New Artists House Blog Series + Upcoming Interview with Shytown

Hello all,

As you may remember, I posted about interviewing RIZ a while back. That interview is definitely still happening, but there’s been a slight delay as RIZ has a lot going on at the moment between shooting his latest music video and planning his first nation-wide tour (and prior to that, we needed to determine the best way to record the interview in light of the fact that RIZ and I are in different cities).

However, because I’m unable to participate in the live chats that Artists House does (they take place in New Orleans; I’m in Toronto), I’ve decided to start a new Artists House blog series (“Spotlight On…”) where I bring you pre-recorded video interviews with artists (and others in the industry) who we can learn from. I hope to post this content on a fairly regular basis.

To that end, I’m excited to be interviewing the up-and-coming, Los Angeles-based, acoustic/pop/hip-hop band, Shytown. And if you’re looking for an example of a new, unsigned act that’s making things happen, this is one of the best you’ll find.

Prior to forming Shytown, Eric Jay (rap) and Danny Jay (vocals/guitar) experienced a notable amount of individual success; among other accomplishments, both received significant commercial and college airplay and Danny had opened for The Roots at Indiana University’s IU Auditorium. However, it was when they began working together as a duo that things really started to heat up. After joining forces, the pair was given the opportunity to perform at Chicago’s B96 Pepsi Summer Bash, an event at which artists like Rihanna, Gym Class Heroes, Akon, Ne-Yo, and T-Pain also performed.

Eric then headed to L.A. to work with several California-based producers and met Sean Kingston while there. The two collaborated together and wrote what would become Kingston’s song, “Shorty Got Back” (Eric is featured on the rap sections and Danny produced the track). The song went on to receive commercial airplay in several major markets. Soon after, Eric was contacted by HOT 105.5 FM and was asked to open for Soulja Boy; he did so in front of 5,000 + people at the US Cellular Coliseum.

Danny, who was still in Chicago, decided to join Eric in Los Angeles so they could work more closely together. Their music began to take a more acoustic-based direction and they formed a new band they dubbed Shytown. They later recruited good friend, Tarah New, a classically trained singer whose skills had been honed by performing for thousands as a previous member of a pop/R&B girl group managed by a reputable name with Sony, to join Shytown as they felt that adding a female vocalist to the mix would provide for the perfect balance.  The trio has only been together for 11 months. In that short period of time, they have gone from building their following through street performances in Santa Monica to opening for Demi Lovato at Hollywood’s “Winterfest” event, landing a management deal with Bonnie Gallanter’s Muse Artist Management (former manager of Jesse McCartney), being offered two record deals, garnering online coverage, and grabbing the interest of world-renowned drummer, Gene Coye (from the band, Chicago), and writer/producer, Blac Elvis (Beyonce, Fergie, T.I., Keri Hilson, Ciara, Jamie Foxx, and Usher), for potential collaborations.

There’s certainly much to discuss with Shytown, and we’ll be breaking down their success with this interview. As always, I want to incorporate your questions into the discussion. Because I’m unable to do this interview as a live broadcast on the site due to the distance issue between myself and Shytown (we’ll be using Skype to do the interview), you’ll have to get them to me beforehand. If you have a question for Shytown, please post it as a comment to this entry.

We’ll be able to record and post this interview shortly. In the meantime, here is how you can learn more about Shytown, listen to their music, and connect with them online:

Starshine Magazine’s feature on the band, “Listen to the Rythem of Shytown”: http://starshinemag.com/2009/07/listen-to-the-rhythm-of-shytown

MySpace: www.myspace.com/shytownmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/shytownmusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Shytown/34127199247?ref=ts

Sean Kingston’s “Shorty Got Back” (co-written by Eric Jay, featuring Eric Jay on rap sections, and produced by Danny Jay):