Jimmy Brown and CJ Hardee of Bassh now enter the studio with abundant resources, which offer limitless experimentation. After working with Columbia as part of the alternative rock band Matrimony, the duo feel that their latest partnership with independent label Antler Records is proving much more gratifying and dynamic.
“It’s easier because there’s a lot less prep work,” Brown explains. “With less people to go through, you can talk about exactly what you want without having to wait for an answer. That provides a ‘family’ sort of feeling. It’s great to have the support of someone who really understands what it means to be an artist who wants to move fast and get things done.”
But having experienced positive relations with industry powerhouses before, the guys weren’t ready to expand this new creative project completely on their own:
“We’ve got a good team, so I can focus on my music, performing and writing.”
“As an independent artist, you don’t really have much leverage,” Brown continues. “After a bit of grind work, we were in a position where it made sense for us to talk to [another] label with what we’d already accomplished. We put enough money and time into getting this thing built to the point where we needed somebody else to come and help.”
And following several uninhibited recording sessions with producer Bill Reynolds, Bassh recently made appearances at SXSW and Nashville’s Edgehill Rocks Festival. Still, Brown hasn’t felt the dreaded sense of being too overwhelmed, thanks to this unwavering support system (including Maria Gonzales, Martin Tibbetts and Steve Strange of Strange World Management):
“A whole bunch of people are working on this and without them, there’s no way I could keep up. We’ve got a good team, which makes life easier because I can focus on my music, performing, and writing.”
See More: VIDEO INTERVIEW: Bassh at SXSW 2016
But ultimately, never ignore what might be going on behind closed doors. “It’s important to have some sort of business sensibility, even as an artist. You need to know what you’re getting involved in. If you’re signing a contract that lasts [however many] years, you should understand what the consequences are of doing that.”
After signing with Antler, Bassh premiered their first single, the critically acclaimed “Body.”
Photo by Alysse Gafkjen
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