Blue Sky + Hard Rock Indie Music Magazine Issue #1 [May 2012] by Blue Sky + Hard Rock

BSHR May ’12 Issue:1 Indie Music Magazine

Record Reflections

New Record Releases + a look back @ Record Store Day

Your Guide to Summer

2012’s Music Festivals + Conferences

Rock Da Mullet Art for Autism Get Cartoon-ized by Ed for FREE! Details on pg32

Grow + Maintain Your Indie Music Career Amazing Advice + Resources by + for Industry Professionals.

Behind the Band | Interviews Several Bands Sit Down + Tell Us The Story of How They Started + What’s Next for Them

PLUS! Free Music Get Blue Sky + B-Sides

Digital Download Sampler

Blue Sky + Hard Rock | Magazine Index

Blue Sky Music Makers

Music

4-5

A Letter from the Editor + FREE Music on the Blue Sky

Announcing a special exciting edition to the Blue Sky Fam + telling you how to get your Free Music right now!

Photojournalist Singer/Songwriter

Juana Reflects on Record Store Day Releases

Illyana Boc Business Contributing Writer Professional Songwriter + Coach

Vinny Ribas

Indie Connect, CEO

May’s Music Releases

Albums due out this month.

Artist Assistant Producer Technical Advice Specialist

Paul Jackson Angy vs the Bear Interview Gear Expert Guitarist, Singer + Songwriter

Bret Hudzietz

Farewell Studios, Founder

2012 Festivals + Conferences

There’s still a lot to come and more chances to catch your ideal indie moment of the summer..

The Grey Area Interview Subscriptions Email: press@blueskyandhardrock.com Phone: +1 818 925 8399 Twitter @BlueSkyMusicEnt InDesign Magazine / Newsletter Template

MAY 1 - 31, 2012 BLUESKY MAGAZINE

The sassy female fronted UK band who caught our eye + then our ear + our heart.

Wayne Short Audio Recording Engineer/Producer Songwriter

What Vinyl meansto her + a few favorites from this year’s Record Store Day

A Blue Sky friend + favorite, the Grey Area from DC hooked up with us at SXSW 2012 and talk about osme of their travels + plans.

Countless Thousands Interview

Danger Von Gordon gives us one of his memerable quircky interviews + offers readers a little extra something.

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Blue Sky + Hard Rock | Magazine Index

Blue Sky Music Shakers Brick + Mortor Interview

Love

Our best find from fellow blogger Music Ninja- BRMR hooked us from the first note.

Bartalk Interview

Editor

Meagan M. Jackson

The do talk! These Texans happen to be family.

Owner/Operator

Consultant + Stylist

26 - 27

Jennifer Fredrickson

[Phoenix Rising, Founder/Owner]

Noteworthy

Juana talks Blood Red Shoes + indie favorite Tegan and Sara.

Water Tower Interview

International Relations Photojournalist

AKA Blue Sky’s Best Find @ SXSW 2012. Find out how it came to be so.

Rachel Clare

[Press Play Photography] Music Journalist/Trendsetter

Juana Giamio Contributing East Coast Journalist

Open Feel Interview

Chris Thornhill Critic

Our lovely friends from the social skies, we are glad to give you another hot female rocker and her excellent counterpart

Rock Da Mullet Interview

Additional Photography by

Teresa “Tree” Sims +

Chris Bates

Marketing Magician Ed Santos provides creative artwork for free to support Autism.

Wrap Up

Music Related products, post, and things to squeeze in before it’s a Wrap!

Subscriptions Email: press@blueskyandhardrock.com Phone: +1 818 925 8399 Twitter @BlueSkyMusicEnt

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MAY 1 - 31, 2012 BLUESKY MAGAZINE

Meagan M. Jackson Owner+Operator / Editor meagan@blueskyandhardrock.com

I am made of blue sky + hard rock and I will live this way forever...

t is a gigantic feeling that is sitting in my heart as I look back and forth between the page and the clock, recalling the hours upon hours that went into this first issue. The first sampler, the first custom web design, the first Music Chart, first playlist- these all existed no where before they came to be in my heart, and by such wonderful means I have been given and amazing support from so many, now there are all these new things that exist where once there was nothing; new parts of the internet, new parts of myself + hopefully some new artists on your playlists. The feeling encompasses all these new things + all old things, connecting and melding with all that are no longer + all that is still coming- and there is so much more coming!

There are the hours following this where I ‘ll sit in complete, humble amazement of any and each person who interacts with Blue Sky + Hard Rock and our content. It’s nothing short of a miracle that someone in Moscow is able to find an itty bitty article online out of billions of others, googles even, and that article allows them to find a band from a modest town, a pin-point on the West Coast of America who I saw a few months ago by chance in a state half way across the country from my own home where I was able to be completely by chance.

ove + not luck is behind each great discovery or invention or achievement. It’s most evident here where I spend most of my time these days- dishing out every part of myself into new things to put out there and to give away. It is the same lesson I have been taught in many ways, but always this concept- “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

So give something/everything to a cause bigger than yourself each day, and I encourage you to go really BIG. So many of us pass over ideas, hopes + dreams without even trying because they are “too big.” In an age of computers where my best friends are in other states, my peers/collaborators are in other countries + we are able to find and share music from artists all over the world, I for one am sure nothing is too big to achieve. As a matter of fact, I know Blake Mykowski didn’t think it was “too big” of a dream to put shoes on each pair of feet around the world when he started TOMS. Steve Jobs didn’t think it was impossible to create a small portable computer when he was designing the iMac, the iPod or the iPhone. We miss 100% of chances we don’t take and when we take them boldly, the result is incredible + rewarding.

hank you for taking my bold dreams into your own hearts + for sharing in this journey- you are not only y “chance” I do not mean by blind luck, but rather by opportunity + the creation + seizing of it. There the biggest part of it, but you are the reason behind it. is no luck in the outcome you see on the screen af- Besides, without you + your ears, music wouldn’t ever ter punching in just the right code in the right order. be the magic that it is. Keep making magic by dreamIf you had not spent such tedious + attentive hours ing big. Keep giving back always, and life will be better making sure it was just right, it would be something than any dream, + it will be full of all the best music. completely different somehow, and it is far from easy. There are hours of frustration, confusion , anger and Thank you once again, I can’t wait to share what’s next hopelessness in life, but what I find now is that they are for us, and please drop us a line + let us know what’s the only road to bliss, joy, relaxation, gratitude, honor, new + exciting in your neck of the woods. happiness, and when the task at hand is going towards your dream, under each hard hour there is love, and ll my love (+ rockets), consequentially: music.

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Free Music | Blue Sky Sampler

Our Very First Sampler Free Music for You from Bands that we love + support

The Blue Sky + B-Sides Sampler was created by our staff to include friends + favorites of Blue Sky, including our own Illyana Boc + Paul “JAX” Jackson. It was first made available in celebration of Record Store Day, supporting the less-recognized indie e-stores of this digital era. GET YOUR FREE COPY NOW @ blueskyandhardrock.com/bsides

Countless Thousands Too Close to Call A Pirate’s Shanty Water Tower Bobcat Don’t Look Back Brick + Mortar Heatstroke Bartalk Seventeen

Billy Burgess Struggle for Words

Angry vs. The Bear Show Emotion

Ulfur Black Shore

Ed Tullett Silver Dive

JAX Damn

The Open Feel Still Here

Martin Vidal What’ve I Got to Lose

City by Storm Set it Off

Elena Charis Whisper in my Ear

The Grey Area You

Illyana Boc Bring Us Back InDesign Magazine / Newsletter Template

Reflections on Record Store Day 2012

A Few Words on the Vinyl Record Reflections on Record Store Day +Juana’s Favorite Releases I

remember when I started being interested in music, five years ago, I used to enter the record store of my hometown, Quilmes, Buenos Aires, and find four halls full of CDs and one for live DVDs. They have already started selling appliances, but I could find most of the albums I wanted; only the ones from extremely unknown artist or new bands were miss-

few days ago, I went back to the same Record Store, which belongs to a chain called “Musimundo” (something like “Musicworld”). It was being restored: the place for the Cds was tiny, while the one for appliances was being enlarged. I asked for the new album “Ya” of an Argentinian band called Banda De Turistas, but it still hadn’t arrived. Ok, the album was just released a week before. I went over the stands as always, searching for nothing in particular. It was hard to go in alphabetical order as it was being restores and everything was a mess. I found just one album of Belle & Sebastian, “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, the only record of Beck in the store was “Modern Guilt”, the following albums of Laura Marling were never released here, so you can imagine that neither the ones of the members of Rilo Kiley.

