All posts by Anji

Nada

Nothing much exciting has been going on since we got back from Mexico. I’m starting to miss performing! Our current plan is to re-record “Love Survives” in 24 bit format. I guess the song will probably come out a bit different this time, but nothing as drastic as our redo of “Hand in Hand.” We’ve got a lot of other half-formed song ideas that we’ve been working on the past year. I look forward to having the time to dedicate to diving into the studio for days and weeks on end, fleshing out and perfecting them all. It will be an exciting time. For now, though, I simply dream…

New Site Content

The photo section has been redesigned and updated with lots of lovely new photos including some great out-take shots from the Windblown Kiss promo photos by Susan Jennings. The interview section has been updated with new links and better content descriptions. Enjoy!

Been kinda quiet

Hasn’t been a whole lot to post about since the Mexico tour… Finally had a bit of time to slow down after a whirlwind year for the band. Lovespirals played as many live shows in one year as Love Spirals Downwards did in their whole 8 year history. Not to say that’s a lot, but it puts it in perspective. Chances are good that we’ll continue to play live much more regularly from now on, since we actually enjoyed ourselves with it. : )

Over the past month or so I transferred a number of audio interviews to digital format and put them up on mp3.com/lovespiralsdownwards. (note: now on soundclick.com/lovespiralsdownwards) Its funny to hear the old interviews with Ryan and I before I was in the band. Its even funnier to hear the older interviews with Ryan and Suzanne squabbling!

Gracias Mexico

Wow, what a great week we had in Mexico. Thank you to everyone who came to see us in Leon, Morelia, and Puebla. We’ll be back! And very big thanks all the show producers and Aldo, our Manager in Mexico! This was by far the busiest of the several times I had played in Mexico before, having to travel several hours each day to get to the next city each day in time for interviews and soundchecks. We were lucky if we could get five hours of sleep each night. But the enthusiastic crowds each night energized us for some of our best performances yet.

Adios Mexico

Well, we’re back from our little Mexico tour, but we’re already making plans to go back and do some more cities. The response was amazing at every show, from both the fans and the press. We did TV, radio, newspaper, and magazine interviews every day. I can’t tell you how strange it is to be featured on the front page of the newspaper alongside Mariah Carey and Kim Basinger! Ryan says I’m a sex symbol in Mexico, and I can’t say I disagree. The boys seem to like me quite a bit more than here in America… I’ve never been kissed by so many different people in my life! But then again, people seem much more open and expressive in Mexico. Crowds are much warmer at the shows there in general, it seems. The three venues we played were all very different, with a different vibe, but all the shows went very well and I know that I gave the best performances that I ever have. I was inspired to give my all to the people. All in all, it was a crazy 4 days, but very good.

Leaving on a jet plane

So we leave for Mexico tomorrow. We’ve had several last minute changes in venues and travel plans, so it’s been pretty crazy. Not sure if we’ll end up doing any of that promotion after all, since we’re travelling much later and arriving in Leon. Oh well! Hopefully plenty of people will show up, anyway. Our manager had asked for a video to use in commericals, but we don’t have one! It would be cool to make one sometime, though.

Hope I don’t get scared on the flight. I’ve been much better about flying since I’ve been with Ryan, but I bet if he weren’t there with me, I’d be terrified. I also hope that screening and such at LAX isn’t as huge a hassle as it was when we travelled for ProjektFest. I had to keep taking off my shoes and Ryan had to keep unpacking the guitar effects and explaining what they were. UGH. I heard it’s a bit more lax at LAX now, thankfully.

Lovespirals featured on Forever 21 Site

Fashion retail store, Forever 21 just launched a brand new website which features an all new recording of the Lovespirals song, “Hand in Hand.” A clip of the track is used as a loop for the company info area (click the green dot), but the full song is also available in the Featured Musical Artists’ area. Just click on the speaker icon, then scroll over the band’s photo for a band bio and option to play the full track.

Mexico, here we come!

