WITH
GUNNAR GEHL
WINTER 2 018
02
letter from the editor the past few months leading up to the release of this issue have been one of the hardest periods of my life. if there was one thing that kept me going, however, it would most certainly have to be music. just the simple accompaniment of song & sound is enough to perk me up on a dark day. this is why poptized is so important to me. the fact that i, and many others on our team, is able to express our passion in this safe space of a community is so valuable to me. as such, i am so proud to show you our collection of writing & photography in this issue, all of which pertains to the ideal of what music is to people. i’d like to express my gratitude to ashleigh & courtney, both of which worked tremendously hard in seeing this issue come to life. to emily, who tirelessly worked through the amazing articles that all our writers put in. to sara & emma, for amazingly coordinating with each other to establish this and our future issues. to jack, for inspiring me to keep going amidst the darkness. here’s to issue 2. with love,
kariann tan editor-in-chief
editor in chief kariann tan head of production ashleigh tain head of social media ashleigh haddock head of writing & submissions emily richardson head of public relations sara salamat head of digital media emma sophia valles music curator wen ip
writers erin alzapiedi stephanie estrada kylee grimwood chelsea holecek ky kasselman elizabeth kerins amy paine taylor priola ainsley martinez jennifer nguyen ashley rana piper rosas stephen whiting photographers bella peterson ky kasselman stephanie estrada christian nixon graphic design courtney te online https://www.poptizedmagazine.com connect https://www.twitter.com/poptizedmag https://www.instagram.com/poptizedmag
CONTENTS
6
album favorites
10
32
savoir adore
36
turkauz
unreleased music
17
38
gunnar gehl
the polar boys
20
42
28
46
fenne lily
arlie
sexism
all caps trey
favorite albums of
honey robyn honey is a hypnotic, lush, sensual dance record that slowly drapes over you with each song; robyn poured her heart into this album, making it easily one of her best projects. she has always been pushing pop music forward, and this album is all-killer, at nine tracks, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t listen to honey. - juan poggioli, writer
2018
staff picks
sex and food
camila
unknown mortal orchestra
camila cabello
- belén castillo, writer
camila by camila cabello was my favorite album of the year because there’s a variety of messages and sounds, yet they all work together in a cohesive fashion. camila isn’t afraid to be honest on ballads like ‘consequences’ and ‘something’s gotta give’ while simultaneously making great pop jams like the island-inspired ‘inside out’ and the empowering ‘she loves control.’ camila proves her staying power with this blend of pop perfection. - ashley rana, writer
shawn mendes
geography
shawn mendes
tom misch
i am no local. i was never a fan of “mercy” or “there’s nothing holding me back,” and the only thing i saw shawn mendes as was an artist who conformed to the pop music norms. but this album blew me away. not only did he push the boundaries of popular music, he created music that showed his true feelings and emotions: talking about his anxiety in “in my blood,” a struggling relationship in “like to be you,” and school shootings in “youth.” hats off to you, shawn, i stan!
geography is a simple and modern-classical album. with ardent bursts of percussional jazz and slow, swaying tempos, misch has mastered tasteful balance, enough that each song is equipped with a story to tell, lyrics to drive it forward, and instrumentals to compose and stain emotions. each element is gallantly demonstrated, not one overpowering the other, thus allowing the listener to take in each sense.
- sarah tillet, interviewer
- ashleigh tain, head
seven. issue two. winter 2018
sex & food is one of the albums where you have to listen to every song to get a feel for the vibe that it’s going for. numerous songs on the album talk about modern day issues and overall angst for our current political climate. the simplicity of the lyrics and the jazzy, psychedelic, upbeat sounds leads it to be one my most played albums of 2018.
negro swan
icarus falls
blood orange
zayn
negro swan by blood orange is a dreamy but bold album which exhibits the versatility of dev hynes’s music. hands down has to be one of my favourites by him and it left me wanting more. The vocals, the instrumentals, and the music itself, paint a picture by flowing perfectly into each other and help convey his message of being a being the odd one out yet remaining truest version of yourself
icarus falls shows zayn’s versatility as an artist, touching on every topic from sex to his exes to love, as per your usual r&b album. although, yes, it is probably 13 tracks too many, his voice is so smooth and charming that it’s quite forgivable since you get to hear more of it. my favorite, admittedly, is “good years” because it sounds like a one direction song and nostalgia is one powerful force.
- emma valles, head
- courtney te, designer
vital
sure sure
morgxn
sure sure
vital moves through so many sounds that really capture the beauty of music. morgxn represents so many minority groups and gives them a home in this album.
songs are actual bops! their cover of “this must be the place” by talking heads is probably better than the actual song itself. the album makes me really happy too.
- ky kasselman, photographer
- kariann tan, editor-in-chief
the pains of growing
magnolia
alessia cara
brother moses
the pains of growing by alessia cara is hands down one of her best works yet and has the most natural sounds. you can tell that this is based of her personal experiences about living in the spotlight and just growing up in general. my personal favorite “wherever i live” really showcases her voice so well alessia delivers this silky unique voice that sounds like a warm hug. - sara salamat, head
brother moses is one of the most unique bands that i’ve come across. they’ve managed to combine vulnerability, insane musicianship, and strong storytelling into every song on the album, and i’m just really proud. also, the whole thing slaps. - kylee grimwood, writer
wet
2018
still run
it’s one of the prettiest albums i’ve ever heard. with kelly zutrau’s voice, the dreamlike beats, and longing lyrics, it makes me feel like i’m in love with my non-existent boyfriend.
whack world tierra whack
whack world is one of the most quirky and creative albums i have ever heard. it contains fifteen tracks, each one minute in length, that are lyrically playful and savvy while holding deep and raw messages. her album gives a disorienting and whimsical view into her world that is hard to forget.. - wen ip, head
nine. issue two. winter 2018
- chelsea holecek, writer
turkuaz takes off with the technicolor “life in the city tour�
ten. issue two. winter 2018
brooklyn-based band brings a new vibrancy to music with their unexpected sounds and colorful personalities
brooklyn-based band turkuaz brings a new vibrancy to music with their unexpected sounds and colorful personalities. the nine-person band mixes a myriad of sounds from rock, funk, alternative, and r&b into one colorful sound experience. the blend of drums, guitar, keys, horns, and bass, along with a harmonious blend of male-female vocals creates a funky techno groove that everyone should boogie to. vibrant colors play an integral role in the band’s identity. for starters, the name “turkuaz” is a play off the color turquoise with an extra hint of funk. color is also reflected on stage as each band member rocks out in their own neon style. from pink and yellow to black and white, they all come together to create visual and aural harmony. unlike past records, turkuaz’s fifth studio album life in the city draws inspiration from the the current state of our world as well as personal experiences. in “lady lovely,” we hear the band explore a cross-species romance of an intergalactic nature which, to me, feels somehow both disillusioned and a little too real. “if i ever fall asleep” nods at mental health disorders, such as insomnia and paranoia. “the one and lonely” elaborates on the alcohol and drug addiction that is so prevalent in the music industry. through this realistic take on a new funk album, fans are able to groove to songs about important issues in our current world while maintaining a positive vibrancy.
