That Mag - May 2014

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

IN THIS ISSUE 4

Editor’s Letter

5

The Faint

6

Uh Huh Her

8 Polica 9

Manchester Orchestra

10

Xponential Fest

11 Griz 12 Elbow 14

Semi Precious Weapon

15 Firefly 17

Rich Quick

18

Jean Jacket

19 Skeme 20

Walk off the Earth

22 Kongos 23

Rainbow Alternative

24

Cambridge Recording

25

Morning Parade

26

Black Stars

27

Governor’s Ball

28

Sir Sly

30

Heat Thunder

32 Jetta 34

Cake Life

36

Laura Guzzo

38

The Rooks

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STAFF: Brenda Hillegas, Editor-In-Chief Kristen Brennan, Art Director Angel Espindola, Cover Design Jodie Saueraker, Operations Manager Brian Cronin, Managing Editor Dan Emmons, Content Manager Janelle Engle, Sales and Marketing CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Andi Bricklin, Dalissa Reeder, Dan Emmons, Donte Kirby, Erinn Fortson, Jane Rose, Janelle Engle, Jaz Bowens, Joe Jamnitzky, Lexi Bissonnette, Malana Battle, Marcus W. Bonner, Matt Kelchner, Melissa Duong, Melissa Komar, Michelle Singer, Sebastian Mackay PHOTOGRAPHY: Rony Alwin, Charlotte Christopher, Tim Branscum, Carolyn Dentz, Allyce Engelsonn, Chase Epstein, Steve Gullick, Joshua Hanford, Frank Jacobs, Danny Kongo, Mikeyes, Dominic Perri, Ates Isildak, Erin O’Connell, Orion 2, Red Frog Events, Nadine Rovner, Michael Russo, Derrick Santini, Lisa Schaffer, Allison Schroeder, Tom Sheehan, Skeme Geeezy Productions, Bill Sitzmann, Andrew Thomas Lee, Graham Tolbert, Shawn Van Dael, Nick Walker INTERNS: Michelle Leah, Michelle Singer PUBLISHER: Brian Cronin CONTACT: www.ThatMusicMag.com THAT MAG 1341 N. Delaware Avenue, Suite 208, Philadelphia, PA 19125 QUESTIONS & COMMENTS: E-Mail Brenda at editor@thatmusicmag.com DISTRIBUTION: Mirror Image Media Ardmore, PA 19003 ADVERTISING: janelle@thatmusicmag.com WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Note from the Editor

«

Photo by: Tim Branscum

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I’ll make this short (or at least, I’ll try). There are so many great musicians featured in this issue, that I’d hate to cut down interviews just because I’m babbling about stuff you’ve already heard me say.

So, for this editor’s letter, I’ll just say what I’ve always been stressinggo discover new music. It’s spring, it’s beautiful out and I’m sure you all have a ticket to some sort of festival or concert this summer. For whichever band you are excited to see in the upcoming months, there are ten more waiting for you to hear them.

Go to a show early and hear the opening act. Check out the smaller/locally featured stages at a music festival. By all means, support your friends and check out their bands, but stick around to hear everyone else on the bill, too. If someone invites you to a concert with a free, extra ticket and

you don’t have any other plans, go. Even if you’ve never heard of the band before, just go. You may discover some groups that aren’t worth your time and don’t have their shit together yet. But, you might also discover something that blows your mind and becomes your new favorite. Either way, take time to explore what’s going on and the new sounds that are being created.

I’m sure there are a few bands in this issue you’ve never heard of before, and that’s cool. When we initially talked about this issue a few months ago, I suggested Kongos. Since then, they are blowing up the radio with their single, “Come With Me Now”. Music moves fast, don’t miss your opportunities to discover it.

Enjoy the musicians you’re about to meet in this issue. Then go see them live.

Tell them That Mag says hi.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

The Faint Returns «

T

By Michelle Singer

influences us, why we do the things we do, and the amount of control we may actually possess over our minds.

The title, Doom Abuse, itself has multifaceted meanings. “I don’t want to nail it down to one specific thing. I think it [the title] appealed to me because it could be looked at in different ways.”

Even as Fink talks about the lyrics of the song, “Evil Voices”, a new meaning saunters into view. The lyrics recite “I give hope my money, but waste my time, give ghosts attention, when they need denial”. Fink contemplates, “There are songs about not listening to every thought that your brain comes up

he Faint began their journey as pioneers of a new music genre in the Omaha, Nebraska music scene during the 90s. Their dance-punk sound, laced with new wave synths and social commentary, broke boundaries and embodied angst against the mundane. With the release of Danse Macabre in 2001, their place in the evolution of music solidified and continues to inspire bands daring to mix electro and punk. A band with such fire is bound to burnout, but the group has united and their new approach has ignited a passion to make music again.

Doom Abuse is The Faint’s sixth album and after the long, grueling creation of

The Influential Dance-punk Band are Back with Doom Abuse. its predecessor, Fasciinatiion, the band lost the reason for making music in the first place; enjoyment. Front man Todd Fink discloses, “We didn’t want to drag the making of the record on forever, like we had done in the past to the point where we didn’t even feel like being in a band anymore.” Instead of several years, Doom Abuse took only three months.

The band, consisting of Todd Fink on vocals, Jacob Thiele on keyboards, Michael Dappen on guitar, and Clark Baechle on drums, entered the studio with only one song written. “I think that some of the favorite things I’ve ever done artistically came about very quickly with a sense of immediacy.”

So, the plan was to experimentally let their streams of consciousness flow unchecked. They spat out songs one after another without thinking and at the end, the band was pleasantly surprised by the album’s cohesiveness.

Continual themes and patterns became evident throughout the songs. “I guess what

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« Photo by Bill Sitzmann

We didn’t want to drag “ the making of the record

on forever like we had done in the past to the point where we didn’t even feel like being in a band anymore.

”

I saw as similarities between the songs’ meanings or approaches lyrically was a lot of thinking about thinking was happening.”

So, a record that used the least amount of thinking to be made actually wound up concerning thinking about the process of thinking. Are you following?

The Faint’s lyrics on Doom Abuse are phrases strung together fiddling with many psychological questions. They probe what

with. I guess in a sense that’s one of the meanings of the Doom Abuse title. I don’t know if I realized that until now . . . recognizing when you’re telling yourself something that’s not good for you, that’s what I mean by ‘evil voices.’ If we could only recognize that when it happens, it’s just some chemical in your brain, just some voice in your head telling you something that’s not anymore based in reality than the beautiful thoughts you have.”

Doom Abuse is not short of The Faint’s trademark, tongue-in-cheek social commentary, using imagery such as “necktie noose” and phrases such as “leftwing miracle preys on the hopeful”. Fink explains, “It’s related to the manipulative cultural fear pushed onto people and pushing the news.”

The Faint bring their strobe lights and visuals to The Trocadero 5/13. Their live shows are notoriously memorable experiences and, with this album, the tour is looking to be just as sweat-soaked, chaotic, and cathartic as ever.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

«

Photo by: Allyce Engelsonn

Back To

Innocence Uh Huh Her on the New Album and Their Independence.

«

By: Erinn Fortson

Leisha Hailey and Camilia Grey had to jump a few hurdles after leaving Nettwerk Music Group back in 2009. They became independent in every sense of the word and spent the next few years figuring out what the future looked like for Uh Huh Her. After a lot of hard work, Hailey and Grey found their footing and a new rhythm that worked well for the band. The pressure from the outside world is off, which has allowed these artists to fully take control of their music.

“It’s a huge learning process,” says Grey.

“When you’re an indie artist, ownership is so huge. We finally learned, through the process of doing this on our own, what to do and what not to do.”

Uh Huh Her has just released their third full-length, Future Souls. Hailey and Grey

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have teased all year that the record would be a return to their electronic roots, which is a change from the previous album. With dance tracks like “It’s Chemical” and “Hustle Me”, Uh Huh Her went back to the beginning and channeled the energy felt on Common Reaction.

“Honestly, the last record we did was so rock that we were looking forward to getting back to what we normally do, which is electronic. That was a bit a departure,” says Grey. “All the records I’ve been listening to lately have been electronic. I love electro, I always have. So, it was kind of like going back home in a way.”

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

“ When you’re an indie artist, ownership “It really just feels natural,” adds Hailey.

Production was a lot different this time, too. Nocturnes was created under more stressful circumstances, following Uh Huh Her’s exit from their former label. The recording process for Future Souls proved to be a lot more relaxed and fun.

“We really allowed ourselves time to work, at our own pace and we allowed ourselves to collaborate a lot more on this one,” says Grey. “We have a lot of cowriters on some of the songs, [which] is something we didn’t do with past records.

So that was really exiting, to kind of get a little fresh blood up in the mix.”

“We [also] used to have a studio in the Valley and we moved it to our house,” says Hailey. “So, there was no traveling. It was right there, at our disposal.”

“So, it’s been a really fun process,” continues Grey. “It’s been really leisurely and just for the sheer joy of making music, which I think is a big difference between past albums. We felt a lot of pressure [then]. At this point, we kind of have that figured out, doing it as an indie band. The only pressure [we feel now] is the pressure we put on ourselves. But the process [of making an album] was more enjoyable this time around.”

Hailey and Grey met as strangers, before starting Uh Huh Her in 2007. The decision to form a band together was a quick one, made only a week after the two were introduced to each other. Prior to them joining forces, Hailey and Grey were already musicians in their own right, both bringing impressive backgrounds to the table. Even though they didn’t know each other, Hailey and Grey didn’t waste time with formalities. They wanted to make music together, so that’s exactly what they did.

“Cam and I definitely came from different musical backgrounds,” says Hailey. “But I think at this point, we feel like we got our sound. When you hear our music, you can tell who it is, which I’m proud of.”

7 • THAT MAG MAY

is so huge. We finally learned, through the process of doing this on our own, what to do and what not to do. ”

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The Dog Days of

Summer Touring «

«

By: Matt Kelchner

Photo by Graham Tolbert

Hitting the Festival Circuit With Poliça.

A

fter releasing their most recent and well-received album, Shulamith, last fall, Poliça has been out on the road, touring relentlessly in its support. This year will be no different either. As weeks pass by we get closer and closer to the “festival season”, a time that Poliça is quite familiar with.

“We’ll be touring throughout the rest of the year, most likely,” drummer Drew Christopherson tells me as we talk about the group’s plans. “I think one of the pressures we’ve been feeling is how to advance our live show, but still maintain our spirit as a band. We want to reinvent ourselves with each tour, but it needs to be in a creative way, not just getting some flashy lights and fog, but a real visual concept.” He comments on living up to the pressure of releasing a record like Shulamith, one that both the media and fans adore so much.

Already, the band has survived another year in Austin for SXSW. “Our first year there was incredibly exhausting. We played ten shows in five days,” Christopherson explains. “While that was fun in its own way, having a more relaxed schedule is much more gratifying.”

With showcases for record labels, websites and brands going almost around the clock, it leaves fans and bands alike little time to actually interact with one another. Reflecting on this year’s trip, Christopherson continues, “Getting the chance to spend time with so many people we’ve met and so many of our good friends from home all in one week is the best part about SXSW.” On top of performing at SXSW, Poliça also made the trip out to Boise, ID for the 2014 Treefort Music Festival. Between these two, the band has started their trek around to different festivals early this year.

