Issue #31

ISSUE 31

HIGHLIGHT

MAGAZINE

US THE DUO – STAGES & STEREOS – ROBERT DELONG – OH HONEY – RIXTON & MORE

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editor-in-chief jenn stookey

IGHLIGH

co-founder – art director cara bahniuk co-founder – photographer ashley osborn copy editor courtney dondelinger co-founder mckenzie hughes contributing photographers

cara bahniuk, matt burke, dan deslover, brendon donahue, courtney dondelinger, tarina doolittle, jordan fischels, brad heaton, megan leetz, anjel lopez, nicole mago, charlie martel, david mullis, laura murray, ally newbold, savana ogburn, ashley osborn, heather phillips, petey place, sam polonsky, danny raybon, sam roenfeldt, sam san roman, kaiden seven, daniel shippey, nicole fara silver and amy willard

contributing writers (online & publication)

christina belles, haley black, jennifer boylen, geoff burns, colleen casey, madison convey, rebecca del castillo, trevor figge, tamara fuentes, jessica klinner, catt kruger, jordyn lockwood, daisy marietta, zoe marquedant, bridjet mendyuck, theresa pham, christina santamaria, annette schaefer, alyssa schmidt, elizabeth tolbert, abby welsh and nick yacovazzi

digital marketing team

olivia adams, kelly basdavanos, geoff burns, rachel carter, megan shea and catie suliga

news posters

caroline hall, brad laplante, jordyn lockwood, and sarah akomanyi

_________________________ highlightmagazine.net facebook facebook.com/highlightmagazine twitter @highlightzine instagram @highlightzine _________________________ thank you

american authors, rachel martin, total assault, atlantic records, earshot media, glassnote music, the catalyst publicity group, five15 management, ryan soroka, stay happy stay weird, big hassle media, brixton agency, warner brothers records, and every single person who continues to read and support this magazine!

_________________________ 06 american authors cara bahniuk

07 robert delong jon medina

rixton cara bahniuk

mkto cara bahniuk

us the duo sam polonsky

alive like me tarina doolittle

stages and stereos sam polonsky

oh honey charlie martel HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 3

september

05 this or that 08 clothing highlight 10 label highlight 11 venue highlight 12 highlighted artists 13 film highlight 15 industry highlight 16 alive like me 20 us the duo 24 stages & stereos 26 robert delong 30 oh honey 34 rixton 36 american authors 46 tour round up barcelona mkto panic! at the disco action item tiffany houghton 56 reviews

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AMERICAN AUTHORS - 36

RIXTON - 34

US THE DUO - 20

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STAGES AND STEREOS - 24

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46 - LIVE PHOTOS

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COMPANY: stay happy stay weird STAFF: Dakota Sean Wint – Co-Founder, Designer, CEO of lovemaking LOCATION: Detroit, Michigan WEBSITE: stayhappystayweird.org

HOW DID STAY HAPPY STAY WEIRD BEGIN? We are strong believers in finding happiness in the little things. We wanted to put happy or silly messages on t-shirts that just reminds you that the world is beautiful sometimes. Stay Happy, came from a YouTube video made by me. My best friend and partner liked the name and one of us came up with STAY HAPPY STAY WEIRD!!!

Wow, such a great story!

WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR BRAND REPRESENTS? Love, Uniqueness, Unity between all things on Earth, Being human.

WHY DID YOU START YOUR BRAND? To make people smile. Period.

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THREE PERSONAL FAVORITE DESIGNS? These designs are just rad. If you don’t have them, you should because everyone at your school will be like wow dang that kid is someone I wanna be friends with.

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE CHECK OUT YOUR BRAND? Could potentially attract a like-minded mate. One day down the line you will recall your first time meeting: laughing over this silly shirt. He fell in love with laugh; she loved the way he could hardly keep his eyes open when he smiled. All because of a shirt. f Stay Happy Stay Weird t @styhppystywrd

YOU MAY WANT TO LISTEN TO...

Rough Trade Records began in 1978 soon after Geoff Travis, a small record storeowner in West London, began supporting local artists and selling their records. Which then grew into a major record label, evolving into the impressive corporation that it is today. Signing every genre imaginable such as punk, reggae, and electronic, the label is incredibly supportive of musicians of all sorts, but have since become more associated with those of the indie-pop, indie-folk genre after signing one of their biggest names in 1983: The Smiths. Since then, recent artists such as Emiliana Torrini, Arcade Fire, and The Strokes have thrived under the guidance and support of Rough Trade Records. Despite their enormous success, the label has since merged with the Beggars Group in order to remain stable in the continually struggling economy.

BELLE & SEBASTIAN

One of Rough Trade Records’ most successful and long-time artists, Belle & Sebastian, is a seven-piece band from Glasgow. Singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist, Stuart Murdoch has been preparing the release of his first film project and musical, God Help the Girl, which was released September 5th, produced and composed by the Belle & Sebastian front man himself.

The independent film follows the excitement of the early career of a trio of musicians, which seems like something Murdoch is very nostalgic of, and much of the music in the film reflects his own personal style, which is very romantic and eclectic. Aside from Murdoch’s film release this month, the band is looking forward to sharing their ninth studio LP. It is clear that after 18 years of success, the indie-pop group has no plans of stopping, and is continually seeking new creative outlets for their uncontainable selfexpression.

Listen to: “Another Sunny Day”

SUFJAN STEVENS

Sufjan Stevens is more than the average well-rounded musician. The singer/ songwriter is also a multi-instrumentalist who does not limit his talents to a single genre, varying from calm folk numbers such as his most popular song “To Be Alone With You,” to lo-fi electronic in his latest cover, “A Little Lost.”

Also well educated in his craft, the artist attended multiple prestigious arts academies growing up, as well as going on to receiving a master’s degree in Fine Arts. Notorious for concept albums, Stevens has released two albums by the name of Illinois and Michigan, diving into the mystic elements of the states themselves. His second full length, Enjoy Your Rabbit, is a collection of songs in relation to the Chinese calendar. The artist’s lengthy discography also includes numerous Christmas albums and he has been known to play up to 20 different instruments during the recording process.

Listen To: “Chicago”

WARPAINT

The all-girl, LA based power quartet, Warpaint, is made up of Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass), Emily Kokal (guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar), and Stella Mozgawa (drums/keys), who all lend their voices to the project as well as playing their individual instruments. With two EPs and two full-length albums under their belts, the ambient rock group who describes their style as “smooth-smoky” is still going strong. With introspective melodies, it is easy for listeners to get lost in a dream-like state while listening to Warpaint.

An array of styles form their unique project, with early 70’s rock elements as well as acoustics coupled with hypnotic harmonization, which are best displayed in their early songs like “Billie Holliday.” Playing SXSW and other festivals in the past, Warpaint have made a lasting impression on indie-rock lovers, playing alongside big names like The xx.

