BSHR Indie Music Magazine - Anniversary Issue [Sept. 2012]

Indie Music Magazine

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September 2012 Issue

Indie Connect Hosts THE WORLDS 1st VIRTUAL MUSIC CONFERENCE

Celebrating The First Anniversary of BlueSkyAndHardRock.com

We Welcome Two New Members to the Blue Sky Family + Invade CANADA! The Introduction of BSHR’s INTERACTIVE MEDIA FEATURE

FREE MUSIC! From Friends + Favorites On Our Anniversary Sampler Blue Sky+Beginnings

INTERVIEWS WITH

Fantasy Rainbow, Molotov Jive, deVah + The Sleeping Seaking

PLUS!

PLASTIC SHAMAN + SOULSA [UK] Release Highly Anticipated EP

Juana talks Collaborations, Jennifer talks “guyliner” + answers your style/beauty questions, + Chris defends Nicki Minaj + retells popular songs in the form of Haikus.

Contents Blue Sky’s Anniversary Sampler ............6 THE SLEEPING SEA KING.................................24 NEWS + REVIEWS ...................................8 DIVINE FITS......................................................26 SEPTEMBER RELEASES........................10 Collaborations...................................................27 LIVE CONCERT CALENDAR...................12 THE WORLDS 1st VIRTUAL MUSIC EXPO.........28 FANTASY RAINBOW...............................14 AN HONEST DEFENSE FOR NICKI MINAJ.......29 SOULSA + SHAMAN=SICK MUSIC........16 SKY STYLE WITH JENNIFER GUYLINER FOR GUYS........................................30 SUNGLASSES AND SUGAR....................17 STYLE Q+A.........................................................32 INTERACTIVE MEDIA...........................18 MATT + KIM Tour.............................................38 *Whisper State or Scream [style] MOLOTOV JIVE......................................20 NEW MEMBERS OF BLUE SKY.........................40 deVah [Canada]......................................22

Fe atured

* Chris ends this issue with popular songs retold in haikus.

The SLEEPING SEAKING Wake You with No-Frills Rock-n-Roll

Page 24

Page 28 Indie Connect Hosts First Virtual Music Conference

Take a Look at the Sky Know that we are all part of each other.

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Blue Sky + Hard Rock Editor in Chief // Design Director Meagan M. Jackson Director of Photography Journalist, West Coast Rachel Clare Managing Editor, Style Jennifer Fredrickson Online Editor // Copy Editor Carolyn Lane Photo Editor, Midwest Illyana Boc Creative Journalist, East Coast Chris Thornhill Trendsetter // Journalist, South America Juana Giaimo CONTACT Submissions press@blueskyandhardrock.com Advertising sales@blueskyandhardrock.com

BSHR Entertainment BSHR Magazine Blue Sky Artist Services Broadway Recording Company Farewell Studio Recordings MMJ Consulting + Design [A Part of the Indie Connect Network] Any Client or Artist of BSHR who may appear in this publication will be clearly identified as such.

Š2012 BSHR Entertainment

Editorial

This issue is dedicated to John Hughes 4.20.1988 - 8.30.2012

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Blue Sky Beginnings

Blue Sky + Beginnings FREE AD O L N W DOGet Yours @

blueskyandhardrock.com/bsides

Check out Molotov Jive’s interview with Blue Sky on Page 20 + Our Review of The Plastic Shaman

EP on Page 16.

Blue Sky Beginnings

The

l a i r o Edit

About a year ago (actually a year and one month this week) inklings of Blue Sky started to take shape on Tumblr.com as I began making aural notes of bands I considered to be essential, random songs overheard that stopped me in my tracks, and bands everyone was hyping up and falling over.

Through the adventure I met many like-minded audiophiles with individual taste and personality that would contribute to the multiple layers of what we are today.

Though a ton of hard rock and countless hours have gone into learning and perfecting our website, our community, and social profiles, and branding (that’s just that start) Blue Sky was born and flourished into something that continues to surprise me and teach me and make me perpetually grateful each and every day. You can find a bit of our story documented on a later page of this issue.

Of course we would be nothing and nowhere without you and without music which is why we wanted to give you a special new indie mix tape and sampler to celebrate our very first year with you guys. The tracklist is to the left and you may download it on our B-Sides page.

I know I speak on behalf of all of us here when I say how thankful we are for each of you. Thank you to all the artists for sharing your love and passion and art with us and thank you to each and every one of you for allowing us to in turn share that passion and art with you. We hope you continue to accompany us on this great adventure.

Love + Rockets, Mimi

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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News + Reviews News

NEWS + REVIEWS

I Can See a Future in You: Afro Darlings WRITTEN BY: Juana Giaimo

W

hen I suggested doing this column dedicated to brand new artists, I immediately knew that the first band I was going to write about would be Afro Darlings.

On their first EP California Sasquatchi I found four tracks with an extremely high level of creativity that makes them different from each other. Snoopy’s Sombrero is an ideal opening song, introducing you into their crazy and amusing world, with an vital and passionate voice that leads this dynamic song. Dane Riveros vocals are exploited to get the best of the and knowing that they are influences by artist such as Animal Collective, Talking Heads, David Bowie and Dirty Projectors, it is easy to know where they got that from. These influences are also part of the reason of the sudden changes in one same song. The clearest example is Gorilla Hands, that after two minutes of slow motion singing and heavy keyboards, it changes into an active and amusing rap with a dancing beat.

Their second EP, Money Water, is diverse as well, but it is neater and easier to follow. While in California Sasquatch the songs seem to be building themselves leading to those huge changes, on Money Maker it looks as they already have in mind what they want and if there is a change it is because it was planned.

Even in Jamaican Dollars the addition of a sampler of Mitt Romney singing “America the Beautiful” doesn’t sound out of place at all.

In other words, this EP is organized so as to avoid confusion. However, Afro Darlings are still innovating and are at risk all the time: if they take one more step they would fall into a precipice of messy and blurred music that wouldn’t have made any sense. But for being able to control all their potential they are at the top of the mountain.

What makes this mixture of different sounds a whole uniform sound is its Californian atmosphere. The synth base is kind of danceable, but they differentiate of the new synth Pop, as it is covered with lots of experimental arrangements. It is interesting also the contrast between the strong and determinate male voice and Kristle Manaoat’s spectral one, creating fantastic backing vocals. But she is also able to surprise us when at the end of Jumping out of Windows her calmness transforms into wild exclamations. On the other hand, the simple percussion doesn’t interfere in the expansion and development of the music adding to this feeling of unconcerned looseness.

Afro Darlings differentiate from the other bands because of their uncomplicated experimental sound, from which they create a relaxing and joyful atmosphere by gathering together enjoyable and amusing songs.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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News

Trending Topics + Popular Pages @ BSHR [dot com]

Army of Freshmen - Live Photos from Rachel Clare http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/28361493329/army-of-freshmen-72012

Coexist with The xx http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/24200289741/the-xx-announce-their-new-album-coexist-for-september-re

Coachella Takes to Sea http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/27644069072/coachella-cruise

Behind Blue Sky http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/about-us

Free For All - Free Music Fridays http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/tagged/thefridays (free music)

F@ck Yeah Mix Tape http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/29847079825/fyf-mix-tape

The BSHR [SOS] Concert Calendar http://blueskyandhaedrock.com /shows

Avey Tare Streams New Solo Songs http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/29385404573/avey-tare-solo-songs-animal-collective-streams-new

Tiger Army’s Fifth Annual OctoberflFlame http://blueskyandhaedrock.com/post/28463226805/tiger-armys-5th-annual-octoberflame?fb_xd_fragment=

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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September Releases

September N 9.04.2012 Imagine Dragons Night Visions [Debut Studio Album] Interscope The Sheepdogs, self-titled Warner Music Canada, Atlantic Matchbox Twenty North Atlantic

Two Door Cinema Club Beacon [Sophomore Release] Deerhoof, Breakup Song Mount Eerie, Ocean Roar Propagandhi, Failed States The Vaccines, ...Come of Age

The Presets Pacifica Modular 9.10.2012 Lower Than Atlantis Changing Tune Island Records Gallows, selftitled Venn Records

9.11.2012 Bob Dylan Tempest Columbia --Thirty-fifth studio album ASAP Rocky LongLiveA$AP [Debut Studio Album] A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA, Sony

Animal Collective Centipede Hz Domino

9.07.2012 Billy Talent Dead Silence Atlantic /Roadrunner

The Avett Brothers The Carpenter Universal Records

NOFX Self Entitled Fat Wreck Chords Dave Matthews Band Away from the World RCA The xx Coexist [Sophomore Release] Young Turks Hoobastank Fight or Flight Open E Entertainment Akon, Stadium Amanda Palmer, Therter is Evil Cat Power, Sun Seapony, Falling St. Vincent and David Byrne, Love This Giant The Helio Sequence, Negotiations The Raveonettes, Observator Thee Oh Sees ,Putrifiers II ZZ Top, La Futura

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

September Releases

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New Releases 9.17.2012 Pet Shop Boys Elysium EMI

Band of Horses, Mirage Rock Devin Townsend Project, Epicloud Dinosaur jr, I Bet of Sky Grizzly Bear, shields Wiz Khalifa, O.N.I.F.C Woods, Bend Beyond

9.18.2012 Go Radio Close The Distance Fearless Records Nelly Furtado The Spirit Indestructible Interscope,Mosley,Mushroom/Warner ft. Darkchid, Mike Angelakos, Tiësto Mika The Origin of Love Casablanca,Mushroom/Warner Bros.

