EDITOR IN CHIEF RJ FROMETA WRITER RJ FROMETA SONG RIVER
Hi Jordan, welcome to VENTS! How sudden or you and your team were after have you been? this particular roles? Great. It has been very important to myself and my team that we cultivate both these Has music being a major part of your worlds simultaneously so that no one ever life as long as you can remember or you thought I was an actor who could sing and were really throw in by an event in par- wanted to become a musician, or a musiticular? cian who all of a sudden felt he could beI have always loved music. I fell in love with come an actor. I work hard at both these classical music in 3rd grade after playing skill sets as I wish to cultivate a career Kingdom Hearts. I was then open to ex- where I am taken seriously in both fields. plore many styles of music and went on to embrace R&B,Rock and hip hop and So you are taking a whole new chalpretty much everything else under the sun. lenge as you enter the Dancing With This led me to my love of musical theatre The Stars competition - how challengand that is when my love for music took off ing has this proven to be? in a real way. It is easily one of the most challenging things I have done. I have also felt the Growing up in a Football town, were most uncoordinated in my entire life I grew you ever drawn into that field or enter- up dancing but I have no experience in tainment has always been your thing? ballroom. It is a whole new entity of its own I actually grew up in gymnastics. I was that - a whole new sport. It is one of the most “mixed kid that did gymnastics and the- physically challenging types of dance i ater.”I had a crush on a girl in 5th grade in have ever learned and I have a whole new the drama club and so I joined. However, I respect for professional ballroom dancers am a sports junkie and a massive football and all of the former competitors on the fan. show. As you diving into different styles of music, you also started working on your acting - did it ever get to a point where you had to choose between each career? I started acting and music at the same time. I actually spent more time in TV and film than I did in music but I wrote my first song and recorded it at 13 years old and so I have always been exploring both worlds simultaneously. However, signing with Hollywood records, meant that post Grease Live, when several film and TV opportunities came my way, I had to put them on hold in order to head out on a radio tour to promote my music. It seems though you find the way to match both of your love together as you started to booking this gig on musicals like Teen Beach and its sequel, as well as the overly successful Broadway show Hamilton - how did all these "blessings" started to come together? Did all these opportunities arise all the
What are you looking forward the most? Looking forward to growing and learning each week. I am learning things I have never done before. I am enjoying the challenge. Last but not least, you are releasing a new single, "MESS" - can you tell us more about it? Will you be seeking for a new direction with this new music or can fans expect of the sound they have been familiar and love you for? Just like any human being you grow and change and I am moving into a new foundation sonically. I am excited to share this new direction in my music. What else is happening next in Jordan Fisher's world? There is so much happening - look forward to my new single - Oct 6th.
Pic by Andrew Rose
SR: How have the band members kept themselves open minded to a variety of approaches to music? A: Well, we’ve always been a band that likes to mess around with what were “supposed to do”, and every time we take a step outside the box it’s worked out pretty well. I mean, we put out ‘The Fall of Ideals’ in 2006 and the follow up to that had our first song that went to radio and did really well for us. Then a couple records later we had our first real power ballad, like an 80’s style power ballad and that worked out really well. So, when we push the boundaries of what a metal band is supposed to do is when we see the best results. So you know, we just kind of go ahead and do what we want to do and not worry if it’s “metal enough” or if it’s in the “acceptable limits” of the genre. SR: Your long time fans are diverse as well in their music tastes. How has All That Remains adapted to keep their fans? A: I don’t know, I feel like we just try to write good songs. I don’t know that we can really forecast or predict what’s going to be the hot new thing, we really just rely on doing our best to write songs that are compelling. We work with different producers to get different kinds of sounds on each record too, but really it’s a matter of focusing on writing the best songs that we can. SR: What about developing new fans? How have you gone about this aspect? A: We try to get in front of as many new people as we can.
Whether it’s young people or different types audiences by touring with different kinds of bands, we try our best. I feel like if you play to the same groups of people all of the time you’re kind of preaching to the converted, so we do our best to mix up the type of bands that we tour with and stuff. SR: Today's generation is seeking a open forum of communication and connectivity. We are behind a screen constantly. First, how does the band relate to the world of social media? And how do bands pull their fans off the screens and into a live setting? A: I’m really active on my social media stuff and we try to keep the band’s accounts as active as possible too. We try to keep people up to date with what we’re doing. If we’re playing shows we put stuff on our socials and stuff like that. And I also try to respond to people when they email or leave a comment etc. I think that’s your best bet is to pay attention to what people are saying and questions people are asking you on your socials. Don’t be one of those guys who just have it and let someone else run it. SR: Cover songs seem to be a regular part of live concert performances and audiences seem to genuinely identify. What have been some of your bands favorite covers songs that other bands have done and why? A: I love ‘Bad Company’ when Five Finger Death Punch does it. Actually, I like most of the covers that Five Finger’s done. They
usually pick something that’s a little different and I think that’s cool. There’s probably some song from the 80’s that a cover that I thought was great and didn’t realize was a cover too haha SR: How many and what covers has All That Remains done over the years live? How about recorded? A: We used to do ‘Creeping in Death’ and that was a lot of fun. But uh, doing ‘The Thunder Rolls’ is the first cover that we kind of play regularly. We covered a song by Nevermore on the Overcome record, but I think a lot of people though it was our own song. ‘The Thunder Rolls’ is a lot of fun to play live, so ultimately I’d have to say it’s my favorite. SR: What drew you all in to this particular song by Garth Brooks? A: I’ve been a big Garth Brooks fan for as long as I can remember. When I was a teenager my mom was really into country and the only thing we could agree on was Garth Brooks because I wasn’t so into country back then. So, I kind of got a liking for Garth when I was growing up and this song is just one of his best songs I think. It’s a great tune and I hope, well I think other people are agreeing because it’s done really well on Youtube and starting to get some traction at radio too. SR: Eight studio albums, correct? Looking short term and long what is it you as a band really desire the crowds, the fans, the singular person streaming... to get about not only
your music, but who you are as musicians? A: Honestly, I just want to entertain people. If people come out and they have a good time at the show, you know whether they’re singing along or they’re on the floor beating the crap out of each other or whatever – doesn’t matter to me as long as they’re enjoying themselves. I just want people to leave an All That Remains show feeling better than when they came in. SR: Touring is today's mainstay. Where else and what other projects might we find you working on or connected with here soon? A: We’ve got a bunch of shows into September with Five Finger Death Punch, and then we’ve got a US tour with Falling In Reverse. Then we’ve got some big stuff planned for after that, but I can’t share it yet because it hasn’t been announced.
Hi Jesse, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Things are going well. It’s always a mixture between anxiousness and excitement when we are about to release a new record but it’s all good feelings. Ready to get on the road ASAP and play our new songs and watch people connect with them. Can you talk to us more about your latest single "The Sun, The Moon, The Truth: Penance of Self"? This song is about the realization that I was running from my mistakes and it was causing an unbelievable amount of destruction in my life. It’s about me having to stop in my tracks, turn around and face the pain. Face the destruction and face the people who’s worlds I turned upside down due to my carelessness. It was time I live with the hurt and learn how to deal with the pain to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Not any singular event. It was a collection of things that I buried for so long and then they all came up at once. I had to go face the skeletons in my closet and listen to them
and let them each tell me all the things I have done wrong. It was terrifying but it has helped me grow immensely. Any plans to release a video for the single? Not for this song, no. The single comes off your new album True View what's the story behind the title? TRUE VIEW is the realization of who I am and what I must do to claim redemption. Our views of the world, our society and ourselves become so skewed the older we get and we tend to view some things better than they are or worse than they are and we behave accordingly to these false recollections or these delusions of ourselves. I had to learn to silence my mind and listen to what my mother calls “The Inner Authority”. Thus the TRUE VIEW can be achieved. How was the recording and writing process? It was great. We flew our very talented friends Derek Hoffman and Brayden Brown from Toronto out to Los Angeles and they really helped us turn this record into something very special.
After the success from your previous record, were you any nervous while working on this newest material? There is always a sense of nervousness when writing a new record. You want it to perform. You want it to connect with people. However when you let that become the main focus thats when you start getting into dangerous waters. You need to make sure that you are being genuine and sincere because ultimately thats what people want. When you act like a corny mother fucker there is nothing more obvious and people don’t want any more fake bullshit than they get every single day. As long as you just do you, then I think people will connect with that more than anything else. Would all songs deal with somewhat negative themes or can we expect some positive topics on this album? If you are writing songs about dealing with your dishonesty, selfishness, hurt, depression or whatever else people would consider negative, I don’t think its negative at all. In fact, I believe its quite the opposite. To reflect on these things and question yourself is a sign of growth. A sign of realization and from that you can change your world.
What’s more positive than that? Any plans to hit the road? Always. We never stop. We go every where all the time. What else is happening next in Stick To Your Guns' world? Just gonna hit the road and try to make our loved ones proud. Shout out to the wives, families and friends who understand what we do and support us and love us unconditionally.
I can and I think it’s just a place where I find a lot of inspiration. I feel like every time I come back from New Orleans I have a new song idea. Probably my favorite song on the record is a song called “Leaving New Orleans.” It’s one of the first songs I knew I was going to Can you talk to us more about your latest record when we started on this record. single "Single You Up"? - I’ve loved playing “Singles You Up” on the How has John Prine influence your music? road and the response has been great. It’s the - John Prine has influenced me in a lot of first song I’ve released so I’m just really ways…I remember the first time I heard his pumped to have music out. music riding to our hunting camp with my dad and he played a song called “The Great ComDid any event in particular inspire you to promise”. I was really young but something write this song? stood out to me about that song, his music, - I wrote “Singles You Up’ with Steven Dale and his voice. I think you feel a John Prine Jones and Justin Ebach. It actually started as song as much as you hear it and I think he is we were congratulating Justin on his recent en- one of, if not the greatest, to ever write a song. gagement and threw out the phrase, “you we So as a songwriter trying to write good songs smart not to single her up.” After that we all and continue to work on writing better songs, I looked at each other and knew we had to write try to be influenced by the best. it. Things came together pretty quickly after that. It was a lot of fun to write. Does your new single mean we can expect a new album - how's that coming along? Any plans to release a video for the single? - We are currently working on the debut album. - We do have plans in the works for a video. It is not done yet, but we are making some Nothing confirmed yet but we’ve been brain- good progress on it and I am super pumped storming recently about a few different ideas. about the songs we have done. Hi Jordan, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? - Thank y’all for chatting with me…I’ve been busy here lately, but everything has been great.
How was the recording and writing process? - Compared to other songs, we wrote “Singles You Up” fairly quickly for me. I usually take a while to finish songs, I like spending time tweaking them, but this one came pretty fast. My cowriter, Justin, got the demo back to us within a few days and when I heard it I knew that it had a strong chance to be the first single. As for the recording process, my producer Paul DiGiovanni crushed it and made the tune what it is today. It’s always really cool to see songs come to life when you get some great musicians in the studio, it’s one of my favorite things about making music.
Any tentative release date or title in mind? - I know sometime in 2018. Don’t have an exact date yet but early next year for sure. Any plans to hit the road? - Absolutely, really pumped to be a part of Kip Moore’s, “Plead The Fifth Tour” this fall along with Drake White. I’m huge fans of both of their music and I can’t wait to get out to meet fans and get a chance to make some new ones. Really grateful to be a part of this tour and I’m looking forward to cranking it up next month.
What else is happening next in Jordan Davis' world? - Really just enjoying having music out and What role does New Orleans play in your playing shows, we just released a new song writing? called “Slow Dance In A Parking Lot” and I’m - New Orleans is one of my favorite places in really fired up about where the record is at right the world for a lot of reasons, but I just feel like now. it has a unique energy unlike any other place I’ve been. I love getting back there as much as
Ashley you could say... music is your 'soul' focus, couldn't you? A: Definitely. Music is really my passion. Whether it's listening to music, singing, writing, recording, producing- anything, I love music. When did you begin this journey of music? A: I first began my journey in music when I was a really young kid. I was always really drawn to it. When I was 13 I was introduced to Tommy Mattola and Cory Rooney and that's when I really stared to pursue music as my career. Do you write your own songs? If so, when do you find the ideas coming in best... morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night? A: I pull inspiration for my music from everything. It always hits me no matter where I am or what time of day it is. A lot of times I write little things down in a notebook and then when we get into the studio it all starts to come together. Many creatives are woken around 2 AM with ideas. Are you one of those who keeps either a notepad or a cell phone to record on with you at all times? A: Yes, I always have my notebook in my bag at all times because you never know when inspiration is going to hit you. I'm also a night owl, so I am usually awake at 2am and I definitely feel inspiration at these times. Being focused on any particular dream at a young age some would say, "You're missing out!" but those who understand passion get it. What do you say to those who think you are missing out on 'regular' life? A: I understand that I'm missing out on some typical teenager things, but on the other hand I'm living these amazing experiences that a lot of people never get to experience in a lifetime. So I would say everyone should just be grateful for the life they live, because it's a good one no matter what. The decision to homeschool so you have more time to focus on your passion... was it any easy decision or a challenging one? A: The decision to be homeschooled was definitely a really challenging one. School is so important to me and I wanted to make sure I could still get a solid education with homeschooling before I jumped into it. I stayed at school as long as I could until my schedule just couldn't allow it. Currently what bands/musicians are rolling through your Spotify or iTunes? A: I cannot get enough of Halsey's new album. It's amazing. Grace VanderWaal, Jon Bellion, and Khalid are also always on repeat. Spotify is the best for finding new playlists. I always come across new artists that I haven't heard before and end up loving.
The bands/musicians you choose to listen tocan you explain why you relate to them, and do they fit with your own style or are you an artist who is very diverse in what you listen to and play as well? A: I definitely listen to artists that I relate to, like Selena Gomez, but I also am so diverse when it comes to music. I really love everything. You can find me listening to jazz one day, and then Johnny Cash the next day, and then I'll be back to pop music. It really depends on the day and my mood. Congratulations on being added to Nickelodeon's Fresh Faces Music. In the big sea of music talents is there any musician you would love to team up with and record with? A: Thank you so much! I'm so excited to be apart of Nickelodeon's Fresh Faces. I grew up watching Nick so it's super surreal. Ariana Grande came from Nickelodeon and she's just amazing, so I would love to get the opportunity to team up with her on something. Talk about your debut EP coming this fall. Who did you work with on it? Where was it recorded? A: I worked on my EP with Cory Rooney. We recorded some songs in New York at Jungle City Studios, which is Alicia Keys's studio so that was amazing. We also recorded other songs for the EP in East West Studios in Los Angeles. I think the EP is really positive and inspirational and I can't wait to share it. How are you planning on releasing the EP digitally only or physical copy as well? A: I'll definitely have some CDs printed, but it'll mostly be available digital on all music platforms. 2018 is right around the corner Ashley, what is already written in your calendar that is going to happen with your career? A: My calendar is always full, but always changing. There will definitely be some live performances to come and other really exciting things so make sure to stay tuned on all of my social media @ashleybrinton!
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Jon Olivarez: Hello! We have been great so far. We've been home for a month or so and we’re getting ready to fly across the pond for a tour supporting Seether. So we're very excited. Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Beneath The Riverbed"? J: That was a song we had been working on for almost a year and it didn't really start to come together until the last few days of pre-production. Once we had a solid structure for the song it quickly became one of our favorites. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? J: From a lyrical aspect, Mark took the liberty of writing about temporarily escaping from the stress of the everyday grind, whether it be on the road touring or working a 9 to 5 job. Guitar
riff-wise Jon was inspired by the sounds of an old lap steel guitar and tried to mimic its tonality. The end result was nowhere near what any of us had imagined but that's the beauty of songwriting. Any plans to release a video for the single? We just released a video for “Beneath The Riverbed” a couple weeks ago. Check it out on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lgtb-gZs00. The single comes off your new album Forged By Fortitude - what's the story behind the title? J: "Forged by Fortitude" was a working title for a song Mark had written years ago. The song was basically a manifestation of how he felt about the hard times he had endured in order to get him where he is today. When it came time to name the record,
we realized that "Forged by Fortitude" was a very fitting title to tie all of the songs together.
down to Texas a couple weeks later to finish up some vocals and guitar solos, and we were all wrapped up after that.
How was the recording and writing process? J: We had done a few days of pre-production with Josh Wilbur in our hometown of McAllen, Texas early 2016. We demoed around 9 song ideas and we were pretty excited about what we had written. A year later we made our way back to Josh's studio to finish writing and recording our sophomore álbum. It proved to be some of the hardest and busiest days we've ever worked as musicians in our lives! We felt a little pressure at times to write quality material and we wanted every song to hit harder than anything we had written on our previous álbum, Baptized in the Rio Grande. Josh helped us hone in on what makes Sons of Texas special. We were able to focus and nearly complete the album in full within 6 weeks of writing and recording. He flew
After the success from your previous record, were you any nervous while working on this newest single? J: At times, especially the week before going to California. We felt nervous mainly because we knew we hadn't written one complete song yet! Any plans to hit the road? J: Yes, our first tour in support of Forged By Fortitude will be in the U.K. and Europe with Seether. We are set to fly over in a few weeks from today and we couldn't imagine a better way to kick off this album's tour cycle! After that, we look forward to touring the U.S and seeing familiar faces in all the cities we love playing.