i personally started listening to turkuaz only a few months ago, and have since fallen in love with their unique sound. their albums, especially life in the city, bring a positive energy to my daily routine. whether i’m walking to class, doing chores around my apartment, or just chilling with friends i know i can put on one of their albums and live more in the moment. i think that’s something we could all use a little more of. speaking of living in the moment, i was fortunate enough to attend turkuaz’s concert in northampton, ma during the fall leg of the life in the city tour. i am so happy i did because it was one of the best concert experiences i have had. turkuaz fans are some of the friendliest and most respectful concert goers i’ve met, and i’ve certainly met my fair share. everyone was tearing up the dance floor, making friends with other fans, singing along, and co-mingling. we were all just a bunch of funky people who were happy to be there. turkuaz band members hung out at the merch table after the performance to help sell merch, meet fans, and chit chat. they were all super lovely and genuinely took interest in talking to everyone who stuck around the venue. turkuaz takes their funky sound across the united states this year with the second leg of their us tour taking off on december 28th in cleveland, oh. trust me, you don’t want to miss it!
by erin alzapiedi photography by erin alzapiedi
ATION the symbolism of taylor swift’s reputation stadium tour
by ashley rana from secret messages in album booklets to easter eggs in music videos, taylor swift is an artist notorious for her use of symbolism. consequently, it’s no surprise that taylor brought new symbols to her reputation stadium tour. after attending her nashville, tennessee show, i gave a lot of thought to what i was presented with. knowing how meticulous taylor is with what she puts into the world, i analyzed different aspects of the tour and made inferences as to what taylor was trying to say through her props, interludes, and costumes. before taylor makes her way to the stage, “obsessed” by mariah carey and “bad reputation” by joan jett blast through the stadium, serving as the prologue for what’s to come. when the latter comes to a close, the introduction to taylor’s set begins to play on two large screens. the video consists of shots of taylor throughout her career, images of snakeskin woven between photos of a young taylor swift. as this video is playing, sound bites of negative statements the media has made about her are layered over each other. examples of audio heard include speculation about taylor’s infamous ‘squad’, her donation to fellow singer kesha during her sexual assault trial, and accusations of taylor ‘playing the victim.’ about a minute into the introduction, taylor can be heard saying ‘reputation’ over and over again, getting louder as the video goes on. based on the rep-
etition of the phrase, it can be inferred that this is taylor’s way of responding to the media circus she’s been enveloped in for the majority of her career. her voice overpowers their negativity by the end of the introduction, an epic and subtle way of letting the audience know that she will have the last word. the introduction is followed by a bombastic performance of “...ready for it?” which reads as a challenge to the people who tried to tarnish her stature. once this song comes to a close, taylor moves into her performance of “i did something bad,” which seems to be told from the perspective of the person the media has made her out to be. in this song, the character taylor plays discusses romantic encounters gone sour, mostly because she uses these men for her entertainment. the bridge of the song, however, can be interpreted as taylor’s perspective as she compares her experiences with the media to being burned at the stake for being a ‘witch’. it’s here where she adds an extra lyric that was not in the studio version. after the line “they’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one,” taylor utters in a solemn tone, “and it’s just for fun.” the addition of this jaw-dropping line is powerful and telling, as she infers that the media criticism she’s received was done just for the entertainment of others.
a more subtle representation of taylor’s reputation occurs as she travels to and from the main stage. on her journey to the first b-stage, taylor sings her latest hit “delicate” in a glittery, golden cage. this gold cage is comparative to how she entered the music industry: vulnerable, shining and new, and completely innocent. however, when she leaves the second b-stage, she enters a dark snake’s exoskeleton as she angrily sings a mashup of “bad blood” and “should’ve said no”, two of her most resentful hits to date. the snake exoskeleton represents how she left music back in 2016: scathed, enraged, and fully devoured by her reputation. these details are more subtle than the use of a giant snake animatronic, but the interpreted significance of these two props is a genius representation of how taylor’s reputation was ruined.
the journey to and from the b-stages also holds some significance when it comes to taylor’s costume choices. taylor shines in a sparkly dress as she travels in the gold cage, and after a performance of ‘shake it off’ with tourmates camila cabello and charli xcx, taylor removes her sparkly dress and reveals that she’s wearing snakeskin leotard underneath. this could be taken as a nod to taylor’s younger years, a time where she wore a sparkly dress and cowboy boots for almost every performance. once the sparkly dress is off, taylor sheds the innocence of the dress in exchange for an outfit that suits her reputation. the snakeskin leotard is what taylor wears when she locks herself in the snake exoskeleton, submitting herself once again to the person the media has made her out to be. the last song taylor performs is “this is why we can’t have nice things”, a song that recounts her relationship with kanye west. in this explosive performance, taylor sings the lyrics ‘did you think i wouldn’t hear all the things you said about me?’ in response to those who talked about her behind her back. this line in particular can also be drawn back to the introduction video, which contains snippets of the negative media attention taylor has received over the years. taylor often performs this song with a sickly sweet smile in front of thousands of people, a final snide remark to those who wronged her. once the song comes to a close, taylor and her backup dancers do their final bow, and the audience is left with a screen that reads, “and in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive”. if the rest of the show didn’t make it obvious, it’s evident that taylor swift will no longer allow herself to be defined by the negativity that surrounds her, and she’s truly happier than she ever was. taylor swift’s reputation stadium tour tells the story of a superstar who was relentlessly targeted by the media. the props and interludes used to push the story along do an accurate job of taking the concert-goer along for the ride of taylor’s reputation and how she was able to rise from the ashes.
the integration of symbolism throughout pop-star taylor swift’s recent tour
thirteen. issue two. winter 2018
the next four songs are more upbeat, with taylor skipping to “gorgeous” before performing a medley of some of her greatest hits. taylor then leaves the stage, and another interlude plays. this one is reminiscent of the introduction video, once again showing a montage of a younger taylor with bits of her old songs playing in the background. as the interlude continues, snippets of snakes and taylor in a dark room on a throne can be seen. the clips of the ‘old taylor’ slowly become less prevalent, and eventually, the ‘new taylor’ has overtaken her completely. this can serve as a metaphor of how taylor’s tarnished reputation swallowed the person she used to be, like how a snake devours their prey. as the interlude suggests, the ‘old taylor’ is dead, therefore perfectly leading into the next song on the setlist, “look what you made me do”. this performance features videos of snakes on the big screen and karyn, a large animatronic snake, serving as a manner of owning the insult kim kardashian west threw taylor’s way back in 2016. since the beginning of the reputation era, taylor has incorporated snake imagery into her brand as a way of taking back the narrative and owning the negative things people say about her. instead of ‘shaking off’ the hate, taylor now seems to accept these untruths, utilizing them for artistic interpretation.
the success story behind pop singer ariana grande the ring was returned, but ariana grande found something far more valuable than a diamond: accelerating success. in midst of the very public pete davidson breakup, grande managed to turn a personal disaster into ballad of self confidence and rebirth. the singer/songwriter’s resilient attitude made her not just a master of her craft, but a living anthem of strength. grande’s exponential success seemed almost superhuman: breaking records on several platforms including spotify and billboard top 100 in a matter of months. recently her fame has skyrocketed, making her the quintessential pop icon. grande has always been a popular public figure with her role on the 2010 nickelodeon show victorious and having released four studio albums; however, in april 2018 when the promotion for the album sweetener began, so did a new era of musical triumph. singles “no tears left to cry” and “light is coming” captured the positive essense of the album, and perhaps this message of revival from hardships contribut-
ed to her universal success. grande quite blatantly showcased her heartbreak and trauma, and this authenticy charmed listeners. during the promotion of the album, grande explained the reasoning behind sweetener. “it’s kind of about bringing a light to a situation or to someone’s life, or to someone else who bring a light to your life- or sweetening the situation,” grande said. this depiction of improving a calamitic matter attracted fans with the relevance in her words. and after the album’s release, when grande ended her engagement with davidson, her enticement only grew as she remained an open book. single “thank u, next” became an anthem of self-love and importance, and broke career and platform records. the song about admiring the experiences learned from past relationships while still staying true to one’s self quickly became no.1 on billboard’s top 100, a first for grande. “thank u, next” achieved the highest number of streams in a single day for a woman; accumulating 8.5 mil-
by ainsley martinez
lion streams on spotify. later on, the highly anticipated music video broke youtube record with 829,000 views in 24 hours. these various achievements are a testimony to what people crave and admire: a candidness in art. to the general population, the emphasis of struggle—especially while maintaining an optimistic demeanor— is fascinating. grande embodies this in a genuine way. the key to her rapid success is not one of formula or routine, in fact it’s the opposite. having a sincere and hopeful attitude, and by only speaking for herself, she has vibrantly extended her heart- and has been shown more love and support than others that haven’t. grande continues to flourish in recognition and achievements. she was named billboard’s 2018 woman of the year, and with award season on its way the singer is projected to have many other nominations. currently no. 1 in the world on spotify, grande stays true to her lyrics: she’s young, beautiful, and successful.
