Gotye - April 2012

VARIANCE VOL. 3, ISSUE 2 | APRIL 2012

THE NAKED & FAMOUS in the spotlight

LIGHTS

talks dubstep

MIIKE SNOW finally doing what they want

ERIC HUTCHINSON is moving up

ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS aren’t kids anymore

GOTYE

FROM DOWN UNDER TO NO. 1

The Musical Phenom Spills on “Somebody,” Spotify & SNL

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VARIANCE April 2012, Vol. 3, Issue 2

ART AND DESIGN Kristin Threadgill

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jonathan Robles

CONTENTS

FEATURES EDITORS Merlyn Hamilton Emily Hulseberg

MANAGING EDITORS Weston Shepherd Rachel Faylene

07 Grouplove

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brennan Aerts Khara Lord John Mouser

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Amanda Morad

08 Afterthoughts [Reviews/Playlists] 10 Eric Hutchinson 12 Lights 16 Dave Barnes 19 Artist Confessional: Vinyl Pinups 20 FutureSounds 24 All-American Rejects 27 The Buried Life 30 The Naked and Famous 34 Web Wonder: Kina Grannis 35 Macy Medford 36 Project X & Generation Y 38 David Nail 40 SXSW: The Photo Diaries 46 Gotye 52 World Stage: Miike Snow 54 Alexz Johnson: In Demand

WEB DEVELOPER Josh Tate PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Bryan Norris BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Chris Rutherford

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Warwick Backer Kristin Barlow Matt Barnes Cedric Bihr James Bryans Laura Crosta Rob Daly Autumn de Wilde Beth Dubber Lauren Dukoff Jessica Earnshaw Rachel Faylene Chris Fitz Nick Gordon Will Hart JSquared Photography Tyler Kohlhoff Anna Lee Jeff Lipsky Stephen Lowry Cybele Malinowski David McClister Leann Mueller Josh Newton Andreas Nillson Frank Ockenfels Ryan Porter Patrick Randak Kevin Scanlon Daniel Silbert Caitlin Sloat Steven Taylor

56 Lee Greenwood 58 Civil Twilight 60 One Tree Hill’s Jana Kramer 64 2 Broke Girls’ Jonathan Kite

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS YOU LOVE. www.variancemagazine.com

66 Open Mic: Direct from the Fans

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NOISE:

Loud shouting, outcry, or clamor.

In that sense of the word, Los Angeles-based indie rock band Grouplove is creating noise across the globe with their rise from obscurity to some of the world’s most famous stages.

From touring in Europe to immediately taking the stage with Young the Giant, Grouplove is the band to watch in 2012.

Variance spoke with guitarist Andew Wessen while the group was stopping through Boston on their latest tour.

Many have heard them in the Apple ipod Touch commercial, or on television shows like Gossip Girl or Chuck, but either way, this band is sure to be an immediate addition to top playlists.

Grouplove comprises keyboardist and vocalist Hannah Hooper, guitarist and vocalist Christian Zucconi, guitarist and vocalist Andrew Wessen, drummer Ryan Rabin, and bassist and vocalist Sean Gadd.

The “Group” met in a way that some would call peculiar. Wessen says he and his brother went to an art show of Hooper’s and that Wessen’s brother really loved her art, purchased one of her paintings, and then invited her to Greece to do a residency with him.

Hooper, who had just met Zucconi in New York where they were both living at the time, invited him to come along. Wessen jokes, “I don’t know what girl knows you for two weeks and then invites you to go to Greece with her, but he went and we were all there.”

by emily hulseberg Rabin (who was studying abroad) and Gadd met up with the gang there, and the rest is history. The naming of the band was also something that fell together quite smoothly for these five.

“We called ourselves the ‘Group’ when hanging out…just running around being weird,” laughs Wessen. “We were keeping in touch and would email and be like ‘Group love all around.’ We wanted to be called Group…so Grouplove was a natural progression from that.”

Thankfully, the collision of these people made for great music. While they were each songwriters before they met, they have found a way to unite their creative forces when it comes to the band’s music.

“We’re absolutely a collaborative group,” Wessen explains. “But at the same time, we’re really good as individual songwriters. Most of the time it’s someone quarterbacking the song, bringing it in…and then everyone definitely adds their own color to it which gives the record a cohesive sound.”

While their debut album, Never Trust a Happy Song, does vary from song to song, there is a distinct factor that radiates through every track and makes the music their own.

Wessen says it stems “from different backgrounds both musically and geographically, and it’s a hodge-podge of styles and tastes and that’s what makes the Grouplove sound.”

Fans have “discovered” Grouplove in a variety of ways, but many have heard them on television. “With the Apple ad,

we don’t jump for advertisements, and we would normally never do that, but Apple is kind of a special brand…it’s like the world’s coolest company saying you’re cool, kind of thing,” laughs Wessen. “TV, film and music have always mutually benefitted each other so it’s something we’re interested in, definitely.”

While their music is making waves on television, they are grinding pavement show after show.

Approaching their headlining tour in April, Wessen says they are thrilled to be on the road all the time. “It’s exciting to share the music with people that are there and just as excited as you are…we really give everything we have with every performance—we explode on stage.”

Wessen confirms this fact with anecdotal evidence from their last show in London when the entire band came off stage “steaming.” Wessen says, “My shirt and my pants were ringing out sweat. That’s kind of what makes for a great show though.”

Fans can expect the unexpected for the future of Grouplove. Reluctant to look too far ahead, the group is focused on what’s right in front of them, because— as Wessen says—“there are always twists and turns around the corner.”

Catch the start of Grouplove’s headlining tour on April 16 at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, Calif.

GROUPLOVE

Interview with Andrew Wessen

//07

George Sarah

Who Sleep The Sleep Of Peace Release: April 17, 2012

The chance of recognizing the name George Sarah is slim, but even more unlikely is having not heard his work. Sarah graces the field of entertainment covering everything from television series to film and live performances. A composer whose collaborations on Who Sleep The Sleep Of Peace are overwhelmingly fitting, appearances from Telepopmusic, Morrisey, Bauhaus and more can be found throughout the track listings.

This is an album that captures today’s audiences without sacrificing the influences that derive from his taste in classical music. Sarah’s instrumentation alone is mesmerizing, but being accompanied by artists of similar stature takes his record to a different level.

AFTER Racing Heart

To Walk Beside That Ghost Release: April 20, 2012

To Walk Beside That Ghost is a soundtrack to life, a tribute to good vocal harmonies and a blast from the past. It takes listeners through several musical decades with its influential musicianship originating from the ‘60s and ‘70s, but with a modern twist.

The record remains upbeat while tugging on the heart strings that are fused with memories of the past. It’s a lesson that reminds us to leave history as is, and to begin moving forward in life.

Racing Heart has created an imaginative album that not only keeps listeners audibly occupied, but creates a mental motion picture with you in the director’s chair.

The Ting Tings

Sounds From Nowheresville Release: March 13, 2012

Pushing the limits in pop music, The Ting Tings smudge the line that differentiates their girly pop feel from the punk rock vibes that listeners will find on the new album, Sounds From Nowheresville.

The record starts out strong with an upbeat blast of high energy that can be traced throughout the rest of the tracks. It seems there is a song for everyone on this album. In fact, you might catch yourself checking the playlist to make sure that you’re still listening to the same album.

Whether you like your vocal melodies sweet and tender, or loud and chaotic, this menu caters to every taste.

THOUGHTS ((( Album Reviews )))

Of Monsters and Men My Head is an Animal Release: April 3, 2012

These Iceland natives are warming things up in the states with the U.S. release of their already celebrated album, My Head is an Animal.

The male and female vocals play off of one another, bouncing back and forth and occasionally meeting in unison. The track list is both addicting and comforting, sure to be played on repeat.

It’s no wonder that this six-piece folk band is being praised by indie lovers and acknowledged by industry insiders nationwide.

COMPILED BY RACHEL FAYLENE

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“Go Away” by The Coathangers The Devil’s Walk by Apparet (Aaron Short of The Naked and Famous) (Rachel)

“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye ft. Kimbra (Dan in Boston)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody”

by Ben Rector (Emily)

New Shins album, Chairlift, Gang Colours (Gotye)

“Oldie” by Odd Future (@TheCryinRyno)

“Origins” by Tennis (Weston)

Vampire Weekend and Kanye West (Eric Hutchinson)

“Heaven” by Emeli Sande (Shanella F. in Toronto)

“So Good” by Keri Hilson (Merlyn)

Superhumanoids, The Cranberries (Andrew Wessen of Grouplove)

“R U Mine?” by Arctic Monkeys (@iansyodabacpack)

“Lay Your Cards Out” by Polica (Mouser)

The Staves, Jessie J and Lights (Kina Grannis)

“Lego House” by Ed Sheeran (Suri F. in London)

“Not Over You” by Gavin DeGraw (Kristin)

Paper Window by Jeff Pianki (Alexz Johnson)

“The Liftaway” by Walk the Moon (@Jay_Nunes11)

“This Head I Hold” by Electric Guest (Jonathan)

“Towers” by Bon Iver, New M83 album (Lights)

“Cough Syrup” by Young the Giant (@Lizzie3778)

“Gold on the Ceiling” by The Black Keys (Amanda)

Andrew Ripp, NEEDTOBREATHE, Billy Currington (Dave Barnes)

“Cameo Lover” by Kimbra (Wendi C. in Los Angeles)

“How They Want Me to Be” by Best Coast (Rachel)

Ting Tings, Sleigh Bells, Band of Skulls, and The Kills (Vinyl Pinups)

“Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka (Sandy M. in Liverpool)

“Ritual Union” by Little Dragon (Emily)

“Watching You Watch Him” by Eric Hutchinson (Adam in St. Paul)

“Too Close” by Alex Clare (Weston)

“Unraveling” by Alexz Johnson (@TeresaDarleen)

“Hold Me” by Jaime Grace (Kristin)

“I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” by John Mayer (@JoelleRaza)

“Unaware” by Allen Stone (Jonathan)

“All This and Heaven Too” by Florence + The Machine (@MitsuoLean)

//09

I n the fall of 2008, a few friends and I joined a packed crowd at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla., to watch hometown hero Ryan Tedder and his band, OneRepublic, perform.

Opening for the band that night was an individual by the name of Eric Hutchinson, and although we hadn’t heard of him before, he was really, really good.

Before he began playing a song—eventual hit, “OK, It’s Alright With Me”—he politely asked the crowd to begin cheering when the first few bars of music hit, envying the song recognition that larger bands enjoy.

Hutchinson’s face lit up as the crowd obliged, and he went on to pound the piano keys and hit the notes as only he can.

I look back on this now and smile, because such requests are a thing of the past for Hutchinson. If anything, he probably has more trouble getting crowds to stop cheering than he ever will getting them to start. Funny how time and hard work change things.

For singer-songwriter, and all-around music man Eric Hutchinson, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year filled with new beginnings.

With the release of his second full album, Moving Up Living Down, due on April 17, he looks primed to capitalize on past success and prove that he belongs at the table with the heavyweights of today’s music industry.

renowned songwriter, his tunes became mainstays on iPods across the nation, and his concerts an event very much all their own.

While he agrees writing his own lyrics is something he enjoys and won’t change, he doesn’t mind that more artists don’t write their music.

“It takes longer to release albums this way (writing your own songs), and I un-

MOVING UP eric

HUTCHINSON

by Weston Shepherd

When Sounds Like This, Hutchinson’s first album, released in May of 2008, an undeniable amount of momentum turned in his favor.

With hits such as, “Rock & Roll,” and “OK, It’s Alright With Me,” his catchy hooks and clever wordplay captured the imagination of listeners worldwide.

Originally signed to Madonna’s failed label, Maverick Records, Sounds Like This was a project very much defined by Hutchinson’s own hard work. A

derstand that not everyone is good at it,” Hutchinson says. “I couldn’t be asked to play a guitar solo on a song.

Everyone is good at something.”

The thing is, Hutchinson is good at a lot of things, and anyone who has ever seen his live show knows it. He constantly switches between piano and guitar, original song and cover, and takes time to poke fun at stars like Justin Timberlake.

With his casual demeanor and easy humor, his live

sets often seem more like friends hanging out than a concert.

“My favorite part is when fans are singing and dancing; I love it when they know the words!” he says.

Fans will get a chance to learn words all over again when Moving Up, Living Down releases worldwide.

This is Hutchinson’s first album produced by a major label, as he signed with Warner Brothers in 2008. While he enjoyed the process of releasing his own album, he admits that having the perks of a major label are very nice.

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“I’m really excited! It was nice to have people working on the business side of things while I write and sing—which is really what I enjoy doing anyway,” Hutchinson says.

His new tour kicks off April 17, in Denver, Colo.

He’ll be making 29 stops across the States as he promotes his new album.

“Touring is a lot of fun, but I have to take care of myself because it can be grueling,” he claims. “It’s tiring because I like to be out there singing and dancing with everyone else.”

With a live show geared

toward fan interaction, and songs that are rare in the sense that they sound just as good live as on record, there are no doubts that Hutchinson will have fans singing and dancing in cities across America very soon. This album, the accumulation of a lot of hard work, will provide listeners a brand new list of songs to memorize.

Following up a hit-filled first project is never easy, but Hutchinson is handling the burden with ease. “I don’t feel pressure to outdo myself, really. I have a song like ‘Rock & Roll,’ or ‘OK, It’s Alright With Me,’ so I

don’t try to create another one,” he says with confidence. “I look at my show and decide what would sound good here and there.”

Now on the verge of his album release and with tour dates set in stone, it’s now up to the fans to decide if they’re ready to embrace the next wave of songs carefully penned by Hutchinson. For this musical journeyman, he finds much satisfaction in the road he has taken and is very much living in the moment.

When asked what fans can expect from him next, Hutchinson laughs and says,

“When a mother has a baby, you don’t ask her when she’s going to have her next baby.

For now I’m going on tour to play these new songs for my fans. That’s all I want to do right now.”

For more information on Eric Hutchinson, or to view tour dates, visit: w w w. e r i c h u t c h i n s o n . com. Also, be sure to check out his new album, Moving Up Living Down, available everywhere music is sold on April 17.

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BY JONATHAN ROBLES has been an incredible few years for Canadian musician, Lights.

With multiple award nomina tions and wins, several hit singles and world tours with the likes of Keane and Owl City, she has found herself at the epicenter of the electronic music movement.

“I never expected any of this,” Lights recalls from New Orleans. “So much has changed. Even in the last couple of years, I think the style of my music has changed.

It’s grown and evolved with the experience I’ve had. Siberia (the new record) has been amazing. I’ve had people come up to me at shows and the energy has been great. I feel like I’m a new artist all over again. It’s really exciting.”

Her new album follows a different path from her previous work, adding some grit to her existing sound—something she certainly acknowledges, although hesitant to call it a trend moving forward.

“The fact is that each record will be different from the one before,” she admits.

“Hopefully each record will be better from the last. That is always my goal. I can’t really say that future records will or will not have a certain style. Right now, my focus is on the current album. The intention with Siberia was to take the electronic style of my music that I love and to turn it upside down a bit, throwing an element of rawness into it that makes it so much more fun for live shows.”

Lights is definitely having more fun at the moment, as her tour schedule is booked solid for months—which, of course, has its ups and downs. “[Touring] is great because you get to do what you love,” she explains. “You get to be in New Orleans one day and somewhere on the west coast the next. Every show is great for your career and hopefully it makes a positive difference for someone else.

“That’s amazing and it feels great, but it does take a toll on your relationships—on your ability to maintain. Although there is routine in the non-routine, it does feel nice to be able to sleep in your own bed.

You miss out on a lot. And you can’t have a cat, because they would probably die!”

While life as a touring musician may be unpredictable, Lights is well aware of what she signed up for—and she also had

IT

LI GH T some additional “preparation” for the commitment that comes with a tour.

“It’s not such a bad thing,” she reveals.

“But your priorities change and this becomes your life. You might be giving up two years by the time it’s done. Some people find it really hard and some people really enjoy it. I was raised as a missionary’s kid so we moved around a lot and traveled and that’s kind of part of me. But you definitely feel it. It definitely accumulates. Maybe every few weeks, it catches up with you. Everyone on tour has one of those days where you kind of have to restart. It’s just natural.”

Being the daughter of missionaries has also played a role in her music career, as she points out.

“I don’t think the musical culture of

other countries has affected my music as much as it’s affected my outlook,” says Lights. “I’ve lived in Jamaica, but there’s no reggae sound in my records. It’s directly impacted my viewpoint and my intentions, though. Even to this day, I’m closely involved with charity work because it’s really important to me. I work with World Vision and go talk to kids in high school and motivate them. I went back to the Philippines in 2010 to help in some of the impoverished areas there. It opens your eyes a lot to what’s out there and I think being raised in the middle of that gave me intentions of a different plain. I don’t necessarily want fame or the money. This is about doing what I love and making the music I love with the people that I love.”

While the music she loves has evolved

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The electronic songstress talks about her life on the road, her charity work and her take on the dubstep revolution.

TS with her career, the electronic genre has also evolved, more recently influenced by unusual textures and dubstep, of course.

“Dubstep has lent us some elements in electronic that I think are invaluable,” the savvy musician concedes. “There are always moves in electronic music that are fluctuating and getting huge and then dying out before the next thing comes in.

And I think with each of these movements something is contributed to the electronic genre that is never going to go away. I’ve applied some of these elements to my music and I think it’s great.

The idea that the chorus doesn’t go up but instead it drops down, I think that’s a great new spin in electronic music that wasn’t present before. I’m such a fan of seeing how these things affect the big pic-

ture—not just in electronic music but in different genres.”

Where does dubstep fit into the big picture? And is it here to stay? Yes and no, according to Lights.

“I think there are elements of it that will stick around and will always be in electronic music” she predicts. “I’m sure we could trace back to when the first electronic flat snare came in and that’s probably never going to go away. I love dubstep, but I think the genre itself will die down from being so massive, although parts of it will live on.”

Although Lights is young at 25, she carries strong opinions about the musical world she plays in—which is sometimes written off by musical critics, perhaps even more so since the rise of dubstep.

“There are a lot of people—they consider themselves purists—that think it’s not real music,” she acknowledges. “It’s just not true. The amount of soul in music is equivalent to the amount of soul that’s put into it. If you sit there and write a mindless, soulless song on your guitar and put it out into the world, it doesn’t make it any more real than the next electronic song. But if you put a lot of soul, a lot of heart, into an electronic song, that makes the difference.

I think there are elements of rawness that are lost in over-tuning things, which, I admit, are very much present in electronic, but there are ways to find the perfect combination—like in M83’s new album and Crystal Castles’ music. It’s still electronic but it feels so fresh and alive.

You can sense that raw, imperfect soul meshing with that perfect, robotic sound.

It feels so human and they prove that it can be done.”

“The amount

of soul in music is equivalent to the amount of soul that’s put into it. . .”

//13

While Lights seems to have a keen ear for great sounds, it may be a while before she writes new music of her own.

“Writing is hard for me,” she confesses.

“It’s kind of like a spiritual situation for me. I can’t really force it; it just comes. And it will come when I’m in the right place.

The songs on Siberia didn’t come together until after a year of trying to write and not knowing where I was going with it.”

She may not know where she’s going with her next record, but she has a clear plan for where she’s going on tour. With U.S. dates stacked through April and her first Australian tour this summer, Lights will be crossing the globe for much of the year. She also plans to add more North American and European dates as well, with hopes of releasing an acoustic version of Siberia.

“It’s in the works,” she says. “But it’s not for sure yet. As I’ve learned, anything can happen!”

For more on Lights, go to iamlights.com or follow her on Twitter: @lights.

-V

LIGHTS

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THE

HUNGER GAMES NOW PLAYING

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C A R P E D I E M

D A V E BARNES by emily hulseberg

T

he song, “God Gave Me You,” resonates with most as a song that is sung by country music star, Blake Shelton. With its catchy melody and sentimental lyrics, the tune rose this fall to No. 1 on Billboard country music charts. What some might not know is that the song originated from singersongwriter Dave Barnes.

While attending college at Middle Tennessee State, Barnes began playing music by banging on the drums and then transiting to guitar, which led into songwriting. “It’s actually the reason I started playing music in the first place,” says Barnes.

“I wasn’t an artist then, I was a songwriter.”

During a show, a friend told Barnes that he should sing an original song that night. From there, Barnes decided to be both a singer and a songwriter. “As [singing] sort of blossomed, I got more and more interested in it, and then loved it,” confesses Barnes. “To me it feels like this beautiful full circle.”

And now he has his fifth album, Stories to Tell, under his belt. While some consider Barnes a Christian artist, he doesn’t define a certain genre for his music. Putting himself in the singer-songwriter category can pretty much cover all the bases. Each record of his contains a different vibe. When it comes to the new album, Barnes says, “It was definitely what I consider my poppiest record so far.”

With the help of producer John Fields, Barnes took a different approach to the process. “I recorded it out in L.A.,” he says. “[It was my] first time to do a record outside of Nashville, which was really fun. It was tough in some ways and really awesome in others.” Being away from Nashville brought some challenges into the record-making process for Barnes.

With the same crew of people working on his albums for the last five years, Barnes now had to go it alone, but with help from an expert producer.

“There’s sort of a built-in encouragement group [back home],” says Barnes.

“I knew the people in L.A. enjoyed it, but at the same time, it was a free fall of a few weeks of being the only people [who had] heard it.”

Fields, who has produced musicians from the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls to Switchfoot to The Jonas Brothers, brought years of experience to the table when it came to producing Barnes’ album. Of working with Fields, Barnes says, “It was amazing.

He’s such a unique talent.” The talent Barnes is referring to is the knowledge of multiple instruments and an ear for music. “I had the ability to start over with ideas, and John is one of those crazy guys that can play 50 instruments, so if I couldn’t play it, then he would give it a try,” says Barnes. “We would sub out parts that we need, which was really fun.” he inspiration behind the album came from someone who was new to the world. He and his wife had just had their first child, and the record reflects their new outlook. “This theme of enjoying life while you can [and] just making sure we carpe diem,” is the overall theme, says Barnes.

One thing that Barnes seized as well was a Grammy nomination for Blake Shelton’s version of “God Gave Me You.” The nomination came as a shock to both Barnes and his wife. They found out about it through a text from a friend of his wife. “I didn’t know anything about it,” he says. “We started freaking out.”

T

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he song first made its appearance as a single on Barnes’ fourth album, What We Want, What We Get. The song rose into the top five on contemporary Christian music charts and it was through the radio that Shelton even heard it. “I think [Shelton] heard it in a [certain] time in his life and that song really spoke to that and encouraged him.”

Songwriting is what brought Barnes into the music world. It’s fitting that a song he wrote would have great success from his performing it as well as another artist.

While Barnes still writes for an array of artists, he takes a different approach when it comes to writing music for his personal albums. “I can take more risks…Ultimately, you’re trying to move yourself,” he says.

Barnes stays relevant through his music because he thinks his fans are experiencing the same seasons of life. While he was falling in love, so were his fans; when he got married, his fans were right along with him. And now that he has gotten into the realm of fatherhood, many of his fans are facing the same things. “You can kind of continue to create along this arch of life,” he says. “I think it takes some living and spontaneity and some adventure.”

While Barnes did take a break from being on the road since the birth of his son, he is excited to be back out performing and touring. “I definitely miss playing,” he confesses.

Starting April 13, Barnes will be at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas, and will finish off in Charlotte, N.C., on April 29 at McGlohon Theatre.

“As [singing] sort of blossomed, I got more and more interested in it, and then loved it...