Listen to: “Love Is To Die” 10 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET

WORDS: Haley Black

VENUE HIGHLIGHT ZYDECO - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

HISTORY

Zydeco has hosted an array of concerts since it’s opening in 1989. In an attempt to bring in a diverse crowd, Zydeco houses acts from all different genres including Zac Brown Band, Bassnectar and John Mayer. As the city’s second oldest music venue, Zydeco is known for having a great atmosphere and even greater events and concerts.

WHY PLAY HERE? Smack dab in the middle of Birmingham’s Five Points business district, Zydeco is one of the venues in town working to turn Birmingham into a must-visit concert market.

The three-level venue offers a unique experience for anyone who visits. Grab a beer in the pub, hang out on the patio with a group of friends or take in a concert from a variety of genres in the concert hall. Zydeco caters to the needs of the community, hosting a variety of different bands from locals to worldwide phenomenons, and offers bands a chance to get up close and personal with their audience. The experience of playing a show at Zydeco will remind any band why they began playing music in the first place.

TWITTER: @zydecobham FACEBOOK: facebook.com/zydecobirmingham WEBSITE: zydecobirmingham.com SEPTEMBER 16TH

SEPTEMBER 20TH

SEPTEMBER 28TH

OCTOBER 9TH

Balance and Composure

Crown The Empire

We Came As Romans

The Wonder Years

REVIEW: Jessica Klinner PHOTO: Google

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HIGHLIGHTED

ARTISTS MARATHON Location: Lebanon, PA Memebrs: Zach Wagner – Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar, Erich Wagner – Vocals/Rhythm Guitar, Rob Battle – Bass, Paul Winter – Keyboard, Ricky Kreiser – Drums

Indie-rock band, Marathon, is willing the go the distance. The five-piece based out of Lebanon, PA mixes the ambient stylings of Coldplay and Cursive while exploring the progressive feel of Circa Survive.

NOT IN THE FACE Location: Austin, TX Current Single: “Brass Tracks” Memebrs: Jonathan Terrell – Lead Vocals/Guitar, Wes Cargal – Drums, Michael Anthony Gibson – Lead Guitar, Ross Dubois – Bass/Vocals Rock N Roll warriors, Not In The Face, bring the party everywhere they go. The four-piece hailing from Austin, TX released their newest record this past February, and are out to prove to everyone that rock’s not dead.

SHAYNA LEIGH Location: New York, NY Current Single: “Drive (Back To Where You Lived)” NYC based singer-songwriter, Shayna Leigh, has dedicated her life to music. With her new EP releasing this year under Grammy-winning producer, Michael Mangini, Leigh will be touring in August along the east coast with Honor By August.

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WORDS: Nick Yacovazzi

HIGHLIGHTED

FILMS

NECK DEEP

DO AMERICA

After a series of Florida shows this time last year, England’s Neck Deep signed to Hopeless Records and released their debut Wishful Thinking. The band has seen increasing success since, gaining an even larger American audience. A year since their fated Florida show Neck Deep came back to the States for a cross country tour, during the course of which they shot the five episode series “Neck Deep Do America”.

Presented on their own ND TV (think TAI TV, but more recent and more English) the series followed the band from state to state. Set to a soundtrack of everything from older acts like New Found Glory to Taking Back Sunday to newer bands like A Day to Remember and Seaway, each installment finds the band in a new region, killing time in between shows. Despite being booked at such legendary venues as California’s Chain Reaction, the series features very little live footage and focuses rather on the band members’ antics pre and post show. This resulted in a rather unfiltered look at a touring band.

Viewers watched as Ben Barlow, Lloyd Roberts, Matt West, Fil Thorpe-Evans and Dani Washington played video games, skateboarded, go-carted, slept, ate, smoked and did various other things that bands their age would.

Episode one focused on the band’s Midwest leg of their tour. After flying in they played Chicago, St Louis, Lawrence, Denver and Salt Lake. The band mates found themselves amongst other things in a snowstorm, a weed dispensary, a Reno casino and a tattoo parlor. Their reactions to all things American were candid and often humorous. At one point the band dared to reveal their negative opinion of In-N-Out to viewers and the Twittersphere, which sparked minor outrage.

The second installment followed the band through California. The Golden Coast saw no reprieve from the band’s antics.

“Goofing off” is the best way to describe the majority of the face time viewers got with Neck Deep. Whether they were singing along to songs on the PA or testing out the patches on a keyboard, the band was constantly finding some newfangled away to entertain themselves. One moment when the band this jovial breaks character is before the Chain Reaction show. Barlow, while standing in the parking lot in a bucket hat, admits, “It’s sold out, which is crazy considering a bunch of lads who didn’t really expect to do anything with this are now here, so yeah. It’s a dream come true I guess you can say.”

By episode three the band was in the south, playing shows in Mesa, San Antonio, Birmingham, Atlanta as well as stints at SXSW and SBSW. There was an uptick in show footage and Neck Deep spent the majority of episode three on stage or at signings. Next was an entire episode allocated to the band’s Florida shows. For their triumphant return to the state they play Orlando, Tampa, Pembroke Pines and Jacksonville. Before their Tampa show, Roberts commented on their return, saying, “It’s weird really cause a year ago we were here on holiday. We played a show and it’s kind of all gone a bit crazy since then. It’s come full circle. We’re playing here again. Sold out.” The band rarely touched on their success in the few talking heads in each episode. Thorpe touches briefly on it during the next episode, which covered the band’s East Coast shows. While visiting the AP headquarters in Cleveland and standing in front of their wall of magazine covers, he says, “It’s pretty surreal being here. We’ve all seen this place online and in videos and stuff before. It’s blowing my mind being here.” The band goes straight to bowling afterwards and are back to their nonchalant selves in no time.

“Neck Deep Do America” proves that the band is still untainted by their fame. Granted viewers are seeing director James Arnold’s carefully edited together version of events, but the overall impression given is that Neck Deep are just a bunch of guys playing a series of shows across America, who happen to be signed by a record label. Whether they’re doing a video shoot with Hopeless or playing an intimate venue in a tiny town, the band remained humble and genuine.

One thing the series lacks is the talking head cut aways, in which some band member is cornered and drilled about how tour is going/what life on the road is like. The band does appear intermittently to introduce a new city or some new person on camera, but for the most are viewers are shown rather than told what Neck Deep has been up to. Without the probing questions, there is nothing to spark an in depth discussion on how the band is really feeling. Perhaps a YouTube series is neither the time nor the place and instead the series serves as a medium for the band to keep fans updated on their day-to-day life.

REVIEW: Zoe Marquedant

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INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

NAME: Ryan Soroka LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY JOB: Booking Agent at thesorokaagency.com

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL STORY/WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY?

