You should know by now that we will always strongly support artists that we find that create something innovative with their music and have the hard work ethic to do what it takes to get that music heard by the masses. One such musician that really stands out is Erica Glyn, a NYC rocktronica artist with a sultry voice and imaginative musical style. She must love Indie Band Guru too because she gave us the exclusive stream to her newest track ‘Animal’ just prior to the full music video release set for early March. Enjoy it here:
Erica Glyn also took the time to share her thoughts with us on what it takes to stand out in the very crowded NYC music scene. Her advice is below:
How to stand out in the NYC music scene without getting naked, sacrificing farm animals, throwing beer on the audience or any other gimmick or tom-foolery? Good question! There are so many talented people in NYC – great singers, musicians, performers, etc. it’s hard to stand out. I think starting with a great song is essential to making a mark. There are so many songs out there in mainstreamville that sound the same, and to me, are absolutely forgettable. But when a song is great, there is almost no way to forget it, even if the singer is forgettable.
Writing from a deep/real place combined with relatable lyrics and a tune that you can’t get out of your head and that makes you FEEL something that you get knocked on your head or onto your ass if it’s really great, is always a good way to get noticed. When recording, I pay close attention to the sounds I am using and experiment with them. It’s nice to get a really rich and beautiful acoustic guitar sound and depending on the song and production it may be totally appropriate, but sometimes it’s nice to take that gorgeous sound and mess with it. Filter the fuck out of it. Distort it, truncate it, EQ it to the max, do all those things at once! I like to make things sound totally bizarre, mess the hell out of them and then pull it back into the right place. I enjoy taking risks. I’d say the best way to approach your sound is to think about what it is that you like in a recording.
What do you love? What perks your ears up and gets you excited? Find it, commit to it and stand behind it. I like to start with something simple and then build up. The first thing I like to do once I’ve written an awesome song is set up the groove. Get the right feel. Then once you’ve done that you can go anywhere. I like to think about the different registers of frequency and checking in to see if I’ve filled them all in and if not, why not and do I still think it’s cool and serves the song and its sound? I like to pair up instruments that don’t normally perform together or go for sounds or instruments with flaws. Music isn’t meant to be “perfect.” It’s the human part of music that is interesting, enticing and magnetic and each human is inherently unique, so putting yourself into your music as much as you can, will make the result more unique. Be raw. Be honest. Be generous. Be brilliant but flawed. I am drawn to music that grabs my ear immediately. Music that sounds different from the first moment.
I like personality, wit and meaning. Working with musicians who understand experimental music but who can also play it straight is another way to get a unique sound. Those musicians spend their lives making music out of any object they can get sound out of and working with people like that can be really inspiring and can help you to look at things from another angle and fill in a gap in a way you would never have thought of.
Go hear some music and find out more about Erica Glyn at: