Venture Mag #3 by Venture Mag

MAG

VENTURE

WINTER ISSUE

FEATURING:

THE ICARUS ACCOUNT

VENTUREMAG

WINTER 2012

Hello and welcome to Venture’s winter issue. This issue is jam-packed full of content that we can’t wait to share with you. We have interviews with There For Tomorrow and Forever The Sickest Kids, our opinons on some new album releases, live show photography, an exclusive with the talented THE ICARUS ACCOUNT, up and coming acts to watch in 2013 and so much MORE. We hope you enjoy it, but most importantly HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Thank you for the continued support, we hope to see you again in the New Year.

- Bekka Collins

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@VentureUK

OWL CITY

PHOTO BY: KYLE KOTAJARVI

SPECIAL THANKS We want to extend our thanks to everyone who has made our winter issue possible. We have worked really hard on this release and we are extremely proud of how it has turned out. We hope you like it too. We would like to give a special thanks to: Forever The Sickest Kids, Ty Turner, Trey Turner, There For Tomorrow, William Beckett, Jessarae, Jake Houlsby, Harriet Brampton, Ashley Osborn, Mike Cubillos, Lindsay Bailey, Natalie Schaffer, Christen Greene, Kaela Watso, Stacia Robitaille, Danny Georgieva, Natalie Simpson, Nadav Kander, Jonny Eveson and YOU.

CONTENTS

5 FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS

7 THE POSTELLES

11 THERE FOR TOMORROW

15 PIERCE THE VEIL

17 WILLIAM BECKETT

19 THE ICARUS ACCOUNT

24 OWL CITY / ALL TIME LOW

25 ALBUM REVIEWS

27 USA & UK : MALE SOLOISTS

29 ACTS TO WATCH IN 2013

THE SUMMER SET

PHOTO BY: NICOLE THOMAS

AN INTERVIEW WITH

FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS

JONATHAN COOK, VOCALIST OF FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS TOLD US ABOUT THE NEW DIRECTION OF THE BAND AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR NEXT RELEASE. The band recently signed with Fearless Records. What inspired that decision and how do you like working with the Fearless team so far? This is not a new relationship, Fearless have been believers in us and what we do for so long, it just feels like a natural progression for us with long time family! The band played Bazooka Rocks Festival in the Philippines. How excited were you to play there and how did it differ from other festivals you've played? This festival was the most exciting string of surprises from a promoter, constant gifts and hospitality we can only find at a festival overseas! In previous interviews it had been stated that the band had felt that they had more options when working without a label. Do you feel that Fearless Records has given the band the opportunity to expand upon what you are able to accomplish? Fearless and us have always had great chemistry together. I feel that a lot of that is down to the fact that they love our mindset of doing things our way and the DIY mindset. How do you feel the band has held up against member changes? This has brought us four closer together and it is such a brotherhood now I can't imagine not making music and touring with these guys ever. What can we expect from the band in the future? How is the new album going? Our future has a lot of new fun partnerships that are new and exciting for us. The best one we have we just recorded and can't share the

details just yet. We are so excited about our touring plans for next summer, and this is the most excited we have been for a record yet. Has the writing of this new album been any different to previous writing sessions? Yes this has been the most relaxed record with the least amount of deadlines and pressure, we are writing it at our pace and we love it. It was announced that the band would be covering "We Found Love" by Rihanna for ‘Punk Goes Pop 5.’ What was that experience like and why did you choose that song to cover? It was a freaking blast this is our third time to do a Punk Goes album with Fearless Records. We always choose songs we can let our hair down to and just create a ballistic record. Where would you like to tour that you haven't had a chance to visit yet? Definitely Mexico. What is your favorite song that the band has created thus far? I am almost certain we all have a different answer on this, mine is “Hey Brittany”. Any final words? Thank you to everyone who supports us. Check us out on Facebook.com/ForeverTheSickestKids and follow us on Twitter @OfficialFTSK WORDS BY BREANNE GILL & ELIZABETH TOLBERT PHOTO BY ASHLEY OSBORN