To me it feels like this beautiful full circle.”

-V

INSIDE THE

ARTIST CONFESSIONAL

In Variance’s April 2011 issue, we talked with the singing/songwriting/ husband-and-wife duo, Vinyl Pinups, to discuss the music industry, the fans and the future. Fast forward a year to 2012, and we’re re-visiting the Pinups, this time in their words.

In early 2011, industry buzz from our single “Hey Hey You” quickly parlayed itself into many opportunities for Vinyl Pinups to act as a songwriting/production team for up-and-coming pop artists, indie acts and publishing houses. Thus, we spent the second half of 2011 doing just that—working with such artists as Christina Grimmie, Chord Overstreet and Frank & Derol.

In October, we found ourselves on a month long stint in Los Angeles, setting up a portable studio in a loft at Hollywood and Vine, and working on tracks with a number of amazingly talented artists and writers. In our spare time, we began writing tracks that felt even more inspired than anything we’d done. The sounds, themes and melodies were coming together as a true amalgamation of all of our favorite bands, artists and influences. They were catchy and commercial, but also quirky and different; meshing influences that, though awkward on paper, worked in a strange and beautiful

fashion. It wasn’t long before we realized that these songs, which seemingly had no home or outlets on other artists’ records, were, in fact, Vinyl Pinups songs.

When we returned home, we spent the holidays in the studio recording the top three tunes of this group of songs, planning to release them in 2012 as Vinyl Pinups’ second EP. The songs “Iconic,” “Stereo” and “Trouble” quickly became some of our favorite songs that we’d ever recorded in our many years of making music together.

The song “Iconic” has raised substantial ears, and will most likely be our first single from this batch. In our lives, we have had the unique opportunity to have a fair amount of friends travel to Hollywood and quickly become famous celebrities through TV shows, movies and music. One in particular is Miley Cyrus, whose family we’ve been friends with for quite some time. She had us to her house for a Halloween party while we were in L.A., and as we sat around an amazing pool in her backyard, nestled nicely on the edge of the Hollywood hills, we started to think how ironic the life of a celebrity truly is. The masses love you, want to be like you, want to know everything about you, and yet love to rejoice in your shortcomings. It’s an unfortunate dynamic and a pressure that’s nearly im-

possible for anyone outside the realm of an icon to understand. Thus, the next day we wrote the song “Iconic,” empathizing with them.

The chorus reads: “Everybody wants to be just like you/But they call you a sell out, baby/Everybody wants to see you shine through/But they love it when you burn out, baby/Everybody loves to watch you, watch you/It’s bittersweet to standout, baby/Oh, it’s so ironic, being Iconic.”

In May, we’re making the move to Los Angeles to continue pursuing production and songwriting interests, and a little bit of sunshine. The new EP and a video will be available most likely in May also. For now, the three tunes are available to listen to on our Soundcloud and other websites.

If we come to your town, come by and see us! We’d love to meet you all. If not, hit us up and we’ll try to make it happen.

Cheers! +VP (Khara Lord & Brennan Aerts) Listen to the new EP here: soundcloud.com/vinylpinups www.vinylpinups.com

VINYL PINUPS

future sounds For Los Angeles-based soul pop supergroup Electric Guest, the future appears to be very bright. Members Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton create a brand of music that inspires movement—particularly dance—and they’re ready to share it with the world.

With a sound that resembles something more likely to have been heard in the ‘70s, Electric Guest has teamed with Gnarls Barkley co-founder, Danger Mouse, who is producing their first album, Mondo. Due out April 24, the album is an ode to music ranging from Smokey Robinson to Mick Jagger.

In addition to the music, fame seems to run in lead singer Asa Taccone’s family.

His brother, Jorma Taccone, is one-third of sketch comedy group, The Lonely Island, best known for their satirical music hits, “I’m on a Boat,” “D*ck in a Box,” and others.

Be on the lookout for Electric Guest’s debut album, Mondo, on April 24, and be prepared for a complete musical experience. This group may not be a household name as of yet, but with a sound that is very much their own, it really just feels like a matter of time.

ELECTRIC GUEST the sounds you need to hear

ADLEY STUMP An immediate fan-favorite on this season of NBC’s The Voice, Adley Stump is known for her big hair and flashy headbands. An Oklahoma-born country rocker, her powerful voice and larger-than-life personality struck a chord with viewers, priming her for stardom despite her early exit from the hit television show.

Stump wowed judges with her audition, a soulful rendition of Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name.” Choosing between Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton, Stump went with her heart and country roots, selecting Shelton as her team captain and mentor.

In the “Battle Rounds” portion of the show, when members of each team are pitted against one another, Stump found herself in competition with another rising country star, Team Blake member RaeLynn. The soft-spoken Texan and avid Miranda Lambert fan proved to be too much for Stump, as Shelton selected RaeLynn as the winner of the battle.

Despite her early exit, Stump has gained plenty of momentum in recent days. Inspired by a perceived Blake Shelton mistake, America turned to Twitter to voice its displeasure, and “Adley Stump” was a trending topic in the few minutes following the decision. Appearing on talk shows and radio programs, she has continued to promote her music and progress, enjoying a much-welcomed jumpstart from The Voice.

Her first EP, Like a Lady, puts her full array of talents on display, a true look into what she’s made of. The powerful high notes are there, as expected, but she also shows her softer side on tracks like “Me Without Him,” and proves she’s well rounded as an artist. Fans of country music should get used to hearing her name, as it appears as though she is only getting started.

ROBIN BACIOR At just 24-years-old, California born singer-songwriter Robin Bacior seems destined for the spotlight. Having moved to New York two years ago, her brand of folk music is a perfect blend of both East and West Coast sounds, giving her an edge that is obvious in her songs.

Her first LP, Rest Our Wings, is a testament to her true abilities, as each song unfolds in true storytelling fashion. The beautiful voice that carries her songs crosses the tonality of Regina Spektor and soulful melancholy of Norah Jones.

From top to bottom, the LP is a perfect representation of what good folk music sounds like.

For readers in New York City, Bacior is constantly playing in the area, and is looking toward a full tour in May. For more information, to listen to the LP for free, or to see video from live shows, visit: www.robinbacior.com.

BY WESTON SHEPHERD

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future sounds Seeing his mother struggle with the realities of being a single parent, Kirk Randle, also known as rapper Kirko Bangz, began rapping at the age of 15, playing local gigs in order to help out. Self-motivated and with the desire for greatness, his career at age 22 looks ready to explode more than he ever could have imagined.

Randle is a current mass communications major at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, the past few years have allowed for many days committed to chasing his dream. His first single, “What Yo Name Iz,� released in February of 2011 and peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. With that, the rise of Kirko Bangz was set in motion.

His latest mix-tape, The Progression 2: A Young Texas Playa, is available for download on his website at www.kirkobangz. com. Also on the website, find more free tracks, music videos and even live show footage.

Be on the lookout for Kirko Bangz in the coming months, as his stardom is looking more like an eventuality than a gamble.

KIRKO BANGZ

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THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS For some, the image of youth may be driving their first car with the windows down, hair in the wind and not a care in the world. For others, it might be their first kiss or meeting their best friend. These are the moments that— at the time—are often dismissed, but quickly turn to memories we yearn to retrieve. But even rock stars have to stop chasing their youth at some point.

With the release of their fourth studio album, Kids in the Street, The AllAmerican Rejects’ Tyson Ritter shares his personal journey to self-discovery.

R

eaching adulthood is different for everyone, but in Ritter’s case, the journey up began with a record deal. “Basically [the band] was a little get away from the hierarchy of high school and the grind of the social status phase. So instead of going to parties on the weekends, which we weren’t invited to anyways, [Nick and I] recorded music and got lucky with having a good little collection.

“We did it old school. We took our favorite records and sent it to our favorite record companies. One of them wrote back and came and saw us play in front of five people in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” He goes on to describe the spark that lit their blaze of pop-rock fame. “I was like 16, nervous as hell. And this husband and wife named Dirk and Emily, who owned Doghouse Records, came to us outside and they were like, ‘We need to talk shop, we’re going to sign you guys.’”

Six months later, Ritter graduated early from high school and was recording in New York City with big-shot producer Tim O’Heir.

Ten million album sales later, The All-American Rejects found that with success come fame and fortune; and with fame and fortune comes temptation. After their third record, When the World Comes Down, Ritter relocated to Los Angeles. “I think I went to Los Angeles to poison myself. I wasn’t conscious of it, but when I jumped off that crazy ride that we got with ‘Gives You Hell,’ I landed in Los Angeles, cleared my life of all personal attachments, broke up with my girlfriend

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All Grown Up

by rachel faylene

girlfriend of six years, fired our [longtime] manager, and I went crazy,” he says. “I think that’s really what the theme of this record Kids in the Street is about; me having this quarterlife crisis, losing myself completely to poisonous women and poisonous habits…and then finding myself and realizing that, through reflection and going to the edge of my little flat world, I had to fall down to stand up.”

Words of wisdom come from Ritter in the form of an epiphany. “I think there’s a pivotal moment in your life where you’re either going to stay a kid the rest of your life and not abandon your childish ways, or you’re going to become the man you’re supposed to be and take responsibility for not only your position in life but also your opportunity to help others.” Ritter received help in approaching this realization from band mate Nick Wheeler. “I took nine months of craziness and then Nick pulled me out and said, ‘Dude lets go write a record.’”

And that’s exactly what they did.

“We ran away to the Sequoyah Mountains to a cottage on top of some small hill and we imprisoned ourselves there for a

“...that’s really what the theme of this record Kids in the Street is about; me having this quarter-life crisis...”

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a couple weeks and wrote the first song for the record, ‘Beekeeper’s Daughter.’”

The promising single is personal to Ritter as it is a reflection of how he saw himself at the time. He describes “Beekeeper’s Daughter” as a “Polaroid of that moment in life where I’m fearless and also sort of hardened by this city that I let get to me.”

While the song doesn’t emphasize some of his better characteristics, it’s all part of the journey that takes him from a scornful rock star to a more knowledgeable human being who is fully aware of himself. “That’s what Kids in the Street is about,” Ritter confesses.

“It’s a full record that takes you through a story.

“The first song on the record, ‘Someday’s Gone,’ is about one of the evil people that sort of ruined me in Los Angeles,” he explains. “And then it takes you further into reflection for the song called ‘Heartbeat Slowing Down,’ which is this long apology that I think is truly my favorite song on the record…It’s a pretty big anthem that I hope we get to signalize.”

That “ah-ha” moment on the album lies in the song “Kids in the Street,” where Ritter’s self-discovery is made. “[You’re] looking back at the moments where you were burning up that candle of naivety and you’re almost out of it, but you have yet to switch to that massive candle that we all get in our early 20s called cynicism.

That’s huge and it burns for the rest of your life.”

For Ritter, grasping who he really is behind the chaos had a significant hand in the writing process. “There’s a purity in that moment where you are just now finding yourself,” he acknowledges.

“And that’s where I had to go to realize that was the person I was,

“We’re The All-American Rejects; we’re the 11th finger, we’re the black sheep, we’re the ugly duckling…”

that was the person I liked, and that was the person I was supposed to be.”

New sounds enrich each track with subtle melodies that resemble the first All-American Rejects album and remind veteran fans why they fell in love with the band in the first place. An ever-grateful Ritter gives credit to loyal followers where it’s due. “It’s great seeing all the people that have come out and gone with us….it’s incredible!

There are people who are 25 that have come up with us since they were 15. I’ve been growing up in front of a record button since I was 17 and it’s really cool that a lot of people have been growing up next to the play button too.”

