Issue 11 by Focus Magazine

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 1

founders penelope martinez mariana patino editor-in-chief + design penelope martinez managing + copy editor lori gutman writers abbey dufoe, lindsy carr, kelly fadden, kieran james, knial saunders, vivien bui

connect: @focuszine facebook.com/focuszine focuszine.tumblr.com website: photographers focuszine.com bethan miller, grayson hary, jason for any inquiries: cox, laura harvey, leah dickerman, info@focuszine.com lori gutman, mimi hong, penelope martinez, priten vora

THANK YOU

memphis may fire mike cubillos // earshot music rotting out austin griswold // secret service pr dark waves amber crisci // big picture media the menzingers tonni maruyama // epitaph records

ship captain crew james lloyd // carry the 4 the ivins landon wright aga kasprowicz, gino scarim, hopeless records, our wonderful staff + readers.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 3

CONTENTS 6 artist of the month 14 behind the band 18 local spotlight 20 22 24 28 34

the ivins dark waves the menzingers rotting out memphis may fire

46 album reviews 50 show reviews 66 gallery

ON THE COVER

34 FOCUS MAGAZINE // 5

artist of the month 6

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 7

WHO: Aga Kasprowicz WHAT: Drawing WHERE: facebook.com/agacasperart

Aga Kasprowicz TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU WERE INTRODUCED TO ALTERNATIVE, ROCK, AND METALCORE BANDS. My name’s Agnieszka, I’m nineteen, and I’m an amateur artist aspiring to be a tattoo artist. I don’t remember exactly how and when I found out about alternative and metalcore bands, but it was probably through Youtube or my friends’ recommendations.

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING YOU HAD TO LEARN ABOUT DRAWING PEOPLE? Hair. It was really hard for me to draw strands of hair, so I usually drew black hair to avoid that problem. I had to learn how to draw it since I wanted to draw people with blonde hair. Learning to draw clothes was difficult as well, especially t-shirts with fancy designs.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN DRAWING? DID YOU ALWAYS HOPE TO DO REALISTIC DRAWINGS? I started drawing when I was little, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I did my first portrait in February of 2011, so I think that could be my beginning. Realistic drawings were actually my goal for a long time, and I’m happy that I’ve reached it.

DID YOU GO THROUGH THAT PHASE WHERE YOU COULD ONLY DRAW HALF OF A PERSON’S FACE BUT NOT THE SECOND HALF? Thankfully not but, to be honest, I often left halfdrawn faces on my drawings because of laziness.

HAVE YOU TAKEN ART CLASSES, OR ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT? I took some art classes when I was ten, but it was because of my parents--it wasn’t my decision. I have never listened to art teachers because I don’t like when somebody forces me to do something I don’t feel comfortable with. I’ve learned most of what I know by myself, so I am definitely self-taught. WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WANTED TO PURSUE ART? I still treat drawing as a hobby, so it’s hard for me to answer this question. The distinction between looking at it as a way to pursue my career and feeling like it’s just something I enjoy doing is kinda blurry. DO YOU PREFER TO LEARN BY YOURSELF OR IN A CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT? WHY? I definitely prefer to learn by myself because it helps me focus and avoid mistakes I’ve made in the past.

HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHEN YOU COULDN’T GET THE DRAWING TO LOOK THE WAY YOU WANTED IT TO? HOW DID YOU GET PAST THAT? I don’t know how it’s possible but I’ve never had that problem. For example, I always keep the right face proportions, which seems to be a problem for many amateur artists. You can always practice with a grid and a ruler. HOW LONG DOES IT USUALLY TAKE YOU TO FINISH A DRAWING? It’s really hard to say… I know that, usually, it should take me about five or six hours of uninterrupted drawing, but sometimes I can spend two weeks on a portrait. Sometimes I’m busy studying or doing commissions for others. DO YOU HAVE ANY ARTISTS YOU LOOK UP TO? Kit King. I hope that one day I’ll be as good as she is. ARE YOU CURRENTLY IN SCHOOL? Yes, I’m finishing my last year of education.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 9

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 11

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PORTRAIT THUS FAR? WHY? It’s impossible to choose only one, so I’d say my drawings of Garret Rapp and Sam Carter. WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL DAY LIKE? I spend most of the day at school, so I get home feeling more tired than usual. The fact that I have finals in a month and a half puts me under a bit of pressure. That’s why I always draw in the evening or at night. Hopefully June brings me more time for drawing. YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT YOU HOPE TO BECOME A TATTOO ARTIST. WHY IS THIS? WHAT STYLE DO YOU THINK YOU’D LIKE TO PRACTICE? I’ve dreamed about becoming a tattoo artist for about six years now, but I hadn’t thought about it seriously until I got offered to practice at a real tattoo studio. For now, I’m planning to work on the realistic style, so I can discover my own unique style later. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AND PLANS FOR THIS YEAR? I’d love to finally move to Warsaw and start tattooing this year. STAY CONNECTED: facebook.com/agacasperart @deepertoskull

ALL WORK BY AGA KASPROWICZ

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 13

BEHIND THE BAND NAME: Gino Scarim JOB: Tour Manager + Front of House Engineer RESUME: The Plain White T’s, Chelsea Grin, blessthefall, The Amity Affliction, Motionless in White, Tilly and the Wall. TO START OFF, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INVOLVED WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. I got heavily involved with music right after high school. Back then, I was playing in two bands—a skacore band called Slim Jim Conspiracy, and a techy metalcore band called Afterproject. I found that, being in a band, you really have to depend on other people to make your band work. We found ourselves needing help with booking shows, getting PA gear, running sounds, and recording and releasing our music. I kind of ended up filling those roles myself. I just jumped in and started buying gear and booking shows, doing home recordings, and releasing music on my label, DuckPhone Records. It was a really fun

experience! My parents are so amazing and really supported my choice to get into music instead of going to college after high school. They even gave me the entire basement of their house to build my first recording studio. My theory back then was, ‘I could and should be able to do everything my bands need, and, if I don’t, I’ll learn how to do it.’ At that point, I start helping my friends’ bands. I would bring my PA gear and run sound for their shows, and I would record and release their music. I starting a booking company called Decal Productions with my close friend, Eric Grossmann, and we ended up booking shows at several venues around Chicago and the Chicago suburbs. I usually provided the

PA system and ran sound for these shows as well. When a legit 550-capacity venue called Clearwater Theater opened up in the town of West Dundee, IL, I jumped at the chance to work there. I started off working there as an intern and worked my way up to one of the full-time house audio engineer positions. It was great! Eventually, I went on to work at The Metro in Chicago and mixing monitors. Working at these venues, I really learned the most about sound engineering and how to work in a professional atmosphere. After a few years of working at both, I received an offer from the Plain White T’s to go on tour as their monitor engineer, and I’ve pretty much been on tour ever since. This whole process took ten years of nonstop grinding. HOW DID YOU DEVELOP YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BANDS YOU WORK WITH NOW? I have the relationships that I have because of networking. In almost every case, I got a job with a band that I toured with in the past, but did not work for directly. I try to be friendly and helpful to everyone I work with. When a position becomes available, bands try to find someone they know and feel comfortable with, because we all have to live together for months at a time in very small spaces. WHAT’S A TYPICAL TOUR DAY LIKE? As a tour manager and sound engineer, my day starts shortly before load-in. I get up, clean myself up the best I can in a tour bus, and head into the venue to meet the production manager. At this point, we discuss the day as it was advanced. We go over hospitality, set times, and a lot of other details for the day. I go around the venue hanging a day sheet, which has all the info that anyone on tour will need— from the venue’s wifi password to what time the bus is leaving for the next city. Then our crew and the local stagehands unload our trailer and load into the venue. This is when I meet the audio team and go over my input list and stage setup for the entire night. I make sure they know about all the support bands and their setups so the night runs smooth as clockwork. Once we’re loaded in and set up, I put my microphone on all of the instruments and run all my cables to get ready for soundcheck. Then the band comes out and we adjust all the audio levels. After soundcheck, we usually get a food order going for the band and crew, and I collect and submit the guest list to the house. I also make sure the support bands start bringing their gear on stage to get ready for their soundcheck. After the opening band is done with soundcheck, we put music on and tell the production manager that we are ready to open doors.

In the time between doors and the show, I make sure my band has dinner and anything else they need, whether it’s beer, shower towels, or anything else. At this point, as a tour manager, I make sure every band stays on time. After the direct support band plays, I go get the stage ready for our show. I will line check to make sure the settings are the same as they were at soundcheck. Once my crew is ready, the house lights go down, the house music goes down, and we start the show. During the show, I mix and change and tweak several things on the audio console to make the band sound as good as possible. Once the show is done, I pack up all the audio on stage and then go to the production office to settle the show. This is where I go over all the expenses of the show, and I collect the band’s fee for playing that night. There are all kinds of paperwork and numbers to go over to make sure my band is getting paid the right amount. While I’m doing that, my crew is packing up the rest of the gear and loading the trailer. Once we’re all done, I usually order food for the band and crew and take a shower if the venue or tour bus has one. I end my night by going over all the receipts from the day and taking care of my accounting. It’s very important to keep good books for the booking agent and the band’s manager. After all of that, I try to grab five or six hours of sleep, and then I repeat. HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED WHILE ON TOUR? I plan ahead as much as I can. I do all my advancing with the venues and promoters about a month before the show while I’m still at home. I have a great advance form I use to get all the info, and then I make all my day sheets with that info before leaving for tour. Once the tour starts, I know what every day will be like and what to expect from the venues. I also do my accounting every day—that’s a big one. You need to make sure you balance the books every day. ANY BAD TOUR EXPERIENCES YOU’D BE WILLING TO SHARE? I was on tour with Chelsea Grin—we were wrapping up a great Europe tour with Emmure that was five weeks long. Before we went home, we were planning on doing two shows in Russia and a show in Israel. We got to Russia after a long flight, and we piled into a sprinter with all our gear and got to the venue in Moscow. Emmure set up and did soundcheck, and they didn’t have any problems. When it was Chelsea Grin’s turn to soundcheck, we kept getting a weird hum and buzzing out of the PA. We worked it out and finished soundchecking. Chelsea Grin played to what seemed like a sold-out crowd, and everything was great. The crowds in Russia are amazing—they go wild at metal shows.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 15

Emmure started setting up, and that weird hum came back. Everything on stage seemed to have currents running through them. I was helping Nate, Emmure’s FoH engineer, on stage while he was busy line checking at front of sound. I was putting my mics on some of the inputs where the hum was really bad. As I was checking the vocalist’s microphone— BAM! I got shocked so bad it knocked me out, and I fell back into the drum kit. I was only out for a few seconds, but it was one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me on tour. I walked off stage and told Frankie that his mic shocked me so bad it knocked me out. The house crew was working to try and figure out the problem. Emmure started playing and, two minutes in, Frankie went down from getting shocked. Needless to say that stopped the show. Frankie got it worse than I did. The whole thing was pretty crazy. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHETHER TO TAKE ON A JOB OR TOUR? It depends on a lot of different factors. For me, it’s mostly timing. I’m very lucky and blessed, but I’m usually booked about eight months to a year out, all the time. Bands work their record cycle, so, when I know a band is going to have some time off, I’ll actively start looking for work. It’s always fun to take a tour that’s going to somewhere that I haven’t traveled to before. I still haven’t been to Japan or anywhere in Africa, so I would jump at the chance to tour through either of those places. WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES, GOALS, AND TASKS OF A TOUR MANAGER? WHAT ABOUT OF A FOH ENGINEER?

