Urban Vinyl Magazine-Issue II

URBAN VINYL Issue II

The Classic Kids • Magic Man •

• Tonight Alive • Metric • Great Good Fine Ok • and many more great artists

• The Silverman Brothers •

About

Founded and launched in February 2016 by Sophie Hsu, Urban Vinyl Magazine is a new and currently independently-run outlet that harmonizes a passion for music and food. Based in New York City where both music and food are at their best, the artists and restaurants featured on the site and the upcoming issues are individually handpicked in order to reach a diverse spectrum of sound and taste. Created by a music lover and a foodie, the aim is to provide high quality content for fellow music lovers and foodies.

LISTEN. EAT. EXPLORE.

Sophie Hsu • Founder • Photographer •

Thank You • Inge • Alex • Katie • Alyson • Evan •

• Editor-in-Chief • Writer • Layout & Design • Content •

• Nick • Samantha • Meah • • Lucy • Maria • Paige • • Winnie • Amanda • Kelli • • Sean and Alex Silverman • • The Classic Kids • Caveman • • The Classic Kids • • 154 Ludlow St, Lower East Side • • Del Water Gap • Ra Ra Riot • Metric • • POP ETC • The Rocket Summer • • March 10, 2016 • • Tonight Alive • Alison James • • Great Good Fine Ok • She Is We • • Magic Man • urbanvinylmag.com • and most importantly, my family @urbanvinylmag and friends for always supporting @urbanvinylmag my photography and my love for music. •

On the Cover

Stay Connected

For booking and inquiries: sophie@urbanvinylmag.com

• And of course, to my readers! You make this happen! •

• All social media icons by Good Stuff No Nonsense •

• This issue would not have been possible without all of you! •

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Contents

Main Artist

• The Classic Kids • 13-18

Featured Artist

Explore & Create

• Magic Man • 31-36

• The Silverman Brothers • 23-24

Live Shots • Caveman • 3-4 • Del Water Gap • 5-6 • Ra Ra Riot • 7-8 • Tonight Alive • 9-10

• POP ETC • 11-12

• Metric • 19-20

• Great Good Fine Ok • 21-22

• She Is We • 25-26 • The Rocket Summer • 27-28

• Alison James • 29-30

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• The Bowery Electric • March 1, 2016 •

Caveman • New York, New York • • Matt Iwanusa • Sam Hopkins • Jimmy Carbonetti • Jeff Berrall • Matt Clarke •

@CavemanBand Caveman’s sound in 3 words: Big, Arena, American

@caveman

Favorite song to perform live: “Human”

Favorite food or drink: Steak

/CavemanBand 3

Favorite spot in NYC: Lower East Side

• Jimmy Carbonetti •

• Sam Hopkins •

• Jeff Berrall •

• Matt Iwanusa • • Matt Clarke •

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• The Studio at Webster Hall • March 4, 2016 •

Del Water Gap

• The Northeastern United States • Kansas • • Will Evans • S. Holden Jaffe • Charles Schlinkert • Scott James • Jared LaCasce •

@delwatergap

Del Water Gap’s sound in 3 words: Not delivery...Del-Giorno

@delwatergapband

Favorite song to perform live: “Love Song for Del Water Gap”

Favorite food or drink: Peanuts

/delwatergap 5

Favorite spot in NYC: Skinny Dennis

• S. Holden Jaffe •

• Jared LaCasce •

• Will Evans • • Scott James •

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• Webster Hall • March 4, 2016 •

Ra Ra Riot • Syracuse, New York •

• Milo Bonacci • Mathieu Santos • Wes Miles • Kenny Bernard • Rebecca Zeller •

@rarariot @rarariot /rarariot 7

• Milo Bonacci •

• Wes Miles •

• Mathieu Santos •

• Kenny Bernard •

• Rebecca Zeller •

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• Irving Plaza • March 5, 2016 •

Tonight Alive • Sydney, Australia • • Whakaio Taahi • Jenna McDougall • Cameron Adler • Matt Best • Jake Hardy •

@TonightAlive @tonightaliveofficial /tonightalive 9

• Jake Hardy •

• Whakaio Taahi •

• Matt Best •

• Cameron Adler • • Jenna McDougall •

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• Terminal 5 • November 24, 2015 •

POP ETC • Tokyo, Japan • Berkeley, California • Brooklyn, New York • • Jon Chu • Julian Harmon • Chris Chu •

@popetcetera

POP ETC’s sound in 3 words (Chris):

Spacious, Thoughtful, Technicolor

Favorite song to perform live:

@popetc

“Vice,” probably. But this changes often.

