UnderPlayed

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We are from the capital of the great northwest state of Washington, the O-Town where it goes down, Olymp-i-a. We began writing music in our senior year of high school after getting fed up with the current popular music trends. We make music the way that we believe it should sound, music that you can sing to. Our recording and songwriting efforts overshadow our live performance experience, but we hope to change that as we look forward to more upcoming shows this year.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
We chose this song out of the many we have recorded together for three reasons. One, we obtained the instrumental from a local producer named Bino the Producer and if you need dope beats hit him up. Two, this song effectively showcases our skills when it comes to slaying beats. Our verses are on point and the hook is mint making it real hard not to like this one. Three, this is a song about self reflection and accepting yourself and what you were meant to do, which is basically what we stand for.

What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see?
Right now, our new focus is staying away from the professional beats and making our own instrumentals. It is more time consuming but also more rewarding.These all original songs have a raw hip-hop feel with catchy bass lines and snappy snares. The main goal right now is to be self reliant when it comes to making music and we are excited with what we’ve come up with so far.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Starting out is super discouraging. You get shows through random people at mediocre venues with semi-reliable equipment, overrated headliners, and very poor attendance – not to mention no profit. Producing a professional quality album has also proven to be a long and expensive process.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Losing a reliable recording studio and music engineer that helped us create our first mixtape, Take One, has set us back on the production of our next project. But when you want something done right, you do it yourself, so we are in the process of making our own home studio to record in instead of paying other people for the service. It’ll save money in the long run.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
It depends on what the artist is after. If they’re trying to “make it,” as most of them are, then they should be careful of everything and everyone. There is always someone behind you that would love your spot and there is always something you did that can be exploited to make you look bad to the public. If an artist is only trying to sing and be heard, we would advise being careful how many drinks you have before it’s your turn at open mic.

What are the best ways to sell your products as an artist?
Having a booth selling your merchandise during your entire show or any show you’re involved with draws a lot of attention throughout the night. Sell for cheap, give them deals, and get rid of as much of it as possible. Also make sure there is a place where people can easily purchase your product online. The more accessible your products are the more likely you are to sell them.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Our favorite way of promoting our music should be via online social networks but it really isn’t. As important as an online buzz is for promotion, our favorite way to promote is physically being out there at the bars, after shows, handing out flyers and CDs, and always having a sweet sixteen ready for people that need to see our license to kill it. Posting updates is boring.

Where can people visit you?
You can visit us anytime you’re in Portland, Oregon, the city of roses. Or, you can hit us up on SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/underplayed - WWS Magazine

Hip-hop trio Underplayed went from underground project to potential breakout in a matter of months.

“This business is easy. If within the first 30 seconds you don’t like a song, move on,” said John Gilberti, president and CEO of Smoke Tree Records. “Within the first 10 seconds of listening to Underplayed, I knew we needed to sign them.”

Smoke Tree is a start-up independent label run by Gilberti, of Saddle River, N.J., and Shannon Cerrigone and Stephanie Findley, of downtown McMinnville-based social media company Heels in the Rain. Gilberti flew to Oregon on Wednesday and will be at 3rd Street Pizza tonight for the Underplayed concert, and Sunday night for a show by the label’s other recent signee, indie-country duo Sky Bound Blue (formally known as The Behnkes), featured previously in this column.

Signing a record deal was an unexpected development for Underplayed. It’s a new direction in the long road taken by rappers Taylor Hower (T-James) and David Stottlemyre (Hype).

The two began collaborating at the age of 15, and ever since they’ve been “trying to figure out if it’s a hobby or a goal,” Stottlemyre said. The duo was inspired by hip-hop acts like Atmosphere — “He’s so visual, and he’s great at pulling emotion out of a three-minute song,” Stottlemyre said. ­— as well as Tech N9ne and, more recently, Machine Gun Kelly. The two developed a mix of heady lyrics with big hooks, and eventually decided to add a powerful singer to the group.

They found those vocal chops in McMinnville resident Sam Dinsmore, a Linfield graduate and performer who went on to San Francisco to study opera. He and Hower met through friends, and they arranged a meetup with Stottlemyre. Last August, “Hype” drove from Olympia to Portland, and walked into Hower’s basement to discover the group’s new addition was a childhood friend.

“Our dads worked together for 30 years,” Stottlemyre said.

The trio tested the waters with a four-song demo and started performing in Portland. Dinsmore, who acquired the stage name Sammy D Soul, praises the craft of his partners.

“They’re both talented, really talented,” he said. “They study the craft and know what style they’re going for.”

For his own part, Dinsmore said, it took a while to break from stricter operatic habits after six years of rigorous studies. “It took a lot of hours of singing in the car and at home” to free his voice to the hip-hop genre. All three members have been impressed by the trio’s development in a short time. “It will kick you in the face a little, especially the first time you hear it live,” Dinsmore said.

Underplayed performed at several open mics around Portland, and eventually an October show at the Sellwood Public House. Cerrigone and Findley were at that show.

“Shannon and Steph heard us, liked us, called John, and here we are,” Stottlymyre said.

Stottlemyre said he and Hower always planned to go it alone, with plans to manage their own record label. Relinquishing creative control was a slippery slope in their minds. Stottlymyre admitted they were skeptical when Smoke Tree offered a record deal. But the relationship is off to a solid start with the record company, which touts loyalty to its artist.

“It’s all kind of moved quickly,” Dinsmore said.

Gilberti invited Underplayed to the East Coast last month and set up two shows. The first was the upstairs lounge of a sports bar that turned into a show for the waitstaff and the marketing team. The next night was a 180 from that experience, as the trio performed in front of 1,200 students from Lincoln University — a predominantly African American college — on a bill tabbed “Hip-hop Revolution.”

“It was like a fight; I don’t even remember being on stage,” Stottlymyre said. “But by the end of the night, they were fans of Underplayed. …

“It was a good trip all things considered.”

The group is calling tonight’s gig at 3rd Street Pizza a “pre-release” party. They plan to release their first single, “Tears from the Sky,” on April 20, then, later in the year, they’ll put out a full length album. Stottlymyre calls the album thus far “a sweaty rollercoaster,” packed with moments of high emotion, as well as relaxed front porch hip-hop.

Gilbert expresses a lot of confidence that Underplayed’s unique brand of hip-hop will catch national attention.

“I think the first single will be a Top 40 single,” he said. “I believe they are going to blow up on a big level.” - Yamhill Valley News Register