Tanya Morgan L.A. Times Interview

L.A. Times: So what's the current status of the new record?

Von Pea: We’re like 10 songs in. Right now, they’re in the demo phase. We have 10 to 15 more to do before we're a go yet. It doesn't have a running theme or a concept yet. However, based on our experiences performing, we know that we're going to have to get in front of people and play these songs without apologizing for not having a guest, or trying to explain what the songs are about.

Donwill: We wanted to make an album based on emotion and feeling, as opposed to one overarching concept.

L.A. Times: You guys were part of the first wave of groups forming over shared interests and musical tastes over the Internet. There's been a variety of stories I've read about how you guys originally decided to become Tanya Morgan. How exactly did it come about?

Von Pea: It was us, Foreign Exchange, Little Brother, and a couple other guys, and we were all on Okayplayer -- this was before the blogs and before MySpace. So we decided to put music on Okayplayer to share with the other artists, in an effort to get a footprint in the game. It was through necessity if we wanted to work together. None of us had the money to go to North Carolina or Cincinnati, and certainly not the Netherlands.

Don: It was a bunch of people interested in the same kind of music. A person’s kind of interest and musical taste is important, and it was a place where we could discuss snare drums and studio gear. We were all just trying to find cost-effective ways to record our own material, and that’s what led to me and Von talking in the first place. We’d sit around and discover production tools and discover that camaraderie.

Read the full interview HERE

Donwill 'What's In My Bag' Amoeba Interview

Donwill - 'Love Junkie' Ft. The Park (Wallpaper. Live Remix)

The latest remix from Donwill Don Cusack In High Fidelity "Love Junkie," featuring The Park and Wallpaper.



Pick up Donwill Don Cusack In High Fidelity at iTunes here:
iTunes - Donwill Don Cusack In High Fidelity

Tanya Morgan Announce Upcoming Live Dates

via the press release

(April 26, 2010 - Brooklyn, NY) Still riding the success of their 2009 sophomore LP, Brooklynati, and now the recent release of Donwill's solo debut, Don Cusack In High Fidelity, Tanya Morgan is excited to announce upcoming Spring performance dates, including their first ever trip to Europe.

Starting their string of dates, Tanya Morgan will be performing at the First Book Charity Concert, an event they will curate alongside Move Forward Music this Friday, April 30th at Crash Mansion in New York City. The charity, First Book, provides new books at low cost or free to thousands of communities that are unable to purchase books for children in need. "The book drive was presented to us a while ago and at the time we had no idea that it would be related to such a wonderful cause," says Donwill. "I personally am very happy to be involved with an organization devoted to giving back. If my celebrity can go towards causing change and helping enrich a child's then it's all worth it." Joining Tanya Morgan, Buckshot and fellow Duck Down Records artists Skyzoo and Torae will also be performing. The show kicks off at 7:30pm and tickets for the event are $12, with all proceeds going to First Book.

Staying busy, the following day Tanya Morgan will be performing at the Bamboozle Music Festival on Saturday, May 1st at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey. Performing alongside pop superstars Paramore, Ke$ha, and Drake, Tanya Morgan is ready to bring their unique brand of hip-hop out in full force for festival goers who will be spending most of the day taking in predominately alternative rock and pop acts. Tanya Morgan's set will kick off at 1:45pm at the B-Boy Stage.

Finally, Tanya Morgan is excited to bring Brooklynati overseas for the first time. "We have toured most of the US and Canada but it's overdue time we showed the world what we can do," says Von Pea. "Our peers are always amazed we haven't been to Europe yet because they know the brand of hip-hop we make is loved abroad." With a string of shows already confirmed, including dates in Ipswich on May 13th, Penzance on May 14th, and a May 15th show in Cardiff - fans can expect a handful of forthcoming shows to be announced in the coming weeks. Von Pea says, "These dates are just the first strike. We are about to build another part of Brooklynati in Europe!"

Tanya Morgan concert dates as follows:

When: Friday, April 30th
What: First Book Charity Concert
Where: Crash Mansion in New York City
With: Buckshot, Skyzoo and Torae
Doors open at 7:30 pm

When: Saturday, May 1st
What: Bamboozle Music Festival
Where: Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey
With: Paramore, Ke$ha, Drake and more on the bill
Set begins 1:45pm at the B-Boy Stage

When: Thursday, May 13th
Where: Venue TBA in Ipswich, England, UK

When: Friday, May 14th
Where: Venue TBA in Penzance, England, UK

When: Saturday, May 15th
Where: Venue TBA in Cardiff, Wales, UK

Donwill: New York Magazine Interview

NY Mag: With High Fidelity, which came first for you, the book or the movie?

