Tag: twitch

RSVP HERE: SaraJazz streams via Twitch + MORE

Artists are expected to pump out content non-stop now that most of the connection with their audience is digital. Twitch variety streamer SaraJazz got a head start toeing the line between content creation and musicianship after switching from full time touring to streaming in 2018, back when most people thought of Twitch exclusively as a gaming platform. As a seasoned jazz saxophonist she came to Twitch with a resume including full time touring, radio play, and a feature on Supermans Feinde single “Shine,” which now has more than a million views on YouTube.

SaraJazz’s channel quickly grew though her quirky blend of music, comedy and gaming while speaking three different languages – German, Portuguese and English. She streams on a weekly basis and co-hosts the talk show Music Exposed with fellow streamer TheSilenceNoise on Saturdays at 5pm EST. We chatted with SaraJazz about the changing digital landscape, dealing with burnout, and the future of live performance for her career and the industry as a whole. 

AF: How did you get started as a musician and what got you into comedy?

SJ: Music has always been part of my life. I taught myself how to play basic piano as a kid. In early college I picked up the tenor saxophone as a hobby and taught myself how to play it. One day I wanted to buy an alto saxophone from a professional saxophonist – Michael Ausserbauer. When he heard me play he said I’d be dumb not to pursue a career as a full-time musician and invited me to play with him in his band. And because I’m very conscious about being dumb, I listened. And so my journey as a musician began.

Much later I started broadcasting on Twitch and discovered that people enjoyed my goofy sense of humor. I developed a passion for comedy and started not taking myself seriously. That was very refreshing for me because I came from jazz – which is a typically very serious scene. Slowly I started planning out comedy bits and started working on visuals that fit memes and jokes on my stream.

AF: When did you start streaming on Twitch and where did you get the idea for your channel?

SJ: Twitch was a gaming site in my mind. But I always thought, wouldn’t it be cool to play the sax live for people online? I never got around to doing so until July 2018 when I had a full month free of gigs. I saw WaxWaneMusic’s stream and was immediately hooked on the idea to also start streaming myself. So I researched basic streaming software, started the webcam on my gaming laptop, plugged in my USB mic and played some sax. I grew pretty fast and noticed people enjoy my comedy, so I slowly built my stream around it. My channel is always the result of a constant evolution of my state of mind. And being variety, thankfully my audience is very forgiving of me having different moods, ideas, or even switching content for a while. But comedy is always the root of my channel.

AF: Is SaraJazz a persona you’ve created, and alter ego? Or is she more a reflection of your true self? 

SJ: SaraJazz is basically Sara on crack with a shield. It’s what I have inside of me and is part of me – but SaraJazz is much more obnoxious, talkative, and loud than Sara. Sara is an introvert who likes the quiet. SaraJazz was always part of me – it’s the part that got me through hard times in life, where I had to toughen up. It’s the part of me that doesn’t give a fuck. SaraJazz is one of the dudes but in a hot girl’s body. She has the humor of a horny trucker, is loud, and will tell you off if you piss her off. Lately I’m trying to show more of Sara to my audience, though. And I’m still figuring out if that’s a good idea or not.

AF: When did you switch from full-time touring to full-time streaming and why?

SJ: I switched pretty much three months into streaming. I know that’s very unusual. As an introvert I felt extremely comfortable streaming from my own studio at home and being able to just goof around. My stream grew very fast and I had a lot of big supporters who believed in my art. Since I had just left my main band half a year before (because I just didn’t identify with their stale jazz style anymore) and I was unhappy with the bands I was playing with, I canceled all contracts with bands and producers towards the end of 2018 and went solo on Twitch. It’s what saved my ass in 2020. I would’ve starved in the pandemic if I still relied on gigs and tours to pay my bills. Which is why I made videos to help musicians get started on Twitch to help them pay their bills.

AF: How has Twitch changed since you began your channel and how do you feel it’s changed positively and negatively in 2020?

SJ: Twitch has changed a lot since 2018. I feel like discoverability got worse but also more talented streamers joined. I’m not the biggest fan of how Twitch handles themselves. I do see a trend of Twitch becoming more and more corporate and PG, with more labels joining, content being forced into a more ad-friendly environment and Twitch implementing more child-friendly rules. As someone coming from jazz bars with mature humor I don’t feel as at home as I’d like and used to.

AF: Who are some of your favorite streamers?

SJ: To be honest I don’t watch as much Twitch as I should. In my free time I watch more YouTube. But when I do I watch people like TheSilenceNoise, NorthboundMatt, MoraisHD, Kaceytron, AliceTheLittleAlien, TheManChildShow, and JohnWolfe.

AF: How do you see the audience and culture of Twitch shifting as more musicians turn to it in place of live shows and touring?

SJ: When I joined Twitch I immediately understood that online live performance is the future. Especially coming from a pretty much dead scene: jazz. I do think professional musicians should turn more to online content, although with the pandemic in 2020 I predict there will be a higher demand for live shows and tours again once the lockdowns are over.

As for the Twitch culture, plenty of viewers still don’t realize there are music and art categories. Most people view Twitch as a gaming platform. The more gaming streamers support musicians and artists on the platform, the more viewers will understand there is a whole creative world on Twitch.

AF: When did you start Music Exposed and who have been some of your favorite guests?

SJ: Music Exposed started in March 2020. The idea was to support musicians on Twitch – regardless of their size – in a format similar to Saturday Night Live but with live audience interaction (chat). TheSilenceNoise and I had the idea at the same time and started working together.

What I love about the show is that we ask questions that are very “real.” We tackle topics like drug addiction, mental health, financial distress etc. DarthRipz for example told us he had to threaten a club owner with a gun to get paid after a gig. Then we have other guests who talked about how music helped them with addiction. Or Hammeta who was homeless while busking. Musicians are extremely interesting people. One of my favorite episodes didn’t even have me in it: Episode 25 with Existence130 and NorthboundMatt.

