VENTS Magazine 67th Issue

Read the publication

Interviews 8KY Andrew McMahon Brad Benedict Grace Kaufman Brandon K. Hampton Loose Buttons Peppina DP Ross Riege Machinae Supremacy Zeal & Ardor Kate Kneeland Ian Hulquist Danny Gokey Radkey Gemini Syndrome Jake Allyn Folake Olowofoyeku Martinez Sartek & Ale John Wesley Coleman Roberto Fasciani Spaceface Scarlet Pacific Radio The Gitas L Liiv ve e!! Falling In Reverse A Allb bu um m R Re ev viie ew ws s One OK Rock Vesta Collide Memories In Broken Glass

To witness the growth and maturity of a band is a sweet revelation, as One Ok Rock has taken their homeland Japan by storm, and owns them through and through. This though is not enough. It would seem the kings of Japan, One Ok Rock, are ready to rule the rock world. They have delivered their eighth studio album, Ambitions and as you listen to the album tracks you know there is no stopping them from a world-wide explosion of One Ok Rock! Generating anthem after anthem, Ambitions is the Fearless, Livelier, Catchier, and Galactic album that is packed with a delightful lit Pop Rock blast of colorful flavor! Ambitions is infectious from the start. It is set to catch your groove, and never leave you unsatisfied. The Tokyo four-piece sound pulls the punch with 'American Girls' and lays it open with 'Hard To Love.' Their electro-pop banger 'One Way Ticket' spins your brain around as frontman Taka Moriuchi takes it to the emotional high. This radio made music is... ready, set, go! And quite evidently constructed that way. These boys have been groomed to take on the world and they are. What is even cooler though is One Ok Rock fits in and is loved by the pop punk and rock community. The album Ambitions boasts guest vocals from Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low) and Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. With the global music orb traveling world-wide, there is plenty of room for more sound, and more fans to join in. Their eighth studio album is the ball to bounce them wherever they want to go, they have their 'E' ticket to ride, and they have earned it. Although this album doesn't hide that it has been created to market itself known to a large market, this isn't a sell out, this is smart business in the music world. The albums production is catchy and top quality. The depth of the lyrical connect is directed to the demographic it was intended for. Ambitions is a fun album, and the stages in America and around the world are ready and excited to connect with One Ok Rock live. If the common word “beautiful” could b meant to behold, then the sound of V holds the honor in the realm of metal. the layers of melodic sounds mixed wit fairy tale. Vesta Collides debut album h clean and unclean vocals. This is a brea Vesta Collide, now signed to Stay Sick dropped the tune “Witching Hour” bac jubilant response to what they have cre their debut album will be available to tho Opening the album New Obsession w every track to follow. Climbing up you metalcore rebirth, the track “The Lights and maturity of vocals, to guitar, to dru Jay (guitar), Kay (guitar), Alex (bass) nothing short of magnificent. “Away F piece of artwork, at times one really w you satiated with sweat and head bang album with, “Faithless Tongue” and in a At times the level of maturity is so ov Paramore, Fall Out Boy and early As prodigy. Vesta Collides debut album melodic metalcore fans favorite. There Michigan. Fronz, lead for the band Att up. 2017 is only the beginning for Ves that isn't worthy of standing complete album from beginning to end of mastere Catch Vesta Collide out on tour with t Vanity And Wax Tour! Now Obsession d

be reworked to reflect the enchantment it was Vesta Collides new album, Now Obsession, Their new album drops on January 20th and th metalcore breathes a story straight out of a has created a haunting, ominous blend of both ath of fresh air for metalcore fans. k Recordings, as a gift to their adoring public ck in November of last year and the spin of eated is standing in full on its own. Now soon ose thirsty for their audio phenomenon. with the track “Death Spell,” sets the tone for ur spine and taking you down into a spiritual ” is a favored epic piece of work. The balance ums, to synth the band mates Mark (vocals), ) and Max (drums) all collectively deliver is From Here” lends itself to such a decorated wonders if this is truly a debut album. Leaving ging euphoria, Vesta Collide closes their debut all honesty you want more. verwhelming it almost feels as if the groups sking Alexandria got together and created a New Obsession is sure to become every is a huge future for these boys out of Detroit, tila, was spot on when he picked these guys sta Collides. In truth: there isn't a single track ely and uniquely on its own. This is a whole ed beauty. the band Alesana on their Ten Frail Years Of drops on January 20th. What a way to open up a year of diversity in the music industry as the new album by Memories In Broken Glass slice through the sky and open us up to an opportunity to hear one of the heaviest sonic mission albums to bang into 2017. Their new album Enigma Infinite is a carefully crafted and forged piece of work. One on which the sharpened steel edges strings have cut their way through to proudly proclaim... Progressive Metal. This new album is a breath of modern prog air. From the onset, Enigma Infinite slays through the pulsating coursers of fever with the sharpened machete edge easily cutting forcefully over the opening song, "Search and Discover," the path has been clearly set into motion as the vocal strength of Saul Castillo delivers (at times in the clean vocals there is a hint of Rush's vocalist Geddy Lee). When it came to choosing a new lead vocalist back in 2014 Castillo was 'the one' to front this band, without question. Together, this is a solid reckoning of the best sensory expression in this genre. Fans who have followed Memories In Broken Glass through their first two EP's have now been gifted the best of the best. This Texas quintet have now partnered up with Hammer Forged Records and producer Robert Beltran, and unquestionably this final mix presented is what every other progressive metal band is going to have to follow in 2017. The next track, "As The Tables Turn," is pure music to the ears as the guitar work of Justin Garcia and Mark Martinez spins this tight track over to the tune, and the bass work of Randy King... each member sells every part of the tune. The track,"Constant" continues the assailing and leaves no doubt behind the power behind their drummer, George Garcia. The melodic force of the track "Odyssey" is a dream-state of fluidity. This is the strongest cumulative presentation on the album. "Odyssey" is the full expression of Memories In Broken Glass. Its strength brings the emotional response of an EPIC tale unfolding and soaring across the universe. It is the epitome of modern progressive metal. Sending us further to our knees in complete admiration, "Millian Voices" lends itself as well to this full impact. Finishing all too soon the full emotive encapsulation, the metal rock world can witness as they tune their ears towards the horizon line and in the dawn a ray of light can be heard. The full embodiment of Memories In Broken Glass is the music scenes necromancer in its complete form. Enigma Infinite is a finely crafted work of art and the final song, "Ember" brings the new hope that the hard rock and metal genres of the music scene from the days of Led Zeppelin, and Rush are still alive and well.

It’s been roughly a decade since SkyBlu, alongside his uncle RedFoo, broke into the mainstream as electronic dance duo LMFAO. From then, fame skyrocketed their brand into orbit with tracks synonymous with the club lifestyle like “Rock Party Anthem,” “Sexy and I Know It,” and “Shots,” solidifying their positions in pop culture and party­dom. While always rooted in hardcore hip hop, the duo rapped over electronic beats, something fresh at the time, giving their brand an untouchable spot in the music landscape.The accolades started piling, including a spot at Super Bowl XLVI, an international tour, and wins across the board at The Grammys, Teen Choice Awards, VMA’s, People’s Choice, Kids’ Choice, Juno, Billboard, Latin Billboard, Movie Awards, MuchMusic, VEVOCertified, World Music Awards, and other countless trophies. “Party Rock Anthem” sold over 10 mil. Hell, who could forget about that Shuffle Bot. Stardom came strong, as did more partying, more women, and more antics. To be fair, that was Sky in his 20’s. Today, Sky (now 8ky or 8klyer 6ordy derived from his real name Skyler Gordy, 86 representing the year he was born) is flying solo, trekking a path that’s not so easy but worth the travel. While he’s forever grateful for the career LMFAO has helped him launch, the transition into 6ky is more an evolution than a continuation of who he was. Also, he’s just hit 30. Fxck Yeah: Chaos to Consciousness comes in the form of a unique concept album with an equally ambitious release and promotional strategy. “Fxck Yeah,” as 8ky recites is an expression of true contentment. Collaborations include Grammy Latin nominated rapper Sensato, K.G. Superstar, Kitty K, Shev, and Chacho Jones. Embracing his deep, spiritual roots and his growth over time, Chaos to Consciousness delivers 8ky’s perspective on the duality of life and a “body of work” that fancies itself more of a movement than an album. W We e’’r re e t tr ra an ns siit tiio on niin ng g iin nt to o a a n ne ew w y ye ea ar r,, a an nd d y yo ou u’’v ve e p pe er rs so on na alllly y jju us st t h hiit t 3 30 0 w wh hiic ch h iis s a a m miille e s st to on ne e.. F Fo or r t th ho os se e o of f u us s w wh ho o’’v ve e k kn no ow wn n y yo ou u f fo or r L LM MF FA AO O,, f fiillll u us s iin n o on n t th he e lla as st t 1 1 2 2 m mo on nt th hs s.. A An ny y k ke ey y m mo om me en nt ts s? ? It’s been amazing growing experience for me putting together the most intimate body of work so far, releasing it, and having a deep plan in promoting it. We’re going to promote this for the next two years, and this is one of my first interviews for this. In LMFAO, people kind of changed up the collaboration with me and RedFoo. I would write songs that I thought would help the brand and impress Foo because he is my uncle, 11 years older than me. I took some time off to really find who I am as an artist and really be able to express myself to the world. In 2016, I did just that. Fxck yeah. C Ch ha ao os s t to o C Co on ns sc ciio ou us sn ne es ss s.. IIt t’’s s h ho on ne es st tlly y o on ne e o of f t th he e c co oo olle es st t a allb bu um m n na am me es s II’’v ve e h he ea ar rd d iin n a a llo on ng g t tiim me e.. T Te ellll u us s h ho ow w y yo ou u c ch ho os se e t th hiis s t tiit tlle e.. It’s very deep. Growing up my father was very spiritual and studied all the world religions and was very philosophical. When I was young he taught me to meditate. Growing up I was always finding and ended up in 12 different schools. You know, I was the new guy and was good at sports so I’d take the jocks’ positions and girls. I’d have to throw down. I learned five different martial arts. After 12 different schools, I dropped out of school and never got a GED, lived in my car, and I was in the hood a lot. Things got crazy and we’d do really gnarly stuff. I could’ve went to jail for 25 years so I said, “No, I’m out.” I only did this stuff to make enough money for a studio and do my music. I saved enough money to go to Miami with my uncle. We toured the world. It wasn’t right away where things were poppin’. For a long time we did shows in front of three people. We eventually became one of the biggest groups. Then, came the temptation, the girls, everything at our fingertips. When Foo and I went separate ways I had a bad back injury and couldn’t walk for three months. D Da am mn n.. R Re ea alllly y? ? Yeah, man. I had all these things against me. And soVI’m all about art and creativity but now I’m about business. After parting ways with Foo I did two albums for free – one called Rebel Music and one called We Evolve Every Day, which was a collaboration with my boy Shwayze. I was constantly, you know, finding myself as an artist and creator and how I could express myself. I wanted to do something serious so I kept meditating, but at the same time I partied more and did more gnarly things. So, there’s this duality to life and I feel it’s so beautiful. That’s what joy is, when you have the balance of the hectic and the calm. I started off with seven songs, and even have three albums in the can that will come out after this. I did them out of order. I feel like this music comes through me and I listen to these songs over and over in my home studio. I figure out the best way for it to go. Then I’d be like, “Man, I don’t know if the world will be ready for this.” After seven songs I stopped writing and let it flow. The rest of the album just came from the heart. A lot of them were first takes. I found this unique relationship with my music. I’m writing so fast now. It’s amazing. D Do o y yo ou u f fe ee ell a a llo ot t o of f t th hiis s d de ee ep p,, p pr ro of fo ou un nd d w wa ay y o of f m ma ak kiin ng g y yo ou ur r n ne ew w m mu us siic c c co om me es s w wiit th h y yo ou ur r a ag ge e a an nd d w wh he er re e y yo ou u a ar re e n no ow w? ? When I hear a song I feel the concept and it resonates with what I’m going through in my life. I’ve seen so much, but I feel like I’m just starting at 30. We had, like, 13 tracks and I just kept going. We then had 25 songs. Everyone’s like, “We can’t put out 25 songs. But it all fits. How are we going to do this?” I talked to my boy Reek who’s my manager and I said my 30th birthday is coming up. That’s a big one. I’m never celebrating a birthday again. People only feel old because they believe they are. I told him we should come out with 30 songs for my 30th birthday. If you listen to the album, the first 15 are Chaos – that’s the overall vibe. The last 15 are Conscious. It’s like a gradient. It represents who I am. Coming from LMFAO, people expect me to be one thing. It’s kind of being more difficult than being a new artist because there are already expectations. I have to do something tremendous to show who I am. I’m here to be at the top and be one of the greatest to do it. The only way to do that is to create from the heart. A As s w we e m me en nt tiio on ne ed d e ea ar rlliie er r,, y yo ou ur r b ba as se e a allr re ea ad dy y k kn no ow ws s y yo ou u f fo or r L LM MF FA AO O.. W Wh hiille e C Ch ha ao os s t to o C Co on ns sc ciio ou us sn ne es ss s s st tiillll c ca ar rr riie es s s so om me e o of f t th ho os se e e elle em me en nt ts s,, iit t’’s s s sa af fe e t to o s sa ay y iit t g go oe es s iin n a an no ot th he er r d diir re ec ct tiio on n.. W Wh ha at t c ca an n b bo ot th h o olld d f fa an ns s a an nd d n ne ew w lliis st te en ne er rs s e ex xp pe ec ct t? ? T Th hiir rt ty y s so on ng gs s iis s a a llo ot t o of f c co on nt te en nt t.. I really believe there’s something in the album for everyone. It really helped me grow. Some lyrics later on mean even more to me. A lot of people of who have listened, depending on where they are in life, resonate with certain songs. Some will connect more with the first 15 about girls, drinking, and drugs, because that’s where they are in life. They’re in the Chaos. I also have some very spiritual friends, some gurus, who are in their 60’s and 70’s who tell me the second half is unbelievable to them. Some people can listen to the first half and hear, “p*ssy this, p*ssy that” and think it’s just typical rap shit. But they see the story. The get to the second half and sense the body of work. For those who are at the point in their lives transitioning from Chaos to Consciousness, the second half means a lot more to them. II k kn no ow w iit t’’s s lliik ke e p piic ck kiin ng g b ba ab biie es s w wh he en n a ar rt tiis st t iis s a as sk ke ed d t th hiis s b bu ut t d do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e a a p pe er rs so on na all f fa av vo or riit te e o of ff f t th he e r re ec co or rd d? ? I believe it’s the spectrum of life. Each one of these resonates me in a different place in an equal way. When I wake up in the morning I may gravitate more towards “Fall in Line” but if I’m drunk at club it’s “Bon Appetit.” They’re all my favorite songs. Artists always say they’re never done with their art; it’s never finished. I don’t believe that anymore. When we were done we looked at each and said it took six of us to do this. We hugged other and felt like we already won. It’s perfect to us. We hear the album and it represents who we are. It’s not just about me, it’s about Reek, and Seven, and Tect. This is us. It’s so beautiful to make art you love 100% through and through. I love LMFAO and am thankful for it but people don’t know what went on behind the scenes. I loved the first album. It came from the soul. The second one was great but there were so much politics behind it that it was bittersweet. A Ar re e t th he er re e a an ny y m mu us siic c v viid de eo os s p plla an nn ne ed d? ? II k kiin nd d o of f s se ee eiin ng g t th hiis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g iin n lliik ke e s sh ho or rt t f fiillm ms s.. I’ve already written every music for every song. Each one is a short film and when released one after the other, it’s a feature length movie. There you go, my dude! W Wh he et th he er r y yo ou u’’r re e a a t te ee en n iin n h hiig gh h s sc ch ho oo oll o or r a a h ho ou us se ew wiif fe e iin n h he er r 4 40 0’’s s,, w wh ha at t d do o y yo ou u h ho op pe e lliis st te en ne er rs s w wiillll t ta ak ke e a aw wa ay y f fr ro om m t th he e a allb bu um m? ? You can use different words besides chaos and consciousness but everyone goes through that hecticness. For me, I party. That’s my Chaos. For others, it can be arguing with their spouses. For others it can be puffin’ a J just to relax. What will people take away from this album? Some people have been through it all. It’s hard for them to get to 15. It doesn’t resonate with them on a musical or lyrical level, and that’s fine. They haven’t evolved all the way yet to create a record that completely resonates. My whole upbringing is all music. I work hard to make music that resonates all the time. Once people start listening to the project, there are 30 songs so everyone will take away something different. C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t a an ny y t to ou ur rs s c co om miin ng g u up p iin n r re ella at tiio on n t to o t th he e a allb bu um m? ? M Ma ay yb be e e ev ve en n s sp pe ec ciia all s sh ho ow ws s? ? We will be throwing some secret shows. We are looking into tours right now. We have things up our sleeve in January. W Wh he er re e d do o y yo ou u g go o f fr ro om m h he er re e? ? A An ny y p plla an ns s f fo or r w wh he en n y yo ou u f fiin na alllly y c co om me e u up p f fo or r a aiir r? ? In LMFAO till now I’ve never taken a vacation. When Foo and I were number one in the world we’d still keep working on new songs. The thing is, you know, we really take everything in. We can be at the club and be like, “Fuck yeah, we got it.” But this is my life. I love my life and I don’t need to take a break from it. I’m always going to be pushing the project and the evolution of the project. W Wh he en n iit t’’s s t tiim me e t to o f fiin na alllly y h ha an ng g u up p t th he e m miic c,, w wh ha at t d do o y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o b be e k kn no ow wn n f fo or r? ? H Ho ow w d do oe es s 8 8k ky ylle er r 6 6o or rd dy y w wa an nt t t to o b be e r re em me em mb be er re ed d? ? I want to be known for raising the consciousness of the planet through music as art. Really making art through music. I feel people can listen to the album and learn to ask the right questions after hearing different things. I want to see the world smile. There’s too much negativity in this world. --------------------------------- Keep up with 8ky 6lu on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/the8ky/. by Erman Baradi