ariana grande’s rise to pop quintessence
mental health in the industry
singer ariana grande shares her experience with mental illness
many sides of ariana. recovering from the horrific terrorist bombing in manchester as well as a series of highly publicized relationships, it seems that she’s never been more visible than she was over the past several months. during this by stephen whiting time, ariana openly admitted to struggling with anxiety. “i almost feel guilty that i have [anxiety] when it comes to dealing with any case of mental illness, the worst fear is that because it’s just in your head and it’s only you are experiencing it. that no just so crazy how powerful it is,” she one truly cares, or that you are wired said, according to buzzfeed. “you have for failure. while this experience occurs ups and downs and sometimes you’ll go quite often, rarely does it get addressed weeks at a time where you will be crushin popular media. countering the cul- ing it and there will be no anxiety... and ture of silence is a woman marked by then something will happen that can hardship, but survived by her belief in trigger it and then you have a couple a future free of doubt. the unassuming of down days”. her fear of being seen as poor role model led to two choicadvocate: ariana grande. es; living a life in the shadows or one from her days as the naive character cat of honesty. but rather than shying from valentine on victorious to her growth her struggle, grande began to reinvent into the pop icon behind albums such as her narrative. sweetener, the public has been shown her most recent project, the music vid-
eo for her single “thank u, next” capitalizes on her journey of dealing with anxiety and her right to a better future by using her experiences from past lovers to drive her forward in a future completely her own. in the video she is the stand-in for every rom-com heroine who had her heart broken, picked herself up and got on with her life as a much stronger woman, drawing from nostalgic films such as mean girls, clueless, and bring it on. grande cleverly uses nostalgia to her advantage. the images of iconic characters represent common archetypes reimagined for the public. all too soon are images of the video turned into memes such as “one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain” that will remain material for much twitter banter. in creating a piece like the film, grande has surreptitiously accomplished her goal, beginning a conversation. talking further of her struggles with anxiety ariana explained “the most important thing is to remember that ... everybody has this. talk to your love ones, reach out to people, especially your friends online. reach out to each other”. her words echo the sentiments of many others dealing with pain. remembering our pain is shared brings us closer to finding healing.
gunnar gehl gunnar gehl is a 17 year old pop artist who just finished up his first tour opening for prettymuch. before the tour, gunnar had released one single, ocean blue. since then, he has released his second single, outta my mind, and is projected to release more music throughout 2019. ky got to sit down with him in dallas, tx and ask him a few questions.
words & photography by ky kasselman
so, you released your first single, ocean blue. what was the inspiration behind it?
when did you know you wanted to pursue music? gunnar: i’ve always loved music. i picked up a guitar when i was 7 and fell in love. i was in a band that we had in my garage. i kinda always loved doing it but i didn’t think it would be anything serious until last year. i had a couple meetings and everything started going really really fast and it was like “okay, i have to make this a full priority.” it became less of a thing that i did just because i wanted to and now it’s like “this is what i’m going to do.” what was the catalyst for all of that? gunnar: it started with me coming back to music after a short break, but i felt like something was missing in my life, so i came back. i got into a local studio and started making music as much as i could. i took it and met some people. it was one of those things where it was like “we can really do this, how serious are you?” and i’m like, if i have the opportunity and the chance, there’s no way i’d let that pass by. from there, it kinda just happened.
seventeen. issue two. winter 2018
gunnar: it was a real thing that happened to me, actually. i walked past this girl on a boardwalk and we kinda shared this moment of kinda looking at each other. and we shared this moment and it was just gone like that and i walked past. i wished i would have turned around and said hi or started a conversation. and so the song is about a little thing that i noticed about her eyes. it matched the ocean behind her. and it’s just this really funny thing, it’s that relatable experience that everyone goes through like “i wish i would have said something.”
“it’s just that constant thing of trying to keep myself held back a little bit because i just want to keep going.”
gunnar: the most difficult thing that’s happened through the entirety of this entire thing is just myself being hard on myself. i get in my way sometimes and i just have this mental blockade of always wanting to think about what’s ahead and not thinking about the moment. and i’ve learned now, but it’s one of those things, like during this tour i’m like what’s happening after this tour? and i have to tell myself worry about the tour. take a deep breath. we haven’t had something that’s been like “oh no” but it’s just that constant thing of trying to keep myself held back a little bit because i just want to keep going. who do you draw inspiration from? gunnar: so i started, the original inspiration, was john mayer, who i still adore his music. he was the first person who i really, you know, wanted to be like. now, my influences are constantly changing with modern music. i’m always finding a way to intertwine the stuff that originally got me hooked with modern music and modern rhythms and melodies and beats. i wouldn’t say there’s one person that i strive to be like, i have my own path and i have my own music, i just like to bridge a gap between that john mayer guitar mixed with a modern way of music. so going off of that, what music are you listening to right now? gunnar: that’s always a funny question, my music taste varies from tiny dancer by elton john to lucid dreams by
juice wrld. i don’t have like only a single genre of music i like, i’m 17 so i’m obviously listening to what’s new and what’s in, but if i’m gonna lay down and listen to what i think is real music, it’s always going to be something that has guitar, something that makes you feel something. i’m a very picky listener too, i’ll go through an album and only pick out a few songs that i like. i liked a lot of drake’s new stuff, i like a couple songs from lil wayne’s new album, frank ocean is a huge inspiration, it’s kinda all over the place it really is. so how has your first tour been? gunnar: first tour has been the most fun i’ve had in my entire life. it’s something i’ve always dreamed of and now it’s a reality. it’s something i’m in the midst of doing and that’s crazy. going back to me always thinking “okay, what’s next,” i have to tell myself, “enjoy it! this was a goal.” it’s been a blast. i get to go around the country and see such amazing places and i get to do what i love to do every night. and i get to meet fans and interact with the people who support me. to me there’s nothing more i love to do and i hope this is the first of many. what would you say to readers that are interested in getting into music? gunnar: follow your heart most importantly. don’t follow trends. make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and that you’re doing what you want to do, not what you think other people want you to do.
nineteen. issue two. winter 2018
what’s been the most difficult part of this journey so far?
the toxicity of
music elitism twenty. issue two. winter 2018
how bohemian rhapsody has sparked a conversation about the possessiveness of stan twitter
B
by chelsea holecek
you just listen and appreciate it for what it is— the sound, lyrics, and significance is all that matters.
or maybe it’s just always been there, deep inside all of us, just being renewed.