All episodes are available as podcasts on streaming services and also as video on YouTube, btw.

AF: As a variety streamer and content creator you have so many more things to keep updated on top of being a musician/artist. How do you stay organized and are there any social platforms you wish you didn’t have to be on?

SJ: Variety is extremely difficult. Someone once called doing variety on Twitch committing content suicide. And it is kind of true. When you do variety you have a lot of fluctuation in viewers and regulars. Which impacts your revenue. As a variety streamer you have to make sure people stay for your personality. Which is also one of the reasons why comedy is so important on my channel. If I did only one type of content I would be bored out of my mind, though. My mind is racing constantly and I get easily bored. And if I already work a job that is difficult and unsatisfying financially, then at least I want to have as much fun as possible.

I try to be on top of the newest games – especially horror, since that’s my specialty – and gaming news. I also talk about politics when important things are happening in the world. So I also research articles and info about that. I also try to be on top of what happens on Twitch and talk about that. Plus trying to keep up with the newest memes. All of that plus trying to make fresh jokes and coming up with new topics. The music part is the easy part. That’s what I trained for for years and I can play or improvise over any song. It’s basically a 24/7 job.

I wish I didn’t have to be on as many platforms as I do to try to stay relevant. The sheer amount of platforms is what takes all my time away: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, Discord, etc. You need to be everywhere at all times to not be forgotten. The internet works fast. A year is ten years in internet time. A meme that was popular today will be old news and lame in three days.

AF: I’m new to streaming and it sounds so sterile being called a “content creator” – did you feel like this at first? Do you think there’s a better title for what you do?

SJ: I agree, it doesn’t really reflect anything. I prefer “content creator” to “influencer” though. “Influencer” sounds condescending to me. Although I hope I influence people in being kind and creative. On Twitter I call myself a professional troll and fabulous bitch. Let’s go with that as a title!

AF: Do you have any self-care routines or strategies to deal with burnout?

SJ: Ha, I wish. I’m slowly learning how to slow down and not work myself to death. I was always a workaholic. And the last two years have been hard for me mentally – so I dove into work like crazy. I worked nonstop. Built a community and never stopped. Now that I have a supportive partner who has gone through health issues due to being a workaholic himself, he helps me calm down and work less. Currently I’m working on recovering from my burnout in early 2020.

My biggest advice for streamers who start feeling tired: turn off viewer count! That’s very important for your mental health. Your performance is not gonna change if you’re performing for 20 or 2000 people – so just ignore the numbers and interact with chat as usual. As online creators we get caught up in numbers because that’s all that seems to matter: followers, likes, subs, viewers, growth. It’s part of this horrible mentality of “grind to get successful.” And I’m pretty sure many of us are tired of hearing stuck up business men in fancy suits say we need to work more to be more successful. No, motherfucker, we need to work efficiently. And if it’s not working, try a different strategy. Don’t work yourself to death! Don’t take the advice of “stream for 12 hours every day” when you have 3 viewers. That’s terrible advice.

AF: What would your advice be for someone who wants to become a full-time streamer now?

SJ: Don’t do it because you expect money or fame. Because you most likely won’t achieve that. Do it if you have a burning passion for your content and can handle the financial and mental tolls it takes.

Don’t quit your stable job just because you had a good month or two. Twitch fluctuates a lot and people run out of money. Try to go part-time with your regular job first, see how that works for a few months and once you have some money aside to survive a few months without any income and make enough on your platform to pay all your bills and more – do it! Basically just like any self-employed business. Actually TheSilenceNoise and I are thinking about offering courses on this matter, where we also review channels, help growth, and give business tips.

AF: Is there anything about the music industry as a whole that you would like to see change?

SJ: I will say the same as so many musicians will tell you: I wish it was less about money. The music industry is not an industry of creatives – it’s a lobby. It’s run by cigar smoking men in expensive robes who don’t even play a musical instrument. The gaming industry is slowly becoming that, too. Which is sad.

AF: Do you have plans to record and release any music in 2021?

SJ: This is where we go back to the question about burnout. Part of my recovery is writing more music again. By focusing on being a “content creator” so much I forgot to be a musician. I didn’t have time to write music anymore. And writing music requires quiet time for me, which I didn’t have since I started streaming. I am planning to release an EP with TheSilenceNoise in 2021 and once the pandemic is over I want to go on tour with him. My vision is prog rock with jazz elements, since we both have different backgrounds. But I imagine it working in a very unique and amazing way. I’m very stoked to go back on tour. We want to go on tour in both Europe and the US – anyone out there wanna book us in advance? I want to put together a band and a good show, so the audience has a unique and emotional experience. I can’t wait to start planning it once the world is back to normal.

More great livestreams this week…

2/5 Black Pumas via NPR Live Streams. 12pm ET RSVP HERE

2/6 “Black Laughs Matter” Virtual Comedy Show, 11pm ET, $0-20 RSVP HERE

2/6 Drew Citron via BABY.tv. 8pm ET, $5 RSVP HERE

2/9 Shakey Graves via Mandolin. 9pm ET, $20 RSVP HERE

2/9 JW Francis, Wendy Eisenberg, Haasan Barclay, Jolee Gordon, Raavi & The Houseplants via Twitch. 8pm ET RSVP HERE

2/10 Dead Leaf Echo via FIRSTLIVE. 5pm ET, $10 RSVP HERE

2/10 Snailmate via Twitch. 9pm ET RSVP HERE

2/11 Waxahatchee via Bandsintown PLUS. 10pm ET RSVP HERE

2/11 OHMME, AJ Marroquin, NNAMDI and more via The Hideout Online – a very special Valentine’s Day. 8pm ET, $10 RSVP HERE

When the Clubs Closed, Bootie Mashup Turned to Twitch

Bootie Mashup founder Adriana A. broadcasting her “Mashup Listening Party” on Twitch. (Photo Credit: Jupiter Gatling)

On Wednesday, March 18, Adriana A. Roberts, best known in nightclub circles and amongst mashup fans as Adriana A., launched her weekly “Mashup Listening Party” on Twitch with an iTunes playlist loaded with Fleetwood Mac. “I needed the comfort food of Fleetwood Mac,” she says on a recent video call from Berlin. For Roberts, who founded the multi-city party Bootie Mashup back in 2003, that show was the culmination of a week adapting to an uncertain future and the start of a new DJ adventure.

