MuzicNotez: We last talked back in 2015, I know you have been busy since then, thanks for taking the time to sit down with again.
So what have you been up to since we last talked? What’s new?
Bill Deiz: Wow it’s almost the end of 2017! I finally recorded two classics I’ve been wanting to record and release; I have licenses to release them both digitally and they are available on iTunes: Bridge Over Troubled Water and Angel from Montgomery. Both are doing well with the public who have heard them and I expect big things from them in the future. And we’ve launched a brand new site: WikiTunes to help artists show case their work for free! More about that later.
MuzicNotez: For those that missed the last interview we did with you, tell us a little bit more about who you are.
Bill Deiz: I am a singer/songwriter who is slowly getting my music into the mainstream. I’ve been dabbling at the fringes for the last 50 years, after a launch in one of the greatest bands ever, The Seven Souls, in Los Angeles in the 1960s. We opened for both the Righteous Brothers and James Brown and took second place to Sly and the Family Stone in a Battle of the Bands! Our guitar player, Bob Welch, went on to some success with Fleetwood Mac. I also hosted a music segment on KCBS TV in Los Angeles called For the Record where I profiled major talents including Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, the Supremes and the Temptations among many others, even sang a duet with Neil Sedaka on L-A TV and am on the Leonard Cohen album Death of a Ladies Man as a background singer along with Bob Dylan! I love music and I am singing and writing better than ever.
MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
Bill Deiz: I am waiting for the magic when a large body of the public discovers and likes my songs; I have had flashes along the way and have kept at it over the years out of pure love of music. Like I said, I am singing better than ever now and my songs are just starting to catch on with a larger public.
MuzicNotez: Your latest single is the Simon and Garfunkel cover track ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, what motivated you to cover that track?
Bill Deiz: Well I came up with my own original soulful version that I started performing 20 years ago, but I never recorded it! It differs from Simon and Garfunkel and Aretha Franklin’s versions which I still love and I play it, Ray Charles style, on a big grand piano, while I sing to it; added the harmonies later. I love this version and have been performing it both in Church and at private parties. Had the whole congregation signing with me at the last ecumenical, multi-faith church service where I last performed. It was great! Now I am hoping to reach out to Paul Simon and perform it with him sometime! The song is so much for the times we are living in right now; I sing it as a bridge to the homeless, to those in any sort of distress, to lift them up and give them courage to go on; “I’ll be your bridge!” I also would like to use it in a musical I am writing about the life and times of Jesus. Imagine seeing Jesus sing this song on stage!
MuzicNotez: You have been ranking real high in the pop charts, how does it feel to have your hard work so well received?
Bill Deiz: The main place is the numberonemusic.com site where my songs have been doing very well. I currently am ranked in the top 10 in the world for pop on that site! Hoping for a break through soon with some radio air play support As you know, it is tough being an independent artist but I never say die!
MuzicNotez: Tell us more about your WikiTunes site, what can your fans expect to find there?
Bill Deiz: Right now we are Beta testing it; we have four artists featured on the site at present, with instructions as to how you can upload one song to share with your fans for free. They get a free song, you get a free place to showcase. We also let you create a page to support your other songs with links to them and a story about you as the artist. It will be a slow build during this launch phase but at some point we think it will catch on with independent artists and producers everywhere. It is like Wikipedia in that you supply the content for free and share it with the world!
MuzicNotez: Your track ‘Rather Have Sooner’ received a ton of success including reaching Broadjam’s top 10 list. How does it feel to see the song be so well received?
Bill Deiz: I know you currently have 4 artists, who are they? We feature nice segments on Ravon Rhoden, Kevin Lee and the Kings, Jim Fiegen Sound Design, and Billy Ray Deiz. Check out this link to see the features:
MuzicNotez: What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?
Bill Deiz: The Pastor of one of Portland’s biggest churches has committed to staging my musical about Jesus. It is grounded in the Gospels and the music ranges from symphonic to rock to soul and it really speaks to our audiences in these troubled times. Working title is Song of Joy and you can find some of the tunes on iTunes from this project; but I have since written several more tunes that will be included in the stage production that haven’t been recorded yet. Once we finally get it mounted, I think it will speak to our audiences in these stressful times. Unlike Jesus Christ Superstar, my musical shows the heroic side of Jesus and his disciples, how they began to spread the Gospel from the earliest days and ultimately captured the imagination of much of the known world. Especially following the miracle of Easter. And the Resurrection. Stay tuned!