Hi Sam, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? I’ve been fantastic - it’s been a really busy year and especially couple of weeks, but I couldn’t be more excited about everything that’s happening! Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Cameo"? It’s the first single from my new upcoming album, and it’s already been incredible seeing the fans’ reactions - the whole tone and production of this new music is a little different from my previous original stuff, so the fact that people are enjoying “Cameo” is a great sign! And of course it means so much to put out into the world something you’ve worked so hard on and poured so much love into, and see people really enjoying it. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? The song’s about something I think most people in their 20’s can relate to at some point - the realization that certain relationships, no matter how much we might want them to turn into something substantial, are never going to be more than recurring hook-ups (the “cameos” of the song’s title.) A lot of friends have gotten stuck in these kinds of unfulfilled cycles, so I wrote the song as sort of an empowering anthem about taking step and realizing that some relationships will never be more than a “cameo” in your life. Any plans to release a music video for the single? Yes! Shot an awesome video with director Jade Ehlers that’s coming out next week - worked with some amazing dancers to create a super cool, moody, and retro-inspired dance piece that’s definitely different from anything I’ve done before - can’t wait for the fans to see it! How was the recording and writing process?
Coming from the world of being a digital creator and musician, I am definitely super hands-on with everything I put out, from the production to the writing to the video to the final product. I wrote the song and did a little demo of it about a year back, then had the opportunity to work with the fantastic producer Peter Thomas, who gave the track the awesome, funky vibe you hear in the final track. I think what fans really love about my music (and the work of a lot of digital creators for the same reason) is that the product is so 100% authentically coming from me. Do you tend to take a different approach when you are covering or collaborating with someone else than when you are writing your own original material? What’s so great about having spent the last several years creating creative covers, mashups, and medleys of pop songs on my YouTube channel is that with every video, i’ve had to deconstruct a pop song, re-imagine it, then produce my own version - which has been an incredible education in what makes good pop music tick. I love being able to take what I’ve learned, both in production and writing, from analyzing great songs, and applying them to my own work and using those tools to create the music that says what I want to say. Considered one of the first musicians to break through the Youtube platform - looking back, did you ever see that coming? Who could have? When I started, there really weren’t any examples of musicians creating a career simply by putting out content online and organically growing a worldwide fanbase — in fact, it’s been wonderful having front row seats to the big shift in entertainment and distribution in the past several years. When I started, I was just a college student who knew I wanted to make music and share it with people, and I feel so lucky that I started when I did and that I was able to connect with the incredible
fans around the world who have since allowed me to live my dream! How would you say the platform has changed since back then when you started? Do you think it's much harder these days? The digital space has changed so much (and is constantly changing still!). Mainly, I think the whole world has had a paradigm shift from viewing digital content as a novelty, or somehow lesser than “mainstream” content on TV or terrestrial radio, to realizing what tremendous power there is in online distribution. It’s been so cool to be on the front lines of that change in thinking, and can’t wait to see where the space goes next! After the success from your previous record, were you nervous while working on this newest single? I’m always more excited to share original music than I am nervous. If anything, I know how much I owe to my fans for continuing to champion me and my work, so feel like I have to strive to continue producing my best work for them. And the reaction so far to “Cameo” has been so gratifying, and makes me really excited looking forward. Does your new single mean we can expect a new album - how's that coming along? Fantastically - I’m so used to putting out music every week (this year I’ve been releasing a new video every single Tuesday!) that it’s a slightly weird feeling to have written and produced all these songs for the new album and yet be waiting to release them all together. But it’s been a while since my last full album, so I am super excited and impatient to put it out! Any tentative release date or title in mind? The full album will come later this year, and as for title, I’ve got it narrowed
down to two or three options, but I’ll have to keep the fans in suspense on that one! Any plans to hit the road? Definitely - part of my excitement in putting out these new records is to start touring with the new material. I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot to perform this year, but fans worldwide should keep an eye out for some tour dates next year, because I’m itching to play these songs live! What else is happening next in Sam Tsui's world? Well, besides releasing “Cameo”, planning to tour, and creating new music and videos, I’m pretty busy - but personally, I’m really excited that Halloween is around the corner, because me and my friends always go all out on costumes, so I’m already planning this years’ out now (stay tuned to my instagram to see what we come up with!)
Hi Andrew, welcome back to VENTS! How have you been? Great to be back. Thanks for having me!... I've been awesome. I spent last year making some cool films, made a really amazing sci fi proof-of-concept for a TV series I'm making. I'm finally directing... it's really exciting.
the person that actually lead John to get Evan diagnosed so... we're all connected to the film & its success on multiple levels. It's such an honest take on autism - both the difficulty and magic of it.... so finding inspiration wasn't hard.
So comedy always seems to be your forte, though this year you are gravitating towards other genres - is this the beginning of an entire new era for you or you are just exploring other skills and facets as an actor? Oh it's definitely a new era for me. Finally being a filmmaker is a lifelong dream. Acting, I'm always exploring... I love learning new things but Comedy will always be my heart and soul - it's part of my identity and something that drives my narrative. The thing is, you can use comedy anywhere. The best dramas have comedy in them and vice versa. I love to laugh so... comedy will always be home for me.
Speaking of which, while the character of Jack might be sbased on someone closer to the director, did you personally draw inspiration from someone else you know? John and the writers made a choice to depict a very creative way in which the character of Po deals with some of the complicated aspects of ASD. When Po drifts off in the film, they decided that it was to a place created by the driving force of his imagination - called the land of color. Because it's "his" world, he's not different there. My character exists almost entirely within that world so it was really fun to be able to have these limitless creative spaces to play in.
How has been the somewhat transition from one genre to the other, in this case, drama? Well, I've been doing dramatic work for years. I think I probably have an equal amount of comedy and dramatic work on my resume - so transitioning between the two is not that difficult but it all depends on the project. Some stuff you have to dig deeper, invest more in because that's what's required for the character. Your job ultimately - as an actor - is to have the audience believe who you are. I basically just push myself to make my work as authentic as possible. If you think about your audience as being very smart and savvy - you will always "up" your game
John Asher happens to also be an actor - did his knowledge on this field help actors like you understanding and preparing better for the film? Absolutely. One of the gifts of a director who also acts, is that they understand the language of the craft. John's a really good actor too (I cast him as one of the leads in the television series). John is very clear on his vision but knowing that language, he allows for an amazing environment to play in. Which, as an actor, is great because it is often there that the most authentic work shows up.
Let's talk about A Boy Called Po - what was it about the film that make you want to audition? I actually didn't have to audition for A Boy Called Po!?! I've been friends with John Asher (the director) for several years. The story has been near and dear to his heart for years. He sent me the script and had written a role in the film specifically for me. John's always known I'm a Chameleon -able to play multiple characters - and he wrote the part of Jack with me in mind. It was huge. The fact that John trusted me with such a spectacular character in his powerful narrative was incredible. It was a huge honor and a gift to play Jack. It's not often you get to check five boxes off your actor bucket list with one role! Pirate, Knight, Cowboy, Astronaut!!!! I will always be grateful to John for the opportunity to play Jack for him and be part of such a beautiful film. The movie deals with Autism - are you any related to this? Maybe a friend or relative that has it? Where did you find the inspiration? My eldest son has Autism. He was diagnosed with 3 1/2. He's very high functioning & a huge success story - he just started college. So the film actually hit very close to home. I remember the first time I read the script I had to put it down three separate times because I couldn't stop crying. It's actually dedicated to John, Chris and my sons - all of whom are on the spectrum. I was
What role does Jack play in the film? Jack is Po's friend and guide in the land of color.... I won't say anything more because I hate spoilers. When and where can we catch the film? It will be opening in 10 cities theatrically on VOD, On Demand & iTunes everywhere September 1st! What else is happening next in Andrew Bowen's world? Well as I had mentioned, I wrote, directed and produced this super fun, sci fi adventure proof-of-concept for a TV series I'm going to be making called THE 716TH! That will most likely be a huge part of my life for the next 5 to 6 years. I'm super excited about it and to be filmmaking. You can check out a little about the series at www.the716th.com
Pic by Brandon Showers
Hi Cooper, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? I am great. Thanks for asking! I have been keeping busy. I am back at school, going out on auditions, and taking some family trips. 2. I understand you and your brother are both actors - did he inspire to get into this industry or you had already a prior interest? I had watched my brother go on auditions and work on projects since I was a baby. I would learn his lines and also practice them. I kept on bugging my parents to send me on auditions and finally when I turned 4, I went on an audition with my brother where we had to play brothers. We both booked that audition. It was for a show called Togetherness. I was really happy that I got to work on my first job with my brother. 3. Though you have landed some great roles on films, most of your well-known work are on TV - do you find this latter format more interesting? TV is definitely a different format than film. I love to work on multiple camera television shows because these shows have a live audience, they require a lot more energy and are fast paced. 4. How has been the transition from TV to films? The transition was easy for me. I concentrate on the role and character first when I book a job. It's pretty much the same preparation for a film and a tv show. 5. Do you normally take a different approach when you are acting on depending on the format? Yes, comedy and drama will be very different. For example, a Disney and Nick TV show require a lot more energy and facial expressions. However, a drama like Scandal or CSI will require more real emotions and smaller actions. 6. Let's talk about Battle of the Sexes - what draw you into this role? I really wanted to meet Steve Carell. One of my favorite movies is Bruce Almighty and I loved Steve Carell’s part
in it. The part where he starts talking uncontrollably during the news was hilarious. I also watched him on the TV show the Office with my parents. 7. Were you any familiar with the historical event prior to signing up? I learned about the tennis match before I auditioned. It was definitely an important tennis match. It showed the world that women can beat men in sports and that they should be treated equally. 8. On the film you play Steve Carrel's son, Bobby Riggs Jr. - did you get to meet the real Bobby? No, I never met him unfortunately. 9. Did you went through any preparation for the role? I researched the history of the event and also the learned about year/time the movie took place in. 10. What was it like to play Steve's film son and did he give you some great advice? Playing Steve Carell’s son was so much fun. He would tell me jokes and make me laugh. He told me to always have fun and enjoy what I am doing. He has been one of my favorite actors to work with, 11. What else is happening next in Cooper Friedman's world? I'm going to be in a few episodes of Shameless on Showtime, also on a show called Adam Ruins Everything on TruTv. I also have a Geico commercial running right now, were I play a guitar in the back seat of a car. I'm going to tell you a secret, I don't play guitar. The commercial had to digitally impose someone else's hands to make it look like I was a great guitar player. That was pretty cool. Cooper’s social media: https://www.instagram.com/cooperjfriedman https://twitter.com/cooperjfriedman https://www.facebook.com/Cooper-Friedman
Hi Denise, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Amazing, thanks for asking! I understand you are into cooking and the culinary world, makes me wonder - did you always want to become an actress? Trust me, no one's more surprised by my career choice than me! It’s been quite the journey thus far and believe me when I say…I’m just getting started!
Having done some production work in the past and currently - how would you say that helps you with your acting? It’s called show BUSINESS for a reason and while it is indeed a beautiful art form, I’m mindful of approaching it as just that: a business. I established Imagine That Productions, Inc. right after making the move to California. Being keenly aware of what’s necessary on both sides of the lens allows for a more in-depth understanding, awareness and delivery. You started on TV and currently star in some great on air and upcoming shows - did you always intend to become a TV actress or did that just sort of happen? In a nutshell...while working in the Dallas, Texas world of advertising, overseeing commercial and photo shoots for a range of clients’ campaigns, I was introduced to life on set and on several occasions, asked to step in front of the camera. The initial resistance didn't last long and after being approached by a local talent agent, I found myself in front of the lens for a variety of print and commercial campaigns. A chance introduction landed me a talent manager, who I'm still with to this day, in Hollywood. Shortly after, I decided to take a leap of faith, packed my bags and headed West. Does your approach change depending on the format or genre? No matter the character or genre, my goal remains the same… to breathe
truth and life into any character, without bias or judgement. You have done some great comedies and romantic films in the past and currently - however, is there a genre you will like to jump in and try out? Stan Against Evil has some horror elements, so I am guessing that's new territory for you? My first two Los Angeles projects were horror films but I’ll be kind and spare you the titles. A film I recently wrapped in Washington, DC reminded me how much I've missed comedy. I'd love something off-beat, in the vein of an Insecure Issa Rae style. Another drama, something unexpected and smart, showing toughness and range...think J Lo in Shades of Blue. A procedural with action and kick-some-butt physical elements would be nice. I don't have these biceps for nothing! What else is happening next in Denise Boutte's world? Diversification is key. In addition to producing my own film and television concepts alongside an amazing team, I just wrapped work on the IFC series Stan Against Evil alongside the likes of Dana Gould & John C. McGinley. Season 2 will premiere November 1st. I’m currently in the thick of some other projects I can’t talk about yet. I can’t wait to share specifics, but for now I’m sworn to secrecy. In terms of my culinary ventures, my Southern-inspired cookbook collaboration with Food Network Star, Chef Jernard Wells called Southern Modified hits shelves in late October. I’ll also be releasing my Weeziana Girl Seasoning
Hi Chase, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? We’ve been great, thank you! Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Dreamcatcher"? It’s the first track we released off of ‘The Fear’ EP. Its also the first song we recorded with John Feldmann at Foxy Studios that we knew had to be on this record once we got it laid down. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? We were having coffee with Feldmann, and we were discussing life when we got on the topic of people who get in their own way by doubting themselves, or refusing to take risks on themselves. As soon as we got back to the studio, we started writing “Dreamcatcher.” How was the film experience? When we shoot music videos, it’s very DIY. We built this
whole set on the soundstage in The Scarlet Room, and rigged up the piping ourselves. Seeing it all come together and actually work once we finished was a great feeling. It was long and difficult, but definitely worth it. The single comes off your new album The Fear what's the story behind the title? The title comes from the title track off the record. We had this group of five songs we were really happy with, but we didn't quite know how to tie it all together, but as soon as we wrote “The Fear” it clicked for us. Each song on the record touches on fear in different ways, but the overall message is about the need to overcome the fears that we let get in our way. How was the recording and writing process? It was a blast, it was our first time working with outside producers, and it was exciting to see their vision for our sound and direction. At the end of the process we took everything back home to our studio and spent time with it, and making
sure it reflected who we are as a band at this moment in our careers. What was it like to work with John Feldmann and how did that relationship develop? We met Feldmann through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands when we won. It was a crazy experience working with him and his team. They’re extremely professional and fast paced, and it opened our eyes to a whole other side of the recording process. What aspect of fear did you get to explore on this record? We touch on a few different aspects of fear. The fear of failure, fear of growing older, fear of loss, and fear of losing yourself. Fear can be a driving force, or a debilitating one, it all depends on how you choose to respond to it. Any plans to hit the road? We’re playing a few festivals, and writing for the next
record, but we’re hoping to hit the road and tour here soon! What else is happening next in Night Argent's world? Doing whatever we can to keep the momentum moving forward, and we’re constantly working on improving our live show. This part of the process is our favorite, when we’re starting on new material, and we get to focus on playing shows.
Pic by Julio Duffoo
-Hi Nadia, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? I've been the best!! Thanks for chatting with me! -So I understand you initially started as a model back when you were 17 - was that a vehicle to enter the film industry or were you drawn into acting later on? Oh for sure. Acting was always the goal; I was the worst model! I was crossing my fingers hoping people wouldn't catch on until after I got theatrical representation! -Known for having done mostly TV - how has that background influenced your acting as a whole? If anything it’s spoiled me a little bit. I think TV is way more formulaic than film. With a series, you book something, you film it, and it’s airing within the year. With film everything is pretty volatile. You're in the dark about everything...for me specifically: when it’s releasing, and will my scenes even make it past the editing room floor. For someone who's more type A than B, it legit causes me year round stress! -Do you tend to take a different approach when you are acting on a film? I don't think so. If I did, it wasn't anything I was conscious of. With Bright being my first substantial role in film, I feel like I’m still processing the experience I had. I definitely learned that things can change at the drop of a dime, so I just tried to be open and flexible. Whether I was feigning or actually feeling confident, I worked hard to be as prepared as I could every day I came to set. -In the case of Sandy Wexler and now Bright, they are both for Netflix - what drew you into these roles? Well, the fact that they booked me for them!! But seriously, Netflix. It’s the most exciting and attractive space to work in, and then you throw in names like Adam Sandler and David Ayer, and I was ready to offer up my firstborn to be a part of those projects! -How was the audition process like for Bright? Oh man. Well, it was interesting. I was sweating bullets just walking in because I knew David would be in the room. Then I got hit with some really specific questions about elves, so I was panicking trying to sum up everything I've ever learned from Lord of The Rings. I sounded like an idiot. We went through the scene and afterward David says, "...that was ok." Yikes, right?! I had a great time talking with him in the audition, but I was pretty sure he was not impressed with my chops! When my agents called
to say I got the job, I thought they were messing with me! Later I learned being on set with him, that he isn't a director who ever fluffs or blows smoke. That or I'm actually the worst and he just never told me! -What was the filming experience like for Bright? Did you have to do your own stunts? It was wonderful! It was an actual dream come true for me. David is an evil genius. He's the coolest director I have ever worked with, and his entire crew was the most skilled and calm I've ever seen. And hell yes I got to do my own stunts!! I got to train in American Kenpo leading up to my stunts, and it was the most fun I've ever had in my life! -In the film, you play an elf - did you prepare differently for this role? How long was the make up process? I think the only different approach I took for this was learning my lines in Elvish! How cool is that?! I got to work with David J. Peterson, who created Elvish for the film. He's the legend who also constructed the languages for Game of Thrones, so I was totally geeking out! The makeup process took about two hours each day. The hair and makeup artists who created the looks are so insanely talented! I can't wait for everyone to see! What role does Larika play in the film? Larkia is a naughty little villain who gets drunk with power. We'll have to wait and see what happens to her! -What can fans expect from this film? Fans can expect an entirely original, badass story. The world that Max Landis and David Ayer created is so unbelievable, viewers will lose their minds when they see it! I think Netflix really let David do what he wanted with this film, and that is a win for all of us! -What else is happening next in Nadia Gray's world? Hopefully the action gods take pity on me! It'll be hard to top this experience, but I would love to make the most of this alien-like gift that fell into my lap, and turn it into the opportunity to take on more harsh, physical roles like this. Doing my own stunts was truly the best time I've ever had on set, and I'd love nothing more than to continue down that path.
