Issue 8 by Focus Magazine

SUCH GOLD • SOMEKINDAWONDERFUL • MAJOR LEAGUE + MORE

founders penelope martinez mariana patino editor-in-chief + design penelope martinez managing + content editor lori gutman writers lindsy carr, kelly fadden, taylor hancock

for any inquiries: info@focuszine.com

connect: @focuszine photographers bethan miller, craig taylor-broad, facebook.com/focuszine focuszine.tumblr.com erlinda sanchez, grayson hary, jason cox, kelli coyne, leah dickerman, lori gutman, mimi hong, website: focuszine.com penelope martinez, priten vora

THANK YOU tonight alive tim marecki // fearless records somekindawonderful bari lieberman // mso pr such gold sarah facciolo // razor and tie major league austin griswold // secret service pr head north emily tantuccio

alexz johnson erika clark + alyssa dempsey // bpm spencer sutherland rachel miller // big picture media sexy girls, cassie poddish, dan ahern, tom falcone, megan leetz, our fantastic staff and you.

CONTENTS

6 10 12 48 52

artist of the month behind the band local spotlight album reviews show reviews

14 16 18 22 26 30 34

head north alexz johnson somekindawonderful major league such gold spencer sutherland tonight alive

ON THE COVER TONIGHT ALIVE PG.

WHO: Cassie Podish WHAT: Illustration and Design WHERE: www.cassiepodish.com HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGNING? I’ve always had this intense urge to create things. Early on, I didn’t really know where that would take me, but I knew that I really wanted to be involved with art, music, or movies. Any place where I could release that creative energy is where I wanted to be. WHAT MADE YOUR ART AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY COLLIDE? I was just always creating, always trying to find ways to expand, share my art, and keep moving forward. I took on whatever I could, which was mostly from people I knew that were in local bands. They would say, “Hey, you can draw. You should throw together some art for us.” Then I started doing gig posters. I don’t really remember how I got into that exactly, aside from making a connection with Rollie. Rollie is a promoter who let me do the art for pretty much every show he booked. That opened a lot of doors for me and allowed me to make connections with musicians, bands, managers, and so on. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT GRAPHIC ART AND MUSIC GO HAND IN HAND? I can’t imagine a world without album art or band shirts. Actually, I can. It would be terrible. We would have all of this music floating around. Without design, there would be no physical forms. Or even worse, there would be physical forms, and they would just be blank white sheets of paper or something. How terrible! WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE TEND TO FORGET ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGNERS? That we exist. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS? DO YOU HAVE CERTAIN PLACES THAT YOU GO TO FOR RELAXATION AND INSPIRATION, OR DO THE IDEAS COME TO YOU WHEREVER AND WHEN-

EVER? There’s really not a certain place I go to for ideas. That’s actually the easy part, because I almost always have ideas circulating through my head. The difficult part is getting those ideas out of my head, through my hands, and on to paper. Sometimes, I do get stuck. I find that when I get stuck, it helps to walk away and just get some space to clear my slate. Then I come back and start over. I also like to jot down stuff when it pops into my head. That’s usually in the form of two to six words or even doodles. But it’s mostly words. I have random words written down everywhere. Sometimes months will pass, and I’ll come across a note with random words on it. At this point, I have no idea what they mean anymore. I’m kind of impatient so, if that idea isn’t composed right then and there, I will definitely forget it. HOW LONG DOES IT USUALLY TAKE YOU TO COME UP WITH A DESIGN THAT IS READY TO BE PITCHED? It really depends on what I’m working on. Some projects take a couple of hours and some can take a couple of weeks. WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT BEING A GRAPHIC DESIGNER? Being able to release my creative thoughts into something that other people appreciate and use is really the best part of being an artist. I would still be making art and creating stuff if this wasn’t my job, but to have people appreciate what I’m doing as much as I do is really rewarding. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE FREELANCING OR DO YOU THINK YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN A COMPANY AT SOME POINT? WHY? I’m freelancing now, and I like it. I don’t really know what I’ll be doing in the future. I don’t have any plans, but I also have no objections to joining a company. It would be great, I’m sure, to have

something normal with structure and stability. Those are things that you do not have when you’re freelancing, so it would be nice to have those things… I think.

WHO HAS BEEN A GREAT INFLUENCE ON YOU?

Oh man, there are definitely too many people, places, and things to talk about. I think every single thing that we cross paths with in life has an influence on us in some way.

WHAT’S BEEN A PROUD MOMENT FOR YOU?

I’m proud of every piece in some way. It makes me especially happy when I create something that people connect with. That seemed to be the case with the work I did for Knuckle Puck. It’s great when a piece is well received.

ALL DESIGNERS HAVE THEIR OWN STYLE. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GO IN THE DIRECTION YOU DID?

Absolutely. It’s always been difficult for me to go in one direction. I always felt all over the place compared to other artists. Because of that, I started to worry less about the direction I wanted to go in, and just started creating. That seemed to help give me some consistency and put me in a place where I’m comfortable and happy working.

SKULLS SEEM TO BE A BIG PART OF YOUR CONCEPTS. WHY? IS IT JUST A COMMON COINCIDENCE, OR IS THERE MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE?

Yeah, yeah. I love to create weird characters, and this one skull character in particular. I have notebooks full of him in various situations. I finally pulled him out of the pages when I was requested to pitch some work to New Found Glory. I took out a sketch I had done of him on a rainy day under an umbrella. I took that sketch into illustrator, threw their name on it, and pitched it. They ended up passing on it. Luckily, Knuckle Puck liked it and picked it up. I had just done some album art for them and Neck Deep that was similar in style. It went around the internet, and I got a flood of requests to do more of this character. I think that’s great because I love the character and I have fun bringing him to life.

TAKE US THROUGH A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY FOR YOU? Most of the day, everyday, I’m drawing, sketching, and doodling. It’s not really all that exciting. It’s just me in my workspace, making stuff and listen-

ing to records.

ARE YOU CURRENTLY DESIGNING FULL TIME, OR DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER JOB AS WELL? I spend most of my time on art. It’s definitely full time, but I dabble in other things.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANYONE STEAL IDEAS OR WORK THAT YOU’VE PREVIOUSLY CREATED? IF SO, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH IT?

No, I don’t think that’s ever happened to me. I had one of my pieces thrown into a library book return chute once. It was an extremely weird piece of art involving cockroaches. Nothing offensive, just cockroaches. I guess someone strongly disliked it and threw it into the chute. The librarian brought it to me and she was bummed… Probably even more so than I was. The fact that someone stole it and destroyed it was not cool, but I guess I made them feel something, even if it was just anger or disgust.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE HOPING TO PURSUE ART AS A CAREER?

If it’s something you are super passionate about, then you should definitely follow it. It’s like anything in life: weird and scary at first. I’ve totally been there. But don’t be afraid to reach out to people and make connections. They’re extremely helpful. Try not to let anything discourage you. Always work hard. If you’re given a great opportunity, work even harder. You’ll do just fine!