Pic byJonathan White

Having been diagnosed with cancer back in 2005, Andrew McMahon found himself in a place after he went into remission that pushed him to become, “more alive,” as if to prove to himself something beyond. Maybe it was his own way of dealing with such an overwhelming emotive disease, who knows, but after all these years McMahon decided it was time to return to New York where all this began. To celebrate, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness' new album, “Zombies on Broadway” they will embark on a national headlining tour of North America, along with Atlas Genius and Night Riots. The lead single receiving airplay, “Fire Escape” shares the experiences of being in a city that never sleeps having already reached #17 on the Alternative radio. The story of the album came about as a rewrite when McMahon decided it was time to go back and face a ghost. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t iis s iit t a ab bo ou ut t N Ne ew w Y Yo or rk k t th ha at t s se ee em ms s t to o e eiit th he er r e ea at t y yo ou u u up p a an nd d s sp pe ew w y yo ou u o ou ut t o or r iit t b be ec co om me es s a a s st to or ry y o of f t th he e " "P Pr riin nc ce es ss s a an nd d t th he e P Pe ea a? ?" " Andrew McMahon: New York is the city where my life, which seemed to be moving in one direction very fast, was upended. I’ve always associated it closely with my cancer diagnosis and early treatment. In the years after turning in a clean bill of health, I often found myself in the city raging late into the morning trying to prove I was more alive than before. Many years have passed since that strange fork in the road presented itself and I’ve made a good deal of peace with the city and what happened there and after. Nevertheless, my visits tend to wake up some old ghosts. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: C Co om mm mu ut te es s g giiv ve e u us s g gr re ea at t o op pp po or rt tu un niit tiie es s t to o t th hiin nk k a an nd d o ob bs se er rv ve e.. E Es sp pe ec ciia alllly y c co om mm mu ut te es s w wh he er re e y yo ou u a ar re e r riid diin ng g a an nd d n no ot t d dr riiv viin ng g y yo ou ur rs se ellf f.. D De es sc cr riib be e a a c co om mm mu ut tiin ng g m mo or rn niin ng g a an nd d a af ft te er rn no oo on n A An nd dr re ew w f fr ro om m B Bo os st to on n t to o N NY Y.. Andrew McMahon: I’ve only done the Boston to NY Commute a few times, but in the course of the creation of Zombies I commuted from Brooklyn to Manhattan daily. I’ve always found commuting to be a time to meditate and prepare for a day. I’m a coffee guy, so the morning always started at the cafe across the street from my apartment. I would take the L train from Bedford to Union Square and NQR to 49th or 42nd if I wanted to walk with the tourists through midtown. I listen to music on the train if it’s crowded and there's no place to sit but if there is a seat I like to write. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: S So om me ew wh he er re e iin n t th he e ''m miid dd dlle e'' iit t w wo ou ulld d s se ee em m h ha ap pp pe en ns s t to o a allll o of f u us s iif f w we e lliiv ve e llo on ng g e en no ou ug gh h.. Andrew McMahon: I suppose it could also mean the center. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t w we er re e s so om me e o of f t th he e d de em mo on ns s y yo ou u f fe ellt t n ne ee ed de ed d t to o b be e a ad dd dr re es ss se ed d? ? Andrew McMahon: My predisposition towards vice when I’m uncomfortable with my situation. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th he e iim ma ag ge er ry y/ /v viid de eo o a an nd d m me ello od dy y s sp pe ea ak k a an n u up pb be ea at t t tu un ne e,, y ye et t t th he e w wo or rd ds s o of f " "F Fiir re e E Es sc ca ap pe e" " w wh ha at t w wa as s o on n y yo ou ur r m miin nd d? ? Andrew McMahon: The song is a cataloging of a few wild nights out with my friends. Nights where I ended up in strange places with a cast of characters I’ve known for years but rarely see due to living in other parts of the world. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: D Do o y yo ou u r re ec ca allll e ex xa ac ct tlly y w wh he er re e y yo ou u w we er re e a an nd d w wh ha at t y yo ou u w we er re e o ob bs se er rv viin ng g w wh he en n t th he e v viis siio on n o of f " "Z Zo om mb biie es s o on n B Br ro oa ad dw wa ay y" " a allll t th he e s su ud dd de en n b be ec ca am me e c clle ea ar r? ? Andrew McMahon: That's a loaded question, those moments of clarity happen regularly after a project is finished and the meaning will evolve and change. I think the first moment like that was playing the album from start to finish for a close friend of mine. It was the first time I’d listened to anyone and the story came together for me in that moment. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: S Siin nc ce e iit t w wa as s d diif ff fiic cu ullt t t to o s se et tt tlle e t th hiin ng gs s w wiit th h a an n o olld d g gh ho os st t,, y yo ou u d de ec ciid de ed d t th hiis s a allb bu um m w wo ou ulld d b be e y yo ou ur r r re ew wr riit tiin ng g iit t a an nd d iit t b be ec ca am me e a a d diif ff fe er re en nt t e en nd diin ng g.. F Fiir rs st t,, h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g go o a ab bo ou ut t g giiv viin ng g y yo ou ur rs se ellf f p pe er rm miis ss siio on n t to o w wr riit te e a a d diif ff fe er re en nt t e en nd diin ng g? ? S Se ec co on nd d,, d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k t th he e r re ew wr riit te e m miig gh ht t jju us st t b be e b be et tt te er r t th ha an n w wh ha at t iit t w wo ou ulld d h ha av ve e b be ee en n? ? Andrew McMahon: I think life has to lead when it comes to creating. New York was no longer a place where I felt able to create and live so I

came home. It wasn’t about permission it was about personal and creative health. I lived a new ending so there was no option but to rewrite it. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: A Allt t- -r ro oc ck k a an nd d d diiv ve er rs siit ty y f fu ue ells s iit ts se ellf f t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t y yo ou ur r s so on ng gw wr riit tiin ng g.. D Do oe es s iit t f fe ee ell c co om mf fo or rt ta ab blle e t to o y yo ou u m ma ay yb be e n no ot t h ha av viin ng g a an n e ex xa ac ct t g ge en nr re e iin n w wh hiic ch h t th he e iin nd du us st tr ry y c ca an n lla ab be ell y yo ou u? ? Andrew McMahon: That’s a tough one. I love that it can be hard to place my music. The truth is I listen to so much and I’m influenced by so much and that filters down into what I create. It can make it difficult for the industry to assign me which can have its drawbacks. Ultimately, though, it’s what makes my music my own and I think it has given me longevity, so I accept it and keep moving. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: A As s a a s su ur rv viiv vo or r o of f L Le eu uk ke em miia a a an nd d a as s y yo ou u r re ef flle ec ct t b ba ac ck k a allm mo os st t 1 11 1 y ye ea ar rs s a ag go o,, c ca an n y yo ou u s sh ha ar re e w wh ha at t w wa as s t tr ra an ns sp piir riin ng g iin n y yo ou ur r p pe er rs so on na all a as s w we ellll a as s m mu us siic c lliif fe e d du ur riin ng g t th ha at t t tiim me e? ? Andrew McMahon: I think the most honest reflection that can be found is in the “Dear Jack” documentary. So much of that feels like another life to me now. I don’t know that I could do it justice here. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t w we er re e s so om me e o of f t th he e k ke ey y e elle em me en nt ts s y yo ou u u us se ed d t to o f fiig gh ht t a an nd d m mo ov ve e f fo or rw wa ar rd d? ? Andrew McMahon: I was incredibly motivated to live. Everything falls away and you just want to survive. I was also desperately driven to have the world hear ‘everything in transit.' It meant a great deal to me that it came out while I was alive and I worked hard to make sure I was there for that moment. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: L Liiv viin ng g w wiit th h c ca an nc ce er r,, a as s w wiit th h lliiv viin ng g w wiit th h a an ny yt th hiin ng g lliif fe e a allt te er riin ng g,, c ca an n lle ea ad d o on ne e t to o o op pe en n t th he eiir r h he ea ar rt ts s t to o s st ta ar rt tiin ng g a a g gr ro ou up p o or r f fo ou un nd da at tiio on n t to o h he ellp p o ot th he er rs s.. T Ta allk k t to o u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r D De ea ar r J Ja ac ck k F Fo ou un nd da at tiio on n.. Andrew McMahon: We advocate for adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors (15-39 years of age). The demographic has the lowest improvement in survival rates in over 30 years and we are trying hard to call attention to the problem. We also work closely with patients and their families both in treatment and through survivorship in an effort to bring focus to their struggle and keep them hopeful throughout. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wa at tc ch hiin ng g y yo ou u s siit t d do ow wn n t to o p plla ay y t th he e p piia an no o iis s q qu uiit te e m ma ag giic ca all.. Y Yo ou u a allm mo os st t s se ee em m t to o b be ec co om me e o on ne e w wiit th h t th he e iin ns st tr ru um me en nt t A An nd dr re ew w.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e a a f fa av vo or riit te e p piia an no o y yo ou u a ad do or re e p plla ay yiin ng g o on n t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? H Ho ow w a ab bo ou ut t iin n s st tu ud diio o o or r a at t h ho om me e? ? Andrew McMahon: Thank you! I have two favorites. The brown grand piano that has been with me onstage for many years and the beat up Something Corporate upright with the stickers all over it. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: D Do o y yo ou u r re ec ca allll t th he e n na am me e o of f y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t p piia an no o t te ea ac ch he er r? ? W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e f fiir rs st t t tu un ne e t th he ey y m ma ad de e y yo ou u p plla ay y a at t a a r re ec ciit ta all? ? Andrew McMahon: I couldn’t even spell her name here, it was very German and difficult to pronounce. I played a lot of classical but insisted on some Billy Joel at recitals as well. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wiit th h y yo ou ur r llo ov ve e o of f lliif fe e a an nd d p pa as ss siio on n f fo or r m mu us siic c- - h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n o op pe en niin ng g t th ho os se e s sa am me e d do oo or rs s f fo or r y yo ou ur r d da au ug gh ht te er r,, C Ce ec ciilliia a? ? Andrew McMahon: We listen to music constantly. We have a rule that I get to play one new song she hasn’t heard of for every one of her favorites she wants to hear. We spend hours in front of the turntable. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: A As s y yo ou u llo oo ok k t to o w wh ha at t 2 20 01 1 7 7 c ca an n b br riin ng g m mu us siic ca alllly y a an nd d,, t th he e t to ou ur riin ng g t to o s su up pp po or rt t t th he e n ne ew w a allb bu um m w wiit th h y yo ou ur r b ba an nd d,, w wh ha at t iis s y yo ou ur r r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip p lliik ke e a as s a a b ba an nd d,, a an nd d h ho ow w d do oe es s t to ou ur riin ng g iin ns sp piir re e a allll o of f y yo ou u? ? W Wiit th h f fa am miilly y,, w wh ha at t w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u a an nd d y yo ou ur r w wiif fe e K Ke elllly y a an nd d d da au ug gh ht te er r C Ce ec ciilliia a lliik ke e t to o v ve en nt tu ur re e t to og ge et th he er r t to o d do o t th hiis s n ne ex xt t y ye ea ar r? ? Andrew McMahon: I’ve been with my band for years now, my drummer for more than 10. It is a brotherhood, but also a mission to get the songs heard. It’s taken me a long time to figure out that dynamic but I can honestly say this is the happiest I’ve been onstage and off. This year will be filled with shows and the task of introducing the world to the new album. My family will be traveling with me through most of it. Every day becomes an adventure because I end up seeing these cities I’ve visited a million times through the eyes of Cecilia. It’s a brand new world now!