THE

POSTELLES

WORDS BY MEGAN SAUERS PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE BROWN & KAELA WATSO

This indie rock group of New York natives just concluded their tour with Mayday Parade and The Maine. They received the privilege of opening up the show each night on the 2012 fall tour. They attracted new fans across the entire United States with their lively performances and remarkably catchy songs. This co- headlining tour was definitely the place to be. The Postelles consists of four members; Daniel Balk (vocals, guitar), Billy Cadden (drums), David Dargahi (lead guitar), and John Speyer (bass). They have been playing music together ever since attending the same high school in NYC. You may know them by their most popular track “White Night,” which was released back in 2010. It can also be found on the band’s most successful release so far, their self-titled debut album that dropped in 2011. The Postelles are technically classified as an alternative group, but their songs have quite the pop / electric vibe to them that will be sure to have you dancing out of your seat. They have often been compared to The Strokes (The Strokes band member Albert Hammond Jr. actually produced four of The Postelles’ tracks). The two bands have the same type of energy about them, and it certainly isn’t a bad comparison to have. While they have several great up tempo dance songs like “Sleep On the Dance Floor,” “123 Stop,” and “White Night,” The Postelles have also released some great slower tracks such as “Hold On” and “Blue Room.” Their “vintage” touch is something that makes them stand out. You may just get a slice of some old school Rock ‘n’ Roll while listening to their songs. The Postelles are definitely a band you will want to check out. You won’t regret it, it’s feel good dance music for everyone. Who doesn’t like that? FACEBOOK Facebook.com/ThePostelles | TWITTER @ThePostelles

TAKING BACK SUNDAY BY NICOLE THOMAS

THE ROLL CALL BY NICOLE THOMAS

THERE FOR TOMORROW

CHATTED WITH US ABOUT VENTURING OUT ON THEIR FIRST HEADLINING TOUR AND NEW YEAR PLANS. Hi! My name’s Chris Kamrada and I play drums in There For Tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know us, we’re a four-piece rock band from Orlando, Florida and we have been signed to Hopless Records since 2008. Could you explain your music in three words? Passionate, energetic and melodic. How did your headline tour go? It was great! It was kind of an interesting time for us to be doing a headliner, but I think it’s at a point where we want to please people who have been listening to us for a long time. It’s kind of under the radar, we’re not pushing an album right now but while we had downtime we wanted to get out on the road. It’s for the people who care about There For Tomorrow and just want to have some fun! How did you guys choose what songs to perform on this tour? We definitely had a lot to choose from. We had an album come out last summer, the EP and ‘A Little Faster’, which is probably our biggest release. When it comes to picking the songs it’s all about making sure the songs are collectively cohesive, we want them to sound good together. Are there any countries TFT hasn’t been to yet that you hope to visit? I really want to go to South America, I think it would be a cool experience. Also, I’d love to play a show in Hawaii. We’ve never been there, and if we could just book one show there, fly down and make enough money to get a free trip out of it, it would be a lot of fun.

A few years ago you released ‘Re:Creations,’ which is a remix / dubstep style EP. What made you want to do something so different? I think it just spawned from us really wanting to step away from the ‘norm’ of a rock band. Especially a band attached to the Warped Tour kind of scene. It was something different, very unexpected, and we self produced it. We were all big fans of electronic music at the time and wanted to be a part of it. We all had a lot of fun with it and it’s something we’ve talked about possibly doing again in the future. We don’t ever want to limit our band to just one style. Your latest full length, ‘The Verge,’ was just released last year. How was the recording process of this album different from past releases? ‘The Verge’ was done in a very “real” way. We went in to make the album at the end of 2010, and we wrote the album in seven days. So we wrote it in a week, everything felt right, and we just played it live together in a room all day every day for a week. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to that time frame, but we felt that the songs that we had were perfect and didn’t want to overthink anything. Then we went into the studio and recorded it. We did it all very “real”. All the drums were live, no fake triggers or auto-tune. That’s our band, that’s how we sell. Being real is rare these days. Yeah. Most bands use auto-tune. We wanted to do the exact opposite and just make a very big sounding rock album that’s like an enhanced live version.