GET CONNECTED:

http://www.cassiepodish.com/ http://twitter.com/CassiePodish http://cassiepodish.tumblr.com/ http://instagram.com/CassiePodish/

ALL WORK DONE BY CASSIE PODISH

behind the band NAME: DAN AHERN JOB TITLE: MERCH GUY / RESUME: REAL FRIENDS

STAGE HAND

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THIS JOB? I’ve had this job since December of 2013.

HOW DID YOU BEGIN WORKING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?

The guys in Real Friends have been some of my best friends over the past five or so years. A few of them used to be in other bands and I would always tag along to every show and help out with whatever I could. When Real Friends started, I did the same thing, and it eventually reached a level where I didn’t need to work a “real job” anymore. I never expected to be employed by a band, similarly to how Real Friends never expected to be a band of the level that they’ve reached.

WHAT IS YOUR DAILY ROUTINE?

When we get to venues, I always make my display and then do a restock of merch for the night. As far as merch is concerned, it’s a pretty straightforward job. You just have to be good with people, money, and numbers. And it’s always nice to have a good display

WHAT HAPPENS ON OFF DAYS?

A lot of off days are just so that we can make a long drive. If that’s not the case, we usually like to find a mall and a good restaurant for dinner. Sometimes things work out and we can go to cool places like amusement parks, beaches, etc. Our best day off ever was when we spent the day at Universal in Orlando.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR FAVORITE TOUR SO FAR? WHY?

Definitely the Greatest Generation Tour, mainly because of the people. That tour was just full of people who were great friendthe bands planned something to do together, and every show was great.

BEING ON THE ROAD FOR SO LONG CAN BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES, I IMAGINE. WHAT DO YOU DO TO STAY GROUNDED AND KEEP A LITTLE BIT OF HOME WITH YOU? Being on tour is definitely straining at times. I always miss my family, my girlfriend, my friends, and all that. You can easily develop a disconnection to a lot of people at home. The best thing you can do is just stay in touch. I try to call someone at home every other day just to stay in the loop and not feel that distance as much. Being with some of your best friends on the road helps too.

WHAT ARE YOUR PET PEEVES ON THE ROAD?

My main pet peeve is a poorly staffed venue. There are a lot of venue workers out there that just want to make everything as difficult as possible because they’re on some sort of power trip or something. That gets incredibly frustrating because everything we try to do makes their lives easier. I don’t get it, honestly.

money super folded up and they just throw it at me. Or when there are a bunch of kids waiting and someone just holds everyone up because they don’t know what they want or what size they need... They could just step aside for a minute, but they never do. Please, don’t do these things.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR JOB THAT MANY FANS FORGET?

The main thing people need to know is that what I do is one hundred percent a job and that sometimes I get drained just like anyone else that has a full time job. A lot of kids expect me to be some super uppity guy all the time, and they get mad if I don’t want to talk to them for twenty minutes.

HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED?

I’ve always been somewhat of an organization freak. Pretty much nothing ever gets too far away from me. I don’t let things in my bag get scattered around the van or let merch get messy and unsorted.

ARE THERE ANY BAD EXPERIENCES YOU’D BE WILLING TO SHARE?

WHAT IS THE MOST STRESSFUL THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED SO FAR?

MANY PEOPLE ASK OTHER INDUSTRY WORKERS FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO GET A JOB WITHIN THE FIELD... WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE?

The most important touring lesson I’ve learned is that you don’t need nearly as many things as you would think you need when you’re leaving home for multiple months.

Don’t let stress build up on tour because you’ll just end up making a small problem into a huge one eventually. Touring is awesome, and you shouldn’t worry about too many small details.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT ON TOUR?

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM TOUR?

I usually just hang out with my girlfriend, my friends, and my family that I missed at home. Real Friends and I hang out consistently at home too. Pretty normal stuff. As far as making money, I help send out all the Real Friends online merch, since we all handle that ourselves with the help of another friend.

This is a really tough one. The Greatest Generation Tour was already a tour filled with some of the best people, which is really important on the road. As far as bands I’d like to hear every night: The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, and Jimmy Eat World would be one of about a hundred line ups I could dream up.

WHAT IS THE MOST ANNOYING THING THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SELL MERCH?

ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

The worst experience I’ve had on tour involved two very, very long drives to and from northern Canada to play two shows. After the second show, we got a flat tire on the trailer and pulled over in a town we obviously didn’t know at all. That ended with us dealing with some not so friendly Canadians in the middle of the night. The next day, we were continuing the drive to Seattle and got a second flat tire on the trailer. We found out it was an axle problem and ended up buying a new trailer in Seattle. It was something out of a nightmare.

The really annoying thing is when kids have their

The most stressful part is having a hoard of kids with zero organization yelling whatever they want at me. I just yell at them to form a line, and then I proceed to work at a pace I’m comfortable with so my head doesn’t explode. Another less stressful, more annoying thing is when the guys are playing and people think they have the right to linger on stage and take pictures and things of that sort. That usually ends with my pulling them off stage and telling them they’ll be thrown out if it continues.

This is the first interview I’ve ever done, so that’s pretty cool. Thank you!

SEXY GIRLS HOMETOWN:

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETS FOR FANS OF: THE STROKES, WAVVES, MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?, VAMPIRE WEEKEND

WHAT INSPIRED THE FORMATION OF SEXY GIRLS?

I always wanted to make a band that was really rock and roll, and I wanted complete control over in terms of how it sounded. I think the biggest thing was that I just wanted to be making music where I didn’t have to wait on somebody else to add a drum or bass part. I could just do it all myself. I decided to start playing live, and luckily I found awesome people—Steve and Adam— who were nice enough to get into the band and contribute. I love working with them because, although I built a foundation for the sound, they are much better at their respective instruments than I am.

I’m also super into reverb and soundscapes, so that’s always a huge part of our songs.

HOW DO YOU ENVISION YOUR BAND’S FUTURE?

I would like to tour and record constantly. I want to always be making music and to do it to the point where we could live moderately off of it. That’s what I’m hoping the future has in store for us. I would love to play small venues forever and pack them, and then make enough money to get pizza every night and maybe buy a new guitar or a car if I saved up for like three years. In the future, I picture us working hard and getting to play shows where the audience grows a little every time, and that’s pretty rad.

WHERE DID THE NAME SEXY GIRLS COME FROM?

Being a straight male, I figured most of the songs I wrote were gonna be about women who I found attractive… Women I loved, hated, was friends with, talked to, etc. I also thought it was funny because it was just one guy making songs in his room. Also, I think that band names are one of those things that way too many kids get caught up on for no reason. The music and the overall feel of what you are trying to accomplish are the most important aspects. The band name could be “Hot Dirt,” and, as long as the music was good, I’d love them.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?

