Issue 2 | K. Flay by Sailor's Talk Magazine

HANDSOME GHOST BAD SEED RISING PANTENT PENDING + MORE AUGUST | 2015

STAFF & INFO OWNER/FOUNDER/ART DIRECTOR JAKE LAHAH PHOTOGRAPHERS: BROOKE LONG, CAITLYN WILLARD, HANNAH BRANIGAN, PENELOPE MARTINEZ WRITERS: ELNA DIEZ, KAMNA TALWAR CONTACT US: jake@sailorstalkzine.com WEBSITE: sailorstalkzine.com TWITTER: @SailorsTalkZine

SPECIAL thanks to: Austin GRiswold | Secret Service PR, Mike Cubillos | Earshot MediA Amy ScIArretto | ATOMSplitter PR Michele Stephens | EPitaph Records Danielle Mardahl | VAns Warped Tour Andrew George and Taylor Vaughn | UMUSIC Seth Cummings | BaileyBlues.com Bethan Miller Every Time I Die Handsome Ghost Bad Seed Rising Patent Pending Kristine Flaherty (aka K. Flay) Any Other Band featured And most importantlY... YOU!

photo by Penelope Martinez

Counterparts Tragedy Will Find Us July 24th, 2015 Pure Noise Records

review by Kamna Talwar.

Counterparts’ new release Tragedy Will Find Us drops today, July 24 courtesy of Pure Noise Records. This highly anticipated release is the fourth studio album from the Ontario-based band and their first release from Pure Noise since signing to the label in April. Counterparts is recognized for articulately blending the traditional melody and flowing chords of metalcore with the aggression of newer age hardcore to create a sound that is well-rounded and whole. Tragedy Will Find Us incorporates many of these familiar sounds. Breakdowns with groovy two-stepping beats, wailing guitar melodies, and harsh vocals characterize this as a pretty standard metalcore release. The first few songs on Tragedy Will Find Us are more reminiscent of hardcore, with relentless speed and walls of discordant noise. “Resonate” is a track that incorporates these sounds and intricately laces guitar melodies between chunky rhythmic spasms. About halfway through the album, the tone shifts to a more somber, melodic atmosphere which carries out until the end. “Tragedy” is a highly recommended song that uses these features. “Drown” is another slower song, but has a good melody and beat with wonderful harmonization at the end. The breakdowns are as diverse as the songs themselves. “Stranger,” for example, features a very heavy, slow groove whereas “Burn” has a beautifully stripped down section that features muffled spoken word in the background. “Collapse” is a catchy and fun track. It is the only track to feature clean singing vocals and one of the best songs on the entire release. Overall, this release is good for any fan of metalcore. Be sure to catch Counterparts on Common Vision Tour this summer with Every Time I Die and Real Friends.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Anthony Raneri Sorry State of Mind June 26th, 2015 Hopeless Records

review by Elna Diez.

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ALBUM REVIEWS

If you have listened to the band Bayside, then you are probably familiar with the voice of Anthony Raneri—lead singer, and guitarist of Bayside. Bayside came together in the early 2000s as a pop-punk genre band. However, if you have not listened to Anthony singing independently, you will be in for a new recognition. Whether it be finding out the name of Raneri associates primarily to Bayside, or that Bayside’s Raneri has his very own collection of music, the end results with how this automatically makes the listener’s opinions more open and interesting. It comes with the consideration of how much his tone fluctuates depending on the level of intensity, or the level of heaviness of surrounding instrumental. Anthony alone produces an airy atmosphere with sounds, which differs from his role in Bayside where both his vocals, guitars and percussion conquer a stronger frequency. Released on June 26th of this year, the Sorry State Of Mind album’s intro track “Smithereens” allows listeners to relax and develop a warm, summer-esque aura which makes for a smooth transition into the track “Gone”. “Gone” Lyrics consequently direct the listeners to a frank level of heartbreak, yet it is sugarcoated with upbeat simplicity, with the array of space between the attachments of instrumental onto Raneri’s vocals. Later toning down to “No Good”, Raneri brings emotions to the table yet again with subtle, melancholic inflection. Anthony Raneri’s “Sorry State Of Mind” single stiches the objective of the album’s tracks. This sorry state can almost be visualized as a map developed by the variation between the senses of feeling ‘almost optimistic, but still contemplating’ back and forth; second-guessing whether or not progression is being made altogether. Raneri seems to include implications relating solely to himself—or so the stories and snippets in his songs, though the easiness of sound; the vagueness can allow any listener to turn the songs, attaching them to their own outlooks and experiences.

Northlane Node July 24th, 2015 Rise Records

review by Jake Lahah.

Northlane’s newest release Node, set to release on July 24th via Rise Records is directionally more driven by passion and anger versus other albums. The album contains a collection of new songs that show off the band’s passion and anger musically. The album opens up with “Soma”. The track begins with softer instrumentals that build up to hard hitting unclean vocals. This sets the mood for the rest of the album creating a foreshadowing affect for the rest of the songs. Following “Soma”, is their second track on the album “Obelisk,” which picks up the pace a bit. It contains a nice mixture of unclean and clean vocals. The clean vocals are well composed and sung in a way that transitions to the unclean in a way that creates some unpredictability throughout the song. With a drum beat that follows the rest of the song and some softer instrumentals of guitars, the song is well collected creating a sound that resonates well. The title track of the album has beautifully composed guitar rhythms and combination of unclean and clean vocals playing at some points in harmony. It creates this eerie mood that create a different atmosphere on the album while still keeping the hard hitting instrumental approach that Northlane has. The lyrical content of this track shows the passion the band puts into their music. Parts of the song comment on people making changes and gaining a real understanding of humanity and what it means to be a person living on Earth. Overall, the album focuses more on creating lyrics and imagery of earthly and humanexistence experiences while keeping sharp contrast between the unclean and clean vocals. The album really concentrates of creating an experience for the listener with beautiful composed melodies that match the mood of the song to the lyrical content.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Patent Pending Armageddon - EP July 31th, 2015 Rude Records

ALBUM REVIEWS

Patent Pending’s newest EP Armageddon, released through Rude Records, is an energetic release keeping that playful attitude that the band has in other releases. Although this release sounds different than the others, it is composed in a way that makes it just as successful as previous releases. The EP has lots of electronic elements that make great fillers for their guitars and instrumentals that make up the core of the song. The EP opens up with “Too Much to Think”. Stylistically, this song is a great opener giving the listener a hint to what the rest of the album is going to be live. With an uplifting sound, the band embodies a pop-rock vibe along with a playful attitude. It then transitions into the next song “The Way I See It”. This song is a little more pop sounding with guitar parts that less punkish. The vocals are higher creating an even more uplifting style of sound. The song also contains lots of gang vocals that give the song a mash between a modern day pop song with components of 70’s style of vocals. “Tick Tock Bomb” has a more punkish vibe with moments of loud guitars that stick out to the rest of the song. The tempo slows down a little for this song creating a sing along song experience. “We’re Getting Weird” focuses more on the bass guitar sounds in the versus that are syncopated with hip-hop style vocals. Armageddon raps up with “Brighter” which has a pop-rock sound. Patent Pending overall exemplifies the perfect combination of pop-rock songs with punk and pop edginess to it. The collection of songs incorporates a large amount of elements from different genres along with keeping a playful attitude to the EP.

review by Jake Lahah. SAILOR’S TALK | 7

F E AT U R E D P H O T O G R A P H E R BETHAN MILLER

Music photographer Bethan Miller shows off her passion for music through the camera body of a Cannon Mark 5D II, but this doesn’t necessarily define her as a talented artist. Through a burning passion (and burning red hair), she develops this unique style never seen before that heightens the sense of atmosphere she tries to depict. Her exclusive style makes her work both aesthetically pleasing and intriguing to the viewer. Tell us a little about yourself and what you do? Hey! My name is Bethan Miller. I’m a passionate, fiery haired music and documentary photographer from rainy South Wales, in the UK! I have been shooting artists and emerging myself into the music industry non-stop for around two and a half years now. How did you get started with music photography? I used to go to shows all the time when I was growing up, and always carried my little digital camera with me at the front and taking photos of bands I loved. One day I got chatting to a photographer at the front of the barrier; asking how he got into it and what he did. Immediately, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Before that meeting with that photographer I wasn’t aware that music photography was a thing. After that I bought my first DSLR and began shooting local shows and then started shooting for Buzznet and got my first photo pass for Mayday Parade and We Are The In Crowd....and the rest is history, I guess? SAILOR’S TALK | 8

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Where do you find inspiration for your work? As cheesy as it sounds inspiration is constantly around us. I’m inspired a lot my my friends. I have a lot of creative friends and who are constantly pushing themselves. They’re all doing some kick-ass things; like selling out big local venues in my area, touring Europe or just travelling the world through a camera. I always find inspiration through awesome photographers too; the one’s that are killin’ it with every photo and video they make. Like Jenny McCord, Joshua Halling and Elliot Ingham (those are just a few) but they’re all doing incredible things at the moment, and are constantly filling me with inspiring thoughts. You have a very unique look to your photographs. Where did that come from? Was it something you sort of just discovered? Thank you. That’s something that I really strive for within my photos. I love wide angle shots and try to capture what the show was like through a photo, if that makes sense? As far as editing and post-production goes, I’ve just always played around with my photos. It was a real learning curve at first and it was something that I just had to discover over time. Saying that, I’m always changing my editing process and it has definitely changed over time. SAILOR’S TALK | 10

Was there a moment you were incredibly proud of your work? Last year was an incredibly proud and life-changing year for me. I had my first major tour with Moose Blood, on the Mallory Knox tour, and photographed a whole load of festivals as an intern for Danny North, who works with the likes of Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs ect.! I learnt so much about myself and where I wanted my photos to go. In addition, this year I’ve had two of my photos published - one of Moose Blood in Rocksound, and a photo I took at Secret Garden party in Dazed and Confused Magazine. Also, one career defining moment for me was when I teamed up with No Sleep Records to do a limited run of 1,000 poster prints of Moose Blood. People started sending me photos of the poster on their walls and I was like “holy shit. I did that. That’s cool.” All in all, I’ve had a proud couple of months! Are there any photographers you really look up to? If so, who and why? As I mentioned earlier there’s a bunch of photographers who I love, and who I take inspiration from. Shannon Bray, Jenny McCord, Elliot Ingham are 3 lovely photographers and friends of mine who are totally killing it right now. Also - Joshua Halling, Sam Roman and Ashley Osborn, who are all on Warped Tour right now are all producing incredible stuff on a daily basis. Show them all huge amounts of love. SAILOR’S TALK | 11

Are there any shows or festivals that are really memorable for you to shoot? Last summer I was lucky enough to photograph around 9 festivals across the UK, so that summer was a really special and memorable time for me. Hevy in Kent, UK was an incredible festival for me. It’s in a field next to a animal park, so in between bands I could go see some animals which was awesome! I was able to meet some incredible photographers and I was bumped up from press to AAA to officially photograph the festival. Also, that was the place I met Moose Blood and of course they have given me some awesome opportunities. You’ve done some work with the guys in Moose Blood. What was that like? So great. I honestly can’t thank them enough for giving me so many opportunities over the last couple of months. I was able to go on my first tour, get published in some magazines and had posters printed through No Sleep Records....all because of the dudes in Moose Blood. So yeah, that was cool! They’re always lovely to work with. What is your plan for the next year or so as far as your photography career goes? Tour. Tour. Tour. Honestly, I have a few cool things planned for this year but I’m just taking it as it comes. I’m working with a bunch of upcoming bands this year and a few international bands that are coming over here to the UK. Just excited at the prospect of it all. What is some advice you’d give for those that are still learning music photography? Just stick at it. If you want to do it work hard. Be yourself and find your own style to make your work your own.

interview by Jake Lahah

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SHOW REVIEW

THE COMMON VISION TOUR REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY JAKE LAHAH

The Common Vision tour is anything but your typical Every Time I Die headliner. With a diverse lineup ranging from a couple different genres, this tour brings together bands to create an intense experience with a spectacular live performance. The first date in Richmond was huge success and here’s what went down. The tour opened up with Gatherers. Being a small band, many of the fans really didn’t know who they are, but their sound caught the attention of them. With a similar vibe to bands like La Dispute and elements of Dance Gavin Dance, they made the perfect opener for the show. After Gatherers, was Brigades which as well was a new band for fans to get into. The atmosphere was really hype for them as they played many of their new songs for their newest release Indefinite that was put out a few days after the show. The combination of a heavier sounding band with a spirited pop-punk group made for nice openers showing off the tours unique combination of artists. Unfortunately, Gnarwolves couldn’t make it out to the tour, so the show continued on with Counterparts. Counterparts are known for highly energetic show with hardcore breakdowns and tons of crowd interaction. The band did not disappoint at all bringing on their A-game for this tour. Lead vocalist Brendan Murphy launched himself into the crowd many times by getting down onto the barricade for an up close and personal experience. Fans were crowd surfing trying to get as close to Brendan to contribute some vocals making an exciting show to watch and to participate in. After was Real Friends. This pop-punk band is known for their deeply thought out lyrics and energetic sets. They brought on nothing less than a great performance. Everything was fast paced and up beat making a seamless performance when it comes to fitting in with the other bands. Being different in the sense that this band isn’t as loud and as in your face as the other bands, they still were able to control the crowd and put on a great performance. Attendees were singing along to all their songs enjoying themselves creating a perfect direct support. The headliner, Every Time I Die, put on one of their finest shows of all time. They are easily one of the best bands out there in the post-hardcore scene with their absolutely crazy concerts. The band is animated with all band members throwing out their own unique moves as they play. Vocalist Keith Buckley is fast paced being everywhere and no where at the same time. The guitarists and bassists for the band were often jumping into the crowd or straddling with one foot on the barricade and another on the stage getting down into the fans faces as they played. Every Time I Die knows how to create a wild and crazy atmosphere that fans love and they know how to make the crowd want to participate. Their lighting was unpredictable making an atmosphere that was aggressive and matching the style of Every Time I Die’s music. With flawless stage presence, these guys brought out their best on this tour noting them as many of fans “favorite band to see of all time”. The show was overall a success for the first night of the tour creating a memorable experience for both followers that like to participate and those that like to watch. Be sure to check out the Common Vision Tour as it continues on until August 19th. SAILOR’S TALK | 17

OP-ED

FROM PROM QUEEN TO FULL FRAME

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JAKE LAHAH

IF YOU HAD TOLD ME THREE YEARS AGO I’D BE PHOTOGRAPHING MY FAVORITE BANDS, I WOULD’VE LAUGHED IN YOUR FACE. NOW THAT A YEAR HAS GONE BY, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Growing up and all through high school, going to concerts was a huge deal to me. My friends took me to a Never Shout Never show back in 2010, and then I was instantly hooked on the idea of live music. It was something real and surreal that I could see. I didn’t quite understand what the music industry was though. I always went to the show, saw the bands I wanted to see, stuck around to maybe be one of the lucky people that got a picture with their favorite musicians. But I never really understood how the music industry worked, let alone was even really introduced to it, until a fall afternoon in 2011 at a Mayday Parade show. That Mayday Parade show sparked my interest. It was one of the very first shows were I made my way up to the barricade. Making it up to the barricade was a HUGE deal for concert attendees. Fans will wait hours in line just to be in the front of a giant crowd to get the best spot for seeing their favorite artists. I somehow weaseled my way up to the barricade hoping to get the best spot for viewing the show, but I was more interested in what was going on in front of it and the photographers that came through.

After being able to make my way to the barricade countless more times, I realized how much I wanted to pursue photography as a hobby and to cover my favorite bands. So what did I do? I started researching how to become a concert photographer. Step one was to buy a camera. I saved up and bought my first DSLR camera, the Nikon D3000 model (which I later learned it’s not really suitable for concert photography). Now that I had finished step one, it was time for me to go to step two: find a publication to work for. Having no concert photography experience, I had no idea where to begin. I searched many Tumblr blogs hoping to find some sort of PupFresh type of blog that did live galleries that I could try. I ended up finding all these publications that denied me because I didn’t have any practice. I then came across Underdog Press.

Understand, this was the first time I was really able to see what was going on up in front of the barricade of a show. I saw all these journalists with large high price cameras looking at them in awe wondering to myself, “How the hell do I become one of those photographers?” I always took an interest in photography considering I took countless art classes in high school. I was really good at drawing, but what good would I be at that in the photo pit?

At the time, Underdog Press was very desperate for photographers and their editor Carol Simpson took me in. She understood that I had no experience and trained me from the bottom up. I remember getting approved for my very first show, the All Stars Tour in 2014 at Empire, a no barricade show. Dodging crowd surfers with a semi-expensive camera during Sworn In, Like Moths To Flames, and The Acacia Strain’s set, I was able to get something manageable. My very first collection of concert photos. Ecstatic is an understatement for how I felt about these photographs but these were no professional photos. These were some mediocre beginner photos. Everyone gets a start, and Carol understood that and trained me over time.

As they were leaving, I stopped one of the photographers and asked, “How were you able to take photos like that at a show?” She turned around and responded, “All you have to do is have a DSLR camera and work for a publication,” then quickly made her way out of the photo pit. I was completely lost in thought since this was jargon to me. Can someone as young as me be able to do this? I was sixteen at the time and had no idea where to begin.

Carol helped me set up press credentials for my very first barricade-show at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD. It was the Crowd Surf Across America tour featuring Blessthefall and Chiodos, with one of my favorite bands I Killed The Prom Queen. Getting to the venue was a breeze and the worst thing that could have happened, happened. My name wasn’t on the list on the box office. I started freaking out thinking to myself, “What should I do?” I quickly called Chiodos’ tour manager at the time and she

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sorted things out. She handed me a sticker laminate and my nerves instantly shot. “Am I really about to photograph my favorite band?” I got in the venue and in fifty of the longest minutes of my life, I’d be photographing my favorite band I Killed The Prom Queen. I had introduced myself to the other photographers who seemed to kind of ignore me since they all had their own little click. One of the photographers Brooke (who has become one of my really good concert photographer friends) introduced herself to me and explained that I’ll love it. We were escorted into the photo pit and there I was photographing my favorite band from two feet away. My adrenaline was so high I don’t think I even bother to pay attention to what I was actually doing as far as camera settings. Three songs passed and we were pushed out of the pit. I started flying through my photos on my camera and found something I was proud of. My first barricade shot photo that was then published on Underdog Press’ site a week later. Months later and I had photographer a large amount of shows. I started developing my own style and learning how to create my own images. In the start of 2015 I had got my first full-frame camera, which is

when I knew I was serious about this passion of mine. By April, I had decided to start my own publication. With the aid of Brooke and Carol, they helped me develop my own photo style and personality in the industry that I couldn’t be more thankful for. This past summer I got the opportunity to shoot three dates of the Vans Warped Tour which I had dreamed of for years, and finally came true. At the Camden, New Jersey date of the tour I Killed The Prom Queen came on early at 11:30 a.m. getting bumped up to the main stage. I knew I had to be there to capture my favorite band. To my surprise, I actually ended up loving the photo’s that I got from it I have never felt more excited about my work in my life until that moment. Not only was I seeing my favorite band, I was able to get some photographs that I’m proud of. Reflecting back over the year, I have improved so much as a photographer and the transition from a beginner journalist to someone I can consider somewhat experienced is a huge deal to me. I have the music industry to thank for that, something that I finally got a grasp on over the year and couldn’t be happier with where things are going. SAILOR’S TALK | 21

photo by Jake Lahah

HANDSOME GHOST What were you like as a child? Did you grow up playing music? What influenced you in your childhood? I was a music enthusiast growing up but didn’t know how to play. Well, I played the trumpet but I was terrible. I kept a huge CD collection in a few of those big binders and would organize them every week or so. It was one of my favorite activities. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I learned how to play guitar. I wasn’t good enough to learn the cover songs I wanted to, so I started writing my own songs right away. How would you describe Handsome Ghost to someone that has never heard of you guys before? Handsome Ghost blends intimate, honest songwriting and electronic production. Underneath synth lines and big drums, I hope you can still hear the song I wrote in my bedroom on my guitar. Is there any central theme or meaning among your music? There’s no one theme, but each song represents a moment, or a month or a year in my life. They’re all like unique time stamps to me. I can listen back to a song and know that I wrote it during winter in Boston, or on the road, or wherever. Where does your inspiration come from with your music? Most of my songs are very personal. Inspiration usually comes from my own mistakes or triumphs. But I like to know that a listener can hear one of my songs and relate it to his or her own life. I hope all my songs make a listener feel something, good or bad. What was the inspiration behind your album Steps? I wrote Steps over the course of a year or so. Each song has its own inspiration, some are about relationships and some aren’t. There are definitely nods to past

over the course of the EP, but I like to think that at their core, those songs are about me moving forward. What is in store and up next for Handsome Ghost? We’re touring in support of our Steps EP and have had the pleasure of playing with some great bands so far. It’s been a blast to play our songs live for the first time and I’m excited to see how our show grows as we tour more. I’m also writing as much as I can so we’re hoping to finish up a full album in the near future. I’m home now, and it’s been nice to have some time to sit down and write songs. It’s my favorite thing to do. What does a fans relationship mean to you as an artist? It’s amazing. I think I’ll write songs forever, whether I have fans or not, but there’s nothing like spending all day or all night on a song and knowing that there are people out there who want to hear it. It’s the best feeling in the world, I mean that. Where would you like to see this project go over the next couple of years? Right now I’m focused on the next year. I love touring and I hope we play as many shows as we can. The full record is coming together and I’m looking forward to finishing that up and setting a release date. It’s going to be a great year. We’ll take it from there. interview and photos by Jake Lahah

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A BUNCH TEENAGERS KILLING IT OUTare THERE IN THE SCENE! This fourOF piece group of teenagers killing it out there in the

scene. See what they have to say about touring, down time, and their feature in the new movie ‘SPY’. SAILOR’S TALK | 26

Can you start off with telling us where you’re from, what everyone’s role is in the band and how old you guys are? We’re a rock band from Baltimore, MD. I’m Francheska Pastor (vocals, 17), Mason Gainer (guitar, 14), Louey Peraza (bass, 16), and Aiden Marceron (drums, 13). How did the band come together? We met through the Let There Be Rock School. We all I wanted to write originals so we created a band outside of the rock school. What are some of your musical influences? Personally, Dance Gavin Dance, Issues, Defeater, Being As An Ocean, and Citizen are our musical influences. How did your latest tour with RED and Adelitas Way go? The tour was fantastic! It was a great experience traveling to places for the first time! Everyone was great and the shows were absolutely killer. What were some of your favorite cities to visit? Our favorite cities were Anaheim, Oklahoma City Boise, San Fransicso, Denver, and Tempe! What are some of your favorite things to do while out on the road? We love going to thrift stores! Pretty much the first thing we do after loading into the venue is search for a thrift store. It’s really fun getting to try on the different clothing styles from each city. Any more tour plans for the rest of the summer? We’re actually going back on the road with Adelitas Way in a few days for a month and then going out with a few more pretty cool acts that I can’t say yet! haha. I see your song ‘Bad Seed Rising’ is in the new Melissa McCarthy movie ‘SPY’. How does it feel to have your music displayed to such a large audience? It’s incredibly surreal! We see so many people tagging us from different countries, especially South Korea, with pictures of the movie! I’m actually so surprised people stuck around for the credits to hear who we were! What’s even more incredible is that Tyler Carter from Issues discovered us that way. He hit us all up saying that he digs us and all that. My manager called me early in the morning and I was tired as hell, but he told me and I shot up like bullet. So it’s pretty surreal to be in a major motion picture haha. I’m extremely grateful for it! Where can people find your music? We just released an EP through Roadrunner Records called ‘A Place Called Home’ and you can find it on iTunes, Spotify, and pretty much anywhere online! photos and interview by Caitlyn Willard SAILOR’S TALK | 27

Pop punk group Patent Pending just released a new EP titled Armageddon on July 31st. Compared to previous releases, the band challenges their normal sound by creating something new that is fresh and vibrant. Sailor’s Talk got the chance to talk with Joe from this Long Island group, to gain some insight on the new EP. So you guys will be releasing your EP “Armageddon”. Explain the writing process of that? Were there any complications or road blocks that stopped the writing process? Most of the writing in Patent Pending starts with me. I’ll have a basic chord structure and a couple different takes on what I would call the first stages of a chorus. Really just small seeds of ideas. I bring about 50-75 of these ideas with me to WeVolve Studios in Nashville, Tennessee where I meet up with our producer and my writing partner, Jordan Schmidt. We work through the 50-75 demos and find little pieces of things that we like and go from there. Two stories of how these songs came to be come to mind. “The Way I See It” originated as a Valentine’s Day gift I gave to my wife. It’s a song about my wife and my daughter. Originally it was a very slow, low-key ballad. The lyrics were about 90% the same before we recorded the version you hear on the Armageddon EP. We wanted to speed SAILOR’S TALK | 28

it up because it was such a happy song and there is so much energy in the lyrics. We wanted the music to reflect that, so we sped it up! “We’re Getting Weird” is an idea that we’ve been working on since the recording sessions for our last full-length album back in 2013. We had a fully recorded version of the song mixed and ready to be put on the album, but pulled it last minute because I thought the song could be better and it wasn’t ready for release. Listening back now, I’m very happy that is the way that we went with it. It’s one of my favorites because the song is a landscape of the inner workings of my ADHD riddled mind. How would you guys compare this new EP to any of your previous releases? Doces it sound different? Like everything that we’ve ever released, we tried new and exciting things with this album. We never want to release the same song twice, and I think we succeed in adding four new songs to our arsenal that are different from previous songs while

simultaneously making sense with our past releases. I’m really excited about this particular collection because the energy level has been brought back up since our last release. What was the ultimate end goal with the creation of “Armageddon”? Were you guys trying to move forward as a band and achieve something new stylistically? We always want to achieve something new with our releases because it drives us crazy when bands we love release the same damn songs from record to record with different artwork. That’s not the way we were raised and it’s not the way we choose to operate. The ultimate end goal is complete and total global domination in an effort to rid the world of bad music that is sometimes played on the radio. Until that goal is achieved, we wanted to have a fun and exciting release for the summer to help us gear up for the crazy year we have ahead of us. How important is fan communication to you? What do you guys do to maintain that if it is important? I think it’s the most important thing! I love it so much. These are the people who let us do what we love every single day of our lives. They are like a daily dose of Santa Clause to me. We have created a community of people across the world called “The Second Family” It’s a tight knit group of people

who believe in each other and support each other through all of life’s trials and tribulations. It’s pretty much the greatest thing that’s ever happened. Taking a look back on this past year, what would you say your band has accomplished? What are your bands goal as you guys near the end of 2015 and head into the new year of 2016? So far, 2015 has been one very long preparation for what we have planned at the end of 2015. We recently signed a deal with Rude Records and have some absolutely fantastic stuff planned for the rest of the year. We’re not allowed to talk about too much of it yet, but we are very very excited for what lies ahead! What’s in store for Patent Pending? Will you guys be touring soon? As of right now, we have a few shows here in the states towards the end of the summer and in November we head back over to the UK for a tour with everyone’s favorite party band, Zebrahead! It’s going to be completely insane. Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans? We really hope you guys enjoy “Armageddon!” Please tell your friends about it and share it with everyone you know! We’ll see you on tour this year! interview by Jake Lahah photo provided SAILOR’S TALK | 29

It’s not every day you meet an artist who has completed their education. We often hear Nicki Minaj telling her fans at shows to stay in school and not depend on others for success. Natalie Portman enrolled at Harvard University and successfully completed her Bachelor’s Degree all while working on her career (namely her role in Star Wars). After the last Harry Potter film, Emma Watson enrolled at Brown University where she completed her Bachelor’s Degree as well. K. Flay, born Kristine Flaherty, is much like these women. Although she’s a full time musician, she graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology. It wasn’t until she was in college that she discovered her love for making music. “As a kid, I played guitar, loved to write, and was generally a weirdo. I had all the ingredients for making music, though I didn’t discover that until college.” Her transition from a somewhat stable life of being a full time student to becoming a musician was natural she admits, “I’ve found a lot of similarities between being a student and a musician. They both require discipline, creativity, and humility.” Since deciding to pursue music, she has faced her fair share of challenges. She signed to a major record label while still being a developing act which was a setback instead of a breakthrough. At the time, she thought it was blessing. “They gave me a check, I needed some money,” she jokes. “But I think it was kind of a major speed bump. It was also a great learning experience and it was a way to develop privately.” Luckily, she never had to deal with gaining creative control and someone changing her artistic direction. She shares that since she never put out a full length on the label, there was never that power struggle. Some things that did stress her was the approval chain you have to go through when you’re signed. “Things take longer to do; there’s less spontaneity.” She emphasizes that there exists protocols for pretty much anything that you want to do when you’re on a label, big or small. Once she found herself out of the contract, she felt free. “I felt this immense sense of liberation and sadness at the same time, which turns out to be a pretty bountiful headspace when you’re working on a record,” she explains. These emotions are what inspired her latest album, Life As A Dog.

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“Largely, I think the album is about balance; about existing in a liminal space between hope and regret, energy and lethargy,” she shares. Life As A Dog is a more focused according to Kristine, “mixtapes have a looser structure and tend to be more spontaneous.” With her album, she attempted to create a body of songs that told a story from start to finish. She explains that “the first song, “Everyone I Know” is super cynical. The last song, “Get It Right” is a promise to transcend those things—to be better.” Besides her personal experiences, other artists, such as Twenty One Pilots, have influenced her greatly. Luckily, she hasn’t faced writer’s block thus far but she has struggled with staying focused when writing. “My mind is always jumping around, branching off fractal style when I want to stay in one place,” she states. “I’ve found that writing songs only tends to be difficult if your heart isn’t in it.” Still, it wasn’t this record that she considers the breakthrough of her career. It was back in 2011 when she released I Stopped Caring in ’96. “It was the first time that I felt I knew who I wanted to be as an artist,” she shares. “I was in the midst of moving from San Francisco to New York, had just signed a publishing deal, and was brimming with inspiration.” SAILOR’S TALK | 34