1 1 .. K Ka at te e,, t th ha an nk k y yo ou u f fo or r t ta ak kiin ng g t th hiis s iin nt te er rv viie ew w!! Y Yo ou u s se ee em m t to o h ha av ve e s su uc ch h a a h hu ug ge e y ye ea ar r!! T Th he e t tw wo o f fiillm ms s y yo ou u w we er re e iin n " "T Th he e F Fo ou un nd de er r" " a an nd d " "H Hiid dd de en n F Fiig gu ur re es s,," " a ar re e g ga ar rn ne er riin ng g a ac cc clla aiim m a an nd d a ar re e c co on ns siid de er re ed d O Os sc ca ar r c co on nt te en nd de er rs s.. A An nd d,, iit t''s s a allw wa ay ys s g gr re ea at t t to o b be e o on n a a A Am ma az zo on n p pr ro ojje ec ct t.. R Re eg ga ar rd dlle es ss s o of f h ho ow w b biig g o or r s sm ma allll t th he e r ro olle e iis s,, w wh ha at t d do oe es s iit t m me ea an n t to o y yo ou u t to o lla an nd d c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er rs s o on n h hiig gh hlly y r re ev ve er re ed d p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s iin n s su uc ch h a a s sm ma allll m ma at tt te er r o of f t tiim me e? ? Thank you for having me! As an actor, you’re so excited any time you get the chance to work and inhabit a role. However, I will say that when I auditioned for The Founder and Hidden Figures, I was especially honored for the opportunity. For starters, I wanted to get to work with these two incredible directors whose work I’ve admired for such a long time! But then, it meant even more. In the case, of Hidden Figures, I can’t believe it has taken so long for this story to be told and that we weren’t taught about these women in schools the way we were about the astronauts in the space program. I thought the scripts were great when I read them. I always felt both of these films were very special and with the kind of talent attached to them, there was no way they wouldn’t end up being exceptional. It feels surreal to be in both of them at the same time! It’s a wonderful dream come true! 2 2.. Y Yo ou u''r re e p plla ay yiin ng g J Ju un ne e M Ma ar rt tiin no o iin n " "T Th he e F Fo ou un nd de er r,," " w wh ho o w wa as s a a p piio on ne ee er r iin n f fe em ma alle e e ex xe ec cs s iin n a a m ma ajjo or r U US S c co or rp po or rt ta at tiio on n.. T Th hiis s c co om me es s a at t a a t tiim me e w wh he en n t th he er re e''s s b be ee en n s so o m mu uc ch h t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t w wo om me en n a an nd d d diiv ve er rs siit ty y iin n t th he e f fiillm m iin nd du us st tr ry y iit ts se ellf f!! T Te ellll a ab bo ou ut t t th he e r re es se ea ar rc ch h a an nd d g ge et tt tiin ng g iin nt to o t th he e h he ea ad d o of f J Ju un ne e M Ma ar rt tiin no o.. Let me start by saying that June Martino deserves a biopic herself! I think she embodies; “I am woman, hear me roar.” I did quite a bit of research about her. I read Ray Croc’s biography and Behind the Arches as well as visiting a web site about June that her family has dedicated to her. It was an honor to portray her not just because of all she accomplished herself but because she reminded me of my grandmother who worked hard her whole life. As a working woman and mother myself, the only difference was knowing that as hard as it is today, it was so much harder then. 3 3.. T Ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e s st ta ar rr riin ng g a allo on ng gs siid de e O Os sc ca ar r- -n no om miin na at te ed d a an nd d v ve et te er ra an n a ac ct to or r M Miic ch ha ae ell K Ke ea at to on n.. W Wh ha at t d diid d y yo ou u lle ea ar rn n f fr ro om m h hiis s a as s a a p pe er rf fo or rm me er r? ? I grew up watching and admiring his work so getting to work with him, was incredible. I felt like I was getting a master class every day I got to work with him. What I loved about working with him, is how inclusive he was with me in our scenes. He’s a collaborator who takes his roles/work seriously. He treats you as a peer and is very professional. 4 4.. W Wh ha at t c ca an n v viie ew we er rs s t ta ak ke e a aw wa ay y f fr ro om m w wa at tc ch hiin ng g " "T Th he e F Fo ou un nd de er r" "? ? I think some will think it’s about accomplishing the “American Dream” and there is no denying that Ray Croc and the McDonald’s corporation are incredibly successful. But I hope, they will also see how his success changed and corrupted him. It is easy to root for Croc in the first half of the film but I can’t imagine anyone admiring how he accomplished all he did in the end. I also hope people see what a “croc” (pun intended) it is when people try to sell themselves with the notion that they got to where they are “all by themselves.” There is so much irony in the title of this film. 5 5..W Wh ha at t lliie es s a ah he ea ad d f fo or r K Ka at te e K Kn ne ee ella an nd d o on n e eiit th he er r f fiillm m o or r t te elle ev viis siio on n? ? I have an animated pilot that I’m in, being shopped around right now so fingers crossed. There is also another role on the horizon but I’m not allowed to talk about it right now but when I can, I will write you first! 6 6.. IIn n t th he e llo on ng g r ru un n,, h ho ow w d do oe es s K Ka at te e K Kn ne ee ella an nd d w wa an nt t t to o b be e r re em me em mb be er re ed d f fo or r? ? A An ny y r ro olle es s y yo ou u a as sp piir re e t to o a ac cq qu uiir re e? ? IIs s t th he er re e a a m me es ss sa ag ge e y yo ou u''d d lliik ke e t to o s sh ha ar re e t to o t th he e w wo or rlld d? ? First, I want to be a good mom. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s a huge responsibility helping shape a person! Prefessionally, I hope to be remembered for never giving up on my dream, for my perseverance and patience in this crazy profession I’ve chosen and that throughout my pursuit of acting, I not only worked hard but was kind. W Wh he en n iit t c co om me es s t to o r ro olle es s,, t th he er re e a ar re e a a c co ou up plle e o of f r re ea alllly y g gr re ea at t h hiis st to or riic ca all f fe em ma alle e p po ow we er rh ho ou us se es s t th ha at t II w wo ou ulld d llo ov ve e t to o p po or rt tr ra ay y:: One is Nellie Bligh and the other is Edith Cavell. Honestly, I just want there to be more opportunities for women in film and television. I am a work horse. I love what I do and I want to be able to do more of it! When you have A list actresses saying how hard it is to find roles, you can imagine how that trickles down to the rest of us, especially character actresses. 7 7.. W Wh he er re e c ca an n r re ea ad de er rs s f fiin nd d y yo ou u o on n s so oc ciia all m me ed diia a!! Follow me on twitter @kate_kneeland kate_kneeland is Instagram by Erman Baradi

The last decade has revealed so much growth for musician Danny Gokey, not just in his artistry but in his spirituality. This is evident in the Christian artist’s ability to impact the Christian and mainstream world. With Rise, now out this month, Gokey peels back the curtain to deliver a moving body of work signifying that hope does exist after heartbreaking moments. The American Idol finalist definitely knows how to bounce back from the darkest of days, using his platform to underline a powerful message for anyone enduring pain: There is life after loss. C Co on ng gr ra at tu ulla at tiio on n o on n t th he e r re elle ea as se e o of f R Riis se e!! II w wo ou ulld d llo ov ve e t to o k kn no ow w h ho ow w y yo ou u c ca am me e u up p w wiit th h t th he e t tiit tlle e.. T Th he e w wo or rd d “ “r riis se e” ” h ha as s s su uc ch h s st tr ro on ng g c co on nn no ot ta at tiio on ns s.. Y Yo ou u e ev ve en n w we en nt t w wiit th h t th he e t tiit tlle e t tr ra ac ck k a as s t th he e f fiir rs st t r re elle ea as se e.. W Wa allk k u us s t th hr ro ou ug gh h d de ev ve ello op piin ng g t th he e c co on nc ce ep pt t.. When we thought of a title, we went with Rise because it makes a statement the moment you look at the album. We are a day in age where there are so many voices out there – television, radio, social media, billboards – and everyone is trying to say something. I knew with this album I wanted to say something that is more positive. The day we are living in it seems darker than it has ever been. I wanted to use my platform. When I was on American Idol that was a show anybody tuned into, regardless of if Christian or non- Christian or ethnicity. It came down to music. I wanted to make music that would unite, bring faith, and entertain. I wanted to entertain people and I love the messages I get from people who listen to it while working out even. It’s about crafting messages entertaining to the ears but faithful to the soul. Honestly, it was a big deal I did it this way. A As s f fo or r t th he e c cr re ea at tiiv ve e p pr ro oc ce es ss s d diid d y yo ou u a allr re ea ad dy y k kn no ow w f fr ro om m t th he e f fiir rs st t d da ay y,, “ “O Ok ka ay y,, t th hiis s iis s w wh ho o II w wa an nt t t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h o on n t th he e a allb bu um m.. T Th he es se e a ar re e t th he e t th he em me es s II w wa an nt t t to o iin nc co or rp po or ra at te e.. T Th he es se e w wiillll b be e t th he e s siin ng glle es s..” ” T Te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t t th he e c cr re ea at tiiv ve e p pr ro oc ce es ss s a an nd d c co on ns st tr ru uc ct tiin ng g R Riis se e.. I did know the producers I wanted to work with. As I was writing, I got to know the writers I wanted to work with even more. I was really delighted in the process. I felt I really grew from being on Idol to getting my first record real and that failing then restarting to touring. I was intent on what I was saying. What’s interesting is when we produced the album it all started from the lyrics. It grew from there, the music started taking shape. The intentional thing was making music that crossed borders. It’s important that people in the church would understand since my music is cemented in my faith but also to reach people who have never stepped foot in a church. W Wh ha at t’’s s r re ea alllly y c co oo oll iis s y yo ou u h ha av ve e a a t tr ra ac ck k w wiit th h f fe ellllo ow w IId do oll f fiin na alliis st t J Jo or rd diin n S Sp pa ar rk ks s!! O Of f c co ou ur rs se e,, y yo ou u w we er re e o on n d diif ff fe er re en nt t s se ea as so on ns s b bu ut t t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t c co om miin ng g t to og ge et th he er r.. W Wh ho o m ma ad de e t th he e c ca allll,, a an nd d h ho ow w w we ellll d diid d y yo ou u b blle en nd d iin n t th he e s st tu ud diio o!! The Idol finale was last year and while there I got to connect with Jordin. Over the past 15 years, there has been over 150 contestants in the top 10. Maybe 50 or 60 came to the finale. Jordin was one of the ones I connected with most. I told her there’s a song I wanted to send her about faith. She said when she heard the song that she cried because she related to the message. She sounds so beautiful on it. II k kn no ow w iit t’’s s lliik ke e p piic ck kiin ng g b ba ab biie es s b bu ut t II a as sk k a allll a ar rt tiis st ts s t th hiis s.. C Ca a y yo ou u p piic ck k a a f fa av vo or riit te e t tr ra ac ck k o of ff f t th he e a allb bu um m? ? That’s really tough! The “Stronger” remix I love, as well as “Slow Down,” “The ComebackV” I love what every song talks about. I can go down through the list. K Ke ee ep p g go oiin ng g d do ow wn n t th he e lliis st t!! S So o,, f fo ollk ks s lliik ke e u us s w wh ho o h ha av ve e k ke ep pt t u up p w wiit th h y yo ou u f fo or r a allm mo os st t t th he e lla as st t d de ec ca ad de e,, w we e k kn no ow w t th he e t ty yp pe e o of f m mu us siic c y yo ou u p pe er rf fo or rm me ed d o on n A Am me er riic ca an n IId do oll a an nd d w wh ha at t y yo ou u p pe er rf fo or rm m n no ow w.. D Do o y yo ou u s se ee e t th he e m ma aiin ns st tr re ea am m m me ed diia a b be eiin ng g m mo or re e o op pe en n t to o C Ch hr riis st tiia an n a ar rt tiis st ts s? ? W Wh ha at t’’s s y yo ou ur r v viie ew w o on n t th he e m ma aiin ns st tr re ea am m’’s s r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip p w wiit th h t th he e C Ch hr riis st tiia an n g ge en nr re e? ? I feel like artists have this responsibility. For so much time people have looked at Christian music as second best or third best. I didn’t want to be classified. I set out to make an album that didn’t sound too different from what the next person was hearing. I hate being put into a box. My objective to reach someone who never stepped into a church you have to do something different. You see a resurgence of the Christian market and the cinema. My goal is to touch the crowd who may be curious. E Ev ve er ry yo on ne e k kn no ow ws s t th he e s st to or ry y o of f y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t w wiif fe e''s s p pa as ss siin ng g a an nd d y yo ou ur r jjo ou ur rn ne ey y t to o b be ec co om me e t th he e f fa am miilly y m ma an n a an nd d a ar rt tiis st t y yo ou u a ar re e n no ow w.. W Wh ha at t''s s t th he e g gr re ea at te es st t lle es ss so on n lle ea ar rn ne ed d iin n lliif fe e t th ha at t y yo ou u c ca an n s sh ha ar re e w wiit th h a au ud diie en nc ce es s w wh ho o m ma ay y b be e g go oiin ng g t th hr ro ou ug gh h s so om me et th hiin ng g a as s d diif ff fiic cu ullt t a as s llo os ss s? ? The first thing I’d say is that it does get better. Life gets better. When you go through something in life that’s really tough the thing you can do is try to get a broad perspective. When I went through the loss of my first wife who passed away, my view of life became so small. While on Idol, my view became bigger because I got to see it from a different perspective. It’s cliché but it’s true if you can just grasp it. If you believe life is going to get worse, it will get worst. Life catches your most dominant thoughts. If you believe it gets better, you look for better. Change the perspective. It can come through music or reading a book or talking to a mentor. People tend to isolate themselves. That’s the worst thing you can do when going through tragedy. Think about lions. They go for the hurt and isolated, they don’t go for the herd. Be surrounded by a group of people who can really lift you up. W Wh ha at t lliie es s a ah he ea ad d f fo or r D Da an nn ny y G Go ok ke ey y? ? P Pa as st t R Riis se e,, p pa as st t 2 20 01 1 7 7,, c ca an n y yo ou u s se ee e w wh ha at t y yo ou u’’llll b be e d do oiin ng g n ne ex xt t? ? I see myself doing the obvious answer is touring and making more music. But, I want to do more television. We are actively working on a project. Like I said, I do want to touch that crowd. I hope to be a voice that could really be positive. And, my wife is pregnant with Baby #3. Who knows, maybe #4! IIn n o on ne e s se en nt te en nc ce e,, w wh ha at t d do oe es s D Da an nn ny y G Go ok ke ey y w wa an nt t t to o b be e k kn no ow wn n f fo or r c co om me e t th he e d da ay y y yo ou u h ha an ng g u up p t th he e m miic c? ? I want to be known as a person who loved people more than possessions, justice more than a fake, comfortable life, and who fights for people more than selfish gain. Get to know Danny Gokey on Twitter at @DannyGokey and at www.facebook.com/DannyGokeyOfficial. by Erman Baradi