The previous Wednesday, she learned that both Bootie’s flagship party at DNA Lounge in San Francisco, as well as the brand’s Seattle event, were canceled. Two days later, the same thing happened to Bootie’s L.A. bash. Between those cancelations, though, the popular club night’s team of DJs began work on taking the party to Twitch. They did their first livestream on Saturday, March 14. Roberts spent the weekend learning the ins and outs of DJing online. When she played the following Wednesday, she hadn’t yet set up her DJ gear to work with the livestream, hence the iTunes playlist. 

“We were so used to this routine that we’d all been in for so long,” she says of throwing parties. With everything canceled at the dawn of the pandemic, Roberts and the Bootie crew opted to move online. Now, with a core group of six resident DJs (including Roberts) and another six DJs who are frequent guests, Bootie’s “genre-fluid” mix is satiating its fans nine months after the clubs closed – as well as attracting new listeners. On Twitch, they host nine regular shows and have amassed a following of 12,700 followers with a bounty of subscribers to boot. They’ve also relaunched the club’s presence on Second Life and created a Patreon that offers perks like exclusive and pre-release access to mixes.

All this has allowed Bootie to keep the party going in the year of social distancing. But, there’s another advantage to Bootie’s expanded online presence. “I feel more connected with the mashup scene, in general, than I have in years, which is kind of amazing,” says Roberts. 

At its most basic, a mashup is when you layer the vocals of one track over the instrumental of another. This style of remix has its roots in hip-hop, where DJs would often blend a cappella and instrumental tracks, and a type of sample-based experimental music known as plunderphonics, notably Evolution Control Committee’s 1994 track “Rebel Without a Pause (Whipped Cream Mix),” which juxtaposed Public Enemy and Herb Alpert. 

By the early ’00s, with the rise of both home production software and and file-sharing, mashups became a cult phenomenon. Producers delighted online audiences, DJs and club crowds with unexpected pairings, like Whitney Houston and Kraftwerk or Christina Aguilera and The Strokes. It was during this enthusiastic moment that Bootie was born in San Francisco in 2003. 

Roberts describes the crowd in the early days of Bootie as a “Noah’s Ark of nightlife,” with two people from every scene. But, at the core of it were those who were steeped in technology. “Tech nerds are the first ones that really gravitated to mashup culture, latched on to it and fell in love with that,” Roberts recalls. 

Over the years, Bootie Mashup spread far beyond San Francisco. As of early 2020, there were regular parties held in Seattle and Los Angeles as well. There have also been Bootie Mashup nights New York and Boston, as well as at events like Burning Man, Southern California’s Wasteland Weekend and Atlanta’s DragonCon. 

Over the years, the popularity of mashups ebbed and flowed. Some went viral. Others became party staples. As people became more accustomed to hearing mashups, Roberts says, the crowd at Bootie grew more mainstream. On Twitch, though, they’ve been able to draw in the sort of regulars that originally frequented the parties, people who are passionate about hearing songs of disparate genres layered together. 

Twitch isn’t like a club. You’re watching at home. You can adjust the volume to suit your tastes and bounce around your bedroom in your pajamas. Instead of trying to shout something to the DJ or find a corner where you can catch up with a friend, you might have conversations in the chat box. 

“The community building has been the most shocking and surprising part of all of this,” says Roberts. It meant relearning how the DJs communicate with the crowd. On Twitch, the DJs are actively educating as they play. They’ll get on the mic and talk to those in the chat, maybe answer some questions and give some details about the tracks they’re playing. 

On the Saturday night of Thanksgiving weekend, Roberts dives into the new music that she’s been collecting; a mashup of Aretha Franklin and Dua Lipa is stellar. She also drops “Edge of Midnight,” a Miley Cyrus/Stevie Nicks mashup from YouTuber Kelexandra released last summer, and notes that it’s the precursor to the official “Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)” released by Cyrus in late November. “Because of the interactivity and because of the format, it actually allows us a deeper dive into this culture,” says Roberts.

While Bootie Mashup has made a smooth transition to live streaming, Roberts stresses that it wasn’t easy. “We did work our asses off to get to this point,” she says, adding that they’ve tried to “reverse engineer” their successes to figure out what works. “We’re making it up as we went along,” she says. But, Roberts adds, that’s not so different from throwing an IRL party, and maybe it’s why Bootie Mashup has been around for so long. She says, “We just continually keep adapting to changing things.” 

Follow Bootie Mashup on Facebook and Instagram for ongoing updates.

RSVP HERE: Dora Day Improvs Live on Twitch as Existence130 + MORE

Existence130 is Dora Day, a Minnesotan multi-instrumentalist live looper and improv artist who streams three days a week on Twitch for 6-9 hours. She has been a regular music streamer for two years, honing her improvisation skills in front of her Twitch community. Dora Day “live learns” songs on stream and jams over other streamers’ tracks with guitar, ukulele, violin, bass, harmonium, and vocals. She exudes positivity, curiosity, appreciation, and always makes everyone who joins her stream feel at home. Her streams feel like the closest thing to having a friend playing live music for you in your living room. Plus, she just started freestyle rapping!