The tour manager is an important person on the tour. You’re the person who should have all the answers. The person that makes sure everyone on tour has what they need and are happy and doing their jobs. You handle all the money, travel accommodations, press, and so much more. There’s always an endless stream of emails. You work with the band’s manager, booking agent, and label. You are the band’s voice when working with the promoter or the venue. You talk to every venue before a tour—this is called an advance. You plan out every little detail of the day at that venue, from what time you will arrive, to parking, to set times, to letting the promoter know that the catering has to have seven vegan meals or that you need buyouts. On top of that, the tour manager has to put off any fires that pop up at anytime. I once had to find a drunk lead singer that had a dead cellphone because he was an hour late to bus call. You job doesn’t end until you get home and, even then, you will still get a good amount of end-of-tour emails. As for Front of House, it’s a little more straightforward. Your job is to make the band sound as good as possible for all the people attending the show. I usually carry a lot of my own gear: consoles, in-ear monitors, a microphone, and sometimes a recording rig. I work with the house engineer and let them know what I need from them in order to do my show. I help my bands dial in their monitors if they are on in-ears or wedges. Making sure the artist is comfortable is huge to me. I get rid of any feedback or frequencies I don’t like via the PA, and then we soundcheck. Before we play later that night, I check to make sure everything still works from earlier that day. Then we can start the show.

“THE HOURS ARE LONG, AND, A LOT OF THE TIME, YOU NEED TO DO MORE THAN YOUR JOB ENTAILS. IT TOOK ME TEN YEARS OF HARD WORK TO GET TO WHERE I AM TODAY.” 16

SINCE YOU ALSO DO FOH/SOUND ENGINEERING, DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO JUGGLE VARIOUS JOBS ON THE DAILY? Haha, I would be lying if I said it’s not a challenge sometimes. What I like to tell new tour managers is, “one problem at a time.” Figure out what the most important thing to get done is, and take care of it. Work down your list. The longer I do this, the easier it gets. I’m always finding ways to make my workflow a little better. HOW DID YOU LEARN TO WORK THE SHOW CONTROLS REQUIRED FOR SOUND ENGINEERING? I bought my own PA and asked tons of questions. I read up on sound engineering as much as I possibly could and practiced a lot. I believe I learn faster doing it, as opposed to watching someone else do it or reading up on it. If there is a sound tech at the venue, do you let them work the show, or do you still take on the job? We become a team for the night. The house engineer knows the rig at the venue. I’m just there to mix the band(s) that I work for. If a band doesn’t hire a sound engineer, the house engineer will mix them. If any problems come up during the show, it’s the house engineer’s duty to fix it. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF BEING A TM? FOH ENGINEER? A pro of being a TM is that you get to do things the way you want them done because you’re in charge. A con is that you’re always working. In terms of FoH engineering, there’s no feeling like when you nail a mix in front of a large crowd. One negative aspect would have to be bad PA systems.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR? WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS? I would like to get another PA system installed at a venue, and I would like to vacation to some cool spots. I have Alaska planned for my next vacation and, after that, I want to go to Africa and photograph some crazy wildlife. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU’VE SEEN CHANGE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED? From a sound perspective, I would have to say mixing consoles have changed. When I first started, it was all analog mixing consoles. Now, I see at least a 50/50 mix of analog and digital consoles. I like both, and they both have pros and cons. I really like having all the dynamics and Fx built in on the digital mixers. They’re also great because you can save your show and use the same settings again. WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT TRAIT THAT ANYONE LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY SHOULD HAVE? This is a hard question for me to answer, but I would say that being a hard worker is really important. The hours are long, and, a lot of the time, you need to do more than your job entails. It took me ten years of hard work to get to where I am today. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE WANTING TO WORK IN THE INDUSTRY? Networking. It’s so key. Go sell yourself, and see how your hard work can pay off. PHOTO CREDIT: James “ Pees” Lehman

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED FROM TOURING THUS FAR? I’ve learned a lot from touring. I don’t know this is considered a lesson, but I’ve learned to be very organized and to be on top of my shit. Read your contracts, advance your shows, hire a good crew. Those are all things that will make the tour run smoothly. BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCES, WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF BEING ON TOUR? HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH IT? It’s hard missing things back home while I’m on tour. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays… Even everyday things like going to see a new movie or hanging out with friends. After a while, you just get used to it. It helps if you pick up the phone every once in a while.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 17

featuring

Ship Captain Crew HOMETOWN:

CHICAGO, IL FOR FANS OF:

FOUR YEAR STRONG, FALL OUT BOY, HIT THE LIGHTS, HAVE MERCY, FIREWORKS

HOW WERE YOU ALL INTRODUCED TO MUSIC, AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO IN THE DIRECTION YOU DID? We have all been playing since high school, after we started going to local shows. We never planned on following any guidelines, and we never worried about what genre we belonged to. We just wanted to play shows with our friends’ bands. The poppunk and metal scenes were burgeoning in the South Chicago suburbs at the time, around 2005, and the energy of that music and those live shows is at the core of what of our music is today. HOW DID THE BAND COME TOGETHER? Mike and Roger have been in bands since high school. One of those was Fell For The Static, which Roy played bass in. We met Angelo at a biker bar with LED palm trees during Karaoke Night. A friend told us he could shred, and we took his word for it. We met Ben at a different biker bar, lovingly referred to as O’Stabby’s, after his band, It’s Storming In Chicago, opened for us. It’s been a great relationship ever since. YOU RELEASED YOUR EP, HOUSE OF MERCURY, IN AUGUST. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE SONGS? Distant memories. Things you thought you forgot, but that come rushing back when you read some old chicken-scratch. The sense of losing someone who isn’t really gone. The waves that compose the palette of emotions that washes over you as you rise and fall through each day. The seraphs and devils that poison or nourish your ambitions. Learning to let go of all that and chase your dreams. HOW ARE THE SONGS USUALLY PUT TOGETHER? Sometimes it’s easy and we can start right at the beginning with a few words and just follow the emotion to wherever it takes us. Other times,

it’s more difficult and involves more analysis and composition. We usually write while all playing together in the same room, so every time it’s something different—be it a hook, a guitar solo, a bass groove, a drum fill—that ends up being the missing piece to a song. Lately, we’ve been trying to find one feeling that highlights each piece, and arranging everything around that. The result has been a bunch of love songs, so go figure. Haha. WERE THERE ANY DIFFICULTIES DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS? I’d say the most difficult part is the formative process, and everyone just figuring out their parts and trying not to overshadow anyone else. We spend a lot of time on that part before we go to the recording studio. So when we get there, we can worry about things like tone and dynamics and all of the minor details that most people would never notice on the surface, but that really make a huge difference in having a well-produced song. YOU RECENTLY WENT ON YOUR FIRST TOUR IN FEBRUARY. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? It was our very first tour, so we were honestly like kids going to Disneyworld. For some of us, it was the first time driving out to the East Coast, seeing mountains (shit is flat in Illinois), and living in a van for a week. We met some amazing people and got to play with some of our good friends. We really have been dreaming of this since Dookie came out in 1994. We also drove through like six different winter storm systems and didn’t die. That’s pretty good for cutting your teeth.

WHAT IS YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE LIKE? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO SEE CHANGE? The scene in the south suburbs of Chicago is phenomenal—there are plenty of great shows at houses and bowling alleys every month. We’ve had some amazing bands that are doing great things come out of it, such as Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, Bonfires and Sleep On It. The city crowd usually has different tastes... In my opinion, they’re spoiled by too many choices in Chicago. There are also some promoters that take advantage of younger acts, and it’s difficult to get an all-ages show without having to pay for tickets. At the same time, there are plenty of promoters doing great things for bands. You just have be smart about who you work with, and be relentless in getting people to the show. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR? We’d like to make it back to the East Coast... or Florida... or Austin, Texas... IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE? We’ll have a new music video for our next single out soon and a new EP out this summer! GET CONNECTED: facebook.com/shipcaptaincrew shipcaptaincrew.bandcamp.com shipcaptaincrew.tumblr.com shipcapncrewil

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED WHILE OUT ON THE ROAD? Be cautious, but not too cautious. Sometimes it’s better to pull over in a storm than to get to the show on time. Other times maybe don’t judge every book by its cover, because some of the coolest people you meet will be in the sketchiest of places or situations. Just always, always lock the van and trailer and leave them in a safe spot. Too many bands have had their whole lives stolen in a few moments. WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED AS AN UP-AND-COMING BAND? HOW ARE YOU GUYS WORKING THROUGH THEM? Definitely raising money. It’s incredibly expensive to record and tour, especially these days when Pay-toPlay is king. But by being smart about who you work with and the way you market your band, you can grow and be successful without begging your friends and family for donations. We make the majority of our income from merch at shows, and we’re grateful for the opportunity it gives us to connect with our fans.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 19

THE IVINS In an industry full of four, five, and six-piece bands, it’s refreshing to see duos becoming more prominent. The Ivins brothers—Jim and Jack—have created a sound that can best be described as an eclectic mix of rock’s subgenres. Due to their two-piece status, when playing live, they enlist the help of Sterling Pearson on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Matthew O’Donnell on bass and backing vocals. Growing up, music surrounded these siblings. In middle and high school, Jack would often help their father by playing drums in his band. Aside from that, Bill Liverty from the multi-platinum band, Firehouse, is their cousin. Naturally, starting a band was never a doubt for them. “It wasn’t a choice. It was genetic,” Jim tells us. When Jim was in the fifth grade, the brothers started creating music together. In 2008, they formed The Jim Ivins Band, which was more on the side of pop rock with an acoustic flare. “Once that ran its course in 2014, we rebranded ourselves as The Ivins. We started over completely with the more riff-oriented rock direction that you hear now,” he shares.

