Issue 4 / Spring 2019 (Suburban Rose Magazine)

for CHARITY

+

andrew mcmahon roman lewis derek ted

4: SPRING 2019 suburbanrose.com

100% OF SALE PROFITS DONATED see inside for details

Graphic: Freepik.com

sponsored

IT’S TIME TO GIVE. profits from sales of this issue will be distributed evenly to the dear jack foundation, which supports childhood/young adult cancer patients, and the children’s hospital of philadelphia, which supports research into childhood diseases. please be aware that neither charity is affiliated with suburban rose magazine or necessarily endorses anything said in this issue, and that the below logos are solely used for informative purposes. we dig their missions and think you will too.

Editor-in-Chief Alex Music · Check it: Derek Ted (20) IG: @alexmvsic

Graphic Design Kat Combs · Work on pages 10, 26, & 27 IG: @klcombs95

Misc. Staff

Gabrielle Miranda · Check it: Spotlight: Adele Sakey (22) IG: @l0vinggabby

Kylee Grimwood · Check it: Issue 4 Mix (5) Twitter: @kyleegrimwood

WE

Victoria Hamersky · Check it: Roman Lewis (26) Twitter: @torihamersky

Audrey Battis · Check it: An Evening with The Band CAMINO (14) IG: @audreybattis

OUR STAFF

Molly McCaul · Check it: Andrew

McMahon Behind The Wilderness (6) Twitter: @houseonaiake

Please respect our staff/community. Material from this magazine may not be reproduced without credit to or permission from its owner, which when not stated is Suburban Rose LLC.

table of

contents

what’s been new? 4 issue 4 mix 5 andrew mcmahon 6

spotify, streams, and small artists 10 the band CAMINO 14 derek ted 20 spotlight: adele sakey 22 roman lewis 26 trending 28 2

Issue Four

Photo: Anisha Essani

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

a note from alex music, founder & editor-in-chief

beauty in the chaos

I

’m vastly thrilled to be able to do a Suburban Rose issue in support of charity. Shoutout to our photographer Bethany Camp for this idea (she’s the best). All sale profits will be donated to the Dear Jack Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, two amazing organizations benefitting children and young adults facing illness.

Time for a confession: Issue 4 has been full of twists and turns for nearly everyone involved. Even back in November, when it first was being organized, we ran into problems that resulted in the planned cover being scratched and having to go back to square one behind the scenes. But with all our staff coming together earlier this year to brainstorm who we could

feature, we were able to turn this issue into something beautiful.

The Band CAMINO are our cover this time around, shot by Audrey Battis, and we’re crazy excited about that. Another swervy path with that shoot, but we’ll save that story for later. Props to Audrey for making it work and delivering a great interview and amazing photos (flip to page 14).

You can see more of her shots on page 6 for the Andrew McMahon interview, conducted by Molly McCaul and one of my absolute favorite pieces in this issue. The Andrew McMahon interview showed us once again the importance of perseverance in getting what we want in our magazine, and I couldn’t be prouder of us for working it out.

This issue has been construct-

ed during the busiest few months of my life so far, which is why I decided to make it shorter and more quality rather than longer and watered down.

I’ve learned from Issue 4 just how much I’m able to commit to Suburban Rose, and that sometimes, it takes a bit of chaos to get to a beautiful destination.

Cheers,

Alex Music, EIC suburbanrosealex@gmail.com SuburbanRose.Com | @SuburbanRoseMag

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community.

a q u a r t e r ly c h at w i t h o u r re a d e r s .

WHAT’S BEEN NEW? Who’s your favorite small artist right now? keaton henson -@bvlevard friends at the falls!!

-@lindseyalexisphotos Leland Blue -@taylorjenkss Kayla Seeber -@x.em.xx

What are some charities more people should be supporting?

What has been your favorite concert experience? halloween 2018 @ curtain club DTX with hate drugs, harbour, the jacks & sara king. everyone was dressed up and dancing; it was beautiful.

-@badattitudemedia Panic! at the Disco at the Midflorida Amphitheatere!

-@x.em.xx

CureRock -@sooper_whit Bay Area Girls Rock Camp -@caseygotrobbed girls behind the rock show, half access, lead diy, no more dysphoria, our music my body -@kylee.grimwood the mastocytosis socitety!

-@cassandraanelante

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Attending SWMRS album release show in SF. The crowd knew all the lyrics even though the album had just been released the night before.

It felt really significant, and it was cool to see how excited the band was simply from us singing along.

-@caseygotrobbed

Background: Starline - Freepik.com, Photo: Audrey Battis

issue 4 mix by kylee

grimwood

The Band CAMINO - Something to Hold On To Hall Johnson - Cabins Jack’s Mannequin - Dark Blue Derek Ted - Lu Hala - Sorry Something Corporate - Punk Rock Princess Inning - I’m So Vogue Roman Lewis - Heartbreak Andrew McMahon + The Wilderness - Ohio The Band CAMINO - Less Than I Do

SuburbanRose.Com | @SuburbanRoseMag

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written by

molly mccaul photos:

audrey battis

ANDREW MCMAHON b e h i n d

t h e

w i l d e r n e s s

C

alifornia-based singer, songwriter, and musician Andrew McMahon has had a whirlwind of a year— from embarking on a nationwide tour to releasing his third album under his own name to gearing up to going back on the road, the 36 year-old has been going seemingly nonstop. Yet that seems to be the norm for McMahon; his career, spanning nearly 20 years, has been a whirlwind of albums, tours, and artistic growth nearly unparalleled. In February, before taking the stage at the House of Blues Boston as a stop on his Upside Down Flowers Tour, McMahon took the time to talk to Suburban Rose about brutal honesty, survivorship, and what it takes to up the ante on months-long tours.

The latest album under his Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness moniker, Upside Down Flowers is his quickest release in years— coming less than two years after Zombies on Broadway—but it is nonetheless a personal effort. Speaking to the at-times seemingly anxious energy tracks like “Blue Vacation” carry, McMahon laughed, explaining how “Upside Down Flowers was actually the least anxious I’ve been when writing an album.”

McMahon then described how it was written at his California home during “a time off the road,” a period of rest that seems hard to come by now with a hectic tour and promotional schedule.

“It was part of a greater writing practice. [...] I built writing blocks into my day.” These blocks fit the rhythm that dropping his 4 year-old daughter off at school created. That sense of rhythm and stability, he says, created “a more reflective lens for the album.”

Across his career— from the angst-ridden Something Corporate in the early 2000s to his first solo project, Jack’s Mannequin, to now — McMahon has always been transparent and openly honest, something not lost on this new record. When asked about finding a balance between personal privacy and honest artistry, he was equally open: “you really can’t separate [the two]. The reality is that you have to put yourself out there, which can be tough, especially with people close to you, but there’s always an understanding.” He described his narrative songwriting style as a means of creating “intentional poetry” out of SuburbanRose.Com | @SuburbanRoseMag

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life, but “as a person, you fail, and having to expose the worst side of yourself is hard. But it’s how I cope [...] you just do it. It’s a form of therapy.” At the end of the day, McMahon views his music as a means of connecting with people.

This mantra, it seems, goes well beyond the music. Following treatment for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2005 and a successful bone marrow transplant that’s left him in remission for 13 years, McMahon founded the Dear Jack Foundation, a charity focusing on supporting adolescents and young adults with cancer.

When it comes to discussing his experience with cancer treatment, McMahon said, “There was a time where I had to address being sick. Immediately afterwards, a lot of people asked about it. [...] It’s easy now because it’s far enough in my rearview. I don’t look at [the illness] and get jealous of my life before it because I’ve had such a rich post-cancer life.”

As McMahon explained, the organization’s focus comes from the fact that “young people aged fifteen to thirty-nine, they’re facing a diagnosis but have the least support and research. We’re proud to be one of the few organizations focused on them, but there needs to be more.”

Speaking more to the work Dear Jack Foundation does, he talked about how “we host retreats four times a year for young adult survivors and their spouses.” These retreats offer the opportunity “to focus on the idea of getting to healthy living post-cancer [...] We want to let people know that there’s a life after [treatment]. Most young adults survive, and the battle is with survivorship.” The impact the organization has is evident, and McMahon spoke to the importance of it.

“I hear people say that the best days of their lives are because of services Dear

“We all fuck up the same way. The hope is it gives people that same peace [that it brings me].”

Jack provided, and that’s what ends up mattering.”

One of Dear Jack’s biggest events is their annual November 11th benefit concert, which this past year was hosted in Boston at The Royale.

When it comes to the event, McMahon explained how he “want[s] to make the Dear Jack Benefit about charity” and “how to make a difference,” not just celebrating music. Even beyond the Benefit, Dear Jack Foundation still plays heavily into the set; at every show, McMahon makes note of the foundation, the work it does, and the importance of AYA cancer research.

But when heading into this current tour, McMahon had an entirely different viewpoint. For much of 2018, he was on the road with his bandmates on The Pen and The Piano Tour, a behemoth of an acoustic 3-hour performance that featured a Mr. Rogers-style living room and plenty of banter. Discussing the approach to that tour, McMahon said, “It wasn’t a

run around. We had to actually keep the crowd attentive. [...] We had to get people excited but ready to listen to these stories or the jokes.” Coming out of it, and moving into this fully electric tour, McMahon admitted that he wanted to “up the theatrics. We had a lot of fun with the Mr. Rogers set up for [last tour], so we wanted this tour to be whimsical and theatrical, but less of a rambling style.”

Where The Pen and The Piano Tour was more relaxed, with plenty of intermissions, this current Upside Down Flowers Tour is high-energy.

Describing the setlist, McMahon said it’s difficult to curate, but credited his background for aiding in the process.

“It’s not easy, [but] the fact I started as a fan, as someone who loves to see shows, that’s a huge part of me. So it wouldn’t feel right to just do one and a half or two hours of just new stuff.”

Instead, he’s “fortunate fans have been plugged in for two or more bands [...]

You’ll always hear [Something Cor-

porate’s] ‘I Woke Up in a Car,’ you’ll always hear ‘Dark Blue’ [from Jack’s Mannequin], ‘Cecilia and the Satellite,’ we always like to play ‘em.” This tour set is notably longer than previous ones, clocking in at 2 hours. McMahon realized that he’d have to lengthen the set to accommodate the new record, and “made a point with the set to change it from last tours.” This meant cycling out some old songs, and introducing tracks that hadn’t been played for a while, such as the power ballad “MFEO” from 2006’s Everything in Transit. “You can’t please everyone, but if you know 2 of my bands, you’ll enjoy the show [and] if you’ve come to see one or more shows, you’ll hear something new. It’s not all b-sides.”

Upside Down Flowers is now available via Fantasy Records. To support the Dear Jack Foundation, visit dearjackfoundation.org. Suburban Rose Magazine is proud to donate half of the profits from the sale of this issue to Dear Jack Foundation.

SuburbanRose.Com | @SuburbanRoseMag

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community.

by

Mia McGill

IG: @miarosemcgill Twitter: @miarosemcgill

Spotify, streams, and small artists: a look beyond your Discover Weekly mixes S

treaming services have been on the rise since the early 2000s with the introduction of trailblazers like Rhapsody and Pandora.

Today, millions of people around the world flock to big-name providers like Spotify and Apple Music, as they boast some of the most expansive collections of tracks on the internet for a flat monthly fee. It seems almost too good to be true – for the consumer, that is.

The reality for a majority of independent artists in today’s streaming market is minimal revenue and recognition, and the main problem with streaming is this: while it does increase overall accessibility to smaller

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artists’ music, the way it’s set up now is a rich-get-richer scheme in which a small percentage of top artists receive most of the streaming revenue while independent artists see little to no return on the hours of hard work put in to produce content.

Since I don’t have much firsthand experience dealing with the headaches of the industry, I talked with a few friends and artists I’ve met over the years to get a better idea of the artist perspective. This ended up ranging from local bands with a smaller following to nationally touring acts with six–figure monthly listener counts.

Contrary to popular belief, artists don’t upload their music directly to most streaming or download services – instead, tracks first have to go through a distribution service. Sporting catchy names like Record Union and TuneCore, each service offers up a different set of quirks, from stream analytics reports to marketing tools like Instagram Story stickers. While most newcomers choose a user-friendly, simplistic host like CD Baby or DistroKid, many seasoned artists have settled comfortably on a more niche service that meets their specific needs.

One of the major differences between services is fee structure, and each

Graphic: Kat Combs

artist has their own preference. For example, Inning, the dream pop-y bedroom project of Charlottesville-based Evan Frolov, has been steadily putting out a single every couple of months since the release of debut EP D.C. Party Machine. With a full-length release a much more distant goal, Inning benefits from the use of DistroKid. Rather than paying the relatively high single costs charged by per-release distributors, Frolov’s yearly flat fee scores him unlimited track uploads. This is much more economical and efficient for an artist who puts out several small releases – other distributors charge as much as $10 per single.

