Alexis Humanes Part 2: The Art vs. The Business

In Part Two of the Fisch Bowl's interview with Alexis Humanes, drummer for Sleeping Mountain and one of the founders of the rock and metal festival Stoomfest, we talk about how art, music, and bands are being affected by financial struggles and becoming more of a business.

We also touch on films and how they work together in telling their stories with music, discovering new music, and as always, favorite bands and films! After you listen to both parts of our interview, check out more information about Stoomfest at the link below, and listen to Sleeping Giant anywhere you listen to music!

https://www.stoomfest.com/

Transcript

Iconic Songs That Define Movies

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Attention, all you fishes in the scene.

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Welcome to the fishbowl with Sam Fish.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Like the reason I like film and music so much is because they go hand in hand. You know, not just scoring a film, but using music, rock and roll, rap, whatever, in sequences in film. And I mean, because of that, because of certain directors using integral pieces of music and and songs in key sequences in certain films, it's like immortalized, not just almost like more so than it just being a song on its own. You know, like like for instance, Martin Scorsese, Layla and Goodfellas. You know, it'll be it's like immortalized in my head. I mean, I love Layla before I saw Goodfellas, you know, and then when I saw Goodfellas and the whole sequence it's used in, you know, it's like immortalized in my head specifically the piano solo, you know, the second half of the song. And again, Quinn Tarantino, Pulp Fiction, you know, Jackie Brown.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

I watched recently, you know, Enrio Morricone. What is it? Enrio Morricone, the one who did the good, the bad, and the ugly. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like he he's been a composer of of a lot of films, and and it was really interesting because it's like he he made a comparison, like a movie is like a human being, yeah. Right. Like you need you need the vision, you need the ears, you need different stuff, but you need a soul, and the the music is the soul of of right. And I'm not talking about the songs that you add inside the films, it's also about what is called the the folly, you know, which is which is I don't know if you know what it is, I guess. You know, it's all the effects as well that you need to add into the song in order to that feeling of uh thriller, you know, that feeling of horror. Um right, you know, it uh every sound adds to the to the film, not only the sounds, but also you know, the steps on the grass is you need to represent them how they are, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, definitely. It's like you said as well, like I could clearly see it's funny because you you talk about songs in films, and and now that I am hearing them in my head, I can see perfectly the film as well. Exactly. That's what I'm talking about, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah you know, like like uh what is it, Al Green with with like introducing Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction. Like, like that that that song is like in whenever you hear it, you know, it's like I guess we're in Marcellus Wallace's office. Yeah, you know, or you know, like like the Delphonics have become like notorious, you know, to a whole new generation, not because of the band that they were, you know, but because of it being like a key, you know, piece of musical, you know, storytelling in Jackie Brown, you know, reservoir dogs,

O Brother And The Blues Myth

SPEAKER_00 3:35

you know, stuck in the middle with you.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Yeah, yeah, you know, it's it's like it's like I was talking with Eiter actually about one film that it really like in terms of music, it really touched me because of that period of time that it was my dad who saw it to me, and he was like engaging a lot, and and you know, it makes me I think at that point is when it makes me realize oh, music is so important in film as well. And it was the film Oh brother. Yes, yes, definitely. You know, like that film is about music with definitely with no music, there is no film, you know, because it's explaining the history of these people who like actually are escaping, they need to find a way how to don't get caught again, and they need to start to do this kind of band.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

So they they they actually in that in that film they incorporated like a fictional version of I guess it's a historical fictional version of Robert Johnson, who you know is supposedly the the guy who's responsible for spawning rock and roll. You know, he's the one that did the original song Crossroads, with which you know Clapton took and the Stones took, and there's like a whole mythology around him that like uh like even that show uh supernatural had like had like an episode where like it started with like the mythology behind him and like like this the story that he tells in in O'Brother where like he met the devil and the devil taught him how to play the guitar. That's a real like mythology thing about him. And and like the whole like 10 years of uh you know success, you know, and then you know basically he died, and he died like 10 years on the dot when he supposedly became you know somewhat famous, and there's a lot of like you know, mysticism around it, and then lo and behold, you know, Clapped in the Stones and Zeppelin and you know all these like UK British invasion bands that you know studied all those blues artists from you know the 20s, 30s, and 40s and 50s, you know, take their music and then holy shit, like rock and roll is born, you know, because of those artists.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

