Issue #36

ISSUE 36

HIGHLIGHT

MAGAZINE

UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS – KNUCKLE PUCK – COMEBACK KID – TWIN ATLANTIC & MORE

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editor-in-chief jenn stookey co-founder – art director cara bahniuk

IGHLIGH

co-founder – photographer ashley osborn managing editor jessica klinner online editor nick yacovazzi copy editor courtney dondelinger digital marketing olivia adams co-founder mckenzie hughes design assistant kara smarsh contributing photographers

cara bahniuk, demi cambridge, jordan fischels, charlie martel, savana ogburn, ashley osborn, heather phillips, sam polonsky, sam roenfeldt, nicole fara silver and kara smarsh

contributing writers (online & publication)

haley black, jennifer boylen, geoff burns, haley buske, colleen casey, rebecca del castillo, madison convey, ally fisher, trevor figge, tamara fuentes, annette hansen, jessica klinner, catt kruger, jordyn lockwood, daisy marietta, zoe marquedant, bridjet mendyuck, theresa pham, christina santamaria, alyssa schmidt, nick yacovazzi and bailey zeigler

digital marketing team

geoff burns, tim mcgovern, megan shea and catie suliga

news posters

tegan burkhard, caroline hall, michelle loebsack, samia mirza and sarah akomanyi

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

thank you zola jesus, jennifer jones, high res pr, adam elmakias, kelly mason, the catalyst publicity group, victory records, earshot media, carolyn snell, inertia music, secret service pr, brixton agency, 8123, kill brand, and everyone who has supported us and believed in us month after month. thank you!

_________________________ 06 zola jesus kara smarsh

07 until the ribbon breaks charlie martel

twin atlantic cara bahniuk

knuckle puck ashley osborn

comeback kid alexey makhov

kids maysa askar

the shadowboxers sam polonsky

london grammar charlie martel

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february

05 this or that 08 clothing highlight 11 label highlight 12 venue highlight 14 highlighted artists 15 film highlight 16 industry highlight 20 kids 24 the shadowboxers 26 until the ribbon breaks 30 knuckle puck 34 comeback kid 38 twin atlantic 44 zola jesus 54 tour round up passenger rise against london grammar 60 reviews

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THIS

OR

THAT

67%

33%

MEGHAN TRAINOR

34%

66%

TOVE LO

VANCE JOY

12%

88%

HOZIER

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ZOLA JESUS 44

TWIN ATLANTIC 36

COMEBACK KID 22

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THE SHADOWBOXERS 40

26 UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS

28 KNUCKLE PUCK

32 KIDS

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18 TOUR ROUND UP

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STAFF Jonny Smith (Founder) Matty Trobin (Designer) CFO (Nico Tramontana)

LOCATION NJ and Los Angeles, CA

WEBSITE killbrand.com

HOW DID KILL BRAND BEGIN?

In 2001, musician Jonny Smith created Kill Brand. While on tour in the band [Tokyo Rose], he ran into a problem – no clean t-shirts. With a hot pink T-shirt and black spray paint, Jonny randomly graffitied K-I-L-L across the front of the T, and took the stage. This fresh trend took fans by storm. Before long Jonny was designing, spray-painting, and selling his T’s out of the back of the tour van. As demand grew, he invested in a screen-printing machine that was used in his studio apartment to keep up with demand. Jonny personally screen-printed every item by hand with his signature, KILL. Kill Brand’s notoriety grew as Jonny left the band and pursued promoting the apparel at music festivals across the U.S. Now Kill Brand designs are sold at over 400 retail stores worldwide including Kitson and Zumiez. KillBrand’s higher end products are also featured in Showroom 605 in Los Angeles and Money Matters NYC. WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR BRAND REPRESENTS?

Rebelling against conformity and being unique.

WHY DID YOU START YOUR BRAND?

While I was in bands and I had an idea, I had to get it approved by multiple people. This brand gave me the opportunity to make my own decisions and take the reins of creative control and see where they led me.

THREE PERSONAL FAVORITE DESIGNS?

Fuck everything This design encompasses what we are all about. Let go of conformity and stand on the frontier of individuality.

That’s the mantra: FUCK EVERYTHING. Snuggle is real The design is something that you would find in a consignment shop or your grandmother’s closet, but is a play on the struggle is real. Just a reminder not to take anything too seriously.

Leather Jacket The leather jacket is a staple in everyone’s closet. Whether you want to be James Dean lady-killer, the Fonze cool guy, the Joan Jett tough rock chick or just stay warm, the leather jacket will always be in style. The inside lining is covered with our fuck everything mantra reminding [you to] let go and be yourself.

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE CHECK OUT YOUR BRAND?

We put a lot of thought into our final designs. We like to have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously and it shows in our designs. Show your personality by what you wear. Don’t be afraid to be different. f /killbrandapparel t @killbrand i @killbrand HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 9

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YOU MAY WANT TO LISTEN TO...

The summer of 1989 was a big time for Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan’s lives. This is when they formed the band Superchunk and also started up Merge Records in Chapel Hill, N.C. Bedrooms were used as the headquarters, and they got by with the help of friends. Things started taking off for them come 1992 with their first full-length release when Superchunk released Tossing Seeds on CD, LP, and cassette. Since then, they have worked with many artists such as Arcade Fire, Spoon, She & Him and have just celebrated their 25th birthday this past year.

“While our roster has changed, rotated, permutated and expanded over the last 25 years, the quality we look for in records as fans is still there in the music we put out.” The current lineup on this label has ones to definitely check out. Here are a few:

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL The small town of Ruston, La. brought us a big name with Neutral Milk Hotel.

Formed in the late 1980s by front man Jeff Magnum, this band is still capturing people’s attention with their experimental sounds and instrumentation. Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 release In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a favorite of many with inspiring lyrics and sounds. After a great amount of steady touring and performing shows, they announced a 2015 tour that they said would be their last for now. So if you have not seen this band live, this April will be your last chance.

Don’t miss out!

Listen to: “Two Headed Boy”

TWERPS Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, this foursome is making a name for themselves in the indie-pop scene. Having toured with bands such as Deerhunter and The Black Lips, they are traveling not only in their home country, but all across the U.S. Twerps signed with Merge in 2014 releasing an eight song EP, Underlay.

Their second album, Range Anxiety, was just released in January 2015 and is worth giving a listen.

Listen To: “Back To You”

WAXAHATCHEE One of Merge Records’ most recent additions is Waxahatchee, an indie musical project by the incredibly talented Katie Crutchfield. The name of this project came from Waxahatchee Creek, Ala., not far from where Crutchfield was born and raised. 2015 is full of excitement for her, with the release of her brand new album, Ivy Tripp, out April 7th, and tours lined up in the U.S., Canada, Europe and U.K. “Air,” a song off her new album, can be streamed online giving fans a preview of what’s to come.

Listen to: “Swan Dive”

WORDS: Colleen Casey

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VENUE HIGHLIGHT FIREBIRD - ST. LOUIS, MO HISTORY The Firebird located on Olive Street in Midtown St. Louis, Mo., opened in 2009, offering a stage for national touring acts and local bands alike. Over the years, the venue has proven to be a hot spot for many big name artists and comedians as well as still giving a healthy dose of the local scene.

WHY PLAY HERE? This is a super intimate venue with its own personal parking lot. This is the place to be if you’re hoping to get up close and personal and probably a little sweaty. A lot of the best shows in town are played here. It can be a very easygoing venue when the crowd is small with its full bar, seating and even a few pinball machines. When it’s packed, it becomes a chaotic space of energy and music.

t /firebirdstl f /firebirdstl

WWW

firebirdstl.com

FEBRUARY 6TH

FEBRUARY 9TH

FEBRUARY 10TH

FEBRUARY 12TH

Rusted Skin

Kina Grannis

Jonny Craig

Tory Lanez

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REVIEW: Annette Hansen

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HIGHLIGHTED

ARTISTS THE HEIRS

Location: Los Angeles, CA Current Single: “Alright, Goodnight!”

Members: Brandon Hudson – Vocals & Guitar, Savannah Hudson – Vocals, Eric Sampson – Synthesizer & Bass, Chase Meyer – Drums & Dan McMains – Guitar & Keyboard Los Angeles based brother/Sister duo, The Heirs, are a dynamic pair, complementing each other in personality, sound, and music. Starting at a young age, Brandon and Savannah Hudson have constantly worked together through dancing, writing sounds, and performing. The young duo’s independent and collaborative influences make for a tasty and catchy indiepop tune that has traveled across the US and beyond.

HISTORIES Location: Springfield, MO Current Single: “Turtle Doves” Post-rock outfit, Histories, are chasing their own legacy. the four-piece outfit from Springfield, MO captures the essences of mixing sad melodies with the intimate vocal style and lyrics of similar groups such as Brand New and Circa Survive. The group’s newest release, Fri(ends), is a powerful and well mastered EP.

VASSY Location: Worldwide Current Single: “Hustlin” with Crazibiza and Dave Audé & “Today” with Scooter and “Bad” with David Guetta & Showtek Worldwide artist, Vassy, is the queen of dance music.

Commanding her music with a warm, welcoming sound, Vassy’s music has made its way into dozens of TV and film placements. Including tracks in the 2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show. Vassy is also known to work with high profile artists such as David Guetta.

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WORDS: Nick Yacovazzi

HIGHLIGHTED

FILMS

WHIPLASH

Whiplash, named after the Hank Levy song of the same title, is a bit of an unexpected film. Watching the trailer, it seems, at a distance, like a feel-good movie in which the underdog triumphs in a trying environment. Whiplash opens on a young jazz drummer, played by Miles Teller, entering his first year at a music conservatory. He’s softspoken, slightly socially awkward, and when the daunting maestro of the upper level jazz group notices him, the audience is rooting for him to dazzle in his audition.

You would think that from there the aging mentor would take on the young student and the two will develop a tear jerking connection.

Wrong. Whiplash pits stubborn teacher against even more stubborn student. Teller’s character, Andrew Neiman, doesn’t fall so passively into the militantly ruled orchestra conducted by Terrance Fletcher, played by J. K. Simmons. They butt heads and verbally spar, exploding at one another in a way you wouldn’t expect from a student-teacher dynamic. The assumption is that the college-aged Neiman would cower in the shadow of the formidable maestro, but rather he meets Fletcher on the same verbally abusive level.

Fletcher rips into Neiman with comments like, “If you deliberately sabotage my band, I will gut you like a pig. Oh my dear God – are you one of those single tear people? You are a worthless pansy-ass who is now weeping and slobbering all over my drum set like a nine year old girl!” The biting comments are part of what make the film so great. The script is filled with these eloquent takedowns in which Fletcher is given free rein to destroy Neiman or other members of the orchestra. He plays this role of the formidable mentor to the hilt.

Teller stomachs the flack and curries enough sympathy throughout the short 106 minutes to have the audience rooting for him (sort of) by the end. At the same time, he isn’t as easily likable as you’d imagine a young doe-eyed musician to be. For the most part, Neiman stays at this touching level of driven and inspired, but he also seems at times kind of annoying. His need to take, or almost hog, the spotlight and move from the alternate to the “core” position is occasionally eye-roll worthy.

Neiman does redeem himself in some scenes, particularly those outside of the conservatory. There’s a moment, during a family dinner, in which Neiman’s snide side comes into full view, and his cheeky lines are some of the most memorable in the film.

When Neiman’s cousin, Travis, after being belittled for his budding football career, asks, “You think Carleton football’s a joke?

Come play with us.” Neiman haughtily answers, “Four words you will never hear from the NFL.” The exchange is one of the best in the movie, and the scene is one of my best written in the entire film.

Another memorable moment is between Neiman and Fletcher when they meet at a jazz club outside of school. Fletcher excuses his demeanor to Neiman. He recognizes his tendency to be harsh, but reminds Neiman that, “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job.” At this point, the audience sort of aligns to Fletcher’s philosophy, no matter how backwards it has come across over the course of the film. He has caused the young drummer months of agony and depression, in which Neiman has tried to vie for the top spot in the ensemble, but at the same time Fletcher is sort of justified in his approach.

After all, Neiman has become a better drummer, and in the end, isn’t that the goal?

When the stresses on Neiman start to show, this shifts, and the audience begins to wonder: Where is the line? Is there such a thing as too much? All the time Fletcher’s words, “If you want the f-ing part, earn it!” echo through the narrative, and his tough love approach is hard to disprove. This ability to keep the audience wondering whether to root for Fletcher verses Neiman or hope for a compromise, which at times seems impossible, is the film’s strength. As an audience member, you don’t know who you like or who you want to ‘win,’ and luckily, it’s easy to default to just listening to the music.

REVIEW: Zoe Marquedant

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INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

adam elmakias

NAME: Adam Elmakias LOCATION: San Diego, California JOB: Music Photographer

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Adam Elmakias isn’t a normal music photographer. With over 74,000 likes on his Facebook page and an extremely popular merch line, he’s a rockstar in his own right. But, here’s the thing: he’s actually a very normal guy, who just happens to have an extraordinary job. Whether he’s touring the country with bands like A Day To Remember and Pierce The Veil or at home in San Diego making YouTube videos with his cat Mark, Elmakias is the same fun-loving and energetic person all around. His job has not only allowed him to do what he loves and travel the world, but it has also given him the chance to influence others through his art—something he takes to heart. Recently, the notoriously bald-headed and big-eyed photographer took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his time in the music industry.

YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY A VERY POPULAR MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER. YOU’VE GOT 74,000 LIKES ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE. THAT’S AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT, MORE THAN A LOT OF BANDS HAVE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? ABOUT ALL THESE FANS THAT LOOK UP TO YOU AND WANT TO BUY YOUR PHOTOS AND MERCH? HOW DO YOU TAKE IT ALL IN AND PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE?

It’s really fun. It just keeps things so much more interesting and really allows me to do whatever I want with my career because they support me. It’s kind of like a band where they buy the merch, and support what they do, and tweet them and talk to them. The only difference is that I don’t make any music. I kind of just took the band’s model and did it for myself. I like being in control of everything. It’s more fun that way to me than working for a company or having a boss. I also really like working with younger people. I wish I had someone when I was a teen that was in their mid-20s who helped me out with life or just talked about stuff. I enjoy that aspect of it too. It’s fun for me to connect with people.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WERE STARTING OUT? A LOT OF PEOPLE NOW WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO EDIT PHOTOS AND EXACTLY WHAT SETTINGS TO PUT THEIR CAMERA ON. BUT FOR YOU WAS IT MORE TRIAL AND ERROR? JUST PLAYING AROUND?

I think a big mistake that a lot of people make when they’re starting out is they’re trying to figure out what they need to do to get somewhere. Like, ‘I need to do this, this and this to be a professional photographer.’ And really, it doesn’t always work like that. You just figure out what you enjoy doing at this current point in your life, whether it be photography or whatever, and then you do it in a way where you enjoy it, and you can get obsessed with it.

Then, no matter what you’re doing that involves it, you learn from that.

YOU WENT TO COLLEGE FOR A SEMESTER AND DECIDED IT WASN’T YOUR THING. THERE’S A LOT OF COLLEGES OUT THERE THAT OFFER PHOTOGRAPHY MAJORS, BUT YOU’RE LIVING PROOF THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A FORMAL EDUCATION TO BE A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHER, AND HAVE YOUR OWN BUSINESS, AND BRAND YOURSELF.

There’s just a different route for everybody, and I think that it’s important that if people do want to go to school, then they should go to school. I don’t want to ever discourage people from going to school if that’s the route they want to take, but I know for me that wasn’t the right route.

YOU STARTED AND BRANDED THE LENS BRACELET. WAS THAT YOUR FIRST BUSINESS ENDEAVOR YOU MADE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER? WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR THE LENS BRACELET COME FROM?

I made DVDs before that. I made t-shirts and things like that when I was like 16. I made the Lens Bracelet when I was like 21. That’s been like 4 years, and now I’ve made a lot of other merch and stuff. That was the first product I made that wasn’t really attached to my brand. It was supposed to be a business card actually. I made it as a personal business card, and people loved it so I just made a bunch of them and started selling them. It was kind of a smart accident.

ALL THE BANDS YOU’VE TOURED WITH LATELY (PIERCE THE VEIL, A DAY TO REMEMBER, ALL TIME LOW) HAVE HUGE, DEDICATED FAN BASES. WHAT’S IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE A MEDIATOR BETWEEN THE FANS AND THEIR FAVORITE BANDS?

It’s cool that it means a lot to the fans. It’s cool that they appreciate it, and they send me their thanks. I think that with Instagram being such a major part of people’s social activity that people really appreciate photographers more now than they ever did before or just [recognize] them. Ten years ago, I don’t think people really gave that much credit to photographers who do everything they do. I also don’t think many people were doing it.

WITH CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY BEING A CAREER THAT’S REALLY TAKING OFF, WHAT DO YOU DO OR TRY TO DO TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS?

I think that the second you start thinking about trying to separate yourself from others, that’s when it really becomes boring. I’m just doing me. Not to quote Drake or something, but I’m literally doing me. That separates me enough because there’s not anyone else that is me. If I just do what I enjoy and try new things and figure out stuff that’s fun and could be cool, I don’t really worry about separating myself. The only time I worry about it is when I look at other people’s work, I make sure that I’m looking at their stuff and not copying it. That was definitely a problem when I started. Not so much copying, but just trying to be like them when that’s just boring. I don’t think it’s really hard to separate yourself unless what you’re doing isn’t really you.

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INTRO & INTERVIEW: Jessica Klinner

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HOME: Ft. Lauderdale, FL NOW JAMMING: “Second Star on the Right” CURRENTLY: Just released their first full-length album Rich Coast

SOMETIMES FINDING YOURSELF IS

a long and treacherous journey, and sometimes it’s as easy as letting your spirits run free in the forests of Chattanooga, Tenn. Holding true to their name, the four members of KIDS did just that. In the trees and the mountains, Josiah Sampson, Joshua Diaz, Christian Gonzalez and Matt Barrios found exactly the feelings and sounds they wanted to capture on their first full-length album, Rich Coast.

Like many young band, KIDS got caught up in the industry game early in their career. The members willingly set aside their desires to appease those around them. The process left KIDS feeling jaded and stuck.

“A couple of years ago, we were all playing in a band together where we kind of lost that magic of what we loved to do and we were doing it for all the wrong reasons. It was for other people, it was for the industry, it was for our management, it was for anybody but ourselves,” Diaz described.

It didn’t take long for the guys to say enough was enough as they sat down and agreed that this wasn’t the path they wanted to continue down. They were done creating music for other people.

in Chattanooga, Tenn. in search of adolescence, in search of the creativity that seems to get lost in adulthood.

In the video “Trails to Tracks” capturing the bands retreat, the group quotes Pablo Picasso saying, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

“That quote really grabbed me when I read it. It really made sense to me in terms of growing up and losing that child-like state, where you questioned everything but you believed in everything. I think we lose that when we grow up, and I think it’s really important to us to kind of hone in on that perspective of writing. I think that when we came up with the concept of KIDS, that was a really important aspect of it, that desire for adolescence with a mature mindset,” Sampson explained.

In order to capture that sense of freedom and adventure in the music, the band felt that the openness and wildness of the woods would be the perfect environment to inspire that creativity. Cutting themselves off from the world, the members of KIDS lost themselves to that adventure.

Prior to the recently released Rich Coast, the band released their debut EP, Sink or Swim. With this first release, the band got a taste of what it was capable of when it put its creativity above ambition and of what was to come for the band.

“We needed to displace ourselves, we needed to put ourselves in an unfamiliar environment to where we didn’t have the waking and sleeping and stress of our normal day, the familiarities of to and from work and then trying to get into a creative mindset,” explained Sampson of the band’s desire to break free from routine to let their creativity breathe. “In the morning we would wake up and we would go and find waterfalls and find cliffs and we would literally just live, and we lived really loud at that point. We would come back at night and kind of let that translate through our fingertips and into the music and into the writing and the lyrics and the melodies.”

“[Sink or Swim] was actually the first time we ever had enough interest in our band for us not to be in the red financially. That was our ‘ah ha’ moment that playing music for ourselves and re-branding our motives actually caught on with people,” Diaz said.

The result of this release of child-like spirit is the bands new full-length record Rich Coast. KIDS succeeds in making an album, bursting with sweet melodies and childish wonder, that reminds listeners of times where they felt adventurous and full of curiosity.

With the success of the EP, the band decided it was time to take its “next step” and go for a full-length record. In preparation for the album, the band agreed to take a leap of faith, forcing itself out into the wild to find child-like freedom and creativity. KIDS took a retreat to the Appalachian Trail

With this new album the band really pushed for a record that would play with emotions. Rather than just telling a story, Rich Coast makes you feel that story.

“A kid goes outside to play baseball, not for who’s watching, but because he likes to play baseball. The irony is once we started doing that with our music that’s when people actually started caring,” Diaz explained.

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“We had one song that we started writing on this record

before we wrote most of the rest of it, and we looked at the song and it made us just feel something. So we said ‘Let’s go somewhere that looks and feels like this song so we can write 11 more like it,’” Diaz said.

KIDS doesn’t want to aim for fans to feel anything in particular with this new work; they just hope that when people listen they just feel something— that would be their mission accomplished.

“I love the mystery in song writing. I love being able to make my own story,” Sampson explained.

With their adventures in Tennessee coming to fruition in the

form of their new album, the band feels complete in their mission to create authentic music that they love and that will also inspire listeners.

“I think it’s finally come full circle. We started playing music together for fun, we lost that a little bit along the way trying to play music for others or to get signed or whatever. It’s finally come back around and we’re playing music for our likeness. With these guys, we’re just friends that so happen to play music with each other.”

PHOTOS: Maysa Askar INTERVIEW & STORY: Annette Hansen

HOME: Nashville, TN NOW JAMMING: “Sidewalks” CURRENTLY: Recording a new album, recently re-located to Nashville 24 - HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET

PHOTOS: Sam Polonsky INTERVIEW & STORY: Haley Buske

“IF NASHVILLE’S A STAGE-FIVE

clinger, that sounds great!” quipped Matt Lipkins, keyboardist and vocalist of the soul-pop band the Shadowboxers.

Originally from Atlanta, Ga., this talented group of guys just relocated to Nashville, Tn., where they are quickly making a name for themselves with their intricate harmonies and killer dance moves. These troubadours of soul are bringing back the classic ’70s funk sound with their own soul-pop twist, and Nashville can’t get enough. They are Music City’s new, best-kept secret that’s about to get out for the rest of the world to hear.

Not too many people can say that Justin Timberlake came to see them in concert in the middle of his sold out arena tour.

Nor can many people say that Timberlake’s own Regiment Horns joined them on the stage for the same show. In fact, if you had told the Shadowboxers that a year ago, they probably wouldn’t have believed you. The band, comprised of Lipkins, front human Adam Hoffman (guitar and vocals) and Scott Schwartz (guitar and vocals), formed in 2008 as sophomores at Emory University. For years, the band hit the pavement hard seeking out every opportunity they could find—from touring with the Indigo Girls to starting a kick-starter campaign to getting their first album recorded.

However, it wasn’t until the very end of 2013 that their hard work paid off in big way when the man himself, Justin Timberlake, tweeted a video of their “Pusher Love Girl” cover.

“We didn’t have a lot going for us at the time. We had put out our first record and it had made a very minor splash, and we had finished touring with the Indigo Girls at that point. If nothing else, it was encouragement that we were doing what we were supposed to be doing,” Hoffman recalled. The momentum from the “Pusher Love Girl” tweet and Timberlake’s continued support with a tweet-nod from Pharrell Williams put the Shadowboxers in high gear for 2014.

With renewed determination, the band started exploring a new direction, transitioning from a band of three distinctive writers to a more cohesive soul-pop sound. With inspirations from Stevie Wonder to D’Angelo to Michael Jackson, it finds its foundation in the groove and the voices. With smooth guitar riffs and a ridiculously pocketed rhythm section, the Shadowboxers stay true to classic soul music. Known for their tight harmonies and infectious energy on stage, the Shadowboxers are on the forefront of the new movement away from the indie folk-pop scene to the up-and-coming beat-driven, soulful pop scene.

Creating this smooth blend, reminiscent of the Motown magic with pop roots, turned out to be a natural move for the Shadowboxers. As a band, they stumbled upon their new sound very organically. It’s what they listen to—in the car, on the road. When they started opening up newer songs to interpretation by their rhythm section, Carlos Enamorado on bass and Cole McSween on drums, the

sound quickly sprung to life as the soul-pop it is now. A generally intimidating genre with so many legends to live up to, the Shadowboxers seem to have found their pocket, their groove.

As guitarist and vocalist Schwartz humbly joked, “We’re also just the right amount of stupid or something so that we can aim for these genres and try to do them like we’re not aware of how good the songs we’re trying to emulate are.”

As nonchalant as these guys are, they seem to making a pretty big splash in the music world.

Not only have they grown into their sound in 2014, but they’ve also crafted a polished, class-act kind of a show.

Walking into a Shadowboxers’ concert is like walking into a full blast dance party, where the crowd ranges from your college friends to your mom. The guys, dressed in full suits, keep it fresh with synchronized dances moves of their own creation as they sing their all until the last note fades. This classic return to Jackson 5-esque era plays perfectly on their new old-school sound, setting them apart from most of the R&B pop bands out there.

With the rise of soulful pop music and the Shadowboxers’ success, it only made sense for the band to move to Music City, USA. Now, they are closer to their team and remain in talks of a potential artist development deal.

“The move is just us sort of going along with the serendipity of this year and the flow. Our managers are here, [and] we have agents here. All these people that we’re working with are in Nashville,” Lipkins mused.

Alongside their recent relocation to Nashville, there’s been a certain sense of curiosity in the air. After a year of revamping their sound and their image, the question of involvement with Justin Timberlake remains. “He’s a supporter and a fan and that’s all we got for you right now, but that, in and of itself, is amazing, and we are very grateful,” Hoffman commented.

2014 was a year of surprises and big, career-shaping decisions for the guys in the Shadowboxers. As they venture into 2015, they are looking to finally release the sound they’ve been cultivating over the past year. Presently, the Shadowboxers have written and demoed over 50 songs.

Now, it’s a matter of picking the best of the best for this new album.

“We really honed in on a groove type of thing with the songs we’re writing right now, and I think that’s the kind of album we’re going to make. It’s really letting us throw a party at live shows,” Hoffman said.

With Nashville at their front doorstep, the excitement is building to see what this talented, young pop-soul band has to bring to the ever-bustling music city scene and what they will contribute to the soul-pop comeback.

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HOME: Cardiff, Britain NOW JAMMING: “Revolution Indifference” feat. Run The Jewels CURRENTLY: Finishing a tour with London Grammar

IT CAN TAKE YEARS OF PREPARATION

and build up for a band to land a slot playing an arena tour, but Until The Ribbon Breaks (UTRB), a trio from Cardiff, U.K., put on their very first live performance in front of thousands. James Gordon, Peter Lawrie Winfield and Elliot Wall skipped the basement shows, the bar scene and intimate venues all together to open for the teen-queen herself, Lorde, on a string of U.S. dates in fall of 2013.

Sharing the same label and having connections were positive variables that led them to be apart of such an incredible opportunity, but the uniqueness of their sound and production were ultimately what caught the eyes and ears of music executives.

“We were in the thick of that and we were talking to our managers and working out what we were going to do with this live show and this was kind of just jokingly talked about. Then the next thing we know, everyone was up for it and all the right people liked the music and the experience itself,” Gordon said.

Opening for a worldwide sensation such as Lorde is intimidating within itself, but without ever performing for more than just close friends, UTRB were embarking on something that would undoubtedly be exhilarating and possibly a little terrifying. At first, they didn’t even know how they were going to reconstruct their songs for a venue setting but were up to the challenge and have since used the momentous occasion to learn from and perfect their live shows today. They went from being strictly recording musicians to performing musicians with an aesthetic onstage appearance that will leave audiences— past, present and future— completely entranced.

