Concrete Surgery
Gig Seeker Pro

Concrete Surgery

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1990 | SELF

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 1990
Band R&B World

Calendar

Music

Press


"Junior's Cave interview with Concrete Surgery"

Junior’s Cave Interview of Concrete Surgery



Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
April 2010 Edition

Our Webzine spoke to the Indie band Concrete Surgery about their music and what has been some of the high and low points in their career. Here is what the members of the band had to say on this and other matters. Enjoy!

Isaac: I just listened to several songs off your new EP/CD. What was the inspiration for making your new album?

Concrete Surgery: We love to write and perform music…whether it’s for twenty five people in a coffee house or thousands at a summer music festival. After years of performing original music to local audiences and receiving requests by fans to put an album together, we combined some fresh material with the songs the fans liked best, so they could take them home to enjoy.

Isaac: Who were your influences?

Concrete Surgery: It’s a difficult question to answer, because we each have different influences. Collectively, some of our influences are: Weather Report, Chick Corea, Toto, The Police, and Earth, Wind and Fire.

Isaac: What do you consider to have been the highlight(s) and low point(s) of your career to date?

Concrete Surgery: We’d be lying if we said there have been no low points in our musical journey. There were many times that we had to face issues in balancing college, family life, day jobs, and following our passion (music). In the early years, we would take gigs as they would come. “You git what you git, and you don’t throw a fit.” But to achieve the level of exposure you need for success as an original band, we needed to dedicate so much time to the project. The time was not always there to dedicate.

Over the years, things have changed so dramatically. With new technology and the Internet, it is so much easier to produce music and share it with people all over the world. Because of our experiences, we now have the knowledge that we do not need to rely on a major label to get our music to the masses. We are just starting to see the fruits or our labor. We have our album in print, global on-line distribution, merchandise being sold, and interviews being broadcast.

Isaac: Brief history about your background plus the style of music you play.

Concrete Surgery: Our early concept began in the 90’s where we played Acid Jazz and Funk. Over the years, we have evolved into an R&B, Funk, World Beat sound. We believe we have widened our audience.

Isaac: How easy is it to get gigs for you as an artist? What is the live music scene like in your area?

Concrete Surgery: In the Twin Cities, the gigs are there for the taking…for cover bands. It becomes more difficult to find venues that want original music performers and it becomes more competitive for pay. We have been blessed to be able to play some of the most popular venues in the Twin Cities, like the Fine Line Music Cafe, Whiskey Junction, and the Lake Harriet Bandshell. We occasionally use an agent to get us gigs in venues out-of-town. But we have also established good relationships with owners and managers, so we can play their venues on a regular basis.

We live in a very diverse community, so there is a multitude of music types available, not just by style but also by ethnicity. The talent and musicianship is amazing. The artists are very honest about their craft.

Isaac: What do you think of the state of Indie music at the moment? Do you listen to radio much at all? Has the Internet helped music grow or hindered it in your opinion?

Concrete Surgery: The industry is exploding! Anyone who has a computer and on-line access can produce and distribute an album. It is now possible to break free from the handful of companies that for years, decided what people should be listening to. The major labels are still the best of the best, but there are so many artists out there that they can’t take them all on. Take for instance, the older artists, who may have lost their major contracts, but still have the desire to write and contribute without performing. They get overlooked, while the major labels focus on new and fresh faces. Indie music is forefront of our music industry.

We do still listen to big broadcast radio, but with Internet radio, you don’t have to hear those songs that are slated for rotation six or seven times a day. You can listen to Billboard Top One Hundred or be your own program director and pick the most obscure music from all points of the globe.

Isaac: If you could create a fantasy band - what would be the line-up and why?

Concrete Surgery: There was much debate over this question, but we compromised as best we could. We each contributed someone on this list, because they were personal favorites:

Drums - Jeff PorcaroLead Guitar - Frank GambaleRhythm Guitar - Larry CarltonBass - Jaco PastoriusPercussion - Alex AcunaPiano - Herbie HancockSynth keyboards - Greg PhillinganesTrumpet soloist - Miles DavisSaxophone soloist - Marc RussoHorn section - Tower of PowerVocalists - Michael McDonald, Rachelle Ferell

Isaac: What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?

Concrete Surgery: Our debut release is 99% by Concrete Surgery. It can be purchased on any of the following websites:

napster.com
amazonmp3.com
digstation.com
cdbaby.com
itunes.com
rhapsody.com
lala.com


Isaac: Where can fans access your music, videos, blogs, and anything else about you online?

Concrete Surgery: You can read more about Concrete Surgery, purchase merchandise, and contact us through the following websites:

concretesurgery.com
facebook.com
gigfinder.com
myspace.com
youtube.com
theindieshow.com
sonicbids.com
zazzle.com


Isaac: Message to your fans?

Concrete Surgery: Thank you fans for your unwavering support! We had so much fun making this album and we are excited about the result. We are already working on ideas for our next release. Please continue to contact us. We look forward to hearing what you have to say. - Junior's Cave


Discography

Our debut CD is:Concrete Surgery/ 99% We currently have 2 songs streaming and being played on Jango, Last.FM,( HEY! and 25th & Vine.) Our music has been played around the world on stations like, WRPI 91.5FM,WDEP Radio DJ Queen Guttah, WDKK Radio, WDGP Radio, WAER 88.3FM, KFAI Radio with DJ Johnny D., WDEP Radio, Soul City Radio, Old Grumpy Radio Network, WSPR FM, Junior's Cave Web Magazine, KDUB FM.Indie 104FM iRadio LA, Digi Vegas Radio, WHRW 90.5 FM, WCHR FM and many, many more.

Photos

Bio

Concrete Surgery has been performing in the Minneapolis area for over 15 years. Our originals are a mix of Reggae, Funk, R&B, Soul and Jazz with a little World Beat for color. All 3 members sing lead and backing vocals. Our influences are, Earth, Wind and Fire, Bob Marley, TOTO, Maze, The Police, The Rippingtons Peter Tosh and Kool & the gang. The Members of Concrete Surgery have been in the Biz for over 20+ years, and still going strong.

Band Members