The Killers Battle Born Island Records

Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 Atlantic No Doubt Push and Shove Interscope Wanderlust Record Time Zip Records, Sony

Michael Jackson Bad 25 Epic, Legacy

Patrick Wolf Sundark and Riverlight

Aimee Mann Charmer SuperEgo Ben Folds Five The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind Kreayshawn Somethin' Bout Kreay [Debut Album] Columbia John Frusciante PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone Record Collection --Eleventh studio album

9.25.2012 As I Lay Dying Awakened Metal Blade

Mumford & Sons Babel [Sophomore Release] Young Turks Green Day iUno Deadmau5 Django Django, selftitled Dragonette, Bodyparts Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon: YOKOKIMTHURSTON

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

Blue Sky Friends + Faves, BSHR Live | Schedule of Shows, TX/FL S Sun

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FYF Festival 2012 @ Los Angeles State Tramps H i s t o r i c Like P a r kUs , 1245 2 0 1 2 @ V a l l e yStreet, View North Spring Pacific Festival 2012 Casino Center, 3500 90012, Los Angeles, @ N e w p o r t D u n e s Sports Arena Blvd., The Tallest Man On CA, US W a t e r f r o n t R e s o r 9 2 1 1 0 ,atS Birch a n D i eNorth g o t, & Earth M a r i n a , 1 1 3 1 B a CA, US a t r e ( 0 2c k 9 P Ba a ryk DTrh. ,e 9 2660, S e p 1 2 ) wBeach, i t h S t r aCA, nd Newport Hot Chip and of Oaks @ Birch U S Passion Pit at t hi nPgat o r kn Tahneda t r e , N o tr h Hollywood Bowl (09 2 8 9 1 U n i v e rat s i tThe y CARTUNES S e p 1Gallants 2) with O mar Two Av ex n uTeh, e9a2t1r e 0 4at ,0 S R o y ( 9 an Souleyman and Los Fitzgerald's (09 Sep Diego, CA, US S e p 1 2 ) w i t h T h e Angeles 12) with PAPA @ Ataris and Lost in Philharmonic F i t z g e r a@ l d The ' s , 2@ 706 Kostko Roxy Hollywood Bowl, W t et rO T hh0ei1a e. ,aHk 9i g 0Dh 0rl9,a n W. 2 3 N 7 7 0 0 7 , H o u s t,o90 n ,d0T6X9,, S u n s e t B l v d .

A v 90068, Los U Se . , Hollywood, West Angeles, CA, US CA, US 16

Karm in at Fairpl ex (03 Sep 12) with Kishi at Soda CobraBashi Starship and B a r ( 0 3 S e p 12) with This Is She @ W i l dLast N o t h i n g a tand The F a ihr o p l (e0x3, Bison 1 0e 1p11W S o S 2 ).

Bruin @ Soda Bar, M c K i n l e y , 9 1 7 6 9, with DIIV @ Soho, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, Pomona, CA, US 1 aa t en SDti.e, gSot ,e1. 0 92 22 11 0 4S, tS 2 0 5 , 9 3 1 0 1, Santa CA, US Barbara, CA,atUS Linkin Park Cricket Wireless The A m pVaccines h i t h e a t e r at ( 1 The 0 Bowery Ballroom Sep 12) with (Incubus 1 0 S e p 1and 2) with The Vacancies @ C The MuteMath @ ricket Bowery Ballroom, 6 Wireless D e l a n c e y S t r e e t , Amphitheater, 2050 1 0 0 0 2 , N e w Y oCircle, rk, Entertainment NY, US 91911, Chula Vista, CA, US 17

Divine Fits at The Echo (04 Sep 12) G o t y eDaughn a t T h e Gibson Greek with T h e a t r e ( 0 4 S ep 12) @ The Myles Echo, 1822 Slash with Jonti and S u nn se lavtdH , o 9u 00 K en e td yB@ s2 e6 , Chairlift The Greek The Tallest Man On Los Angeles, CA, US of (04 T h eBlues a t rat e ,John 2 7 0 Sep 0Anson N . 12) Earth w he V ei trrhd mTo F o Anmt pAhvi teh. ,eFoxy a t r e1 1 Conspirators, Los Angeles, (90027, 0 4 S e p 1 2 ) w i t h Shazam, Slash, Angus at and CA, US Stone Strand of Oaks @ Slash T r o u b aFeaturing dour (11 Sep John Anson Ford CANCELLED: I Break Myles Kennedy and 12) @ Troubadour, A m pConspirators h i t hate aThe tre, 2580 Horses the 9 0 8 1 S a nat t a M o n i c@ a Chicago Cahuenga Blvd P r o p h e t B a r9 ,( 1W 1E, Sset p House of Blues, B l v d . , 9 0 0 6 e H u m@ p h rLos e y 'Prophet sAngeles, 90068, 12) My Jacket 1 0 5 Morning 5 5The th A vCA, e n u US eBay , Hollywood, Concerts by the CA, US B a1rT,0h 2e,5 W 4 8ai lnE lDm Sg to,1, a t t e r n ( 1 9 2 1 S i e (71512 2SCity e p 1aat 2l l)aIrving @, T X , Owl S e p US 162, )Dw i t hs CA, Humphrey's Concerts P l a z a ( 1 1 S e p 12) @ U S Portugal.

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Shows

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Thu 29

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23, NY, US Austin, TX,

Fri 30

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35 Denton presents THE HOT WET MESS Big 2 0 1 2Freedia, @ N o r t hNo T eAge, xas a n d U n k n o w n Mortal State Fairgrounds, 6 7 8 O r c h eN. s t rCarroll a a t N oBlvd, rth 2217 Best Coast at Santa Rock The Universe 2012Texas Universal 7@ 620 1 , State Denton, TX, Fairgrounds (01 Sep Monica Pier (06 Sep Studios Orlando, 1000 Universal Studios US Blaqk at SThe D a v e M32819, a t t h e wOrlando, s Alexi 1 2 ) US w iDelano, t h T h e HMr. o t C, 1 2 ) w i tAudio h NO @ anta Plaza, FL, C a s b a h ( 0 6 S e p 1 2 ) Band at Cricket Elon, David Scuba, W e t M e s s a n d Monica Pier, Ocean CANCELLED: Eyes Set to Kill at Blaqk Audio at Xo @ The Casbah, 2501 Wireless Frank R e g g i e&WTony, atts @ Avenue & at Colorado Everclear Jimmy S o m a ( 0 7 S e p 1 2 ) @ Alex's Bar (08 Sep Ket t ner Boulevard, A m p h i t h e a t e r ( 0 7 Chic, Adultnapper, North Texas State Dinosaur at1 Belly Jean Fight D a v@ e M atthew s A en K ivm m1ue, elS,La9Jr. inv0 e4D!0 (e0,g 6o , S oma , 33 5 0atSAllen ports 12) Alex's Bar, 9 2 1 0 i Sep 12) with Anthony Collins, F a i r g r o u n d s , 2217 U p T a v e r n ( 0 6 S e p F o n t a n a ' s ( 0 7 S e p Band at Verizon Santa Monica, CA, Sep 12) @ Jimmy 1 3 Arena Boulevard, E. Anaheim St., 1, 4 2913 CA, US Stone Cricket Francis Harris, N. Carroll Blvd, and1 5 12) 1 21 ) 1w0i,t@ hS aE v eDriyem an Wireless U K iSm@ m eBelly l L i v eUp !, 6840 9 2 n g o , 9 0 8 0 4 , L o n g B e a c h, Wireless Connie 7 6m2p0h 1 i, t D Tavern, 143 S Cedros Atlas Sound, and A hate anDim ttroen (,Mak 0T8X , Hollywood CA, US CA, US A d a m A n t aBlvd, t Mayan Amon Tobin at A d a m A n t a t 4 t h a Amphith e a t e r ,@ 2050 S i o s with ( 0 8 SAllen e p 1 2n)d U tSu d12) A v e , 9 2 0 7 5 ,Angeles, Solana Casual Hearts Sep 90028, T h e a t e rLos (13 Sep 12) M a n h a t t a n C e n t e r B ( 1 5 S e p 1 2 ) @ 4th Eo nn t et a r tnAudio aai 'nsm t The @ Dim @ Mak Studios, Beach, CA, US F , e 1n 0at5 Stone D v eUS Blaqk Austra at4Verizon ElB Rey CA, @a M a yMaant tThheewast e r , H a m m e r s t e i n a n d B , 3 5 S Circle, 91911, 16 4 3 tC o s( 1 mo, e 9 tp 0r0e2e28t),, E lodxryi dTgh eeS t ,r e1 0(Chula Wireless Band at Hill Jimmy R a(14 1040 2 , T 1038 S. St., at Ballroom Sep 9 2h1e0aAngeles, 1 r, eSand a n5 DSDevo iCA, e g o1US , Doobie Brothers CANCELLED: Blondie Vista, CA, US Los New Am hNi it g hh e tam t raer,e8 8 0at 8 K i m m e lLos L i v eAngeles, ! (13 S e)p w1York, 2t h ) w iotNY, h TOhUS eh e r w i t hpUS 90015, 1 2 i H l y t CA, H u m12) phre y 'Jimmy s D e t h kand l o k Hi and L a m@ b A T a s t Center e Oand f N eVice wport Irvine Drive, Sep @ Deaf Deaf Fortress Moving at Bay The CANCELLED: Joe D p1a2r)d@a nAd CA, US Units and Amon Tobin Concerts of God at Gibson (Device 12e56f 1SL8ee,ppI@ 9 r vEl iSanta n eRey , CA, K iam maehl L iby v eS!the ,e p 6 81420) The Roxy Theatre, C s b ( 1 3 Walsh and Gin Poison at Isam Live @ (Hollywood 1 3 Morning S e p 1 2 )Blvd, @ A m0Vp9ohtW icth hK e a tna rs et eT(t1h4e T a se taoettrcOehf,KN e1 wt5pTohr te, My Jacket D e a D e V a a U S 9 0 .

