Axel Mansoor appeared on Gosh!Radio Meet the Music on March 24th, 2012
By Robin Rowe
Axel Manso
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!Radio) 2012/3/22 – Gosh!Radio host Gabrielle Pantera interviewed Axel Mansoor.
In each of my songs I try to capture very real emotional situations, which I think makes my music very relatable,” says singer-songwriter Axel Mansoor. “The message always changes with the song.” Mansoor has a progressive indie pop/rock sound. He says he’s inspired by a wide variety of genres…pop, blues, hardcore metal, ambient techno, rock, classical, folk…and doesn’t like to be pinned down by genre.
Mansoor’s debut studio EP Inside Voices released in November of 2011. Mansoor raised all the money for making his EP through crowd-funding, using a Kickstarter campaign. He says the outcome exceeded his wildest dreams.
As a musician, Mansoor plays acoustic guitar and sometimes an electric 7-string guitar. He’s almost entirely self-taught.
As a songwriter, Mansoor’s goal is honesty. “I always try to write my music as honestly as possible. I’m not just talking about simple, don’t lie, honesty, I mean honesty encompassing all aspects of your life. Being honest with yourself about what makes you happy, what you’re passionate about, what terrifies you, is just as important, if not more so, as being honest with others. I feel that I very much have own distinct style, that is quite unlike anything you’ll hear from anyone else.”
For the EP, Mansoor worked closely with his two producers to refine the songs Trouble and An Apology. “To me, no matter how done a song is, you can always experiment and apply fresh vision to it,” says Mansoor. “Sometimes it makes it better, sometimes not, but it’s always fun to try.”
Mansoor has wrote a song with his older brother, Misha Mansoor, of the metal band Periphery. “We wrote a song together after I’d been playing for two months. He recorded and produced it. We called it Spaghetti and Blankets. It’s pretty metal.” Mansoor is working on two more songs with his brother.
Manoor says his songwriting process is random and unorganized. “Most of the time I have little bursts of inspiration or ideas that lead to a one to two-minute scratch recording of a new song idea. Then, if I’m being smart, I’ll work on that one song till its done. Most of the time though I end up writing an idea for a completely new song. I have way too many song ideas on my iPhone. I usually write the guitar parts first, and the other melodies and lyrics after. one of my favorite songs, Lost, I wrote the whole chorus while I was humming in the shower.”
Mansoor has appeared at Tommy’s Place, Ground Zero, the Pig n’ Whistle, and venues around the USC area. “Most recently I was invited to play at the most recent iteration of the incredible Greenroots L.A. singer/songwriter showcase,” says Mansoor.
Mansoor has shared the stage with Peter Lee Johnson, this virtuoso violinist at USC. “In addition to just being ridiculous at violin, his utter musicianship makes me almost 99% sure he is not human,” says Mansoor.
Mansoor says he didn’t take singing seriously until his junior year of high school. “My
sister convinced me to join the high school choir. I’ve still never taken voice lessons, but my involvement in a great all-male acapella group at USC, The Trojan Men, has really helped push my singing forward.”
Mansoor says he dreams of sharing the stage with John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Dallas Greene, Incubus, Jason Mraz, Foo Fighters, The Dear Hunter and Kenton Chen. “Although our music is nothing alike, it’d be really cool if one day my brother and I could share the stage playing our respective music. These people inspire me, and their music helped shape who I am as an artist today.”
Mansoor does charity work with Friendship Circle in Calabasas. “We some quality time with mentally handicapped kids,” says Mansoor. “It was a really amazing experience when I was asked to play because, despite the difficulties in communicating normally, once I started playing the kids were all clapping and smiling and tapping their feet.”
Axel Mansoor is based in Los Angeles. He was born in Washington D.C.
Links
- www.axelsmusic.com
- www.facebook.com/axel.bte
- http://www.youtube.com/user/essentara?feature=mhee
- Twitter: @essentara
Meet the Music host Gabrielle Pantera
About Meet the Music
The show premiered in June of 2011. The 1-hour weekly music talk show Meet the Music is hosted by Gabrielle Pantera who interviews bands, singers, musicians, composers, songwriters, and music executives. Show co-hosts vary. Sound engineer David Williams. Producer Robin Rowe. Executive Producer Gabrielle Pantera. The show broadcasts live from Melrose Music Studios at Raleigh Studios Hollywood. Raleigh Studios is a historic studio lot where TV shows such as Castle, Closer and Private Practice are currently in production.
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