Fast forward to 2014, she found herself on the Vans Warped Tour just a month after the release of Life As A Dog. She points out that Warped was amazing for her in two ways: community perspective and artist standpoint. “There’s this total egalitarian. I met a lot of hugely influential people that summer,” she explains. “Also, when you’re playing in the hot ass sun—with no production that is—you have to rely on the basic, naked premise of a live show. That was very powerful for me.” In fact, she believes she has built her career off of live shows. “When you’re on tour, you gain real fans,” she claims, “If I see a show that I like, I’m a fan for life.” She is quick to mention that there’s a base of people that have really supported her music and have helped her project keep going. “This last record was crowd funded so obviously the fans were a huge part of that.” Touring however, can be both physically and mentally draining. Although she knows it’s a privilege and honor to be able to tour and have people show up to see you, maintaining friendships and relationships can be a true challenge. “I spend a lot of time on the road just talking to people on the phone,” she

discloses, “it requires a lot of effort on my part to be able to keep up with people.” Still, one cool thing about touring is when you have friends in various cities and you’re able to visit them. “I think it gets difficult when it comes to romantic relationships,” she admits. “Most people don’t want their partner to not be around. That’s probably the hardest part.” Unfortunately, that’s the reality of being an artist. Apart from the touring demand, there’s also a need for constant output of recorded material. “We live in a culture where the means of production is available to pretty much anyone,” Kristine explains. “The demand cycle is relentless. You have to be constantly releasing music.” It can be argued that in the past, most of a musicians’ income came from album sales but in this day and age, anyone can get their hands on the latest music for free. It is because of this that Kristine believes that touring is such an important part of being a musician.

a touring artist.” Thankfully, her family has always been and continues to be extremely supportive. She shares that “they want to make sure I feel settled and not internally frantic.” Although difficult at times, she enjoys being an artist. “It’s a strange life. It’s interesting and wonderful in so many ways,” she explains. “Now that I have more of a vision of what I’m doing, I’m in a better place than when I was a developing act.” We can’t wait to see what is next for K. Flay. Make sure to catch her on tour with Lights this fall and strike up a conversation. interview by Penelope Martinez and Jake Lahah story and photos by Penelope Martinez

As of now, Kristine doesn’t know what the future holds for her. “If life has taught me anything up to this point is that I don’t fucking know what the hell I’m gonna do next,” she comments. “I love making music, but I don’t know if that means I’ll always be SAILOR’S TALK | 35

LIVE GALERRY

EDITION

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PIERCE THE VEIL BY BROOKE LONG VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ SAILOR’S TALK | 37

BLESTHEFALL BY JAKE LAHAH VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ SAILOR’S TALK | 38

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CITIZEN BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ VANS WARPED TOUR CHICAGO, MI SAILOR’S TALK | 41

HUNDREDTH BY JAKE LAHAH VANS WARPED TOUR COLUMIBA, MD

ICON FOR HIRE BY JAKE LAHAH VANS WARPED TOUR COLUMBIA, MD SAILOR’S TALK | 42

I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN BY BROOKE LONG VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ

BLACK VEIL BRIDES BY HANNAH BRANIGAN VANS WARPED TOUR POMONA, CA SAILOR’S TALK | 43

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MODSUN BY HANNAH BRANIGAN VANS WARPED TOUR VENTURA, CA SAILOR’S TALK | 45

MEMPHIS MAY FIRE BY BROOKE LONG VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ

MOOSE BLOOD BY JAKE LAHAH VANS WARPED TOUR COLUMBIA, MD SAILOR’S TALK | 46

EMAROSA BY HANNAH BRANIGAN VANS WARPED TOUR POMONA, CA

AS IT IS BY HANNAH BRANIGAN VANS WARPED TOUR VENTURA, CA SAILOR’S TALK | 47

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PVRIS BY BROOKE LONG VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ SAILOR’S TALK | 49

OUR LAST NIGHT BY BROOKE LONG VANS WARPED TOUR CAMDEN, NJ

NEVER SHOUT NEVER BY HANNAH BRANIGAN VANS WARPED TOUR VENTURA, CA SAILOR’S TALK | 50

WHILE SHE SLEEPS BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ VANS WARPED TOUR CHICAGO, MI

‘68 BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ VANS WARPED TOUR MILWAUKEE, WI SAILOR’S TALK | 51

BEING AS AN OCEAN BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ VANS WARPED TOUR CHICAGO, MI

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