Issue 11 - I The Mighty

Stefano Ferreyros - Homestead, Florida Photographer @FreeStefano_ stefano@speedofsoundmagazine.com Rosario Guiterrez - Chicago, Ilinois Photographer rosario@speedofsoundmagazine.com Danielle Morrison - Pomona, California Photographer @DanieMorrison1 danielle@speedofsoundmagazine.com Nicole Stephens - San Francisco, California Interviews / Editor-in-Chief @nikkijeanphoto nicole@speedofsoundmagazine.com Idora Yasin - Hollywood, Florida Interviews / Photographer @IdoraYasin idora@speedofsoundmagazine.com Brooklyn Parcel - Bend, Oregon Contributor

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ms mr 10

golden sun 16

hands like houses 20

Candy hearts 26

ne-yo 32

industry spotlight: Jake round 35

MINDLESS SELF INDULGEBCE 36

I THE MIGHTY 42

LYDIA 50

PVRIS 56

heartist 60

au revior simone 64

would like to thank...

Sam Buksbaum Trisha Sauer Jason Consoli

Natalie Bigsano Chelsea Dunstall Jake Round Winne Lam Jessica Giordano

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MS MR April 14th, 2014 The Filmore San Francisco, California Photo by: Nicole Stephens

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GOLDEN SUN Illuminate Tour March 2, 2014 Slim's San Francisco, California

Photo by: Nicole Stephen

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HANDS LIKE HOUSES Devil's Dance Tour May 17th, 2014 Slim's San Francisco, California

Photos by: Nicole Stephen

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CANDY HEARTS Reunion Tour March 14th, 2014 Chain Reaction Anaheim, California Photos by: Danielle Morrison

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NE-YO Universal Studio's Grad Bash April 4th, 2014 Orlando, Florida Photo by: Stefano Ferreyros

This month for our music industry spotlight we sat down with Jake Round, founder of Bay Area based indie label Pure Noise Records, and picked his brain about the music industry and bands on his roster.

What inspired you to create your own record I just like to check in and see how things are going. label?

I knew I always wanted to start my own company and I had been working in music for a couple of years. My friends in No Bragging Rights needed some help and I was able to borrow a little money to put out there record in 2009.

Five years is a really short time, what has been the biggest accomplishment since starting?

What makes Pure Noise Records different from larger labels?

I'm not really sure I've never worked at a large label. I do think we have pretty personal relationships with the bands. I believe that if you're on a boutique record label you should get boutique service, so that's what I try to provide.

Vinyl, CDs, or Online?

I'm really proud of the fact that we've had almost I don't care how people listen to our records. I'm zero turn over as far as bands leaving. I think it says something about the label and bands alike. just glad they're listening. I like vinyl personally but still feel like I buy a lot of music on itunes.

What has been the most funny interaction What are some of your favorite albums that you have had with a band? you have released?

I don't know that I can think of one in particular.

I'm so close with some of the bands that live local The Story So Far "Under Soil and Dirt", The to me that just about everything you can think of American Scene "Safe For Now", Rotting Out "The Wrong Way". has happened.

What band made a wild first impression to Give me 5 bands that we should look out for in 2014. you?

I think we'll see Brigades, Front Porch Step, The Handguns was probably the wildest back in the day. In the first two days of knowing them I saw American Scene, To The Wind and Forever Came Taylor dump a gallon of water on a kid at Warped Calling all step up in 2014.

Tour and yell "welcome to six flags!".

Interview by: Brooklyn Parcel

What are your relationships with bands?

It depends on the band really. With some of the bands that have been on since the beginning our relationship is more friendship based which is sometimes harder than just being professionally involved. I'm pretty available to all of the bands though and usually chat with at least one person in each band weekly and more often when they're SPEEDOFSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM | 35

MINDLES

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SS SELF INDULGENCE April 14th, 2014 The Filmore San Francisco, California Photo by: Nicole Stephens

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I THE MIGHTY May 17th, 2014 Bottom of The Hill San Francisco, California Photo by: Nicole Stephens

I THE MIGHTY Progressive Rock - San Francisco, California

We had the chance to pick Brent Walsh of the Bay Area native Progressive Rock band, I The Mighty's brain before the band headed off to play the second half of this year's Vans Warped Tour. We asked him about lyrica themes, being on Warped Tour for the first time, and what is in store the the band after Warped Tour wraps up

How did all of you guys meet and have I the Mighty come together as a band?

Ian and I have known each other since high school and learned how to play together years ago. Chris we met and started jamming with through another local band and Blake saw the three of us perform acoustically at a show and approached us about playing drums. It was all so organic! Once we had played together, for like 45 minutes, we knew this was the line up.

If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would you tell yourself and why?

film-making I find really intriguing.

There's a video called "Ghost" on YouTube which is a super old I the Mighty song that I wrote and directed the music video for and I had a lot of fun doing that. Though, music will always be my first love.

How did your signing to Equal Vision Records come about?

How did you know they were the right fit for you guys?

That's a really great question. I think the theory of existentialism will always play some sort of role in my writing. Though, Satori was much more a chronicling of what you learn about yourself after a rough break up and how enlightening it can be to discover more about yourself and what you choose to believe in.

How has the writing process changed for you guys over the years?