BR
i remember listening to van morrison with my dad while we drove down the highway during the summer months. i was a curious 10-year-old when i realized that ‘into the mystic’ was one of the best songs ever made. if you’d told me then it was released in 1970, i’d reject the idea. it doesn’t click in your head just how influential old music is at that age, you just listen and appreciate it for what it is— the sound, lyrics, and significance is all that matters. the recent release of biopic bohemian rhapsody has rehashed a societal appreciation for the rock band that ultimately shifted rock music forever. if you somehow weren’t familiar with queen, you know their songs— ’we will rock you,’ ‘we are the champions,’ ‘you’re my best friend,’ ‘another one bites the dust,’ and of course, ‘bohemian rhapsody.’ with the movie’s booming popularity, admiration for freddie mercury has increased; or maybe it’s just always been there, deep inside all of us, just being renewed. it sparks a conversation: our passion for music is embedded in the classics, no matter when you discover them. the typical “stan” response is to express possessiveness over who’s become the most dedicated fan— who has the most merchandise, who listened to them first, who saw them in concert more. it’s overly ridiculous behavior that’s saved for more modern acts today like harry styles, ariana grande, and taylor swift. but when it comes to the infamous hits coming from one of the greatest rock bands of all time, does it really matter?
younger fans develop a love for them that can only be transcended through their fanaticism for music. no matter what generation you come from, music is universal.
bohemian rhapsody unleashed a whole new wave of fans—people who probably knew of queen and freddie mercury but maybe never knew enough to care more than the average listener. while it was nostalgic for diehard fans back in the 70s and 80s, younger fans develop a love for them that can only be transcended through their fanaticism for music. no matter what generation you come from, music is universal. i’ve grown accustomed to listening to early 2000s hits because it transports me back to elementary school— a time
we can all agree is better than adulthood. having britney spears and christina aguilera blaring through my headphones is almost bittersweet— i remember i’ll never feel as carefree as i did then.
it’s a notion that music lovers can all relate to. music makes you experience every emotion under the sun— it can make you happy, joyous, excited, upset, guilty, furious, anxious. it’s a never-ending cycle but it’s beautiful all at once. with bohemian rhapsody, we caught a glimpse into what the queen frontman’s life was like— the chaotic parties, discovering his sexual identity, the band’s quarrels, and his own fight with AIDS that ultimately led to his tragic death in 1992. while it was an emotional rollercoaster that delved into mercury’s private life, which he never really revealed much of when he was famous, there was one aspect that remained constant throughout the entire film: his all-encompassing love for music. songs aren’t meant to be unveiled just one day for the rest of eternity— they’re willingly available to everyone at any time. that’s the beauty of music, it connects us all, whether or not you stumbled across it on our discover weekly playlists on spotify just last week or if you’ve had it on repeat since 2008. that’s why over 30 years later, ‘we will rock you’ is being blasted from sports stadiums, it lives on and on. i still listen to that same van morrison track, thinking it’s one of the best songs ever. if i staked a claim on ‘into the mystic’ back in 2006 when i first heard it, everyone else after me would have no originality. it’s a contradictory thought especially when music’s sole purpose is to unify one another. artists don’t create with the intention of handpicking their most dedicated followers, they do it because they hope to ingrain a potential mark on their listeners’ hearts and minds— hopefully living on forever.
fenne lily words & photography by kariann tan
tell me all about the music you make - if there’s a person that’s never heard of you before, how would you describe your work to them? i guess it started out as folk music essentially but i don’t like the term ‘folk music’ because it assumes a pre-ordained formula, i think. i grew up listening to the velvet underground and the beach boys and stuff, but i couldn’t make that type of music because i was on my own. so it started out as just me writing songs on an acoustic guitar, and then gradually i realized that i wanted the voice to be less of the focal point and to prove that there’s more sonic possibilities within the songs. i guess i’ve been describing it as like “sadcore,” but it’s not actually that sad, anymore, i guess. most of the songs are about one breakup, it’s kind of like an open diary in music. i was obsessed with annie lennox, and powerful female musicians who don’t hide behind their fake vulnerabilities or on the opposite side of it, feel the need to scream to make themselves heard. do you think that’s different now, that there’s more of that sad-core music out there? it’s like sadness is kind of cool now, which is lucky for me. kind of like sufjan stevens, it’s less about being super moan-y and more about being super in touch with your feelings. i think sadcore’s the right name for it. it’s somewhere between lo-fi and the less angry grunge music. somewhere within that realm.
“i realized that i wanted the voice to be less of the focal point and to prove that there’s more sonic possibilities within the songs.” hard for people to be able to see past the girl and her guitar. so now, that’s cool. to segue from you starting your own label and making your own music, this is also your first ever us tour, right? how’s that going for you? has there been anything you discovered about touring that you didn’t know before?
that’s gotta be tough.
what about your music and the things you do as a singer-songwriter? what would you like people to know about what you make? somebody the other day sent me an email saying that they were a co-writer and would like to do some co-writing. i replied saying no, i don’t do co-writes. he was like, “what do you mean? did you write all those songs yourself?” i was like, “yeah, i 100% did.” so firstly, i write all the music. that’s something i’d like people to know. i hate that it was assumed that i didn’t. i don’t get that. i guess i’m also self-taught. we also self-released all of the stuff as well, like with a label under my own name because i didn’t really wanna give control to people that didn’t care about the project. i have a very small team that i built over a few years, and we self-release all our stuff. i have a band now so i’m not exactly alone too. since april [this year], i’ve had a bass player and a drummer and that’s been really cool for like allowing the scope of the sounds to actually be heard because when i was touring on my own, it was
it was kind of hard but also, i think these songs, despite the fact that i wrote them all a long time ago and now i’m slightly bored of playing them, were breathed new life into them and i’ve realized that they are quite versatile songs. i can thank my eighteen-year-old self for writing those songs. apart from that though, everyone’s really friendly over here. like, almost too friendly. i don’t know if they’re being sarcastic-kind of friendly. the plug sockets in america are also very cute, they look like tiny faces. is there anything that you’d like to accomplish touring-wise after this one? any dreams? big dreams? i’d love to tour in australia and new zealand. i’d really love that because a lot of my friends have just been to australia. i only go places where i’m playing shows and i don’t really travel apart from that, because i started gigging when i was sixteen and i was doing exams as well so there hasn’t really been a time where i was able to go traveling. but, yeah, to tour over there would be really cool. i just think new zealand looks so cool. it is. have you seen lord of the rings? yes, i have! i think that that enterprise can have only benefited the tourism in new zealand.
twentythree. issue two. winter 2018
this is the first date, so i haven’t actually played any shows apart from an in-store yesterday. but, i didn’t realize how much i relied on the rhythm section live before i had to leave my drummer behind. i had to pay for their visas and they are so expensive, so i’ve just brought my bass player and he’s playing baritone guitar - so we’ve kind of had to re-evaluate the instrumentation of every song.
twentyfour. issue two. winter 2018
“i’m going to make art out of my anger and my pain. it’s like a big middle finger pressed into vinyl form for me.”
oh, i’m a hundred percent sure. anyway, let’s talk about your album on hold. personally, what does it signify to you?
of some sort. tell me about that and how that had come about.
when i started writing, i wasn’t writing to make a record. i was just writing because i couldn’t talk about all of the things that i wanted to. so, i was just writing songs about them just to get them out but in a way that didn’t let anyone in. this record is kind of like my own therapy for myself. i don’t know, it’s cool because despite the fact that most of these songs were about relationships - it feels like a reclamation of power in a way because i was affected by the actions of these men and then i managed to turn it on its head and be like “fuck you.” i’m going to make art out of my anger and my pain. it’s like a big middle finger pressed into vinyl form for me.