At the end of 6th grade / beginning of 7th grade I started looking at things on more of the business side of entertainment alongside the performing side. I was in a band (Agreements In August) with my best friend Frank Riley at the time. Being that young, of course, we found it very difficult for us to find gigs and figured that the best way to go about it would literally just be to put on shows of our own and see how it went. We put on a show the first or second week of us entering West Essex at a studio (then called) Future Sound Studios in Fairfield with our band, my brother’s band, and other friends’ bands. It was extremely successful on our first attempt and from there my interest and involvement continued and I kept trying to set up concerts locally on my own.

After a few years of running shows, my interests started to shift from focusing on just putting on shows every few months and went towards wanting to work with bands and help develop their growth. I always saw being a booking agent to be similar to being a bass player in a band - no one ever dreams about being a bass player when you grow up, everyone wants to be the frontman, or killer drummer, or shredding guitar player, however playing bass is something that you fall into and could fill a void that is often open in bands and once you do it you fall in love with it. I saw that there were many friends’ bands that had managers and were looking for record labels, but no one had anyone helping them set up shows in other opportunities and book their performances. I had some very close friends in a band called Hollywood Ave give me the opportunity to help them with this and from there I learned the ropes of booking tours and formed the Soroka Agency as I started working with more and more acts and got a bit better at the art of booking tours.

INSTAGRAM: /ryansoroka PHOTO: Matt Vogel

WHAT DOES A BOOKING AGENT DO?

A booking agent focuses on negotiating on behalf of the artist for opportunities to support larger bands on tours and also for headlining shows when appropriate. It is important since a lot of artist development is fixated on touring.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE A BOOKING AGENT MUST HAVE?

Organization skills.

WHAT ARE THREE OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE CAREER MOMENTS?

Any time an artist sells out a venue, regardless of what size. Each and every one of those moments is memorable. Apart from that – having Action Item open for Justin Bieber at Nassau Coliseum, Our Last Night’s 10 Year Anniversary Show, and bringing my high school marching band to perform with an artist at Bamboozle 2012 are all stand-out moments.

ROSTER A Loss For Words, Action Item, Against The Current, Alex Goot, Better Off, Bloom, Born Cages, Brian Marquis, Brigades, Darling Parade, David Garibaldi, Elder Brother, Fairweather, For The Foxes, Forever Came Calling, From Indian Lakes, Ground Up, Heart To Heart, Hit The Lights, I Declare War, Invent, Animate, Like Pacific, Mitch Wojcik, Mixtapes, No Bragging Rights, Our Last Night, Set It Off, Souvenirs, State Champs , Stickup Kid, TEAM*, The Story So Far, Thief Club, To The Wind, Too Close to Touch, Vanna, William Beckett and Young Statues. Performing Artists: David Garibaldi. Producers: Kyle Black

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HOME: Eugene, OR NOW JAMMING: Searching For Endings, Start Again & Slip Away (Singles off

Only Forever - Full Length, Rise Records)

CURRENTLY: On tour with Issues in Japan

AFTER FORMING LAST SPRING,

Oregon based alternative outfit, Alive Like Me is already signed to Rise Records and set to drop their debut album this fall. Highlight got the chance to sit down with bassist and vocalist, David Knox to hear all about touring and their new record.

Vocalist, Jairus Kersey, and Knox have been playing together for the last decade, but the rest of Alive Like Me came together rather unconventionally. Guitarist Brandon Banton is also a Eugene, Oregon, native but most recent members drummer, Joel Riley and guitarist/vocalist Dakota Dufloth were found on the one and only Craigslist.

“I have no clue why it worked out, but for whatever reason we found two awesome dudes,” Knox said. “We all had different things going for us prior to meeting each other, but we came together and dropped everything in our lives, moved into the same house, and really focused on being the best band that we could.”

Although it’s been stressful, the band agrees that their current situation as musicians is everything they’ve ever wanted. “At the end of the day, it has been a dream come true,” Knox said.

As a band, Alive Like Me just wants to ultimately make a difference in the lives of their listeners. Many of their lyrics are open for interpretation, Knox noted, but they want people to take away motivation and positivity from their music as well as from their live show. They are set to release their debut record, Only Forever on October 7th and they can’t wait for people to hear what they’ve created.

Not only are they looking forward to the music, but their album also has that same an overall message of positivity.

“Life is too short to sit around and wait for the things you want out of life. The title track ‘Only Forever’ really addresses that concept,” Knox shared.

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As exciting as it is for a band to release their first full-length, for Alive Like Me it is also their very first time releasing any music. After writing a five song EP and going in to record with friend Ryan Furlott at Rain City Audio, he encouraged the band to sign to a label. After a few months, they decided on Rise Records. “They were awesome dudes and the closest to home, so it just seemed like the right move,” Knox recalled.

Rise was also the reason they jumped straight to a full-length record. “Rise wanted us to write the rest of the record and go back into the studio and finish the full length. So that is what we did,” he continued, “We poured everything we have into it and I hope everyone is pleasantly surprised.”

Currently, Rise has released three singles: “Searching for Endings,” “Slip Away,” and “Start Again” but Knox feels the record as a whole is definitely worth waiting for. “The songs we have released so far are the slower songs on the record. I like those songs but the rest of the record is very high energy and fast paced, I am very excited for people to see what Alive Like Me is all about,” he expressed.

On top of new music, Alive Like Me has been very busy with touring recently. After a successful first run on Warped Tour they can’t wait to be a part of it in the future. “We have been going to the Warped Tour for years. I have been every year since I was 14. As far as I’m concerned Warped tour is tradition, and it was such an honor to be a part of the tour this year,” Knox said.

Not only are they fans of warped tour, but also their experience while a part of the 2014 line up couldn’t have gone better. “I was shocked at how nice everyone on the tour was. We came in half way though, and it took us a little while to get up to speed on how the tour operated. I was blown away at how helpful and inviting everyone was,” he shared.

Currently Alive Like Me is having a great time on tour with Slaves. Not only do they get to play every night, but Knox also shared that they have become close friends with everyone on the bill. “It is pretty much a road trip with friends. It is awesome,” he said. They may be having a great time touring the states and seeing new cities, but they are also headed over seas to Japan with Issues at the beginning of the month.

“This will be all of our first times overseas, so none of us know what to expect. We are excited to tour in that part of the world, and experience different cultures,” Knox said. “We feel very fortunate to have these opportunities so early on, and can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes us.”

Alive Like Me is on a roll and won’t be stopping anytime soon-as soon as they touch down in America the band heads out on tour with Beartooth through out the month of October. They will be in Philadelphia when Only Forever drops on October 7th, but be sure to catch their show when they are in your city. Knox invited everyone to come out and see them this time around; “I hope to see a lot of familiar and new faces out on tour! You’ll have a blast, I promise.”

