Exposed Vocals Interviews ‘No Man’s Land’

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

 

No Man’s Land: Well, it all began when I was 7 years old. My mother bought me an Ibanez Acoustic guitar for my birthday and I’ve been learning how to play ever since. I grew up in Austin, Texas, but was born in Alabama. I moved back to Alabama just a few years ago to experience what I missed out on. After my 7th birthday I decided acoustic wasn’t the way for me, as I aged so did my taste in music, and slowly but surely I was listening to all kinds of music. I first asked for an acoustic guitar because I loved the way it sounded in the song “Roundabout” by Yes. It was, to me, and my friends, a masterpiece, a real work of art. Once I got the guitar and learned how to play, I decided I wanted to broaden my musical knowledge, so at the age of 11 I saved up and bought my first electric guitar, and then joined the school band to learn how to play the trombone. Overall I’ve always loved music, and I was luckily to get into early and practice for years to be able to get where I am now.

 

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

 

No Man’s Land: The name of “No Man’s Land” was chosen because it suites my style of music. I love rock and metal, and I wanted to make music like that. I grew up listening to Queen and Iron Maiden, and the more I listened, the more I wanted to be like them. “No Man’s Land” isn’t a name, it’s a metaphor, for what that style of music has become. In society Pop and Hip Hop is the normal, Metal just doesn’t come on big radio stations, it’s an outcast. I think if we can introduce people to Metal, it may just be someones favorite new genre.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

 

No Man’s Land: I love online music sharing, almost all of my music is free and up for download on my SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/yardofbones), and it’s all because I simply don’t need the money. I don’t think making someone pay for my music is ethical, if it was produced more professionally i’d definitely put a price on it, but over time I want all of my music to be free for everyone, simply because if someone likes it, I don’t want them to not have it. Money is just a barrier, why make people work for something they love?

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

No Man’s Land: Just work, keep making music, perfecting each song, and share your music with everyone and get some feed back. Some bands don’t want to share their music at risk of it being stolen, but don’t take it as an insult, take it as a compliment. Put your music up and let the world hear you.

 

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

No Man’s Land: Normally it happens everywhere. On my commute to work, in the shower, laying in bed, or even listening to other peoples music. Inspiration is to be found everywhere, it’s not where you look for it, it’s how hard you try. Any little thing can be inspiration for a song, but it’s how you use that inspiration, and how you spend your time that determines how good your song will be.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

 

No Man’s Land: I don’t have a band website. I’m waiting to set up my Bandcamp and release my first album onto it before I set up my website. I use SoundCloud as my major distribution site, but i’m thinking of expanding to other sites.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

 

No Man’s Land: I’d definitely buy a professional recording studio and a shiny new guitar. I’d spend that year writing music and practicing, building my studio and perfecting my music. I’ve always wanted my own professional studio to record in, it’s been a dream of mine to install one into my house. All in all, a lot would get accomplished.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

 

No Man’s Land: I tell my friends, they tell their friends, and so on. SoundCloud and Twitter is a great way to get fans, but in the long run it just doesn’t work. YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook have gained me a lot of followers and views on my music, so for start up bands, social media is definitely the way to go.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

 

No Man’s Land: Absolutely, I’ve got a huge album in the works, it’s a 3 part album that covers the events of World War I, World War II, and the future of war. It’s currently going by the code name of “The Atlas Project,” as I still don’t know exactly what it’s going to be named. I’ve currently finished writing 3 of the songs, now all that’s left to do is record and write some more. It’s a strenuous process and if I want perfection, it’s certainly gonna be a while before it’s completely released, but I bet it’ll be worth the time spent.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

 

No Man’s Land: Teaching. Going to school was always a hassle as a kid, but I’ve always dreamed of being the one in charge. History is my favorite subject and i’d love to go teach it at a high school. Right now that’s not really an option, but maybe someday I can get a teaching degree in history and go back to high school and teach.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

 

No Man’s Land: It’s fairly easy, the first 8 hours of my day are spent working, and then I spend 3-5 hours writing and recording. Some days get stressful, and I have to just sit down and relax, but every minute of doing nothing, i’m always thinking about whats next in my music career.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

 

No Man’s Land: Everything. If time doesn’t constrain me, this summer should be huge for me. I’m hoping I can release my first album this year, put up my website, and I even have a few gigs in the work. This year is gonna be my biggest year yet, and hopefully in the meantime while i’m juggling working and writing, I can get some better equipment and truly make this year a success.