Favorite food or drink: Xiao Long Bao

/POPETC 11

Favorite spot in NYC:

We love Sunset Park. The park itself and the neighborhood. There’s a bunch of restaurants down there that we go to all the time. Yunnan Flavour Garden is one. Get the cold rice noodle.

• Chris Chu • Santos Party House • March 8, 2016 • • Photo by Sepand Soheili (Instagram: @sep957) •

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• The Classic Kids • 194 Ludlow St • March 10, 2016 • @TheClassicKids

@theclassickids /TheClassicKids

Main Artist • The Classic Kids •

theclassickids.com

Young, Retro. Stylish. These three characteristics attribute to The Classic Kids. The Classic Kids, formed and based in Brooklyn in 2013, features (according to photo above) Matty Boy (guitar, vocals), Eric James (vocals, bass), Max Dean (guitar), and Mikey G (drums). Not only are they young in age, ranging from 21 to 26, they recently released their sparkling debut EP titled Forever Strong on January 15, 2016. The EP showcases the tracks “Just Begun,” “Drive,” “We Had It All,” and “No Matter The Distance.”

Earlier this month, they shared their catchy sound at Pianos in the Lower East Side on March 10, 2016. Amidst their busy schedules, they kindly contributed some of their time to chat about the process of creating their debut EP, where they would go on vacation as a band, and even recommended a restaurant and bar in NYC to check out.

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Upcoming Show(s): • The Bitter End • May 14, 2016 • 18+ •

What’s the story behind the formation of The Classic Kids?

Hello! First off, thank you for interviewing us! Basically, we wanted a name to go with the unique sound we had cultivated. We basically spitballed names on the way to a studio session, and The Classic Kids stuck.

What was the first musical instrument (musical or non-musical) you started making music with?

ERIC-the saxophone MATTY-the piano MAX-the bass clarinet MIKEY-the trumpet

You guys released your debut EP Forever Strong just in January. What was the process of writing, recording, and producing? Did you write and record in one place, or in a variety?

Our EP was written over the course of about a year. Some songs were written in our private studio, while others were co-written with our producer, Christian Medice, in Brooklyn. Each song is written differently, with different emotions behind them. Every song was finalized and produced by Christian.

Which song (released or unreleased) are you most proud of?

We are proud of all of our songs, but if we could only choose one, we’d say “Just Begun.” This was the first song that was written under the name The Classic Kids.

When we heard the finished product, we knew we were on to something great.

How and when do you decide on the setlist/tunes you plan to share at a show?

When we plan on which songs to perform at a live show, we like to start off with the slower-paced songs at first, and work our way up to the faster BPM songs as the show continues. Although most of our songs are at a higher tempo, they give new listeners at the show a chance to feel us out at first, and hopefully, get more involved into the show as the set builds up!

After listening to the EP, “No Matter the Distance” is my favorite track. Can you touch on the inspiration and creation of that song?

This song was created with the idea of doing whatever it takes to make it work in a long-distance relationship. Some aspects of the lyrics are true to personal experience. We also feel this is a very anthemic song that many people will just be able to relate to.

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• Pianos • March 10, 2016 •

• Max Dean •

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• Matty Boy •

• Mikey G •

• Eric James •

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Eat

• Junior’s Cheesecake •

386 Flatbush Ave Ext, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Describe the vibe of the restaurant in 3 words.

Classic, Fifties, Delicious

What’s the signature “The Classic Kids” choice off the menu?

We recommend the popcorn shrimp platter.

If you were to create a dish or meal inspired by your sound and your band, what would it consist of?

This question is hard because we all like different foods. I would say a grilled chicken sandwich ‘cause we’re all health nuts, but we like the look of a classic sandwich!

Drink

• Crocodile Lounge •

325 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003 Describe the vibe of the bar in 3 words.

Crocodile Lounge could best be described in 3 words as a “laidback, yet exciting” place to go. :) There’s enough room to stand so that you’re not uncomfortable, there are a few tables to sit, some games in the back, and of course, the free pizza with every drink purchased.

Why and how did you choose this particular bar?

We recommend this bar because with each drink purchased, you get a free personal pizza. Nothing is better than pizza with some drinks.

What’s the signature “The Classic Kids” drink off the menu?

You can usually catch us sipping on some Southern Comfort and Cokes at Crocodile Lounge.

If you were to create a drink inspired by your sound and your band, what would it consist of?

A drink inspired by The Classic Kids would probably consist of liquor such as Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam to get that “classic” feeling and some Monster Energy drink because it fits with our retro sound. We also just love Monster.