PIC BY RIKER BROTHERS create this show? I mean… whats not to like about doing bad ass things with bad ass veterans? I really thought there should be a show that focused on the positive side of veterans getting out of the military and -So I understand that prior to joining the army, we played with a few concepts - ultimately Oscar you were really into journalism and theater - Mike won out. We are stoked on it. why were you drawn into such an opposite field as the Army? -Do you play a role on picking up who to interI was studying broadcast journalism in college be- view or you just get to meet them right there cause at the time I wanted to be a sports journalist. while filming on the show? ESPN anchor type stuff. I took theater classes be- I absolutely play a roll in finding and picking the cause I thought it would help me on camera. veterans. Together with my producer Bryan Eliacin and some of the team over at We Are The Mighty -After the Army, what made you want to follow we searched high and low to find some really aweyour dreams on conquering LA? some people. Once we found them we had to I grew up making movies with my friends for fun. make sure it would work with their schedules and Using anything and everything we could get our we vetted them making sure they were real military hands on and then we would edit right in camera. veterans. Each one of our veterans completely exI never thought filmmaking of any sort was a ‘real’ ceeded our expectations. They were so awesome! profession. After the Army, I fell into some extra work and from that moment I was hooked. I did -What do you usually try to look and learn everything I could to get on set. about the guests on the show? We want to learn who they are as people and what -How did the team up between you and Go90 drives them in their civilian careers. Each person come about? has such an amazing story our biggest hurdle with We were working with a military brand called 'We the show was cutting it down to fit the time paramAre The Mighty' developing projects. They had a eters. relationship with Go90 and we pitched them Oscar Mike. They loved it and the rest is history. -Where can people that live outside the US watch your show? -When you are working on these projects - how As of right now its only streaming in the USA. But do you balance your acting and directing back- after next January we will do a world release. ground? Preparation. Lots and lots of work goes into each What else is happening next in Ryan Curtis' project before we even get on set. I like to think world? that 90% of my directors work happens before we Exciting things! We are currently in development shoot. So as long as we are prepared we are good. on a feature with Lionsgate and have a few other Plus I have such an amazing team around me that shows that we are putting together to pitch. they make it easy. -Hi Ryan, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Amazing thank you! Just got back to Los Angeles from San Francisco on a commercial.
-Let's talk about Oscar Mike - what drew you to
1. Being a part of a hit series, Major Crimes, must come with certain perks? Any drawbacks? Answer: I would say it’s pretty much all perks. Prior to Major Crimes, I wasn’t as confident in myself as an actor. I knew I loved it, and I knew it’s what I wanted to do with my life, but I was selfconscious about my ability. Now, having done over 100 episodes of the show, I’ve had time to explore and stretch myself as an actor. I will always be grateful for the acting playground this show has provided me. If I had to pick a drawback, I’d say it’s the early mornings. 2. Congratulations on the show being picked up for a sixth season. Were you surprised or did you feel it was to be a given? Answer: I would have been surprised if the show didn’t get picked up, only because our fans are so loyal. We have changed time slots on them more times than I can count, and they always seem to follow us and provide us with killer ratings. Six seasons is a long run, and a lot of times shows can get stale after that long. But our writers have been so good at allowing the show to evolve and change shape. Major Crimes is not your typical police procedural. 3. Please talk a bit about your character development of Rusty Beck. The journey began with you in The Closer and then continued into the spin off Major Crimes. Answer: I think Rusty has evolved more than any other character on the show. He started as a homeless teen who was forced to sell himself on the street to survive. Now he is in school studying to be a lawyer. 4. How much is there of you Graham in Rusty... do you see yourself at times in various situations? Answer: Rusty and I are actually pretty different. However, when I started the show, I was a bit of a wild child and slightly unpredictable like him. As I’ve gotten older and matured, the writers seem to have matured Rusty as well. Another interesting thing that James Duff, the creator, does is write situations based on the actor’s real lives. For example, I went through a rough breakup about a year ago and James wrote a similar situation into the script for Rusty and his boyfriend Gus. 5. Any surprises coming in this next season that we might get a glimpse of? Answer: Yes! There is trouble in paradise for Rusty and his boyfriend Gus. Also Gus’s boss Aiden, played by my good friend Keegan Allen, makes an exciting return.
6. You have certainly carved out a niche in the drama genre. Any interest in stepping into other types of TV genres on a regular basis? How about film? And at the end of this run of questions... are you known outside of acting for having a bit of a wit/comedic bone in you? Answer: Well, I actually started in comedy. The first six years of my career I only worked on sitcoms. Starting with The Bill Engvall Show and then moving on to Two and a Half Men. I would love to venture back into sitcoms. They certainly are very fun and the schedules are unbeatable. Because Major Crimes has such a long shooting schedule, I haven’t had the chance to work on any films recently. I’m looking forward to getting back into film once the show ends, if it ever does. 7. Looking into your background you seem to keep a pretty private life. Has it been relatively difficult to keep the two sides of 'regular joe' and star actor separate? Answer: Not difficult at all. I’ve never really been one of those actors who constantly promotes himself. I prefer to just focus on the work. Also, I’m not from L.A., so the Hollywood lifestyle isn’t something I’ve ever felt connected to. In my time off I like to disappear a bit. 8. As you will be turning 26 come November, it is quite evident Graham that you have accomplished quite a line-up of works. Let's add Two and Half Men, Good Luck Charlie, iCarly, Jonas, The Bill Engvall Show, The Anna Nicole Story, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent to your acting list, and it continues of course to grow. What other activities do you enjoy pursuing outside of acting? Answer: I travel a lot. Mostly home to Louisiana or back to New York City, where I lived for two years. When I’m here in L.A. I do some of your standard L.A. nonsense…the hiking and yoga, etc. I also have a really solid group of friends who I mess around with. 9. To follow-up on your turning 26 come November, any particular birthday plans and most importantly what challenges are you setting before yourself in this next year that you are keen on? (They can be personal or professional or both). Answer: Usually I keep it low key for my birthday. I might head back to Louisiana and catch a Saints game. As far as goals go, I definitely want to continue to direct. I recently directed my first music video and I’m about to direct my first short film. I’ve learned a lot from Major Crimes directors over the years and I’m looking forward to continuing down that path.
Photographer: Dylan Lujano @dylanlujano Grooming: Matilde Campos @tildebymatilde Stylist: David Nino @ davidmnino
Hi Chad, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Howdy! I've been great! It's summertime in LA moving into fall, which is just the best. Second only to the fall on the east coast, which is where I'm from. So with many great franchises unfortunately coming to an end so quickly - were you any worried when you jump into the Sniper series or you weren't thinking about none of that? Nah, not worried at all. Where I was in my career seven years ago, the chance to do a franchise-leading role for a Sony military action franchise was an incredible opportunity , and one that turned me from being a non-serious, non-committed actor to one who does it full time. So to have been able to ride this wave for seven years across four SNIPER films has been a blessing. I hope to do another four! Another thing with franchises is that they tend to go lower on quality or reception - what does it feel like to see the great reception and love many people has for this films? While we don't have the big budget behind the SNIPER franchise like most theatrical films, I feel like the quality is never compromised. We strive to make the best action film we possibly can for what money we do have. And it forces the creatives involved in the film to be more creative. At the end of the day, our SNIPER films find a worldwide audience, and fans from all walks of life - especially current and former military - enjoy them, which is always a great feeling. With the increase of the multi-universes, can we expect or would you like to see that to happen to this series or you believe as a standalone saga works much better? Of course, I'd love that, but I feel like the true cross-overs actually come with superhero movies. Unfortunately, we don't wear capes in the SNIPER films, so I think the chances are slim to none. But how cool would it be to join forces with THE EXPENDABLES or the FAST AND FURIOUS gang? I'd be open to that all day, but I think the saga of 'Brandon Beckett' will continue to be told in a separate bubble. What can fans expect from this fourth installment? We are all very excited about SNIPER: ULTIMATE KILL, releasing October 3rd. This installment is easily the best one I've been a part of, for a lot of reasons. First off, it re-unites Tom Berenger and Billy Zane together again on-screen for the first time since they starred in the original 1993 SNIPER film. And they are fantastic in reprising their original characters. I also think this SNIPER film has the best overall story, performances, action sequences, and cinematography, hands-down. It's also a departure from most SNIPER films, as it is more of a tale of urban warfare in Colombia, as the "good guys" team up to take out a ruthless drug kingpin and his hired sniper who has advanced weapons technology in his possession. So this installment goes where many of the previous iterations have not, but in a great way. You have starred in a wide range of crime procedural series - has any of those roles help you in any way to prepare or influence your role as Brandon Beckett? What's funny is, SNIPER: RELOADED came before all of those TV procedural shows: NCIS; CSI: NY; Blue Bloods; etc. So I got to play a Marine way before I starred in so many of these shows as a police officer, federal agent, naval officer and others. So you could say that my 'Brandon Beckett' role actually helped me prepare for the other soldier/uniform roles! Do you tend to have a different approach when you are working on TV rather than film and the other way around? For sure I do as an actor. They are both such different mediums, and there are dozens of different nuances and sub-genres that fall under each. TV is a writer's world, where film is a director's. So preparing for TV can be very technical with strict attention to the dialogue - these writer geniuses know exactly what they want, specifically. And you'll create an hour's-worth of content in 7-8 shooting days, so it
moves very fast. With film, the director captains the ship with his vision, and often times you can collaborate and help shape or co-create it. And film shoots can last for several weeks or over a month, so you can really find your creative stroke with your character and the entire cast and crew. You become more of a family unit over that period of time on a film, whereas in TV you're more of a hired gun there to do a specific job as part of a larger, well-oiled machine. I love both mediums equally, and have been blessed to work often in both. How was the transition from Thriller to Sci-Fi? I actually started off my career as a neophyte actor doing some really fun sci-fi films, so it's been nice to return to the genre of sorts with EXTINCT. A lifetime ago I starred in LAKE PLACID 2 for SyFy Channel and Sony Pictures, and right after that I did the SyFy Channel "creature feature" ROCK MONSTER. I also did a really fun episode on ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME where I got to play Frankenstein's Monster. Sci-fi has always been a favorite genre of mine my entire life, so to be able to play in it is a dream come true. What was the audition process like for Extinct? I t actually was pretty smooth! I had become email pen-pals with the show's producer/director/showrunner, Ryan Little of Go Films. We were trading catch-up emails when he asked if I would read their pilot script for EXTINCT and tape myself for the lead role of Ezra. I read it, dug it, and said "sure!" That was on a Wednesday afternoon; I got an offer for the starring role on that Friday, and by Monday, the deal was done and I was off to Utah to film for five months. I am getting this The 100 meets Stargate vibe - would it share any similarities with any of this series? I often draw comparisons to THE 100, and there are otherworldly-feeling components like in STARGATE, but without any actual inter-dimensional travel . EXTINCT basically takes place 400 years in the future, on an Earth where an alien incursion has annihilated the entire human race. In this post-apocalyptic world, a small group of humans find themselves reconstituted - or "reborn" - by seemingly benevolent extraterrestrial beings. The humans then try to discover their new purpose and attempt to restore humanity while also surviving the harsh environs and hostile alien threats. So it's got elements of STAR TREK, THE WALKING DEAD, LOST in terms of flashbacks and back stories, and more. It's a great mish-mash of fantastic series that have come before, while also incredibly unique as a brave new world. Can you tell us more about your character, Ezra? I play the lead role of Ezra, who is one of the early reborn humans. Ezra becomes the sort of de-facto leader of the reborns, since he brings former military experience and the protectiveness that comes from being a family man. So he calls a lot of the shots early on as the group gets their bearings and try to piece the puzzle together, for better or worse! When and where can people catch it on? EXTINCT will air on the BYUtv network on October 1st, which can be found on most cable and satellite packages. You can also download the free BYUtv app on any platform as well as stream all of BYUtv's content for free around the world at www.BYUtv.org (or alternatively at www.Extinct.tv). This show couldn't be easier to watch, since you've got several options and none of them will cost you a dime! What else is happening next in Chad Michael Collins' world? I just wrapped a really fun psychological thriller indie film called HOME INVADERS, and in early 2018 my film HOWLERS will be released. HOWLERS is a throwback John Carpenter-style action-horror film that pits my lead character, Colt - a gunslinger werewolf-slayer from the old west - against a pack of bloodthirsty werewolves after we all get mysteriously transported to the modern day. It's a WYATT EARP-meets-BLADE thrill ride that co-stars Sean Patrick Flanery, along with a lots of fight sequences, werewolves on motorcycles, a ton of laughs, and much, much more!
Hi Erin, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Hi! I've been great -- just busy making music, touring and raising a 1 year old, so I have my daily work cut out for me! Please tell us what you do in JD & The Straight Shot. I sing background vocals, play fiddle and violin, and co-write the music! Can you talk to us about the band’s lead single "Run For Me"? "Run for Me" is energetic, exciting, and full of emotion, giving the listener a great first taste of our new record. The song incorporates diverse musical influences including traditional Celtic roots music with our signature acoustic roots sound. As with most songs we write, there is a story in the lyric. Did any event in particular inspire the band to write this song? Our touring throughout Ireland and the UK renewed my passion for Celtic roots music and I found myself yearning to incorporate more of it into my writing. I came up with the instrumental riff and JD helped me finish the song.
due out September 15th - what's the story behind the song title? Well, I don't want to give it all away -- so go take a listen! But it's about a desperate gambler, betting away his last penny just to feel that exhilarating high one more time. Tell us about the band’s recording and writing process. We've all been co-writing together for several years and this is our second album to capture our strictly acoustic sound and arrangements. We write together during our time spent on the road and in rehearsal. If someone has an idea for a new song they'll bring it in to the rest of us and usually we all finish it together. We also like to play new songs live for a while before we take them into the studio. It helps the music feel "lived in." That way we know what works, and what doesn't.
Any plans to release a video for the song? We may. For now we have a live version of the band performing the single -- the lyric is expressive and paints a vivid story for the listener with or without video.
Having played with greats like Rod Stewart and Martina McBride, what did you borrow from working on those projects and bring to JD & The Straight Shot? It's always an honor to share the stage with a great artist like the ones you mentioned. In both of those ensembles I was part of a string quartet, which is its own discipline. It's all about blending together and supporting the music as a group. But... there's a lot to be said for being the only violin in the band. It becomes a lead voice and requires a whole different set of creative and technical skills. Let's be honest... I get to rock out, and it feels good!
“Run For Me" comes off your new album Good Luck and Good Night
How would you describe the sound of the album?
It's genuine, authentic music, steeped in the spirit of acoustic Americana. If you listen close you'll here many roots including, bluegrass, blues, zydeco, and even jazz. What were some of the risks that the band took on this album? We are all extremely proud of how it turned out, but there were a lot of risks along the way in terms of content. From songs invoking characters from a Dicken's novel, to a Maya Angelou poem set to original music, to a song dealing with the horrors of domestic abuse, we really bridged a wide gap of topics and experiences. At the end of the day, our personal experiences and musical direction provide a continuity to the project. How did the band’s influences like Pink Floyd and The Beach Boys influence writing and recording the album? From the outset, we knew we wanted to envelope the melodies in complex and beautiful harmonies. We began with our instincts for harmony and tweaked from there to bring it to the next level. We listened to a lot of great bands and their harmonies for inspiration. Where else did the band find inspiration for the songs and lyrics? We drew a ton of inspiration from our time spent touring in Europe (Ireland/the UK to be exact). To spend time in cities so rich in musical culture was truly a gift to all of us - we just wanted to soak up everything we could. We'd go out at night and listen to music in small bars, or sometimes large venues -- we'd even listen to street performers with open ears and so much appreciation for their culture. There were so many sounds
to be heard, old and new. It was amazing. What are JD & The Straight Shot's touring plans for after the UK November dates? We plan to tour!! That's a given. But I don't think anything has been confirmed that far in advance. What else is happening next in JD & The Straight Shot's world? Well, we have been all over the country (and most of Europe)…but we're still on a quest to find the world's best chocolate soufflé. Any recommendations?