tt is in warpaint, who were my favorite band when i was growing up. they were the first ever band that i was obsessed with and i didn’t really get to see a lot of music because i grew up in the countryside. i was maybe fourteen or fifteen when i first heard that record, then i got my friend’s dad to drive me to all of the shows. she played “the hand you deal” on her radio show for beats one and i freaked out and emailed her. at this point, i wanted to do some remixes. so i just emailed her and asked her, and she said yes! that was pretty cool because i know how long it takes to remix a song. it’s like, fucking days of work. so to think that she had to listen to my voice, for days? she also read a couple of my tweets, which was great.
are you still angry about it? or have you moved on?
your twitter is pretty funny, i think it’s pretty funny as compared to mine.
no, it’s been a while since i’ve made the record. it’s been around a year and a half, but even just the process of writing things down and working through it, it allowed me to organize my feelings and come to conclusions when normally i’d just let feelings stew. i had to finish a song, or a phrase, or a melody, so everything had to be resolved.
i think i’m funnier after gathering some followers because when i had two people liking my tweets, i got kind of annoyed about it! but, i think the support from fifteen-year-old girls who are like “you are so funny!” makes me feel like, “oh my god, i actually am so funny.”
have you made new realizations after your album or is it a memory boxed tucked into a safe place? the whole thing was a learning curve, but i think the biggest thing that i have realized is that i picked terrible men! which is great. one of the songs on the record is about my brother, i realized how cool he was and i started comparing these men to him. he’s a pretty cool man. but i think i just really realized how much i can do on my own without having to wait around for validation or the tools to do something. it was revelatory in that way. just being like, “oh! you can do this on your own.” so you just released your cover of “in the bleak midwinter” on spotify. is there a reason why you chose it specifically? i wanted to do a song that wasn’t cool because i feel everyone’s like “oh my god i’m going to cover wham! and it’s going to be so great!”. i didn’t want to go for something cheesy and try and make it classy, i wanted to go for something classy and make it less religious and stoic. i love hymns, i’ve always loved hymns. singing hymns at school was my favorite part of school, but i just struggled with christmas because i’m not religious and i also don’t like the capitalistic nature of it. so i was like, “what do i really like about christmas?” and honestly, not that much. so, that [track] is just one of my favorite ones from childhood. there’s also your collaboration with tt, a remix
that’s the goal. do you have any music planned for next year or anything you’d like to say about future releases? yeah! i have pretty much written the next record, already. this time in la, i’m going to find a producer and record it hopefully within the next two to three months. i want to make a record per year, that’s my goal for four years; i have a four-year plan. what’s after that? i don’t know, i kind of want to become a forensic scientist. wait, what?! i never got the chance to be that! i was very academic at school and suddenly i wrote a song and started touring. i feel like i have this other part of my mind that i don’t exercise. i’m absolutely fascinated with forensic science. what if you suddenly blow up as an artist though? well, i think everything does run its course. i hate it when musicians just flog a dead horse, so i’d rather disappear for six years and earn real money and be a scientist. and then be like, “i’m back!” and then play... the flute! or something. we’ll see.
SMA THE IMPACT OF STARTING SMALL small artists often have dedicated fan bases that help support bands as they grow. one way fans can organize promotion of their favorite musicians is by forming what’s known as a street team. street teams are groups of dedicated fans who work to grow the popularity of their favorite artists, often starting as social media update and promo accounts, but can develop into so much more. street teams can send out physical promotional materials (such as stickers and business cards), hold giveaways, and help personally connect fans with the artists they love.
you don’t have to start your own street team to take part in one. i was introduced to street promotion when new politics street team, run by fans of the danish rock band, followed me on twitter. by becoming a member of their team, i learned how they are run and how they can improve fans’ experience. as a member, i put up stickers in an alley in milwaukee with my friends, working to promote one of my favorite bands. i had one of my designs printed and mailed out to fans across the country. i even met a band i’d loved for years thanks to the street team.
i am personally a member of a few street teams, for bands such as new politics and jet black alley cat, in addition to organizing a small team for cincinnati indie band telehope myself. my own street team is small in size, but designing promotional materials and trying to find new members for the team has already taught me many skills that will be useful for any career, especially those in the music industry. however, i’m not only getting life experience out of running a street team. i’ve connected with other telehope fans, some of whom are now my best friends. i’ve connected with the members of the band themselves, and helped other fans do the same.
street teams can greatly enrich the experience of being a fan. another team i’m a member of, jet black alley cat’s, has just barely started, but they’re already mailing out promotional members and connecting fans and the band via email. except for the small expenses of running the telehope street team, all of this has occurred at no cost to me. if you’re looking for a way to connect with artists, to connect with other fans, or to promote the music you care about, try joining (or starting) a street team.
by amy paine
street teams help both fans and artists grow
A
50 BANDS & 50 STATES
by taylor priola
music is a science of not only uniting tones and sounds, but also people. it appears to be the center of almost everybody’s life. whether it’s screaming the lyrics front row at your favorite bands concert or watching their live stream from states away, the sense of community music creates makes distance more manageable. here is a list of 50 new bands and 50 states; so your next favorite artist won’t be too far away. louisiana video age
oklahoma the ivy
alaska the modern savage
maryland fives
oregon reptaliens
arizona breakup shoes
massachusetts bay faction
pennsylvania the districts
arkansas the coasts
michigan charlie burg
rhode island twin foxes
california spendtime palace
minnesota the happy children
south carolina king vulture
colorado guantanamo bay surf club
mississippi swear tapesa
south dakota tenenbaums
connecticut the brazen youth
missouri the greeting committee
tennessee arlie
delaware grace vonderkuhn
montana ira wolf
texas quiet, please
florida the polar boys
nebraska twinsmith
utah ritt momney
georgia trash panda
nevada surf curse
vermont clever girls
hawaii tigers in the sky
new hampshire lady lamb
virginia sammi lanzetta
idaho the dirty moogs
new jersey the nectars
washington tiger rider
illinois silver
new mexico king henry
west virginia briston maroney
indiana varsity
new york crumb
wisconsin slow pulp
iowa ramona & the sometimes
north carolina mighty mango
wyoming foreverlin
kansas your friend
north dakota the pink slips
kentucky abby hamilton
ohio 90’s kids
twentyseven. issue two. winter 2018
alabama the brook & the bluff
an afternoon with nate banks of arlie how did arlie come to be and what role does everyone play in the band? arlie started when i realized the music i had been making previously wasn’t the kind of music i wanted to listen to, and i thought “what’s the point of spending all this time and effort making music i don’t believe in?” which really stemmed from the bigger question of “what’s the point of living life if i’m not the kind of person i would want to be?” so i set out to learn how to “be the change i wished to see in the world.” or as mitski puts it, “be the cowboy.” i learned to produce my own songs. i started writing full band arrangements and crafting the sound and building a world that excited me, rather than just trying to fit into a pre-existing box, and began a slow process of learning how to write lyrics that felt more emotionally connected, more freely expressive, more reflective of the world that i saw around me. and then in 2016, i felt the vision coming together but i was having a hard time believing in it again, and that’s when the band came in. they reminded me that it wasn’t about me, it’s about the music, and what it represents, and i can take my ego out of it. as far as roles now, adam takes the role of part tour manager and part audio engineer, he keeps us focused, he keeps us moving forward, but at the same time he’s always down to take things to left field creatively. carson takes this role of being simultaneously the critic and the empowering force, he’s one of those music fans who somehow keeps up with the culture and reminds us of what really matters, keeps us grounded and reminds us how exciting it is that we get to make music every day. and then, in the months following the release of our debut ep wait, i’d say my role has evolved slightly more of a director-curator-visionary, as opposed to everything before when it was me having to play and write every single part by myself.
