Make A Star Interview with Music Video winner Shovelman

MAS: Congratulations Shovelman on winning the Music Video category for the month of October!! What is your reaction to winning? Are you happy, relieved or surprised?

Shovelman: Well to be honest the filmmaker entered us in the competition so I was surprised to know that we had even been entered. But everyone loves a winner.

MAS: I bet there an interesting story behind your band’s name, isn’t there?

Shovelman: Well I play a guitar that is made out of a shovel so I’m the Shovelman. Uh huh.

MAS: Tell us how you got started as a band and how everyone became a part of it.

Shovelman: Well, I was doing some diggin’ up in Northern California and after a long day’s work I turned in early. The next morning I woke up and . . . my shovel had turned into a guitar over night....... The air in Northern California can do some strange things. I defiantly don’t leave anything outside for too long anymore. So anyway I decided right then and there to do the band thing. And now I’m a musician and it’s a blast although it doesn’t pay as well as digging holes.

MAS: How did you develop your sound? Is there a primary songwriter, or is it collaborative?

Shovelman: Well it’s a collaboration between my shovel and I. I mostly just bang it around and see what happens.

MAS: What’s the story behind the video you’ve entered in the Make A Star contest?

Shovelman: Well, Jason the filmmaker and I were just kind of driving around and we picked up this hobo girl who was hitchhiking and then we just started filming.

MAS: How did the concept for the music video come together?

Shovelman: A bit of gas in the tank, some light drinking and then we aimed the camera at the sky.

MAS: What other video work has the music video’s director done in the past?

Shovelman: He has some amazing video compilations of his experiences at Burning Man.

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

Shovelman: I’m not sure.

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

Shovelman: I get Tom Waits, Les Claypool and Beck sometimes.

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

Shovelman: I play it all on farm equipment.

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

Shovelman: I’m usually just inspired turning mother earth but I can list just one or two other inspirations if you like: scrap metal, circus clowns, dogs, spaceships, moldy bread, coffee, urinals, power tools, a sunny morning street, telephone polls, newspapers, ashtrays, light from my beer mug, bikes, bridges, giant floating heads, cactus, cobwebs, snapshots of slingshot highways at sunrise.

MAS: What are your thoughts on music videos? The ideas, the production, working with directors, how they add to the song, etc…

Shovelman: I had a great time working with Jason. We had a blast. I love how accessible technology is these days. It’s making it possible for all kinds of independent musicians to make pretty professional looking videos on shoe- string budgets.

MAS: What are you or your band’s plans for the year ahead?

Shovelman: I’d like to start touring more. I’m also going to be digging a few holes to lay a foundation for a house in a few weeks.

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

Shovelman: When I was kid maybe Michael Jackson. I use to love his Pepsi commercials.

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

Shovelman: Free drinks are the best and worst part about being a musician.

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

Shovelman: Everything about the music industry today is freaking awesome! That’s why there are so many talented artists in the main stream.

MAS: Tell us something completely random.

Shovelman: I was playing a gig in San Francisco at this venue that had recently been a Chinese grocery store. The sign outside was still flashing “Beef, Fish, Poultry”. And in the middle of a song this drunken Russian woman stumbles in and starts banging on the piano right in the middle of my song. Well I played along and when I was done I found out that she was the pianist for the San Francisco symphony. So I had my set crashed by the San Francisco symphony pianist!