Because this new project has only existed for year or so, The Ivins is still a relatively small band that faces challenges every day. In order to support their music as well as pay their bills, both brothers currently work nine-to-five jobs. According to Jack, money is one of their biggest challenges because “no one wants to pay [a small band].” Disregarding finances, a band is nothing without its fans, and it can be difficult for a small group to acquire a solid following early on. Jim builds on this statement, saying, “The end-all beall of challenges for us is just cutting through the noise and getting heard. Not only that, but, once you have a good platform to be heard, harnessing those listeners and turning them into fans.” Still, despite this, the guys have had some remarkable circulation in the form of radio play and songs being featured on TV shows. With that being said, the oldfashioned method of touring and opening up for bigger artists is what has always seemed to work for the guys in terms of getting their music out to new people willing to listen. “Getting those shows consistently is another challenge altogether, but, every time we open for a bigger band, we make a

bunch of new fans. That’s the name of the game,” Jim confesses. While trying to play more shows and expand their fanbase, The Ivins worked on and completed their upcoming full-length. The duo’s main goal when writing The Code Duello was to create an album that could tell a story with songs that were completely different from one another. “We wanted to make sure that no two tracks were the same, but, when placed in the correct running order, they still felt like a cohesive piece of art. I think we accomplished that,” Jim elaborates. The writing process for the record began with the two of them bouncing ideas off of each other. At times, Jim would come up with a riff, or Jack would create a drum beat. “It all really starts with a feeling or a vibe that I’m trying to capture with the track, but sometimes that vibe comes after the fact,” details Jim. “We work incredibly hard to write the best that we can. I think that a lot of music now just doesn’t have any substance. When Jim and I write, we write what we think sounds great. We don’t try to write a similar version of whatever is on the radio,” Jack explains. So far, fans can only hear a handful of tracks from the aforementioned record. These tracks include “Heartbreakers,” “Masquerade,” and “Mountains.” According to Jim, “the great thing about those three tracks is that they are exactly what I was just talking about: they are completely different from one another, but you put them together and they sound like The Ivins. They also all three have great big riffs, and that’s what this is all about for me.” Jim is most proud of “Mountains” in particular. “Everything about that track just came together beautifully,” he exclaims. “Structurally, once that intro finishes, the track is very immediate and moves right along. I really like the lyrics too. John Morand did a great job tracking it, and Michael Rosen did a phenomenal job on the mix. The track just sounds huge!”

“WE WANT TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT AND REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT.”

Jack adds to the excitement, explaining that if they both were not crazy about a track, it didn’t end up on the record. The Code Duello is something that The Ivins are immensely proud of and, judging from the songs they’ve released thus far, they have every right to be. Unfortunately, the record has no definitive release date as of right now. The album is in fact done, however, and “the tracks that are out right now are just the tip of the iceberg for what we have in store.” While Jack admits how the recordings sound great, there is nothing like seeing The Ivins perform live. Those shows are what he lives for. “I don’t just play the drums. I attack them,” he laughs. “I’m covered in sweat and usually bleeding by the end. We run a really tight set. Every guy can sing, and we are proud not to use any backing tracks. It seems every other band does these days.” They also make full use of the stages they play on in an attempt to make the music come alive for audiences. “We let the music speak for itself, but we’re also extensions of that music. If [music fans] want to have some fun and hear some big rock music with killer choruses that still have meaningful lyrics, come see The Ivins,” Jim adds. Seeing as how The Ivins don’t fit into one solid genre of rock, many see them as the breath of fresh air that the music industry really needs. With their unique sound, the brothers hope to improve the mainstream industry. “The mainstream culture needs a shock, and I am hoping that [we] can help contribute to that,” shares Jim. “There is plenty of great music with great lyrics that flies under the radar, and we want to be a part of a movement that breaks this stupid glass ceiling and gets real—not generic—music heard in the mainstream. Music that is powerful and that makes you feel something… With lyrics that are deep and that relate to actual life experiences, and melodies that lift you up and don’t sound recycled... We want to be on the forefront and really make an impact.”

INTERVIEW: Knial Saunders STORY: Leah Dickerman PHOTO: Provided GET CONNECTED: theivins.com facebook.com/theivins theivins

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 21

dark waves GET CONNECTED: darkwavesmusic.com facebook.com/darkwaves darkwaves dark_waves

INTERVIEW + STORY Kelly Fadden PHOTO: Provided

Music has always been a major factor in Nick Long’s life. Growing up, he listened to his parent’s vinyl collection frequently, which consisted mostly of African dance music. At eight years old, he picked up a guitar and began to play, although learning to play music wasn't enough for Nick. On top of that, he started channeling his creativity into songwriting.

is able to pursue music as a full-time career. Not only does he write for himself, but he also writes for other artists on occasion. “I always have music in my head anyways, so I just try to write all the time,” he continues. After doing “all kind of weird shit for money,” he is grateful to finally be able to do the one thing that he loves.

While making music was a natural thing for him, it wasn’t until he began to write his own stuff that he experimented with darker lyrics. He reveals that most of his inspiration comes from his past experiences, good or bad—and that includes relationships. "One song isn't necessarily about one experience. It's a combination of different relationships or interactions with different people or thought processes," he adds. Even though he’s had some bad experiences, he uses what he has learned as a fuel for his music, and also to help him grow as a person. “I like to think I learn more about myself with every relationship I have,” he shares. “You learn what works for you and what doesn't work for you. It's a good way to get to know yourself through other people, I guess.”

This doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had tough moments in his career. Creating and then sharing extremely personal songs with the world isn’t easy, but Nick knows that he wants to make something honest— something that he believes in regardless of how others might respond. “If they’re going to listen to it, if they’re going to like it, it doesn't really matter as long as it’s coming from an honest place to begin with. That's the most important thing,” he states. Aside from that, Nick also struggles with the business side of music. He often finds himself stressed out because not everyone understands his goals. “It's frustrating to go to a record label and try to have a creative conversation with business people who aren't creative. I'm sure it goes both ways,” he confesses.

Still, even with his whole life at his disposal, Nick, like most writers, often suffers from writer’s block. “I've found that if I don't write music for a week or two and then I go back and try to write something, it usually takes a day or two to come up with anything good,” says Nick. Unfortunately, this happens to him a lot, but he’s learned to work through it until he gets something good. He strives to overcome the writer’s block instead of settling on the first idea he comes up with.

As Nick quickly discovered, a lack of communication isn’t the only downside to music’s business aspect. While the industry is home to many great minds, it is also home to some with bad intentions. He has realized that there are certain people who are in the industry for the wrong reasons—mostly for the money. “On the other hand, there are also some really good people who are involved in music, like some of the people that I work with. They’re on my team and they’re honest musicians and amazing people,” he tells us. “I respect them.”

At the age of eighteen, Nick embarked on a new journey that not many teens are able to go on—his first tour. “I had just graduated high school, and I got an offer to play guitar for this band that was on Warped Tour,” he explains. It was then that he told his parents that he wouldn’t be going to college. “My dad made me a little going away package,” he exclaims. “My parents have always been super supportive.” Since then, Nick has been touring and performing as Dark Waves. Although the project consists of just him, he usually brings out some of his good friends to perform with him whilst on the road. He admits that although he loves having a band with a consistent lineup, he created Dark Waves for himself. On top of that, he acknowledges that his friends have their own lives as well. “People have other stuff going on, and it's expensive to have other people play with you, so I just do it on my own,” Nick comments. As he has learned, being a musician is a huge risk that comes with little to no stability. Luckily, Nick

Because of the great team of people he works with, Nick has been able to stay grounded while finding a great amount of success thus far. “It can be tough, but you just have to stay true to yourself and do what you believe in,” he reveals. “I think that that's the most important place to start, as long as you have a passion for it.” Having that drive is extremely important to Nick, and he believes that if you don’t have a passion for creating music then “you might as well just being doing some other bullshit. You can't expect people to believe in you if you yourself aren't being authentic.” It’s great to see such genuine people creating honest music for the right reasons. For now, Nick will be playing some shows in Los Angeles while also working on new music in the studio. “I’m just working on my full-length and playing a bunch of shows,” he shares. We can’t wait to hear what he has in store.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 23

More often than not, students either really dislike their teachers or they simply adore them. Teachers have the power to really shape and influence their students’ lives and futures, and, luckily, this was the case for vocalist and guitarist Greg Barnett. Greg first found punk rock through skateboarding and the Internet. “I was always watching skate videos, and I kinda fell in love with music that way,” he tells us. While in middle school, he had an art teacher who consistently introduced him to new music. “She would give me punk records every week. She gave me The Ramones, and The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned… All the greats,” he adds. As a result, Greg’s music collection grew, and he was eventually inspired to start playing music. After begging his parents for a guitar, he was given one for Christmas when he was fourteen. “I polished it every day. It meant the world to me,” he shares. Greg immediately started learning simple songs and eventually convinced his brother to get a bass. “I met, in my town, the only two other people that actually played music, and we started a band,” he explains. However, it wasn’t until a few years later that The Menzingers came together. Before Tom, Eric, and Joe joined Greg with their musical endeavors, the trio was in another band called Bob and the Sagets. “They were actually pretty good, and they had a really good following. They would pack out clubs all over town and everything. I knew them just from going to shows,” Greg continues. After that band broke up, the three of them decided they wanted to keep playing. “I was a senior in high school when we started The Menzingers. My other bands—you can’t even really count them. I think we played out of state once. Anyways, I kind of just fell into place. I started the band with everybody, and here I am,” Greg reveals. As time went by, they began to write demo tapes so that they could show people what they were capable of. Because they had no idea what they were actually doing, their recording process was “wild.” “We didn’t really know how to write songs. We would just hang out in Eric’s parents’ basement and just try to make something up. Then we were like, ‘Oh, cool!’” Greg confesses. “We didn’t really know that much about recording. We didn’t know anything about how to set your amp in order to sound good. Everything was really new, and we just kind of learned along the way.” Their debut album was recorded outside of NYC with Jesse Cannon, who has worked with Knuckle Puck, Somos, Kevin Devine, and Mansions. “That was our first really professional environment where we were in an actual studio. We were taking things really seriously. I took out student loans—I took a thousand dollars, I went to Manhattan, and I bought a guitar to record with,” he tells us. “From the beginning, we always just went into it thinking, ‘we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna be in a rock band. This is what we’re gonna do.’ And we went with it,” shares Greg. “We kinda always knew that was gonna happen, even though there were years where no one came to shows. But we were still always so confident. That blind, arrogant confidence is what I think really got us to this point.”