Well, it’s finally finalized. We’ll be going to Mexico next month for 3 shows and a day of promotion. Apparently we’ll be interviewed for TV and newspapers. Sounds very busy, all in all. I hope we’ll still have time to enjoy the 3 cities we’re visiting. Ryan’s told me so much about Mexico City. He’s happy to be able to see a few new places this trip. Guanajuanto is said to be very beautiful. The club in Leon looks very, very nice too! Should be a good time.

Lovespirals Featured by WRTU FM, Puerto Rico

Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico stations WRTU 89.7 FM and WRUO 88.3 FM are running a series of programs with Lovespirals on the ecclectic music show Frequencias Alternas. Last week, host Iohann Rashi, interviewed Ryan and Anji about their new release, Windblown Kiss. Tommorrow he will run a special show hosted by Anji, highlighting some of the bands and songs which inspire Lovespirals. The program runs from 9pm to midnight.

Here is a Google Translation of Rashi’s recent review of Windblown Kiss.:

The Sound of a Kiss to the Air
By Iohann Rashi, WRTU

Lovespirals Windblown Kiss

THE GROUPING
Lovespirals is the fusion of talents of Anji Bee and Ryan Lum. Anji, is the one in charge to give voice to the project, Ryan music through different types from guitars.  Both create a unique sound that explores all type of styles and textures, that include from eclectic and the ethereal thing, until experimentations with I touch of jazz, ambient, folk and world music.  A quality that distinguishes them is its expressive freedom in its musical composition, allowing the imagination to travel freely by any route that the sound of its compositions allows it.

THE DISC
Windblown Kiss is the turn out to join tastes and influences of both integrates in a unique style that has given the seal them that distinguishes them.  We can appreciate in the voice of Anji Bee a sweet and enthusiastic voice that molds its intensity in each cut, showing to us the guitar and enchantment much that can express a voice that without technological complications can fill to its ears and their minds with beautiful stamps.  This disc includes 10 songs, plus a hidden additional song at the end of the CD Between the additional enchantments of this disc, a song sung in titled Spanish “Déjame” and “Windblown Kiss” is included who includes letters in English and German, in addition to a tribute to the America band with the song “You girl”.

THE RECOMMENDATION
When listening to this album you will notice a mixture of all type of styles, which gives it its particular singularity:  it has something of blues, jazz, rock, folk, world music, ethereal, gothic.  But it is not any of them.  Or perhaps it is all them all simultaneously.  That is what is so special about Lovespirals, its capacity to fuse so many influences and turn them something so simple and simultaneously so diverse.  Reminding us that music is a freedom of expression, as a kiss sent to the air.

Our qualification from 0 to 5:  5 radios

Mexico City Area Tour

Plans are still underway for us to do a few shows in and around Mexico City next month. It is unnerving waiting until the last moment like this, but our manager assures us it is happening. He even asked us for some video footage to use in television promotions — but we don’t have any! Right now, talk is that we’ll do Mexico City, Guanajuato, and now possibly Morelia, as well. Leon was also asking about us. The show dates fall between the 12th and 15th so far. Looks like it will be a full week!

Most like LSD

I was just thinking about how funny it is that many of our reviews have claimed that our album is largely unlike any of the Love Spirals Downwards albums, aside from one song — but that “one song” is always a different song! Some claim the song “most like LSD” is “Swollen Sea,” others “You Girl,” or “He Calls Me,” yet others claim it’s “Windblown Kiss,” or “Dejame” (which is the one I figured would be cited). So, if all of these people are to be believed, then actually about half of our album sounds pretty darned close to Love Spirals Downwards. Yet, still, most people seem to be in agreement that Lovespirals are really nothing like LSD. How can that be true?

The one thing that really bugs me is how many people want to tag it as a Jazz album, when it so obviously isn’t. I mean, come on — none of the songs listed above are even Jazz songs, and neither are the two songs with Sean, or really even “Oh So Long,” since that’s Blues. “Our Nights” is not truly Jazz, either. In fact, there is only 1 true Jazz song “I Can’t See You,” and we saved that ’til last. Sheesh! Throw in a smattering of saxophone riffs and Jazz guitar chords and suddenly you’re JAZZ . PUH-LEASE!