“It was kind of like making the album again but in reverse, like dissecting the record. We pulled apart the music, and when we made the record, there was no thoughts to how this would work live, how many people would we need to play this, who would play what, how would we tackle these vocal arrangements, all these kinds of things. So it was really a fun couple of months where we would just rehearse and rehearse, and try to experiment,” Gordon said.

Part of this live experience is UTRB’s cinematic style.

For them, more goes into a concert than a simple light show. Each track is synchronized with visuals, as well as transitions in-between songs. Basically, UTRB creates projections using clips from films, or their own creations, that align systematically with the music—a technique that is so attractive, it’s impossible to look away. For example, their song “Romeo” is a transcendent track that is accompanied by projections of the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It is almost like being apart of a live, interactive music video.

Both Winfield and Gordon are educated in this type of cinematic production. Gordon studied film music in college, while Pete was a film student. Their two passions fused together to create something distinctive and offbeat, but coexist beautifully. Much of the cinematic thinking is tied closely together with creating each individual song, so there are many steps to perfecting each finished product.

A taste of their style can also be seen in their somewhat unusual music videos.

“Pete has always been very close to that idea and visual aesthetic and thinking like in cinema terms when putting together sounds and writing lyrics,” Gordon said. “In the beginning, I was involved in this project just in the purely production and engineering basis, and as this project has evolved and my role in it has broadened, my own kind of love and knowledge in film has been more and more utilized.”

Fresh production is in the future as A Lesson Unlearnt, UTRB’s first full-length album, was released in January. It features an array of genres, so it is nearly impossible to file it under just one. A lot of ambient numbers fill the space throughout the 11 tracks, including Gordon’s personal favorites “Orca” and “Persia.” Again, while film is a main component to their music, the trio is also fascinated with technology and the future as opposed to more conventional, mainstream topics.

“I think in terms of themes, a lot of the time we try not to think too much of a commentary, common theme, and we try to steer clear of political [angles] but what we do is we like to talk about the kind of films we’re into. We like to talk about the future and talk about where we’re possibly headed as a society and all the things that are influencing us in that society like technology and social trends, all of these kind of issues,” Gordon said.

A Lesson Unlearnt has quite a bit of diversity among it between slower, ambient songs and more hard-hitting electronic pieces. Even two rap collaborations made it onto the album, including “Perspective” featuring Homeboy Sandman and “Revolutionary Indifference” featuring Run The Jewels. Working with Run The Jewels came about after Winfield met the duo through a mutual rapper and producer, which led to him singing on one of their tracks.

This was their way of returning the favor.

“We were in the studio and suddenly what we were making was hard and it was heavy and we saw what we could really do with some rapping on this, and Run The Jewels was the first choice and they were straight away, they were so keen and an absolute pleasure to work with,” Gordon said.

Like many others, the trio are now Los Angeles transplants and are enjoying everything that California has to offer, even the lifestyle which Gordon explains as sometimes being a little too relaxed.

“There’s value in having a bit of stress to keep you on track,” Gordon said.

Perhaps the band will have a healthy dose of stress coming their way as they prepare for their Saturday slot at Coachella alongside headliner Jack White and other big acts such as alt-J, Belle and Sebastian, Tyler the Creator and Hozier.

Gordon, Winfield and Wall have their own choice of mustsees amongst the overwhelming bill, which are Lykke Li, Chris Malinchak, Action Bronson and Annie Mac.

“There are so many, it’s a really good lineup. I think better than last year,” said Gordon.

Of course, their collaborators, Run The Jewels, are also high up on their list and are even playing the same day.

If everything works out as planned, a performance of ‘Revolution Indifference’ may have the chance to live up to all of its studio glory.

It is more than likely that the guys in UTRB will be doing some extensive touring to promote their new album throughout the year, so there will surely be at least one occasion to witness a visually aesthetic spectacle accompanied by some fresh new music for 2015.

PHOTO: Charlie Martel INTERVIEW & STORY: Haley Black

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HOME: Chicago, IL NOW JAMMING: Oak Street CURRENTLY: On tour in the UK

NEARLY A YEAR AGO, KNUCKLE

Puck set out on their first full U.S. tour with Neck Deep. At the time, they were bright-eyed boys who up to that point had only been touring in their spare time. Today, the past year of non-stop touring has come full-circle as the pop rockers are back out on tour with Neck Deep, only this time there has been a change of setting.

“I think the UK will be nice because it will give a nice refreshment to touring as a whole…it’ll almost be like we’re going on our first tour again in the sense that it’s a completely different atmosphere and physical environment,” guitarist Kevin Maida said.

But this is only the beginning of what 2015 has in store for the pop punk outfit from Chicago. After signing to Rise Records last December, Knuckle Puck announced plans to release their first full-length effort in the summer of 2015.

But before the record can be released, they have to step into oblivion for a little while to record. Even though they’ve been demoing songs here and there lately, there’s an enthusiasm in Maida’s voice when the subject of a fulllength comes up that is hard to ignore. “[We’re] real excited to actually be finally writing a fulllength record because we were kind of scared to do it for a while. And that’s not why we haven’t done one; its just that none of us have ever done anything like [that],” Maida said.

Since 2012, Knuckle Puck has released four EPs, including a split with Neck Deep as a component of their tour a year ago. But unlike most bands, Knuckle Puck has no plans to integrate songs from any of their EPs into their debut album.

“We’re just starting fresh. That’s actually never even come up as an option. We just wanted to write brand new songs,” Maida explained.

With a storied past of EPs, it’d be easy for Knuckle Puck to write up a few new tunes and slap in some old songs to compliment the new. But doing that would undermine their creativity and talent as a band. This group is more than capable of producing 10 to 12 songs from scratch. Even though Maida says the band was slightly fearful of recording a full-length album because they’d never experienced anything like it, there’s no doubt they’re in good hands at Rise, which is home to other artists like Of Mice & Men and Sleeping With Sirens. When the announcement was made, it came as no surprise. Rise is the perfect fit for this up-andcoming band, but Maida and crew were completely taken aback by the offer.

“They actually approached us, and we were kind of shocked a little bit because to us, they’re a bigger label than what we would have expected,” Maida remembered. “We’re all really happy that we chose Rise. It’s a good home for our band.”

The sign to Rise isn’t the only shocking bit of news that has come out of the Knuckle Puck camp. A recently announced spot on The Maine’s spring tour came as quite a surprise to many fans. While there may be some crossover between the two fan bases, most of The Maine’s fans will be unaware of Knuckle Puck’s music. But if there’s one thing fans of The Maine are familiar with, it’s new faces and being introduced to new bands. Over the years, The Maine has toured with well-known bands as well as bands who would have been previously overlooked. They have a way of pulling in bands with different sounding music than theirs and making a tour work. Sonically, The Maine and Knuckle Puck have nothing in common. So why are they touring together? While some people may be asking, “Why?” Maida and crew are asking, “Why not?”

“When we got that tour offer we were just like, ‘Why wouldn’t we tour with The Maine? That would be a really cool experience,’” Maida recalled.

Beyond the surface of their differences in music, Knuckle Puck and The Maine do share a common trait: emotion.