And sometimes like I think about

Discovering Music Beyond Spain

SPEAKER_03 6:10

the fact as well, like I'm from Spain, yeah. The level of of how they they teach music in Spain is not like the states of UK. Yeah, like Spain is it's true that it has a lot of rich music and really nice scene, but it's really close, you know, it's inside Spanish speaking, like there are no like I would say Santana is one of the ones that they are bands that they they go like in really internationally in the genres that we are talking about, but in general, I wish I was able to, for example, grow with more blues, you know, or more like all of these historical facts of how blues was developing on America, you know, all of this like related with what you were talking about as well, to know more about all of these legends and stuff like that, yeah, yeah. Because for me, like I I will be honest with you, I I love music, I know a lot about music, but I am a late learner, you know, because I spend my 25 first years of my life in Spain where there is no really like as a collective like a big impulse for you to discover more about music. You were doing it by yourself, and you were a renegade with a group of another 10 people who were listening to music in English, and everyone is like, what is this, man? Like, you know. So, you know, I'm I'm glad as well that I jump into UK and that the door opened for me to, you know, okay. I'm not the only one. There is a lot of people outside that right, right? They like this music, they they like talking about music, or they they are interested in all of these aspects. So yeah, thanks a lot

Building Stonefest And A Debut Record

SPEAKER_03 8:20

for all of this. Um honestly.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's it's again, you know, one of the things I about my show is I like to bring you know music collectives together and you know, uh again try to get promote their stuff, get you know, uh their music out there.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Yeah, it's it's it's like uh first album that we release. Like to be honest, it's been a lot of up and downs, and we are really happy to be honest, because maybe it's because I am the one who participated on it, but I feel this first album is exploring and touching a bit of different genres. You know, you have one song that is more progressive, you have one that is more doom, you have one that is more classic rock, like wildfire. I think it's a bit more song. You have one that is more like uh heavy blues, you know, like right, right. And I I like the fact that with these members, with Aitor and David, who are as well the founders of Stonefest, we allow our uh ourselves to explore, you know. We weren't we weren't like okay, we are doing classic rock and classic rock it is, you know, like we cannot break that bubble. No, all of us we are coming from different backgrounds, all of us listen to different kinds of music, and we are from different generations as well. So the fusion of all of it for me is is nice. I really like it.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Definitely. I mean, you know, there's something about like different age groups that like just like you said, it's different experiences and knowledge that can all kind of contribute to a unique vision. And you know, I I listened to the album before before we started chatting, and as well as the cover of Enquirer the Crimson King. And with the album, I'm like, I can hear exactly what you just said. Like one song is one genre, like different genres almost like mixed together, like I heard a lot of fuzz, a lot of like desert, kind of like like like doomy blues, you know, kind of sounding vibes, you know, like classic rock, like you said, and just like all like the fusion of like different different genres of like rock kind of like put together in the one and um and also like not just one in each track, but each track still is like its own multitude of

Why Genre Blending Feels Freeing

SPEAKER_00 11:05

different genres combined, which was like really cool to hear.

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Thanks, thanks, thanks a lot. And it's it's uh as well, like with this album, we recorded another three songs, but they are not out yet, but we recorded at the same time, so so we will stick to the same sound, let's say. Uh it's funny because the other the other ones that they are not released, one is really blues, like actually, like Aitor is playing it with I don't know how you say in English. It's this kind you know, these guitars that they they use for blues that they have the center made of like metal. Yes, yes, I know you're talking about resonator guitar, it's right, right, right. So it's a really this characteristic cranky nose of like you know, kind of countryside, American vibes, folky, bluesy. And the other song, one uh another of the songs that we recorded is I use as on the drums like a really black metal tempos, you know what I mean? Yeah, so yeah, we it's it's it's it's funny to to be in a project that allows you to to experiment, you know. It's really rewarding for for us as musicians to be able to do that. Because I've been involved in a lot of projects where the goals were different, maybe. You know, it was more like no, this like I told you, we are doing uh strictly doom metal and doom metal it is, you know. And for me, like you said before, that you were mentioning a lot of genres of music. I think that's the key of music is like allow yourself to experiment with different genres that you like and try to combine them, you know, definitely so that that's our attempt.

