Broken Records Magazine Volume 4 Issue 1 AUGUST 2012 by Broken Records Magazine

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE

BROKEN RECORDS contents Magazine August 2012

Volume 4 Issue 1

features:

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SUMMER Concerts

by MEGAN MESSANA

on the cover:

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A WAR MU P LIVI NG NEW LEGEN DS S IND IE SP OTL A TH OUS IGHT AND MAI WO N SU RDS PPO HEA RT DLIN ER CON CER T RE VIEW

departments:

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TO EVERYONE THAT STUCK BY US & TO ALL OF OUR NEW FRIENDS/FAMILY, Thank you. If you are reading this, then you have decided to give Broken Records Magazine another chance. We’ve been through some extreme highs and lows this past year. But we’ve lived through the storms and floods (literally) and a revolving door of cast members working with us. This issue has been a year in the making. The best of the past year and everything since, is in the magazine. We will absolutely do our best to get back to a monthly or bi-monthly magazine. Additionally, your support will help Broken Records Magazine take over the globe again. How, you ask? As you have hopefully noticed, this magazine is FREE. If you can pass this issue to at least one of your friends,we can have hundreds of thousands of views. That is our goal. Lastly, in the weeks to come, an all new BROKENRECORDSONLINE.com will be unveiled. This newly designed and envisioned site will be more user supported. Here you will be able to upload your own reviews to be published and your concert photos....showcasing your talents to the world. AGAIN, from the whole Broken Records family

THANK YOU

PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DEPUTY EDITOR WEB EDITOR PHOTO DIRECTOR

SCOTT VOLLWEILER JUSTIN SARACHIK MARKOS PAPADATOS MEGAN MESSANA LAURA DESANTIS-OLSSON

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE

Q&A

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A Convo with Will Turpin of Collective Soul regarding their upcoming Tour and New Album. Collective Soul will be playing their album Dosage in it’s entirety, as well as some of their other hit songs during their show titled “An Evening With Collective Soul.” The first thing we want to know is what have you guys been up to for the past 2 years? We have played many festivals, weekend runoffs…about 20 shows each year. We have also been focusing on individual side projects in the last year. I put out a solo album last October titled Lighthouse. Dean worked with a group called Magnets & Ghosts and Ed put together a group called the Sweet Tea Project. What can we expect from your new album? It’s hard to say until it’s recorded. It has an eclectic sound, an array of tunes. As we are beginning to play with the sounds it seems to have a Rock & Roll spirit right now, actually a lot of rock in it. Right now we are really just gathering ideas and tunes. We hope to start recording in late summer, early fall with the album being released in 2013. In a dream world December 2012 but the tour is keeping us from being full time in the studio.

Do you have any expectations for this tour? Yeah!! All the venues are great, we are really excited! Some of the songs we are going to play have never been played live before. It is really exciting to be able to do this. Some songs go back to 1998! These songs are the soundtrack to your life - takes you back to those memories of when they were written. We were all so young and living together in a house in Miami at the time, just having fun. You are playing your entire Dosage Album which was deeply loved by your fans. If you could say one thing to them about why they should come to the show, what would it be? To

have a great evening, have fun and let loose! What made you guys choose to play the entire album rather than just a regular style show? To try and be different and to give the fans and us something different. Other bands have done it, we are not the first, and it’s a fun idea. It’s a bit of

a challenge as well and that’s fun. How excited are you to be back recording and on tour? I’m really excited because it’s been 3 years. The wheels are spinning in my head on how to perform some of these songs that have never been played live before. We are expecting the crowds to be energetic and pumped up! How have you grown as a band in the past few years? I have been in the band since 1994. It is interesting to be a part of something that has lasted so long. It embodies your whole persona. We have grown together through the years; it’s been a great evolution. Maturity hit at some point but we still feel like kids on the road. It’s amazing to be able to do this for a living. At 24 we burst on the scene in back in ‘94 - we are still those kids!

The tour starts in May. This is one show you are not going to want to miss! VIP ticket sales are available at www.collectivesoulvipexperience. com

by Michelle Michalski

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE .

Blackened Blue

How do you construct your music? Evanescence has returned: New album, new tour, same members: lead singer Amy Lee, bassist Tim McCord, guitarist Terry Balsamo, guitarist Troy McLawhorn and drummer Will Hunt. Their eponymous album was released on October 11, 2011 and debuted at #1. “It’s our best record to date. This album is more dynamic, it’s heavy, and it hits harder. The songs in my opinion are better, even though I love the previous records,” says Tim. “This one feels like a natural evolution of the sound that was

Interview with Matt: drums; Bob: guitar; Josh: lead vocals and guitar

Where do you start? Matt: I guess how we would describe our style would be, melodic hard rock? We don’t really define ourselves as, “Okay, we have to be heavy,” or, “Okay, we should now be chill.” Josh: When everybody in the band likes different music, you end up writing all kinds of different music, and different types of music are always coming out, and mesh together with other people’s ideas. And you

EVANESCENCE

really just end up with a wide range of genres, like on our album. Matt: We absolutely do not allow a song to be finished until we all sign off on it, and we’re all okay with it. We kind of try to make sure that we’re all diggin’ the music that we’re playing. At least, to some extent, you know? Josh: The lyrics are usually written last. And the songs themselves are pretty much born from rifts that one of us will come up and present to the others.

Q&A

How did you guys get started? Matt: Josh and I were friends ever since we were like 10 or 12 years old. Actually, have you heard of the band Circa Survive? The drummer of that band, Steve, he was in our band. We were childhood friends, we’d just jam together at Steve’s house. Josh started playing again once we got into college, and I’d been friends with Bob since high school, and knew he played guitar. Bob: We decided to start a band and, actually, our first show was just the three of us, me, Matt, and Josh. Just two guitars and a drummer, no singing, no bass. We just played at a bar just for fun. From that point on, we kind of went through a couple of lead singers.

By Jillian Long

That’s pretty different, because the majority of the musicians I know start with lyrics and then put a tune to it. Matt: Yeah, we definitely don’t do that bit. I think it’s something that we’re trying to be more conscientious of. We’re trying to get better at being sure that we’re combining the two. But definitely,, the lyrics come last.

already there.” The band was on hiatus since 2007, returned briefly in 2009 for a few shows. For fans, this has bee a long time coming. “It built more anticipation, the die-hard fans have been waiting for years, for our new music and were really extra interested and happy about it when we finally returned,” says Tim. “It’s like shaking the bottle of beer and then opening it up. I am really happy for everyone that didn’t forget about us, coming out and supporting, rocking out and making us feel like we are back and strong.”

by Mike Camp

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE

by Scott Vollweiler 10

KRISTIN CHENOW

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE

WETH

Not at all. Especially at the age of 19, to sing at the Opry! Opryland is huge. It makes me sad that Opryland doesn’t exist anymore, because there’s a mall there. You gotta love the mall. I’m too upset by it. That was such a part of history. Looks like I’m going to get together with the Grand Ole Opry, and do a set there. It’s all coming back full circle. That is what I’m about: learning and growing. The glass is half full. I’ve had some great times and a great journey so far, but now it is half empty. I’m starting over in a way. It’s exciting, and it’s a challenge. That’s one of the things that I really want to do.” I know on the album, you had the opportunity to have some amazing writers on it. Did you personally get to sit down with them, were the songs written for you, or were they written prior, and then you selected them? Even though I didn’t sit down and write the songs, with the exception of two, I felt pretty strongly that these songs, for a moment, they might have. I put my own stamp on them. While they weren’t written for you, in a roundabout way, they ended up being for you anyway. Yeah, because none of the songs have ever been picked. They’ve been sorta out there, but some of the songs like Diane [Warren] had four songs and she told me she wasn’t giving them to anybody else. I feel like they were mine to begin with. It was a really interesting pairing having to work with Bob Ezrin in the studio. You’ve got some country for you, and obviously you do a ton of Broadway, and you have him

doing albums such as Pink Floyd. How was it working with him and were there any funny stories with you two in the studio? Sometimes I want to bop him on the head, and I’m sure he wants to do the same thing to me. In fact, I know he does. You wouldn’t put us together. It started because of Diane Warren. That’s how I met Bob. Then, when I started to sing, and he started to look at me through the glass and talked to me while I was singing, and look at me and gesture and motion. I knew that he was my person. He knew that I was his too. Bob just believed in me so much. You can’t buy that! I’m sure it helps that you have a great track record behind you. He taught me to rock out, singing this country music that I grew up singing. He gave me the confidence to go for it! Bob is just so good!

Q&A

You’ve had an extremely diverse career and obviously there is so much ahead of you still. What did you feel that you wanted to accomplish with Some Lessons Learned? First of all, thank you for that. The diverse career is something every actor really wants. We want to be able to do different things. This was more of an accomplishment for myself because I grew up singing country music and gospel music in church. I might have my degree in opera performance, and I’m known for that and for musical theatre. When I signed on with Sony, I said ‘Look, I know you guys want certain things from me, but you have to put it somewhere in writing that you are going to try to do this record.’ I didn’t know much about the record business then, and I still kinda don’t, but I’ve learned some, and they said ‘ok.’ I guess I feel really glad that I am smart enough to do that. Now I’m getting to do it. It’s the stuff I played for my parents and family. That makes me feel really happy, because it goes back to the days when I worked in Opryland when I was 19, and I just didn’t want to leave. I loved, loved it there so much. It might be twenty years too late, but I’m doing it.”

