Album Capsules
by Mark E. Waterbury
Canned Heat - Friends in the Can
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John Masino Band - Out Of This World
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Driver 13 - Until the End of Time
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Lolett - 3 song EP
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The Painkillers - State of Mind
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Now S... - Illumine
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Bent-Til-Broken - Reverse Blow Show
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Spyder - Cigarette Ashes
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Olio - Colour of Music
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Tee-m - You Go On
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Crossroads: Fito De La Parra - Canned Heat's Drummer
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Feature Article: Managers - You may think you are ready for one, but do you know what they really do?
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Indie Artist Spotlight: Sean Beste
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Scott Turner's Song Publisher's Perspective
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Music Biz Opportunities
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Music Industry Marketing Showcase
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Copyright 2004 by Music Morsels, a Serge Entertainment Publication.
Editor: Sandy Serge
Contributing Columnists/Writers:
Mark E. Waterbury, Scott Turner
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 TM© September 2003
Indie Artist Spotlight: Sean BesteBy Mark E. Waterbury
Artist Name: Sean Beste
Musical Genre: Singer/songwriter with rock, blues and Americana influences
Birthplace: Lincoln, Nebraska
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Years In Music Biz: 9 years
Web Site: http://www.seanbeste.com
CD's Sold: 10,000 with previous band Square
 MM: Have you always been a songwriter as well as a performing musician?
SB: I'm mostly a writer, and playing live was really the only outlet I could get for my songs. I've been writing since I was ten years old, and have about five hundred songs recorded.
MM: You also play quite a few instruments. Is that something you always wanted to progress into?
SB: I started on the guitar like many people do, but then it was impossible to find a keyboard player in Lincoln, so I got into that. I played trumpet in high school and still play it now, and I love playing the drums as well. Really I just love playing everything.
MM: When you were with the band Square, all of you decided to move from Nebraska to California to further your careers, correct?
SB: We talked about doing it for a long time before we actually did it because we liked the comfort of Lincoln. We were consistent there and could sell places out, so we were scared to death of moving out there. We finally did move and it was the best thing that we ever did.
MM: After Square broke up, did you progress right into something else or something different?
SB: When Square broke up, I laid in a dark room for two years. (chuckles) I didn't do anything, I was pretty depressed. Square was supposed to be THE band; I had my best friends in the band and they are all monster players. We were playing all the songs that we wanted to do and the label actually loved the record and re-recorded it and that was a dream. No one has that happen to them. That was the band I really wanted to break, but our guitarist left and joined a band that we had been touring with.
MM: What broke you out of that funk, and were you still writing during that time?
SB: I did write the whole time, but didn't perform for a long time. Then I hooked up with a couple friends of mine from the band Jukebox Junkies that I had been hanging out with before Square's break up. That band has a sort of revolving membership, sort of a "guys' night out" for most of the guys except for the lead singer and writer Mark Dower. Rami from the Wallflowers is in and out of the band, and Pete Yorn played some drums on the new record as well as with us live. They got me out of the house, and unlike Square where I was playing keys and bass, I'm playing guitar in Jukebox Junkies. I feel like I'm getting back to my roots.
MM: Did it feel good to get back out there?
SB: Yeah, it's fun but I would rather be performing my songs. I am in rehearsals now with a new group that I am putting together and writing everything for. It's very important for me to be performing my stuff. The Junkies is a lot of fun but I really need to be doing my own thing.
MM: With Square in the past and the other projects you have going, do you feel everything has lead to you eventually doing your own music?
SB: I think so. My writing has changed since Square. It's always going to sound like me, but I am going back to my roots more. It's more orchestrated like pop meets Broadway almost...kind of hard to describe. But this is what I want to do; big production, big sound and I just love doing that. If I can be performing the new material that I love the most it would be great. I'm also moving into a new house and I'm building a studio there. I have started some recordings and may keep some of it, but I am working on a new recording of original material.
MM: What is your plan to get your music out to the people?
SB: I still have a lot of connections I had back with Square who are always requesting new music from me. I started sending new material out and made some other connections as well. L.A. is really tough to get noticed in through performing. There are so many venues and so many options, and I'll start hitting the club circuit like I did before and hope it works as well as it did the last time. I just have to give it another shot.
MM: What do people like the most about your music?
SB: It's completely different than what is out there. The people that enjoy it are the type of people you wouldn't think would enjoy it. In Square, we were all young kids and we were playing stuff that kids and their parents would come out to see us together and buy the records. It was jazz, it was pop and it was rock. It's still that way with me, I think the demographic is even broader. My new demo literally has a song that is straight up country and then the next one is like European dance theme. At first, it scared the hell out of some people I sent it to, but the people who used to get Square find it interesting as well.
MM: Does that make it tough to market since your music can't be streamlined into a specific genre, and how do you circumvent that?
SB: Yes, it does make it tough. With Square, the criticism we got was that it lacked a particular direction, but the more we honed in on it, people discovered that this was how it was supposed to be. Every label passed us but then when Columbia stepped in, all the labels that turned us down started calling us. It can be a hindrance doing things a bit different, because if you go and buy a country or pop record these days, you know what is going to be on it. But I get these kids telling me that they were into Square and still listen to the record. I can't say that for many records myself. I get sick of listening to records after awhile. I hope that the good thing about my music is that it changes enough to keep you interested in the sound.
MM: Do you think you can be successful with your own music?
SB: Success for me is easy. All I have to do is keep writing and recording, and recording is really important to me. I would love to perform forever as well, but it's not quite as important as being able to write and be supported by it.
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