We were always huge fans of that label and they were always at the top of our list. So once we got the offer it was a pretty easy call. The label is awesome. They're like family.

The title of your full length The music industry really can be as debut album Satori means big of a bitch as you're hearing. enlightenment, and the Don't expect to get big or make different themes of the album money without years of revolve around the concept of dedication...but always remember: discovering yourself and it's music. Have fun with it. expanding your mind to different ideas around you.

In a world were music did not Will self-discovery be a exist what would you be doing? recurring theme in your music or was the concept of Satori to I'd probably be doing something in help better chronicle that time film. I loved acting and improv of your life you were writing when I was in high school and there are many different aspects of about?

It's become a lot more of a team effort. Everyone writes a lot of their own ideas now and we all get into a room together and just jam on each other's suggestions. Sometimes one person will still write the bulk of a song, but it's become much more of a collaboration than say our first two EPs on iTunes, that pre-date the Equal Vision releases.

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If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be?

I would make it more about the artist. Right now, the artist makes less money than any other link in the chain and it makes no sense at all.

The ones creating are the ones who really have to struggle to make it a sustainable way of life.

Unless you really blow up, you're always supplementing your income with some other way of making money just so you can continue to try and pursue your dream. I would call for an entire restructuring of the way the music industry is run.

You guys are playing Warped Tour for the first time this year, with so many different bands on the bill this year; What would you say to encourage kids to check your band out for the first time who may not have heard of you?

recent letlive. / Architect s co-headliner, if you could re-live any of your past tours which would you pick and why?

Any of those tours would be a blast to re-live...I may just be feeling nostalgic, but I would probably say either the Coheed tour, or the first national we ever did with Dance Gavin Dance, A Lot Like Birds, and Hail the Sun. Besides DGD, it was the first time all of us had done a full national tour and we were all close with each other already before the tour had even started. So needless to say we had such a blast experiencing all of that together. Three bands even got commemorative tattoos to remember it all by, which was also my first tour tattoo.

Love all those boys!

Where do you see I the Mighty in five years?

Doing exactly what we're doing now but on a much larger scale. Multiple records that people and the industry love and respect, world tours under our belt, and the same amount of love, friendship, I would say that we offer something relatively different and fun that we have doing what we're doing right now. and unique from a lot of what they could walk around We're very appreciative for the opportunities we've been and see. We're passionate about what we play, what we given and the fans and friends we've made. say and what we stand for.

At least watch a couple songs, and if ya don't dig it, there are another 50 bands you can go give a chance as well.

You guys have a pretty eclectic touring history from Coheed to Say Anything and then more

Photos and interview by: Nicole Stephens

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LYDIA Illuminate Tour March 4th, 2014 Slim's San Francisco, California Photo by: Nicole Stephens

LYDIA Rock - Gilbert, Arizona We sat down with Lydia's frontman, Leighton Antelman, before one of the many sold out shows on the band's full US Tour dedicated to playing the band's most notable release, "Illuminate", from start to finish. We chatted about everything from drunken fan encounters to the reason behind the band's initial hiatus. Check out our interview with him below.

How did Lydia become a band?

Favorite song to play live?

Most of us went to High School together and that's how Lately I've been having fun playing "Sleep Well". We the band started. We were playing just for fun we we're haven't played it in a while and it's a cool song to play ever trying to do it for a serious career or anything like live. that. We just did it for fun and then more and more people started coming out and it just kind of escalated Song that you're the most proud to have to doing it full time. written?

Growing up who were your musical influences I'm pretty proud of all of "Devil". It's a different aspect of Lydia that we just hadn't really got into. It's more that made you want to make the music you pop driven almost. make today?

Jimmy Eat World, Bright Eyes I listened to those two a lot when I first started playing music.

Biggest mistake you made when first starting out?

Writing proccess for Devil vs. Paint it Golden?

The writing process was different for Devil because previously I had done a whole lot more of the writing and this one I let other people in and bounced ideas off new people.

When we first started out we played at a bar and some drunk dude went and stood front row right infront of What has been your biggest accomplishment to me and and heckled me the whole show. That was fun. date with music?

If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self what would you tell yourself?

I would say just being able to pay my bills by playing music. I'm still fascinated that I can do this and people pay me to do it.

I don't know. Maybe not choose [music] as a career path [laughs]. No, but it's just a hard thing to do, and there are probably easier ways to make a living.

Biggest struggle the band has gone through?

The hardest time was right before we went on hiatus and going our separate ways. Me and the other guy So in a world were music didn't exist what wouldthat started Lydia together just couldn't get along you be doing? anymore and that was tough. He wanted to go one direction and I wanted to go the other. I think that was I think I would probably doing something with the really a blessing because it turned Lydia into that it is ocean. Like a marine biologist or oceanographer. The today. ocean fracinates me with how much stuff is in there. I don't know if you can really make a living doing that, but I would probably do that with my time.

Interview by: Nicole Stephens

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PVRIS Rise Records and Friends Tour May 5th, 2014 Chain Reaction Anaheim, California Photo by: Danielle Morrison

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HEARTIST Hollow Bodies Tour May 11th, 2014 DNA Lounge San Francisco, California Photo by: Nicole Stephens

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AU REVOIR SIMONE April 19th, 2014 Fox Theater Oakland, California

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