NKD Mag - Issue #9 (March 2012) by NKD Mag

CO-CREATORS Ariella Mastroianna Catherine Powell EDITORS Lizy Goold Ariella Mastroianni Nicola Pring PHOTOGRAPHY Catherine Powell WRITERS Isaac Bate Cody Delistraty Katey Howitt Olga Khvan Stacy Magallon Nicola Mazza Christine O’Dea Catherine Powell Nicola Pring LAYOUT DESIGN Catherine Powell

s r e n w o e h t from I know we say this every month, but THIS is by far the best issue of Naked Mag yet! With a jam-packed roster of artists, to the incredible new writers who are now apart of our staff, it seems like Naked is growing faster than a newborn baby. Not only were we able to work with musicians as talented and respected as Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin, but we were also able to hang out with the cast of TeenNick’s Degrassi while they were in town! The sucess of Naked so far in 2012 is more than we could have ever imagined, so thank you. Yes, you! After months of hinting about it, we are thrilled to announce that we will officially be launching our collaboration line with Jawbreaking for pre-order on March 31st when their “I Like Life” line comes out. We really think you’re going to love the designs! And we may or may not have worked with one of our favorite bands for some shirts... Thanks for sticking with us, we love you :)

catherine & ariella

in this issue Jack’s Mannequin Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

The Cast of Degrassi Courtesy of TeenNick

He Is We Courtesy of Another Reybee Prod.

The Audition Courtesy of Another Reybee Prod.

The Scene Aesthetic Courtesy of Working Group MGMT

The After Party Courtesy of Earshot Media

Stephen Jerzak Courtesy of Andon Artists

Cassadee Pope Courtesy of Times 10 Entertainment

Mitchy C Courtesy of Ozone Entertainment

FireSky Courtesy of FireSky

available for pre-order march 31st

The Scene Aesthetic

Firesky

He Is We

Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mannequin

Stephen Jerzak

Mitchy Collins

Cassadee Pope

The Cast of Degrassi

The After Party

When We Were

Young

Albums that the Naked staff grew up on

Page 74 40

The Audition

The Scene Aesthetic Words: Katey Howitt Photos: Catherine Powell

Eric Bowley and Andrew de Torres of The Scene Aesthetic have familiar voices to me. Their voices hummed through my iPod headphones as I walked through the halls of my high school and when I removed them from my ears, I would often hear the opening riff of their song “Beauty In The Breakdown” echoing through the halls on some 16-years-old’s freshly strung guitar. Then there was college, where my sophomore year was spent immersed in the sounds of their album, “Brother”. I braved New Jersey Transit to see them play twice. Now, as they once again make their way across the Northeast I hear their voices. This time they’re speaking to me. Andrew doesn’t want to tell us how The Scene Aesthetic was formed and they’re not interested in reminding anyone of how they named the band. They’re pretty sure you don’t really care what they’d take on an island if they were stranded and a few persistent Google searches would pull the answers up in front of you. In fact, Andrew and Eric, who are focused on the here and now, surrounded by new life, new plans and new music, aren’t looking back. They’re moving forward. This January they started their second tour with Plug In Stereo, who opened for them in Spring 2011. This time, the roles are reversed — the Scene Aesthetic are opening for Plug In Stereo. Eric admits that some bands might see this role reversal as a negative, but explains that they don’t really care when they play, so long as they 8

get to play. “We loved touring with Plug In Stereo then, and we love touring with them now. Just to be on the road with someone you get along with and someone you genuinely like — it doesn’t matter what order you’re in,” Eric says. It’s this carefree attitude that makes the guys’ music so peaceful and their shows so fun. For the Scene Aesthetic it’s all about their scene, their aesthetic, and of course their music. There’s definitely a West Coast laid-back aura they emit with ease, but Andrew tells me straight up, “Eric and I are such homebodies.” The Washington state natives like spending time on the lake, riding bikes, walking dogs and making “spoon rings.” “It’s a ring made from the handle of an antique spoon,” Eric explains. “And there were a lot of spoons that didn’t make it into very pretty rings in the beginning.” He and Andrew just radiate effortless calm. Eric goes on to talk about the recent lull in activity from the Seattle music scene that brought us Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Minus The Bear and a slew of others. “It’s not the kids coming out to support the shows like it was a couple years ago. Those kids have grown up and we’re waiting for both to collide again — the music and the fans,” Eric says. Still, Andrew reminds him that scenes are like clothing styles — it all comes back. “Seattle will soon again have its turn,” he says.

The guys are working hard at keeping The Scene Aesthetic on the map. They acknowledge that it’s difficult to stay afloat. because there are “a lot of innovators in the industry,” according tho Andrew. Even so, they’re keeping up and finding new ways to appeal to the next generation of musical connoisseurs. Realizing that computers and even simple software have made it possible for anyone to begin making remixes,

The Scene Aesthetic have decided to make their music available to anyone who wants to remix it. “We’re going to take each individual track of every song, put it in a zip file, and you can download the whole song and use just the guitar parts or just the vocals,” Eric explains. They haven’t made an official announcement, but setting up this remix cycle has been in the works for quite sometime. The Scene Aesthetic want to give people who may not have necessarily picked up their new EP a chance to hear their music, and to be intimately involved with it. “We got the opportunity to make this EP very much our own,” Andrew says. The process is ever evolving, but as Eric puts it, “Once you find the chemistry and the equation to make a record turn out the way that one did, I wouldn’t mess up that formula.” The formula seems to be a lot of love and involving as much talent as they possibly can. It’s this good-natured ease that they project both in their demeanor and their music.

As far as the future, Eric admits you don’t always have the luxury of knowing what’s coming next. But that’s what makes each step so wonderful and, as everyone in music knows, that’s the risk you take.