Ross Riege

H Hii R Ro os ss s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Good! Thank you! S So o h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou ur r llo ov ve e f fo or r p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y s st ta ar rt te ed d? ? I started shooting 35mm stills in high school. I grew up in a town in Wisconsin surrounded by farmland and rural landscapes - so my eye was drawn to that sort of sprawling openness. You always wanted to shoot commercials or you have been kind of using this platform to build your way up to the movie and TV industry? I’ve always dreamt of shooting movies, but early on the opportunities were always in short form. And whether I realized it or not, I think that was the best way for me to learn the language of filmmaking from a logistical standpoint, as well as grow as an image-maker. It’s easy to dream big (and important to!) but I wouldn’t have been prepared to seize the opportunity of shooting on a feature until I spent a lot of time cutting my teeth on smaller projects. Not only on length but in execution, both commercial and filmmaking are pretty different... or aren't them? Do you take a different approach when you are working for an advertising campaign than when you are shooting a movie? Yes and no- a cinematographer is a storyteller, and whether that is tackling a narrative in feature form, or evoking a campaign message within a single shot- ultimately it comes down to telling a story. In shorter form it can be an exciting puzzle to whittle images down to those essential pieces that tell a story quickly and effectively; while in the feature world designing a visual story over the course of 2 hours or more, with growth and palette, ebb and flow, is also an amazing and challenging experience. M Mo os st t o of f w wh ha at t y yo ou u h ha av ve e d do on ne e o on n T TV V a an nd d f fiillm mm ma ak kiin ng g h ha as s b be ee en n m mo os st tlly y c co om me ed dy y o or r d dr ra am ma a - - s so o II a am m g gu ue es ss siin ng g K Ko on ng g:: S Sk ku ullll IIs slla an nd d w wa as s a a w wh ho olle e n ne ew w e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? Actually not as much as you might think! Yes definitely in terms of scope, but by far I wasn’t responsible for the immensity of things that director of photography Larry Wong was. I came on to do a month of ‘Nature Unit’ photography for the movie while they were shooting in Vietnam. The director sort of invented the role of this unit so it was definitely new in that sense -- since having a ‘Nature Unit’ is a bit unorthodox. We had to work out what the focus and intention would be from a day-to-day standpoint and how it could best support the overall film, while getting director Jordan Vogt-Roberts the extra little beats he was looking for. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t iin nv vo ollv ve ed d o on n t th hiis s p pr ro ojje ec ct t? ? I am close friends with Jordan, the director, and as he was prepping the film, he knew he would be tied up with the enormity of the main unit work- and he really wanted to find a way to integrate some very fluid, spontaneous stuff utilizing a very small autonomous unit. I was honored he brought me on, gave me a directive, and essentially set me loose to gather whatever I could! T Th he e w wh ho olle e p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y llo oo ok ks s iin ns sa an ne elly y b be ea au ut tiif fu ull,, e es sp pe ec ciia alllly y t th ho os se e n na at tu ur re e s sh ho ot ts s - - H Ha aw wa aiiii c ca an n b be e a a g gr re ea at t s so ou ur rc ce e o of f iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n,, w wa as s iit t a a h ha ar rd d jjo ob b t to o s sh ho oo ot t t th hiis s o or r y yo ou u h ha ad d s so om me e p pr re ev viio ou us s k kn no ow wlle ed dg ge e o of f t th he e iis slla an nd d s so o y yo ou u k kn ne ew w w wh ha at t t to o c ca ap pt tu ur re e f fr ro om m t th he e v ve er ry y b be eg giin nn niin ng g? ? I have to give Jordan and Larry the majority of the credit. They established the visual tone and I know there was extensive location scouting. So I just showed up to support that and feed off the resources they had already set up. As far as Vietnam goes, there were many locations they loved, but couldn’t shoot them all- so I tried to hit whatever was left - it was a new visual adventure for me every day! B Bo ot th h t th he e p po os st te er r a an nd d t th he e p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y r re em miin nd ds s m me e a a llo ot t t to o A Ap po oc ca ally yp ps se e N No ow w f fo or r s so om me e r re ea as so on n,, c ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t s so om me et th hiin ng g d do ow wn n t th ha at t p piip pe e n no ot t o on nlly y a as s f fo or r t th he e s st to or ry y g go oe es s b bu ut t t th he e p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y a as s w we ellll? ? I know Jordan loves the look of Apocalypse Now, and it was important for him to set the Kong story in a time period that hadn’t been explored to this extent. The 70’s post-Vietnam war era is the perfect intersection of both. I think there are some definite visual homages to Apocalypse Now, but Jordan is also a very original visual storyteller, so expect to see a cross-section of old and a lot of new. B Bllu ue e s se ee em ms s lliik ke e y yo ou ur r f fa av vo or riit te e c co ollo or r o or r a at t lle ea as st t t th he ey y t te en nd d t to o iim mp pr re eg gn na at te e m mo os st t o of f y yo ou ur r c co om mm me er rc ciia alls s - - w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h d diif ff fe er re en nt t c co ollo or rs s c ca an n b be e a a h ha ar rd d w wo or rk k f fo or r y yo ou u p pe er rs so on na alllly y o or r y yo ou u d do on n''t t t te en nd d t to o p pa ay y a at tt te en nt tiio on n t to o t th ho os se e d de et ta aiills s? ? Color is hugely important- often a collaborative thing with the Production Designer but palette is a major part of the image, especially in a feature thread. I am not dogmatic about color at all- I think if anything playing complementaries against each other is more interesting than finding a single ‘wash’ that’s cool or warm. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e f fiillm m e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? II s se ee e llo ot t o of f f fo og g w wa as s u us se ed d o on n t th he e m mo ov viie e - - w wa as s t th ha at t m ma ad de e iin n p po os st t o or r d diid d y yo ou u a ac ct tu ua alllly y h ha av ve e t to o w wo or rk k y yo ou ur r w wa ay y t th hr ro ou ug gh h t th he es se e e elle em me en nt ts s? ? In Vietnam there was a ton of naturally occurring mist, rain, and elements- so for my unit it was about embracing the beauty that was already there- and because I was shooting short pieces, I didn’t have to worry about continuity as much as you would when shooting full scenes. I’m sure there were some sequences that required practical special effects and post as well. K Kiin nd d o of f f fo ollllo ow wiin ng g u up p w wiit th h m my y p pr re ev viio ou us s q qu ue es st tiio on n,, w we er re e t th he er re e a an ny y o ot th he er r c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? The challenges for me were more about how to make the most of my opportunities- oftentimes, my crew felt more like we were shooting a documentary. We had to be extremely adaptive and willing to change plans on a dime. Just as in the actual documentary world, this lack of control often results in serendipity if you keep your eyes open. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n R Ro os ss s R Riie eg ge e''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I just had a baby boy last week! So he is keeping my wife and I busy for now- we’ll see what’s next!

How did your accomplishment of obtaining a Master's in International Affairs from the University for Diplomacy find its way to having you pursue acting and filmmaking? What was life like growing up in Belarus, Russia? Growing up in Belarus (first part of my life it was USSR, then in 1991 it became independent again) was amazing. I had a really happy childhood, growing up. To this day, I love the city of Minsk, the forests and meadows and lakes of the land – it's all objectively beautiful but also, naturally, reminds of the happy childhood days. Anyone who spends summers in the village enjoying fresh milk straight from the source and playing Robin Hood and magic in the forests would be a happy kid, I would imagine. I have done a bunch or performances and theater, too. Diplomacy came later. It is common in Belarus (and in Russia) to have a degree from a higher educational institution, University, or College, so after graduating from a school in Minnesota as an exchange student, and same year from my school in Minsk; I had to choose a profession. The choices where – be an actor in the theatre or be James Bond. I mean, the choice was obvious! Having studied, worked in the field, and travelled the world; I realized my calling was elsewhere, and hung up my turned-out-to-not-be-so-glorious suit to move back to acting. That experience is tremendously helpful in the acting profession, as any life experience would be. My favourite teacher, Tony Savant, always said “there is no such thing as a great actor who is not smart”. So, you know, at least I have a degree. Y Yo ou u w we er re e a a p pr ro of fe es ss siio on na all s sw wiim mm me er r w wh he en n y yo ou u lliiv ve ed d b ba ac ck k h ho om me e.. IIt t s so ou un nd ds s a as s iif f b be eiin ng g a a d diis sc ciip plliin na ar riia an n iin n y yo ou ur r o ow wn n lliif fe e c ca ar rr riie es s s so om me e s siig gn niif fiic ca an nt t w we eiig gh ht t,, h ho ow w h ha as s iit t h he ellp pe ed d y yo ou u iin n y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g c ca ar re ee er r? ? I have always loved sports and was able to get into various ones fairly easily. Swimming was a choice made for me at the very young age because I had bronchitis and swimming is a great way to strengthen your health and the lungs. I excelled in it and loved it! At a young age still I had some decent achievements, but then had to choose between staying in sports or moving away to proceed academically. It helped a great deal – and is helping to this day. I am in decent shape and have excellent stamina and my body can deal with working a lot, physically demanding parts in particular. U Up po on n y yo ou ur r a ar rr riiv va all t to o t th he e lla an nd d o of f s so o m ma an ny y iin nc cr re ed diib blle e o op pp po or rt tu un niit tiie es s t to o a ac ct t,, d do o y yo ou u r re ec ca allll y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t a au ud diit tiio on n? ? W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e p pa ar rt t? ? My first audition was for an AFI cycle film. It was actually rather funny. I was having a coffee with a friend and they mentioned that there was some film that required a Russian speaker. So, I called and they said that the audition was over. I said I could be there in 5 and they waited – so I rushed there on my motorcycle, going faster than I ever had, stormed in with my elbow-long hair and booked it. The part required me to be a trapeze artist too, but that’s a separate crazy story. A Aiir riin ng g r re ella at tiiv ve elly y s so oo on n t th he e f fiillm m L LO OV VE E S SO ON NIIA A,, w wh hiic ch h iis s a an n u up pc co om miin ng g IIn nd diia an n f fiillm m d diir re ec ct te ed d b by y T Ta ab br re ez z N No oo or ra an nii,, s so ou un nd ds s v ve er ry y iin nt tr riig gu uiin ng g a an nd d t tiim me elly y a ac ct tu ua alllly y iin n iit ts s g giiv ve en n s siit tu ua at tiio on n.. IIf f y yo ou u a ar re e a ab blle e p plle ea as se e d diiv vu ullg ge e s so om me e o of f iit ts s lla ay yo ou ut t,, y yo ou ur r p pa ar rt t a an nd d t th ho os se e y yo ou u a ar re e w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h.. I am utterly excited about this film, and very much look forward to it’s coming out! Amazing group of people, some really fantastic talent – just wait till you see Mrunal Thakur, playing Sonia! And of course the subject matter. Working with Tabrez was a really cool experience, he is a very generous director, and while being very precise, he was eager to give us options and collaborate. Look forward to it! Y Yo ou u a alls so o w wiillll b be e s st ta ar rr riin ng g o op pp po os siit te e o of f t th he e w wo on nd de er rf fu ull a ac ct to or r S Sp pe en nc ce er r G Ga ar rr re et tt t iin n a an n H HB BO O c co om me ed dy y s se er riie es s " "R Ro oo om m 1 1 0 04 4" ".. IIs s a a lliig gh ht t h he ea ar rt te ed d c co om me ed diic c p pa ar rt t a a b biit t d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fo or r y yo ou u? ? O On n s se et t d do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d t th he e h hu um mo or r c co on nt tiin nu ue e t to o r ru un n iin n b be et tw we ee en n t ta ak ke es s? ? Unfortunately, to respect the wishes of the producers, I am unable to discuss this project yetV L Lo oo ok kiin ng g o ov ve er r t th he e n no ot te es s a an nd d w wa at tc ch hiin ng g t th he e t tr ra aiille er r o on n y yo ou ur r n ne ew w T TV V s se er riie es s " "IIc ce e,," " iit t a allm mo os st t s se ee em ms s s so o m mu uc ch h o of f w wh ha at t y yo ou ur r lliif fe e h ha as s b be ee en n a an nd d d diir re ec ct tiio on ns s y yo ou u''v ve e t ta ak ke en n t th ha at t t th hiis s c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s y yo ou u t to o a a c ce er rt ta aiin n e ex xt te en nt t b bu ut t a alls so o f fiit ts s s so ou un nd dlly y a at t t th hiis s p po oiin nt t.. S Sh ha ar re e w wiit th h m me e a a b biit t a ab bo ou ut t t th he e s sh ho ow w a an nd d iit ts s b ba ac ck ks st to or ry y.. The show deals with relationships within family and between friends – and even though my own family didn't have the sort of problems these guys are dealing with, my exposure to all kinds of societal issues internationally definitely helped a lot. That's the beauty of our profession though, isn’t it? Being able to live truthfully in the words that are not entirely ours by default. But then all life experience comes in very handy. I know a lot of people, who are in some sort of business I would not want to talk about – particular details of what I learn though, that I can use. The main theme of “Ice” is the diamond trade, and all of its aspects – glorious and very much otherwise. There is a lot of room for great twists and turns. We were all waiting for the drafts and rewrites, very impatiently, to see what’s next. H Ho ow w d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k t th he e s se er riie es s o ov ve er ra allll,, " "IIc ce e" " s st ta an nd ds s a ag ga aiin ns st t f fo or rm me er r a an nd d o ot th he er r c cr riim me e d dr ra am ma a s sh ho ow ws s? ? There is never enough good crime drama, if you are a fan of the genre. I feel “Ice” is good enough to be liked even by the non-fans of the genre. It stands tall. Very dark, very stylish, and yet very real. I attribute that to the amazing cast, and a great team behind the show. W Wh ha at t d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k a ab bo ou ut t t th he e r ro olle e y yo ou u p plla ay y a an nd d h ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u p pr re ep pa ar re ed d y yo ou ur rs se ellf f t to o b be ec co om me e iin n c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r? ? I love my part in it. It seems very straightforward, but there is a lot of room for undercurrents that are fun to explore and exploit. ‘Alexi’ is losing faith in humanity, trusting money above all, but yet the old relationships and friendships, family, always have a weight of importance. It’s fascinating to go through his arc. As far as preparation – there was a bunch of that, always is. I am an explorer and any part allows to dive fairly deeply into human psychology, and into the circumstance of history of the character. Once you have it though, it’s easy to access and jump into any moment. S Su uc cc ce es ss sf fu ull p pe eo op plle e a allw wa ay ys s f fiin nd d t tiim me e f fo or r f fa am miilly y,, f fr riie en nd ds s a an nd d o ot th he er r h ho ob bb biie es s.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e o on ne e h ho ob bb by y iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r y yo ou u lliik ke e s sh ha ar riin ng g w wiit th h y yo ou ur r iim mm me ed diia at te e f fa am miilly y o or r p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r f fa am miilly y m me em mb be er r? ? Family is the most important. I am very close with my mom, and also blessed to have really close friends, who are like family too – so I have a big one overall. Reading has always been a big hobby, so we would discuss what we read or reminisce about the older books. I love travel – flying far, or just driving or riding motorcycles in California, never get tired of it. So that’s always shared with friends or family. Movies. And just sitting by the water staring at the moon. L La as st tlly y,, K Ko on ns st ta an nt tiin n s sh ha ar re e y yo ou ur r iin nv vo ollv ve em me en nt t iin n t th he e P Pr ro ojje ec ct t A An ng ge ell F Fo oo od d a an nd d h ho ow w o ot th he er rs s m miig gh ht t g ge et t iin nv vo ollv ve ed d.. I am not nearly involved enough. A friend once told me about it and we went and cooked a bunch of times. It is a really amazing project that helps feed the sick as they deal with their illness. As a volunteer you can cook, or deliver the prepared meals to the people – depending on your preference and abilities. It’s really not difficult and is fun to do – especially understanding you are actually helping someone a little bit. Check out the website to learn more: angelfood.org by Song River

