Interview With:: New Politics
Last week our writer and photographer, Eric Riley, had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the guys from New Politics before their show at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (you can check out Eric’s photos from the show here)!
See what the guys had to say about playing Firefly, signing to DCD2, and if fans can expect to hear new music soon! Check out the interview below!
Interview With:: Kiven
All questions answered by bassist, Matt Cohen.
Kiven formed about 5 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2012 that you guys had started to receive some really great attention from sites like ArtistDirect Absolute Punk, and recently Alternative Press. How does it feel to know that your music is now reaching so many people?
It’s definitely a great feeling to see yourself on different platforms around the internet. An ultimate goal of ours is to get our music out there in front of many people as possible, and hopefully for them to connect. Having sites like the ones you just mentioned play our music and feature us is something we’re very appreciative of.
Okay, I have to ask. Where did the band name come from?
As expected, the band name question is one we get all the time. Especially since Kiven (pronounced Kee-vin) is likely a new word to most people. To make a long story short, the band name came from an old inside joke that originated from our first drummer, Teddy Boldt, now of Family Force 5. There was a neighbor named Kevin (go figure) that was ‘THAT GUY’ calling the cops, screaming at the band, coming in and complaining about the sound, even when the TV was on low volume. Guy was nuts…
What we’ve found special about the name Kiven though is the fact that there isn’t a pre-conceived meaning in the word. Kiven is something we made up and that allows for the music and us as individuals to bring the meaning to it. The music and the depth of the band provides the meaning of the name, essentially.
Interview With:: Stop Dead
We had the chance to speak with Stop Dead's Ryan Gose on his second EP, on March 18th. Check out our interview below!
Dirt and Dust is your second EP released under Stop Dead. How was the writing and recording process different (or not) with this EP?
The writing and recording were somewhat similar to my first EP. Writing in the moment and not over thinking things too much. On the recording side it was again another DIY effort but this time with a little extra knowledge & expertise.
Where did the name Stop Dead come from?
The name Stop Dead came from a lyric in a song off of my first EP. The phrase became imbedded in my brain. Kind of the feeling that inspired me to start the Stop Dead project in the first place.
Prior to this project, most This Century fans had no idea that you were not only a drummer, but a singer as well. What gave you the push
Interview With:: Eagles In Drag
My name is John O’Callaghan and I am moral supporter and attempted empower-or of weirdness the individuals that are a part of EID. I’d like to think of this as more of a creative project than as a band.
Eagles In Drag seemed like a project that appeared out of the blue, but you guys actually formed back in 2012. Why did you guys decide now was the right time to release your debut EP?
I really wanted to wait for a time when 8123 had a clear plate and no other artists were really pushing any new material. It seemed like the right to release it and we did so without much (if any at all) marketing to reiterate the idea that this project was simply an outlet for expression and not something to get hung up on.
Interview With:: Spencer Sutherland
Most people would be familiar with you through your YouTube videos, but it’s almost as if you’ve appeared out of the blue. How did you first get into making music and performing for people?
Thanks so much for having me! Ever since I can remember, I’ve always like HAD to be singing. No matter what I would be doing, I would be singing! In high school, I didn’t want a regular job, so I literally called hundreds of restaurants around my hometown to see if I could sing there. I played at countless Mexican, greek, Italian and carryout restaurants, and sometimes didn’t get paid! It didn’t matter though, just as long as I was in front of people! I got an opportunity after I graduated high school, to audition for a woman who is now my manager, and 5 days later she let me open for Big Time Rush in front of 20,000 people! Ever since then, it’s been a ride!
Speaking of your YouTube videos,
Interview With:: Lydia
Photo by Dirk Mai.
It’s mid-March - the 18th, a Tuesday, to be exact.
I’m sitting in Providence, nearing the tail-end of a very hectic working vacation. I have an interview slot with the guys from Lydia in Boston in a few hours, set to talk all about their current Illuminate tour. As I sit in the living room of my brother’s apartment, packing my camera bag and tying up loose ends, I unexplainably fell sick and asleep. And that, I mean in the most literal forms – I got sick and fell, I ended up asleep, and I have no explanation. But things happen. So, being the great guys that they are, what was meant to be an in-person chat turned into a phone call.
So, now it’s near the end of March – the 25th, the next Tuesday, to be exact.
The band, made up of vocalist Leighton Antelman, bassist Matt Keller, and lead guitarist Justin Camacho, is in southern Florida, preparing for another sold-out night. Their 30-date headline run has made stops nationwide with fans coming out to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the acclaimed Illuminate. Though the tour was initially planned for the previous fall, Antelman told us that they chose to push it until early 2014, so both the tour and the music could get the attention they deserve.
“It’s an album that, to us, deserves special attention. It’s been nuts – the fans are so passionate about this record, and the openers have been great, too, and the whole tour itself has just been crazy,” he adds.
While the songs may be the same, the story is different this time around for Lydia.
Interview With:: Mime Game
Hi! I’m Dillon DeVoe and I’m the painter around these parts. I take ideas from inside my head and aurally preserve them for your listening pleasure. Kind of like your own, musical Bob Ross, just painting happy little trees and lakes all over the inside walls of your mind. For the less abstract, I write the lyrics, sing and play the guitar.
When recording your EP, Do Your Work, you guys recorded with Rick Parker (Motorcycle Club and Sugarcult) and Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots). What made you decide to team up with Rick and Scott to record that EP?