Streaming has further complicated the finances of small artists in that rather than releasing music on their own terms, they are forced to play catch-up in an industry not conducive to their success. Streaming services have only really come to the forefront of the music world in the past decade – gone are the days where an artist’s first release would be a homemade CD sold at shows and to friends and family, now replaced with digital distribution to the masses. Ian Ruhala, the Detroit native behind the project Hala, points this out, telling me he “only just recently acquired physical, real copies of [his] music, for merchandise at shows/ when on tour,” and pointing out that, to the independent artist, “streaming really is everything.” And for Ruhala, this especially holds true – boasting almost 400,000 monthly listeners and millions of streams on his top tracks on Spotify.

Since a majority of small artists operate without the assistance of a label, they have to do all of their distribution and marketing themselves. Spotify in particular lends a hand with this, in the form of curated playlists. Inning and Hall Johnson are two bands that have benefitted from this, with their respective songs “Glow !” and “City Lights” earning sports on official Spotify playlists that skyrocketed their listener counts virtually overnight. Trevor Stovall, who wears the many hats of guitarist, keyboard player, and manager for DFW rockers Hall Johnson attributes the band’s early success to this, noting that “Spo-

tify is really good about adding smaller artists to their big playlists, which is how [they] got the boost to some songs like ‘City Lights,’” a track boasting over 320,000 streams since its 2017 release.

Stovall also comments on the multitude of marketing tools Spotify offers, from a “concerts” tab to artist biographies and playlists, comparing it to a “simplified EPK (Electronic Press Kit).” This is a significant characteristic pretty much unique to Spotify that gives bands that can’t afford a website the opportunity to centralize their links and information. Band-

To the independent artist, “streaming really is everything.”

-Ian Ruhala (Hala) camp, a combination music streaming and download site, offers these same features, but Caroline Weinroth, frontwoman of sixties-reminiscent rock band Cinema Hearts, makes the point that it “isn’t popular outside of the indie music crowd.” This is painfully true – while Bandcamp is one of the few services that truly emphasizes direct artist support, it only reaches a very specific audience. While the several millions they pay to artists monthly may seem like a lot, when you consider the hundreds of thousands of artists using the platform in addition

to the amount of popular artists selling their music there, it still amounts to a very small payout to the majority of independent artists.

Aside from audience, another reason Spotify trumps smaller competitors like Bandcamp is the social aspect. In the past few years, millennial and Gen Z demand has spurred the socialization of many mundane aspects of life, from dining to even making payments. While things like Instagramming and Yelp reviewing every meal or trying to find a funny caption for your Venmo transfer might seem like futuristic fads, the sharing of music is no new concept. Before Spotify, there were mix CDs, and before that, mixtapes. Spotify simply digitizes a tradition that dates back decades.

With the strongest social integration of any music service on the market, Spotify is very attractive to smaller bands looking to grow their following. Aside from official playlists, one of the biggest exposure opportunities on Spotify comes from grassroots support. Spotify’s 180,000,000+ users all have the ability to make and share their own playlists both publicly and among their network of friends.

Word-of- mouth is generally one of the most widely used and effective forms of promotion in any industry, and the music business is no exception. Most of the best bands and songs I’ve ever listened to have been at the suggestion of friends, and I’m sure most others can say the same.

Another significant benefit of Spotify is the analytics you have access to as an artist, which includes stats on the gender, age, and location of your listeners, among other things.

This is especially helpful in planning marketing campaigns and tours, as seen in LA indie-funk band Vulfpeck’s infamous Sleepify record. The 2014 project, which the band introduced in a short video, was to fund an entire tour by getting fans to stream an album of completely silent songs while they slept, hence the name. The album contained ten tracks all around a halfminute long, as Spotify counts one stream as thirty seconds of listening.

Until Spotify removed the album for a violation of content terms, the band made over $20,000, which was used SuburbanRose.Com | @SuburbanRoseMag

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to fund a free tour through the cities that streamed it the most. This “clever stunt,” as it was called by Spotify, was a fantastic experiment on streaming royalty policy and listener analytics, and showed the influence of marketing in a service like Spotify.

However, for all of the great things Spotify offers, the small musician sees a ridiculously low financial return on streams. Although it ranges based on a number of factors, most artists make around half a cent per stream. This is just not conducive to sustainability and success for most small artists – Pat Davis, bassist for Richmond emo/alt band Downhaul,

tells me that all four of their members work full-time jobs to fund their music. Davis says that it’s a double-edged sword, as “while it can make availability difficult, it makes it pretty easy to finance any musical endeavors.”

Downhaul just released their first fulllength EP with the backing of a label and have since gained a feature on an official Spotify playlist, so they’re hopeful to see an increased return on investment in streaming revenue.

