Hey Guys!
So I got something exciting for you all, especially for the music artists. I did some research, and among many of the blogs that cater to exposing all types of music, I came across (and got a hold of the founders of) a very interesting blog called SYFFAL - "Shut Your Fucking Face And Listen"- where you can submit your music to be reviewed and posted on their site. We have founders Tim Baker and Joel Frieders, and these guys are about focusing on good music and leaving less time for negative reviews. We were able to interview them, which I have posted a portion of below (I'll be posting the rest in another blog). Feel free to read the interview below the following link:
Just to forewarn you, there's a lot of adult language in the following interview, but other than that it's a really good read. Enjoy!
1. When exactly did SYFFAL start?
Tim: It started back in 2009 I think, I don't have an anniversary date or anything, but we have been going for a little over 3 years.
Joel: Mmmhmm.
2. How did the name come about?
Tim: It was out of frustration over the way I saw music being covered, it seemed to be more about the critics and how creatively they could shit on an album or genre. There was such a sense of seriousness and self importance about it. The social status that came with listening to a certain 'it' band, or getting in on the ground floor with a band that you would eventually go on to hate because too many other people found out about them. The whole thing just pissed me off. It's music for fuck's sake, it's entertainment, a distraction, something to make your day a little better. If that happens to be Taylor Swift for one person, or Norwegian Death Metal for another person, who gives a shit, just be happy that they found something that makes their lives a little better. Save the serious discussion and judgement for things that matter. If we were half as serious about politics, finance, education, the environment, our health, etc as we are about things like music and tv we would be a shit-ton better off. So the idea was, unless you are actually making music, chill the fuck out with all the judgement and self importance about the music you listen to and shut your fucking face and listen.
Joel: One of the many reasons I hate Tim is that he's so eloquent at describing SYFFAL. That's exactly it. One thing I do want to add is that we started out with the two of us being jaded former musicians. Where Tim went a bit farther and had to deal with the media in respect to what he described above, I was adamant in that I didn't want to play the game of touching media penis to achieve something. Media penis is the worst kind of penis.
3. We understand you started out reviewing other people's work. Do any of you do music as well?
Tim: Some of us do and some of us don't, I used to be signed to Def Jux, and still make some rap musics here and there, Joel is involved with a lot of Chicago acts playing his geetar. Brando is a rapper out in LA, and we have some occasional contributors who make the music as well.
Joel: I'd like to think of myself as a recovering musician. I still play when the schedule works out, but I'm no longer obsessed with chasing a dream no movie can accurately portray in today's music business. I know exactly what playing an amazing show feels like, and I know what playing a shitty show feels like, but more importantly I know what it feels like to have someone tell you they love your music. That's the thrust behind SYFFAL. I want what I write to feel like, to bands, like some random guy came up to you after a performance and tells you you're amazing.
4. Tell us a little about each of the founders, if possible.
Tim: I am Tim Baker, as I mentioned I used to be a professional rapper. I am from New York, started rapping in 1990, was part of the NYC collective the Atoms Family, my group Hangar 18 released two albums on Def Jux before breaking up, I have recorded a bunch of other material post and prior. Currently I run SYFFAL.com and have a real job as well. I have a family (wife and daughter), listen to a lot of music, wear baseball hats and buy expensive clothes when they are on sale.
Joel: I am Joel Frieders. I am from the suburbs of Chicago. I have played in or with The Cankles, GLUE, Maker, The OPUS, Rubberoom, Adeem, Ryan Craig, and Painkiller Hotel, and probably others that I've managed to forget at the moment. I've enjoyed performing around the country, and the likes of Lollapalooza, SXSW and this awesome dive bar on the north side called Kitty Moon (RIP). I have a wife, three kids, I run a compounding pharmacy as a real job, and I was just elected alderman in the tiny, yet adorable city of Yorkville, Illinois.
5. What properties do you use to decide which artists you put in the blog and which ones you don't?
Tim: The only rule we have is that we don't write negative shit about artists. The reasoning is two fold, one who the fuck are we to tell someone else that something they created sucks? And two why would I want to spend more than a few minutes listening to something I think is awful? I have my opinion on it, I dont have the kind of time to waste listening to something to find out just why it sucks, and then the energy to write about why it sucks. Our approach is to be fans of music. I know I have personally spent a lot of time worrying about what I don't like, or what act is killing whichever scene, but really that's all bullshit. There are always dope acts in all genres, the particular highs and lows of each genre rise and fall, but there is always good shit, so why not focus on the stuff that really makes us feel something exciting verses contributing to the bullshit complaining and bitching?
Joel: "Yeah, what he said. We started out going back and forth in emails between our intermingled group of friends trying to impress the others with write ups about the music we were feeling at the moment. When those little write ups started getting more attention than the music, we realized we were doing what we wanted to do without even knowing it was what we wanted to do. SYFFAL allows us the platform to shout from the hills how awesome something is in as descriptive and expletive filled a way possible. It doesn't matter if it's rap, trap or some country crooner shit, if it moves us downstairs, we're telling people about it."
We will be featuring them in our August issue so you can get to know all about them. In the meantime, feel free to check out our digital version of the May issue below:
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