A band so well versed in touring has seen and experienced festivals of all sizes, both in the United States and abroad.

During our conversation, Christopherson begins to go through the differences between playing stateside and in other countries. “The festival scene in the USA is quite different than in Europe. By that, I mean the ones over here tend to all be very much the same experience.”

In a growing fad that is expanding to more and more cities every year, Christopherson

wishes to see festivals begin to branch out and give themselves their own identities.

“I’m hoping that rather than over saturating, that festivals here start to get a little more creative and artistic.”

Looking back through the years and the numerous stages he’s played with Poliça, Christopherson talks about his favorite memories of past festivals. “Carnaval de Bahidorá at Las Estaces in Mexico was unbelievable. Very cool art installations and a wonderfully designed stage with huge plants everywhere. Perfect size, too, which is about 5,000 people.”

He continues, “we also loved MS Dockville in Hamburg, where all the stages were hand-built on site by a bunch of artists.

Latitude Festival in the UK was very cool, lots of stuff to explore in the woods.”

Christopherson wraps up our interview by simply stating, “we like festivals where it’s more than just some stages and concession stands.” As they hit the road again this summer Poliça looks to carry the strengths of Shulamith onto the stages as they get back on the festival track once more.

DIY Project VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

A

From Start to Finish

«

By: Janelle Engle

F

or a band as established as Manchester Orchestra, recording independently is a terrifying experience for both fans and the band alike. But, Manchester Orchestra made the experience a DIY project from start to finish and one that both they and fans can be very proud of.

Indie rock band Manchester Orchestra got their start in 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia with a steady stream of success since then.

With three studio albums, a few live TV appearances and a well-established fan base, this is not a band one would expect to record independently. But, for the band, it just financially made sense at the time.

They went into the journey of making their new album with a very DIY mindset and the result just might surprise fans.

“I think instead of what some people would do - wander off and make some weird like spacey record, something strange and quirky- we sort of turned it on its head. We sharpened our knives and tools and created something that’s crazy, totally direct and a record that is impactful from the first listen until it’s over.” says singer and guitarist, Andy Hull.

The DIY process of recording Cope started over three years ago and when Hull says they sharpen their tools, he’s not speaking metaphorically. The first six months of Manchester Orchestra’s new album was spent building a studio and sound proofing the house they had just bought in order to record. While Hull 9 • THAT MAG MAY

«

Photo by: Andrew Thomas Lee

Manchester Orchestra’s new album, Cope, was certainly a labor of love.

feels like it was one of the more difficult experiences they’ve had as a band, the end result has only made the band grow.

“I think we were a lot harder on ourselves on this record,” says Hull. Sometimes, when have a record label, they won’t like certain things you’re doing. Out of stubbornness, you’ll like them more. We didn’t really have that voice there for any of it. By the end of 2012, we had fourteen songs. I remember driving home over Christmas, thinking we were pretty close, but this isn’t really it yet.

Then, we ended up writing ten more and only kept one of those fourteen and that’s what ended up becoming the record. “ The aforementioned song out of the fourteen ended up being called “Cope” and, coincidently enough, became the name of Manchester Orchestra’s fourth album.

“When I asked people about the record, just the word “cope”, everybody had a different idea or answer to what it meant to them,” says Hull. “A one syllable word means so many different things to so many different people, whereas our last record was a very ‘look into my soul’ type record. I felt like going in a different direction.”

Cope, a heavy rock album (which was later released under Loma Vista Recordings, as well as Manchester Orchestra’s independent label, Favorite Gentlemen) takes the band in a darker direction, but one that is very rock.

In comparison, Manchester Orchestra’s previous releases feel like opening acts to this loud, high energy album release. This

is not a record to listen to as background music. Cope is a record to soak up from start to finish and allow each song to take a life of its own. Cope develops a new meaning upon each listen which essentially was Hull’s goal, to remain as ambiguous as possible.

“What we loved and what we aimed for with the record, the lyrics and the whole vibe was being interpretive,” says Hull when asked if there was a theme. “There’s no preconceived notion. People cope in every single different way all the time. I wanted it to be your own feeling and your own experience. You can decide what it’s about.”

Listening to the record with that in mind is the best way to approach Cope. Besides the new album, Manchester Orchestera has an exciting few months ahead of them filled with touring, both in US and the UK, as well as doing music festivals including Lollapalooza. They hit Philadelphia at the end of May, with two nights at the TLA. But, after all that hard work, they deserve a little fun. Despite the difficult process from the manual labor to stretching their creativity as far as they can go, Cope has been an experience.

“The record sounds exactly how I want it to sound, so I really can’t be disappointed about anything,” says Hull. We have a strong feeling that new and old fans alike would agree.

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Now in its 21st Year:

Xponential Fest «

By: Lexi Bissonnette

XPN’s summer festival brings music, new and old, to Camden.

Summer is just around the corner and that means bands and concert go-ers are gearing up for the awesome concert series that happen every year, XPN’s Xponential Fest.

The festival is in its 21st year and while the concert series has certainly changed over the years, there are plenty of things that haven’t - such as the “musical discovery that the concert offers,” says Roger LaMay, the station’s General Manager.

“It’s contented to grow but stay true to its original concept,” LaMay continues.

When the concert began, it was a much smaller affair across the bridge. LaMay has been with the station for ten years. “Ten years ago, we moved it off the concrete and onto the grass,” he says. He’s referring to changing the location from Penn’s Landing to Wiggin’s Park in Camden. Now, for the past two years, the concert has expanded even further and includes a few nights at the Susquehanna Bank Center.

Regardless of where the concert has been held or with what bands are performing, it has always held the same goals as when it began. “It’s certainly a festival with an incredible tradition,” says LaMay. “The original intent, and still the intent today, is to be a gathering of the tribe.”

Part of the tradition of the concert is its actual weekend. Traditionally, the concert

runs as close to the same dates as possible.

They also plan around their own events and Camden’s which can offset the date a little.

Another thing that comes into play when booking this concert ties in with perhaps making it more appealing with the bands.

Last year, they pushed it back a week so it lined up with the Newport Festival.

“The reason we did that is because there is a pretty decent overlap between the artists they book and the artists we book. It makes it a lot better for the artists if they can play both places in a similar time frame,” explains LaMay. The 2014 lineup is still currently being booked, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things people can look forward to that have been similar to the past years. There are plenty of other traditions that attendees look forward to every year that have evolved a little and some have stayed the same. The first is a “members of the station” only tradition and it’s a great one for beating the summer heat. Members can get free beverages all weekend long as well as a meet and greet section with the bands. “It’s something we’ve done since the beginning and something we continue to do.”

Perhaps the biggest evolution has been the partnership with Susquehanna Bank Center.

“Around eight, everyone walks over and

included in the ticket price for the weekend is a lawn seat for whatever they’re doing over there.” This means some fantastic headliners get included in the summer plans for Xponential Fest along with the new music that attendees love going for.

“It’s really all centered around musical discovery. People tell me this time after time- they know they’re gonna hear and see some band they’ve never heard of before.

They’ll leave the festival saying ‘oh my goodness, they’re my favorite band now’.

It’s nice if there’s a big name on the bill, but it’s not the reason people listen and come.”

Xponential Fest is definitely a family affair. There is always a range of family events at the Camden Children’s Garden that everyone can look forward to in between the great bands. “There’s very much a family atmosphere. People make it the center piece of their summer. It’s overwhelmingly XPN members and listeners. It’s a really peaceful, friendly crowd.”

Make sure you’ve got the Xponential Fest scheduled as part of your music outings this summer. “It’s all about musical discovery, sharing a live music experience together with people who care about music. And it’s always great to be down along the river in the middle of summer,” says LaMay.

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Photo by: Frank Jacobs

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Dance With Me

GRiZ and the Power to Move a Crowd. « By: Erinn Fortson Grant Kwiecinski is in one of his more relaxing environments the day I speak with him on the phone. The 23-year-old is pretty laid back when he’s not playing the hell out of a saxophone or bouncing around on stage.

The world better knows him as GRiZ, the producer, DJ, and instrumentalist that has described his sound as a collage of music.

Like many of his Motor City peers in the business, GRiZ got a jump-start in the arts, discovering music and his talents during adolescent years. In the 5th grade, a broken obo and childhood crush led him to the woodwind he’s now famously seen with. Not long after that, GRiZ was experimenting with production.

In those early periods of his life, it was about the concept of examining different shapes, sizes, and sounds of music. Not necessarily gravitating completely towards the abstract, but appreciating the little details that make a song’s composition so appealing. “[I really liked] big band sound in Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire,” says GRiZ. “I loved that shit, because it was danceable, fun pop, with really cool musicality [and the ability to make] technical things sound really simple. That’s what sounded good to me.”

What attracts GRiZ to music is transparent in his own work. Rebel Era, the most recent LP, was released in October of last year.

With songs like “Do My Thang” and “Hard Times”, the taste he still feels for that fun pop music is made clear throughout the album.

Since Rebel Era dropped, GRiZ hasn’t wasted time heading back in the studio. At the moment, he’s working on a new record.

The theme we can expect to hear throughout the entirety has been calculated and GRiZ has already set those wheels in motion.

“I’m trying to take out the whole synchronized, nasty bass stuff and make a contemporary funk album that’s not build ups and drops, and the typical snare rolls and huge base lines,” explains GRiZ. “[And those things] are great and fun, and I’ll do that [music] again and again, but I’m just trying to challenge myself.”

On top of the work he’s putting in for the new and unnamed record, GRiZ will be 11 • THAT MAG MAY

hitting for the road to play at various venues and festivals. One of his stops includes Jam on the River in Philadelphia on May 25th, GRiZ at Penn’s Landing.

One of the most important things for GRiZ at these live shows is the crowd he’s playing for. The energy concert goers bring determines that connection between artist and fan for a show. According to GRiZ, it can go a bit stale if that chemistry isn’t sparked.

“It’s like having a bad conversation with somebody,” he says. “If it’s silent, it’s like, okay what do I say next? But, if it’s a vibrant conversation and [you’re talking to somebody] about beautiful things and everyone’s happy, engaged, and interested, the conversation is going to continue and be so much better; not to say that you can’t turn around a bad conversation and make it a good one. I guess I relate that heavily to playing live.”

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Photo by: Joshua Hanford

It’s hard to imagine not being completely captivated by a GRiZ show. Between the lighting effects and the bass lines, there’s usually a lot of fist pumping and dancing going on. He dedicates every minute of his set to entertaining the people watching below the stage. And the more energy a crowd brings to a show, the greater it promises to be.

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Elbow Will

Rock You «

«

By: Jane Roser

Photo by: Tom Sheehan

The band takes off from their UK home to land in the US for a May full of shows.

UK band Elbow is a huge fan of Queen and Elbow might not exist today if it weren’t for one of the most iconic rock bands of the century. “It was Brian May that made me want to pick up the guitar,” says guitarist Mark Potter. “My brother and I learned to harmonize by listening to Queen’s Greatest Hits.”

P

otter has a wicked sense of humor and is gloriously fun to chat with; it was quite easy to go slightly off topic and start fangeeking over Highlander!