Some Lessons Learned is a heck of a title for an album. I know that it’s also a song. What is it about this song and title that really fit you? I didn’t do that many covers. I did two. It’s funny, I may look a little younger than my age. I’ve been hurt like everybody else, and I’ve done the hurting, and I’ve had learned some hard lessons. Hopefully, we learn from these lessons. I knew that something existed, and I wanted to record it. When it came to the title, it just seemed so natural, because I did learn a lot, but I’m sure I have a lot more to go, because it’s called life. I look at someone like Taylor Swift, who I think is just incredible, and I think she has the voice, and the talent and the look. I just can’t wait for what’s going to happen to her. She’s going to learn a lot from her own life, and because of that music comes to mean stuff even deeper. Speaking of someone like Taylor Swift, she’s 21 and has reached the pinnacle of everything in music (multiplatinum, ACMS, Grammys, CMAs). You name it, she’s won it. You look at someone like yourself who has accomplished everything as well. Where do you think someone like Taylor has to still go? They say once you’ve gone up, there’s nowhere else to go but down. Do you feel that way? I think that she has nowhere to go but up in a different way. I think she’ll cross over and do some other country music. I’d love to see her on Broadway. I think she has nothing but good things ahead of her. So far, she has such an amazing head on her shoulders. All I can say, is that I can’t wait to see what she’s going to give us.

What’s next in your line-up of things to do? TV? The big screen or Broadway? Any chance of doing a tour for your new album? Yes, everything you said! I’m going to be doing a new show on ABC called “Good Christian Belles.” I’ve played everywhere in the world, but I haven’t done a tour, because of my schedule. I know how important that is to do, to support an album. I’m going to be doing that. Broadway is so very much dear in my line-up because I’ll be reviving a show from the 1960s. My next year is going to be kinda hectic, but I absolutely love it, and I’m very lucky.

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE It’s very rare for a band to truly have a past three years. The album is NOT idle unique sound. How did you “find” your listening music, for the most part. It wants sound? Our sound is certainly unique, but I to be listened to, turned up, and sung along wouldn’t say we “found” it so much as it has with... loudly, in the car with your windows evolved over time. My brothers, Ian and Eric, down... Listen to the lyrics and the write all of Delta Rae’s music and we have harmonies and the emotions conveyed and I kind of an open policy for what sort of song think you can see what I’m talking about. It we will perform. The only requirement is that is a roller coaster! We recorded it in North the song is awesome and so far, we’ve stuck Carolina and New York City and it took to those guns :) But the feel of the song can about two months to lay down. The songs run the gamut, from straight up rock-pop, to on it are either classic Delta Rae, and had swampy southern gospel. From sparse ballads been crafted years before, OR were written to twangy-motown. That might sound like into existence only a short time before the we’re all over the place, but the threads that tie album was made. As for the harmonies, we it all together is four-part harmony, thoughtful have been singing together for so long, the lyrics, and catchy melodies. The fact that every harmony is second nature. The hard parts song is its own creation, without having to fit of being in a studio is getting the emotion into a strict “soundscape,” makes our live show and “feel” to be perfect. And yes, that was and our album dynamic and exciting for the listener! And for us too!! EXCLUSIVE Interview with

Photo Credit: Smallz and Raskind

BRITTANY HOLLJES

Carry The Fire, has been getting rave reviews by fans and critics alike. How does it feel to be this well received? We could not be more thrilled that the album is resonating with people. It’s all we could hope for. Our fans were a huge force in the creation of this album. It was entirely funded by our Kickstarter project, which raised over $30k, and was completed before we signed with Sire/Warner Bros. So to have the people who funded our album respond positively makes us hugely happy. Tell me about your new album, Carry the Fire. How long did it take to write and record it? Did it seem like a daunting task to get those harmonies perfect? Carry The Fire is our debut album, so we wanted it to be powerful and energetic, and to capture the songs that we have been honing over the

extremely daunting, but I think we nailed it. Tell me about the video for the single, Bottom of the River, which holds powerful imagery. Where did the concept come from? And were you afraid that “River” didn’t necessarily have that atypical “single sound”? Ian came up with the concept. The song is dark and has sort of an old-testament gospel feel. We thought a witch trial would be a compelling story that was in keeping with the songs swampy feel,

by Cindy Vasko & Scott Vollweiler

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE if not the lyrics. I think the tides are turning in pop music right now. People are more open to a wide array of sounds. Though “Bottom of the River” isn’t typical, it is eargrabbing, so we are hopeful that people will be into it. So I’ve heard that the story behind getting discovered and signed was a truly unique experience. Can you give us the backstory and there after on how it happened? Our meeting with Seymour Stein was arranged through a mutual friend, a doctor who had never even heard our music before, but Seymour invited us to play in his office as a courtesy. We showed up with two guitars, a cajon, and our voices and started into the song “Hey Hey Hey”. He loved it enough to call other folks into his office to hear us play for 40 more minutes. He saw us live a few other times, and then six months after our first meeting, he signed us. Seymour Stein is an incredible man, and we are extremely grateful that he saw something special in us. It’s been a huge privilege to get to know him and an honor to be a “Seymour Band” (as WBR calls us.)

television... I knew we could rock out no problem. You were selected by Rolling Stone to be part of the “Women Who Rock” contest, where you will compete with five other female musicians for a back cover Rolling Stone feature. While you are both men and women, do you feel that you represent a band consisting of Women Who Rock? Yes, absolutely. The Women Who Rock Campaign is about recognizing strong female artists. While we are a mixed gender band, Liz and I both have a powerful presence on stage and on the record. Having female voices like ours in Delta Rae is what sets this band apart. The boys are all excited that we were selected by the Rolling Stone editors. I think they love having people acknowledge that Liz and I can kick some ass! What is your favorite thing to see in the audience while you are performing on stage? People clapping along with “Morning Comes,” and singing the lyrics to any and all songs :) Are there any cities on the tour you are looking forward to playing? Can’t wait for the festivals, Summerfest and 80/35, but also NYC and OF COURSE our show at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC is gonna be fantastic. I’m so excited to celebrate all that’s happened in the last few weeks with our hometown crowd!

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

You are a six member band with four lead vocalists and three of you are siblings. Is it easier or more

difficult to work with siblings? It’s easier because we know each other’s personalities and voices so well; we learned to work as a team a long time ago. It’s harder because we know what buttons to push to make each other crazy and how to challenge each other. But even if we argue sometimes, we always come back to the table and resolve it. It makes us stronger on the whole. Tell us about the moment you were told you were booked on the Jay Leno show. And by the time you will read this, you would have played the show. Tell us about the experience. The whole thing was very surreal. We heard that Leno might be a possibility, but we kept our cool and didn’t want to get excited in case it didn’t work out. Then it got confirmed and we pretty much flipped. There was a lot of build up and excitement from fans and the label, and everyone at The Tonight Show was extremely sweet and helpful. Each member had a different reaction to the pressure and momentousness of the occasion, but for me, it just felt laid back and like we were ready for national

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Since this EP is about what you’ve done for the past 2 years in the music industry, was there a time where you were starting to lose patience? Once in a while I get down on myself, but I love music. I would never want to stop playing it. Patience was really all about me telling myself how to be patient and keep doing what I’m doing instead of when it’s going to pay off. What was the hardest song to write for Patience? On the EP, “Patience” definitely took me the longest. I wrote the first verse for four months. I kept reconstructing the guitar riff and I re-wrote the chorus because I hated how it came out. It overall took me about 6 months to write that song and fully finish. W h a t was the deciding factor for you to leave school and make a very bold decision at such a young age?

It was definitely a crazy decision to make considering my dad was a teacher and actually is a principal now. He was definitely freaked out about me not wanting to go to school and further my education. If I have an opportunity why would I want to waste it? Once I finished my album, I got signed and things just started happening. “I Blame You” was inspired by 50s Doo Wop. How did you get into that music and do you feel that influence helped matured your sound? I wanted to do a Doo Wop song because I really love that style. I really have a thing for the harmonies. I really wanted to try it out and it was a lot of fun. I found the concept for the “O Darling” video to be quite clever. How did that idea come about? Did you have any say? The producer and the videographer were the ones who came up with the ideas. I thought it was really good idea. Like you said, it’s been done before, but I think we really did it right and it was clever. We also did our parts in different cities so it added the effect to the video as well. It was interesting and a lot of fun.

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE

So then why do you think Dark New Days is not as popular as it should be? Obviously there’s tons of talent in the band. I think there’s a lot of factors that went into why we didn’t quite fly as high as we thought we should or the label thought we should. I feel like we went with this sound that was on radio and “Brother” was a great lead single and did really well at establishing our name on radio but “Pieces” wasn’t my choice for the second single. But the label didn’t agree and wanted to go with more of a “Sevendusty” kinda founding track

with “Pieces,” which was kinda disheartening for me because I didn’t want to be the other Sevendust… I want to showcase what we had which was a little bit different. Then the touring cost and the cost of keeping everything out on the road was starting to break us, so we knew we had a limited run before we had to start thinking of what else we were going to do. Tell me about the making of the record. You have all the terrific musicians who initiated the writing of the songs? How many of the songs were recorded a few years back? How many were recorded during the actual sessions to the album itself? All of what you’re hearing is just scattered sessions of us getting together from a month or two at a time pulling up in the studio. A lot of them were recorded in my place up in Orlando; some of them were recorded at Cory’s place and then some of them were recorded at Rick Diatto’s, who is a friend of ours and a producer in his own right. We just basically tried everything. We got the band together. We wrote a bunch of songs and they go in any number of ways. It’s really kinda hard to describe the process because they all kinda happened differently you know.

