Rising Magazine March 2012 by Rising Magazine

March 2012

Editors Janet McCulloch Marianna Roetto

Promotions Director Wendy Andries

The New Age of Independent Music

Copy Editor

OUT FRONT

Kristi Curry

Editor Assistant Marguerite M. O'Connell

Contributors Sherry Brown Eric Gilbert Bronwen Stewart Danger Van Gorder Sarah Wilson

Cover Photo by: Regina E. Visconi

Copyright 2011.Rising Magazine, LLC. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher or Rising Magazine, LLC. Rising Magazine, LLC welcomes submissions, but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Material is accepted for Rising Magazine, LLC on the understanding that it does not infringe on any copyright or libel laws. Copyrights to be declared on submission.

All free downloads used with artist permission.

13 Hell & Lula

ee r Fr o f k Loo nloads Dow ide Ins

Mission Rising provides a platform for Indie artists to share their music with the world and for fans to experience the incredible talent andÂ variety of independent music that is available world wide.

We Support Indie Music!

INSIDE Travis Royce

Standing Shadows

21 29

Broken Romeo Hot and Rising ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

36 !

Eugene Christopher Ralf Dee Samantha Testa Black Vendetta Howard Markman Damion Taylor Rob Randolph Band Chopp Devize Rudies D13

Rising To The Top Festival My Words Support Indie Music

12 24 27 43

Kim Adamson

From THE DESK

We are dedicated to the support of independent musicians

pring is almost here. A new season of outdoor festivals is starting, tours are being finalized, and indie music is heating up for the summer of 2012. The excitement of seeing and hearing bands and solo artists in a live stage environment is exhilarating. Having the opportunity to see many bands in one setting at the large music festivals is relaxing, exciting, good value and a great opportunity to find new music that you may not have a chance to listen to otherwise. Seeing the artist perform live- without the safety net of being able to do a “second take” in the recording studio is the best way to discover a musician's incredible talent. The true performer shines through in live performance and makes the experience one of a kind for the music fan. One of my favs is the Kaslo Jazz Festival a mere 20 miles from my house in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 5,000 music lovers converge on a tiny mountain town for 3 days of fabulous music, vendors, camping, and amazing scenery. The best memory for me was rocking out on the beach in front of the floating stage at the shore, splashing around getting up to my knees on the lake shore on that hot August

@RisingMagazine

night, in a crowd of total strangers all enjoying the sounds, lights, and ear candy from “Delhi 2 Dublin”, one of the most interesting bands in the festival circuit. Then later, we found a tiny cafe with yet more live music and finished the night with cold beer, hot jazz and easy friendship. It's an addiction of the healthy kind!

Festivals have gotten more and more popular over the years, to the point that the tickets are selling out in mere days for some of the bigger and more well known festivals, such as Coachella. The quality of the music is superb and genre for any taste can be found. The indie artist has an audience of many thousands where they wouldn't in any other venue. It's a great way to find new music, support indie musicians, buy their cds and merchandise, and enable them to create new music in the future. Musicians are applying for festivals a good year in advance as the performance slots are filled quickly. If you love indie music of any genre, get out there and find yourself a festival to enjoy. The outdoor air, the wild and free atmosphere, and a tent to crash in a short walk away are some of the joys of outdoor fests. Many friendships are made, new music is discovered, and lasting memories are created. We love feedback so if you have a favourite music festival, tell us about it and why you love to go back year after year. Have a great 2012 with indie music!

Janet !Culloch Friend Us!

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March 2012

Devon Murphy

It's a normal Wednesday night, and while most of us are getting ready to settle down for the night to be well rested for tomorrow's work day, Louisiana native

Eugene Christopher

sits in his San Diego rehearsal room with his guitar, some paper and pens, his hash pipe, and a cup of Lestats Organic Ethiopian coffee. He writes a few words, then maybe picks up his guitar and sings a little to work out melodies with the lyrics he just wrote, all while puffing on his pipe to see if "things sink in the way they should". Eugene says that he needs to practice every day to keep his chops up - he doesn't believe in taking breaks and has been described by colleagues, band members and friends as having a "superhuman drive". His music can't be described as any genre because nobody's ever done anything like it. "I just play whatever I hear in the distance", he says. This is a sound you won't want to miss. Look out for Eugene's 2012 tour, coming soon to a coffee shop near you!

www.eugenechristopher.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/based-on-live-performances/id370505252

www.reverbnation.com/eugenechristopher

Ralf Dee

has been a bass player in all kinds of bands since he was thirteen years old. Besides playing the bass, he has always written songs. Inspired by an ambition to produce an acoustic solo album, he began writing for it in 2008 and released the EP Just for a Little While in 2009. He promoted its release, playing shows with artists including The Dad Horse Experience, Geoff Berner and Pascal Briggs, and he supported TV Smith in 2010. During this time he also put together the RALF DEE BAND, which includes Philipp Schlegel on guitar, Enrico Jasny on bass, and Max Breinbauer on drums. The band recorded their first album Destination Unknown in 2010/2011. Its thirteen songs showcase a mix of songwriting styles, telling the story of a journey to an unknown destination that has an optimistic final message - one which might strike a chord with many older musicians out there: “Itʼs not too late.”

http://ralfdee.com

http://ralfdee.bandcamp.com

http://ralfdee.bandcamp.com/track/ben

Jennifer File

Samantha Testaʼs

vocals have the depth and the breadth that will definitely leave an indelible mark on music. Singer, songwriter and self taught multi-instrumentalist, she has quickly devoured music in its entirety, collaborating with industry songwriters from San Francisco, Canada and Nashville to writing and arranging her own material. Samantha has moved from a young talent to a true industry professional in four short years. Her music has qualities of pop mixed with raw power and edge of rock, something not found in many female singers. As her musical taste matured, so did her music and song writing. Samantha is now performing close-up and personal shows. “A female Paul Rodgers WOW Brilliant”! Stuart Epps producer (Elton John, Led Zeppelin, George Harrison and many more…) Cookham UK

www.samanthatesta.com

http://www.reverbnation.com/samanthatesta

www.samanthatesta.com

March 2012

The most talented borderline alcoholic in the entire UK. Black Vendetta is a 21 year old songwriter and performer from Yorkshire with the modest ambition of becoming the next big thing in the British music scene. He spent three years of his life in bands, one of which was within touching distance of making it work, and in the end it was only drummers, bassists, singers, lead guitarists, venues, people in general, circumstances in general, life in general and his location at the time that prevented him from achieving this. He can be found most nights performing in and around London. He loves cats, cigarettes and curry, and hates cheese and people who take up two whole seats on the train. Watch this space!

http://www.myspace.com/blackvendettababy

http://www.reverbnation.com/blackvendettababy

http://www.mediafire.com/?ow2q843g7xdx1cj

Think INDIE MUSIC IS HOT? Help keep the fire burning! every dollar helps..... Click HERE to #SUPPORT INDIE MUSIC 8