Q: Hi ladies, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? A: Sarah: Hey guys, we're BEYOND excited that this is our first VENTS interview! Q: Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Low Profile"? A: Sarah: “Low Profile” is a very special song for us, because it's our first release since we've transitioned from country music to the pop genre. It's the first step in a brand-new journey for us, and we're so happy VENTS is documenting it! Q: Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? A: Charlotte: Writing “Low Profile” was a unique experience for me. The title and lyric inspiration actually came to me in a very vivid dream, which connected to a situation I was going through in real life. I just had a feeling that I had to put it into a song, not knowing that it would eventually become our debut single. Q: Any plans to release a video for the single? A: Sarah: This September is the beginning of a rollout of singles and music videos! The visual aspect of being an artist and the creative process behind it is something we're super passionate about. You can expect many in the near future! We will keep everybody updated on our social media platforms. Q: How was the recording and writing process? A: Charlotte: The actual writing process for “Low Profile” didn't take very long. That's the funny thing about songwriting; it seems like the songs we end up recording are ones that happened really quickly. The morning after my strange dream, I hung out at the piano for a bit, and within about five minutes, the melody was falling into place. Q: What was it like to work with The Disco Fries and how did that relationship develop? A: Charlotte: Working with the Disco Fries was an insanely cool experience for us! We actually started working with them two years ago when we did an EDM collaboration, “Earthquake”, together. I wrote some top line to a random track that was sent to me; the Discos loved it, and decided to take the vocals I had recorded and build a totally different track around it. A week later, we found out the song was signed to Armada! It now has over three million plays on Spotify and has been featured on the Today Show. We love working with the Disco Fries because they capture our sound and vision perfectly. Q: How much did they influence the song? A: Charlotte: I wrote “Low Profile” on our piano in Spruce Grove, Alberta. Initially it was a ballad. But in our heads, we heard a funky bass line. Shortly afterwards, The Weeknd came out with "I Can't Feel My Face" and we knew it was going in the right direction. The Disco Fries took all of our ideas and brought it to life, almost as if they heard the sounds in our heads! It was pretty wicked. Q: What made you want to seek for a new music direction? A: Charlotte: I think, as an artist, you're always supposed to be growing, changing, evolving. We've always known in our hearts we were supposed to be pop artists, even though, at the time, we were performing at country festivals and singing country
songs. Living in Alberta was amazing, because it gave us the country background that emphasizes learning your instrument and the power of songwriting. Even as we secretly started writing pop songs and exploring other genres, we never lost that harmony driven, guitar focused side to our music, which is important to us. Ultimately, we chose to switch genres because it feels sincere to the way we write and create music, but we'll always remember the lessons our roots taught us. Q: Does your new single mean we can expect a new album - how's that coming along? A: Sarah: Our debut single “Low Profile” is the beginning of a new era for us, and will be followed by an EP to come in the spring of 2018! The past two years we've changed drastically as songwriters. We've learned to take risks musically. But with that being said, the biggest evolution was finding ourselves and who we are as people. We are very excited to share a new side of us that we haven't exposed before. Q: Any tentative release date or title in mind? A: Sarah: The EP is scheduled for release in spring 2018 - ahh! We'll be updating our friends/fans along the way by sharing our recording experience via social media. Q: Any plans to hit the road? A: Charlotte: We were honored to have toured across Canada in the past, including international cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Shanghai! We hope these new releases will bring us back to those places. We're influenced musically by different cultures and the cities that we've visited. Over the next 6 months you can for sure expect to see us on the stage in support of our new music. Q: What else is happening next in The Command Sisters' world? A: Sarah: We will be releasing our debut single, “Low Profile”, September 8th followed by a video, then a radio single and our debut EP. We are also working with some amazing brands on campaigns so we will be doing some great campaign with those via our social media and videos. This project has been 10 years in the making! Touring, writing, and being each other’s companions on this crazy music journey. This September is the beginning of a new life for Command Sisters and we are forever grateful for those who have supported our passion.
Hello, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Hello! Nice be be here – Been great busy putting together our record. It’s all encompassing – Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Going Back"? We are very excited to release our song “Going Back”. The song started from an idea/riff that we came up with while rehearsing a long time ago. The melody stuck in my head and It took me many variations to get it to where it is now. At one point it was mid tempo, another it had 3 other changes. It was recorded and recorded and passed along to our circle. I wanted to present the melody and vibe in a clean, simple linear arrangement – with me that means its going to take a while. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? I think I drew from my move from to Los Angeles for the idea of “Going Back.” I had to leave a great life in San Diego with my old band, friends, family, sanity – I focused on what what I really wanted, and I thought it would be an idea that needed to be expressed musicially. What made you want to use Google Street View for this lyric video? The director, Emily Wilder, came up with the idea of using Google street view for the video. She had mentioned the idea to me and at first I was unsure how it would lend itself to a music video. When she sent us the first draft we were all in We loved how it made you feel the feel motion and of seeing places you may never have been but need to. How was the recording and writing process? The writing/recording for “going back” was a long and tumultuous process. It started as a simple riff a while back. I had heard found a melody while messing around and kept going over it and over it. The tempo was originally slower, there were many more changes. We recorded the first version one place, the second another and so on. At one point I reached out to Stephan Kaye (Fitz and the Tantrums) to help me get the soundscape right. He was pivotal in keeping the original mood and feel of the song while keeping it linear and unclut-
tered. It was a labor of love but almost drove me crazy. What role does LA plays in your writing? Los Angeles plays a big role in my writing – both good and bad. There is a lot of motion here, and a lot of of stopping as well. Its either really exciting or mind numbing at any point in time. I feel like I mine my inspirations here and then take them with me to places that I can express them. I have to move studios a lot to keep my process fresh. Its also great having so many shows to go to and great musicians to conspire with. How's your new album coming along? The record is coming along great- we have turned some new corners and I hope its translates to people. There has been a lot of changes in every aspect my life so I think it will reflect that. Its not going to be a bunch of songs that sound the same. In fact it will be much the opposite – Any tentative release date or title in mind? We are going to release a few songs first, so may be late fall. Its all but ready to go, but I might have a song or two I want to add Would it be a direct follow up to your previous album? No I think the next album will have marked changes. I self produced on this record and it is def going to be in the same vein but with more experimentation with melody/instruments/rythyms. Any plans to hit the road? We plan to hit the road once the album is released. What else is happening next in Western Scene's world? Well we are planning on making some new music videos and incorporating more of our world into our outreach. Our next release was mixed by Hugo Nicolson (Radio head/Primal Scream) and we’re going to create “Tuesdays with Hugo” on our feed and website. He’s a character and has some hilarious and valuable insight the world needs to here. We are also working in the new songs to the live show and plan on making it a grand experience.
Hi Sydney, welcome to VENTS! How Not really, I love writing so it's super natural have you been? for me. If anything, I'm hiding so many songs I've been great, thank you! that I can't wait to release. I know how much my fans loved my last single, “Soldier”, so I Can you talk to us more about your lat- hope they like this one just as much as I do. est single "Up For Air"? “Up For Air" is about being let down by someHow does your acting influence your one that you trusted, but rising above every- music and the other way around? thing they put you through. I think for acting and singing, I have to get vulnerable to create my best art and not hold Did any event in particular inspire you back, which in a sense could be nerve wreckto write this song? ing but the final product is beautiful when you I like to tell stories with my song writing, so I don't hold back. definitely know the feeling of being let down, and unfortunately I think a lot of people do too. Does your new single mean we can exHopefully the lyrics will inspire them to rise pect a new album - how's that coming above anything they've gone through. along? Ahh! Hopefully. I'm going to have an EP soon, Any plans to release a video for the sin- mark my words. I have so many songs I'm gle? going to work on, so I can't wait for my fans to I have a lyric video coming out! it will be on hear everything. my YouTube following the release of the song :) Any tentative release date or title in mind? How was the recording and writing I always think of different titles for what I process? would name the album but I want to keep it a The writing process for this song was different surprise. for me since I usually write on guitar or piano and then I have a producer work on it after. Any plans to hit the road? But in this case, the producer sent me produc- Not at the moment but I know my fans really tion to the song and I listened to it in car in a want me to tour so I'm going to try to perform grocery store parking lot. I instantly fell in love everywhere I can. with the production and I started humming melodies and coming up with lyrics, and by What else is happening next in Sydney the time I got home the song was finished and Alton's world? I cut the vocals the next week! I've never writ- I can be seen in Why Don't We's new music ten like that before so I was nervous at first video for “These Girls”. I'm the good girl you but I ended up loving it :) take home to mama so check it out! How has Alicia Keys influenced your writing? Alicia is so inspiring to me, I love the honesty in her lyrics and I think that definitely inspires me to never hold back from the truth or from what I'm feeling. After the success from your previous single, were you any nervous while working on this newest single?
Pic by Shanade Alton
Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Bamboo”? This song was inspired by my current relationship. We met years earlier but went our separate ways and then fell in love again almost 10 years later. It’s based off the idea that we need to grow and set our own roots in order to grow stronger and taller together side by side in love. The hook “Bambamboo” came to me while I was driving home one day. I collaborated with writers Jesse Epstein and Izik on this concept after participating in Hawai’i’s creative labs program. I co-produced this song with Grammy winning producer, Dave Tucciarone and Nā Hōkū Hanohano winning artist and producer, Imua Garza.
Jam How's your new album coming along? Any tentative release date or title in mind? Oct 13th. Iʻm juggling between a few titles. Birds Eye View or Proud as the Sun.
What aspect of your life did you get to explore on this record? Iʻve really come into my own as a woman now that Iʻm out of my 20ʻs. I really got to explore this new chapter in my life on this album. The themes of white that repeat in my visuals are about this new beginning. My life is like a blank canvas that I get to repaint. I want to encourage young women to burn down those fairytale dreams of princessʻ needing rescue and to be Any plans to release a music video for the the queens they are born to be. single? We are releasing the lyric video on Sept 15th! Would you be showing fans a new musical direction with this material? How was the recording and writing I really just write and create my music in whatprocess? ever style moves me at the moment so itʻs not This album seemed to come together a bit eas- really intentional. For this album, I wrote a lot of ier than my last. Artistically, I had a clearer vi- the songs on my new koa ʻIsland ʻUkulele so sion of what songs I wanted to share on this youʻll hear that more prominently. I was very inalbum. I collaborated on songwriting and pro- spired by things in the sky this time around, like duction with Brian Fennel and Imua Garza. birds, the sun, lightning, clouds, and tall BamMany of these songs were written on my boo. ʻukulele and guitar and then I brought in collaborators to help build them. I love to work with Any plans to hit the road? others during this creative process. Weʻre locking in November dates on the west coast including California, Oregon, Washington, How has your upbringing influenced your and Colorado. songwriting? Growing up in my island paradise has definitely What else is happening next in Kimie affected my writing content, melodies, and mu- Miner's world? sical compositions. I reference nature often. I I started a new company, Haku Hawaiʻi last sing as if Iʻm running barefoot in a forest or year. Haku is a full-service music, audio, and watching the sunrise on the beach. Family and talent production group providing access to the community is another important part of my up- creative output from Hawai‘i’s emerging and bringing and reflects in my music for all ages. leading artists, producers, composers, and musicians. We work with artists who are reaching Do you tend to take a different approach across genres and driving the evolution of when you are collaborating with someone Hawaiian music and Hawaiian sound today. else than when you are writing in your own? Through our Haku Collective we run a mentorI keep an open mind and trust the people I ship program, to guide up and coming songwritchoose to work with. “When you trust people ers and artists here in Hawaiʻi and gear them up you work and you let them have their freedom, for greater opportunities with their music. thatʻs when the chemistry happens. Thatʻs when the real art goes down.” -Jeff Ament, Pearl
Hi Sluka, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? I have been out of my mind completely consumed with the creation of this new album, Colorful Radiation, thank you for asking!
It was all a mad frenzy of creativity in a very short time.
How has David Bowie and Coldplay influenced the music on this material? While I understand comparisons to other muCan you talk to us more about your latest sicians, I don't really reflect upon influences single "Rise"? other than, like them, I try to make the best Yes, like all the songs on the album, it is a bit work I can and not waste the time of the audiunconventional yet highly emotional. ence. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? The song is my reaction to the Trump phenomena. Not so much him, but how his rhetoric resonates with so many, especially after we have seen similar populist movements throughout human history and every single one of them eventually resulted in a dismal failure, if not outright catastrophic anarchic disaster. Lyrically, I use suggestive and evocative words and phrases along with an alternating sometimes lilting with sometimes explosive lead vocals. I also alternate between the positions of the leader and the led. The arrangement includes pleasant acoustic guitars mixed with syncopated shuffling drums, cathedral organ, and a fun groovy bass line. I recorded myself out of breath after a long run and added that throughout because, let's face it: Aren't we all exhausted by this daily barrage? My aim is not to ridicule or alienate trump supporters, nor to encourage the extreme left wing opposition, but to motivate all of us, the human race, to rise above the voices of enflamed fears, social divisiveness, authoritarian control, and immature incompetent unrestrained outbursts of insanity. Hail to the Chief of Reality TV.
Did you get to work on the visuals first and then on the music? The songs all popped into my head over a 3 week period last Winter, melody, lyrics, arrangements, and visual ideas. I then met with Eric Bishop, the director, to discuss possibilities for not only creating a kind of short film or visual album, but also shooting in 3D, which would really enhance the experience. I then rehearsed all the parts for about a month and then took another month recording. And we are just now finishing up the rest of the videos. They are all interrelated and yet individually unique as well. I think of the album like a story with each song a chapter on its own, vital to the story, and meant to be listened and viewed in sequence for an overall emotional experience unlike anything you've ever heard or seen before. Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? I've never found inspiration. It's always found me, like voices in my head, forever taunting me to bring them into existence... and so I comply.
Any plans to hit the road? Any plans to release a video for the single? I would love to! I was planning to tour last WinSeptember 29th! It looks great, no doubt ter following the release of my previous album, provocative, and hopefully understood. Introversions, but then Colorful Radiation took over my mind with other plans. The single comes off your new visual album - for those that may be slow in un- What else is happening next in Sluka's derstanding, what does that mean? world? This album in particular was conceived as a You'll need to ask the voices. complete work of music with visual ideas. How was the film and writing process?
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Thank you!! Pretty good!! Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Jump In"? “Jump In!” is the first song from the upcoming EP titled Poodle Boogie.
This EP will be released in November.
We think “Jump In!” is a very simple, fun rock song and we especially like to play it at our concerts very much.
My friend took live video during our summer tour.
Please check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqDOgekfj4g Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? There's no event in particular that inspired the song, but we are very inspired by ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s rock, blues, funk and jazz music, that's probably our biggest influence. Any plans to release a video for the single? A short lyric video of “Jump In!” was uploaded on our YouTube
Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B5eT3XOCI4
And we have plans to make a full length music video of this song very soon.
And we are also making a video of the cover song called “Action” from our third album Get It On very soon as well.
How was the recording and writing process? George writes the songs and Yuria writes the lyrics. We have always done it that way.
We've released three full-length albums recorded at GCR studios, which is owned by Robby Takac from Goo Goo Dolls. But with this upcoming EP, all drum parts were recorded at GCR studio in Buffalo, NY and then we recorded all vocals, guitars, bass and percussions by ourselves in Japan. We then sent the all data to GCR studio and then they mixed the songs. What role does Japan play in your music? We were born and raised in Japan but usually listen to American and European music so we are not sure that how does Japan influence our music but maybe living in Japan influences our music in
general. How does Anime influence your writing? Yuria is a famous Anime singer in Japan, but regarding PDP music, we don’t really have any Anime influence. How's your new EP coming along? “Jump In!” is the first song from the EP, which was released on 7th July.
The second song “Feel The Sensation” was launched out in August and the third song “Freely!” was just released in September.
We are releasing the forth song titled “Aspiration” in October. And the EP will be released in November with one more new song. Any tentative release date or title in mind? The EP titled Poodle Boogie will be released in November!! Any plans to hit the road? Our summer tour in USA was just finished, with over 40 dates played, and we are now planning next tour. What else is happening next in Pinky Doodle Poodle's world?
We are not sure…we have lots of new songs so we are ready for the next recording at any time. But for now, we really want the chances to play in front of many people.
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Garrett – We are feeling “OUTSTANDING!” Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Wrong"? Garrett – We initially wrote this song with a different singer and I had wrote the chorus (which was something other than it is now) When Mike joined the band, his singing style was completely different than the previous singers, so we decided to re-write most of the lyrics to Wrong (and 9 of the 10 songs on the album) It was fun to write over a chorus that was written for a vocal melody and coming up with something different over a chorus that was already in place. I was particularly stoked on the fact that the vocals start a 1 beat after the chorus actually starts. I think it gives it a cool feel. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Garrett – We wrote most of the lyrics while visiting June Lake Mountain in California. This song and most of the others were just melody ideas and then we would just pick a topic that we felt strongly about and would build the vox around the song. I always complain about the bullshit they try to force feed down your throat while in the American’s educational system, so I think the song stems from that. The chorus is just saying its kind of fucked up that they are preparing you for the system they want you to be in versus living life and having fun. The “majority” being the masses that take the red pill. The first verse is basically is a back and forth conversation of an elder in school telling a kid what to expect in life from their perspective and the second verse is basically a kid reflecting (as an adult) of what actually hap-
pens How was the film experience? Garrett – (I actually don’t know what you mean here, do you mean at PRH?) The single comes off your new album A Better You - what's the story behind the title? Garrett – We dabble in mind altering items we can talk about here, but lets just call them Shrooms for now. A Better You is something that we always in regards to the experience of the Shrooms… While on them and after… you become A Better You! How was the recording and writing process? Garrett – It was fun, we wrote stuff that was harder to pull off in the studio than expected, but overall it was a learning experience. What was it like to work with Daryl Phenneger and how did that relationship develop? Garrett – I’ve been friends with Daryl for a while now. He is super mellow and encouraging to “be A Better You, while recording, but at the same time he is a perfectionist so it was give and take. Overall. Loved it. How much did he influence the record? Garrett – He is a great producer, he actually wrote Numb and Dumb on the album. I’d say he grabbed our songs and developed them into something
way bigger than we though initially was possible. As you change the band's name, has this influence the band's sound? Garrett – I started the band 5 years ago and refused to give up with so many lineup changes, so after finding 4 other guys that were dedicated to the band, having fun and into the same type of music, it just made sense to give it a fresh start; that and SLED just has a nice ring to it. (We came up with that name while on a Shroom mission in June Lake looking for “a hill to slide”… it just kindof stuck after that. Would you call this a departure from your previous musical projects or a follow up? Garrett – It’s a departure. I’ve been a punk fan since I was young, in other bands we would try to many weird things, this band is all about having fun with a back bone of fast punk. Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? Garrett – We picked topics that we often spoke about in everyday conversations and wrote lyrics, wether it’s the government bullshitting the world, past relationships or just going down the rabbit whole on some quality Psilocybin. Fitzy can make a song about cat shit sound good, so we just rolled with the first items that came to mind. Any plans to hit the road? Garrett – For sure. We have a local show in Jacksonville on Sept 23rd and then a 3 day Canadian tour beginning of October with 88 Fingers Louie,
Belvedere and Such Gold
- Sept 23rd at The Harbor Tavern in Atlantic Beach, Florida - Oct 6th at Brass Monkey in Ottawa, Canada - Oct 7th at L'invasion Bird Attack Records in St. Hyacinthe, Canada - Oct 8th at Velvet Underground in Toronto, Canada What else is happening next in SLED's world? Garrett – New music, fun, small tours, new friends, shrooms and other fun.