I think we sound like a mix of surf, garage, rock, and indie. I have a lot of music that I listen to and enjoy, and I’m always trying to mesh those sounds together in a way that isn’t experimental. A lot of the songs consist of playing Major 7 chords really quickly and straightforwardly to a rock rhythm.

WHEN YOU AREN’T WORKING ON MUSIC, WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO? ALEX: Either I’m bartending, cooking or serving, or I’m doing schoolwork. Very rarely am I just hanging out. ADAM: I spend most of the time in the FAC working on my classical bass playing and composition. In my spare time, I just do your standard college things. (We didn’t ask Steve but he’s a jazz bass major and he runs and bikes a lot. We also all read a lot.)

GET CONNECTED:

https://www.facebook.com/SexyGirlsBand https://sexygirls.bandcamp.com INTERVIEW: Taylor Hancock

INTERVIEW: Lindsy Carr STORY: Penelope Martinez PHOTO: Provided

Although Head North has been around for less than two years, the band has been able to accomplish an impressive amount within that timespan. Created in 2013, Head North is comprised of Brent Martone, Ben Lieber, Alex Matos, and Ryan Harris. Their debut EP, Arrows, successfully sold over one thousand copies. They have since been able to open for artists such as Man Overboard, Citizen and Knuckle Puck, and they even headlined their own tours. The band released their second EP, Scrapbooks, in February, and the process for this album was different from anything they had previously done. They were able to work with Jay Zubricky, and they loved the experience because “it was very interesting and fun.” Shortly after, Head North signed to MKT Records in the spring of 2014, but they since have parted ways with the label. This does not mean that their music or goals have changed, however. “We still want to make music we like and play shows,” they explain. They’re extremely proud of the music they’ve released so far, and they hope to continue to do what they love. “We’ve been able to play shows and make friends in so many places; it’s unreal,” they add.

More recently, Head North opened for bands like Senses Fail and Man Overboard, and, through those experience, the guys witnessed how much passion artists truly put into their music. “Both bands are amazingly talented and hard-working, and they deserve everything they have,” the guys comment. Head North isn’t too different, however, despite their relatively new status within the scene. Working hard on their music is a top priority, and, together, the guys hope to make “the soundtrack to [our] lives right now.” They reveal that they’ve sacrificed many things in order to be able to tour, but, luckily for them, they have great friends and families that support their music and their touring. Head North is just getting started, and I’m positive they will be gaining momentum very soon. The have many plans for 2015, so I highly suggest keeping tabs on them. Catch them at the Glamour Kills Holiday Show in NY, and make sure to stay up-to-date with them through social media. You never know when they’ll be passing through your town! GET CONNECTED: https://www.facebook.com/HeadNorthNY/ https://twitter.com/SadNorth

INTERVIEW: Kelly Fadden STORY: Penelope Martinez PHOTO: Ed Araquel

GET CONNECTED: https://www.facebook.com/alexzjohnsonofficial http://www.alexzjohnson.com http://twitter.com/alexzjohnson http://youtube.com/itsalexzjohnson

For singer songwriter Alexz Johnson, music and acting have always played significant roles in her life. After appearing in various films and TV shows, such as So Weird and Final Destination, she won a Gemini Award—also known as a Canadian Emmy—in 2008. That achievement, along with her talent, helped her attain a loyal following. While it may come as a surprise, given her prominence in the acting world, Alexz has loved making music since she was little. “Music sort of found me at a really young age. My brother and I started writing when I was fourteen. It helped that he was in a band and I could come down and watch them jam,” she shares.

to help her band go on a seventeen-city tour. This past October, she released a full-length record, Let ‘Em Eat Cake, because fans ”helped fully fund this new album, which was produced by David Kahne. The support has been amazing and humbling, and I’m incredibly thankful.” Let ‘Em Eat Cake is a true story brought to life, according to Alexz, and she hopes that “everyone who listens can relate to it.” Although fans might affiliate the name with the dessert, Alexz explains that “it represents a rebirth and growth in finding my own voice as a twenty seven year old woman.”

Although acting has been crucial to her popularity in the entertainment industry, she admits that her acting career might have also had a negative effect on her musical career rather than a solely positive one. “People often like to put things in a box, which can be frustrating,” she mentions. “I wouldn’t change the path that lead me here though.”

In the past, Alexz has had the opportunity to tour with artists like Ron Pope and MAX. Currently, you can find her on tour with Jared & the Mill. Alexz says that this is one of her favorite tours so far because “it’s been a blast hearing these new album tracks live each night.” She also believes that her relationship with her band, as well as the quality of musicianship within the band, has made this tour better than she could’ve imagined.

No matter how it happened, Alexz now has a devoted fanbase that is willing to support her and help her out. She initially raised almost seventy thousand dollars through a Kickstarter; that money was used to release her Skipping Stone EP and

Since Alexz and her band will be on the road until December, you should definitely check them out if they’re in your city! Make sure to catch their set and purchase their EP, which can be found on GooglePlay, iTunes, Amazon and her website.

S ome K inda 18

Interview: Taylor Hancock Story + Photos: Penelope Martinez

W onderful 19

IF YOU’VE EVER SEEN SOMEKINDAWONDERFUL

live, you can probably agree that they are some of the most fun and energetic performers around. Their music doesn’t necessarily fall into a genre, but it represents who they are as a whole. “We as people and musicians are very eclectic, so it’s only right that our music reflects that,” comments Matt. The band spans all genres of music, and they manage to do it with real soul and honesty. SomeKindaWonderful consists of Jordy, Sarah, Matt, Steve, and Ben, but they didn’t all come together at once. After having a bad experience with a major record label in L.A, Jordy (vocals) went to visit some family in Cleveland, Ohio, to clear his head. While at a dive bar one night, he met Matt (guitar) and Ben (drums). Coincidentally, Matt happened to be playing a guitar riff that Jordy began to hum a melody to, and this went on to become “Reverse,” the first song they wrote together. “We pretty much left the bar to go record the song at Ben’s studio (Spider Studios),” mentions Matt. After this, they recorded more songs and eventually decided to form a band. Their first performance as a group was at SXSW 2014, when they opened for Spandau Ballet. “Ev-

eryone from the record label was there, and, at that point, we had never played live,” Matt shares. They were incredibly nervous, not just about it being their first performance as a group but also at the fact that they were playing at SXSW. It wasn’t just any old show. Since then, the band has let go of the nerves and playing shows feels a lot more natural. Being a relatively new group, they didn’t expect so much success for the initial material they released, let alone the first song they collectively wrote as a band. Shockingly, “Reverse” became a Top 20 radio hit, and their first release, a self-titled album, debuted at #8 on the iTunes Alternative Albums chart. “We really had no idea what to expect. Each time a new station added us or we climbed the charts to another spot, it was a celebration,” Matt tells us. With the support of over thirty seven stations nationwide, “Reverse” was able to stay on the Top 20 for over sixteen weeks. During that time, the band also got the opportunity to work with Marc Klasfeld, who directed the music video for “Reverse.” They enjoyed the experience, because they knew they were in good hands. “We couldn’t be happier with how the video turned out! Also, BIG shout out to S77 in Columbus for doing the incredible post