Recently the industry is changing from physical to digital. What are your opinions on that? I understand it. Sometimes it’s not always the most practical thing to be carrying around a CD with you, because a lot of people don’t even use CD players anymore, not even in their cars. A kid can buy a record and put it in his car, then computer, then onto his iPod. Or he can download it directly to his iPod or phone, or use Spotify, or even download it illegally. It’s all about getting it the quickest. It’s kind of a bummer because I’m a fan of holding something. I don’t always feel like I’m getting my moneys worth just downloading an album.

Do you have anything else you would like to say? Yeah, if you guys want to reach out to us our website is www.therefortomorrow.com our Twitter is @ThereForTMRW and you can find us all on Facebook.com/therefortomorrow. Other than that, we’ve had some time off this year and we’ve been to the UK too. As soon as this year is over we’re going in to make a new album. It’s definitely going to be a big step in a new direction and we want to surprise all our fans.

Exactly. It’s all about the album art. Even if it’s just seeing the CD sitting on my shelf. I like the extra packaging, reading the credits, or who worked on it. Vinyl is the ultimate, but I only buy vinyl if it’s really good production. Just as long as people have the music. If you’re a real fan and didn’t pick up the album then go to a show, buy a ticket or a t-shirt, just do something for the artist. There are plenty of bands out there; everyone’s struggling, so if you really care about a band, support them!

We want to make music that’s worth sticking around for, something that’s timeless. I think it will honestly be the best album we’ve written yet just because of everything we’ve been through as a band. We’re so much older now and really have a grasp on reality on what it takes to make memorable music.

If you guys could collaborate with any other artist, who would it be? I think all of us would be really into doing something off the wall and unexpected. We’ve always been big fans of bands like U2, or Foo Fighters. If we could do something with Dave Grohl I think we’d all lose our minds. Bono or John Mayer, people like that, we really look up to and admire. To be able to sit down with them in a studio and maybe write a song would be incredible.

WORDS BY NICOLE THOMAS

I personally would like to collaborate with the band MUTEMATH. I love their production and they self-produce a lot of their stuff so I think it would be cool to sit down and do a song or two with them.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY COURTNEY DONDELINGER

PIERCE THE VEIL BY DEVIN DEROSE

THE LUMINEERS BY MELISA BAYKENT

AN INTERVIEW WITH

WILLIAM BECKETT We caught up with William Beckett, previous lead vocalist for The Academy Is... at Sing It Loud’s reunion show. How’s are things, what are you up to at the moment? Things are good! Right now I’m not really on a tour. I just recently finished a tour with Relient K and Hellogoodbye on the west coast though, which was amazing. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of college shows, so it’s been like a University circuit. I’m learning a lot! How are the house and University shows going? They’ve been interesting. They’re private shows, and it’s just people hanging out in their living rooms; it’s been really laid back and a lot of fun. You’ve just come out with your latest EP. How has the recording process for your past few EP’s been? This is the 3rd EP that I’ve released and it came out in October. The process is the same, essentially, writing a lot in the studio and recording ideas; as opposed to writing it, demoing it, and then waiting six months to revisit it. Is it easier being a solo artist vs being in a band? Yes! At the same time, you do miss that comradery. I get it with the other bands though. With 8 years of touring in my band, I’ve made more friends in 8 months being solo. When you’re in a band, you kind of get comfortable with your crew and don’t venture out as much. With this, I’ve sort of been forced to and it’s been amazing; I’ve made really great friends because of it. What are three things you can’t tour without? Tea, a toothbrush, and my diva bag. Which is my huge luggage case that I carry everything in. Recently the music industry has been switching more towards digital releases rather than physical.