Q&A

I know that a long and arduous road getting this album to finally being released. How did the band end up sticking together thru members leaving temporarily and touring with other bands and then at one point getting dropped by Warner? We all were just friends and just teenagers…18-19 years old playing the club circuit in the south and running into each other different places here and there. After practicing with other we realized that we had the same influences and fans of the same stuff and the guys had mentioned that they liked my voice. So you know, it was a real organic thing and we talked about doing a band and years went by. Well one thing led to another and Will called me one day after the Creed thing ran its course and he said “hey here’s who I’m playing with...” and he said had a few songs kinda already sketched out with Corey and Troy. Clint had a couple of days of after here in Orlando. He ended up coming to the studio and we laid down a few songs. Those songs ended up leading us to the deal with Warner. So, it wasn’t like lived in the same town or we just jammed for a while. We would get together to record and to see what would happen to it and it worked. I think that’s been our theory for going into future with this too. We’ll just keep making the records and somehow find a way to get it to come out and tour as much as we can. We all love nothing more than start to do Dark New Da full time but everyone has mortgages and kids in school and stuff like that so you gotta kinda play it close to the edge so.

The record itself is like a musical roller coaster. You can hear a lot of different influences but its very dynamic at the same time. In your opinion, what do you feel that stand out track for the record? Oh man! There are so many. I really like “From the Skies;” it’s a brutal track. It’s a real sabbathy, kind of old metal too you know? I like “Straight Jacket.” It’s a fun track that’s incredibly unique riff on that song and to have that nutty kinda style riff that I kinda like. “New tradition” is fun track too! I’m not much of a political guy but it was pretty easy to recognize that our government is doing more arguing and stick throwing at this point.

It worked out for a single but its almost like the “anti-single.” Whether it’s the theme of the song like you’re saying with it being political, but its also the riff. Whatever genre of music, there’s usuallys either a major chord or a minor chord, but you got the diminished tri-tone ringing through the main riff. How did you make this anti radio song work so perfectly? That’s the strong point of the musicians in this band. They have an ability to simplify something complicated and to make something that’s a little bit tricky and make so easy to get. That’s what we are always setting out to do. I want to have the musical integrity there but I want it to be a great song and have the musical integrity second.

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Hey Mark! What gave you the push to come out with your own solo record? Over time, I’ve collected all these ideas. t from s i r There’s a lot of heavy stuff a t i u lented g time out o a that I’ve saved up and this t r e b ssful, u i takes some especially gave me the e c c u s e scoop t e h n h t t o e s m n a chance to experiment i e z r Maga ark T Known s M d , r t on Ju e o u g while Myles is on tour c o e d i , R r s B a n e r Alte , All I W e Brok with Slash. v i m g u b o l t a e l When Slash is schedu t and first solo borrowing Myles newes Kennedy, I’m guessing really just about being burned that you have a lot more in the music business and by people you free time to explore your trust. Like, being a young musician and being writing. But hey, does the band you worked taken advantage of... with to record All I Was have a possibility Is there a song off this album that sticks of actually becoming another band you’d out to you the most? Whether lyrically or partake in? Yeah, it definitely has potential for musically? It really depends on how I’m feeling. becoming another band. Our first ever show was Well, “Still You’re Afraid” and “Wish You Well” are Saturday night and now we’re going on a pretour. some of the ones I really like off the album, but I That sounds so awesome. Plus, there’s the wouldn’t say I have a particular favorite. All I Was release party in Orlando. We know The album’s great, I think it would just be too there’s a lot of Tremonti fans excited about hard to choose. We’ve seen some beautiful that one! I’d like to think that this album lyrical work on “In Loving Memory” for AB, is totally between metal and hard rock. how long have you been writing? “In Loving How would you describe your sound? It’s Memory” was hard to write. I started writing as completely melody driven. The challenge is that soon as I picked up the guitar. I wasn’t trying to some of it is so heavy and I have to develop in become completely professional, but I spent most into a song. of my time writing. So the melody comes before the lyrics? How All I Was is incredibly impressive. Is does your process go when creating a song? continuing your own personal solo career a I write it in parts, not all in one sitting. I wrote the future plan? Might there be a Mark Tremonti riffs first, without any vocals. It works; those dark solo album number 2? Absolutely. It’s all a lyrics really just come from life experience. It’s process.

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d and m Cree usy of his b d his n i h e b p h! uly 17t

you were writing and recording those tunes? Yeah. Of course. I mean, it just makes you realize how long you’ve been doing it. It makes me feel like a kid going through all those songs again. It’s been a long time. Although premature, for AB fans, what’s your next move for Alter Bridge in 2013? We hear new music is on the way? Yes, we’re getting back into the studio around December and January. Then, hopefully we’ll have some new songs out for summer festivals around next summer. Thanks so much for the Q&A Mark! Thank you for spreading the word and putting this out there.

Photo: Scott Vollweiler

How about the last Creed tour? The owner of Broken Records was at the NYC show in April. He says that there seemed to be some awkward moments where you looked at Scott Stapp as if you were shocked to be on stage with him again. Anything along those lines cross your mind? No, it wasn’t awkward at all with Scott. Starting a tour is always nerve wrecking, but we’re all different now. We have families and we’re not college students anymore and all of that. There was nothing like that between me and him, no awkwardness. That’s good news! Did playing the whole “My Own Prison” album straight through bring up old emotional feelings that you had when

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE WARM UP Louisiana singer-songwriter Marc Broussard has a new self-titled album, released June 14, 2011. According to many critics and fans, it’s his best to date, showcasing his solid relationship with Nashville producer and keyboardist Jamie Kenney. “Atlantic Records gave me the time and the resources to do this project,” he says “There was no pressure from the record company to get an album out, so I could MARC BROUSSARD sit back and just write, and that’s exactly what I needed. This one came out just right.” “It is something I always wanted to The label allowed Broussard do for years, but previous labels did to release two singles, Lucky” and not allow me to,” says Broussard. “Only Everything,” to both Adult Broussard was excited to play Contemporary and Top 40 radio this album live. formats.

“The shows are better than they’ve ever been,” says Broussard. “It’s the first time we are working off a setlist, and it’s not just a concert, it’s a show.”

THE PRETTY RECKLESS

How does a band led by a Gossip Girl sound? Actress-singer Taylor Momsen describes her four-piece band, The Pretty Reckless, as a “very raw, and very song-driven rock and roll.” “The whole record isn’t following a specific genre. Every song is its own piece,” she says. “There’s something for everyone on the record, no matter what type of music you listen to, even if it’s not rock and roll.” Momsen lists The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, AC/DC, Soundgarden, and Nirvana as influences. Just don’t compare her to Hole. “I get that a lot, but I think that’s a kind of shallow comparison, based on the

image of it. “It’s hard to compare yourself to other bands.” “I have people who inspire me, but we are trying to do something different and original, she continues. “Courtney Love is great, but I’d pick Nirvana as someone I look up to more than Hole.” The band recently toured with Evanescence. “We played for a different audience, it was fun to see new people,” she says. “When you have headlining shows they are there for you, but now we were playing for Evanescence’s fans, so it was cool to rock out and have them come up to you after the show and say hi.”

by Mike Camp

Dubbed as “the greatest living country singer,” George Jones LIVING LEGENDS was inducted into the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame in with Markos 1992, and was an honoree at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. In 2003, Country Music Television ranked him as the third greatest man in the history of country music, behind Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. But the music business has changed throughout his illustrious career in country. “We have seen ups and downs in the country music business, and now with

WARM UP

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE With their sophomore album, NOX AERIS, preparing to drop on March 27th, Janus has embarked on a tour with good friends Chevelle. Not strangers to the road, Janus has also toured with Sick Puppies, Sevendust, Halestorm and many other modern rock bands. These influences can be heard on NOX AERIS’ ten tracks. “It wasn’t a conscience effort to sound like anyone,” singer David Scotney told us, “if anything, it was an effort for us to do our own thing and separate ourselves from any comparisons.” NOX AERIS may be the 4th album for the band but it’s their 2nd official release. Confused by the misinformation, Scotney said that their Wikipedia page has a lot of “interesting information” on it. He added, “We made an album called Armor with a different line up but I kind of pick it up from Red Right

Returns. I think of our first major label record our first record. But it still feels amazing to be able to make a 2nd record.” So what make Janus so special? Their ability to be a “one stop shop” as Scotney says. “We do it all: from designing the artwork to making the merch and even paying for and producing our own videos.” The band gets no help writing and recording. Scotney even co-mixed

the record with a friend of his. Check out Janus on tour and stream their latest single “Stains” on their website, janusmusic.com. by Scott Vollweiler

STEALING ANGELS Stealing Angels is Jennifer Wayne, Tayla Lynn and Caroline Cutbirth. Tayla Lynn is the granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn. The three songstresses met in Nashville while writing and performing. “When any girl meets any other girl that they are going to do business with, they measure each other up,” Tayla. “We became fast, fast friends. We all just really liked each other from the very start.” Stealing Angels have shared the stage with Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum,

Ronnie Dunn and Trace Adkins. “To be on the stage with these artists is really overwhelming! It’s really amazing, and we have the same producer as Lady Antebellum. We all have a big crush on Tim McGraw,” Tayla admits. On a personal note, Tayla recently got engaged, and met her soon-to-behusband John at the 2011 CMA Music Fest. “We are both really outgoing, and on our first date we knew that we were going to get married! We got engaged within two months.” --Markos Papadatos

GEORGE JONES

the Internet, the way music is distributed and purchased has totally changed.” “I must admit, a lot of it I don’t care for because it isn’t what I consider ‘country music’ but all genres of music change with the times,” the crooner says. “Always be yourself and don’t try to be someone you are not, or to emulate someone else. I stayed true to traditional country music.” What’s the secret to his longevity in the music industry? “Remember who got you where you are, and that is the fans,” he says. “Country music has the most loyal fans on earth and they will stick by you through thick and thin.”