Hi Andrew, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? - We’ve been well, very well, actually—we just got back into Charleston a few days ago after spending a week in New York City playing shows and doing some press related events around the release of our single, “Ashley Ave”. Also, thank you for taking the time to interview me! Generally, I would use some kind of emoji because exclamation points make me feel like I’m trying too hard to sound enthused, but I don’t know how an emoji would translate in an interview (insert emoji here). Can you talk to us more about your song “Escape!"? - “Escape!” started as a sort of slow, introspective ballad to someone or something (I don’t really know who or what I was trying to address) in a third-person fashion, which made it easier to communicate the feeling of needing to get away. However, this ballad-y routine isn’t on the studio recording because it translates more in a live setting. In regards to the content of the song, it plays with the sensation of suburban angst, a past relationship and the bittersweet nostalgia of feeling both joy and entrapment at the same time. We all grew up on an island, so, thematically, it plays with the idea of water and being submerged or trapped in something that is out of your control. By the end of the song, the protagonist, the “I,” realizes that the self is the only one who can pull you out of a deep, hazy depressed state. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? - It was more of an amalgamation of events, a big old cannonball of nostalgia from the late-teen years. Any plans to release a video for the track? -The video is completed and we are really eager to release it to the public because it’s our first, true music video. It is our most expressive and honest piece of art to date and it errs on the side surrealism; it really dramatizes the way we feel about the aforesaid themes. Actually, The Graduate definitely served as a source of indirect inspiration that hit us midway through making the music video. In respect to how we made the music video happen, I worked closely with my best
friend and filmmaker, Taylor MacDonald, to pull together the screenplay, and we’ve worked on multiple short films before, so anytime I get to work with Taylor (“Mang” is what everybody calls him) I’m excited. We also brought on Tucker MacDonald—of no relation to Taylor, oddly enough—as the director of photography. So, the crew was small, but these guys have been making films for so long that the tight-knit crew really allowed us to get creative and kept the environment very relaxed. The single comes off your new EP, You Will Find Love In Ashley Avenue - what's the story behind the title? - The title, You Will Find Love on Ashley Avenue, is what we found towards the end of our time living together as a band in one house. There were moments that were pure, unadulterated joy and others that weren’t. Ultimately, every moment had the intention of love behind it and the love doesn’t stop within the band, though. Our house was always buzzing with people and we wanted every to feel welcome, to feel like they could speak their mind about anything. We want people to feel a sense of community and acceptance when they listen to our music or come to a show because there aren’t a plethora of situations in life that make you feel welcome or accepted. On social media, in preparation for the EP release, we’ve been using the hashtag, “stepinsideyouarewelcome,” to keep engraining our message into people’s minds. How was the recording and writing process? - I feel like I’ve touched on the writing a good bit, so I’m going to talk more about the recording process. This EP was the most fun we’ve ever had recording because we knew what we wanted. However, the fun part was kind of excavating the sounds in our heads and figuring out exactly how they work in a song: our song, which was the challenge. We, as students of music, are finally getting to the point where we can pick apart the textures in a song and, if we really dig something that is really specific from, let’s say, a Beatle’s song or a Marvin Gaye song, and want to implement it into our own song, we are now able to use the studio as the tool box to try and create that sound (all with the help of our engineer, Omar Colon). Touching more on the recording process, the most enjoyable and perhaps essential part in recording this EP was facing each
other in a large room and live tracking. There is nothing better than capturing “the take” and looking around the room at each other and just relishing in that brief moment of silence before we all kind of nod our heads, put down our instruments and go into the control room.
at a pivotal time and their sense of universal interconnectedness shaped the way they approached songs both in terms of chord structure and lyrics, which has been very inspiring for us, especially during the making of You Will Find Love on Ashley Avenue.
What role does Charleston plays in your writing? - Much of Charleston is our writing. Wow, reading that back sounded weird, but it’s the only way I can say it. What I mean by this is that we’ve had so many experiences here, we can’t help but to try and capture the energy of the city because that’s what we’re exposed to every day. Also, there are a lot of talented and innovative artists coming out of Charleston. I think this city is so conducive to making art because it’s a growing city, for better and for worse, and you can’t help but comment on that, which is the way we approach creating art a lot of the time if it’s not a personal relationship with another human being. I think about Walt Whitman—one of my favorite writers—a lot and his works of poetry that comment on the modernization and ever-growing population of New York City during the mid-1800s and how fresh and inspiring it must have been to create works of art surrounding such a monumental and societally/culturally expansive time. Although New York City is now a city and it will go through change it did in the mid-1800s, there are changes happening all around us that are new and it is the artist’s job to embrace them and make them both real and beautiful, which is the hardest part, making something both visceral and somehow transcendent.
Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? - All of the songs on this EP are either vignettes of not-so-distant past and experiences we had together at Ashley Ave.
How has The Beatles influence your music? - The Beatles have influenced almost every musician to some extent—whether we want to accept it or not—and in the way Chuck Berry and other musicians from that time influenced The Beatles and the musicians who were a part of the British Invasion. So, subconsciously, I can’t tell you how The Beatles have influenced us because they makeup such a vast part of our popculture quilt that we were most likely influenced by them at a very young age. Consciously, we look up to The Beatles and the way they made what they wanted to make and, because they put that confidence and artistic freedom into their music, people, whether they liked it at first or not, started to identify with them and their music. They really tapped into the global conscience
Any plans to hit the road? - We’re hitting the road pretty consistently throughout September and you can find the dates on SondorBlue.com. Our touring has become a lot more intentional, as we’re trying to cultivate a fanbase in very specific markets throughout the South East. We actually just got a new van (RIP to our old van, Sylvia), but this van has yet to be named. She’s a queen, though, without question. What else is happening next in SondorBlue's world? - Just more touring and writing the album. We keep having new experiences together from being on the road and, now more than ever, we are extremely close and on the same creative wave, despite the fact that we are no longer all living at Ashley Ave. The house was something that will never be re-created and I’m just glad that its energy and love lives forever in the EP, You Will Find Love on Ashley Avenue.
Hi Ben, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? We have been lovely! We do what we love and love what we do. Thank you very much for taking time to listen. Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Set It On Fire"? Roughly, it’s about those souls that are near and dear, but ultimately end up down a road so dark and cold that none of us can follow. Find inner peace by setting their memory on fire. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Various experiences throughout the years. Any plans to release a video for the single? Not at the moment, but we’re always up for ideas. The single comes off your new album Homeward - what's the story behind the title? Why naming the album after this track in particular? We never go for a concept, but one usually develops. This is probably the most folk and Americana album we've put out. There is harmonica and uke on a few songs replacing electric guitar in the past. In my personal opinion, this is a “hopeful” album. It touches on death and then laughs at our insignificance on this planet, talks about going home and then getting lost in the wilderness, gives advice to our younger youngblood selves and finds humor in standing on a doorstep of an ex, feeling stupid. We strive to write, play and record high-quality songs that will stand the test of time.
This is an album of songs that did not make the other three albums; not every song, but a majority. The band and I write a lot, on our own and as a group, when rehearsing. This group of songs happens to be all the songs I had written and tried to bring to life, but they always took a back burner to other material, not because they weren't as good, but because they did not come as easily. Some songs take 3 minutes to write, others are written over three years. Not every demo is meant to be heard…lol, but these songs I kept coming back to,
so here we are. How was the recording and writing process? While I write all the lyrics and do a good bit of the arranging, the songs cannot and would not have the same depth and richness without the incredible group of people working on them. From its creation in 2010, Ben Labat & The Happy Devil have been a group of musicians, engineers, writers, etc. working to create songs that we want to create and play. So while there have been members that have come and gone, they are still very much a part of what Ben Labat & The Happy Devil are. I even consider the two gentlemen that helped mix Homeward as members of Ben Labat & The Happy Devil. Album Credits: · Ben Labat (vocals, guitar, uke, harmonica, etc.) · Jerry Martin (guitar, mandolin, vocals, etc.) and I are the two that have been in the band since 2010. · David Guidry (bass guitar) has been the bassist for the last two albums (The Revival and Homeward) and played bits and pieces on the first two albums (A Face for Radio and Soapbox Anthems). · Travis Lovell (percussion) is the newest member, joining us for the production of Homeward. Travis is the perfect drummer for what Ben Labat & The Happy Devil are now. He complements and never does more than is needed. Musical guests on this album: · Travis Thibodaux - Travis is a good friend of the band. He played drums for a few songs on The Revival and pretty much all keys on Homeward. We would love to make Travis a permanent member, but he is currently on tour playing keys and singing in a band called Journey — the same one that just got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
· Ansley Rimmer - All the female vocals on Homeward. She has been a friend of the band for quite some time. She plays in a band, Hydrogen Child, with some former bandmates of mine from The Terms. One of the most powerful and
smooth female voices I have ever heard.
· Colin Lake - Colin is a fantastic blues guitarist living in New Orleans. He played lap steel on "Darkness"
Homeward developed from my acoustic recordings that did not make prior albums. All core members and additional musicians mentioned above. I must add in Mr. Brett Grossman and Mr. Rob Smith. While myself, Jerry and each guest musician recorded his/her own tracks at their own studio and then imported into sessions (technology is amazing, right?), Rob and Brett took all those tracks (with my guidance, of course) and made them sound like parts of the same songs. The bass and drums were recorded at Music Shed Studios in New Orleans. What role does Louisiana plays in your writing? Louisiana is my home. I have left and come back many times. Louisiana is a gumbo of people and musical styles, and I think that influences our music. You can hear rock, country, R&B and reggae influences in our music. After having been in the scene for a long while, how would you say you have grown as an artist? It has been a long and creative road filled with life experiences, good and bad, success and failure, falling down and getting up. This is probably the most personal collection of songs we have created so far. For some reason, almost every song on this album is a song that did not make the other three albums. It is the most personal and mature album, lyrically, I have ever written, and much more piano-driven.
Besides writing and playing music, I have and will probably always have a job where I sweat, teach, reason, get dirty and learn. The people I have and continue to work and interact with are what provide the best influences, muses and experiences. I have been a roofer, worked on oil rigs 200 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, taught high school physics and robotics, managed a fleet of work ves-
sels, and trained and instructed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Life is meant to be lived, not watched at a distance, and great music is written by living in the world. Is this band a total departure from your previous work or a somewhat follow up? Nope. This is what we do. Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? Life. Being submerged in it. Any plans to hit the road? Only regionally for the moment. What else is happening next in Ben Labat & The Happy Devil's world? We are focused on this album, Homeward, for the time being.
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you this song? been? Space lets me write this song. So… this song Great! was inspired by the silence it came from! Can you talk to us more about your latest sin- Any plans to release a video for the single? gle "Sparkling Of Light"? Yes. We’re currently planning to shoot a video The song itself is really sparkling, the sound and here in the US while we tour. the melody exist thanks to you. How was the recording and writing process? A part of the lyric: Rinko writes all songs & lyrics and then all of the “A boy will kiss the girl tonight/The girl will believe members arrange them. We have been recording the last few albums at GCR studio in Buffalo, NY. him tonight”」 I think tonight is always the most important night What role does Japan plays in your writing? of any nights. At first, of course our lyrics are Japanese, and our The present is always sparkling! health comes from delicious Japanese food. Did any event in particular inspire you to write
How's your new EP coming along? Any tentative release date or title in mind? New EP called Signs was released this month digitally and on CD at our live shows. It will be released worldwide on CD this fall. How has The Police influenced the music on this album? We love The Police because they have beautiful melodies with very original arrangement and aggressive live performances. Opposites that mix together perfectly. Every one of our albums and all of our music is influenced by that style. Any plans to hit the road? We are touring in U.S for the first time right now.
What else is happening next in The Molice's world? The Molice will move forward, just being The Molice!
Hi Diamond, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Diamond: We've been great! Thank you so much for asking. Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Freak"? Diamond: Absolutely. Freak is an anthem song. It is about embracing your differences and being proud of the things that make you different. There are so many outlets in our culture that indirectly make people ashamed of the the things about them that make them different from everyone else and this song is kind of a fuck you to that. I mean, let’s be real - in some way, shape or form were all freaks. Did any events in particular inspire you to write this song? Diamond: Not in particular. We knew we wanted to make a song that was different lyrically than anything else that we have ever done. I know that everyone has always called me weird, haha! Honestly, I always embraced it though. The weirder and less cliché that I could be, the happier I was and at the end of the day. It made people like me more because they knew I didn’t care about their opinions. Any plans to release a video for the single? Diamond: For sure. I actually just got off the phone with the director that we are going to work with about scheduling the shoot. We are going to be doing videos for a few of the singles so we are looking forward to everyone seeing the music come to life
visually. We have not released a performance based/storyline music video yet for this record and we are itching for everyone to see what we have in mind! Why did you name the album after this track in particular? Diamond: We actually named the track after we named the album. "Freak" was actually the last song that we wrote for the record and the whole album took on the theme of embracing differences. We weren’t really aiming for this to be a concept album but each song kind of took shape of being about different types of freaks and fetishes. Because of that, "Freak" just naturally fell into place. How was the recording and writing process? Diamond: I really enjoyed the writing and recording process of this record. We recorded in Denver, Colorado with Dave Otero. It was a super comfortable environment and it was awesome to get his angle of things that we may or may not have come up with ourselves. He's a death metal guy so in some way he’s incorporated some of that into our record but in other ways he also helped us dampen things down a bit so that it was catchier. I'm really happy with how to final product came out. What was it like to work with Dave Otero and how did that relationship develop? Diamond: Working with Dave was a good time. He's a super
funny guy even though he doesn’t always seem like it, haha! He actually mixed one of our first EP's and everyone loved his mix so much that we knew we wanted to come back and do a full record with him at some point. How much did Dave influence the sound of the album? Diamond: He really helped us streamline some things, while at the same time, really helped us emphasize heavier parts. Like I said before, he’s a death metal guy so he definitely knew how to make us sound heavier than ever! He was also really down with going over vocal melodies and harmonies that we wanted to try. He really made a difference in the area of us branching out and doing things that we never have before. How have bands like Mudvayne, Slipknot etc influenced your writing? Diamond: I know I can speak for everyone in this band by saying that we love heavy bands that have mass appeal. Bands like Slipknot, Mudvayne, Korn, Metallica, etc are so big because they found a way to marry heavy music and big choruses to appeal to more than just the typical metal fan. That has and always will be our goal. We want to play heavy music but still reach as many people as possible and not stay underground. What does it feel like to be one of the bands in the metal scene right now that are paving the way for women of
color? Diamond: It feels awesome! I'm happy to be out here doing something different. The fact that I/we can inspire people in some way and show them that going against the grain can be cool is an awesome feeling. Where do you find inspiration for your songs and lyrics? Diamond: Life. There’s no better inspiration than that. Songs are a blank canvas and you can make them about anything you want and anything that makes you FEEL something, so that’s the goal. You can never write about the wrong thing. How is your current tour with DevilDriver going? Diamond: Tour is going awesome. We are actually in Minneapolis, MN right now getting ready for the show tonight. It’s such a pleasure playing with such great musicians every night and being able to learn and grow from them. I also love that we get to meet so many new fans and friends. It makes all the hard work worth it when you can see how many people you touch doing it. What is happening next in Tetrarch's world? Diamond: After this tour were going to head back to L.A. and prepare for the release of the record. We have a show at the Whisky in LA with Superjoint and Devildriver Sept. 27 and then the album drops Sept. 29th. Other than that, we are in talks of more tours and a lot of other things that we can’t wait to reveal to everyone!