Although she has no official releases yet, you can find her collection of experimental, funk and ambient tracks on Soundcloud to give you an idea of what she’s cooking up. You can catch her streaming on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at midnight ET on Twitch. We chatted with Dora Day about her electric violin journey, connecting with her favorite artists online, and how she keeps her energy up during her marathon length streams. 

AF: What are some of your inspirations that got you into live looping, improv and music in general?

DD: I have always been fond of live looping and a huge fan of artists like DubFX and Grimes who often use live looping in their performances. I have deeply admired musicians who have an experimental flair when creating and you can see the joy when they are in the zone producing their creation. When I joined twitch and started playing music, I noticed there were several twitch musicians starting to get into live looping and I admired all of them! I saw the endless possibilities of being able to live loop and deeply contemplated on what route I should go and was going between Ableton or getting a Boss RC-300 live loop station. One musician who I deeply admire is Echo Locations. He live-loops and has his sound so refined for his live performance. He came into my stream one day and encouraged me to get Ableton and showed support straight from the beginning, offering his guidance, which was incredibly encouraging, so I jumped ship and went the Ableton route when it was on sale during Black Friday. I like to create/produce music as well, so figured why not get a DAW that I can get experimental with and then turn my live looped performance into a song I can produce. The possibilities are endless! I got into improv because I want to be able to jam out with other musicians and connect with others on another level! I think improvising with others is a profound experience and it nourishes my soul. I knew if I took the time to just focus on improvisation, I would reap the benefits for the rest of my life by having a skill that can connect with others in this way. It’s a way to deeply connect with another’s essence in my opinion.

AF: How many different instruments do you play and what are you favorite instruments to improvise with?

DD: I love getting experimental and live looping with all of my instruments. The instruments I generally live loop with are the guitar, violin, bass, ukulele and keyboard. Lately I’ve been having loads of fun turning my own vocals into an instrument and either pitching it up or down, which is something I learned recently how to do in Ableton. I also have a harmonium which I love to play and want to start incorporating that into my live looped performances as well. It’s an instrument used quite a bit in India and I love the beautiful tone that comes out of it. It puts me into a lull state. My favorite instruments to improvise with are the guitar and violin. I also love improvising with cool sounding synths/sounds that I find in Ableton. I feel like a little kid in a candy store feasting off what’s created and there are always more sweets that I haven’t discovered yet.

AF: How long have you been playing the violin and is there a story about the electric violin you play on stream?

DD: I played violin in 8th and 9th grade. It was one of my favorite sounding instruments. I practiced all summer long to get into the 8th grade orchestra, and was shocked when they accepted me. I was so excited. I grew up in a family that didn’t have money to afford a violin, so I got a loaner violin from the school temporarily and then my aunt bought me one. However, in ninth grade, someone broke my violin that my aunt gifted me. It was a tragedy to me when it happened and I had to stop playing violin cause there was no way my family could afford another one. About two years ago I decided to buy an electric violin since they were ones that were decently priced – I think I got mine for 130.00 at the time. I bought it two years ago, but didn’t end up really playing it cause I couldn’t remember how since it had been over 15 years since I touched a violin. About a year and a half ago, I decided to pull it up on stream and played around with it since I had bought it. It was hilarious and embarrassing, haha. However, putting myself out there allowed some viewers who were violinists themselves to offer some suggestions that helped me grow. The knowledge started to slowly come back and I started looking up videos and reading books on how to improvise with violin and it spiraled from there. Some of the theory started to click intuitively! I was already learning how to improvise with guitar, so I knew that blues/pentatonic scales played in the same key is amazing for improvising, so I started practicing those scales with the violin too, and BAM it all started to click. I ended up jamming out over people’s requests with the violin and guitar and it sharpened my ear. It was crazy. Can’t even believe I can improvise for the most part with the violin by ear now. It was a skill I always dreamt of having and I knew that the more I practice the violin by trying to figure out the key of a song by ear, it will be ingrained in me to naturally jam out with others. Really grateful I got back into it again cause it’s one of my favorite sounding instruments.

AF: How long have you been streaming on Twitch? How has the platform changed since you first started?

DD: I’ve been streaming on Twitch for close to two years now. The platform has had some major changes especially with some recent DMCA strikes on users’ accounts which has caused streamers to change the way they do things. Many streamers used to jam over a song that a viewer requested and they would layer drums, bass, etc. over it. I used to do this as well, but have moved away from that and will jam over only royalty free music now to prevent getting a strike on my account. One thing that I have noticed on the platform is how refined these streamers are getting with their skills. It’s amazing to see their growth. I kind of look at it like a hive mind. We are all inspiring one another to grow and we also help and learn off of each other. It’s truly amazing.

AF: You usually stream for 6 or more hours. How do you keep your energy up and keep improv sets interesting?

DD: I generally stream three days per week and will stream for 6 to 9 hours generally straight. It’s quite a process just to get things set up right for the stream, so once I’m on, I’m like, why not keep going? It’s like a party hanging out with my community. The viewers will throw in sound suggestions, themes, words, etc. and we all create songs together. It’s so much fun and it really inspires creativity. Lately, I’ve been getting into freestyling singing/rapping and it’s super fun when the audience throws in words, themes or rhymes; I’ll try to bounce off of what they say in chat and create a song and it’s such a blast. I really love the creativity exchange that happens on stream and I think that’s what fills me up with a dopamine drive to go all night. I also can save all these projects that we create together and produce a song with it in the future, so it’s a lovely feeling to be able to pump out content like that when I’m in the zone. I also switch up the stream to taking requests at times from my songlist, from improv to playing party games, so I think the variety keeps me going for a long time. I just love music and prior to being a serious musician on my days off I would listen to music as my form of entertainment and try to find amazing artists and create songlists for hours.

AF: Who are your favorite Twitch streamers?