Ten years of band-ship and having only released four albums in that time frame is evidence of how wellthought-out releases have directly affected their continued success. “I think [what] has kept us around is the fact that we haven’t tried to ride on the burning coat tails of a song,” he explains, “A lot of bands that we came up with just chased this dragon and ended up compromising their craft because of it.” or Kids in the Street, the band paired up with notable record producer, Greg Wells, who seems to be Ritter’s favorite to work with thus far. “Nick and I—the way we write, he’s very much control and I’m very much chaos. And together that’s how we’ve always written. That’s how I guess it still works. [Nick] lives a completely different lifestyle than me. We have one thing in common and that’s The All-American Rejects, and I think that separation of lifestyle has always brought us together to create fresh sounding music that isn’t false,” he says. “[Greg Wells] is the first producer that I can say spoke both our languages fluently. He acted more like a fifth member of this band than the producer,” Ritter explains. “Honestly, out of all the producers we’ve ever worked with, he’s the only person that I still keep in touch with on a weekly basis; he’s a great friend to me now.

He pushed us in every way.”

From underground band of teenagers playing in front of a handful of people, to accomplished rock stars, The All-American Rejects have kept true to their sound. “We only write for ourselves.

We haven’t done this because we try to capitalize on some sort of scene,” Ritter claims. “We’re The All-American Rejects; we’re the 11th finger, we’re the black sheep, we’re the ugly duckling…I don’t know what we are, but we always show up in whatever climate it is,” he says. “We’re one of the last bands that play guitars and make you smile. And that hasn’t failed us yet so we’re not going to change to some dance climate just because that’s what’s happening or else we’d be not only false to ourselves, but we’d be false to our fans.

“I’m more proud of this record than I am any other record we’ve ever accomplished,” Ritter confesses, and rightfully so. “I don’t think I’ve ever said that. A lot of people say that when they put out a new record, but I don’t think I’ve ever said that about the records I’ve done before.”

A true and honest album is all anyone ever wants. Whether it’s ten years ago or ten years from now, the group can stand tall knowing that after all this time, they are still putting out great records by being who they were meant to be, The All-American Rejects.

-V

F

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WHAT

DO YOU

WANT

TO DO BEFORE

YOU DIE?

THE BURIED LIFE by merlyn hamilton

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What started out as a two-week road trip for four college friends in British Columbia, Canada, has now become a lifestyle. Six years ago, Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn and Ben Nemtin decided to make a list of everything they had ever dreamed of doing.

“For everything we accomplished, we were going to help someone do something they wanted to do,” says Nemtin.

“So we had planned this little two week road trip in 2006 and that was all it was ever supposed to be. We got some attention in the news and then we started getting more attention in the news, and then people started emailing us and sending us their lists and asking for help for things that they wanted to do. So we came back from that summer and our inbox was full of emails and it had got all this attention and we were like, ‘We have to keep doing this because it’s impacting people in a way we didn’t really expect.”

So the four friends started what became known as, “The Buried Life.”

Named after a poem written by Matthew Arnold in 1852, Nemtin says, “It brought these four lines back to us that spoke to that feeling that we were tired

of feeling buried. The things that we actually wanted to do were being buried by school, work and whatever.”

As they continued to complete items off their list and help others with their own lists, they were contacted by MTV about turning the concept into a television show. After turning down the first offer for lack of creative control, the guys accepted the second offer and produced two seasons of The Buried Life with MTV. “It was a huge learning experience for us because we had never made television and we were thrown into basically making every aspect of the show,” says Nemtin. “We did all the editing and hiring and filming and everything. It was a really awesome learning curve to actually figure out how to make television.

The series isn’t coming back in the same format, but we’re filming with them to create new stuff. We can’t talk too much about it. What people can know is that we signed a new deal with them and we’ll be able to talk about it really soon.”

Already having completed between 70 to 80 items off their list, Nemtin says that “the list is almost more symbolic than a rigid 100 things. We add stuff to

it; Obama got elected, we put, ‘ball with Obama,’ on the list. Over the last couple of years, these things come up that we feel like we really want to do, so we just add to it or stuff falls off, that sort of thing.”

Nemtin admits that playing basketball with Obama was probably his favorite thing off the list. “That was honestly the hardest thing I could think of doing. To have it actually come full circle and happen… we’ve been totally blown away. It sounds cliché and you hear this stuff all the time but you can really do whatever you want. Whatever you end up deciding you want to do, there’s a way to get it done. That’s what we’ve learned and that’s why we shoot so high with our list items and the things that we do because we want to prove that anyone can do anything.”

Seeking to cross another item off their list, the guys have recently released a book titled What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? Nemtin says the goal is to make the New York Times best sellers list.

It’s obvious to any reader that it’s headed in that direction, especially since it hit No. 1 on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com prior to its release date.

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The book itself is very much like the guys: unique and inspiring. It’s filled with illustrated answers to the question, “What do you want to do before you die?”

“We have to keep doing this because it’s impacting people in a way we didn’t really expect.”

“We chose our favorite 150 answers to that question—the most emotional, powerful, amusing, weird answers and then we gave those to eight of our favorite artists to illustrate,” Nemtin explains.

“And then we tell our story throughout the book about how we started this project and why we did it and profile some things that we’ve crossed off the list that no one’s ever seen before.”

Aside from its distinct subject matter, this book is a must-read because of the intimacy woven into its pages. The

pictures, the stories and especially the answers from people across the world make it difficult for readers to put the book down.

“When we started Buried Life, we all got inspired by different things that made us for just a second believe that anything was possible,” Nemtin says. “We want this book to give the same feeling to people who read it.”

So what’s left on the list? They still need to grow a mustache and go to space. On that front, the guys are working out a deal in which their ten-thousandth book will be sent into space. Guess they’ll be able to cross that off soon.

Aside from filming Season 3 of The Buried Life and crossing items off their list, the guys have been making appearances at colleges and universities across the nation.

“We’ve been speaking to schools since we started the project,” says Nemtin.

“But it’s just this year we’ve taken a bit of time to do a short college tour. It’s been really cool to talk with kids all over the country. We’ve been filming some stuff with them too.”

Having already achieved so much, you can’t help but wonder what keeps them

going.

“Probably the fans,” says Nemtin.

“They’re posting on our Facebook page all the time, telling us stories of things they’ve been able to do. Reading that keeps us going when stuff gets hard or we don’t feel like working the long hours to make it come together.”

For those interested in creating a list, here’s some advice from someone who’s mastered it and proven that anything is possible: “Use the people around you to help; don’t keep it inside,” Nemtin suggests.

“Talk about it and ask people for help.

You’re going to get ‘no’ a lot, but ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘no’; it just means not now.

Just be persistent and take the first step.”

For more information on “The Buried Life,” visit, www.facebook.com/tbl.

W hat Do You Want to Do Before You Die? is now available on barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.

-V

//31

naked

the

NAKED and FAMOUS for the love of synth

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The engineer. In the studio. With the MIDI. To most, it sounds like the answer to a classic game of Clue. But for Aaron Short, original member and “electronic wizard” of The Naked and Famous (TNAF), it’s a day in the life. Variance chatted with Short the night before the band played at the Future Music Festival in Sydney, Australia, in March.

by amanda morad

Taking advantage of a local studio in Sydney, Short and the band were getting some much-needed creative time after months on the road—and their true break won’t be coming for a few weeks yet. This early-90s-inspired electro indie-pop group is wrapping up their latest coast-to-coast U.S. tour.

“We’re all really big California fans,” Short says. “We get the same vibe there as we do in New Zealand. Of course New York is fun because it’s the polar opposite of what we’re used to.”

Their March 19 arrival in Los Angeles was also their first late night performance on Jimmy Kimmel—it sold out in 30 minutes.

If there was ever any question about whether America is ready for Kiwi artists, discussion closed.

As bands go, TNAF is still a fledgling. Thom Powers and

Alisa Xayalith started playing and writing together at Auckland’s MAINZ music college, and produced two EPs with Short in 2008. Short started getting creative with the synth in 2009, joining Jesse Wood (drums) and David Beadle (bass) as performing members. Now a full five-piece band, TNAF immediately started work on their first album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, which released in New Zealand in September 2010 on their own label, Somewhat Damaged.

Short and Powers have kept creative control of their music right down to the engineering. “For us as producers, we find that part equally as important as the songwriting and the thought of us giving that up to somebody else really freaked us out,” Short confesses. “I’m glad in the end we both agreed that things

//33

are good the way they are. Let’s not try to fix something that isn’t broken and have confidence in ourselves to keep going. That ended up playing a big part of the aesthetic of Passive Me, Aggressive You and I imagine that’s the way it will continue to go.”

From the release of the album to now, their story reads like the fairytale every indie band daydreams about—the whole world loved them.

By the time Passive Me, Aggressive You reached the States in March 2011, TNAF had already embarked on the international tour they’re still on.

“This time a year ago, I would have said this success was just a big shock to us all, but it’s been something like 180 shows we’ve done in a year, and I think it’s really let us experience life as musicians,” Short says. “I think that will really reflect well for us in the next year and with the next album.”

So what did it? What sky-rocketed these New Zealanders to the international music scene in a matter of months? In two words: “Young Blood.”

“That track was probably one of the fastest forming tracks on the album. It based itself around a little keyboard line that Alisa was playing with, and Thom jumped on. We had a solid demo in the space of half a day. From there it really took off by itself.” The song debuted in the No. 1 spot on New Zealand’s singles chart before crossing the Pacific and making waves on U.S. alternative charts, as well as commercials and promos on almost every network on cable tele vision.

“I think [what made it a hit] is a really great mix of the vibes the lyrics give off, along with the general mood of the music,” Short explains. “If that song had no lyrics, it would still give off that feeling of happiness and excitement and energy.

People always seem to relate it to summer, which is interesting, because I don’t know how you’re really supposed to explain summer in music, but I guess we did it right. It really brings back that feeling of innocence and being young.”

Perhaps most impressive about the song’s success is the fact that it was the first track the band recorded together as a five-piece band. “It really paved the way for how the other 15 or so songs and the flavor of the rest of the album was going to go for us.”

That “flavor” has been the topic of much debate, because to judge the band’s sound on “Young Blood” alone would be to miss a wide range of style and emotion. After Short lamented being asked who the band compares themselves to, he fessed up: “Our big inspirations have been Nine Inch Nails, The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Tricky [et al]. Our influences come from so many different sources, and that kind of explains how the tracks ended up.”

[NOTE]: The name “The Naked and Famous” actually comes from a lyric in the Tricky song “Tricky Kid.” “We felt this lyric stand out because it really matched our approach at the

time—it comments on certain parts of music culture and it’s a name not to be taken seriously,” Short laughs. “But people wonder, so, joke failed.”

As far as comparisons, the most common are made to Passion Pit or MGMT. “When people hear ‘Young Blood’ and ‘Punching in a Dream,’ they’re very much in that anthemic style, and the instrumentation and production has similarities to other artists like that, but when you listen to those tracks in context with the rest of the album, it paints such a different picture because the dynamics of the album really go up and down,” Short explained. “There are these really high catchy moments that then go polar opposite to low and moody feeling music. That’s why we struggle so much to say ‘this is what we sound like.’”

Who needs comparisons anyway? A TNAF show will tell you everything you need to know: “There may be a little more roar and ‘in your face’ than you might expect,” Short says. “We don’t really do the whole hyping up the crowd thing though—or maybe it’s just that we’re not very good at it. We really just zone in with each other and really focus hard on playing the songs as best we can.” Truth be told, he’s modest. Their show is an energetic dance-fest with the same kind of emotional diversity as the album.

Audiences in Australia, Europe, Asia and North America have all experienced it in the last year or so. “You kind of expect that you go to one country and people are a little bit this way and you go to another country and people are a little bit that way, but it’s not turned out that way for us,” Short says.

“It really depends on the setting. If it’s your show, you know that everyone there has paid to see you and you’ve got their full attention and you can see when you look out into the crowd that they’re really into what you’re playing. But you go from that to playing a festival and it’s packed with other artists. People aren’t there just to see you. You realize, ‘Sh*t, we’ve really got to try and impress these people; how are we going to do it?’”

