Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "wvm"
WVM
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Continuing my series of interviews with independent musicians, my guest today is the talented artist David Alvarez, the man behind the band WVM.
I have been following David's music online for a few years now, and he is one of those artists who is serious about putting 100% into whatever he is doing.
David was kind enough to let me use 'Mansions of Thought', an instrumental track from his album, Duel, as the background music for my book trailer for The Dream. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a link: The Dream - Book Trailer
David's new project WVM features former members of Nine Inch Nails. I am already a fan of his music and having heard the first three tracks from his latest project, I am very much looking forward to the release of his upcoming album 'The End is only the Beginning'.
I invited David here to talk about his music and the new project he is working on.
Here's the interview:
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Why the name WVM?
The main reason I decided to use the moniker WVM, where the letters don't actually stand for anything, is because I would prefer my music identify and brand me rather than a band name. That way the focus can be on the music without thinking too much about the name. Also, having a nondescript name such as this really frees everything up, and I am not bound to any preconceptions.
I have both your albums, Duel and The Equinox, and I have to say they are among my favourite albums. Your music is quite original. It's electronic, but also has a hard edge and guitars giving it a rock feel. How would you describe the type of music you play?
Thank you. Those two albums were different projects altogether. They were me, but I was in a different frame of mind when I created them. WVM is where my mind is now, in fact, WVM is where my mind has always been. Those two albums you mentioned were created under different monikers and were really a result of me experimenting with organically retro sounds, which really doesn't fall under the category of WVM. The songs from those albums were sketches of ideas really, they were demos and not legitimate releases, even though a good percentage of those tracks found their way onto video game soundtracks and trailers as well as TV shows.
When did you first start writing songs and music, and did you have any professional training?
I've been creating music in one form or another since I was a kid and I am entirely self taught. I do things extremely unorthodox compared to musicians who have training. I only found this out through my interactions with trained musicians, which made me realize how unorthodox my music really is.
Who were your favourite bands when you were growing up? And was there one band or musician in particular that inspired you to become a musician?
Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead were by far my favorite artists/bands, I love Marilyn Manson and Aphex Twin as well. I absolutely love Beethoven, his music really takes me places and I listen to a lot of David Bowie.
I know that you've been very hard at work on the new album for some time. I think it was originally meant to be released much sooner, but then you decided to go for a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce it. What was your thinking behind that, and how did the campaign go?
Well when I began this album I realized early on that the this music is something else entirely, and I really needed to spend the time in developing it as though it were a major label release. What is really holding me back from releasing the album right now is money. I still need more funding to pay for studio costs and a number of other costs that go with creating music. From major label to indie, there is money behind the creation of the music you hear. It doesn't matter if you are someone in your bedroom creating music or if you are recording in a studio, all music costs money to create. If you are in your bedroom creating music you had to purchase a computer and if you record with instruments you had to have purchased them. Likewise with synth music; there is a great number of digital synths you can find legally free but the majority cost money. A musician is often in debt from the start, while most people feel that music should be free or that they can acquire music free. They don't realize the expenses that go into creating a lot of these songs. So the reasoning behind the Kickstarter campaign was to generate the funding to take this music to its fullest potential, both in production and in composition. When I started the campaign I had absolutely no idea how the process would work. I just sort of fell into it and I raised over seven thousand in two short weeks. In retrospect I should have done it for a full month as I feel I could have raised a lot more. This is why I started a campaign for this album via Indiegogo, which is actually a lot more open then Kickstarter in that it allows for any credit card and Paypal account and is not just limited to Amazon the way Kickstarter is. The URL for this campaign is http://www.indiegogo.com/wvm?a=1533517. Here is a video showing the progress of this album http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrlcI...
That's an excellent video, David, the music is sounding great!
You worked with some big names in the music industry in producing and finishing your new album, including Chris Vrenna, Josh Freese, and Sean Beaven from NIN. How did that come about, and what was it like working with them?
I don't know, maybe luck? haha, these guys are some of the best people I have met in this industry. They are all amazing people and very focused and knowledgeable in what they do.
As I'm interviewing you on Goodreads, a website full of book lovers, an appropriate question to ask is do you read much? And, if so, who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
I don't read as much as I used to. I simply don't have the time for it these days, but I love books about quantum physics and astronomy. I really am a physics geek at heart and don't mind saying it. I can get lost in it. But I realize that most of what we read about today will more than likely be proven wrong in the future, just as theories hundreds of years ago made way for new theories about our universe. I think the search for the mechanics behind this universe is part of the process of our existence.
