Make A Star Interview with Male Solo Artist winner Cliff Gundersen

MAS: Huge congrats Cliff Gundersen for the take all in the October Male Solo Contest! Tell us how you got started as a singer and how your recording career began.

Cliff: I started singing about the same time I started playing guitar around age 13. Started recording about 15yrs ago on a Tascam 4 track tape machine.

MAS: It’s clear your love of music shines through. How did you develop your sound? Are you the primary songwriter, or is it collaborative venture?

Cliff: My sound has been influenced by too many artists to list, but I think if I could play like Joe Satriani and sing like Michael Buble that would be sweet. My guitar is mostly the result of playing in cover bands listening to bands like SACH, AC/DC and a lot of southern rock like ZZTOP, SKYNYRD, MOLLY HATCHET and of course I really like bands like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance. I am a solo artist. So yep the whole production is just me. Guitars, vocals the works.

MAS: How did you go about picking the song you’ve entered in the Make A Star contest?

Cliff: The idea was built around the theme of someone just thinking about writing music, but not really doing anything to make it happen. The opening verse kinda sets it up: “Spend the day lying on the couch and watch re-runs of where they now” This is a reference to me lying on the couch watching VH1’s “Where Are They Now” and thinking why am I wasting my time doing this…when I should be in my studio writing a new tune.

MAS: How does MakeAStar.com compare with other websites for music fans and musicians?

Cliff: Well so far it has beat all of them hands down. A lot of great talent and great prizes…which I will be using to buy more gear.

MAS: Which musical influences have other people compared you to?

Cliff: Ya know that’s funny, because my style has been compared to everyone from Ozzie to Bryan Adams and from the Beach Boys to ELO. I never really hear that in my music, but if that’s what they hear I guess it’s better to sound like someone than to sound like no one. Who do you think I sound like?

MAS: What sets you apart from other artists in your genre?

Cliff: Well I believe I have strong guitar and vocal skills along with a good sense of rhythm all in the same package.

MAS: Who do you get inspiration from or wish to emulate in music and life?

Cliff: I don’t know about emulating anyone because I feel that I’m pretty well grounded about my purpose in life…which is to help as many people as I can before I leave this earth. As far as inspiration I get that all the time when I hear a song that moves me and that can come from anyone such as Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” to Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You”. A few weeks ago I was driving to California and a song came on the radio from “The Men” called “The Church of Logic Sin and Love” I hadn’t heard that in years..I just had to go look for it and found it on YouTube…the chorus is just right up my alley.

MAS: What are your musical plans for the year ahead?

Cliff: To finish this damn album I started this summer…2 songs down and 8 to go.

MAS: Who were your favorite musicians as a child? What was your first album or concert?

Cliff: I loved the Beatles - had my hair cut like Paul’s. My first concert was Led Zeppelin.

MAS: What is the best and worst part about being a musician?

Cliff: Realizing that I wasted too many years in cover bands…while it helped me become a better musician/singer… I feel I should have spent more time writing my own songs.

MAS: What is the best and worst part about the music industry today?

Cliff: I love the fact that my music is now out there for thousands of people to hear on places like Make A Star, MySpace, Facebook, Amazon and iTunes. I’m kinda bummed about the radio thing. A few years ago I paid a promoter $$$$$ to get my songs on the radio. He did what he promised he got me national airplay and both songs even made the New Music Weekly top 40 chart of over 3 month each.. I was the only unsigned artist on the chart. Problem was I didn’t realize that I needed to have CD’s or downloads ready to go. I found out it wasn’t the promoter’s job to tell how to get things lined up before I spent the money for the airplay….listeners were calling the stations trying to find out where to buy my song…big lesson learned.

MAS: Very nicely put, tell us something completely random.

Cliff: When I was 9yrs old I got separated from my family around noon on the 4th of July on the beach in Long Beach Ca. (not to far from where the Queen Mary is now) it wasn’t there then. We were living in San Pedro so I started walking home through the Port of Long Beach…There was a big tower on a hill in San Pedro with blinking lights that I kept walking towards. Every time I came to the water I would just go to the right inland and I finally made it home around 10pm…of course by then the police and hospitals were looking for me.