When TNAF’s tour finally wraps up at the end of April, they’ll get back in the studio to start cranking out demos for a new album Short projects will be released at the beginning of 2013.

But getting there is no easy task.

“Why is a synthesizer any less important than a guitar?”

32\\

“Something we’ve noticed and gotten frustrated about with so many other bands that use electronics is that you always see half of it coming off a backing track off stage and that always kind of guts us a little bit,” Short says.

“Why is a synthesizer any less important than a guitar? A guitar’s got to come out of an amp too, right? So surely a synth should be played as well, rather than someone off stage pressing play and the band just kind of dancing along? It doesn’t seem right to us.

“We spend a lot of time making sure that everything that goes into the recording can be reproduced live and can be played by everyone who’s on stage so everything that’s heard is very real.”

Short says that process alone is one of their biggest challenges.

“Going from the complications of the studio environment to the stage is one of the most ongoing debates between me and Thom when we’re producing the music. Just how much layering do we put in there? We sometimes get so excited about certain noises and layers and we start putting stuff in there and then we have to step back and say ‘wait a second, I don’t have seven hands, you don’t have three feet to step on different guitar pedals, how can we make this work?’

Then we have to walk that fine line between the perfect layering for the studio recording but also being able to play it perfectly live. It’s a compromise we’re always looking to make and I think that compromise is what actually brings such a good dynamic to the band.”

Musical integrity isn’t the only intangible TNAF has working in their favor. What also shapes the band’s dynamic is their refusal to buy into the fame myth or let criticism get to them. “Maybe it’s something about being from New Zealand, where there really is no such thing as fame and paparazzi and celebrity culture. [Maybe] that has kept us away from really focusing in on any of that stuff too hard. It’s still incredibly flattering when we’re browsing online and we’re seeing tweets and reviews, but it certainly isn’t something we build ourselves around.”

The good news: there’s far more positive press out there than criticism, and Short and the band know how to take it all in stride. The better news: TNAF is just getting started.

“We just keep doing what feels right and true to us and I think it leads us in the right way,” says Short.

And so it has.

-V

//33

WEB WONDER

KINA GRANNIS K

ina Grannis is part of a growing group of artists in the music industry who are following businesses, educations and relationships in one hot trend: they’re Web-born. In 2007, she began posting videos of her songs on YouTube, and shortly afterwards won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest—followed by a record deal with Interscope Records.

Since then, Grannis left the label—opting to go the indie route—and her YouTube channel has accumulated more than 95 million views. Her recent music video for “In Your Arms” has garnered international attention, and with good reason.

The stop-motion music video featuring 288,000 jelly beans accrued more than one million views in the first three days— but it took two years to make!

“Some days were definitely psychologically harder to get through,” recalls Grannis between stops in Indonesia and Singapore. “Once you’ve devoted six months or a year to a project you believe in 100 percent, there’s really no turning back.

We basically went into it blindly with no concept of how long it would take.”

Given the buzz surrounding that proj-

ect, it might be easy to consider trying to outdo such success with something greater. But according to Grannis, it’s easier said than done.

“The bar has definitely been raised,” she acknowledges. “I do like to take on every music video as a challenge to do something new and unique and creative, but unfortunately I don’t know that I have the time or sanity left to knowingly go into another 22-month-long project anytime soon.”

Given the path her career has taken, 22 months would be a tremendous commitment now. She recently finished a stint in Europe and Australia, and she is currently on a North American tour for the next couple of months. It’s the kind of success many artists dream of, but it comes at a cost.

“The [greatest misconception] is the stigma that comes with being ‘Web-born’ or having developed an audience on YouTube,” Grannis explains. “People are quick to assume that you are just a ‘YouTube artist’—which is a very different thing than just an artist. People doubt the legitimacy of online acts as far as [how] it translates to real-world things like album

sales or shows. For many Web-born artists—myself included—we were writing, releasing albums and gigging around for years before ever creating a YouTube account. YouTube simply allowed us to share that music with the world.”

Having persevered down the road she has taken, the 26-year-old musician doesn’t take her success lightly—and she advises those inspired to follow the same path likewise.

“There is always room to grow,” she says. “Play, write and sing as much as possible. Get all over the Internet—YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Put out new content regularly. Do it because you love it, not for fame or for money or for other people. Sing what you love, not what you think other people want to hear.”

As for what her fans can expect in the days to come, many of them will be able to hear her perform live at one of her upcoming tour stops. “Then after that I start working on the new album!” o check out more music from Kina T Grannis, start with her YouTube page: www.youtube.com/kinagrannis

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_IN THE SPO TLI GHT I

n today’s music world, age is no longer a factor when it comes to rising stars in youth culture. With teenaged acts like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez in the spotlight, many young people have become inspired— or simply more determined—to be ranked among the best of them. Texas pop sensation Macy Medford, 14, is one of those destined to be heard.

Performing arts played a significant role for Medford at a young age, helping in her personal discovery to being a well-rounded artist. “I got started in music when I did the school talent show in second grade, and I [played] Annie,” says Medford. “I also love writing poetry, so that is how I got started writing my own music.”

Medford connected with awardwinning writer-producers Jonathan George and Anthony Mazza. Together they created a collection of tracks for her album, Crazy ‘Bout You. Her hit single on the record, “Just Me and You,” landed the No. 1 spot on the Tween Pop Radio charts the week of its debut. The song has also been appropriately paired with a music video that personifies its carefree melody.

With Medford’s bubbly personality and high-spirited songs, she surprisingly links her pop tunes with more mature genres. “My music is unique because it has a very jazzy, bluesy sound mixed with pop,” Medford explains. “Etta James, Norah Jones and Michael Buble inspire me in my music because I love their bluesy sounds.

They are what made me want to sing jazz music.”

For Medford, being genuine is more important than trying to maintain a certain image for entertainment’s sake.

She admits, “In [this] industry, the

hardest thing I have faced is staying true to myself and my sound.”

Medford goes on to explain the pressures of her lifestyle: “A lot of people have strong opinions about your music, but you have to always think about what you want your image to be, and not what others want it to be.” Asserting that success originates from the emotion of art, she claims, “You also have to love to sing and enjoy the music making process, not be in it for the fame.”

Good things are happening for Medford, and she doesn’t have plans to take it easy anytime soon. “This spring I hope to perform a bunch and hopefully film another music video!”

To find more information about Macy Medford and to watch the video for “Just Me and You,” visit: www.macymedford.com

MACY M E D FORD

//35

PROJECT X

AND GENERATION Y

through the eyes of

JONATHAN DANIEL BROWN by jonathan robles

I

t’s been praised by The New York Times as “the Animal House of the iPhone generation,” while USA Today reviled it as a “heinous, misogynistic movie filled with faceless crowds.” So it makes sense that Project X is one of the year’s most popular films with teens and young adults. With the director of The Hangover franchise Todd Phillips serving as producer, how could it be anything but a hit?

According to newcomer and star Jonathan Daniel Brown, the teen party flick exceeded expectations.

“It’s been really, really exciting,” explains Brown. “We created this really crazy, fun thriller-comedy and I’m personally really proud of it.”

Brown is a fresh face in the industry. He

landed the role of J.B. through an online casting call. “I actually wasn’t expecting much out of it but the idea of a chance to work with Todd Phillips and [producer] Joel Silver was pretty exciting.”

Now having had the opportunity to work with Phillips, Brown is impressed with the famed producer. “He’s incredible. He has been doing comedy for so long that he’s so polished now and spot-on, and when he thinks something is funny he basically jumps to put it in motion,” Brown says.

“On the other hand, if he sees something that isn’t funny he puts a kibosh on it really fast.”

While Phillips and Brown certainly believe in the film’s comedic value, some critics have been less than kind in their summations, panning its storyline, its

quality and its sense of humor. But Brown isn’t bothered by a few lousy reviews.

“We did what we set out to do,” he declares. “I don’t think we ever sought to reinvent the wheel, but we did set out to create a very unique journey. Our plan was for people to go to the theater and perhaps feel like they were physically there, right in the middle of a really crazy party.”

Mission accomplished. But the actor is also just as accurate in his observation of the film’s critics.

“Most of [the critics] who weren’t fond of the movie frankly wouldn’t go to a party anyway,” says Brown. “I don’t want to dismiss people outright and say that they’re just old, but I think it’s fair to say this movie caters to a younger crowd

36\\

x

and there’s an energy about it that some people can’t handle or understand. We weren’t chasing after an Oscar.”

Although it didn’t make a splash on the red carpet, Project X is a success in all the ways that matter behind-the-scenes. It earned nearly double what it cost to make at the box office on opening weekend alone, and discussions of a sequel started almost immediately after its release.

But can the public handle a second round?

In the weeks since the film’s opening, there have been numerous reports of Project X “copycats” across the country— including one in Houston where teens broke into a foreclosed home to host a wild party of their own, only to have police put a stop to it and send more than 2,000 attendees home.

“This is still just a movie and very much a comedy,” Brown says of the film’s potential impact on the same youth who have made it a hit. “There’s a difference between fantasy and reality. This is not real life. I mean, how often do you go to a party where there are flamethrowers and ecstasy and 3,000 people? It’s a heightened reality.”

Brown may be correct, but it doesn’t mean some eager members of the Facebook generation won’t attempt to mimic what they see on the big screen. And that, of course, leads to an even bigger question: How much of an influence does film (and media, for that matter) have on society?

“I remember when Grand Theft Auto came out,” recalls Brown. “As it became popular, people started questioning its influence. You could ask questions about any movie where a guy shoots a bunch of people or steals a car. I’m sure there will always be films like this that cause the media to ask questions—and they should ask questions, but if you believe movies and media like this influence you in every way, then you’re not living in reality. It’s a combination of factors. Movies are one factor.”

As the media and filmgoers continue to discuss the movie’s impact, perhaps long after Project X has left theaters, one thing is certain. Jonathan Daniel Brown has a very bright future ahead of him. Sequel or not, this young talent is yet in the early days of his film career.

“There are several different opportuni-

ties opening up,” he reveals. “I’m really just looking forward to the future and everything about it.”

Have you seen Project X? What’s your take?

For more on Jonathan Daniel Brown, follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonathandbrown.

//39

DAVID NAIL by emily hulseberg

With his latest chart-topping song, “Let it Rain,” musician David Nail is taking the world of country music by storm. But before there were Grammy nominations and national tours with supernovas like Billy Currington, Keith Urban and Martina McBride, Nail was just another hopeful with a weekly Monday night gig at a local bar.

First, a bit of context: Nail signed with Mercury Records in 2002 and recorded his first album, which— minus one single, “Memphis,”— was never released to the public.

Before signing with MCA Nashville five years later, Nail did a lot of soul searching. Unsure of what he was doing or what direction he was heading in, Nail found himself at a friend’s local bar called The Tin Roof. “[The bar owner] got his hands on the first record I did for Mercury Records and listened to it one time,” Nail recalls. “It was on in the car and we just had a conversation and he told me, ‘Man, you’ve got all this talent and you’re just not doing anything with it. What are your plans?’”

Without giving a definite answer to the question, Nail received a phone call the next day that would give him the push he needed. “Hey, Monday nights, you’re singing at The Tin Roof.” Nail laughs about

it now, but says, “I never really had anyone talk to me that way and I never really had anybody interested in trying to give me a kick start, so I showed up on Monday night.”

While Nail’s catalyst to pursue his gift came from a friend, his initial passion for music stems from childhood. Growing up in southeast Missouri, Nail was introduced to many different types of music from his dad, who also doubled as his band director. “My father, obviously being very musically inclined, had a lot of instruments around the house and also a lot of records,” says Nail. “Having the record collection that he has was just kind of like a destiny that I was going to be involved in it in one way, shape, or form.”

Nail began singing at local talent shows and was involved with choir at a young age. “I think, like in anything, once you find out you’re good at something and you see people’s reactions and people give you that confidence, it’s just natural that you’re going to want to pursue that,” he says.