Rick is a beautiful and brilliant soul who also did the first Good Old War record. For those unfamiliar, Good Old War has been known to back Anthony Green of Circa Survive on his solo tours. Also, their song “Coney Island” is one of my favorite songs of all time. I was incredibly impressed by his ability to make a bass, drums, vocals and an acoustic guitar into such a masterpiece. Someone who could take such a stripped down formula and make it so compelling seemed like the right guy for the job to me. We never really met Scott Weiland through the recording process, but we did end up doing the drums for our EP at Lavish, his studio in Burbank, and it was really the ultimate experience through and through.
Interview With:: Ghost Town Jenny
{ All questions answered by songwriter and vocalist, Kim Kylland }
Upon my first listen to Ghost Town Jenny, I immediately fell in love and also immediately thought of Cara Salimando of Novelette. Prior to her forming Novelette, she was a solo singer/songwriter and I actually read that Kim was also a solo artist prior to forming the band. How did Ghost Town Jenny (the band) form?
After years of doing the solo ‘girl with a guitar’ type thing, I just got so bored. I was yearning to play with others, in a permanent group, and I was lucky enough to meet Corey when I was going to school in Berkeley. We played together a few times, and it just worked so we kept on. He really understands my musical language, and is a lot of fun to play with. I met Johan at Roskilde Music Festival in Denmark, and we hit it off. We kept in touch through letters over the years, and in 2010 he moved to California permanently. We have drummers play with us occasionally, but so far it’s just we three who make up the core of the band. We all look forward to finding a steady drummer though. A Fourth. Like in (90’s movie) ‘The Craft’ :)
You guys bring some really interesting influences to your music which we see in your use of different instruments, including a violin and a harp. What made you decide to include these instruments in your music and really set yourself a part from other artists?
I am not sure it was a conscious decision. We just tend to bring in the elements we do because they best capture what we hear in our heads. Plus, I feel the need to change quite often, and playing many different instruments affords me that freedom.
Your newest EP, Golden Hour, is set to release on January 28th and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. Which song off this EP are you most excited for your fans to hear and why?
Interview With:: VARNA
First off, please introduce yourself and tell us what you do in the band!
Tiana: I’m Tiana and I’m the lead vocalist and songwriter.
Rossen: I’m Rossen and I play the lead guitar and write the music.
Rob: I’m Rob and I am the drummer of the band.
You guys recently released your first music video for the song, “My Heart”. Where did the concept of the video come from?
Tiana: After we recorded the song, I knew right away that I wanted to video to capture the emotional turmoil of how people deal with their emotions when they are alone by themselves. Writing that song was such a difficult experience for me when I was going through it and I felt that it needed to be portrayed in the video. Some people deal with their emotions creatively, they block everything out and stop their lives or they become self-destructive. It was a metaphor for how we deal with what’s going on with our lives—playing music is our outlet in this band.
It seems like many people have compared your sound to that of Evanescence, which is understandable based on your sound and appearance. Did their music influence the music that you guys have created as Varna? If not, who are some of your musical influences
Tiana: Thank You! That is a huge compliment to be in the same category as them! A lot of people think that because they hear a clean female vocal with hard rock guitars and they automatically jump to Evanescence. I think they are a lot more whimsical, romantic and dark then we are. We would die to go on tour with them. No, they never influenced our sound but what better example to us to be a successful band and that there is a demand out there for what we do? We all have completely different influences individually.
Interview With:: Viv and The Revival
{All questions answered by singer, lead guitarist and writer, Viv}
You’ve just released/are just about to release your first full length album. Compared to your previous releases, what does this album mean to you?
This album is the first full length release. It feels like the start for some reason, as if everything before just led to this moment. I’m very proud of these songs and can’t wait for the world to hear them!
I’ve read that you grew up around parents who were involved in the music industry. Did that have any influence on you becoming a musician or did you automatically know that music was something you wanted to do as a career?
It completely had an influence on me. As a kid, I was surrounded by musicians and music was something I gravitated towards very naturally. It’s almost like I lived my life through music, everything revolved around it.
The Introduction is a really great album, in my opinion. As each track plays through, it feels more and more like this album is almost like an anthem for those who continue to pursue their dreams, no matter what. On your Facebook page, you actually say that “every person that reads [the bio section] is the Revival…This is your moment, this is your time, this is your world, this is your Revival.” These are extremely powerful words and really shows how connected you are with your fans. Where did this motivation to inspire others come from? A life experience? Someone who inspired you? Etc.
First off, thank you so much for the compliment! I think there’s something at the core of me that wants to inspire and move people. I get chills and goose bumps when I hear beautiful music or see moving images,
Interview With:: The Brevet
First off, please introduce yourselves and tell us your roles in the band.
Hi, We (Aric, Michael and David) are The Brevet! Aric and I (Michael) grew up together in Orange County. We started our first band in 7th grade and our musical brains have been growing together ever since. Our musical ideas are bounced back and fourth until we come up with something we like. Aric primarily does lead vocals and guitars. David’s on drums, percussion, background vocals, and at times, goat toes. I’m usually on piano, background vocals and production.
You recently made it into Music Connection Magazine’s Top 25 New Music Critiques for 2013 (congrats, by the way!). What are some of your favorite new music acts of 2013?
Thanks, we’re really excited about that. We’ve loving Churchill, Lord Huron, Bahamas… Honestly, there are A LOT of great new sounds out right now so it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few.
Back in April you guys released your album, Battle of the Heart. In my opinion, the album does a great job at telling the story of who you are as a band. What was the inspiration behind this album?