often question myself why people don’t like the anymore. Is it because they don’t want to pay for music? Is it because they just listen to some songs of an album so it is useless to buy the while record? (but that’s why singles are still edited) Is it because they occupy a lot of space in their house?

owever, there are still a lot of people that cares and are attached with records in all its forms: CD, vinyl or cassettes. It seems that the aim of the industry isn’t to bring back popularity to records, but to give them more value and this can be clearly seen with all the deluxe edition that are being released or the limited editions as well. While singles were for ing. You could find all the discography of Beck, Laura people that only liked one song of the album, they Marling’s debut album, “Alas, I Cannot Swim” and are now for fans that like B-sides as much as studio even “Under The Blacklight” of Rilo Kiley. I used to go albums. Records are now excluded just for their lovover all the stands and went back home with some ers to keep them safe with them or for people that wants to live in the past where everything was simalbum in my bag I did not expect to buy. pler and to see what was new in the music world, you just needed to go to a store, instead of being singed

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Reflections on Record Store Day 2012

es, it was heaven. Is there something better that going through the albums and find one that you have been looking for ages? Or to buy a record and hear the person next to you say “good choice”? And finally leave, arrive home and while listening to the music watch the artwork and feel the Cd moving, transmitting all the sounds it locks inside? How can a computer replace that?

ecords are now for music fans, while the popular musicians keep doing singles to be streamed on the radio, TV or parties. In the future, Record Store’s chains will disappear and we will just have independent stores that are warm and don’t need a computer to tell you if they have the record you asked for or not.

J uana ’ s F avorite Record Store releases Arctic Monkeys | R U Mine?

he world keeps changing and we cannot stop that, even if it is wrong or if it is not. We have to accept that this is happening, that people do not but vinyls or CDs anymore, they do not even buy music! The idea that vinyls are still produced even since the 80’s they stopped being popular, can calm us down and make us believe that it will continue like this and that CDs will also have its space in independent record stores. Maybe it is better to think that everything will continue its course, while we will be able to stay in the past, where we feel as comfortable as at home.

The Flip Side: New Must-Have Music App [from Chris Thornhill] Looking for a music app that doesn’t use tons of data? Look no further. Groove is the app for you. Groove is the first music app to stand out to a music fanatic such as myself. I have an iPhone, and it is mostly filled with music. Literally. I have an extremely large musical collection, and picking the select few albums to put on my phone is just too difficult, so I put as much as possible on my phone, and I prefer it that way. Pandora can get frustrating with the ads and limited skips, and other radio/music services all have subscription fees, so I stray away from those. Obviously I just listen to the music I have chosen to put on my phone, but making playlists, shuffling select artists/albums, and finding the right order to so can be cumbersome. This is where Groove comes in. If you are like me, and you prefer having the actual files to be on your phone to radio, groove is for you. Groove is powered by Last.fm, and you can even scrobble from it if you have an account with Last.fm. It takes your music on your phone, scans it, and creates smart playlists for you based on your favorite music, what you listen to, and by the tags of the artists on Last.fm, all while getting all album art and artist pictures. Using your music and what you prefer, the app creates playlists for you and makes choosing what to play infinitely easier, from going for a jog, putting music on to sleep, or on the car. It’s only $1.99, and it could not be easier to use. Download it here. http://tinyurl.com/7ojyzlx

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May Music Releases ‘12

+May 18th

+May 1st It All Starts With One – Ane Brun Blown Away - Carrie Underwood

The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap

Little Broken Hearts – Norah Jones Prohet – Ramona Falls Out Of The Game – Rufus Wainwright Master of my Make Believe – Santigold

+May 8th Dr. Dee – Damon Albarn In the Belly of the Brazen Bull –The Cribs Summer Bodies – Dana Buoy

+May 22nd Choice Of Weapons – The Cult Fixers – We’ll Be The Moon

Neck Of The Woods – Silversun Pickups

A Joyful Noise – Gossip Clear Moon – Mount Eerie

+May 15th Bloom – Beach House

+May 22nd [cont.]

The Only Place – Best Coast Not Your Kind Of People – Garbage Unpatterns – Simian Mobile Disco

Death Dreams – PS I Love You Words and Music... – Saint Etienne

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May Music Releases ‘12

+May 25th

+May 29th [cont.]

Anxiety - Ladyhawke

Among The Leaves – Sun Kill Moon

+May 28th 2:54 – 2:54 Magic Hour – Scissor Sisters

+May 29th Here – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Island Fire – Gemma Fire The Sister – Marissa Nadler What We Saw From the Cheap Seats - Regina Spektor Valtari – Sigur Rós

The third album from Los Angeles fuzzrockers Silversun Pickups, Neck of the Woods (due May 8) started with a chance meeting when the band stumbled across Grammywinning producer Jacknife Lee (R.E.M., U2, Weezer) while recording guest vocals for a Snow Patrol track. But Pickups frontman Brian Aubert is quick to point out that pretty much everything about the album -- from producer to studio location right down to its found-photo album art -- has been serendipitous. “It’s bizarre,” the affable singer/guitarist tells SPIN, a day after hearing the record in full for the first time. “We can’t take credit for any of it. It just accidentally happened.” For one example of a happy accident, Aubert was surprised to discover Lee’s home studio was smack in the middle of Topanga Canyon woods, minutes from where the singer grew up. “I hadn’t been back in years,” he recalls. “I thought it would be fun to walk down my old street. It was like playing with fire a little bit. So much came back that I had forgotten about and it was a really emotional experience. I just realized this place and the feelings I had are still ingrained in me.” Aubert says the songs sound “like a horror movie,” all of them beginning to percolate while he was country-hopping and peoplewatching during a European vacation. “[2009’s] Swoon was more about what I was feeling at that particular time,” he says, “whereas with this one, I wanted to see what built me. It was learning why I am the way I am.”

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Angry vs The Bear | Interview

Angry vs the Bear Get to Know Your Friends Across the Pond.

rummer Ross Farley has been a friend of through this interview, again granted by Ross the Blue Sky Blog since the beginning. Farley. Here’s the low down on the young upThrough a series of correspondance, we were and-commers of UK’s Angry vs. The Bear. . . introduced to Ross’s band, the upbeat, fun + swanky Angry vs The Bear. Ross gladly granted our request to share their music with you multiple times, and the band lends their very first single “Show Emotion” to the Blue Sky + B-Sides Premier 2012 Sampler. Be sure to nab your free copy on page 4! When we heard this band we knew they were high classs, a talented female-fronted indie rock band with edge+ dance-ability. So we are letting you get to know them a bit more here

“

Times are tough for everyone including musicians but we are lucky in that we are doing something we love and we get to meet a lot of awesome people doing it!

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Angry vs The Bear | Interview

+ R

How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? oss: Mitzi and Darren met in High School I believe. They, along with Pat were in a band together before we formed Angry Vs The Bear. They decided to start a new band and were in need of a drummer which is where I came in! I’d played in a few other bands in and around Colchester, which is where we are based but I think they found me online!

How did you decide on the name? Haha, we get asked that question a lot given that our name is a bit different. Pat came up with it I think. Basically Angry Vs The Bear is about overcoming something that is a challenge or may seem impossible at first. For us The Bear is the music industry and with a bit of Anger and determination we hope to one day conquer it! The Bear can be whatever you want it to be. You hear those stories of a parent doing something miraculous like lifting a car off of a trapped kid and saving them. It might seem impossible but somehow they manage to summon the super-human strength to save the kid! That is what Angry Vs The Bear is about!