PHOTOS: Tarina Doolittle INTERVIEW & STORY: Jennifer Boylen

ONLY FOREVER Available October 7, 2014

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HOME: Southern California NOW JAMMING: “No Matter Where You Are” 20 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET CURRENTLY: Playing on Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend Tour this fall

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MICHAEL AND CARISSA ALVARADO,

artistically known as Us The Duo, call from Houston, Texas, before their show at Fitzgerald’s to discuss their recent rise to fame. It’s been six months since the happily married couple of two years signed to Republic Records. The record deal was brought on by a huge amount of success on Vine, a social media app that allows users to post 6-second videos. After having their Vines shared by a few famous users on the app, the Alvarados were in the business of creating the short videos on a regular basis. Now with over 3.9 million subscribers on Vine, the duo has made it a huge part of their music career. By only revealing the bottom half of their faces, Us The Duo created a sense of mystery that intrigued their viewers. A mystery that lasted until the duo’s performance this past January on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where they revealed their full faces for the first time on national television.

“It actually takes longer than most people think. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half for us to figure out what part were going to be doing of the song and the harmonies and just getting the right take might take a while as well,” Carissa explained.

In March of this year, their world got turned upside down when they signed with Republic Records. Now with their debut album available worldwide, Us The Duo is bringing their infectious folk-pop to the masses. Their album No Matter Where You Are is filled with sweet love songs and enchanting harmonies. Since they gained popularity on Vine by posting covers, the duo was thankful to see that fans reacted just as well to their original music.

“[The fans] liked the whole mystery of us not showing our whole face. So that took over, and people wanted to know who we were. We just tried to use a different platform to get our name out there and get our music heard,” Carissa recalled.

“I think the original music is just an extension of our relationship. While people do like the covers we put on Vine, they can most relate to us as people. We generally try to pick our songs carefully, keep them positive and upbeat, and we respond to our fans. When we started introducing our new original music it was taken to very well. They found a little bit of themselves in our music. It’s really just us telling the story of our every day life,” Michael explained.

“No one had been singing music covers on Vine. It was a comedic video platform so when we started putting up covers people were like, ‘Wow that’s different than what I’m used to seeing on here, and I kind of like it. I want to see what else they have to offer’… We never expected a million followers to happen in 30 days. Here we are, husband and wife, just hanging out in our living room, throwing up random music covers on a whim one night, and it turned into something much more than we could have ever expected,” Michael added.

There is something impossibly cute about a couple that sings together. For Michael and Carissa, expressing their love for each other through songs comes as naturally as speaking it. Listening to their album is like taking a peek inside their journals. Their original songs ooze with happiness and genuine love. This is especially evident when watching the duo perform live. Their chemistry on stage is magnetic and will leave a smile on the face of everyone watching, but it can be difficult to find balance between their work and personal life.

Their journey to Vine stardom all began in January of 2011 at a music video shoot in California, where the couple met for the first time. In April, they began dating, and exactly a year after on April 26, 2012, the two were married.

They created a YouTube channel to post covers of songs and promote their original music. On it, they managed to amass 300,000 subscribers and 18 million views, but even that wasn’t enough to really get their name out there.

Around this time, Vine began to take over the social media world. The Alvarados took advantage of the new platform by posting 6-second covers of popular songs, but not just carbon copy covers. They made sure to make the songs they were covering their own. From popular pop singles like John Legend’s “All of Me” to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” the duo began giving popular songs a custom face-lift to show off their musical ability. While they make the process of posting a new Vine look effortless, there is actually a lot of work that goes into making each 6-second cover.

“We’re together 24/7 so we have to figure out a balance of when do you turn off work, when do you turn off music, when do you turn off social media and just have dinner or just go out and talk to each other, or just enjoy us time.

That is always a constant struggle and battle and we learn about it every single day for what works and what doesn’t,” Michael stated.

Not only is their story one of success career wise, but also success in their relationship. They’ve combined their love for music and love for each other in such an honest way that it comes across as the most natural thing any two humans could create. Their love for each other is beaming from their eyes and pouring from their lips with every note they sing and every word they speak.

Michael shared, “Our whole goal in music is to inspire people for the better. Be real [and] share our relationship in hopes that [it] will help somebody else.”

PHOTOS: Sam Polonsky INTERVIEW & STORY: Jessica Klinner

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PHOTO: Danny Raybon INTERVIEW & STORY: Daisy Marietta

PHOTO: Anna Longworth INTERVIEW & STORY: Haley Black HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 23

HOME: Tallahassee, FL NOW JAMMING: Small Town Favorites 24 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET

FROM TAKING THE STAGE WITH

various artists including Mayday Parade and Set It Off, to being named one of AP Magazine’s 12 Editor’s Picks, Stages and Stereos has gone nowhere but up since we spoke with them last December. We have loved watching the band grow and receive the various recognition we feel is well deserved so we chatted with Stages’ Daniel Lancaster and Alexander Reed to catch up on the band’s journey over the last year.

“I feel great,” Daniel, the band’s vocalist, shared with us.

“We’ve worked really hard over the past two and a half years to get where we are now and I think there’s only one place to go which is up.” And up is exactly the direction the band has been going. On the heels of last year’s Glamour Kills Tour with Mayday Parade, Stages was featured in multiple publications, including AP Magazine’s 100 Bands You Need to Know and Substream Magazine’s 2014 Staff Picks. “I think it’s validation for hard work,” Alex, Stages’ guitarist, explained. “We’ve been doing it ourselves and to see it working is the true way we wanted to do it instead of those bands that just blow up overnight. We’re getting our fan base slow but steady and that’s something that I think will be with us for the rest of the year.”

“The goal is to be constantly touring. We want to be on the road for most of 2014,” guitarist Zach Schweizer told us back in December and the band has done a great job of accomplishing that goal. Stages spent the spring of 2014 on a short run with The Orphan, The Poet and Darling Parade on the Live Free, Die Young Tour. Shortly after, the band announced they’d be spending their summer on the road with Set It Off, Our Last Night, and Heartist on the Come Alive Tour. Alex let us in on the most surreal tour moments from the summer, “There’s a lot of great bands here and we are the first band on the tour package and to see an overwhelming response from our fan base at these shows has been really outstanding to me. To see one person we recognize from a show and then the next time we see that person and meet four of their friends. The domino effect is really working out for us.”

Unfortunately, constant touring can take its toll, so the guys gave some insight into some of the various struggles of the road, starting with how they stay healthy while on tour. “We don’t,” Daniel laughed before continuing on to say, “I like to just drink as much water as possible and I like to take multivitamins every day. That helps combat the McDonalds and the lack of sleep.” Alex also admitted that it’s tough, “We try to do the things that we can on the budget that we’re on but we do have people that bring us stuff, like tonight we got some gift cards to one of our favorite restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings, and you can get salads and all of that stuff there. Try and stay away from the really bad places.”

Speaking of budgets, the guys talked about budgeting on tour, with Daniel saying “We are as thrifty as we possibly can be. The most important part is if you don’t have to take a per diem in that day then just save that money for your band.”