FireSky

Words: Isaac Bate Photos: Catherine Powell

FireSky guitarist Shae Padilla knows how lucky she was to have been a part of her former band, KSM. “It was fun times,” says Shae. “We got to go on tour and open for a lot of people.” KSM was an all-girl teen rock band Shae helped form in 2006. But even though KSM was a “rock” group, they were also a Disney project that supported acts like Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers. So when KSM disbanded in August 2010, Shae was eager to try something much heavier than KSM, which, despite its merits, had 12

been “too much pop-rock.” The first two members of her new project, FireSky, were found through traditional means. Brenda Mejia, FireSky’s bassist, saw Shae on stage and was “blown away” by her technical skill with the guitar. She thought to herself, “Woah, this girl can shred.” Shae’s abilities reminded Brenda of Allison Robertson of The Donnas, who inspired her to pick up the guitar and play music. “I never thought I’d be in a band with Shae,” says Brenda. “I’d never seen a girl shredding like that, doing all

these solos.” She connected with Shae through a friend, and when Shae began FireSky the opportunity arose. Kio K simply answered Shae’s advertisement for a drummer. Kio grew up in Tokyo, but at the time was attending the Musician’s Institute — a music school in California, where Shae and Brenda were based. Like Brenda, Kio K was impressed with Shae’s style. “I didn’t know a lot of girls into heavier stuff,” she says. With rock veteran Josh Freese and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl as her musical inspirations, Kio was an ideal fit. For their singer, however, the members of newly minted FireSky had something specific in mind, most importantly that the final member should be a “solid rock singer.” They trawled through “thousands and thousands” of YouTube videos, an unenviable task that seems to have at least mildly traumatized Shae. “It was just horrible. Horrible videos that [make] you question, ‘Why did you even put this online?’” Ultimately the search was more than worth it, as they found Anni Sutinen, who they felt would be perfect. Anni herself was not so sure, assuming the message Shae sent her could not be entirely serious. This wasn’t down to any kind of self-doubt, but simple geography — Anni lived, and still lives, in Finland. “I thought, this isn’t serious. But three weeks later [Shae’s] Dad

sent me a message on Facebook, Myspace, YouTube.” This “barrage” of messages from Shae’s dad convinced Anni that Shae had not just forgotten to check her profile to see where she was based. The truth was quite the opposite. “It was actually a plus to me — I had always liked bands from Finland,” says Shae. “It’s like the rock capital of the world.” Having a heavy rock band was a dream Shae had had ever since she started playing, and one gets the strong impression that finding anything less than an authentic Finnish vocalist would have been settling for imperfection. The decision was a smart one that pays off in the music. Anni’s voice is perfect for the sound FireSky are trying to achieve. Astute readers might have noticed a pattern in FireSky’s story — all female bands. This doesn’t need to be a big deal, of course. As Shae points out, nobody looks at an all-male band and says, ‘look, an all male rock band.’ Why should girls have it any different? But clearly FireSky is not single sex by accident. Had the lead singer role been open to men, searching through thousands of YouTube videos before deciding on somebody ten time zones away might not have been necessary. So are FireSky trying to make a point? “I want to end stereotypes,” says Brenda, a touch ambitiously. Shae would rather people did not really 13

notice their gender, though she is clearly not optimistic about the likelihood of that. Most importantly, she says, “It’s not what we are pushing, it’s not a gimmick to us. It’s just how we click.” FireSky certainly do click. Their group dynamic is unfailingly pleasant and upbeat, which is not something that can ever be taken for granted in a band. Brenda seems almost surprised at the easygoing nature of the group. “I’ve been in a lot of girl bands, and there’s 16

so much drama,” she says. Shae and Anni ascribe the lack of infighting to the clearly defined roles — singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer. “We each have a role in the band that completes it. We are nothing without the others,” says Shae. The songwriting process is similarly clearly delineated. Shae writes riffs, and produces a rough demo on Garage Band, which she then sends to the others. Anni adds the melodies and writes the lyrics. When they do get together, just a few hours

of rehearsal time is enough to get everyone on the same page. FireSky have a lot to be thankful for — the Internet, globalization, inexpensive air-fares and cheap, easy to use, editing equipment. Their methods may be unorthodox, but they are certainly effective. Above all else they prove that now more than ever, bands can be formed not just out of convenience, but from common interests — geography be damned.

Check out Firesky’s new EP, Erase The Enemy, on iTunes now! 17

He Is We Words: Christine Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dea Photos: Catherine Powell

achel and Trevor were just trying to make ends meet.

They were both employed at a music store, “Ted Brown Music”, in their hometown— Tacoma, Wash. Their boss would leave the store around 6:30 p.m., and, for the last hour of their shift, they began to write music. But what started out of sheer boredom soon became their lives.

The pair was fired from Ted Brown Music, and began touring as He Is We. “When I got fired for taking too much time off for tour, I was like ‘Alright, well here’s my pivotal moment. Let’s do it,’” Rachel says. “And I cannon-balled into this, and here we are.” Trevor describes the event as “kind of mutual” — their tour lives weren’t fair to the company and, at the same time, Rachel and Trevor were on to something they knew they couldn’t ignore. Rachel went to a liberal arts high school and entered the music program. Trevor, on the other hand, says he was “neutral” in high school. “Is that allowed?” he asks, laughing. “High school is the pivotal point for everyone, trying to figure out who they are. I never knew. I just always listened to hardcore music and thought

I was cool. I had friends of all different natures,” he says. Growing up, Trevor attended church with his next-door neighbor. He attended for social reason at first, but as he continued to attend, religion eventually became part of his personal life. “In my community, every Friday night we’d tape off the block and buy skate ramps for kids to come, and we didn’t force God on anyone. It was more of a safe place for kids to come and hang out.” For Rachel, growing up in a Christian household had a large impact on her identity. “It was more a disciplinary thing than a ‘God is love’ thing,” she explains. By her late teens, Rachel grew bitter toward religion. In retrospect, she says she didn’t see religion as a relationship with God, but as a set of rules. She now recognizes religion as a personal connection. “Don’t let anyone try to tell you that you can’t be loved because you’re a sinner and you can’t be loved because all these different things have happened to you,” she says. “I’ve come around and realized that I can have my own relationship with God. I don’t need to listen to all the judgments. I like to think that religion saved me in a way.” Not long after they began writing their first songs, He Is We signed to Universal Motown Records, and began releasing 19