What are your thoughts on that? You have to adapt to what’s happening in your industry. For me, records aren’t dead and people will always cherish tangibles. You can download an mp3, listen to it on your iPod, and that’s it. There’s nothing to put on your wall, and there’s nothing to smell or feel. I think there will always be some need for the physical thing. Whether it’s in the form of merchandise, or going to a show. Have you released any of your solo material on vinyl? Not yet. I have three EP’s out right now, which all came out this year. We’re talking about a vinyl release with all three of them on it but nothing is set in stone. If you could collaborate with any other artist, who would it be? Probably Brandon Flowers. I recently just had my friend Ryan Ross from Panic At The Disco come in to sing some harmonies and do some vocals on my new EP. It’s always great to work with good friends who you inspire and they inspire you. Any other tour plans after this? By the time this comes out I should of just finished touring with The Rocket Summer and I’m doing some West Coast dates with Never Shout Never in December. Any last words? My Facebook is just Facebook.com/williambeckettmusic, and you can follow me on Twitter too at @WilliamBeckett

WORDS BY NICOLE THOMAS & KYLE KOTAJARVI PICTURES BY NICOLE THOMAS

AN INTERVIEW WITH

THE ICARUS ACCOUNT Words and Photos by Kyle Kotajarvi

IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, THE STORY OF ICARUS and his father,

Daedalus, is very close to the hearts of Ty and Trey Turner of The Icarus Account. Icarus and Daedalus, trapped on the island of Crete, attempted an escape by gluing wings made of bird feathers to themselves by using wax. Before the escape, Daedalus reminded Icarus to stay humble and cautious. As they flew off the island, Icarus became prideful and flew too close to the sun. The sun melted the wax off of his wings and he fell to his death. The name The Icarus Account is a constant reminder to both Ty and Trey to stay humble, and to remind them no matter how big their music becomes, to always remember where they came from and who they are. Can you both introduce yourself and possibly say a little about the band? Trey: My name is Trey Turner. I’m 24 years old and I’m in a band called The Icarus Account. The band is myself and my twin brother Ty. We started The Icarus Account about five or six years ago when we were freshman in college. We recorded a really crappy quality EP called ‘Hold On For Dear Life’ and started playing a bunch of shows at coffee houses, bars and cafes around our college town. We just started plugging away and building a fan base online with MySpace, Facebook and Purevolume. We gradually started touring and networking. And now we’re doing it full time. Ty: I’m Ty Turner. Trey and I are twins and we are The Icarus Account. We first recorded in December of 2006, so we’ve been doing this for six years now. Can you elaborate about the name “The Icarus Account” and what it means to both of you?

Name: The Icarus Account Genre: Acoustic Pop - Singer/Songwriter From: Ft. Meyers, Florida Members: Ty and Trey Turner Label: Independent Known For: “Favorite Girl” Discography: Carry Me Home Keeper of Your Heart Sunshine and Rain LOVE is the Answer Hold On For Dear Life

August 2012 November 2011 November 2010 December 2009 January 2007

FACEBOOK.COM/THEICARUSACCOUNT @ICARUSACCOUNT Trey: The name is a reminder to stay humble. We came up with the name in late high school as an idea that if we ever had a band, it would be cool to call it that. Just with having the story and being about humility, we thought it would be a good thing to constantly remind ourselves no matter how big our music got or where we wanted to go with it, to always remember where we came from, who we are, our faith and our family. Ty: We saw a lot of bands growing up that started out on the right path, like they knew who they were and then as time went on, they let money or fame or whatever change them. We wanted to always remember who we are and where we came from and always stay true to the people we were before we started doing this. We didn’t want to compromise who we were. Everything The Icarus Account has done, has been done independently, do you feel it’s been important as a band to stay independent or has the band ever had the urge to commit to a label?

Ty: I think it’s been nice to be independent and kind of keep our music exactly how we want to keep it. Sometimes when you have a label come in and you’re not established enough, they want to change you. They want to change your sound because they want to put you in the cookie-cutter mold of “this is what has always sold.” Sometimes if you haven’t shown that you can do it on your own, the label will come in and say, “this is how we do it.” Eventually, I think it would be nice to have a label. Trey: I think that it’s always tempting to want to be on a label. There’s kind of that aura of “are you signed or are you unsigned.” If you hear a band’s signed you automatically think that they’re more legitimate and people want to listen. It’s kind of a legitimacy factor. I think business-wise and career-wise, it’s not always the smartest move, so we’ve tried to be patient with it and trust our music and trust our talent and believe that eventually it will grow. Maybe it will be a little bit slower being independent, but in the long run, career-wise, we’re going to build a more dedicated fan base.