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 25

“We’re really fortunate to be where we are. We get to play a beautiful place like this. I mean, what the hell are we doing here? There’s no reason we should be able to play somewhere this beautiful.”

Luckily, the debt and hard work paid off, and the band scored a record deal in 2011. Once they signed to Epitaph Records, things started to change fairly quickly. “We got booking agents, and then worldwide booking agents. We were getting added to tours all the time. It was also right at the time that I graduated college,” explains Greg. He admits that he compromised school instead of compromising the band; he would take two weeks off every semester to go on tour. If one of his teachers would say no, he’d simply drop the class. “Once I graduated, I had a graduation party the following weekend, and the day after that we left for a six-week tour. From that moment on, we haven’t really been home since. We’ve been touring a lot since then. That’s pretty much where our lives changed a lot,” he adds. Unsurprisingly, working with Epitaph has been surreal for The Menzingers. “You have this whole entire team of people that are building this release of your record,” Greg mentions. “It put our band on a whole different level than before. We were always a DIY punk band—not that we’re not now, we still do everything ourselves. It’s just a lot easier to have that backing now.” They released their latest album, Rented World, via Epitaph almost a year ago. With this record, they focused on songwriting more than they had in the past. “When we first started, we really had no idea about songwriting. We just wanted to write songs that would make people stage dive. That’s still the point now, but now there’s a lot more focus on the music, and we’ll say, “Hey, does everybody need to be playing on top of each other?’” comments Greg. When he was younger, he worried about what others would think of him when they read the lyrics he wrote. He stopped caring after some time and realized that not caring was the best way to go about it. “People aren’t gonna like your band anyways, so why not be yourself and be comfortable with what you’re saying? That has been great—being able to be comfortable saying what I wanna say,” he exclaims. Even with all the progress the guys have made in their years together, they still have difficulties all the time, from having their van break down in the middle of nowhere to driving across the country with no license plates. “There are always problems, but you learn from them. And that’s what we’re getting really good with,” Greg states. “There’s a lot of conveniences about touring in America that you take for granted when you go to Eastern Europe,” he continues. “You’re learning that you can’t check into a hotel room past six o’clock, because they just go home. So you have to be there to get the keys, or else you’re just gonna sleep in the van that night. A lot of little things like that.”

Apart from obstacles that they have no control over, The Menzingers don’t have many issues when touring—especially when it comes to getting along and respecting personal boundaries. Getting along never becomes an issue because they’re all best friends. “It’s a long tour and, when you’re in a van for that long, you need to respect everybody’s space,” he mentions. “We are so good at that. We rarely ever get into fights or anything like that. And if we do, they’re over in five seconds. I think that’s one of our strongest qualities. We’re just such good friends that we’d be hanging out even if we weren’t in a band.” With such a strong bond between them, the guys have decided to always try to do everything themselves in order to ensure that they’re putting out the kind of material they want to create. “I don’t mean that in a negative way, because there are so many amazing people that work in the industry that have gotten our band to this point,” Greg explains. At the end of the day, it’s their music, and they don’t want other people to shape it into something that The Menzingers don’t want it to be. “We’ve been really fortunate to keep the band for ourselves. But it just seems like so many bands have people—labels, management. Everybody’s trying to pull the bands in different directions,” he continues. “We wanna make sure that it’s always fun, and make sure that it’s ours at the end of the day. And that we can do whatever the hell we want. That’s the most important thing about the whole music industry.” Undoubtedly, the guys are grateful for all the support and opportunities they’ve garnered thus far, because they understand that this doesn’t happen to just anyone. “We’re really fortunate to be where we are. We get to play a beautiful place like this. I mean, what the hell are we doing here? There’s no reason we should be able to play somewhere this beautiful,” Greg muses. Evidently, enjoying what they’re doing and being happy while doing it has been a big goal for The Menzingers, and thankfully it has gotten them this far. Their positive attitudes and incredible music will only bring them further success, and we can’t wait to see where things go for this punk-rock band. INTERVIEW: Kelly Fadden STORY: Penelope Martinez POSED PHOTO: Lori Gutman LIVE PHOTO: Penelope Martinez GET CONNECTED: themenzingers.com themenzingers.tumblr.com facebook.com/themenzingers themenzingers

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 27

WHEN LEARNING HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, PEOPLE USUALLY TAKE CLASSES OR EXPERIMENT AND TEACH THEMSELVES. ROTTING OUT FRONTMAN WALTER DELGADO, HOWEVER, LEARNED OVER THE PHONE. Once he got his first guitar from a pawnshop after begging his mom for it, he enlisted the help of a friend in teaching him how to play. “My friend had taken guitar lessons, and he told me what to do. I started learning Nirvana’s “Come As You Are,” and it took me like two fucking months,” he recalls. After months of playing out of tune and using a penny as a pick, he began learning covers of punk songs that consisted mostly of Nirvana’s discography. Walter believes that Nirvana was the reason he began playing in the first place. “I also liked Korn a lot, but they had all this other shit. They had seven strings, they had fucking pedals, they had effects—I can’t do that shit, man. But I saw an unplugged video of Nirvana playing “Come As You are,” and I was like, ‘Well, all he has is a guitar.’” Yet before he even began playing, Wally immersed himself in music by attending punk shows with friends. He distinctly remembers receiving a CD of a band called Throwdown. His friend then bought him a ticket to his first show. Back then, Wally didn’t understand that there was a whole entity to music aside from punk. “Obviously, there’s a big variety of styles. I was more into the punk hardcore—The Minor Threats, Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies. But then I realized, ‘Oh, there are more metallic metal bands.’ Deeper, rougher, faster, angrier—even more positive bands,” he explains. After playing in bands throughout middle school, Wally and Carlos started writing demos together and asked other friends to help them record. Back then, they were known as Dogpile, which was essentially Rotting Out under a different name and with different songs. After the singer quit, the rest of the guys changed the name of the band to Rotting Out before searching for a new vocalist. “We asked

him to sing again... I don’t know why he said yeah, but he did—and I don’t know why we didn’t learn our lesson after the first time,” shares Wally. After their bass player left, Wally replaced him and had Tank fill in on guitar. Then the vocalist decided to leave the band again just before recording Street Prowl, which put Rotting Out in a difficult situation. “We literally had songs ready and he pretty much said, ‘I don’t have lyrics.’ We were like, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘Well, I’m quitting,’” explains Wally. This worried him, because he knew that getting a new singer could potentially hurt the band’s reputation. “People that you built a foundation with can definitely look at that the wrong way. It can make or break the band,” Wally continues. Soon, drummer Jorge Cabrera suggested that Walter should take over the vocals, which definitely put him at ease a bit. He thought that if fans saw a familiar face, the reaction might not be so bad. “It was definitely very weird at first, and my vocals have changed so much from the first song we ever recorded,” he adds. His vocals aren’t the only thing that has changed, however. Ever since he began singing, Wally has felt significantly more confident. “It gave me the confidence to be able to communicate with people. To talk to the. To kind of express my opinions,” he shares. With that newfound confidence, Walter made it a point to always captivate the audiences to the best of his abilities. “If I want people to listen, I have to make them listen,” he says. “I need to do something to catch their attention, whether it be yelling in their faces or saying something that touches them in a certain way where it’s like ‘Oh fuck, this shit just got real.’” He was able to really work on this aspect of the performance when the band started out doing intimate shows in basements and living rooms.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 29

“IT GAVE ME CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE, TO TALK TO THEM- TO KIND OF EXPRESS MY OPINIONS.”

Especially when a band is just starting out, the live shows are one of the more important aspects they need to focus on, and Rotting Out made sure to leave a lasting impression on those who came out to their shows. “I think live shows are really what makes a band,” he explains. “For example, Everclear—I grew up fucking loving Everclear. I went to go see them and it was the worst shit of my life. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m fucking stoked. This is going to be fucking sick!’ But I heard every sour note, the dude was like half drunk, and they definitely fucked up a few times. It was shit,” he recalls.

to the guys and explain how their music has affected them. “They’ll be like, ‘Hey, this song or what you said, I really needed to hear that,’ or ‘It really changed my life,’ or ‘Your band has saved me,’ which is fucking crazy. I never expected that anyone would give a shit about the songs we write, to be honest,” mentions Wally. It’s surreal for Rotting Out to see how many people actually care about their music because fans have no reason to. “It’s a privilege to have somebody actually say that we have helped them through some of the rough times and stuff like that,” Wally exclaims.

As they played more and more shows, more people listened, and, eventually, the tour offers began rolling in. Rotting Out’s first tour wasn’t what they expected, however. Their families were excited, saying the guys had made it, but they didn’t realize that Rotting Out had actually lost more money than they made. “They didn’t get it,” shares Wally. “We lost money. We saved up all summer to buy a van. We went up the coast and were playing for sixty, eighty, a hundred bucks— gas money. It was cool. We printed one shirt design and had our demos. We’d be like, ‘Aw, cool, we sold five shirts today. That’s sick! Let’s go to fuckin’ Arby’s.’” Although these seem like small things to be excited over, the guys knew that it was some sort of success—progress from where they started to where they found themselves at the time.