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Wonderful! The cool fall air is back and our minds can breath again. Soon we'll be able to enjoy cheese and pants. Can you talk to us more about your song "Black Bats"? That would be fine. Black Bats is a song we've been working on for a long time. A lot of the songs on this record have been gestating for a while and Black Bats is one of those that has slowly percolated and evolved over the years since our last record. It hasn't changed a whole lot from when we first wrote it but over the years we've added layers of flavor, like a good soup. The song is about a murder! Did any event in particular inspire you to write this track? No, and actually I wrote it on a weekend at the beach. Which is strange because I came up with the opening melody and it started out as a peaceful and pretty song, the kind you would expect someone to write at the beach, and then for some reason it took a dark turn and I really enjoyed the idea of breaking up the peacefulness of the song very violently. Which is pretty un-beach like. I think in a way, because I was in such a peaceful and relaxed place, it became very easy to access darkness and violence. I started thinking about how darkness can so closely follow bliss and how bliss can follow darkness and the natural yin and yang of these emotions. And what that does to people. And I began to think about the shock of sudden violence and how it reverberates. Which is something we've all experienced at some
point. Ah, the beach. Any plans to release a video for the song? We would love to! We'll have to go to the beach and try to figure all of this out. We did decide to open the album with it, so it has a special place among the other songs on the record. The song comes off your new album Dancing Out The Door - what's the story behind the title? Dancing out the Door is the end of a thought we've been having for a while, the third full length record in a trio: Idiots, Manufacturing Joy, and Dancing out the Door. How was the recording and writing process? We've been working on a bunch of these songs for a while. And so we all decided the best way to record them and make them feel truly alive was to do it live to tape in a short amount of time. So that's what we did, we recorded nearly everything in two days live, got the full band in big room at Kawari Sound outside of Philadelphia and recorded fast and loose to tape. We did most of the vocals live as well. We tinkered a little with everything after but what we set out to do was get that live energy as a foundation, I think it holds the songs together well. What was it like to work with Bill Moriaty and how did that relationship develop? Working with Bill is great because he is very talented and fastid-
ious which allows him to work well with restraints, such as time or space. We needed to work fast in order to get the feeling we wanted and he really jumped in with both feet. He has a less is more approach with us in the recording and mixing process that I really love. It brings out the rawness of the songs and the band. How much did he influence the album? We recorded our last EP with Bill and agreed after to do a full length with him as soon as we could. He really understood the immediacy that we were going for and was able to interpret our specific ideas really well on the fly. Over these last two recordings he really has influenced the way we think about our sound. I have to also give props to Zach Goldstein who engineered the record with Bill at Kawari. Zach is excellent and was super into the idea of recording the whole band live. He captured our energy and balanced what Bill wanted to achieve as well. What artists are your inspirations and how have they influenced your writing? So many to list! Trying to think about inspirations for these songs in particular... when we set out to record we were really looking for a classic sound and were listening to Them, Captain Beefheart, The Sonics, Patti Smith, Lightning Hopkins, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Doctor John for sound and vibe inspiration. What role does Dr. Strangelove plays in your music, aside from influencing your name?
Waving our cowboy hats at fate, that's pretty much what we've always been aiming for. What dark corners of the world did you get to explore on this record? Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? We live in Philadelphia. We just listened. Any plans to hit the road? We can't wait to take this new record on the road. We're gonna play all of our favorite dives and see all of our favorite strange people. We'll eat a thousand sandwiches! Every sandwich you can imagine. These songs were really formed on the road and that's where they aught to live. We'll be announcing Fall release tour dates very soon and will be taking Spring and Summer runs in 2018 as well. What else is happening next in TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb's world? We have new songs to record! We're getting antsy and pretty excited about them. We took a good bit of time on this record and there's new road to uncover. And I need to finish sanding the old hardwood floors in my house. And we're gonna enjoy living in Philadelphia for a few more months before everyone in the world moves here.
Hi Luka, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Hi! I have been ABSOLUTELY fantastic. Always staying busy with music and making power moves on an hourly basis. How about yourself? Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Papi Chulo"? Papi Chulo is a state of mind. It’s an anthem for the self-aware, confident and overachieving thinkers. If you’re in a rut and are kind of lost on the path of chasing your dream, you put this record on and start reminding yourself that you’re more than capable/worthy of success. I know when I was a kid, I’d play my favorite artists and they would remind me that everything will turn out great with confidence, hard work and positivity. Most people need motivation and I want to help them understand that no one will support you unless you support yourself first.
I went to Miami to help my older brother set up his office. I was there for a little over three weeks and in that time I really soaked in all the latino and the tropical vibes.. I saw examples of financial success every time I stepped out into public and it was very inspiring. The single comes off your new album Funny what's the story behind the title? Haha. The album is titled “Papi Chulo”! ☺ It’s all a state of mind. You have to be number 1 in your mind before you’re actually number 1. No player in any sport has went into a championship thinking “I am second best, I’m gonna win 3 rd or 2nd place today!” and won 1st place. That is absurd. You have to work your ass off and believe you are number 1. Papi Chulo translates to “Pimp Daddy” in Spanish. It’s just my suave way of saying, ready or not I’m coming for that number 1 spot.
How was the recording and writing process? Did any event in particular inspire you to write this When I got home from Miami, I started making the beat song? and just started writing what I had in my heart at the
time..Within five hours or so I had the song pretty much completed. When I make music I always let the music come to me, I have a certain chilling feeling when I add certain things or play certain chords..In a sense I feel like gods leading me to the right direction with everything that I’m doing. Also if you guys reading this don’t know…I produce all of my beats, write all of my lyrics and mix/master everything myself and have been doing this for years!
How's your new EP coming along? It’s finished! I have been dropping a song from it every two weeks since the release of “Papi Chulo”. The project is CRAZY ☺ Any tentative release date or title in mind? It’s been releasing track by track every two weeks.
Any plans to hit the road? Yes, November we’ll be out burning your local stages How has your upbringing influenced your writing? down! If I didn’t grow up in the environment I grew up in and didn’t go through what I went through..I wouldn’t have What else is happening next in HeyItsLuka's any of these amazing songs. I am very thankful for world? everything in my life! I’m already 3/4ths finished with the next project, and let me just say it is LEGENDARY. Expect nothing but What role does Maryland play in your music? greatness from me. I’m the biggest thing since MJ and Maryland is cool. It has its downsides but like I said be- the world will soon see what I see! I have the greatest fore, if I didn’t live the life I have lived thus far, things people around me and most importantly I have God’s would be much different. support!
The spellbinding sounds of VÉRITÉ, who just released her highly anticipated debut album Somewhere in Between on Kobalt Music Recordings, spoke recently with Song River. Her collection on this project includes collaborations with producers Liam Howe (Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, fka twigs), Tim Anderson (twenty one pilots, Solange, Mr. Little Jeans), Peter Thomas (Selena Gomez, Betty Who), James Flannigan and Zach Nicita. VÉRITÉ vocally is hypnotic and her album, Somewhere in Between is tantalizing mesmerizing and emotive form of work surrounded by an otherworldly sound. Song River: Looking back over the name and its stylization: VÉRITÉ what was the metamorphosis that lead to the word being what you identify yourself under musically? VÉRITÉ: When I started this project, I needed a clean delineation between myself and the project. At the time, I wasn't comfortable enough in my own skin to inhabit the music as myself in a way. I think having a moniker created a space for me to grow into. SR: Reading through some former press the establishment and your passion for Applebee's came up a few times. Do people not realize that many artists work multiple jobs in order to do what they LOVE? VÉRITÉ: I think it's extremely common for people to have side hustles while they pursue what they want to be doing. I just happened to take mine to the extreme. SR: Of course you spoke fondly in the articles of Applebee's, so possibly singing/writing and waitressing area your loves... what have been some of the other jobs you have held down along the way? VÉRITÉ: I had worked in restaurants since I was 14. I worked at an apple orchard when I was 12. I worked at a local clothing store for a minute. Other than that, just waiting tables. SR: Is the 'Dream' to be a big rock star today still as plausible say as it was when your own parents were about your age? VÉRITÉ: Yes and no. Today, there is greater access to distribution and the ability to find success as a musician on various levels. The idea that you will get "discovered", sign to a major label and "make it" I hope has dissipated. SR: Congratulations on your debut album Somewhere in Between via Kobalt Music Recordings. You chose a wide array of producers to work with. What was it you were looking for on each one you placed them in line with? VÉRITÉ: I started the album in a phase of experimentation. A lot of the initial productions were born out of that time. From there, I intentionally funneled the tracks to specific producers to finish the production in line with the world I was trying to create. SR: Life has a way of showing us what and where we need to be or do... if we listen. Back in 2014, your time in Europe seemed to help shape a direction. Having been involved in music since you were really a child... how much of you and life do we find coming through on this debut album? VÉRITÉ: This album is obviously shaped by a life of experience and perspective. While writing it, I did really focus on where my mind was in the present. The album isn't nostalgic. SR: Some may not realize though that Somewhere in Between may be your debut on Kobalt Music Recordings, but you have released is it 3 other EP's independently? VÉRITÉ: Yes. I've maintained my independence through three EPs and the album. Kobalt Music Recordings was an ideal partnership at the time of release because they allowed me to remain independent and in control while adding valuable re-
sources to help me scale. SR: What was the deciding factor for you to go with Kobalt Music Recordings? What did it take for you to say... "this will work for me?" VÉRITÉ: The deciding factor was remaining an independent artist and keeping ownership of my music. SR: Many bands are DIY and independent. It seems the 21st Century way.Is it because we are all hesitant or is it a trust inclined dilemma to know what is the one to take and the one to throw back in the sea? VÉRITÉ: I think that today there is tremendous value in having flexibility. Being DIY/independent allows you room to take risks, gather data and make changes in real time without waiting for approval from others. SR: This can be an open-ended and maybe unfair question- but have you found staying in control to be honored and respected in this industry? What about with those who are close to you... what do they think? VÉRITÉ: To me, it feels like no one in the music industry really cares that I am independent. People value statistics and measured success. I am very lucky to have numbers/stats that people may gauge as "successful". People close to me, my family and friends, understand and respect the idea of independence for sure. SR: Another tool you have really channeled of course has been Spotify. How much of the business side has been and is controlled by you and how much is it fed by 'advisors?' VÉRITÉ: All of the business sides is controlled by me and my manager. We obviously take opinions and advice from people we trust. SR: You are a songwriter that is clear. What you have to say does not hold anything in the dark. What is it you have been seeking to divulge or impart to those who will listen and what do you feel people are really desiring? VÉRITÉ: I think people are looking for honesty and transparency. I don't feel the need to put on a persona. I just want to create music that resonates with people and I can be proud of. SR: Touring life. It is one of the best parts- even with late nights, fast food, and little sleep- how are you feeling about it all at this point Kelsey and what are you expecting on the other side? VÉRITÉ: Everything about touring is the best part of touring. You get to funnel your whole life into kinetic energy. It's amazing to see your hard work pay off and have people to celebrate with. SR: Take us out into 2018... what can we be looking forward to with VÉRITÉ? VÉRITÉ: I'll be putting one foot in front of the other and continuing to build.
Always having the faith to live the dream is what the band Beat The System is all about. When these forces from across the globe converged and the energized static lit a spark it gave charge to a full explosion that rocks. Beat The System, have released their first music video, “Be Your Own” and the message is clear... value the moment, value you. There was a dream the two brothers, Gerald and Stewart from Malaysia, had at a very young age that was to become their destiny. The prayer Gerald said we he first heard the band Creed was not to meet the band, but it was to be discovered by Creeds discoverer, A&R legend, Diana Meltzer. Upon the decidedly serendipitous move to the United States, it would be there that the full formation would come together with vocalist May Leigh and songwriter Adrian brought everything full-circle to create the sound that is Beat The System. SR: Greetings to all of you: Gerald, May, Stewart, Adrian, from Beat The System. Life is an incredible journey and so often we find ourselves in too far to the left or right or stuck in the middle. Gerald, you have had a passion beginning very early in life. How old were you when you began pulling a band together? Gerald: Greetings! I started playing drums when I was 8 years old. It wasn’t until I turned 20 that I decided to take music seriously and together with my brother Stewart, help form Beat The System. SR: Talk a bit about that moment when you knew this was to be your calling and the uncanny connection that eventually took place with a certain A&R person. Gerald: Though I graduated and worked as an electrical engineer, I always knew that I’d somehow end up pursuing a career in music. I can’t put a finger on the exact time or age when my calling to be a musician came but I’ve always wanted to perform on stage and tour the world for as long as I can remember.
When I heard ‘Higher’ from the multi-platinum band Creed for the very first time on radio, I was so blown away that I immediately looked them up on the internet and began researching on the person who discovered them. Out popped the name ‘Diana Meltzer’, the world’s first no.1 female A&R. It was then that I told God that if I were to play in a band, I want to be discovered by this lady. Years later, my prayer was answered. SR: How did the progress of everyone else come together? Gerald: It was in 2013 when we came across a very talented young man who at first didn’t know that he could write songs. In the midst of coming up with a 10-track demo, we sort of hit a creative roadblock. As we were scouting for potential songwriters, Adrian (who was then a close friend and fan of the band) jokingly said that maybe he can help us out. He joked about it because he has no musical background whatsoever and doesn’t even play any musical instrument. One day, he told us that a melody just came to him in a dream and he hesitantly hummed
it to us. Needless to say, we were both astonished and pleasantly surprised. We subsequently inducted him into the band and made him the primary songwriter.
We didn’t have a singer when we got to the States in 2014. We auditioned a couple of singers from England as well as in the U.S. but we just couldn’t find the right fit. Through a series of events, Diana introduced us to May at a Christmas party and we got along very well. The very first time we heard May sing, I recall thinking to myself ‘My goodness! What a voice!’ It was then that we knew that we’ve found the perfect voice for Beat The System. SR: Faith is a huge part of perseverance and our own success. What has been the connecting thread between all of Beat The System? Gerald: I would answer exactly that, faith. It was through faith that we all met, got together, and made this happen. It was faith that kept us going when everything was against us. We all want the same things. We want to create great, powerful music that people from all walks of life can relate to and take comfort in. SR: It was a huge leap of faith certainly Gerald and Stewart that brought Beat The System over to the United States, to begin with. How did this decision come about and what have you found overall to be its largest advantage to you all musically? Gerald: It truly was. We both had a good career as engineers back home and the thought of uprooting everything and move halfway across the globe was certainly daunting. Nevertheless, we always knew that in order to make it big in the music industry, we would have to make it in America. We didn’t see it as a choice but rather something imminent.
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It’s undeniable how much the United States value art and music. It’s a place that fosters all forms of creativity. We would say living and being in the creative environment itself has brought on immense inspiration and invaluable ideas into creating our craft.
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SR: How about personally? Gerald: Speaking on behalf of the rest, I’d say that living here in the United States pushes us to strive beyond our capabilities, be it in music or in our personal lives.
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SR: Two questions for all the band: Influences are everywhere. Some can absorb them, change them, identify with them, and create a whole new label. Who have been some of your most influential people (personally, musically, and in life)? May: I’d say, David Bowie and Dolly Parton.
Gerald: MARIAH CAREY, bold intended!
Adrian: Musically, I’d say Adele. Personally and in life, Ellen DeGeneres.
Stewart: It’ll have to be Linkin Park.
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SR: Taking our cue from those who have been a part of who we are, and will be... what traits do each of you carry and how would you like to influence others? May: Fueling a revolution of style and music and making music my own. To be unique yet relevant at the same time.
imagined it as a music track for a superhero movie.
It is exactly as you said, what matters is that we pick ourselves up after getting knocked down. Doing what we do, there will always be naysayers that would talk us down and discount whatever milestone we’ve achieved.
Gerald: I don’t believe anything’s impossible. I want to be able to show people that with a vision, faith, and lots of lots of grit, we can be whoever we set out to be.
That doesn’t matter because this is OUR dream and in every big or little way, we play the role of a hero in our own lives, we can only look to ourselves to drown out the noise and let our achievements speak for itself.
Adrian: I’d like to think that I’m positive and I certainly hope that I’ll be able to create music that continue to touch lives and bring about more positivity in this negativity-laden world.
SR: Music with hope. At the end of the day to each of you... where do you find your binding trust that courses through the band Beat The System? Gerald: Everyone of us in the band wants the same thing. We want to leave a legacy in music. The journey for each of us has been anything but easy and we’ve all been broken in more ways than one. Sure, as a band, there were times when we felt that it’s all for naught, that perhaps this dream is just too big for us to realize.
Stewart: To be memorable and make music that speaks volumes.
SR: You have released two singles, and are going to be releasing a full-length album, correct? Is there a title and release date? Talk a bit about the album as a whole- does each track represent something or a space on its own? Gerald: That is correct. Our upcoming album is titled ‘Journey’. We think that it accurately sums up what we’ve gone through and still going through as a band, both literally and figuratively I might add. From the album, you will be able to tell what we went through of love lost, of love found, of heartbreaks, and of pure joy.
Each track has a story to it and it does represent something that is personal to us. We do not have a release date for the album as of yet as we’d like to focus heavily on the singles that we’ve released, but it’ll be no later than spring next year.
SR: Your first single video release "Be Your Own" has a strong role of encouragement and love running through it. Who did you work with on filming and video production? Gerald: We worked with an extremely talented, brilliant, young guy by the name of Jonathan Galan who happens to be a fellow Malaysian. Upon seeing his reels and snippets of the work he has done at first glance, we instinctively knew he’s the one to go with.
We would also like to give a shout out to Robbie Lemieux who played the role of a producer and Ray Lee who’s our executive producer for the music video.
SR: Another single released as a track on Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, etc... is a danceable pump up an anthem tune. This song gives one the perseverance to get up no matter how many times you get knocked on your hind/side. Seriously the visualization fit so perfectly in with a Spiderman movie theme song. Who wrote the lyrics for this tune? Gerald: I did. I’m very pleased to hear you say that. As I was writing this song, ‘Hero’, I
Fortunately, with lots of faith and trust among each of us, we persevered and we pushed on, knowing that our time will come.
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? JD: No video for this one at the moment. We have one JD: Doing absolutely amazing, life is great and we’re more music video for an unreleased song coming out living the dream in about 2 weeks, that’s a secret though haha Can you talk to us more about your latest single "No Place Like You"? JD: of course, No Place Like You is our 3rd single we’ve rolled out for our album release. It’s more a softer track with less focus on screaming. We wanted to have a very emotional post-rock sort of a song that people could play for that sad late-night rainy drive home type of vibe.