It’s worked to our advantage to stay independent up to this point. Ty: I think for us it’s definitely taught us how to work hard. Regardless of whether or not we sign with a label in the future, we know how to do what we’ve done for the past five or six years. We’d always know how to go back to this. We’ve hustled for years. You guys have stayed true to your sound throughout your careers, could you ever see The Icarus Account performing as a full band? Trey: I think there’s room for growth there, but it’s always going to be just the two of us. The band is based on the two of us, our song writing and our vocals, but there’s room to grow and a full band can definitely add more dynamics, but you have to do it the right way. There’s times when we’ve experimented with some of the full band stuff and we’ve started to sound like a power-pop band, as opposed to our acoustic singer/songwriter stuff.

“WE’VE HUSTLED FOR YEARS”

Ty: We’ve been told by everybody in the industry that, “Oh, we want to hear how you guys sound full band. No one is looking to sign an acoustic band,” so we tried putting drums into our songs. Then they told us, “I think we like it better acoustic,” and we were like “DUH.” Your new album ‘Carry Me Home’ was just released, how has the response been? Ty: It’s been awesome. Everyone seems to enjoy it. I think that we did a good job branching out with some new strings and sounds and stuff like that. Trey: Yeah, we branched out a little bit production wise, but we still maintained our roots of “this is what we do well” and “this is what our music is about.” So far sales-wise and at the live shows, people have already started picking up on the songs. It’s really cool. It’s exciting to make a new album, but it’s even more exciting to feel like people get it and people are excited about it. How does the subject matter on the new album differ or not differ from previous albums? Ty: I’d say it’s more realistic this album. Our parents got a divorce last August, so we had a couple of songs that took some inspiration from that. It’s definitely a sad situation when that kind of stuff happens, so I think that it was a really realistic thing that we took actual pain in our lives and channeled it. “Love Is Not Supposed to End This Way” is specifically about the divorce. There are also other songs on the album that aren’t specifically about the divorce, but are about feelings we pulled from the situation. Trey: We like to write songs that people can relate to in a way that it helps them through difficult times. Ty always used to make fun of me because I would write a ton of

depressing material. Our music is about exposing our pain and our struggles in hopes that it will help other people through theirs. You guys have been touring constantly for the last three years, has touring with your brother posed any challenges? Ty: It’s hard, but it’s also better because we’ve seen the worst of each other. While we will get mad at each other, I can’t imagine touring with anyone else. We know everything about each other, so there are no surprises. What are your future plans as a band? Trey: We’re going to tour off of our new record for a little bit. We just started working with an entertainment attorney, so that’s kind of a gateway into the industry. We’ve proven on a small scale that we can do this and make it work, so now we’re just waiting for the right fit with a label. It’s just putting the pieces in place, so we can start building a team around us, so we can do The Icarus Account on a larger scale. After we tour this record for a little bit, we’ll go back to the drawing board and start writing songs, and deciding who will produce our next album. Really just figuring out how we can keep building. What do you want fans to take away from you guys? Ty: I think we ultimately want them to know that we love them. We love music SO much and our hearts are just completely sold on it. We want our fans to see our passion for our songs and we want them to ultimately find out that we’re passionate about them as well. We do this because we love it. We love connecting with people. Trey: We care. We care about our music. We care about our fans and what they’re going through. We care that they listen and enjoy what they’re listen to. We’re in it for the long haul.

TOUR TIME WITH TY TURNER What’s your most interesting or weird experience on tour?

When we toured in Canada we blew a tire. It was like 15 degrees outside and we had no cell phone service. It took us like two hours to change the tire. It was so icy on the road that our jack wouldn’t stay underneath the car. We only had one pair of gloves, so it was a total team effort to try and change the tire and get back to America. What are three things you can’t tour without? I have to tour with a dumbbell, my pull-up bar and my running shoes. I like to stay in shape on tour, so I have to find time to make that happen. Trey and I try and eat as healthy as we can afford to on tour.