Fans aren’t the only ones who have to deal with rough times though. Obstacles are a given in any career, but they’re especially frequent in such a strenuous and competitive industry. Unfortunately, the guys in Rotting Out have had their fair share of sacrifices, from turning down jobs and giving up any kind of financial stability to leaving their families. “It’s really hard to convince your family that you love doing this just because it’s something you grew up with and not because it pays well,” he admits. “They say, ‘Well, you could have done this instead. You could have gotten a city job.’ It’s hard to have somebody in your family relate to what you’re doing—especially the older generations. Their mentality is just work, provide, eat, be secure.”

“Unless you have a background of being in other recognizable bands or bands that have really had success, chances are you’re not going to do good at all when first starting a band. Right off the bat, you’re going to have to work your ass off,” admits Wally. With this in mind, the guys always played as if the room were full, even though some of their first shows only attracted a handful of people. Of course, being a relatively small band comes with disadvantages. New listeners or even random people at shows will freely comment on and criticize your music and actions. More often than not, the reactions are negative. When Rotting Out sees these negative comments, they just brush it off. “We just laugh at all the shit,” Tank tells us. “They’ll say things like, ‘They were smoking weed in the venue. They have no respect. Blah, blah, blah.’ It’s like, dude, we obviously talked to the promoter. The promoter’s not going to have an issue with certain things we do. For the most part, we’re super respectful because we want to come back to that town,” explains Wally. “If I’m smoking somewhere, it’s because they’re cool with it. I’m not going to just go be a dick in there,” Tank adds. Fortunately, there are also times when they get positive feedback from listeners. Fans will come up

To make matters worse, the guys ended up in debt at one point because their van kept breaking down. They went through numerous transmissions and radiators, and eventually the band had to purchase three vans in the span of two years. Luckily, they’ve had enough success to pay off the debt, which has been a huge relief for them. A steady stream of accomplishments soon followed. After a few years of hard work and overcoming hardships, Rotting Out began catching the attention of artists and industry professionals alike. Prior to being signed to Pure Noise Records, the guys had been part of another label that didn’t keep their word and seemed to focus most of their attention on other bands. “Obviously their priority was probably the other bands on the label, which I would have understood had they told me,” Wally comments. However, PNR offered them more than promises and handshakes. They were given a contract—which was new to them—and Pure Noise offered to help them release The Wrong Way if the band agreed to record with them. “[Jake] pushes us to do these odd ball tours, which has had a good carry over into our hardcore shows,” explains Wally. “We did a Story So Far tour and we were the second band. People weren’t ready for that.” They were stage diving and encouraging fans to jump off things and “light the room on fire,” all while thirteen-year-old girls were

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 31

waiting in the front row for The Story So Far and getting their fingers smashed unintentionally. “I’m like 260 pounds, I’m diving off of shit, and these girls have no idea what to do,” says Wally. “Then there are other people at the show that are witnessing this and thinking, ‘What is this? I want to be a part of this. Where has this been?’” Because of Rotting Out’s performances at these seemingly odd tours, many new fans started listening to hardcore music. “This one kid found hardcore because we took the risk of touring with an obscure band that was not in our realm,” shares Wally. “If some kid comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, my favorite band is Take Offense, or Bitter End, or Turnstile, because I saw you guys at a The Story So Far show,’ that’s cool and that’s awesome. My job is done,” he continues. Knowing the impact that their music could have on fans new and old, the band wanted to make sure that their latest EP, Reckoning, gave listeners a refreshing style but still had lyrics that were honest. Two days before going into the recording studio with Taylor Young, they made some finishing touches on two songs. They still had other songs that were unfinished, so they completed and edited them on the spot. Even when the guys were recording, they continued structuring the songs into what they wanted them to be.

that really flows out of us,” he explains. “We’ll try to do something really meaty and beefy or maybe a hard riff, but it’ll all just sound dumb and too cliché. Then somewhere in there, somebody will be fucking around with that riff or those notes, and we’ll be like, ‘Yeah, that was it. That’s what we want.’” “The first song on the EP, ‘Born,’ is a very dark song— it’s kind of like accepting your own defeat. Like, ‘Hey, I’m ruining myself with these habits. These habits used to save me when I was a kid. They got me out of a lot of trouble or a lot of emotional distress, but now they’re ruining my relationships.’ And it’s like, fuck, I have to either accept it, or I’m just going to die. I’m angry with myself and no one else… That’s kind of what it is,” reveals Wally. After the release of Reckoning, the guys received an overwhelmingly positive response. They admit that they’ve seen some people who don’t enjoy it, but the guys believe that it’s good for somebody to not like what they do. “If you like us, fucking sick. If you don’t, cool. Fuck off. It’s not a big deal,” exclaims Wally. Either way, they won’t change their music to please others or to help anyone get money. “We’re not cash cows. We refuse to bend over and change our music. You have to have a distinct taste for our sound, which we love.” EDITOR’S NOTE: The band has disbanded at time of press.

“I feel like the harder we try, the more we don’t like it,” Wally confesses. “I think sometimes we attempt to try shit just so we can fuck around and get the stuff

INTERVIEW: Kelly Fadden STORY: Penelope Martinez PHOTOS: Grayson Hary

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 33

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 35

It takes years of hard work to get on the road, let alone sell out venues and play big festivals, and no one knows this better than Memphis May Fire. Although the band did find success sooner than many, it didn’t come easily. Since the group’s formation in 2007, Matty, Kellen, Anthony, Cory, and Jake have dealt with the numerous challenges that have come their way while simultaneously growing as musicians and as people. Memphis May Fire began as Oh Captain, My Captain in 2007, but it quickly turned into Memphis May Fire during the first show the band ever played. “We came out, and halfway through the set we were like, ‘Just letting you guys know, we’re changing our name to Memphis May Fire.’ Nobody cared,” guitarist Kellen McGregor laughs. Not long after Memphis May Fire came together, they were signed to Trustkill Records. While getting signed to a label so early on may have seemed like a miracle when it happened, the years that followed ultimately became one of the most difficult periods of the band’s career. Amidst the controversy surrounding Trustkill, almost every group signed had conflicts with the label and its founder. “The word trust doesn’t really exist in the music industry. You just gotta be really careful and go to every length to make sure that you know and understand what you’re signing,” vocalist Matty Mullins informs us. In 2008, while working on their first full-length record under Trustkill, Memphis May Fire experienced several member changes that pushed the album release back a year. Chase Ryan, the lead vocalist at the time, left the band so that he could focus on spending time with his child. This started a domino effect and, soon after, bassist Austin Radford left to pursue a

singing career in a new band. Drummer Jeremy Grisham also stepped away from Memphis May Fire after recording his parts for the album. Despite how stressful the situation was, it was really the turning point for the band. After hosting open auditions via Myspace, they found Matty, and he quickly became the band’s new singer. “We kinda started the band for fun, and I think it wasn’t until Matt joined that we realized we could actually do something with our music,” Kellen admits. They persevered, resolved most of their lineup issues for the time being, and finally managed to release Sleepwalking in the summer of 2009. Around that time, current bassist Cory Elder also joined the band after bringing his Macbook to one of their shows and showing the other guys videos of him playing. The addition of drummer Jake Garland in 2010 solidified the five-piece to make Memphis May Fire what it is today. Even with all the problems it posed, Trustkill Records ended up being somewhat of a blessing in disguise for the band. Josh Grabelle, who owned Trustkill, had an in with the production of the Saw VI soundtrack, and he submitted Memphis May Fire, along with a few of his other artists, for consideration. “Music placement is a game of being in the right place at the right time, and it’s all about who you know,” Matty

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 37

explains. Sleepwalking’s “Ghost in the Mirror” got chosen, and the band was featured on the soundtrack alongside Suicide Silence. Through that connection, they found their new, and current, manager. Not long after, the band succeeded in finally leaving Trustkill. “There weren’t a lot of bands that survived on that label. Getting off Trustkill—how it happened—was wild. Now that we’ve kind of grown up, I can personally say that I think God had a huge part in making sure that it happened and that it happened correctly, because he knew what the future of our band was going to be and how we could impact the world. If we stayed on Trustkill, we would’ve broken up years ago. This band would not exist anymore,” he tells us. Fortunately, their talent caught the attention of a new label, and Rise Records signed the band in early 2011. Two studio albums and several tours and festivals later, Memphis May Fire released their fourth full-length, Unconditional, via Rise Records in the spring of 2014. When it came time to write the record, Matty knew what he had to do—as far as sharing his personal struggles with thousands of strangers worldwide is concerned, he believes he didn’t really have a choice. “The specific things that were happening in my life, that I was going through… They disable you. It wouldn’t allow me to think about anything else or to talk about anything else. I was so ingrained and obsessed in my own head with the awful thoughts and feelings that I was having. I had to put it on paper,” he reveals. “But, at the same time, even if I wanted to try to write about something different, I realized that getting this message out there was more important. There are so many people that are going through those same exact things: anxiety, depression, panic. The thing that was most comforting to me when I was going through those things was hearing someone else be like, ‘Oh, I’ve had that same thought,’ or, ‘I’ve had that same feeling,’ because realizing that you’re not alone in it makes you realize that you’re not crazy. I thought it was so valuable to get that out there,” he confesses. “If I could offer even a sliver of hope to someone, that’s my duty as the frontman of this band, as the person who writes the words. I’m here to offer hope,” Matty continues. And that’s exactly what Memphis May Fire have been doing for their fans. Although it can be difficult to hear sometimes, fans often tell musicians that their music has affected their lives. “It’s a little heavy sometimes when people come up to you and claim that you’re their hero or role model. It’s a great feeling, but it’s also kinda hard to retort to. But it’s definitely an honor,” bassist Cory Elder adds. “There are lots of kids that also specifically say one thing to us. That we save them. I always like to tell them, ‘We didn’t save anybody. With Matt’s lyrics, you may have had a boost in the right direction to figure things out on your own, but, essentially, you helped yourself into a better place.’”