DD: I have so many favs I love to watch, but a few that are coming to mind right now are TheDapperRapper, Sarajazz, Middream_LA, Mamajoevramajoe, Echo_Locations, TheSilenceNoise, AaronGoldberg, Faezaria, Scessions, TheGreekGroover, Bort_, A_Couple_Streams, GuyCoMusic, Alicethelittlealien, MermaidUnicorn, Raquel, Songcojam, Benevolentdick, Seershamusic, Elleterese, Elizavetamusic, CalvinThomasMusic, Plasticjosh, Sharkmuffin_ and so many others! I keep discovering more and more streamers that I’m in love with. Many times when I get raided by a streamer I’ll ask them to send me an original of theirs and jam over it! Recently Sharkmuffin_ raided me haha, so I pulled up their song and was BLOWN away! I love unpacking the box and seeing what flavor is going to jump out at me! In Sharkmuffin’s case, I was so impressed by the creative and experimental punk sound that came of it. It’s not something you hear every day and I love when that happens, cause I love more underground types of sounds! Made my heart jump in excitement. I have discovered the most amazing musicians from being raided by them, so that’s why I always like to pull up their content to check out their flavor. I love the Twitch community. So many talented, creative and entertaining musicians there!

AF: Who are your dream collaborators?

DD: Oh my gosh, there are so many I would love to collaborate with! But recently I discovered that one of my favorite musicians, Phaeleh, joined Twitch and does live streams on there sometimes! I’ve been a HUGE fan of him for over 10 years, it’s amazing he’s on Twitch too. It would be a dream to collaborate with him. My heart palpated when he responded to my comment on Twitter/Instagram, hahahaha. That’s how much I deeply admire these musicians. They impacted my life in such a deep way that it makes my heart skip to even get a response from them. Also, recently, I followed another favorite of mine named Jon Kennedy on Instagram, he’s amazing and I’m obsessed with so much of his content. Now that I’m becoming more of a serious musician, I’ve started to figure out how to use socials, like Instagram and Twitter (just started using these socials a year in half ago). Being a content creator myself, I realized that if you follow others they might check you out as well – especially if you have the same interests. Well, after following him, Jon Kennedy ended up loving tons of my posts on Instagram, including my music! My heart was jumping out of my chest. After I saw he was responding/commenting on my posts, I sent him a message letting him know that I was live on Twitch and jamming out to all his content and he watched me LIVE! So freaking insane. It was an amazing feeling to basically have someone you are in deep admiration of watch you jam out to their content! I would love to collaborate with him on a song.

AF: Are you working on any original music to release in the near future?

DD: Yes! I just got my new computer all set up for streaming last night and I’m excited to start pumping out some production with it! I have hundreds of songs in the works that have been saved using Logic, but now I’m only going to be using Ableton primarily (since I switched from MAC to PC). I’m going to try to see if I can send my stems over and start some production with Ableton. I was going between the two and even using both DAWS at the same time, but I think if I really immerse myself in mastering one, it will really take me a long way. Some of my favorite artists like Grimes use Ableton as well and started using Garageband and Logic initially, so I’m taking the leap and really want to focus on getting some cool content on Spotify this year rather than just posting it up on Soundcloud! I now have the opportunity to do more production streams on twitch, cause with my new computer set up I can share my screen with the viewers!

AF: What are your plans for the rest of 2020 and beyond?

DD: This year, I plan to really hone in on my creative content and focus more on improv and technique. I really want to create some amazing content and would like to get some songs out on Spotify and really refine my live performance sound as well. Now that I’m using a full-sized desktop with a decent CPU instead of a laptop, I’ll be able to produce content without overloading my computer.  I’m really excited to see where this will take me.

RSVP HERE for Existence130 streams Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at midnight ET.

More great livestreams this week…

11/20 Ma Sha, Despina, Ayesha, Drummy via Elseworld. 6pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/20 We Are Scientists via Instagram. 4pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/20 Cartalk, Teenage Halloween, Bitchseat, American Poetry Club, Long Neck via Around The Campfire. 7pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/21 The Soul Rebels, Big Freedia via nugs.tv. 9pm ET, $14.99, RSVP HERE

11/22 Boy George, Culture Club via Royal Alber Hall. 5pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/23 Fontaines D.C. via Melody VR. 3:30pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/24 Mamalarky, Sour Widows, Black Ends via BABY.tv. 8pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/25 Django Django via Rough Trade UK Livestream. 1pm ET, RSVP HERE

11/26 Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld via YouTube. RSVP HERE

These Six Musicians Have Embraced Twitch Livestreaming – And You Should, Too

A few months after the initial shock of shows and tours being postponed indefinitely, I discovered Twitch. Twitch is primarily a streaming app for gamers, but it has a growing music and performing arts section with a swirling vortex of supportive creative energy. It’s more like an interactive music television show than a traditional livestream on social media, Youtube, or other virtual music venues. Music streamers on Twitch have regular weekly stream schedules and some stream for hours at a time. There is a large focus on engagement with your viewers in chat, streams are structured to be monetized, and you are able to expand your audience through a thing called “raids.”

Isn’t a “raid” a bad thing? Not on Twitch! Let’s define some lingo. A “raid” is when a streamer ends their stream, and they choose another stream to bring their audience to. You can sit on Twitch all day and ride the train from stream to stream. Twitch facilitates a monetized fan to artist relationship through subscriptions (aka “subs”), gift subs (viewers can purchase subscriptions for other viewers in the chat), tips (aka “bits”), and direct donations. If you become a subscriber, you get a custom set of “emotes” (aka emojis) that the streamer designs. A “hype train” is triggered when viewers all start subscribing, gifting subs, and cheering bits all at the same time. Sounds exhilarating, right? Now that you’ve got the Twitch vocabulary basics, here are six Twitch music streamers to check out now.