Overall, Spotify streaming, like most things, presents several very significant pros and cons. While it does provide many marketing and analytics tools for the artist, it also

operates on a disproportionate royalty model in which bands with tens of thousands of streams have yet to break even on their production and release costs. Most small artists consider it a necessary evil, as although it pays less to the actual artist, the reach and accessibility it provides is an absolute necessity in today’s industry climate.

So, next time you find an artist you like, maybe consider just shelling out the few bucks to buy their music directly from them.

“although [spotify] pays less to the actual artist, the reach and accessibility it provides is an absolute necessity in today’s industry climate.”

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long live the hype. #watchusbloom

Photo: Freepik.com

suburbanrose.com/p/issues

from the cover.

shot + interviewed by

audrey battis

i n n g e v wit e h an

Let’s jump right in. What was your inspiration for your new single “Something To Hold On To”?

Jeffery: That was a co-write; we wrote that song with our friend, Matt Wertz. I don’t really know the specific inspiration for the song. Me, Graham, Spence, and Matt all wrote that together. We cranked it out in like 5 hours.

Graham: One of the things we talked about is when you have a breakup, there’s always one person that’s looking for a piece of that to hold on to. That wasn’t necessarily the specific inspiration, but that was definitely the main theme. You’re brokenhearted, she’s moving on, and you’re looking for a piece of that.

Spencer: You know, holding on to the good parts of the relationship: “Something good, something real, something I can really, really feel,” to quote the song.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

Graham: Right now, we all really love “Less Than I Do.” Graham: It just feels right; it just meshes really well. It’s just a groovy song. The nature of the song is very laid back. We haven’t played it live that much (it’s kind of fresh).

Garrison: It’s kind of funny. For some reason in my mind, I was like, “This is gonna be impossible to pull off live,” and then the first time we played it, it was easy, and we were like “oh, cool.” It’s just everybody’s favorite.

Where did the name “The Band CAMINO” come from?

Graham: We had a song, “Young,” the first song we ever really wrote together. We were trying to release it on Soundcloud when we were first starting, and we were trying to come up with a name because you can’t release a song without a band name. We had this group text, and we had all these names and we were like, “If any of them stick, say something,” and no one was saying anything. Everyone would be like, “That’s kind of cool,” but there was always one person that would be like, “No.” Then I saw an El Camino car and was like, “What about ‘Camino’?” And everyone [could kind of] see that, but we weren’t fully into it. At that point we were kind of frustrated, and I was like, “Hey, it’ll look cool on a shirt, I promise.” Also, any band name is kind of weird until they either make it or say it enough. So that’s kind of how that happened. All the socials for Camino were taken because it’s a Spanish word, so it was “The Band Camino.” People started calling us that and it just kind of stuck. Also, “camino” means path in Spanish, so [the band “path”] was kind of chosen. That’s not why we chose it, but it’s kind of cool. It was honestly a little impulsive, but it made sense, and it was what was supposed to happen, and now we love it.

“it was honestly a little impulsive, but it made sense.”

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When do you feel you really established your sound?

Jeffery: I’d say we’re still currently doing that.

Graham: It’s always a process. I feel like personally when I realized people were connecting with it, which maybe wasn’t when we realized our sound, but for me, it felt right. We made it because we like it but we can also see the tangible number of people it’s connected with. So for me, that’s when I was like, “Okay, whatever sound this is, it’s us, and it’s working.”

Graham: There’s definitely a certain vibe about all our songs.

Jeffery: But we do listen to a lot of different music and we kind of take that into our own music, and we just wanna make music that we wanna hear. We’re still kind of honing in on what that is: we know what it is, but I think the more music we put out, the more we achieve that. If you took one song and were like, “Oh, this is what they sound like,” it wouldn’t be a fair representation of our music. If you take an album, whenever we finally do an album, that will encompass who we are.

Spencer: Who we are kind of is that eclectic mix, once we started working with a producer, having an outside voice, it made us who we are. You don’t realize the inner mechanisms of the band until someone else comes in. As soon as he entered, it was like, “This is what is and this is what isn’t us.” It’s hard to really know who you are until you’re challenged in some way.

Garrison: That’s the thing: our producer Jordan Schmidt, he’s really talented. But what’s been interesting is before we all started playing together, I had known some of [the band’s] songs and they came and showed me some of the new stuff that we were gonna be recording. I think once there was personal change and co-writes with all kinds of different people, the cool part was seeing the old Band Camino vs the [new] Band Camino; we still have the roots there but the evolution or natural growth of The Band CAMINO is continuing, which I think is the same with any band.