In 2012, Elbow was playing the closing ceremony at the Summer Olympics. “There were all these celebrities there and we felt we had crashed the party a bit-what the hell are we doing here? I’m normally not the kind of person to approach somebody, but I saw Brian May and got the courage to go up and say to him ‘I have to tell you that you’re the reason I picked up the guitar’ and he said to me “you’re in Elbow! I love your music!” And it just knocked me on my ass, I couldn’t believe it.”

Queen’s Brian May isn’t the only fan.

Elbow has been a big name in the UK for years, selling out stadium shows, including their recent March 31st tour warm-up in Newcastle. Now, they’re poised to become the next big thing to hit the U.S. Potter’s interest in music began at an early age, growing up with parents who were both musical and always had a few Spanish guitars lying around the house.

“When I was six or seven, I was picking up these full sized Spanish guitars and trying to wrap my fingers around them,” recalls Potter. “My dad said, ‘look, as soon as you can play three chords on that Spanish guitar, I’ll buy you an electric guitar.’ We were very lucky. Our parents supported us fully with our music to the point where the money they had saved for us to go to University was used to buy us amplifiers and recording equipment.”

Vocalist Guy Garvey, bassist Pete Turner, drummer Richard Jupp, guitarist Mark Potter and his brother, keyboardist Craig Potter, have been performing together since 1990. Jupp and Turner had known the Potter brothers since they were four years old, attending primary school together. When they were in high school, Potter recalls that they had a very cool music teacher who would allow them to practice in the music room during breaks.

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

We intentionally wanted the process “ to be different on this record.“ «

Photo by: Tom Sheehan

“We started off like any band wouldplaying covers of songs that we knew.

Pete was asking what he should do and I suggested he play the bass. I taught him very basic bass guitar. Richard had always wanted to be a drummer and his drum kit at the time was partly made out of things stolen from the science department that held his cymbals together,” Potter chuckles. “Things have changed now, he has 9 or 10 drum kits in our studio.” Potter’s brother Craig wasn’t in their band at the time since he was two years younger and because, “nobody wants their little brother in the band when you’re 15 years old. He wanted to get in and I said ‘no-go form your own band,” Potter laughs.

Potter and Garvey were in the same art class at college. As Potter remembers, “we didn’t like each other at all. In fact, we used to give each other dirty looks across the classroom. I heard him singing with another guitarist in the common room one day and I thought-this guy has an amazing voice.

One day, I was driving back to college in my old Volkswagon Beetle and for some reason, I asked if he needed a ride home.

He got in the car and R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion” came on the radio and we started singing along. Right then and there I asked him if he wanted to join my band. That night we had a rehearsal and Guy said to me ‘I’ve been asked to be in so many bands, but you actually picked me up and we had a rehearsal.’ By this point, we realized we needed a keyboardist, so I said- okay, my brother’s brilliant, let’s invite him in the band.”

They became Elbow in 1997, taking their name from a line in the BBC show The Singing Detective. Touring America with UK indie rock band Doves helped teach Elbow how to be a professional touring band. “We fell in love with America,” says Potter. “Guy spends a lot of time in Brooklyn now. He even wrote a song specifically about New York called “New 13 • THAT MAG MAY

York Morning”. That was born out of Guy not being able to write in Manchester much anymore. He can’t really go into coffee bars, sit in the corner and not be bothered.

But, because we’re not as well known in America, it’s refreshing that he can go over there and sit in a cafe to write his lyrics without being disturbed.”

Elbow’s 6th studio album, The Take Off and Landing of Everything, was released in March to critical acclaim, taking the #1 spot on the UK album charts. They changed up their previous work practices for this album and the results are brilliant.

“We intentionally wanted the process to be different on this record,” says Potter, “instead of writing constantly we would be in the studio together for, say three months, and then we would take three months off.

Guy would sometimes fly to Brooklyn or go down to Peter Gabriel’s studio in the south of England to catch up on lyrics. Usually the music comes first with Elbow and it just made sense to give Guy the space to work rather than putting him under pressure in the studio to quickly come up with a lyrical theme and finish a song.”

Also for this album, each member took a day off so there were never five people in the studio at one time. This changed the dynamic of how those remaining four artists would write. Potter says, “you would find yourself writing for the person who wasn’t present and there were songs that wouldn’t have been written if all five band members were in the same room.” The Beatles worked this way and Elbow was inspired by an article they had read to try it out for themselves, with great success.

“If you have a day off,” says Potter, “you were so excited to come in the next day and listen to what the guys had done. Excited and a little bit scared because, even though you’ve known each other for 22 years, you still get nervous to play for your friends and colleagues. They may not like it or they may decide to remove one of my guitar lines and you have to be prepared for that. Everybody contributes to the music and Guy writes the words, but this time, there were three songs

that were written entirely by one person.”

The song “Honey Sun” was written by Potter in his home studio. He recorded all of the guitar, bass and piano parts, and then added a Rhythm Ace vintage drum machine, delivering it to Guy as a complete piece of music, something they had never done before. Craig Potter wrote “Real Life” in the same manner and “Colour Fields” was written by Pete Turner, primarily on his iPad. The song “Fly Boy Blue/Lunette” was an example of only three band members being in the studio one day- Potter, Turner and Jupp. “My brother produces all of our music and because he wasn’t there, we didn’t know how to turn the recording studio on. We had to traditionally write a song from start to finish, rather than writing a part of a song and recording it, then building on that. We wrote the acoustic sections and then the heavy riffs. One of my favorite Beatles songs is “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”, which was three songs that had been rejected and then put together as one. “Lunette” could have been a separate song on the album, had I not written the guitar part and started playing acoustically out of that heavy riff, then “Lunette” may not have existed.”

Currently, Elbow is back in the studio and preparing for a UK arena tour before heading to North America. “That’s my favorite part,” says Potter, “once you’ve finished the record, just sitting down and working out how you’re going to play these songs live.”

Logistically, the band won’t be able to bring as many additional musicians on their North American tour as they’d like to since several of their songs require strings, such as “One Day Like This”.

Though, judging from their sold out shows and the dedication of their die-hard U.S. fans, they’ll have a warm reception when they arrive and a whole lotta sad faces when they leave, because with a band as original and eclectic as Elbow, there can be only one. Catch them May 13th at The Electric Factory.

WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Locked, Loaded, and Ready To Fire «

By: Joe Jamnitzky

“

Semi Precious Weapons aim higher than ever before.

It’s been five years,” says Justin Tranter, lead singer of the band Semi Precious Weapons, “and things change.”

The five years he refers to is the time from when the band released their first album, We Love You, to their new album, Aviation.

Having formed in 2006 in New York City, the band soon found themselves with quite a following thanks in equal parts to their music, live performances, and visual style, eventually leading them to be voted “Best Band in NYC” in the Village Voice readers’ poll. All this led up to We Love You getting an official release on the Razor & Tie label.

The attention on the band started to grow; they were touring with artists such as Ida Maria, The Sounds, and Ladyhawke. Their track, “Magnetic Baby”, landed a spot on the Rock Band video game series. Major labels soon took notice. In 2009, the band signed a deal with Interscope Records. At the same time, they started touring with Lady Gaga (who has been a friend and supporter of the band since their early days) during The Monster Ball tour.

In 2010, Interscope released You Love You. While containing new songs, it also had re-recordings of tracks from the first album, as well as production from legendary producer Tony Visconti. The three years following their major label debut would be marked by more touring, opening for Ke$ha, and performing at Lollapalooza, The Isle of Wight festival, and headlining the Colours of Ostrava festival.

Now, the band is promoting their newest single, “Aviation High”, and latest album, Aviation. For fans of their earlier, glam/ garage rock sound, the more pop-oriented (though still dark) sound was quite a departure that they were not expecting.

“It was a very conscious decision. We recorded You Love You, that was in 2009, and released in 2010. We made that album five years ago. We wanted to do something new. We’re all different people now, a bit

older, and it also just sort of happened because you just change so much in that time. Really, there should be a couple albums in between to help show that progression, but due to record label bullshit, there are a couple albums we had made that aren’t going to be release,” Tranter says with a laugh. “Instead, you’re getting what this is, which we’re actually happy about.

These are the best songs, and all we care about what the best songs are. Even though we hate the fact that so much time has gone by, the silver lining is that these are the songs that we’re giving to the world after four years, which we’re all so proud of.”

Producing the new album is Tricky Stewart, known for his work with artists such as Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Michael Jackson. The band has also become one of the first to sign to Stewart’s own company, RedZone.

“Tricky was always our dream producer,” says Tranter. “We always felt that if anybody in the hip-hop/pop world was going to understand us, it would be him.

We were such a fan of his and everything he did for so long. We told our manager that we wanted our sound to not be so vintage,

that we wanted to do something new, and we thought Tricky would be the right guy to do it. We got to meet with him and play him some songs. It went really well, and here we are today.”

As far as summer plans go, the band will be touring in support of the new album, and have recently made a stop at SXSW. This time around they’ll be doing something they hadn’t done before- playing summer radio-sponsored concerts. “It’s our first time trying to bring our songs to radio. We’ve never gone through that before, which is a very long, beautiful, grueling process,” Tranter says.

Tranter is quick to reassure fans of the band’s old sound, though. “There are moments on the album like “Look To The Stars” which has an amazing guitar solo at the end, and “Drink”, which is sort of like a big pop-party song, but the lyrics are very dark, and it’s based around this really evil fucking guitar riff. What we have been and who we are will never go away. It’s just been five years and things change.”

A full tour is set to be announced this summer.

« 14 • THAT MAG MAY

Photo by: Rony Alwin

WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

Off To the Races With

Firefly

«

Photo courtesy of: Red Frog Events

Right out of the gates, the Firefly Music Festival has become a staple in the festival scene. « By: Matt Kelchner

I

n just a handful of years, the Firefly Music Festival has grown to become one of the premiere festivals on the East coast. Three years since conception, the festival is now four days long and includes acts playing across seven different stages.

Greg Bostrom, the director of the festival, was able to take time away from his busy schedule to chat about how far the festival has come in such a short amount of time and where they expect to go in the future.

“We’ve been very pleased with the results of our first two years, and we’re excited to continue growing and improving the experience with every year of Firefly,” Bostrom explains. “In a few short years, we’ve developed an extremely loyal fan base and we hope that means they’re as excited about the experience of Firefly as we are”.

While the first few years of the hosting the festival were very successful, the planning process was not necessarily as easy-going. “Securing talent the first year was a challenge, as no one had ever heard Firefly and this was Red Frog’s first major foray into the music world. After the first few headliners signed, it got a little easier,” Bostrom recounts. The turning point for Bostrom? “What really made the difference

was after the first year when a group of bands, managers, and agents had the chance to see the event for themselves”.

If the tickets sales alone are any indication of the level of excitement the fans hav, then it’s at a high level. The festival has already sold out of pre-sale, early bird and specially priced limited tickets. As the remaining tickets are released, it easy to tell that a complete sell out is likely.

“We aim to be the premier music experience bar-none. Our fans are always our number one priority, and creating an amazing experience for them year after year is always going to be our goal,” Bostrom says. The lineup will always be the most attention grabbing aspect of music festivals, but the additional features and entertainment set the top festivals apart from the rest.