Alex agreed, saying “We’re at the stage in our career that we’re putting every dollar that has come in back into the band fund to be on the road, to pay the bills on the van, to pay the bills on everything. Like he said, it’s taking as little as you can from the band. It’s trying to keep the profit high and the cost low.”

But staying healthy and learning to budget is only half the battle when you’re on the road and missing your loved ones.

“You have to make the phone calls,” Daniel told us in regards to how the band stays in touch with the people they left at home. “You have to call your girl when you wake up. She has to be the first person when you wake up and the last person you talk to before you go to bed, if that’s possible. But most of us have been with our loved ones for quite a while and they understand the life. I do Snapchat.” Alex agreed, “Snapchatting so she can see a live version of the day. It’s about figuring out how you communicate with those people back home. Now a days with technology you can Facetime, use wifi at venues to video chat, or whatever, anytime you can. Honestly, sometimes just a simple random ‘Hey, I love you’”.

With all of these obstacles to overcome on tour, Stages has to learn how to keep the band morale at an all-time high. Daniel told us that the band definitely pushes each other’s buttons, but never too far. “Basically we realize when someone is upset and when to stop poking at them,” Alex explained how beings together constantly and being such good friends makes it easier; saying, “You have to understand and be intuitive to people’s feelings and realize you may be in a really great mood that day but somebody is having a hard day. It really comes down to the fact that we’re buds. This band is made up of buds.”

The five buds that make up Stages and Stereos have been accomplishing their dreams and show no signs of slowing down. The boys discussed the future by talking about maturing, new music, different tours, taking things seriously, and some changes. “We just needed a little bit of a change,” Daniel said about new music. “I guess the music is a huge part of that because we’re changing and growing and maturing and I think these songs are really mature for us and trying to see a bigger picture than just Warped Tour and try to get out of that level.” Alex continued on this point saying, “It would be fun to do Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Bamboozle, and all of those big festivals all the time.” He continued, “We just want to broaden our horizons and our lives are constantly changing and we are getting to a point where we see this now as a sacrifice because this is what we want to do as a career so we want to take this very seriously. As opposed to when you’re a little bit younger it’s more about the fun and the hangs.” Daniel agreed with the last words, “We still have a lot of fun but we are also very business oriented.” Stages and Stereos has come a long way over the past 12 months and we can’t wait to see where the next year takes them.

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HOME: Echo Park, CA NOW JAMMING: Just Movement CURRENTLY: Preparing for a fall tour 26 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET

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You first started off as a drummer for various indie bands. How did you get started making your own music and what influenced you to join the electronic genre?

You’ve played in various festivals including Coachella, Governor’s Ball, and SXSW. What is the best part of playing these festivals and how does it differ from when you play own of your own shows?

While I was playing with and recording bands I was consistently writing and producing my own tunes. Most of the songwriting started as experimentation with various sounds, but at some point it coalesced into a sort of electroindie hybrid thing. From there I sort of fell into dance music, and that element was immediately integrated into the milieu.

Playing festivals is always a great experience; given that there is usually a high-energy crowd and a large PA, and I find that the connection I make with the audience carries on to create new fans. Playing headlining shows is always fun because I get to control set-length, have video and whatever other production I want, and get to more directly connect with the audience.

One of your signature features is the “X” symbol.

What is the meaning behind it and how did you start using it?

The X sort of evolved organically – my girlfriend painted an early version of it arbitrarily on my performance headphones years back, and from there my roommate and graphic designer Nick McNeil formalized it into its current iteration.

You use game controllers during your live sets. How did you start using them and what made you want to use them in the first place?

I discovered quite a number of years ago that people were using wii-remotes and USB gamepads as MIDI controllers, so I began to mess around with myself, just for fun. As I started to perform, I slowly integrated the controllers as a means of diversifying my performance cheaply, and once I saw how people responded and realized that I was better at playing Tony Hawk than piano, they became a mainstay in the set.

You were one of MTV’s Artist To Watch, how did you react when you got the news and how does it feel to be called that?

I thought it was really cool to have a prestigious institution for music discovery that I grew up with acknowledging my music, and I was excited, though it didn’t change my life in any significant way.

We know your musical background is mostly in drumming, do you start with those when writing songs or do you focus on something else first?

Every song is different, but the groove is usually one of the first elements that I create for a song, and certainly my drumming background plays heavily into the way I think about songwriting and producing.

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For many musicians, one of their main goals is to play in the festivals above. What advice do you have for them to reach that goal and what’s your main goal?

My main goal is to make interesting and messed up pop music, and unique, exciting and artful ways to portray that music live, and to hopefully make more fans so I can have more friends. My advice for anyone trying to play big festivals is to make your music and your show so good that whatever booking agent you get is so pumped about you that they push you into the dopest slots, everywhere.

You released your first album in 2013. Should fans expect a new album anytime soon?

I have an EP coming out in October that I just finished the music before, and I will most certainly have another album sometime early 2015.

Going from working in various bands to now performing by yourself can make a big difference.

What is the biggest difference between the two based on your experiences?

Having total control is obviously one of the most notable differences, which leads to the ability to practice with more focus and write whatever I want, even if it is stupid.

A lot of genres have been used to try to describe your music. How would you personally describe it?

Electronic dance production.

indie-pop-songwriter

with

dense

What do you hope people get out of your music both through the lyrics and the instrumentation?

I hope people have a good time with my music – whether it be dancing to the grooves, resonating with the philosophical vignettes, getting down with the harmonies, or making fun of my voice.

There must always be a person in the audience who has never heard your music at your shows. How does it feel knowing your music is constantly being discovered and what do you hope they take away from your concerts?

I always hope that people enjoy what they hear, have an amazing time, and come out to my next show!

What is your go to thing that you get your most inspiration from?

I feel like reading popular science and science fiction is where I garner a lot of ideas and creative energy. That being said, I listen to lots of music, everything from Paul Simon to Lucy (dark, arty techno) to Clasixx.

Your father is a drummer and you studied drumming during college. How has both helped you in your own journey of becoming a professional musician and how do they still affect you today?

Drumming is the basis of my musicianship, and the sort of structured thinking, practice, and ability to have my body “feel� the music a certain way plays heavily into how I write, perform, and produce. My dad is the person who basically introduced me to music and was a major advocate for my pursuing it as a career.

What is the biggest change that you have seen in the music industry from when you started until now?

Spotify and other streaming apps and the like have changed the industry in a lot of ways, but I think the biggest change is that the rate of change and genre turnover seems a lot faster than it used to be. You always have to be thinking about how you want to innovate; otherwise you could be lost in the shuffle.