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ERIC HUTCHINSON by Megan Messana

April 17th, 2012 marked not only the beginning of singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson’s Moving Up Living Down tour, but was also the date that his album of the same name was released. While Moving Up Living Down was not the only album that Hutchinson has released, it was the first album he created under a label, specially Warner Bros. Records, and was the first to be released on the same date as the tour started. Up until his signing with Warner Bros. several years ago, he has been out on his own, writing and producing records by himself and making it a point to tour, or attempt to tour, as much as possible. Fresh out of college, Hutchinson “spent many lonely nights out on the road” in his Honda Civic, playing music to anyone who would listen. Warner Bros. picked up his independently created album Sounds Like This in 2007 and released it, and soon after he found himself signed to their label. Being signed to a label has its perks, such as being able to travel around the world to perform. Hutchinson says that it’s “amazing to have the music take him to all of these places,” some of which include Australia and Norway, not to mention across the United States. Originally from Maryland, Hutchinson made the move to New York City 5 years ago which “had a huge influence on the album.” He loves living in NYC and its “constant motion,” being able to spend all day in his writing studio creating music and then enjoying the culture of the city at night. Plus, the transition from D.C. to NYC is a main theme on Moving Up. Going through transitions is something that Hutchinson has always lived through, and it’s reflected in the album. Not only the transition of moving to a different city, but also that of growing up and entering adulthood. “I had to say goodbye to a lot of people and the attachment to them was still hanging around in my head when I was working on the songs.” The concept of letting go and moving on to a new part of your life is definitely present in Moving Up, and it’s an idea that so many people can relate to. To date, Hutchinson has received much positive feedback on his music, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. Moving Up Living Down may have some specific references to his own life, but somehow Hutchinson makes it an album that anyone could listen to, enjoy and feel connected to. When an artist manages to connect with their listeners by conveying their own experiences, then they are definitely doing something right. The Moving Up tour may be coming to an end soon, but touring itself is definitely nowhere near over for Hutchinson. In between putting out albums and touring, Hutchinson likes to keep in touch with his fans through Twitter. He makes it a point to connect with the fans and not only pay attention to them during concerts. He’s had several fans who have been there for him since the beginning, but he is always welcoming new ones. As long as he keeps creating the music that he’s known for, he won’t have a problem picking up any new fans.

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Just Got Started Lovin’ James Otto

Regarding his inspirations in country music, James Otto shares By: Markos Papadatos “it was Hank Williams Jr. that actually turned me on to wanting to be a country singer in the first place. It was something that struck me at the time, so I was ready to make that move. I love the songwriting in country music and the stories, especially since they are about real life,” Otto says. “Country music is something that most people can identify with, since they’ve lived through a lot of it.” On the song-selection process of his latest album, Shake What God Gave Ya, he notes, “I literally listened to hundreds of songs, but most of the songs I wrote with a friend of mine. There were only two songs that I did not write and those were both written by a friend, Chris Stapleton, who I think, is one of the best singer-songwriters in the business. We were trying to put together a country- soul record and I feel that we did an ‘all right’ job.” On his songwriting inspirations, Otto remarks “some of the songs were inspired by what was going on in the world. ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ was inspired by the economy, and the title track was inspired by basically wanting a song that when you arrive to a club or a venue that we are playing at, it makes you want to forget about work and makes you want to dance and have a good time. One of my favorites on the album is ‘Good Thing’s Gone Bad’ because I love its groove, and I got to sing on it with one of my all-time favorite country singers Ronnie Milsap. Ronnie has an amazing voice! He was incredibly kind and cool, and he exceeded all of my expectations.” One of Otto’s most powerful vocal performances to date is his moving tune “Soldiers & Jesus.” “Being the son of a drill sergeant and the grandson of a Korean War vet and a veteran of the military myself, ‘Soldiers & Jesus’ is very personal to me,” states Otto. “Growing up with guys like that around me, and being a Christian, the song sprang through to me.” On August 24, 2010, Otto and his wife Amy welcomed their first child Ava Katherine. On balancing fatherhood and a music career, “this year I had to make Ava a priority, since she’s a new addition to the family. I said that I didn’t want to be out on the road more than three days a week. I got to hang with her and be dad.” For Otto, success is a “moving target.” “The one problem with success is once I’ve gotten to one of the markers that I’ve set for myself, I am always looking for that next mark. It’s like writing songs. My best song is my next song! My best accomplishment is my next accomplishment.”

NEWS

After rumors circulated around the web, Foo Fighters’ singer/guitarist, Dave Grohl, announced he will produce a feature documentary, Sound City, about the infamous recording studio in California. The studio’s legendary recording console recorded Fleetwood Mac, Guns and Roses as well as Nevermind, the masterpiece album by Nirvana.

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INDIESPOTLIGHT

JAPANESE POPSTARS

KYNG

Names can be deceiving. Such is the case for Gary Curran, Gareth Donoghue and Declan “Decky” McLaughlin of Irish electronic trio Japanese Popstars. From Derry, Northern Ireland, they have been playing for five years and are signed to EMI Records. They wanted a name people would remember, and paid homage to their love of Japanese culture. (“Irish Popstars” wasn’t as catchy.) According to Donoghue, the house scene is more mainstream in the United States, more underground in Ireland. The genre is categorized in the U.S., as opposed to Ireland’s meshed genres. They draw inspiration from pioneering electronic groups The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk. “Every song you’ve ever heard and didn’t know it,” says Gareth.

For fans of early Soundgarden, the vocals of Eddie Veliz of loud-andproud southern California trio Kyng will be a chilling echo of Chris Cornell. At times, the high whine is so uncanny, you think you’re listening to a new Soundgarden record. Their album is exactly as billed: heavy, tight, the sweat-drenched rhythm section bolstering thundering drums, and pounding riffs affectionately accent muscular vocals. (Consult your local audio professional how to maximize the sonic boom in your home, car, or personal audio system—you’re going to want a bigger woofer.) “We’re doing stuff that’s been done before, in a way that’s never been done before,” says drummer Pepe Clarke, whom bassist Tony Castaneda describes as a “monster behind the kit”. They’re hitting the road indefinitely, ending with world domination. “Heavy is in everything we do,” says Tony. “Touring is our only weapon.”

They’re touring the U.S., Belgium, Australia, Japan, and Germany. They swear in a few more years, they’ll be “grumpy old men,” but “as long as we keep doing this, we’ll be a little less grumpy.”

--Megan Messana

--Ryan Zerfas

HEART-SET SELF-DESTRUCT Chicago rockers Heart-Set Self-Destruct wear it all on their sleeves: Dave Naruszewicz on guitar and lead vocals, guitarist Chris Rogers, Dan Concannon on bass, and Steve Bitte on drums. The band’s name is a metaphor for all the relationships and things they have given up and lost on the quest for success. “You have to be willing to give up everything for this,” says Dave. The band formed in 2005, released two albums with producer Dan Malsch, who signed them to his indie label, Soundmine MusicWorks, in 2010. They released Of Nightmare on August 21, 2011. “The record is pretty diverse, with some heavy sounding songs, slower songs, straight forward hard rock, and some radio friendly stuff,” says Dave. They are touring heavily to promote the new album and the first single “Monster” and use Facebook and their grassroots street teams to connect with new fans.

--Michael Camp

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NEWS

SEAN PATRICK MCGRAW

THE ALTERNATES

Sean Patrick McGraw is a country singer from Nashville, Tennessee. He describes himself as a “rocker with a cowboy hat”.

LA-natives Spencer Livingston, Tristan Esmundo, twin brothers Kevin and Erwin Solis, Matt Walker and Jake Craven are The Alternates.

His song “My So-Called Life” was featured on ESPN and he has lent his songs to other country artists.

As you listen to their self-titled debut EP, the fact that these guys have been playing together since fourth grade is defiantly apparent.

Although currently unsigned, Sean has toured with big country names: Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, and Trace Adkins. “Touring with Toby Keith was like going to rock school.” With record labels coming and going, staying in Nashville didn’t cut it for Sean. “It’s worked better for me to take it in my own hands, make my own records, distribute and promote them myself, and do it the old way,” he says. “I have built a strong fan-base that shows up every time I play in the same areas.”

--Markos Papadatos

“We know we are going about it right, when the songs are sounding different, cause it means we aren’t forcing ourselves to do one thing, we are letting it develop naturally,” says Jake.

The 2012 TODAY Summer Concert Series was announced on May 2nd. Kicking the season off will be R & B superstar, Usher. Also performing this Summer: the winner of American Idol, The Band Perry, Justin Bieber, Hot Chell Rae, Zac Brown Band and others. More details to come.

Matt and Erwin play drums at the same time. “Matt and I both really wanted to be in the band,” says Erwin. “Spencer couldn’t have two bands, so we just all played together and it just stuck.” They stay busy playing live shows and buildling relationships with local promoters. “The more places you play in LA, the more people are willing to play you on the radio, then the more radio play you get the more places you can play in LA”.

--Christianna Marks

The world’s biggest Latin Pop stars will be touring together this Summer. Enrique Iglesia, Jennifer Lopez

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INDIESPOTLIGHT

AMANDA SHAW

THE STORY CHANGES

ERYN WOODS

Accomplished Cajun fiddler, songwriter, vocalist, and Louisiana native Amanda Shaw released her album Good Southern Girl via indie Poorman Mayfield Music Group.