The Fish Question With Real Meaning

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Awesome, awesome. Well, I have a couple this is a little more of a goofy question. Since we're in the the fish bowl, if you could be a fish, what fish would you be?

SPEAKER_02 13:30

It's a good question, it's not a silly question. They have behaviors as well, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Right. I I always like to say if it were me, I would be a mixture of a shark and a salmon. Because a shark, you know, we have to swim with the sharks to be in business and you know, different, you know, people trying to shark attacks every day. And then uh the reason I pick a salmon is because a salmon spends its whole life, you know, swimming against the stream, you know.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

You know, I know I will be like, you know, this, I don't know how it's called, but you know an abysal fish?

SPEAKER_00 14:16

What is it?

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Abysal. I don't know how it's in English, you know the one that has kind of the light here on top? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I'm I'm I'm I'm now a person that is like I I live a bit on the dark, you know, like I am a bit like not socializing a lot because I'm really focusing on all different projects, but I still have here the spark of why I am doing that.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

So awesome, awesome, great answer. Awesome. Next

Favorite Bands And Drum Nerd Talk

SPEAKER_00 14:50

question, I guess, is favorite current bands and favorite films, just in general, favorite current bands.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

So I'm listening because of the festival, we are listening a lot of stoner doing heavy psych music, but something that I am listening a lot. So I am a drummer, so I I normally try to I tend to analyze drummers when I am listening to music as well to see how they do their chops and how they play and what kind of rhythms they play. So, like you said, I listen to everything, and recently I've been listening a lot to one band called Leprus, which is more new metalish, but their drummer, Bard Kolstadt, is his name. I love it. I love it because he plays in a really like a lot of ghost notes and is super creative with the drums that he's doing. And I've been listening recently to one band from Panama that they we've been in touch with them. It's called Alpha Horse. I don't know if it is I would say is kind of a fresh sound to this stoner doom field. I would call it more like like new wave doom because uh they are adding a lot of freshness into the genre, I would say. Okay, really cool, is is really at the same time is a bit pop, but pop in the sense of catchy, you know, that it's easy to listen and you you quickly get some merge into the rhythm and stuff that they are

Horror Picks And Fifth Element Love

SPEAKER_03 16:55

playing. And films, films, let's see. Well, I can I can tell you much more bands, but if you want more, I can give you more. But I think these two are the ones that I am listening the most right now. Because as well, like to be honest, sometimes I put like playlists that I have already, and it's jumping from jazz to experimental music to Doom to prog to I have there like like my head is uh maze of music and films. I'm really into horror movies.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Nice, that's my specialty.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Yeah, that's nice, that's nice. I always like horror and I always like folklore horror. One of the last films that I watch is The Devil's Bath. Okay, it was okay, I enjoy it, but if it's more about favorite films in this horror, I would say hundred percent uh horror um Babaduk. I really like Babaduk.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

I don't know if you watch it, but I I have I have seen that one, I know that one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:23

And I think it's because of in which kind of moment I watched it, I was completely alone at home, and you know, it really gave me tension. And one of my favorite films always is Out of the Horror, but is The Fifth Element.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

That's a great movie.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

I I just love it, you know, and it's because I grew with that film. I I remember it was one of the first science fiction movies that I watched being conscious about that this is science fiction and being conscious of what you can create out of life.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

I I remember seeing that in theaters with my dad. And you know, my dad big influence, and I remember like old enough to like e news was like really big, you know, in the 90s, and they'd have like all like the behind the scenes coverage. It was before like all these like sites that are like on Facebook, like Joe Blow and you know, bloody disgusting, and you know, like like all that stuff that covers all this stuff now. And you know, like the key insider and Luke Luke Besson, who's the writer and director of that film, talked about how he actually started writing that when I think he was like 15 or 16 years old.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