the music they penned together at Ted Brown Music. “I can honestly say that music changed my life,” Rachel says with no hesitation. “It’s why I’m alive. It’s why I’m not a raging alcoholic or anything like that. It’s because I have an outlet. I have people around supporting me and my dream and without that I have no idea where I would be.” Because Rachel has been so positively touched by music, she writes music that she hopes will inspire others as well. “Our July In The Rain,” one of the songs on He Is We’s latest release, “Skip To The Good Part,” is a song that’s very personal to Rachel. She has been writing that song since she was 18-years-old — a process that lasted almost four years. “I wanted to take my time with it and make sure I had all the right words and that I was expressing myself properly. [The song is about] my first heartbreak ever.” The duo takes releasing good music seriously. Rachel and Trevor write songs and spend time on them, making sure they convey meaning for them personally as well as for their fans. They’re planning to release songs that didn’t make it onto “My Forever”. “It didn’t seem fair to our fans to hold on to our music,” Trevor explains. “We still wanted to tour 22

and finish a couple of the songs we’ve been working on, plus release the other songs.” There are two things extremely important to Rachel and Trevor: consistency in releasing music and staying in contact with fans. “To know people understand what’s going on with me and feel comfortable enough to let me know what they’ve been through is incredible,” she explains in light of a personal letter she and Trevor received from a fan. “It’s such an inspiring thing to know that people look to us and feel they can talk to us about anything. That’s exactly what I wanted.” With a headlining tour beginning in May of this year, He Is We are on a road they couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago as simply “Rachel and Trevor”. Together they will be responsible for the other connections that He Is We’s music will certainly bring to the lives of music fans. If you’re lucky, you will be one of them.

Stephen Jerzak

Words: Cody Delistraty Photos: Catherine Powell

The happy-go-lucky teenage Myspace sensation Stephen Jerzak is finally signed with Republic Records, is in a romantic relationship, and is more relaxed than ever. His “tweenage” fans love him and his Tumblr and Twitter accounts light up with 12-year-old girls in love with his “super adorbs self.” Stephen still has some important work to do though, like deciding on a general genre of music that will keep his fledging career afloat. In the past, Stephen has flipped between tween pop, electro and a more mature acoustic sound. He’ll have to begin to grow a fan base and establish himself as a certain type of singer, but for now, the self-described “ladies man” has a new girlfriend, a new apartment in Nashville, a new tattoo — of an astronaut playing guitar — and a gaggle of screaming tweenage fans. It’s no wonder his recent music is so upbeat. “It’s because my life is really good,” Stephen happily confirms. Constantly fidgeting with his Bieber-esque bangs and jumping through conversation topics, Stephen showed both his joie de vivre and inability to focus when we sat down with him before his performance at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan. What you see is what you get with Stephen, and his three most popular songs on Myspace convey the same sense of jumpy uncertainty.

“Cute,” “She Said” and “White Horse” move between the dreadfully sappy like on “Cute” (“You’re so sweet that you / put Hershey’s out of business”) and the relatively more mature. Stephen hones in on the hyper-cute — he knows where his fans’ interests lie. “My pop sound,” Stephen says. “Little kids love it.” Thankfully, the frazzled listener gets a much-needed repose from his high-pitched cutesiness in a few of his songs like “She Said.” Twenty-five year old “Gossip Girl” star and songstress Leighton Meester lends her elder gravitas to this poppy electro piece, providing the chorus’ electro catharsis. Instead of the deep electronic drop that comes in the middle of a normal dub step/electro piece, Stephen stays true to his innocent image when he lets Leighton’s soft voice chime in after a progressive electronic build-up. Stephen has tried to follow a similar path to those of young pop stars like Justin Bieber. He enjoys harping on his innocence and extended adolescence, affording him a rapport with his teenage fans. According to Stephen, the first time he sang was as an eight year-old, singing along with the film “Thumbelina” as it played on his television. “Woah, I like that,” Stephen recalls of the experience. “I want to sing again.”

His first song, “Open Your Eyes” written for an eighth grade girl when he was only in the sixth grade, is certainly a moment that explains why “super adorbs” and “such a hottie” are some of the most popular phrases about Stephen flying around online. His outsider status shaped his early career decisions as well. Stephen transferred high schools because he was bullied and had difficulty fitting in. He later passed through multiple stages of being a skater kid and even taking a short stint on his high school’s football team. “I was the weird kid who played rock music. I got used to the fact that people didn’t really like me, except for the girls…” he says, trailing off with a grin. “I was honestly probably the only one [at my high school] not into sports.” Now that the early teenage awkwardness is behind him, Stephen stands as a good reminder that unpopularity in high school can still translate into success.

“Meeting her has been really inspirational for the whole songwriting thing,” he says. “I’ve never really been in love before, so that’s a whole different emotion I can write about.” With all of these new emotions and experiences, Stephen is content to pop open a beer, give his hair a flip and write some songs. As a 19-year-old, it’s his manager’s job to manage the burden of his declining industry. “The popularity of this type of music is on decline,” explains his manager, Avery Andon. “[He’ll need to] create music that would work on hot adult contemporary radio.” No worry though. Screaming teenage girl fans? Check. Shaggy hair? Check. Hyper-relaxed demeanor? Check. Lyrics comprised almost solely of platitudes and clichés? Check. Stephen’s well on his way to teenage pop icon status.