Jeffery: The one thing that we do wanna stay true to is the fact that we’re a band. [Like], getting up there and recreating how we sound [but in a] live [setting].

Spencer: That’s our commonality, more than anything: that we think being in a band is badass. The era of bands is not right now, there’s not a ton of bands, but we’re in it for the long haul because we think it’s sick. We believe in bands.

“we believe in bands.”

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How did you guys meet?

Spencer: Graham and I went to middle school and high school together, so I’ve known him since he was like 13. We also did choir and stuff together in high school. Then Graham recruited Jeff to play bass from his original country act, which was just self-titled Jeffrey Jordan. You know, those country hits, just living the simple life, haha. We’ll have to bring it back sometime.

Jeffrey: When I met Graham it was like the fall of my country days, because he and all his friends were super indie and wore tight jeans.

They were all just really good at music, and I started hanging out with them and met Spencer. We actually went on a spring break trip together, and we had hung out a few times, but it wasn’t until that trip that we were actually friends. You know, nothing like a good beach trip to really bond you with your friends. It was [around] March of 2015. We started the band; we had been practicing together and writing together over the summer.

Graham: Then, we had gone through a couple of drummers. Andrew, he founded the band with us, but then decided he wanted to go a different direction, but we still support him, obviously. Then we met Caleb after Andrew.

After Caleb, we were auditioning people, and we were really trying to be intentional about the fit because we didn’t wanna be the band that can’t hold a drummer. It wasn’t just who can play, it was who was cool. We’d auditioned a lot of our friends, and at one point we were getting kind of desperate, and I had Garrison’s number from a mutual friend and I texted him and I was like, “Yo, if you just know the songs and you’re cool, it’s gonna be great.”

Garrison: I just looked at him and I was like, “Dude, I got you.”

Graham: So I called the guys and I was like, “Yo, I found the guy.” They asked if I’d heard him play and I was like, “No, but he’s cool.”

Jeffrey: I just remember Graham being like, “Yo, I just had coffee with Garrison. I think he’s gonna be the guy.”

Graham: We had a fourth of July party, and everyone was kinda drunk. We have a studio space in the basement, and Garrison was playing drums with a couple of our other friends, and they were just jamming, and I was like, “Guys, just go downstairs.” And that’s when we knew.

What (or who) has been your biggest influence as a band?

Jeffery: I feel like this is cliché to say, but I feel like the 1975 have been our common denominator. That’s what made being in a band cool at a certain point in our lives.

Spencer: Their first record was one that — we say this through and through — it made being in a band very desirable, it made it look so cool.

You know, getting up on stage [with] the guitars, and just rocking out and being emo.

Jeffery: In the mid-2000s, [there were] a lot of bands like that: the Killers, Coldplay, Kings of Leon, stuff like that— those are all huge influences for us.

Spencer: It’s kind of funny for us, the 1975, it’s an easy comparison.

Jeffery: We love them but we got compared to them so much. When we first started doing this, people would be like, “Oh, you sound like the 1975,” and we were like, “Oh that’s sick!”

But now, 3 years later, we’re trying to develop our own sound. We definitely have created our own thing and own sound, but they definitely still are a big influence.

“ b eyo n d mu s i c , we’re a l l co n s u m e r s of a r t .”

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Graham: Yeah, but that record, you know how you have a few things that you remember exactly what you were doing when they happened? I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard that record. I wanted to play bass for a Katy Perry or a Justin Bieber, but when I heard that record, that was the moment I was like, “Damn, I could be a part of a band.”

I feel like that’s a generational thing too, like the Beatles and stuff, but I think for us coming of age, that was the influence. I mean, we all come from different backgrounds: I come from a classic rock background, Spence comes from a choir/choral background, Jeff loved country music and songwriting, and [laughs] I don’t know, Garrison just likes a lot of stuff. We all just bring a bit of everything.

Spencer: Beyond music, we’re all consumers of art. Yeah, I’d say it’s hard for us to name any specific influences outside of music, just because we were such music consumers above anything. But we’re all constantly reading or going through Instagram looking through art pages, and staying current. Trying to keep up with what’s happening, and stay socially relevant.

Can we expect a full album anytime soon?

Jeffery: Yes, soon being relative, but yes. We are going to put out a record.