H Hii G Gr ra ac ce e,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Thank you so much! I am doing just swell. N No ot t o on nlly y a an n a ac ct tr re es ss s,, b bu ut t y yo ou u a ar re e a alls so o a a m mu us siic ciia an n a an nd d d da an nc ce er r - - d diid d o on ne e f fo or rm m o of f a ar rt t d dr ra aw w y yo ou u iin nt to o t th he e o ot th he er r? ? I have always loved to act as well as sing since I was little. Because of this, I would listen to musicals and then my parents would take me to see them live. I saw the actors perform these amazing dance numbers, and knew that I wanted to be just like them. That’s when I started dance classes as well as singing and piano lessons too. D Do o y yo ou u t tr ry y t to o s so om me eh ho ow w b blle en nd d e ea ac ch h o on ne e o or r y yo ou u t tr re ea at t t th he em m a as s t th hr re ee e d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fa ac ce et ts s? ? They are different forms of art, but all just as special. I love them equally, and all three make me feel complete. I love getting to do projects that involve acting, singing, and dancing. L Le et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t M Ma an n W Wi it th h A A P Pl la an n - - h ho ow w w wa as s t th he e a au ud diit tiio on n p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? I received the audition script from my agents, and immediately fell in love with the character Kate. I loved the humor and felt that I could really relate to her. I came in, read, and was called back. At the call back, I met and read with Matt LeBlanc for the first time. I was so excited to meet him, I kept thinking about how lucky I was to get to meet someone so talented. Then I received the role! I was absolutely over the moon. K Kn no ow wn n f fo or r h ha av viin ng g p plla ay ye ed d d diif ff fe er re en nt t r ro olle es s iin n a a w wiid de e r ra an ng ge e o of f g ge en nr re es s - - w wh ha at t iis s iit t a ab bo ou ut t c co om me ed dy y t th ha at t y yo ou u e en njjo oy y t th he e m mo os st t? ? I love how much fun it is. The atmosphere on set of a comedy is so joyful and everyone is always laughing, whether it be at the script or the actors as they play the characters. I also love our live audience that comes in every week. It is so cool to perform live, and get to interact with them as well. B Bo ot th h K Ka at te e a an nd d y yo ou ur rs se ellf f h ha av ve e t th he e s sa am me e a ag ge e - - d do o y yo ou u p po ou ur r s so om me e o of f y yo ou ur r o ow wn n p pe er rs so on na a iin nt to o h he er r c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r o or r y yo ou u a ar re e t tw wo o c co om mp plle et te elly y c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er rs s? ? I definitely pour some of my personality into Kate. That’s the beauty about getting to play a new role, you really get to explore your character by getting to know their personality and finding ways to infuse your own. I have a younger sibling so I know how she feels to be surrounded by little ones. She can be totally sassy and spunky which I love and can relate to in real life. T Th he e s se er riie es s h ha as s t th hiis s s so om me ew wh ha at t d da ar rk k,, q qu uiir rk ky y h hu um mo or r - - h ho ow w h ha as s y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s r ro olle es s h ha av ve e h he ellp p y yo ou u t to o p pr re ep pa ar re e f fo or r t th hiis s c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r? ? I have learned so much from and through other roles I have played, so I use that to constantly strengthen my character and performance. I did another CBS series called “Bad Teacher”, and my character on that show had a lot of odd quirkiness to her. I love characters like that. Characters that have some secrets. H Ha av ve e y yo ou u p pe er rs so on na alllly y d dr ra aw wn n s so om me e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fr ro om m a an ny y p pr re ev viio ou us s r ro olle e iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? No, Kate isn’t an inspiration from any one specific previous character. I feel it is better this way. This gives me the chance to explore my character more and let my performance have a more fresh and natural element. H Ho ow w w wo ou ulld d K Ka at te e d de ev ve ello op p t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t t th he e s sh ho ow w? ? C Ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t s so om me e v vu ulln ne er ra ab biilliit ty y? ? Well, Kate is a teenager, so I definitely think there will be some vulnerability as a result of some of the big changes she has to go through. I think as the show goes on, she will become stronger and more powerful; but she will always love her family. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n G Gr ra ac ce e K Ka au uf fm ma an n''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I am currently also doing a show called “The Last Ship” on TNT, which got renewed for a fourth and fifth season, so I will be working on that. I also recently did a film called “Brave New Jersey” that debuted at the Austin Film Festival, so I’m looking forward to people seeing that film as well. We start back on “Man With A Plan” in January for the second half of our first season. I have been very busy with work and my education, so I like to spend a lot of time with my friends, my family, and my dogs as well!

H Hii B Br ra ad d,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hi! I have been great, thanks for asking! I had a fantastic holiday break and was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family in Georgia. I also took a little adventure trip to Costa Rica to celebrate New Year’s. It is always extremely refreshing to get away from work mode for a little, and let my mind wander. Traveling always seems to expand my perspective and help get me excited to chase new goals. Y Yo ou u h ha av ve e b be ee en n iin nt to o s sp po or rt ts s,, a ac ct tiin ng g a an nd d m mu us siic c - - d diid d o on ne e a ar rt t f fo or rm m iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r lle ea ad d y yo ou u t to o t th he e o ot th he er r o on ne e.. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou ur r llo ov ve e f fo or r a ac ct tiin ng g s st ta ar rt te ed d? ? I don't know that I could say that one art form led me to another in a linear fashion, but I think my involvement in sports, music, and acting all continue to build on each other and skills developed bleed from one activity to another. Does that make any sense at all? I started first with sports as a toddler. I played all sorts of different sports and ultimately focused on tennis. I also took piano lessons at a very young age, but when I got my first guitar around age 11, that became my instrument of choice. It wasn't until my junior year of high school that I actually did my first play. So, interestingly, acting was the last thing I took a stab at. Just as far as the necessity of training goes in order to be great at anything, I believe my experiences training as an eventual collegiate athlete have helped me enormously as an actor. When I decided to pursue acting professionally, I was already conditioned to put in the hours needed in order to hone in on the craft. My goal is to always try to continue improving and to learn from experience and from those around me. Originally my desire to act came from the enjoyment I got from performing and from being the center of attention. I had the desire to entertain people and thought it was so much fun to be on a stage and feel the energy of an audience. It is slightly different when shooting a TV show or a film, but there is still a rush of excitement involved when the lens is focused on you, and a sense of accomplishment in being a part of a collaborative team effort to create something. D Do oe es s m mu us siic c o or r s sp po or rt ts s iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g iin n a an ny y w wa ay y o or r t th he e o ot th he er r w wa ay y a ar ro ou un nd d o or r a ar re e t th he ey y t th hr re ee e d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fa ac ce et ts s? ? I was sort of trying to get at this point in the above question, but yes, absolutely. I think the biggest connection is the attempt to get to a point where you can be free and relaxed in everything that you do. For example, as a tennis player, you can train year after year and develop incredible strokes, athleticism, court awareness, and so on. But until you let go of fear, and trust in your training, you will probably be an average competitor and fall short of your potential. You have to swing freely and know that all the work you have put in over the years is there and is enough. When you do that, there can be no regrets and you typically maximize your potential as a competitor. I think it is very similar to being an actor. The audience can sense tension in an actor that is trying to direct their performance. When you are acting and trying to achieve a specific result, instead of simply trusting the work you did on the script and the character, you prevent yourself from being able to sink into the thoughts of the character and really experience things moment by moment. Hence, you compromise your performance and grip the audience. 2 20 01 1 6 6 w wa as s d de ef fiin niit te elly y a a b biig g y ye ea ar r f fo or r o or riig giin na all s se er riie es s f fr ro om m s sy yn nd diic ca at te ed d n ne et tw wo or rk ks s lliik ke e W WG GN N a an nd d n no ow w T TL LC C - - w wh ha at t d dr re ew w y yo ou u iin nt to o t th hiis s n ne ew w v ve en nt tu ur re e n no ot t o on nlly y f fo or r y yo ou u b bu ut t f fo or r T TL LC C? ? As an actor, I was very pleased to see a network like TLC pickup its first scripted show. For a few decades now it seems, big time players have been switching over to more and more reality, unscripted, or soft-scripted shows. I can understand why that trend started because those type of shows tend to be much more inexpensive to produce. However, that trend left far less opportunities for actors to book work. Lately, however, it seems we are in the golden age of TV. A-list actors are jumping over from the film world, and new distribution outlets are popping up everywhere. Needless to say, I'm grateful TLC decided to be a part of that trend and bring in Tyler Perry to create its first scripted show. It didn't take much to draw me in at all. I loved the character from the first scene I read, and couldn't be more excited to get the opportunity to work with somebody as acclaimed as Tyler Perry. I want to learn everything I can from him and let his extreme unstoppable work ethic rub off on me. H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s r ro olle es s p pr re ep pa ar re ed d y yo ou u f fo or r t th hiis s c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r? ? Absolutely! I think every role, in some way, prepares you for the next one. I think for me, it is less about drawing from other characters I have played in the past, and more about feeling absolutely comfortable in my own skin and confident that I am capable of executing my job as an actor. Unfortunately, as an aspiring actor early in your career, it can be difficult to get a lot of opportunities to actually act or experience being on a set. Almost all of my TV roles before Too Close To Home involved only one or two days of shooting. Even after booking handfuls of guest starring roles, it is simply not enough time to really get your sea legs under you so to speak. So for me, I decided make my own content. I have created, produced, and acted in several of my own projects. Honestly, I think those experiences wearing several different hats, handling pressure from all angles, all while trying to act at the same time...those experiences really set me up the most to feel confident that I belonged on a professional set alongside a mogul like Tyler Perry. II k kn no ow w J JB B h ho olld ds s s so om me e s se ec cr re et ts s a an nd d II a am m s su ur re e w we e d do on n''t t w wa an nt t t to o g giiv ve e a aw wa ay y a an ny y s sp po oiille er rs s - - b bu ut t w wh ha at t c ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t h hiim m? ? W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s h he e p plla ay y iin n a allll t th hiis s m me es ss s t th ha at t D Da an niie elllle e S Sa av vr re e''s s c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r iis s g go oiin ng g t th hr ro ou ug gh h? ? JB always seems to bring a mess with him wherever he goes. He has often been labeled a 'bad boy' or 'troublemaker' type character, but I don't think that is a completely accurate description. JB goes beyond those labels. When I think of a bad boy, I think of somebody who is self-destructive, mysterious, and misunderstood. While I do believe there is much more than meets the eye with JB, his self-hatred, guilt, and fear lead him to purposefully harm other innocent individuals. That's not bad boy, that's just bad. But like you said, JB holds many secrets that, when revealed, should help the audience make more sense of his volatile behavior and possibly even empathize with him one day. In a small town like Happy, Alabama, everybody is connected in one way or another. So, while he may be misunderstood and scarred from his past, when JB decides to run drugs, or put a beat down on an innocent town visitor, he puts all the residents of Happy in jeopardy. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u p pr re ep pa ar re e f fo or r t th he e r ro olle e o of f J JB B? ? I think every actor has a different method of preparation. Furthermore, I think every role requires its own unique way of preparing within those methods. With JB, I felt the most important thing for me to do was to try and connect with and understand his thoughts. Typically, I play characters that I have a lot in common with, so this process has been easier in those instances. That was not the case with JB. With the goal of feeling some sort of empathy for JB, I felt that understanding and acquainting myself with the thoughts going through his mind, that lead to his often despicable actions, would allow me to sink into the character. The script is the instruction manual full on hints that an actor has to then really dig into and fill in the blanks. Filling in the blanks is the fun part...the imagination firing on all cylinders. T Th he e s sh ho ow w p pr re em miis se e r re em miin nd ds s m me e t to o s sh ho ow ws s s su uc ch h a as s S Sc ca an nd da all a an nd d T Th he e G Go oo od d W Wiif fe e - - iis s iit t s so om me et th hiin ng g s siim miilla ar r b bu ut t w wiit th h a a T Ty ylle er r P Pe er rr ry y t tw wiis st t? ? C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t T To oo o C Cllo os se e t to o H Ho om me e? ? I have had very limited exposure to both of those shows, so I can't speak too specifically to the similarities and differences. I know all three shows do involve different versions of a Washington, D.C. scandal, but I think beyond that, the specific comparisons are probably pretty limited. To me, Too Close To Home is just a ton of fun. It is a juicy drama that will keep you guessing and give you a little bit of spice at the same time. Or maybe a whole lot of spice. While split with Washington DC, a majority of the show takes place in a fictitious trailer park town in Alabama. It provides for a unique and fun setting in which Tyler can use his own personal stories of his past and childhood to entertain our fans. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n B Br ra ad d B Be en ne ed diic ct t''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I have a couple potential projects coming up in 2017, but for the immediate time being I am focused on completing some personal creative projects. Outside of acting, I am eager do more international travel this year and to keep exploring the globe. It is often hard to set aside time to travel when you are trying to build a career, or simply trying to manage the responsibilities of life, but I think it is essential. Every time I venture outside of the familiar comforts of my everyday community, I feel full and stretched. Stasis equals death, and it can be easy to fall into a static mindset when you don't introduce new stimulus and new information. So yeah, in the attempt to keep evolving and to stay grateful, I will continue to explore foreign people, places, and things. And hopefully eat more vegetables. S SO OC CIIA AL LS S https://twitter.com/bradbenedict https://www.instagram.com/bradbenedict/ Photographer: E-Studios Photography Groomer: Andrea Pezzillo Stylist: Gabriel Langenbrunner

H Hii D Do on nn ny y,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hello Vents, thank you for having me. Life is good. I feel blessed. "Six" premiered tonight. Very exciting. I believe it was received very well. S So o y yo ou u s st ta ar rt te ed d iin n t th he e iin nd du us st tr ry y a as s a a m mo od de ell a an nd d t th he en n y yo ou u g go ot t iin nt to o s sp po or rt ts s - - w wh ha at t e ev ve en nt tu ua alllly y d dr ra aw w y yo ou u iin nt to o a ac ct tiin ng g? ? I'm often asked how I got into acting. Truth is, I had no aspirations of ever being in the entertainment industry. Hollywood was just some fantasy place in the movies. Growing up, sports was my life and really all I ever cared about. As a young man, I was pursued as a model, little did I know that that'd change my life. Through my contacts modeling, it lead to opportunities in acting. Never being in an acting class or on a set before didn't seem to stop me from finding a great passion for this business. After the opportunities came, I found something new that I loved besides sports and pursued it with all that I had. D Do o y yo ou u s so om me eh ho ow w b blle en nd d t th ho os se e t tw wo o f fa ac ce et ts s iin nt to o y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g o or r t th he ey y a ar re e t th hr re ee e d diif ff fe er re en nt t s siid de es s o of f y yo ou u? ? To say that I can't or don't use my modeling and sports history in acting would be a lie. Sports taught me how to be competitive. I've never found anything more competitive than the acting business. In the Olympics, second place gets a silver medal, in acting, second place gets a pat on the back followed with "better luck next time. "Modeling taught me camera angles. Val Kilmer once told me, "I don't care how good of an actor you are, if you don't know where the camera and your light is, the world will never see it." Y Yo ou u s st ta at te ed d iin nt to o t th he e a ac ct tiin ng g w wo or rlld d p plla ay yiin ng g a a s so olld diie er r - - w wh ha at t''s s lliik ke e t to o b be e b ba ac ck k t to o y yo ou ur r r ro oo ot ts s,, s so o t to o s sp pe ea ak k? ? The first role I ever booked was playing a soldier by the name of PFC Patrick Miller in the biopic 'Saving Jessica Lynch'. It was that role that made me fall in love with acting. It wasn't so much the acting, but the training. Getting the opportunity to learn new, useful and interesting things that I truly fell in love with. And now, 13 years later, getting the opportunity to portray a SEAL? The training I received on "Six" makes the other training I have seem elementary. By going through SEAL and weapons training by the greatest trained warriors the world has ever known... there is no comparison. The knowledge and skills gained from this are priceless and I couldn't feel more grateful and honored to have been a part of this. W Wh ha at t lle ed d y yo ou u t to o g ge et t a a r ro olle e iin n H Hiis st to or ry y C Ch ha an nn ne ell''s s S SIIX X? ? As an actor, all you ever want is a chance, an opportunity. "Six" was just the next opportunity. I think I actually had four auditions the same day as this one. Of course I wanted "Six", I wanted all of them. I'm just thankful "Six" is the one that wanted me. H Ha av viin ng g p plla ay ye ed d a a s so olld diie er r a a w wh hiille e b ba ac ck k,, w wa as s t th hiis s a a f fa am miilliia ar r o or r r ra at th he er r a a n ne ew w e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e f fo or r y yo ou u? ? Y Yo ou u s se ee em m t to o h ho olld d a a g gr re ea at t r re es sp pe ec ct t f fo or r t th he e v ve et te er ra an ns s - - h ho ow w d diid d t th hiis s a ap pp pr re ec ciia at tiio on n b be eg giin n? ? I have to admit, when I was 23 years old and booked my first role, which happened to be a military role, I lived in a very sheltered bubble and I didn't know the real consequences of war. War was just thing you learned in History class and I saw in headlines in the papers and on the news. Once you're thrown in and now meeting people that are on the front lines and they tell you the stories of their fallen friends and comrades, it makes it very real, very quick. In 2012 I portrayed the CNN Hero of the Year, Dan Wallrath, in a film called "Deep In The Heart." Dan started an organization called B.A.B.A. (Bay Area Building Association) His organization builds a home a month for injured war veterans. He saw these soldiers coming home from war, suffering from injuries, receiving very little help from the government and decided to step in and do what he could to help. It was he that opened my eyes to these veterans and their stories. I didn't know that 22 veterans committed suicide everyday. It broke my heart. And now, through "Six", if I'm given any voice at all, I want to make even more awareness about this issue. It's unacceptable. We, the people, and America need to do a better job of taking care of our heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice in risking their lives and well being putting themselves in harms way. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s B Bu uc ck k p plla ay ys s o on n t th he e s se er riie es s? ? Buck, whom I portray on "Six", is the Texas proud, gun loving, Heavy Weapons Specialist of the team. For 2 years Buck was the new guy of the squad: Aka- bottom of the totem poll met with constant hazing. In episode 1 we meet Chase, the next new guy. Therefore, it is now Bucks job to make sure Chase is ready physically and mentally for the mission and his brothers on the battlefield. T Th he e n ne et tw wo or rk k iis s k kn no ow wn n f fo or r iit ts s o ow wn n v ve er rs siio on n o of f G Go oT T,, V Viik kiin ng gs s - - w wo ou ulld d t th hiis s n ne ew w s se er riie es s s sh ha ar re e t th he e s sa am me e,, iif f n no ot t e ex xc ce ell t th he e q qu ua alliit ty y? ? History Channels flagship show is "Vikings." I'll be very proud if "Six" is received as well, has the longevity and popularity of its thus far most popular show. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n D Do on nn ny y B Bo oa az z''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Since wrapping "Six" I've been blessed to keep working. I've worked on three features and had two guest star appearances on tv shows. I just wrapped "Chicago Justice" in Chicago last week. Next feature is lined up in May and of course hoping for "Six" to be picked up for season 2.