Dayton, Ohio duo The Story Changes is Mark McMillon on guitars and vocals, and Poppy on drums. “After years of being in other bands, we always talked about playing music together. We finally hooked up,” says Mark. “The name came from a song title from my previous band,” Mark reveals. “After a while it became too much to keep getting fill-ins so we finally figured out a way to play live shows with just the two of us, by running loops and using technology.”

At age three, Eryn Woods was convinced she would be a famous singer. Now 21, her songs have been featured on MTV’s Jersey Shore and VH1’s Mobwives. “Honestly, I couldn’t believe it, I was on tour when I got the call from MTV and also when it premiered on the show, she says. “I couldn’t believe the response I got from that one little clip on the show. It’s been amazing.” Although she sports a pink mohawk and tattoos, she identifies as a Britneyesque pop princess, drawing inspiration from divas like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, The Supremes and Whitney Houston. Her debut album Holl.E.Woods is up-beat and edgy, with playful titles like “Gangsters, Geeks and Freaks”. “I want to let all the young girls and boys out there know that, they don’t have to hide anymore,” she says. “They don’t have to be someone they aren’t.”

According to Shaw, the idea behind Poorman Mayfield was that it was going to be “run by artists, so it was more of a community thing, with a big New Orleans base. It is part of my roots, and my heart is always here. I love this music more than anything!” Shaw also notes that on her new indie label, she gets more of a one-onone treatment. “If there is a problem, I can pick up the phone and call the owner and work with him. We all work together, and we have a similar goal: to create great music.” “Everything in our label will represent New Orleans to the best of we can, and what it’s all about,” she continues. “I want to get the word out there and let people know what New Orleans has to offer.”

--Markos Papadatos

They got positive feedback from their friends and fans to stay as a two-piece set. “It makes for an interesting live show with just the two of us, even though it’s a lot of work for us to set up for a show,” Mark says. Over three years, they released three fulllength albums, toured nonstop, opened for Hawthorne Heights, and scored the Warped Tour. “We had to work extra hard on that because there is so much going on and so many other bands playing trying to get the fans’ attention.” The Story Changes recently released a new limited edition vinyl EP, This Is Your Moment

--Greg Rothberg .

--Amanda DelGiudice

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NEWS

PEPPER Pepper is a reggae-punk band from the sunny beaches of Kailua Kona, Hawaii. The sandy shores are reflected in their thalassic melodies and passionate showmanship. Pepper’s ripened sound permeates in their volcanic roots. “Being based and growing out of Hawaii, we didn’t have a lot of exposure to new music,” bassist Bret Bollinger says. “Hawaii acted as a filter from the music world so we took anything we could get. We only had three main radio stations: one for reggae, punk rock, and classic rock.” “Getting exposure in the mainland was tough as well,” guitarist Kaleo Wassman said. “Once we left Hawaii we couldn’t just take a bus back home, so it made us work even harder.” From humble beginnings at local house parties and bars, Pepper worked a steady tour schedule and eventually played Lollapalooza and Warped Tour.

Pepper established a loyal fan base over a rigorous touring schedule. Performing songs both from their wide catalogue as well as their new EP Stitches, Pepper provided an explosive performance that was engaging, entertaining, and above all else, incredibly fun.

and Wisin Y Yandel recently announced they wull be hitting the road together starting this July. . Tour stops include NJ, TX, CA and a few Canadian dates. VIP Packages to be available.

“We stopped to take a break, and recalibrated” Bollinger stated. “We decided to recharge, innovate our style and started our own record company, Law Records. We just had fun doing it. It was the great result of some much needed rest and reflection.” Their singles “Wake Up” and “Drunk Girl” are receiving increased radio playtime, and the bands already-hardcore fan base is gaining.

--Tom Edathikunnel

Creed/Alter Bridge guitar god, Mark Tremonti, is gearing upfor release his first solo album, All I Was on July 10th via Mark’s company, Fret 12 Records. This marks Tremonti’s first time as a lead vocalist and main songwriter.

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ONE DIRECTION Photo by Laura Desantis-Olsson

JUSTIN BIEBER Photo by Nicole Mago

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RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS Photo by Cindy Vasko

KARMIN Photo by Scott Vollweiler

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KENNY CHESNEY Photo by Michelle Sokolowski

CARRIE UNDERWOOD Photo by Scott Vollweiler

STEEL PANTHER Photo by Michelle Sokolowski

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MAIN SUPPORT

Sebastian Bach kicking and screaming

rock icon and former Skid Row lead vocalist Sebastian Bach is back with a vengeance with his fourth studio album Kicking And Screaming, released September 27, 2011 on Frontier Records The new album was produced by Bob Marlette, known for his work with Black Sabbath, Shinedown, Atreyu, and Filter. Bach signed with Frontier Records in February 2011, and he says he couldn’t be happier. “They really pulled out all the stops to give me a real shot,” he says. “This album is coming out all over the world at the same time, like within five days of each other, so that gives me a real shot to be very successful.” And Sebastian Bach hasn’t changed. Killers screams? You’re damn right. “I don’t think there

are really any singers that sing like I sing anymore with the high screams that you can understand,” Over two decades, Bach has kept his distinct voice intact. “I always form my singing to the lyrics. I also fit the sound of my voice to whatever the lyrics are saying.” Originally, two singles were slated for release, but the label felt 80’s power-ballads didn’t sell anymore. But Bach knows his audience. “I think Sebastian Bach fans want to hear a ballad.” A multi-talented entertainer, Bach had a recurring role on the hit television series “Gilmore Girls” and has starred on such Broadway productions as “Jekyll and Hyde” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”; as well as regular appearances on VH1 and MTV. “I’m not

by Michael Camp

doing television, or Broadway, just all rock and that’s the way I like it.” Bach has sold over twenty million records worldwide, but he feels Kicking And Screaming is the crowing achievement of his long career. “When I put it on, I’m so proud of it. I’m really, really proud of it. It’s a great feeling. I know I can stand next to it for the rest of my life,” he says. “It’s going to stand up next to the other albums that I already put out which are amazing.”

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“It’s a great feeling. I know I can stand next to it for the rest of my life.”

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Broken Records Magazine spoke with acclaimed singersongwriter Matt Nathanson prior to his Eisenhower Park concert in East Meadow, NY. He performed as part of Fresh 102.7 FM’s Fresh in the Park series, along with American Idol Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze. “It’s beautiful out here,” Nathanson says. “Last night we played at Jones Beach with Maroon 5 and Train, and I feel that I’m doing the Long Island tour. It’s going to be great!”

On his song-selection process for the album, he states, “if there are 11 songs on a record, I might have 11.5 or 12.5 songs. I pull a lot of parts of certain songs, and put them into other songs. Everything always gets used. It’s a lot like swapping parts out of a car. If the song is not working, but I love its bridge, I take the bridge and then try and write the rest of another song around it.”

Modern Love, which was produced by Mark Weinberg, debuted at #17 of Billboard 200’s all-genre charts. “That Nathanson notes that U2 is his “favorite band of all- was fun and totally cool. It was flattering and a nice time,” and dubs them as “fantastic.” “They are always way to start!” Nathanson exclaims. “Mark and I have pushing themselves to try and be better and evolve,” he been friends for a long time. He and I co-write a lot of the songs together, and we co-produced the record. We remarks. have a similar work ethic and a similar concept of how “When I was a kid, I was into bands such as Judas things should go. It was the most fun I’ve had making Priest, R.E.M., Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Van Halen a record,” he adds.

matt

NATHAN SON

by Markos Papadatos

talks Modern Love

In Modern Love, Nathanson collaborates with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush from the country duo Sugarland on the song “Run.” “I’ve known Sugarland for a couple of years since they covered ‘Come on Get Higher’, and we became dear friends and toured Regarding his latest studio release Modern Love; together. When the time came to start writing for the Nathanson remarks, “it’s a powerful record. We record, we got together and wrote ‘Run.’ When I sent modeled its production and sound after those great 80s them the song, I told them that ‘I’d love it if you guys records; when you listen to them, they sound timeless, played on it and sang on it,’ and we recorded it from as if they are from the future. That was the idea behind scratch. It turned out great! Jennifer makes you feel like this record, that the song is the ‘beating heart’ and this a better singer. She gives you the illusion that you are production hangs on it. It doesn’t sound like Tears from great, because she supports you in every turn. It was a Fears, but it has a similar concept, where the production pretty amazing experience!” aided the songwriters in a way that felt really futuristic and cool!” and Poison. Then, this new folk movement happened and the Indigo Girls came around, and that’s how I transitioned into acoustic music. The Indigo Girls were the reason that I play acoustic guitar,” he adds.

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TERRI

CLARK by MARKOS PAPADATOS

For country music sensation Terri Clark, success is living at peace. Her self-financed new album “Roots & Wings” explores just that. “Since I am an independent artist now, I basically produce, fund and write everything on my record. I can record whatever I want to. I don’t have to run it by a committee of twelve people before I can get the okay and green light to record a song.” The lead single is the semi-autobiographical tune “Northern Girl”. “It’s about where I came from and the Northern culture where I was raised,” Clark said. “It’s about growing up with winter six or seven months a year, and then getting a very short summer and taking advantage of it. It’s about being proud of being from that part of the world.” ‘Smile” is about her mother, and she calls it “the most important song that I’ve ever written”. “That one has a dear place in my heart for personal reasons,” she said. The song featured bluegrass darling Alison Krauss. “Alison is actually a neighbor of mine, so I run into her quite often. She has a quality to her voice that is the most angelic human voice I’ve ever heard on earth,” Clark said. “She popped into my head and I called her. She just nailed it as she does everything. She is so good. She just brought it up another level.” Clark was the only Canadian female member of the Grand Ole Opry, and holds the record for most CCMA Entertainer of the Year wins. “It’s very humbling to know that the public voted for me that many times! I don’t take that very lightly either,” she said. “I’m very proud of that.” Clark received a nomination for the coveted CMA “Female Vocalist of the Year”, in an impressive line-up that included Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and Martina McBride. “That’s something that I dreamed about when I was a little girl: winning or being nominated for a CMA award and I got there,” she said. “I actually saw it happen. I was in that chair listening to my name being read off. It was just an amazing feeling!” She lists Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, the Judds, Patsy Cline, Barbara Mandrell, and Loretta Lynn as influences.