What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music? We’d hope that by buying our music people will get the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting us to make music. Which is something the four of us are very passionate about. We love writing music, playing it at our shows and seeing everyone dance, having a good time. It’s an unbeatable feeling. When listening to our music we want people to dance, sing and jump around.

Sometimes we drop the tempo or I’m not sure if you are familiar calm it down a bit but generally with the indie music scene in speaking our music is all about hav- America, but is there anything that stands out for you being from the ing a good time! UK and the music scene there? How What can they expect to experi- much grunt work generally goes in ence at your live shows? to getting people out to your shows Raw energy! Our shows are frantic or paying for your music/merch? and loud. We play music that you’d We’ve played in the US a few times loosely describe as electro pop... now. We played SXSW in 2009 & but we play it with real balls! We 2010 and toured a bit afterwards have a big sound and play every- both times and had a great time. thing live- No backing tracks! If you We found that people at shows in hear something at a gig of ours, one America were generally a lot more of us is playing it live! open to hearing something different and new compared to over Who are your biggest musical here. American music fans seem to influences? have a never-ending thirst for new That’s a tricky question! We are a music and an incredible energy! It’s funny bunch as we all listen to dif- certainly easier to get folks dancing ferent styles of music. Mitzi is a big in the US from our experience! Mufan of reggae and soul, Darren lis- sic fans over here are great tho too. tens to stuff like Mars Volta, Pat likes We have some fantastic fans who music he can bob his head to and follow us all over the country, and I listen to all sorts! When we are on without them we’d be nothing! tour driving about in our van there Generally speaking shows over here is normally a big fight over what we in England are quite expensive, eslisten to. It’s quite hard to come to a pecially in london. The cost to proconsensus! It’s quite amazing really moters and venues is pretty high that we ever come to an agreement which pushes up the ticket prices, when writing tunes considering our leaving a tricky balancing act for varied tastes in music. Though we the bands. If you want the tickets take it as a good sign that if the four to be affordable and get people in of us like it, others will too! through the doors to see you play, it can often mean playing for pretty Anyone “upcoming” that you much nothing! I wouldn’t be lying if are really into? I told you that me and Pat once ate We have played with some great only tinned Mackerel for a whole upcoming bands over the last few week of touring in a bid to save years including the likes of Florence money to put more petrol in the & the Machine and Neon Trees, both van! of whom made it BIG shortly after Times are tough for everyone inwe played with them! A couple of cluding musicians but we are lucky bands who you probably haven’t in that we are doing something we heard of who we are big fans of are love and we get to meet a lot of MOK from Brighton, and the Chevin awesome people doing it! from Leeds. They’ve both played at our club night in Colchester in the last few months and went down a treat! Check them out!

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Angry vs the Bear Interview

Photos Courtesy: Angry vs. The Bear +CHECK OUT THE BAND+ www.Angryvsthebear.com

Facebook.com/angryvsthebear Twitter.com/angryvsthebear

Twitter.com/rossvsthebear

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Angry vs the Bear Interview

+ W

Where can fans find your music online, either to stream, download or to purchase? e have music on all the main music download sites iTunes, Amazon etc and you can also find our tunes on Spotify, Soundcloud as well as other streaming sites. Just searchAngry Vs The Bear! If you prefer your music in a format you can touch and hold in your hands you can buy CDs as well as other merch on our website www. angryvsthebear.com.

Where can they best connect with the band? We love talking to our fans and making new music loving friends. The main way to chat with us is on our facebook or twitter. We have personal twitter accounts too which can be found by visiting our main one. We are also on tumblr, youtube and a host of other sites. The best way to connect with us though is at a show! It might be the internet age, but you still can’t beat talking face to face!

What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? The toughest thing for sure is making ends meet. We just about manage though. We have petrol in the van and can put food on our plates so we can’t complain but we are going to have to wait a little bit longer for a fancy car! Getting your music heard is also remarkably difficult too. There are a lot of bands out there so you have to really work hard to be heard!

+ T

What do you love most about it? The best thing about being in a band and making music for me is playing shows and doing something I love for a living. Playing to a packed venue or at a festival looking out at a sea of happy faces is an incredible feeling. Can’t beat it!! Since everyone was a “start-up” once, what advice can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and advance in their career? The best advice I could give is to practice and get really tight as a band. It might seem obvious, but as I mentioned a few questions back there are thousands and thousands of other bands out there and if you want to get somewhere then you need to be better than all of them! That’s what we aim to do every time we step on stage. Playing in Angry Vs The Bear is a lot of fun, but we work hard and whenever we get on stage we want it to be our best show yet!

Any plans to come to America in the near-ish future? We’ll definitely head back to America at some point. Hopefully it’ll be in 2012! But at the moment nothing is confirmed. When something is planned we’ll be sure to let everyone know on our website and through our social networks! Any parting words, a message to your fans or general populous? o our fans- Thank you all for your continuing love and support, we appreciate it immensely. You make being in this band very special! o any potential fans out therePlease come and say hello, we are lovely people (honest!) and we don’t bite!!

When can we expect to see you touring and where? +What’s Next for Angry vs The Bear? Anything you would like sharenew merch, upcoming shows or albums? We are currently beavering away in the recording studio preparing our next few singles. On Monday we started shooting the video for our next single “London Town”, which we are very excited about. We’ll be touring “London Town” this summer all over the UK. We also have plans to visit Europe and possibly further a field later in the year too.

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Brighton, UK

May 10-12, 2012

Since being founded in 2006, The Great Escape has been firmly established internationally as the leading event for showcasing new music. Over 300 bands playing in 30 venues over 3 days Impromptu street gigs spring up all over town. The Alternative Escape, numerous club nights, label parties, + industry showcases add to the festivities. AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN AVALANCHE CITY BINARY BOS ANGELES COLLEGE COM TRUISE DJANGO DJANGO

DOLDRUMS DRY THE RIVER DZ DEATHRAYS EAGULLS EMMA LOUISE FRANÇOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS FRIENDS FURGUSON

GRAPHICS GRIMES HALF MOON RUN HAWK EYES HOWLER INLAND SEA JAMIE N COMMONS JINJA SAFARI JORDAN COOK

| £51.00 3-day pass STRANDED JUVENILES HORSE MALLORY KNOX THE BRITISH MAX COOPER ME AND THE BEES EXPEDITIONARY FORCE MESPARROW THE DARCYS MOJO FURY THE SOFT MUJERES TRUST NILS FRAHM WE ARE THE OWLLE OCEAN PEACE PERFUME GENIUS WEIRD DREAMS WHEN SAINTS GO PRINCESS CHELMACHINE SEA WIM SEWARD YOUNG DREAMS SING TANK YOUNG MAGIC SLOW DOWN YUKON BLONDE MOLASSES SONIC BOOM SIX ZULU WINTER Δ (ALT-J) SPECTOR

São Paulo, Brazil May 11-12, 2012 $350 2-Day | $200 1-Day

ALVA NOTO & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO AUSTRA BJÖRK BRUNO BELLUOMINI CEE LO GREEN CHROMEO CRIOLO CUT CHEMIST DAGO DJ MARKY VS. DJ PATIFE DJ ZEGON & SONIDOS UNIDOS SOUND SYS-

Sonar is a leading international benchmark thanks to a carefully assembled range of culture, entertainment and artistry. TEM JOHN TALABOT SETH TROXLER DOOM JUSTICE SILVA EMICIDA LITTLE DRAGON SKREAM FEAT. MC SGT. FLYING LOTUS M.TAKARA VS. AKIN POKES FOUR TET MAURICIO FLEURY SQUAREPUSHER GANG DO ELETRO MODESELEKTOR SUPER GUACHIN GUI BORATTO MOGWAI TAHIRA HUDSON MOHAWKE MUNCHI THE TWELVES JAMES BLAKE DJ NEDU LOPES THOMASH JAMES BLAKE LIVE PAZES TIGER & WOODS JAMES HOLDEN PSILOSAMPLES TOTALLY ENORMOUS JAMES PANTS RICARDO DONOSO EXTINCT DINOSAURS JEFF MILLS RUSTIE ZA!