Both bands put such an incredible amount of emotion into their live performances. Though the crowds on this tour may be a mixed breed, it will be good exposure for the fans and all of the bands, which also includes Knuckle Puck’s close friends and fellow pop-punkers, Real Friends. This tour will give Knuckle Puck a chance to reach a new audience who may have never voluntarily listened to their music.

“Sonically, we don’t really sound like The Maine, and The Maine don’t really sound like us, but that’s okay,” Maida said. “It doesn’t need to be cohesive like that for a tour to work. I hope that people who come out to see The Maine also find elements that they like about our band that they could maybe relate that to and be like ‘Hey! I get why The Maine chose this band or asked this band to be on this tour.’”

It will be a step out of their sphere of pop punk, but one that will be super beneficial to them at such an early stage in their rapidly growing career.

PHOTO: Ashley Osborn INTERVIEW & STORY: Jessica Klinner

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HOME: Winnipeg, MB NOW JAMMING: Die Knowing (Full-Length) CURRENTLY: Planning for 2015 tours

A BAND CAN’T HAVE A COMEBACK

if they’ve never gone anywhere, and Comeback Kid has remained as a facet of the music scene for more than a decade, never having to pay homage to their title.

As a group from Winnipeg, Comeback Kid has had to work tirelessly to expand outside of their hometown. Even the closest American city is at least seven hours away.

Regardless of those boundaries, the band has traveled through North America as well as internationally because they never doubted they could make it as musicians.

“You just have a dream and know you have to make it happen, but you can’t just do weekends because you have to commit to going on a tour,” guitarist Jeremy Hiebert shared. “We did that, and it worked out well because right off the hop we were well received everywhere, Europe, here, different places oversees. At times we felt lucky that our timing was right.”

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latest when original drummer, Kyle Profeta, left last year.

Hiebert said that change is inevitable, so Comeback Kid has remained adaptable to whatever is thrown their way in that respect. Sometimes changing things up can even aid their creative process as a band—that being said, the bands biggest change came when vocalist, Scott Wade, moved on and guitarist Andrew Neufeld took over. From the beginning, Hiebert said he, Neufeld and Profeta had done the majority of the writing within Comeback. Although the core of the group never changed, the switch in vocalists was definitely a hurdle Comeback Kid had to overcome.

“It’s a bit of a nervous time for the band because how is everyone going to take having a different singer?” Hiebert said. “A lot of times people just associate that face with the band, so that was probably one of the tougher times to figure it out and get through it. And we were just like, ‘Andrew it’s okay, people will like you, just do it!’”

Fifteen years and six albums later, Comeback Kid is still thriving. The band is consistently on a mission to stay relevant even as the industry changes and they get older.

Hiebert said that as the band gets older it is easier to feel more out of touch, so Comeback Kid has made a conscious effort to cover all of their bases by playing festivals and touring with old friends and up-and-coming bands.

“I guess the hardcore kids have had some grace given to us,” Hiebert joked. “We don’t want to jump on every band wagon and whatever band’s are doing this year–we’re never going to be that kind of band. We’re going to do our thing.”

Hiebert explained that going out on the road with young and upcoming bands has helped them stay current over the years. Although some older bands may feel strange about touring with teenagers, Comeback Kid sees it as a win, win: they help out new bands, and the new bands makes sure Comeback Kid doesn’t become old news.

“I’m not going to say I’m relevant, but I’m trying to stay relevant,” Hiebert laughed.

Part of remaining as a constant element in music is about making lasting relationships. Comeback Kid just got off a great tour with Four Year Strong, who they had toured with in the past, and Hiebert said that a good bill on a tour is all about the attitude of its musicians. Comeback Kid enjoys good vibes on tour and none of the dreaded ‘rockstar complex.’ One of the highlights of Hiebert’s career was meeting one of his musical influences, the guitarist of Extreme, at a festival in France, where he was able to talk and take a picture with one of his idols. So, it’s clear why that attitude is what Comeback Kid aspires to on their own tours.

is going to be perfect with every record and there’s always stuff to learn so that’s kind of our approach.”

Although there are no plans in the works for an upcoming album or anything quite yet, Hiebert said the band could definitely consider a follow up to their 2008 DVD release.

There haven’t been any conversations about it, but it’s not out of the question.

“There’s always fans that are always curious about the inside happenings and what the band has been up to, and I always like seeing that from bands that I know and like, so I think it’s good to do that every now and then,” he said.

The year may be just beginning, but Comeback Kid has quite a bit in the works behind closed doors at the moment.

Keep a look out for tour announcements as well as several dates and festivals internationally.

PHOTO: Alexey Makhov INTERVIEW & STORY: Jennifer Boylen

Last year, Comeback Kid released a full-length, Die Knowing, and are currently hard at work touring on that release. As a band, they keep their releases relatively cohesive. They build each release loosely off its predecessor.

“I’ve always felt it’s really important to have some sort of parameters with your band, not this creative handcuff where you have to sound exactly like this, but you kind of want these parameters to work in kind of where you left off with your last one and build,” Hiebert said. “Not everything HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 37

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HOME: Glasgow, Scotland NOW JAMMING: Great Divide Full-Length, Red Bull Records CURRENTLY: Preparing for their biggest UK headline tour to date

HARD WORK PAYS OFF,

and the members of Twin Atlantic have a lot to be happy about these days. Having been together for almost eight years, they are more comfortable with where they are as musicians now than ever—they’ve worked with worldfamous producers, played major festivals around the world and had an astoundingly successful touring career. We caught up with guitarist Barry McKenna and bassist Ross McNae before their show at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., to find out how they’ve managed to achieve what so few bands actually do. Along with lead singer and guitarist Sam McTrusty and drummer Craig Kneale, the Scottish artists have had a busy few years—they spent two years touring to promote their 2011 release, Free, and buckled down to start recording the new album immediately following.

“Pretty much everything [has changed],” McNae realized.

“We kind of went from hacking our way through existence to…everything seems to be good now. We had our new album, Great Divide, people seem to really like it.”

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highest charting album so far, reaching #1 on Scottish album charts, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Without straying too far from their sound, the band has managed to create a refreshing record showing growth and maturity. Alternative, but not too alternative for radio. Pop, but not too pop for indie purists. Months of hard work in various studios allowed the band to explore their creativity. Their first studio endeavor was with British producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World) in Wales, but the band didn’t feel it was complete.

“We came out of Wales with a record we were really proud of, but we felt like it was missing something, and that came from the second session,” McKenna explained. “We wouldn’t have released the album if we weren’t fully happy with it. And that’s why it took us the second session in LA.” Their second session allowed them to work with Jacknife Lee (One Direction, Taylor Swift, U2), who had a different style of producing than that of Norton. “They both had this cool experience bank, but their methods were completely different,” McNae continued. “We got to experience the best of both worlds which was cool.”

The result is a balanced and cohesive collection of songs that each band member is proud of. Though they have always been admired by fans for their substantial, raw lyrics, the new album showcases even deeper and more genuine songwriting. McNae referenced the track “Oceans” as “the most emotional song Sam has ever written.” The fact that they are veterans in the industry with years of practice has undoubtedly affected their writing process.

