me, but to name just a few bands that really shaped the way I make music, it would be Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kaki King, The Album Leaf, and The Appleseed Cast, Owls/Ghosts and Vodka (anything Victor Villareal has touched).
DnM : Being that your music, borderlines on say...a unconventional form in concert, what does/would one consist of exactly?
BnB : I never actually intended for any of the songs to be performed live, although I would really love to perform some of them live. It wasn't until recently that I've been able to get a band together, and we're going to work on recreating the songs for a live setting. The new material is definitely being made for a live performance and hope to be playing shows before the end of the year.
DnM : Alright Xristos, If you had the opportunity to any drug with anyone from past or present, who and what would it be?
BnB : Bong hits with Dave Chappelle.
DnM : Thank you so much for spending time out of your day to chat with Drugs and Mirrors, Xristos, Take care.
BnB : Thanks again for doing this with me!
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