MAY 18-20, 2012 @ Robbins Crossing at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio WEEKEND PASSES: $80.00 | FRIDAY PASS: $45.00 | SATURDAY PASS: $55.00 | SUNDAY PASS: $45.00 Iron and Wine Andrew Bird M. Ward Guided By Voices Roky Erickson Lee "Scratch" Perry Todd Snider Dawes Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires Kurt Vile & The Violators Jorma Kaukonen Hayes Carll

Those Darlins Dark Dark Dark Lee Ranaldo Band Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside Horse Feathers Jessica Lea Mayfield Flying Clouds of South Carolina Michael Hurley Mucca Pazza Shovels & Rope Black Bananas

Hope for Agoldensummer R.Ring Woody Pines Greg Ashley Band Mount Moriah Matt Bauer The Old Fashioneds Todd Burge Shivering Timbers Ohio University Symphony Orchestra The Tillers Wheels On Fire

Sport Fishing USA The D-Rays Time and Temperature The Shazzbots Hex Net State Park Angela Perley & The Howling Moons Boxcar Burlesque Debris Upon The Forest Floor

Can't wait until Friday, May 18th for the Festival to start? Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in luck! They will be a Kickoff Party Thursday, May 17th Gates open at 6:00pm FREE ADMISSION! No Ticket Needed! Live Music, Beer Garden, Early Camping Available, and more. LINEUP INCLUDES Angela Perley & The Howling Moons, State Park, Hex Net, Boxcar Burlesque+more! Desaparecidos Garbage Josh Rouse Delta Spirit Dum Dum Girls Icky Blossoms

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$170

$200

New for 2012

Keep your ticket in a safe place: tickets cannot be replaced.

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Jack White

Jamey Johnson

Dum Dum Girls

Gary Clark Jr.

Poor Moon

Beck

Of Monsters and Men

The Helio Sequence

Hospitality

Black Whales

Bon Iver

Little Dragon

Kurt Vile and the Violators

Purity Ring

Gold Leaves

Pretty Lights

tUnE-yArDs

Cloud Cult

Electric Guest

Greylag

Tenacious D

Wild Flag

Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires

Damien Jurado

The Shins

Blind Pilot

We Are Augustines

Graffiti6

Awesome Tapes From Africa

Beirut

Beats Antique

Ben Howard

Yellow Ostrich

Girl Talk

Apparat

Here We Go Magic

Reptar

The Roots

The Walkmen

Zola Jesus

NobodyBeatsTheDrum

The Head & The Heart

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

The War on Drugs

Coeur de Pirate

Portlandia

Mark Lanegan Band

Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr

Lord Huron

Feist

Chiddy Bang

Poliça

Silversun Pickups

Spiritualized

Shearwater

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside

Metric

Feed Me (with Teeth!)

Cass McCombs Band

Explosions In The Sky

Blitzen Trapper

Active Child

James Murphy (DJ set)

The Cave Singers

AraabMuzik

The Joy Formidable

Shabazz Palaces

Star Slinger

Mogwai

fun.

LA Riots

Nero (DJ)

Grouplove

Com Truise

Wolfgang Gartner

Tycho

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

M. Ward

Little People

I Break Horses

John Reilly and Friends (feat. Becky Stark & Tom Brosseau)

SBTRKT

ReignWolf

Trampled By Turtles

Walk The Moon

Childish Gambino

STRFKR

Dry the River

Santigold

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Allen Stone

Craft Spells

S t . Vi n ce n t

Deer Tick

Pi ckwi ck

Vintage Trouble

The Ci vi l War s

Alabama Shakes

Hey Marsei l l es

The Sights

THEESatisfaction Dyme Def Fresh Espresso The Physics Sol Metal Chocolates Grynch

Beat Connection

SPAC3MAN

The Sheepdogs

Don’t Talk To The Cops!

James McCartney

Scribes

The Staves

Fatal Lucciauno

HoneyHoney

Fly Moon Royalty

Hey Rosetta!

Katie Kate

Said The Whale

Nick Kroll

Howlin Rain

John Mulaney

Gardens & Villa

Todd Barry

Felix Cartal

Beardyman

Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss

Rob Delaney

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Pete Holmes Chelsea Peretti

The Grey Area Interview

The Grey Area Washington, DC

We had a digital sit down with the guys of the Grey Area recently, upon return from our joint ventures @ SXSW 2012. These guys are 100% hard working indie rockers with big time plans they touch on here in the interview. We “skyly” recommend you watch for the Grey Area to rise.

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How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? e met at an open jam session at Zoo Bar, a little holein-the-wall blues place here in DC. TJ was drumming on stage and Jason was sitting at the bar waiting his turn to play. After they’d finished one jam, the guys on stage didn’t know what to play next, so Jason hopped up, called out a Zeppelin tune, and we just started playing. The chemistry was immediate, and the rest is history.

What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music? Raw rock n’ roll, stripped of pretense, back to the basics of catchy riffs and tight drumming. People have called it quirky, jaunty, dynamic, poppy, bluesy… but overall it’s fun and it’s got a groove. Pick up a copy for yourself, and let us know what you think.

Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into? Biggest influences are The Black Keys and The White Stripes. We’re into, The Alabama Shakes: they got soul.

What do you think about online music sharing? It’s convenient. Things spread so virally that bands can get fans What can they expect to ex- pretty quickly. Why not embrace perience at your live shows? it? First thing everyone always tells us is they’re surprised that just Where can fans find your mutwo dudes can make so much sic online or otherwise, either How did you decide on the sound. So expect to be surprised. to stream, download or to purname? Expect to have fun. Expect to chase? Once we settled on the two-per- have a lick or two caught in your ITunes, BandCamp, Amazon, Sposon line-up, we wanted a name head when you leave. And expect tify, Rhapsody, E-Music, Napster, that placed us into the lineage that you’ll develop a crush on ei- and all other major retailers. of The Black Keys and The White ther one of us—because we’re Stripes. Hence, The Grey Area. just do damn charming.

The Grey Area Interview

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Where can they connect with the band? ouTube.com/thegreyareadc, Facebook.com/thegreyareadc, Twitter.com/thegreyareadc and Soundcloud.com/thegreyareadc are the best ways to keep in touch. We also have an email list, that has exclusive content, in depth tour schedule, and other fun stuff we cook up from time to time. Shoot us an email at thegreyareadc@gmail.com to get on it.

What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? What do you love most about it? Well,everyone is in a band these days, so it’s difficult to distinguish yourself. But playing shows and meeting people across the country is by far the best part. Come out to a show and say hi!

Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips? Don’t take no for an answer.

When can we expect to see you touring and in which regions? We’ll be on the road all year in support of our debut EP, “508.” East coast, west coast, upstate New York—we’ll be around.

Anything you would like sharenew merch, upcoming shows or albums? Our new music video for the single “Sugar, From You” is coming out this summer. It looks incredible; shot by an artist we know from New York, edited by the same editor who has worked with Phish and Guster, and the look and feel is totally unique. We shot it in a greenhouse in a littleknown part of D.C. Stay tuned to YouTube for the premiere, it looks amazing.

From Blue Sky’s B-Side

he Grey Area is another great band to lend their music to our B-Side Sampler. They chose the track just for “You”. The song is off the band’s Highlyanticipated debut release, which helped them get nominated for “New Artist of the Year” by the Washington Area Music Awards. You can get the Full Length Download on their BandCamp now. The Banner download includes a hidden track of Advertising Jason and TJ rapping. Once again, the Blue Sky + B-Sides Sampler is available to you for FREE with details on Page 4.

Any parting words, a message to your fans or general populous? e sure to keep your eye out for Thanks for the support and takTour Dates from the Grey Area, ing an interest in our music. Stay which we guess are coming someclassy. time soon. If they come through your town, be sure not to miss it!

Countless Thousands | Interview

Countless Thousands Enjoy as they take you on an Epic Journey back to the Real Heart of Rock

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy “text of the” typesetning. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum been theeach industry’s Howhas did you meet other came over her! The tattered rags standard dummy type and and what lead you to come became a glittering golden robe, scrambled it to make the decrepit shawl became great together to create music?a ago, an old beating wings, and she rose from textanger ever: Once, sincelong the 1500s.