“There was this [theory] that apparently if you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you will just be amazing at it. If you really commit to doing something, you’re going to be at a high level,” McKenna explained. “We must have spent nearly 10,000 hours writing music. We also know each other a lot better than we did when we wrote the first album together. We are all really comfortable with our roles in the band, and we all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so we let each other focus on the parts of the

music we can benefit the most. It is a lot easier to get in the groove and know what each other’s roles are and where we stand.”

While Great Divide is only their second full-length release, the band has proven that staying true to who they are and making the music they want to make is the most important thing musicians can do. Exposure and mainstream acknowledgement from a debut album often results in the pressure to fit a certain mold, and therefore, a sloppy and muddled follow-up release. McNae reassures that this has never been the case for Twin Atlantic, and that the praise only made them more confident in their music.

“I think it has actually made us feel really relaxed,” he explained. “Although we never started the band to achieve that kind of thing, it’s quite nice to know that a lot of people want to listen to you. It makes you relax into who you are.

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If anything, it has rubber stamped what we thought was good, so it’s like ‘oh, we are doing something that seems relevant.’”

McNae and McKenna also listed having a solid support group among the reasons they have managed to achieve such success. They have been with their label, Red Bull Records, since the very beginning of their career. McKenna stated that they have never felt a reason to move on to a major label, saying, “We are kind of big believers of looking at things in a more organic way. It’s not that we are against major labels, but it’s nice to be a part of a small group of people who are clearly passionate about what they do. Red Bull really cares about all their acts greatly so it actually feels like a family as well, which is really nice to be a part of.”

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That family feeling is especially helpful when life gets rough on the road. Most musicians agree that the hardest part of their career is being away from loved ones, so it is important for a band’s crew to be close-knit.

“As much as there are days that bring us down, we are really happy where we are,” McNae affirmed. “We all get to tour with our best mates. As much as we leave loved ones behind – it’s quite a selfish lifestyle in that respect – we at least have each other. If it wasn’t for these three guys, I would have lost my mind. Our crew as well—we literally have got family in the crew. Craig’s brother comes out and tours with us as a tech. The same guys have come out with us for seven years. They are all part of this family and we all back each other up.”

Having seen where their hard work has taken them so far, the band does not plan on slowing down anytime soon.

Just like they did with Free, they will tour internationally to promote Great Divide and reach as many markets as possible, with plans already to visit Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe. And despite experiencing immense success, the guys do not let any of it get to their heads and are appreciative of every bit of support they receive. With number one albums and what seems to be a permanent slot at Reading and Leeds festivals—they’ve played the past three consecutive years— no bar can be set too high. In fact, they don’t really believe in setting a bar at all.

“We try and never ever think about that kind of stuff because we have always been pushing for new things,” McNae confessed.

“If you become really comfortable, like ‘I’m cool, I’ve made it,’ then there is nothing driving you. There is nothing to keep you ambitious,” McKenna added.

“Except if we ever got to play Madison Square Garden,” McNae concluded with a laugh. “Then I would say I’ve made it, and I can quit the next day.”

PHOTOS: Cara Bahniuk INTERVIEW & STORY: Christina Santamaria

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HOME: Seattle, Washington NOW JAMMING: “Dangerous Days” CURRENTLY: On tour in the U.S. and Canada, to celebrate the release of Taiga.

HER STAGE PRESENCE, OCCASIONALLY HAUNTING TONES AND SONGWRITING TALENT HAVE HELPED TO SET HER APART. The rest has all been due to her vocal power. Although Nika Roza Danilova has been involved in music from a very early age, she’s created music under her stage name, Zola Jesus, since 2006 and released her debut album, The Spoils, in 2009. Since then, she has really made a name for herself.

Last September, Danilova released her fifth album, Taiga, which received rave reviews. At the beginning of January, she set out on tour throughout the United States and Canada, so all of her dedicated fans could hear her perform the beautiful new songs up close and personal.

Although she had just started tour when we spoke with her, she was already receiving incredible feedback. When putting together this album, she intended for it to feel like nothing she had ever done before.

“I wanted to do something that was a very different direction just to challenge myself as a musician and as an artist. I also wanted the album to feel very finished, very done, very big and expansive like there’s so many layers that you can keep listening and keep feeling it back. Like it is constantly revealing itself,” she explains.

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Since being on tour and having the opportunity to perform these newest songs to a live audience, she says the live show has been incredible, and that it’s been the most realized live set up she’s ever had, as well as the most physical. She has a new band, an entirely new stage show and some stage production. Singing the news songs every night has been really challenging and enjoyable for her, and it’s clear that her fans across the country feel the same way.

“It’s a huge challenge to perform every night, which is fun for me and for the band as well,” Danilova says.

She has been singing since she was a little girl and knew early on that she wanted to be involved in music. The decision to become a singer happened very organically when she began making music and writing songs to entertain herself, and from there, it developed naturally. When she was quite young, Danilova started to study opera sheet music, which is quite a mature subject for a young girl to study.

“I think that whenever you decide you want to study something you want to study everything about it, and I think when you decide that you want to study voice, it’s important that you study classical voice, and the highest form of singing classically is opera. I just gravitated towards the way they used their voices,” she explains.

In her vocal training, she incorporates opera singing, as a way to promote growth and strength. Danilova explains that the reason she does this is because opera singers rely on acoustic spaces to amplify their voices so they don’t have to use microphones.

“The way that you have to sing is you need to use the space that you’re singing in and use the projection of your voice.

You just really kind of grow your voice and condition it for projection and for really using every part of your voice in the most efficient way possible. It’s all about efficiency. I just find that all very interesting and the sound that you make is so…when you’re singing opera it’s so larger than life.

It’s amazing that the human body can do that,” Danilova elaborates.

She goes on to recommend that aspiring singers who are interested in becoming professionally trained should definitely study opera. This is likely due to the powerful and unique technique because there aren’t a lot of great examples out there to learn from. Studying how to rely on your voice for vocal strength can help to prevent using microphones as a crutch.

“It’s important to listen to opera because it can teach you what your voice can sound like when you use the whole thing,” she says.

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Due to the unique nature of her songs, we were very curious to be let in to her recording process. For this new record, she wanted to get out of Los Angeles to write and record.

“I felt like the inspiration that I was getting from Los Angeles wasn’t productive anymore and it wasn’t feeding me creatively and wasn’t feeding me emotionally. I grew up in a rural area and I wanted to return to that because I was just feeling like I missed it. I kind of felt like a fish out of water. It all just kind of fed into each other, and that’s how Taiga was born,” she explains.

And you can definitely hear the influence of her connection to nature in her music and see it in some of her beautiful music videos.

This year Danilova also released a fragrance and incense, which was inspired by the album. She has been selling the scents on tour and burning the incense during her show to “further create this transformative environment when you go see the show.” She created these products when she collaborated with a company called Blackbird during the writing process when she became obsessed with smell.

Danilova is certainly proving herself to be a multi-talented woman!

Although she’s been fortunate enough to have many wonderful opportunities so far, she credited the highlight of her career to a performance at a famous art museum.