Firefly is hosted in a rural area known as “The Woodlands” in Dover, Delaware. The site allows (and the festival encourages) fans and concertgoers to bring along their tents and camp overnight. “We knew that the setting had to be as unique as the festival we were hoping to create,” Bostrom explains. “When we found The Woodlands at Dover International Speedway, we knew that we found the perfect place for us”.

Another way that Firefly has pushed to

separate itself from the numerous others happening around the country is to partner up with notable local companies. What better a company to link with for a music festival than one of the leaders of the craft beer scene?

Bostrom explains, “We believe in supporting and incorporating the local community whenever possible, and Dogfish Head has been a perfect fit since the first year. They’ve been an awesome partner for us, and with the addition of their specific Firefly Ale, we have really enjoyed expanding the partnership”.

While the number of different activities and offerings help set the experience of Firefly apart, the most notable aspect for them, and any festival, is the collection of artists they bring each year. “No genre or style of music is off-limits, but we gravitate toward those genres that are most central to our fans’ tastes. We also want fantastic liveshows, acts with great catalogs, and acts with exciting new music or tours that our fans want to see,” Bostrom says.

He continues by explaining that most of the headliners are locked in a full year in advance. He adds, “More often than not, Firefly’s biggest competition for booking is with European or other international

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

“When we found

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Photos courtesy of Red Frog Events

The Woodlands at Dover International Speedway, we knew that we found the perfect place for us

”

festivals occurring around our same time period. Playing those festivals makes bands unavailable for Firefly. Within the US, more often than not, we work alongside other festivals to determine where showcasing the same act might help us both.”

Everything is not always as chummy as Bostrom makes it out to be. “Of course, every festival wants their lineup to be unique and exciting for their fans, so there are some times when we go toe-to-toe for the same acts”.

It’s not always about the biggest headliners, though. This year, the festival and Red Bull Sound Select decided to turn the focus of one of their stages towards the budding, well-noted music scene of the greater Philadelphia area. “The Red Bull Sound Select roster is vast geographically, and this year there was a conscious effort to showcase those acts on the roster from the surrounding areas. We’ve always been proud of our festival home, and this was a great way to showcase the fantastic music being made in the region.”

It’s just another one of the many ways the Firefly Music Festival gives back to the community that has so greatly supported them over the years and another example of the innovative way they stand out throughout the busy festival season.

“Our focus has always been to put on a festival that we would like to attend ourselves. We base our entire decision making on creating the most incredible weekend experience possible for our fans,” Bostrom comments. So far, the decision making has proven to be on point with their goals and 2014 looks to continue that trend.

Firefly happens this June, from the 19th to the 22nd with over 100 artists. Headliners this year include Foo Fighters, Outkast, Jack Johnson, Beck, The Lumineers and Imagine Dragons.

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“We’ve been very pleased with the results of our first two years, and we’re excited to continue growing and improving the experience with every year of Firefly.”

WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

«

Photo by: Mikeyes

Microphone Techniques «

By: Erinn Fortson

Rich Quick continues making headway in the Philadelphia hip-hop scene.

O

n the night celebrating the physical release of Sad Songz, I’m standing across from Rich Quick in the Trocedaro stairwell, discussing his journey with hip-hop thus far.

The rapper isn’t scheduled to perform for another three hours, but there is already a DJ on stage playing tracks for those few crowd members who arrived to the venue early. Despite the distractions and chaos of the preshow, Rich Quick was able to tune out the noise and focus on telling me his story.

All the buzz he’s received from the local hip-hop scene is deceiving because Rich Quick isn’t really a native of the city. Hailing from Woodbury, New Jersey, Quick became an honorary Philadelphian after joining the Exponent Entertainment rooster. Since then, he’s received a lot of support from the community and fellow hometown rappers.

“I think that I’m extremely blessed to have fallen into the position that I kind of fell into and the scene of people that I worked with. It was a perfect storm for me,” says Quick. “Not that I think my music wouldn’t be accepted [by Philadelphia], but I think by linking with Exponent Entertainment, I had more of a chance to network with a lot of tastemakers in the Philly hip-hop scene,

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and a lot of people that would co-sign me.

And then that would inevitably give me more fans on the strength of their name and their word. That helped me out a lot.”

“The way Philadelphia embraced me is pretty much indescribable,” Quick continues. “It’s amazing to me because I’m considered a Philly hip-hop artist not from Philly. And I rep South Jersey like crazy. I always scream at the top of my lungs, that’s where I’m from and I love it there. But, to be considered as a Philly hip-hop artist really says a lot about how Philadelphia hip-hop is really fooling with the underground right now. They want real music.”

Since childhood, Quick has a deep connection with rap. He was generally drawn to music at a young age, but especially became interested in hip-hop once discovering that he could experience multiple genres through one channel.

Quick was encouraged to explore hip-hop as an artist through the influence of older emcees paving the way for up and coming white rappers.

“I didn’t feel boxed out of hip-hop ever,” explains Quick. “[When I was kid], there [were] people in the game that I could look up to, that looked like me. That’s how I always felt about it. It became kind of exclusive later on in the 90s, I think,

with the exception of Eminem. But [earlier on], it was nothing to see a Miilkbone, or a 3rd Base, or an MC Serch, or a House of Pain or a Beastie Boys. I didn’t feel like hip-hop was so [restrictive]. I felt like they would accept me and that’s really why I started [rapping].”

Towards the end of high school, Quick took things to the next level. He started performing more seriously and made his debut in 2002 with Get Rich Quick. Quick has been on indie hip-hop radar ever since.

Produced by STREECE (Stress the White Boy and Chuck Treece), the newest EP, Sad Songz, has further shone a spotlight on the emcee’s skills.

As Quick continues to rise in the world of underground rap, he takes in each moment of his career, one day at a time. The future is undetermined but bright, and Quick is pleased with how things presently look.

“At the end of the day, all I want is to live comfortably and be happy,” says Quick.

“And I think that if I’m successful at doing something I love, I will be happy, whether that comes by way of a major label deal or an independent deal or maybe not even a deal at all. I’m quite content with life right now. I’m happy to be where I’m at.”

WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

A band that takes advantage of the word

Experimental

Jean Jacket Offers Up a Unique Live Show.

B

ands come in a variety of sizes and the Miami based group Jean Jacket takes advantage of that with a lineup of performers that changes, but always features the group’s creator, Harlowe G. This is an group that experiments with their sound and their live show. Members of the band, along with Harlowe, include Stephanie Taylor, Alex Lopez and Million Young.

Jean Jacket’s debut LP was released in March. “I’m totally stoked. It’s been a long journey and we’re finally getting to the place where we are now so I’m really, really excited,” says Harlowe.

Harlowe feels that his music is influenced by his surroundings, not other artists. Miami played a key role in the band’s sound. “I came to Miami and there is a blooming art scene, music and the beach. It’s so beautiful and unique.”

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Photo by: Ates Isildak

For Harlowe, the band has been an evolutionary process. It started out as a solo project and has since evolved into a group.

Harlowe always felt it should be a band rather just himself but he didn’t want to rush into anything. When he found himself in Miami the band just came together naturally.

Harlowe categorizes the group as more than just experimental music. “We are not electronic music in the sense of the DJ pushing music on a laptop. You get a live show with real singing. We are organic meets synthetic. Just be outside the box and not do what everyone else is doing.”

The best way to experience Jean Jacket is to head out to one of their live shows and see it for yourself. The recorded material is one thing, but their performance is something else, explains Harlowe.

«

By: Lexi Bissonnette

“We have visuals and I’ve been told my voice is stronger, but really I think we have more of an organic feeling.” He feels the group comes across more like a rock group than electronica when they perform live and that the visuals certainly add something.

The past two years for the band have been filled with good memories for Harlowe.

They took the Miami seen by the horns and made a real name for themselves. “I definitely don’t take it for granted, but I don’t have one memory that’s better than the others. It’s been a really fun ride.”

Summer doesn’t mean a break for this breakout group either. Harlowe hopes to add more touring and festivals. His goal is to get their work out to the rest of the country the way they have in Miami.

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Paving His Own Path Skeme, representing L.A. his own way.

T

o the hip-hop lovers who keep their ears to the street for music, meet 24-year-old Skeme. He’s the rapper, writer, and entrepreneur known to his family and friends as Lonnie Kimble. From Inglewood, CA to the world, Skeme has transformed his dream into reality through dedication and hard work.

It all started when Skeme was an enthusiastic kid who had a knack for rap.

“My pops made a joke about me memorizing everybody else’s songs,” Skeme says. “He challenged me to make my own song for once and that drove me to rap.”

That inspiration led him to start writing and rapping his own songs. His talents took him far and after the release of his mixtape, Pistols and Palm Trees, he knew this was more than artistic release. He decided to get more serious about his career and concentrate on his craft.

Writing comes naturally for him because there are always subjects and motivation everywhere he turns. “Everything in my day to day reflects in my music. I think that’s the only thing I’ve got when it comes to rap.” he says. “I don’t have songs without everything that’s happening and that has happened in my life.”

Having spent a few years coming up in the game with his first mixtape in 2007, Skeme of Things, up until now with his second studio album, Ingleworld, there is no denying the state of hip hop and rap in general has changed.

“It definitely has changed,” Skeme says.

“I’m really in tune with what’s going on in music. I try to put my own twist on whatever sounds are working at the time while still

By: Jaz Bowens

having my records that I consider my own sound. As far as music on a whole, I think it’s perfect at the moment. There’s a balance of a lot of different styles out there which is dope to me. ” His sound, aura, and truthfulness are exactly what hip hop needs right now. A young man about his business, dedicated to rap in its true form, all the while entertaining and giving the world a glimpse into his life through his music. It’s refreshing, to say the least. He isn’t putting on a front, he doesn’t come off like he is promoting an image, or lifestyle and I think people are really appreciative of that. Songs like “Different” or “Ain’t Perfect” from his current album showcase that with simplistic, raw ease.

Skeme enjoys making music, looking to the future, and appreciating the support from his fans. The support keeps growing with each show and mixtape/album released. I became a fan when Skeme came to Philadelphia for his first time on Dom Kennedy’s “Get Home Safe” tour a few months back. “Philly was kind of crazy for me,” Skeme says. “I literally had no voice that night but we made it through.”

Skeme never skips a beat and is currently working on his next project, Play Dirty/ Stay Dirty, a two disc mixtape hosted by Gangsta Grillz and the Chopstars. “That’s my next and best move,” he says. “The features won’t disappoint, but I don’t want to start name dropping until everything is final.”

Check out Skeme on all his social media sites for more information about Ingleworld, Play Dirty/Stay Dirty, and upcoming events. You won’t be disappointed.

« 19 • THAT MAG MAY

«

Photo by: Skeme Geeezy Productions

WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

«

Photo by: Erin O’Connell and Shawn Van Dael

Take the Journey with

Walk Off The Earth The Canadian band’s trek around the globe for international success is an accomplished mission.

I

t’s likely that you’ve seen this little video floating around the Internet - “5 Peeps 1 Guitar”. It’s also likely that, by watching this video, it was the first time you heard the 2012 Grammy winning song “Somebody that I Used to Know”. Walk Off the Earth’s cover of the song in that video grew legs, ran all over the Internet and kicked it’s ass before Gotye’s single even had a chance to drop in the States. Walk Off The Earth has scored 157,386,698 views on that one video alone on their YouTube channel with over 1,681,684 subscribers, and that number continues to grow as I’m typing. According to USA Today, “5 Peeps 1 Guitar” was the 2nd most viewed video in 2012, just under “Gangnam Style” by Psy. Walk Off the Earth became an Internet sensation and the band was invited to perform on many television shows including Ellen.