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crone came to my doorstep and asked for a drink of water and perhaps a crust of bread. Now, my granny had said that she’d whup me, and whup me but good, if i ever again opened our meager pantry to the travellers passing through our forest (to pay tribute to the infant king, lest his regent send the Vile Lancemen to plague their village), but the old crone was so kindly and so like a wisp of ancient lace, billowing in the attic of age, that my heart was all over pity. Cringing at the thought of granny’s return from the market, I brought the old crone our last bit of shepard’s pie - and all at once a great blinding light

Assonance, by the way, is the repetition of vowels sounds, and not the way you refer to the posterior on a lady by the name of Nancy. the ground a beaming angel! She Yeah, i hear you groaning, but just thanked me for my generosity try and stop me! and promised me any one thing my heart desired and bade me to What can one expect to get choose wisely, but i already knew. from listening to your music? With a surging heart, i asked her e cater to the enthusiasm how to post a “Musicians Wanted” within us all. We are nerds at ad on Craigslist. And Lo, it was so. heart and are just super stoked to be playing music, and we create How did you decide on the music that reflects that enthusiname? asm. Our album is called “We’re I was thinking about the Statue of Just Really Excited To Be Here”, Liberty and was a little hung up and every time some journalist on going with ‘the Huddled Mass- or blogger tells me that the name es’, but it just felt so whimpery, if of the album is spot-on, i roll an that’s a word. So a little tinkering itty-bitty tear because it is exactly in the brainpan led me to ‘Count- what we wanted to get across. less Thousands’, which was symmetrical and assonant and tasty.

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+What can they expect to experience at your live shows? Volume, energy, and epic bass solos. i genuinely feel like we are one of the best live acts on the So Cal scene today. Why, just the other day during our opener we had a passel of teens spontaneously bowing in a Wayne’s World “we’re not worthy” kind of way. And i just realized that I don’t know what kind of bragging it is to bring that up. Let’s just dump it in the ‘Unclassifiable Bragging’ category and move on. Suffice to say, we’re awesome and please come to our shows and we love you and hugs.

Countless Thousands | Interview

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Brick + Mortar Interview

Brick + Mortar

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Brick + Mortor | Interview

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How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? e and Tacon have been friends since 8th grade. At first we hated each others guts, we got over it lol. Tacon literally told me to start playing bass while walking home from school. So I did, he taught me allot about playing live, actually everything come to think of it I have never been in a band or made music with anyone else.

How did you decide on the name? It”s stolen. From my good friend Red Herring he knows who he is.

What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music? My songs speak to you. I speak for the common men and women who doubt themselves. Doubt isn’t as powerful as hope is sometimes you need to be reminded of that. I usually write songs to take myself out of a darker place.

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What can they expect to experience at your live shows? xpect us to love you like family. Honestly we love and appreciate every person who comes to our shows. We are not your average show expect to participate. e crazy we don’t give a fuck!!!! Storm the stage crowd surf smash a cymbal cross the line.!!!! We are up for whatever a crowd throws at us. We believe the crowd is an equal part of our live set.

Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into? I always love older stuff like The Doors, Pink Floyd, ect., 90’s tunes nirvana chili peppers and a bunch of other dirty shit!!!!! Also i love hip hop like Wu-Tang, BIG L, MF DOOM, Madlibs, LIL WAYNE guess i am not the coolest taste-wise but fuck it a great song is a great song. On the more recent side of things we listen to a lot of up and coming groups on pandora and from songs we see on blogs and touring. The one we rocked most on tour was Oscar + Martin “You can’t break a lions heart without expecting to see some blood. I’m a warrior, I won’t take this lion down” so good.

What do you think about online music sharing? Its essential to smaller bands. I think its totally positive if you are a great live band you will make money through touring!!

Where can fans find your music online or otherwise, either to stream, download or to purchase? http://brmr.net/

Where can they connect with the band? On our facebook or tumblr. I post everyday I am bored and unemployed lol. www.facebook.com/BrickAndMortarOfficial www.brickandmortar.tumblr.com/ What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie band today? What do you love most about it? The sheer volume of bands today makes it harder to find a booking agent and a label. I came to realize i am happy building this brick by brick, fan by fan myself. I promote every single day, maybe even too much (I have heard) but its that or just wait for fate. To me fate is just a gut feeling, it’s up to you to make it happen. Making it in any artistic medium is hard and it should be cause when the chips are down and you are in the gutter that’s when you really know what makes you who you are.

Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips? Play all the shows you can once you have built an audience and you can headline give the people something special give them your idea of the perfect set!!! Also promote all day everyday till you fucking die or don’t you will be cooler if you don’t. Don’t change for people change for the betterment of your live set. If you notice certain things you do or parts of songs people are really into take notice. Every audience is a judgement panel its your job to make them forget that and lose themselves in thet show.

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When can we expect to see you touring and in which regions? e are planning an east coast tour for july. We would love to come to CA but book ourselves so if we can swing it we will.

Any parting words, a message to your fans or general populous? Giving up is wrong. Don’t do it.

.S. Draw something today while listening to us. Then email it to bookbrickandmortar@gmail.com.

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Bartalk, the Interview

B A RTA L K + A

How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? li: We all met in college at Texas State University. Eric (drums) and I (Ali) are from South Texas, so we happened to have a lot of friends in common. We got together and started playing music mainly because we both love various punk bands and haven’t been in a band in a while. ric: Ali and I had a lot of mutual friends and met, officially, in an organization we were both involved in on campus. We originally started playing (and recorded) with another friend on guitar. When he moved to Dallas for school, we filled the void with another friend I worked with at the radio station on campus. Then he moved to Dallas for work. Dallas is the bane of this band’s existence.

How did you decide on the name? Ali: It’s a play on the composer Bartok’s name. I (Ali) started recording some songs I was working on with a little voice recorder and I immediately thought of the composer Bela Bartok. He was one of the first ethnomusicologist and a composer in the early 1900s and he took a phonograph with him to record folk songs in Hungary. So we started recording all of our practices for reference and the name Bartalk stuck. Eric: It started out as Bella Bartalk, a nice and cutesy play on the composer Bela Bartok. Then we dropped the ‘Bella’ and arrived at Bartalk. Single word names are the best. No “the.”

What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music? (who do your songs speak to or what does your music convey) Ali: My main hope, was that people would reminisce about old school do-wop and punk. I really wanted it to be about the garage band days, and how you felt when you were 16 listening to music in your room when you were supposed to be doing homework or sleeping. So, being a girl, I hope girls will identify with it, and just about everyone who loves grunge. Eric: What can they expect to get from buying? 4 solid rock and roll songs. Ditto on the listening. Ali is way better at answering these. Although believing only girls will identify with it is limiting our vision. People who like loud, straightforward, catchy riffs will find something to latch onto.

What can they expect to experience at your live shows? Ali: A lot of feedback, distortion and reverb. And me yelling, kicking and screaming. Eric: Expect to have a crush on Ali. Expect to see me try not to let the peppermint drop out of my mouth. That’s not a euphemism for anything. I eat a peppermint when playing.

Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into? Ali: My main music influences are a lot of riot grrrl bands like Bratmobile and Bikini Kill. I really turn to SleaterKinney for a lot of my inspiration as well. As far as “upcoming” bands go, my friends in Sick/Sea are amazing. Definitely check them out.

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Bartalk, the Interview

Eric: Definitely Thrice. Also: Hot Water Music, Alkaline Trio, American Football, Against Me!, Smashing Pumpkins. The list goes on. Admittedly, I’ve strayed from seeking out new music for a while. I worked as a music director at a radio station for a year and was bombarded with new music daily... and have taken a break and listen to a lot of stand-up now - oh! - At the Drive-In just got back together after 11 years - I think they’re a band to keep an eye on.

