Chris Payne. Hi this is Chris with the band Bayadera.

K. Oh, Hi how are you?

C. Good

Gina Bandy. Hi Krystn! How are you?

K. Pretty good! It's a little cold. It's snowing here.

C. So where are you located?

K. We are in Delaware. We're on the east coast.

C. Oh! You guys are getting some unwanted weather over there now?

K. Yea. We are getting pelted right now.

G. Come visit us! Its sunny and I'm sitting outside and it's a beautiful sunny day.

K. Wow! Where are you at?

G. Los Angeles.

K. Yeah. I'll book the next flight.

G. Los Angeles and Orange County

C. Yeah I'm in Orange County and I just have on shorts and sandals

K. I'm jealous, trust me.

C. Yeah, we feel for you every year.

G. We don't even understand it actually. You guys have seasons that we don't.

K. Don't worry I'll build you a snow man. So lets get started with the interview. How did you all meet.

G. The guys in my band, the guitarists and the bassist were already close. They met first and I answered an add later when they were looking for a singer.

K. Where you necessarily looking for a female singer or was it just a any singer to front the band

C. We had worked with a male and female singer. We had a couple people singer, but we kept finding ourselves leading towards a female singer. Part of it was the music just really seemed to work well with a female voice.

K. I can hear that. I enjoyed the CD as I heard thus far.

C. Thank you. We have been with Gina for about seven years or so.
G. No. Its been five and half with me and they've been together years before me.
They had various line ups before hand.

K. Oh ok? So how would you say is the chemistry within in the band. Do you have creative differences or does it just work out?

G. We have amazing chemistry. Its very democratic. We all just put stuff together and everyone voices there constructive opinion and everyone is pretty much ok with that.

C. It works well. Everyone participates in the writing process. Their huge creative differences, but I think we use them well in are favor. If we get stuck in writing and someone would come from a totally different background of music then it can work.

K. Oh yeah. That's great that your able to blend styles and opinions to create the finished product. What tends to come first when writing a song? The hook or the melody or the lyrics?

G. Um. I think it varies depending on who came up with the foundation. Every song that we have is different as far as how it starts. Someone might have had just a chorus and we might just stomp it out together or someone might come in with a fully structured song and have ideas of where they want it to go and we just jam and something comes from us jamming together and we mess around and we have a song.

K. So who would you say are some of your major musical influences?

G. Bayadera. We really like them. (giggles) Everyone in the band has their own favorites like Santana and lots of guitarists.

K. You can actually hear it come through. When I was listening it sounds a little bit like Santana.

G. I like a lot of female singers like Fionna Apple and Aimee Mann, but then I like a lot of more dramatic singers like Chris Cornell and his music and the way he puts his lyrics together and his stories. I like Aimee Mann's stories. All of them are amazing writers. For me that is really important. I think for each of the band members they pull from everything. They were classically trained and played Flamenco and all that type of stuff. All that comes into besides all that rock or pop influences.

 

K. I can see that its not always eadybeing a female in a rock band. I did an interview before with Amy Lee from Evanescence or Christina from [Lacuna Coils]. I don't know if your familiar with them?

C. Absolutely. I think that they are a little bit heavier. There aren't too many female bands to really compare us to. There might be a female singer up in front of musicians, but I think that the actually band that we work and write together, that whole thing…there just aren't too many.

K. Oh, Absolutely! It's great that you guys are able to do that. I certainly wish you guys the best with it.

C. Well, Thank you.

G. Oh, its so fun. I love them and they are amazing! It's lucky that I found them or that we found each other?

K. So if you could share the stage with any band who would that be?

G. I don't know... Chris do you have any thoughts?

C. Share the stage…well actually there are so many. As a band right now I think it would be really fun to play with the Foo Fighters.

G. I was just thinking that "Maybe the Foo Fighters would be really fun."

C. Cause I've seen their other shows. I'm actually a big fan of the Foo Fighters and its just the energy…its like a real honest energy. They aren't just going through the motion. I think they are out there doing it.

K. Right, We'll they were really on top of things at the Grammys this year too. Normally I haven't seen them get that much work for a while. I was like wow!