Sartek is one of the most talented dance music producer's in India and the only Indian to have graced the Beatport Top 100 (Electro House) charts, twice. Previous releases on Hardwell’s Revealed, Armada and Magik Music to name a few and signing to Cloud 9 Music make Sartek a force to be reckoned with and brought hundred’s of thousands of followers. Fellow Revealed and Armada label mate Ale Q has more than 9 years on the scene and become one of the most loved and respected DJ's in Central America. 1 1 .. W We ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S.. W Wh he er re e a ar re e y yo ou u r riig gh ht t n no ow w? ? Sartek: I’m in India Ale Q: Currently in my hometown: Guatemala. 2 2.. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s h ho oo ok k u up p? ? We connected randomly on Twitter. Follow backs to each other resulted in a great convo and we liked each of ours music thoughts so we decided we should definitely chat once on Skype and try and do a track together! 3 3.. C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t r re elle ea as se e ‘‘J Ju um mp p R Riig gh ht t A Af ft te er r Y Yo ou u’’? ? We both got so excited to work on this once we heard the vocals. The voice was mesmerizing and the lyrics moved us emotionally. Sartek sat down in the studio and came up with a melodic idea which was further finished by Ale Q. 4 4.. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Recording process was fun and purely digital! We had long nights on Skype before we finalized the hook of the track. 5 5.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s y yo ou ur r r ro ou ut te e iin nt to o t th he e m mu us siic c iin nd du us st tr ry y,, h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t iin nt to o w wr riit tiin ng g & & p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g a an nd d h ho ow w o olld d w we er re e y yo ou u? ? Sartek: In my early years, I aspired to be a professional accountant as my father was in the same profession and I always looked upto him as my hero. I started my career as an audit trainee with Deloitte from 2006-2007 Parallel I was a music enthusiast and never missed a chance to catch my favorite artists when they visited India. In 2007, I attended Ferry Corstens gig in New Delhi. I was mesmerized by his set, sound, finesse and the happiness on the faces of the people around. It was like an awakening. was inspired and decided to pursue my dream as a music producer. spent many years understanding, learning and experimenting before finally released my first track in 2013 on a label called Black Hole Recordings founded by the legendary DJ Tiesto. Ale Q: Well, it all starts to me with a party with Mauro Picotto, that was the first time i feel that connection between a dj and the crowd and immediately knew that I wanna be part of that world. Started playin just fo my friends with some Korgsynthetizers that I bought (still have it by the way) suddenly I was playing at small gigs for free for the fun of it unti finally I had my first great chance opening for Deadmau5 and since the moment I sat foot on that stage I knew that I would be doing that for a

n o o y y 7. y s e I I e e e I or e il e a long time ! 6 6.. D Do o y yo ou u p pr re ef fe er r t th he e s st tu ud diio o o or r d djj- -iin ng g iin n t th he e c cllu ub bs s? ? Sartek: Probably a mix of both. Studio is where the creative juices are flown and djing is where we try to get them back from the energy of the crowd. It goes hand in hand:) Ale Q: I cant choose one. The studio is where i can express what I feel in the form of music and dj-ing at parties of festival is where I try to connect or transmit what I did on the studio with the people and see how they react to it. I think one complements the other. 7 7.. H Ho ow w m ma an ny y o of f y yo ou ur r o ow wn n c cu ut ts s d do o y yo ou u p plla ay y w wh he en n d djj- -iin ng g? ? A Ar re e t th he ey y m ma ad de e t to o f fiit t iin n w wiit th h y yo ou ur r s st ty ylle e,, o or r d do o y yo ou ur r D DJ Jiin ng g a an nd d p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g h ha av ve e d diif ff fe er re en nt t a aiim ms s? ? Sartek: I generally try and play all my releases of the present year in my set, but it mostly depends on the kind of crowd and their knowledge of music. For example If Im playing a New Years Eve show I would play more of commercial hits than my own vocals and most of the people at that event would be there to party and sing along! Ale Q: It depends on the event. I always try to play my more iconic tracks and try the new ones to see how the peoples digs it. As Sartek says there are some events where the people are not reacting the way you was expecting and you have to drive your set a little more commercial and there are some others that works the other way around, that an important part of dj-ing, know how to read your audience. 8 8.. W Wh ha at t’’s s y yo ou ur r t ta ak ke e o on n d da an nc ce e m mu us siic c r riig gh ht t n no ow w – – w wh he er re e’’s s iit t h he ea ad diin ng g? ? Sartek: Dance music is evolving. Its like genres are having sex with each other and giving birth to new sounds. I think its heading more towards calmness and melodic, the aggressive sounds are nearing extinction. 9 9.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e a an ny y p plla an ns s t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h a an ny y o ot th he er r a ar rt tiis st ts s? ? Sartek: My aim is to connect with more artists around the world and do lots of music with them. Music connects and unites people and being the universal language it does spread the message of love and friendship among people of different nations Ale: Yeah of course, im always looking for new talent to work with. I think making collabs it’s a great work to learn new things from the people you work with and to get your music to new places. 1 1 0 0.. A An nd d f fiin na alllly y,, w wh ha at t iis s c co om miin ng g n ne ex xt t f fr ro om m y yo ou u s st tu ud diio o w wiis se e? ? Sartek :Lots, lots and lots. Almost finishing my next tune with a legendary DJ which will be announced really soon and I’m looking forward to answer questions for you guys for that track too!:) Ale Q: I already have a new collab to be released on march on a major label and currently working of some others so expect a lot from me this year!

C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r r ro olle e o on n B Be et tt te er r C Ca allll S Sa au ull? ? I’d love to! So I play the character of Ernesto on the show. When I booked the role, he was just a friend of Jimmy McGill working in the mailroom with him. And that was the scope of “Ernie”, as we knew him. Just the guy working in the mailroom. Then something changed, they brought Ernie back in the last episode of season one, and we got to see a little bit more into his character. Jimmy and Chuck McGill were estranged and someone needed to come in and help Chuck fulfill the duties his brother once upheld. So Ernesto became his assistant, or as my fans like to say, “Errand Boy”. Ernesto is a very interesting character, very well put together, a little awkward but super sweet, and really wants to do the best job possible. But I know deep down it hurts watching the brothers fight, with Jimmy being his friend, taking care of his brother, and being forced between the two. W Wh ha at t’’s s iit t lliik ke e w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h g gr re ea at ts s lliik ke e B Bo ob b O Od de en nk kiir rk k & & M Miic ch ha ae ell M Mc cK Ke ea an n? ? II k kn no ow w iit t m mu us st t b be e a an n h ho on no or r t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h s su uc ch h e es st te ee em me ed d p pr ro of fe es ss siio on na alls s!! It really is an honor. Both really talented and dedicated individuals. Working with them and even just sitting at video village watching them when am not in the scene, really is a true learning experience. I do get nervous when working with them, I’m sure a lot of actors would be nervous working with seasoned actors who’ve been doing this all of their lives and while I am not at all new, I am not on their level yet. So very humbling. It’s like the church of acting, they are the Preachers and I am the pupil. I learn a lot. And I grew up with my grandmother always saying, “Always respect your elders.” So mad love and respect. They say you have to pay your dues to work with the “greats”, so I am truly grateful. M MA AS ST TE ER RM MIIN ND DS S!! W Wh ha at t’’s s iit t lliik ke e w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h V Viin nc ce e G Giilllliig ga an n & & P Pe et te er r G Go ou ulld d? ? A As ss su um miin ng g y yo ou u h ha av ve e w wo or rk ke ed d w wiit th h t th he em m.. I owe them my career! And when I say that, I mean it literally. I have been blessed to work with Vince Gilligan on S2:E10 titled “Klick” and Peter Gould on S1:E10 titled “Marco” and S2:E9 titled “Nailed”. Working with them always provides room for growth and a great opportunity to understand the characters better. I’m sure it’s every actor’s dream to work with the Creator/Showrunner of a show, it’s a real step, and the time for you to make it count. They are very meticulous about the work but also respect the artistry. If I’m not feeling something, they are open to hear my thoughts and go from there. But I trust their judgement and guidance because again, they are my teachers. And when I say I learn, I learn. From them, the Art of Subtlety is key. F Fa av vo or riit te e E Er rn ne es st to o L Liin ne e.. You know, this is a tough one, but the fans know best, and their favorite is ending line on season 2 after Ernesto talks to Jimmy. As he is walking down the hall, he mumbles to himself, “I miss the mailroomV.”. I was on twitter reading the feed and had fans tweeting me how much they missed the mailroom in their lives too. It was a beautiful experience. I was talking to a writer for the Hollywood Reporter, who gave me a hint before the season finale aired that I had the best line of the episode. My heart smiled. F Fo ou ur r w wo or rd ds s.. C Ca as st t & & C Cr re ew w.. G GO O!! Everyone is amazing! The amount of work that goes into making a show, the many people and departments that bring it all together, they are the real MVP’s. To quote Vince & Peter, “To the world’s most delicious and dangerous crew.” From thought all the way to screen, everyone really dedicate themselves to their art. And they have fun. A An ny y B Be et tt te er r C Ca allll S Sa au ull m mo om me en nt ts s t th ha at t a ar re e v viiv viid d t to o y yo ou u? ? Several moments I can recall. I remember being in Hair & Make-Up and inside we have a vinyl player and I am going through looking for something to play. I came across ‘Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits’ and put in on deck. Well I’m a newbie to vinyl’s so Rhea showed me how and then we danced in the Hair & Make-Up trailer. Another moment, I was heading to the production van to head over to set and was singing some good old Sam Cooke and Michael Mckean overheard me, when we were inside the van, he said “Brandon, you ever hear Jesus Gave Me Water by Sam Cooke and the Stirrers?” I hadn’t

heard it and so he schooled me, and now that song is part of my repertoire. Lastly, I got so nervous shooting the one of the last scenes this past season, only because this was my first time working with Vince Gilligan and I wanted to do a good job you know? So I’m running my lines and making sure I’m a champion, it’s the most intense scene at the end and huge reveal. So my buddy Tia Brown, one of the Production Assistant’s helped me run lines before I was up. And then, I was champion. I started out in theatre and so I’m used to being perfect, afraid to mess up, so I bring this to TV/Film, and try to have it perfected, always off book, and always present. Y Yo ou u d diid d a a v ve er ry y s su uc cc ce es ss sf fu ull A AM MA A o on n R Re ed dd diit t,, h ho ow w w wa as s iit t? ? A friend recommended I do the AMA, before I had no idea what it was. He explained it to me told me of some Ernesto fans on there, and that it would be good for me. So I did my homework, got it cleared with AMC to do the AMA while the season finale was happening. I answered over 500+ questions on there. It was a real experience and an opportunity to really know what people thought and was feeling. Very grounding. And gave me an opportunity to thank them for watching the show and enjoying the work behind Ernesto. I got the name “Ernestbro” from them. It was touching. I answered every question, was kind of difficult as I was moving to Los Angeles at the same time. But I’m glad I did. A An nd d t th he er re e iis s a a llo ot t o of f s sp pe ec cu ulla at tiio on n a ab bo ou ut t a a p po os ss siib blle e r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip p,, r riig gh ht t? ? I have been asked so many times if Ernesto’s last name is Fring, or if he is the son or nephew of Gustavo Fring. And I honestly, don’t know. It would be really cool if I was. Fucking cool. Oops. Sorry. I took an acting class back in 2011 with Giancarlo Esposito and he is a remarkable guy! Would love to do some work with him, either on the show or later. So I will sit with the fans and hope I am Gus’s kid. A An ny y n ne ew ws s f fo or r s se ea as so on n 3 3? ? Unfortunately, I am under a Nondisclosure Agreement so I can’t say anything, not that I know anything anyway haha. Except it’s going to be great. #YEAHBITCH!!! II r re em me em mb be er r s se ee eiin ng g y yo ou u iin n W Wh hiis sk ke ey y T Ta an ng go o F Fo ox xt tr ro ot t,, w wh ha at t w wa as s iit t lliik ke e w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h T Tiin na a F Fe ey y? ? It was awesome. It was a fun shoot. We did one take with the one line you see in the film. And then we did it again where Tina Fey and I got to improv and it was FUNNY! We kept going for about at least 3 minutes. So I hope the DVD has those extra goodies. But it was fun. And Tina Fey was cool. A An nd d y yo ou u s st tiillll h ha av ve e a a f fiillm m w wa aiit tiin ng g t to o b be e r re elle ea as se ed d,, S Sh ho ot t C Ca alllle er r,, D Diir re ec ct te ed d b by y R Riic c R Ro om ma an n W Wa au ug gh h.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th ha at t e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? This was a smaller role and I was very reluctant to take the part, as a matter of fact, I turned down the audition. I just wasn’t comfortable with the material. Then Casting contacted my agent again to go and meet the Director, so I did, we chatted, and I accepted the job. The role is a young inmate who gets raped in prison. So getting raped, was a role I tried staying away from. Then something happened, I thought about the millions of people raped each year, whether in prison, on the streets, by their own spouses and not to mention illegal sex-trafficking, and made a commitment that I was doing this for those battered individuals. And the scene became more about the emotional devastation than the actual rape. The fear, the stripping away of someone’s complete power. I’m glad I did it. I got praises from the director and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones) and I knew the job was done, and done right. A An ny y n no ot te e t to o lle ea av ve e t to o t th he e f fe ellllo ow w a ar rt tiis st t? ? Yes, never let anyone tell you that you can’t, or that you are not good enough. Because, you are MORE THAN ENOUGH. And we only get one life, so I say SOAR HIGH, bounce off ceilings and DREAM BIG. As actors and actresses we look at the face of depression so much because we have made ourselves vulnerable to this profession, that feedback really takes a toll over time when it’s not positive or constructive. So we have to do ourselves justice, and tell ourselves everyday, that WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH, BECAUSE WE SIMPLY AREV. ENOUGH.

