We got to chat with Alex and this is what he had to say about the experience he had with his song Forever Yours and the events that followed its launch. Here’s what we got:

Alex Day

* You’ve been quite successful as a vlogger and musician for a while, but this is the first time you actually took on a mission as difficult as this (except reading Twilight). What brought this on? 

Alex: Well you should always aim high, I think. I didn’t actually expect the Christmas Number One – I said in my very first video about it, ‘we probably can’t do this’. But it’s fun to be part of the Christmas race, I miss that battle between all the top acts fighting for the top spot.

* Forever Yours is not what people would expect to come out around this time of the year and be so successful, how come you chose to do something other than songs involving love under the mistletoe and father Christmas? Why Forever Yours?

Alex: Yeah, I’ve seen people be a bit weird about that, saying “you should have released a Christmas song”. The whole point for me was that it isn’t a Christmas novelty thing, it’s just my first single, and I wanted to push it for success beyond just that one week. It was an investment move, I suppose.

* I have been following your timeline on twitter, you’re drawing in quite a crowd. Do you think it’s a reaction to the bad music we’re “graced” with on a daily basis or just love for the underdog? 

Alex: Thank you! I think it’s a couple things: interest in seeing how far an unsigned artist can go without any tricks except good music and a receptive audience, coupled with the fact that I’m very honest on Twitter and will continue to be so. But yes, most music is shit isn’t it?

*  There is a strong and strange phenomenon going on on twitter now, you actually got your followers to gift the song to people less fortunate and it’s actually working. How does it make you feel? It might sound like you should lie on the couch to answer this one.

Alex: It’s a shame, I think, that selfless generosity is referred to as a “strange phenomenon” in this day and age! It’s a wonderful thing, and it started because I was doing it – a couple people said their parents weren’t letting them buy the song because they didn’t ‘trust iTunes’ or something stupid like that, so I gifted it to them as gifting a song still helps for the chart. And from there I had people requesting the song but also a lot of people offering to gift it to others, so we set up a hashtag and they worked it out from there.

* There are several different version of Forever Yours going around and all of them have made the charts, do you have a favourite out of all of them? And why are there so many version?

Alex: Yes, the fifteen versions combined to one single chart place which is a useful little loophole in the UK charts, so that’s the reason for the number of them, but I didn’t release any that I wasn’t proud of as alternate versions in their own right. My favourite is the one that my friends Michael and Bill recorded – they did a dramatic reading of the song,  similar to William Shatner’s ‘Common People’ cover.

* The video…just the video. It’s quite different from what we see on TV, no flashy effects or big names directing it, but it’s still awesome. Who came up with the idea for it? And speaking of the video, how come it’s on Charlie’s channel and not yours?

Alex: Thank you I’m very proud of the video. It was Charlie’s idea, after asking me what the song was about and trying to get that across. That’s the reason it’s on Charlie’s channel – it’s Charlie’s video, he made it himself so he deserves to showcase it on his page. It also means he gets as much out of it as me, because he gets the subscriber gain and I get the exposure of the music. It’s something I hope we’ll be able to do again with future singles.

Alex Day

* The money you’ll be making from selling the song will go to World Vision, is Karma keeping you on top? You’ve been involved in several other charity events, any particular reason you chose World Vision this time?

Alex: World Vision is always the charity I’m most loyal to because they flew me out to Zambia for two weeks last year to personally observe their work in the field. I made a few videos about it and loved the experience of being out there. And yes, I’m sure it does make people feel a little better about supporting me. I’m really not in this for fame or money, I just want my music to be heard and enjoyed.

* You are the first unsigned artist to get this far, considering the competition you’ve had, you’re doing great. Would you like to become a signed artist? Join a label? Or would you like to keep doing your thing with little to no outside involvement?

Thanks – I’d like to keep doing my thing my way, but it’d certainly be nice to have a team of people helping me to do it better and with more money. I’d sign to a label if I was sure that I could still make every decision about my career on my own, I’m not against it – as I said, my biggest joy is that people enjoy my music, and being with a label would certainly help more people to reach my work.

* Any advice to future artists who might be looking at you for inspiration? 