I think he did you can see that the spirit inside the film because he's yeah so creative, he's so imaginative, it's like you know, like if the plot is a normal plot that I think you will see in any kind of film, like you need to get something, and there is a girl who is helping, but a guy, and at the end everything happy, and they recover the thing that they need to don't destroy the planet, and good. But it's more about the visuals as well, it's about all the costumography, the right for me, the part of the opera singer yes, yes, so impressive, you know. I was like, wow, this is incredible, you know. Yeah, um and yeah, I think it's all like you say, all the world that they create around.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

And another thing, uh, I I heard uh about interesting trivia about that film is especially comments on what you what you were just saying, what you like about it with the visuals. Luke Besson, when he was going into product pre-production for it, and they were coming up with like the whole kind of look for everything. He specifically said every space movie that has like come out up until that point, everything is like dark, you know, it's all it's all kind of darkly lit, it's all you know, like every the tone is dark, you know. Ladies on that vibes alien vibes, you know. All the films were like, you know, very bleak and bland, and you know, it was like just a depressing mood, you know. And he said, one thing I want right off the bat is everything to be bright, you know, and and stand out. And you know, because like why does space have to be, you know, so gloomy and dark, it's like imagine, you know. So that was a big thing. He's he's one of my I've I followed him Actually, since the professional great movie with young Natalie Portman and Jean Reno. And then he did the fifth element, both with Gary Oldman as as villains. And then he you know went on to kind of like transition into doing like action movies, and he's the guy responsible for like basically all the transporter movies and the taken movies, you know. You know, so I just I I've he's a big person in cinema I've been following.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

And for me, it's something that I want to address, like like music, yeah, if you go back to the generation of the 90s, 80s films, right? Uh early 2000s as well. Right, right. I don't know how to to say, but there is something in these kind of films, it doesn't matter if it's science fiction or if it's thriller or horror or even love or even adventure, they were made in a different way. They were you could see the directors and the team or people involved. It's like, okay, here is my soul. You cannot see it, but I am taking a small piece and throwing it into this project.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

And and it happens with uh, for example, From Das Still Down that you have over there. Yes, yes, it happens with uh Tarantino movie dead right there. Yeah, it happens to a lot of films that there is love on it, you know, there is there is passion and and and they need to create all of these special effects without technology, you know. Right. For me it's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

It's it's like the it's like the same thing has happened

When Art Loses To Metrics

SPEAKER_00 23:55

with film with music. It's it's all about ch-ching, you know, cha-chang, cha-ching, cha-ching, you know, not about art, not not about, you know, it's not it's not meant to be about what can you make back at the the box office or what can you make back from the streamers and the people buying the physical media content. It's about, you know, I I believe it was actually Frank Zappa to bring him up again that said I forget what the exact quote was, but he basically said um the newer generation of music producers are worse than the old generation because the the new people and what it's kind of evolved into, this was back in the 80s, what was like it's they they think that they know what people want to hear. Yeah. And and the Joe Schmoes that took chances on all the bands like him and that were so big in the 60s and 70s, and even going back to the 50s, was because these guys didn't know anything about music, they didn't know what a trend was. It was just like, yeah, screw it, I'll take a chance on you. You know what's the worst that can happen? And because of that, you had all these like amazing bands come out that formed, you know, essentially the first, you know, iteration of like what really rock and roll is, yeah, like with all the classic rock.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

There were more opportunities in that sense, like you said, when now it's all based on it's it's sad but true. But if you want to go to a professional booker or someone that it has a bit of power in the music industry, they just want to see your streaming numbers, how much impact in social media. I'm not saying everyone, yeah, but right this is the role model that a lot of people are following now.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

I know, you know. Um it's happening in the horror genre as well.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

I mean, there's there's been a few as a festival, we also do it because, like we said, at the end of the day, it's a business, so right, we need to follow these trends as well. But we also look at okay, this band has really good numbers, they have a good amount of listeners in in London. Let's bring them, but at the same time, there are bands we do a mix, yeah, because like it's we love music, but it's a business, there must be a band. It's not one thing up, the other one down. I think it's quite equal because we also bring bands that a lot of people don't know, and we give the opportunity for them to explore these new bands that maybe they don't have a lot of listeners, and you know, consistently for the last two years, it's been happening with us that we brought at least two bands that nobody really heard about them, and they are blown away. The whole public okay, these guys, incredible. Um going back to the sorry, going back to the topic that we were talking about, music, music, and film, that we could see this trend as well. It's uh hopefully it's gonna come back as well, you know. Because I I I guess you know much more than me in the film industry, but I can also see little gems of of films that and directors that they are coming, like the guy who did hereditary, a lot of thanks to technology, there is a lot of new directors that they don't need that many resources to be creative and organized, you know. But of course, like in music, there are so many films out there that they deserve more visibility, but just because they are independent and exactly, exactly they are not triple A, they are not gonna generate the money that people want, right? They don't have the repercussion that they need sometimes, you know.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