production and special effects,” Matt exclaims. Seeing as how their first attempt at writing music was incredibly successful, it’s only fair to ask what goes on during their writing process. They share that, often times, Matt creates a guitar riff or a piano piece that Jordy then writes lyrics and melodies to. Everyone else collaborates by creating their own sounds for their respective instruments. Other times, however, Jordy, Matt and Ben simply sit in a room—with no preconceived notions of what they want to make—and see what they come up with. SomeKindaWonderful have come a long way since 2009, when the guys first met at the bar. Currently on the Everywhere I Go Tour with Bad Suns and New Politics, the band experienced what Matt believes to be their proudest moment yet. “I think the proudest moment would have to be our recent show at the Fonda in L.A.” Since they have played many shows in Los Angeles, they have developed a nice fanbase that welcomes them. The fans there are with them one hundred percent, and they are full of so much passion. “For us, as a band, that was probably our best performance yet. That moment kind of felt like we finally arrived to

where we’re supposed to be, and we know that we are a cohesive Rock N’ Roll Machine,” adds Matt. For SomeKindaWonderful, inspiration is the only currency. Even something as simple as their name shows the kind of people and artists they are. “We saw that people associated the phrase ‘SomeKindaWonderful’ with the positive, beautiful, and rare moments in life, and we wanted to be associated with that as well,” Matt explains. Although positivity may be a key factor to success, the band understands that hard work is also important. They will continue to work and hopefully excel at what they do, because they are aware that “not too many bands meet at random in a bar and begin writing a song before they even know each other only to end up with a radio hit.” In 2015, you can expect SomeKindaWonderful to tour Europe as well as hit some more U.S cities. Amongst the touring, they will be releasing another radio single called “Burn,” so keep your eyes and ears open! GET CONNECTED: www.facebook.com/SomeKindaWonderfulBand www.SomeKindaWonderful.com www.twitter.com/somekindawonder

INTERVIEW: Kelly Fadden PHOTOS: Lori Gutman

WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES, AND WHAT DO YOU EACH DO IN THE BAND?

Brian Joyce (guitar/vocals), Matt Chila (guitar/ vocals), Kyle Bell (bass/vocals), Luke Smartnick (drums)

HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?

Brian and I went to high school together. Kyle was a mutual friend who we met through our previous singer and drummer. We found Luke through the internet after we posted about how we were looking for a new drummer.

WHAT BANDS DO YOU LOOK UP TO AS MUSICAL INSPIRATION? I think it ranges for all of us, whether they are current bands just coming up in the scene or bands that have been around for over twenty years. But I think, as a whole, I would say our biggest inspirations would be Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182, Green Day... I think those bands made us all branch out to music that we listen to today.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM YOU EVER PURCHASED? I believe the first album I ever bought with my own money was Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory.

HOW HAVE THE RESPONSES BEEN FOR “KALEIDOSCOPE” AND “RECOVERY”?

So far, I think they’ve been great. The crowd really seems to enjoy those songs, and they’re also my personal favorites that we play during our set.

WHAT OTHER SONGS ON THE NEW ALBUM ARE YOU EXCITED FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR?

I’m excited for everyone to here “Just As I Am” because it’s a huge curveball to what the listeners are probably expecting. It’s a song that we wrote in the studio and just kept building off of instrumentally while recording it. We call it our “Frankenstein,” haha.

HOW DOES THIS ALBUM DIFFER FROM YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASE, HARD FEELINGS?

With Brian’s vocals, I personally feel that the new songs sound a lot more passionate. As far as the instrumentals go, this album is way more rock driven and in your face. Every song is hard hitting in its own way.

HOW

WAS

THE

HONEYMOON

TOUR?

The tour was great. It was filled with great people and great musicians. We’re very happy and honored that we had the opportunity to share the stage with Mayday Parade, Tonight Alive, and Pvris.

other bands or to fit into a genre to begin with. We just write songs that feel natural to us as musicians.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE THE BAND HAS FACED SINCE ITS FORMATION? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT?

The biggest obstacle was our first practice as a four-piece. We were trying to figure out how to pull off older material with a new voice while also switching up the guitar parts that Brian and I play. After we started our first tour as a four-piece back in February, everything came together very quickly and it felt more natural and comfortable. This is the happiest we’ve ever been with the band.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ASPECTS OF IS THERE ANY PLACE YOU HAVEN’T GONE TOURING? My favorite part is just being able to let go of ev- ON TOUR YET THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO erything that’s going on in my life for thirty min- GO? utes every night. As soon as I step on stage, I just find myself in my own world. It’s kind of like a vacation. I also love meeting new bands and new people. It gives me an opportunity to discover new music as well, which is always really cool.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOU STAND OUT FROM ALL THE OTHER BANDS IN YOUR GENRE?

I think we really found our own niche with this new record. It’s gonna give us opportunities to tour with different bands that we never expected to tour with. I feel like we have a very diverse sound now. We never write songs to sound like

I would love to go to Australia!

ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO YOUR FANS?

We can’t thank you guys enough for the constant support throughout the years. We hope you enjoy the new record. We love you all, and we’ll definitely see you soon!

GET CONNECTED:

https://www.facebook.com/majorleaguerock http://www.majorleague.limitedrun.com/ http://www.twitter.com/majorleaguenj http://www.majorleaguepoppunk.tumblr.com/

GET CONNECTED: https://www.facebook.com/suchgold http://suchgold.com/ http://twitter.com/suchgold INTERVIEW: Taylor Hancock PHOTOS: Provided

WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE FOR- IN FIVE DAYS. HOW DID YOU GUYS FEEL MATION OF SUCH GOLD IN 2009? WHILE CREATING THIS NEW ALBUM, CONThe band name, ethos, and a handful of early SIDERING YOUR LAST RELEASE WAS IN songs have been around as early as 2006 or so. 2012? Still, it wasn’t until Nate’s previous band, Heavy Hearted, disbanded at the end of 2008 that this project was rehashed and formed into a full-time project.

HOW DID THE BAND COME TOGETHER?

In the beginning, the band consisted of Nate and original vocalist and drummer Kyle Chapman. When they decided to turn the band into a fully-fledged project, Kyle’s cousin, Tim Heald, was recruited for guitar, former Heavy Hearted bassist Devon Hubbard was brought in for bass, and Devan Bentley was asked to play drums. Eventually, we realized that Kyle wasn’t going to work on vocals and he ended up leaving the band. Devan and Tim knew Ben Kotin from previous projects, so they asked if he was interested in doing vocals for Such Gold. He came to a rehearsal, sang a cover of “You Vandal” by Saves The Day and a few lines from “Four Superbowls No Rings,” and the rest is history. A lot has happened over the past five years, and we are sitting pretty with our current lineup—one that we consider to be definitive. Ben Kotin on guitar and vocals, Nate Derby on guitar, Jon Markson on bass and vocals, and Matt Covey on the drums.

