Snow Tha Product is a rapper from Texas by way of California. The comparisons are many but listen to her and you will see that she has a flow all her own. She just recently signed to Atlantic Records so expect big things from her!

What was the first concert you ever went to?
I remember going to a Luis Miguel concert with my mom when i was young.. It was crazy

What got you into hip hop?
I got into Hiphop out of nowhere. I liked music.. and I listened to Eminem and how pissed off at the world he was. And that was how I felt. And I wanted to express myself too… then i got happy and wanted to rap about that as well.

It seems like a lot of emphasis is being put on the fact that you’re latina.
Latin women are proud. Well most are. I am. That and the fact it gets brought up a lot that I am white and I just correct people. Honesty if you really knew me you would know I don’t care if you call me white because if you meet me in person it is obvious I am Latin.

A lot of people are comparing you to Nicki Minaj. Do you see any similarities besides just being female?
Honestly Nicki can really rap. The fact she is a female and she can really rap and she is real creative as far as her delivery.. so thats not a bad thing.

What’s in store for 2012 now that you’ve been signed to Atlantic?
A lot of hard work and a lot of studio time. Everything revolves around music so I will push myself creatively for hot music

Rubblebucket is an amazing psychadelic, afrobeat, dance band from Brooklyn by way of Vermont. If you haven’t heard them, you should go right now and check out their latest album Omega La La. Front woman Kalmia Traver took a few minutes to answer a few questions for the Friday 5.

Where did the name Rubblebucket come from?

A Rubblebucket is what certain english dialects call that tool used in construction and stone masonry- a bucket or giant dumpster which holds…. rubble! We met our bandmate Craig at a art opening one summer night in Burlington Vermont- we were all supposed to be the band together, but we just made it up as we went along. We were billed as Rubblebucket that night, and afterwards when we decided to take the recordings from the night and start a serious project, the name totally just stuck.

You’re the only girl in a band full guys. How do you deal with that on the road?

The question should probably be how do they deal with ME on the road!? Haha. That’s a joke…. I’m probably one of the more free-spirited members of the band, and I get into my own pockets of existence. I go off on my own and eat my own meals a lot, and have Kalmia’s arts and crafts hours. I really love all the guys in the band and they are my brothers, but it’s hard for me to keep up with their constant playfulness and brand of humor at times. Luckily we all connect deeply on stage every night, and spend parts of everyday analyzing and evaluating the last night’s performance- so we have a lot of work to all dig into together.

Who does most of the writing?

Usually Alex and I draft songs either together or separately, but then we’ll take them to the band and work through them to create a performance together. Band members will contribute to creating the instrumental parts, and feels and vibes of the music.

Who is your biggest musical influence?

If I had to pick one, personally I’d say Moondog. The Viking of 6th Avenue. American composer active largely in the 60s and 70s, who built his own magical instruments and wrote for them and orchestras and singers. Very rhythmically-focused, cyclical music that incorporates rich acoustic sounds, polyrhythms and chanting, and results in meditative but playful feels. These are so many of the fundamentals I start with when I write music. For the band I’d say the 3 most important influences are Fela Kuti, the Talking Heads and Phil Collins.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

It shifts from week to week! I’m currently very excited about one of our newest songs called “Pain From Love” – Alex wrote it. It has a lilting dark melody over straight soul, and then a really fun outro where we 3 singers get to flex our harmony skills.

Katie Davis is an amazing singer-songwriter from Seattle who I’ve been a fan of since the early days of Rubyfruit Radio. Her songs are a mix of melancholy and emotion (in a good way!). Add her brilliant voice and you’ve got something truly special.
Recently, Katie started creating greeting cards as a way to finance her music. They’ve gotten rave reviews and are selling like crazy. Go to ilikeyouandnaps.com and check out them out. Zooey Deschanel loves them, shouldn’t you?
Also, check out her website where you can download one of her EPs for free.
www.katiedavismusic.com

What was the first concert you ever attended?

I think the first show I went to was Sweetwater at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. I was maybe a freshman in high school. The theater had seats, and my ticket had my seat number on it, so even though there were empty seats up front, I stayed in my seat in the back because I thought I would get in trouble if I moved up.

If you could form a band with 3 other people in it, who would those 3 people be?

Okay, the choices are overwhelming me, so I’m forming a random band:

Mick Jagger
Carrie Brownstein
My sister

THIS BAND IS AWESOME. Also, in this imaginary band, I would like to suddenly know how to play drums.