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What can listeners expect in terms of upcoming projects and/or releases?

Listeners can expect the same Classic Kids they fell in love with with a new twist.

We will always stay true to our unique sound, but as we continue to grow, our style of writing will continue to change. However, we will never abandon our Classic Kids “sound.”

If there were a pizza with the name “The Classic Kids,” what toppings would it have?

It’s hard to all agree on a pizza that we would give the name “The Classic Kids” to.

We all love just a cheese pie. If we’re feeling a bit more outgoing, maybe throw some chicken on there to give it that little extra that you’re looking for.

What’s a question you have wanted to get asked in an interview, and what’s the response to it?

“If you guys had three days to get away, where would you go and what would you do?”

We have been dying to go to Florida and spend a few days at Disney! We all haven’t been there in years, and would love to go as a band together and just relive some childhood memories!

• Pianos • March 10, 2016 •

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• Hammerstein Ballroom • March 11, 2016 •

Metric

• Toronto, Ontario, Canada • • Joules Scott-Key • James Shaw • Emily Haines • Joshua Winstead •

@Metric @metric /metric 19

• Joshua Winstead •

• Emily Haines •

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• Music Hall of Williamsburg • March 12, 2016 •

Great Good Fine Ok • Niskayuna, New York • Saratoga Springs, New York • • Jon Sandler • Luke Moellman •

Great Good Fine Ok’s sound in 3 words: @GreatGoodFineOk Maximalism, Nostalgia, Pop Favorite song to perform live: @greatgoodfineok

Jon: “Something To Believe In” Luke: “Bring You Back”

Favorite food or drink: Jon: Seafood Luke: Kale and kale juice

/GreatGoodFineOk 21

Favorite spot in NYC: Jon: Prospect Park Luke: Any rooftop

• Jon Sandler and Luke Moellman •

• Jon Sandler •

• Danny Wolf •

• Luke Moellman • • Carey Clayton•

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• Sean and Alex Silverman • Courtesy of The Silverman Brothers •

Explore & Create • The Silverman Brothers •

Favorite place to eat in NYC:

That’s a really hard question in terms of what my favorite restaurant in Nww York is to eat. I consider New York City’s restaurants to be the Disneyland for adults, and I would have to say, of recent memory, one of my new favorite ones is a porchetta restaurant, which I think is actually called Porchetta. They make these porchetta sandwiches that I can’t get enough of, but that’s one of amongst probably 30 restaurants that I can think of that are right up there.

@thiscenturysean thesilvermanbrothers.com @silvermanbrothers

Sean and Alex Silverman are two brothers who made their names as the guitarist and keyboardist of This Century (whose members have continued to pursue other musical projects since the release of their final record in June 2015). Sean and Alex have shifted their focus from being onstage to the behind=the-scenes of music, specifically in regard to songwriting and producing. Their musical skills and experiences have led them to creating and crafting distinct, resonant songs and sounds for rock, pop, and independent artists, alongside ones used for film and television. They have worked on numerous releases, including Beach Weather’s and The Technicolors’s debut EPs.

Amidst his packed schedule, Sean kindly gave some of his time to elaborate on the spark for writing and producing, two pieces of equipment essential to his approach towards songwriting and producing, and also, touched on a hint of what’s to come from The Maine.

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How did you two decide on “The Silverman Brothers” as your name? Had you originally envisioned working Can you briefly explain what it means to “produce” together, or was it a gradual decision? music? What’s your process of writing and producing as It definitely wasn’t the most creative name we could a duo? (On certain tracks, do you also record the vocals/ have come up with, but that was the first thing we play the instruments?) both were like, “Okay, we can agree on this. This is

Production, or producing music, in this day and age, has evolved a bit, but, my understanding of it, even I was younger, was to view it as the fifth member of the band, someone who comes in and helps to create a centralized vision within the band to keep them on track to creating a complete thought. Classic examples of this would be George Martin and The Beatles or Brian Eno and U2, or even in more contemporary terms, Brian Eno and Coldplay, where Have production and songwriting been interests you have you have everyone that wants to create this vision, always possessed, or were they ones you decided later to but need to find a central theme to tie it all together.

