In this interview spotlight, I chat with Jody Butler of Caezium about the latest music, all the challenges, the technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

My name is Jody Butler and I am from Scotland, UK. The music I create is mainly Rock and Pop, and more recently I have included several other genres like Disco Pop and classical arrangements, one I created for a recent short film I made called CAESAR: The Ides of March. Excited to be going in a new direction and the coronavirus lockdown forced me to try alternative styles and my own production.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

This latest release, was mainly caused by the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and forced me to go down this road to test a new style and approach. I say forced, but I was wanting to try new styles out for a while rather than the standard Rock music as heard on the debut album. The rock is still there in some tracks on the new album however.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

So yeah again, definitely moving in a modern commercial Rock/pop direction that was heavily inspired by Michael Jackson on a couple of records and I really wanted to try capture that Quincy jones level of production on my first production attempt, so I took a lot of care. Obviously, I am not going to get there overnight production wise. This release also features production from Gary Miller on K2 who has produced great artists like David Bowie, Elton John, Slash, Santana, and katy Perry. So definitely a step forward musically.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

Its definitely the exposure gap, i.e. Spotify Playlists curators holding musicians at ransom, to pay for getting featured to get exposure. The industry is totally fu#kd now, and the majors (who control Spotify) have got the monopoly on what music gets the exposure and releases. How can any new organic music actually break through in this over saturated market, its impossible. Especially now that everyone can release music on their own without getting signed. Unfortunately, I do not see a good future for the music industry.  Don’t get me wrong its great that we can produce and release our stuff when and how we please, but its just getting your music to the right people and the exposure needed to keep you going as a musician that’s a nightmare.

What was the last song you listened to?

I think the last song I listened to was Higher Ground by Stevie wonder

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

100% vinyl, having the artwork and sound blasting through a turntable is def the best organic option if you can afford it. Our albums are both available on CD from amazon.com and the 8-Ball Sessions is available on vinyl from kunaki.com!

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I do prefer Spotify, just because of its ease of use, and the customer support team are great. Very technical organization, but I just feel some of the exposure related aspects need to be attended too, and make it easier for musicians to get on playlists.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Our main hub is definitely Spotify for any new releases, info etc, obviously I make the odd post on facebook now and again, but Spotify is where you will find all the official information and songs.

Anything else before we sign off?

Yeah I guess, enjoy the album and keep an eye out for K2 produced by Gary Miller as this is going to be getting sync placed in a movie or an advert soon and its going to cause all the dominoes to fall down!! Watch this space!! And go listen to the 8-Ball Sessions now!