Wiz Khalifa “Damn, I’M Smoking Weed in My Mercedes,” Wiz Raps on “We Dem Small Group of Studio Aces: Pop Kingpin Dr
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SPOTLIGHT due to illness. “The business end of things became very nasty,” she says. “I thought, ‘The only way I’m going to stay in music is to make myself fall in love with music.’ My mate said, ‘You have to check out blues.’ I immersed myself in the blues and became addicted to it. The stamp of Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy is palpable in Chris Crisman the new record’s direct, passionate lyrics and bold, gruff vocals. Kane O’Connor’s musical preference isn’t H ibberd all that’s changed—so has her songwriting process. It’s no longer therapy to untangle the emotional ravages of growing up in 1970s war-torn Ireland. “When I was younger, I had a lot of things to get off my chest, and that’s what songwriting was,” THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO she says. “Now I write character songs, not autobiographical ones. I can put myself An Australian favorite shrugs off labels and limits Grant Gerathy, John Butler, Byron Luiters in the characters, but I’m not limited by my own experience.” ISSUE #36 FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, to rock out, we did,” he says. “If we wanted was actually like keepingMMUSICMAG.COM a diary.” Now an ISSUE #36 Another inspiration was FacebookMMUSICMAG.COM Australian roots-rockers the John Butler Trio tender, fingerpicking folk songs, we’d play ambassador of Australia’s Maton Guitars, COO Sheryl Sandberg’s Ban Bossy girl- have consistently reinvented their blend of those. Sometimes we wanted it to sound Butler relishes his status as a versatile empowering campaign. “I was struck by acoustic folk and alternative rock. Defying like Led Zeppelin on acid.” multi-instrumentalist. His favorite: a custom- oloney the picture of Beyoncé and the words ‘I’m definition has allowed the band to sidestep Butler’s humble beginnings as a busker designed Maton ECJ85 Jumbo acoustic M not bossy, I’m the boss,’” says O’Connor, onal preconceived notions and stay sonically on the streets of Western Australia has guitar. “It’s been a workhorse for me,” he says. D 47. “At the time I was experiencing issues adventurous. “You don’t want to be limited helped him balance career ambitions with After years of touring, Butler, 39, has with getting employees to act on my to a certain type of music,” says frontman and an appreciation for the simpler things in life. learned to deliver what an audience wants. instructions. After 25 years of not opening guitarist John Butler. “You want to do what’s “In the past I’d always been looking over the “I could play a lot of rarities, but I usually my mouth, I had to say, ‘I love you all, but tasteful. You want to have great spirit and shoulder of tomorrow,” he says. “I was very stick to seven or eight songs from the new SINÉAD O’CONNOR I am the boss.’” integrity—but not get too clever.” motivated and goal-oriented. But I’ve learned album,” he says. “When you go to hear Stevie To cap this new self-assertive chapter, For the band’s sixth studio album, Flesh to relax. What’s most important to me are my Wonder, you want to hear ‘Superstition,’ or The iconoclastic singer reveals her love of the the album cover features O’Connor dressed and Blood, Butler credits his bandmates, wife and two kids.” if it’s Rage Against the Machine, you want blues on her 10th album as a vixen in a slinky black latex dress. “Now bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Grant Family has long served as a source to hear ‘Bullet in the Head.’” I’m faced with the terror of shooting the Gerathy, for turning a basic framework into of inspiration for Butler, who was born in By taking a broader view of his fan base, SInéad O’CONNOr’S NEW ALBUM, of that, I feel I’ve advanced and broadened video, and they want me to dress like that,” transcendent art. “It’s like throwing paint at Southern California but moved to Australia Butler has endured as the music industry I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, is something as a songwriter.” she says, aghast. “It was fun for a day, but the canvas, with all these grooves and ideas,” at an early age. When he was 16, his cycled through changes in fashion and style. of a milestone. “I see it that way in terms of O’Connor—whose career skyrocketed it’s high maintenance. It wasn’t meant to be he says. “There were so many colors you grandmother gave him his grandfather’s “We’ve been lucky to have some longevity,” he being a songwriter,” she says. “In the last few in 1990 with Prince’s “Nothing Compares the album cover, just a couple of publicity could choose from.” Embracing the band’s Dobro guitar, which became like a trusted says. “We’ve had some people hop on board, years, I’ve studied and immersed myself in 2 U”—has taken forays into reggae, trip- shots to get people talking about the album. musical eccentricity, Butler believes genre confidant. “It was something you could but we’re still there in the underground.” the blues—not the unhappy kind of blues, but hop and folk. Blues, however, wasn’t on It seems to have worked.” distinctions are meaningless. “If we wanted tell your secrets to,” he says. “This hobby —Blake Boldt the Chicago funky style of blues. Because her radar until her last tour was canceled –Linda Laban WIZ KHALIFA “Damn, I’m smoking weed in my Mercedes,” Wiz raps on “We Dem small group of studio aces: pop kingpin Dr. Luke (Katy Perry, Kelly Boyz,” the disc’s lead single. “That’s just a great song, which every Clarkson), hip-hop hit-maker Jim Jonsin (Lil Wayne, Pitbull), and The laid-back rapper lets the good times artist needs to start it out,” says Khalifa. “The album is basically the I.D. Labs—the Pittsburgh duo Wiz has been working with since roll on another smoking party set story of my life. It’s everything I’m into in song form.” Rolling Papers, his 2011 major-league debut. “That was really Produced by Noel “Detail” Fisher, “We Dem Boyz” is a pulsating important,” Khalifa says of re-enlisting I.D. Labs. “Just keeping the AMONG THE ARTISTS ORIGINALLY SLATED TO GUEST ON synth-powered banger about sex, money and, of course, marijuana, sound consistent and building on that.” Wiz Khalifa’s fifth album, Blacc Hollywood, was Miley Cyrus. The the subject of countless Wiz jams. The music is tense, but with this The same goes for guest rappers. He’s got Ty Dolla Sign, controversial pop star’s presence probably wouldn’t have hurt sales, 26-year-old on the mic, there’s absolutely nothing to be nervous Juicy J and a few others, but mostly it’s him and his Taylor Gang M but if Wiz is bummed or angry about her track getting cut, he doesn’t arc Hom about. As for the rest of the album, Wiz says he and his team of posse busting the kinds of lackadaisical good-time rhymes on which show it. This will surprise no one acquainted with the rapper’s work. producers explore a wide range of beats and styles. You can do that they’ve built their reps. While some rappers strive to seem as hard Born in North Dakota, raised in Pittsburgh, and now based in L.A., when you’ve got one of the most effortlessly elastic flows in the rap as possible, Wiz is fine with being known for party-rap anthems. Khalifa is the most laid-back MC since Snoop Dogg—his co-star game. “It’s definitely varied on the record,” Khalifa says. “You listen “I’m completely comfortable with that,” he says. “I don’t listen to in the 2012 stoner comedy Mac and Devin Go to High School. to my music, I can do a West Coast beat. I can do an electronic music to get aggressive or mad. Music is an escape for me, so when Khalifa would have been happy to have Miley on the record, beat. Blacc Hollywood is a mixture of everything.” I’m making my music, I want people to escape and feel good about life.” but he’s certain it’ll smoke anyway. The same goes for him—literally. In addition to Detail, production duties fell to a relatively –Kenneth Partridge 18 19 M mag 36.indd 18 9/12/14 5:09 PM M mag 36.indd 19 9/12/14 5:10 PM ISSUE #36 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE.