Urban Vinyl Magazine-Issue X

URBAN VINYL Issue X

Bad Suns • St. Lucia • Beach Fossils • • Blossoms • COIN •

About

Founded and launched in February 2016 by Sophie Hsu, Urban Vinyl Magazine is an independently-run outlet that harmonizes a passion for music and food. Started in New York City and now currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area 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 • • Editor-In-Chief • Writer • Layout & Design • Content •

On the Cover • Bad Suns Backdrop • • The Chapel, San Francisco • • October 20, 2016 •

Stay Connected urbanvinylmag.com @urbanvinylmag @urbanvinylmag

For booking and inquiries: sophie@urbanvinylmag.com • All social media icons by Good Stuff No Nonsense •

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Thank You

• Christina • Annie • Erin • • Sue • Emily • Michelle • • Bad Suns • • St. Lucia • Beach Fossils • • Blossoms • COIN • • And most importantly, my family and friends for always supporting my photography and my love for music. • • And of course, to my readers! You make this happen! • • This issue would not have been possible without all of you! •

Contents Main Artist • Bad Suns • 11-16

Live Shots • St. Lucia • • Beach Fossils • • BLOSSOMS • • COIN •

3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

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• Fox Theater, Oakland • October 7, 2016 •

St. Lucia • Johannesburg, South Africa • Brooklyn, New York • • Patti Beranek • Nick Paul • Jean-Philip Grobler • Dustin Kaufman • Ross Clark •

St. Lucia’s sound in 3 words: @stlucia

Maximalist Exotica Pop

Favorite song to perform live: “Physical”

@stlucia

/stlucia 3

Favorite food and/or drink:

Burger & Dark ‘n’ Stormy; Good Old World wine with a bit of age

Favorite spot in SF:

Millennium (now in Oakland); Stookey’s Club Moderne

• Ross Clark • • Nick Paul •

• Jean-Philip Grobler •

• Patti Beranek •

• Dustin Kaufman •

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• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • October 12, 2016 •

Beach Fossils • Brooklyn, New York • • Tommy Davidson • Dustin Payseur • Tommy Gardner • Jack Doyle Smith •

@beachfossils @dustiiiin

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/beachfossils

• Tommy Gardner •

• Dustin Payseur•

• Jack Doyle Smith •

• Tommy Davidson •

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• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • October 14, 2016 •

Blossoms • Stockport, Greater Manchester, England • • Tom Ogden • Josh Dewhurt • Myles Kellock • Charlie Salt • Joe Donovan •

@BlossomsBand @blossomsband

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/blossomsband

• Charlie Salt •

• Myles Kellock •

• Tom Ogden •

• Joe Donovan •

• Josh Dewhurst •

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• The Chapel, San Francisco • October 20, 2016 •

COIN • Nashville, Tennessee • • Ryan Winnen • Zachary Dyke • Chase Lawrence • Joe Memmel •

@COIN_music @coin

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/thisiscoin

• Chase Lawrence •

• Joe Memmel •

• Zachary Dyke •

• Ryan Winnen •

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• The Chapel, San Francisco • October 20, 2016 • @badsuns @badsuns /badsuns

Main Artist • Bad Suns •

badsuns.tumblr.com

There’s no doubt Bad Suns is gaining buzz with their irresistible sound day after day.

However, aside from their sound, what makes them shine is their age. Ranging from just 22-24 years old and hailing from Woodland Hills, California, Bad Suns showcases the evident passion for and talent in music of Christo Bowman (lead vocals, guitar), Miles Morris (drums), Ray Libby (guitar, vocals), and Gavin Bennett (bass, vocals). Shortly after dropping off a demo at KROQ, they signed with Vagrant Records in 2013, which led to collaborating with producer Eric Palmquist, resulting in the release of their debut EP, Transpose, on January 21, 2014. Soon after their debut full-length record, Language & Perspective on June 24, 2014, came Disappear Here, recently released on September 16, 2016 (both via Vagrant). Aside from having performed at the CMJ Music Marathon and Coachella, Bad Suns have toured with popular musical acts like New Politics, Coasts, and The NBHD. Having wrapped up an extensive fall tour in support of Disappear Here with COIN, Bad Suns stopped to share their sound at The Chapel in San Francisco on October 20, 2016, leaving the crowd with smiles and wanting more. Amidst his busy schedule, Ray generously gave some time to discuss the process for creating and crafting the much-anticipated sophomore record, what the “Bad Suns” drink would have, and additionally recommended some places for food to check out in the Bay Area and LA. 11

What’s the story behind the formation of Bad Suns?

We were playing in local bands in our area, and would always play shows together. Eventually, the four of us decided to play music together, and it seemed like everyone was on the same page, musically and with how committed we wanted to be. It felt like the right combination of personalities.

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

The first instrument I ever played was the guitar. I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical household, but I remember seeing the music video for “Reptilia” by The Strokes, and thinking how fun and cool it must be to play guitar in a band. That sparked an interest in music and in rock bands for me personally, and most music I found myself listening to was music with guitars, bands like The Smiths, The Clash, The Cure, lots of “The” bands. I think the four of us were really inspired in that way; we all wanted to be like these bands we would listen to, and that led to us picking up instruments and actually trying it out for ourselves.

You recently released your sophomore record, Disappear Here.

What was the most memorable moment in creating it?

I think the most memorable aspect of making this album is the time that we got to spend in a rehearsal space together. We had a lockout space where we could go write and rehearse whenever we wanted, and there were plenty of long days and late nights.

Having a space where we could get all of our ideas out was very beneficial to making this album, and it was a lot of fun as well!

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• Ray Libby •

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• Christo Bowman •

• Gavin Bennett •

• Miles Morris •

• The Chapel, San Francisco • October 20, 2016 •

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

That’s a tough question to answer, but one song I am particularly proud of is the song “Outskirts of Paradise”. That songs stands out to me in particular because I feel like we were able to put some different elements into the song, while still having it sound like a Bad Suns song.

What happens before you go onstage? Is there a Bad Suns pre-show ritual?

We don’t really have any sort of superstitious ritual before we play, Chris does silly sounding warm ups, if that counts.

Out of all your songs, my favorite is “We Move Like the Ocean.”

Can you touch on the inspiration and creation of that song?

For “We Move Like the Ocean”, Gavin had recorded a demo of the harmonic notes that serve as the intro of that song, and that inspired Chris to write a few chords around it. From there, we would basically play whatever parts we had over and over, and try and expand on them. Once the music started coming together, Chris wrote lyrics that paired well with the vibe of the music. Sometimes, we will come up with instrumental parts of songs first, and other times, Chris will have a lyrical or song idea, and then the music comes from there.

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What’s your favorite restaurant and/or food in San Francisco? Any places back home in Los Angeles?

San Francisco has great places to eat, we just stopped at Ike’s for sandwiches when we were there a few days ago. The restaurant Prubechu in Mission serves Guam style food that is super unique and tasty. There’s also a place called The House that has delicious Asian Fusion. In Los Angeles, there are amazing restaurants, like Bäco Mercat, Animal, and Otium, as well as places like Sack Sandwiches for a quick sandwich. We love food.

If there were a drink with the name “Bad Suns”, what would it have?

Hmmm...I’m gunna say a 16 oz. glass full of Fireball.

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

Right now, we’re currently on a North American tour, so to prepare, we rehearsed non-stop. With the release of our second album, we have a lot more songs that we can incorporate into our set, and a lot more options with how we want the flow of our set to feel. While we were rehearsing, we were also working on designing a complementary light show to accentuate the live music. We meet so many people at these shows, and have met people who feel invested in our band. We feel it’s our responsibility to make sure everything we do is as amazing as possible.

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

This one! Thanks :-)

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LISTEN. EAT. EXPLORE.

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