You have an Etsy shop and your “I Like You and Naps” cards have become quite popular and have been blogged about in countless places. You’ve expanded the selection quite a bit recently, do you plan on continuing making cards and coming up with new ones? What’s the inspiration behind them?

“I like you and naps” was a simple expression of how much I like naps.

I put up a handful of cards on Etsy, and suddenly I had so many sales I broke my printer and had to shut down my shop for a few days. It turns out naps are very popular.

All my cards are simple expressions of my self or inspired by my friends. “I do not like jobs.” “Love is weird.” “You drink too much.” I just wanted to make something I liked. It makes me happy that other people like them too.

I will definitely continue to make cards! The money I make selling cards helps me to support my music.

Sad songs seem to be your signature. Why sad songs?

I love sad songs. They are my favorite.

I like sad songs that say something beautiful or honest. I like sad songs with hope.

How do you approach your songwriting and where does your inspiration come from?

I think maybe writing songs about things is how I let them go.

I write without really thinking about it. I’m not sitting down with a guitar like, “I will write a song about this thing.” I’m just playing and something comes up. I feel like I’m trying to remember the words. I’m always trying to say it more simply, more honestly.

A few months ago, I woke up singing a song from my dream. I rolled over in bed and sang the chorus right into my phone.

Songwriting comes and goes for me. One season, I write a bunch of songs. The next season, nothing comes. When it comes, I get caught up in it. I will play a new song over and over all night.

When I first about The Happy Problem, I noticed that Sam Shaber was the lead vocalist. Sam Shaber? In an indie punk band? Yes, that Sam Shaber, the same Sam Shaber who spent several years on the folk circuit where it was just her and her guitar. I took one listen to her new project, The Happy Problem and was hooked. It’s a departure from her singer-songwriter days, but it’s still amazing!

What was the first concert you every went to?
Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” Tour at Radio City Music Hall, 11th row. After
the Beastie Boys opened for her, they came and sat right next to us! I
was traumatized and fascinated – life has never been the same since.

Who are your musical influences?
My influences run the gamut from Nirvana to Duran Duran to No Doubt to
Nine Inch Nails to Green Day to the White Stripes and beyond. But while
those are the bands I most learn from musically, when the moment comes to
start working on a song, the inspiration can come from anywhere. This
week I’m working on something kickstarted by the 3D documentary PINA about
the avant garde choreographer. There’s one scene with dancers making the
most out of an on-stage, man-made lake, accompanied by this joyful, funky
rap music about getting stoned, and all of a sudden I was sitting in my
seat with an idea!

You were a solo folk singer and have now transitioned into a much heavier
sound. What was behind the change?
I just got really bored with myself. I wanted to make a bigger sound, a
bigger impact, and share the making and performing of music with a full,
cooperative rock band. I’ve never been a Dylan or Baez person, so I was
always on my own wavelength a bit with the folk stuff. It’s a wonderful
community of artists, venues and audiences, but I was ready for something
totally different. Besides, I’d never be Simon LeBon at that rate, eh?

What is your songwriting process like now as the Happy Problem compared to
your songs from your solo career?
Songs are usually started by me – either just a riff, a full section, or
almost the whole thing – and then I bring them to the band and we play
with it, flesh it all out, turn it up and finish it. I spend a lot of
time at the studio alone making weird noise before I bring something for
people to hear. Tony Cortes and I then add drums to the mix and see what
happens after that. I hate writing without drums – a song completely
changes once you put that in the mix.

With my solo stuff, I was the lone writer and the whole song had to be
playable alone on an acoustic guitar. Some artists find that “pure” and
“freeing,” but I felt very limited. I get stretched as an artist by
thinking about the song as a whole collage of sound, adding all the other
parts and heads in. I guess if you’ve always worn a costume, it’s
refreshing to strip it down, and likewise, I was always stripped down, so
now it’s refreshing to dress it up!

Do you think you’re ever go back to your folk roots?
I actually feel like my roots are in the music I’m playing now, as though
I’ve only just found myself after all this time. So I think I’ll keep
moving further in this direction as I explore rock, pop, punk and indie
more. I never really had roots in folk music – I was always listening to
Prince and Green Day while other people were talking about Mary Chapin
Carpenter or Johnny Cash. So this feels more natural to me and I’m
inspired now in a way I don’t think I was before. But I’m also terrible
at looking at the past – I never like what I did before! So who knows? I
can say that I love just writing a really good song, so that’s what I hope
will never change, regardless of the label or coating that gets put on it!