I've noticed that quite a few of your tunes have been licensed by various companies, for film trailers, computer games, etc. You must be thrilled by that. Out of all the companies that have approached you for a licence to use one of your songs, which one was your favourite use, and why?
Well so far, UFC3 is a favorite because my song "Last Day of The Sun" plays in the game itself. I'm really looking forward to seeing where WVM gets licensed with this new material because I feel it's my strongest by far. I think I would flip if I heard one of my tracks on "The Walking Dead" or "Breaking Bad," as those are two of my favorite shows.
The End Is Only The Beginning, is a great title for the new album. How do you come up with titles for songs? Do you write the songs and then choose a title or does the title come first as an idea for a song?
That particular title came about through the song "Limitless," which features both Chris Vrenna and Josh Freese playing drums within the same track. As I wrote the song, my mind drifted to a section at the end that sounded completely different from the rest of the track. "Limitless" is a pretty aggressive song. I found my mind writing a section at the end that was ambient and almost an entirely different song altogether but still part of the same track, so I had to give that section a title. Since it was at the end and really sounded like another song entirely but somehow cohesive, my practical side came through in the thought of naming it "The End Is Only the Beginning." In the track listing, "Limitless" and "The End Is Only the Beginning" are listed as 1A and 1B. It's sort of a Schrodinger's Cat of sorts in that it can be seen as both one or two songs. It all depends on how you look at it.
What types of things inspire your songwriting?
I find that everything in one's life inspires the creation you are making in one way or another.
Do you have a favourite track on the new album, if so which one is it and why is it your favourite?
That's impossible for me to answer.
I know what you mean; I always say that when someone asks me which one of my books is my favourite :)
Where is the best place for people to connect with you online, and where can they buy your new album?
http://www.facebook.com/WVMOfficial
http://www.youtube.com/user/wvmtv
http://soundcloud.com/wvmofficial
http://www.mtv.com/artists/wvm
https://plus.google.com/1072292551071...
http://wvm.tumblr.com/
Thank you for answering my questions, David, and I wish you every success with the new WVM album and your future projects!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can help with financing the new WVM album by donating at Indiegogo.
Indiegogo is a great way to help independent artists.
I hope you enjoyed the interview!
Continuing my series of interviews with independent musicians, my guest today is the talented artist David Alvarez, the man behind the band WVM.
I have been following David's music online for a few years now, and he is one of those artists who is serious about putting 100% into whatever he is doing.
David was kind enough to let me use 'Mansions of Thought', an instrumental track from his album, Duel, as the background music for my book trailer for The Dream. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a link: The Dream - Book Trailer
David's new project WVM features former members of Nine Inch Nails. I am already a fan of his music and having heard the first three tracks from his latest project, I am very much looking forward to the release of his upcoming album 'The End is only the Beginning'.
I invited David here to talk about his music and the new project he is working on.
Here's the interview:
[image error]
Why the name WVM?
The main reason I decided to use the moniker WVM, where the letters don't actually stand for anything, is because I would prefer my music identify and brand me rather than a band name. That way the focus can be on the music without thinking too much about the name. Also, having a nondescript name such as this really frees everything up, and I am not bound to any preconceptions.
I have both your albums, Duel and The Equinox, and I have to say they are among my favourite albums. Your music is quite original. It's electronic, but also has a hard edge and guitars giving it a rock feel. How would you describe the type of music you play?
Thank you. Those two albums were different projects altogether. They were me, but I was in a different frame of mind when I created them. WVM is where my mind is now, in fact, WVM is where my mind has always been. Those two albums you mentioned were created under different monikers and were really a result of me experimenting with organically retro sounds, which really doesn't fall under the category of WVM. The songs from those albums were sketches of ideas really, they were demos and not legitimate releases, even though a good percentage of those tracks found their way onto video game soundtracks and trailers as well as TV shows.
When did you first start writing songs and music, and did you have any professional training?
I've been creating music in one form or another since I was a kid and I am entirely self taught. I do things extremely unorthodox compared to musicians who have training. I only found this out through my interactions with trained musicians, which made me realize how unorthodox my music really is.
Who were your favourite bands when you were growing up? And was there one band or musician in particular that inspired you to become a musician?
Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead were by far my favorite artists/bands, I love Marilyn Manson and Aphex Twin as well. I absolutely love Beethoven, his music really takes me places and I listen to a lot of David Bowie.