“I WAS SO INGRAINED AND OBSESSED IN MY OWN HEAD WITH THE AWFUL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS THAT I WAS HAVING. I HAD TO PUT IT ON PAPER.” With this in mind, it seems as though the guys in Memphis May Fire have achieved their goal of being “a light” for their fans. They know that their music and their lyrics can and do influence a lot of people, and they embrace that responsibility instead of running from it. “A lot of bands are writing about and glamorizing filth—addiction, trashing your body, essentially ruining your life—because that’s what’s popular and it gets people riled up. And people feel like, ‘Oh, we

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 39

don’t wanna be role models because that puts too much weight on us,’ Matty comments. “I’m here to accept that challenge. I’m not perfect. I’m gonna make mistakes, and I have. But I have this opportunity. I’m standing behind this pulpit when I speak to these thousands of people, and I’m gonna say the things they need to hear. I’m gonna be the person that they need me to be,” he pauses. “No discredit to the other bands that are taking a stand and doing it right. There are definitely a handful of bands out there that are… It’s just that we’re the minority.” In a similar fashion, in order to help special fans while also raising money for a good cause, Memphis May Fire recently headlined 2015’s Take Action Tour. Proceeds from this year’s tour went towards the Living The Dream Foundation, which aims to make a difference in the lives of people with life-threatening illnesses. “Ten percent of the profits from the tour—every aspect: merchandise, guarantees, and everything else—goes to the Living The Dream Foundation. It’s so cool because we’re big nonprofit supporters,” Matty shares. “Even when we aren’t doing Take Action stuff... We’ve done Living The Dream Foundation style meet and greets with certain kids, and it’s just been such a huge impact in their lives. There’s nothing like going to bed at night and really feeling like you did something right. So if we can take an entire tour and base it around that idea, what a blessing for us,” he exclaims. While it may seem like Memphis May Fire have finally found their footing in the music industry, it evidently hasn’t been all smooth sailing. With almost a decade of hard work under their belts, the guys have learned that the music industry is one that tends to work against you rather than with you. “The most challenging part about being in the music industry is being in the music industry. It sucks. We’re becoming men, and we don’t want everything about our lives to just come from selfishness and from wanting the limelight. This band wants something bigger, and something more. Something passionate… Something intimate,” Matty tells us. “I think the music industry can set you up for failure. They’ll make you think it’s you against everybody else. It has to be all about you. Make it all about you. Make people notice. And it’s like… It doesn’t have to be like that. It might set you back if you decide to do things selflessly, but, at this point in our careers, I think that’s a risk we’re willing to take. We’re willing to take risks to do what makes us happy.” Clearly, the band does take risks in order to accomplish their goals, despite the constant stream of naysayers who disagree with their choices. Just last fall, when Memphis May Fire announced a tour with Yellowcard, many people advised against it and criticized them for the decision. But, to the guys, this tour was a no-brainer—it was an opportunity to tour with a band they all grew up on and still love to this day. “The foundation that the tour was built on was the fact that Yellowcard has a platinum album, and they always treated us incredibly. From the day we met them, they never acted like rockstars. It didn’t matter what people thought. It didn’t matter if the music industry said the tour was gonna fail,” Matty shares. On top of breaking molds and dispelling the exclusivity that tours in their respective subgenre tend to have, Memphis May Fire wanted to do “stuff that we’re proud of. That we love doing. Stuff that makes us happy. I

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 41

think you can count on seeing more stuff like that from us in the future,” he continues. Similarly, the guys consistently take risks when being vocal about their beliefs, despite the criticisms and misconceptions that it often provokes. Although Memphis May Fire don’t consider themselves a Christian band, many people still lump them into that category without even giving the music a chance. “Seven or eight years ago, calling yourself a Christian band is how you gained fans. We don’t call ourselves a Christian band because that’s not how this band started. This band started as a group of guys that wanted to have fun and play music, and we still believe in that value. I personally believe in Jesus, and I absolutely will sing about it until the day this band ends, until the day I die,” Matty comments. “Call us what you want, but the music speaks for itself. Whether our music has Jesus in it or not, our music is great music. It’s well written. And that’s what it’s about. If you’re a music fan, listen to the music,” he continues. Guitarist Anthony Sepe builds on that statement, adding, “Also, with the labeling as a Christian band, I feel like that’s kind of wearing Jesus and my faith as a brand, and I’m just not about that. It’s a personal relationship.” Despite all these obstacles, Memphis May Fire believe that getting to do what they love is worth the many sacrifices that such a demanding career entails. “Getting to play music in general is what pulls us through the difficulties, especially being away from our families so often. Music is the only thing that I need. When I wake up in the morning, as long as I have my music, that’s enough to get me through the struggles. Just being able to wake up in a different state or a different country and getting to play shows… With a message that is positive and that people can be proud of… That, to me, is what really makes it worth it,” Anthony confesses. Luckily, in just a few weeks, Memphis May Fire will be waking up in new cities and performing to huge crowds every day as part of another full run on Vans Warped Tour. Apart from that, fans can expect “a whole lot of Memphis May Fire. A whole lot of good.” We can’t wait to see what these guys have planned, hopefully for the not too distant future.

STAY CONNECTED: facebook.com/MemphisMayFire memphismayfire.tumblr.com memphismayfire MemphisMayFireOfficial PHOTOS + STORY: Lori Gutman INTERVIEW: Leah Dickerman

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 43

“MUSIC IS THE ONLY THING THAT I NEED. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, AS LONG AS I HAVE MY MUSIC, THAT’S ENOUGH TO GET ME THROUGH THE STRUGGLES.”

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 45

ALBUM REVIEWS 46

HAILING FROM NAUGATUCK, CT, A WILL AWAY HAVE been pulling at listeners’ heartstrings since their debut. After a split release with Head North, extensive touring, and a spot on Warped Tour, the alt-rock group is back with their sophomore effort, Bliss. The five-track EP deals with the difficulties of finding happiness and meaning in a world where these concepts are largely up for interpretation.

A WILL AWAY BLISS

The EP opens to the tune of “Play Dead.” The band’s maturity is evident in the subtleties of the instrumentation, and their growth within such a short time span is admirable. Dynamic melodies, heavy riffs, and catchy, rousing lyrics define this track and make it difficult to forget or dislike. The tonality of this venture is set by songs like “My Sitter.” By and large, A Will Away’s willingness to experiment and adopt new sounds proves to be their greatest strength. Faint traces of post-rock influence blend well with their punk styling, offering fans something familiar while introducing them to a newer, more eclectic sound.

BY KNIAL SAUNDERS

The highlight of this EP comes in the form of “Cheap Wine,” and, despite its title, this track is anything but cheap. Frontman Matt Carlson’s resonant voice seamlessly melds into the instrumentation, creating a sound reminiscent of established names like Mayday Parade and All Time Low. All in all, A Will Away plays with the expertise of a band well ahead of them in years. In addition to being energetic and entertaining at face value, after a closer look, it becomes apparent that each of these songs were mindfully written and diligently crafted. With the band’s dedication paying off in the form of a finished product they can be proud of, Bliss is sure to be A Will Away’s breakout record. Keep an eye on them, because they are definitely bound to succeed.

THE MAINE AMERICAN CANDY

BY LINDSY CARR

BACK IN NOVEMBER, THE MAINE TOOK SOME TIME away from their everyday lives to record their fifth fulllength album. Instead of recording American Candy in a studio like their previous releases, the band rented a house in Joshua Tree, California, for thirty-two days with 2011’s Pioneer producer, Colby Wedgeworth. While their last album, Forever Halloween, explored the band’s darker sound, this contrasting upbeat release can easily become the soundtrack to anyone’s summer. In the laid back opening track, “Miles Away,” vocalist John O’Callaghan describes his trip along the West Coast. The song is easy to get lost in, and it sets the tone of the album with its carefree lyrics and relaxing sound. This continues in the slow tempo song “My Hair.” He sings, “See I don't care if you all care / it's on my head and it's not your hair.” While it seems like an ode to his once very long hair, he is expressing the importance of not letting others dictate your choices. “Am I Pretty?” encompasses a similar theme. The song is reflective of today’s society, where judgment can easily be passed at any time due to the Internet. It asks, “Am I pretty? Do people like me yet? Is there a party? Am I invited?” The bridge answers

The album’s first single, “English Girls,” is a fitting summary of what The Maine is—it’s a mix of their new and old sound with a hint of some of their 90’s rock influences. The album then slows down with the somber “24 Floors.” While it easily could have been found on their previous release, it still manages to fit with the happier flow of American Candy. The ballad incorporates a piano with soft drums and smooth guitars to create a polished, moving sound. The record then picks up again with “Diet Soda Society,” which explains two different ways of looking at life. While one person analyzes and questions things (“Oblivion, is where I'm headed, my mind is on the brink of going supernova”), the other person simply takes things for face value (“Just shut up and drink your diet soda"). “American Candy,” the album’s title track, begins with a dark tone but quickly follows it up with loud guitars, nicely capturing the energy they have at their live shows. The album ends with “Another Night On Mars,” and it leaves me with no way to describe the song besides perfect. Even upon my first listen, the song held some kind of familiarity. It brought me back to when I first saw the band in 2012 and they played “Like We Did” as their opening song, before performing a reworked piano version as their closer. Just listening to the song makes me wish I could be back at that same venue, except this time singing along to “Another Night On Mars” even after the band has walked off of the stage. Evidently, The Maine has created a solid record with ten tracks that fit together seamlessly and are all worth listening to.

ALL TIME LOW FUTURE HEARTS

BY LINDSY CARR

In their twelve years together, the guys of All Time Low have maintained their status as a well-known pop-rock band with six studio albums and a heavy touring cycle that makes their shows hard to miss. The band has once again teamed up with Dirty Work producer John Feldman for their sixth studio album, Future Hearts. Although the 2011 release garnered mixed reviews, this album goes above and beyond, and there is no need for comparisons. Three years after their last release, the guys from Baltimore, Maryland, are at it again with a cohesive yet dynamic sound. The album begins with the slow and dreamy “Satellite” as vocalist Alex Gaskarth sings, “Wishing on a star that's just a satellite, driving in a car with broken tail-lights / Growing up with eyes glued shut.” The instruments begin to build as the song progresses and leads into “Kicking & Screaming,” which describes the importance of achieving the sound they want instead of just doing what will make them popular. Although Alex sings about “chasing after rock & roll,” Future Hearts is definitely more on the pop-rock side, and it’s evident just a few songs in.