Do you do any writing on tour?

I try to write as much as possible. Usually we bring a mini guitar in the car with us and we’ll work on songs while between stops. I love writing. It’s my outlet and I’ll never get sick of it. Are there any places in particular that have become a home away from home? There are so many places. We rarely stay in hotels because we have so many gracious friends and fans that are willing to let us stay at their places. They’ll make us dinner and we’ll just have a good time. Some of the shows that we play we know just about everyone in the crowd, so it’s just so much more rewarding. WORDS BY KYLE KOTAJARVI

OWL CITY BY KYLE KOTAJARVI

ALL TIME LOW BY KYLE KOTAJARVI

ALBUM REVIEWS Artist

AUGUST BURNS RED

Album

SLEDDIN’ HILL: A HOLIDAY ALBUM

Rating Tracklist

8/10

Flurries Frosty The Snowman Sleigh Ride God Rest Ye’ Merry Gentlemen Jingle Bells Oh Holy Night Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer Sleddin’ Hill Little Drummer Boy Winter Wonderland O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Carol Of The Bells We Wish You A Merry Christmas Metal-core has never sounded so merry! While Christmas music and hardcore could easily be viewed as polar opposite genres, this is one of the most entertaining combinations I’ve heard in a long time. August Burns Red seems to always have had a knack for Christmas music. In the past, they’ve released a few Christmas singles (most famously, “Carol of the Bells”), which introduced their audience to a more festive side of their music. But this year, they took things a bit further and decided to record a full length album consisting of nothing but instrumental hardcore/punk Christmas songs. Eleven of the songs are renditions of classic tunes such as “Frosty the Snowman” or “Jingle Bells”, and the other two tracks are completely original. Just as you would expect, the musical performance from ABR in ‘Sleddin’ Hill’, like any of their other albums, is beyond impressive. But what is more intriguing to me is the way that the holiday cheer has affected not only their song choice, but their choice of instruments as well. Sleigh bells, Christmas bells, and things of this sort can occasionally be heard filling space or accenting lead parts. During some songs such as “Winter Wonderland”, brief parts in such songs where the band can be or swing-y) rhythms to add a feeling to a certain experimental, but still as smooth and polished as

ABR takes their dynamics a step further. There are heard playing completely uncharacteristic (lighthearted part of the song. The album is remarkably any work should be.

Overall, ‘Sleddin’ Hill’ is brilliantly fun, and a great new creative side to holiday music. It’s definitely worth the buy!

BY: BRYSON SCHMIDT

OUTLINE IN COLOR ‘JURY OF WOLVES’

FLYLEAF

‘NEW HORIZONS’

REVIEW BY // JAIMIE CROWDER Outline In Color is an up and coming post-hardcore band with an electric touch that sets this group apart. The 6-piece group from Tulsa, Oklahoma hit the ground running with their full-length debut album, ‘Jury of Wolves’, leaving fans eager to see what their next move will be. This album is loaded with heart-pounding breakdowns and lyrics like “You might not love what I’ve become, but baby there’s no stopping now” that hit home. K.C.’s crisp, clean vocals cut through Trevor’s raging growls and screams delivering the classic, post-hardcore feel. Bringing an extra kick, shredding guitars and a synthesizer gives them their signature sound. Overall, the tracks in the record pull together to build a sturdy, unshakable album that puts Outline In Color in good stead for the upcoming year.

REVIEW BY // JULIA PURCELL Flyleaf’s ‘New Horizons,’ in its entirety, cannot be defined by one single genre. Each song is so different from the next. The album leaps around from metal leaded and guitar and drum heavy, to radio friendly alt rock, even featuring a Christian-rock number aptly titled “Saving Grace.” Although a diverse record makes for an interesting one, ‘New Horizons’ seems unfocused, as if there was no clear direction or concept for the album. The genres do not blend and the record lacks a flow. ‘New Horizons’ has a few stars, including “Fire Fire,” an edgy cinematic rock number, and the title-track, “New Horizons,” a Paramore-esque pop-rock song. However, these songs are overshadowed by the majority of the record. Flyleaf does not seem to have progressed at all from their 2007 self-titled release. ‘New Horizons’ doesn’t have any “duds”, but none of the songs are particularly new or fresh.

