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FM INDE-VIEWS!

HOW ARE YOU PROMOTING YOUR LATEST CD RELEASE?

We launched a CMJ Radio campaign through TinderboX Music about two weeks after we released our first CD, Wings. We made the Top 20 ADDS and we're in rotation at many college stations across the US. 3 Kisses is also receiving airplay through the underground Global DJ Network by DJs such as Eddie Russell in Columbus, TX, Lord Litter in Berlin, Germany and Joe Vincent at Jolly Roger Radio in Ireland.

We've done interviews with various internet DJs such as James St. James of Indie Artist Radio, Jon Rucker of Rockland World Radio and The Next Big Thing. My primary marketing tool has been the Indie Bible. My goal is to send out 50 press kits a week to radio stations, festivals, club owners/booking agents, reviewers, etc.

We're also entertaining an offer to sign with Indie label, Waking Dream Records out of North Canton, OH. They offer international distribution in chains such as Best Buy and FYE. We've also got a contract with a booking agent on the East Coast and we're beginning to play nationally - our first confirmed gig is at
the House of Rock in Denver in March.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE SONGWRITING PROCESS?
I carry a journal with me everywhere I go. I jot down lyric ideas whenever the mood strikes me. I have notebooks full of lyrics. When Tony gets an idea for a cool riff or comes up with an interesting chord progression, I usually hear something right away and go straight to a particular lyric. We used to sit down and "effort" writing. We learned quickly that it doesn't work very well - not only is it frustrating but we do not write our best material when we are trying too hard. We've learned to write when idea hits us and if we're unable to write at the moment, we will record the idea on a portable cassette player, our cell phone or I've even been known to call and leave melody and lyric ideas on our answering machine if we're away from home. Jennie is very involved in the arranging process. She comes to the song with a fresh ear and is able to come up with some very creative ideas for arrangement.

WHAT MAINLY INSPIRES YOUR SONGS?
Life. I find things all around me to write about. My friends, family, neighbors, ex-boyfriends, people I don't even know - there is inspiration everywhere. Most of our songs are written on a level that the average person can relate to - we write about things everyone goes through. I am inspired when I am greatly affected by an event in my life. Our song Undone is about a guy I went to school with who committed suicide. I'm working on a song about a friend who was killed in a car accident. I wrote a funny song about a lifelong friend who was on the Oprah Winfrey show recently.

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN MUSIC LESSONS?
I took piano lessons for about 7 years and have taken a random guitar lesson here and there. I've mostly taught myself guitar. Tony has taken guitar lessons off and on throughout his life. He's been playing since he was very young so he's got a the most experience of any of us. Jennie had never picked up a set of drum sticks in her life before coming on board with 3 Kisses. She is a natural. She played her first show with us on 6th Street in Austin only 2 weeks after playing drums for the first time. She has earned a place among her peers and other drummers are amazed by
her ability. We recently recorded a track at Stinson Studios in Austin and our producer said that her timing is impeccable.

WHAT CATEGORY DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MUSIC?
We call ourselves alternative-pop. We aren't exactly standard pop fare - we've been compared to everyone from The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Blondie to Letters to Cleo and about a hundred others in between. We've been told repeatedly - even by industry people that there is something unique about us and the people that really take the time to listen to
our music "get it".

HOW CAN PEOPLE PURCHASE YOUR MUSIC?
Our CD, DVD and t-shirts are all available for purchase on our website at www.3kisses.com. The CD is also available at www.cdbaby.com/cd/3kisses and www.musicgorilla.com.

WHO ARE THE CORE MEMBERS THAT SURROUND YOUR SOUND?
Tony & I do the songwriting and we developed the 3 Kisses style. When we began dating, we could never agree on what to play when we sat down to play guitar together. We have very different tastes in music. So, we decided to try our hand at writing our own stuff. We didn't try to copy anyone else or write in a specific genre or style - we just wrote what came naturally to us and it soon took on a life of its own.

WHAT MUSIC IS IN YOUR CD JUKEBOX?
Tony and I own about 4000 CDs ˆ everyone from Enya and Harry Connick Jr. to Pantera and Marilyn Manson. We are big fans of Andrew WK and I have found myself listening to Fountains of Wayne a lot lately, but I also listen to Sister Hazel and Tom Petty on a regular basis. Jennie is currently listening to the Corrs, the Donnas, and Lillix. Tony has
Ray Charles, Karla Bonoff, Journey and Jackson Browne in his CD changer.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST DIFFICULT ABOUT BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST?
Getting yourself heard is the hardest thing. There is so much good independent music out there. It is a lot of work making yourself stand out. I thrive on the marketing almost as much as the music, itself, and I'm fortunate to be in a position where I can make marketing 3 Kisses my full time job. It is frustrating that there is no way Indies can compete in the Clear Channel or Cumulus market of traditional radio - especially with so much less than stellar music receiving airplay.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The fact that the industry keeps cranking out "me too" bands is annoying beyond belief. People get sick of hearing the same old stuff over and over. When Creed came out, every guy on the planet decided he should sing like Scott Stapp. If I wanted to hear Scott Stapp, I'd listen to Creed. Give me something new. Give me something DIFFERENT. It is sad that the music industry misses out on some of the most outstanding music ever created. You have to sell 10,000
CDs on your own just to get noticed, which I don't mind - I like doing the work. I believe in my music. The more things happen for 3 Kisses, the harder I work. I just hope someone notices.

