John Minieka, I know him as Johnny Blaze, is a longtime friend of mine who is a well known entrepreneur, and an overall well respected and fun guy. Recently he has started to get a buzz locally as a music taste-maker, he is someone who everyone turns to to find out what is hot and new. We wanted to get his insight on some of the best up and coming music
A: Tell me about your love of music, where did it come from?
J: My love for music started when I was about 12 years old. It was just after I had been returned home to the Philadelphia area from Florida with my grandmom after a few years. Google my name for attached story. Lol. It was back to “real” life at that point. I had seen The Three Little Pigs sold by Green Jelly which I saw on MTV. I thought it was very interesting and funny but also musically and creatively different. This was the beginning of my love for hard rock and heavy metal. The complexity of the songs structure and heavy bass tones really had my interests.
A: What were your musical tastes earlier in life, how did they evolve?
J: As time progressed I started listening to college radio because of the vastness of musical tastes. The heavy bass transitioned me into the electronic music world and hip-hop world as well. Especially when I saw the California Love video for the first time. It really spiked my curiosity. Both with their own unique characteristics. Also, when I went to my first club event when I was 17, to feel the energy and music in such intensity just captured my heart. Seeing artists I like live really allowed me to grasp the power music has on us as a whole. I have really opened up to all genres since then and live to see all types of live music. I love the poetry and lyrical knowledge in rap and hip-hop with simple and complex beats and bass lines. I must say I’m a huge fan of heavy bass music although i do respect and will listen to anything that has some type of decent composition and sound structure. I like to support my local artists as well as the big timers.
A: Can you share with us the most amazing show you have ever gone to, describe the whole experience, where, the stage, who opened, what was the most magical moment of the whole show?
J: I would have to say the most epic musical experience was definitely at Woodstock 1999, the last one ever due to the reckless behavior of humanity. I was there almost 4 days and worked for a pizza vendor part time, round trip and accommodations included. Headliners like Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Godsmack, Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit, Everclear, Kid Rock,Morn, The Roots, Chemical Brothers, and so many more with Crystal Method running the night time partying events. All on an abandoned Air Force base in Rome, NY. The scale of epicness had blown me away and the love of music had made this all possible. So many people from so many walks of life brought together for one cause. I was hooked forever. This is a part of my life. Then people started climbing things, and burning things, and it all got out of hand. Game over for the epic festival of love. One of the most memorable parts was at night time and there were like 5 people standing on 55 gallon drums spinning huge fireballs to the sound of the music with people everywhere pouring there soul out to the sound of the bass. There was this intense energy and harmony deeply intertwined here. Such an amazing feeling to experience.
A: What is your greatest all time music experience or memory?
J: Other than attending the epic diversity of music at Burning Man the first time, I must say the greatest moment is tied with the Marilyn Manson, Dead to the World tour promoting the “Antichrist Superstar” album and seeing Billy Joel in 1993 in Philadelphia pushing the “River of Dreams”. Billy Joel was my first concert and it was so beautiful and powerful. It had classical aspects built into it with a modern sound and the lighting that lit up the stadium was so powerful. Very cool experience indeed. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, when Marilyn Manson had walked on stage and Antichrist Superstar came on, it had started snowing inside the arena, and continued to snow for the next 10 minutes indoors, with super bright strobe lights and the pounding of the incredible sounds of the Superstar and his squad of talented unorthodox styled musicians. What a full blown entertainer that Mr. Manson is. Incredible.
A: What is your favorite music now?
J: My favorite music now tends to be electronically influenced. A form of EDM OR Electronic Dance Music as it’s called now. Not a big fan of that term personally. Just because it is electronic music doesn’t necessarily make it dance music. I love the music for the music itself, not if it makes me want to dance. If that makes any sense. Anyway, I’ve noticed a lot of current producers infusing other genres to make really beautiful sounds. From jazz, classical, reggae, pop, hip-hop to heavy metal, classic rock, and beyond. it is becoming quite the ultimate type of music for me. Almost like hand picking the best of all past and present music and spicing it up a little bit as well as original artists creating brand new sounds based on similar structures.
A: Tell me about your favorite artist — give me a little review?
J: My favorite artist would have to be the Dub FX. It really took a while to bring it down to one specific artist. After a lot of evaluating and critiquing I have decided this is the winner. Ben Stanford from St. Kilda, Melbourne Australia is a street performer that evolved into an incredible musician/producer/international artist. He uses his own beat boxing skills and sound effects board to create and manipulate his own human made noises into the most incredible songs ever. Also infused with hip hop, drum and bass, electronic and sometimes classical instruments (as in Flow). Dub FX has other guest perfromers and artists lay down some of the most positive and influential music ever created on some of his tracks. The international influence makes for some of the most soulful, genuine, and heart driven beats and songs I have ever heard. Once you see some of the YouTube videos, you can see how passionate he is. So much respect goes out to my man Ben Stanford, Dub FX.
A: What are some of the best ways/places to find new music? Where do you find yours?
J: I would have to say my main source of music gathering is on Soundcloud. DieZeLKiNG is my username if you are interested in checking out some artists and songs I’ve gathered. I follow almost 1,500 artists, have over 2,000 likes on my favorites list of incredible music, and even have almost 500 artists/fans following me without even a single song being put on there. The live stream of artists I follow gives me an exuberant amount of new music to choose from. It’s actually a bit overwhelming to say the least. It’s been years of involvement at this point and created one heck of a niche source of music I’m into. Mostly comprised of electronic and hip hop, but also other genres of just highly respected production are mixed in as well, I respect everything and will listen to anything if the production and genuine from the soul factor are there.
A: In your opinion, what qualities make great music?
-what makes a great song?
-great album
-great artist
J: Great music, I think, has to have some factors majro factors. A large influence is the soul factor, how much heart you can feel the artist puts into the music they create. It varies between artists and styles how it’s portrayed, but if you are a connesuer you know what it feels like. Another big factor is production quality. If the music is unclear or the instruments or vocals are not proportionate then it will ruin the overall effect of the artist. Kind of like pouring your heart into your work, but disregarding the final touches. Very important to me. Finaly, the song has to flow. It has to tell me a story with elevating and descending tones, with progressive advancements through instruments, voals, and other creative genuine types of growth. We live in a time with so many types of sounds available, there is no reasonnot to use what the world has to offer to express the artists full blown creativity. One monotone, nonprogressive song just doesn’t do it for me. I need to know the artist did their best in making me understand their creativity and the true purpose of the creation through their eyes and soul.
John has graciously offered us a shirt from his company Xotik Play’s merch site http://www.xotikplay.com/ to a lucky reader — sign up for the mailing list to be entered into the drawing, winner to be announced in our thanksgiving blog 🙂
http://www.xotikplay.com/