When you take a closer look at Walk Off the Earth’s YouTube channel (which I had no choice doing because my eight-year-old son is obsessed with their videos, in fact his views probably account for a few hundred

20 • THAT MAG MAY

hits alone) at first you’ll get a great sense of how much creative thought goes into the making of these videos. Then, you’ll realize what amazingly talented musicians they are.

Finally, you’ll see just how good they are at keeping their fans engaged and wanting more. So when we had the opportunity to interview Ryan “Marshall” Marshall from Walk Off The Earth, I pounced on it to learn the secret to their success and find out more about this band from our northern neighbor, Canada.

If there is one thing we learned from American Idol it’s that if you’re going to perform someone else’s song, you had better make it your own. It’s a concept that many artists struggle with. Bands will add a cover song into their set lists for many reasons. Some use covers to pay homage to another artist/band that has influenced them in some way. Others feel that they can put a new twist on the song that makes a familiar tune fit into their own style of music, one of the most recent examples of this is when Jeffrey Gaines covered “In Your Eyes” by

«

By: Andi Bricklin

Peter Gabriel. Still others make a good living performing other bands’ music and touring. There are countless “tribute” bands that will take on a band’s persona (usually it’s a band that no longer tours or is together) and perform full sets of covers for fans. Although cover songs are a large part of what Walk Off The Earth delivers for the fans, it is not their mission.

I’m shut in my bedroom, home on a “snow day” surfing through the Walk Off The Earth website, checking out their latest clips on YouTube and putting together some last minute questions for this interview when I take the call from the Sony Music rep. “I’m going to connect you to Marshall, you’ll have 15 minutes.” I push down my inner fan girl and reply, “Thanks.” These phone calls are always awkward. First off, you’re being connected through a 3rd party line, almost always to a cell phone with an iffy connection because the band is on the road or calling from a rest stop. You’d almost be better off getting a conversation going with two cans and a piece of string, WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

but I digress. Immediately, I congratulate Marshall on the success of their tour, and inquire about the Gotye cover (apparently I didn’t push my inner fan girl down far enough). I crack a joke about how we were speculating that the audio from the upper neck of the guitar is likely enhanced in the video because of the way the mic was placed, but it gets lost in translation because of our connection, and it went something like this: Joke – me laughing – long moment of awkward silence – me trying to recover – then we talked over one another leading to another awkward moment. I gather my wits and reel it in, realizing this “tin can” connection is only really conducive to questions and answers: i.e. I ask–then wait– he’ll answer. So I start again.

I ask, “you guys have done something many bands have tried, you conquered YouTube. Why covers, and how do you come up with the concepts for the videos?”

After a few awkward seconds I’m rewarded with an answer. “We stay on top of the global charts, and when we find something that we like, we go with it.” Marshall goes on to explain that when they cover a song there is already a built in fan base of that particular song–fans that they are trying to reach with their own music. So, in a sense, they are giving them what they want by introducing themselves in this way. As for the videos, “We work together on ideas and when we decide on the concept we get together and run with it. We do our videos in one take, we’re not very good at editing.” I don’t know about that, their cover of Rihanna’s “Man Down” is an edited compilation that fills the band with three different versions of Marshall, and four versions of Gianni.

Which kind of takes us back to the beginning. “How did the band form?” {awkward silence} “Gianni and I started playing together in 2006 when we were a three-piece. We were signed in 2006 and had a lot of freedom; we recorded the first album at our home studio and Gianni produced it.” It’s a great deal if you can get it, but here’s the deal–Gianni is really their secret weapon. Gianni went to school for engineering. It seems that training combined with musical passion and talent is quite the recipe for great music and success.

Seriously, when you listen to how these songs are engineered and mixed, even the

latest videos that are recorded on the tour bus are truly the work of an artist.

All right, they get signed, and release their first album, Smooth Like Stone on a Beach.

What next? “We got on the 2009 Warped Tour and did 15 days across Canada.” That’s really when the YouTube channel started to kick into high gear. YouTube started in 2005 and Facebook opened to everyone in 2006. The band began their official social media presence in 2008, and they utilized YouTube to keep their fans informed and up-to-date during the tour, a tactic they still employ today. Which leads me to my next question for Marshall. “How are you able to translate your video persona into a live show experience?” {Another moment of

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Photo by: Shawn Van Daele

awkward silence} “We do our best to make the audience a part of the show, and to give them a true interactive experience.” And fans love it! The 2014 Walk Off The Earth tour has the band all over the globe. They even made it through our 2nd snowiest winter ever; it seemed that with each show, they were one step ahead of a snowstorm.

It’s been almost a year since Walk Off The Earth released R.E.V.O. with great pop reggae songs like “Red Hands” and “Gang of Rhythm”. Their songs are full of lush harmonies, groovy rhythms and brilliant musicianship. So, how are they keeping the momentum up while on the road? {Wait for it…} “We do a lot of multitasking, we’re writing, recording demos, and rehearsing all at the same time,” Marshall says. It seems they are also keeping up with the charts because they took a time out to give us a genius version of Pharrell’s “Happy” right from the tour bus. It’s yet another instant classic one-take video of the perfect song performed by amazing musicians

from Walk Off The Earth and friends.

P.S. LOVED Taylor’s kazoo and hooter performance from the bunk in the tour bus.

The great effort of Walk Off the Earth has not gone unrewarded. Their single, “Red Hands”, is certified double platinum in Canada and they were nominated for a 2013 Juno Award for Breakout Group of the Year.

They were also nominated for a YouTube Music Award in the Category of Response of the Year for their cover of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Walk Off The Earth also performed during the first ever YouTube Music Awards in 2013. This year is proving just as rewarding as the band was nominated for three (Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, and the JUNO Fan Choice Award) 2014 Juno Awards.

The future is looking bright for Walk Off The Earth and April brings a month long tour in Europe starting April 3 in the U.K. before traveling to The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Luxembourg, France, and finally, Ireland.

That’s 20 cities in four weeks with two shows in each city, leaving little time for site seeing. It looks like the band will get a little break in May until {drum roll please} they play Atlantic City, NJ on May 23rd at the Social at Revel. Which brings me to my next awkward question for Marshall- “Do you like playing in Philly” (like what’s he going to say, no!) but to my surprise he answered with a very quick and sincere “Yes, we love Philly, it’s such a cool city.” And he went on to tell me about a great acoustic show they did at the Electric Factory a little while back.

Walk Off The Earth had grown an organic fan following based on great talent, hard work, brilliant songs, and creative videos that show off the band’s personality. They give their fans a true Walk Off The Earth experience online whenever they need it, as well as when they’re lucky enough to have the band in town. The band’s name stemmed from wanting to take their fans on a musical journey that would help “people forget about their problems, not worry about everyday issues.” I’d say mission accomplished, but there are so many more journeys we can take when we decide to “walk off the earth”. Hopefully, they always have an extra bunk in the tour bus for us fans who are with them for the entire trip.

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Meet Kongos «

By: Donte Kirby

Get to know the next international sensation. «

Photo by: Danny Kongo

A

t the end of March, Dylan, Daniel, Jesse, and Johnny Kongos made history by scoring their first ever U.S. #1 on the alternative radio airplay charts with the hit single “Come With Me Now.” The four sons of singer/songwriter John Kongos also made history as the quickest ascent to the top spot by a new band, reaching #1 in just 10 weeks. Together, the quartet is known as Kongos.

The brothers were born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to London when they were children. The move mirrored their father’s career, which started in South Africa as Johnny and the G-Men. In the 1960s, John moved to London to pursuit a solo career and made the hits he’s most known for, “Tokoloshe Man” and “He’s Gonna Step On You Again”. The latter was cited by Guinness Book of Records as the first song to use a sample. Both are singles from his second solo album, Kongos, the eventual name of his sons’ band. Music is the family business as the sons pick up where their father left off.

“It’s quite a creative environment” says Dylan bass guitarist for the band, describing the dynamic of working together with family. “We tell it like it is to each other. It allows for experimentation with new sounds and directions while, at the same time, having brutally honest opinions with each other.” All four of the brothers do vocals with Daniel on the guitar, Jesse on drums and percussion, and Johnny on the accordion and keyboard.

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“It’s had a big influence on our music, especially South Africa,” says Dylan about growing up in both London and South Africa. “The culture, the people, the music. A lot of times, it doesn’t come out directly in our sound, other times you can hear it subtly in “Come With Me Now” and “Hey I Don’t Know”, where there’s a Kwaito groove or in “It’s A Good Life” where there’s a bit of a Maskandi vibe.”

Kwaito is a South African variant of electronic dance music or house music, typically at a slower range then other styles of house. Maskandi is a form of Zulu folk music characterized by izihlobo zulu for an instrumental flourish, that sets the tone at the beginning of each song and izibongo, a form of Zulu praise poetry, that in content may not always be about praise. Izibongo in Maskandi has evolved to be more about the storytelling attribute and migrant culture.

In 2011, Kongos released their debut album, Lunatic, and took South Africa by storm. “We all write individually so the album came together without a solid theme in mind,” says Dylan. “We tend to enjoy working like that; just putting the best songs we have at the moment on the album.”

Their first single, “I’m Only Joking”, topped South African charts and had heavy airplay on South African airwaves.

In October of 2013, Kongos self-released Lunatic stateside. In 2014 the singles “I’m Only Joking” and “Come With Me Now” garnered enough attention to land the brothers a deal with Epic Records. The band now composes and records out of Phoenix, AZ where, before being signed to Epic Records, they worked under the Tokoloshe Records label. The brothers founded this

label with their father as a way to release their own material as well as collaborative projects.

Kongos had their U.S television debut on Mar.5 performing “Come With Me Now” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “It was amazing and extremely nerve-racking, being our U.S TV debut,” says Dylan. This year, Dylan wants fans to see a lot of Kongos. “We’re constantly writing and this year we will be touring a lot.”

One such stop on Kongos touring schedule is the Radio 104.5 7TH birthday show on May 11th at the Susquehanna Bank Center with bands like Foster the People and Bastille. They’ll be back in our area for Firefly in Dover from Jun.19-22. There, they’ll be in the company of Outkast, Foo Fighters and Imagine Dragons, just to name a few from the extensive lineup. “We’re excited to be included on such an incredible line-up,” says Dylan.

Firefly is just one of the many festivals Kongos will be hitting this summer. They will also be at Lollapalooza, Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI, and Edgefest in Frisco, TX. Dylan says fans can expect “A no frills rock show with lots of accordion,” at their Firefly show. If fans have seen their Jimmy Kimmel performance than they know frills or not, Kongos will put on a great show. It was a performance so good that it landed them another television appearance in April on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Dylan doesn’t know what lies ahead for Kongos. “Hopefully playing stadiums,” he laughs, “and continuously working on new material.” If the current enthusiasm for Kongos is any indication of their future, than it is a bright future indeed.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

You Can’t Expect to Change if You Hide Who You Are «

By: Janelle Engle

Rainbow Alternative designs by Nicole Krecicki stand for equality…and cult movies.

