URBAN VINYL Issue XII
• Bear’s Den • Flagship • courtship. • Astro Lasso • • Plaid Brixx • City of the Sun • Colony House •
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 •
Thank You
• Lou • Kristin H. • Candace • • Editor-In-Chief • Writer • Layout & • Dayna • Kristin S. • Design • Content • • Luna Shadows • • Bear’s Den • Flagship • courtship. • • Astro Lasso • Plaid Brixx • • Original print using watercolor and • City of the Sun • Colony House • brush marker by Sophie Hsu • • And most importantly, my family • April 30, 2017 • and friends for always supporting my photography and my love for music. •
On the Cover
Stay Connected urbanvinylmag.com @urbanvinylmag @urbanvinylmag
• And of course, to my readers! You make this happen! •
For booking and inquiries: sophie@urbanvinylmag.com
• This issue would not have been possible without all of you! •
• All social media icons by Good Stuff No Nonsense •
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Contents
Main Artist
• Luna Shadows • 17-22
Live Shots • Bear’s Den • 3-4 • Flagship • 5-6 • courtship. • 7-8 • Astro Lasso • 9-10 • Plaid Brixx • 11-12 • City of the Sun • 13-14 • Colony House • 15-16
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• Great American Music Hall, San Francisco • January 18, 2017 •
Bear’s Den • London, England • • Andrew Davie • Kevin Jones •
@bearsdenmusic @bearsdenmusic /bearsdenmusic 3
• Andrew Davie •
• Kevin Jones •
• Christof van der Ven •
• Marcus Hamblett •
• Harry Mundy •
• Julian Owen •
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• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 3, 2017 •
Flagship • Charlotte, North Carolina • • Drake Margolnick • Michael Finster •
@FlagshipOffcl
Flagship’s sound in 3 words: Music we wrote
Favorite song to perform live: @flagship
“Burn It Up”
Favorite food and/or drink: BBQ sandwiches
/flagship 5
Favorite spot in SF: Mill Valley
• Drake Margolnick •
• Michael Finster •
• Joel Weldon Willis •
• Christopher Comfort •
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• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 3, 2017 •
courtship. • Los Angeles, California • Portland, Oregon • • Eli Hirsch • Micah Gordon •
@wearecourtship
courtship.’s sound in 3 words: Fun. Cyndi. Lauper.
Favorite song to perform live: @wearecourtship
“Love for Everyone”
Favorite food and/or drink: Yerba Mate and Plantains
/wearecourtship 7
Favorite spot in SF: Twin Peaks
• Eli Hirsch •
• Micah Gordon •
• David Montoya •
• Otis English •
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• Social Hall SF, San Francisco • March 16, 2017 •
Astro Lasso • York, Pennsylvania • • Tristan Martin • Jordan Davis •
@astrolasso
Astro Lasso’s sound in 3 words: Electric Indie Pop
Favorite song to perform live: “Conquer”
@astrolasso
Favorite food and/or drink:
Sushi!!! (but Cucumber and Avo Rolls because Tristan is vegan and I (Jordan) am vegetarian)
/astrolasso 9
Favorite spot in SF: Coit Tower
• Jordan Davis •
• Tristan Martin •
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• Social Hall SF, San Francisco • March 16, 2017 •
Plaid Brixx • Columbus, Ohio •
• Mark LeRose • Chris Duggan • Jared Sawaya •
Plaid Brixx’s sound in 3 words: Fun, Cool, Hot
@PLAIDBRIXX
Favorite song to perform live:
Mark: “Don’t Look Down”; Jared: “The Greener Side”; Chris: “Away We Go”
@plaidbrixx
/PLAIDBRIXX 11
Favorite food and/or drink:
Mark: Slim Jims, Cliff Bars, and Coffee; Jared: Caesar Salad, Pizza, and Tea; Chris: Kombucha and Chipotle
Favorite spot in SF:
This is our first trip to San Francisco, so we are hoping to find some fave spots.
• Chris Duggan •
• Mark LeRose •
• Jared Sawaya •
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• The Independent, San Francisco • March 17, 2017 •
City of the Sun • Brooklyn, New York • • Zach Para • John Pita • Avi Snow •
@cityofthesun
City of the Sun’s sound in 3 words: Cinematic, Unconventional, Exploration
Favorite song to perform live: @cityofthesun
“Sugar”
Favorite food and/or drink:
John: Ilegal Mezcal; Avi: Sushi; Zach: Tacos
/wearecityofthesun 13
Favorite spots in SF:
Presidio Park and Taqueria Cancun
• John Pita •
• Zach Para •
• Avi Snow •
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• The Chapel, San Francisco • March 28, 2017 •
Colony House • Franklin, Tennessee • • Caleb Chapman • Parke Cottrell • Will Chapman • Scott Mills •
@ColonyHouse @colonyhouse
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/colonyhousemusic
• Caleb Chapman •
• Scott Mills •
• Will Chapman •
• Parke Cottrell •
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• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 31, 2017 • @lunaxshadows @lunaxshadows /lunaxshadows
Main Artist • Luna Shadows •
lunashadows.co
Less than a year has passed since Luna Shadows released her debut EP, and she is already shining brightly with her dreamy sound. Luna Shadows, who was born and raised in Staten Island, New York but currently based in Los Angeles, California, is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer. Her move from New York to California was marked by her pursuance of a double major in Theatre and Music at USC. She put out her debut EP, Summertime, just last summer on July 1, 2016; it has gained more than 4 million plays on Spotify, and hits from it have been included in various playlists, including New Music Friday and New Indie Pop. Additionally, her music has premiered via Neon Gold Records. She has also performed at GIRLSCHOOL and various Sofar Sounds shows, alongside Popshop NYC and Popscene SF. Having just finished a tour with The Naked and Famous and WAVVES, Luna Shadows treated her San Francisco fans to two nights of amazing music earlier this Spring. The first night was marked by a SoFar Sounds secret show on March 30, 2017, followed by her Popscene SF debut at Rickshaw Stop on March 31, 2017. Despite her busy tour schedule, she kindly took a few minutes to discuss her beginnings in music, the process of creating her debut EP, and also shared her In-N-Out order. 17
What’s the story behind your passion and talent in music? It’s a story that has no clear beginning. I’ve just always wanted to be an artist. It’s a promise I made myself when I was little. It feels like a dare at this point. I have always felt so deeply connected to art that I wanted to make it myself. I wanted to know how it was done. I don’t know where this impulse comes from, or why I have it. Kind of like when you see a beautiful flower on the side of the road, and you want to rip it out of the ground, give it water, sit it near the window, and make it your own. I’ve always wanted that from art.