You work with that artist to facilitate that because pursue in life? that’s really what you’re there for, to facilitate and Songwriting came first for me; I never necessarily create an atmosphere and a soundboard for the artist envisioned myself being in a band, but I always to be able to express themselves in their truest and envisioned myself as a songwriter when I was in most honest form. elementary school first learning how to play guitar. I always hummed melodies even when I was incredibly little, smaller than I can remember, always Your track “Like You Like That” has been featured in being gravitated towards catchy melodies. I think several film and television productions, most prominently having that as a ground work for learning production was very important because we would look at songs CW’s The Flash. Was that track commissioned, or was it independently created and then picked up by multiple as a whole, and not necessarily based upon on particular instrument. So I think it started really projects/production teams? What about your projects, early on. in general? simplistic enough, and hopefully, people don’t confuse us with being the brothers of the actress Sarah Silverman.” We gradually came upon it because we were trying to figure out how we could have a way to house the ideas we were creating as a production group that were outside our individual musical projects.

The funny thing about “Like You Like That” was that that track had been commissioned for a different Many are familiar with you as the guitarist and project, and what ended up happening is that I had keyboardist (respectively) of This Century. What sparked sung this demo, and the demo got passed around. the transition from performing to producing and When it came time for that show’s episode, they were looking for something in that vein of music. It was just songwriting?

I think that the transition happened when we were funny how something I think I wrote about a year ago finishing up our first record, Sound of Fire, with This for something completely different got shifted into Century, and we got firsthand, a chance to witness a completely different place. Oftentimes, that seems an actual producer shape our record and shape our to happen when you have music that can now be so music, and see what that role really consisted of. The accessible that it can move from project to project, and can still work somewhere else. So it’s almost as guy who did our first record (his name is Tim though no matter when you created it, it never really Pagnotta) has since gone on to do some amazing records. In many ways, we considered him to be a dies. mentor who has helped us to understand what it took to take a production and make into a full vision, a full What are some pieces of equipment you use for your record. So that is really where the start of the projects (producing and/or songwriting)? What’s your transition into producing came from. Also, by the time favorite tool for production? we got into the second record, we got a better sense The piece of equipment I absolutely cannot live of what it meant to produce, whereas prior, we without my little Gretsch acoustic guitar. I try to maybe relied heavily on other people’s opinions on always start as small as possible, in terms of those types of things. songwriting tools I like that are very automatic and simple, and connected to me. I don’t like searching for What can supporters expect in terms of upcoming things necessarily sonic at first. I like to go on that journey once I have the thought, so I cannot live projects and/or releases?

We have several upcoming projects; one of the more without my Casio keyboard. Those two pieces of gear are vital to the inception process of songwriting I recent ones is, The Maine are putting out a Side B to think are the most crucial to me and Alex. their covers EP we were fortunate enough to produce and work on. We still have a lot of new tunes coming out for The Technicolors and Beach Weather. There’s a lot of that going on, and then several more projects we can’t really get into right now, but, it’s going to be a pretty hectic 2016.

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• The Gramercy Theatre • March 24, 2016 •

She Is We • Tacoma, Washington • • Rachel Taylor •

@SheIsWe @sheisweofficial /racheltaylorofficial 25

• Adamm Mitchell •

• Rachel Taylor •

• Ben Those •

• Wes Chamberlain •

• Rachel Taylor •

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• The Marlin Room at Webster Hall • March 26, 2016 •

The Rocket Summer • Fort Worth, Texas • • Bryce Avary •

@TheRocketSummer

The Rocket Summer’s sound in 3 words: Alive, Communal. Zoetic

Favorite song to perform live: @bryceavary

“Cold War”

Favorite food or drink:

Thai Veggie Green Curry /TheRocketSummer 27

Favorite spot in NYC:

The old Iridium-I met Les Paul there when I was 12, and it changed my life.

• Bryce Avary •

• Kyle Moore •

• Teddy Ramirez •

• Bryce Avary • • Bryce Avary •

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• The Bitter End • March 28, 2016 •

Alison James • New York, New York •

Alison James’ sound in 3 words: Piano-driven jazzy-pop

Favorite song to perform live:

@alisonvjames

“Amour Secret”-it’s a fun, catchy song in French that always gets good energy from the audience.

Favorite food or drink:

/alisonjamesmusic

An Old Fashioned...and good Baba Ghanoush. (Though probably not together.)

Favorite spot in NYC:

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Atta Boy for their amazing cocktails, and the Met for when I need to refresh and get some headspace.