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R

ainbow Alternative’s handmade designs range from social conscious LGBTQ pride to 80s-90s pop culture references and are a favorite of many at Philadelphia music festivals and Pride Fest a like. It’s weird to imagine that just five years ago, Nicole Krecicki, the successful creator and designer of Rainbow Alternative, was working in retail and wondering what to do with her life. After deciding on a whim to sell some of her spray painted t-shirt designs, a self-taught hobby she learned through online research and trial and error, she has not only found her passion, but has also become an inspiration to the LGBT community.

When Krecicki’s designs debuted in 2008, they were an immediate hit. “The pride wear that was offered at those events was almost always the same- just rainbows

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Photo by: Carolyn Dentz

all over everything. And cats. Lots of rainbow cats. So, I thought maybe I could bring something different to the table,” she says. Her first t-shirts were a batch of 100 with 10 different stencil designs.

They featured two ladies lip locking and other pro-LGBTQ designs, each uniquely handmade, stenciled and spray painted with care.

“I had no clue Rainbow Alternative would turn into anything. Honestly, I only came up with a company name for my first vending event (Equality Forum 2008) because I tend to follow Empire Records’ rules whenever applicable: The first thing you need is a name. Then, you’ll know what kind of band you’ve got,” says Krecicki, who seems to quote cult movies with ease. Her collection showcases this obsession with designs from classic movies like Clueless, Pretty in

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Photo by: Orion 2

Pink, Back to the Future and Karate Kid. New favorites are not forgotten, either.

Krecicki also has designs from Orange is the New Black and The Walking Dead.

“I can remember drawing pictures of the teen magazine pop stars I was into when I was younger. I guess that’s pretty much still what I’m doing,” she says. Her t-shirt designs have expanded to tote bags, pins, neckties, magnets, and vinyl record wall art.

But Krecicki’s influences go beyond pop culture references. She is also inadvertently giving a voice to the LGBTQ community and promoting social change through her work. The simple, yet inspiring phrase “you can’t expect to change, if you hide who you are”, is featured on her website. It’s a phrase that means a lot to Krecicki personally.

“I came up with it a year or so after I started RA. I understand that sometimes circumstances don’t safely allow for this, but when possible, I think that LGBTQ visibility is so important in moving forward with positive social change.” Krecicki then clarifies that “the phrase is not meant to be an assault or judgment on those who are closeted. Rather, a reminder to me to be proud of who I am.”

It’s hard not to be proud of Krecick and it’s no surprise her success has grown so quickly, eventually allowing her to work on her designs full time. “Quitting my day job was the biggest accomplishment for Rainbow Alternative. Hands down. And I could not be more grateful. I am a very lucky girl,” she says. In our opinion, it’s less about luck and more about the positive spirit and influence she brings on the world that make her designs truly special and such a success.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

AN INSTINCT FOR SUCCESS Making Themselves

at Home

Cambridge Sound Studios & Jim Salamone Open Up in South Philly. « By: Dan Emmons

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Photo by: Lisa Schaffer

J

im Salamone and company at Cambridge Sound Studios are back in Philly and now calling 2003 W. Moyamensing Ave home.

The studio is fully up and running. With top of the line recording and editing equipment and instruments that would impress even the most seasoned musicians, Cambridge is what you would expect from the Grammynominated owner/producer/engineer Jim Salamone.

Salamone is comfortable in his new spot and why wouldn’t he be? We are talking about a guy who grew up a musician, gigging with or opening for acts like Joe Cocker and Chuck Berry, later becoming a studio musician. He has sharpened his teeth at various major studios like Hit Factory, Electric Lady, Sigma Sound, Hitsville, Criteria and many others- wherever needed by producers, artists or record labels.

He is a producer/engineer with years of experience behind the glass, in front of the glass, and on the stage, working with major acts like Bon Jovi, Pink, Eve, Levert, Grover Wasgington Jr., Teddy Pendergrass, The O’Jays, and Kris Kross, just to name a few.

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Photo by: Lisa Schaffer

He fondly recalls the opportunity Gerald Levert gave him in the early 90s producing a new group at the time on Atlantic Records, The Rude Boys, and having a #1 RnB hit with their song, “Written All Over Your Face.”

Salamone is still the eager musician he was when he started. Speaking about his current projects, he says, “that’s why I appreciate artists such as Carsie [Blanton] and Chris [Kasper]. They are committed and passionate about making good music.”

Blanton is a Philly born classic American pop artist inspired by the jazz of Cole Porter, 80’s folk of Leonard Cohen, and

pop of Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, and Beyonce. Her project is a collection of her interpretations on 30s and 40s jazz which she connected with as an early teen. It was this project that brought her to Cambridge and especially Salamone. “I couldn’t find what I was looking for in New Orleans and started asking around. I wanted someone with a lot of experience, talent, and could handle a lot of critiques from the artist.”

The project, not due out until July, came from the same inspiration that motivates all her work- sex. A popular pro-sex blogger, Blanton has been a forerunner of a new sexual revolution and given voices to women all over. “The same inspiration I get from love or sex is the same energy and spirit in my music.”

Kasper, a singer-songwriter from Philly, came to Cambridge for the same reason as Blanton. He recorded his album, Bagabones (which has landed him on tour with Amos Lee and the Wood Brothers) elsewhere, but came to Salamone for engineering. Kasper now has a catalogue to play for any size, learning from gigging in rooms of all sizes and writing “to what people would want to hear or see on that stage,” he says.

There is a reason why both of these artists came to Cambridge right before they got on tour. “You have to be comfortable enough to fuck up,” says Salamone in his main room.

He points out that the atmosphere is just as important as the equipment. The better studios have the gear, the guitars, and the computers needed to get the job done. He believes what separates them is the service they provide. Full time engineer Todd Mecaughey has been with Salamone since graduating from Drexel. Alex Kopertowski (engineer) is currently attending Drexel.

Josh Aaron (engineer) is the drummer for The Lawsuits. “Great crew here, and we all play drums.”

When people are ready to take things seriously, they come to Jim Salamone and Cambridge Sound. He is the producer/ musician/engineer with the experience and the resume, who doesn’t live off of past accomplishments. If your band is looking for that final touch, you need to contact Cambridge Sound before they fill up.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

A New Day Breaks W

hen Steve Sparrow answers the phone, I smile at his charming, boyish accent and I feel as if I’ve been transferred across the pond to the U.K. In reality, the front-man of Morning Parade, the critically acclaimed five-piece alt rock band from the town of Harlow in Essex, is hanging out in Atlanta, Georgia, enjoying some much needed time off.

Formed in 2007, Morning Parade consists of Sparrow (lead vocals, guitar), Phil Titus (bass), Andrew Hayes (drums), Ben Giddings (piano/synths), and Chad Thomas (lead guitar). The band released their debut album in 2012, with jobs, schooling, and gigs filling the time in between. Two years earlier, in 2010, is when Sparrow pinpoints the band becoming full-time musicians.

“It’s kind of terrifying and kind of brilliant.

Everyone around you, everyone in the town you’re from knows what’s going on, so there’s a lot of pressure. You want to do your family proud; you want to do yourself proud. It’s no longer just you and your matesthere are teams of people working on it. It was fairly scary, but it was amazing to get the response we got,” Sparrow recalls of the release of the debut album.

The self-titled debut was met with positive critical acclaim both in the U.K. and here in the U.S., with single “Headlights” reaching #16 on the U.S. Alt Rock chart. Their song, “Speechless” has also been featured on The Vampire Diaries.

In the music scene where there is just about any line-up imaginable, Morning Parade, whose name is a throw-back to Sparrow’s

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Photo by: Steve Gullick

Morning Parade moves forward with new label and new record. «

By: Melissa Komar

and Titus’s time spent working early morning laborer jobs, has more of a traditional line-up with five members.

“I’ll tell you, it’s more expensive,” Sparrow jokes when asked how the line-up works, but adds that “it gives us more options and more textures. Five people means you get five different personalities and five completely different musical backgrounds to bring experience into it.”

In 2013, their EP, Alienation, was released.

Much of it was written while the band was on the road. The inspiration, Sparrow claims, behind the songs comes from the reality that they experienced from social media versus the reality of what happened outside of the technological world.

“Alienation is really about information overload and just feeling so separated from the rest of the world,” Sparrow concludes.

Aside from Alienation, fans can also expect a second full-length album tentatively in May. With the new album also comes a new label for the band, after a rather messy separation from their previous label. But, the band is excited to move forward.

“It’s been an absolute privilege to work with them [SO Recordings]. They’ve been really understanding, absolutely trustworthy.

They let us make our own decisions about everything, the songs, the producers, the artwork, everything. So it’s been great,” Sparrow says.

Aside from a new label, the band also paired up with a new producer, Ben Allen [Animal Collective, CeeLo Green, MIA, Walk the Moon]. “The guy is a genius,”

Sparrow gushes. “He’s such a cool bloke. I was skeptical about working with him at first.

I told him I don’t think you’re ‘rock’ enough for us and he said ‘I’ll bring the rock’.”

The band will be bringing their rock in support of the new album, playing at several festivals and U.S. cities. No stranger to Philly, having played here in January, Morning Parade will be back in town on May 23rd at Underground Arts.

Although the band traces its roots to the U.K., they have a pretty heavy U.S. tour schedule and feel equally welcomed in the States. “We just had a really good response.

The great thing about the U.S. is people are quite forthcoming in their show of praise. If they’re enjoying something, they really let you know,” Sparrow shares.

He also admits that in the U.S., Morning Parade has been able to be more creative because people are more open to different styles of music. While chart-topping is always something to be admired [both in the U.K. and U.S.], Sparrow points to being able to make more music and meet fans as some of the biggest accomplishments the band has achieved.

“In this day and age, just being able to make another album, getting to the point where you get to make another record is a big accomplishment, but also meeting loads of crazy fans, some with our lyrics tattooed on their bodies—that’s pretty incredible. To see that they felt how I felt and see there’s that universal connection across an ocean is a pretty amazing thing,” Sparrow reveals.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Wishing on

Black Stars

The Journey to the Rolling Stones.

For Black Stars, music is about mopping the floor with the competition and grooving while they’re doing it. As the victors of March’s Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands in Philadelphia they’ve proven that it’s not only a mosh pit that can destroy, but also immense booty shaking. The band, channeling touches of Led Zeppelin and old ghosts of classic rock, have been building their following for the last four years.

The next stop, with their fingers tightly crossed, will hopefully lead the band to the Hard Rock Live Festival in Rome, Italy. For now, though, they took some time out to lift their opponents from the floor and do an interview. According to front man and cofounder Nik Greeley, the Hard Rock Live Festival is one of their modest dreams. He’s looking straight toward the horizon and says their future plans include, “playing in front of seas of people and hanging with The Rolling Stones.”

You can’t fault conviction - as much as people will try to (and everyone’s a critic these days) - and they’re taking steps to put the Stones firmly in their sights.

“We will be releasing a follow up EP to our debut album and music videos shortly, and we’re hitting the road,” says Greeley.

It’s a good start and time will tell if it’s the start they’re going to need. After four years together (and three years playing live) it can still feel like you’re breaking into the industry. Despite that, Greeley is reassuring when he says they’ve not lost an ounce of what they set out to do.