What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? What do you love most about it? Eric: Hardest thing? Oversaturation. It’s so easy and accessible for people to be/be in a band - which is equal parts awesome and terrible. Going back to the answer a few questions up: All it takes is a lonely afternoon to lead to a new song being written and put online for the world to hear and love or hate. Love most about What do you think about online music sharing? it? Creative expression, freedom, emotional outlet, Eric: It definitely has its ups and downs. I think, friends, writing, recording, gig posters getting to say unless you’re a record company, that it is a great tool you’re in a band. Who doesn’t want to be in a band? for bands that are just starting out. It’s so much easier to get your music out there into the world with all the Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any different web sites and social media outlets available. smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airNot to mention the tools that are readily available to play some tips? record your music and then set it in the wild. Seriously, Eric: Bother people until they give in. Everyone has a in the span of a few days (hours, even), you can write, breaking point. They like your band, they just might record, upload and have your music reaching hundreds not know it yet. Show them and never stop showing of sets of ears. That’s bizarre to me. On the flipside, it’s them. way more unlikely for people to physically leave their home to seek out and purchase new music these days. When can we expect to see you touring and in Now I’m confused to as if the question was about sharwhich regions? ing your music online or piracy. Welp. This was a long, e’d love to start a tour possibly during the winpotentially useless answer. My bad. ter and it will most likely be just in Texas.

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Where can fans find your music online or otherAnything you would like sharenew merch, upwise, either to stream, download or to purchase? coming shows or albums? They can check us out on Facebook and Bandcamp. We should be back in the studio to work on a new EP Our EP is up for download on both sites. this summer.

www.bartalk.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/bartalkmusic

Where can they connect with the band? You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. @bartalkmusic

Any parting words, a message to your fans or general populous? Eric: Thanks for taking the time to read. Thanks even more for taking the time to listen.

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Bood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes

aura-Mary Carter had a band called Lady Muck and Steven Ansell had another band called Cat on Form. And we should thanks that these bands have broken up, if not we wouldn’t have the pleasure to listen to this English duo called Blood Red Shoes. ith Laura-Mary on guitar, Steven on drums and both doing vocals, they expose emotions related to frustration, deception, anger, the need of freedom and dullness, not only though their lyrics, but through their rough and noisy melodies too. lthough the band was formed in 2004 and released their first EP in 2005, called “Victory for the Magpie”, we had to wait three years from that to hear their first record: “Box of Secrets”. This album has some energetic and fun songs, such as “It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” (that is also part of the soundtrack of the movie “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”), “You Bring Me Down” and “Say Something, Say Anything”. Their irritation towards society and the modern world can already be seen in tracks as “Try Harder”, “Forgive Nothing” and “Doesn’t Matter Much”, that opens the album with its heavy sounds.

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written by Juana Giaimo

he sound and suffocated atmosphere of these songs is highly developed in their following album, released in 2010 and called “Fire Like This”. Though the songs have a more solid structure, they are able to transmit even more rage and fury than on their previous album, and this can be shown in the music video of the song “Heartsink”, for which they propose fans to take something that for some reason was hurting them and to break it in the video. ith the news of their third album, “In Time to Voices” this year, not only I was anxious, but also felt good to be supporting this band since their beginnings. Laura-Mary keeps improving her guitar technics and making her voice stronger while Steven’s voice is rougher and his drums can set the appropriate rhythm that it is both, noisy and upbeat. In song like “Slip into Blue” and “Night Light”, they succeed in transmitting their feelings not by the smashing and shocking, but through the melodies. While in others, such as “Je Me Perds” and the single “Cold” they seem to be destroying the room.

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Tegan + Sara

W h at ’ s N e x t

for

Tegan

and

Sara?

written by Juana Giaimo Tegan and Sara are in the studio again, making their seventh album after three years of releasing “Sainthood” and causing our expectations and excitement to increase each day as we know more details about it. In an interview with Billboard Sara Quin explained that their live CD/DVD “Get Along” was “sort of like closing a chapter”. “From the Most Part”, one of the films of “Get Along”, was entirely live stripped down version of their songs and in their last shows they have been playing quite a lot of their songs like this. While their two previous albums, “The Con” (2007) and “Sainthood” (2009) were produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie, for the new record, Tegan And Sara are working with three producers. In their Dashboard Confessionals, videos of them at the back of the car telling what they did each day at the studio, they revealed that their producers were Mike Elizondo (Regina Spektor, Rilo Kiley), Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, The Shins) and Justin Meldal-Johnsen (M83, Neon Trees + also known for being the bass player of Beck since Odelay). Tegan And Sara are also showing the recording of the new album at a Rolling Stone photo journal, in which they say: “With this record we are doing a lot of background vocals and harmonies. Some may say we're returning to our roots, and they'd be right”. However, they also that Greg Kurstin is “pushing Sara and I to the edge”. And as if it wasn’t enough to confuse us, they mentioned the songs have a lot of synthesizers and even whistles! It seems that Chris Walla prepared them to these changes, introducing them to new sounds and now these producers are making them cross the limit, and that seems like excellent news. A r t i s t t o wat c h : H o o d i e A l l e n Artist to watch: Hoodie Allen written by Chris Thornhill A hip hop artist from new York climbing his way to musical success unsigned, Hoodie Allen will soon become everyone’s favorite rapper. Straying away from the conventional formula of modern rap today, he samples from unconvential sources, whether it be classic songs orDeath Cab For Cutie, those who love hip hop as well as those who tireof the scene today will find a breath of fresh air in Hoodie. His diehard fans, appropriately labeled the “Hoodie Mob” can breathe a sigh of relief; Hoodie Allen is on his way to the top. His first official EP was released on the 10th of April and quickly climbed to the top of iTunes and stayed there for a few days. As Hoodie always does, he keptin touch and showed his grateful nature on twitter, where he was constantly thanking fans and perpetually glowing from the obvious flood of emotions he must have been feeling. All American has one flaw; it ends. From the first single, “NoInterruption” to the second “No Faith in Brooklyn” to an incredibly relatable must listen “Eighteen Cool,” he mixes personal lyrics withclever lines with wonderfully constructed beats with everything you enjoy in a hip hop song. These tracks will go from being a risky buy from an artist you have yet to check out to your favorite songs toyour ringtone at a shocking pace. The long awaited EP was met with outstanding reviews from all his fans and was quickly bought up forthe modest price of $4.99 for eight tracks. Another shining song wouldhave to be “High Again” which brings a touch of emotion that reallybrings the whole EP together. All in all, this EP is easily considereda triumph for all.Go like his facebook, where conviniently placed are his first mixtapesavailable for download for free, as well as check out his upcomingtour supporting All American. Also follow him on twitter to keep intouch, @Hoodie Allen.

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Water Tower | Interview

W at e r T o w e r

Our Blue Sky Best Find of SXSW 2012

Water Tower

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Sometimes, the best discoveries are found and made where it may seem the least bit likely, or the most unusual. Maybe they actually find you. This was the case for Water Tower, who we saw perform a small apartment show on our last day of the SXSW Festival this past March.

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How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? e met because I moved in next door to Josh. We created music because that was what both of us were into. The first time we jammed we played “Say It Ain’t So” By Weezer...

speak to or what does your music convey) What can they expect to experience at your live shows? hey can expect fun times. Hard times. And a reverence for old times. In terms of the live show, you can expect a lot of energy and passion. I asked my friends who are twins, who also happen to be sitting next to me about this question just now and here is how they replied:

ing up your leg, and decides to make a home in your asshole, and there is this other family so there is not enough space in your asshole for a family.” Garret Durant, the bands album artist.

You’ve been on the same stage as quite a few names worth mentioning. What has How did you decide on the been your best or favorite experience from those shows? Any funname Water Tower? We live next door to a water towny stories you can share? er where we played a lot of music We had a great time hanging with and spent a lot of time doing all “It is pure, unadulterated good Old Crow Medicine show in Belsorts of things. times.” -Alex Durant, the band’s fast one time.. Ketch’s fiddle was cheerleader. acting up so he needed to borWhat can listeners expect to row Josh’s so I remember running get from buying/listening to “Imagine standing alone in the through the madness of the fesyour music? (who do your songs snow, and a mouse starts crawl- tival to get Josh’s fiddle and tune

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Water Tower | Interview

it up in time for Ketch to hit the stage. We also had a great jam with Mike Peloso, the bass player of Modest Mouse that night. He is a nice and humble fellow who shared stories of his newborn at the time.

