Formed in late 2009, SolarSolar is an electronic duo from Canada. The band consists of Dan Drysdale (synths, guitar, other noises) and Angela Drysdale (vocals and synths). Influenced by 70's psychedelic rock, 80's new wave, and 90's trip hop, they create a world balanced between dark and light. The sun and the snow. We were able to sit down with SolarSolar and ask them to explain their experience with social media thus far!

LA: Well, start from the beginning:

SolarSolar: [We thought] Let's have fun, stay up really late, and make some music in our basement that nobody will listen to except maybe our friends and parents!

Other than MySpace, we knew about Soundcloud. We created SolarSolar profiles on MySpace and Soundcloud and posted some of our early recorded songs. Soundcloud ended up being our favourite site.  After posting a few songs on Soundcloud, people actually started listening to and downloading our music. We were able to network with other musicians, fans, and music bloggers all from the same spot. The reaction we got from the songs we posted on Soundcloud inspired us to keep writing and recording and we ended up with our EP about seven months after starting our Soundcloud page.

We eventually started a Facebook page and a Twitter account. We use Facebook and Twitter for getting quick news items out but I don't think we really use either as effectively as we could.

In addition to uploading music to MySpace and Soundcloud, it has been music blogs that have allowed us to get our music "out there". An early version of "Left to Right" was posted by some music blogs and it was because of these blogs that people started hearing about our band. When we released our EP, more music blogs introduced people to our band and our music. So a big shout out to all those blogs that take the time to search out, listen to, and talk about new bands. When sending music to blogs, make sure your music fits the blog. Know who you are sending your music to and what kind of stuff they like and write about.

Facebook, Twitter, and Last.FM are also interesting in that they generate conversations between listeners. A lot of people hear about our music because somebody recommended it on their Facebook page or tweeted about it. It is a chain reaction kind of thing. One friend tells their friends who tell their friends...

We're not sure we have a [social media] philosophy. This social media thing is still very new to us. Probably the best thing to do is to check out what similar bands are doing. How are they getting their music heard? Who's talking about them? How do listeners find out what they are doing? That kind of thing. Start a Soundcloud page too. Also, read the other interviews with bands that know more than we do because it wasn't that long ago that we had no idea what people did on Twitter!

SolarSolarMusic.ca | Facebook | Twitter | Last.FM | MySpace