The single comes off your new album The Love You Let Too Close - what's the story behind the title? JD: The whole album revolves around the theme of how life changes after losing someone very close to you to suicide, as well as the consequences, life complications, and hardships of those coping with the loss. I lost my best friend to suicide a couple years ago and the whole thing really changed me as a perDid any event in particular inspire you to write this son. Brought me into a dark place for a very long time song? & dealing with the depression that came from that JD: I lost my best friend to suicide a couple years ago eventually ruined a relationship with someone I was and It changed my life a lot. I’ll go into more detail in love with. Dark times mixed with complicated situabout all that in the later question ations never is a good mix, that’s essentially the focus of ‘No Place Like You’. Any plans to release a video for the single?
How was the recording and writing process? JD: It was amazing, we got to track the album in San Diego with a really talented up and coming producer named Sebastian Rizo who is a good friend of ours. Writing together as a band went extremely well as we all seemed to have a similar idea for what we wanted the band to sound like. Watching the songs & the sound overall evolve into what is now Thousand Below was such a great experience. I’ve never had a musical project come together and work so efficiently right out the gate. Would you say you have found the band definitive sound with this record? JD: I would say we’ve found our base, we’ve found the sound we want to connect to people with first, but I can promise the sound will evolve and mature. Not sure which way we want to go yet as the album hasn’t released yet, so that’s all a bit down the road. But for now we love the sound we have.
You get to explore with different styles on this record - how did you balance them together? JD: Rock and Post-Hardcore. Those were the styles in our mind when we wrote the music and I feel we executed that really well. Any plans to hit the road? JD: About to hit the road on the No Sun No Moon Tour with The Devil Wears Prada, Veil of Maya, and Silent Planet from September 29th - November 4th and we are absolutely hyped about it. What else is happening next in Thousand Below's world? JD: Starting up this amazing tour, and getting this album released on October 6th & hoping people enjoy and connect with the music are our only priorities right now. Not sure what’s next for us when 2018 starts but we have some things in the works :)
Hi Mike, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Hi VENTS! I have been doing pretty OK, thank you for asking. Can you talk to us more about your single "Let's Go"? Last Summer I was feeling overwhelmed. I couldn’t do anything because I’m so broke and have so much debt from self-releasing records. I was also feeling claustrophobic because we weren’t booking as many shows as usual, holding out for better gigs that just weren’t coming. And I had all these song ideas, but no money to record them. It wasn’t just me though; it seemed that no matter what the profession, most people I know were feeling similarly stuck. So, I wanted to write a feel-good anthem to encourage myself and others to just go out and get/take what they need to feel content.
When we finally got into the studio (thank you credit cards), we had the track done and I was going to do vocals and thought, “this sounds like we just wrote a jock jam.” So, I scrapped my 2nd verse and embedded a little hidden message to our fans who’ve been with us since the beginning, to let them know that no matter what we sound like, we’re always gonna be the same old Mutts. Any plans to release a video for the single? Yes. I have had visual accompaniments in mind for almost every song I’ve released; we just haven’t had the time or budget to make it happen. I used to make cell phone videos, those were fun but not professional-looking at all. A couple years ago we played a festival that paid well, so I took my cut, bought a DSLR and started making videos myself (I’m Trying & America’s Next Top Something were my 1st). On this EP I’m going to make a video for EVERY song. We have 3 already (Let’s Go, Neighbor, and Tin Foil Hat), and I’m working on shooting “I’ll Be Around” this month. The single comes off your new EP Stick Together - what's the story behind the title? We all know that 2016 was one of the most divisive years to date, so that was subtext. I always tend to write satirical songs about injustices and hypocrisy, but it was time to shed the cynicism and come out with an unveiled positive message. Specific to Mutts, we had been seeing a lot of our friends and favorite bands breaking up. Stick Together was going to be our encouragement to everyone who’s having a hard time, to try and make it work. Then our drummer left the band. And our tour van died. And the bar I had a residency at went under. And my partner (now fiancée!) went back to school so I found myself supporting the household. Everything was telling me to call it quits, too. But Bob and I decided to double down. It’s called Stick Together, and we’re not fucking quitting. How was the recording and writing process? Every record we throw a new twist at ourselves to stay on our toes. This time, I asked Bob to play guitar instead of bass. I did the bass on my keyboard with my left hand, and refrained from playing any lead parts with my right. For one, I wanted to focus more on singing and performing these songs. But mainly, I wanted Bob to be the lead instrument on an entire record. I think Bob is one of the most creative bassists out there, and he’s also an accomplished guitarist. So, this record was another shift in approach to what Mutts sounds like, and it took some time to lock that into place.
We were also individually busier than ever, so rehearsals were more spread out. As a result, sometimes it would just be me and Chris jamming. One time I said, “play something like the beat from Single Ladies.” And Chris took a few minutes to figure out what that meant, crafted his own interpretation, and then we came up with Tin Foil Hat.
Recording was awesome. We’ve always loved the Audiotree guys, and felt lucky that they like what we do. We’ve filmed two Audiotree studio sessions, played their fest in Kalamazoo, and played their SXSW event twice. Rick Fritz has always stood out as one of our favorite sound engineers, both in terms of how amazing he makes bands sound, and just to hang out with. We approached him about doing an EP and he was into it, so we did it. The sessions were a surprising mix of efficient and casual. It felt like we were just kind of hanging out, and then a record happened. What role does Chicago play in your writing? It’s very inspiring how we get to interact with so many talented and creative people in so many ways. We collaborated with Archie Powell and Jennifer Hall on a couple of these songs. Audiotree is just 10 minutes away, and there are dozens of other studios of all sizes as well. When filming our videos we’ve gotten a lot of help from a local theatre organization called Collaboraction. And there are some awesome local businesses that are doing well and reinvest in the community by sponsoring neighborhood festivals, art walks, or other events. It’s great to know that we’re not on our own; in this enormous and often cold city there’s a warm spirit, and it’s the people that don’t just want to support one another, they make it a priority to
actually do so. What aspect of unionship and boundary did you get to explore on this record? Between our last release (Fuel Yer Delusion vol. 4) and this one, I was kicked out of the house by my previous partner of 5 years, hit pretty much my all-time low in living out of my car and sleeping… let’s just say “in questionable beds,” then met my now-fiancée when we were both playing an LGBTQ event called “Bear All,” and now less than 3 years later we’re engaged. It was a crazy nosedive that I’m lucky to have pulled out of, thanks in large part to him. So, Stick Together I suppose has also been a message to myself and my integrity. It’s easy to isolate yourself during hard times. The most difficult and important thing is to be a vulnerable and empathetic human, which takes courage when interacting with the world. I think it’s most reflected in the song “I’ll Be Around,” which I hope resonates with people. How are you preparing for the upcoming tour with Company of Thieves? Brushing up on the songs has been fun. There’s a lot of interesting layers in their music, and I just got endorsed by Nord, so I’m excited to bring a brand-new Nord Stage 2 on the road to help paint all of those textures. Getting to go with them to LA and record the 2nd album with Rob Schnapf was one of the highlights of my career. I learned a lot on that trip. This being a reunion tour for the band, are you playing a particular set? I think we’re going to brush up on more songs than we’ll need on a given night so we can play it by ear. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.
We’re still working it out with the individual venues but they’re pushing to get me to open some of the shows with a solo set, so I’m gonna get to sneak some of the new Mutts tunes in there if I can! What are you looking forward the most? I think that hometown House of Blues show is going to be wild. But in general, it’s just going to be fun to hit the road again. Whether it’s Thieves or Mutts, it’s great to be in a pack with people you love as humans, and whose artistic talents and creativity you really respect and admire. From my standpoint in CoT, we’ve all grown individually and done some cool independent projects in the past few years, so it’s gonna feel awesome to look around the stage and realize how unique we all are and how cool it is to be together again. What else is happening next in MUTTS's world? I’m always thinking about or creating something for Mutts, all the time. It’s like a switch in my brain I can’t flip off and it probably drives my bandmates crazy. Since we finished the EP, I have been collecting live footage, recording demos for new songs, and then I have video footage for the I’ll Be Around music video. So it’ll be nice to be on a couple tours where I’m not steering the ship, and I’ll have some time to mix and edit all this stuff. I’ve got so much stuff. I’m going to put up a Patreon page to get it all out there to the folks who want to hear it. That’s just going to be under my name, so it’ll encompass Mutts, my new brass band that I just started, some solo recordings, and hopefully some collaborations with the other acts we run with.
Bandcamp purchase: download.muttsmusic.com iTunes purchase: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stick-together-ep/id1260070582
Mutts on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SUXa9GOCamAe5fMSxTTao
Mutts on Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mutts/id334704719
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearemutts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearemutts
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/wearemutts
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_SlXzUgr-ngvxbMNsTyeHg
nstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearemutts/
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Soak Up the Sun'"? Sure, this song took me a really long time to complete! In the original, there’s two bridges that I was having trouble fitting into the style that I was creating, so I just decided to scrap them. I think it turned out great though! Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? This song is actually a cover by Sheryl Crowe. I loved this song growing up, and I wanted to cover this song because the summery vibes would translate well to tropical house.
original and picture how I’d make it sound in my head. Do you tend to take a different approach when you are remixing someone else than when you are writing in your own? I do, I find remixing a lot easier because you have a lot of stuff to work with already, whereas with an original, you have to create your own. What aspect of Country and EDM did you get to explore on this record? This EP was really about taking popular country songs and giving them an electronic twist. I’m a house guy, so I wanted to make sure the songs would translate well with a house beat.
Any plans to release a video for the single? No plans to do any videos for this EP, but I What role does GA play in your writing? have some stuff planned for next year! Georgia is right up there with Nashville when it comes to country music. So much talent comes The single comes off your new album A out of this state. Many of the country acts I folRoad Less Traveled - what's the story be- low are from here, so I’d hope to get an opporhind the title? tunity to work with them some day. The title comes from a Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken”. I have been fortunate Where did you find the inspiration for the enough to come up in a producer community songs and lyrics? with a lot of folks chasing what’s popular in These are songs I grew up listening to. I’d hear order to become popular. I have nothing them occasionally, and since I’ve started proagainst it, but this is just not the path I’m choos- ducing music, I think “how would I make this ing to take. I don’t want to be a carbon copy of song? what someone else has built. I want to build my ” own thing. Any plans to hit the road? I hope to in the future! For now, I’ll just play How was the recording and writing here and there around Atlanta. process? I recorded two of the songs at the same studio What else is happening next in Panski's in Nashville. I recorded some guitars at my world? home studio. I worked with a lot of musicians I’m gearing up for an exciting 2018. I cant wait online, and they just sent me stuff to work with. to show everyone these songs I’ve been workI always love being in the studio, whether its ing on. mine or someone else’s. The album features some covers - how did you handpick them? Honestly, the idea just came to my head for each song. I can’t remember when exactly, but I usually decide to do a cover after I hear the
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? We've been just great thanks! And how are you? Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Grace & Focus"? It's always hard to judge your own music and then especially so to choose the lead single. We're very proud of the whole EP and different members had differing favourite songs but in the end we thought Grace & Focus was the one to go with. We think it best represents us as a band whilst remaining pretty accessible for new listeners. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Not a specific event but this song is basically about being in relationship limbo. We don't normally write lyrics that are even remotely connected to romance but most people have been in that situation. Any plans to release a video for the single?
Yes! We have a shiny new video that's filmed and edited and very nearly ready for you all to see! Watch this space! The single comes off your new album Anonymity what's the story behind the title? Well, primarily it's a lyric from the song of the same name - ‘Avatars, diatribes, anonymity’. But we also thought it was relevant to our relative anonymity as a band at the moment. Which we will hopefully move out of thanks to this release! How was the recording and writing process? The recording process is always excellent. We headed down to Folkestone to record with Oz Craggs at Hidden Track Studios. (Without sounding cliché) it's pretty rare to find a producer that totally ‘gets us’ but he instantly did and it just feels like home now. As for writing we generally do it at Jack's flat. We probably spent about a year in total writing this mini-album.
How would this record showcase an evolution of the band? We'd like to think we have gradually evolved in our songwriting and also the production from the early EPs to now and this is the culmination of all that hard work and the fairly steep learning curve. Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? We don't inspiration from all over the place really, as we’re sure most songwriters would say. Sometimes after composing some chord progressions or a lead line you can instantly get a feel for the kind of mood that that section should be about, but just as often you can find yourself angry or excited about a conversation or an incident on the bus, and by the time you’re home you’ve got some lyrics ready and everything suddenly revolves around them. Recent themes are to do with darker human emotions and traits, but there’s so much of that that’s evident in today’s social and political affairs that it’s hard to avoid thinking about it sometimes.
Any plans to hit the road? Yeah, we're aiming to do a few small warm-up shows and then go out on tour in late November! What else is happening next in You Win Again Gravity's world? We'd like to continue gigging off the back of this release for a while whilst starting to write on our first full-length album next year.
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Very well thank you! We’ve just got back from a run of 9 shows in 10 days in Europe and had the most amazing time. Post-tour blues has well and truly set in and we’re all really enjoying being back at our day jobs.....! Can you talk to us more about your latest single "More Than Magic"? Lyrically, it’s about trying your hardest to make something work but your best never being good enough, no matter how many times you try and bend or mould yourself into something your not. Musically, the song came together really quickly and it seemed to almost write itself. We feel like it encapsulates some of our biggest influences (Circa Survive, Thrice) and the video was great fun to make! Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Brad wrote the song after the implosion of his 13 year relationship. The lyrics are about realising that no matter how hard two people try to fit a certain mould or act in certain ways, you can't change who you fundamentally are. The song is about wanting more from somebody than that person can actually give. Any plans to release a video for the single? We already have a video for this single that is available on YouTube. The whole thing, from concept to production, was by a good friend of ours; Charlie Wallis. We loved his idea of dressing Brad up like a magician and using hand flares for a big climax and we’re extremely pleased with the re-
sult. The single comes off your new EP Tabula Rasa - what's the story behind the title? “Tabula Rasa” is a Latin phrase often translated as “blank slate”. The EP focuses on the realisation that you’ve perhaps been taking the wrong, long path and then having to retrace your steps. It’s about starting right back at the beginning but not knowing where you will end up this time around. There is a song about being wounded, hurt and beaten and having to heal, another about death, what happens after it and the realisation that something is over and closing track “Like Animals” uses metaphors about being once hungry and having the energy to fight but now being an old wounded animal that can’t really protect itself anymore. So all really positive and uplifting subjects….. How was the recording and writing process? Steve had had the songs as demos for almost 2 years before Prey Drive was born. These demos didn’t change much to the final recordings. They were all done at Steve’s home studio and then mastered by John Naclerio at Nada Studios in the US. All members brought new ideas to the songs, and we could record them over a period of time with no pressure. When we felt they were finished, and at a good enough stage to also be played live, we decided to unleash them on the public and the response has been pretty good so far.
What role does Norwich plays in your writing? We all met due to the Norwich music scene, and practice regularly in Norwich – however I’m not sure the city itself is a direct inspiration for songwriting. It is a really great, beautiful and historic city though, and we’d highly recommend a visit! Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics? Brad wrote the lyrics to whole e.p. based on the emotions he felt during his recent breakup from his long term relationship. The songs tackle themes about depression, loneliness, religion, being disillusioned with love and life, and starting over. How has the road been treating you so far? At the time of writing, we’ve only played a handful of shows. However we’re already making plans to return to Europe as we were treated like kings and seemed to go down really well.
Steve, Christian and Paul had all played in Europe before: Steve with his old band Darwin & the Dinosaur and last year Christian and Paul sessioned for Johnny Craig’s band Slaves (US) playing Download and Graspop Festivals as well as other shows in France and Germany. Any highlights? Our first show in our hometown was awesome. We played with some friends’ bands and the event was packed out and had a really great atmos-
phere. The response was great and we almost sold out of merchandise from that one show. It definitely gave us the feeling that “yeh, this is something good” and left us wanting to book more and more shows.
And of course Europe was just amazing. We made some great friends in new bands we played with and promoters/venues we played for. The hospitality we received as an unknown band was unrivalled. Watching Paul get stuck in a top bunk bed was definitely a tour highlight too! What else is happening next in Prey Drive's world? We’re currently demo-ing new material for the next EP/Album and some of those songs are coming on tour with us. We’re hoping to do a bigger campaign for the next release: more songs, more videos, more shows – so it’ll take time to organize, but we’re hopeful we can make it something great.
Hi Armando, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Hey, thanks for having us. We’re doing well; just got back from a month long tour out West and completed the run with a big show at home. We are excited now that our new album “Juntos” is out and available online; it’s also good to be home to recharge. Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Baila"? Sure thing. “Baila" is song one, track one off the new record. We wanted to make a dance floor shaker with a strong brass line and a call and response group coro. It has a propulsion that keeps the arrangement fresh all the way through. There is a frenetic energy when we play this song live, it’s dynamic, intense and lyrically fun to sing. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? No joke, going dancing inspired this song. As a scene, Chicago is layered with talented musicians, DJs, artists, and creatives that work and organize to put our art forms out there to the public. Working with bars and venues we hold monthly events that focus on the community and the cultures that breathe life into this music. Chicago has a history of throwing magnetic underground parties that inspire and push the music of our times. I’m thinking parties like: Reggae Gold, Foreign Exchange, Cumbiasazo, Que Hora Son, Alegria, The Boogie Down, Soul Summit, etc. People making and spinning good music for people to dance to. Any plans to release a video for the single? Yes, we are in the process of completing the pre-production. We’ve been so busy on the road, we can finally catch our breath and get to the video shoots now, haha.