Alex: Yeah, get off your arse and get known! Most artists settle for just putting a song out, they put it on YouTube, they moan that it doesn’t get as much views as they like, but they’re not doing anything to help – for the last month I’ve been non-stop ringing press people, newspapers, TV shows, music websites, radio, all to try and bring exposure to Forever Yours, saying “this is my story, let’s talk about it”, and you have to do that stuff. Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you. And work out what your story is – for Forever Yours my story was “unsigned artist running for Christmas Number One”, which is a good story. You need to find something unique that will make people want to share your story with other people.

* Ok, question time over, what would you like to tell your fans? I’ve seen on the trending topics you went across the borders, people from all over the world are listening to you so what is the one thing you would like them to know?

Alex: I’d like them to know that I’m grateful, that I will keep them honestly informed on all the major decisions regarding my career and that you made my Christmas

Visit Alex Day’s Official Website and/or Official Twitter.

It’s also the time when most artists feel like it’s their duty to release new singles. Some are good, some make you cringe in horror and wonder what possessed people into releasing that, but life isn’t always a box of chocolates so you move on.

Since everyone wants to top the charts around this time, a fierce competition occurs in most countries. Who’ll be number 1 in the US? How about the UK? Will it be one of the famous singers or someone that made their music less for profit and more for the people?

A few months back Alex Day (better known to bloggers and vloggers as Nerimon) has decided to take on the task of making a relatively unknown song number 1 in the UK for Christmas, despite there being fierce competition from other musicians, such as Justin Bieber, Cold Play or Rihanna.

I admit at first I thought it would be a pipe dream, despite secretly rooting for him. Someone should show the already commercial names what good music is about. Alex’s single, Forever Yours, currently at number 5 on iTunes charts (UK) tells a charming little story about friendship and loss. It’s Christmas so it does get a happy ending, don’t worry about that.

With a video that speaks to everyone’s inner geek – it contains superheroes, zombies and undying friendship – Forever Yours has managed something few believed it could achieve. It reached a place in charts all over the world: Australia, US, Sweden and more, touch the hearts of a lot of people who have decided for once they want to hear something other than cheesy Christmas songs that put a lot of money in the pockets of already overly rich artists.

I’m in no way claiming Alex isn’t making money out of this, but watching his video makes it really hard not to root for the guy. Slightly on the B movie side, with some cheesy special effects, but with a compelling story, the clip manages to do what most expensive videos have failed at – reach the masses who crave to have something normal and perhaps even devoid of the tackiness that permeates our current reality. Since all the money go to charity, let’s hope karma is on his side. There are several versions of the song floating around the internet, but neither loses the charm of the original.

The song is also available for use without the threat of a trial for those who wish to make fan videos, so there you go, another point goes to Alex.

I asked around and I snooped on twitter, see what people thought of the song and these are some twitter replies and trending topics replies regarding it:

Kate East ’Forever Yours is a catchy song with a strong moral. I thoroughly enjoy listening to all versions!’

@TheAllysaurus : ’’Alex’s idea face, Charlie killing zombies and a brilliant song. So much love. So much win. Deserves top 5 at least ’’

@CharliCharlsi @thatalexday is literally a god… Or would be if he wasn’t an atheist… Achieving something no one has before with #ForeverYours

With the voting ending tomorrow, it seems Alex has won a steady place at number 4, beating the veterans of Coldplay. They might make it even bigger, you never know.

Here’s the video of the song, take a look and if you’re in the UK feel free to lend a hand in making him number 1 and help World Vision, the charity Alex is supporting with his song. Watch the video below and get it on iTunes – CLICK HERE Top 10

EV: Welcome to Entertainment Vine, Steve. Thank you for taking the time to discuss Music Saves Lives and Supa Pirate Booty Hunt with us.

SS: Thank you so much!

EV: To begin, would you share a little about how you became involved with animation? Were there any specific cartoons that inspired you as a child?

SS: Wow, so many cartoons I loved growing up including all the Disney classics movies, Disney Afternoon including Darkwing Duck (that’s why Cpt Zack Stevers wears a purple cape), Looney Tunes, Woody Wood Pecker, Transformers, GI Joe, and Robotech. Of course, the biggest influence on me was The Simpsons.