Pursue it he did. With a Grammy nomination for his song “Red Light,” and the number one song on the country charts, “Let it Rain,” (from his album The Sound of a Million Dreams) Nail still has yet to hit his peak.

“Before you have [a No. 1 hit], you have this idea of what it’s going to feel like,” Nail explains. He contrasts it to his loss at the 2011 Grammys: “It’s not about winning, and then you lose and you realize how bad you really wanted to freaking win.”

The inspiration for “Let it Rain” came to Nail after seeing the movie The Last Kiss. In the film, the main character cheats on his pregnant fiancée, only to be filled with instant remorse. “Unlike people that do [cheat] and continue to [cheat], this guy just really felt horrible off the bat,” Nail says. “We attempted to write a song about someone who realizes the significance of their mistake and is willing to do whatever to get past it.”

The song captures many human emotions but also carries a catchy tune and heartfelt lyrics, as do many of the songs on Nail’s latest album.

Although he is proud of his work, Nail makes it clear he doesn’t want his number one song to be the final stop on his ride to success. “I don’t want this to define me or be my legacy,” he asserts. “Hopefully it’s the beginning of so much more.”

When he isn’t writing and recording, Nail is sure to be out on the road sharing his music with fans.

He’s touring all over the States with several aforementioned country heavy-weights.

Big things are happening for this emerging country artist, but it’s the small things that make Nail the most proud. “My absolute favorite thing [is] the tour bus,” says Nail.

“No matter how tired I get, or how long we’re on the road, not a day goes by that I don’t come out of a venue and see that bus, knowing that it’s mine, and get excited.”

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“

It’s not about winning, and then you lose and you realize how bad you really wanted to freaking win.

“

//39

SXSW

VARIANCE

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Whether you were carried away in the hustle and bustle of SXSW or sat on the sidelines, planning and scheming a way to attend next year’s festival, we’re reflecting on one of the biggest music events in the world and sharing our experience with you! The hours of walking and waiting in lines.

The sigh of relief upon finally getting into a venue. It was an incredible week with many moments worth capturing. In this short flip book of photos and memories, we share some of our favorites.

While there will never again be a SXSW 2012, the good news is that the Austin-based festival gets bigger and better every year. Start planning now—and do whatever you have to do—to be there next year. Until then, enjoy!

20 12

NATE RUESS, LEAD SINGER OF FUN., PERFORMS AT SXSW.

PHOTOS BY RACHEL FAYLENE

P H O T O D I A R I E S

GRIMES TENNIS

KIMBRA

A$AP ROCKY

sxsw

s e i r a i d o phot

CHIDDY BANG & LIL JON

Best Coast frontwoman, Bethany Cosentino, pleases the crowd with tracks from the band’s upcoming album after chugging a cup of whiskey by request.

BEST COAST

DEV

The pop goddess—and new mom—gives a high energy performance, in a pair of insanely high heels

: view more.com

variancemagazine

GO TY E The Singer from Down Under & His View from on Top of the World

by Amanda Morad & Jonathan Robles 46\\

“I think a large group of

people are sick of the highly sexualized, auto-tuned pop or really heavy r&b...�

//47

It

doesn’t take an “insider” to see the global music industry is undergoing a massive renaissance. U.S. charts are peppered with artists from the other side of the Atlantic, and vice versa. On the global market, the term “music sharing” is taking on a whole new set of inflections.

Take Belgian-Australian artist, Gotye, for instance. Since the August 2011 release of his third album, Making Mirrors, the single “Somebody That I Used to Know” has risen to Top 10 positions on charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and a host of other countries no one knew had a taste for Aussie music. This kind of universality is becoming more common, but by no means is it any small feat.

Wouter De Backer is a Belgiumborn, Australia-raised, musician-singersongwriter who overhauled the French translation of his first name (Gaultier) into an often mispronounced stage moniker. Despite the edgy stage name, De Backer is a deeply humble, soft-spoken musician who named his act after the pet name his mother used to call him. “Gotye” very much reflects De Backer himself in that he and his music are a meeting of old and new worlds.

His music career began with a few EP samplings in 2001, leading to an Australian distribution deal for his first LP, Broadface, in 2003. De Backer’s second offering, Like Drawing Blood, came in 2006 and reached platinum status in Australia. It garnered the gangly musician several wins for best new artist and best independent release on the Australian award circuit. After tasting such sweet national success, De Backer moved on to project number three, Making Mirrors. Five years passed between the two releases, but it would prove to be worth the wait.

J uly 6, 2011 marks the day De Backer’s whole world turned upside down.

“Somebody” debuted off of Making Mirrors at No. 27 on the Australian singles chart and floated like a helium balloon to the top, where it sat for eight

consecutive weeks. The last song to do that was “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden in 1997—back when gas was only $1.22 per gallon.

“Based on the demos I had put together, before people had heard ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ and before I put the video out, there were labels that were complimentary and they made some licensing offers but no one in the States or in the UK were really coming along to imply that the song or the record could do much,” he explains.

De Backer had already put his own money on the line, fully expecting to have to bear the brunt of marketing an independent record. But then the single and the YouTube video released and over the next four weeks, “the game changed,” he laughs. “People changed their tune.”

The irony is that De Backer almost moved on with the record without “Somebody.” Finding the perfect fe

male vocals—eventually provided by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Kimbra--was taking too long, he says. “I had already waited over two years so there were moments where I thought it just wasn’t meant to be. It probably would have been a different story had I not waited,” he adds.

That story may have been less flashy, but as for what would happen if “Somebody” hadn’t made the track list, De Backer is content to think that business as usual would have been okay. “I reckon I probably would have put up a lot of money for the record trying to release it independently,” he speculates.

48\\

“

I may have included ‘Somebody’ on a different track list later on. My last record did well in the region and got a lot of radio airplay, so it may have just been a similar story to that. Even though there are other tracks on the record that I’m really proud of—and in some cases more interesting and possibly stronger in production—I’m also aware that they may not work as singles.”

Now De Backer is once again playing the waiting game, but this time he’s biding his time until the perfect moment comes to follow up “Somebody” with another stellar single. Topping a record-

breaking song, though, is daunting. “I think ‘Somebody’ will probably tower head and shoulders above any of the other tracks as far as getting out there and especially crossing over into pop radio,” he says.

Despite its universal theme of broken relationships, “the song is perhaps peculiar and coming from a strange place for a pop hit,” De Backer admits.

The rest of the album, however, stands on its own as a conglomeration of electronic highs and melodic lows that deserves more than a cursory look.

But De Backer is stoically realistic about audience expectations: “There are probably going to be a large number of people who don’t check out the record.

There’s just one song they hear and the way they approach music is to buy that one song they like unless something else hits their ears.”

For now, De Backer is focused on connecting with fans. “I already have

people coming up to me recognizing me as ‘that guy from that song’ and there isn’t really the connection with the name of the act or the record or any of my work,” he laments. “So in that sense the song is as much a noose as it is an escalator.”

Perceptive statement, but De Backer is selling himself short. His four-week stateside tour is totally sold out and several shows have already graduated into larger venues than originally planned.

His success is mounting stratospherically and fans the world over are lending him eyes and ears.

Following his first television appearance in the States on Jimmy Kimmel in February, the artist will make his debut on Saturday Night Live later this month. “[SNL has] never been broadcast on Australian television so I don’t think [Aussies] appreciate the cultural relevance of that show,” he notes. “It’s sort of one of the premier pop culture shows in the United States.” With opportunities like this coming at him left and right— “Somebody” will also be covered on the spring premiere of Glee on April 10—De Backer is getting a rich taste of American culture and music.

“The American music scene allows for artists to create a loyal following and never quite become what might be considered mainstream but still be successful. That’s not really possible in Australia,” he observes. “It’s interesting in America because you have so many types of music and even cities. There are no real hot spots for music [in Australia] like you have here in the States.”

De Backer is experiencing many of these “hot spots” as he rides the proverbial wave of new international music pouring into the United States. He has found tremendous success and seems destined to change the rules about what makes good pop music—very much like Adele.

“You have these interesting times where different sounds start to grab the attention of the powers that be or radio execs decide that this is rock right now or pop right now,” De Backer observes.

“I think a large group of people are sick of the highly sexualized, auto-tuned pop or really heavy R&B that has de-

//49

fined the American pop landscape for a while now.

Yeah, there have been other artists in different genres but many haven’t poked through because of the pop success formula. I think it’s great, Adele’s success, because labels have been more open to music that is more organicsounding or doesn’t fit into the current pop mold.”

That mold is changing in large part due to international artists becoming more accessible to American consumers via the Internet. De Backer’s own video of “Somebody” is the perfect example, with more than 131 million views in the eight months since its release.

The video’s success, plus a couple of key Twitter endorsements from social media maven, Ashton Kutcher, and Brit-rocker, Lily Allen, have opened America’s arms wide for De Backer and a host of other artists across the pond.

But with the accessibility and “free”dom of the Internet comes the inevitable question: how are artists supposed to get paid?

“When you look at royalties based on what artists get paid from services and subscriptions like Spotify, you have to have a really sizable audience streaming your music many, many times before that translates into whatever millions of cents you get and before it results in someone deciding they like the song enough and that they’re

prepared to pay a dollar,” De Backer points out.

“That kind of model does undercut artists because of what it still costs to make records…but at the same time, I can’t imagine disallowing people the chance to hear what you do, making it more inconvenient for them to discover your music.”

It’s a Catch-22 that every artist is looking square in the eye these days. But on a more nostalgic note, De Backer is joining hundreds of other indie artists in fully embracing the resurgence of an old medium that leaves no question about rights or cost or accessibility: vinyl.

“It’s an important medium for music and it is probably the medium that should continue.” De Backer insists. “I think it sounds better than CDs. Really, all the fodder the music industry put out in the mid-80s about CDs being indestructible and endless; it’s not true. Analog media—like vinyl—will last decades longer than a CD if you take care of them, long after a CD can’t be read anymore. It’s a pure medium.”

De Backer’s enchantment with vinyl began with the extensive collection he received from a neighbor as a teenager, most of which he still owns. “Vinyl has a great sense of romance to it,” he adds. “I think, in the future, music should be released just digitally and on vinyl and CDs will be gotten rid of and we can stop

wasting resources on them, those little shiny discs!”

Old world class meets new world imminence?

This guy may be on to something.

In the spirit of that old world patience, De Backer is in no rush to project when his next album will emerge. “I’m not really prolific. All of my records have taken two or three years to come together,” he says. “I’m kind of an introvert like that. I need time away from the hustle and bustle to reflect and have my own space and experiment.”

De Backer’s patience has paid off more than once, so he is willing to keep fans waiting as long as necessary to put out the best selection of music possible.

“I think if I were to rush into writing more material I would end up repeating myself using some of the same techniques and processes I’ve used before and I’m not really interested in doing that. I would really like to do a record that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever done before.”

Pushing the boundaries of what he’s done before is actually harder than it sounds—he’s just about done it all. De Backer is a true music man and plays a little of everything, from drums and piano, to indigenous mbiras and the Winton Musical Fence in the Outback of Queensland,

Australia. His three albums to date have found their distinction in the inventiveness of their creator.

De Backer derives samples from all kinds of instrumental sources, weaving sounds together with studio “magic” and emerging with some of the most imaginative rock on the market today. “I like using the studio,” he says. “Other than the drums and a little ability on piano and keyboard, music software and the world of manipulating sound, that’s my other instrument.”

With his prowess behind the mic, the kit, the keys and the engineering board, there really is no limit to what De Backer is capable of producing. What keeps the extraordinary and exponential successes coming is the fact that he never stops asking the question of what’s possible and then answering it differently every time.

Surprising yourself with what you can do is more important than the pressure to achieve success, De Backer contends. “I think at the heart of it you just really need to feel confident in the fact that you’ve written interesting songs.”

Except it’s not every day that an artist’s “interesting songs” camp out on iTunes’ Top 10 list for two months after release or gain 2 million YouTube views in less than 24 hours.

