INTERVIEW BY JOE FITZPATRICK
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KNIAL SAUNDERS
The Dominion Collective staff greatly values our contributors for all of the hard work they do for us, as well as in their own individual projects. In addition to writing for us, our former intern Knial Saunders runs his own music blog, Golden Age Review, which spotlights bands and musicians from around the world that Saunders finds captivating, in addition to sharing photos and YouTube videos of such artists. We discussed with Saunders his selection process for the musicians featured on his website, his perspective on music journalism, and his goals to accomplish within the next five years.
On your website, you are known for offering a “fresh perspective” on music journalism. How do you feel like this is achieved?
I try to look at journalism through the lens of the person who is reading it. I feel like oftentimes, it is really easy to try and look at it from a professional, or maybe academic, standpoint, and you forget that you are trying to write something that someone is interested in. They want to learn something, and they want to feel the excitement of discovering a new artist. So I feel like that is the perspective I try to write through.
Going off that, what do you think sets Golden Age Review apart from other
music blogs?
I try to really focus on quality of content as opposed to quantity. I run the blog myself, and so I don’t necessarily have the time or resources to be researching every bit of news that comes out or doing everything all at once. I try to pay very special attention and care to the features and stories that I do, and I think that has been really successful. I also like to have recommendations up of new sounds and new bands that people might enjoy.
Who are some of your personal favorite bands or artists you have recently featured on the website?
Recently, I featured a band by the name of HAUNT from Baltimore, who put out a three-song EP a few weeks ago, and I had originally featured them back in October when their debut album came out. They have been a lot of fun to work with. I also featured a band from Michigan by the name of HAIL YOUR HIGHNESS. It’s a two-piece rock band — these two sisters — and they are wicked talented. That one was also a lot of fun. Most recently, I did one on a guy from the U.K. named Jack Bennett for his project called GRUMBLE BEE. He recently put out an EP [that] was produced by Kris Crummett [of Interlace Audio], who produces a lot of really great records.
How do you select the bands that you feature?
The music I enjoy most is that which is evidently genuine and emotive. The artists I like to feature are the ones whose music possesses those subtle qualities that you can’t quite put your finger on but you can’t stop listening to.
Would you ever feature a band that you aren’t particularly interested in but you think others might enjoy learning about their music?
There are so many talented artists who go unnoticed and under the radar and I feel most passionately about giving those people the spotlight. It’s not that I would choose not to feature an artist simply because I did not like them, but instead I feel fortunate that it doesn’t have to come to that because of the plethora of talent that exists on so many levels
What are your short-term and long-term goals for Golden Age Review, and when do you hope to accomplish them?
For short-term, I am looking into totally redesigning the website and transferring the domain to a new place, as well as getting everything revamped and ready to continue building the brand and getting myself out there. My long-term goal is to turn this into a full-fledged publication with either digital or print magazines depending on how readership goes and how the market looks for that. As for when, I think that could be implemented within the next three to five years. I am really trying to study this stuff from a business perspective, as well as the journalist perspective.
Do you have any advice for aspiring bloggers whether for music or another passion?
The only thing I could really suggest is if you want to do it and if you like it, just start doing it. This wasn’t something I had initially set down and planned for months. Initially, I thought, “I like writing about music. I like talking about music. I’m just going to do this and see how it goes,” and it was successful. People were actually reading this stuff. So the best advice I could say is if you love it, just go do it. Put your heart into it, and I really think that people will eat that up.
Are you a musician yourself as well?
I am. I have been singing and writing for a while, but I didn’t learn to play an instrument until my senior year of high school. I took some guitar classes, and since then, I have been in a few bands, nothing really serious, with friends. We would go jam and do really small shows with other friends for fun. I’m currently in a band, and we are currently in the early stages getting a feel for each other and what we want to do. That has been a lot of fun so far.
Are you currently working on any new content for your website?
I’ve got an upcoming feature/review set up with a band by the name of FOLLY AND THE HUNTER. I’ve been following them since I randomly encountered them on a Here On Out Session in high school. Since then, they’ve become one of my favorite indie folk/dream folk bands. And that I’m really excited for the opportunity to feature them with a new album coming out this May.
For more updates on Golden Age Review, be sure to visit their website, and follow them on Twitter.