Aaron Goldberg

Aaron Goldberg is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, freestyle rapper, and one hell of a dancer from West Hills, California. He has been doing entirely improvisational 4-6 hour streams every night since May. He is the definition of a genre bender – over the course of his stream you’ll see a mix of funk, hip hop, ambient and classic rock. He also plays the harmonium, flute, didgeridoo, and samples vinyl records. His main intention is to make people happy, and feels that generating an endless cycle of positivity and good vibes with his music is exactly what the world needs right now.

“To me, the most beautiful thing about Twitch as a platform is its incredible community. As a newcomer to Twitch as a whole, I immediately felt welcomed and supported by people who had been on the platform for years building their own communities. Almost right away, established creators were finding my channel and actively putting in effort to get their own viewers or other streamers to check me out. The closest comparison to the Twitch community I have seen in real life besides my own close friends, is at open mic nights. Everyone is there to either perform and support, or just enjoy art. I really feel like I have found a home for my art on the internet.”

CA in LA

CA in LA are two best friends, filmmakers and musicians named Courtney and Ashleigh. The first time I stumbled into their stream they were crying out of gratitude. Every time I’ve been in their stream since they exude so much genuine warmth. They moved from Maryland to Los Angeles together four years ago and have a large collection of short films and covers on their YouTube channel. They are a prolific multifaceted duo who are always working on new material and have the best harmonies on Twitch!

“We have no idea where we would be as artists, filmmakers and musicians without Twitch. Twitch has driven us to push our creative limits and pursue creating original music on top of leveling up with cinematic storytelling. In the last two years, we’ve been introduced to artists and musicians alike from all around the world – even some who live five minutes away from us! Twitch has been the gateway for us being able to share our story and art with the world in a way never before possible and accessible to indie artists.

As filmmakers, we’ve never been or felt more supported than with our Twitch family. Part of being a filmmaker is submitting to film festivals with audience votes and such and we finally have that platform to be on a competitive level! We can’t testify enough to how incredibly loved we’ve felt, setting goals for new film equipment, projects and music equipment only to have those goals met time after time. Our community has been the most pivotal part of our lives. Our Ohana push us to seek new and greater heights for ourselves and are alway there supporting and loving us. In their words, ‘Big dreams, big results!’

Courtney and I grew up in the 2000s and loved our girl jams. Before we knew each other, we loved the girl group Dream. I, Ashleigh, in particular, loved Melissa Schuman. I mean to the level that I invited them to my birthday party as a 13 year old. Understandably, they were touring the world and being famous and things.

Fast forward to 2020, in the midst of this crazy pandemic, the viewership on Twitch has excelled a lot. One of our community members asked us to cover a song from Dream and stated Melissa streams and they would pass our cover over to her. This being the internet, we took everything with a grain of salt. Low and behold not a week later, Melissa Schuman showed up in our stream and was watching our cover of Dream’s music on her stream as well. We have since connected and chatted. It’s been beyond a dream come true to meet one of our idols as young women. All made possible by Twitch!”

Fantastic Plastics

Fantastic Plastics were my gateway into the weird Twitch world. They encourage many of their friends and musicians to create Twitch channels – including Weird Paul (see below)! They are a futurist duo who play party music, including a whole lot of Devo covers. They also recently premiered their Space Ghost-influenced talk show every Wednesday.

“After years of playing gigs and touring, we feel like we’ve finally found our ‘Plastic Party’ on Twitch. Not only have we made new fans on Twitch, but friends as well – people we’ve never actually met! Through the chat we feel like we get to know a bit of their personalities and senses of humor. One funny aspect of live streaming on Twitch is that the community can save short video clips of the live stream. Whether they are funny things we said or did, or cool moments during a song performance or just something random that happened, we always get a kick out of watching the clips afterwards.”

Sabrina Solo Show

Sabrina Solo Show is just that: one woman that plays guitar, kazoo, and kick drum, performing originals alongside a huge repertoire of cover songs from the 1940s to the 2000s. Her super stoked energy and raspy voice will hook you in to hang in her stream for hours. Sabrina has enjoyed the transition to streaming and even feels more connected now to her audience than she did with an in-person live experience.

“To say I love Twitch would be a serious understatement. I’m a one-woman band; I sing, strum the guitar, and play drums with my feet. I play covers and originals and along with my (behind the scenes) audio engineering fiancé, Justin, we stream three times a week.

I’d been playing gigs at dive bars and small venues for over a decade. Loved it! Never really resonated with any online platform; I’m into that LIVE experience. We started our Twitch channel in January of this year (2020) and it feels closer to live gigs than I ever imagined! I actually connect with people in chat much easier than those bar gigs and I also feel more encouraged to be myself than ever before.

I just discovered last week that my originals are requested more often than the 300+ cover songs I have on my set list, which floors me! The Twitch community really rewards you for being your true self. They’ve already spoiled us with some much-needed gear upgrades and sponsored our upcoming album! We have a blast just being goofy and playing classic rock tunes. It really does feel like a dream. Love my Twitch fam!”

Sun Fyre

Sun Fyre is hilarious, quirky and mega talented. She is an incredible drummer from Costa Rica currently residing in Buffalo, New York who performs under a black light, glowing with UV paint and jams out with a double bass pedal to metal and rock covers. You can always catch her playing in various costumes and cosplays, and she also does a variety of exercise and cooking streams.

“Being the only Hispanic female drummer with this stream setup is quite unique in this streaming industry and I’m proud to represent my Latin American background through music as well. You will find me speaking English, Spanish and Portuguese on my streams while laughing about nonsense with the chat. I mainly bring a quirky personality while performing heavy metal most of the time. Pretty much I’m known as the ‘only’ metal female drummer on Twitch.

One of the funniest stories would be the time there was a bee in my stream room and I had to stop everything to get it out because I’m afraid of bugs and I couldn’t concentrate. I have also been Rick Rolled more than 100 times on my stream – we have a Rick counter.”