CRYSTAL CASTLES ‘(III)’

REVIEW BY // MELISA BAYKENT The Canadian electronic band, Crystal Castles, consisting of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass have released their third album (III), which contains twelve eerie, mysterious, and mystical songs. The first song on the album “Plague” instantly gets you prepared for the rest of the album, with the dark almost calming reverberation of Glass.“Kerosene” opens up with a choppy electronic bass that continues to be heard throughout the whole song and Glass’ serene and lucid vocals intensify the themes uncovered in several of the tracks. “Affection” is quite different than any of the other songs, and contains an almost pop like feel to it, whereas the last song on the album, “Child I Will Hurt You”, slows things down as the album comes to a close. The celestial vocals of Glass show off a different side of Crystal Castles but they have mastered the art of producing their dark and electro sound leaving the listener always wanting more.

USA & UK : MALE SOLOISTS JESSARAE Picking up the guitar at nine years old, Jessarae comes from a very successful family. Taking influence from his Mom who used to be in a band, Jessarae got used to band practice being a household activity and it wasn’t long before he got involved himself. At 12 years old he wrote and released his debut EP ‘Damaged Heart’ and now at 17, this LA native singer-songwriter has written over 250 songs. He explained: “Growing up, there were a few key songwriters who inspired me. Now I listen to as much music as I can, and as often as I can. If I had to narrow it down to who influenced me the most, I would probably say The Beatles, I’ve spent hours analysing their records.” Jessarae has already shared the stage with some impressive acts such as Stevie Wonder, Seal and the Plain White T’s. It’s evident he is a talented soul and is not afraid of hard work. After releasing his full-length record ‘Pilot’ last year through Raystone Records, a family label, he expanded on a few of his songs stating: “The song I’m most proud of from ‘Pilot’ is “If I Know You At All”. The lyrics really meant a lot to me when I wrote them, and now whenever I sing or listen to that song I instantly get drawn back to the time when I wrote it.” He went on to say: “2013 is my year! My year to tour, write and record for my next album! I’m looking forward to the future.” With such passion and determination to succeed, we’re also looking forward to what Jessarae will do next.

FACEBOOK Facebook.com/JESSARAEofficial | TWITTER @Jessarae

PHOTO BY STACIA ROBITAILLE

BY BEKKA COLLINS

JAKE HOULSBY Jake Houlsby is causing a stir in his home town of Newcastle Upon Tyne. This 20 year old singer-songwriter picked up his guitar at ten years old, before trying his hand at piano. “I switched to piano after I got frustrated with my slow progress at guitar, but I ended up persevering with it and realised the guitar was the instrument for me. I started singing at 15, but I really had to practice, it didn’t come naturally to me at all,” he explained. Jake is known for his heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies. “My biggest inspiration for songwriting is just the power of a good song. I start with the chords and melody and only keep what gives me that buzz inside. I’m quite particular when it comes to lyrics so they always take the longest, but I never try to force things. I’d say Neil Young and Fleet Foxes are two big influences for me,” he said. Having released a live session EP entitled ‘Bones EP’ back in May 2012, Jake went on to talk about songs that he’s most proud of: “Fuel For The Fire” is about: “not taking failure to heart, and it always gives me a buzz when I play it live. It was written after a period of self-doubt, so you could say it was something I ‘needed’ to write. I’m really proud of it.” As for what we can expect from Jake in the new year, it seems he has a lot planned. “I’m recording my debut studio EP which will be released in Spring. I’ll hopefully be doing a little tour of the UK to promote the EP as well. I really want to push it as far as I can because it means a lot to me. I’ll also be shooting a music video for “Fuel For The Fire” and I’m excited for that. I’m just hoping the hard work pays off,” and we’re more than sure it will. FACEBOOK Facebook.com/JakeHoulsby | TWITTER @Jakehoulsby