PHOTO: Tarina Doolittle INTERVIEW & Medina STORY: Daisy Marietta PHOTOS: Jon INTERVIEW: Tamara Fuentes

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HOME: New York, NY NOW JAMMING: “Be Okay” from With Love CURRENTLY: On tour with American Authors 30 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET

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WHEN TWO PEOPLE GET TOGETHER

to make music, they must be in sync with each other. No two people seem to be more in tune with each other’s musically talented souls than Oh Honey’s members, Danielle Bouchard and Mitchy Collins. More than a year before the duo began making music together, Collins was on the “hunt for a missing link” when he met Bouchard through mutual friends in New York City. A friend of Collins thought the two would make a good pair and thus, Oh Honey was born.

The single, “Be Okay,” off their EP With Love via Fueled

By Ramen/Atlantic Records, has been getting much appreciated hype after being featured on the hit FOX TV show, Glee. Bouchard said when the episode premiered the two had a huge party and popped champagne.

“It was crazy to know that million of people were watching at the same time that we were hearing our song,” Bouchard said. “It’s a great feeling.”

The two have more than enough to be just okay about; Oh Honey recently signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and is expecting to jump into the studio soon. Collins said he hopes it will be out by the early part of 2015. Even with a song on Glee, a newly signed record contract, and an upcoming tour with their friends and Highlight vets American Authors, the two are still humble with their everyday victories.

“One of our songs recently popped out in a commercial I heard for the first time the other day and all of sudden I heard my voice coming from the TV and I was like ‘that’s me! That’s so weird!!’ Bouchard said. “I was a waitress before then and the day I went to my job and said, ’Hey guys, not coming to work next week, I signed a record deal today!’ was a crazy moment. Just knowing everything we worked on was finally coming true.”

In retrospect, the cheerful duo has heard the word “no” more times than they can remember to almost everything they’ve done. Collins said he remembers dodging eviction notices and barely having any money to eat, but he never gave up.

“To getting through that and still persevering and making sure this band happened is definitely a big struggle for me,” Collins said. “The dream that I’m living is like the dream I’ve always wanted. I get to play music every night, I get to write songs and not worry about everything else and I’m able to pay the bills.”

Currently, Oh Honey has been tour for the past six months on four different tours and they are about to embark on another tour with American Authors. They both said they enjoy the “big party” of being on tour, especially with bands they’re friends with.

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“We were always [saying], ‘Ah we wish it could be longer!’

Now it’s cool that we get to tour with them again, it’s like the second part,” Bouchard said.

As for their secret pre-show ritual, the duo has stayed true to their word and will never tell. Although, Bouchard has some personal rituals of her own: “I swear I’m so addicted to chap stick! I also drink a ton of water. Then we do our secret ritual and I am ready to hit the stage!”

Overcoming struggles seems to be the frontrunner of Oh Honey’s music; the two have said the lyrics come from life experience. Collins said the two put their hearts “on the table” and try to “keep the songs as honest as possible.”

Bouchard explained that the lyrics are from speaking the truth in all forms. She has been performing her whole life whether it was music or acting, she never gave up, even when she had to hear the word “no.”

“You know you do all these things, you try and you keep trying,” Bouchard explained. “Eventually you hear a ‘yes’ and it is the greatest feeling in the world.”

Even with all of their victories in the music industry, nothing is more rewarding to the duo than being a positive influence to people. Collins said fans are the people who bring the music to life and without them the two would just be faceless songs with no ambition.

“We get a lot of comments, especially about ‘Be Okay,’ about people who hears it and it helps them to go through hard times in their life,” Bouchard explained. “You know that’s so rewarding. Like somebody’s mom had cancer and she listened to the song and it made her feel happy. Those are just the best feeling in the world, there’s nothing better than hearing that kind of story.”

Oh Honey is set to kick off their fall tour with American Authors October 31, which will run for three weeks. As for their dream performances, Bouchard said her dream duet would be to sing “Dreams” with Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. For Collins, he said he’d love to play “I’m On Fire” with Bruce Springsteen – although, the two already seem to be content with their current dreams of being a part of Oh Honey.

“I remember being young and being 16 or 17 years old and it’s crazy how your dreams change when you grow older,” Collins said. “I remember being a kid and be like ‘Oh man, I wanna be a millionaire, I wanna be super famous,’ those were my dreams! You know all this stuff is pretty cool and nice but now the dream that I’m living is like the dream I’ve always wanted.”

PHOTOS: Charlie Martel INTERVIEW & STORY: Bridjet Mendyuk

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HOME: Manchester, England NOW JAMMING: “Wait On Me” CURRENTLY: About to start the European leg of their tour

EACH SUMMER BRINGS A BUMPER

crop of boy bands. In dashing haircuts and clothes far from the usual band tees and jeans, they crowd the airwaves and magazines. Manchester’s Rixton, less boy and more band, is a welcome change to the genre. Baring more likeness to Maroon 5 than One Direction, the quartet is Scooter Braun’s latest project. Braun, known for bringing Justin Bieber to the masses, also discovered Rixton via YouTube.

Under the name Relics, the band covered songs by the likes of Rita Ora, Chris Brown and Sisqo. One of the videos, now buried in band’s revamped Vevo/YouTube hybrid account, features band members Jake Roche, Charley Bagnall, Lewi Morgan and Danny Wilkin barechested, barely fitting on frame. They break into the opening line of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, before jump cutting to their cover of Usher’s Numb. Two years later the band, renamed Rixton, is selling out venues across the US. Roche, who sings lead vocals, recalls their early days, “Personally I love the ‘Thong Song’. It’s a really cool jam and people took to it well. It kind of surprised a lot of people, which we liked.” Morgan, the band’s drummer, preferred R Kelly’s “Ignition,” citing it as “an old school favorite.” Despite their success and busy schedule, the band still takes time to record covers. Recently they have done Ariana Grande’s “Problem” as well as a mash up of Route 94’s “My Love.” The initial videos are what sparked Braun’s interest enough to ring the band’s space in London.

“We were in a studio in London, weren’t we?

We just got a phone call out of the blue and we had no luck at the time, so it felt incredible,” Wilkin recalls. Braun’s influence has since brought the band to radio fame and their single “Me and My Broken Heart” has gone platinum in the US. Morgan and the rest of the boys agreed wholeheartedly that “going platinum” and being “#1 in the US” has been a highlight of their career so far. If selling over 1,000,000 copies is only a highlight, what is the dream like for Rixton? Jokingly, Wilkin said, “buying my own island” whereas Bagnall aimed for a more achievable goal, admitting that “selling out MSG” would be real proof that they were living the dream. For now, the band will have to settle for back-to-back tours across the US and UK as well as countless TV spots and interviews.

Their recent Broken Heart Tour has awoken the boys of Rixton to the harsh realities of touring. Rixton traversed the country this summer, playing shows in Boston, New York, DC, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and other cities in quick succession, accompanied by the American rapper T. Mills. Given the chance to tour with anyone dead or alive, Morgan admitted, “I’m not sure we’d fit the genre, but Nirvana” would be his choice. Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Sting and Bono also surfaced as possible tour mates.