A veteran of the Baltimore music scene,

Howard Markman

has played with a variety of Mobtown bands from country to avant-garde, from folk-rock to R&B. He is probably most recognizable for his stints as guitarist with Baltimoreʼs premier improvising roots band Freewater in the ʻ70s and with Disappear Fear, featuring Sonia, in the ʻ90s. On his 2005 solo album, "Half Smiles Blue Skies," Markman drew from the instrumental prowess of the first band and the songwriting ambition of the second to carve out a personal collection of songs, exploring a life that sometimes gets dark, sad, and lonely but can still be a wild and deeply satisfying ride. His latest album, “Welcome to Smalltimore," was released last year, and he has just formed a new band called Palookaville. The songs on his new album, “Welcome to Smalltimore”, combine pop sensibilities with a twangy guitar and a quirky worldview of a delighted cynic. With his new band, Palookaville, featuring an all-star cast, Howard continues to bring all this material to life, delighting the crowds while continuing to evade the musical border police.

http://howardmarkman.com

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/howardmarkman

http://snd.sc/sbvUet

March 2012

Damion Taylor was born in Barnstaple, UK. He first went on stage in 1997, performing such songs as “We All Cry” and “Place To Forget”, which he penned himself. After releasing the self-produced album “Low Budget Movies Vol One”, interviews on radio stations Rugby FM, BBC Radio Leicester and BBC WM followed. In 2010/11, reviews and critiques began to pour in the mail box. Now the hunt is on for a record and performing deal. Plans for 2012 include a London gig in March, inclusion on three compilations in the U.S and various radio play-lists also in the U.S., releases of brand new material in the form of two new albums, and an official website. The music has an originality so desired by the listening public, and being a singer/songwriter, instrumentalist and producer, the table is clear and ready for whatever is ahead. With performances and a view to making videos, the future of music could see the new 'Merlin' of music Damion Lee Taylor coming to a screen near you.

www.damionleetaylor.com www.damionleetaylor.com

http://www.mediafire.com/?71v88y2ay29oz3l

Chopp Devize's

Rob Randolph Band, an Acoustic Rock group currently based out of Phoenix, Arizona, is an eclectic selection of very talented musicians that covers a wide range of age and experience. Rob Randolph has spent the last year & a half putting together The Truth We Tell Ourselves, his sophomore album released under his name. With thick layers of instrumentation fronted by Randolph始s trademark worn, in-your-face voice and his catchy guitar riffs, it combines the tantalizing smarts of Counting Crows with the boldness of the Foo Fighters. With elegant & jazzy keys, aggressive & funky bass riffs and energizing & talented drumming, Rob Randolph takes us to places we all can relate to on a personal level - all while crafting a tightly produced, hook-laden acoustic rock album appealing to indie, folk, and pop fans alike. The Truth We Tell Ourselves takes you on an emotional roller-coaster that we all call life. It reminds us that we are inner-connected on this journey and that we share a common thread of happiness and heartache.

www.robrandolphmusic.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rob-randolph/id450005714

http://www.robrandolphmusic.com/index.php?cpath=music

music is a conglomeration of warrior/philosopher lyricism through the roots of hip hop exposing truth or inspiring people with a mix of vocal and rap styles blended with a team of amazing musicians, artists, top notch production and collaborative efforts. His music has been making some major waves in the music world and he's just getting warmed up. Chopp loves the crowd and it shows as he and his squad perform all over Florida and wherever the movement guides them. In an era where talent is often overshadowed by trends and money, his music is guaranteed to open up the minds and hearts of music enthusiasts all over the world, regardless of genre. He is currently in the studio mastering two new albums - Illegal Aliens and The Bridge - as well as being in the planning stages of a large tour show. Be prepared to hear much more from Chopp Devize.

www.choppdevize.com

buy

Free

Rudies

formed in 2004, led by Saint Jerrod Figgs (vox/keys) and Jeff Rice (gtr/ vox). The band was born out of the ashes of late 80s-mid 90s groups Groovezilla and Ministry of Truth, primarily as an outlet for their love of roots reggae and ska. After a few lineup changes, Figgs and Rice hooked up with veteran rhythm section Steve Cherry (bass) and Tim Welch (drums). The band quickly had enough original material to record their self-titled disc (with engineer/co-producer Brian Polito) in 2009, a sonic mash-up of metal, ska, dub, rock and soul. Even before finishing the final mixes, the band had half of the next disc written and ready to be recorded - it is now receiving final touches and will hopefully be released in spring 2012. With topics ranging from social injustice ("Somebody's Gotta Go To Jail") to finding one's place ("One For I"), plus a playful reworking of the klassic Kinks kut "You Really Got Me" (a highlight at their live shows), there's something for every taste.

http://www.bluepierecords.com/featured-artists.php?artist_id=1133

http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/the-rudies/id394314047

http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=260880

March 2012

DI3 came together in Nashville in 2006 as guitarist and principal songwriter Dave Isaacs始 backup band. Over time the band began to evolve as a creative unit, as bassist Brook Sutton and drummer Robert Crawford began to bring their own highly personal styles to Isaacs始 songs. Countless gigs as a rhythm section for hire honed the trio into an airtight unit with neartelepathic interaction and a distinctive sound. Sutton and Crawford bring a loose, jazzy sensibility to Isaacs roots-rock, blending into a swampy mix of Nashville songcraft, New Orleans groove, and Muscle Shoals soul. At turns subtle and hard-hitting, DI3 plays rock with the loose-limbed swing and dynamics of a fine jazz group while still retaining the power of the great blues-rock trios that inspired Isaacs始 baritone growl and guitar virtuosity. Many bands say their music is hard to categorize, but in this case the clich茅 rings true: Little Feat meets Led Zeppelin, Nashville meets New Orleans, and a trio of inspired musicians create something completely their own.

http://www.di3music.com/

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/di31

http://soundcloud.com/daveisaacs/some-things-dont-burn

Your band is your business, and as every entrepreneur knows, your business is your life. "Rising To The Top" features hints, tips, and the do's and don'ts of the music industry. If you're just starting out, or have years of experience, these monthly articles will help you rise to the top!

Sign Here .............. Is this a Bad Music Deal? What to look for in Contracts by Sherry Brown Making it as a musician takes dedication, hard work and some luck. Be careful of people who will prey on your dreams of fame and fortune. Music contracts will get more complicated the bigger the financial stake, when you are at this point in your music career, you will need a lawyer. Until then, hereʼs some advice. A manager, agent or PR company should never ask you to pay a fee upfront to represent you. Do not pay to play. The exceptions to this are door splits and buy ins. A door split means you are not getting paid a set fee; your band is splitting the ticket sales with the promoter, after the promoter recoups his cost for the venue and promotion, (s)he will split the profits with your band.. Beware of splits that give the promoter the larger percentage, this is considered bad form. A buy in is joining a tour, paying money for the chance to open for a top selling band. If you're booking and promoting the show yourself, you may have to meet a bar minimum or pay a venue rental fee.

Another red flag is someone who doesnʼt want you to get outside advice when they present you with a contract. Arranging to have you speak to their lawyer is not impartial advice. If they have a lawyer, you need a lawyer. If they donʼt have a lawyer, donʼt be afraid to ask around advice of friends or other bands to get another perspective. Read the contract carefully. If you find you canʼt find your way out of a deal because the other party has all the power to renew and to opt out of the contract, itʼs a bad deal. Donʼt be afraid to say no, or to ask to slow down. If the contract just doesnʼt sound right to you, or you feel like youʼre caught up in a whirlwind, ask for more time. If they are really interested in signing you, then they wonʼt mind waiting. The usual rule in the industry is slow and steady. Remember that contracts are legal and binding, and will make you or break you.

& LULA HELL

March 2012

Daniel O'Connell

Hell & Lula is:

Devon Culiner - Guitar/Programming Michael Alan Kolb - Vocals/Moves Russell Henson- Bass/Synth Alexandra Vega - Drum Beats

RISING: Tell me how you met and about the decision to start working together. Why did you name your band Hell&Lula? Devon: Hell&Lula started out with me about two years ago. I had a lot of the music already set in place without vocals so, naturally I was on the look for a vocalist. Eventually, I found Michael Alan on a musician-finder type site. I heard his unique style of singing from his prior band's Myspace and thought his vox would either be: A. Really weird and cool with my music, or B. Really weird and cool with my music. So the next step was to have him come out and audition. He wrote a rough vocal melody and complex lyric line "Fireee, Firreee" and BAMMM... he packed his bags and flew out from Austin, TX to meet me in Los Angeles. Everything from then on worked out FANTASMIC! We met Rusty (bass player/keys) through our first drummer and met Vega (current drummer - and yes, she's a she) through Rusty's girlfriend. Rusty has been with us since our first show in 2010 and Vega is a bit more recent. As far as our decision to start working together on a Perma-scale, I feel like it just flowed quite naturally. We are all pretty easygoing for the most part and we all love what we play live and release.

Pasha Pavel

We want to make you dance, we want to make you think. We want to make you think about dancing.

March 2012

RISING: Hell&Lulaʼs goal is to make people dance and also to make them think. Tell me about the Recycled Merchandise Program that you developed and your support of the “Falling Whistles” Campaign for Peace. Michael Alan: We try to be conscious of t h e i m p a c t w e m a k e , s o c i a l l y, environmentally and otherwise. Falling Whistles was a natural step in that direction, given Michael Alan's previous connection with Sean Carasso (FW founder) when they were both living in Austin and working with Invisible Children. Our first music video for "Set

Daniel O'Connell

the World on Fire" was shot in a garage at a Falling Whistles house party to raise funds to move them out of the garage office in Venice and into a proper one downtown, right down the street from us. We sell their whistles at our shows and try to spread their message of peace wherever we go. The Recycled Merch Program developed as an effort to lessen our environmental impact and keep more touring money in our pockets both by printing ourselves and by drastically reducing our t-shirt costs. It's also a more interactive approach with our fans. They're receiving a one-of-a-kind item, hand-printed by a band that they like. And if a fan brings us three or more unwanted items (instead of giving them to Goodwill, for instance) that we can print on, we give them a printed item of their choosing, for free. RISING: You travel in a converted School Bus that you call the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cool Busâ&#x20AC;? and made a video in which you give a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Cool Bus. Who came up with the idea to convert a school bus into a tour bus? You pulled out seats and put in

bunks, a kitchenette, bathroom, and an eco-friendly fuel system. Tell me how you were able to accomplish all of these changes and who did the actual physical labor. Michael Alan: I bought and converted the bus in Texas just before moving out to LA as a way both to make touring more fun and comfortable AND more affordable. The design is sort of modeled after an RV and the cabin of a sailboat - gear storage in the rear, followed by a retaining wall, a bunk room, closet space, toilet, kitchenette with a sink counter, minifridge, stove-top, overhead cabinets, then a dinette/ lounge area with "hideaway" beds. I wasn't really sure how to go about accomplishing all of this at the outset, but slowly, piece by piece, it all came together. Again, the idea was to make as little of an environmental impact as possible, so nearly all of the materials were found or reclaimed or bought used from construction resale centers. Most RVs have specific furniture and fixtures that are designed for space-saving and are lightweight, so it was a challenge to find or modify materials that were

designed to be in homes that would fit my specs for this project. But, to date, I've still managed to stick with my original conversion materials budget of $2000. The bus also doubles as my "apartment" when we aren't touring, so any money I've spent over the years has been well worth it. And as a band, we save money by avoiding hotels and having the ability to store and prepare food on board. The biggest money saver, however, will be running on waste vegetable oil from restaurants (instead of diesel) once we've completed the fuel system conversion. We're launching a Pledge Music campaign, in fact, to that end later this month. As our drummer, Vega, says in her debut gangsta rap appearance for our campaign, "The fuel is free, but the system ain't cheap if you wanna run a bus on french fry grease!" so we're soliciting the support of our friends and fans to help get us there. In turn, we're offering tons of exclusive rewards to our supporters, including limited run shirts printed by us, downloads of unreleased material, lessons from your bandmember of choice, VIP service to a show on the Cool Bus, as well as samples of some of the other weird stuff we do

March 2012 Regina Visconi

like home-brew kombucha tea from Rusty, custom beats by DLUXX or customized music gear from Devon, custom planter boxes (for your garden) built from reclaimed wood by Yours Truly, and custom graphic design by Vega. RISING: How would you describe your sound? What bands and music genres have had the greatest influence on you? How has your sound evolved? Devon: I think these questions answered each other in a way. I can describe our sound as a mix of so many genres because we love so many genres and our music is forever evolving. We have songs that are straight up in your face, rocking out, booty dancing type stuff to chilled out, sit by the fire and maybe get up and booty dance after, type music. But seriously, we are inspired by so many different cultures, music, and feelings, that the variety just comes out especially in our more recent, unreleased songs. If I had to sum up maybe four genres, I'd say Indie, Electronic, Pop, and World.

Regina Visconi

RISING: You signed with Hype Music, a partnership between MTV and Extreme Music designed to showcase independent artists and license their music. When and how did Hype approach you? Have your songs been featured on any television shows? Which ones? Michael Alan: Hype approached us, I believe, in February. The producers (The Wizardz of Oz) of our current EP Catch up!!! Catch up!!! had established a relationship with Extreme Music prior to the 1st release of our EP. It was more of just a timing thing because

Hype was four years in the making and were only signing a few bands this past year. The Wizardz pitched our music to them a few times right before their band selections and when the time came, Hype decided to have us a part of their team! MTV networks did the 2nd release of Catch up!!! Catch up!!! with a few extra bonus tracks this past March. Since our signing with Hype, we have had a few solid TV placements! We were on a few episodes of Jersey Shore (yayy) as well as The Real World, I Used to be Fat, and Plain Jane - a United Kingdom series. We love the UK! RISING: What始s next for Hell&Lula? Are you going to release a new EP in early 2012? Can your fans expect to see you out on tour next year? Hell&Lula: The easiest answer to all three of these questions is YES!!!... and we are very excited about it. We are in the studio over the holidays tracking a bunch of goodz and just prepping everything from music to videos, etc. Hope to have it all ready to go and released late Feb, early March. So, keep a look out around that time. We will definitely be on the road around the

18 Regina Visconi

Photos this page by Regina Visconi

same time, as well. We just set up a crowd sourcing campaign to help fund the veggie oil conversion of our bus. We hope to raise the amount soon so we can focus on just hitting the road and playing everywhere for extended periods of time (without burning huge, fiery, holes in our wallets)! If you have www.hellandlula.com any leftover $$$ from the holidays, we would be more than happy to take it plus, it's for a great cause. Green is twitter.com/hellandlula Thexy! Either way, we will be doing SXSW again in March and I'm sure extending/planning outside tours around it! We will keep you posted if facebook.com/hellandlula you stay posted.

hellandlula.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/catch-up-catch-up/id442819158

http://www.mediafire.com/?777bq6qxa7k7y9e

March 2012

Help The Hell&Lula Cool Bus Run on Veggie Oil Waste vegetable oil. It's cheaper, greener, and a whole lot cooler. “Times is hard for a band on da road.” The cost of fueling a tour alone is generally higher than the income an indie band makes on ticket and merch sales combined, not to mention the numerous other costs such as food, gear, and bills back home. Converting a diesel bus like ours to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO) from restaurants will cut our fuel costs by up to 90%, meaning the revenue we make from playing shows can support us while weʼre on the road, instead of going straight into our fuel tank. In addition to making us more economically sustainable while on the road, running on WVO makes us more environmentally sustainable as well. We can collect veggie oil at restaurants across the country for free as we travel from city to city (many restaurants must pay to have it collected), but the conversion costs for the custom system are prohibitive, so we need your help!

Click here to help and to watch the project video

Green is Thexy!

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/hellandlula

RISING: One doesn't immediately think of Portland, Oregon when one thinks of electronic/hip hop. Can you tell us what and who has influenced your style of music? Travis: Very true. When I was younger, I started in sample-based hip-hop, and always had a great love for rap. As a kid who loved music but couldn't sing a lick, it allowed me to explore the combination of music and writing in a way that I couldnʼt before. When I started, I really looked at hip-hop as the closest socially

March 2012

acceptable art form to poetry (remember this was high school). The idea that I could make a canvas (the beat) AND communicate my own ideas through it was too much for me to pass up. As to how Electronic music came into it... I wanted to find a way to stop using samples. I wanted to feel a complete ownership over my music (Do you notice yet that I'm a bit of a control freak!?) so I stopped using samples, and told myself I would come back when I could bring something new and original to the table. Thatʼs always the search tinkering and working until you find something that sounds like YOU - as opposed to a carbon copy of the songs you like or hear on the radio. I donʼt think I've found that yet completely, but the fact that I make Electronic/ Hip Hop in Portland could very well be because I'm FROM Portland. As you said, there isn't much of it here, and my main goal has always been to bring something new to the table.

RISING: Are you primarily a club-kid product or is there music talent in your family? How did you learn to produce your own music? Did you really start doing that when you were only 12? Travis: Honestly, I would say my family's pretty average when it comes to musical talent. They never pushed me into it by any means. It was just something that Iʼve been compelled to do since I was in third grade. I did start "producing" when I was twelve, mainly the sample-based hiphop that I mentioned before. But I started writing music when I was in third grade (that would make me eight?). I remember my first piano lesson - I was confused because I had assumed they were going to teach us how to make our own songs, not other peopleʼs. That's always been how my brain has worked; I donʼt really understand something until I do it. And music, in the piano or the lyrics, was always one of

those things that I felt compelled to do consistently throughout my life. R I S I N G : Yo u ' v e g o t endorsements from Mcube Records and music licensing agreements. Can you talk more about that? How have you managed so much in such a short time while remaining indie? Travis: My team here is great. Thankfully, I am supported (more than) fully by a great group of friends who really help me focus on music making. Honestly I doubt I would have gotten anything yet if not for them. RISING: Your quote: “I play music because it's cheaper than doing drugs, although I hear the long-term effects are about the same.” (laughs) What are the long-terms effects and what are you hoping to achieve, not only with your music but production and management as well?

Travis: Haha! Well, what I mean by that is music is addicting. It takes you completely out of whatever universe you were in before you started. It, in itself, is a drug. Performing live is the same way - the more you do it, the more you want it, and you want it in bigger and bigger doses. My dream is to be able to make a living as a producer and performer, strictly because they have continuously been the most fun things Iʼve done in my life. RISING: Do you have acting ambitions beyond that of music video? Travis: Ahh, you caught me. It is something I would like to do. In fact, that was the main reason we made the music video, “Save My Life.” We wanted to make something that would take some skill in pulling off. Everyone was expecting me to lead with a dance song or a pop song (as would make sense), and for some reason the "artist" (aka 4-year-old boy) in me wanted to throw everybody a curveball. So I went in the opposite routemake the most depressing thing ever, but try to do it well. To answer your question, I absolutely hope to get into some acting, if only for the fact that music probably wonʼt pay any bills for a little while longer, and as you can probably infer by now, I would do almost anything to get out of having a real job. RISING: If you could describe yourself in one sentence, what would that be? Travis: I donʼt feel complete unless Iʼm working on something. I donʼt know what that i s . . . I g u e s http://tmcroyce.com/fr_home.cfm s a compulsive workaholic? But a compulsive workaholic with https://twitter.com/#!/TravisRoyce too much ADD to have more than one thing http://www.facebook.com/teeroyce going at a time? Let me try to sum that up: a compulsively projecthttp://www.reverbnation.com/travisroyce oriented ADD guy who canʼt seem to leave music, because music is awesome. http://travisroyce.bandcamp.com/album/therapy

March 2012

Want to perform at a Festival? Rising gets The Scoop from Eric Gilbert : Festival Director Treefort Music Fest

RISING: What is the process of choosing your artists and how many people are on the selection committee? ERIC: The artist committee consists of a core group of 6 people, but a lot of research is done on each artist. Everything from internet research to polling community members. Especially with the selection of local bands, we've reached out to a broad range of the community to get the best sense of what local artists the community as a whole agree are strong representatives of the local scene. Doing our best to represent the scene as a whole this first year, while still making relatively cohesive programming decisions. RISING: What would make an artist stand out for the selection process? ERIC: The single strongest thing that has helped artists stand out of the pack in this process is if they had recently released new music or have a release on the way this spring or relatively soon. Lots of other factors are being considered, but that has helped several artists stand out for sure. RISING: What would be in an application that would make you NOT choose it? ERIC: No consistent answer to this. The general focus of this festival is to feature emerging artists. To the committee that is defined by new artists starting to make waves, putting out recordings,

fairly active in their local scenes and most likely already putting some energy into touring. This also applies more to bands and artists with a focus on writing and performing original music. RISING: Do artists that are chosen have any choice of their performance slot and venue? ERIC: To a degree, yes. We've been doing our best to work with bands' schedules, especially with the travelling bands. In the end, the majority of the placement has been agreed upon by the artist committee with not a lot of input from bands. Definitely a tricky puzzle to make work as good as possible for everyone involved, especially for the concert goer. RISING: Are artists allowed to perform at other venues not associated with the festival during the festival weekend? ERIC: For this first year, we're asking all Treefort artists to not play any other shows within a 50mile radius of the festival. Exceptions are being considered. Some bands will be playing extra by doing live in-studio sessions at Radio Boise as well as some bands will be playing some short sets during the day at Boise Rock School and doing some workshops for the kids and others interested.