YOU’RE RELEASING THE NEW SIDEWALK

We felt great creating The New Sidewalk. We had been working on the material in some form or another for almost two years. By the time we drove to Colorado to record, we were very prepared. We had committed a lot of time to arranging, rehearsing, and demo-ing the material. Bill Stevenson and the rest of the Blasting Room were very happy we did our homework, so the process was smooth and very rewarding... Much more so than with Misadventures.

HOW IS THIS ALBUM DIFFERENT FROM MISADVENTURES?

Well, it’s certainly a different record in a lot of ways. For one, different people were responsible for different things on The New Sidewalk. Major lineup changes between the two records fundamentally shook up the way the writing process worked for us. It is certainly a natural progression from Misadventures, however. The New Sidewalk really takes the complexities and nuances of our music to a higher level while still trying to maintain a certain lyrical flow. We think The New Sidewalk is a stronger record in many ways, and not just because it’s more topical for us. I imagine we would feel that way about every subsequent record, unless we got into some true improv music.

AFTER LISTENING TO THE NEW SIDEWALK, IT SEEMS AS IF YOU’VE LEFT BEHIND A BIT OF THE POP PUNK SOUND FROM MISADVENTURES. WHY DID YOU GUYS DECIDE TO GO IN THIS DIRECTION?

There was no intentional shift in our sound that came with discussion of genre. The sound on The New Sidewalk is the result of where each of our individual personalities converge—dense yet succinct, guitar-driven, aggressive music.

planning on spending our day at Red Rocks and hanging out in nature before load-in time at the gig. Our good friend and tour manager at the time, who is the sweetest man you’ve ever met with a face full of tattoos, met eyes with a cop who proceeded to follow us for about ten miles. He tried to corner us into admitting we were traveling with illicit substances.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF MAKING THIS ALBUM? DID YOU GUYS DO YOU GUYS THINK THAT YOUR CHANGE BUTT HEADS AT ANY POINT DURING THE OF BAND MEMBERS WITHIN THE LAST PROCESS? FEW YEARS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH The best part about writing The New Sidewalk was certainly the shared excitement for the YOUR CHANGE IN SOUND? Absolutely, one hundred percent. Having Jon in the band was a huge shift for us writing-wise. Matt Covey is the best drummer we collectively know; he shreds harder than any other drummer we’ve ever played with. On top of that, we all get along better than we ever have before, which makes working with each other a whole new experience.

songs. Even more micro than that was the shared over-listening to a solid three second long passage and feeling legitimately high from hearing things come together. We definitely didn’t butt heads during the process. In our camp, any disagreement about an arrangement usually makes for a stronger overall arrangement.

WHAT WAS THE WRITING PROCESS FOR THIS ALBUM? HOW DID IT DIFFER FROM YOUR WRITING PROCESSES IN THE PAST?

IN YOUR TRACK “MORRISON,” YOU’RE DESCRIBING AN ENCOUNTER WITH A COP AND HARASSMENT. IS THIS ABOUT A REAL There were a lot of differences, but the main one was certainly our preparation for the album. We SITUATION THAT HAPPENED TO YOU? Yes, absolutely. We were driving overnight from Lawrence, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado. We were

pretty much demo’d the entire record in full at Jon’s studio in Brooklyn before going into the studio to record at The Blasting Room.

Being able to hear the arrangements in that fashion helped us take a finer magnifying glass to every aspect of the arrangement before doing the real thing.

HOW WAS BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH BILL STEVENSON?

Working with Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore, and Chris Beeble was a fucking dream. They were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic through the whole process. A lot of our favorite records were mostly done at The Blasting Room, so being able to work with the people responsible for those records and having them equally excited about our record was truly special. We drank so much coffee. They have their own blend that really kicks you in the ass.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNED THROUGHOUT YOUR TIME IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? Being in a band doesn’t pay the bills. Tech-music doesn’t sell as many records as gang-chants.

YOU HAVE RELEASED A COUPLE OF SINGLES FROM THE ALBUM ALREADY, BUT ARE YOU GUYS CONCERNED WITH HOW YOUR FANS WILL REACT TO THE ALBUM AS A WHOLE?

the grand nature of its concept and instrumentation? Yes.

YOU’RE CURRENTLY ON TOUR WITH FOUR YEAR STRONG. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2014?

We’re on tour with Four Year Strong, Transit, and Seaway for another two weeks. After that, we’re doing a few shows in Canada with The Flatliners and PUP. We fucking love touring in Canada, and we’ve toured with The Flatliners before. We can’t wait to drink too many beers with them. Canadians can drink.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM SUCH GOLD IN 2015?

We don’t have the entire year planned out yet, but you can certainly expect some touring in the US and overseas. We will certainly be writing feverishly and petting dogs in our spare time. Maybe we’ll end up in the studio earlier than we did last time. 2015 is the Wild West of Such Gold—it’s going to be a good year.

GET CONNECTED:

https://www.facebook.com/suchgold http://suchgold.com/ http://twitter.com/suchgold

Concerned that they may self-inflict bodily harm unto themselves when they are confounded by

Sometimes in life, all it takes is being in the right place at the right time. For Spencer Sutherland, singing in front of the right person changed his life. “In high school, I treated singing like it was my job. I would play in just about any kind of restaurant four or fives times a week,” he comments. Soon enough, his hard work paid off. A few days after playing what seemed to be a normal show, he found himself opening for Big Time Rush in front of twenty thousand people. “That was a day I will never forget, as well as an opportunity that has changed my life.” Since then, Spencer has taught himself how to play guitar, ukulele and piano, on top of training his voice—his main instrument—to do all sorts of things. He reveals that learning how to play the guitar was the biggest challenge for him, because “it’s such a technical instrument, and it takes a lot of finesse to play it well.” Nevertheless, he stuck with it, and Spencer is still determined to continue improving his skills. Many people may have heard of Spencer Sutherland through his YouTube channel where he covers various hit songs, including Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” When choosing what to cover, he generally selects a song he finds memorable, or one that he likes the meaning of. He then incorporates his own style and, while learning to play the song, he treats it as if it were his own. When he chose to cover “Shake It Off,” he based his decision on the song’s catchiness as well as on his personal fondness for Taylor Swift. “I really admire Taylor Swift. She constantly takes chances and is amazing to her fans,” he shares. Although his “discography” consists mainly of cover songs at this point in time, Spencer released his debut single, “Heartstrings,” in April of 2014. After doing covers for so long, this was a big moment for him. “The feeling of having original mu-