While Bagnall conceded that “having a headline tour in the US is pretty rewarding,” the young band still has much to learn about life on the road. Unanimously, the four band members all agreed, “laundry is by far the worst bit.” Morgan noted, “the ability to wash clothes is very limited.” Neither band member was a fan of the long drives characteristic of lengthy tours across the US either.

The band embarks shortly on the European leg of their tour.

Reflecting on their time stateside, Roche confessed that when it comes to touring the US the “best part is seeing all the fans and visiting this incredible country and the worst part is going home.” Bagnall chimed into to say, “Leaving home and not being able to see family” were also two hardships the band faced while on the road. However, as Morgan pointed out, “We’ve got each other.”

PHOTOS: Cara Bahniuk INTERVIEW & STORY: Zoe Marquedant

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HOME: Brooklyn, NY NOW JAMMING: “Best Day of My Life” off of Oh, What a Life CURRENTLY: On tour!

IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD THE SONG

“Best Day of My Life” by breakout band American Authors playing on the radio or in your local shopping center, then you’ve most likely been living as a physical and musical recluse for the last year. Starting out as college dropouts turned starving artists in Brooklyn, New York, turned charttopping indie-rock band, American Authors have finally found themselves in the midst of platinum level success in mainstream music.

The New York rockers, singer Zac Barnett, guitarist James Shelley, bassist Dave Rublin and drummer Matt Sanchez may consider Brooklyn to be their home base, but the band’s origins stretch back to more colligate beginnings at a certain music school in Boston, Massachusetts. Starting off as individual students already budding with a passion for music, the four proved that together they could push themselves to the next level.

“None of us grew up in Brooklyn. We actually grew up in all different places,” explained Barnett, “we all met in college at Berklee Collage of Music in Boston.”

While still in school the guys formed what is now American Authors as a band under the name of The Blue Pages. The band found themselves struggling to make a real name

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for themselves and not too long after meeting and forming the band, they found that the college scene wasn’t quite working for them either.

“We all met in 2007 and then we all dropped out in 2009 and decided to take our music to Brooklyn and we moved in about 2010,” Barnett gave as a timeline.

Leaving school to pursue a risky dream is never really a choice taken lightly, but these boys seemed to ready to take on the full consequences of this decision. Despite the hardships that life would through their way including losing jobs and struggling financially, the band kept each other going on a few core principles.

“We’ve all known that music is what we wanted to do from a super young age,” said Barnett. “It was such an uphill battle and it still is to a certain degree and it’s just putting your all into it. That’s what it is, just fighting for what you believe in and really never giving up… that’s kind of where we’ve always come together is not giving up.”

As for the name change, the band decided to go with the more descriptive and meaningful American Authors. The name is more fitting for a group of dedicated songwriters who want nothing more than to share their experiences in life.

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“An author, what it means is it’s not necessarily someone who writes a book or a novel, but someone who tells a story from written words. And we consider ourselves authors because we tell our stories,” described Barnett.

After a few years of struggling to get by in New York the band wrote and recorded the tracks “Believer” and “Best Day of My Life.” Both tracks garnered the band some airplay and online traffic and ultimately got them noticed by and signed with the major label, Island Records. Now with Island, the band released a self titled EP featuring the previously mentioned tracks and in March of this year the band released their full length debut Oh, What a Life.

Since the album’s release, the band has received growing attention and more than a little air play.

“It’s been pretty awesome. It’s like this whole thing happened pretty quickly,” expressed Barnett, “we only had our first two singles out, ‘Best Day’ and ‘Believer,’ and we kind of rode those for a while and then we released the EP and now that the full length is out it’s just been gradually climbing and it’s been pretty amazing.”

With their new album the band brings a satisfying mix of Americana, alt rock and indie pop with equally refreshing optimism. Although there is much more to this collection of songs than a listener may be able to gather on a single listen.

It seems to be the upbeat and positive message of this record that has the critics and fans really talking, for better or for worse. The album certainly doesn’t suffer from a dull or truly gloomy moment, but there is certainly something more personal under the supposed optimism here.

“A lot of this album was written when we had nothing and when our music career was nothing and we were just these broke musicians with a dream living in ghetto Brooklyn, New York, and it’s kind of the position of life’s not perfect; you have to give up things to be able to get things and that’s what it is,” described Barnett. “A lot of the songs on this album are about sacrifices that we’ve made to pursue our dreams and going after our passions and our goals in life…a lot of people can relate to that no matter what they’re doing.”

The album’s ability to be relatable most likely stems from the bits of honesty that are laced throughout the record. This is most strongly noticed in tracks like “Luck”, which is about facing the reality that you will probably disappoint those around you when putting all bets aside and “making your own luck” in life. This honesty is what often makes for the brightest points on the record.

“Obviously everything we’re saying in our music is true and it’s true stories that we’ve all gone through, but it’s always really great to see how the audience, how the listeners HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 41

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T A H T N W O O T N D K E T L L N A A E W V ’ E W WE E T G A A H G W N S I U C O I Y R E MUS P U S A M O R DO F depict the songs and how they can put their own scenarios into the music,” said Barnett.

so it’s definitely huge and we love doing contests, we love meeting our fans and talking with them online.”

On this album the band not only exposed their personal hopes and aspirations, but their skills as competent and melodic songwriters as well. In the process of making Oh, What a Life the band incorporated a multitude of different styles from the poppy synths to the bluegrass style banjos, even learning several new instruments just to be able to add such musical depth.

Despite all these amazing accomplishments many bands and artists would still probably feel like it’s not enough.

American Authors are mostly just grateful, although there are no intentions to halt their increasing momentum.

“What’s special with our album Oh, What a Life is we try not to box ourselves in to any specific genre or ‘we’re going to be this type of rock music and that’s it,’” explained Barnett. “With this album we just tried to just add as many of our influences and different sounds that we wanted to try.”

In the last year the band have been tackling a hefty schedule.

From late night show appearances on shows like The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman to non-stop touring including a recent stint with the likes of One Republic and The Script to even an upcoming headlining slot on this fall’s Honda Civic Tour. None of this though stops the band from giving their all at every opportunity.

“Every night we just come give every show 110% and just treat every show like it’s going to be someone’s first show out in the audience or it could be someone’s last show,” Barnett spoke of the band’s performance philosophy.

With the band’s growing success comes a growing number of fans and that relationship is not belittled in any way. The fans and their ability to perceive and react to these stories that American Authors is telling is something that the band seems to appreciate, and the band sees connecting with them as an essential part of being in band in the modern world.

“Fan involvement, especially nowadays with social media and everything, is so important. The format has completely changed and it’s turned into this thing where it’s such a necessity to allow others into your life and into your career

“I think right now we’re just having fun touring and just seeing the audiences grow is really amazing,” Barnett said of his appreciation of the band’s success. “We’re always writing and we’re always still trying to accomplish the best songs we can possibly write and performing to as many people as possible.”