Festival Five A small Rising selection of Independent Artists at Music Festivals ! ! ! ! !

The Festival: The Treefort Music Fest When: March 22 to 25th Where: Boise, Idaho For More Artists and More info: http://treefortmusicfest.com/

of Montreal Athens, GA - Indie Pop Sunday Mar. 25 Eccentric. Pure gold. Web: http://www.ofmontreal.net/ Video: Coquet Coquette

Sepalcure Brooklyn, NY - Electronic Friday Mar. 23 Dance music, you won't able to resist movement. Web: http://www.facebook.com/sepalcure Video: Pencil Pimp

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside Portland, OR - Rock Thursday Mar. 22 Vintage swing with a modern twist. Web: http://www.sallieford.com/ Video: Danger

The John Steel Singers Brisbane, Australia - Experimental Pop Sunday Mar. 25 One of the best known alternative acts out of Australia. Web: http://www.facebook.com/thejohnsteelsingers Video: Overpasso

The Soft White Sixties San Francisco, CA - Rock Friday Mar. 23 Sold out shows and headlining at festivals all over, don始t miss this band! Web: http://www.thesoftwhitesixties.com/ Video: Queen of the Press Club

March 2012

http://treefortmusicfest.com

MY WORDS

This is a place where artists and music industry professionals, in their own words, can share their experiences in the Indie Music World

“The Ballad of Gay Wyoming” by Danger Van Gorder of Countless Thousands

Being a musician can suck. If youʼre reading this piece in a whirlpool bath of applesauce while laughing manically, you got nothing to worry about (and your name is probably John Mayer. Or Otis Spunkmeyer, that guy has it made). Odds, though, are that youʼve got half your face in one hand and either the day-job or the Touring Taco Bell Diet (and its apocalyptic twin, The Effects of The Touring Taco Bell Diet On Your Managerʼs Digestion) is crushing some unsheltered chunk of your soul. Whatʼs important is that we savor the victories - that we broadcast those hilltop flag-plants to the rest of the world so that we can all relish the communal glory of rockstardom, even in the bite-size servings. Allow me then, not out of vanity but out of camaraderie with my fellow touring musician, to share my victory with you in the hopes that we may one day meet and I can hear your victory (raspy-throated in the murk of some college townʼs bar) and know that, in the end, we did this music thing for a reason. Because when we share that drink and these stories, weʼre really giving each other a reason to stick with it through whatever portion of suckiness the gods have ordained for us. In this spirit, hear my victory. It took me eight years to drum up the right lineup for my band. That road was rife with betrayal, frustration and more aborted studio sessions than I care to think about. Iʼve had drummers disappear, Iʼve had drummers threaten to sue, Iʼve had drummers threaten to kick my ass: “Iʼm going to bring fifty dudes to your next show if you donʼt give me back the seventy five bucks I paid for recordings, man! This is the real world!” (Look, if your hot date starts sobbing on your couch because sheʼs embarrassed about how youʼre way too nice to her and her parents never said she was pretty and now she has an STD and “GOD I JUST WANT TO DISAPPEAR”, do

March 2012

you get to go back to the steakhouse and ask for a refund? Nope. Bring on your fifty dudes, jerkface, I take boxing classes.) Nevertheless, after wandering the desert and earning three allies for whom I say Iʼd take a swift kick to the nuts for (but letʼs not test that if we donʼt have to, kids), we packed up our belongings into a Pontiac Vibe and a Dodge Neon and headed Northeast to go on that big tour. The culmination of almost a decade of work, of dreaming, of writing, of agony, of hope. Well, no one tells you about the straight up HALLUCINATING that goes hand in hand with an 18-hour drive (Throw in some black ice and a poorly ventilated windshield and youʼve got a party! A fear party). But after the collapse in the hotel room and the kooky dreams that the defiance of the circadian rhythm will give you, the tour began, was beautiful, was exhausting and finally wrapped up in a small town in Wyoming. The show was incredible. Peerless. Seventy people in a tiny bar on a Saturday night, all of whom are there to see us, all of whom were yawping along to some Toby Keith mere moments before switching gears completely to sing along to our Enthusiastic Indie Rock Music. They dance when we tell them to dance and strain their vocal chords every time we finish a song. They ask me if we think we can play another set, because “You guys are unbelievable, and itʼs snowing anyway so everyone wants to stay”. Then they ask again. As it was the end of our tour, we obliged. The end of the show was where I decided we should play the one song that I knew would be the limit of my performance capabilities. “Thanks For the Cockfosters”, we call it. Itʼs a love song that I wrote about my bassist

The show ends. I sit down. I take a drink. I take a deep breath, and – “Hey, Danger?” In front of me is a small, clean-cut man with poise and a hairstyle that you could tell took effort. I jump up to my feet and extend my hand, Iʼm always happy to talk after a show. I donʼt get much in, though, because heʼs got a point to make:

and dear friend, Davey Munch, and we rarely play it because the yearning, tortured screaming that caps the melodrama shreds my voice to the point of shutting down. Hell of an encore, though. So I introduce the song: “Alright ladies and gentlemen… I know Wyoming has the reputation of being a Red State, a socially conservative place, but Iʼm looking around at all you gorgeous people and your smiling faces are telling me that you are OPEN-minded, that you can deal, with respect, to some hot topics, amiright? Ladies and gentlemen, let me then say that this is a homosexually oriented love song that I wrote for that handsome man right over there, Mr. Davey Munch, and that this song is my way of saying that all love is beautiful.” Or something like that. They all cheered, and we played the song. I should mention that I am not gay, that I wrote the song purely to put my very shy bassist in the spotlight for my own amusement and because heʼs a great sport. If you know us well enough, then youʼll get the joke, but I wrote the song so that it could be taken sincerely as a valentine. I live in a very gay-friendly part of the world and a lot of my friends and some of my family are gay, so it was my attempt to give something to the gay community while still being funny to me. Itʼs a sweet song, if I do say so myself, and Iʼm proud of it.