sic that comes from within you, out for the world to see, is a special feeling,” he explains. The song was inspired by a real life experience that drove him crazy. “I felt like it was a situation that everyone could relate to at some point in life,” he says. For Spencer, being able to hear it on the radio was a surreal experience, and certainly something that he wasn’t expecting to happen so quickly. He’s been fortunate enough to share the stage with many big artists, including Ariana Grande, MKTO, and Emblem 3. Up until his most recent tour with Emblem 3, he had been playing acoustic, strippeddown sets, which he believes are cool and intimate. For his run with Emblem 3, however, he was able to perform with a full band for the first time. 2015 holds a lot of big plans for Spencer. Not long ago, he announced that he would be releasing his first Acoustic EP, adequately titled Unveiled. This will be followed by more touring, which makes him incredibly happy. In a relatively short time, Spencer has learned that hard work and focus are necessary in the music industry. With this in mind, Spencer is determined to keep working hard, and he plans to continue creating music in the hopes that it will be memorable and relatable. “All I want is to be able to live my dream every single day and make other people happy. I want my music and successes to positively influence others.” GET CONNECTED: www.facebook.com/SpencerSutherlandOfficial www.twitter.com/Spencermusic1 www.spencersutherland.com INTERVIEW: Lindsy Carr STORY: Penelope Martinez PHOTO: Grayson Hary

WHEN JENNA MCDOUGALL WAS YOUNGER,

she loved singing and dancing, and she acted on these passions by performing in musicals and joining her school choirs. In high school, she experimented with every sport and every dance class, but Jenna eventually realized that there was nothing she was better at than music. It came naturally to her, and nothing else really made sense in comparison. Meanwhile, rhythm guitarist Jake Hardy and bassist Cameron Adler were performing cover songs via their own rock project, and they eventually asked guitarist Whakaio Taahi to join them on keyboard and lead guitar. At the same time, Cameron was helping Jenna record and produce a demo. When the band parted ways with their original vocalist, Cam asked Jenna to record her vocals over one of their original songs. On March 31, 2008, the day before she turned sixteen, Jenna became the band’s new lead vocalist and Tonight Alive was born. After school, the group would head over to the town center and “play through a shitty PA,” and, to their surprise, people actually wanted to stop and listen. Back then, Jenna thought that that’s what “making it” was, and she believed that nothing was better—nothing was greater than the happiness she felt at the time. Little did she know that, six years later, she would be the front-woman of one of Australia’s greatest modern rock bands.

Success didn’t come overnight, however. About a year after the band’s formation, they had to overcome their first challenge: their drummer was no longer involved with the project. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long to find a suitable replacement; after just one practice, drummer Matt Best joined the rest of the group to solidify the lineup. Tonight Alive was officially Jenna McDougall (vocals), Whakaio Taahi (lead guitar/vocals), Jake Hardy (rhythm guitar), Cam Adler (bass), and Matt Best (drums). Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing from there on in. Early on in their career, Tonight Alive learned an incredibly important lesson through a shitty situation. It was any band’s worst nightmare: their first manager, someone they trusted and considered a friend, ended up betraying them. Jenna goes more in-depth, sharing their history. “He didn’t seem malicious at all at the time… Eventually, we signed a contract with him. We were all underage, or at least I know I was. We signed the contract without a lawyer, without a witness, without anything. Without even reading this contract, we signed it. He seemed trustworthy to us, and he seemed to work really hard. Eventually, it became apparent that he was taking every cent that we earned into his account. It was just a very controlled and manipulated relationship. He was also trying to turn all of us against each other. It was very, very twisted. We didn’t find all of this out until we had other opportunities ahead of us that he was trying to stand in the way of. A lot of issues came up with trust and dishonesty because that manager wasn’t including us in the business and financial side of things—all the things that a band shouldn’t have to worry about. A lot of bridges were burned, and we had nothing to do with it.” Although it was a difficult situation to recover from, Jenna understands and accepts that it was a learning experience—it was something that almost had to happen, in a way, so that the band could grow and become more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the music industry. “So, yeah, it was hard, but it definitely could’ve been a lot worse in the long run. It’s where we come from, and it’s why we’ve learned everything that we have, and why we run our business the way we do. We know now that it’s towards us as a band to kind of stay on top of what goes on behind the scenes. It’s definitely taught us to be more involved and more understanding of the

business aspect of music.” Still, the challenges didn’t end there. While Tonight Alive was playing small festivals and local shows in youth centers, the band strived to get out of Australia. In the grand scheme of things, they knew that leaving the country was one of the first things that needed to happen to push them closer towards achieving their goals. “Australia’s music scene is actually really small, and it’s quite limiting,” Jenna shares. “There’s not a lot of support for rock music there. It’s very pop and top 40 radio-esque.” Before a band can travel internationally, however, its members need to recognize that benefitting financially, at least in the early stages, is next to impossible. “We had to realize that we couldn’t put ourselves first in that situation as individuals. It has to be one unit as a business, where you put the band first. You put your crew first. You put your fans first. You put your music first, definitely,” Jenna clarifies. “Our own personal situations have never benefitted from Tonight Alive. We’ve always put traveling, putting out music, and making sure we have a hardworking team behind us first. That’s probably something a lot of bands we know have broken up over, because there are struggles that end careers. We’ve been lucky enough to not have any weak links in our chain, and we always persevere.” With hard work and determination, they evidently succeeded in branching out into bigger markets, and Tonight Alive has evolved from a band playing in shopping malls to a band headlining tours all over the world. Whakaio touches on the subject, sharing that “there are you-have-to-pinch-yourself moments sometimes when we realize where we are. We’ve been to the US before—this is like our ninth time here—but every time we come here, it gets better and better. When we see fans here, we feel like all the hard work is starting to pay off. That’s definitely a positive thing. In the UK, it’s kinda grown exponentially, and it’s amazing.” Although the members of Tonight Alive are only in their early to mid-twenties, their experiences and triumphs have left them wise beyond their years when it comes to working in the music industry. They advise bands that are just starting out to pursue music with a group of people who want it just as much. Whakaio builds on this idea, saying, “If you’re in a band with five people and

“

music chose me. music chose us.. ” 41

two of them don’t really care, there’s no point to it. A year or two years down the line, they’re gonna drop out, and you’ll be left wishing you hadn’t wasted your time… I think you really need to find like-minded people that are as passionate as you, and you just have to love it. If you don’t love it, there’s no point in doing it.” While Jenna agrees with Whakaio, she also believes that one of the key elements in growing as a band is putting the music before anything else. “It’s really important to put your music first and to write really good songs while also being a really good live band. As Whakaio said, you need to care about the right things. The minute that your image and your style become more important than your songs, you’re in trouble. Put your time and effort into putting on a good show and writing good songs that are gonna last.” Thankfully, the rest of band also believes that personal growth and development is just as important as creating a successful record, and Tonight Alive has been hard at work trying to make progress specifically in those areas. “Starting with our first albums—we literally just wrote songs and that was it. That was what went on the album. This time around, we had written a bunch of songs for the next album. Eventually, we decided those songs weren’t good enough and that we really wanted something better and kind of different. We spent a lot of time really, really trying to get these songs to the next level of Tonight Alive,” Whakaio tells us. “It’s been difficult. We definitely had to look at ourselves and our abilities and try to make them better. It’s almost like going back to school again and learning how to song-write. But we’re getting there, I think.”