“I love the honesty of it, and the fact that it’s about real life. I definitely prefer to listen to the more bluegrass and roots-oriented country.” Clark stays connected with her fans on her websites’s chatroom, Facebook, and Twitter. “I have the best fanbase. I am really lucky for that! I’m not going to question it, I just appreciate it!”

KEL MITCHELL

by JUSTIN SARACHICK

Kel Mitchell synonymous with 90’s pop culture, his unforgettable roles in Nickelodeon classic comedy shows like “All That” and “Kenan & Kel,” and his movie roles in “Goodburger” and “Mystery Men”. Orange soda lovers all over the world have been wondering what Kel is doing with himself. He created “The All Orange Everything Tour”, travelling in a big bus and holding orange soda parties and contests. Guest are required to wear orange, the ladies have an orange fashion show, the men have orange soda drinking contests, and the whole night features 90s music. He does voice-over work for two cartoons airing in 2012: “Wild Grinders” on Nicktoons, and “Motor City” on DisneyXD. The first show has Kel voicing a skateboarder, while the second is about cars and takes place in the year 3000 in Detroit. He said the cars are a cross between “Terminator” and “Fast and the Furious.” “Voice acting is a whole different type of world. I really enjoy it, you can wake up and do it in your pajamas. It’s very laid back,” he said. “You really have to articulate and pull that voice to make it interesting to the ear.” Teen Nick started

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airing “The 90’s Are All That” last summer, taking some of the classic shows from Nick’s prime and running them starting at midnight so twenty-something’s can watch their favorite childhood shows again. “Fans were always talking about it online saying they wanted to see re-runs of shows. I guess the people won,” he said. He remains close friends with Kenan and hints that a reunion show is possible. “I’m on the west and he’s on the east, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him, so we definitely have to do something together. I would be interested in doing something, probably like a cop film,” he said. “I’m more into film, but I’d definitely be interested in sketch comedy.” Growing up he loved dance and karate movies and wanted to mix the genres. He wrote, directed, and starred in “Dance Fu”, a film about a guy who can only fight when music is playing, and co-stars Cedric the Entertainer, Tommy Davidson, and Affion Crockett. “We had a blast, it was like going to a family reunion,” he said. “I don’t like to put my creativity in a box, and I didn’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over again.”

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E E

ICE

Loves....

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LIKE “A WOMAN YOU!”

Country singer Lee Brice has a lot to be proud of lately. His single “Love Like Crazy” was named Billboard’s “Country Single of the Year” in 2010, and it set the record for the longest run, a staggering 56 weeks, in the country chart’s history, thus surpassing Eddy Arnold’s 54-week record for “Bouquet of Roses” in the late 1940s. This year, Brice repeated this feature, where his co-penned tune “Crazy Girl,” became a #1 hit for the Eli Young Band, and was subsequently named Billboard’s most played country single of 2011. At the 2012 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, which were cohosted by Blake Shelton and Reba, Brice took home the trophy for “Song of the Year,” for co-wring “Crazy Girl.” “I was so lucky to be a part of that,” says Brice. “A good friend of mine, Liz Rose, and I wrote that tune eight years ago. My girlfriend at the time was being a little insecure, and I was trying to re-assure her in her song that I wasn’t going anywhere. The song sat around, and then the Eli Young Band heard it and they loved it. I was

honored that they recorded it, since it’s the biggest hit.” Brice’s latest eleven-track album, Hard 2 Love, was released on April 24, 2012, via his label, Curb Records. After a few changes with producers and after experimenting with new things, Brice is proud of the final product. “It’s just a ‘real’ album, so I am excited about it, and I hope people like it,” he admits. In 2011, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) took notice of Brice’s talent, where the South Carolina native garnered nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Single of the Year” respectively. In addition to these prestigious nods, Brice is thankful for several other career highlights. “Touring with Willie Nelson as part of the Country Throwdown tour, playing the Grand Ole Opry, and writing a song for Garth Brooks, were three big pinnacles for me,” he reveals. Brice shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. “We are going to be playing more shows than we’ve ever played before, and we’ll be making more records in the future,” he states.

On a personal note, Brice is engaged to be married to the woman of his dreams, Sara. “Sara is a wonderful woman and somebody that I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to marry.” His current single “A Woman Like You,” peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts. “I fell in love with the song from the first time that I heard it. I thought it was smash. I did a home demo of it, and the next day we cut it, and I sent it to the label, and they loved it too. It was magic, and a song that obviously makes the girls happy and it does some things for the fellas too. It says some things that the fellas cannot really get away with saying in real life, so they need to say it in a song.” “When I first heard the song, I was definitely thinking about my fiancée,” he remarked. The title cut is expected to be released to radio as his newest single on May 14, 2012.

by Markos Papadatos

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FAMILY FORCE FIVE

Crunk-rocker five-piece Family Force 5 are all about having a good time. What is crunk-rock? “It’s fun, party-inspired rock. Some think it has to do with synthesizers. We have plenty of 808 beats, too,” says Soul Glow Activatur, the lead singer and front man. “We are from Atlanta, it’s very southern. We have that rock vibe, and that super-ghetto vibe. It’s a blend of everything. We definitely helped usher in groups like LMFAO and 3OH!3.” Inspired by Atlanta hip-hop legends like Outkast with Big Boi and Andre 3000, they assigned themselves stage names: Soul Glow, Chap Stique, Crouton, Fatty, and Nadaddy. The names were originally a joke, but when they started seeing kids wearing homemade T-shirts, they knew they were on to something. “Everyone had names, so could white suburban kids.

by JUSTIN SARACHIK It’s part of the culture,” he says. “Except for the name Crouton. I don’t know what happened there.” “We pretty much do everything on our own. We do the artwork, videos, directing, and photo shoots,” he says. “We are creative idiots.” Their third album, titled III, was released Oct. 18, 2011. Soul Glow said the highlight of the album for him is “Paycheck.” “People think it’s political, but everyone seems to be having financial hardships. We wanted to write something people can relate to. There’s something for everyone of this record. It’s aggressive and ‘dancey’ with some serious stuff, more personal.” “The first album was very aggressive while our second album was more dance like,” he continues. “We wanted to give the fans what they wanted and not run away from being redneck ghetto kids. I’m southern, I do enjoy watching Nascar once in awhile, and love fried chicken. I guess I’m a redneck.” Although they’ve played in front of 20 or 30,000 people before, it’s the small things that feel the best. “One time I was driving through a Starbucks and I got a free coffee because the kid told me he loved my band. It was so cool.” In January and February, FF5 are back to the studio to record 3.5, a bonus-track deluxe edition of the new album.

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dens Edge is comprised of Hannah Blaylock on lead vocals, Dean Berner on harmony vocals, dobro and guitar, as well as Cherrill Green on banjo, mandolin, guitar and harmonies. Their newest self-titled album, will be released on June 12, 2012, via their label, Big Machine Records, and Mark Bright and Dann Huff served as producers. Hailing from Arkansas, the band grew up an hour’s drive from each other, and they were introduced by mutual friends. They were discovered by acclaimed songwriter Kye Fleming through their entry in the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Song Contest, and subsequently performed a tribute for Fleming as she was being inducted into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. It was there where they caught the attention of Mr. Scott Borchetta, the President and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group who signed them to the Big Machine Records roster. Particularly impressive about this musical group is their unique sound, acoustic instrumentation, and soaring harmonies. “Many years ago, we were thinking of a band name that sounded much easier than it is and we were driving in the Ozark Mountains and one of our good friends was looking at this pretty valley and told us that: ‘it looks like this is the edge of Eden’ and we thought it sounded perfect and it was representative of where we come from, and we would like to have

our music take people to that place of peace. It was a fitting band name and we hung onto it,” Cherill reveals. The trio has been profiled by Billboard as one of their “Artists to Watch,” and they were also chosen as an act on “CMT: Listen Up!” “It was pretty surreal coming into this country music family and being given a little love. It was really beautiful for us to be

Eden’s Ed ge by Markos Papadatos recognized in this way, and we were honored to be spotlighted by such amazing companies that view country music in their highest regards,” says Hannah. Their debut single “Amen” was a Top 20 hit on country radio. Cherill remarks, “We were super excited to have ‘Amen’ as our first single. Hannah was actually a writer on it, and it was a cool song. It talks about where he came from Arkansas, and it was a big connection for us. It was really fun. We were really pleased that our first single landed in the Top 20, and as it was going up the charts, we kept seeing more and more people singing it back to us at our live shows, and that’s one of our most moving experiences. It was just so excited. I was almost moved to tears.” Their follow-up to “Amen” and newest single is “Too Good to Be True.” According to Dean, “We heard the song sometime last year and we were out on the Brad Paisley tour when our record label sent it to us. We played it on the bus with our band and everybody fell in love with it the first time we heard it. As we went into this year we recorded some new songs and got those all mixed and ready, we knew that this one should be our next single since it has a great groove and it is a very fun song. We get to show a different side of who we are and what we do in this song. It shows a more rocking side of Edens Edge.” During the last year alone, Edens Edge were an integral part of three major tours for such mega-stars as Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum, and this year they will be a part of Rascal Flatts’Changed tour. Along with their fellow artists on the Big Machine Label Group, Edens Edge is involved with “Outnumber Hunger.” “It’s an amazing opportunity since it’s a deal where General Mills and our label has partnered with Feeding America to help hungry people, since 1 in 6 Americans struggles everyday with hunger and that’s something that we can work on and that we can do better as a country to change that problem,” says Dean.