Weird Paul

Weird Paul is an internet sensation. He is the original “vlogger,” making and sharing homemade videos for over 30 years. It only makes sense that he would become huge on Twitch with his brand of VHS tape nostalgia. He’s prolific in both quality and quantity, having written over 800 songs that make you feel like you’re a loopy 6th grader at your best friends sleepover.

“I’d heard of Twitch for years – my first interaction with it was in 2014, but I never thought of it as a platform that I could use as a musician. Thanks to my friends in the band The Fantastic Plastics, I decided to give Twitch a try and I am so glad that I did. I’ve been a musician and a YouTube content creator for a long time, but Twitch has made it possible for me to showcase all my talents in a ‘live’ setting and be recognized for it. I’m seeing how much fun all my followers are having watching me and witnessing friendships starting before my eyes. One of my favorite things about Twitch is that you can be yourself and not be punished for it, unlike other social media that demands you do what they want so you will be rewarded.”

The strangest thing that has happened to me on Twitch since I started using it three months ago was my channel being raided one night by ‘ShaggyandCreep.’ When I found out that it was the ACTUAL Shaggy 2 Dope from Insane Clown Posse, I was speechless. After my stream ended, I went to their channel and watched them talking about raiding me and that was so fun to see. It’s great that Twitch suggests all kinds of stuff to different accounts – makes things very interesting!”

RSVP HERE: Lubo Smilenov of Amalgamy Streams via Instagram + MORE

Welcome to our weekly show recommendation column RSVP HERE. Due to live show cancellations we will be covering virtual live music events and festivals.

If you’re thinking of learning a new exotic instrument and/or how to become an electronic music producer while in lockdown, look no further than Lubo Smilenov for inspiration. For his musical project Amalgamy he plays every beautiful instrument you’ve never heard of including Kora, Kaval, and Gadulka. He is a one-man band and electronic music producer who can play guitar, bass, keys, program drums and is an Ableton Push master. In 2018, Lubo teamed up with cellist Bryan Wilson on Amalgamy’s debut album Cynefin. The album is full of film score-esque textures, homages to various world musical traditions and electronic soundscape experiments. It’s the music you would imagine playing before an ancient battle.

The next chance you can see Lubo shredding his Ableton Push and playing anything from the Kora to Bulgarian bagpipes is Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm. We chatted with Lubo about how he approaches his sound, his practice routine and the $5 key to his live stream set up.

AF: The music you’re performing live these days is a departure from your first album with Amalgamy. How would you describe it and how are you are approaching it?

LS: My approach to music has been so impromptu lately. It can go in any direction at any moment. One second I’m pursuing music fit for film scores. The next I’m putting break core beats over auctioneer samples and archaic goatskin bagpipes. I’ve recently embraced an anything goes approach more than ever.

A lot of the electronic music I’ve been making lately has been done through my Ableton Push launchpad. I really enjoy having a hands on approach to electronic music. Everything is I do is triggered by my fingers the same way it would be with a piano or guitar. It feels just like a sound palette. I just dip a brush into one of every sixty-four buttons and trigger an intended statement of sound. However, the culmination of all these statements creates something that was previously unintended. Sometimes it’s the idea within an idea that we’re looking for.

AF: What is your set up for live streaming?

LS: I plug a dual 1/4” TS to 1/8”TRS cable into my interface’s main output. The 1/8” side goes into a Radioshack Stereo Jack Adapter, and that piece goes into my cell phone. That adapter is the $5 key to this setup. Thereafter, I mix the audio by recording videos on my phone while playing and listen back to how it sound after I’m done. I make adjustments and repeat the process.

AF: You have a large collection of world instruments. Where did you get them?

LS: I’ve been very fortunate to have earned the trust of a few prominent luthiers whom I admire very much. Most of my instruments come from the the village of Kameno, Bulgaria. We’re talking about bagpipes (Gaida), flutes (Kaval), and bowed lyres (Gadulka). My Kora is from The Gambia via Sona Jobarteh’s website. No matter how rare the instrument I’m looking for, I always find it with the help of other musicians. Musicians in NYC generally have each other’s back with these things. It’s amazing.

AF: What is your favorite instrument? Which do you practice the most?

LS: I can’t seem to stick to one thing and it’s so liberating. What I usually do is spend 15-20 minutes a day picking up different instruments around the house at random. If I do end up practicing something disciplinary like scales, I always reward myself with improv at the end. I’ll play at least one bowed instrument, one regular string instrument, and one wind, before moving onto music production.

AF: Where do you think music and technology are going in the next decade? Do you think an extended quarantine will have an effect on the future direction of live music, or music in general?

LS: There are talks of a budding music renaissance based on the current influx of purchases made on music retail sites. Most of these purchases have to do with electronic music via keyboards, synths, beatmakers, etc. It’s still too early to say anything in confidence given the morbid reality we are facing. However, I do think that the role of the bedroom producer will become more prominent in the coming year(s). It really is becoming more important for people to express themselves through creativity. Remote recording and file sharing will certainly increase without a doubt. Cloud servers that host plugins and resources are going to be utilized more than ever.

Extended quarantine will certainly have an effect on the future direction of live music. Music is made differently when musicians prepare for a live show together vs. when they are alone at home. Music made at home has less restrictions. There’s no one to push back at your crazy idea. Suddenly, you have to fill the role of the drummer, singer, bassist, producer, songwriter, video editor, and marketer all at once. Live streaming has never been more valuable as a tool for musicians. As far as performance goes, it’s all we have now.

RSVP HERE for Amalgamy’s set on Instagram Live Saturday 5/2 at 8pm.