about what we’re doing,” Whakaio rationalizes. “But, because we care so much about what we’re doing and we always have a goal to exceed, it gets really difficult. It doesn’t give us any time to sit back and realize what we have accomplished, because we’re always looking ahead.” Amongst numerous achievements—including several runs on the Vans Warped Tour and having “The Edge” featured on the Amazing Spiderman 2 soundtrack—one of Tonight Alive’s most impressive accomplishments is developing and maintaining intimate relationships with their fanbase. In this day and age, when social media is so ingrained in society, people tend to be disconnected from each other in person. But, instead of relying solely on Twitter or Facebook to communicate with fans, the band focuses on making time to hang out with them after performing. “When they come out to shows,” Jenna explains, “especially on a tour like this where we’re supporting the headliner, we have time to spend with our fans. There’s a sense of understanding and community within our fanbase, so it’s quite personal.”

“We realized that we could put out a record that’s exactly like The Other Side and do that again,” Jenna elaborates. “We wrote a tracklisting—enough to have recorded an album that was quite similar to The Other Side. It would’ve done well and we would’ve continued to tour, but we wouldn’t have grown and taken the next step. We had to look at ourselves and say, ‘Well, maybe this isn’t good enough this time?’”

Amongst all the trials and tribulations that the music industry poses, Tonight Alive’s fanbase really makes the difficulties of touring the world worthwhile. “Each night is a reality check. When you play a show, you see fans, and you recognize faces. Then you see new faces, and people who are totally, passionately singing along and giving their whole body and all their energy to you. After the show, getting to speak to the fans, hearing their stories and also just hanging out with them… That’s my favorite part,” Jenna shares. “If you’re out in the parking lot at the end of the night, people just wanna hang out and be mates. I really appreciate that. I think that kind of checks you in a little bit, especially once you’ve been touring for months and you’ve played a show every day with no days off. That’s the kind of thing that makes it worthwhile, because you realize there are people who really, really give a damn about what you’re doing. That makes it worth it for me.”

They also realize that by having such high expectations for the band, they simultaneously put a lot of pressure on themselves. “We could do this band a lot differently than what we do, and we could just ride the wave and not really care

Because their fans are such a significant part of the band’s journey, Tonight Alive really hopes that they can be a positive influence to their listeners. According to Whakaio, “a lot of people, when they get into a position where they have a

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

you realize there are people who really, really give a damn about what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

That makes it worth it for me.

lot of influence, a lot of people feel like they aren’t obliged to check their actions. If you’ve gained a fanbase or you’ve done something where you influence people, I think there should always be a positive aspect about that, and that’s what we hope to be for kids.” Jenna builds on this belief when she adds, “When I think about my favorite artists and the people who inspire me, I realize that they have a positive effect on my life. They make me want to fight harder, do more, be more aware. I hope that we can have the same effect on our listeners.” After finishing the Honeymoon Tour, Tonight Alive will go back to working on their third fulllength album. By the end of 2015, the record will be out, and they hope that it’ll be the most successful thing they’ve ever done. Jenna says that “I’m really proud of it at the stage that it’s at, but I’ve got a feeling that there’s more to come and it’s gonna be pretty special. Hopefully it’s the record that people remember Tonight Alive for, and I hope that every record after it is just as good.”

Aside from that, the band is planning on getting into the festival circuit a bit more and headlining another worldwide tour before the year is up. And while no one can predict the distant future, the members of Tonight Alive know that music is what they love and that won’t be changing anytime soon. If anything is for certain, it’s that Tonight Alive is going to continue growing and taking over the alternative rock scene because, as Whakaio put it, “Music chose me. Music chose us.”

GET CONNECTED:

https://www.facebook.com/tonightalive www.tonightaliveofficial.com www.twitter.com/tonightalive INTERVIEW: Leah Dickerman + Lori Gutman STORY + LIVE PHOTOS: Lori Gutman POSED PHOTOS: Tom Falcone

ALBUM Singer songwriter Dan Brown, who performs under the name Macatier, will be releasing his third EP, This Boat Is Definitely Sinking, on December 8th. The EP contains four acoustic based tracks with an emotional voice and catchy lyrics.

Macatier

This Boat is Definitely Sinking

It starts off with “Thousand Yard Stare,” a song that features guitar and drums as its backbone. His raspy voice truly puts power into the lyrics that state, “Get me far away from here and the thousand voices that I hear.” There is sincerity in the words that he sings, and it creates a more intriguing sound than what you normally hear from your average acoustic song. The song that follows is “Panic Attack!” which cautiously touches on an event that is difficult to talk about despite how much time has passed. Although he doesn’t state exactly what happened, Dan describes how he is unable to focus and is instead wasting time just waiting around. Anyone who has experienced a dramatically life-altering situation can probably relate to what he went through, and this soothing song will probably resonate with many listeners. The EP then flows into its single, “Swimming To Canada.” The chorus contains the lyrics “I want to see brand new streets/too far away/ I’ll get there one day.” You’ll quickly find yourself singing along and the song is memorable. It makes you consider how things in life are constantly changing even if you don’t realize it right away. The record proceeds to slow down when it transitions into its closing number, “Sleep Song.” The song has just the right tempo and is beautifully done. By using just a guitar and his voice, Dan has created a song sounds almost like a lullaby. With its echoing harmonies, this track allows you to really hear his matured and strengthened voice and note how he has progressed as a singer since Macatier’s first release in 2012. It’s the type of song that you can add to a playlist with a relaxing vibe to it. At just fourteen minutes long, The Boat Is Definitely Sinking gives listeners a chance to see Macatier’s talent and promise as a musician. The production is done well, and each song stands strongly on its own while also fitting together nicely as a whole. Make sure to take a listen once it’s released. I promise you won’t be disappointed! By Lindsy Carr

REVIEWS Such Gold

The New Sidewalk

It’s been two years since Such Gold has released new music, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been hard at work during that time. On the contrary, the guys have been working on what I believe is their best material yet. Their latest release, The New Sidewalk, will take listeners by surprise—especially if they haven’t heard the few singles they had previously released. The opening track, “Engulfed in Flames,” demonstrates the band’s musical talents within the first few seconds. It begins with simple guitar riffs from Nate Derby but soon escalates to a much heavier sound due to Jon Markson’s bass and Matt Covey’s drumming. Still, one can anticipate when vocalist Ben Kotin is set to come in, and it’s safe to say the vocals are worth waiting for. Compared to his aggressive style on Misadventures, Ben doesn’t shy away from softer singing this time around. There is a nice balance between the riffs and drumming when it begins escalating for Ben to join, and the overall sound remains rhythmic even after he joins.