PHOTO BY DANNY GEORGIEVA

ARTIST’S TO WATCH IN 2013 Gabrielle Aplin

WORDS: AMY REBAIR CONTACT GABRIELLE TWITTER: @GABRIELLEAPLIN FACEBOOK.COM/GABRIELLEAPLIN With her cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's “The Power of Love" being heard all over UK television through this years John Lewis’ Christmas advert, Gabrielle Aplin is the new girl on the UK music scene. Having previously gained herself millions of YouTube views, this 20 year old singer-songwriter is finally receiving the recognition she deserves. Her greatly anticipated debut album is to be released Spring 2013. She's just finished her 6th UK tour which was sold out, so we know it won't be long before this girl takes the world by storm.

Dog Is Dead

WORDS: ELIZABETH TOLBERT CONTACT DOG IS DEAD TWITTER: @DOG_IS_DEAD FACEBOOK.COM/DOGISDEAD

It’s hard to imagine that fun indie-pop music could come from a band called Dog Is Dead, but that is exactly what this band delivers. The five piece band from West Bridgford, Nottingham, formed in 2008 and released their debut EP under their own label Your Childhood Records. In 2010, they opened for OK Go and a year later appeared on an episode of popular teen drama “Skins”. They were then signed to Atlantic Records and performed at Reading and Leeds Festival. They recently released their debut full-length album ‘All Our Favorite Stories’ and with an onslaught of tour dates lined up, 2013 looks to be another successful year for Dog Is Dead.

The Vamps

Photo by Natalie Simpson

WORDS: BEKKA COLLINS CONTACT THE VAMPS TWITTER: @THEVAMPS FACEBOOK.COM/THEVAMPSOFFICIAL The Vamps are an acoustic driven trio who formed at the beginning of 2012. Despite their short run, the band have already signed to Mercury Records and built up a strong fanbase thanks to their covers on YouTube. Their effortless harmonies and interesting dynamic sets them apart from other acts. With 2013 set to be their year to write, record and perform they could easily be the next big boy band to come out of the UK. Keep your eyes on The Vamps, they’re bound to go places and you won’t want to miss out.

Yashin

WORDS: AMY REBAIR CONTACT YASHIN TWITTER: @THEYASHIN FACEBOOK.COM/THEYASHIN With many tour dates already lined up for 2013, some with We Are The Ocean, alongside their own headlining dates, it’s safe to say next year is going to be a big year for Yashin. A post-hardcore band hailing from Glasgow, Yashin have been branded numerous times as “the best at doing what they do”. With their enegertic sound and bold presence you can catch them at Radstock Festival next year, alongside many well-established acts. 2013 will be a great year exposure wise for the band, so if you haven’t given them a listen already, you might want to. WORDS: JESSICA GOODMAN CONTACT GOLDHOUSE TWITTER: @GOLDHOUSE FACEBOOK.COM/IAMGOLDHOUSE

Goldhouse

Goldhouse is Grant Harris - an American DJ, singer, and songwriter. If you wanted to pigeon-hole his sound, you’d probably describe it as electronic-pop, but what’s at the heart of the music he creates is a good time. Harris makes music for the pure enjoyment, and this seeps between the beats and melodies so you can hear it in everything he writes. With the success of his debut album ‘All Night Long’ and numerous successful live shows under his belt, we can’t wait to see what he makes of the next twelve months.

Photo by Ashley Osborn

Everything

WORDS: BEKKA COLLINS CONTACT EVERYTHING EVERYTHING TWITTER: @E_E_ Everything FACEBOOK.COM/EVERYTHINGEVERYTHINGUK Everything Everything are a British indie quartet who formed in 2007. Their debut album ‘Man Alive’ mixes effects and sounds together to create a combination like no other. They made the longlist for the BBC’s Sound of 2010 poll, and the shortlist for The Mercury Prize award in 2011. After a string of gigs including supporting Snow Patrol this year on their February tour, the band are ready to face the new year with their second album ‘Arc’ due to be released in January. We‘re expecting big things from Everything Everything in 2013.

Photo by Nadav Kander

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WINTER ISSUE 2012