And I guess we can talk much more about all of this because it's it's definitely in the same territory. The the

Film Versus Music Production Reality

SPEAKER_00 28:30

difference, I guess I should say, even though there's still a lot of like you know, balance, even ground in what I'm about to say, it's it's probably a little easier to make an album now. The difficult part is to get the distribution and the touring to get the the live play out there. It's way more difficult to get a film made, whether it's indie or a major production, because again, you know, it's all about that. You know, and also there's like with music, it's it's like in putting together an album, it's like you're that's essentially all it is, is like, you know, the the music and recording and the instruments and stuff like that, and the vocals and all that. With film, it's like you it's like you we like you mentioned earlier, it's like a a living, you know, organism where you have to have like enough people in the crew before you even get to the actors, and and then you have to feed people and you know you have to give them compensation if you can't pay them.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

And you know, it's just like industry as well.

SPEAKER_00 29:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it's it's it's it's an everlasting fighting struggle for the starving artist, you know.

SPEAKER_03 30:01

Yeah, I have friends here in London, they work in the in the film industry in different fields. Some of them are director of photography, another ones are focus pooler, and now they they do different roles, and they've been working in big and small projects, and it's exactly what you said. Like um it's a metaphor like for uh art in general, yeah. It's funny that things that in theory people are doing uh more out of love, it's more difficult to you know to develop them, or it's more difficult to put money on it, or or you you struggle a bit more in order to get where you want to get. Right. And and I know people with amazing ideas, but like you said, they need to feed the crew, they need to get the equipment, they need to, and it's not easy. But I must say the most important thing

Start With What You Have

SPEAKER_03 31:00

for everyone who will listen to your podcast is starting as well.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

People cannot put as well, like we live in an era that you as well can take an iPhone, record a film, you know. You have tutorials in YouTube as well to know how to edit, know how to do things. Okay, it's not gonna be a AAA film, but it's a starting point, you know.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 31:29

It's what I am repeating to myself with music and creating this festival. That I've been tired of saying to myself, no, I cannot start to do this because I don't have this, so I am not prepared to do this because I really need to first learn this. Starting is the key, you know, and and keep keep keep going and pushing.

SPEAKER_00 31:55

Definitely, definitely. And I mean, one thing I I'm just gonna throw it out there because if you don't throw the fish line out there, uh you never know if you're gonna get a bite. But you know, I I love to since we both have like kind of you know the same kind of like mutual you know message and promotion for bands and stuff, I'd love to talk to you further in like a separate meeting or whatever, non-interview thing about you know, ways maybe we can cross-promote or something, you know, for the fest future festivals and stuff like that, and yeah, possibly even like co-arrange a totally separate festival or something, um which would be awesome.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

So that's something that for example, we want to do as well, is like um you know, create something. We wanted to do something that interview musicians, but from not the music musician persona from the human persona of that musician, you know. And I think it's like you said, it's really important to say that yeah, these people now is playing of in four of 700 people, but this person as well is working in a bar, putting pints nine to five, or working like 60 hours per week in order to be do that because there is so many things in the music industry that needs to change, you know. Right, right. It's I think it's important that you bring these kind of people, and and for sure we can as well like put you in touch with with different artists, you know, from the scene that they will be happy to talk about the personal experience.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

That's actually the well, the the similar to my my final question, but which was

Dream Guests And Community Building

SPEAKER_00 33:50

I'll just say it now and then I'll ask you the other question. But uh, my new thing on the end of the show is I like to say, if you could suggest three guests to come on the show, who would who would it be? Or would they be? Industry or uh it could be with within the music or film industry, someone that you think would be like, you know, I cover horror, music, entertainment. There's so much that kind of falls under that, you know, not just like the musicians themselves, but you know, if there's like a sound person that has worked with, you know, how many people or whatever, you know, but just uh, you know, three guests that you think would be like a good fit, and then any other, you know, possible connections down the road, I would totally, totally love to have on the show as well.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

One it would be Charlie. Charlie is the owner of two legendary music venues here in London. One is it's called Blend uh Blondies. Okay, one of them is like 50 people capacity is a shoe box, but massive bands were playing there, like really, really big bands.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

Like I cannot find it right now, man. But that's alright, that already sounds like a like a great really great guess.