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n today’s day and age it is a challenge for artists to put all of themselves into their work with the pressure to get a single or a record out quickly. The pressure sometimes shows in the work itself when the message they hoped to send gets lost or the final product just is not what fans expected. Some artists however, still refuse to put out music that they are not completely satisfied with and will put in the time and work it takes to give their fans what they deserve as well as what they expect of themselves. SafetySuit is one of those acts. The Nashville-based quartet power into their work with a “let’s go for this” attitude, in their own words.

decided it just wasn’t cutting it and started over.

This was the case with their January release, These Times, their second full-length album. After months of writing, recording, and mixing the majority of the album, the band, along with collaborative producers Howard Benson, Espionage, and Ryan Teder,

to give any and all people an outlet to tell their stories and share their pain so they might find hope and strength in each other. And while they weren’t able to go through every

These Times is full of powerful singles, the main one being the album’s namesake, “These Times.” While the whole album has received some stellar critical review, the namesake single and accompanying video speak volumes about the band and the message they want to send.

photo by Keeyahay Lewis

The video features about 20 submissions of fans telling their stories of struggle and emotional pain, ending with a powerful and uplifting scene of them all showing their hope for an end to their hardships and the song’s real message, “They will pass.” To the band, this message came before any type of promotion for the In speaking with lead singer band themselves. Doug Brown and drummer They’re not, as Tate Tate Cunningham, it is clear explains, “a soap that these guys have their hearts box band. That’s set on reaching their fan base not us.” Doug also on a personal level and will insisted, “It wouldn’t accomplish that even if it means have felt right scrapping a nearly-complete singing that song mixed album, months worth of hard work, to start over and create and making it all about us.” something that they thought would better represent them. To The concept, as put it simply, Tate offers, “If it’s Doug explains, not awesome, start over.” came from a desire

single submission video, they continue to collect them on their website, SafetySuitMusic.com, along with anything else fans wish to submit to this growing community, “an interactive place to share their story and find people in the same situations.” The reception of the new album and video isn’t all that’s on the horizon for the Tulsa/Nashville quartet, though. They have recently set off on the Break the Spell Tour with chart-topping rockers Daughtry, a tour that’s been in the making for the past few years. After successful tours with Three Doors Down, whom Doug and Tate agree took the band under their wing, Seether, Hoobastank, and their now-close

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friends of The Script, with whom they both felt they had the most chemistry as an ensemble because of the similar styles, they are eager and ready for the months ahead. As for the future, Doug and Tate both dream of opening for personal favorites U2, and Tate hopes to some day share the stage with their friends in OneRepublic and another favorite of his, Muse. Be sure to keep your eyes on these guys. Wherever they do end up, it is sure to be an exciting ride.

by Kari Pulizzano

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ELI

G N U YO

After years of writing music and playing shows, Eli Young Band finally had their big break. Their single, “Crazy Girl,” recently went platinum and has cemented their spot in the country music world. A BRM favorite, Eli Young Band bridges great lyrics and true country music. Michael Eli’s goal when performing is to make sure the audience is having just as good of a time as the band. What has it been like with the new album? It’s been nice. We’ve been done recording this record for quite some time and so a lot of these songs have been around a while for us. We really struggled not to play too many of the new

songs before the album came out, that way as time goes on, the songs are still fresh and new because after you play them for a few years, you wanna have some new material to play. I mean this record we finished a couple years ago, but we were

kind of in the middle of changing labels and the whole business side of things kind of keeps albums from getting out as quickly as they should sometimes, but this has been an amazing album for us and so far it’s been a really fun ride.

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What was it like to see “Crazy Girl,” the single, go gold? That’s huge for us, and it was a new milestone and actually it just got certified platinum yesterday so it’s incredible. This song has pretty much changed our career. I think we’ve been on a good road for a long time and everything that happens to us has been like a baby step in the right direction and “Crazy Girl” has changed things for us in a huge way. It’s really great and the response for this song has been huge!

D N A GB

Where do you want to hang the platinum record? Around my neck…. No, but it’s nice to have some ‘wall bling,’ and I have an office that we kind of keep that stuff in, so it’s not all showy. How does the song writing process work for you guys? I think for us we try not to write the same way twice, and we try not to write the same song twice. I think it’s really important for us to really have songs that are different so we write on the road, we write

at home, we write at friends’ houses, and we really try to put ourselves in different situations because you can gain inspiration from different environments. So I wish that there was some kind of formula to it, but I think that when you’re inspired, you’re inspired and you kind of just have to take that moment when it comes.

“It’s nice to have some ‘wall bling!’” -Mike Eli

What can someone expect to see from a live show? You know with us, we really just try to have a good time on stage and hopefully that translates into the audience. I think we make records to play live, and

that’s always been our thing, so when we get on stage we just have fun and hopefully because we’re having fun on stage, it makes the audience want to have fun as well. What is your favorite song to play live? It depends. These days with “Crazy Girl” having the success that it’s had, it’s pretty fun to play right now with the audience reaction. Is there a specific city that you have always wanted to play a show in? We’ve been to a lot of places, but we haven’t really played Florida very much and I’m a sucker for the beach, so I’m really hoping we can start getting to Florida soon and playing there more often. It’s just one area that we haven’t really played very much. How do you stay in touch with fans through social networks? Twitter and Facebook are huge for us and they always have been. I mean MySpace when that was rockin’ was always a huge part of what we did. I think from the very beginning, staying in touch with the fans through social networking has always been huge for us so we try to use it as much as possible. We do our Twitter and our Facebook ourselves and that’s one thing the fans always wonder. We’re the ones actually posting. We do all that and so it’s always been a big part of how we can keep that connection. As we grow bigger as a band and as artists we want to keep that connection close and Twitter and Facebook are a good way to do that. by Arin Segal

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SUMMER CONC Summer is a time for relaxing. It’s the time of year that welcomes long days at the beach, day drinking, partying on weeknights, barbeques, and best of all, tons of new music. New singles are popping up left and right around this time, but on top of that, summer means music festivals. From concerts centered on one specific genre to concerts centered on one specific artist, you can find a new show to go to every week across the United States in July and August. And even though July is almost over, the fun times have yet to begin.

WARPED TOUR Certain festivals have already begun and will continue to tour until the end of August. The ever popular Van’s Warped Tour, which contains mostly alternative and punk artists, will be making its first stop of July in Houston, TX on July 1st. While the lineup does alter from city to city, most groups travel with Warped for the entire time, so you can expect to see many of the same artists no matter where you live. Some groups on the tour this year include Rise Against, Yellowcard, New Found Glory, The Used, Senses Fail, All Time Low, Lost Prophets, and many others. Tickets cost about $50 each for Warped Tour, and that lets you spend the entire day there from the moment they open until the last bands takes one of the stages. You can buy tickets online ahead of time from their website, or you can purchase them at the tour site on the day of the show. As always, there will be tons of booths at the festival, most of which belong to specific artists selling their merchandise, but many belonging to various sponsors. Monster Energy Drink usually makes an appearance, with enough cans of Monster in their truck for everyone present that day. Keep in mind, as with most shows, you can’t bring open bottles into the venue, but they’ll gladly let you bring a closed water bottle in with you, and with Warped, there’s always places that you can refill that bottle just in case you don’t feel like buying overpriced water throughout the day. Warped Tour is the perfect place to meet fun, new people, walk around in a bikini or shirtless all day and see as many bands as you possible can perform in one day.

BEACH BOYS Those of you feeling a bit nostalgic may be interested to learn that the Beach Boys are touring throughout the summer. They’ll be making stops across all of the United States throughout the next two months, playing a show almost every day until the tour moves to Europe at the end of the summer. At the moment, tickets for the show can cost anywhere from $25 to $145, but they may change in time and depending on location, so it’s best to purchase those soon if you’re looking to see the Beach Boys perform for their 50th anniversary. This is the first time that the group has toured together in over 20 years, doing so in part to promote their new album That’s Why God Made The Radio, which has an entire playlist of new songs for both old and new fans of the band. The Beach Boys will be playing on every coast of the U.S. this summer, so keep an eye out for when they come to your town.

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CERT SEASON For the first time since August 2009, Coldplay will be touring throughout the states this summer. After having won three Grammy awards and releasing several singles and albums over the past year, the band has decided to come back to America to perform a combination of old and new material. The tour launched back in October 2011 in Europe in support of their newest studio album, Mylo Xyloto. So far, the shows have been known to have been extravagant and exciting, with multi-colored balloons and confetti being dropped onto the crowd and the group members climbing into the stands to sing with fans during songs. The tour itself will not be over until November, at which point the group will be playing in Australia. Tickets are not sold out yet for many of the United States and Canada shows, which will be going on until mid-August this year.