the cowboy and the vision
words & photography by emma valles
what is the biggest thing you drew from this year, as well as biggest accomplishments and goals for the upcoming year? i am nothing in comparison to the vastness of the universe. it’s okay to be lonely and sad. nothing matters, but everything matters. a big accomplishment is that we have fans now. i am so happy to have people
the absurdity of the modern world
spread a movement care about the music that i make and draw meaning from it. and biggest goal would just be to continue that to the point where i can work with other creative minds who understand me and together work to spread love and awakening to the rest of the universe. and have some radio hits. that’d be nice because then people in the music industry would treat me with more respect. but otherwise the goal is just to make as much great music as possible and then get people to hear it, and spread a movement.
i can never answer this question. i prefer to leave that to other people. how does the creative process and ideation for songs, videos, and projects work out, and how does the content put out reflect the bands image? it’s different every single time! we just follow what’s exciting and inspiring and try to trust our better instincts. how does the content reflect our image? maybe that’s a question i should ask more. sometimes i think our content on social media might be too ridiculous and detract somehow from the sincerity of the music that we make. but then on the other hand, i think the world we live in is so absurd that i want the art we make to reflect accurately the absurdity of the modern world. in other words, i couldn’t make authentic art without making absurdist art, at least a little bit!
thirtyone. issue two. winter 2018
how would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard of arlie? how does that translate into the energy in your live shows?
thirtytwo. issue two. winter 2018
words & photography by kariann tan
SAVOIR ADORE well, you know, i’d like to start off with how you guys are doing today, so how’s everyone doing?
whether a storyline of a traditional partnership, loving yourself, or having compassion for the world.
p: good, we’re recovering from last night, we played our first show in like five months last night in new york—it was like a little party release thing for the first half of the album—so, i am feeling a little tired but good.
yeah, and i think that’s a pretty cool thing. and to talk about the love that remains, coming off the record, what did you originally want to make with it, and do you think you accomplished that direction you wanted to go in?
[to l] how are you feeling?
p: i think so. it was an interesting chapter because that’s when lauren and i started writing together, and so it changed. it was one of those nice experiences where i started out with an idea, and over time it changed, but it was also a necessary thing; i became a lot more open to new things. it still was the idea of exploring the idea of what you’re left with when you lose everything, and i mean that more in an emotional sense—like when you lose a lot of friendships, how do you rebuild from that on every level.
l: the same! you forget that you’re kinda out of shape after you haven’t played for a while, and then you play again and you’re like “oh, right.” my lung capacity was slightly smaller than it was before. yeah, i could tell, you guys seemed a little tired today, but it’s okay. p: staying slow, yeah. so i’d like to just go back a little bit and talk about savoir adore. how’d you come up with that name and what does it mean to you guys? p: it’s funny, it’s something that came to me more over time. when i first named the band, it was like ten years ago, and it was literally just because we were recording a song, and we were having fun and recording in french. we were like “let’s just name the band something that feels important to us,” and we thought, “to know love, that’s a pretty important thing in life.” so savoir adore, you know, it’s got a nice ring to it. we named the band really quickly and over time we were like “this is nice.” it fits in with this idea of like, a romantic approach to pop music. so you think that the music you make is very romantic in a sense? p: i think so. it varies because sometimes the subject matter is romantic and sometimes the music just feels romantic. but it’s about love and compassion, and all forms of it,
l: it was a really cool exercise, i think for you [paul] especially because you were really forced to see what is going to happen—you had no other option. p: yeah totally. it was like a transitional phase too for like the next stage of savoir which is perfect. now we have this almost-realization of the change, which is gonna be full bloom in the spring—that’ll be the full record. so the love that remains is in many ways this stepping stone to the next full idea. so what does the ep mean to you personally--what does it signify? l: i think it’s just kind of, representative of where we are, and the fact that we’re consistently creating still. this idea that you have to have a fully realized thing to represent to everyone, it’s kind of old. we live in a world where people are experiencing things on-demand. so to take part in that environment, and just be like “this is what we’re working on and this is gonna be the record, but we want to share it with you,” that is kind of where we came from.
you said we’re living in an on-demand world. do you think it is hard to adapt to that? or was it easy to make music under that realm? l: kind of both. p: a little bit of both. i think in general, it’s about letting that change happen to you. resisting change most of the time is not the right idea, and even for us, i think we’re very much a generation that’s been before and after social media. instagram didn’t exist when we started playing music, and now we see new artists that don’t release albums at all, for years. first, we had an idea that was already a strong idea with first bloom, and as soon as we realized we both just wanted to get it out, and we were like “well, we’re kinda fixing this idea of blooming or self-realization where it’s like, it doesn’t happen all at once, it happens in steps.” so as soon as that clicked we were like “let’s just release it.” we allowed it to happen and just took a little bit of a risk. most of the time in the past we’ve put so much pressure on finishing, like “it has to be twelve songs, it has to be the full
album.” now we’ve realized, people don’t even necessarily listen to music like that, so let’s try and release it as we feel it’s ready to go. now we’re finishing the second half and that will come out in the spring. that’s nice because it will be a longer experience for everyone listening. do you think that’s something that you’re gonna continue in the future? p: that might be changing, i mean we’ve already talked about after that releasing more singles, or just like, different snippets of ideas or projects. we already have an instrumental project we’ve been working on, but like, that’s something we might just release one day as a surprise. those are the kinds of things that as an artist, a lot of people take for granted. you have complete freedom over your output. even with a record label, for the most part, everyone’s a little more flexible and a little bit more open to new things. i think it’s one of those things where we have to not only keep trusting our instincts but also be like “that’s a cool idea, maybe we should do that.”
“so also to take that and get it to as many places as possible and to really fully realize the way: a tour in europe, a tour in the states, a tour in south america, a tour in asia, that would be the dream.” so, could you tell me a little bit about full bloom coming out next year? is it any different from first bloom, or is it a continuation of that?
anthemic.
l: it’s a continuation. p: but i would say it’s also the catharsis to the build-up that is first bloom. first bloom is a little more thoughtful, pensive, and intimate, and i think the second half is a little bit more open and
p: yeah, it happened pretty naturally which is nice, but it just made sense. a lot of the songs that were bigger, we finished them and thought “this should be in the second half.” we’re excited because now we’re finishing all of those songs.
so it’s a buildup.
thirtyfive. issue two. winter 2018
NREALEASED
thirtysix. issue two. winter 2018
the nature of an unreleased song is unique and thrilling with fans jumping at any chance to hear the track, in any form they can find it, even if it’s a barely audible youtube video. as much as we all want to experience every ounce of creativity from our favorite artists, some songs, and even some albums, don’t always make the cut. it’s a natural part of the process when making music that certain songs will be left behind or unreleased because they don’t fit with the album or they just don’t make sense at the time. in the age of streaming music and being able to play any song in an instant, a song with a cult following that is unavailable to play on every music streaming service is a rare breed, but they do exist, and they continue to gain popularity despite their limited availability. many artists have tracks that are no longer available to be streamed or purchased or that were never released in the first place, and some of these songs have become the stuff of legend among their fanbases. taylor swift famously has a plethora of unreleased tracks including “i’d lie”, “dark blue tennessee”, “permanent marker”, and most recently revealed “let’s go (battle)”. for swift, many of these are songs she wrote years ago during the era of her early albums like taylor swift and fearless, but they remain a popular topic of discussion among fans, who consistently fawn over the bootlegged recordings and implore taylor to perform the songs live. on swift’s most recent tour, the reputation stadium tour, she would take time during each show to acoustically perform an older track that fans hadn’t heard live in a while or possibly at all. on social media, fans would campaign for their favorite songs, and taylor would often listen to them, bringing out tracks from years ago but fans were eager to hear more. it seemed as though everyone on tumblr, twitter, and instagram wanted to hear swift play “i’d lie”, which only speaks further to the ways in which these tracks become such storied legends. fans of swift are not alone in their desire to hear unreleased music. artists like david bowie and prince both have numerous unreleased tracks that fans work hard to track down. bowie’s most famous set of unreleased songs came in the form of a full album slated to release in 2001, entitled toy. according to bowie, toy’s release was pushed back due to scheduling conflicts and was meant to come at some point in time but, unfortunately for fans, it never did. while unreleased songs may not be easily available via the typical modes of streaming music, that doesn’t mean they’re lost forever, in fact, it’s not uncommon to find a youtube video with the audio from a song or album that never hit the shelves. to this day, fans are still searching for and sharing even the smallest clips of these unreleased tracks, so what is it about this music that allows it to build up so much hype without ever really being released to the world?