Pic by Fiorella Occhipinti

S So o II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u s st ta ar rt te ed d o on n a ac ct tiin ng g a at t t th he e t th he ea at te er r - - h ho ow w h ha as s t th hiis s w wo or rlld d a an nd d t tiim me e s sh ha ap pe ed d y yo ou u a as s t th he e a ac ct to or r y yo ou u a ar re e t to od da ay y? ? I’m consistently drawing from my experiences in theater and my time studying at the National Theater School of Canada in Montreal. Theater, in many ways, is an actor’s playground. For me, it was where I first fell in love with acting; a place where I could learn, grow and play. Nothing is ever permanent in theater, it's in a constant state of change. Every rehearsal, every performance, every night, is an opportunity to continually develop the character, right up until the final curtain. Television, however, is structured differently, it's more finite in process and product. I utilize the same mantra in television that I adopted in theater; I prepare and rehearse thoroughly, but never arrive on set with a polished product. It's a dangerous style of acting, but I leave myself open to the possibility of change. I find the most honest moments in my performance are often those that come organically from the unexpected. Sometimes the best takes come on the heels of a mistake. A Af ft te er r h ha av viin ng g lla an nd de ed d a a f fe ew w r ro olle es s iin n T TV V s se er riie es s a an nd d m mo ov viie es s,, y yo ou u a ar re e n no ow w s st ta ar rr riin ng g a as s M Ma ar riio o S Sa av ve et tt tii o on n C CB BS S'' C Co od de e B Blla ac ck k - - a af ft te er r h ha av viin ng g d do on ne e s so om me e c co om me ed dy y a an nd d c cr riim me e p pr ro oc ce ed du ur ra all,, w wh ha at t d dr ra aw w y yo ou u iin nt to o a a m me ed diic ca all d dr ra am ma a? ? I wanted my Mom to be able to tell people her son was a doctor. You know, it’s funny, I never go looking for a specific genre when hunting down my next role. It’s more based on whether or not the writing and story resonates with me. “Code Black” has a great writing team behind it lead by Michael Seitzman. I'm constantly in awe of the things he and his staff come up with. W Wa as s t th he e a au ud diit tiio on n p pr ro oc ce es ss s a an ny y d diif ff fe er re en nt t? ? P Pe er rh ha ap ps s,, a as s t th he e s sh ho ow w,, s so om me ew wh ha at t h he ec ct tiic c a an nd d c co on nv vu ulls siiv ve e? ? That describes pretty much every casting process, but, yes, it was. The process was long and very complicated. Things became even more so when after I had been flagged as the front-runner for the role, the producers found out I had issues with my work visa. I am Canadian and my past work visa had just expired. I was in the process of getting a permanent resident greencard, but the approval hadn't come through yet. It almost cost me the gig. There was a moment where the whole thing looked like it might come apart. Production was only one week away from shooting and didn't have enough time to get another O1 visa. The greencard approval usually takes anywhere from 60-90 days to come through. At this point it had been 75 days after applying, but there wasn't a way to track its progress so there was no guarantee that it would come through before the start of filming. Everything was up in the air. In many ways I was at the mercy of the US immigration system. The morning that the final tapes were to be sent to the network, I received an email from the US government that changed the trajectory of my career. APPROVED. The next day I was on set with Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden for rehearsal. So yeah, "hectic and convulsive." It's true what they say. Timing is everything. T Th ho ou ug gh h t th he e p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y a an nd d s st to or ry y a ar re en n''t t t th he e s sa am me e,, t th he e s sh ho ow w s so om me ew wh ha at t r re em miin nd ds s m me e t to o t th hiis s o ot th he er r p po op pu ulla ar r m me ed diic ca all d dr ra am ma a c ca alllle ed d E ER R - - iis s iit t m me e o or r w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y t th he e s sh ho ow w s sh ha ar re es s s so om me e s siim miilla ar riit tiie es s? ? That's very kind of you to say, I always think being compared to “ER” is the highest compliment anyone can give a new medical drama. As far as tone and pace, I agree both shows are quite similar. Neither make any effort to glamorize the trauma center, instead the focus is on making the medicine and stories as authentic as possible. A At t t th he e t tiim me e o of f p pr re ep pa ar riin ng g f fo or r t th hiis s s sh ho ow w,, d diid d y yo ou u c ca at tc ch h o on n a an ny y p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r s siim miilla ar r s se er riie es s,, p pe er rh ha ap ps s E ER R o or r o olld de er r s se er riie es s? ? “ER” is the golden standard for the genre and I don't think many people can argue that. While filming the first season of “Code Black,” I used to watch old episodes of “ER” in my trailer. Edwards, Clooney and Wyle were the best and I was taught "you always steal from the best." II k kn no ow w s so om me e a ac ct to or rs s lliik ke e t to o f fe ee ell w wh ha at t t th he er re e a ar re e c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er rs s a ar re e g go oiin ng g t th hr ro ou ug gh h a an nd d t th ha at t s so or rt t o of f t th hiin ng gs s - - d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o g go o a an nd d w wiit tn ne es ss s a a r re ea all c co od de e b blla ac ck k a at t a an n h ho os sp piit ta all? ? I take enormous pride in playing a doctor. There’s a responsibility to honor their craft by understanding the medicine and conditions doctors work in. I’ve spent almost 200-combined hours in boot camp, shadowing real life doctors or prepping for complicated scenes with medical professionals. If we are shooting on location downtown, I still occasionally sneak over to LA County Hospital to say hi, and if I'm lucky they will be busy; maybe even in the middle of a Code Black. I love to watch them do their thing. T Th ha an nk ks s t to o iis ss su ue es s w wiit th h h hiis s d da ad d a as s w we e''v ve e s se ee en n iin n e ea ar rlly y e ep piis so od de es s t th hiis s s se ea as so on n a an nd d o ot th he er r e elle em me en nt ts s,, M Ma ar riio o iis s a am mo on ng g t th he e lle es ss s " "c ch he ee er rf fu ull" " a an nd d m mo or re e " "b br ro ok ke en n" " c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er rs s iin n t th he e s se er riie es s - - d do o y yo ou u p pe er rs so on na alllly y r re ella at te e t to o M Ma ar riio o o or r y yo ou u h ha av ve e b bo ot th h d diif ff fe er re en nt t p pe er rs so on na alliit tiie es s? ? Mario and my personalities are very different. There are, however, some similarities; we both drive hard for success and both sometimes get in the way because of over ambition. Its the flaws that make Mario who he is. I think the most interesting characters are flawed; battling some sort of inner demon. That's the human condition that links us all. When you watch a character fight to overcome those complications, they become accessible to the audience, more relatable. W Wh ha at t o ot th he er r c co on nf flliic ct ts s w wo ou ulld d b be e t te es st tiin ng g M Ma ar riio o t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t t th he e r re es st t o of f t th he e s se ea as so on n? ? Mario is tasked with trying to define what being a hero truly means as a doctor. He fights to understand the nuances between a good and great doctor. Lessons are learned mostly through tough life experiences. You will see Mario in the heat of some very difficult situations near the end of the season that will put his nerves and will to the test. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n B Be en njja am miin n H Ho olllliin ng gs sw wo or rt th h''s s w wo or rlld d? ? My wife and I recently had a baby boy this past summer. His name is Hemingway Nash Hollingsworth and he has completely changed the way I look at the world. He is a constant source of inspiration for me and something that has changed my life for the best. I feel I have a deeper well of emotional depth to draw from thanks to him.

H Hii IIa an n,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Very well, thanks for having me! D Diid d y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s w wa an nt t t to o b be e a a f fiillm m c co om mp po os se er r o or r h ho ow w d diid d t th ha at t c co om me e a ab bo ou ut t? ? Working in film is something I’ve always dreamed of since I was a kid. However I was never sure which aspect of film-making would actually make sense for me. As Music became more and more of an important facet in my life, I eventually realized that I could take these skills and apply to them to film! I majored in Film Scoring in college, however it wasn’t until a few years after that I would be able to really step into it full-time. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou ur r d da ay ys s b ba ac ck k iin n B Be er rk klle ee e c ch ha an ng ge ed d y yo ou u a an nd d s so om me eh ho ow w m ma ad de e y yo ou u t th he e a ar rt tiis st t y yo ou u a ar re e t to od da ay y? ? One thing I can definitely say is that a number of the people I met while I was there changed my life, and continue to be some of the most important relationships I have. Number one being my wife! A lot of people go into Berklee thinking that their curriculum is going to guarantee you success in the industry, but it’s very much more a place that allows you to figure out what you want to do & then how to pursue it. Being there allowed me to realize my passion for scoring, as well as setting up a career as a touring musician. S So o lle et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t C Clliin niic ca all - - w wh ha at t w wa as s iit t lliik ke e t to o w wo or rk k a ag ga aiin n w wiit th h A Alliis st ta aiir r f fo or r a a s se ec co on nd d t tiim me e? ? It was so awesome getting to work with Alistair again! He & I became quite good friends after the first film, so this was definitely a fun experience. I was lucky that I got to watch as this story started as a rough draft, to full script, to getting picked up & so on. As a film-nerd I am always fascinated by the film-making process, so I was like a kid in a candy store during this. W Wa as s t th hiis s a a w wh ho olle e n ne ew w e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e o or r iin n s so om me e w wa ay y,, o or r d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s p piic ck k u up p t th he e p piie ec ce es s lle ef ft t o on n T Th he e D Diia ab bo olliic ca all? ? Working on Clinical was definitely a different experience to The Diabolical, since I was able to get involved quite early on. Alistair and I were throwing around music ideas while they were still putting the final script together, and that continued all throughout development and prodution. I even got to stop by the set a couple times, since they were filming pretty close to my house. II n no ot tiic ce ed d iin n t th he e m mo ov viie e h ho ow w t th he e m mu us siic c iis s u us se ed d t to o h hiig gh hlliig gh ht t s so om me et th hiin ng g h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g r ra at th he er r t th ha an n jju us st t s se er rv viin ng g a as s a a b ba ac ck kg gr ro ou un nd d d diis st tr ra ac ct tiio on n - - w wh hy y d diid d y yo ou u c ch ho oo os se e t to o t ta ak ke e t th hiis s a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h? ? Alistair & I are both big fans of music that can really carry a story forward & really have an emphasis on different emotions. He doesn’t do subtle! There are still quite a few moments where this score serves to create an ambiance, but I think we both really pushed for some of those bigger moments to HIT the audience. II k kn no ow w y yo ou u h ha av ve e w wo or rk ke ed d o on n a a w wiid de e r ra an ng ge e o of f f fo or rm ma at ts s - - d do o y yo ou u t te en nd d t to o t ta ak ke e a a d diif ff fe er re en nt t a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n t th he e f fo or rm ma at t o or r g ge en nr re e o or r y yo ou u h ha av ve e s so om me e s so or rt t o of f a a w wo or rk kiin ng g f fo or rm mu ulla a? ? Every story is a bit different. I find that working on Documentaries usually require A LOT of writing, however it’s not as always thematically based as a Narrative might be. On the other hand I might work on an indie comedy that doesn’t require that much music - but that will need much more of an emphasis and focus on having strong themes. I’m finding more and more that I like to use themes as much as I can, even if the “theme” is just a certain sound or drone. I like using repetition to my advantage, I think that’s often the best way to connect a story together & make the film feel cohesive. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? D Diid d y yo ou u w wr riit te e t th he e m mu us siic c w wh hiille e llo oo ok kiin ng g a at t t th he e s sc ce en ne es s o or r b ba as se ed d o on n w wh ha at t y yo ou u r re ea ad d iin n t th he e s sc cr riip pt t? ? It was funny how even though I was involved with this film so early on, once I finally had it in front of me I still spent almost a good month figuring out the right voice of the film! I did write a handful of ideas just based off of the script and conversations with Alistair, however I always feel that my strongest writing comes from visuals. I enjoy reading scripts and often ask for them on films even though I have picture - however I feel the visuals always tell me what the story needs a bit better. H Ho ow w d diid d H Hu un ng ga ar ry y a an nd d iit ts s e en nv viir ro on nm me en nt t iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th hiis s p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r s sc co or re e? ? We recorded with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra remotely, so we were actually sitting in my studio in Los Angles watching them record live! It was such a cool, but strange experience. There was a specific type of sound I really wanted from the Strings, which is that Icy, cold, “Icelandic”-type string sound, and I think they really pulled it off beautifully. It wasn’t a huge section, (20 players) but I rarely get to record live players so I was thrilled to hear them bring these cues to life. We also got to record a Women’s Choir with them, which was incredibly haunting and surreal. I want Choir on everything now! Y Yo ou u b br ro ou ug gh ht t u up p s so om me e m mu us siic ciia an ns s t to o h he ellp p y yo ou u o ou ut t - - w wh ha at t w wa as s iit t lliik ke e t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h t th he es se e a ar rt tiis st ts s a an nd d w wh ha at t d diid d t th he ey y b br ro ou ug gh ht t u up p t to o t th he e t ta ab blle e? ? Yes, I love bringing in friends to collaborate whenever I can. I’m very much a one- man show most of the time when it comes to scoring, so I always enjoy the company :). There were a number of people involved with this one, between my wife & constant collaborator Sofia Hultquist (Vocals, Additional Music), as well as Ray Suen (Violin), Satoshi Noguchi (Mixing Engineer), Eric Arvinder (Orchestrator), Xander Singh (Synths) and Jon Natchez (Crazy Tuba). Every one brought such amazing talent and ideas to the score, I always find it so inspiring. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of these people quite often, so it’s slowly turning into a great little community of musicians. W We er re e t th he er re e a an ny y p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? I think the biggest challenge was just making sure that the score felt right for the film. It’s such a crazy and layered story, the music really had to keep up with the changes. We wanted to have the audience in tears and then scare the pants off them all within a minute or two. It’s a big job! I’m really proud of this film though, I truly think everyone stepped up to the plate and showed how they were growing as filmmakers. I feel super lucky to have been a part of it. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n IIa an n H Hu ullt tq qu uiis st t''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Good question! I was super lucky to get to work with the amazing Erin Lee Carr again for a new HBO doc called “Mommy Dead & Dearest”. That should be coming out in March I think. There are a couple other things I’ve worked on, as well as upcoming projects but I don’t think I can mention them just yet!