G. They finally got the recognition that they deserve.

C. They keep putting out. Every album that comes out has good songs all the way through it, but there are always like two or three songs that are really really good songs. That's the first thing that comes to mind. There are lots and lots of good bands out there. We actually just played a performance with Stevie Wonder a couple months ago.

K. I think I saw a video on your Myspace. I didn't actually watch it, but I did see it listed.

C. It is kind of an interesting thing. It kinda came out of nowhere. I think that's been a big highlight. It came up so fast like those things usually do. I've been listening to Stevie Wonder before I even really knew what music was. That was something really special, but hopefully will be something that we can do again.

K. How was Stevie? Was he nice? Did you guys get to hang out and talk with him?

C. It was brief, but he was so cordial and very accommodating. He came up and accepted a reward and the speech that he gave he speaks as eloquently as he writes his music. He is that guy. He is that guy that you hear when you hear his music.

K. That's good that must have been truly exciting. So how did you guys come up with the name Bayadera? Is there a significence behind the name?

G. It means "fire dancer" and it is actually a Native American word. I think, basically, it was more..well when you look at us we are all different ethnicities and have different backgrounds, so we like the idea of it and all of our music has an element of that in it. The latin jazz or eastern fusion. We felt that if we brought in a name that had that kinda flavor, not just some rock name, but a name that people could actually associate it and it could encompass something that we have within our group. So we liked it. It sounds a little Spanish, but it is actually Native American.

C. The word is close to Spanish to "bailar." which is the Spanish word for dance, but we came across it through the Native American translation.

K. Well, that is good. It fits. I was very curious, because I couldn't find a meaning anywhere.

C. Yeah. I think one of the guitarists came up with it for a the name of a song and it struck us. That it is so different. Ya, know. The meaning of it…it was really cool so we were like "Why don't we call ourselves that?" It is just sorta something we use as a source of inspiration and we try to incorporate it within all of our music.

K. From what I've heard of your music I'm really digging the overall sound and the blending of the rock and the rap. What would you say is the raw message you are trying to convey with your music?

G. I think our music is a positive message. Even if the song has a story that is sad it ultimately has an positive message at the end and has an empowerment capability. That positivity, because we do bring that out in each other while we jam our music and during our shows. It makes us feel that way it makes us happy. Like, ok cool anything can happen.

K. That's good. I think strength is in important attribute to come through.

C. With our music we like to make it so you don't actually have to listen to deeply to enjoy it, although hopefully there are people who listen to music to attach to. It's just enjoyable to play and enjoyable to listen to.

K. Speaking of your out coming release "Rotation of the Earth" I see some of the tracks are digital download. Has the response been positive so far?

G. Oh, definitely.

C. It's been a little bit since we've put out a knew record. So we had a lot of fans. We tried a couple songs live and so the fans are kinda getting a hint of the new album, which is why we released some of this stuff a little early for the people who wanted something back.

K. How do you feel about music downloading?

C. In a nutshell I think that it is actually hurt music in a lot of ways. It hurts, but it helps. It's like a double edged sword. The great part about it is that your able to get it now and their own way and can just push a button. You know, quicker things and faster cell phones. So you get this like get it now experience. However, the concept of making an album, especially from where we come from is that we really look at the songs and how they relate to each together and that how we make our album. We had about forty songs at the beginning of this record and we cut down a lot of songs that were really good but didn't fit the framework.

K. Are you going to save those for your next release?

C. They will definitely be considered. Some songs we play live just for fun that might pop up on a live album.

G. Exactly.

C. We write so much that sometimes we are like "aarrgghh" we wrote that back then, ya know, and we need another opinion to tell us "Hey you guys should really do that one". It might be new for everyone else, but it might be a little older for us.

G. We have bias and preconceived ideas.

C. Yeah, but they will definitely pop up. When you make an album the idea of buying the whole thing and listening to the whole thing … I mean now we have more or less a "buffet" of music.

K. Right. Where it's like pick one.

C. Yeah. You pick up your tray and like pick up track 3, 4, and 6. I don't do too much downloading, but even when I download something I download the entire album, because I'm personally interested. I think some of the popular music has actually helped this process, just because they only put one or two good songs on an album and the rest is filler.
G. That's what I thought too. Is that back in the day and even now when we right our own album we spend a lot of time and put a lot of energy into it and the process of take one song and download it devalues a lot of the album. but it they are both affecting each other, because bands will just do the filler songs. They write thirteen songs and ten are filler and only two are really really good.

