NeonTommy had the privilege of sitting down with some of the artists performing as part of DigiTour and asking them about the show:

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[Interview with Jose Mostajo from Wellington]

NeonTommy: What is it like being a YouTube star?  Is it different?
Jose Mostajo: Yeah it is actually, I started out just playing music and I didn’t get into the YouTube world till the summer of last year.  So I come from a traditional background: playing little shows, coffee shops, and spreading the word.  Getting into YouTube is very different.  The crowd, the way things are spread digitally, it’s awesome but very different.

NeonTommy:  Is this your first tour?
Jose Mostajo:  Yes, I’m very excited.

NeonTommy:  What’s it like travelling with the other guys?
Jose Mostajo:  We’ve been rehearsing together for a long time so they’re all really fun people, different personalities, which helps keeps it fresh.

NeonTommy:  What is the best and worst thing about what you do?
Jose Mostajo:  Best thing is that playing music for a living has always been my dream and now it’s becoming a reality.  The worst part is probably that there’s such a big commitment to the group that we can’t spend so much time with family or friends that don’t do the music thing.

Asher Monroe (Photo by Digitour)

[Interview with Asher Monroe]

NeonTommy:  Is this your first tour?
Asher Monroe:  This is my second tour, but this is my first solo project tour.

NeonTommy:  What’s it like being with other YouTube stars?
Asher Monroe:  We haven’t crossed paths much before, but this is a great opportunity FOR us to cross paths—put us all in the same room together, all our creative ideas, whatever we’re into and start talking about new ideas.  You know, maybe we’ll go off and do a track together, or like, now Ricky’s part of my band, so it’s a fun way to collaborate.

NeonTommy:  Can you describe your act in one sentence?
Asher Monroe:  Sexy!  Exciting!  Amazing!  Haha, no, I focus on good music obviously; I wanna keep people very interested so I’m always working on high energy stuff, especially my original songs and the stuff I’ve worked on with great producers that has the best production value.

NeonTommy:  What advice do you have for people just starting out on YouTube?
Asher Monroe:  Well, obviously it’s worked for a few people on the tour already, so just put out, put out music—actually there’s Alex Goot on the tour and he started out just doing covers of songs and now he’s doing original stuff.  Just put yourself out there and see how it reacts.

NeonTommy:  What is the best and worst thing about being a YouTube star?
Asher Monroe:  I don’t know if I’m a YouTube star, but the best thing is probably the easy connection with the fans.  I’m on Twitter, all the social networking stuff, and it’s great to have that easy access to talk to my fans.  And the worst part?  Well we’ll see how a month on a tour bus goes.  Actually everything’s been going pretty well so far and I’m really excited about playing live shows so let’s hope that keeps happening!

Dave Days (Photo by Digitour)

[Interview with Dave Days]

NeonTommy:  So I hear you have a new single coming out?
Dave Days:  Yeah, I have a new EP that just came out today and a music video, which is on the EP.  I’ve been doing music videos for a couple years now, building up the fan base I have, making cool music and trying to play more shows, which is why I’m here on DigiTour.

NeonTommy:  What’s the name of your EP?
Dave Days:  It’s called “We’re Just Kids.”

NeonTommy:  How long have you been working on it?
Dave Days:  Well, I’ve always been writing songs and I was like, well, I wanna do a new EP.  It has five songs.  I took two or three months going all out to finish it and I’m pretty excited with the result.

NeonTommy:  What can you tell us about the show?
Dave Days:  Tonight we’re playing the El Rey Theater.  This is the first show of, like, eighteen shows.  We did this last year; this is the second year they’re doing it.  And I have to say, I’m a lot more calm now that I’ve done it before, a lot more relaxed.  I actually slept last night, but I’m really excited for it.  I think people are really going to enjoy it.

NeonTommy:  Are you with any of the same people you were with last time or is it all new people?
Dave Days:  There’s some familiar faces, some new ones.  Alex Goot is new, and Asher Monroe, and Wellington, so there’s like a mix, like a hybrid.

NeonTommy:  What do you see as your place as a musician who came up through YouTube, in terms of the recording industry?
Dave Days:  I think I’m really just a piece of the puzzle.  There’s playing live, and there’s social media, and then you put those together.  As long as you play out and use everything and don’t neglect one, then you’ll be fine, you’ll translate and cross over which is what everyone is trying to do.

NeonTommy:  What is your favorite thing about being a YouTube star and your least favorite thing?
Dave Days:  My favorite thing I’d say is being able to post whatever I want.  I’m my own boss and I can post whatever I want whenever I want and I have full control.  My least favorite thing is probably that same thing—everything’s on me, I have to keep everyone happy and it’s a lot of work, but totally worth it.

Reach Whitney Bratton here. For more DigiTour coverage, click here.