More great live streams this week…

5/1-5/3 Love from Philly: Kurt Vile, G. Love, John Oates, Man Man + More via YouTube. 12pm est, all donations benefit Philadelphia’s Entertainment Community. RSVP HERE

5/1 Foxygen via Pickathorn Twitch. 4pm est, RSVP HERE

5/2 Live From Here: Chris Thile, Watkins Family Hour, Sylvan Esso via WNYC. 6pm est, RSVP HERE

5/2 Remote Utopias: Tame Impala, Weyes Blood and more via NTS App. 5am est, raising money for Gloval Foodbank Network RSVP HERE

5/2 Nap Eyes via Baby’s TV. 8pm est $5, RSVP HERE

5/3 Bang On A Can 6-hour livestream. 3pm est RSVP HERE

5/6 Breathwork with Kimi Class via Instagram. 7pm pst, RSVP HERE 

5/7 Alkaline Trio via Riot Fest Facebook. 7pm est, RSVP HERE

5/7 Tori Amos via Murmrr Theatre YouTube 2pm est, RSVP HERE

 

RSVP HERE: The Fantastic Plastics Live Stream Via Twitch + More

Welcome to our weekly show recommendation column RSVP HERE. Due to live show cancellations we will be covering virtual live music events and festivals.

Photo by Angelyn Toncray

This week marks the one-month anniversary of most COVID-19 lock downs in the US and everything that came along with that. Mass amounts of tour cancellations have ushered in a new world of consistent live streaming on social media. While most bands are still adapting to this new quarantined way of being, NYC-based synth dance punk duo The Fantastic Plastics are about to celebrate their one year anniversary of live streaming on Twitch. Self-described as “the future of the future,” the Fantastic Plastics are heavily influenced by Orwell and sci-fi movies, so maybe they knew this particular dystopian fate was coming all along. Their visually stimulating live show includes matching outfits, backing projections, Moog synths and a theremin and is guaranteed to captivate your attention, whether in person or from the comfort of your phone screen.

The Fantastic Plastics’ interactive Twitch stream is tonight goes live every Wednesday and Friday at 9pm EST, with occasional bonus shows on Sundays and Mondays – your next opportunity to tune in is tonight, April 17th! We chatted with The Fantastic Plastics about some of their live stream effects, their sci-fi movie favorites and their advice for starting your own Twitch channel.

AF: You were in the live streaming boat far before quarantine started. Coming up on your one year anniversary on Twitch, how has your performance style grown over the year? How has your fan base changed?

FP: Our performance style over the last year on Twitch has evolved to become more interactive with our audience. Before we started live streaming, we were accustomed to jumping on stage to play a quick 30-45 minute set and then tearing our stuff down off of the stage as quickly as possible. Now with streaming, we stretch our performance out over 3-4 hours with lots of chatting with our audience between songs. Our fan base has changed in that we spent years touring and trying to find our audience, whereas with live streaming, most of our audience has found us instead. We are also able to reach people in parts of the country and world that we’ve never toured.

AF: What goals do you have for streaming in the year to come?

FP: Streaming more often, making our stream more interactive, and branching out with a variety of content.

AF: Have you noticed a change in your audience since the quarantine began? Has the quarantine affected your creative process in any way?

FP: Since the quarantine began we have noticed that our audience, as well that of many other musicians on Twitch, has grown quite a bit as people are searching for new ways to see live music. As far as our creative process goes, we’ve been putting more energy into ways to make the stream more interactive and visually stimulating, and of course there’s always the pressure to keep writing new music.

AF: How do you make your outfits change pattern during your set?

FP: We are misusing the chroma key effect, haha! We actually used this same effect in a music video we filmed for our song “Teleport” in 2017 and thought it could work really well with our video projection show in the background on Twitch.

AF: What are your favorite sci-fi movies? What movies have had the most influence on your sound?

FP: Most sci-fi movies that we like, such as Barbarella, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner, influence more of our aesthetic vs. our sound. Musically and lyrically, we have always been really inspired by William Gibson novels and of course 1984 by George Orwell.

AF: How do you think an extended quarantine is going to affect musicians’ (and humans’ in general) relationship with technology and live music?

FP: There has definitely been a shift and more of an appreciation for watching live music performances via streaming, and it seems like people are making a switch from passively watching Netflix to enjoying the chance to have more interaction with the musicians and bands they like via streaming. Hopefully after things start opening up again, this will be beneficial for both streaming and live, in-person gigs as we know everyone really misses the energy of being in live concert venues and is looking forward to seeing those rescheduled concerts.

AF: What advice would you give someone starting their twitch channel?

FP: The best thing to do if you are thinking about starting a Twitch channel is to just watch as many other streamers on Twitch music as you can – most importantly to learn the culture. Once you start streaming, just be consistent, and don’t give up.

AF: What are your plans for the rest of 2020 & beyond?

FP: We have a remix album, MLFNCTN, coming out at the end of the Spring/early Summer this year, and we just plan to keep writing new music, releasing more videos on our YouTube channel and streaming on Twitch as much as we can.

RSVP HERE for The Fantastic Plastics live stream on Twitch 4/17 9pm est. 

More great live streams this week…

4/17 Zola Jesus via Saint Vitus Instagram. 8pm est, RSVP HERE

4/17  Jeff Tweedy via Recording Academy’s Facebook page, Amazon Music’s Twitch page, and Pickathon’s YouTube page. 1 p.m. pst, RSVP HERE

4/17 Mima Good via Baby’s TV. 10pm est, RSVP HERE

4/18 Air Waves, Juan Wauters via Baby’s TV. 3pm, RSVP HERE

4/18 Lauren Ruth Ward, Veronica Bianqui & More via Youtube – Couch LA. 6pm est. RSVP HERE

4/18 Global Citizens Fest feat. Alanis Morissette, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Lady Gaga + More via Youtube. 8pm est RSVP HERE

4/19 Erykah Badu via Instagram. 8pm est, RSVP HERE

4/20 Weedmaps “Higher Together: Sessions from Home,” featuring Wiz Khalifa, Billy Ray Cyrus, and more. 12 p.m PST, RSVP HERE