No, what De Backer brings to the international music scene is way more than interest. It’s straight up wizardry.

-V

50\\

“...in the future, music should be released just digitally and on vinyl...�

//51

by Weston Shepherd

miike SNOW

“This time we used whatever we wanted...

full orchestras and string arrangements.

We did everything we wanted to do to make the album sound exactly like we had it in our minds.�

52\\

W

ith the March 20 release of its sophomore album, Happy to You, Swedish electrosupergroup, Miike Snow, is at it again. Following up on the success of a first album can be tricky, but the boys seem to have outdone themselves with a much larger, louder approach.

Speaking from a tour stop in New York, member Christian Karlsson tries to capture the essence of an album release; saying “It’s hectic. It’s fun! You want to see peoples’ reactions, and if they like it and what people are saying. It’s really exciting, and to just play these new songs.”

Karlsson goes on to say that playing the new songs is especially fun, as the crowd judges the new sounds in real time. “You’re really watching. You know the crowd hasn’t heard it, so you’re figuring out what they felt and liked during the show. It’s a special moment leading up to it.”

It’s apparent fans are loving what they hear already, as the new album has released to rave reviews from lovers of Miike Snow.

This is due in large part to more creative control and, according to Karlsson, the ability to stretch their ideas as far as they can realistically take them.

“This time we used whatever we wanted.

We got the Swedish Army Drum-Core doing marching drums over full orchestras and string arrangements. We did everything we wanted to do to make the album sound exactly like we had it in our minds.”

After the success of its debut self-titled album in 2009, Miike Snow has earned a devoted following of fans who love the electronic, yet smooth and sometimes funky tones the band produces. “On the first record, it’s like we didn’t know we were even making an album,” Karlsson says comparing it to the Happy To You experience. “We approached it song-bysong, and then we went into the phase of doing it live and went on a huge touring frenzy.

“Twenty months and 300 shows, almost.

During that time, we developed what became Happy to You, and I’m really, really proud of what we made.”

What is that, exactly? “It’s a real album,” Karlsson replies. “It sounds like an album.

It’s really meant to be listened to from the beginning to the end, more so than the first album.”

In addition to the more complete sound is the devotion to touring that has existed since the band was formed. The common music lover may be clueless about the practice needed for a successful tour, but Karlsson gives some insight into Miike Snow’s preparation, saying, “We rehearse like crazy before we go out—almost two months, 12 hours a day. And we have with us all this new gear! Crazy gear! The first show you are really nervous because you

have to remember all you’re supposed to do in the show, but also you want the gear to hold up and not break.”

Among the new pieces of “crazy gear”?

A 9-by-9 foot synth machine the guys have labeled, “The Blob.”

“We have to travel with that monster and that’s a struggle in itself. We haven’t figured out how to take it on a bus yet.”

But when the band isn’t writing, recording or playing shows for legions of fans, music is never far from their minds. In a move that allows for even more musical creativity, the members of Miike Snow have joined with other Swedish acts, such as Peter Bjorn and John, The Teddybears and Lykke Li, to form new record label, INGRID. “The goal is for us to have freedom and to be creative and do whatever we want to do,” Karlsson says. “We can collaborate with each other—anything is possible.

“We have a sampler coming out that shows more of everyone involved with INGRID. It’s fun music that’s not a part of what you usually hear. We’re going to put that out.”

With the new music, new tour and new record label, the members of Miike Snow are experiencing momentum that many other bands can only dream of—and it appears to be just the beginning! For a group that started out as essentially an idea of how music should be played, the men of Miike Snow seem to have started something with true staying power.

Discussing the group’s success and if it could have ever been predicted, Karlsson says with a laugh, “No! We didn’t aim for anything. We’re just really happy that we finally just did it! When the train gets going and we started doing shows, we didn’t even have time to reflect, we just went with it.”

After the successful debut album and the massive tour that followed, the group is still excited about the ideas behind Miike Snow, and vow to continue riding the wave until they are forced to stop. Regarding the idea of new music and what comes next, Karlsson says, “That’s all we think about. Right now it’s touring, but this time around we’ll start working on the next album while on tour. It’s all we think about.

It just feels amazing—Miike Snow was the biggest and best choice I’ve ever made musically.”

For more information on Miike Snow, including purchasing the new album or viewing tour stops near your city, visit: www.miikesnow.com.

//53

: t s e u q e r ’ s r e d a e r

ALEXZ JOHNSO There’s

an old adage that says, “jack of all trades, master of none.” No one told that to Alexz Johnson—or if they did, she took it as a dare. This Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and social media maven seems to know what she’s doing on all fronts and nobody is calling shots but her.

Her acting and singing careers took off simultaneously when she was cast as Jude Harrison, the lead character on Canada’s Instant Star in 2004. In the series, she got to showcase her songwriting, singing and acting prowess all at once as a talented teen who wins a music competition. Since then, she’s been jumping back and forth between industries, releasing her first LP, Voodoo, in 2010 after a series of industry battles.

We caught up with Johnson during a trip to L.A., as she scouted out potential managers and agents. In the car between meetings, she spoke about her successful 2011, what’s ahead for this year, and how social media is changing the game.

2011 was a major writing spree for Johnson. Much of her creativity, she says, stems from her personal life. “I think that’s why my music changes so much.

I find it most authentic when it comes

54\\

BY AMANDA MORAD

ON

from what I’m experiencing or what people in my life are experiencing around me.

It’s the way I can get stuff out at its most honest place.”

Having spent time writing and co-writing in her new stomping grounds in New York, as well as L.A. and Nashville, Johnson emerged into the new year with a fat portfolio of songs she’s proud to be getting out to her fans on her own. The Skipping Stone EP will be released on April 24.

“This year is really about the music for me,” Johnson says. The goal is to make the tour, funded by her Kickstarter campaign, a reality.

Fans rallied to back what started out as plans for a modest domestic circuit, but, because of the extravagant outpouring of support—the campaign raised $30,000 in less than 24 hours—those plans have ballooned into a major international tour. “I don’t know how it happened; it all just came down at once!” she says. “I just wanted to get back on the road and tour, but I didn’t want to wait for another major deal, so I just launched the Kickstarter.” When her campaign closed on March 24, Johnson had raised more than $67,000.

Because of Instant Star’s international following, Johnson’s fans and sponsors are spread out all over the globe. The extra Kickstarter money is helping her build a tour around her backers.

Grateful as she is for the television and film roles she’s landed—especially the ones that also involve music—Johnson says the acting serves her music aspirations. “It’s all just about timing in my career. If I needed to film something to survive in order to keep making music, I would sacrifice and do that. Nothing’s really plotted out or planned, but the ultimate goal is, I want to be able to keep making music for a really long time. Any way it takes to keep doing that, I’ll do it.”

As someone who’s trended on Twitter four consecutive days, launched a successful YouTube channel and aced a Kickstarter campaign, Johnson knows her way around social media. “It’s a whole different industry today,” she says, newly empowered to take the reins of her career through her online following. “The Internet is the whole reason I’m even in this position. I can reach so many people I never could have [offline]. Major labels are dinosaurs. Anyone can be an entrepreneur today. We have everything at our fingertips now.”

She also recognizes that people connect better when artists choose to be vulnerable, often giving music to their fans for free. “At the end of the day, you can’t make people like what you do. The idea of giving away music for free…you’re basically as humble as you can get. It’s straight from my heart and it’s a gift. To me it’s all about engaging with people.”

As Johnson gets her footing in her music career, she has an uber-talented family to thank for the support. The sixth of 10 children, her siblings (most of whom are also artists, actors, or producers) and her parents are her biggest fans. “No matter

how many hits I’ve taken, I’ve never had one person in my family say to me, ‘maybe you shouldn’t be doing this.’ I’ve said it. I’ve been like, ‘someone please stop me’…someone look at me and say ‘you’re an A student, go back and be a doctor.’

My whole family just believes in me and what’s inside of me.”

This past year of creative genesis has helped Johnson take that support and transform it into true self—confidence— as if she’s finally woken up to the fact that she rocks as both an actress and a musician. “I used to think all the extra stuff took away [from the music], but I’ve finally given up resistance,” she says. “I don’t know why I fought it for so long.”

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Greenwood knew in 1983 when he wrote his hit song is much different than the America that exists today—at least, according to the man himself.

“When I say a plea for a better America, we look at past, present and future,” explains Greenwood. “We know what our problems are; there are so many things, I’m not going to put my finger on any one thing that’s any worse than the rest [but] I believe if we focused ourselves more on faith, we would have more of a moral compass and build this country back from its roots rather than from the top down.”

“I just hope that this book raises attention towards what is most important...”

LEE GREENWOOD PLEAS FOR A BETTER AMERICA

In the middle of an election year with politics, faith and America’s future at the center of discussion, this music legend’s new work is sure to strike a chord with audiences—many of whom might share a similar perspective.

Greenwood says that a better America would include adding present medical and technological achievements to the “happiness” of the past. “We loved each other, we loved our country, and we loved our neighbors more,” says Greenwood. “I’m hoping we get back to that.”

Set to release on May 14, readers will receive a free two-song download of Greenwood’s newest version of “God Bless the USA” and his latest single, “Show Me the Way.” With forewords and endorsements from the likes of former President George H.W. Bush to country music superstar Reba McEntire and others, Greenwood is hoping the book—his first full solo project of any kind in nine years—resonates with readers.

“I’m excited that it will inspire conversation and make people aware that there is a greater problem,” Greenwood says.

“I just hope that this book raises attention towards what is most important— and that is prayer and how we should pray for the things we really want and pray for God’s guidance in the things we really do.”

“After all these years have gone by and everybody loved ‘God Bless the USA’ Lee Greenwood’s hit song God Bless so much, [I thought], why don’t I pose the USA continues to be a universal the question, ‘Are we still a Christian patriotic anthem almost 30 years after nation?’ I think that’s the underlying it was written. Now Greenwood has question in my book. [It’s] a plea for a better America,” says the 69-year-old written what is set to be a bestseller, hit-maker. his first book, Does God Still Bless With the recent 10-year anniversary of To preorder your copy of Lee Greenthe USA? the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many Ameriwood’s Does God Still Bless the USA? cans clung to Greenwood’s anthem for please visit www.tatepublishing.com. solace. But it’s evident the America that 56\\ by merlyn hamilton

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CIVIL TWILIGHT

The Road to Holy Weather

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by jonathan robles years ago, a trio from Cape Town, South Africa, stormed the indie rock scene. After several years playing local church halls and clubs, Civil Twilight released their self-titled album with Wind-up Records (home of Five for Fighting and O.A.R.) in 2009 and immediately caused a stir.

With powerful lyrics and a sound often compared to U2, the band (comprised of brothers Steven and Andrew McKellar and their friend Richard Wouters) returned in March with their newest LP, Holy Weather. And according to vocalist/bassist Steven McKellar, “It’s still just the beginning.”

Their music has been used on popular TV shows like One Tree Hill, House and Parenthood. They’ve shared the stage with the Smashing Pumpkins and Florence and the Machine, and upon the success of their previous album, the band was sought after by plenty of wellrenowned producers.

“It feels like everything has changed,” McKellar reminisces. “Even though we’re still the same guys, the same band, we’ve grown a lot since being in Nashville. It’s been seven years but it still feels early, like we’re just getting started. The truth is we are just getting started.”

For the new record, the guys eventually decided to work with producers Dan Carey (Franz Ferdinand, M.I.A.) and John Congleton (Modest Mouse, St. Vincent), having them split production.

“We worked on part of the album in London with Dan,” McKellar explains. “We were there for a month before going to New York to work with John. It’s amazing how it all came together, splitting the album between two producers who are really very different from each other. The finished work is something we’re really proud of.”

Holy Weather is different in the sense that this album was written on the road.