I first heard Hank and Cupcakes 2 years ago while looking for some cover songs for a show. I stumbled upon their version of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control” and I was mesmerized. I still think it’s one of the most brilliant covers I’ve ever heard. To me what sets Hank and Cupcakes apart is their live show. H&C features Sagit aka Cupcakes on drums and vocals with her husband Ariel (aka Hank) playing bass and looping everything else. What you get is two people creating an enormous sound. Words fail me on how fantastic their live shows are (check out a video below).

Their new album “Naked” will be dropping in June and I can’t wait. The new songs I have heard have all had a fantastic energy to them and in a word are amazing. Be sure to check out the new album and do not miss them when they go on tour.

I had the chance to ask Sagit Shir aka Cupcakes, a few questions.

Where did the name Hank and Cupcakes come from?

The name H&C is a consequence of the fact that we are both big Charles Bukowski fans. If you’ve read a Bukowski book, you know who Hank is. Cupcakes is actually one of Bukowski’s real life lovers. The idea for the name came up while we were watching a documentary about him called ‘Born Into This’ which we highly recommended

How do you approach your songwriting and where does your inspiration come from?

Songwriting for me is a daily routine, something that needs a lot of discipline and consistency. I try to start every morning with song writing – While my mind is still relatively uncluttered- The best songs come to me when I’m not being judgmental at the moment of writing and I just let the ideas flow out without putting any pressure on myself to deliver. When I manage to be in that open place, inspiration can come from absolutely anything.

You are a classically trained pianist. What prompted you to pick up the drumsticks?

My mother used to play rhythm games with me when I was very young so I might have had an early taste! But I truly fell in love with drums at a beach in Tel Aviv which I discovered when I was 18. It was a kind of hippie beach and every Friday they would have a huge african drums jam, playing into the sunset. I stumbled upon one of these jams and was immediately hooked. I came back to the beach every night that summer and learned to play with people who were always hanging out there jamming.

Recently in the comments for Liquid Mercury on YouTube, there were a bunch of people on there saying that you were copying Lady Gaga. How do you deal with critiques and criticism like that?

Truthfully, it makes us smile and even a little happy because it means that our music is expanding and reaching new people beyond our circle of fans and that is always a good thing. We encouraged our fans to respond to the comments but it was all in good humor. We’re very confident in our music and don’t feel threatened by this kind of criticism. On the contrary, if ‘Liquid Mercury’ reminds people of Madonna or Lady Gaga we take it as a compliment.

What can we look forward to in 2012 from H&C?

We’re hustling & bustling at the moment getting our new album -’Naked’ – ready for print and will be releasing it in June followed by a U.S and later European tour. We’re already hard at work on our next music video for the song ‘See Through’ and have started writing new material for our next album!

From the first moment that I heard Connie Lim’s voice, I was hooked. Her lyrics are amazing and her voice is pure. Words fail to describe how much I love her voice. She’s currently touring up and down the California coast and will soon be on her way to Nashville and then will be working her way up the East Coast. Be sure to check her out if you get a chance.

What was the first concert you ever attended?
My first concert was a puppet musical of Peter and the Wolf and I fell in love with the flutes and strings. It was such a magical experience that i still remember being 7 years old with my eyes wide open, loving each moment.

If you could form a band with 3 other people in it, who would those 3 people be?
Robin DiMaggio on Drums
Imogen Heap on synths and other ear candy sounds
Portishead on keys, bass, and guitar

How do you approach your songwriting?
Organically. I try to write simply and humbly. I don’t like songs that have too much ego in them. I like songs that are like gifts for people to think about their own lives, rather than mine.

You have a degree from UC Berkeley and studied pre med. What made you decide to pursue music and how has your family adjusted to the decision?
My parents took a while to accept my decision. In high school I trotted in my sister’s footsteps, taking AP courses, and landing on Honor Rolls year after year. I was ASB President and Homecoming queen, founder of a club that started a local breast cancer walk. I grew up ambitious and aware of my parents’ expectations for my future as a bright professional. They were devastated that I would throw my education away for the arts, but now see that I am channeling the same drive into what is my calling, and they could not be more happy for me. It was the hardest journey in my life, but the most rewarding. To get emails from my dad saying that he loves my songs is probably the best accomplishment in my life.

What’s in store for you this coming year?
A lot of traveling and breaking personal boundaries. Touring the east coast with a friend Jenn Bostic in June. Before that I will be living in Nashville to continue demoing and writing my new material. I’ll be pitching more songs to more established artists, and writing much like Hemingway did: iceberg words in oceans of ethereal harmonies and sounds. I’m planning more online streaming performances, and to also utilize the internet to get fans to help me fund my next couple of big projects: tours and ep’s. Currently I’m recording my next singles and am ready to continue pushing my musical boundaries.