Supa Pirate Booty Hunt started as a skit on my internet college radio show at WVAU American University in Washington, DC. I was the general manager of the radio station and wanted to inspire my fellow students to try and take their shows seriously. So I started this skit called “Storytime with Steve Sievers” where I did these voices of a pirate and turtle going on different adventures each week on my show. The skit became such a hit but I didn’t realize it until the summer of 2004. I used to own a clothing line called Level 27 Clothing with my best friend Billy Martin from the band Good Charlotte. I went on the whole Vans Warped Tour in 2004 having a booth for Level 27. I was so surprised that so many people came up to me in cities all across North America telling me how much they loved the skit. It was in Vancouver Canada, on a Vans Warped Tour date, that a girl asked me to record her cell phone voicemail greeting in the Daniel the Turtle voice that I was like struck by lighting, I have to do something with this silly skit! When it came for me to decide on what to do my grad school thesis project on, I thought to myself “well I plan my day around on when The Simpsons comes on and still love animation, why not turn my radio skit into a cartoon show?” My journey into animation began!

Steve Sievers and Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy

EV: And what a journey it has been! How did you begin collaborating on Supa Pirate Booty Hunt with Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy?

SS: After I graduated college in August 2005, I moved to North Hollywood to try and find some animator/artist to team up with and help bring my cartoon to life. I went through four different animators and was about to give up on the whole thing. My friend Jason from college told me his friend Jeff worked with this animator/artist named Dahveed that was going through similar experiences as me and I thought this would be my last chance. So we were set up like a blind date and at first we both didn’t really trust each other because we went over our contract so many times. But the funny thing is that we became really good friends from it. We both share the same vision and passion for the project. We have been working together since 2007 and it’s been a great time.

EV: You and Dahveed have been guest panelists at a few conventions, what advice do you give aspiring animators?

SS: When I first moved to the Los Angeles area, everyone told me to pitch your concept right away. You don’t need any artwork or animation, just make some calls and get in there and pitch. Of course you can do that, but Hollywood gets pitches everyday, how can you stand yourself out from the crowd? My goal was always to build up the animation, self produce them, and create a following online. I’ve been in bands before and I have always treated the cartoon as one. To build a following you need to play live shows, right? Well, for cartoons you do conventions. So Dahveed and I have had a lot of booths at conventions and we have built up a following where we have been asked to do panels at conventions. Last summer I was a guest speaker on the cartoon workshop panel at San Diego Comic-Con. You can’t just create something and except people to find it on their own. You have to get out there and tell people about it. My advice is to produce some animation yourself. Even if nothing happens with it, like getting a TV deal, it is still an amazing feeling to see your characters come to life!

EV: I’ve noticed a lot of your fans wear a Daniel the Turtle necklace. How did Daniel find his way into the fashion industry?

SS: So when I had Level 27 Clothing, we made this necklace with Rusty from the band H2O’s company called Pnut Jewelry. Early this year I was at a Todd McFarlane signing at Golden Apple Comics and wearing my Level 27 Necklace. This guy said “nice necklace” and I replied “thanks, I helped designed it”. Then he replied “cool, I sculpted it”. Turned out his name was Oscar Ayotzintli and he used to work at Pnut Jewelry in New York City and just moved to Hollywood to get his own company Tlakuilo Kalli going. So I had Oscar sculpt and produce Daniel the Turtle necklaces. We have been selling them at conventions this year and now have them for sale online (you can buy them here). They make a great X-mas gift.

EV: Those would make the perfect gift! Captain Zack and Daniel the Turtle have set sail across the globe. Where is the most remote location you have been surprised to find fans from?

Tattoo of Captain Zack & Daniel the Turtle

SS: That’s hard because we have fans all around the world including Australia, El Salvador, UK, Brazil, and Sweden. We were actually in a documentary from there called Kree-ey-tiv-i-tee which means “creativity.” However the most surprised I’ve been is Kristin Miller from Maryland who got Cpt Zack Stevers and Daniel the Turtle tattoos on her leg.

EV: That is incredible how supportive your fans are. You support a non-profit organization called Music Saves Lives. Would you explain their outreach and how you became involved with them?