S u T h 5 5 @ The 2501 Blossoms B Boorwt lC( e1 n 5ter M a n h12) a t t with a natC Cricket enter H mhpehCasbah, rW eiyl 'tseAngeles, Sep 6 0a0r bNaer awBallroom p a tu T rn (13 Bowery Bowery 90028, Los B lavm dm . , e9r0Ballroom 0t 6 9 ,Gojira West Wilshire Boulevard, Ket t ner Boulevard, Wireless Sep 12) with Lita H s e i n Silversun Pickups at Fiona Apple at The Dum Dum Girls, J. Concerts by Bay, , p9Los 2162 6) Angeles, 0@ , The S 112, )Sw i t h the (@ 1m 4Gibson S eipt h1e2a)t CA, @r (T1US he (D 1r5i vSee@ CA, Hollywood, 90036, 9 2e4 1p1 0US e ,d A e Ford Santa B lerh oiotTh m 3tt1 e40 st Santa G r el p h e, W (114 Jamz, and NO at CA, 22 SMonica h eaPalaces ln teD r iI Civic sg l aon Aa m p hk e,eaa rre1 0 Newport Beach, Shabazz @ Bowery Ballroom, 6 Bowery Ballroom, CA, The Ataris at( 1The Lobster Fest at H o l yUS Or tahB e ro w aVillage tl , 1 1 262 CA, S etp ph 1 1S2 2t))r w w h P B a 3 4e e eiiCity , 1B 0Plz, 0tk 0e 1, A u to 3n S0e p S tt h lata Ports D r .ed, iUS 9 2ir1l it0u 6m ,n S a Universal U Srl abnacO'call T h W e r , 3 7 9 D e l a n c e y S t r e e , D e e y S t r e e tt1,e0r1 , P r o pwith h e t School B a r ( 1 3 of Sep Ports O'Call Village M aMnSep an e6n0a8York, t@ rUThe , nMi vNY, CeGreek ihl paat ts12) S tC ,@e 9n 3Ports New 12) Mills (15 Diego, CA, US 9 1 ,a ro s US akl , 2 1 N 20 B Wilshire Blvd, 1 0 0 0 2 , N e w Y r 1 0 0 0 2 , N e w Y o r k, 2 2 1 2 ) w i t Bells h R e dand City 2 0h1e2a t@ S2 aToto, n P0eN dJoe r. o , H amme r s t e i n CA, Hammer, Santa Barbara, Seven T r e , 7 0 O'call Village, City, CA, US 90010, LosRondo Angeles, NY, USPat Benatar, NY, US Radio and CA, US Sep Walsh U S Beach House and @ "I'll Be ATPBallroom Festival 2012 @ Atlas Genius @ Verm o nYour t A v eMirror" ., 90731, Los(15 Angeles, CA, US The Prophet Bar, 1 2 ) @ M a n h a t t aYno r k , and Jack Fm @ T h e W a l k m e n a t P i e r 3 6 , 2 9 9 S o u t h S t r e e t , 1 0 0 0 2 , N e w Santa Monica Civic 90027, Los Angeles, CA, US Bon Iver atS tRadio Amon Tobin at August Burns 2 785525Sep 26, Center H a m m eRed r s t e at in Cricket Stubb's NY, A5u4d8i t E o rl m i BBQ um , ,1(20 CA, US Wireless City Music Hall (20 House of Blues (21 House of Blues (22 Dallas, TX, US B a l l r o o m , 3 1 1 W e s t A m p h i tHouse h e a t e rat , 2The 050 1 2a)i n w iSt h DeuRumsey M t rat e ts, t9i n0 4 0 1 , Dr. Dog Beach Bon Iver at Radio Sep 12) @ Radio S e p 1 2 ) w i t h H o l y S e p 1 2 ) w i t h T h e 3 4 t h S t r e e t , 1 0 0 0 1 , E n t e r t a i n mBallroom ent Wong @ Stubb's Santa Monica, CA, Playfield, Central Palladium City Music Hall (22 City Music Hall, 1260 Other @ House of Color Morale, New York, NY, US Easy All-Stars Bon D i r t y12) Th@ r e eRadio and The Circle, 91911, Chula BBQ, 801 U P aSr k (Star 2 0Of SRed eThe p 1River, 2) (Blues, 2 1 SIver e p1490 1at 2 ) Radio w Sep Avenue E.i t h(21 Overseer, and Of at El Rey Theatre City Music Hall Antlers a t Pier 36 Vista, CA, US 7 8 7 0 1 , A u s t i n , T X , with Delta Dusitn Wong Dr., and City Music Hall, 1260 F lm a teS fro opat s 5,26Spirit a0wt0i 2t h0 ,@ CANCELLED: Greg Epicenter Festival i c 1 Buena Vista Mice and Men @ (A 2 0 e 1 ) Sep 12) @ Radio ( 2 2 S e p 1 2 ) @ P ier U S Rumsey Playfield, Dustin Wong @ The Avenue Of The C r o w b a r ( 2 0 S e p 1 2 ) Dulli at Convention 2 0 1 2 @ V e r i z o n New York, NY, US 3 2 8 3 Music 0 , L a k eHall, B u e1260 na House ofS o Blues, Easy Star All City 3 6a,l l2& 9 c9O F reannt k a5t h F oa rl lr e( s t1 DSaeBallroom, yp a1t2T) h e H a ,t eu1st0h0 at , C rThe aTl uPrAtaris an rekr, Stars Palladium A s with and H 2FL, Wireless Vista, US 1 5tmr3ee0er iS .a1D i0 s0 n2 e ,y2lN0 aenw d and Passafire @ El Avenue Of The S t , 0 House of Blues (20 R o x y T h e a t r e ( 2 1 Fantasy Springs A v e n u e A n d 7 2 n d 1 1 3 5 S o u t h L a m a r , New York, NY, Red City Radio @1 5 2 7 with Afghan Whigs, A t8h0e2aUS r en,aUS 8h8e0i2m 8, D rm. ,p9h2iNY, , tA 2 8 R e y T h e a t r e , 5 5 A m e r i c a s , 1 0 0 2 0 , York, Sep with Sep Resort & Casino (229 S trroewe12) t ,a 1 01 0 82 12Jenny , New 7 5 2 112) 5González, , Dwith a l l a sFlobots , TMark X, C b r , 2 José Irvine Center Drive, CA, US Wilshire Boulevard, New York, NY, US @ Owen Youngs, Sep Fantasy York, U N o r t h NY, 1Los 7 t hUS S t r eFrank e@ t , Fourand LSisters aSn eAstronautalis g a n ,Ranch, D i r t y 1555 Lemond 9 2 6 112) 8 , Road, I r@ vin e ,78884, CA, Utopiafest 2012 90036, Angeles, T u r n e r t h e S l e e p i n g The Roxy Theatre, Springs Resort & 3 3 6 0 5 , Y b o r C i t y , Three, The Antlers, U S Utopia, TX, US CA, US Larry Souls, and His 9 0 0 9 W .

S u n s e t Casino, 84-245 Indio Accept at City Citizen Cope at The D a v i d B y r n e a t FL, US The Dirtbombs, Flask, and Frankof B livl tde. r, n9 0Sharon 6 9S, eW Springs Pkwy., National Grove W ( 20 8 p eVan 1s2t ) Williamsburg Park Scrawl, Dum Dum Girls at G a b eOfficial K u b a nCA, dVip a aUS nd Endpattern T unranheeri m & (T2h7e S e p Hollywood, 92203, Indio, A with ( 2 9 S e p 1 2) @ wCA, iRock t h SUS t.

Etten, Emeralds, Los Globos (27 Sep Lost in Atlantis at Party w/ @ Animals As Sleeping Souls @ 1 2 ) w i t h K r e a t o r a n d Packages and Citzen Vincent G Gin Blossoms Fort V etiv e rEl , QMonte u i n t rat oHigh n 1 2o)t ywei taof ht the DBlues, u nSun es, @ South L e a d Worth e r s 2 0 1Music 2 Park, @ House Swallow Cope @ Club The Wiltern, Williamsburg Williamsburg Park Canyon (28 Sep Fest at Will Rogers and Miss Pussycat, T r e m e l l o w , a n d School (private S e a p o r t M a r i n M ae sw e Grove f nd G rea tWilshire W h i t e a tBlvd, Gin at 1 Stp. HD i2u s)n y City 3790 N oe rmtBlossoms ho r1i a 2 lt hC S t .ta (Tamaryn 2587330SNational 1o@ io tlha 12) @ Canyon Club, M eEn earn d (29 Charles Bradley, Los S h o w ) ( 2 8 S e p 1 2 ) @ Hotel, 6400 Pacific B l u e s ( 2 7 S e p 1 2 ) House of Blues, M o n t e D e O r o D r . , 9 2 8 0 2 , A n a h e i m , o f A n a h e i m , 2 2 0 0 E .

90010, Los Angeles, K e n t A v e n u e , G i v e r s a n d Z a m m u t o 2 8 9 1 2 R o a d s i d e Sep 12) with Kevin Reigning Sound, M a r y C h a p i n GZA/Genius at The Global Festival 2012 G l ot e bUS s , A3vAirway 0e4.0, 9W2 8@ South ElStrip Monte C a1e s1rt ,yHB(w2r o y9,oSk 9el0yp8n01,32,) with Sun Sunset (28High Sep W CA, K a lo la 06, CA, 1 1oi2n @ D rbisvUS 9a(private 1t o 3 r0 Eubanks, Dr. CA, Dog, Godspeed You C a Williamsburg rnpseent of tB e rlBlues, adn, d9 0S0Park, a r6a, O eer, vHouse y1 ,of ( 2Black 8 Sep @ Great Lawn, S u v 2 School Long Beach, US House 1490 12) @ @ Monte De Oro Anaheim, US NY, T w in S1h2aat dhCA, oClub wt .a t nd The Charlie Daniels G r enatUS t aW h iatre a t1 0 and N o r t h t S a Agoura Hills, CA, US and Hayes Carll E m p e r o r ! , M a k e U p , Watkins 1 2 ) w i t h K i l l e r M i k e , C e r l P k , 021, LosBuena Angeles, CA, US Show), Sunset El Monte, CA, E. Vista Dr., Blues, Strip, W i n e r y , 3 5 8 2 0 W btsaA t e(v2re7H aee l l, ( 2 7 @ B a ned t aFlal ei rypMagic lex (28 M a r qYork, u@ e eWill 1 5NY, (Rogers 2 9US Sep K een nS u More Hot Snakes, N o S tSaV New U4w S3 0e V a ck3ai 1 i,o)Lnw tNu1 The Psychedelic GZA/Genius at El1 5 , 3 2e 8p 0t 2 areo kirto ehakp B e2,in) & a 8 u) n siet h t ,B. 3al v8ndd. , Rancho California S i k S e p 1 2 w 1 2 ) @ M a r q u e e 1 1 2 1 1 , B l y n M e m o r i a l C e n t e r , Band, Autolux, Thee Club Nokia, Bear Hands Ca me oFL, G al@ le800 ry (2West 7 Furs Atomic R e h5e9a1t r, e Court, (29 Sep Vista, US 9 0 0 6 9and , WThe e s t@ The 5 d0y, 19TPulsar 2W The Dove Webster Special, 9022 NY, US 3 4 e s t 4 6 Oh Olympic Suite O b sSees, e r v aat t oFactory r yCA, , 3 5US 03 S S ea p 1122) 5wBlvd i t.h1G hho s t Groove Belly Up 1 2u)i tw i tHh, K iCA, l8l e8r3 ,US Mike, Hollywood, Temecula, H l l , E 1 t Outlaws, Charlie S e 9 2 Lancaster Ave, Floor, A 335, 90015, Los H B Beach T aavr b eo r nrDeath (Band 2l 8v dS, Grips, e9.38 p2 71024) ,I S w e e t V a l l e yUS , and S t r e e t ,@1 0Cameo 0 0 3US , New Daniels Corona, 7 6 1 0 7 , FCA, ort Worth, Break Horses, and Angeles, CA, Santa Ana, CA, US G a l l e r y , 9 3 N .