songs like these don’t come around enough for me: there’s a certain mysticism with an unreleased song as it technically does not exist to the world, but it’s a kind of hidden treasure that only dedicated fans can discover. maybe it’s the secrecy of it, or the idea that knowing all of the words can make you that much more of a devoted fan, either way, these songs continue to gain indescribable cult followings. with these songs becoming more and more accessible online, it becomes easier for fans to listen and learn the lyrics, but that still doesn’t quite satisfy their desire for an official release. some feel uncomfortable listening to unreleased music, whether it’s an early leak of an album or some stolen audio of an unreleased track, finding it to be insulting or rude to the artist who should be allowed to maintain control over their creation. and though some artists may not appreciate the bootlegged audio and early leaks, others take the opposite approach and embrace the ever growing culture of secret songs. minnesota based band hippo campus has done exactly this with their unreleased song “no pomegranates”. the track has become a fan favorite, with many able to recite all the lyrics just as passionately as the song’s main vocalist, nathan stocker. with an upbeat, slightly punk sound, the song feels somewhat edgier than the band’s usual work, which is all a part of its mystique. “no pomegranates”, often shortened to “no poms”, had its debut live performance early in 2018 and has continued to gain traction ever since. it was believed to be a track from the band’s sophomore album, “bambi”, but when
the album was released, “no poms” was nowhere to be seen. however, once tour began for the new album, the song made its way onto the setlist and has become one of the band’s most energetic and exciting live performances. from kendrick lamar to ariana grande, it isn’t uncommon for an artist to debut a song live shortly before its release to build hype, but hippo campus has something different in mind with “no pomegranates”, with singer jake luppen telling a fan during a q&a session, “it’d be pretty dope to just never release that”. although fans want the track to be officially released, hippo campus is actually cultivating quite a unique energy and only further building up hype for the song by not officially releasing it. if “no pomegranates” were to remain an unreleased song, it would become like a piece of art in a museum, almost exclusively accessible through live performance, making the buildup to the performance that much more intense. unreleased tracks possess the appeal of limited edition items or exclusive releases, all by doing nothing more than existing. they gain hype that normally released tracks often can’t garner because they don’t have the same covert mythology built up by fans. unreleased music is raw and uncut, but it’s deeply personal imperfections and vulnerabilities are exactly what contribute to its overall magic.
by elizabeth kerins
reflecting on unreleased music
thirtyeight. issue two. winter 2018
words & photography by stephanie estrada
the polar boys based in the sun-shining city of miami, florida, the polar boys is a young rock band that deeply appreciates classic rock, while infusing it with modern indie pop elements. their beachy influence is highly evident within their tracks, especially with their biggest hit “barbados”. writer and photographer stephanie estrada explores their backstory and their current jams for poptized.
pb: we are the polar boys and i’m andy, jake, alex, and hey guys i’m andres. who are your current inspirations? jake: i really look up to hippo campus, not going to lie. alex: beethoven pb: free jazz. free form jazz. andy: i think the beatles are constantly the biggest inspiration for me at least. i don’t think that will ever change. jake: i’m really into bedroom pop indie bands. there’s also boy pablo, red orange county, steve lacy from the internet, and i really like a band called inner wave. they all kind of fall together into a similar style. what has been the craziest show you’ve played so far? andy: the one in sanford, where one person showed up. that was the best show of my life. jake: yeah, we rocked out in sanford
pb: that’s a joke! andy: i think our actual show was the best. we dragged a lot of people and we didn’t expect a big crowd. what was the expectations for the polar boys when it was first created? pb: i think we were surprised by the crazy amount of feedback we got within the first year. i didn’t expect it to kind of like everyone following us based on the two singles we released. people say our music makes them feel good and that makes us feel amazing. what music genre best describes the band? pb: grandpa rock or retro pop-rock. do you guys have any new music coming up soon? pb: yes! we are always working on music. it’s always the matter when it’s going to come out. it takes a long time to produce it and we explore local studios. with the new music we are creating right now is leaning towards more of the indie realm. we are pretty excited for that.
se: how is the writing process? do you guys take turns? pb: we all bring concepts and we branch out based on that. it’s usually one person with the idea and we bring it together to complete it as a group. se: what’s the inspiration behind the songs? andres: i know sometimes andy and alex have an image of the song, but for me whenever i write a song i like to write a story for the most part. then, i just go off from there. andy: me and alex we are usually obsessed with a song and i want to recreate a song like that, but obviously with our style.
se: what are you currently non-stop listening to? pb: these days by wallows, shadow people by dr. dog, and bambi album by hippo campus. se: what’s the meaning behind the song “i believe”? pb: i believe is a love song and very sincere love song. se: is it dedicated to someone? pb: alex’s future fiancé. alex: it’s actually about my dog. canela, she is twelve years old. she’s a cutie.
fourtyone. issue two. winter 2018
fourtytwo. issue two. winter 2018
SEXISM IN THE INDUSTRY
by piper rosas
how women have struggled to break into the music industry despite all of the very influential women in the music scene, why does the industry still remain male dominated? in 2018, only 17% of jobs in the industry were held by females and men still had many of the top jobs. in the last six years, only 9.3% of grammy nominations were women. those statistics speak for themself showing the huge lack of representation of women in the scene. sexism, defined as stereotyping or prejudice and discrimination on the basis of sex and/ or gender, is obviously present as both a music industry professional and a music fan. although, women working in the scene are commonly seen as just fans, which can cause problems for them going on tour and working shows. in addition, it is automatically assumed in music communities that women only attend shows to acquire the attention of a male band member. being mistaken as a band member’s girlfriend, or even sleeping with a band member, is often assumed as well. this not only devalues a woman’s involvement in the music scene but also reduces women to just sexual objects promoting the vision of women as ‘groupies.’ this can ruin the way that wom-
en experience shows, who are there for the music and not the heterosexual male gaze.
ten work extremely harder for positions that males get easily with little to no work.
so why do women have such a hard time breaking into the industry? the lack of women has always been a problem throughout the entire existence of the music industry since its inception in the 1930s. many male band members prefer to bring out other male friends of theirs on tour with them, making it harder for women to get their own way in. even the most successful women in the scene are vulnerable to abuse or harassment, and it’s not uncommon. sexual misconduct is unfortunately built into the foundation of the music industry. victims of abuse, ranging from artists to publicists, assistants and executives are often overlooked.
how do we even begin to fix this? many organizations are being created, one of them being girls behind the rock show, or gbtrs. this organization exists to help women of all ages start working in the music industry and seek opportunities for these women that may not have otherwise been possible without their connections. gbtrs provides direct access and connections to the business side of the scene, helpful for women looking for jobs.