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• Magic Man • The Bowery Ballroom • March 15, 2015 • @MagicMan @magicmanmusic /MagicManMusic

Featured Artist • Magic Man •

magicmanmusic.com

If you were to pair childhood and music together, the result would be Magic Man. Alex Caplow (lead vocals) and Sam Lee (guitar) grew up together in Boston, Massachusetts, spending countless days together and sharing wonderful moments. The summer after their freshman year of college, they ventured to France to WWOOF, and to occupy their free time, they composed soft melodies they later released as Real Life Color. After signing with Neon Gold Records/Columbia Records, in 2013, they went on the road with WALK THE MOON, and released their debut EP You Are Here via Neon Gold Records/Columbia Records. Since then, they have toured with artists including (but not limited to) New Politics, Night Terrors of 1927, Smallpools, WATERS, Panama Wedding, and Tigertown. They have also shared their sound at festivals, such as Firefly. They released their debut full-length record Before the Waves in the summer of 2014, and are currently recording their follow-up while preparing for The Hotline Spring Tour with The Griswolds and Panama Wedding, set to make stops at Webster Hall and Warsaw.

But, here’s the trick. Magic Man was not the first collaborative musical project Alex and Sam pursued. That said, Alex kindly took a pause from working on the new album and shared some of his time to elaborate on this, in addition to discussing a great childhood memory he remembers (about food!), what listeners can expect on the new album, and even his ideal evening as a performer.

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Upcoming Show(s): • Webster Hall • April 14, 2016 • • Warsaw (Brooklyn) • April 15, 2016 •

What’s a favorite memory you guys share as childhood friends?

I think one of my earliest memories with Ham is having pasta races in 1st grade—both our moms always packed us pasta for lunch, and it was a race to finish. My utensil of choice was a Swiss-army style collapsible spork, but Sam’s classic silver fork had way more spear power. Why do I remember this?

What was the first instrument (musical or non-musical) you started making music with?

After a brief stint with the saxophone, my dad got me a guitar which was way more fun to play—soon enough, Sam dropped his oboe and made the same switch. We would definitely jam for hours just trading solos, and started writing our first sloppy garage rock songs with our band Yello Sno (lol).

It seems as if you guys have been working your sophomore record following your successful debut Before the Waves. Can you touch on the inspiration and the process of creating it thus far?

After being on the road for a couple years, it was definitely a process to get back into the swing of writing and find the direction for the new album. We were feeling inspired by how transformed and energetic the old songs felt when we played them live in our 5 piece rock-band formation, so we were looking to capture more of that sonic edge and immediacy on these new songs (more guitar, live drums, passionate vocals).

As for songwriting, we’ve remained enchanted by pop song craft, striving to make music that feels purposeful and direct, where every element is as strong and simple as possible. That said, it’s easy to get trapped in formulas when approaching pop music, so it’s really important the music is coming from a real place. Luckily, after many adventures on the road, some bad breakups and new flames, the constant existential crisis of being an artist, and the strange feeling of home being nowhere and everywhere, we had plenty of emotional catalysts to keep things fresh.

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• All photos taken at various venues in New York City and San Francisco •

• All photos taken at various venues in New York City and San Francisco •

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Which Magic Man song (released on non-released) are you most proud of?

While I’m definitely proud of “Paris,” the song that has most resonated with people and certainly boosted our career, I’ll always have a soft spot for the original “South Dakota,” a song off our first self-released album Real Life Color. McSweeney’s said it sounded like past, present, and future all at once, which was the coolest review we’ve ever had.

You collaborated with The Knocks on the track “Cinderella.” What was the process of creating that tune and the experience of working with The Knocks?

That was a really fun collaboration—we spent a day in their studio singing over their track, and we came up with a catchy little whistling hook and some vocal melodies. The Knocks had a concept for a modern Cinderella-in-the-club chorus; it was fun being able to sing on someone else’s song and try things we wouldn’t normally do for Magic Man.

If you were to plan a dream night in NYC as a performer, where would you play a show, and where would you get grab a bite before or after the show?

Coney Island in the summertime, playing on the beachperformance, followed by unlimited corn dogs and fried dough.

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How and when do you decide on the setlist/tunes you plan to share at a show?

We usually figure out/write the setlists in the green room before the show, though mine typically get destroyed by the end of the first song from my manic dancing. Our tour manager used to try to throw us off by changing the names of each song slightly, so that was an adventure every night.

If there were a pizza with the name “Magic Man,” what toppings would it have?

Magic mushrooms, duh.

What can listeners expect in terms of upcoming projects and/or releases?

We’re in New York recording the album now, so hopefully that will be coming out in the not-so-distant future. Expect big fun.

What question have you guys hoped to get asked in an interview, and what’s the response to it?

“Do you want to play with all these fox pups and tiger cubs we’ve brought for you as we shower you with money?”

Mos def.

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LISTEN. EAT. EXPLORE.

urbanvinylmag.com