COLDPLAY

AMERICAN IDOL For a change of pace and something that is guaranteed to be fun, American Idol Live! will be touring this summer. The 45date tour starts off in Detroit, MI on July 6th and will not end until September. Ticket prices vary within each venue due to seating, and $1 of each ticket purchased will be donated to The Heart Foundation. Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Skylar Laine will all be performing this year for the American Idol Tour, and Chips Ahoy! and Ritz will be sponsoring the tour, giving out coupons and consumer promotions the entire time.

KELLY CLARKSON Kelly Clarkson will be pairing up with The Fray for a 30-city tour that will begin on July 21st in Ridgefield, WA and end in Nashville, TN in September. Clarkson will be promoting her fifth studio album, Stronger, throughout the tour, while The Fray will be touring in support of their third studio album, Scars and Stories. Carolina Liar will be the opening act for this show, and tickets start from less than $20 and go to over $100. The tour will mostly take place in the United States but will be making a stop in Toronto on August 28th.

TOBY KEITH Toby Keith is also touring this summer, which has already started and will be going on until September. Most of the locations that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be stopping in are in the South and West, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be making a few stops on the East coast too. Ticket prices are generally about $50 for each location, but could vary as well. V.I.P. and Meet and Greet passes are also available, which include a pass to meet Toby, V.I.P. parking, a personal photograph taken with Toby, an autographed photo of him, and many other perks. V.I.P. prices are different for each location as well, and you could get those as easily as you would purchase regular tickets.

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SUMMER CONCERTS J.LO/ ENRIQUE

HONDA CIVIC TOUR The Honda Civic Tour this summer will be headlined by artists Incubus and Linkin Park, and will begin this August in Bristow, VA. General Admission tickets for the pit cost about $90, but you can get tickets for specific seats anywhere from $30-90 online now. Some locations are featuring just Linkin Park or just Incubus, so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d need to check out the website, hondacivictour.com, to find out which locations will feature which artists. Only the headlining artists are listed right now, so the list of supporting artists for the tour may be coming out closer to the start date. This tour has been going on since 2001, and every headlining artist performing gets to design their own Honda Civic, and one lucky fan will drive away with it at the end of the show. So just in case you needed another reason to go to the Honda Civic Tour, there you go. You may be able to win a new car designed by Linkin Park or Incubus.

Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias will be touring this summer together as well, with 28 dates being announced so far. The tour kicks off on July 14th in Montreal and moves to Newark, NJ on July 20th. It will continue until the end of August, with Wisin Y Yandel opening up for the duo. The tour is presented by State Farm Insurance and promoted by AEG Live. Tickets are currently on sale and range from $50-115 varying by location and seating.

BROTHERS OF THE SUN

If country music is more for you, then fear not, because there are a few country tours going on that may be just what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for. The Brothers of the Sun Tour has already begun but will continue until late August, in cities on every coast of the United States, including a few shows in the tri-state area. Keep in mind that for this show, tickets are not on the cheap end. The East Rutherford, NJ show taking place at the MetLife Stadium has tickets priced from $50 to $270, and ticket prices vary like this from place to place. Headlining the Brothers Tour are Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, with sporadic appearances at some venues by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen.

BROKEN RECORDS MAGAZINE Everclear, Sugar Ray, Lit, Gin Blossoms, and Marcy Playground will be headlining this year’s Summerland Tour 2012. So for anyone who’s been missing 90s music, this is the festival for you. The tour has already begun and will continue until August, in various cities across the United States. Ticket prices change due to location and venue, but are generally around $50 for each show. There are, however, two free shows in July, with the first being in Del Mar, CA on July 2nd and the second being in El Paso, TX on July 4th. Meet and Greet and V.I.P. packages are also available for each location, with the exception of the two free shows.

UPROAR FESTIVAL

SUMMERLAND TOUR

Uproar Festival, brought to us by Rockstar Energy Drink, will be touring across the U.S. from August 17th until the end of September. The festival will be making stops at numerous cities, starting with Kansas City and ending in New Mexico. Ticket prices vary by location due to venue set ups, so they can be anywhere from $20 to $100 depending on location. No location is sold out yet, and there’s a good chance the festival will be coming to a city near you, so it may be wise to purchase tickets now considering that the lineup is one you wouldn’t want to miss. Shinedown, Staind, Godsmack, Papa Roach, and P.O.D. are just a few of the artists performing this year for Uproar. Also, if you’re in a band, you can enter to compete in the Battle of the Bands competition this year. One lucky, talented band will get the grand prize, which includes many things, one of which being able to tour for the entire Uproar 2013 Festival. Fans can sign up as well to be judges for this competition.

LOLLAPALOOZA Lollapalooza is taking place this year in Chicago, IL, from August 3rd-5th. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand, B.O.B., The Shins, Kaskade, and plenty of other artists are in the lineup for this year’s show. Lollapalooza has been around for 20 years, and while the artists may be different from those who performed in the 90s, the energy and talent will still be there in copious amounts. The festival is also child-friendly, admitting children aged 10 and under in for free with no limit on the amount of kids an adult can bring with them. There will be activities and events set up throughout the venue over the three days, giving both adults and kids plenty to do in between music sets. As the date approaches, more information about this year’s Lollapalooza will be up on their website.

RHCP Not only will Red Hot Chili Peppers be performing at Lollapalooza, but they will be touring around the world this summer, making stops in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. The I’m With You world tour began back in the spring and will go on until later this fall, with RHCP going back and forth between the United States and other countries. Many of their show locations in the U.S. take place in California and the mid-west, with ticket prices varying from location to location.

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SUMMER CONCERTS

For all you metal fans out there, Mayhem Festival 2012, sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink, will be traveling across the United States from June 30th until August 5th. The festival is appearing in over 30 U.S. cities, charging $30 for an all ages all day pass and $95 for a four pack of lawn passes. The daily lineups vary by date and location, but the artists performing at least at many times during the festival are Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax, As I Lay th Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Back on the east coast from July 20 nd Alexandria, White Chapel, Upon A 22 will be the Firefly Music Festival, taking place at The Woodlands of Dover Burning Body, The Breather, Betraying The Martyrs, and Dirtfedd. You can International Speedway in Dover, check Mayhem’s website to find out DE. Surrounding the Woodlands is plenty of shopping, gaming, hotels, and which artists are performing in which restaurants, not to mention food options cities, and tickets are still available for many, if not all of the upcoming from various restaurants throughout shows. Also, this year will be the launch the event. Not far from the venue is Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, which of the First Annual Mayhem Festival Cruise, which will be later this year is a 24-hour casino with over 2,500 from December 7th-10th. The prices slot machines and table games. Dover for the cruise start at $700, and cover Downs will also be hosting official everything that you would need once Firefly after-parties throughout the weekend as well. The lineup for Firefly you’re on the boat. If you want to find this year is a great one, with artists such out more information on the Mayhem Cruise, which will feature artists such as as The Killers, John Legend, Death Cab for Cutie, Ok GO, Cake, and Lupe Anthrax and Machine Head, check out Fiasco taking the stage. Advance passes the website at mayhemcruise.com. for Firefly are already sold out, but regular 3-day passes and V.I.P. passes are still able to be purchased, ranging from about $200 to about $1,200 for all three days. Along with the music, the festival will also have an interactive art gallery, an arcade and hot air balloon rides, plus a brewery and vineyard. Not to mention, Firefly is teaming up with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to help raise funds from the festival this year.

FIREFLY MUSIC FEST

MAYHEM FESTIVAL

KISS/ MOTLEY CRUE Many other specific artists will be touring throughout the summer, some pairing up with others for an unforgettable experience. KISS and Motley Crue have a 40-date North American Tour going on all summer, with tickets, which are already on sale, costing $35 to $180 for different seating. The tour begins on July 20th in Bristow, VA and will continue until the end of September. Each band will play for approximately 90 minutes, and KISS will be playing last every night. There are still V.I.P. packages available for each band through their websites, but be warned, the packages are going quick.

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JASON MRAZ Jason Mraz will be touring in support of his most recent album, Love is A Four Letter Word, and his shows will feature special guest Christina Perri. His tour starts in the United States on July 1st in Honolulu, HI and will continue until October before it moves to Europe. Tickets vary from $40-65 by location, and are all on sale now. 20 front row packages are also available, with each costing $250. The money from the package sales will go directly to the Jason Mraz Foundation, which helps support many things including the abolition of slavery across the globe, the LBGT community, the environment, the arts in public schools, and young people affected by spinal cord injury. The packages are limited to 2 per person and include a front row ticket, a pre-show meet and greet and a special gift bag from Jason.

4 & 20 BLACKBIRD FESTIVAL Also in California will be the 4 & 20 Blackbird Festival 2012, taking place th th in Weed, CA on August 4 and 5 . Ticket prices go from $20 to $70 depending on the ticket type, with $35 getting you a general admission pass for one of the two days. 4 & 20 will be showcasing tons of artists, both upcoming and established, a few of which being One-Eyed Doll, Burning of Rome, Castles in Spain, Clover, The Girlfriend Experience, and Machine Elves. Along with music, there will also be plenty of food, art and alcohol to go around. The festival is taking place on a campground, and there are motels and hotels nearby for anyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning on hanging out for a bit.

by Megan Messana

While not every artist is promoting a new album, they all promise to put on shows that will be exciting and unforgettable. Tickets are still available for almost every upcoming tour or festival this summer. No matter what genre of music you prefer, or how much money you have to spend, or what city you live in, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guaranteed to be something out there for you to enjoy. So grab a few friends, a few drinks and a bottle of sunblock, and make summer 2012 the best yet. 53

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The Band Perry, Blake Shleton & Phill Vassar 54

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