careers in music tend to be a mix of business and leisure, by their nature. women may find their career advancement in the hands of the men in charge, that often abuse that power creating a more difficult situation to begin with. many women with the same skill set as men are still being denied opportunities because of their gender. women of-
there are bands as well hiring female touring members and photographers, which is a huge step. all time low recently just hired ashley osborne to shoot for them on their most recent tour and she produced stunning content for the band. In addition, allison lanza was hired to sell merch for the wrecks and nothing but thieves. the more women that break into the industry, the bigger of a step other women have into getting a job in the industry as well. to all the women working in the industry: your hardwork will pay off.
words & photography by sara salamat
THE FAIM if the bands panic at the disco and fall out boy had a child, it would definitely be the faim. from highschool jam sessions to touring the globe, i spoke with sam tye from the faim, an australian based alternative-pop rock band before their show here in los angeles at the teragram ballroom with hands like houses on life in the music scene, collaborations, and wrapping around the idea of touring the entire world.
what are you most excited about while breaking in the american music scene? st: we’re honestly just very excited to be here doing what we love. we know it’s hard for a band from perth to make it out of perth or even australia, so the fact that we’re over here in the states is honestly a blessing. would you say your life experiences inspire your music? st: definitely, we love to write about things we’re passionate about and we’re usually passionate about things we’ve
experienced ourselves in one way or another. where’s the weirdest place you’ve gotten song inspiration? hmm… i’m not sure if we’ve really had inspiration from a weird place, but sometimes you find inspiration in the depths of your mind from something in your life that you didn’t think at the time would affect you enough to write a song.
you could open for any band/artist starting tomorrow (new or older band): who would it be? why? st: this is such a hard question, there are so many bands that would be great to open for. i think it would be between twenty one pilots or coldplay. you guys have a solid 35+ dates next year from your home-country australia all the way to germany and switzerland. what are you most excited about shows abroad? st: we’re super excited to play shows in new parts of the world to new people, but at the same time we can’t wait to go back to places like germany and play a full hour set to all the wonderful people who welcomed us with open arms last time we were there.
for bigger and better goals to reach towards. it does feel a bit odd being back where you grew up though and playing to your friends and family all in one place after being away in other countries for so long. what’s your favorite crowd moment that you’ll hold close to you for ages? st: the first time we played in cologne, we played our song “a million stars” and the whole crowd grabbed out their phones / lighters and started waving them left to right. that was the first time it ever happened and there was a pretty special feeling in the room. you’re playing the teragram here in los angeles next week, what’s a typical pre-show ritual?
how does it feel to perform in your hometown? do you ever get a sense of “holy crap, we made it” going back home?
st: i think we’re still yet to figure out our pre-show ritual, but usually we get super close in a huddle and say some short inspirational words.
st: i don’t think we ever feel like we’ve made it, we’re constantly searching
what’s the first thing you do when you’re in los angeles?
st: after being on tour around the country, definitely wash our clothes and have a shower. what’s it like to write with big acts like twenty one pilots’ josh dun and 5sos’ ashton irwin? st: writing with all these wonderful people and musicians has really helped push our band, and has taught us a lot personally and about songwriting as well. it’s also given us the opportunity to be where we are now and tour the world. i read that you all attended the same high school and did music in high school. did you ever think you’d go from small high school jam sessions to where you are now? st: definitely not, when the band first started it was really just for fun and it’s crazy to think that the band has grown so much and we’re here now and enjoying ourselves more than ever.
TREY TREY (pronounced all caps trey) is an indie pop band based in the Midwest. The band is made up of Trey Brockman (guitar/vocals), Dan Chiofolo (bass guitar), Carter Walker (lead guitar), and TJ Steinwart (drums). They have released two EPs so far and a spin-off remix project. Jennie got to catch up with Trey on the history of the band and what being in a band is like.
what’s the story behind the band name? how did you come up with it? tb: when we first started playing some of these songs, the band was the great indoors. after about a year, we started having issues in communication with some smaller labels that were reaching out to us because there was another band in michigan with the same name. it got pretty confusing because both bands were dropping music at the same time, and eventually we decided to rebrand and sort through what we wanted to be. the timing of our change from tgi to trey was really nice, too, because i think we settled into our style pretty organically with our first few songs. the name itself came from our drummer, actually. which is pretty funny since it’s my name. as we figured out the direction we wanted to go, he pointed out that it made sense to go by trey since i was kind of the one writing the songs and i guess i’ve always had a lot of the creative vision for the band. but i didn’t want the focus to just be on me, since it’s not really just my project, so ‘all caps trey’ became like…trey the band. what’s the best thing about being in a band so far?
tb: definitely meeting new people. we travel a decent amount for a band who doesn’t get to do this full time yet, and every city that we play in we get to meet people that appreciate our music. that is so special. i also love the process of writing and producing. like, i’ll start with having just this tiny idea for a chorus or something and then we build it up into this standalone song, and it’s crazy and incredible to just watch all of that grow into itself. also, we definitely weren’t all as good of friends at the beginning of the band as we are now, and that’s awesome. i’d do anything for the rest of the guys. when did you realize that you wanted to start making music and what exactly made you realize that? tb: that’s a really great question. i had just turned 11 and gotten my very first ipod (it was the 3rd generation ipod nano, the square fat one) and a friend let me borrow switchfoot’s the beautiful letdown on cd. i loaded it up and it was about 6 seconds into the first track on the record that i just thought ‘yep, this is it. this is what i’m gonna do.’ it’s so strange that we can remember exactly where we were when we first heard like those songs, right? i don’t think anything is quite like music in such a sensory, permanent aspect.
fourtyseven. issue two. winter 2018
fourtyeight. issue two. winter 2018
music in permanence do you have any favorite memories from touring? tb: we play a lot of small clubs and whatever. i’ll absolutely never forget the first time i looked out to a crowd of like 35 or so and people i’d never seen before were singing the words to the songs. i mean like, they knew every single song. that was so surreal, and probably the first time i was like okay, maybe doing this isn’t so out of reach. how does being in a band affect your personal life? tb: being on the road means a lot of phone calls with people back home. i think i speak for all the guys in the band when i say that. it’s kinda taxing to be super focused on making new music and taking next steps for tours and whatever else, and also be fully investing in our personal relationships and school and everything. i’m finishing a master’s degree in business administration, which is hard to keep up with sometimes when we’re on the road. we’ve been playing shows for less than a year, so it’s definitely still a learning process for us. luckily, we’re surrounded by loads of incredibly supportive people, without whom we couldn’t dream of doing any of this. if there is an artist you would like to collaborate with, who would it be and why? tb: i have a few. first, prince is one of the most unorthodox music icons of the 80s. i hesitate to say there was another pop artist doing something as unique as he was at the time, with the obvious exception of mj. prince also was a criminally underrated instrumentalist, and the guy pretty much nev-
er stopped writing and recording songs. he has literally thousands of tracks that nobody is ever gonna hear. i can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to see inside a mind like that for one songwriting session. secondly, the aces and boygenius are paving the way for female-fronted independent music right now. and by that, i mean they’re paving the way for independent music as a whole right now. they’re indestructible. both of those groups are at the top of the collab dream list. hands down. yep. what is your favorite part of the music process? (writing, recording, touring) tb: recording has always been kind of the thing. like i’ll write a song and have a vision for it, then as we start producing it, the whole structure of the thing will change, our vision for it will change, sometimes i’ll start realizing the real meaning behind what i was feeling when i wrote it, etc. it breaks everything about my writing down and builds it into something different. the rest of ‘music’ is just the payoff from that. which is incredible. and challenging. but not as challenging as that recording and production process. that’s my favorite. any big plans for 2019? tb: tons of new songs. probably tours. definitely an ep. maybe a full-length. we’ll see.
words by jennie nguyen photography by bella peterson
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