“I had this performance at the Guggenheim last year or the year before. 2012, I think. It was really, really fun. I

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“I FELT LIKE THE INSPIRATION THAT I WAS GETTING FROM LOS ANGELES WASN’T PRODUCTIVE ANYMORE AND IT WASN’T FEEDING ME CREATIVELY AND WASN’T FEEDING ME EMOTIONALLY. I GREW UP IN A RURAL AREA AND I WANTED TO RETURN TO THAT BECAUSE I WAS JUST FEELING LIKE I MISSED IT. I KIND OF FELT LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER. IT ALL JUST KIND OF FED INTO EACH OTHER, AND THAT’S HOW TAIGA WAS BORN.”

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performed with a string quartet. It was just a really special thing that I don’t do very often,” Danilova recalls.

Regardless of the level of fame and talent they may have, significant artists in the music industry have their own struggles to deal with. This is especially true with this day and age, where the Internet is so prevalent, and everyone voices their opinions.

“I think maintaining perspective is really important. When you’re involved in this life, you get lost in this world, and it’s really important to always just maintain perspective and not beat yourself up too much, especially artistically. When I’m writing, I get really hard on myself, and that’s probably the most difficult process of writing music because it is such an

emotional process,” Danilova explains.

Thankfully, writing can be a very therapeutic process, and for Danilova, she recommended that when things get difficult, it takes making a real effort to overcome the struggles.

“Always seek the kernel of what you’re trying to say in a song and the kernel of what you’re trying to do as an artist and never let go of that and never compromise you’re integrity. Just believe in what you want to do because a lot of people, critics or fans, sometimes you want to listen to them, but at the end of the day, you need to listen to yourself and what you want as an artist. “

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TOUR ROUND UP

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P PHOTO: Demi Cambridge

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PHOTO: Cara Bahniuk

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PHOTO: Charlie Martel

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album

reviews ARTIST

Stick To Your Guns ALBUM

Disobedient RATING

SOUNDS LIKE Texas In July Comeback Kid RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Nobody” “Left You Behind”

TRACKS 1

It Starts With Me

2

What Choice Did You Give Us...

3

Nobody

4

RMA (Revoutionary Mental Attitude)

5

Nothing You Can Do To Me

6

To Whom It May Concern

7

The Crown

8

I Choose No One

9

Disobedient

10

The War Inside

11

Left You Behind

RELEASE DATE February 10th, 2015

WEBSITE facebook.com/STYGoc

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Orange County, Calif. has raised some of the best when it comes to hardcore bands. Stick To Your Guns is one of them, and they surely know what they’re doing by this point with the four studio albums under their belts and their fifth due for release this month. Disobedient has already been set up for greatness with how anticipated it is, and it definitely lives up to the hype with its fair share of killer riffs and in-your-face vocals. Produced by John Feldmann, who has no doubt been behind some of your favorite records, there really is no doubt that this release will leave a lasting impression.

“It Starts With Me” is one hell of an opening, hitting listeners with an important message right from the get-go. “What Choice Did You Give Us…” is what follows, and immediately it’s clear that this is a record with a particular theme — a seasoned combination of clean and dirty vocals plus face-melting breakdowns will surely satisfy any hardcore fan.

Tracks like “RMA (Revolutionary Mental Attitude)” and “I Chose No One” are practically made to incite mosh pits if and when they’re played live, while “The Crown” begins a little gentler than expected compared to the rest of the record before it leads off into Stick To Your Guns’ familiar sound. Lyrically, it’s a powerful album, but it exceeds all expectations in the way each song is performed instrumentally as well.

The album finishes off with the epic “Left You Behind” that offers a softly-sung opening, tugging at your heartstrings as you have the chance to really absorb the lyrics. It sounds like an entirely different band from Stick To Your Guns, but as a result just shows how versatile and talented they are. Disobedient is a new chapter for the band and will certainly see them go far in 2015, beyond their already phenomenal success.

REVIEW: Madison Convey

ARTIST Jeremy

& The Harlequins ALBUM American Dreamer Jeremy & the Harlequins look like Arctic Monkeys and sound a little like Jake Bugg. Just by listening, you can easily come to the conclusion that the band is heavily influenced by the birth of rock n’ roll in the ’50s and ‘60s. The debut album, American Dream, is 10 tracks of classic, un-synthesized rock. Of course, there are modern lyrics, such as “Cam Girl,” which bellows, “Your profile came up on my MacBook screen.”

American Dreamer incorporates a heavy usage of tambourines, prominent guitar melodies, wailing vocals, and even some hand clapping and harmonica solos. This album could easily be heard in an old fashioned diner filled with teens sharing milkshakes, dressed like the cast of Grease. The resemblance to Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys is significant, which is a nice change from the saturated use of synth that is heard everywhere today. However, “Right Out Of Love” and “White Star Bright Love” have oddly similar intros, and a few of the songs do not have an identity of their own. The album does a good job of remaining constant with the oldies style, but not many tracks stand alone or show a lot of diversity.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Trip Into The Light” & “Moonlight” REVIEW Haley Black

ARTIST Make

Do and Mend ALBUM Don’t Be Long Unfortunately, the alternative scene has started to become a blend of the same rhythms, song lyrics and guitar chords. Make Do and Mend’s new album Don’t Be Long has a great quality sound, but does not leave a lasting impression. Most songs on the album reminded me of other songs I’ve heard throughout the years.

However, Make Do and Mend’s album sound was cohesive. All the songs had a great balanced blend and each song on the album fit together. Lead singer James Carroll has a grungy approach to his singing/screaming. The drum beats and guitar chords complement each other well throughout each song.

I recommend at least giving the album a listen, there were a few songs that I did gravitate towards more than others. “Sin Miedo” and “Sin Amor” were my favorites off the album. These songs had a great spread of clean vocals, and the sounds of the songs were just a bit different than the rest of the album. The two songs still flowed with the album’s main sound, but they both stepped slightly away from the generic blend that alternative has become. Overall, this record may not be for everyone. For the most part, it did not catch my interest, nor make me want to go out and share it with others. The band’s effort makes it worth giving it a try, but it may not quite make your favorite albums of the year list.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “Sin Miedo” & “Sin Amor” REVIEW Catt Kruger

ARTIST People

on Vacation ALBUM The Chronicles of Tim Powers Indie rock duo, People On Vacation’s new album The Chronicles of Tim Powers is brimming with punchy, positive and catchy tunes. The album opens with “Don’t Ask The Question” and slowly unfolds the tragic heartbreaking tale of Tim Powers. As the album continues, it is clear that The Chronicles of Tim Powers is not only musically fantastic, but also lyrically heartfelt and complex. My two favorite songs “I’ve Got Your Back” and “The Girl I Used to Love” highlight the highs, lows and eventual end of a beautiful relationship.

Being serenaded by both Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup) and Ryan Hamilton (Smile Smile) is a strange adjustment at first, but the contrast between Reddick’s pop-punk vocals and Hamilton’s sweet, smooth vocals is the perfect balance. But the true secret to People On Vacation and The Chronicles of Tim Powers is their ability to instantly connect with the listener in every story they tell. The album is a solid release and will need at least two listens to fully appreciate the magic.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS “I’ve Got Your Back,” “We Shoulda Made It” & “The Girl I Used to Love” REVIEW Theresa Pham HIGHLIGHTMAGAZINE.NET - 61

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