6 t h @ Belly Up Tavern, Bear Hands @ El Rey York, NY, US Special, and Chalrlie TX, US All Tomorrow's St., 11211, 143 S Cedros Ave, T h e a t r e , 5 5 1 5 Daniels Band @ By Parties Brooklyn, NY, US 9 2 0 7p5l ,e xSCurated a0n1 a1 W .

Wilshire Boulevard, F a i r ,o1l@ Greg Dulli Beach, CA, US 90036, Los Angeles, M c K i n l e Indie y , 9 1Hall, 7 6 Music 9, BSHR Magazine Convention

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Fantasy Rainbow

Fantasy Rainbow

INTERVIEWED BY JUANA GIAIMO

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liver Catt started writing music as Fantasy Rainbow at the age of 17 and since then he has already recorded several EPs and demos that can be listened in his bandcamp and his former record label, Tiny Lights Recordings, filmed two music videos and he also plays shows often in many cities. It can be considered an artist that is ready to enter in the music scene and hopefully he will after his debut album is out by Heist Or Hit Records, though it still has an unknown release date. fter receiving his answers, Oliver made me feel that he is just a normal adolescent like you or me who only likes to make music. When you listen to his songs, it is easy to have that perception of him too: what you’ll find are calm tunes with a guiding neat electric guitar that reminds of Dream Pop sung by a simple effortless voice. is first single, O, Weirdo, will be released in a limited edition multi-colored vinyl with hand-stamped artwork

by Oliver. It was produced by the former singer of The Answering Machine, Martin Colclough and comes with the song ParaParakeet as a B-side. As the proceeding of his album, it leaves you wanting for more of this new exciting artist.

A

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Q: The first thing that called my attention was your stage name, how did you decide on it?

A: I really can’t remember how I came up with it, obviously I get asked it a lot and I wish I had some quirky story but it just sort of was the name one day. I was going to call the project Mondegreen but that name sucks so I’m glad I didn’t. I’m used to the name now though, I can’t imagine going by anything else. I guess it’s kind of like a kid I didn’t want but over time I learned to love.

Q: I am very interested in the way you use looping. Why did you choose this technique? How were you introduced to it? Do you use it at live shows or do you play with a band? (or both maybe?)

A: I started looping when I borrowed my brother’s loop pedal from him and then just stuck with it, on the first two EP’s a lot of the songs have 5 or 6 guitar parts because I could do that with the loop pedal, so initially I didn’t play with a band really. Now I take a full band when I go on tour and usually only use the loop set up for little one off shows. The loop pedal makes a very brief appearance in the full band sets though.

Q: Which are your biggest musical influences? Is there any new artist that you really like?

A: I guess my biggest musical influences are the bands I’ve been consistently listening to for the last few years.

Death Cab For Cutie are a pretty important one, they’re probably the first band I properly got into after Nirvana, but everyone gets into Nirvana when they’re about 12. I listen to a lot of Pavement as well and Broken Social Scene. I know a lot of people don’t get it but I love Fall Out Boy too. Anyone who complains really. As for like, new artists, I listen to a lot of my friends bands like Playlounge and Joanna Gruesome. There’s a really cool band in Manchester with me called Doctrines who’ve just signed to Alcopop, they’re awesome.

Q: Could you tell me about your experience on working with Martin Colclough? Did you already know him before working with him? If you did, what do you think of The Answering Machine?

A: Working with Martin was pretty funny, he’s a really cool guy. I didn’t really know him before we started working together but I was a fan of The Answering Machine, I bought their first 7” when it came out and stuff like that. I was always a bit too young to go and see them live when they were around, I was only like 15 and lived in the middle of nowhere. Working on the single together was great though, he’s an ace producer and did a cool job.

Q: I read on your blog that your debut album was finished. What can we expect from it? How do you think recording it in America influenced it?

A: The album is pretty different from anything else I’ve released, not drastically, but still pretty different. It’s heavier, that’s for sure. We recorded it all through vintage analogue gear which has given it a pretty interesting sound.

We used an RCA OP6 preamp on a lot of the songs and really got a lot of gain out of it which gave the record some really interesting distortions. All the lead vocal parts were done through an RCA 44BX microphone which was the same one used by Elvis and just gives off a really warm sound. I also had a load of amps to choose from and used a Silvertone 1484 a lot, as well a Fender Bassman and they’re both too of the coolest sounding amps I’ve heard. I could talk for hours about the gear we used but it’d get really long and probably pretty boring for everyone but me. Recording it in America really influenced the sound of the record though. I was invited BSHR Indie Music Magazine

15

out to Sputnik sound in Nashville to record it with an old school friend called Ed who works out there and I really didn’t know what to expect but he’s a genius. He was so confident in what we were doing that it spilled over into me and we were both just so sure of the sound that we wanted to go for and what we were doing and we just burned through it. We tracked the entire thing in 4 and a half days and it was just like we had an idea and we’d put it down and if it didn’t work we’d scrap it and we just did everything through all of this amazing gear and the album really does have a great ‘feel’ to it because of that I think. It sounds like 2 guys in a room making a record, which is great.

Q: Do you think your music has developed since you started your musical career until now?

A: Oh yeah totally, the album sounds a million times better than Teens does just because of how much my songwriting has come on and being teamed up with Ed really brought the best out of me. I was only 17 when I first started writing these songs and I’m 19 now, so my musical style was bound to change.

I guess the biggest thing that’s caused the change is just how much more confident I’ve become at songwriting, when I first started out I was obsessed with not making songs that sounded out of place with what my friends were doing and I think I wrote a lot of songs because I thought they sounded ‘cool’ as opposed to sounding good. Now I just write what I want to hear and I think the songs are a lot better because of that. There’s been a big change lyrically as well, but I think that happens to everyone, you stop worrying about whether the person the song is about will find out it’s about them or whether you’re giving too much away and you just start writing honestly and the more honest you are the more people are going to relate to it. I suppose if I’m being really honest, I think my songwriting changed because I stopped writing to sound like something else.

Q: What do you think is the hardest thing about being an Indie musician today? What do you love most about it?

A: The hardest thing is probably to do with exactly what we’re doing right now, since the internet came around people can express their opinions on what you’ve created from their bedroom. You can spend weeks writing and recording an EP or whatever and then release it and then some 13 year old punk gets on his laptop and tweets you saying “oh this is the shittest thing I’ve ever heard” after you’ve spent weeks trying to write something you’re proud of and put it on the internet so that other people can enjoy it. But the thing is that’s like 1% of what the internet has brought about, and it’s brought around so much positive stuff. Even the counter to that, you can put something on the internet and 100 people can tell you how much they’re enjoying it and that’s the best thing in the whole world. So I guess the worst thing is how anyone can tell you just how much they think you suck but the best thing is how anyone can tell you just how happy your songs make them.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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Sick Music Records

UK’s Sick Music + Soulsa Turns out More Electro Hits with New EP A New Wave Of Electronic Music: Chill EP By Plastic Shaman & Soulsa Release Date: September 30th, 2012 Available in all Digital Stores

B

ristol, UK has given birth to some fine talent lately. Electronic producer Plastic Shaman & vocalist Soulsa are no exception. The two have built up a solid reputation that has had them hard at work this past year, and they finally decided it was time to release the EP their fans have been so desperately waiting for.

The EP brings together a completely diverse range of creative sound from across the entire electronic music spectrum. This is easily witnessed upon listening to the title track “Chill” which has an official video out now.

The release is a perfect installment on the time line of Plastic Shaman’s creative growth and career. His previous EP was entitled “Hallucinogenic Bear” and also featured Soulsa on the very successful track “Indicator”.

LISTEN NOW! SIMPLY CLICK THE LINKS BELOW in your interactive digital issue of bshr http://soundcloud.com/djsoulsa/sets/plastic-shaman-soulsa-chill/ h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = x 0 N j E i - x Y i I

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

Sunglasses&Sugar

Sunglasses&Sugar Stampede out of Texas and onto Broadway [Records] Since Sunglasses & Sugar are Broadway Recording Artists, and the label is directly affiliated with Blue Sky + Hard Rock, we chose to sample this candid and wonderful review of the new album VuVuZuelas written by local DFW blogger and teacher Anastasia who writes @ The Soundtrack of a Heartbreak Beat. Our thanks go out to her for such kind words and allowing us to share them with you.

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“... his CD is as sugary sweet as enjoying an overflowing bubblegum-flavored snow cone on a scorching hot Texas summer afternoon... and I adore it!! This song [“My Favourite Story”], in particular, reminds me of the film, That Thing You Do!, and could have been a total hit for the movie band, The Wonders. It has such a snappy ‘60s pop feel to it. I would also like to point out that I totally dig the British form spelling of the word: “favourite”.

easily 6’ with heels, it’s about damn time there was a song of appreciation for those of us who are anything but height-challenged.

And yes, as a matter of fact, I did play volleyball and basketball in middle school.

Plus he threw in some totally doowopish “shebops” toward the end, for which I am a total sucker.

When you factor in the references to Sense and Sensibility (especially since Pride and Prejudice is the Austen novel that is always mentioned everywhere else), book stores, libraries, soda shops, all things rockabilly, and of course, Morrissey and the Stray Cats, I feel that this CD has earned itself an A+ and a gold star! Yes, I am allowed to hand out both because I have been employed as a teacher for going on to nine years now, and I know when to award superior efforts!”