Stephen moved from his home in La Crosse, Wis., to Los Angeles. He later left L.A. and signed a deal with EMI to work on songwriting in Nashville, Tenn. He says his new girlfriend, Cassie, has inspired his writing. 29

Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mannequin

Written by Nicola Pring Photographed by Catherine Powell

I can hear a faint drum beat as I walk through the back entrance into Irving Plaza in downtown New York City. The sound grows louder as I walk up the stairs. As I reach the second floor the guitar begins to kick in, and I can hear Andrew McMahon’s voice soaring over the music. I reach the third floor, and Andrew’s tour manager opens the door to the venue. The space is dimly lit, save for small splotches of red light which come from spotlights overhead. The venue is nearly empty — it’s a few hours before the show and Jack’s Mannequin are just finishing their sound check. I follow Andrew’s voice toward the stage, and I can begin to make out his thick, blonde hair and thin frame. He’s sitting at the piano with his eyes closed as he plays and sings, his body swaying in time to the music. The song ends and Andrew makes a few adjustments before jumping off the stage for a quick meet and greet with two fans. A few minutes later, he disappears into the venue’s greenroom, and I’m led up a small staircase to meet him. I enter the room, and Andrew shakes my hand and introduces himself as he smiles a charming, crooked smile. He grabs a chair for me and takes a seat on a couch in the corner of the room. Andrew crosses his legs and leans forward slightly. He takes his black jacket off and pushes up the sleeves of his light brown sweater to reveal a tattoo in faded black ink on his left wrist. It reads, “The river is everywhere,” a quote from Hermann Hesse’s

“Siddhartha.” Andrew fixes his pale bluegreen eyes directly into mine, and his face becomes animated as he speaks. He speaks quickly and in long, sweeping sentences and gestures with his hands excitedly as he tells me about his latest record, “People and Things,” which was released in October of 2011. Most of the songs on the album connect to Andrew’s personal relationships. “What compelled me was watching a lot of my friends get married, and all of a sudden get real jobs. For a while I was doing this and we were all kids. I’d tour around the country and we’d go to a frat party at one of my buddy’s colleges,” he says of his first few years touring with his first successful band, Something Corporate, in the early 2000s. “I think as [‘People and Things’] started coming together, my anomalous, sort of strange life that was always framed against this youthful backdrop started becoming these realities. People are pairing off and we’re starting to have conversations about heavier shit. I think a lot of the record itself sort of stems from those conversations, when you kind of get real with your friends, and when things get a little bit serious.” For Andrew, the past 10 years haven’t been easy — he spent most of his time on the road with Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin and fought a difficult battle with an acute form of leukemia in 2005. Andrew’s

decided that after this tour, he’s going to retire Jack’s Mannequin, a name that’s so closely tied to what he calls his “turbulent 20s.” “I look at Jack’s right now, and OK, we have these three records that say so much. A lot of it got wrapped up in the things that happened to me, from my break-up, to me and getting sick, to me getting married, and I see that as such a finite period of time in my life,” he says. “I want to give myself the freedom to not just be ‘Andrew from Something Corporate’ and ‘Andrew from Jack’s Mannequin’ but be this guy Andrew who wrote songs and has been writing songs since I was a kid.” I’m momentarily distracted as drumming from the stage downstairs becomes audible and the fluorescent light bulbs that line the mirrors in greenroom begin to shake. Andrew isn’t fazed. He pushes up the sleeves of his sweater again and taps his foot lightly to the steady beat. “I think it was when I finished ‘People and Things’ really, that all of a sudden it felt like all of the ribbons had been tied and it was in this neat little box,” he continues. “It’s like this orbit, and I feel like a circle got complete when this record was finished.” After this tour, Andrew plans to take the next year off for a change of pace. “I plan on just sinking in and getting into a rhythm where it’s not really about what you do, it’s almost just about feeling at peace and

at home,” he says, uncrossing his legs and finding a more comfortable position on the couch. The singer is looking forward to spending more time with his wife at the couple’s beachfront home outside of Los Angeles. At this point in his career, Andrew’s used to being in a long distance relationship. He tells me that his wife visits him while he’s on tour because the two of them try not to spend more than a few weeks apart at time. “We have a lot of quality time when I’m home. I think that’s how we’ve sustained it. It keeps passion there,” he tells me, as he smiles and pushes his blond bangs out of his eyes. “It’s easy when you see somebody every day and you have that sort of rhythm to also become complacent within your relationship. I choose to see it as a positive, but it can be tricky.” Andrew’s time off will also give him an opportunity to spend more time writing. He tells me that being at home has always inspired his best work. In addition to music, he spends a lot of his time writing essays and journal entries. “My whole last journal was pretty much written under the effects of coffee or whiskey,” he says, laughing. He mostly writes about everyday experiences and impressions of things he sees and people he meets. “I try to find creative and exciting ways to paint that,” he says. Andrew also draws and likes photography. He describes himself as a “hobbyist,” and 35

tells me that he can draw when he’s inspired. “There’s the practice and the craft of [art], and then there’s the connecting to inspiration aspect of it. Sometimes I think some of the best artists are the ones who are unstudied because they’re not bound by laws or rules of what they understand,” he says. Andrew plans to create a new website where he’ll post his writing, drawings, and photographs. He wants to use it as a place to express thoughts and observations about the world around him. “I think there’s a part of me that really feels like creating in a fluid and free way, both musically and otherwise,” he says of the idea. “I could see

it becoming a really inspired part of my existence, if I choose to embrace it.” We leave the greenroom and climb three flights to the roof to take some photos. We open the heavy door to the roof and step outside. The sun has just set, and the sky rapidly darkens from blue to a deep purple. After we finish, I step back inside and hear a familiar, steady drumbeat. But Andrew doesn’t step in with me. I look back, and he’s standing by the edge of the roof taking pictures with his iPhone, trying to take in the view. “Sorry,” he says, noticing that I’m waiting for him. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around all this.” 39

The Audition

Words: Tanya Traner / Photos: Catherine Powell

We’ve all done it— feverishly flip through page after page of our favorite tabloids to see celebrities merely walking down the street with a coffee cup in hand. Tweeting at our favorite artists, hoping that this time they’ll finally respond. In a time of such accessibility, how close is too close? Do we expect too much from the artists we most love? For singer Danny Stevens and bassist Joe Lussa of The Audition, the answer is — sometimes. In July of 2010, the Audition dropped their label, Victory Records, after signing with them in 2005. After releasing four albums with Victory and constantly touring, the guys felt burned out. “We were playing like 300 shows a year, so luckily we were able to take some time off,” Danny says. During that time, the guys rested and worked on their new EP “Chapter II,” released Feb. 14. The Audition worked with John Naclerio, who also produced their first two albums, “Controversy Loves Company” and “Champion.” The EP was not rushed and the band had time to think through each song. For the Audition, “Chapter II” is a fresh start.