The hardest thing is making money. The part I love most about it is the community and family that we have developed through playing shows. I love getting to hang out with music lovers and creators.

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Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into? e love the Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Lil Wayne, Bach, Old Crow, and Ween. ur favorite up and coming band is Goldenboy. Amazing band.

Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips? Have a nice website, accept anything you get, be nice, and be persistent, but not pushy.

You also just made the trek out to SXSW and back on tour, tell What do you think about online us about your travels. music sharing? We popped a tire after a gig in e love it and respect it. Burn Colorado at 2am in the snow.. that our music! Steal it! Rip it! Just was a tough one to get out of. We stayed up with mass amounts of listen to it. It will heal you. caffeine and loud punk rock muWhere can fans find your music sic. We almost got detained at the online? Where can they connect border but as soon as we got up to with the band? the check station, the sniffing dog www.watertowerband.com. walked away for lunch break so we The best way to interact with us on- were very stoked on that one. line is through our facebook/twitter or through the Water Tower Hotline: When can we expect to see you 971 322 7209. touring again? We are hitting the east coast in What do you feel is the hardest June, the UK in september and then thing about being an indie mu- doing a 6 month residency in Calisic band/ today? What do you love fornia starting in November. most about it?

Anything you would like sharenew merch, upcoming shows or albums? Any parting words, a message to your fans or general populous? We have a bunch of new mesh hats coming in soon which we are excited about. The people of California buy the most hats. We have a residency of one week at Al’s Den in Portland starting April 8th to 14th. The next album is going to have a few special guests, one including Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine show.

n behalf of myself and the Blue Sky Staff, we sincerely thank you for your time and for sharing your gift of music. Thank you so much for your time, this interview was a fun one to do!!

nterview Questions Answered by enny Feinstein

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The Open Feel | Interview

The Open Feel A PR Dream Duo from Los Angeles whom we actually met on the Internet. . . Shhh! Don’t tell the kids.

Band r e h t o An Side! B e h on t

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How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music? om: We met here in L.A. through a mutual friend - we all went to the Santa Monica pier that night. We rode on the roller coaster, ate corn dogs and talked music and that was it! We’ve been a couple ever since. . . We played in different bands for a long time and then finally decided to start seriously writing together about 4 years ago. All we wanted to do was find our sound - just to be honest with ourselves as musicians and songwriters. It all started as just a blank slate - we had no ideas as to what our music would sound like. We just started writing. Eventually the result was The Open Feel. How did you decide on the name? atie: We wrote a song called “Open Feel” before the band

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existed. It had this moody drum and bass thing to it with this great Rhodes part. Those were the “we wish we were Massive Attack” days! That song never made it onto any release, but survived as the name of the band. What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music? (who do your songs speak to or what does your music convey) Tom: When we write and perform our music we feel as if we’ve transcended to an alternate reality where everything is beautiful. No matter how bad our day was, no matter how stressed out we feel, this alternate universe exists and we can get there by playing our music. If a listener is able to feel this even just a little bit, then mission accomplished. What can they expect to experience at your live shows? (if anything stands out for you)

Katie: There aren’t any smoke machines, lasers or fire. . . yet! But we will play our hearts out for you. We rock hard, loud and dreamy. To us, our fans are to be earned - they are the Kings and the Queens. Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into? Tom: Most of our influences sound nothing like The Open Feel. Right now in the background we are listening to Mississippi John Hurt. After that it might be Howlin’ Wolf and then Ella Fitzgerald. We love the classic soul artists like Etta James, Otis Redding, anything Motown. . . There’s definitely the rock influences too - The Cure, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Massive Attack and My Bloody Valentine. Without them there would be no Open Feel. We’ve also had an opportunity to play with a couple of great L.A.

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The Open Feel | Interview chase? Everything can be done through our website at www.theopenfeel.com. You can stream our current EP in its entirety. Where can they connect with the band? You can visit us on Facebook (www.facebook. com/theopenfeel) or Twitter ( w w w. t w i t t e r. com/theopenfeel) to stop by and say hello. . . You can also sign up for our mailing list at our website (www. theopenfeel.com) and get a free download. What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? What do you love most about it? Tom: The most difficult thing is also what we love the most you have to do everything yourself. This is hard because it takes a lot of time - you have to be so many things at first - the artist, the manager, the booking agent and sometimes the label, producer and engineer as well (I’m sure I’m leaving out another million things, like band cook, band therapist, roadie, driver and on and on it goes!). But the great thing is that you learn so much because you are doing all these things yourself. It makes you smarter and makes you understand the music business that much more.

bands: Tic Tic Boom! and Mad Planet - they are definitely worth checking out! What do you think about online music sharing? Katie: For a new band trying to build their fan base, for people to be able to easily share music becomes a means of promotion for the band. If someone becomes a true fan, then hopefully down the line they will come to a show or buy a t-shirt and over time, with enough fans, a career can be made. The way the music business is now forces bands to become more creative than ever to find new ways to support themselves. It’s a never-ending process and nowadays it’s really all about experimenting with new ideas and finding out what works and hopefully several years later your band is thriving. Where can fans find your music online or otherwise, either to stream, download or to pur-

Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips? atie: Get involved! Contact promoters who do a night your band would be good for. Get in touch with bands you really like and put a show together. Create your scene! Don’t wait for it to come to you. Above all, be absolutely amazing at what you do and be prepared to work three times harder than you originally expected - stick with it and you’ll start to see results. And don’t forget to have fun doing it!

hen can we expect to see you touring and in which regions? We’re writing what we hope will be our first full length record. In the meantime, you can sign up for our mailing list to get monthly updates about shows and all the latest news. . .

nything you would like sharenew merch, upcoming shows or albums? Our next show is with a great band called Tic Tic Boom! at Lot 1 Cafe in Echo Park. It’s on Wednesday May 2. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. (Show link: http://www.reverbnation.com/show/6722705)

ny parting words, a message to your fans Banner or general populous? Advertising HUGE Thank You to Meagan Jackson for making this interview possible!! Thanks to all for reading and sharing a few minutes with us! And thanks to The Open Feel fans for all their wonderful support - this is only the beginning. . .

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Rock Da Mullet Gives Art for Autism

Rock Da Mullet

Ed Santos Gives Away Custom Crayon Portrait Creations for Autism

Lots of us associate his name with the Skate + Surf Industry Events or with the VIP Tickets he hands out all the time, namely to Warped Tour, but now Santos is hard at work on a project where his talent shines + his heart shines even brighter.

If you live in Orange County (like I happen to), or a huge Warped Tour Follower, or perhaps a huge Mullet-fan, chances are you have seen Ed Santos + his branded Rock Da Mullet Persona. Ed was born in Japan, but now resides in California where he’s become a Marketing Guru of sorts. Outside of work however, Ed is obviously a family man. Now Ed Creates Custom Crayon Portraits for anyone who is interested in one. He gives them away for free + all donations from the creations go directly to assist families with an Austistic

loved one- families like his own. I’m glad opportunity put me in touch with Ed to add this very last interview into the E-zine, as he shares his story of Abcde + family, and tells you how you can get your hands on a custom portrait like the one he so graciously provided me with pictured on the top right of the next page [35] Thanks Ed!

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What is your official profession/title? Director of Marketing for a chain of restaurants What should your title be? What it is that you do? Director of Everything Good. Basically, I make people happy.

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What did you want to be when you were growing up? The next Walt Disney

them knowing it and just walk up, hand it to them and walk away and watch their reaction. People started to pay me and I don’t want to profit off of what I love to do so wife and I started a small donation on paypal and anyone who wishes to send a donation for a crayon portrait, can do so for any dollar amount. All crayon portraits are FREE! It’s been amazing seeing people I don’t even know sending in as much as $150 for a crayon portrait of themselves!