We’ve been writing so many songs, demo-ing so many songs; that’s the goal we’re working towards. We want to do it as soon as possible, but we also don’t wanna rush it. You can only make your first album once. The bigger we get, the more things we’ll have going on, the more producers, more studio time, budgeting, etc. If we had made the album a year ago we wouldn’t have had the same opportunities. We would’ve been like, “Oh, we could’ve done this with this producer that we love, and this studio that we love.”

“ yo u c a n o n ly m a ke yo u r f i r s t album o n ce .”

Spencer: We have a sense of urgency about it — the sense of urgency to release music period — but we’re also such artists and perfectionists that we don’t wanna put out something that we don’t feel reflects this part of our lives or this time in our musical careers. We just want it to be sick, we want it to be good. We want it to be a sick band record. We’re not ready to 100% put that all out and record it all.

We don’t have five free months to put that together right now.

Garrison: It’s not time, but it will be.

Spencer: We know what it is necessary to make it happen, and we’re gonna do it in the next year and a half or two years. There will be music before then, of course, we’ll keep putting out singles.

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derek ted alex music

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Where do you draw inspiration from musically? Any specific personal events, or other artists?

Writing music has always been a way for me to process and cope with my own feelings and get out everything that’s just been rattling around in my brain. Most things I go through in life, happy or sad, probably end up in a song somewhere along the line. As far as long-term songwriting inspirations, I’ve always really looked up to Fionn Regan and Anthony Green; they capture a pure emotion that’s always really resonated with me.

“Lu” stands as your most streamed song on Spotify. Did you anticipate this response?

I did not at all. [I wrote] this song for my dog Lu Anne when she passed away. I wrote it and recorded it in a couple hours and decided to share. I had no idea it would be heard by that many people. Sending Lu Anne love 4ever.

Which one of your songs would you say is the most emotionally significant to you?

It’s hard to say... I’d like to think every song I’ve written has had some significant part of my life and growth. Sometimes I write a hopeful song to pull me out of the darkness, while others are just embracing it. I think when I wrote the song “hourglass sand” I was going through a hard time and coping with losing one of my close friends. It’s still one of the more emotionally vulnerable tracks I have made.

What do you love most about live shows?

I love feeling the connection to others and being able to share my songs and stories with others. I also love being silly on stage and having fun in between songs. I think as serious as my songs can be, it’s important to remember to have fun. I think people are down to get emo with me once they know I’m just a weird silly dude. It’s really a freeing feeling being fully vulnerable... just sharing my truths and singing my songs.

Speaking of live shows: you’re set to tour with Private Island in May. What should we expect?

It’s my first full band tour and I will be joined by my awesome band (Timothy Vickers, Lucas Siobal, Olivia Gerber). We will be playing a bunch of new songs! I’ve been flinging myself around the country touring solo for the past few years, so I’m really excited to share the full vision of these songs with everyone. I’m hella excited.

You recently released “Love is a Wild Thing.” Can we anticipate more releases soon, or any upcoming projects?

Yes! I have a full LP done called “better spirit.” I’m currently figuring out the last few things with the release and hoping to share it as soon as I can. It’s fully a new chapter in my sound and I’m very stoked to share.

Photos: Left- Salma Bustos (@salmabustos), Right- Chris Kalil (@_emochrist)

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spotlight: adele sakey women in photography interview by gabrielle miranda photos/responses by adele sakey (@adelesakey) 22

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How did you get into photography?

influences the photos that you create?

After my freshman year of high school my family and I moved cities. This wasn’t the first time we moved, but it was one of the first notable changes in my life. I’ve grown to embrace change, but at the time, I really had no idea how to grapple with the emotions of leaving the only city I had called home. Since we moved in the summer months, I didn’t have a ton of things keeping me busy.

Suburban Boston, much like Boston itself, is a place that requires you to make your own fun. One day, in the midst of feeling some combination of lonely, anxious, and bored, I decided to go for a walk. On my way out the door I grabbed my dad’s old DSLR, and the rest is history!

I feel as though everyone in my life influences my photos in some regard. I think art is the outcome of a particular set of circumstances (certain events, relationships, memories, etc), and if those factors were to change, even in a minor way, my art would as well. The degree to which these relationships influence my photography varies, but at the moment, I feel most inspired by the musicians I have the privilege of working with as well as other female photographers, many of whom never cease to amaze me.

How long have you been doing photography for?

About five years.

What inspired you to begin photography?