K. It is like putting fluff in the middle.

G. And we try not to do that. That's why it takes so long to get an album out. A lot of people are putting out albums like four times a year, but who knows if they are really…maybe if you take a couple songs from all four album you might be able to make one good album.

K. That is really nice and refreshing to hear that each song has a purpose for being there.

C. We try. It is even the way that like one songs comes and we put it in different orders and then listen to it and that the neat thing about having an album. And also its effected the amount of money the music industry has taken a hit in general. It's almost like expected for free.

K. It gets the name out but at the same time how far can it go.

G. Back in the day when we got a song out and we hear some one with a new album that would last for a long time. There is so much but there is not a lot of quality. A lot of stuff is being dished out and not a lot of them make it to the top.

K. So how do you feel about Myspace?

G. Yeah we use it. It's been really nice and a method for our fans to give us feedback and let us know what they are thinking and how they like our shows. We get a lot of personalized emails, especially from people who have just seen a show and for me personally it really is a very connecting and tells me what the people value and what is exciting. For someone to actually go to a show, whether they have bought your CD or not, a lot of them have, and they give feedback about the experience and what they liked and didn't like. That's really valuable to me, because then I know what is going on and I feel a lot more connected. I honestly answer their emails.

K. So you personally maintain your own page?

G. I maintain my own personal page, but we have a band page. My personal page I put a lot of energy into it and I actually do have a few friends that I attracted on there, but the band one I do actually answer the emails that are directed towards me. I like to see that. If they take the time then I like to take the time too.

K. And Chris do you feel the same way?

C. I think it's a great forma of communication, especially for a band. I think in general it reconnects and it allows people to reconnect with people that maybe don't want to be found. I think it was a really smart idea and a really neat way for people to share. Actually, we are in the process, in the next two weeks, of launching a website. We have been primarily doing Myspace, because we are doing a whole new structure on the website. We will put it back up in about a week or two. It is very interactive. There are just a lot more things that you can do because obviously Myspace is free and they have to cull it somewhere. I mean its only fair. We've got a similar thing happening with our website and its going to be a lot of fun.

K. That is good. Do you guys have any touring plans on the horizon?

C. We are actually putting some plans together for the summer and we have some people looking at us to book us for college tours and we went through a college radio promotion and it did very well. IT went to sixty or seventy stations across the country and got a positive response. A lot of those stations were associated with colleges so we are actually in the process of working on the getting out to the various places. There are also a couple festivals we are looking at too. Those are really the best places to play.

K. Any plans on being in Philadelphia?

C. Philadelphia?

K. That is right by us.

C. Would that be the closest?

K. Philly is the closest to us.

G. That would be awesome.

C. We definitely will be getting out to the east coast. We have done some stuff through Virginia and D.C.

K. D.C. is about an hour and half away from us.

C. But you guys have to warm up a little bit before we come out there!

G. Yeah right! We can't handle that!

C. Work on your weather conditions! No, we would love to come back and you know Fall and Summer is when we are shooting on doing the most traveling, but we will definitely be out there on the east coast.

K. Yes. You will definitely have to keep us posted. We would love to come check you out at a live show.

C. Oh, absolutely.

K. So I did read up that your guitarist, "Dot" I believe, is actually blind? What challenges has he had to overcome.

C. His whole life…

G. He is not a very good driver. It can be a big challenge. (giggles)

C. His whole life has been an amazing story from being born in Vietnam to coming over here and all the learning and his passion for music. Not only is he gifted…you know, people say that when your are blind your senses are enhanced and that is very true. Some people use that and say he is supposed to be good, but the amount of time he puts into playing his instrument and all the other instruments as well. I mean plays everything.

K. I read that he plays seventeen instruments?

C. Yeah. He is absolutely amazing and the dedication is very inspiring.

K. Yeah. It just sounds incredible.

C. He is an amazing person. We were all friends before we actually started putting the band together. The band just sort of happened and we were just sort of starting playing with each other. And then through being with Gina its like one big family. We try and make sure we have time outside of doing the band stuff like going to catch a movie or dinner and just hang out. You don't really think about him being blind because .

G. Yeah and then I accidentally run him into walls because I'm not paying attention. No! I'm not thinking he is blind and you just forget these little things, because he is so capable.