SS: Music Saves Lives is a non-profit that encourages young adults to donate blood and get rewarded with free music tracks, back stage passes, and more. Each blood donation can save up to three lives! They wanted to produce some PSA’s and go after the adult swim crowd. Music Saves Lives director Russel Hornbeck thought Supa Pirate Booty Hunt was the perfect fit. You can get involved in Music Saves Lives by finding a blood donation event near you or you can organize one yourself. Find out all the info at musicsaveslives.org.

EV: Your recent PSA for Music Saves Lives guest stars the band 3OH!3 leading to the introduction of your comic book on the Vans Warped Tour. Have you found that you are able to reach a different audience blending your animation into both the music and comic worlds? 

SS: Well since Music Saves Lives works with tons of bands, we wanted each animated PSA episode to include a guest star from a band. We asked 3OH!3 to be apart of our first animation because they were headlining the Vans Warped Tour 2011 and were big supporters of Music Saves Lives. Turns out it was an easy sell for them because they loved Supa Pirate Booty Hunt. The animated episode was featured on WarpedTour.com and 3oh3music.com with a lot of people commenting on how the cartoon made them decide to donate blood, which is amazing! Dahveed and I were guest at 4 Colors Fantasies comic shop for Free Comic Book Day festival and I thought to myself “why don’t we turn our animated PSA into a free comic book that Music Saves Lives can give out at events?’. Russel loved the idea and a month later we had our launch party for the comic book at Golden Apple Comics and also 10,000 comics were given out at every date of the Vans Warped Tour, San Diego Comic-Con, Anime Expo, Chicago Comic-Con, and Mid-Ohio Comic-Con.

Steve and his wife Chelsea at BIFF

EV: While folks were taking home your comic book you ended up taking home some very impressive awards. Congratulations on your recent six wins at the Burbank International Film Festival. Which categories did you win? Were you able to actually keep any of the awards?

SS: Thank you. I was so shocked. I would of been happy with one award but we ended taking home six awards for the following:

• Best Voice Acting
• Best Original Writing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Character Design
• Best Production Design
• Best Sound Editing

The best part is that the judges were Al Jean and Mark Kirkland of The Simpsons.  I even told them at the film festival how The Simpsons made me decide to turn my radio skit into a cartoon show. How neat is that!? I did keep two of the awards but I am ordering more so I can have one of each.

EV: You currently have a kick-starter campaign for a new Music Saves Lives PSA starring Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. Will you tell the readers how they can become involved with this project and the amazing rewards you are offering?

SS: We feel so inspired after winning six awards at the Burbank Film Festival for our animated episode MSL PSA “Nurse Boobies Please” that we want our next episode “Metal in my Shell” with Dave Mustaine to be amazing! So we have decided to open it up to fans to help this life saving message and be rewarded with concert tickets, monster energy case, and even star in the animation along side Dave, Cpt Zack Stevers, and Daniel the Turtle. Find out all the details here (ends on December 1st).

Steve with Steve-O

EV: Are there any additional upcoming Music Saves Lives or Supa Pirate Booty Hunt celebrity collaborations you’re able to share with us?

SS: After we finish our Dave Mustaine episode, we will have future ones with Steve-O from Jackass and Chuck Billy from Testament. Hopefully, we’ll have time to finish some other Supa Pirate Booty Hunt episodes we have yet to complete.

EV: If Supa Pirate Booty Hunt were to become a live action film who would you want to play Daniel the Turtle and Captain Zack?

SS: Great question! Jason Mewes would make a great Cpt Zack Stevers and Danny DeVito would make a great Daniel the Turtle.

EV: Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Steve. We wish you luck on your kick-starter campaign and can’t wait to see who gets animated.

SS: Thank you!