The single comes off your new album Juntos - what's the story behind the title? Juntos is our call-to-action. It means we can do it together. A friend of mine likes to say “community over competition.” I think he hit the nail on the head. I like the concept of everyone lifting each other up and looking out for one another… the power in numbers approach. If there are issues that need to be addressed, we have a louder voice as a community. Juntos translates to “together” in Spanish. How was the recording and writing process? Long! haha. We spent two years working on this record. Since we have the advantage of recording at our rehearsal and home recording studio Belmont Electric Studios, we take our time to flesh out the new material song by song, no rush, no pressure. We all play in other bands and gig regularly. This means we sit on a song or two for a while until we get an idea to liven it up or complete the arrangement. Staying inspired is important. Knowing what you what to achieve makes all the difference. What role does Chicago play in your writing? Musically: Chicago plays a big role. We truly try to bring the city’s diversity to the stage in our sound and approach. Everywhere we tour people say “we don’t get this out here. You guys play everything.” Chicago is a big city and it offers authentic cultural contributions in all genres of music music, as well as: art, food and dance. We fuse our inspirations to get our collective rhythmic and structural contribution across.
Lyrically: I grew up speaking Spanish at home and English in Chicago schools. I write lyrics mostly in Spanish because it res-
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onates with me, I like the way it feels and sounds vocally. Being a Chicano, it connects me to my heritage in a meaningful way. It now helps identify the band when we play for big street festivals. People always understand music because it is a universal and emotional language. It has the power to move them. Even f they don’t understand the lyrics, it is all rhythmic when you hear it. Overall, Chicago brought us together as a band with all our influences, experiences and ideas. We are a product of Chicago. We feel our music sounds like Chicago.
How does all your upbringing and different cultures influence the music on this album? A lot of these songs reflect on our personal lives, good times and bad. We have songs about life growing up on the streets (La Calle), about our endless mission to play and record new music (Noche Tras Dia), about unity of all peoples (Somos Hermanos). Our songs are messages of hope and celebration; all to the rhythms we grew up with. Feeling joy and community is cathartic… we should all have an outlet to balance out the stresses in our modern lives.
This music is also influenced from our ever-evolving concept of traditional-meets-modern culture in Chicago’s underground yet burgeoning independent live music and DJ dance scene. We play within genres that we love and do what we can to push them forward. This city has everything you could ask for… as ong as you know where to look.
What aspect of tour life did you get to explore on this record? While on the road performing for crowds who do not know who
we are, we are tasked with the challenge of getting those people to understand what we do; and our time is limited! You have to be sure the music inspires their heads to nod, their hips to sway, and their feet to shift. Feeling the listeners response is our tour life. We wanted to explore the realm of movement on this record more than anything. That coupled with the meaningful lyrics created something truly impactful for us. Keep it moving! Any plans to hit the road again? Always, ha! We plan a good six to eight months in advance to get our heads together. With so many members (7-10), it can be a challenge to bring our big sound everywhere we play. Last April we were flown out to Mexico for a five date tour and seven members were able to go. We are currently penning the next tour dates and discussing opportunities in Puerto Rico and again in Mexico. We continue to tour on weekends to cities all over the Midwest. What else is happening next in ESSO Afrojam Funkbeat's world? The bigger picture has us on a European tour starting in Spain and traveling through select cities. Our members are always busy working on passion projects: Lu is releasing a poetry book, several of us work on solo material and collaborations, the musicians are gigging and recording all around town, and ESSO grows our repertoire and continues to play strategically in major cities. Plans for the sophomore vinyl edition are in the works so look out for that release in 2018. More than anything, we take the time to participate in our own individual family life and social circles to refresh our spirits and bring that fiery contribution to the stage for every show.
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? MP: Thank you. Very good. CH: Really great, everything is perfect!
TGC: Hey! Amazing! So glad to be back on Vents! What can you tell us about the title and meaning behind your most recent release? TGC:"Half Middle Child Syndrome". It is actually really silly... When I meet new people, I am often asked if I have siblings. I tell them that i do, I have an older brother and a younger brother. I usually get " Aaaahhh, You're the middle child!" I had never heard this before and now, it seems like I hear this too much! As if it meant something about my behavior. I looked into it and found it very interesting, but I am not sure that "this syndrome" does apply to me, since my little brother is my half brother. Anyhow..that is why i came up with this title! On the musical side, "Half Middle Child Syndrome" was released just a couple months ago. We worked with Jason Orme who is currently the guitar player of Alanis Morissette and other renowned artists. Working with Jason was an amazing experience and i cannot wait to work with him again.
How was the recording and writing process? MP: It was a lot of work but very fun and exciting. We got to try some cool techniques in both the writing and recording of "Half Middle Child Syndrome". Jason was super helpful which made the final product incredible. I definitely walked away more knowledgeable and can’t wait to get back into the studio to do it all again. Jason had the idea to add some percussions to the track "PAY TO PLAY". So, we all grabbed something to hit, like a metal box, or a plastic case etc... and we were all hitting those things like idiots and it was a lot of fun! I think we have a video of this on our instagram.com/tarahwho CH: The recording was really great, a lot of fun. Really great to work with those guys.
TGC: I started writing for this ep about two years ago. Matt has joined Tarah Who? Last year and I introduced him to those new songs. We worked on them for a couple months, while he was playing the bass and i was playing the drums on a recorded guitar and vocal track. We were getting ready to record and then we met our new drummer, who learned all of the songs. The idea was to record this ep live, so that it would keep the energy and... cost less. Jason ended up co-producing this last ep. He came up with really cool ideas and minor changes/additions to the songs. He also played the second guitar. Overall, it was a really nice time in the studio. Lots of improvising, lots of fun. Where did you guys find the inspiration for the song and lyrics? MP: Love, anger and hope are reoccurring themes in TW?s music. I believe personal events in life inspire the lyrics of our songs….Tarah? TGC: Although most of the songs are usually about people
and life, this ep has a couple songs that are just meant to be funny.
"Pay to Play" is to denounce the "Pay to Play system" that venues use to rip artists off. "Sirens" is about the Paris attacks.
"Little Pieces" is a silly cheezy song about everything that had happened to me in a year. I had met a lot of people that were very poisonous and talking about it now, turned out to be more funny than painful. "Garden of Chloé(s)" is about suicide.
"Ache" is about communication between two people.And how mis communicating and lack of communication really hurts people. Will you be hitting the road this year? MP: For 2018 we will definitely play at some great spots in the United States and abroad. Keep checking tarahwho.com for more details. Cannot wait to see you all at our shows!
CH: Yes, we plan to go on tour on April in the USA and Canada and maybe in June to France and in the UK to play some music festivals.
TGC: We are planning to go on tour in 2018:) US and Europe. Stay tuned: Bandintown, Instagram, Facebook, Etc...:) What else is happening next in the world of Tarah Who? MP: More releases, more shows, videos…..whatever happens we will make sure you see it! Thank you everyone for your support!
CH: We are working on a new EP and we are going to promote it on the road in the USA, Canada and maybe France. TGC: We have a couple music videos coming out soon, as well as a new ep.
Stay tuned for the tour dates and feel free to message us on instagram twitter facebook etc.. and let us know where you would like us to come! Thank you VENTS for being so supportive! and thank YOU for reading! yes, YOU!
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Busy, busy, BUSY, but that’s a GOOD thing! Thanks for having us on! What can you tell us about the title and meaning behind your most recent release? We currently have out a 5 song EP entitled Simple Reasons. It is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and of course you can pick up a physical copy at one of our shows! (Click on each of the following songs to listen on ReverbNation): Track 1: “Simple Is The Reason” talks about how delusional people can be thinking they have the world by the tail when really they are living under someone’s thumb the entire time. Track 2: “Floreeda” talks about going on vacation in Florida and basically just enjoying life on the beach.
Track 3: “Mr. Perfect” is your basic “keeping up with the Jones’” theme.
Track 4: “Hindsight” deals with looking back on life and lessons learned, and
Track 5: “Can’t Stop” is a great motivational song. We are working on recording more songs to make it a full length LP. We have written over 30 original songs, and are working hard toward getting them all recorded. How was the recording and writing process? We recorded these 5 songs on our own in a makeshift studio set up between our rehearsal studio and Ducky’s bedroom. We used some sound proofing panels that we made with plywood and foam egg crate material and a few corner baffles that we bought. We also bought some high quality microphones and a mixer that connects to a laptop with Reason Recording Studio to lay the tracks on. We’re pretty proud of our DIY recording, but are always seeking to improve. We are currently working on recording some new songs with Chuck Frizzell at Hot Traxx Studio. He does exceptional work and we can’t wait to finish and be able to release these new recordings!
KC is the primary writer/composer. He will write a guitar riff, and then Keylee and Zach write drum and bass parts to compliment the guitar. Chuck writes most of the horn parts with a few exceptions written by Mad-
dog. Cliff writes his parts with guidance from KC and Keylee. JT writes his harmonica parts but isn’t always able to perform with us so it’s like extra sweet icing on top when he is there! As we begin working on a new song and the parts begin to come together, we record them in practice and listen back to them to weed out bad parts and fine tune the arrangement. In the end KC has the job of the composer to make sure all the parts work well together and don’t step on or take away from each other. Where did you guys find the inspiration for the song and lyrics? Our song themes vary, we try not to stay in a rut or peg ourselves in too narrow of a theme. I guess you could sum that up with “Everyday life and its multitude of complexities.” Most of our songs fall somewhere in the middle of the road, focusing on just having a good time and enjoying life, but we can reach out to extremes also. We have a song that is simply about a blue jay that lives in KC’s backyard called My Friend Pete. Then we have a song called The Comet which talks about the Heaven’s Gate group which committed mass suicide to reach an extraterrestrial spacecraft following the comet Hale–Bopp. One of our newest songs, “Blindside,” is about being blindsided by a breakup or divorce. It’s very emotional and we believe a lot of people will identify with it. So keep your ears open for our upcoming release!
Will you be hitting the road this year? We are working on spreading our wings and getting more regional dates. Most of our gigs have been around the greater Dallas and Fort Worth area, but we have gigged in Denton, Greenville, Houston, San Marcos, and Austin. We are ready to hit the road and looking forward to it. Our experience has been that great things happen at the last minute so who knows, we might suddenly be touring next month! What else is happening next in the world of Calling For Eden? As I mentioned earlier, we are working on some new recordings and plan to release them this year as soon as they are ready. Find and follow us on your favorite social media to stay up to date on what we’re doing. We also have an email list on ReverbNation , please sign up for it to stay informed by email updates. We are making contacts to get into more festivals and setting up more dates in our regional area. We’ve been doing a lot of interviews and PR work to reach new fans. That is the biggest thing for us right now, building our fan base, so please tell your friends about us! Thank You for taking the time to read this! We hope to meet you at a show soon!
Hi David, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Very Good… it’s a pleasure to be here with you… thanks for having me… Obligado!! Can you talk to us more about your latest single "Go Home”? Certainly! This was the first song I cut for my new recording project tentatively entitled “Outside the Box” and I thought it would be a good choice to release first. I had decided to record many of my favorite songs by my favorite songwriters and you know Stevie Wonder would definitely be one of them. I’ve also recorded songs by Bob Marley, Sting, Duke Ellington, Adele, Toto, Horace Silver & David Bowie as well as many of my originals. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? This is a Stevie Wonder song that I really enjoyed when it came out in the early Eighties!
I had a cassette tape of it and loved listening to it in my car.
Any plans to release a video for the single? I have released a 1 minute teaser with some footage of the sessions & players but do not plan to do a full length video yet. (Link to promotional video asset - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vIRE9JGRE&feature=youtu.be How was the recording and writing process? The recording process was very fun...I cut the basic tracks at
Capitol Studio B in Hollywood with some of my favorite cats… Vinnie Colaiuta (Drums), Freddie Washington (bass), Tony Maiden (guitar), & Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar). We had a lot of fun tracking it and veteran engineer Steve Sykes got great sounds on us and captured the whole vibe live! I also had a lot of fun working with my old friend and keyboard brother, Greg Phillinganes, who played in Stevie’s bands in the 70’s and 80’s. The whole time we were working on this we all enjoyed telling stories and reminiscing over the many decades of recording & touring together and during the Hey-day of music here in LA.
You brought a huge group of amazing acts to back you up - did you handpick them or how did they come on board? These are mostly all people I’ve worked with & hung out with over the 43 years I’ve been in the music business here in LA. Over time I’ve worked with and have gotten to know SO many great people!!!
What did they brought up to the table? Well….each player has his or her unique background, experience & perspective…. for example, Tony (Maiden) has a unique and personal style of playing rhythm guitar…very funky.
Paul’s guitar parts are more refined and he’s mopre of a Jazz based soloist (as you can hear on this) Doc (Kupka) has that classic R7B soul Bari sound and approach so he brought that as well. Vinnie (Colaiuta) has a true mastery of time and groove on the drums so he shaped a very simple but strong groove for us to build on….and Kirk (Whalum) kneed it out of the park with his special & soulful interpretation of Stevie’s original vocal melody.
Both Lenny (Castro) & Greg (Phillinganes) had played this song with Stevie before so they brought that experience to the table and so on….. Were you seeking for something particular on this musicians? Just the great playing that they did…. The bass line was key to this song, very important so I especially selected Freddie (Washington) to deliver this with punch & fineness and especially to be in command of this line. Do you tend to take a different approach when you are collaborating with someone else than when you are writing in your own? Only in that I am open to and listen to their ideas and will try things out that I initially don’t think will work and sometimes they actually do work!!!
I understand this is part of a series rather than an album why did you went with this direction? Now days we can release one song at a time and actually, people can’t absorb everything as well all at once like in the old days when we’d sit down and listen to a whole album straight through. Now people are moving much faster and have so many distractions so the whole total project would be somewhat lost if released all at once (there are 28 songs not including alternate versions and bonus tracks) Any tentative release date or title in mind for the next single? The next single will come out in about 6 weeks to Country radio believe it or not…. It’s a song I wrote with Smokey Robinson and
it has a “Country Pop” flair. Any plans to hit the road? I’m always going in and out of town either with my band or with George Benson (as musical director & keyboardist) or David Sanborn. I was asked recently by my friend Diego Figueiredo (Brazilian Guitarist) to possibly collaborate on a tour of Brazil with him in the near future, I did a very nice tour with him and Larry Coryell a few years ago in 3 Brazilian cities. News will be posted on my website http://www.davidgarfield.com & social media https://www.facebook.com/DavidGarfieldMusic What else is happening next in your word? Well, first finishing & promoting this project, Performing with my band and as a guest with others, and producing & recording for other artists from around the world!! I’ve just finished an Afro Cuban version of a Polish Christmas Carol which will be released in a compilation from Sony in Poland which also includes tracks from Queen, Paul McCartney, & John Lennon!!!!! i feel so very blessed to have been making music for so many years with so many great people and for all these amazing opportunities!!! To write songs with Smokey Robinson & to be included as an artist on a compilation CD with John & Paul are 2 all time thrills!!!
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Very well, thank you! Quite busy and pretty excited. What can you tell us about the title and meaning behind your most recent release? Dan: We are getting ready to release our new album "Mechanics of Life" on the 14th of September. It is our chronicles of the modern life in the XXI century, with all it's weirdness, connectivity, irony and hope for a better brighter future. It is both about the world and it's mechanics, as well as about those mechanics of life that we call "people".
Daniele: it is a travel of introspection and a showcase of many aspects of life. How was the recording and writing process? Dan: It was interesting to explore and experiment, while having a bigger concept in mind. This album represents a journey rather than a static picture or thought. As for recording process - trial and error was the key principle, but every single note has been com-
mitted to tape for a reason and most of the recording was done in our backyard studio. Dani: The writing process was quite slow, spanned across the last year, we spent so much time on refining the songs. The recording has been relatively quick, especially since we were able to record most of the parts in our private studios. Where did you guys find the inspiration for the song and lyrics? Dan: I was documenting, trying to absorb the things happening both in my own head and in the heads of people around me as well as world news and the world we live in today. Scary and beautiful world, all at the same time. George Orwell was so right... Daniele: It's a secret! Someone said that Dan's cat has been our muse for a few songs but we cannot confirm anything. Will you be hitting the road this year?
Dan: We will be touring UK in September and October with an album launch party in London's Proud Camden on the 16th of September and gigs in Cardiff, Newport, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Chelmsford, Derby, Chester, Plymouth and other UK cities. We are very excited to travel around and share our thoughts on modern life. What else is happening next in the world of Plastic Barricades? Dan: We are very excited about working with charity organisations such as Oxfam and Blood Donation Centre, our fans are actually saving the world and making it a better place - how cool is that, right? We are also always very happy to find new creative collaborations and discover talent, that this country is so famous for. Nothing can ruin that, even the horror show called "current British politics". Daniele: For now the Album promotion and tour, for the future EU tour, and a new album!!
And here is how a goldfish can conquer the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYpBYXMzwOg
"Mechanics of Life" album OUT on iTunes and Spotify on the 14th of September!
You can hear the mastered tracks via private link (please DO NOT SHARE this to the public until 14th of September: https://soundcloud.com/plasticbarricades/sets/mechanics-of-lifelp-pre/s-8wbUn
You can download our full press-kit with 320kbit mp3s, artwork, lyrics and HQ pictures at https://goo.gl/ogBdjm Tour dates: http://www.plasticbarricades.eu/index.php/live http://plasticbarricades.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/plasticbarricades/ https://facebook.com/plasticbarricades https://soundcloud.com/plasticbarricades Spotify: https://goo.gl/yb2FcK