Tell us about your daughter, Abcde? When someone sees a Rock da Mullet sticker, Our daughter Abcde (pronounced Ab-suhwhat do you hope that they associate it with? dee) is the most amazing and incredible perThe Rock Da Mullet sticker gives people the feel- son you will ever know. Her personality is even more unique than her own name. ing of something good ! It is a good feeling. Your big project right now are these cartoon portraits. Tell us where the idea came from? What’s the most important thing in Casa de SanI have been drawing cartoons from 2nd grade tos? thru high school and after college started my Family comes first is the most important thing professional career designing in the action sports inin our household. We do everything as a family dustry and 20 yrs later started doing what I love do- from mealtime to movie nights to many many days ing best, illustrating cartoons. I love picking up paper at Disneyland! and a marker or crayon and draw someone without

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Honestly, what is the toughest thing to overcome raising an autistic child? Patience. Living with an autistic child, requires many life changes from home to work to being out in public. Our lives before Abcde has been wiped clean as she is the one teaching us everyday.

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What is your proudest moment in being a father to Abcde? Being married to Abcde’s Mommy. Our daughter’s growth and progress is all due to her mother’s dedication and unconditional daily work with Abcde. It takes a lot of patience to do what she has done to give our daughter the quality of life that she is now finally beginning to experience. Both Mommy and Abcde have taught me so much in life in the short 5 yrs of her life than all I have experienced in the last 44 years.

What advice would you give to people who don’t understand or know how to be with/around someone with Autism?

Before anyone criticizes on an “unruly child” learn to watch the behaviors and learn to understand if the child may have neurological issues and cannot mentally comprehend what is going on around them.

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What are some of the music that you and your family are listening to the most? Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald Why is music important to you, your family, and/or your daughter? Why do You think it is important for Autism or for children in general? usic opens a persons soul. Abcde has learned to speak thru music. She cannot process a complete sentence or even basic conversation. But thru Disney music, classic movies, she was able to sing along with the lyrics without any knowledge of what she is singing. Her first reaction to music was Michael Jackson’s BAD video on youtube.

EDITOR MiMi get’s cartooned by Rock Da Mullet - Ed Santos!

Wanna Be Cartoon-ized By Rock Da Mullet?

Where can people get these amazing portraits? Just find me on Facebook facebook.com/rockdamullet

Anything else you would like to share about the portraits or funding? If you want to be cartooned, just let me know! 100% of all donations go directly to giving families living with Autism a quality of life by purchasing toys, educational items, books Disneyland passes etc.

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Do you have any parting words, a message for everyone out there? on’t let anybody tell you, you can’t do anything.

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A L ist

R esources

for I ndie

from I ndie

M usic P rofessionals + A rtists C onnect [ dot com ]

Booking/Gigs Click2Musicians - Matches musicians and gigs Party Pop - Where party planners look for music Call Back News - Las Vegas entertainment source Bar Factory - Lists bars nationwide Music Business Calculator - Determine what you need to charge for gigs House Concerts - House concerts nationwide Concerts In Your Home - lists concerts nationwide GigPay - Manage your pay GigMasters - Where party planners shop for music Explore Talent - Entertainment industry jobs FestivalNet - Lists festivals FestivalsAndEvents - Lists festivals and other events worldwide GigMaven - Online booking service GigSalad – Destination where people look to book entertainment Business/Business Management The Business Side of Music - Monthly podcast Indie Extreme - Artist and label management Bandize - Organizational tool Distribution – Digital Audio Life Distribution – Physical Indie Extreme Sonic Academy Musician Wages - Info for the working musician Film and TV Production Hub - Search engine for everything film production related Film Music Magazine - Everthing related to the film music industry Music Cue Review - Find out if your songs are appropriate for fim Financial Pledge Music - fund your project Slice The Pie -fund your recording project Kickstarter - fund your recording project IndieGoGo -fund your recording project Echo Republic - ‘Music stock market’ Gear and Equipment Musicians Network - Listings of equipment and software, plus resources What Drum - Everything drum-related Stolen Equipment Registries (12) – Where to report

stolen equipment Audio Fanzine - Everything audio production TalkBass - Everything bass-related Music Radar - Equipment news, reviews, education Drum Bum – Free drum lessons, t-shirts and other musical gifts Genre Based Acoustic Music Scene All About Jazz - Everything related to the jazz scene Blues Source - Everything related to the blues scene Blues Foundation - Nonprofit preserving the blues Folk Alley - Everything related to folk music Roots Music Report - Everything roots music World Music Central - Everything world music Cybergrass - Everything bluegrass Industry Networking Indieconnect.org - Free industry social network bandFind - Find other musicians Nashville Music Pros - Find anyone in the Nashville music industry My Music Circle - Music industry network DigiMusicBids - Music marketplace for buying and selling equipment and services Licensing (mechanical) American Mechanical Rights Society - PRO Songfile - Mechanical licenses for <2500 copies Marketing eMusicBlast - Submit to industry executives SproutBuilder - Build your own online ads Rockdex - Track your fan activity and that of others TubeRadio - Find, organize and listen to music videos Tour Volume - Concert listings My Banner Maker - Make your own web banners BandsInTown - Concert and show listings Artist Data - Syndicate your show calendar over all of your social networks Bandloop - concert listings AdvaMobile - Text message marketing ShareTheMusic -recommend songs MobBase - Mobile phone marketing EchoNest - Music analysis DigABand - Marketing tools Virtual Music Trade Show - Marketplace for acts and services Next Big Sound - Ananlyze your fan activity Posse - Let your fans sell your show tickets, CDs etc for a commission

A L ist

R esources

for I ndie

from I ndie

M usic P rofessionals + A rtists C onnect [ dot com ]

Music Licensing Minimum Noise - Write or submit songs for projects Music Sales MyMusicSite - sell your music Iamringtones - Sell ringtones Newsletter Development Constant Contact – Newsletter program FanBridge - Newletter program Aweber - Newlstter program Campaign Monitor - Newsletter program

cians worldwide Recording Production - Everything and everyone related to production Resources Music Nomad - Checks out and reviews musicianrelated sites Rehearsal Studios Open Studio - Find a rehearsal studio near you

Social Networks Music Emissions - Social network that reviews music Organizations – General American Music Channel - Social network Music For Troops - Donate songs for US troops MicControl - Social network for all genres Guitars For Vets – Donate guitars for veterans Band Mix - Musicians forums Artistopia - Social network and artist development Organizations – Industry PureVolume - Website for the discovery and promoIndie Connect - Serves the entire indie music indus- tion of new music try Band For The Day - Network that features a new Songsalive! – For songwriters and composers indie band every day Just Plain Folks – Serves sonwriters Christian Songwriters Network - Network for ChrisGoGirlsMusic – Supports female artists tian songwriters Indiegirl – Supports female artists Indie Heaven - network for Christian artists and songwriters Organizations – Legal MuseAmp - Music industry network A2IM – Advocates on behalf of independent record SongRamp - Network for songwriters labels Kompoz - Network for composers to find projects Copyright Alliance – Advocates on behalf of all copy- and collaborators right holders Numubu - For finding gigs, contracts, jobs, collaborators, tools, & knowledge PR/Press Releases Tweeton - Music based social network Beat Wire - Send your press releases to the music Psybeat – Community for psychedelic music lovers industry Rockin Moms – Social network for moms who rock Publications Song Plugging/Licensing Music and Musician-Related Magazines Music Cue Review - Reviews songs for film Radio/Radio Promotion Bandit A&R Newsletter - European music industry SoundCloud - Widget for playing your songs Aurplay Direct - Digitally send your music to radio Crucial Music - Submit songs for licensing to film stations worldwide and TV Last.fm - Internet stations that will play indie music MusicDealers.com - Submit songs for licensing Music Submit - Promotes your music to the industry Taxi - Submit songs for licensing deals or for recordfor a price ing by other artists Recording StudioTraxx - Find, hire and/or collabotate with musicians worldwide The Songwriter’s Guide To Recording Professional Demos - A powerful e-book; companion to the video of the same name Indaba Music - Collaborate with over 500,000 musi-

Songwriting Nashville Muse Tube Radio Website Development BandZoogle Wix