I know that you've been very hard at work on the new album for some time. I think it was originally meant to be released much sooner, but then you decided to go for a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce it. What was your thinking behind that, and how did the campaign go?
Well when I began this album I realized early on that the this music is something else entirely, and I really needed to spend the time in developing it as though it were a major label release. What is really holding me back from releasing the album right now is money. I still need more funding to pay for studio costs and a number of other costs that go with creating music. From major label to indie, there is money behind the creation of the music you hear. It doesn't matter if you are someone in your bedroom creating music or if you are recording in a studio, all music costs money to create. If you are in your bedroom creating music you had to purchase a computer and if you record with instruments you had to have purchased them. Likewise with synth music; there is a great number of digital synths you can find legally free but the majority cost money. A musician is often in debt from the start, while most people feel that music should be free or that they can acquire music free. They don't realize the expenses that go into creating a lot of these songs. So the reasoning behind the Kickstarter campaign was to generate the funding to take this music to its fullest potential, both in production and in composition. When I started the campaign I had absolutely no idea how the process would work. I just sort of fell into it and I raised over seven thousand in two short weeks. In retrospect I should have done it for a full month as I feel I could have raised a lot more. This is why I started a campaign for this album via Indiegogo, which is actually a lot more open then Kickstarter in that it allows for any credit card and Paypal account and is not just limited to Amazon the way Kickstarter is. The URL for this campaign is http://www.indiegogo.com/wvm?a=1533517. Here is a video showing the progress of this album http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrlcI...
That's an excellent video, David, the music is sounding great!
You worked with some big names in the music industry in producing and finishing your new album, including Chris Vrenna, Josh Freese, and Sean Beaven from NIN. How did that come about, and what was it like working with them?
I don't know, maybe luck? haha, these guys are some of the best people I have met in this industry. They are all amazing people and very focused and knowledgeable in what they do.
As I'm interviewing you on Goodreads, a website full of book lovers, an appropriate question to ask is do you read much? And, if so, who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
I don't read as much as I used to. I simply don't have the time for it these days, but I love books about quantum physics and astronomy. I really am a physics geek at heart and don't mind saying it. I can get lost in it. But I realize that most of what we read about today will more than likely be proven wrong in the future, just as theories hundreds of years ago made way for new theories about our universe. I think the search for the mechanics behind this universe is part of the process of our existence.
I've noticed that quite a few of your tunes have been licensed by various companies, for film trailers, computer games, etc. You must be thrilled by that. Out of all the companies that have approached you for a licence to use one of your songs, which one was your favourite use, and why?
Well so far, UFC3 is a favorite because my song "Last Day of The Sun" plays in the game itself. I'm really looking forward to seeing where WVM gets licensed with this new material because I feel it's my strongest by far. I think I would flip if I heard one of my tracks on "The Walking Dead" or "Breaking Bad," as those are two of my favorite shows.
The End Is Only The Beginning, is a great title for the new album. How do you come up with titles for songs? Do you write the songs and then choose a title or does the title come first as an idea for a song?
That particular title came about through the song "Limitless," which features both Chris Vrenna and Josh Freese playing drums within the same track. As I wrote the song, my mind drifted to a section at the end that sounded completely different from the rest of the track. "Limitless" is a pretty aggressive song. I found my mind writing a section at the end that was ambient and almost an entirely different song altogether but still part of the same track, so I had to give that section a title. Since it was at the end and really sounded like another song entirely but somehow cohesive, my practical side came through in the thought of naming it "The End Is Only the Beginning." In the track listing, "Limitless" and "The End Is Only the Beginning" are listed as 1A and 1B. It's sort of a Schrodinger's Cat of sorts in that it can be seen as both one or two songs. It all depends on how you look at it.
What types of things inspire your songwriting?
I find that everything in one's life inspires the creation you are making in one way or another.
Do you have a favourite track on the new album, if so which one is it and why is it your favourite?
That's impossible for me to answer.
I know what you mean; I always say that when someone asks me which one of my books is my favourite :)
Where is the best place for people to connect with you online, and where can they buy your new album?
http://www.facebook.com/WVMOfficial
http://www.youtube.com/user/wvmtv
http://soundcloud.com/wvmofficial
http://www.mtv.com/artists/wvm
https://plus.google.com/1072292551071...
http://wvm.tumblr.com/
Thank you for answering my questions, David, and I wish you every success with the new WVM album and your future projects!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can help with financing the new WVM album by donating at Indiegogo.
Indiegogo is a great way to help independent artists.
I hope you enjoyed the interview!