“The last album was really sort of nostalgic,” says McKellar. “We were reflecting on past experiences. It was great, but this time we were writing while on the road. There’s something unique about actually being there, in the moment, and capturing it as it happens.

Three

That’s what these songs are about.

“Being on the road for so long, it changes you. It’s strange. I think we tried to let that show through this record—our growth as individuals and as a band living in America. There are also relationships and some heartbreak, but mostly us having to face realities that we’ve never had to face. This is still so fresh to us. Honestly, it’s a very personal album.”

Holy Weather is a collection of songs, each written from the perspective of a different character—fictional, although very much based on real people the band has met. It’s a different kind of project for sure, but according to McKellar, the timing is right.

“We understood that this would be different but it felt right to us,” he says. “It felt like the perfect time to change things up. It’s still early and we’re still young as a band, and we all feel that this is the best time to do something different. We aren’t at the point yet where we feel pressure to meet a certain standard. We can still take risks, and that’s just what we did.”

In fact, the band ended up with more music than they knew what to do with.

“The greatest challenge wasn’t writing the music,” McKellar details.

“We actually recorded 18 songs—mastered and everything. We had to do some soul searching after that and make some hard decisions.

In the end, I feel good about where we ended up and I believe the audience will be able to connect with each track and interpret them according to their own perspective. We’re taking a risk, of course, but risks tend to pay off—at least, I believe they do.”

While the new album certainly presents a new set of risks, this is a band that once packed up everything and left South Africa for the United States. Risks are nothing new to them, and McKellar is right: “It’s just the beginning.”

For more information on Civil Twilight, go to www.civiltwilightband.com. The new album, Holy Weather, is now available wherever music is sold.

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With amazing support from radio, CMT and a loyal One Tree Hill fan base, Jana Kramer is quickly becoming one of country music’s hottest new stars. Her single “Why You Wanna,” recently broke a record when 55 stations picked it up in one week, making her the most added debut artist in the history of Country Aircheck.

they say that they miss me on the show. Now they are calling country radio to request my song, and they are at every show. Whenever I have a listener event or a radio show performance, they are there and it’s the greatest thing. I feel like I’m doing the right thing. The coolest thing ever is that people are starting to recognize that I’m a country singer that can act! They get it.

Variance: Your first single, “Why You Wanna” recently broke the record for most stations added in one week.

How do you feel about that?

V: You have an album coming out soon, correct?

Kramer: When I first got warned of the radio tour (by my management), they said, “It’s going to be really hard, and our goal is to have 25 adds out of the box.” I was like, “That’s it?” They said, “Jana, first of all, for a female that is really hard. Second, that’s a really good number.”

I told them that I wanted to double that and they literally laughed saying, “That’s really cute, Jana.” Then I said, “Because you just said that, I am going to double it and then some.” So when I did, I was like, “Yeah!” I am a very determined person. On Mondays I’m looking at the charts, watching who is coming in and going out. Did I expect it? I had hoped that it would go that way, but just because we had a great week doesn’t mean that it will be there next week. Right now I’m just riding the wave.

V: Did you pursue a music career prior to acting?

K: Well, I’ve been singing since I was a little girl. But I got scared and I found that it was easier to hide behind the character (while acting), instead of really doing what I wanted to do. So I fell into the acting thing and I am super fortunate for everything that I have done, because it gave me the confidence to pursue

K: Yes, it comes out early this summer (2012) and it’s produced by Scott Hendricks.

Each song on the album represents a different side of me.

I have a sassy side, a romantic side and an emotional side.

So people will be able to get to know me on a different level (with this album). We just finished recording the final five and I just have to do the vocals on them. It’s really exciting.

V: How did the writing pan out for this album? Was there a lot of co-writing?

what I really wanted to do. I finally feel like I’m home and it’s great. I’m at a place in my life where I recognize that I am not the greatest singer in the world, but I love my imperfections. Now that I can embrace myself, it’s cool!

V: When did you decide to pursue music fully? Was there a specific breaking point?

K: It was when I was on One Tree Hill. I love that show and the opportunities that it gave me, but I felt stuck because it really wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was writing a lot, so I gave some songs to the creator of the show and said, “Look, I just bought a house in Nashville and I’m writing with artists there.” Then he said, “What? I didn’t even

know you sang!” I was like, “I know, my family thinks that I am nuts because they have never even heard me sing before. When the show is done I’m going to move there and fly back and forth.” He said, “Well, alright. I will listen to it.” He never got back to me, so I thought he hated it. Also, he wasn’t really a big country fan anyway. Two episodes later, I found out that he turned my character into a singer so I was freaking out!

V: How has the support been from the One Tree Hill fans, thus far?

K: They are honestly the most supportive fans I’ve had and I am so lucky to have them.

They have supported me leaving the show, even though

K: I did a ton of co-writing, but at the end of the day, the best songs win. I have a few songs on there that were mine, but the other songs were ones that I just couldn’t pass up. I’ve lived it; I want to sing it and give it back to the people.

V: How does a song normally fall out of you?

K: As real and as authentic as possible. That’s why I have embraced my imperfections.

Sure, it might not be sung to the perfect note, but I feel every syllable that comes out of my mouth.

For more information on Jana Kramer, please visit www.janakramer.com.

JANA KRAMER by john mouser

Q&A

ROCKS

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A s

CBS’ resident Ukrainian cook on the new hit series, Two Broke Girls, actor Jonathan Kite is serving up laughs on Monday nights in his role as Oleg. Created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings, Two Broke Girls is a show about two girls who come from different parts of the social spectrum, but find common ground in the fact that they are both…broke.

Kite heard about the show from a friend who was working on casting. When Kite arrived at the audition, that friend exclaimed, “Oh, thank god you’re wearing deodorant.” This compliment came after a series of auditioning 45-year-old, bald, Russian men for the part of Oleg.

When it came to his audition attire,

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“Comedy

is always about what’s happening right now.

”

Kite got creative. “I went to Goodwill and I bought these Lycra, spandex, cotton blend tiger striped pants…like euroclub pants with like really sad, faded glitter on the thigh,” laughs Kite. “I wore white sweat socks and brown, old leather sandals, and I wore a white undershirt I stained with mustard. And I came with a hair net on.”

Evidently the quirky get-up worked in Kite’s favor, because following a series of callbacks, he was cast after having to compete with men twice his age.

To play this part, Kite had to develop a European accent. Fortunately for Him, accents, as well as impressions, are something that he has been working on for years. Kite is known for his wide array of impressions, from Tom Hanks to his personal favorite, Vince Vaughn.

To get the accent down for Oleg, Kite just had to call on his childhood years.

Growing up, he had many friends who were of eastern European descent, so he

Jonathan Kite by emily hulseberg

grew up mimicking their parents. Little did he know that it would help land him a regular gig on an up-and-coming hit show.

While Oleg is American, Kite says, “[He is] clearly rooted in another part of the world.” The character is an outspoken guy and tends to have more than enough comments for the lead female roles played by Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. “I think that he is a really confident guy…which I think part of the confidence is he’s really smart. He is very careful how he toes the line,” says Kite.

When Oleg isn’t dishing out risqué comments to his fellow female co-workers, he is harassing his restaurant boss, Han Lee, played by Matthew Moy.

As an actor, Kite got his start in a city known for generating some great comedy talents. “I’m from the Chicago land area, so the theatre community in Chicago is huge,” says Kite. “I happened to be in a system where people really cared and had really talented people around me.”

One of his greatest memories of performing happened when his mother had to take him and his sibling to work with her. She would take them to the donut shop and buy a giant box of donut holes and Kite would do his thing. “I would take the box around to everyone in the office, and I would be the tinniest delivery boy,” he says. “I always really performed.”

His passion for performing came from his parents, as well. “My father introduced me to old films growing up; he’s a classic movie buff…and my mother, she would take me to plays and she really got me there on the ground floor to really see what was going on,” says Kite.

After doing improv at the famous Second City, Kite decided it was time to make the move to Hollywood to pursue acting for television and movies.

“That was always what I wanted to do,” he says.

With the show’s great timeslot, sandwiched between How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, Two Broke Girls has had great initial success. “You want to be on a team of other super successful shows,” says Kite.

The character of Oleg has also been adapted to fit Kite.

“The amazing thing about being on a television show with incredible writers that do this, is that they will write for you, or the part becomes you,” he says.

This is something he says doesn’t happen when it comes to movie scripts. “We have just a brilliant writing staff.”

While the show has had praise, there are always negative critics as well. “I think you’re not getting anywhere ‘til people have negative things to say about you,” comments Kite. “People hate on things that are successful.”

Success or fail, he is glad to have the opportunity to be a part of the show. “[I] just stay in the moment and enjoy this for whatever it’s worth,” he says. He compares the cast to being at summer camp or high school. “It’s so nuts, we are such great friends.”

While the show is coming to the end of the season, Kite has many other projects in the works as well. In July, the animated series Black Dynamite will begin airing. Kite will be again using his expertise with impressions to play parts from the ‘70s for the show.

Kite credits the world for keeping him inspired to act. “Comedy is always about what’s happening right now,” he says.

“It really reflects the world in its current state.”

Catch Kite on Monday nights on CBS and on Comedy Central starting in July.

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the bands you love in your own words

AMATEUR LOVE

Stretching themselves outside their own comfort zones into those of un-tapped electronic pop, Amateur Love became one of the most enigmatic and electrifying bands I have ever known.

-Justin Vernon of Bon Iver chigliak.com

LOST JULY

Lost July is one of the best bands to come out of Texas in my opinion. They have a great sound and they have a great live show! It’s nice to see them moving up!

-Kyle Harmon lostjuly.com

BRANDON SCOTT SMITH

I think what Brandon is doing with his music and working with different charities is so motivating. I hope our paths cross someday!

-Don Koch brandonscottsmith.net

IMAGINE DRAGONS

I saw this band for the first time at SXSW and I have not been able to stop playing their music ever since! If you haven’t heard of them you should check them out. I’m in love!

-Amberly Payton imaginedragonsonline.com

JORDAN CONNELL

Jordan’s music is some of the greatest, most passionate I’ve heard. He is a true artist and it’s great to see someone with so much potential do great things like he is doing!

-Ryan Rice thejordanconnell.com

PARACHUTE YOUTH

I absolutely love you guys and I can’t wait to hear the rest of your album! In the meantime, I’ll be spreading [the word of] your talent around the U.S. Hope to see you out here soon.

-Makenzie Hannegan parachuteyouth.com

CHAD SPRIGGS

I really appreciate Chad’s dedication to his music and to making music that is true to himself. It’s exciting to see him do great things!

-Carly Jordan chadspriggs.com

OPENMIC I just discovered The Lumineers recently, and I love them!

They sound like a folkier version of Mumford & Sons mixed with The Civil Wars! Their album releases this month and I can’t wait.

-Gabrielle Glover thelumineers.com

THE LUMINEERS

You guys put on a great concert! It was a great experience.

Thank you guys so much for all you do!

-Max Hilgendorf tatemusicgroup.com

CALEB’S CROSSING

All I need to get me through the day is Niki and The Dove on Soundcloud. I’m constantly listening and constantly wanting more. I’m obsessed!

-Cara Lewis nikiandthedove.com

NIKI & THE DOVE

You guys are amazing! I’m glad about the new album and all your upcoming shows!

-Alicia DeLeon reverbnation.com/theafterglowrocks

I finally got to see her live recently and Wolf ’s voice is amazing. There’s something so Gillian Welch about it! I really feel obligated to tell my friends about her music so they don’t miss out!

-Kristen Rutter wolflarsenmusic.com

I had a great time at New York New York bar with you all.

You rocked it out like always! Best of luck in everything you do!

-Stephanie Olson 34bliss.com

Thank you for doing your part to pave a way for those who have a story to share. You are an inspiration!

-Selina Walton alaciamusic.tmgartist.com

THE AFTERGLOW WOLF LARSEN

34 BLISS

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IFE/AFTER/DENIM L spring collection

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