Coming closely behind in 2nd place is the song, “Tall Girls”. Being a tall girl myself, measuring in at 5’10” on any given day, and

BRC Introduces the VIP Vinyl Subscription Club featuring limited edition 7” Split records pressed on colored vinyl Visit broadwayrecordingcompany.com for more information or to subscribe today!

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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Media in the Clouds We present to you a model of the interactive media we are adding to the digital edition of BSHR Magazine. If viewing in a compatible format, you should be able to play these videos and mp3 files directly from this page! Give it a try + let us know what you think!

The Grey Area (Washington DC) “Sugar, From You� (As Seen On MTV}

If you cannot play the media, the video is avaialable on YouTube, songs are on our Sampler at blueskyandhardrock.com/bsides at bearhandsband..com + at last.fm

Audiophiles On the Sampler

Free @ BearHandsBand.com

Enso Remix of Cerulean Future Winds

Bear Hands Disaster Shy

Available on Last.fm

Starfucker I will Burn Us Alive

z i B e h T

You a Look g n i v i G s c y Infographi ic Industr s u M e h t o Int

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Molotov Jive

Molotov Jive

Create a “Storm” from Sweden to the States

Interview by meagan +How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music?

We met in school. Like so many bands do. Me (Anton) and Johan already sort of had a band going with this girl called Alexandra. We were the only band in our little town who did the britpop/indie thing.

Other than us it was all punk. And not good punk even but pathetic Sum 41-type bands who had a ”scene”. I listened to The Smiths and Stone Roses and Bowie and Clash. When Alex left Oskar and Anders joined. Finally a four piece we could really take it somewhere, I felt. Though we were just 16-17 at the time I really felt we had something different even then. We were always better than anyone I saw back home. +How did you decide on the name?

We wanted something with fire.

Something explosive but classic. I never think of the names meaning anymore but that is always something you’ll be asked in almost every interview. We thought something like ”Dance on fire”. Do the Molotov Jive. That kinda thing.

But now all it means is this band. Us four. And all we done. +What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music?

We do big songs. Huge. We do not shy away from emotion. Everything is desperately earnest. That is something I always look for in other music. We’re not tongue in cheek

or ironic. We are serious about what we do and we want it to sound like sturm und drang with guitars.

But with beautiful pop melodies as a base for all that huge sound. I wanna do music for teenagers who felt what I felt when I grew up or adults who feel like I feel now that I finally have. Lost. +What can they expect to experience at your live shows?

5 backlit young men bringing sweat and dedication. Every night.

We’ve grown more and more confident as a live band. I think it was because we toured so much in the early days and at a very young age. We got our dog years out of the way. I feel very confident now.

The last tour we did with Glasvegas (Uk) this spring felt like setting a new standard as far as playing goes.

Those were fun. +Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone “upcoming” that you are really into?

We basically started playing when the Strokes, White Stripes and the Hives took off. Garage revival kind of thing. Libertines were big influences on us. But nowadays I listen to The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain. The others in the band listens to other stuff. But everyone brings something interest-

ing to the table. When I wanna be inspired I mostly listen to my own demos. As for someone temporary I love there’s always the Horrors. Utterly inspiring. +What do you think about online music sharing?

I’ve been signed to Scandinavia’s biggest indie label since I was 19 and I have never seen more than a couple of grand from album sales anyway. The money never reaches the artists in a classic record label slave contract. I see them more as a bank. Someone who pays for recording and videos and promo. An investor if you will. As long as music reaches people I think its great. If some of those people come to a show and helps to spread the word there is absolutely no harm in it.

That being said, one can’t eat good word of mouth. And it does not pay your rent. +Where can fans find your music online or otherwise, either to stream, download or to purchase?

Molotov Jive music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Last.fm, Facebook, Grooveshark, on imported vinyl or Amazon.com. Then there’s always Piratebay, Youtube etc.

Molotov Jive

+Where can they connect with the band?

Connect with us through facebook or e-mail. We answer everything we can. Or on twitter @Molotovjive. +What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band today? What do you love most about it?

The hardest thing can be working with a limited budget. You quickly become a master at getting soup from a screw. We recorded our last album with American producer Sylvia Massy (Tool, Prince, Rhcp, Johnny Cash..) in California and that wasn’t easy. But you make it work.

What I love most about it is the feeling of independence (duh) and when the reward comes it tastes so much sweeter when you know you wrote and decided everything in the process on your own. More sense of pride. +Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Not to take no for an answer. Keep calling and emailing and nagging on the people you know who can get you show or studio time. Start a band with your best friends rather than people who can play good or have a good amp. One can easily learn how to play but it’s harder to learn to be a good person. And make sure you look good. Do NOT play a show in shorts.

Black goes with everything. And umm… don’t do drugs and don’t sign anything with the first guy who come along. Wait for the second guy and ask him about the first guy.

+Any parting words?

5 great songs as of today: Sadness is a blessing – Lykke Li Your silent face – New Order Bad Blood – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Baby I Love You – The Ronettes Most Of The Time – Bob Dylan Lots of love,

Anton Annersand,

[Anton, Molotov Jive]

+When can we expect to see you touring and in which regions?

We will tour sporadically this autumn in Europe. We are releasing the new album STORM in Germany and Spain (hopefully) and will support the record with shows in major cities. +Anything you would like share- new merch, upcoming shows or albums?

We are recording new music again and it is very exciting. But we do not know when or where it is coming out yet. But get the STORM album. Best we ever did.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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22

deVah

deVah

Introducing

The classically trained quartet of ladies from Canada come to California to record their first album of melodic originals and heavy covers +How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music?

MOIRA: Liza and I met touring with the NYO (National Youth Orchestra of Canada) in 2001 and when we met again in Toronto 4 years ago, we decided to try and form a quartet - To play fun chamber music together.

SHARON: I had met Emily (the other violinist) a while back through the occasional gig - the group was already in place when I joined LIZA: The amazing thing is - though we are all heavily classically trained, we quickly discovered we all share the same artistic goals and desires: to not just play "music for strings", but to play music the we feel is relevant and vibrant and to bring back vibrancy to music that might be considered "old fashioned". We quickly realized that branching out and creating our own sound and "genre" which borrows styles from rock, metal, prog, pop and even classical - would reach a wider audience.

EMILY: 'having fun' was one of the underlying reasons why the group initial y formed...we especial y craved the ensemble intimacy that we couldn't find in other work. +How did you decide on the name?

SHARON: deVah means "heavenly beings" - we initial y thought it meant "dark heavenly beings," which would have been pretty cool since we're kind of like the fallen angels of the classical world, but this works, too! +What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music?

SHARON: Since we are an instrumental rock group, we hope our tunes magnify what the listener is feeling, without lyrics to dampen the effects. Also, due to the nature of our music, we've noticed that a lot of people who enjoy the sound of a violin or a cello also enjoy us, as well as a whole new audience who have never considered listening to violins and cellos because we don't approach it the way it normally is.

LIZA: I think Sharon hit the nail on the head - though we aren't exclusively an "instrumental" group any more. We are starting to get bolder (which, let's be honest, is tough for string players- I am no exception!).

We have started to add our own vocals to our songs. Right now, we are using our voices as another cool effect - similar to Sigur Ros but we sing in Latin or sometimes English :)

EMILY: Our music caters to the best of both worlds - the string world and the prog-rock world. +What can they expect to experience at your live shows?

MOIRA: Great onstage presence SHARON: High energy rocking out EMILY: loads of fun LIZA: Lots of personality!! +Who are your biggest musical influences? Anyone "upcoming" that you are really into?

SHARON: The classic rock bands have been influences to us, I imagine. We also listen to a lot of progressive rock bands, particularly instrumental prog rock bands, to get more ideas of how to approach this genre. We love all music, though, and each of us listen to very different music. I love listening to jazz and looking for ways of incorporating jazz elements into solos- I find it to be a rather natural transition since Rock and Roll did stem from Blues‌ EMILY: a bunch of friends recently gave me a stack of metal cds. they told me they want me head banging more! all those crazy guitar riffs, combined with violin concerto cadenzas, help inspire my improv solos.

MOIRA: I grew up listening to bands like Offspring, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Live and they have certainly influenced my playing style.

LIZA: I do most of the writing for the group - and it's fun for me to think about who the major influences have been for me. I first feel I should give a nod to some of my favorite female rock/performing artists - like Joan Jett, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and Emmylou Harris - these women are super inspiring! I can honestly say my main influences, as far as bands go, range from Led Zepplin to Yes to early Muse (particularly the first three albums) to Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon - so there's a lot of classic rock and metal in our stuff. I'm also a fan of Alt-Canadian bands like I Mother Earth, Big Sugar and Big Wreck. And I love the west coast sound of US bands like The Red Hot Chil i Peppers, and the NY indie sound of Vampire Weekend.

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+Where can fans find your music online or otherwise, either to stream, download or to purchase?

SHARON: Currently, some of our music can be streamed on our sonicbids page - two of them are very rough demos, and the rest are live recordings. We also have a few clips up on youtube, and a few more posted up by our fans. +Where can they connect with the band? www.facebook.com/devahquartet www.twitter.com/devahquartet www.devahquartet.com +What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? What do you love most about it?

SHARON: there are so many indie bands! It's easy to get lost in the mix.

And the thing I love most about it? There are so many indie bands! If you want, you can choose to never hear the same indie band song twice, and never run out of things to listen to!

EMILY: to be unique and different. that definitely scratches the creativity layers more.

MOIRA: As a band, we've had difficulty convincing venues and people to give us a try, simply because we are different. Once people hear us though, there usually is no going back! Being as different as we are also gives us a huge advantage. We stand out from many other bands, and therefore we usually draw a great crowd.

MOIRA: never think you aren't good enough or too good for any gig. A gig is a gig, and if you attract 1 extra fan, it's worth it.

LIZA: Your attitude about what you do is everything - both on and off stage. Be respectful of your band mates and the people you work with and have a tough skin. It's a lot of hard, dedicated work and there is no time to be lazy or "let someone else do it". If you don't do it, it won't get done! Keep positive, and stick with what you believe in. +When can we expect to see you touring and in which regions?