“Frying in the Mix,” the album’s penultimate track, is one of my favorites on the record. When Ben starts singing after almost a minute of solely instrumentals, his voice is calmer and more relaxed, which I enjoyed after hearing his louder vocals throughout the album. Another track that stood out to me was “Morrison.” It’s an interesting song that discusses the band’s experiences with a cop from a small town. With lyrics like “If you scream, you get struck,” this track is relatable for anyone who has had this kind of altercation with the law enforcement. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in this day and age, and these lyrics let victims of police brutality know that they’re not alone. Despite the overall high quality of the album, I couldn’t help but find the backup vocals in seemingly every song a bit distracting. I definitely enjoyed them in tracks like “When It Gives,” but they seemed overused throughout all of “Faced.” Still, that aspect of the album can’t undermine the fact that Such Gold is a spectacular band on or off the stage, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this record is just the beginning for them. The New Sidewalk is mostly punk with some jazz elements interlaced—it’s an interesting twist, but they make it work and the music stands out. It’s a massive step up from their last release, and I can’t wait to see this album played live next year. By Penelope Martinez

I’ve always believed that Jake Mcelfresh, also known as Front Porch Step, was an extremely talented individual. In both his live performances and on his records, Jake has an impressive ability when it comes to controlling his voice. On top of that, he is able to successfully write songs that get stuck in your head without being annoying.

Front Porch Step Whole Again

His upcoming EP, Whole Again, consists of only four tracks. With this release, however, Jake shows less angst and melancholy throughout his lyrics than he did with his previous album, Aware. His voice is softer and calmer this time around, but he still manages to keep the raw elements he’s well known for. The opening track, “A Lovely Mess,” explains how he’s changed as a person but that he’ll try to be the best he can be. Jake sings, “I’m not the man I that I once was / I may not be everything you want / but I can give you everything I have,” and then goes on to describe the life he envisions with the girl of his dreams beside him. Something Jake never fails to do is to take simple melodies and riffs and turn them into spectacular songs by adding only his voice. Throughout the track, he exposes the raspy effect of his voice without overdoing it. Overall, I think that this song was an excellent choice for introducing us to the new album. It perfectly showcases Mcelfresh’s lyrical growth as well as his vocal range, both of which are also evident throughout the next three songs. With this EP, there was no room for desolating songs like “Island of the Misfit Boy” off of Aware. Instead, Jake wrote “Heaven Sent” about going through heartbreak and loss. He opens up about losing a love when he says, “I heard your name the other day and I got sick in the most wonderful of ways.” The song features some impressive guest vocals from Ace Enders that easily soothe you and makes the track a lot more powerful when combined with Jake’s voice. Mcelfresh continues to sing about his heartbreak after finding out that the girl has passed away. The honesty and openness of this song, accompanied by the tones of both voices, makes the song relaxing, as if it was the story of him accepting his loss more so than dwelling on it. The album’s third track, a cover of “I’ll be Home For Christmas,” seemed like a random choice to include. Nonetheless, it was a carefully crafted and unique cover. While Mcelfresh was able to make the song his own, he also kept its traditional vocal style by holding certain notes longer than others, similarly to Frank Sinatra. Although Jake made his version shorter than Sinatra’s, he also made it more joyful. Accompanied by the sound of Christmas bells and his gravelly voice, this song is sure to be playing in people’s homes during the holiday season. The EP closes with “Whole Again,” the first track to feature various instruments since Front Porch Step debuted his first album in 2013. Jake begins crooning whilst softly playing the guitar, but this is soon followed by echoing harmonies in the background. After about a minute of calmed singing, he once again brings out his grindy vocals that ultimately make the song incredibly haunting. The lyrics of this track are positive compared to his past content, especially when he sings, “You found me broken / you helped me fall asleep / you gave me sense of peace.” After about three minutes of mainly Jake’s vocals and guitar playing, Adam Rourke joins him and slowly incorporates his rhythmic drum part. What follows is almost two minutes of a breakdown that consists of the band and Jake repeatedly singing “You make me whole again.” Front Porch Step pleasantly surprised me with this EP, and it is definitely one of my favorite releases of the year. Mcelfresh took a leap out of his comfort zone by incorporating simple harmonies and diversifying the instruments used instead of just sticking to his usual guitar. I highly recommend purchasing this short record, because it truly highlights how Jake has grown not only as a musician but also as a person. Not many artists can release honest and powerful music within a four-song EP, but that’s exactly what Front Porch Step succeeded in doing. By: Penelope Martinez

The room was filled with anticipation after Dayshell finished their set. It was only time before Anberlin was set to go on. The stage was bathed in a soft blue light with fog dancing across the surface, and, after a wait that felt like forever, the band started taking the stage. Joseph, Deon, Christian, Nathan, and, finally, Stephen. The crowd exploded with applause as the band made their way out. The band kicked off with “Never Take Friendship Personal,” the first song of theirs that I had listened to nearly a decade ago. Everyone in the audience shouted along with every line, pushing to get closer to the stage and be a part of the experience. They flowed out of the first track and into “We Owe This To Ourselves,” continuing the driving energy they began the set with, and then transitioned into “Paperthin Hymn,” a definite classic and crowd favorite. Stephen made his way to the barrier and sang along with the crowd during this track, while the front of the audience reached towards the lively front man. Anberlin continued to deliver an extremely skillful performance full of their expected high energy and excellent showmanship. Stephen delivered every line with precision and emotion as if each line was written yesterday, with every experience fresh in his memory. The band closed out their set with “Godspeed,” arguably one of their heavier tracks off of fan favorite Cities. The crowd went wild, and the room was filled with a chorus of voices singing along for each line. Upon ending their final song, the room erupted in a roar of “One more song!” It seemed hopeless for a moment, but, to everyone’s delight, everyone came back out and closed out the night with “Feel Good Drag,” my personal favorite. Stephen climbed back out onto the barrier and song along with the crowd again. It was truly an awesome experience to be present during Anberlin’s final set in Minneapolis. Anberlin is undoubtedly a band known for delivering great performances and surprising their audiences each time, and I can say they have only continued to grow in that area since I first saw them in 2005. This might be the last time they perform together as a collective, but I have high hopes that, individually, each member will go out and continue to produce worthwhile art worthy of your attention.

Photo + Review by Grayson Hary

Photos by Grayson Hary

atmosphere Photos by Penelope Martinez

bad suns Photos by Penelope Martinez

Yellowcard Memphis May Fire Emarosa Photos by Penelope Martinez

MMH TEN YEAR A TO

Photos by Megan Leetz

HMM ANNIVERSARY OUR

May Par Photos by Lori Gutman

yday ade 65

New Politics Photo by Kelli Coyne

F r o m Indian Lakes Photo by Megan Leetz

Relient K Photo by Megan Leetz

C i r c a S u r v i ve Photo by Penelope Martinez

Yellowcard Photo by Penelope Martinez

Photo by Penelope Martinez

Emarosa 76

Anberlin Photo by Graysan Hary

Photo by Graysan Hary