“I just had to say, thank you. I just came out of the closet two months ago, and itʼs been very hard for me here. You played that song and made a statement for respecting gays, and got all these people here to cheer for it. And I just have to say thank you for that, youʼve just made my life that much easier.” I was speechless. I carry myself as a very affable kind of rockstar, very self-deprecating and very nerdy. The song was written to be performed with sincerity but it was born as a joke to tease my good friend. But here was this young man telling me that that small joke meant so much to him that it just made his life easier. That whatever celebrity I had out in that proud redneck town was just used, unwittingly but effectively, as a means to foster social acceptance and mutual respect. I donʼt remember what I said in reply, other than, “Thank you. You just made this whole thing worthwhile.” What I didnʼt realize at the time was that I wasnʼt referring to the 18-hour drive, the sleep deprivation or the tour. This guy made my ten-year fledgling career as a musician worth it. All the heartache, the betrayal, the unattended shows, the yearning to break through obscurity was redeemed when this young man that Iʼd never met – and whoʼd never heard of us before that night – shook my hand and thanked me for helping him be comfortable with who he is. It is the deepest my art has ever gone. There is no greater spiritual victory than this, and I want to celebrate this with you. Whatʼs your victory? Letʼs share stories. http://www.facebook.com/countlessthousands

http://www.mediafire.com/?nl54y7m4slj0ejl

standing shadows March 2012

Standing Shadows is: David Miltenberger - Vocals, keys, Guitar Dan Silver - Vocals, keys, Guitar Mike Greco - Vocals, Bass Michael Ascolese - Drums Standing Shadows continues the release of an EP TRILOGY: One By One, available Jan 31st, stems from recent recording sessions in Joshua Tree desert with producer Chris Goss (Queens Of The Stone Age, UNKLE, Duke Spirit, The Cult) and engineer Ethan Allen (Gram Rabbit, Daniel Lanois, Spindrift) at Rancho de la Luna studio. The band sweated out three new songs (in the ungodly desert heat) that draw on the issues and emotions of a world that is ever more competitive, corrupt, and complicated. Songs like "Freakshow" and "Everything You Want" proclaim an injustice in the world, while the emotionally-epic song "Just a Part of Me" gives us a glimpse into the heart of the band, reminding us that what we do today “could be everything.” Perhaps the most epic of this collection is "One By One", which ignites fans to "break those chains" and features the

likes of Dave Catching (QOTSA, Eagles Of Death Metal) on guitar. Each EP also includes a variety of b-sides produced by the band. Standing Shadows have continued to build acclaim around Los Angeles, the Southwest and the Northwest, achieving several notable milestones in 2011. They have hosted an exclusive contest with FILTER Magazine which included an album cover photo contest and giving away an iPad 2. Their EPʼs “Freakshow” and “Silent Revolution” were featured on iTunes New & Noteworthy. “Freakshow” also debuted at #12 on Specialty FM Radio, to much praise. Standing Shadowsʼ music was also featured in two episodes of 90210 and three times in one episode, with “Freakshow”, “Just A Part Of Me”, and “We Are Everlasting”. Other notable placement

includes “Freakshow” as the closing song in the “Goon” film trailer. Most importantly, however, Standing Shadows has performed over 100 shows in the past two years, asserting them as a band with a voracious appetite to spread their music to their fans. Standing Shadows continues strong into 2012 with two music videos set to be released in the Spring and an exclusive Featured Remix album with Beatport, set to be sold in all major music retailers. With over 200,000 VEVO views, there is a solid fan base to support their upcoming 2012 tour, beginning in Los Angeles and finishing up at South By Southwest. Rising: You've played some pretty big festivals including SXSW and venues such as The Troubadour. How would you compare playing a festival with playing a venue, and which do you prefer? SS: Festivals are amazing because the crowds can be huge. Plus itʼs great to be a part of a bigger event. Weʼre really excited to head to Austin this year. Weʼll be touring from LA to Austin starting in March. I think we have shows every day in Austin at the music festival. With all that said....thereʼs nothing like playing the Troubadour! That place has so much history. Rising: Give us your “craziest live show” story. SS: One of our coolest live experiences is performing at the Troubadour with a string section and drum corps. One of our craziest stories probably stems from one of our first times as a band in Vegas! Details are a bit hazy, but a long night of partying in Vegas lead to a packed hotel room of people. One thing lead to another... people woke up to things missing, stolen passports, etc, etc... You get the idea. The rest stays in Vegas. Rising: When you recorded at Joshua Tree desert you said that you all played every instrument (and surface) available. Can you tell us what your musical background is? How did you all learn your craft?

March 2012

SS: We all have different musical backgrounds. Dave, the singer, played some piano and trumpet growing up and later spent time studying guitar. Danʼs been playing on stages in rock bands since he was fifteen. - mainly a self-taught guitarist from the streets with a classical piano background, he now runs his own recording studio with tons of instruments to play with. Mike, the drummer, is one of the fastest in the world! He spent time in drum corps and studied under several named drummers. Greco has been playing in bands for years, mainly bass. We spend a lot of time rehearsing as a band to perfect our live show. When weʼre getting ready to hit the studio, we also spend days playing the songs over and over so that we can really let it all out in the studio. Rising: Who comes up with the ideas for your music videos? Is it a whole band collaboration? SS: Generally Dan and Dave get together on the music videos initially. We spend days talking about concepts and ideas. It takes a lot of planning, although some of the best ideas are the simple ones. Our last video for

get inspiration for your songs? SS: In January, we released the final installment of our TRILOGY OF Eps - the One By One EP features the title track "One By One", which was produced by Chris Goss (Queens Of The Stone Age, UNKLE, The Cult, The Duke Spirit), and engineered by Ethan Allen (Daniel Lanois, Gram Rabbit, Spindrift), as well as 2 BRAND NEW tracks!

“Freakshow” was directed by Waymon Boone, who helped to design the look and concept of the video. Back in early 2011 we made a home-made video that Dan cut together for the band with a very simple skeleton concept. The video jumped to over 185,000 views on YouTube/VEVO in the first two weeks! Rising: You've got some pretty significant TV show placements for your songs. Can you explain how they came about and why you pursued that avenue of promotion for the band? SS: TV is the new radio. Itʼs a new place for discovery of independent artists and new talent. Itʼs the soundtrack to lots of peopleʼs lives. We are constantly looking for more ways of exposure, so why not have it out there where people are paying attention? We have a great agent that connects our music with music supervisors all over the world. The main reason we have success is that our songs tend to fit scenes well. Sometimes it's the lyrics they need., other times it's our cinematic style that fits perfectly with a scene. Rising: Tell us about the new album One by One out now. Do you all share the writing and where do you

The One By One EP draws on the issues and emotions of a world that is ever more complicated, competitive, and corrupt. The first track, "Everything You Want", gets your heart pumping as it proclaims an injustice in the world caused by the greedy and overly powerful. The blood boiling, synth-drenched song "Find My Way" is a catchy, dark dance track that will get your feet stomping in unison. Perhaps the most epic of this collection is the title track "One By One", which ignites fans to "break those chains" and features Dave Catching (QOTSA, Eagles Of Death Metal) on guitar.