The record’s second single, “Kids In The Dark,” kicks up the energy that seems to be lacking in some of the previous songs and is lyrically the opposite of the “Kicking & Screaming.” The track is easily catchy without being too repetitive, and the engaging instruments and strong vocals make it a song that you want to listen to again and again. As the song says, they were left to “burn out forever or light up a spark,” and All Time Low have clearly done the latter. With this release, they've relit their old fuse and are back on top of their game. Acoustic-based “Missing You” seems effortless with its smooth guitars and soft drum beats. Alex’s songwriting shines with comforting lyrics, especially when he sings,

ALBUM REVIEWS

those questions when John sings, “There's beauty and grace in the flaws of your face / All candor and style in the crook of your smile.” Ultimately, the lyrics are comforting, and the strong bass line makes me want to put this track on repeat over and over again.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 47

ALBUM REVIEWS 48

“Now don't lose your fight kid, it only takes a little push to pull on through / With so much left to do, you'll be missing out and we'll be missing you.” I can easily see it joining songs like “Therapy” and “Remembering Sunday” as a newer fan favorite. The album’s two collaborations, “Tidal Waves (ft. Mark Hoppus)” and “Bail Me Out (ft. Joel Madden), both shine in their own ways, although they are some of the album’s weaker tracks. Despite the fact that Mark’s voice allows for beautiful harmonies, the track ends up being too repetitive. “Bail Me Out” has a very strong bass line, but it sounds like a song that should’ve been released by Good Charlotte instead. The true standouts of the album are “Dancing With A Wolf” and “Old Scars/Future Hearts.” “Dancing With A Wolf” has the power that I kept waiting for, and the band finally delivered. It has the high energy that you’d get at a live show and a compelling beat that lets drummer Rian Dawson’s abilities shine. The album’s closing track, “Old Scars/Future Hearts,” ends Future Hearts on a high note that will have you singing along to the upbeat, chanting chorus of “We got scars on our future hearts / But we never looked back, no, we never looked back.” Although the release is relatively strong as a whole, it still feels like something is missing. All Time Low have stuck to their classic sound, but I’m left waiting for that “wow” moment that sets this album apart from everything they’ve done before.

YOU ME & EVERYONE WE KNOW DOGGED

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT HEARING new music is instantly falling in love with a song within the first opening chords. That’s exactly what happened to me when I began listening to You Me and Everyone We Know’s newest EP, Dogged. After battling addiction and mental health issues, the hiatus for Ben Liebsch’s band is over. You Me and Everyone We Know are back and stronger than ever. The first track, “Raise Them Bones,” clocks in at under a minute, but it packs a punch nonetheless. Mainly comprised of gang vocals, it sets a hopeful and cheerful tone for the rest of the album. It’s a song that is dying to be played live. This song, along with this album as a whole, is a representation of how someone can defeat his demons and come out on top.

BY LEAH DICKERMAN

Next up is “Does It Amaze Thee?” which, after careful thought, is a favorite track of mine. For me, the song is a proclamation against self-doubt. “Does it amaze thee that I could be this banged up and still thrive?” Liebsch sings. Easily one of my favorite lyrics from this EP, it’s such a positive message for fans to hear. No matter how many times you get knocked down, if you get back up again, it is possible to achieve success.

“Eat My Hands” and “Brooks Was Here” are both catchy, but each has a dark shadow lurking throughout the lyrics. It’s apparent that this album is a cathartic expression of the past few years of Liebsch’s life. No one is perfect and everyone goes through trying times; however, the contrasting upbeat tempos of these songs leave listeners with an encouraging feeling that they can overcome their struggles. If you’re currently finding yourself in a difficult situation in your life, I’m sure at least one song on this album will resonate with you. Or if you’re just in the search for some new, fresh music, Dogged is definitely an album that you need to check out.

WE ARE HARLOT SELF-TITLED

AFTER AN AGONIZING THREE-YEAR WAIT, supergroup We Are Harlot, fronted by Danny Worsnop, has arrived with its 80’s rock-and-roll-inspired debut album. The band reassuringly ticks all the boxes in creating a powerful debut, as it’s packed with plenty of face-melting guitar solos and arena-sized choruses. The self-titled record is a towering departure from Worsnop’s previous metal outfit, and instead echoes influence from the likes of Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Poison. “Denial” was the first single to be released from the LP last May. It features some of the band’s most captivating and seductive lyrics as Danny sings, “Lets do it ‘til we can’t see no more, give me the love that I adore.” “Someday” showcases the record’s heart and the softer side of Worsnop’s vocals, but the track does appear to exhaust itself by the third chorus.

BY KIERAN JAMES

Guitarist Jeff George’s fierce fretwork is a clear highlight on this album, particularly in “Dancing On Nails” and “Never Turn Back.” His influence from the legendary Eddie Van Halen can be heard throughout the relentless tapping section in “Love For The Night.” Another strength of the album is how musically diverse it is—it stretches through melodic rock ballads like “Someday” and moves into weightier tracks such as “Flying Too Close To The Sun” with ease. “The One” kicks in with a pulsing four to the floor beat and resembles The Clash’s “Magnificent Seven” with its brisk disco funk influence. Its anthemic chorus works as the perfect juxtaposition, as it demonstrates the band’s great songwriting both lyrically and instrumentally. “Flying Too Close To The Sun” commences with an electrifying bass ostinato, which is pleasingly reminiscent of 90’s alt-rock icons, Jane’s Addiction. The record concludes with “I Tried,” further pushing the album’s diversity instrumentally— the inclusion of acoustic guitars, keys, and some rich vocal harmonies is a nice touch. It’s a satisfying full stop, as it demonstrates everything We Are Harlot succeed at as a band. In short, the album can be described as a dynamic debut that demonstrates so much potential for a band that has dared to revive rock and roll in 2015.

ALBUM REVIEWS

The style of this EP is refreshing as it combines elements from the pop-punk, indie, and singer-songwriter genres. The album’s closer, “A Pleasant Bummer,” features only a guitar and Liebsch’s voice, and it really showcases the emotion he can put into his vocals. Again, to me, the guitar seems more positive than most of the vocals; however, the album ends with “We’re doomed and blessed, I guess.” I feel that this perfectly captures the essence of this comeback-EP: we are destined for the worst of times, but, no matter what, we are “blessed” with the best of times.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 49

SHOW REVIEW 50

Taking Back Sunday, letlive. + The Menzingers When the Happiness Is… 2015 tour was first announced, the lineup may have seemed a little confusing to some. But with letlive. and The Menzingers opening for Taking Back Sunday, I knew it was bound to be one of the best tours of 2015. Earlier this month, when the tour finally came up to Canada, Taking Back Sunday successfully filled a 2,300-capacity venue with a crowd of Montrealers eager to relive their high school days. Sadly, the show didn’t start off that way, and letlive. took the stage with “The Dope Beat” to a relatively empty venue. The band wasn’t discouraged, however—their performance was as powerful and emotional as any I’ve witnessed from them in the past. The set consisted of a good sampling of both of their full-lengths, as letlive. continued with “That Fear Fever,” “Pheromone Cvlt,” “Dreamer’s Disease,” “Banshee,” “Muther,” and “Renegade 86,” before finishing off with “27 Club.” I always look forward to seeing letlive. because they are magic and chaos in the best possible way, and it’s always an honor to witness them captivate an audience. Towards the end, vocalist Jason Butler asked for a good ol’ circle pit before jumping right in and moshing with them. After returning to the stage, he climbed atop a massive speaker amp and jumped off. Although the crowd was still quite small then, it was a perfect way to finish off their unfortunately short set, and I certainly can’t wait to see them again and again. The Menzingers were up next, and luckily the venue had started filling up by then. The punk rockers commanded the stage as they started off with “Rodent,” and that on-stage energy never died down. To appease their long-time fans, they performed “I Was Born” from their debut full-length, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, before continuing with “Nice Things” and “Casey” off of On the Impossible Past. Once the guys went into the popular “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” from their latest release, Rented World, most of the crowd was singing along when they weren’t preoccupied with holding up the crowd surfers. Lots of musicians lose their steam before they even make it ten full years, but Taking Back Sunday isn’t one of those bands. With fifteen years under their

belts, the guys are still giving it one hundred percent while impressively filling up crowded floors and balconies. When it was finally time for Taking Back Sunday to perform, you could tell that this was a special night for many in attendance. TBS has a hold on many people’s hearts, and this is especially true for those who grew up listening to them. As the lights were turned down and the silhouettes appeared on stage, the crowd erupted into an uproar of excitement. The band’s nineteen-song setlist spanned their whole discography, with no one album overpowering the rest. They successfully transitioned between “Flicker, Fade,” “Ghost Man on Third,” “#5 With a Bullet,” “Liar (It Takes One To Know One),” and “A Decade Under The Influence,” amongst many others. Meanwhile, the screens on stage changed from virtual, video game-esque versions of their signature panther logo, to disco balls and fireworks and a multitude of flashing colors. My only complaint would have to be the lack of epilepsy warnings. Prior to “Better Homes and Gardens,” vocalist Adam Lazzara shared that the track was about a terrible time in his life. He explained that singing it every night has helped him tremendously, and he hoped it could help fans as well. After Adam took a moment to appreciate the lone crowd surfer who had been consistently surfing throughout their set, the band left the stage and the lights dimmed. Still, everyone knew the show wasn’t over yet, because it’s not a Taking Back Sunday headliner without “Cute Without the E” and “MakeDamnSure.” As the band returned for their three-song encore, which also included “Call Me In The Morning,” everyone in the crowd stepped up their game and really got off their feet. Overall, it was a night well spent with three incredibly talented bands that you need to see live at least once in your lifetime. If you missed this tour, keep an eye out for these bands. If they’re ever playing within a few hours of you, they are worth the travel, because these are definitely three acts you don’t wanna miss!

PHOTOS + REVIEW: Lori Gutman

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 51

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 53

SHOW REVIEW

BAYSIDE’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ft. Sense Fail, Man Overboard + Seaway What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to travel alongside your best friends doing what you love? Bayside did just that to celebrate fifteen years of being a band. They decided to invite their pals in Senses Fail, Man Overboard, and Seaway, as well as their dedicated fans, to join the festivities every night. Up first were the Canadian pop-punkers of Seaway, who were touring in support of their new EP, All In My Head. Being an opener, their setlist was fairly short, but the “seaboiz” still were able to get the crowd jumping within their opening song, “Your Best Friend.” They continued to play songs from their EP and their full length, Hozer, all the while really getting the fans in attendance amped for the acts to come.

people that it is never too late for change—whether it’s changing your life views or how you act towards people, you can be whoever you want to be regardless of how you grew up. The room grew silent as Buddy spoke about his mistakes and how he hurt people, but he reassured everyone that if he could do it then anyone could. The band ended their set with “Bite to Break Skin,” and everyone in the room was in complete awe about what they had seen and heard. Evidently, Senses Fail put on such a great performance.