Check out:
http://twitter.com/AlexInHouston
http://www.twitter.com/TheChristylez
http://www.twitter.com/StickyEntMusic

Clifton Collins Jr

Actor Clifton Collins Jr. has quite an extensive film career. He also has another love, and that is music. He has directed several music videos for some amazingly talented people which include: The Soul of John Black, Zac Brown Band (including the CMT Award Winning “Chicken Fried” Breakthrough Video of the Year ), Jamey Johnson, Metalachi and now the Counting Crows. Check out the NEW music video Clifton created with Adam Duritz below and share with a friend today…

Official Websites: Clifton Collins Jr. | Counting Crows

Berkley Priest of Cata9tales

When Berkley Priest and Kenny (Kreator) Perkins met earlier this year, two extraordinary talents merged to form a powerful and raw band called Cata9tales. With undercurrents of love and hope they shy not from the truth, but rather embrace it with their whole being. Armed with brutally honest lyrics and an old-school beat, Cata9tales lights the path for all of those who have been lost or forgotten in the chaotic pages of life. Their debut album is available for FREE download at their official website www.cata9tales.com.

EV: Welcome to Entertainment Vine, Berkley. Thank you for taking the time to discuss Cata9tales and your debut album “Kick the Bad Love.”

BP: Absolutely. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me! We’re psyched that people are embracing the band and record the way they have, and we’re honored that you would ask to interview us.

EV: When did your love for music first begin?

BP: Oh, wow. I think it’s always been on my radar.  I mean, it’s on everyone’s – who doesn’t love music?  But I think I recognized pretty young that it was a viable form of expression for me.  I remember writing my first song in 5th grade…it was all about love and death.  Pretty heavy stuff for a 5th grader! I’m not a dark, heavy person, but maybe that’s because I get it out through my lyrics.  As long as I can remember I’ve been starting bands, long before I ever learned to play.  I was just in love with the idea.  My folks said I would run around with a guitar doing Elvis impersonations from the time I could talk.  I started playing drums when I was 12, and from then on I was either drumming, singing, or both.  I’m a much better drummer than I am singer, but that rhythm became ingrained in me, and I’m very theatrical – I love to perform – so my singing became rhyming, and the bass drum became my heart.  I’ve always been a music nerd, so has Kenny, the other half of Cata9tales.  We haven’t known each other that long, but the more we talk, the more I realize that we both come from very similar musical backgrounds.  We can have in-depth discussions about the tiniest nuances of obscure albums like only music nerds can do.  So the short answer is always, though it has reared its head to different degrees throughout my life.

EV: Is there a specific type of music that inspires you? Or do you have a go-to band you listen to while working on new material?

BP:  I actually try to stay away from listening to other bands when I’m writing.  I’m like a sponge, and if I’m listening to something for inspiration it will inevitably bleed over into whatever I’m working on.  I try to clear my head of all that and let all of my influences get a fair shot at my brain wave.  I don’t really listen to a lot of hip-hop for that reason, at least not when I’m writing and recording.  If I hit writer’s block I’ll go find a good singer-songwriter album, or a punk or metal-core record that will jar my senses.  When I was writing this record, I was listening to a lot of Every Time I Die, My Chemical Romance, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. It’s funny that the music I listen to the most is not at all the music I make, but I like to think it helps me come from an original angle. I’m not trying to be a rapper.  I’m a lyricist who rhymes and is influenced by hip-hop, but I don’t think I possess any of the traditional earmarks of a rapper.

EV: Not too long ago you were practicing law. Would you walk us through the incredible journey that led you to pursue music and create Cata9tales?

BP:  What a long strange trip it’s been (laughs).  Basically music has always been my first love, though I have been an actor, writer, graphic artist, producer and attorney at various stages in my life.  To me, being in a band or being a musician in today’s media age is the perfect platform to use all of those skills.  You have the music side, you have the promotion side, and you have the business side.  I lived in New York and Los Angeles for years as a total bohemian artist before I went to law school. I went to law school just to give myself some business sense because I was so far on the artist side that I had no idea how the machine really worked, and because I realized that if this was going to happen for me I was going to have to do it myself, and I would have to be armed.  I actually played in bands all through law school – I was not your typical law student at all!  I was vocalist for a band called Primitive Minds, kind of a jam-band, 311 type thing.  Law school added to my arsenal.  I never intended to be a courtroom lawyer, but when I finished school I found myself massively in debt, so I took a job in Virginia Beach working for an attorney that I actually knew from my hometown.  I wasn’t doing what I loved, but I was making a lot of money and thought, “well, I guess this is it, this is what I’ll do.  I’ve become the status quo.”  Honestly fear had a lot to do with it.  I was taking the safe path, which is not my style at all. God had other plans, but He was going to take me through a dark place to get there.