“We try to write songs that are memorable and that will stand the test of time.

By: Sebastian Mackay

We try to combine great music with lyrics you can relate to or can paint a picture in your mind.”

Their debut album and victory at Hard Rock are testaments not only to their live show, but to the music they write and record.

In the same way metalcore makes you want to destroy your living room, Black Stars’ dance floor rock will make you want to throw a party.

“I think,” remarks Greeley, “people can really connect to the energy and passion that our band puts out, especially live. We have fun and we play from the heart.”

It’s heart that’s created some of the best songs in modern music and Black Stars are channeling their heart to do exactly the same thing.

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Sebastian Mackay

Photo by: Allison Schroeder

“The best songs do that [paint a picture in your mind] and that’s why we’re still listening to The Beatles and [Led] Zeppelin and all the countless greats from 30-40 years ago. They wrote from their hearts.”

For Greeley, “music is the greatest thing in the world.” He’s fueled by songs that changed his life a la Weezer’s “Only in Dreams”.

“It still gives me the chills to this day. It’s melancholy, but incredibly euphoric at the same time. The combination of the music and the lyrics is perfect.”

In this way, “Only in Dreams” sums up everything that Black Stars are striving for: passion, the perfect combination of lyrics and music and longitude. Perhaps hanging with the Stones isn’t that far off, after all.

Photo by: Chase Epstein

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Stealing the

SPOTLIGHT in the Big Apple «

«

By: Matt Kelchner

Photos Courtesy of: Governors Ball

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“I’d say around 2002, when we were seniors in high school,” recounts Jordan Wolowitz as he describes the very beginnings of Governors Ball. This high school idea has now developed into one of the biggest festivals in the United States. And what better place to do it than New York City? It’s something in which Wolowitz and company take great pride. When asked what sets the Governors Ball apart from the many other festivals around the country, Wolowitz proudly responds, “for starters, we’re in New York City. That’s one thing no other festival in our space can boast.”

Wolowitz makes up one third of Founders Entertainment, the company behind Governors Ball. Wolowitz teamed up with buddies Tom Russell and Yoni Reisman a few years ago to come up with the idea of giving one of the biggest and most wellknown cities in the world a proper festival.

these obstacles. “We’re a small independent company,” Wolowitz explains, “and we’ve been successful in the most competitive market in the country.”

The process Founders Entertainment goes about when selecting artists is long and well planned. Wolowitz heads the booking of the acts. In some instances, acts such as the headliners were booked well in advance.

Wolowitz runs through a few of the many questions that come to mind when they are searching for talent such as, “when was the last time they played the market? Where was the show, and how did it sell? Do they have a new record coming out? Have they already played the festival?”

Other factors go into the decision process as well. One thing that is not high on the list is the style of music the artists fall under.

Wolowitz explains, “There are few other intangibles that go into it as well. Genre is

New York City is no stranger when it comes to big time production, but Governors Ball continues to impress.

“We’d been thinking about it for years, but the planning for the first Ball started about four to five months before we announced. It all happened very quickly.”

The Governors Ball started in 2011 as a one-day festival with a number of midsized, nationally touring acts. Year after year, the lineup and overall size of the festival continued to grow. “We’re only in our 4th year, so we’re still pretty young, all things considered. We’ve grown methodically each year, from one day and 12 artists in 2011, to two days and 24 artists in 2012...now we’re at about 70 artists over three days. Our goals are still the same, but the festival is a much bigger beast,” Wolowitz says.

Names like Outkast, the Strokes, Vampire Weekend and Jack White now grace the top of their concert billing. Things were not always like this, though. Wolowitz looks back to the festival’s first year and some of the trouble of bringing bigger artists to perform. “NYC is the most important market to 99% of all contemporary touring acts. We had to prove to them that playing Governors Ball was better for them than playing a traditional club or theatre show in town.”

With the size that the festival is now at, Founders Entertainment easily overcame

a factor, but I wouldn’t say it’s at the top of the list.”

Then there are those special acts that always have an open invite. One of these bands in particular was the Strokes. Since the festival’s creation, they have always been welcomed to be added to the lineup. This year. the New York band took them up on the offer. When I asked what other bands had this kind of treatment, Wolowitz responded with “Whenever Talking Heads feel like reuniting, they know who to call!” The ball is in your court now David Byrne!

From the very beginning the masterminds behind Governors Ball have kept one thing clear, “our goal was to bring our hometown of New York City their first lasting, marquee contemporary music festival.” With the festival growing larger and larger every year, they seem to be out doing themselves every time. As they have expanded, they have brought some of the best New York has to offer along with them. Not only in terms of the performers, but in all areas. “This is a festival for New York City,” Wolowtiz says, “produced by people from New York City”.

And it’s a festival that one of the most famous cities in the world can be proud of year after year.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

«

Golden Debut If you’ve tuned into local radio station 104.5 any time over the past couple of months, your ears undoubtedly have been infected by-- with its strong-hold, indietronic, reverberating keyboard chords, catchy as the common cold and selfies-- rock single “Gold” by Los Angeles group Sir Sly. I first heard the single about a month before it hit local airwaves while listening to the Alternative music channel on my TV. I was making my way up my carpeted steps, painstakingly trying to vacuum away the most miniscule particles of dirt and dust when lead singer Landon Jacobs’ echoing vocals permeated the sound barrier of the suctioning force of my Eureka.

No pun intended, I knew what I heard was musical gold and had to share my discovery.

Fast forward a couple weeks and Landon Jacobs is sharing the scoop on the band that is slowing climbing the Adult Alternative Billboard chart and crafting songs for their debut album.

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Photo by: Nick Walker

Sir Sly gears up for debut album release amid touring and building success of Gold EP. « By Melissa Komar

“I talk on the phone enough with friends so I’m really, really skilled at it now,” Jacobs jokes commencing our phone interview.

We quickly plunge into the history of the band, composed of Jacobs [vocals, guitar], Hayden Coplen [drums], and Jason Suwito [keyboard]. Although the trio only just came together in August of 2012, they’ve been involved in the music scene for quite some time.

According to Jacobs, he and Coplen grew up playing music together in local bands and collaborating on writing projects. The two had previously met Suwito after opening for one of his earlier music projects.

During a writing session of what would become the song “Ghost”, which has been featured on MTV’s television series Teen Wolf, Jacobs and Coplen realized that what they were doing was different than before and the band was born.

The band signed with Cherrytree/ Interscope Records within a year, went on

tour with St. Lucia, and continued to write music for their upcoming debut album.

While signing to a major label is certainly an accomplishment in today’s music scene, Jacobs finds making the music the most rewarding experience.

“The most fruitful thing was to be able to make music and not worry about anything else,” Jacobs says.

The band wrote approximately 25 songs before they attended last year’s SXSW music festival. It’s a lot of music for a band in the stages of infancy, but Sir Sly’s set up has certainly helped. Aside from Suwito producing the band’s music, they have their own studio where they write, record, produce and mix all their music.

“That’s what allowed us to work so quickly in the beginning and make a lot of music,” Jacobs admits.

Despite having penned so many songs, the band has only released seven official songs, four on their Gold EP and a cover of Drake’s

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

“make music to be

That’s why we

vulnerable in a way that is most honest to us and honest to others

”

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Photo by: Nick Walker

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“Marvin’s Room”. They are aiming for a summer release for their debut album.

“Hopefully this summer [the album will be released]. We feel like we can still write better songs. We have about 13 songs right now that we really love. We’d love to put 11 songs on the record, but we want them to be 11 great songs that work as an album,” Jacobs confides.

Classifying their sound initially as slyfi, Sir Sly has an eclectic mix of influences including electronic, hip hop, and indie rock.

Jacobs draws inspiration for lyrics from his extensive reading background of authors such as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Sir Sly will commence a spring tour with The 1975, hitting several major cities. While Philadelphia isn’t a planned stop, you can catch them on June 22nd at the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware.

Looking forward to what the band hopes to share through their music, Jacobs cites honesty.

“I probably can’t say anything better than the music already says. That’s why we make music…to be vulnerable in a way that’s most honest to us and honest to others, to be helpful to others and helpful to ourselves.”

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

New Single, Tighter Sound. « By Dalissa Reeder Doylestown-based band Heat Thunder has an eclectic sound that truly encapsulates the meaning of their name — haunting vocal melodies accompanied by booming instrumentals and encompassed by an atmosphere of warm acoustic and ambient tones. The band features singer/guitarist Joe Montone, bassist Matthew Phillips, drummer William Chamuris, and guitarist Luming Hao. The start of 2014 represented a return to jamming, writing and recording for the band culminating in the release of their current single, “River Song”.

It’s been two short years since Montone released his debut medley EP/film Melody, Love & Soul, and subsequently the single, “Solo World”, last summer featuring the whole band. While Melody, Love & Soul took the listener down a wandering path lined with introspective vocals and guitar riffs, “River Song” moves forward with a tighter, well-defined sound.

Phillips says, “”Solo World” was the first song that we really did together as a band, and “River Song” is really a solidification.

I think we all felt more comfortable with each other, and I feel like that made us push ourselves a little more.”

Getting to the point where the songs are ready to be recorded is a letting go process for the band, especially for Montone who is also the lyricist. He says, “The first album was a lot of acceptance that nothing is perfect. No matter what, the songs were not coming out how ‘I’ wanted them, but were really just expressing the concept intended all along.”

“ “Solo World” was the first song that we really did together as a band, and “River Song” is really a solidification.”

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Heat Thunder Strikes Again

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Photo by: Michael Russo

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

“My favorite part is coming to that feeling that we don’t need to revise a song anymore because whatever vague picture or feeling we had has been expressed.”

Hao adds, “My favorite part is coming to that feeling that we don’t need to revise a song anymore because whatever vague picture or feeling we had has been expressed…like laying an idea to rest and not having to deal with its shapeless presence in your mind anymore.”

An intriguing part of their sound is the distinctive ambient guitar riffs. Hao says, “I try to think of the songs as plays and want to paint the back wall scenery picture so that there’s a backdrop to hear the placement and movement of what Matt, Joe and Will are doing. But other times, I do very guitar-y things.”

Currently, Heat Thunder is collaborating with Philadelphia filmmaker Elijah Lee Reeder to create a film/music video featuring another yet to be released single. Montone says, “There will be skateboarding, tribal overlords, ballet, the U.S. Postal Service and German Shepherds in the film. That’s about all I can say right now.”

Recently, the band played to a packed house at Siren Records in Doylestown.

Unsure of how their dream-like sound would translate live, the audience was surprised by their loud, folk punk set. The band’s next upcoming show is May 13th at World Café Live with The Naked Sun and Delco Pacers. They are also hoping to have an XPN The Key Session debut in May.

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The Start of a Riot Liverpool’s Jetta Rocks and Roars with her Musical Journey.

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By: Donte Kirby

How do you know you want to be an artist? Is it the summer spent in your room practicing your craft? Is it the first time you showcase what you’ve done? Maybe, it’s watching your parents practice their craft? For some, they never forget the moment they decided what they wanted to do with their life and the path they want to travel.

It’s a magical moment akin to love at first sight.

“I saw their faces and reactions to how I performed, all the hard work I had put into it and thought, ‘why wouldn’t I want to do this for the rest of my life?’” Jetta is describing the first moment she looked at music differently.

