When faced with the many challenges and struggles in life, you always need a teammate to be there for you and become your personal cheerleading squad. Now there is an incredible indie pop duo who do just that with their music. TeamMate was formed out from the relationship break-up of drummer Dani Buncher and singer-keyboardist Scott Simons. Both of them were passionate about music and together have created inspiring songs that take you through their life journey.
We had the chance to talk with with Dani and Scott about their music and what TeamMate is working on. We are pleased to bring that interview to you here:
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Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We have to tell you that we love your uplifting and inspiring new track, Don’t Count Me Out. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind that song?
Scott: Thanks so much! We appreciate your support and kind words. I think the inspiration comes from our experiences. We’ve known each other almost half of our lives and have each been though some shit – together and separately. I think the song comes from experienced optimism. Like, we’re still standing, dammit.
Music Junkie Press: What is TeamMate currently working on now?
Dani: We have some new songs we’re excited to get done in the studio! We’ve been adding them to our live set and have gotten some nice feedback.
Music Junkie Press: Your song not only brings out emotionally driven lyrics but leads a great connection to the listener. Do you have a particular song writing process?
Scott: Every song is different, but I do like to draw from personal experiences to connect on a universal level. I’m not sure how that works, but somehow by letting people into my own head and life in a specific way, it makes it easy to apply to their lives I hope.
Music Junkie Press: Here at Music Junkie Press, we are very strong believers how music can help, heal, inspire, can you recollect a particular time in your life, where music helped you through a hard or challenging time? Can you share that particular story with us?
Scott: We half joke that this whole project is sorta self-therapy. Our break up was really brutally painful for both of us and we’re surprised that we’re where we are now. Creating and performing music together has really helped us move and figure out a new version of ourselves.
Music Junkie Press: That is so true. I think your music will provide that same therapy style release for the listener as well! Today, we live in such a digital world which unfortunately includes those digital demons who bully behind keyboards, what advice could you give to the youth about dealing with these digital demons?
Scott: Man… I can’t imagine what those kids are going through. I had my own share of being picked on growing up whether it was for being Jewish or for being in band or just for being slightly different but never with the social media element. I wish someone had told me then that in the future, I’d surround myself with people who love me and make me a better person and the people who were bullies were and are just miserable people. Be yourself, be authentic, be honest. F%&* anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.
Dani: Be yourself, stay strong, and try to surround yourself with good people who support you. Also, stick up for the underdogs.
Music Junkie Press: Your style of music brings to life my lost love of indie pop. What artists or musicians were most inspiring for you?
Scott: Indie pop is such a weirdly named genre. We feel like we’re just making pop music that we like based on influences we love. But I think having the “indie” does give us some license to be a little different and to try some out-of-the-box things writing and production wise. For me, I grew up loving the Beatles and Billy Joel. Writers like Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and Ben Folds changed everything for me.
Dani: I grew up listing to a lot of pop music and that has definitely influenced me as a musician and adult. George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Madonna…
Music Junkie Press: I think the great think about Indie: is that it allows for the musician to keep it their own individual style which I feel you two display very well in your music. If we had to peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?
Scott: You’d be surprised at the lack of music on my iPod/iPhone. I’m all streaming now for better or worse. But people may be surprised at our shared love of 90’s r&b and rap
Dani: I don’t have a lot of music in there anymore, my iPhone has been so slow since my last software update and I didn’t do a great job backing it up to “the cloud” last update. So, I’d be surprised if you found any music in there besides TeamMate Demos and rough mixes. .
Scott: She’s a narcissist is what she’s trying to say.
Music Junkie Press: Will you be performing soon and if so, out here in California?
Dani: We just did a bunch of shows in LA – LA Pride, Make Music Festival and some venue shows -and we’re trying to finish up this new music so we can play some more shows this fall!
Music Junkie Press: I am bummed we missed your LA shows but we will look forward to Fall. If you could create the dream lineup, what three bands or artists would you choose to have on your bill with you?
Scott: Oh man… Maybe Deathcab For Cutie and Tegan and Sara???
Music Junkie Press: If you could go back to your 14 year old self, what advice would you give to yourself?
Scott: Everything you think is gonna happen isn’t and the stuff that does will amaze you. It’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up, 14-year old Scott. And don’t grow that goatee at age 17. It’s gonna be your weakest fashion moment.
Dani: “It’s all possible. All of it”
Music Junkie Press: We really look forward to what TeamMate has in store for us! Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Scott: Your audience and audiences of other blogs and non-traditional media are changing the music industry so rapidly. We truly appreciate your support and hope you’ll follow us online and stay in touch with us. We’d be excited to have ya on board for whatever comes next.
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They have also recently released the song, Don’t Count Me Out on Rostrum Records, which I love! It is a great pick me up track that provides an uplifting message of hope. Dani explains, “Don’t Count Me Out is a song we’ve drawn from personal experiences but hope it has a universal theme. We’ve been playing it live for awhile and the response from the audiences really helped us know how to produce the song for the studio version.” and Scott mentions, “We’re excited to still be in each other’s lives and working towards something together. We couldn’t have guessed after all this time this is where we’d end up.”
Check out the track here:
We really look forward to more new music by TeamMate and hope you continue to check them out. Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
~ Marisol
Information & Links:
- Website: http://www.teammateband.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamMateBand
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamMateBand
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TeamMateBand
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/teammateband
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