Rising: If this album were in an old fashioned record store, in what genre would we find it? SS: If we were in a record store, you would have found this EP on vinyl under alternative rock --- in todayʼs world we call it Alt-indie-electro Rock Rising: Are you going to be touring or doing shows/festivals in 2012? If so, where? SS: Yeah, weʼll be hitting the road at the beginning of March. Weʼre putting together 10+ dates heading to Austin for SXSW Music festival. As of now, the following cities are on our agenda: LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Little Rock, Nashville, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Austin.. Weʼll also be performing daily in Austin during the music week at SXSW. Stay tuned for official tour info posted here. http://standingshadows.com http://twitter.com/#!/standingshadows

http://www.facebook.com/standingshadows

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/standing-shadows/id411855660

http://www.youtube.com/standingshadows

http://www.reverbnation.com/standingshadows

http://www.mediafire.com/?sdoszju3egx6336

March 2012

http://www.indiebible.com/rising Click for The Indie BIBLE

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Clickbigmeteor/ivbrising_order.cfm for The Indie Venue BIBLE

http://chainsforchains.org/

Rising

and Beyond the Dawn both support indie artists, so it seemed a perfect match to contribute our picks to the show. All artists featured in Rising have a chance to be our "Pick of the Week". Internet radio is a great way to get exposure for indie music and for music lovers to discover great new sounds. Please support TDawn and Beyond the Dawn and listen for our pick of the week on Rising Notes

http://alienfingerz.ning.com/page/beyond-the-dawn March 2012

Broken Romeo

Photography by

Sabina Turpin

Broken Romeo is: James Turpin: Vocals, Guitars Steve Turpin: Lead Guitars, Vocals Ari Sloane: Bass Matt Ringnell: Drums

Broken Romeo is an Alternative Rock band from Tucson, Arizona. The music they produce is diverse and draws on influences including everything from classic rock to contemporary bands. Broken Romeo was the 2011 Tammie winner in the Rock category and they have shared the stage with many National acts. In Oct 2011 Broken Romeo released an all new full length album called “Desperation Daze”. The album was recorded May thru June 2011 at Og7 studio in Tucson, Az., and was engineered and coproduced by Nando Rivas. The album is available at desperationdaze.com, CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and many other online distributors.

March 2012

RISING: You just released a new album with eleven new songs Desperation Daze is your first full-length album since Temptation was released in 2002. Why so long between these last two albums? Would you say the bandʼs music and vision have changed over the years or has it remained relatively consistent? Broken Romeo: We recorded two EPs (2004 and 2006) in between Temptation and the new Desperation Daze album. The recording of both EPs was tough, especially the one we recorded in 2006. There were many internal disagreements about the direction of the band, and the recording process made it worse. It eventually led to line-up changes because we felt if we ever wanted to record again we needed to have a common vision for what we wanted to do. We seemed to have that after Matt joined in early 2010. We spent the next several months writing new material and reworking some demos we had done. We wanted to have a record that featured both Ari and Matt

since they weren't on any prior recordings the band had done (in Ari's case, he was on the early recordings in the band's first years but not on Temptation or anything since). We felt really strongly about the quality of the new material so we felt it was time to make an album. As with any band, the music and vision evolve as the years pass. We are still true to who we are and what we do best. RISING: Youʼve stated on Facebook that some very trying times for the band led up to recording Desperation Daze - that the band was at a crossroads. What was going on? How is that struggle reflected in the music on the album? Was the album autobiographical? Broken Romeo: We have been a band for quite some time. We had seen members come and go over the years. We went through long periods where the band barely had a pulse. We weren't creating anything. We would just brush up on old material when a show came around. We even started focusing on playing covers to stay interested. Some of us began to question why we were still a band at all. We were looking for a reason to continue. In many ways the "current events" mirrored

our situation. The economy crashed in 2008. We all knew several people who were jobless and or losing their homes. The country had been at war since 2002. Every night on the news it was getting worse. People we knew were turning to alcohol, drugs, infidelity, etc. to escape from real life. The country itself felt very much divided. Steve and I spent a few weeks in Europe each year and it seemed everyone was talking about the decline of America. These themes eventually found themselves into our song writing. As a band we weren't trying to make any overt political statements - we were just trying to tell stories of how these events affected real people. Some were influenced by things we as a band had experienced personally, and others by stories we had heard or read about. We felt that we needed to something really good. We felt the band's future depended on it. Steve wanted to call the record Days of Desperation... I suggested a slightly more ambiguous title based on Steve's idea...Desperation Daze was born. RISING: You also said you wanted to “push the envelope” on this album. What did you mean by that

statement? Do you think you succeeded in doing so? What was it about Nando Rivas (at Og7 Studio in Phoenix) that convinced you he was the right choice to engineer and co-produce the album? Broken Romeo: We wanted to get out of our comfort zone with this record - really challenge ourselves as song writers, as a singer, and as musicians. The first decision, once we had settled on the songs, was where and who to record with. I had met Nando at OG7 Studio through a co-worker. I have always respected him as a musician, so I listened to some of the recordings his studio had done and was very impressed. We discussed the project with Nando and he shared our clear vision for what we were trying to accomplish. We wanted something that would capture the "live" energy of a stage performance with the polish of a studio recording. We also wanted a modern sound to the recording. We experimented with many different layers and guitar sounds and effects and spent several weeks working on and recording some guitar parts, especially the more effects-laden parts, at our "home" studio. The title track was recorded completely outside of OG7. It was an idea I had for an instrumental intro to the song "Mark of Cain", which we had all agreed would be the first song on the album. I recorded a very rough guitar track on my iPhone and sent it to Steve to show him the idea. He ran with it and came up with what you hear on the record. We were all blown away. It painted a very dark landscape which set up the album perfectly. We decided to call it "Desperation Daze" after the album title. In the end, the album exceeded our expectations. We are very excited about this record.; we feel it is our best work to date. $ RISING: Tell me about the song-writing process for Desperation Daze. Is songwriting usually a joint effort and collaboration on music and lyrics? Which of you work the best together? Broken Romeo: It really depends on the song. Steve and I have been collaborating on the song-writing for years. Some of the songs were demos that Steve, Ari and I had been working on in our "home" studio a year or so ago. Those songs had started to work their way into our live set. Some of the