(Everyone laughs)

C. Its funny, because he will come over to my house and as soon as gets here he just loses his stick at the door. Or he goes to Gina's or any other person. You know he knows the house.

K. Its awesome to hear that its not all work with you guys and you take the time to spend time with each other outside of band stuff to further that connection with each other.

C. We love to make music and love to do it for a living and play shows, but we want to take this thing to the next level. If your not enjoying it now its not worth it. It takes time. It is a job and jobs aren't always fun. I guess.

G. The relationships outside of this is important to keep the balance. But we have fun at rehearsal anyway. If we didn't hang out we spend the first part of rehearsal hanging out.

K. Where do you see the future of music heading and where do you the band in that picture?

G. Music is always going to be important to everyone. Everyone relies on it in their everyday life for the emotion and need and the connection. There is always going to be that demand and that need and we are going to keep creating.

K. What is a major goal you wish to accomplish as a band within the coming year? What do you think makes you stand out in the business?

G. I think that our diversity makes us stand out and our connections that we are genuine as individuals despite our diversity. We have our own style and flavor and a lot of people connect with it.

C. I think that one of the big things that has lead us to go forward is our live show and how we go about the live show and switch up songs and have the honor of having so many great musicians in our band. Gina's voice tight night after night after night. There is a lot of synthesizing. Today I think with the voice-overs and pitches its all really computerized. To do it live is a different thing. We put a lot of energy and thought into our live show and that is something that we have always taken pride in and have got lots of positive feedback because of what we do.

K. Some people its about polishing the actual CD then worrying about what its like playing alive show and things like that.

G. What you hear on the CD…sometimes at our live shows you are going to get something better.

K. I've heard that a lot actually. There is another band I've seen called Blue Sinatra. They are out of Philadelphia? I mean they are more like a jazz fusion but the CD does them no justice to actually seeing them live. I've become just hooked. I can tell its sort of a similar thing here. I can picture what a live show would be.

C. We try and put the music together off the CD that is still enjoyable live, but definitely the live thing gives you a different take on it.

K. So what do you do to keep your voice in shape?

G. You know, I just try not to scream or any stuff like that. I don't worry about that too much actually. I just try to keep in shape in general and that really keeps my voice in shape. I warm up my voice before a show. It really is about me as an individual and how I take care of myself, like getting enough sleep.

K. So what's on the horizon for the band overall?

C. We got the CD release March 20th Thursday night down in Huntington Beach. Its pretty close to home base area, which is Orange County. We got that and then we are just gearing up with a couple of booking agents that we are working with to put some time and effort into getting our summer and fall schedules together. We are going to be on the road and promote this album.

K. I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to it.

C. We got some other videos and some other things popping up pretty soon, which should be pretty soon.

K. Oh ok. Have you shot any videos for any of the songs or are they just live performance videos?

G. Live interviews at this point but we are working on those other things. We have not done any music videos or anything like that yet.

C. Actually for the songs we have live footage is what we've got. We have been focusing on that. We will go back and start looking at songs for videos. Just looking at some things. You know, as you mention earlier, the industry and kind of where things are going I think its really going to continue down this interactive "push of the button" type thing. One of the things we'd like to do is make sure that people have access to Bayadera in as many ways and in as many forms as possible.

K. Well, my last question is can you tell our readers one interesting tid-bit about the band that we may not know already? (giggles) Putting you on the spot!

G. Hmmm. What don't you guys know about us? We are best friends.

K. Any funny habits or hobbies?

C. One cool thing about that is we actually play tennis with bats

K. How does that work? (giggles)

C. That's kind of an interesting thing. We actually did a tennis tournament last summer and had to come out and do a couple shows. It was fun.

K. Is there any message you would like to give out?

G. Just to keep an eye out. We are trying to put things out there so that are fans have more. We want to people to know us as individuals in the band, because most of our fans know us as a group and hopefully with these interactive videos and video of us interviewing. Hopefully they will be able to come on out and get to know us.

K. Well, it sounds fantastic. I wish you guys all the best it sounds fantastic. I can't wait until you guys get to the east coast and visit us in the cold!

G/C. It was great talking to you.

K. It was great talking to you too.

More Pop Culture Madness Celebrity Interviews!