I had been practicing for about six months, working for my friend/law partner and renting a room in his house, when I came home one Monday afternoon and found him hanging from the ceiling.  No note, nothing – just the lifeless body of someone that I had spent the last six months working and living with, pretty much being around him 24/7.  I didn’t see it coming, and it hit me hard.  I think that’s when the seeds for my struggle with alcohol were planted, but it would take a while for them to fully blossom into a beast.  I poured myself into work, but I was a hot mess.  Soon after I met a girl who I had gone to high school with but never met before.  We met in church.  I was pressing in to God but definitely was not sold out, and she showed up in the right place at the right time.  I thought everything was going to be ok, that this was a life raft that had been sent my way.  We were married three months when she up and walked away, and told me God had freed her from the marriage.  I don’t want to go into that much further out of respect for her, even though she probably doesn’t deserve it.  She was just up and gone – refused counseling, refused to try to work it out, gone.  I was a mess – everything I had been through with the death of my roommate and all the heartache of her abandonment came crashing down on me.  I actually haven’t seen her since the day she walked out.  I handled the divorce.  But I was a disaster, and pretty soon I was a full blown alcoholic.  I was frightfully depressed and honestly, suicidal.  I crashed a car one night and got a D.U.I.  I went to rehab, got clean and went back to practicing law, but within the year I relapsed and got another D.U.I., though I wasn’t actually driving a car.  I was on a scooter of all things – I at least had the sense not to get behind the wheel, though I apparently didn’t have the sense not to get on the highway.  So there I was, a divorced, lonely, overweight, depressed, suicidal mess, and I was going to jail.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is rock bottom.

But something funny happens when you’re at your lowest point.  Just before I went to jail I felt the strangest calm wash over me, and in the strangest way I welcomed the experience.  I set goals for myself:  I was going to read the Bible cover to cover, I was going to lose 30 pounds, and I was going to reconnect with God.  I did all three.  Three months after I went in, I walked out of jail 35 pounds lighter, a Bible beaten and worn from being read twice, and a new spiritual focus.  I was facing four months on house arrest, but I had a new goal: I was going to release an album.

I had been playing in a rock band called All The Young Lions during the entire drunk, depressed period before I got locked up.  But I wanted to do something different.  I wanted to put my experiences into lyrics and I knew I had to perform them to bring them to life.  I’m not a great singer, but I can rhyme.  And by the grace of God I met Kenny right when I got out of jail.  So over the next two months, while I was on house arrest and working ten hour days doing construction, Kenny and I wrote and recorded what would become “Kick The Bad Love.”  By the time I was off house arrest the album was out and we were on our way.  So basically the music was always there, it was always a part of me, but it took going through that incredibly dark period to give birth to what I feel is the best musical partnership I have ever been a part of.

I am happier than I have ever been.  I have embraced the darkness and come out of it a better man, a better musician, and a firm believer in the power of God.  It’s only by God’s grace that I got through it and have done what I’ve done.  It’s by no strength of my own.  That calm I said I felt before going to jail – that was God preparing me.  And I knew I was going to do Cata9tales long before I went to jail – the seeds were there, in my head, though it hadn’t taken shape yet.

These songs are a catharsis.  I’m so thankful that I met Kenny when I did and that his music was SO good…it made it easy for me to focus on the words and create a soundtrack to redemption.  The songs have darkness, but they also are filled with hope.  God is in this project, I know that for a fact.  And I truly believe that as long as I keep Him first, this group will fly.

Cata9tales

EV: After pouring so much of yourself into each song, do you feel that this album has been your lifeline or more of a way to make amends?

BP:  I think it’s really a statement more than anything.  A statement that God is real, that you can overcome the darkness in your life if you give Him the reigns, and that there is hope, even when it seems that there is none.  You find hope in the strangest of places.  I found it in jail.  I couldn’t find it on my own – God had to get me alone to work on me.  I’m hardheaded.  He had to give me a spiritual whipping.