SHARON: We're based in Toronto, and play here fairly often. In November, we'll fly to Vancouver for the first time for the closing day of Vancouver Alternative Fashion Week, and then head down to California. March, we wil be heading down to Houston to play some shows and work with a college there and then tour around Texas. +Anything you would like share- new merch, upcoming shows or albums?

SHARON: We're super excited about our trip to California - we are finally putting down tracks for our first album LIZA: We also got two rounds of fun t-shirts printed. I always wanted to have a band with a cool graphic tshirt and now: my dream has come true!!

EMILY: So true. We do indeed have t-shirts!! What makes it so fun is that we design them to our liking, and with each round of shirts, we get more and more creative.

+Any parting words, a message to your fans or anyone else?

SHARON: Thank you for all of the support this far - we hope you'll stay +Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local with us for the ride! bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

LIZA: ...We try to add something new to every show we play. This is just SHARON: We're stil a startup! Keep playing - play as many venues as the beginning and we are all pretty excited. We hope the rest of the world you can. Never think a gig is beneath you - always have a grateful attitude is too!! for being able to do music.

EMILY: Get ready!

EMILY: perseverance pays off. and be patient.

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The Sleeping Sea King

Wakes the Independent Metal Scene with the Magic of Rock + Dedication

+How did you meet each other and what lead you to come together to create music?

Joey and I met when we were like....5 years old I think. We had both been in numerous bands over the years but never had the opportunity to perform together. Right around January of 2007 Joey hit me up, he had a bunch of material recorded and wanted to get a live project going. I just happened to be free so we got together for an impromptu jam and I can honestly say we had immediate chemistry. Joey knew this Haitian kid from work who apparently played bass, toss in Andy hunt who Joey and I knew from childhood, throw a bit of booze in the mix and bam! The Sleeping Sea King was born. +How did you decide on the name?

Joey had the name as a default from the beginning, he actually wanted to change it when we first started but we kind of liked it, it's a name that doesn’t necessarily reflect the style of music we play. You have bands with names like Decapitated, Pig Destroyer, Cephalic Carnage, you pretty much know what you’re going to get, all awesome bands but you know you’re getting some kind of metal. +What can listeners expect to get from buying/listening to your music?

I'd say they can expect to be taken on a journey, we really wanted to make *May Cause Death one of those records that's meant to be listened from start to finish. Clearly we would like people to like particular songs but we hope that once they hear that song they'll want to hear the next one and so on after that, we did our best to put as many peaks and valleys as we could but still keep the flow of the record very natural feeling. +What can they expect to experience at your live shows?

Beer, sweat and extremely good times. We pride ourselves on our live show, we want to people to like the record but love the live show. There's nothing worse then being super into a record and then seeing the live show realizing how much "studio magic" bands have to implement sometimes. Everything you hear on the record you’re going to hear live, no frills rock and roll, loud and heavy......and fun. +Who are your biggest musical influences?

That's a toughie, I'd say anyone from Thin Lizzy to Slayer to Jimi Hendrix but that's a bit vague, I can tell you we have Converge, Refused, Megadeth, Every Time I Die and Pantera on full rotation in the van. +Anyone "upcoming" that you are really into?

The Deal, Ruach, Assuming We Survive, I'd love to give you a full list but that would take about an hour or so. One of the best parts of playing shows is getting to watch really talented bands, they make you want to push and be better players. We've been fortunate enough to befriend some amazing bands made up solid dudes.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

+What do you think about online music sharing?

Online what? Just kidding, I think there are just as many good aspects as there are bad in that respect. The fact that some random person in Bulgaria can hop online and check out our music with minimal effort is very cool, the fact that same person could download our entire catalogue for free is not. I personally still buy all of my music, I like having the tangible item, the artwork is part of the product, call me old school I suppose. +Where can fans find your music, online or otherwise, either to stream, download or to purchase? iTunes, iTunes, iTunes, Amazon, I'm pretty sure we're on Spotify, Facebook, Reverb Nation, Myspace (we're bringing it back) oooor come to a show, buy a record, it's 54 minutes of music and we're selling for 5 bucks. +Where can they connect with the band?

Once again, come to a show, hang out, let's get a drink!

You can find us at thesleepingseaking.com, we're on Twitter and Instagram also so follow us!!!

“Beer, sweat And extremely good times.� +What do you feel is the hardest thing about being an indie music band/ today? What do you love most about it?

Trying to "make it", we spend countless hours writing and practicing, we've spent thousands upon thousands on gear, we've birthed in our opinion a pretty awesome full length record, we have a van and a trailer, all we're asking is for someone to slap their imprint on the back of our baby and send us on the road, we'll sleep in the van, eat Top Ramen, whatever it takes, we just want to play shows. That as a matter of fact is the absolute best part, there is nothing better then being on stage and just smashing everything in sight. +What tips would you give to young bands just starting out and looking to break into the industry?

Don't give up, playing music is the best thing in the world however it's hard work and being able to not strangle the

other dudes in your band is easier said than done sometimes. +Can we expect to see the Sea King touring soon? Maybe SXSW? As a matter of fact, YES THE SLEEPING SEA KING IS PLAYING SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST THIS YEAR!!!! We have some amazing people that are helping us out behind the scenes, we'll be doing our first "official" tour in March based around SXSW, we play Arizona and Nevada pretty regularly so we're looking very forward to spreading our wings and spreading the word. +Anything new-- merch, upcoming shows?

Our amazing friends at To Die For clothing are helping us pump out our merch, we're hoping to get some new designs done soon, we've been doing a bit of pre-production trying to work out the kinks on some new material, we are severely aching to get back into the studio. We'll be doing a few shows before we head out to Texas in March, expect to see us doing some shows at The Double Down Saloon in Vegas aka our home away from home. +Any parting words, a message to your fans?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.....thank you, thank you to all of the bands we've been able to play with, thank you to all of our friends that keep coming out and supporting us, thank you to the folks that help us out like Meagan Jackson you lovely, lovely individual, Jason Welsher at To Die For Clothing, Paul Miner at Buzzbomb Sound Labs, Sandra Burciaga at Grimygoods.com, Tom Clark (who does most of our merch designs) at Olde Tyme and Traditional tattoo in Orange County, Erin Broadley, the list goes on, we could not do the things we do without help from our friends, we are truly grateful!

Answers by drummer

Andre Morales Andre Morales

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

A Thing Called Divine Fits

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By Juana Giaimo

hen you first listen to the record, you can only think that the waiting was worth it. From the catchy phrase “my love is real, until it stops” of the opening track to the ghostly ending in “Neapolitans”, the band gives a solid debut album full of energetic Pop and Rock songs that can only be done with experience, which they have from their main projects in which they developed a personal sound. They can demonstrate this on each of the songs: Britt Daniel’s voice sounds as rough as always, as well as his guitar, but the songs differentiate from Spoon, as they also have the synth arrangements typical from Wolf Parade. By putting together this experience they were able to form a thing called Divine Fits and delight our ears with this fantastic music.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

Collaborations

Together is better!

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By Juana Giaimo

ow many times have you wondered what the music would sound like if different artists joined together? Music collaborations or supergroups makes this dream real and brought us great records throughout the years. Two or more musicians experimenting together, trying to find new sounds that join them into one exciting project waited anxiously by all their listeners are always good news. Sometimes they are similar, like Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers, who have already demonstrated to be something more than just a side project of its members. Instead, they evolved and made of their music one of the most celebrated and acclaimed. But other times, the strangest combinations can occur, as for example, when Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and the electronic musician Dntel formed The Postal Service and released their only record, Give Up. The result were the sweet mellow songs of Gibbard full of electronic details and a soft beat that made it not only an easy album to enjoy, but also one of the most well-received records of 2003.

Sufjan Stevens dedicated his career on 2012 to try making music with other artists. He first announced on February the release of the EP Beak & Claw he did with hip-hop artist Serengeti and Son Lux, a project called S/S/S. It wasn’t a collaboration that remained on people’s mind for a long time; the adorable and nostalgic Sufjan doesn’t seem to be compatible with rap music. His second collaboration of the year was a 7” single he did with Rosie Thomas for Record Store Day, called Hit & Run Vol.1. It only has two tracks, but left people waiting impatiently for the second volume.

Finally, Sufjan joined with Bryce Dessner of The National and Nico Muhly to do a song cycle about the solar system called Planetarium. This project brings together the addition of classical music instrumentation, which the three musicians are used to work with and the electronic music that Sufjan has been using since The Age Of Adz. This project can grow into a major thing if it is finally recorded, as it has called the attention of many people even when they only played live shows in some cities as Sydney, Amsterdam and at MusicNOW 2012, a festival founded by Bryce Dessner.

In May it was announced the formation of Divine Fits, a collaboration –don’t call it supergroup, though it is, as the members said they didn’t like this term on an interview with Spin magazine- between Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs and Sam Brown of New Bomb Turks. The first advance track was “My Love Is Real”, featuring Dan in vocals. It is a fun and defying song with a steady beat that represents the sound of the whole album, A Thing Called Divine Fits, which was released on August 28th. Britt and Dan met at Handsome Furs show and decided to make music together when Wolf Parade announced they were on an indefinite hiatus.

Lastly, but definitely not least, is the collaboration that had kept waiting so many people for two years: David Byrne and St. Vincent. We all know that the former leader of the Talking Heads is very active and supports young musicians, as Dirty Projectors and Arcade Fire, so it isn’t a surprise to see him working with such a wonderful and innovating artist as Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent.

Since the announcement of their forthcoming album everyone’s eyes have been on them, and I bet that many people have marked on their calendar the release of Love This Giant on September 11th. The track “Who” can already be listened and downloaded. You’ll find rhythmical trumpets joining David Byrne’s flawless voice and Annie’s ghostly vocals with the appearance of her shredding guitar at the back. It wil be impossible not to be astonished and already know that this wil be one of the best records of the year, even when it wasn’t even released. Collaborations wil never be tiring or boring; as the music can give a huge change when musicians join forces + their minds merge into one sound..

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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Virtual Music Conference

Indie Connect W ill H o s t t h e Wo r l d ’ s Fi rs t Al l -Vi rtual Music C o n f e r enc e I n January

I

ndie Connect is bringing together thousands of artists, songwriters, businesses and speakers from around the globe for 3 days of high-level networking, industry education, a business trade show and artist/label showcases!