March 2012

songs were the result of the band jamming at rehearsal. Some of the songs were completed ideas that either Steve or myself had brought in for the band to learn and for them to put in their own creative input. $ RISING: What year was Broken Romeo officially formed? I believe three of the four current members James Turpin, Steve Turpin and Ari Sloane - were founding members, right? That始s amazing. But in 2002, Bill Strickland joined the band on drums and Loren Wessel on bass. What was going on with the band at that time? How did it happen that Ari Sloane rejoined the band in 2007? James: Broken Romeo was started by Ari and me in 1989. My brother, Steve, had always been a guitar player, so we convinced him to join us. Another good friend, Mike Soehl, rounded out the band as our drummer. The band lasted until about 1994, when Mike and Ari left for job reasons. Up until that time, we had released three albums. Steve and I tried to carry on but we could never find the "right" people to play with. It just wasn't the same. Steve and I wrote many songs during that time. In1996, a mutual friend introduced us to a bass player, Loren Wessel, who had some recording

equipment. He liked our material, so we decided to record some demo songs, time permitting, with a drum machine. It was a slow process as we only met once a week. After a few years, we had 20 or so songs recorded. It was then, in 2000, that we were introduced to drummer Bill Strickland. He had heard the demos through a mutual friend and liked the material. We decided to get together and play to see how it felt. The first rehearsal went great and we decided to do it again. Eventually we decided to make the band permanent. We were discussing band names but everyone liked "Broken Romeo" so we kept it. We decided that the demo recordings weren't good enough, especially with programmed drums, so we decided to take the best of the demos along with a few new songs we had written as a new band and make an album. The Temptation album was recorded at Allusion Studio in Tucson and released in 2002. We parted ways with Loren in 2007 and began looking for a new bass player. Ari and I had remained close over the years. He had played bass in a few bands as well but hadn't played in a few years. He expressed interest in joining the band again and we were happy to have him. We parted ways with Bill in late 2009. We auditioned several drummers and decided on Matt Ringnell. RISING: “Mark of Cain” is the song for which you have released a video. Why did you pick that song to make a video? The video juxtaposes scenes filmed in the recording studio with a psychedelic-looking, brightly collared and moving hallway. What is the message you hope to convey with that use of imagery? Broken Romeo: I wish I had a prolific creative reason behind the video. The truth is much less interesting. The reason we made a video for that particular song was because Matt played the drum track in one take. I just so happened to be shooting some video at the time so it was easy to synch up the finished song to the video. I had lots of other small clips from the studio that I had used in some teaser videos we were posting online to keep fans updated on the progress of the album, but I didn't have

enough to keep the video interesting so I used some clips of the halls in our rehearsal space, and some live shots from gigs. I put those all together to make a video that was somewhat cohesive. I used some of the effects to add some texture to the visuals. I wanted to keep it visually active and not stagnant. In the end, I thought the video turned out pretty good! We have gotten some good feedback on that video in particular. RISING: Broken Romeo is a 2011 Tammie Award Winner in the Rock Category. Congratulations! Your song “One in a Million” is a Home Grown Hit on The Morning Infidelity (TMI) on KWSS 106.7 FM in Phoenix. My understanding is that the stationʼs listeners had to vote your song #1 for 5 days in a row in order for it to be a Home Grown Hit - no easy feat in a market like Phoenix. Have social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Reverbnation changed the way the band communicates with fans and markets its music? Broken Romeo: Absolutely! The Morning Infidelity is the first FM program that I know of in Arizona to feature local music almost exclusively. They do play some national music but mostly music from local bands and musicians, and they are on when people are actually listening (6am-10am M-F). It really is a great way to get your music heard and it is a great show. Back when we started, the only way to promote your band and shows was to go out and hand out flyers. It was never fun to

http://www.facebook.com/BrokenRomeoAZ go out on a cold night with 1000 flyers, a staple gun and glue to promote a gig. With social networking sites, it is much easier to promote yourself locally and to the world. Bands have a way to get their music to the masses like they https://twitter.com/#!/BrokenRomeo never did before. Of course, there are some drawbacks. The internet is now flooded with millions of bands doing the exact same thing. Anyone with a http://www.facebook.com/BrokenRomeoAZ guitar and a computer can record music and promote it on the internet. Getting anyone to listen is the real challenge. It's like throwing a pebble in http://www.reverbnation.com/BrokenRomeo the ocean and hoping to make a tidal wave. We are just trying to get our music out there in as many places as http://www.myspace.com/BrokenRomeo we can, and doing what we can to spread the word. We figure if the music is good enough to resonate with the http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/broken-romeo/id5939975 listeners, then people will spread the word. If the music isn't, then it won't and we will have a bunch of CDs in a box collecting dust. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brokenromeo12 $ RISING: Any tour plans for this album? Broken Romeo: We are planning to play some dates in Southern California next http://www.youtube.com/user/BrokenRomeoAZ?feature=watch year to promote the album. A lot of it will depend on how the album does and how it is received. http://www.mediafire.com/?5kmz51ijdj166rd

March 2012

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The giveaway is open to anyone with a Facebook account although some giveaways will be limited to US addresses due to shipping costs. Follow the prize specific instructions. Each entrant/participant agrees to the following: a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant. b. Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. c. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to RisingMag.com and not to Facebook. To enter you must ʻlikeʼ http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Rising-Magazine/160806237303793 The winner will be chosen randomly using a computer program.

Check out these artists showing their support for Indie Music in their own unique way!!! Want to show your support too? Send a pic to submissions@risingmag.com and we may publish it! Use the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;Support Indie Musicâ&#x20AC;? in a creative way!

Standing Shadows

March 2012

Travis Royce

Broken Romeo

Regina Visconi

Hell &Lula

Gentlemen Hall

Chamber of Echoes

R始Chive

Eric Lawson

See our February 2012 issue for these artists!

Kylie Edmond

See our December 2011 issue for these artists! Lauren Wolf

LizMartin

SoundQ Carlos N贸brega

Brian Patrick

Quinn Ivory

turn off your television

See our November 2011 issue for these artists!

Seasons

LizMartin

Xavier Toscano

Don Q Photography

Tha Vill

See our October 2011 issue for these artists!

LizMartin

Blare LeVoir

Asteria Photography

See our September 2011 issue for these artists!

Hank and Cupcakes

Patrick J. Eves

Tomorrows Bad Seeds

Sarah Ault

Mark Kawakami

Marie Bergstrรถm

See our August 2011 issue for these artists!

Evolove

Stitched Up Heart

Greg Eident

See our July 2011 issue for these artists!

Vintervila

Johanna Elvira Bakke Haarstad

Fans Of Jimmy Century

Ember Swift Josh Damigo

Daniel Chin Lü Qiang Qiang

My Cousin, The Emperor

Patrick J. Eves

See our June 2011 issue for these artists! Brian Mackey Steve Reganato

Mumiy Troll

Cisco DeCun

Paul Smollen

Liz Martin

Run Run Run

Dmitry Plavshudin

Maitland

Jeff Crosby

Vicky Sue Baucom

Brianna Bambic

Monte Pittman

Greg Eident

Paul Smollen

Barbara Dengel

Mouth

Alo and The Narcissist Steve Reganato

Aspen Switzer

See our May 2011 issue for these artists!

A sincere Thank You to all of our readers, artists and staďŹ&#x20AC; that make Rising Magazine possible