I wouldn’t call it a lifeline – God is my lifeline – but it is definitely an expression and a soundtrack to my life.  I don’t know where the music is headed from here.  We are definitely going to keep going, and I think we’re off to a good start.  As I grow as a person I want the music to grow with me. I have made amends, but the songs weren’t really about that.  They were about reaching out, and being vulnerable.  Showing all my warts and scars.  And showing that these scars are stories, and that if we press into God and hold onto each other we can all take the elevator to the top.  Above all, this album is honest.  That’s what my real goal was.  Honesty.  This album and this group are a part of me, and hopefully just a hint of what’s to come.

EV: You are living proof that people can change. What advice would you offer others who may be struggling with addiction or depression?

BP: Get help.  I tried to deal with it myself, and it only made the addiction and depression worse.  Be honest with people, but more importantly, be honest with yourself.  Honesty was never my strongest suit.  I always was kind of two people: the real Berkley, and the Berkley I led people to believe I was, the guy who had it all together, the man with the plan.  Going through what I did forced me to be honest.  Frankly, it forced me to deal with my own bullshit. And only by confronting the ugly truth and embracing it – being honest with yourself and everyone else – can any progress be made.  For me God was the integral part of that, a full surrender.  Only then did I start seeing and feeling results.  Some people don’t believe in that, but they have to figure it out for themselves.  Honesty, whether you believe in a higher power or not, is the first step to overcoming addiction and depression.  And let people help you.  It took a long time for me to get there.  But when you’re honest people will forgive, and people will help.  So start there.

EV: The first video off of Kick the Bad Love is “Loveletters, Bloodletters.” How does it feel to see your words and emotions come to life?

BP: It’s definitely kind of crazy.  When I was recording the record I wasn’t allowing myself to think further than that, to videos or anything like that.  But that’s why I said earlier that being a musician is the greatest platform to use all of my skills.  Kyle Shotwell and Atlantic Hush came to us and wanted to do the video, and we had been thinking about it anyway, so it was totally a God thing.  I’m quite pleased with it, especially for a first video.  I think we captured the vibe of the track, and it came together pretty quickly. It’s exciting, humbling and rewarding to watch it come to life, and to see other people connect and embrace it.

EV: You’re a drummer, vocalist, lyricist, poet, and artist. Do you have any other hidden talents?

BP: Nothing I can put in print (laughs).  I think all of my greatest skill sets lie in the arts.  I’m a lyricist first and foremost, and everything else falls under that umbrella or is an offshoot of that.  I do all of our design work, ads, t-shirts, posters, all of it, though I hope that this will blossom to the point that I can focus solely on the music and don’t have to handle all of that.  Kenny has his hands full with the music, which is the guts of the whole operation, and I handle the rest.  I’d love to pass off the promotion and business stuff to someone else so I could just write and record, but I’ve got to hustle to make that happen.  But it’s like Erma Bombeck said, when I reach the end of my life I want to be able to tell God that I have no talent left, that I used all that He gave me.

EV: If you could play poker with five musical greats who would you choose and who do you think would win?

BP: I definitely wouldn’t win.  I’m a terrible poker player.  But just for the experience I would say Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix.  I think Bob or John would win, because they seem the most shrewd, and probably because everyone else would be too drunk (laughs).  But those guys are legends, and all attacked music from different angles, but did it very intelligently.  I don’t remotely put myself up there with those guys, but I think we’re cut from a similar cloth.

EV: We look forward to hearing more from Cata9tales and hopefully you’ll be playing in a city near us soon.

BP: I’d like nothing more than that.  Thank you for your time and interest, and for digging into me so deeply.   I needed that.  See you soon…and go download the album free at www.cata9tales.com.  We’ll hopefully see you on the road soon!

 Loveletters, Bloodletters by Cata9tales

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tony Bennett ft. Lady Gaga

I came across this song with Tony Bennett featuring Lady Gaga ~ “The Lady is a Tramp” and it’s definitely a must listen/buy type song.  I have been a fan of Tony Bennett since I was young and seeing Lady Gaga duet with him was great. I also love seeing Lady Gaga merge with classic artists and perform a song without all the theatrics.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Lady Gaga music, but I really tend to like her when she does collaborations more.  This song comes from one of my childhood idols Frank Sinatra and both artist pay a great tribute and respect to him and the song in the way it was performed.  So for me this gets 2 thumbs up and you should go check it out.