“It’s the next chapter, literally in every sense of the word,” Danny says. “We’ve got new members, new music and just a brand new outlook on everything.” The band expressed a new perspective on labels in the music industry. “Its all about the dollar and way less about the band,” Danny says. “You can have the best band in the world and they can draw no one, but you could have the shittiest little band that doesn’t even play their instruments. It’s just a crapshoot.” The Audition’s management and supporters actually consider it a blessing that they are no longer on a label, Joe says, because no one can dictate what they can and cannot do. It’s all about their music, their ideas and maturing in the right direction. Social networking is one of the areas in which the band has a new perspective as well. Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Myspace and YouTube have placed fans and artists on a level playing field which have never been seen before. Fans attach to bands that make themselves readily available. Bands boast that they respond to every direct message, tweet, or Facebook comment. Fans respond, Joe 41

says, because they feel special, as if they are truly friends with their idols. While The Audition love interacting with fans and hearing their stories, the guys admit that sometimes people begin to expect too much. In their earlier years, the band would interact with fans via AIM. But they quickly learned that this type of interaction was just too much to maintain. Fans revealed their most personal stories in search of help. This became uncomfortable for the band — they had no idea how to help. It’s one thing for a fan to say The Audition’s music helped them through a rough spot in their life, but that’s far different from expecting the band to personally help them solve those problems, which is exactly what started to happen.

“But what if I had a bad day? Am I not allowed to be sick?” he says. “It just sucks that people get mad at us for not completely putting ourselves out there.” Facebook is the only account Danny keeps private. “Man, I pour so much of my life into my music, when I’m playing shows, into my Twitter. Am I not allowed to have one [thing] to myself?” he says. Joe recalls a time when you didn’t know if you would ever see your favorite band again. “The bigger people that play, no one expects to meet them. But at the smaller level everyone expects everything and there’s not really any mystery in rock and roll like that,” he says.

“I mean sometimes it gets a little creepy to be honest,” Joe says. “They talk to you about some weird shit because they think that you’re their best friend.”

For Danny, social networking is also a market for rumors. During The Audition’s hiatus, many fans tweeted about a break up.

The guys believe fans expect their favorite musicians to play venues multiple times a year, reply to every tweet and meet every fan.

“It’s like, ‘Where’s your new music dude?’ Because we released four albums in five years and then we took a year off it’s like, ‘Did you break up because you didn’t release an album this year?’ It’s like, ‘No.’”

“It’s not a fans privilege to see a band anymore,” Danny says. He has even received negative tweets and messages stating that he is an asshole on nights when he hasn’t spoken with fans or added them on Facebook. 44

Ultimately In 2012, the Audition strive to be bigger and better. They’ll be making their own decisions and moving forward with a clean slate.

“You have to believe in what you do and make sure it’s good,” Danny says.

response is also positive and he couldn’t be happier.

It seems like what they’re doing is working. The guys say they have received nothing but good responses from critics and fans for “Chapter II”. Now that they’re active again, Danny says the social networking

The second chapter for The Audition is an unwritten book so far, but one thing’s for sure — it’s going to be an interesting read.

Mitchy Collins

Written by Olga Khvan Photographed by Catherine Powell

For Mitchy C, it’s all about doing your own thing. “My last band broke up and I was kind of like, you know what? Fuck it. I’m just going to do it myself,” says the singer-songwriter about his decision to go solo about a year and a half ago. Since eighth grade, Mitchy has gone through a cycle of changing band lineups, some of which gained moderate local success in his home state of New Jersey. When things came to a halt with his most recent band endeavor, Mitchy, with his relentless drive for music, was inspired to take things into his own hands. “If I’m going to do this and it’s going to be just me, I’m going to put everything I have into it and if it fails, it’s my fault,” he says of his mindset going into the solo project. “And I’m still here,” he adds with a chuckle. “So...” Mitchy trails off, but the rest is pretty selfexplanatory. He is indeed still here on the music scene and as a solo artist, more successful than ever before. He is eager to make more changes in 2012. He’s planning to drop the Mitchy C moniker and go by his full name, Mitchy Collins, instead, release a new EP that he just recorded in L.A., shoot a music video, and realize his hopes of touring in the spring. In short, his plans are to “just keep going,” he says with enthusiasm. “Just keep going, you know?” 48

With big plans in mind, Mitchy is keeping himself busy and shows no signs of slowing down. We sit down to talk to him right before sound check for his Feb. 16 show at The Studio at Webster Hall, where he is playing full band and supporting headliner, Glory Days. Sporting black-framed glasses and a black denim vest that exposes the array of colorful tattoos on his arms, Mitchy discusses the novelty of being on his own. “I never really did anything by myself [before],” he says. As he recalls his early days, however, it becomes clear that he has always had the audacity to make his own choices, even if it sometimes meant going against the norm. Mitchy grew up in a musical household. His grandmother played the piano and his mother, a church choir member, blasted Bruce Springsteen while cooking dinner. When he was 11 or 12, he picked up the guitar, started frequenting local punk-rock shows and soon evolved from a music fan to a musician himself. While most high school seniors were preoccupied with college applications, Mitchy dedicated his time to a band that included older members. “It was not a normal thing for a high school kid in my town to do,” he says. Normal or not, music was “a nice escape” for Mitchy, and very quickly became a priority. “I knew that I was never going to go

to college or anything. School was never really my thing,” he says. “My mind was elsewhere, always on the music.” It was the chance at honest expression that mostly appealed to Mitchy, pushing him to go solo. Unlike when he was in a band, as a solo artist, he is now able to tell his own stories, drawing inspiration for all of his songs from real life people and experiences. “[My solo project] is definitely just me,” he says proudly. “You hear my songs, my life is on the table there.” While Mitchy enjoys his creative independence, however, he still values collaboration. “It’s a big taboo, I think. People knock it,” he says, commenting on criticism of artists who choose to work with professional songwriters. “[Artists and songwriters] have the same job, the same career, just with a different shade of paint on it. I love co-writing. I think it’s amazing, getting a new perspective on things,” he says.

often participates in co-writing sessions for other artists with his roommates JP and Alex Makhlouf, brothers who are members of the band Cash Cash. “If you write by yourself too much, you get stuck in a rut, the same old thing that you’re comfortable in,” he says. “Working with other people pushes you, opens up another door, makes you think differently. It’s a great thing.” When it comes to his own music though, Mitchy maintains a mantra of doing what is right for him first. “I really stand up for what I think I should be doing, musically and in life,” he says. “I have a lot of pride.”

