Why You Should Regret Missing Last Night's Bandersnatch Show

Last night was University Union’s last Bandersnatch show of the semester, and let me tell ya, if you weren’t there… you missed out. The show featured headliner Raury and opener Demo Taped, two up-and-coming artists who are making it big at lightning speed. At 17-years-old, Demo Taped already has a handful of performances under his belt while 19-year-old Raury is already “cool” with Kanye.

The artists brought funky, hypnotizing beats to the Schine Underground. While Demo Taped has an electronic R&B sound, Raury is known for his mix of soul, hip hop, and folk. The audience was vibing with both artists, as they demanded to “put your hands up!” and “JUMP!” just about every song.

For those of you that missed out on last evening’s fun, here are some songs you should definitely check out to make up for not being there:

Demo Taped “Not Enough" (For when you’re trying to shake off a bad day) “Game On” (For when you’re ready to prove your worth)

Raury “Devil’s Whisper” (For when you’re in the process of conquering the world) "Cigarette Song” (For when you’re feelin’ sensual) “Woodcrest Manor II” (For when you need a gentle wake up song) “Kingdom Come” (For when it’s 75 degrees in November and you’re just feelin' lucky)

In case you're wondering how a 17-year-old managed to make a career for himself while you’ve spent the majority of your young "adulthood" slowly sobbing into a math textbook, Demo Taped shared his musical journey and aspirations in a pre-show interview with Jerk. Check out what the young artist had to say, below.

Q: Do you have any advice for musicians like you? D: I think the advice that I could give is don’t give up. The way that I’ve been discovered and continued to be discovered is through Soundcloud. The Internet is such a great way to get out there, and I think that if you have the passion and the drive to do music then just keep going and don’t give up. Q: When and how did you get started and what made you want to get started in the first place? D: My first song, I was very young. I remember writing out the notes on the piano. It was like before middle school, and I started writing songs, and I just stuck with it.

Q: You’ve talked a lot in the past about depression, but a lot of your music is really uplifting and positive. Are there any other types of themes you’d like to explore in the future? D: I like to explore…that’s the funny thing, I like to explore contrast in the music. Because you know, while the beats and the instrumentals are very upbeat and light, the subject matter is sometimes a bit um…. Well for example “Game On,” the most recent thing I released, is totally about anxiety. But it is about overcoming anxiety. But yeah right now I have another EP where it’s like some slower songs, but the subject matter is a little more light.

Q: Would you call yourself Atlanta to the core? D: The Atlanta music scene is really heavily trap and rap influenced and you know, that’s what’s hard being recognized by your own city. It’s kind of difficult. I don’t really think I fit in that bubble of Atlanta trap but I definitely think that, I’m from Atlanta and that is what I rep, I’m just a different type of music from Atlanta.

Q: Who are you listening to right now? D: I’ve got Empress Of on repeat. I still like my favorite artists—my favorite electronic artist is Flying Lotus, that’s like car cruisin’ tunes. I’ve been listening to a lot of old stuff, like P-Funk. (My dad) brought me up on a lot of funk because that’s what he plays. So you know, like P-Funk and George Clinton and all those people.

Q: What do you think about genre-less music? D: I tweeted a while back about being confused by subgenres because I was trying to figure out what my niche was, where I fit, you know, and I couldn’t pinpoint it. It’s always hard talking to people about what I am. Someone will ask me “what type of music do you make?” and I say “electronic,” and they automatically assume that I’m making techno music. So I think the idea of genre-less music is becoming more and more prevalent now because of Soundcloud musicians and all these different styles that are coming up.

Q: How did you get in contact with Raury? D: Actually we met at a guitar center in Atlanta. And I have to go talk to him and see if he remembers that but yeah, that’s where I met him and we exchanged numbers then. And I let him listen to my music, actually. Q: What kind of instruments do you play? D: So I started with piano at the age of four and I continued on with that until I was like ten maybe, and then I stopped. And I regret stopping because I’m relearning everything now. So piano, and then guitar, and then saxophone for school, and then I sing. Oh, and I play ukulele, and I tried playing the base. Q: What’s next for you? D: I have a song on Goldlink’s album that’s coming out on November 6th, I believe. I am currently just talking with a lot of different people about collabs and I’m finishing up my second EP. Really trying to get that out there, really excited about that. I actually started working on an album concept, and with the album, I’ve really started to sort of plan a film around it. I’m writing a script—I was actually writing it on the plane ride over. Q: Why does Siri call you Whoopi? D: (laughs) I was out with my friends one night and one of my friends…well I just started growing my dreads, and I had glasses similar to I guess Whoopi Goldberg at the time, so one of my friends changed it on my phone without me knowing. And I got home and I was like “Siri, do whatever” and it was like, “Okay, Whoopi Goldberg”.

Q: Can you talk about some of your favorite past performances that you’ve done, and do you have any performances coming up that you’re really looking forward to? D: Well you see, I’ve only done two performances before this and that was opening for Alina Baraz at Baby’s Alright in the Mercury Lounge. And those shows were really great. They were my first performances, and I’m really proud of how I did and I’m happy that I opened for Alina Baraz. That was a crazy first show, to have a sold out show and that’s your first show. I’m really looking forward to Pigeons and Planes, who’s putting on a show on the 17th that I’m going to be a part of. They’ve been so instrumental in blogging about me and talking about me that it’s great that I get to perform at a show that’s put on by them.

Q: Is there an artist that you’d like to collaborate with that’s unexpected? D: Ooooh…I’d like to collaborate with Thundercat. I think that would be cool. He’s really amazing at what he does. I don’t know any string players but I definitely want to get strings in, you know like cello and all that kind of stuff. Q: What was your favorite concert you’ve ever been to? And I know this is only your third show ever, but I know Flying Lotus has a bunch of amazing lighting. Do you want to try to incorporate that sort of thing into your shows in the future? D: I think I want to have a bunch of like, old TVs. I don’t know, I thought about that the other day. I want to have a bunch of old TVs and get like a video synthesizer, like the one that’s on the “Not Enough” video, and have them respond to the music. That would be fun. The favorite concert I’ve ever been to, let’s see. I went to Toro y Moi awhile back. He’s amazing, and seeing all the songs performed…cause you know he makes everything in his little studio and he started off in a bedroom studio. So I really look up to him as well because that’s what I’m doing now, I’m in a bedroom making music. It was great seeing how it translated to the stage with a full band. It was a really good show.