What was the first instrument (musical or non-musical) you started making music with? My voice. I’ve loved to sing since I was a kid. I had no idea how to sing, but I always loved it. I would imitate everyone from The Little Mermaid to Alanis to Britney to Green Day. My first instrument is piano—I studied classical piano from age 12. Around the same time, I started learning guitar (mostly just punk songs) and violin (orchestral/classical); though, those were more for fun. I would practice piano anywhere from 2-6 hours every day. With guitar, I just wanted to learn Blink-182 songs and join a band.
You released your debut EP, Summertime, just last year. What was the process of writing, recording, and producing it? “Summertime” specifically is a collaboration with two of my best friends, Brad Hale (Now Now) & Thom Powers (The Naked and Famous). In the summer of 2014, I went to Brad’s studio space, and he played some chords on piano. I started singing over it, and “Waves” was written in 20 minutes. Everything was written and recorded in LA, in our bedrooms, home studios, and closets.
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• Sofar Sounds San Francisco • March 30, 2017 •
• Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 31, 2017 •
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• Peter Dyer • Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 31, 2017 •
• Mac Sinise • Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco • March 31, 2017 •
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Which song (released or unreleased) are you most proud of? My personal favorite on my EP is “Cherry,” but there are some unreleased songs that I’m especially proud of because I wrote, recorded, and produced them independently. I think they reflect all that I’ve been learning and working towards for the last little bit. What I like about these songs is that after many years of writing songs, these are songs that I would actually listen to if they weren’t mine. Harder than it sounds to make something you actually like, if you’re you!
What happens before you go onstage? Is there a Luna Shadows pre-show ritual? Vocal warmups, maybe some drum warmups, lots of drinking water and hot tea, seeking solitude. I have anxiety about performing, so I try to avoid human contact and just try to focus on the show I’m about to put on.
Out of all your songs, my favorite is “Cry Wolf.” Can you touch on the inspiration and creation of that song? Thank you! I’m glad you like it because it was 30 seconds from being cut from my EP before it became my first single. I wrote the phrase “cry wolf” in my iPhone notes because I like the sentiment behind it; I remember being scared of the story as a child (if you tell enough lies, eventually it will catch up to you, and no one will believe you when you’re really telling the truth). The song also references “The Tell Tale Heart” short story by Edgar Allen Poe, a tale in which the narrator commits a murder and feels so guilty that he’s convinced he hears the dead man’s heartbeat through the floorboards, so he rips them up and turns himself in. My co-producer Brad was in town for this song. I played some chords on the piano, and I thought they were boring, and he convinced me to run with them. Then, we started the instrumental together, and I started singing something that sounded like a wolf cry. The original song was just called “Wolf”—I wrote the lyrics and melody in my head in the corner of the room, while Brad worked on the beat (our other producer Thom helped out as well). I recorded my vocals over the track, and showed them the next day. I was worried that it didn’t fit in with my other material, so I nearly didn’t release it. At the time, I was teaching music to kids, and I played them my songs and they said “Cry Wolf” was their favorite and should be my first single. You gotta trust the kids,
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so I did. I literally let a 9-year-old girl pick my first single because I trusted her instincts.
What’s your favorite restaurant and/or food in San Francisco? Any places back home in Los Angeles? I’ve not been to SF enough times to really declare a favorite food spot, but I’m open to suggestions! I’m a vegetarian. In East LA where I live, some of my favorites are Speranza (Silverlake), Little Pine (Silverlake), Two Boots Pizza (Echo Park/DTLA), Sage (Echo Park), El Condor (Silverlake), Guidsados (Echo Park/DTLA), Grand Central Market (DTLA), and anywhere on Olvera Street. I’m basically a LA tour guide. I’ve helped fans plan trips to LA before. They see my Instagram and hear my songs about LA, so funny enough, I’ve gotten multiple requests for helping fans plan their trips to LA.
If there were a chocolate bar with the name “Luna Shadows,” what type of chocolate would it be, and what would it have? I really couldn’t tell you because I don’t like chocolate (I just heard the sound of people unfollowing me as I typed this)....with the exception of chocolate + caramel chocolate bars. I’ll eat those all day. I’m really a salt person though, so I think Luna Shadows would be a pizza, maybe with something spicy and also something sweet, like pineapples and jalapeno. A little of both.
What can listeners expect in terms of upcoming projects and/or shows? Well, I’ve written hundreds of songs and only 5 are released, so that should be a hint :) I just finished a tour with The Naked and Famous and Wavves on the East Coast, plus got some more California dates in the works. Would love to tour elsewhere in the next year.
What’s a question you have wanted to get asked in an interview, and what’s the response to it? What’s my In-N-Out order? Grilled cheese w/grilled onions, cheese fries (or animal style), strawberry vanilla milkshake, lots of ketchup on the side. Secret Menu material.
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LISTEN. EAT. EXPLORE.
urbanvinylmag.com