Donwill: [Long pause.] I’ve not read the book. People keep telling me to; of course, the book is always better than the movie. There was a lot the movie had to leave out or imply that I would enjoy reading, so I’ll probably pick that up.

NY Mag: I was surprised by how much dialogue you recite from the movie. Was that always planned, or did you decide to add that later?

Donwill: It was definitely added later. When I sat down with the material it just felt like it needed a mechanism to push the songs along in order to gel with the story line.

NY Mag: Was it important to you to stay close to the source?

Donwill: That was why I did it, to explore the territory of really conceptually digging in — almost like a book report, if you will. I wanted it to be a wholehearted adaptation. At this point, if I did another conceptual album — I don’t think that I would do one, per se — but if I could do this one over, I would do the same thing, really skit-based. I enjoy that.

NY Mag: My sense is that your group, Tanya Morgan, is more or less a democracy. Is that true?

Donwill: I would agree with that. I would say we maintain a certain individual autonomy. Even with the group material, songs are submitted, even the beats. You can get outvoted on songs. They’re very much involved in my solo material. They’re my council of trust. When I finished the album, the first people to hear it were Von and Ilyas. Those are the two people I trust as my second set of ears.

NY Mag: Given all that, I have to imagine it was kind of satisfying to cast them in supporting roles on the song “Championship Vinyl,” and then later on, refer to their characters as “the musical moron twins.” Did they give you any dirty looks about that?

Donwill: [Laughs.] No, they didn’t. Sometimes as artists, man, we think we know everything, because we love what we love, and our tastes are our tastes. And in the group, we’re subject to each other’s tastes. Doing the album alone was like, “I can get all this singing and R&B on my album, and nobody can tell me I can’t.”

NY Mag: The album has a lot of guests. How do you approach people with an idea like this?

Donwill: I definitely had to kick it to them differently. Like, with “Ian’s Song,” it was like, "So, Opio, I want to get you on this song. But here’s the catch: You have to say the name Laura and you have to be named Ian." He was just like, “What?” But when I explained it to him, it turned out he liked the movie also.

NY Mag: Have you gotten any feedback from John Cusack or Nick Hornby or anyone else involved with the movie? Have you run into any kind of rights stuff?

Donwill: I haven’t. [Laughs.] I’m kind of just hoping it can get on-shelf before any sort of anything happens regarding that. But I want them to hear it. I want Nick Hornby to hear it. It’s not like a Warner Bros. release where 250,000 units are shipped; it’s a small independent release. I don’t necessarily see it being a problem. But I do understand how it could be a problem. (source)

SXSW 2010 Friends Of Sound Records Showcase Austin, TX

Donwill: Last.fm Presents Interview

Donwill's debut solo album Don Cusack In High Fidelity on Interdependent Media drops March 23, 2010.

Tanya Morgan Presents Donwill - 'Laura's Tape Mixtape'

Tanya Morgan Presents Donwill - Laura's Tape Mixtape download here:
Donwill - Laura's Tape Mixtape

Alt link here:
Donwill - Laura's Tape Mixtape

To buy the iTunes single "Laura's Song" here:
"Laura's Song"

Donwill is one-third of hip-hop group Tanya Morgan, formed in 2003, who recently released their third full-length album Brooklynati in 2009. With the high praise from Rolling Stone and Time Out New York that Brooklynati garnered, Donwill is now ready to release his own album, Don Cusack in High Fidelity on March 23rd, 2010 on Interdependent Media. The maxi-single of "Laura's Song," complete with the album version, radio edit, instrumental and a couple of remixes is now available for purchase on iTunes.

And be sure to catch Tanya Morgan live in a city near you soon, as they embark on the 12-date High Fidelity Tour with supporting act Kooley High:

Tanya Morgan 'Gotcha Opin Original'

Off the Mick Boogie + nVMe + Duck Down SURVIVAL KIT Mix CD featuring today's rising stars paying tribute to the creators of KRS-One & Buckshot's 'Survival Skills'.

Download here:
Tanya Morgan 'Gotcha Opin Original'