Music is in her genes. Both of Jetta’s parents were musically inclined- her father being a sound engineer and her mother a singer/piano player. They introduced her to 80s bands like The Police.

“My mom use to have her a capella group at the house. They would harmonize «

Photo by: Derrick Santini

VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

“Why wouldn’t I want to do this for the rest of my life?” «

Photo by: Derrick Santini

and I would sit on the floor with my feet up listening,” reminiscences Jetta. “When I was teenager I liked Destiny’s Child, Coldplay, the music of my generation. They all had a message and had fun. It was inspiring.”

Start a Riot is Jetta’s current EP and she says, “the general message of the EP is to embrace your fears and embrace what life throws at you.” Her debut single of the same name stands for “that turning point” and she feels its themes are in tune with the title.

“Start a Riot” is self-explanatory.

Jetta has been preparing for success since her youth in Liverpool, a place she has

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always associated with music. “Liverpool was a very musical place. I remember walking around and there was always somebody playing music, playing the drums outside on the street, or making an instrument,” says Jetta.

Before she set out as a solo artist, Jetta was a background singer for Paloma Green and CeeLo Green. “Artist I worked with knew from the beginning I was on a journey. It felt like a natural progression,” she explains when it comes to her recent notoriety and her debut as a solo artist.

“I was in a bit of a dark place, in between homes with this crazy work schedule. I was spending a few months in LA, got some time to myself, did some soul searching and

realized home is a state of mind,” recalls Jetta on how “Feels like Home,” came to be. “Feels like Home” was used as the background music for the Google Zeitgeist video and has a lot of attention for the artist.

Recent success and notoriety aside, Jetta knows and offers as advice to other upcoming artists that success in the music industry is “just as much about the hard work as the talent.”

Jetta says her album will be released around September and she can’t wait “to show everyone what I’ve been doing for the past 18 months.” In the years to come, as an artist, she would “like to just be playing bigger and bigger stages.” She adds, laughing, “maybe even outer space.”

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CAKE LIFE Bake Shop «

By: Malana Battle

“We don’t just make cupcakes!”

Chocolate Dulce, Tiramisu, and

«

Strawberry Shortcake are just some

Photos by: Dominic Perri

of the few delicious cupcakes that Cake Life Bake Shop has to offer.

Formerly known as A Cupcake Wonderland,

this

company

is

expanding their brand and coming to Fishtown this summer. The bakery/café/BYOB

is

co-owned

by the winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, Lily Fischer, and her best friend from Sarah Lawrence College, Nima Etemadi.

The two were headed down completely different career paths- Fischer was a preschool teacher and Etemadi was an editor at a magazine. The two jokingly call it their “quarter life crisis!” They never imagined being in the service industry.

“I would have been happy to imagine us being business partners doing something together, but if you would have told us we would even tangentially be in the wedding

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industry, I would have thought you were joking,” Etemadi says. “That was not part of my grand plan!”

Cake Life Bake Shop changed its name to give the brand “the license to play.” All types of cakes, pastries, and scones are on the menu. Etemadi says, “You can’t really feel inspired by making one product every day. We didn’t want to put all of our eggs in the cupcake basket.”

Cake Life Bake Shop is a very unique bakery. While your classic vanilla and red velvet cupcakes will always be available, Fischer and Etemadi are constantly trying new recipes and playing with high quality ingredients to make sure you enjoy all of their tasty treats. Creativity is their specialty and they aim to please your heart’s desires.

“We made a Rihanna 3D butt cake. That was an early one for our business and still one of our favorites! And, for that same client, we just made a Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” cake. Those are fun to us!”

The 3D treat proved their originality and pastry expertise by stepping outside of the

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

«

Photo by: Nadine Rovner

“We really try to accommodate as

”

much as we can.

box and overcoming challenges that came with creating the cake. “When we look back at that cake we are still really proud of it,” Etemadi states.

Cake Life Bake Shop is coming this summer to 1306 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown and the owners are really excited about opening up. “We really try to accommodate as much as we can,” Fischer says. “We don’t just make cupcakes!”

Visit their website at www.CakeLifeBakeShop.com to place your special order today.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

Getting to Know

Guzzo!

«

By: Mely Duong

Duality: Demonic vs Divine, According to Laura Guzzo.

early age and fueled her interest in duality.

With the concept of angels being good yet terrifying and dangerous compounded upon the fact that demons are evil and fallen angels, Guzzo was able to serve up some interesting subject matter for her artwork.

“The hierarchy of angels and that of hell… it’s the same system, just two sides of the same coin, and I love that.”

Attending the Moore College of Art and Design not only nurtured her abilities as an artist and a human, but also challenged

Guzzo’s passion for art. Ultimately, she was able to realize that, as an artist, she would need to ignore unpleasable critics and do what she found best. One of her resonant mantras is something her teacher Richard Harrington said, “Everything you’re going to draw looks like the worst thing you’ve ever done…halfway through.” For Guzzo, it is essential to keep at it until coming out on the other side of the tunnel.

Although Guzzo personally favors book cover illustration, she has participated

P

hiladelphia Comic Con 2014 will showcase the best illustrators and comic book artists just as it has done in previous years. Although the field is inundated with amazing talent, freelance illustrator Laura Guzzo distinguishes herself from the rest through mesmerizing, divine versus demonic imagery and themes that reverberate within her various works.

Her Catholic upbringing has strongly influenced the subject of her work and is one of the major reasons for compelling her to utilize imagery that evokes memories of stained glass or of wounded martyrs.

Furthermore, this persistent pursuit of divine or demonic portrayal of themes was reinforced by the fact that her artistic awakening occurred when she traveled to Florence, the artistic capital of the Italian Renaissance.

“I found myself surrounded by gorgeous classical artwork and since I was already carrying a sketchbook wherever I went [since I loved anime], I began to draw the paintings and sculptures and landscapes surrounding me,” explains Guzzo.

This trenchant experience allowed Guzzo to know what her path would be from an

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

in illustrating for a variety of comics.

She contributed four vignette images with a film noir vibe to Shakespeare Shaken, one of which was featured on the cover.

Recently, she was a colorist, collaborating with Shawn Harbin, a fellow artist working on the aforementioned project, and together, they worked on Roadkill Du Jour, a supernatural revenge tale set in the southern bayou. Then, she was able to achieve one of her fangirl dreams by contributing an illustration to Princeless, an all ages satire about a princess combatting clichéd fantasy tropes. Typically, Guzzo is not the main artist as her strength comes from devoting all of her energy to a single image. For the next few months, she will submit to Red Stylo Media’s anthology, Killer Queen.

“My contribution is a visualization of the song “Bicycle Race” that pulls a lot of inspiration from the surrealist cityscapes of M.C. Escher.”

Learn more about Laura Guzzo at www.lauraguzzoart.com or visit her at Philly Comic Con!

www.schooleystreetproductions.com sspstudios@verizon.net 856-577-7911

Schooley Street Productions is a full service recording studio located in Moorestown, New Jersey, less than fifteen minutes from all Philadelphia bridges. The facility is approximately 1000 square feet. All rooms are isolated and decoupled. The hub of our studio is a 32 channel Toft analog console. We have the gear to create that warm analog mix. We collaborate with many local engineers, producers, and musicians to you project. All this is done is a help develop and complete your relaxed professional environment. No pressure, we want you to have a good time and enjoy the experience.

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VOL. 3 Spring « May « 2014

THE ROOKS GEAR UP FOR A PRODUCTIVE SUMMER T

he Rooks haven’t fully decided what genre they subscribe to, but lead singer Garth Taylor wants you to shut up and just enjoy it. Formed at their collective alma mater, Wesleyan University, The Rooks have been called many things. Taylor remembers a minor discursive dust-up following their very first show back at school in 2011.

“People were like ‘The Rooks are a great funk band’ and other people said ‘they’re not a funk band, they’re a soul band,’” he recalls.

“And we were just like ‘we’ll let you know what we wanna call it, just enjoy the music.’”

Though a small-time outfit, The Rooks are already pretty accomplished. In 2012, they opened for Talib Kweli at an event for Jewish college students. They’ve performed alongside internet-famous Bay Area rapper George Watsky, someone to whom Taylor says the Rooks owe a substantial debt. When I spoke with Taylor this February, The Rooks had just finished up a month-long residency at Lower East Side bar and venue Pianos, where they performed a major final show with up-and-comers, The Shadowboxers.

“And people will definitely hear about them soon,” says Taylor. “If you don’t already know about them.”

The Rooks closed out February playing the Gramercy Theatre with fellow Brooklyn folk

and jazz scene fixtures Rocket & the Ghost, Lyle Divinsky, and the Nat Osborn Band.

Last June they released their debut EP, Something You Can Take. It was a major step for the then-fledgling band. “It was basically the first time we put together our idea of a single, professional product,” Taylor says of Something You Can Take.

They recorded that first EP in a studio space at Connecticut College, making the trip from New York City for several consecutive weekends.

“A lot of those songs are from our very early stages,” remembers Taylor. “The title track was one of the first songs we learned.

There’s way more of a jazz, mid-tempo element to it that definitely was more of what we did at the very beginning.”

They’re in the process of a second recording effort right now. In fact, the day I spoke with him, Taylor was on his way to meet with the band to write more songs for the upcoming release. It looks like they’re serious about demonstrating the growth they’ve undergone since Something You Can Take dropped, bringing in an even wider range of influences and cranking up the intensity. Taylor describes “Twister”, the first single released from the new batch of recordings, as the first experiment with some

« 38 • THAT MAG MAY

Photo by: Charlotte Christopher

Six-Piece Brooklyn outfit has a lot in store for you; just don’t try too hard to name it. « By Marcus Waters Bonner more “indie” vibes in their sound. On the whole, though, Taylor promises more hiphop-influenced sounds in the mix with their well-known jazz, funk, and soul. This time around, they’re going for what Taylor calls “a more raw sound.”

“Of course we want it to be polished, but what we like about our live shows is that they’re really pumped up and hype,” he says.

“But, our music – before anyway – had a little more reservation behind it. We’re looking to bring the rawness of our live shows to the recording in a way that’s new and different.”

They also just shot a music video for “Twister”, the first single from the new EP. You can find the teaser on the band’s YouTube page and the full video should be out in the next few weeks.

The Rooks are booked solid from now to the end of May with more shows in New York, Philly, D.C., Boston and various colleges in the Massachusetts/New England region. Taylor assured me that there will be even more shows this summer and that they’re indeed trying to expand their reach.

“For right now, we’re definitely focused on the new music video and recording this new EP. After that, we’re hitting the road harder than we ever have,” he says. “We’re always trying to mess with the show and just make it as cohesive as possible.”

Though clearly at the forefront of the band members’ minds, a full-length LP and a tour spanning the US remain goals slightly beyond the horizon for The Rooks. I was assured that these would come soon enough, but Taylor was quick to remind me that, along with constant rehearsals, performances, and recording sessions, he and his bandmates all have real jobs.

“Two of us are paralegals, two of us are music teachers, one of us works in finance and another person is a music administrator at Manhattan School of Music,” he rattles off.

“So, it’s a lot to maintain. We’re trying to do everything we can without being crazy and running ourselves into the ground.”

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