The previously discussed feeling of loneliness, anxiety, and boredom, coupled with a desire to create and make sense of the way I viewed the world.

Would you say you have someone that

You have a very certain and unique style.

How long/how did you set on your style of editing/shooting?

Thank you! I feel like my editing style is always evolving and changing. One reason for this is because I try to infuse the aesthetic of whoever I’m photographing into the image, as a means of best capturing the spirit of my subject.

How would you describe your style?

Oh gosh. I tend to gravitate towards bright and saturated tones. I love a strong contrast, little grain/noise, and always have my prisms and crystals by my side to augment light.

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How is it being a female in a male dominated career?

I will dare to say that most industries are male dominated, and even in the ones that aren’t, Z there still exist societal conventions which create an increased level of difficulty to female career development. From a young age I learned to accept this would be the case in virtually any career path I ventured down. It can be difficult to not let this mentality change to passivity, as there always comes a point when I think things just aren’t going to improve. I feel as though working within a male dominated field is as much a battle with myself as it is with the powers that be. Over time, I’ve learned to correct my self deprecating behavior by ceasing to treat my existence as

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something I need to apologize for and by advocating for myself; however, I still find it easier to advocate for others. In expressing my admiration and appreciation for other people’s art, I’ve fallen into communities and built relationships that are mutually beneficial and uplifting.

What has been the hardest point in your career?

I don’t know if there is a single most difficult point. Honestly, most of it is pretty difficult. I’m not ashamed to say there have been many times I’ve broken down crying from stress, fear that I wasn’t good enough, etc. I still do. Overall, the hardest aspect of my career is learning to feel content in my work, and not needing the validation of other to achieve this confidence.

What has been the best point in your career?

It’s a common saying that you’re your own harshest critic and I think this is completely true. There have been a few times when I’ve been hired to photograph someone and once I send them the photos, you can tell their confidence level has gone up. Being able to see yourself, captured by someone else, void of the flaws you overanalyze, is a gift I love giving to people.

Any advice for aspiring photographers?

Take every opportunity that comes, but don’t feel bad if you need to take a break.

roman lewis

victoria hamersky

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Can you share with our readers how you got into music?

I started out dancing but got a knee injury and was left with no creative outlet, so instead of dancing to music I decided to make it myself. I was originally just playing covers, but at 13 when I started playing gigs, I heard everyone playing their own songs and thought it would be a good idea to do the same. Writing’s now definitely become my favorite part. Around my 15th birthday I recorded some songs at my mate’s house, one of them being “Mindless Town,” and released them on Soundcloud. It all sort of escalated from there, really.

Tell us more about your latest EP Heartbreak (for now). What was the inspiration behind it?

Heartbreak (for now) is about my first encounter with love. I’m about to record the second EP, which is sort of just a continuation of that.

Your songs “Ways” and “I’m a Fool For You” are unlike any other song you currently have out. What made you want to create songs that stray away from your usual sound?

I didn’t really want to have a usual sound. I want to explore different sounds and this was one of them. Also, it’s nice to have some boppy songs in the live set. In “Ways,” I was trying to recreate party music because that’s what I’m talking about in the song and with “I’m a Fool for You.” I wanted to write a song you could dance to.

Does the music scene in London in your mind differ from that of the U.S. in any way?

Photo: Hollie Fernando

I mean, I don’t know how much it really differs, apart from the accent. There are different trends I guess. I’m loving the whole post-punk movement that’s going on in the UK at the moment and artists like King Krule and Wolf Alice, and then the whole Car Seat Headrest/Snail Mail, Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers with all her collabs thing in the U.S. scene. There’s great music coming from everywhere!

Photo: Hollie Fernando

It’s a right of passage in almost every artist’s career to play a music festival.

Which festival would you love to play?

Yeah, I love festivals! I’ve been to Reading Festival more than any other so to play there would be fun. Glastonbury is obviously a dream. I went to Dour Festival last year and it was loads of fun so it could be cool to play there.

BBC is a huge deal in the U.K. What was it like being chosen as the BBC Muc Introducing artists?

It felt amazing! I mean, all this sort of stuff feels a bit surreal, but then they happen and little by little this whole music thing becomes less of a dream and more of a beautiful reality.

Heartbreak (For Now) album art

Can you share with us your plans for the future? Can we expect an album or headline tour anytime soon?

I’m going into the studio to record the second EP and plan on releasing it later this year. As soon as there are enough people that want to see me, there will definitely be a headline tour.

Probably gonna have to be the occasional show until that comes though.

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