As a songwriter, Mitchy has amassed an impressive roster of collaborators. He’s worked with songwriters JT Harding, David Immerman and Jesse Astin, Blake Healy of Metro Station fame and revered record producer and publisher Billy Mann, who’s worked with successful artists like Pink, and whom Mitchy gratefully credits for giving him a career in songwriting. Mitchy also 51

Cassadee Pope Written by Nicole Mazza Photogrpahed by Catherine Powell

Cassadee Pope, ex-singer of Hey Monday, sits backstage at Highline Ballroom in New York City waiting to perform. This is her first solo NYC appearance. Live music plays in the background but hardly breaks her concentration as she takes me back to the very beginning — before the sold-out crowds and before Hey Monday’s formation, back to when she was a little girl growing up in West Palm Beach, Fla., with dreams much too large for the town. “There was never another option for me,” Cassadee says. “[Singing] was it. That was what I was going to do and it took priority over pretty much everything.” Now, at 22, she remains as focused as ever. She was four when her older sister started taking voice lessons, and Cassadee found herself watching from the sidelines. “I would see her taking lessons and she seemed like she was having so much fun,” Cassadee says. When her sister had to take a monthlong break to get her nodes removed, Cassadee saw the perfect opportunity to step in and see what her own voice could do. In no time, she was hooked. She wanted to be a singer. Cassadee’s teenage years were no exception. “Girls in general are catty but especially in high school,” she says. Then, playfully, she adds, “That’s why I’m in a band with all guys. In high school I feel like people were trying to find their identity and I knew what I wanted to do at such a young age, that people looked at me like I was doing something wrong. But I was so

serious about it that people sometimes thought I was lying,” she recalls. At 15 Cassadee signed with Drive-Thru Records. Her friends didn’t believe it. Cassadee realized that she had to do her own thing, regardless of what people were going to say and think. “Growing up in a public high school, you tend to learn to keep everything to yourself because you can tell anybody anything and no matter what, if they don’t want to believe it, they’re not going to believe you,” she says. “So I kind of just did my own thing. I had a group of friends and I still have some friends that I’ve kept from high school, but for the most part I’ve lost touch with a lot of people.” She pauses, then adds, “I think some of them are still in denial about what I’m doing.” Cassadee’s fomer friends can deny it all they want, but they can’t deny the fact that Hey Monday has been far more successful than most bands will ever be. They’ve toured for over three years straight with bands such as Fall Out Boy, All Time Low and The Academy Is… Even now, with Hey Monday on an indefinite hiatus and with Cassadee starting a new chapter in her solo career and on her first solo tour, the amount of love and support at her shows has been nothing short of amazing. Being in a band was where Cassadee belonged throughout her teenage years. She had her first taste of local fame in her high school band, Blake, with Hey Monday’s guitarist, Mike Gentile. Though she had been singing in festivals and vocal contests, 53

it was playing her first show with a band at a high school party that was the real game changer. “It was amazing because we were doing covers, so people were really pumped and they were singing along and I kind of pretended that they were my songs and they were singing along to my songs,” she recalls. She took her senior year classes online, walked for graduation and hit the road with Hey Monday in 2008 on the “Why So Serious?” tour with The Cab, This Providence and A Rocket To The Moon. It was the August before Hey Monday’s Brazil tour in 2011 that Cassadee knew it was time for a change. When things came to a standstill for Hey Monday, it was impossible for Cassadee not to start imagining what a life without music would be like. “Doing what I was able to do and experience, and then go to work at an office job, I would be miserable. I’d go into a deep depression or something. I was just trying to imagine doing something like that I was like ‘I can’t. I need to keep doing this. This is my life’.” After three long and miserable months at home to think, and with the luke-warm response to Hey Monday’s “Candles” covered on Fox’s “Glee,” Cassadee knew what she had to do. When she discussed going on hiatus and moving on to a solo career with the members of Hey Monday, she cried. “They were like ‘We totally get it. We don’t want to be one of those bands that are beating a dead horse and keep going and going until nobody cares

anymore,’” she says. “I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.” Though going solo was never part of Casadee’s plan, she hopes now it will give her the opportunity to showcase her vocals. After getting a taste of what it was like to play to arenas on her third tour with Fall Out Boy, Cassadee knows exactly what she wants. “I would want to be as massive as Taylor Swift,” she says. “I’ve always had a vision, and being that young and knowing what I wanted to do, it’s hard for me to get that out of my head. It’s just been so long that I’ve had this vision of myself on an arena stage, sold out, everyone singing along and it’s just like, that is what I want. And I know that comes with fame and being a celebrity, but I don’t care about that stuff. I want to play huge shows like that and for people to love my music and I want my demographic to be from eight to eighty. I want everyone to relate and love it. It’s going to be awhile but I’m willing to work towards it.” And she won’t settle for anything less.

Season 11 Cast Words & Photos by Catherine Powell

Annie Clark “I’m a fairly sane, normal person,” Annie Clark says, comparing herself to Fiona Coyne, her character on “Degrassi.” Besides their shared obsession with fashion, Annie and Fiona couldn’t be more different. Fiona’s life at Degrassi Community School is very dramatic — Annie just likes to hangout. Annie is one of the older cast members. She completed high school and spent the majority of it in a regular school. She was on student council and acted in school plays. “I felt like I got the full high school experience,” she explains, “It’s nice to have this fake high school experience as well.” When asked if she would want to attend Degrassi, her eyes bug out of her head. “Are you kidding me? Never.” Being out of high school definitely has its advantages for Annie,. Now she can focus the majority of her time on acting without worrying about homework. This was especially handy when it came to Fiona’s abusive relationship storyline. “We talked to a social worker and did a lot research for it,” she explains, stressing how time consuming, but fun the string of episodes was for her as an actress.