SPEAKER_03 35:23

It's like a birthplace for a lot of bands, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

That iconic that it's been there forever, they've been co-working as well with uh really big bands that they can fill up stadiums, but they decided to do a gig there for 50 sweaty people, you know what I mean. Recently opening a new warehouse, Brewary, that is Blondie's as well, it's the same name, and I think it's good to get the insights as well of from his perspective, you know, that he has two bringing legendary bands, and even though this is happening, there is also struggle, you know what I mean? Right, right. He's a business owner and he needs to feed family and feed people and take care of himself, and and to see that people who are really passionate about it, they are still trying. So I can send you that contact.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

That'll be awesome.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

Another person, I would say bands like Slomosa.

SPEAKER_00 36:33

Oh, I love them.

SPEAKER_03 36:35

Guys that they are really kicking off really well. I think they are doing really, really well, really nice people as well. Really, really nice people. It would be interesting to analyze how they are feeling so far of their how fast they are growing, basically.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

Right, right.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

I I follow them, they are great. If I need to say another person, it would be probably another band. I'm thinking about it. Because I want to give you the perspective of smaller bands as well.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:12

Think a band like uh let's say it could be from our lineup, but I prefer someone that is not, you know, yeah, that has to expand a bit. Let me let me think. Let me think, and I give me give me two minutes and I I will get back to it.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

I need to really think okay, okay. Uh let me let me

Tickets And Socials For Stonefest

SPEAKER_00 37:35

hit you with one of the the prior uh questions I had, closing ones, in terms of Stoomfest. Where can people buy tickets? Follow you on social media, find uh venue where it's where where like all the uh the information about the festival and everything.

SPEAKER_03 37:54

Yeah, so we have our main website, which is stoomfest.com. We are DIY ticket system, is our own plugin because we don't want third companies to take cuts. All the merge is going for the bands. We don't take a cut as well, which is something that we are trying to change. They can find us as well in Instagram, they can find us in Facebook, and so far, these are the three main platforms that we are using. We are really proactive, we reply as fast as possible to every mail and everything, and we are friendly. People can approach to us, we don't bite, we are not, you know, we are nice people who want to really develop the music as it is, and the underground music, and and like we were talking during the whole podcast, like give a bit of breath again to this new era that we feel is growing, basically.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

Awesome, and um and sleeping mountain, where can people listen to uh your music and the new album and any tour

Where To Stream Sleeping Mountain

SPEAKER_00 39:10

dates going on with that, stuff like that?

SPEAKER_03 39:13

It's available in every uh streaming platform, I would say. We we are in Band Camp, we are in Spotify, we are in Apple Music, we are in Deezer as well. They can listen to us in YouTube music as well. And we upload there the whole album if people want to listen. And today it's we are really happy to start our first tour, which is gonna be in September, with one band from Spain that it's been playing already at Stonefest, the second edition, Wet Cactus.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

Yes, I know them.

SPEAKER_03 39:52

Really nice stoner bands, heavy psych, really, really cool people, and really nice musicians as well. And we've we are gonna be doing a total of six to seven gigs around UK in main cities of UK, London, uh, Bristol, Brighton. What else we are playing? Oxford, I think we are playing as well. We are playing in Birmingham as well, like major cities basically. Yeah, they can find us in Instagram, they can find us as well in Facebook, and we have our own website which is sleeping mountain that band. Uh yeah, there we have absolutely everything. The same open people, the same people of Stoonfest. We are the same people, and yeah, we are really happy to see where the band goes as well. We we have a lot of hope on this new project.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