ANY OTHER BAND PLUGS:
3 Kisses already has an unofficial showcase at SXSW in Austin this year. We're playing on Thursday, March 17 at 7pm at the Dizzy Rooster. We're up for several official showcases, as well, but haven't received notification yet. Our website is updated regularly, so if anyone is attending SXSW and is interested in seeing us play, I urge them to check our website - www.3kisses.com.

Also, I think it is important for people to know that we are only a one-year-old band. Our first year out, 3 Kisses played 47 shows in Texas regionally, I engineered our CD on a Roland VS1880 in our home with NO engineering experience, we are receiving worldwide airplay, we've played events such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Austin for 20,000 race participants (and we've already been invited back for the 2005 Race in Austin and also been invited to play other Susan G. Komen Races in Central Texas), we've played other benefits to large crowds and have been asked to play several others already in 2005 and we've hosted a segment of Texas Music on the Austin Music Network. I am also a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, the most recent installment of the New York Times Best-selling series by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. We're just getting started - that's nothing compared to what we're going to do in 2005

Lena Potapova
http://www.schizoclub.com

HOW ARE YOU PROMOTING YOUR LATEST CD RELEASE?
I try to tell people about my CD at the shows, use local papers, radio, various musical events. Generally, I think word of mouth works best to get people to come to shows, and after hearing the music live, people are more likely to buy CDs.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE SONGWRITING PROCESS?
Usually I get some kind of an unresolved feeling that makes me write. Most of the time it's almost physical, there is a need to express something, so I play with words and melody until it feels right

YOUR MUSIC SEEMS VERY EMOTIONAL, WHAT MAINLY INSPIRES YOUR SONGS?
Love. Men. Questions I cannot answer. Foolishness. Did I mention men?

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN VOCAL LESSONS?
I have not taken any individual vocal lessons, but I got some vocal training through the music program I went through for classical piano.

WHAT CATEGORY DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MUSIC?
We play anything from jazzy trip hop to heavy metal. I am usually compared to Diamanda Galas, Bjork, and "female Tom Waits". My favorite definition though is "Norah Jones on crack" . The guy who came up with it was trying to be insulting, but I think it's came out really funny. I think our music also has some similarity to Kurt Veil-ish cabaret style. We try to incorporate elements of theater into our performances to keep people on their toes during the shows.

HOW CAN PEOPLE PURCHASE YOUR MUSIC?
Currently on my web site www.schizowave.com and in select local stores, and very soon it's coming to CDBaby

WHO ARE THE CORE MEMBERS THAT SURROUND YOUR SOUND?
Other band members are Josef Levitis (guitar, electric bass ), and Alex Deriy (drums). Schizowave often plays shows with Nick Karasievich (bass clarinet, saxophone), They are all great Chicago musicians, and I feel lucky to work with such a awesome group of people. Not that long ago I ran into an amazing singer, Martha Stahl, we are planning to start working together in the near future. We both immediately admitted to being "singing freaks", and that helped the bonding process a lot. :) The most recent addition to the band is Marc Piane, an excellent upright bass player, I am extremely happy to be working with him.

WHAT MUSIC IS IN YOUR CD JUKEBOX?
Nick Cave, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Judas Priest, Manowar, Diego Amador, Sun Ra. Just recently I discovered a band that instantaneously got on my 'oh my God you have to listen to this' list - Dresden Dolls. Another recent discovery is Steve Vai. I think this man is magical. Plus there is a couple of local bands I really like. Thin Man, Black Bear Combo, The Pindrops and Walkie-Talkies are some of them.

FIND MOST DIFFICULT ABOUT BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST?
Need to spend a lot of time and money on public bragging and self-promotion. Yikes.

YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Here is an original one. I would make it less money based and more music based. Keep dreaming, girl... If that does not happen, I would like an uncle, who would be so rich and famous that his name would make big industry people answer the phone immediately, listen to my CD and give me the attention I deserve. :) Uh, I said it. On a serious note, if any major changes were in my powers, it would rather be a change to the human kind in general - I wish people thought more about others being human, and less about individual positions of power and artificial social concepts. We all want to be accepted for what we are, and we all hurt when somebody hurts us, regardless of nationality, gender, wealth and social status. I think there is a lot more that we have in common, than that separates us, but people forget...I think the world would be better if people imagined themselves in other peoples' shoes more often.