Page 45 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2020 Issue

LH: I’ve read that A&L is signed to Buzz
Records. Tell me a little about your label and
why did you make the decision to sign to an
independent label? How has this advanced
your career?

A&L: Buzz Records…what a collaboration
between my good friend and music guru Steve
Kantor and myself! Due to various business
and life events, we put the label on hiatus. We
had built an infrastructure that I did not want to
see our hard work lay dormant. I have been
using that infrastructure for A&L’s music as a
way to keep the label relevant and increase the
band’s success. Independent labels area great
alternative to major labels in this music climate.
They usually offer much higher royalty rates
and attention that is more personalized to
artists’ needs.

LH: What advice would you give to someone who has made the decision to explore
music as a career?

A&L: Be prepared to work hard and have a thick skin. Music must be a passion. We all love
music and have various connections to it, which seems to be a strength for A&L. Find your
own strength and use that as a building block for your career.

LH: What is the worst advice you were ever given? What is the best advice?

A&L: Our best advice is to watch your expenses. You should not be losing money. It is not
worth it to drive long distances for a gig, stay overnight, and lose money. Book a few shows
on the way. Make sure that you at least break even. Building a fan base when you are starting
out is your main goal. If you can do that and not lose money on hotels, food, and gas, then
you are doing well. It will pay off in the end. Worst advice…thinking no one will hear mistakes
or poor production. When you record, you need to put your best foot forward. You need a
professional recording. In today’s streaming world, your music will be played next to major
label recordings and be compared, so you need to make sure that you do your best with the
recording process.

LH: What’s next for A&L? New music? Tours?

A&L: We have a big show on January 22nd. It’s a free show that we will be streaming live to
Europe. If you are in the Western NY area, come check us out and be part of the studio
audience. We will be in the studio working on new music in the next few weeks.

LH: Who’s in the band?