Marissa Paternoster is the vocalist and lead guitarist for Screaming Females, a punk trio out of New Brunswick, NJ. They just released a new album called “Ugly” and the record shows a new depth to Marissa’s vocals and amazing layers of crunchy guitars, bass and drums. I’ve listened to the whole thing and I think it will definitely be one of my top 5 albums of the year.
Marissa took some time to answer a few questions right before kicking off their tour.

What was the first concert you ever went to?

I think the first show I ever went to on my own accord was a Weezer show in New Jersey. I honestly can’t remember a damn thing about the show except that it was a little bit boring ’cause there were seats and I felt trapped and I was standing next to some 20something that kept spilling his High Life onto my army jacket.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve heard about yourself?

Uh, geez, you’ve got me stumped.

You’ve done tons of artwork including album covers and fliers, who are your artistic influences?

My favorite artists include Frida Kahlo, Diane Arbus, Henry Darger, Louise Bourgeois, David Shrigley, Philip Guston, Cindy Sherman, Basquiat, Howard Finster, Cy Twombly, and B. Kliban. Just to name a few.

What makes you want to keep your songs with Screaming Females and Noun separate, especially considering Mike and Jarrett contributed to “Holy Hell” ?

When Screaming Females writes, we write and arrange the songs collectively. When Noun writes songs, it’s all on me. I started writing as Noun long before Screaming Females began, so a lot of those songs have been kicking around for a while.

How do you go about the songwriting process?

When Screaming Females writes, we get together in our practice space (wherever that may be) play riffs and improvise until something clicks. Then we will proceed to arrange the song however we see fit.

I’ve been a fan of Alyson Greenfield’s for over 5 years. In that time, I have seen her evolve as an artist and it has been an amazing thing to watch. She’s a multi-instrumentalist and she is constantly pushing boundaries and trying new things. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know her on a personal level as well as work with her on her project, Tinderbox, an annual music festival that benefits organizations whose mission is to help develop the next generation of female artists.
It seems only fitting that Alyson Greenfield be the one to kick off the Friday 5 feature.

What was the first concert you ever attended?

Tom Petty

If you could form a band with 3 other people in it, who would those 3 people be?

Peter Gabriel, Thom Yorke, Billy Corgan

What are you listening to lately?

Lady Sovereign, Sufjan Stevens, Bjork, Dizzee Rascal, MIA, Michael Franti, Foster The People, Zambri, Regina Spektor

What’s the song(s) you’re most proud of writing?

“Uncharted Places” (my next single!) and “Spirit Soul” (a 10 minute song with a string trio and drums that hasn’t been recorded yet).

Your music has what I would consider to be a lot of feminist themes. Do you write about these things intentionally?

I feel like I used to write a lot about these themes intentionally a few years ago. Lately I feel like my scope of inspiration is wider, and while I still have songs with feminist themes I don’t feel as if I’m quite as focused on them as I once was. I’m more inspired lately just by being a human in general.

Alyson is currently working on the video for her single Uncharted Places and recently released a video for her brilliant cover of LL Cool J’s song “Mama Said Knock You Out” as well as “Michael Cera C​*​ckblocked Me at SXSW”. Check them out below!

Find Alyson at alysongreenfield.com, Facebook, and YouTube.

Whitney Houston, one of the biggest pop stars ever has died at the age of 48. This is a very tragic death as the world watched her become a superstar with over 400 awards, 200 million albums sold, numerous records and watched as she became an inspiration to millions of artists who came after her. We also all watched as her battle with addiction took it’s toll and her marriage to Bobby Brown became tabloid fodder.

Even if you were not a fan of Whitney Houston and never owned one of her albums, you cannot deny that her voice was flawless and that she was an amazing talent. The world of music has suffered an incredible loss. I hope that her memory will be filled with all the good things and that we can put aside all her battles and remember her for her amazing voice.

R.I.P. Whitney.

Somebody That I Used To Know was covered by Ingrid Michaelson as part of her Army of Three project. The original was done by Gotye and Kimbra and is on the top of my favorite songs of 2011. Below is Ingrid’s version and Gotye’s.

I love covers that are by unexpected people or done in an unexpected way. Alyson Greenfield did a cover of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise using only a glockenspiel.

Finding Jupiter covered Britney Spears using only a ukelele.

The original is a little different.