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By Nick Mendez, on May 16th, 2012 | Features I don’t need to tell you this, but there are certain experiences that are quintessential to the independent musician experience. At some point in your career trajectory, many of you have no doubt played a gig for drinks. Who can forget the first time a groupie showed up to see you play (other than your mom)? Or that time you traded your guitar tuner for a chicken sandwich outside of San Jose?
Finally, when it comes time to take your show on the road, don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right vehicle. You need a sketchy van.
Embarking on your first tour without a real sketchy cargo vehicle is like Jimi Hendrix going on stage without his can of lighter fluid, or a Phish concert in Salt Lake City- you might as well not bother.
Just because I love you like my own offspring (a little bit on weekdays but you don’t exist to me on weekends), I’ve found three of the best sketchy vans this country has to offer:
 . . . → Read more
By Nick Mendez, on April 5th, 2012 | Happenings 
Boston-born rapper ATM has been hard at work defining a style he calls “perspective lyricism”, a mix, he explains, of individual insights and voices not common in hip hop today. Across two LPs and last year’s “Business Casual” mix tape, ATM’s complex narratives and and classic instrumentation style have already captured quite an audience.
We caught up with the man himself to discuss his upbringing, what makes his style unique, and what MCs inspired him.
You grew up in Boston and attended Boston Latin Academy, how has your hometown affected your music?
Boston is what I would like to call an “ethnic quilt,” made up of a variety of individuals from all over the world. Being able to make music that any group of peoples can relate to has been at the core of what inspires my musical creativity. I strive to reach out to every neighborhood in my city, from the tightly-knit community of Southie to the urban mecca of Roxbury.
You label your style . . . → Read more
By Nick Mendez, on March 27th, 2012 | Happenings Time is quickly running out to submit to perform at PrimaveraPro 2012, taking place in Barcelona this summer. Three Sonicbids artists will be on hand to perform, and better yet, they’ll be receiving travel stipends to get them to Spain.
We checked in with Primavera Sound’s own Abel Suárez for some insights into their selection process, the history of PrimaveraPro and Abel’s favorite performers.
Can you tell us a bit more about the history of Primavera Sound? When did the Pro conference get added?
This year will be the 11th edition of the festival, and the third year in a row that the pro area is happening. The festival started in 2001 at another site and was smaller, but step by step we started growing in days and artists. We changed location in 2005 and moved to the current site, Parc Del Forum, and the festival kept growing until now. Nowadays we hold eight stages and some artists that have played over the years include . . . → Read more
By Nick Mendez, on March 26th, 2012 | Happenings Last year at UTOPiAfest in Utopia, TX, Sonicbids artist The Giving Tree Band took in the beautiful Texas hill country and met a great deal of new friends. With two slots reserved in 2012, and $500 compensation promised to each of them, we thought we’d check in with the band on how they got the most out of their UTOPiAfest experience.
 Utopia, TX isn’t the world’s most recognizable destination for live music, what made it unique?
UtopiaFest is unique because it’s tucked away in the beautiful hill country and still draws many of the passionate music fans from Austin. It has a real family atmosphere and everyone is friendly and respectful. So, we got to spend time getting to know the fans and other artists.
Lots of the Sonicbids folks are big fans of Dawes and Blitzen Trapper as well, what were they like to share a bill with?
Some of our band is well acquainted with Blitzen Trapper and really enjoy their music. . . . → Read more
By Nick Mendez, on March 21st, 2012 | Tips of the Trade  One of the most essential, and commonly overlooked, part of an artist’s career is finding the right bandmates. We spoke to Rich Dale, creator of muso2muso.com, about how his neighbor became his drummer, and other musings on the search for the perfect compatriots.
Dear musicians,
Finding your perfect band mate? Is there such a thing?
I believe this is a combination of luck and bloody hard work! You can meet someone in the pub who is a musician, who loves the music your into, is looking for a band, dedicated to practice, has good gear and transport, and well you get the picture.
Or, you can spend months searching through classifieds in the local paper and still not find the right person.
So, my big tip is to keep an open mind and listen hard! The drummer in my band lived upstairs for over a year, and we often exchanged metal riffs while cranking our stereo’s, and talked about bands we have seen. I knew he played the drums, but he . . . → Read more
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Nick has never joined the circus but understands why someone might. As a journalist and photographer he’s met Syrian spice thieves in Damascus, treaded water in the Persian Gulf and climbed empty skyscrapers in Boston. Sometimes, Nick likes to sit on the floor and eat Mike & Ikes in a feeble, childish attempt at achieving serenity. As the son of a Bronx-born Puerto Rican and having grown up in New York, Nick demands championships from the Yankees, Knicks and Jets…every single year. He’s now overjoyed to be a part of the Sonicbids team, because even Jethro Tull was an emerging artist once.
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