Jordan Todosey Jordan Todosey is fierce. That’s the only word to describe the 16-year old who’s towering over her cast mates in four-inch TopShop heels. Her normal, swoopy brown hair is dyed blond and styled with an elegant side part, and a pair of tight jeans and a leather jacket complete her look. Like I said, fierce. The obvious difference between Jordan and her character Adam, a female to male transgender, is, well, Jordan’s a girl. But in terms of hobbies and interests, Jordan doesn’t have to stretch far to channel Adam’s inner nerd. “I will admit I like to read comics often,” she says, laughing. In addition to comics, Jordan is a huge music buff, like Adam. She’s constantly keeping herself up to date on what’s going on in the music industry, listing The Weekend as her top band at the moment. Though Jordan isn’t the only D.J. off set on Degrassi, she does admit she’s known to blast music in the green room between scenes. There are 20 kids roaming the Degrassi halls this season, and when they have the time, they’re all hanging out. They play games, do homework and are all pretty much like any normal group of friends. “We all get along, which I think shows onscreen,” Jordan says, smiling.

Aislinn Paul “When I came onto the show in Season 8 it was very daunting,” Aislinn Paul says. “There had been a lot of people who were on the show a long time, so that was very scary.” After being on “Degrassi” for nearly six years, Aislinn has become a strong, confident woman, much like her character on the show, Clare Edwards. “When we started out, Clare and I were complete opposites,” she says. “We both had a strong moral compass, but we were different in every other way.” She laughs as she explains that Clare has recently picked up some of her own sarcasm and she feels she and Clare starting to morph into each other. Though Aislinn has a lot of other interests besides acting, including dancing, film and photography, most of her free time is consumed by schoolwork. “I’m graduating this spring,” she says excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m hoping I can make it all the way there,” she says, laughing. With filming starting back up in March, Aislinn plans to keep up with her courses so she can (hopefully) walk at graduation.

Luke Bilyk “If I get jumped, I’ll be so good, I will take someone on!” Luke Bilyk exclaims after recalling the intense training he did for his “Fight Club” themed episodes. One look at the 17-yea-old and you might disagree. The baby-faced actor is dressed in a loose t-shirt and sneakers, and can’t go more than a few seconds without cracking a joke. He must have caught onto my skepticism because he sighs and adds, “I’m not really a good fighter.” What Luke is good at, however, is sports. “Not to be conceited, but I’m pretty good at every sport,” he says, laughing. “That’s conceited I guess.” Before leaving high school to be homeschooled when he was a freshman, Luke played soccer, hockey and volleyball. He says volleyball was his favorite. Now that he is homeschooled, he’s “definitely the most popular kid in [his] school,” he says, laughing. Another joke. And they just keep coming.

Alex Steele The show’s newest face looks oddly familiar to me, and I can’t pinpoint why. It’s not until Alex Steele starts speaking that I make the connection — her older sister, Cassie Steele, was one of the show’s original leading ladies. Not only that, but Alex’s own face is no stranger to the “Degrassi” cameras. She originally played Angela Jeremiah when she was younger. Now back on “Degrassi” as Tori Santamaria, Alex says she fits right in with the already tight-knit group. Alex is similar to Tori in that way — she connects with people well and cares about her friends. “She will do what she can to make sure [her friends] are happy,” Alex explains of Tori. I’m impressed by Alex’s natural people skills and overall charm. She’s only 15 and she’s constantly surrounded by an older group of people. It’s refreshing to see she can act like an adult, but her youthfulness shines through in her bubbly personality. Alex is excited to be a part of “Degrassi” and it’s obvious her co-stars are just as excited to have her.

Melinda Shankar A few minutes before I caught up with Melinda Shankar backstage at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, N.J., her car was chased by a group of fans that had been waiting outside the venue since 11p.m. the night before. Their reason? They wanted to wish her a happy birthday. Melinda is 20 today, though her carefree, bubbly personality would make me guess younger. Having been on Degrassi for five years now, Melinda has officially become one of the veterans to the new “niners” joining the cast this season. As she speaks I begin to understand the age gap between her and her 16-year-old character, Alli. “I’m definitely not as boy crazy,” she says, laughing. Dressed in a tight fitting, striped dress and tights, Melinda looks like she just walked off set, and there’s a reason for that. Fashion is important to her, and she did not want to compromise that when playing Alli. She often accompanies the wardrobe team on outings to pick out clothes for her character, and will take them home with her afterwards. “As much as Alli is an amazing character, I wouldn’t want to compromise my wardrobe,” she admits. On the current “Party With Degrassi” tour, Melinda has been getting into plenty of trouble with her co-star, Luke Bilyk. In Chicago, the two friends broke into an ice rink and skated around on their shoes. “By breaking in, I mean we just stepped over the rail,” she says, grinning. “But I like to make it sound more dramatic than it was.” 65

Munro Chambers “I’m not crazy,” Munro Chambers says, laughing when asked how he differs from his “Degrassi” character, Eli Goldsworthy. Notorious for crashing a hearse, almost being stabbed and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it’s probably a good thing Munro is a completely different person from Eli. “Hearses are cool though,” he says, earning some laughter from his co-star, Alex Steele. Munro was given a treat when signing onto play Eli — he actually got to drive “Morty,” the hearse. “It was so hard,” he says. “It was big and the engine was messed up, but it was so much fun.” Munro may have one of the most challenging roles on “Degrassi,” but he embraces it. “I get anxious for it,” he explains, citing the bipolar and hoarder themed episodes as some of his favorites. “I don’t want to mock the disorder,” he says. “I want to make sure I’m doing it correctly and that it relates to people who may have that disorder.” Though he loves playing Eli, if he had to choose someone else to portray it would be Adam (Jordan Todosey). He says he would love to challenge himself to play the transgender role and do it as well as Jordan does.