Senses Fail took the stage next, and the crowd very quickly went wild. With the first notes of the first song, crowd surfers emerged, and Buddy was quick to realize security wasn’t catching people. After getting the guards’ attention and yelling at them to do their jobs, he told the crowd not to surf since no one would be there to catch them. During their second song, “Canine,” fans were still crowd surfing, so Buddy took it upon himself to catch them instead of letting them fall on photographers. Once he got back on stage, he continued to jump around all over the place.

Finally, it was Bayside’s turn to wow the crowd. The lights completely dimmed aside from a few bursts coming from behind the stage, and the Harry Potter theme song began playing. The crowd started cheering, whether it was from the music or Bayside’s backdrop being illuminated. Either way, the fans were pumped. The band kicked off their set with “Pigsty” and “The Walking Wounded,” and the room filled with colorful lights. Every member seemed to be having a blast and kept dancing and interacting with fans. After a few songs, they covered “Megan” by The Smoking Popes, which fans enthusiastically sang along to. They continued playing fan favorites and some of their greatest hits, including “Mona Lisa,” “Montauk,” and “Sing Sing Sing.” It wasn’t until their seventeenth song, “They Looked Like Strong Hands,” that the band walked off stage and waited for the fans to ask for an encore. Unlike many bands, Anthony Raneri walked out with his acoustic guitar and made his way towards the bar. After he played an acoustic rendition of “Don’t Call Me Peanut,” the band finished the night with “Big Cheese” and “Devotion and Desire.” This was the best way to celebrate the band’s birthday—touring with other great musicians and celebrating night after night with a couple hundred of their friends.

He eventually took a break before performing “All You Need is Already Within You.” He reminded

PHOTOS + REVIEW: Penelope Martinez

Next was Man Overboard and, as people were gearing up to “defend pop punk,” the band took the stage with their opening song, “Real Talk.” The crowd quickly began jumping around and pointing their fingers while singing at the top of their lungs. The band continued to play a mixture of songs from all of their releases and finished off their set with “Where I Left You” and “Rare.”

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 55

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 57

SHOW REVIEW

La Dispute, Title Fight + The Hotelier After Title Fight’s recent release of their third studio album, Hyperview, their co-headlining tour with La Dispute was much anticipated by fans. Opening for the headliners was The Hotelier from Worcester, Massachusetts. Although this tour consisted of only these three bands, the setlists and energy were phenomenal. For those who aren’t familiar with The Hotelier, I suggest heading over to YouTube or Spotify and streaming their latest release, Home Like Noplace Is There. It is easily one of the best albums of 2014. On it, vocalist Christian Holden showcases his unique voice in the album as he delivers the raw and honest lyrics. The album focuses on a lot of dark themes, and fans are given a peek into Holden’s personal life. One of my favorite songs is “Your Deep Rest,” which they actually played that night. It talks about the suicide of a close friend- and the self-destruction one goes through in that dark place. Hearing this song—any of their songs, actually—made me appreciate The Hotelier even more. Their live performance is nothing short of amazing. Although they only played a short set, it was clear that most of the room was enjoying them. Next up was Title Fight, and everyone seemed glad to see them setting up on stage. They kicked off their set with “Murder Your Memory,” the first track off of Hyperview. Although the song is mostly instrumental, the crowd was jamming out extensively, much like the band members themselves. They kept the ambiance in the room like that of their sound—dark. Low blue lights with the occasional bursts of white and yellow lighting from behind drummer Ben Russin filled the room. The band performed a pleasant mixture of songs from their latest album, their last

EP, and the two albums prior to that. It also included “Symmetry,” the only song featured from their debut album, The Last Thing You Forget. You’d think that a nineteen-song setlist would make the crowd tired, but the fans continued to crowd surf and scream lyrics back at the band. They finished off with “Secret Society” from Floral Green. When the song ended, the fans still wanted more and called for an encore that, unfortunately, didn’t happen. After a short wait, La Dispute finally hit the stage. They didn’t give the crowd a break and started their set with “King Park” from their 2011 release, Wildlife. In the background, a projector displayed a photo of a deer that illuminated drummer Brad Lugt. Surprisingly, there were no crowd surfers during the first two songs. By the third song, however, more than two at a time started making their way to the stage. Vocalist Jordan Dreyer continued to interact with the fans while searching for the crowd surfers and reaching out with the microphone. The setlist only included songs from their last two albums, Rooms of the House and Wildlife... or so we thought. After what seemed to be their last song of the night, the band came back with “The Last Lost Continent” off of Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair for their encore. All three of the bands on the bill recently released incredible albums and they all came together to give fans a phenomenal show. This lineup was one of the best of the year thus far, and I highly suggest catching any of these bands next time they’re in your town. They put on one hell of a show, so you’re guaranteed to have a great time. PHOTOS + REVIEW: Penelope Martinez

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 59

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 61

SHOW REVIEW

All Time Low’s Future Hearts Tour ft. Tonight Alive, Issues + State Champs

It’s always exciting when one of your favorite bands releases a new album and starts a new chapter in their career. For All Time Low and their fans, the Future Hearts era is only just beginning. On the heels of their latest release, Future Hearts, being named the highest selling album in the country, ATL kicked off the Future Hearts Tour in Lowell, MA. It’s been a year since their last US headlining tour, and the fans at the Tsongas Arena were more than ready for this show.

strictly unclean vocals; there is always a part that the audience can sing along with. It also gives fans who normally would never go to an Issues concert a chance to see this energetic live band. Unsurprisingly, many at Tsongas that night felt that Issues was a great addition to the tour. With many circle pits, crowd surfers, and fans screaming along to “Mad at Myself” and “Sad Ghost” with everything they had, it’s safe to say Issues put on a memorable show.

Every opener offered something different for the audience in order to get them hyped up for the main act. State Champs began the night with “Remedy,” a song that always has lead singer Derek DiScanio energetically moving all around the stage. The audience reciprocated with moshing and crowd surfing all the way through the set, with the exception of when the band slowed it down with “If I’m Lucky” off their acoustic EP. They ended with fan-favorite “Elevated,” to which the crowd just let loose and went wild.

Once Issues finished up, you could practically feel the whole arena’s anticipation for All Time Low. When the lights went down, everyone erupted into a frenzy of screams. The guys started off the night with “Satellite,” the intro track of Future Hearts. It was the perfect song to kick off their show, as it fittingly builds momentum and excitement within the crowd. From there they went right into “The Irony of Choking on a LifeSaver,” “Lost in Stereo,” and “Stella.” After that, it was time for singer Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat’s infamous banter. They talked about how excited they were to be back on tour in the US. Of course, Jack ended up making some references to genitals. Somehow, some way, it always happens… If it didn’t, would it really have been an All Time Low concert?

Fans had just enough time to rest before Tonight Alive took the stage to get everyone going again. They opened with “Lonely Girl,” and the crowd was jumping and screaming the words right back to the band almost instantly. What I love about seeing Tonight Alive is how much interaction singer Jenna McDougall has with the crowd, from letting the crowd sing to spreading positive messages that everyone can relate to. They couldn’t have picked a stronger tour to give The Other Side a proper send-off before continuing their work on the third LP. Overall, the band played some of the strongest tracks off The Other Side, like “The Ocean,” “The Fire,” “Hell and Back,” and its title track. Older fans of the band will be happy to know that they included “What Are You So Scared Of?” and “Listening” in the setlist. One thing I love about All Time Low’s shows is how the lineup is never conventional; they aim to defy genres with each and every tour. It’s easy to understand how some fans could be confused by the choice of Issues as the main support, especially when the band’s roots can be found in the hardcore and rock genres. At the same time, once you remember that All Time Low co-headlined with Pierce the Veil and supported A Day to Remember, it seems like a natural choice. There are elements in Issues’ music that cross over into ATL’s territory. For example, the songs are not

The set continued with a throwback from the So Wrong It’s Right days, as “Six Feet Under the Stars” got the crowd even more amped up. Crowds are always more active for the older songs that they’ve known for years, but the fans were just as lively for the debut of “Runaways” as they were for older tracks like “Weightless.” Another new song being played this tour is “Missing You,” which is one of my favorites. The first verse and chorus consisted solely of Alex playing his acoustic guitar, but, by the end of chorus, the rest of the band came out to help him finish the song. It’s refreshing to hear a different mix of slower songs instead of the “Therapy/Remembering Sunday” combo that has been played on the past few tours. One of my favorite moments of the show was when Alex and Jack picked at least ten people from the crowd to sing and dance to “Time Bomb” with them. The stage was filled with lucky fans who couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. It’s great that bringing fans up during that song has become a tradition, as it gives them a once in a lifetime opportunity to share a special moment with their favorite band.

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 63

As confetti and streamers shot out of confetti guns, “Something’s Gotta Give,” the lead single off Future Hearts, was the “final” song of the night. Of course, that didn’t fool anyone. The guys were back for a three-song encore that included “Kids in the Dark” and “Jasey Rae.” When I thought the crowd couldn’t possibly have even more energy, I was proven wrong during the old school Put Up or Shut Up favorite. Circle pits opened up, crowd surfers made their way to the front, and not a single person was standing still. The show closed with the classic “Dear Maria, Count Me In.” The fun continued even after All Time Low stopped playing as “Uptown Funk” blasted over the PA while the band was leaving the stage. Fans all around me started dancing and celebrating the opening night of the Future Hearts Tour. The new era of All Time Low is only just getting started, and the momentum definitely will not stop for a long while. ATL is one of the best live bands out there right now, and their shows are the most fun you can have at a concert. Between them making fun of themselves and laughing with each other, it feels like everyone is friends and just hanging out. For me, I think this might be the tour to beat in 2015, and it’s definitely one you cannot miss! PHOTOS + REVIEW: Leah Dickerman

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 65

by Leah Dickerman

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 67

THE MAINE BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 69

Balance and Composure BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 71

La Dispute

BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 73

BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 75

letlive. BY LORI GUTMAN

FOCUS MAGAZINE // 77