Russ Aimz is finding more than enough inspiration to stoke his songwriting fires. His split styles of raw wild inspirational rock on singles like 'You're A Star' . To the more cruisey mesmerizing rock/pop earthy ballads on his debut album "Cruze"....(more)
Giving music back to the musicians.
Neva Dinova
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Basia Lyjak
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Hoover Dams
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Tuesday Sep 02, 2008
Russ Aimz | Interview
Melbourne, Australia native Russ Aimz can trace his love of music to two instances. Music first made a serious impression on Aimz in his childhood when he was just 10 years old. Aimz happened to stumble upon a T.V. clip of a Meatloaf concert. “This guy was singing so passionately,” Aimz recounts, “that it looked like his heart was going to fly out through his throat. That was the exact second that music made a connection and touched something inside my soul.” Where Meatloaf is inspiration for Aimz’s passion, Billy Idol provides him with motivation to create pure, alive and exciting music. Years after his Meatloaf encounter, at an underage disco, Aimz discovered Billy Idol. “This bleached blonde, spiky haired guy’s attitude and wildness and image just excited and captivated me instantly. It was like time stopped.” After that, Aimz knew he wanted to devote his life to music.
But how does one get started in the music industry? Recording an album is one thing, but gaining performance experience and acquiring a preliminary fan base is infinitely more difficult. Performing live was definitely a nerve-racking situation for Aimz; even if he performed well, would anybody like it? To test out the situation and gain a little confidence, Aimz started out by going to open mics. To say Aimz was nervous is an understatement. “The first time I found it quite scary and part way through the set I felt like I was blacking out, like I was loosing consciousness. When it was over, no one booed or told me to get off [the stage] and a few people even clapped.” Through this small victory Aimz conquered his fears and gained the confidence to launch his music career.
Never before have I encountered a musician whose muse-like inspiration is more literal than figurative. Aimz’s general writing technique is to isolate himself in a comfortable space with just a note pad, a pencil, and his acoustic guitar, completely removing himself from the outside world. But of late, Aimz has been getting his most productive writing done in his sleep. He is certainly a favourite of the muse as he explains “lately I have been getting melodies out of dreams and then, immediately upon waking, [I rush] to record what I can remember.”
Up to this point, Russ Aimz’s music career has been a solo effort, which has served him very well. However, up and coming independent solo artists tend to be confined to smaller venues and Aimz resents having to quiet things down for these small, intimate settings. The initial thrill is beginning to wear off and he is feeling boxed in. The idea of letting loose on a bigger stage with a full band is very appealing. As a step in this direction, Aimz is hoping to record his next album with a complete band rather than session musicians.
It is my experience that independent musicians resent “describing” the sound of their music and limiting themselves to one or two genres. If the audience can’t enjoy the work for its own merits and know what it sounds like, then artists certainly don’t want to explain it to them. Either an audience will connect with the music, or they won’t. It’s as simple as that. In response to the question of what his music sounds like, Aimz replies “a very hairy bulldog being catapulted into out space.” This retort is indicative of Aimz’s fun-loving personality, which certainly comes out in his music. Aimz is eternally young at heart and does not resist his boyish sense of humour when writing.
Aimz is currently working on a follow up album to his first album, Cruze, which was released in 2006. He is very excited to be exploring new territory with the songs he is writing for the new album as it will be a step away from the “cruisey, quieter tracks on the debut album to a mostly up-tempo reckless, wild and even sexy good time rock.” It may sound like a tall order, but this talented, raw, earthy, Aussie musician is certainly up to the challenge.
Heather Holditch
Senior Editor
Aralie.com
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Russ Aimz
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