American Authors have paved quite a journey for themselves. Starting at the bottom with just a spark of hope to reaching an unimaginable high in their career in a rather short period of time, American Authors certainly have a story worth telling and worth hearing. For a band that still has so much room to grow and so much more to aspire to, it’s actually quite humbling to see them so content with what they’ve managed to achieve.

“Even just being here and being out and being on tour with One Republic and The Script and knowing that we’re going into a dope headlining tour in the fall with Honda Civic, that’s also sweet too,” expressed Barnett. “I think it’s just about being grateful for everything that comes to you every day.”

As far as this band is concerned, they have nowhere to go but up, but all in all it seems in their minds that they’ve already “made it.” That is pretty inspiring in itself. Barnett summed their feelings up pretty well: “Right now we’re living the dream, definitely living the dream.”

PHOTOS: Cara Bahniuk INTERVIEW: Jenn Stookey STORY: Annette Schaeffer

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TOUR ROUND UP

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P PHOTO: Charlie Martel

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PHOTO: Cara Bahniuk

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a Bahniuk PHOTO: Car

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PHOTO: Cara Bahniuk

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album

reviews ARTIST

Alt-J

ALBUM

This Is All Yours RATING

SOUNDS LIKE Wild Beasts Hot Chip Everything Everything RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Arrival in Nara” “Every Other Freckle” “Intro” TRACKS 1

Intro

2

Arrival in Nara

3

Nara

4

Every Other Freckle

5

Left Hand Free

6

Garden of England

7

Choice Kingdom

8

Hunger Of The Pine

9

Warm Foothills

10

The Gospel Of John Hurt

11

Pusher

RELEASE DATE September 22nd, 2014

WEBSITE altjband.com

English rock band alt-J’s highly anticipated sophomore album This Is All Yours is an enchanting musical adventure that will leave you tantalized. The band brings back their intriguing blend of genres, but with a much more organic feel. This Is All Yours opens with “Intro”. Drummer Thom Green’s love of the cowbell sound is endearing especially when it is combined with Joe Newman’s seductive vocals. But it is the shift from heartwarming folk to a texture filled electrifying vibrant swoon. It is these moments of eloquence that add to the thrill of This Is All Yours.

The next track on the album, “Arrival In Nara”, completely blew me away. The sobering song is bare and vulnerable. The raw soft guitar and piano accompaniment is like a palate cleaner, but for the mind. The refreshing simplicity is like chicken soup for the soul. “Arrival In Nara” also builds beautifully to the even moodier “Nara”.

The story continues, in the dark fiction of misery alt-J has constructed. “Nara” is much harsher musically with chords that cut like shards of glass.

The album moves to single “Every Other Freckle”, which could have easily been a standard modern indie rock song before alt-J warped the song with their devious magic. “Every Other Freckle”, like most other alt-J songs, has an ironic and playful quality to it. How the band was able to sneak a flute melody and make an unsettling, slightly off-key synth line extremely groovy two-thirds way into the song, will forever remain a mystery to me.

This Is All Yours is a triumphant, mature, picturesque and bittersweet explosion of creativity. Though This Is All Yours lacks the radio friendly punch An Awesome Wave did, the album is still innovative. The big unconceivable question left is, what in the world does alt-J have in store for their third album?

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REVIEW: Theresa Pham

ARTIST American

Hi-Fi ALBUM Blood & Lemonade As a band who found their beginnings in the late ’90s, it’s no surprise that American Hi-Fi have always held on to that turn of the century pop punk sound that’s somewhat difficult to find now among all the up-and-coming bands of 2014. Their fifth album, and first material since 2010, Blood & Lemonade is their way of showcasing that they can kick it just as well as the rookies, if not better.

The band just released a music video for the single off the album, “Golden State” and it is a guaranteed anthem. Upon listening to it you’ll find that it’s nothing short of amazing. American Hi-Fi’s style when it comes to melodies and song-writing have remained consistent over the years, but they still manage to keep things interesting and impress more and more with every record they release. The track, “Allison” is a clear indication of that, with monumental guitar riffs and a tune that’s reminiscent of a Foo Fighters song.

“Killing Time” is a slightly heavier number, with more punk over pop, but that doesn’t stop it from being incredibly catchy - in fact, it just shows how versatile a band American Hi-Fi really are. “Carry The Sorrow” reverts back to the theme of songs sounding like they belong on a ’90s teen movie soundtrack, complete with a huge chorus, and the record is rounded off with “No Ordinary Life”, a track that is considerably more gentle than it’s predecessors, and perfect for the slow dance scene of a punk rock prom - I.E. a brilliant way to finish of what is another great record from the Boston quartet.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Golden State” and “Carry The Sorrow” REVIEW Madison Convey ARTIST Hostage

Calm ALBUM Die On Stage Hostage Calm’s style is difficult to match. The unconventional combination of traditional 60’s pop and punk rock riffing gives the band a sound unlike any other.

The album comes out swinging with opener “When You Know,” diving head first into a track filled with a sense of clinging to the fleeting world around us, embracing all that we know in fears of losing it. Die On Stage digs its roots deeper on its second track and single, “A Thousand Miles Away From Here”, which returns to Hostage Calm’s punk roots. Gang vocals and hard-hitting melodies will have concertgoers grabbing for the microphone at shows.

The magic of Die On Stage is found in Hostage Calm’s ability to create such strong, fast-paced tracks while instilling elements of emo, ’60s rock and the crooning of vocalist, Chris Martin. At it’s core, is an honest portrait of growing up in America, a whirlwind where powerful moments is rush by us every second, yet we hold to the dreams of a future generation and the reservation of what’s in store down the road. Mixing early pop influences with modern rock, Die On Stage makes for a benchmark in the band’s career.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “A Thousand Miles Away From Here” & “Raised” REVIEW Nick Yacovazzi

ARTIST Lights ALBUM

Little Machines Canadian electro pop queen, Lights, is about to take the scene by storm again with the upcoming release of her newest album, Little Machines. Recorded during her pregnancy, Little Machines is a big step from the previous, Siberia, showing a more mature Lights while keeping the signature energy.

The album’s first two singles are the perfect examples to display the album’s diversity and what Lights is capable of. The first, “Portal”, a slower and more serious song, shows off a more developed singer, with more mature style and lyrics. While the second, “Up We Go” is the epitome of the energy and vibe we’ve come to love from Lights. A positive and upbeat song, lyrics include “Always darker days before brighter ones”, as well as “From down this low, it’s only up we go”.

“I just have to say how proud I am of this record, and how excited I am for you all to digest it. It’s been such a journey and I couldn’t be more thankful for you guys supporting me every step of the way.” The singer recently shared on her Facebook page. Little Machines is currently available for pre-order and you can step into the Portal on September 23rd.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Up We Go,” “How We Do It” & “Meteorites” REVIEW Rebecca Del Castillo

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