Jahmil French “I could be the next Drake, but I’d have to get shot and end up in a wheelchair first,” Jahmil French says, laughing after admitting he’s been dabbling in music lately. Though the idea is a stretch, Jahmil could take on the challenge. When he was attending a ‘normal’ high school, it was all but normal. He attended a performing arts school in Canada before joining “Degrassi” during his junior year. “It was a lot like Degrassi,” he says. “But with a lot more dancing.” Performing is in Jahmil’s blood — it always has been. In addition to acting and music, he’s a huge dance fan and used to do a lot of spoken word. “I’ve been trying to take what I learned in spoken word and circle in and write songs,” he explains. “I take everything I do seriously.” In that sense, he and his character on “Degrassi,” Dave Turner, are very different. Dave is jock and “a bigger dork,” according to Jahmil. “I think Dave’s a good projection of my impulsive and obnoxious side,” Dave says, laughing. “But I think I’m a lot cooler.”

The After Party Words: Stacy Magallon Photos: Catherine Powell

The After Party are just a bunch of simple, small-town boys. “We don’t look like we came from a farm, but we definitely enjoy fun outdoor activities,” drummer Alan Bell says of the band’s Kansas roots. “We grew up canoeing, dirt biking, fixing cars and hiking, and that’s definitely stuck with us. I definitely loved growing up in a small town. It’s something that keeps us grounded.” As youngsters in the open country, Alan and his twin brother, The After Party’s guitarist 68

Andy Bell, have been close since childhood. The two are almost always together, and Alan admits that having Andy around at all times only instills a stronger sense of family within the whole group. “We’ve been close since we were little, and it definitely makes us a little less home sick,” he says. The After Party know a thing or two about missing loved ones. In November 2011 they released an acoustic single, “California,” which is about the hardships they face on the road while being away from home.

“We try to make the effort to call our parents, our siblings and our friends as much as possible. But they understand that when we’re gone, even though we can’t talk to them a lot, we still love and care about them,” Alan says. “It’s tough for them and it’s tough for us, but we all have the same goal — what they want, and what we want for

ourselves. They’re proud of what we’re doing, and it’s definitely worth it in the end.” While their last EP, “The After Party,” is concentrated on catchy fun, pop tunes, the guys are hoping to release music that focuses on a deeper aspect of their lives — music that reflects their personal experiences and who they are as people. “Our fans are also a huge influence on us,” Alan says. “We hear their stories about the hardships they’ve gone through, and we want to make that positive change in their lives by giving them something to keep their heads up and make them happy when they’re feeling down. That’s definitely one of the reasons why we do what we do.” When it comes to fans, the guys know that the least they can do is to give back, in any way possible. The After Party take great advantage of spending time with the fans that helped get them to where they are today. “We really enjoy meeting our fans and spending time with them. We love our fans more than anything,” Alan says. 69

But The After Party aren’t leaving their lifestyle on the road just yet. After finishing two more tours and a couple house parties, they hope to head to the West Coast to do some songwriting as well as some recording for their next release in May or June. “Right now we have so much further to go and so much to do. Two years ago, we would have thought that we had already made it, but it’s pretty crazy to think about it, and think about how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go.” Alan says. “We’re 20-years-old now. We’re seeing

the country and the world, and it’s awesome. We wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.” The Kansas City, Kan. quartet are a couple of small town boys living a much larger dream, and while their musical career is taking off, their small town roots are what will keep them grounded on their journey ahead. Whatever comes next for The After Party, they really will be going all the way.

when we were young...

okay, we’re not that old... but here’s a list of albums we were listening to when we were younger. INFINITY ON HIGH - FALL OUT BOY It may not be the first Fall Out Boy record I heard, but I vividly remember begging my mom to take my middle school-aged self to the mall to buy it on release day. Once I bought it, I couldn’t turn it off. I’m pretty sure I had this record on repeat for months. A few months later I went to my first concert: Fall Out Boy out supporting Infinity On High. To this day it is one of my favorite records of all time.

CATHERINE ENEMA OF THE STATE - BLINK 182 It doesn’t feel like 99 was so long ago, but maybe that’s why “What’s My Age Again” has 100 gazillion plays on my iTunes. This album has been with me forever and it still makes the Top 10 every time. And every time “All The Small Things” comes on the radio, everyone’s singing along, just like 3rd grade.

KATEY

PLANS - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE From the catchy, upbeat chorus of “Soul Meets Body” to the haunting message behind “What Sarah Said,” this album can serve as the perfect soundtrack for a wide range of moods. The guys have come out with a number of hits since then, but “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” will never fail to tug at my heartstrings.

OLGA 74

INFINITY ON HIGH - FALL OUT BOY I was ten years old. I walked through the CD section at Wal-Mart and picked up two albums: Nelly’s “Nellyville” and Linkin Park’s “Reanimation”. I held “Nellyville” in my left hand and “Reanimation” in my right. I had to choose. I looked down to my left hand at Nelly, who was looking back at me — his head titled downward and his bandaid resting at an angle on his cheek. I look down to my right hand at Linkin Park — which featured an image of a transformer on the cover. Or a gundam. Either way, I left with the robot. Good decision.

ARIELLA SELF-TITLED - ‘NSYNC A lot of people would deny that ‘N Sync shaped how they perceive music now, I am not one of those people. This album made me fall in love with catchy choruses, emotional verses and the featuring of group vocals. I may have only been four when it came out, but I remember many sing alongs to “Tearin’ Up My Heart” the summer before kindergarden. And sometimes when I’m driving I’ll pop this album in and fall in love all over again.

LIZ THE YOUNG AND THE HOPELESS - GOOD CHARLOTTE I bought this album when I was 9 and listened to it every day for years. I still sing along to every word of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and “Riot Girl” whenever I hear them.

NICOLA