It's awesome, awesome. And uh just to circle back, any if not, you know, to

Why DIY Festivals Struggle

SPEAKER_00 41:00

we got to yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:01

I have one person, uh, is another promoter from Manchester, okay, who is doing Revolution Festival, which is exactly the same kind of music of what we do, and unfortunately, they couldn't continue this year because emergent uh festivals, DIY festivals, are not really well supported, or it's difficult for us to grow. It's like you know, sometimes you need more help, and it would be nice to see from his perspective why it didn't work, and what things need to change in order to make these things working, you know, for people who are really trying. Because at the end of the day, like I told you, we are a team of people who are working nine to five in regular jobs, and they are doing this out of passion and putting their love, money, and time into that because they believe in it, but right all of us as well, we have limits, you know. If the glass is too full, sometimes you need to move on. And we would not like to do that with this industry, you know, for me or any of my partners that they are also working in the in this field of the iwife festivals. There is actually a friend that he's doing a more math rock progressive alternative music festival, and they've been running festivals for 12 years. This year was their last year because they couldn't anymore. And it's sad to see as well that people who are doing it at out of love and because they believe in this music to grow and or be maybe the new era of musicians, they cannot fulfill their dreams because and it's people who are not chasing money, like we were talking, it's people who really like are doing it out of passion. Yeah, maybe people to see more that behind these people or these projects is human beings who want the best for the community, basically.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

Definitely. Alexis, it has been a pleasure talking with you. I wish you the best, and with the festival coming up, hope praying it's a you know even bigger turnout, and you know, because we can continue to to do this type of thing again. I'm definitely looking forward to staying in touch and talking about how we can help cross promote.

SPEAKER_03 43:46

At any point you you jump the pond, come over to Stoomfest or any of the sleepy montag geek, or maybe one day we will play around America and we can catch. Oops.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Yeah, that that's that's actually uh what I was hoping is we can get a stoom fest in the States because you know there are so many amazing, amazing bands, not just in the UK, but the EU. And it's it's a damn shame that you guys get to have all the the great music bands and stuff, and uh it's it's it's like almost impossible to get you know bands unless they're of like certain mainstream status, you know, to to cross, you know, from the UK or wherever to the states.

SPEAKER_03 44:38

So yeah, and what happened to us as well, like there are a few bands that we want to bring over from there that they are spectacular and they do really nice quality music, and and just because of what we were talking, because everything is DIY, we can some afford that quantities of money, you know, because we pay flights, for example, exactly expensive, you know, and their cache, which is more than respectable to pay, depending on how long they've been playing. But yeah, I wish governments as well could more co-work together for yes, at the end of the day, is music is culture, they should promote and put more money in all of these projects, not only music, but also like in film industry, like you say, any form of art, you know.

SPEAKER_00 45:31

Definitely, definitely. Well, Alexis, thank you so much for taking the time to swim in the bowl with me. Yes, I hope the temperature was just right.

SPEAKER_03 45:42

It was perfect, and I'm gonna send you over as well these contacts.

SPEAKER_00 45:47

Awesome.

SPEAKER_03 45:48

Organize something with them, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:50

Definitely, definitely. I appreciate it. I look forward to staying in touch and seeing how we can help each other out and cross promote and all that, and spread the the message of you know, music and rock and roll.

SPEAKER_02 46:06

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 46:12

Absolutely, thank you. Hey

Closing Thanks And Merch Support

SPEAKER_00 46:15

there, all my fishes in the sea. Thanks for tuning in to today's episode and for being a subscriber. Your continued listenership and support means the most and helps keep the show growing to deeper and deeper depths. I want to let all my guppies in the sea know the fishbowl has now officially partnered with fastcustomshirts.com, where they're now selling custom fishbowl t-shirts under their podcast and website section. Every t-shirt that's purchased helps and goes a long way to keep the show growing to deeper and deeper in higher, higher depths. I also now have custom hats, beanies, handbags, pens, mouse pads, everything to make you look like the coolest looking fish in the sea, which you can DM me directly on Instagram at the Fishbowl88 or on Facebook at just the fishbowl, or you can friend request me, Sam Fish, directly and get yours today. Your continued listenership and support again means the most. It's the most important fishes that flock together. We are a school of fish and we keep the unit going. Let's all keep swimming upstream.