Since the entire event will occur exclusively online, there are no expensive plane fares, no wallet-breaking hotel rooms and no maddening crowds!

J

oin Blue Sky January 15-17, 2013 as we take part in Indie Connect’s exciting + groundbreaking event to unite the indie music industry!

Check out Indie Connect online for more on this innovative + essential resource.

www .Vi rtua lM usicCon f erenc e. c o m

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

Nicki Minaj

An honest defense for Nicki Minaj

WRITTEN BY CHRIS THORNHILL

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see it often, throughout the internet, becoming almost as common as the public distaste in Nickelback or Twilight. People are wondering how and why Nicki Minaj has fans at all, and it seems to be the norm to express a dislike for her, and her music. Why? Has she become repetitive to the point of annoyance? Has she taken her look too far? Has she gone too mainstream? Perhaps. It is true she is not rapping for the chance to get big; she has done her time there. She is now one of the biggest rappers in music today, and the most successful female rapper ever. And I enjoy her music, with no shame at all.

As someone with a vast taste in music, like most people taking the time to read this, I of course respect music that has value. I love lyrics that speak to me, or have a wonderful melody, or that just flow together with a perfect blend of those two elements. But you know what other music I like? Any music. I love anything that makes me enjoy whatever moment I am sharing the song with. When I was little I loved The Backstreet Boys, and danced around like a dorky kid does when he is listening to cheesy pop. I don’t deny my love for the music just because it doesn’t speak to some artistic moment in my life. I embrace the love I have for the music based on the fact that I enjoyed it at one point. Backstreet Boys Millennium was a piece of my childhood. Nicki Minaj has some great catchy rap songs, that speak to the world about nothing but having a good time and how she is a female rapper in a man’s world.

Being a woman in the rap game is a standout great thing in itself. I follow rap, and seeing a woman breaking boundaries, objectifying men for a change, speaking about the triumphs she has made is admirable in itself. The rap genre is not one that most people would consider full of integrity, but it is what it is. Rap is here to stay and Nicki Minaj has broken boundaries, and whether or not you enjoy her music, you should respect her, and how far she has come in her genre.

And if you can’t dance at least a little to “Super Bass” then I just don’t know what to do to help you. Not every movie has to be deep and thoughtful, it is okay to watch a kids movie. Not every song has to be deep and emotional, it is okay to want to dance and feel like an empowered tough rapper. Indulge yourself.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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Guyliner

Guyliner for. . .Well, Guys

WITH JENNIFER FREDRICKSON

It's the first show and it's time to get ready. You ask your girlfriend for some eyeliner + she throws her makeup bag at you and says, "Sure, use whatever."

You open it and it's a chaos of little pots, pencils, crayons, paints + brushes.

Holy shit. Now what?

The first thing you want to decide is what style of guyliner you are looking for, + then selecting the right products.

I'm going to take you through four different looks + what I use for each of them so you look like a rock star and can play with confidence.

Look One: Subtle Stare Difficulty: Easy Think Dave Navarro's patented stare.

It's bold, it's intense. It's not obvious that he has eyeliner on. It's also virtually fool proof.

For this look you're going to line the inner rim. For this you can use pencils, black eye shadow, or crème liner.

NEVER use liquid in the inner rim. It's bad for your eyes. Of everything I've used, I find that the crème liners work the best. I personally use M•A•C Fluid Line in Black Track but if you're on a budget look for a crème eyeliner in black + an angled eyeliner brush. I use these for the simple reason that they're waterproof + last up to 24 hours, meaning you won't need to touch up before the after-party.

Products: M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack M•A•C Brush #263 (or any stiff, small angled eyeliner brush) Step 1: Sanitize your brush! Use brush cleaner to keep from having eye problems. Dry on clean tissue and let sit till completely dry. I cannot stress the importance of keeping your brushes clean so you don't end up with bacteria in your eyes and infections.

Step Two: Using your ring finger at the base of your lash line GENTLY pull down your lashes to expose the inner rim (the rim is the white area between the eyelashes and the eyeball where the tear ducts are located) Step Three: Apply liner to the inside area of the eye on bottom lid Step Four: Looking at a downward angle, sweep product across inner rim on the upper lid.

Step Five: Clean your brush(s) with M•A•C daily brush cleaner Protip: applying a second layer with black eye shadow (I use M•A•C Carbon with a M•A•C #263 Brush) will help set the liner and make it last even longer.

Look Two: Punks and Drunks Difficulty: Intermediate This is for the guys who just don't give

a...well, you know. It states, "yeah, I wear eyeliner, what are you gonna do about it." Think Billie Joe Armstrong's guyliner which has been his staple since the beginning. This makes a statement while still bring masculine. There are 1,000 ways to create this look; you can use pencils, crème eyeliner, liquid liner or black eye shadow depending on how intense you want it.

What do you choose? Here's the breakdown: Eyeliner Pencil: Go for this if you want it slightly smudged but a relatively clean line. Or grab your pencil if you don't have steady hands or if you're a beginner. Pencil eyeliner is like eyeliner training wheels.

Eye shadow and brush: If you want super smudgy-soft blurred lines that look like Billie Joe's I'd go for the eye shadow and brush route. Because it's a powder you can smudge it anywhere you want and using a brush gives you a lot of control.

Crème Eyeliner: Grab this if you want your liner pretty clean lined and you have a steady hand. This stuff won't budge and will look darker than eye shadow or pencil but be careful; it's also harder to remove if you mess up.

Fluid Eyeliner: NOT FOR THE NOVICE! I warned you. Beware! This is going to give you machine-like precision

Guyliner

but it's very hard to control. Always remove any extra liner from the applicator by dragging the applicator along the side of the lip as you remove it from the bottle.

For this look I'm using the eye shadow and brush technique to line only the outer lash line.

Products: M•A•C Carbon Eye shadow M•A•C #263 brush Q-Tips Step One: Starting in the outer corner of the eye begins to pat on eye shadow at the base of the eyelashes working your way slowly in. Don't drag the brush! This prevents fallout (the black eye shadow flecks that fall on your cheeks).

Step Two: repeat under bottom lashes.

Step Three: drag Q-tip over line to smudge Protip: If you have large eyes: bring eyeliner all the way around the eye for more intensity.

If you have smaller eyes: stop eyeliner where your eyelashes end and it will make your eyes look bigger.

Look Three: Rock God Difficulty: Advanced This is for the hard-core. For those who are ready to take the stage and scream listen up and pay attention. This is the Nikki Sixx of guyliner.

Products: M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack M•A•C PowerPoint Eyeliner Pencil in Engraved M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon M•A•C #263 Brush

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M•A•C #239 Brush M•A•C #224 Brush Step One: Line inner rim both top and bottom with M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack with your M•A•C # 263 Brush Step Two: Set the inner rim with M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon with your M•A•C #263 Brush Step Three: Beginning in the outer corner, drag the M•A•C PowerPoint Eyeliner Pencil in Engraved across the lash line in short strokes. This does not need to be a perfect or clean line.

Step Four: Drag a clean M•A•C #239 Brush under the lashes to blend and diffuse the liner.

Step Five: Apply M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon with the M•A•C#239 brush.

Step Six: Smudge and blend the bottom edge of the liner/ shadow in a sweeping motion with a clean M•A•C #224 Brush Step 7: Sanitize/clean all your brushes.

Protip: If you put a piece of tissue paper under your eye before applying and blending the shadow it will catch any fall out so your eyeliner stays on your eyes.

And now for the finale...drum roll please!

Look Four: Glam Rock Difficulty: Expert This look is for the pros. It makes no apologies. It's a no holds barred, we are gonna fuck shit up kind of look. It can be anything from the grease paint look of Kiss to the more modern Avant Garde stylings of Black Veil Brides. The trick

to coming up with something is to make it yours.

Don't copy anyone else's style. That being said, this style is mine.

Products: M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon M•A•C Eye shadow in Plumage M•A•C Pigment in Dark Soul M•A•C #210 Brush M•A•C #263 Brush M•A•C #239 Brush M•A•C #224 Brush Step One: Line inner rim both top and bottom with M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack with your M•A•C # 263 Brush Step Two: Set the inner rim with M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon with your M•A•C #263 Brush Step Three: Apply M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack with M•A•C # 263 Brush over entire lid up to the brows and a thick line under the bottom lashes.

Smudge with a clean M•A•C #239.

Step Four: Apply M•A•C Eye shadow in Carbon over the Blacktrack with a M•A•C# 214 brush Step Five: Along outer edge of the Fluidline apply M•A•C Pigment in Dark Soul with a M•A•C #224 Brush until blended out creating a soft blur.

Step Six: Using a M•A•C #210 brush and M•A•C Fluidline in Blacktrack begin freehand drawing the design. I went for a cracked porcelain motif.

Step Seven: Using your M•A•C #263 brush and M•A•C Eye shadow in Plumage add shadow and texture to the design to create depth.

Step Eight: Dip your M•A•C #210 brush in water before applying M•A•C pigment in Dark Soul to create strong dramatic lines and define the design Step Nine: Sanitize/clean all your brushes Protip: Using a dark green, burgundy, navy or other color against the black will create dimension. Using a matte white within the design will make the dark look darker and make it stand out. Don't be afraid to move away from only black. Oh and stay away from shimmers and satins this ain't your girlfriends makeup!

S Help! My hair was light blonde and super highlighted.

I tried to dye it back to my natural color and it turned this weird greenish brown and its super ugly. What do I do? -Muddy in Jersey Muddy: Put down the hair color! I cannot stress this enough, put the box down. This is a job for a professional. Putting any more color on discolored hair will not be doing anyone any favors, especially not your stylist. Without going into too much random detail, when your hair has been lightened to such an extent, it lacks enough color to fill the hair shaft and make a neutral color. Have a professional take a look and remember, it’s fine to use box color if you’re only going a shade or two darker or staying the same shade and adding tone to the hair.

My skin on the back of my neck and upper back started breaking out suddenly and I don’t know why.

How can I get rid of the backne?

-Broken Back in Boston There are a few different things that can be causing the back of your neck and upper back to break out.

