ON THE RISE
Burt Bankkz is an artist who makes music based on emotional authenticity. And, this authenticity extends beyond the booth. As someone with a passion for community, his desire to spread positivity and encouragement reverberates throughout the music he makes and how he treats people around him too. His latest single, “Dreams,” tells of the obstacles he faced in his own life journey. He hopes by sharing his ideology to keep moving forward, someone else will be inspired by it and do the same in their own lives.
“I want people to feel motivated, I want them to realize they don’t have to lose hope because there’s always a better way to look at and overcome a situation.”
The track “Dreams” is a peaceful guitar based track with bouncy trap drums and rap-sung vocals from Burt and feature T-Rell. The passion comes through in Burt’s vocals as he talks of people doubting him but proving them wrong and making those who believed in him proud. Even amongst the motivational talk, he still gets a punchline in as he says “Now I’m on top like an apostrophe.” T-Rell continues this theme effectively.
When speaking with Burt, I immediately noticed his headstrong thought process when it came to how he carried himself. Being emotionally transparent in his music is one of his core focuses because he hopes people find what he says relatable. He also wants to connect with people outside of the booth and continue to spread motivation and positivity there too. He told me about how he and his team regularly host toy drives in the community around Christmas time. Even outside of these moments, Burt continues to verbally spread his positivity.
“I try to give positive feedback and input to whoever needs to hear it. Anything positive, I’m all for it.”
Heading down the path of positivity is even more important to Burt because of his past. After a series of unfortunate circumstances which included juvenile detention and incarceration, he now prides himself on making the right decisions not only for himself but for others too. With multiple people telling him how his music inspired them, he says this is what keeps him going to make more of it. He plans to drop an EP in the very near future as he continues to build his fanbase through interactions like this that are based on people relating to his authenticity.
“When I hear things like that, it shows me that people are watching and paying attention. And that helps me keep my drive going.”
Burt has plans to do more shows both locally and across state lines. He wants to connect with more people and continue to spread his motivational and uplifting music to as many people as he can. By maintaining his emotional authenticity, he knows his message will resonate with those who want and need to hear it.
“I’m not looking for recognition. The art and the craft will speak for itself. All I’m pushing is authenticity.”
You can keep up with Burt Bankkz on the following platforms.
ON THE RISE
Imagine listening to a song that sounds like it should be in a movie. Now imagine listening to a whole album of songs like that. This is the shared experience of many who listen to Voltaire’s Ghost.
Their latest single, “‘Till The Break Of Day” is a hauntingly beautiful track that gives listeners another taste of the sounds they can find on the band’s album Black Petals Fallen. The album is available now exclusively on Bandcamp digitally and on vinyl.
Like other songs in the band’s discography,“‘Till The Break Of Day” was first conceived as a demo by guitarist/producer Magnus and transformed into something new through drumming from Josh Eggstaff and vocals from Ruby Juhl. The lyrics of the song Magnus wrote were not changed and he credits Ruby’s delivery of them for taking the song to the next level.
“It’s amazing how much phrasing makes a difference in a song. The way she approached it vocally and slid between the riff gave the song a totally different feel.” said Magnus.
The track echoes feelings of romanticism amongst chaos and captures these feelings through a cinematically immersive soundscape. Ruby’s angelic vocals take center stage and pave the way for a guitar led instrumental break that envelops listeners in the picture the band is painting.
“The song is about a fleeting connection. And people are connecting to it emotionally, more than they have with some of our other songs so that’s been a pleasant surprise.” said Magnus.
Voltaire’s Ghost’s music has been described as Dark Pop and Cosmic Goth as they blend elements of Rock, Gothic, and Classical. They know people are attracted to these elements as they see them as a form of escape from the real darkness that comes from living life. Fans of this will be happy to know they have another single coming on October 16th. Releasing in celebration of Halloween, Magnus described it as a “rock and roll ghost story.”
“Stuff like that is awesome. It’s cool and more dramatic.” said Ruby.
“You can’t just have darkness though. There has to be hope in it, and longing. We try to paint a more complex emotional palette than just darkness.” said Magnus.
This calls back to the subject matter of “‘Till The Break Of Day” and the bittersweet romanticism it captures. The song details how even with life circumstances and fate trying to intervene, love will still try to prevail.
“Love is human nature. It’s something we’re always going to be talking about and thinking about.” said Ruby.
Voltaire’s Ghost has more music, videos and surprises for their listeners on the way as the fall season sets the ideal backdrop for the lifting melodies and haunting imagery of love and loss flowing across their album.
“‘Till The Break Of Day” from the album Black Petals Fallen is available on streaming services now and the album is available for purchase digitally and on vinyl on Bandcamp.
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The Starlight PR Team thanks Voltaire's Ghost for taking the time to speak with us.