Two of the most common reasons are developing an allergy to your shampoo or using a new shampoo you’re allergic to. The same goes for laundry detergent. Try a different shampoo/conditioner for a week or two and a hypoallergenic laundry detergent like ALL. Also, use a body wash that exfoliates and contains glycolic acid and see if that stops the bacne. If it persists, you need to see a dermatologist.

Style [Q & A] It seems like my makeup always ends up beneath my eyes, what can I do to keep my makeup on my eyes instead of underneath them?

-Raccooned in Huntington Beach There are a few different tricks of the trade to help prevent makeup migration. First look at the types of makeup you’re applying. Try to stick with makeup that is long-wear and waterproof. Both will help the look last longer. If you’re having a problem with your eye shadow lasting, try priming your eyelid with an eye primer before applying eye shadow like MAKE UP FOR EVER’s new eye primer ($22.00 at www. sephora.com). Eye primers help lock the color onto the lid to ensure its longevity. You can also try dusting a translucent powder like MAKE UP FOR EVER’s HD Powder ($40.00 at www.sephora.com) over the top of the shadows and liners to help “set” the products.

bottom 1/8” you’re ensuring that your hair is healthy and will actually grow long without breaking. If you’re maintaining your trims and you still can’t get your hair to grow, look at your daily routine. Are you using good products, a thermal protector before you heat style, washing your hair every other day? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to eat more fruits and veggies. A great diet is essential for great hair.

My waxer lady waxed off my eyebrows and now all I have are these little tiny tiny brows. What can I do to not look like I drew on my brows with a pen?

Deep breath and don’t panic. I have been in the exact spot you’re in. First of all, get a brow powder that is similar to your natural brow color (or if you have colored hair, a color that is a shade darker than your hair color) and a pencil that is one shade darker than the brow powder. I recommend while you grow out your brows to invest in some brow My hair just won’t grow! I haven’t cut it in months stencils ($7.00 at Sally’s Beauty Supply). After you and it still won’t get any longer. It’s been at my shoul- apply your foundation you’re going to powder in the ders for years now and I’m so frustrated. I just want whole stencil. Next go in with short strokes with the my hair to be long and gorgeous. What should I do? pencil to create the illusion of hair. As your brows -Lusting for Locks in Austin grow out, pluck any hair that isn’t covered by the stenciled brow and trim any hair that is longer than Lusting- there are a lot of factors that contribute into the brow pattern you’ve selected. having long and lustrous hair. First of all, go get a trim and get your hair cut at least every 8 weeks.

Fact: once the hair shaft begins to split it will continue to split all the way up the hair shaft leaving you with wispy, breaking ends. By continually removing the

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Frank Turner A Close Up By Rachel Clare

It’s a rare occasion when a musician makes his or her way into your playlist by recommendation and proceeds to shatter any and every expectation you had. You find a part of yourself that you didn’t realize was missing, and you begin to delve into each and every corner of your local record store so that you may somehow become the proud owner of the artist’s entire collection. For me, that artist was Frank Turner.

A few years ago, a friend recommended that I listen to Frank, simply stating that he was a pretty awesome folk-punk musician from England.

Looking back at it now, that’s still the only explanation I needed. Without having listened to a tune, I swapped in some hard-earned cash for copies of both Love Ire & Song and Poetry of the Deed. My musical library was forever changed.

If you don’t know Frank Turner, you should know that he likes to drink whiskey, he refuses to live life by the normal standards, and he still gives a damn about the punk scene. His most recent record, 2011’s England Keep My Bones, is a testament to all of the above. The album is, first and foremost, a love of his country, however much of a vagabond he may be. Though he’s probably spent just as much time in airports and on airplanes as most of us will spend behind the wheel of a car, his home and his heritage still come first. The folk aspect of his music shines through in the a cappella “English Curse.” For one, his voice his stellar all on its own, no backing instrumentals needed. Two, this particular track calls back to traditional English music and the art of historic storytelling. But if you’re looking for something a tad more contemporary, swap on over to the album’s shining jewel, “I Still Believe.” If you’ve found some sort of community, some sort of understanding, in the world of rock and roll, this song may very well be your life anthem. Also, Frank and his backing band, The Sleeping Souls, performed this very track on a Shire-esque hill as part of the pre-ceremony for this summer’s London Olympics.

Frank Turner is taking on a short headlining tour of the States this September, before hitting the studio in October to record his fifth fulllength studio album. Judging from the newer songs he’s been playing at shows throughout the past year, it’ll be right up to par with the rest of the collection.

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Matt and Kim Tour

WHISPER STATE OR SCREAM A Style Piece by Jennifer Fredrickson

S

ometimes talking to a hairdresser is like talking to someone who doesn’t speak English. Getting two people to understand the same vision can be a challenge, but it’s important that your hairdresser understands exactly what you want from your hair so you leave with hair that you love and is what you want.

Our job is to create your vision; however, your job is to express what you want clearly.

When you first sit in your stylist’s chair, they should ask you a few basic questions. It’s important that we get a feel for you, for your lifestyle and what you want from your hair. The first question should always be, “what do you have in mind?” Remember, this is your hair, you’re not going to have us there to style it for you every day and we want you to love your hair. We also need to know, do you heat style or are you a wash and go kind of person. Lastly, we need to know what kind of products you use or want to use.

It sounds daunting I know. Here are some simple things you can do to ensure your hair comes out exactly how you want your hair to look and convey the image you are going for. First of all, bring pictures! We love pictures; it helps us to see what you are seeing. Beyond that, what I consider to be a chocolate

brunette may be darker than what you have in mind, or you may want a bob that is shattered rather than the smooth Victoria Beckham bob. If you can’t find pictures of what you want, you can always show us things you don’t like so we know what to stay away from.

When dealing with color, I like to use the whisper, state or scream dialogue with my clients. If you want just a soft, barely there sun kissed look with your highlights and ask for a whisper of blonde, your stylist wil instantly know it’s going to be soft and natural looking. If you ask them for color that states red, we know you’re looking for something that is unapologetically colored while stil within the realm of natural. If you tell us you’re looking for pieces of green that scream punk rock, that’s when we know it’s safe to run wild. Also, color comes in a bil ion shades, tones, and levels, don’t be afraid to ask your stylist to show you swatches of the tone and idea of what you both have in mind for your hair.

Lastly speak up! If your bangs aren’t short enough, tell us! We’d rather fix it right there than have you miserable because you hate your hair and not come back to us. If your cut feels uneven, point it out and we’ll double check it. Remember, we want you to fall in love with your hair.

Matt and Kim on Tour WRITTEN BY CHRIS THORNHILL

Following a new single release aptly titled, “Let's Go” in support for their next album called Lightning, Matt and Kim are going on tour. I personally have seen the duo twice, once on their headlining tour and the other on the Honda Civic Tour, opening for the likes of My Chemical Romance and Blink-182, and I can say with confidence, their show is one not to be missed.

They provide a live performance that combines interactive bits along with a ton of songs mixed with fun covers mixed all together in a set that will win you over without a doubt. Seeing them in support of their new album will without a doubt mix their old music with some new songs as well. Check out if they are coming near you at www.mattandkimmusic.com/tour

New Additions

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Blue Skies Keep Expanding W

ith our team always working hard to accomplish big things for music and for our readers, and with upcoming plans that are proving to be pretty significant to our growth, it only makes sense that our team keep on growing in numbers.

We also feel it is important to have great contributors and representatives for you to connect with in your hometown in order to form meaningful bonds and to best cover local music worldwide.

That being said, we are excited and proud to introduce you to our newest contributors, Breanna Granzow + Shannon Neeley.

B

REANNA GRANZOW

You may recall Breanna’s Blue Sky “debut” from earlier this year when we shined our spotlights on St.Vinvent alumni Daniel Heart and his solo endeavor. Breanna, based out of Austin, TX shared with our online viewers some special live footage from a show of Daniel’s. Therefore it may come as no surprise that she will be joining us to bring life to our live video features at BSHR online + BSHR.tv Plus! We’ve added video to the digital edition of BSHR Magazine as you can see premiered in this very issue! Check out our good friends in The Grey Area as they debut their music video for “Sugar, it’s You” as seen on MTV.

S

HANNON NEELEY

Shannon just joined us last week from Montreal Canada. We are very excited at the opportunity to bring you music from yet another country, and one that is neighbor to our Headquarters at that. Shannon has written articles published in a few publications including AMP magazine, and we are looking forward to seeing a lot more Punk-Rock on Blue Sky thanks to her.. Fun Fact about Canada? It is home to the invention of both the AM Radio and the very first music Synthesizer.

Chris Thornhil Takes out this Issue with his humorous “P o p u lar S ongs , Re t old in Haikus” Somebody that I oh..

Please God Not This Song Again Why Must I Sing Too?

Hey Look We're British You Don't Know You're Beautiful No, No Doubt, I won't.

And Boy Bands Are Back?

You Can't Make Me Settle Down.

I Love You Too Much.

Take Me Home Tonight Hooray fun. Has a Hit Sweet Tonight We Are Young

Hugh Le Caine + the world’s first Synthesizer.

Do You know good music?

We are still growing + looking for passionate music journalists to join our team! Write us today @ info@blueskyandhardrock.com

O

n August 13 the music industry suffered a great loss when Brent Grulke, the creative director of SXSW, passed away. He was only 51, but accomplished many achievements throughout his life. Before becoming involved in SXSW, he was a record producer, tour manager, record company executive and the Records Review Editor for the Austin Chronicle.

Brent was with SXSW since it’s start and was an “easy choice” for the creative director position, which he was given in 1994. As the creative editor of SXSW, he was responsible for booking bands and musicians to be part of the festival. Since then, SXSW went from presenting 500 bands a year to hosting 2000 different acts from all over the world. The artists are extremely diverse: music legends such as Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash have performed at SXSW, as well as unsigned independent bands, many of whom now credit the festival for propelling their career by providing the attention of managers and record labels.

Thanks to Brent Grulke SXSW is now a respected and unique event, among the largest and most-well-known in the world. To honor his memory, this past weekend SXSW held Grulkfest in Austin. You can catch videos of the event online now, and sxsw.com has more information on how people can donate to foundation set up for Brent’s son. We are sure you will see more tributes to this incredible man when SXSW takes over downtown Austin next March.

BSHR Indie Music Magazine

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