H Hii P Pe ep pp piin na a,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Been great, thank you! C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "M Mo om me en nt ts s" "? ? In a nutshell, Moments is about celebrating the power of love. I almost never write about relationships or love - there are so many songs about that already so I always try to push myself to write about different topics and themes, and explore emotions and actions outside just relationships. But when it comes down to it, there are few things in life that could give you more energy than loving and being loved, so it's important to acknowledge and appreciate that, too. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Being an artist is not just your job, it's your life, so in a way you're working 24/7. I rarely take real breaks from that. But one weekend I did, I took a few days off with someone I love and just enjoyed those moments, fully, openly and without thinking. It gave me so much energy, and I felt compelled to write about it. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? We're working to get started on it, stay tuned! T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w a allb bu um m F Fiir re e - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? The album is both lyrically and musically energetic, electric, empowering and powerful - just like fire. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? It was so amazing. I got to work with so many wonderful people and learned so much. I think I was really able to plant a piece of me in each song, and really push myself creatively to make the best record I can make. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s H He ells siin nk kii p plla ay y iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? It's hard to say, but I would imagine that entering the USA markets coming from another country gives me a different perspective on many things, and different often means something interesting! W Wh ha at t''s s lliik ke e t to o h ha av ve e J Jo os se ep ph h G Go or rd do on n- -L Le ev viit tt t a as s a a f fa an n? ? His support played an irreplaceable role in my story, and it's for sure I wouldn't be where I am now without him. Y Yo ou ur r lly yr riic cs s t te en nd ds s t to o a allw wa ay ys s b be ee en n f fiilllle ed d w wiit th h o op pt tiim miis sm m - - w wo ou ulld d t th hiis s c co on nt tiin nu ue e o on n t th hiis s r re ec co or rd d o or r y yo ou u a ar re e d diiv viin ng g iin nt to o s so om me e d da ar rk k t te er rr riit to or ry y? ? W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e s so on ng gs s a an nd d lly yr riic cs s? ? This record will definitely have a more darker and edgier taste to it, but at the end of the day I always want to stay on the positive side. I think you can be sad and happy and weak and strong at the same time - it's all about challenging your perspective. Finding the silver lining. Lately I've been repeating a mantra that inspires me to keep going, and it goes like this: The world needs strong, healthy and happy people. If there's anything I can do with my music to help anyone be stronger, healthier or happier, I want to do it. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? There's nothing I love more, so yes, as much as I can! W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n P Pe ep pp piin na a''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Next there will be a lot of shows. The first one in NYC will be at the Knitting Factory on February 9th - hope to see you there!

Is it life imitating art or the other way around? Our world has always had its times of that were tempestuous, seemingly surreal, and yet music has always been there to help the artist express themselves through the trials, through the journey's path, and into the next platitude beyond. Maybe, this what Gemini Syndrome has finally come to understand. With the release of their second album, created to be a trilogy, this Los Angeles based alt­nu metal band certainly have walked through some of modern times horrors, and taken them to their music perhaps as a cathartic way of dealing. Expression can be the medicine needed at times. Gemini Syndrome's first album, Lux, was released in 2013 and its base focused on the birth, the coming of age, and development of each life force. Their latest album, Momento Mori, progress us along to the next stage of life; the living part of this journey. Not an easy undertaking to bare one's inner workings so much, but vocalist Aaron Nordstrom evidently feels that he and the band needed to carry this forth as the third album will be forthcoming in the near future with the keywords bringing the full circle round... "intention" and "brought to light." S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th hiis s lla at te es st t a allb bu um m,, M Me em me en nt to o M Mo or rii.. R Re ea alllly y c ca am me e iin nt to o b be eiin ng g a at t a a v ve er ry y h he ea av vy y p po oiin nt t iin n s so oc ciie et tiie es s t tiim me elliin ne e.. B Be ef fo or re e w we e g go o o on n a an nd d t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t iit ts s b ba ac ck k s st to or ry y d diid d y yo ou u iin nt te en nd d o on n t th hiis s a allb bu um m b be eiin ng g a as s d da ar rk k a as s iit t iis s p pr riio or r t to o t th he e iin nc ciid de en nt ts s t th ha at t o oc cc cu ur rr re ed d d du ur riin ng g s so on ng gw wr riit tiin ng g? ? Aaron Nordstrom: Yes, the intention was there before we started writing the whole thing. It was the strange course of events that happened worldwide during the process that was so surreal and powerful. Truly life imitating art (or the other way around) but there was really no way we could have seen that coming. We knew the title and concept but it all unfolded in a natural way. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g go o a ab bo ou ut t d de ec ciid diin ng g t th ha at t y yo ou u w wa an nt te ed d t to o c cr re ea at te e a a ''t tr riillo og gy y'' o of f s so or rt ts s? ? T Th he e f fiir rs st t a allb bu um m w wa as s,, L Lu ux x.. T Ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t iit ts s d de ev ve ello op pm me en nt t a an nd d s st tr ru uc ct tu ur re e.. Aaron Nordstrom: When we decided upon the title "Lux" meaning light, we saw it as our first musical creation as this band. Our first exposure to the world and hence the birth of the band. The subject matter deals a lot with coming of age, family matters, identity development etc. The concept of three's is found through mythology, philosophy, music, science and so on. Birth, life, and death or transformation resonated with us as a pretty obvious platform to work from. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: N No ow w w wiit th h t th hiis s lla at te es st t w wo or rk k,, M Me em me en nt to o M Mo or rii,, n nu um mb be er r t tw wo o iin n t th he e t tr riillo og gy y,, r re ea alllly y d de ellv ve es s iin nt to o lliif fe e/ /jjo ou ur rn ne ey y.. H Hiin nt tiin ng g b ba ac ck k t to o t th he e f fiir rs st t q qu ue es st tiio on n a an nd d w wh ha at t iis s t ta ak kiin ng g p plla ac ce e iin n o ou ur r s so oc ciie et ty y,, d do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d m mo om me en nt ts s o of f p po os siit tiiv ve e? ? Aaron Nordstrom: Absolutely. Learning more about who you are and what you're about, and the place you want to fill in this world is one of the greatest parts of being alive. It's your story to write and experience. That being said, life isn't simple or easy and sometimes some dark things, tragic things can happen and we face those situations and challenges with what we've learned about ourselves and about the character we have developed. Iron becomes tempered through fire and life isn't much different. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIs s t th he er re e a a p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r t tr ra ac ck k o of ff f o of f M Mo om me en nt to o M Mo or rii t th ha at t y yo ou u f fiin nd d t to ou uc ch he es s t to oo o c cllo os se e a at t t tiim me es s t to o e em mo ot tiio on ns s y yo ou u f fe ee ell o on n t th hiis s jjo ou ur rn ne ey y? ? Aaron Nordstrom: Not really. They all have particular memories and associations for me personally and I think for everyone in their own way. That's the beauty of creating art. Each piece is its own story and it's own moment in the journey.

S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th he er re e w wa as s a an n iin nc ciid de en nt t d du ur riin ng g t th he e w wr riit tiin ng g o of f o on ne e o of f y yo ou ur r t tr ra ac ck ks s o of ff f t th hiis s n ne ew w a allb bu um m c ca alllle ed d,, “ “Z Ze ea allo ot t..” ” C Ca an n y yo ou u s sh ha ar re e w wh ha at t w wa as s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g a an nd d h ho ow w iit t r re ea alllly y d de ev ve ello op pe ed d t th hiis s t tr ra ac ck k iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? Aaron Nordstrom: It wasn't during the writing of the song but the recording of the vocals. We had written the song after watching an author speak about a book called "Zealot" and the state of affairs in the world. It was an intense experience. While I was tracking we took a break and turned on the news to see the Paris attacks unfolding live. It was unreal because the events are exactly what the song is talking about. I was very emotional about it and eventually, we went back in and finished the track with those feelings fresh in everyone's head and heart. It was a powerful moment. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: G Go oiin ng g b ba ac ck k t to o lla as st t y ye ea ar r,, a as s y yo ou u w we er re e w wo or rk kiin ng g o on n w wr riit tiin ng g t th hiis s a allb bu um m,, t th he e a at tt ta ac ck ks s o oc cc cu ur rr re ed d iin n P Pa ar riis s.. H Ho ow w d diid d t th ho os se e a at tt ta ac ck ks s p plla ay y iin nt to o y yo ou ur r o op pe en niin ng g t tr ra ac ck k,, “ “A An no on ny ym mo ou us s? ?” ” Aaron Nordstrom: Anonymous was influenced by a lot of events. Not one in particular. There's the obvious relation to the internet group and maybe a more subtle relation to the film "V for Vendetta". The song is an anthem for free thinking and questioning what is fed to us by media and other outlets. Think for yourself. Stand together. Be bigger than just yourself by being together, not separate. That's the message here and throughout the album. We are stronger as people when we are unified instead of divided. It's a pretty simple concept I think. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: F Fr ro om m t th hiis s lla at te es st t a allb bu um m,, w wh ha at t iis s iit t y yo ou u w wa an nt t y yo ou ur r f fa an ns s t to o w wa allk k a aw wa ay y w wiit th h? ? Aaron Nordstrom: A sense of community. An acute appreciation for life and its experiences. It's short here in these bodies. Whether or not you believe in an afterlife or a God or don't, the reality is that this I the only thing we have "proof" of and in that light why would we spend it sewing misery or cruelty? Being happy feels good. It's not easy. Sometimes life is hard but even with adversity and pain and suffering it's still what we have. I remember someone saying this once though I don't remember where. "Life is a piece of shit, but it's my piece of shit." S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th he e lla as st t p pa ar rt t o of f t th hiis s t tr riillo og gy y t to olld d w wiillll c co om me e “ “d de ea at th h/ /r re eb biir rt th h” ” a as s y yo ou ur r n ne ex xt t a allb bu um m.. IIs s t th he er re e h ho op pe e c co om miin ng g? ? Aaron Nordstrom: There's always hope coming. When it comes to the afterlife there's really one of two scenarios. One, you die and there's something else after and no one will know until they get there. Or two, you die and there's nothing so you won't be there to notice it. The calm quiet of oblivion. I'll find out one of these days which one it is. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIn n y yo ou ur r g ge en nr re e,, iit t s se ee em ms s t th he e c cr re ea at tiin ng g o of f a a s st to or ry y t th ha at t c ca an n b br riid dg ge e iit ts se ellf f t th hr ro ou ug gh h m mo or re e t th ha an n o on ne e a allb bu um m,, d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k y yo ou u w wiillll f fiin nd d y yo ou ur rs se ellf f a as s G Ge em miin nii S Sy yn nd dr ro om me e c co on nt tiin nu uiin ng g t to o m mo or rp ph h a an nd d c ch ha an ng ge e? ? Aaron Nordstrom: Absolutely. That's one of the only real guarantees in life is that everything can and will change. We want to evolve as musicians and storytellers and performers. We want to grow personally and as a band. If we're not doing that then we're probably wasting time. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wiit th h d de ea at th h a an nd d r re eb biir rt th h,, f fiir rs st t o of f a allll,, iis s t th he er re e a a t tiit tlle e f fo or r t th he e t th hiir rd d a allb bu um m a an nd d d do o y yo ou u f fe ee ell t th ha at t w we e c ca an n a allll s st te ep p iin nt to o t th he e lliig gh ht t a an nd d s so om me eh ho ow w g ge et t a allo on ng g? ? Aaron Nordstrom: There's no title quite yet but a lot of ideas floating around. And yes, with some time, energy, and intention we will all be brought to light.

And we can't think of a better way to put this trio of music mania monster's who are breathing the rock n roll fire of garage punk rock again our way! The “Radke” brothers are like nothing else out there and as they taken their true surname and turned it to Radkey for their band name, it is time to put their rock onto your player and turn it up! S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th he er re e iis s u un nq qu ue es st tiio on na ab blly y a a c co on nn ne ec ct tiio on n b be et tw we ee en n R Ra ad dk ke ey y a an nd d t th he e R Ra am mo on ne es s.. W Wh ha at t iis s iit t IIs sa aiia ah h a ab bo ou ut t t th he eiir r s so ou un nd d a an nd d t th ha at t p po oiin nt t o of f t tiim me e t th ha at t y yo ou u a as s b br ro ot th he er r iid de en nt tiif fiie ed d w wiit th h? ? Isaiah Radkey: We always loved how straightforward they were. They're pretty much the perfect band for teaching you how to write pretty cool simple songs. We grew up on their sound. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t th he e g giig g o op pe en niin ng g f fo or r F Fiis sh hb bo on ne e b ba ac ck k iin n 2 20 01 11 1 ? ? Isaiah Radkey: The crazy thing is the original opener dropped off the bill, so our dad hit up the promoter and got us on the show. The promoter never asked if we'd ever played a show or anything before. Just if we could fill 30 minutes, which we lied about. We wrote enough new songs to fill the slot and we played our first show ever. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: D Diid d iit t d da aw wn n y yo ou u w wh ha at t t th ha at t w wo ou ulld d c co om me e t to o m me ea an n? ? F Fiis sh hb bo on ne e iis sn n''t t a a s sm ma allll n na am me e.. Isaiah Radkey: We honestly thought that we were famous afterward. Turns out that's not actually what happened. Playing that show though meant so much to us. Our very first show having been with them automatically made us a band that you could take seriously and book on shows even though we were super young. Really since our first show was so big, it pretty much made us want to chase that feeling and feel it again. That show kept us going for our whole career basically. We were really lucky. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: 2 20 01 1 5 5 t to oo ok k y yo ou u a allll o ov ve er r t to o E Eu ur ro op pe e o on n t to ou ur r.. D Diid d y yo ou u n no ot tiic ce e a an ny yt th hiin ng g iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r d diif ff fe er re en nt t b be et tw we ee en n t th he e w wa ay y E Eu ur ro op pe e r re ea ac ct te ed d a an nd d a ac cc ce ep pt te ed d y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c b by y c co om mp pa ar riis so on n t to o t th he e s st ta at te es s? ? Isaiah Radkey: Definitely. European crowds seem to really understand American rock music and just really love it a lot more. I always tell people that it feels like we're an actual band over there. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t w wa as s iit t d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k R Ro os ss s O Or rt to on n b br ro ou ug gh ht t t to o t th he e R Ra ad dk ke ey y''s s t th ha at t y yo ou u c co ou ulld dn n''t t b br riin ng g y yo ou ur rs se ellv ve es s? ? Isaiah Radkey: He taught us so much. He showed us that we could take our music into a lot of different places. A lot more than we knew at the time. After working with him on songwriting it became easier. We feel that we understand music so much more. Working with him really helped us become the band that we've always wanted to be. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIf f y yo ou u w wo ou ulld d d de es sc cr riib be e y yo ou ur r a allb bu um m''s s,, " "D De elliic ciio ou us s R Ro oc ck k N No oiis se e" " s so ou un nd d.. Isaiah Radkey: Super loud, heavy, catchy, rock music. The kind that we grew up on and always wanted to make. We wanna bring back the classic style of crazy guitar solos and big crazy choruses. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h o of f iit t f fe ee ells s lliik ke e iit t iis s s st tiillll w wh ho o y yo ou u w we er re e,, b bu ut t m mo or re e iim mp po or rt ta an nt tlly y w wh ho o y yo ou u a ar re e n no ow w? ? Isaiah Radkey: The album is definitely everything that we are. We put everything into it. Listening to it is to live inside of our brains. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: Y Yo ou ur r m mu us siic c h ha as s b ba as siic ca alllly y b be ee en n y yo ou ur r w wh ho olle e lliif fe e.. W Wh he er re e d diid d t th he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e c co om me e f fr ro om m t th ha at t jja az zz ze ed d a allll t th hr re ee e o of f y yo ou u t to o t ta ak ke e t th he e m mu us siic c r ro oa ad d? ? Isaiah Radkey: Dad brought home the movie School of Rock, and he had pretty much all of the music that was in it. Stuff like Ramones, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC. It's pretty weird, but it's an awesome movie that really inspired us to play music and got us into a lot of awesome stuff. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: M Mo os st t p pr ro ob ba ab blly y d do on n''t t r re ea alliiz ze e h ho ow w llo on ng g y yo ou u''v ve e a ac ct tu ua alllly y b be ee en n p plla ay yiin ng g.. L Lo oo ok kiin ng g b ba ac ck k y yo ou ur rs se ellv ve es s w wh ha at t h ha as s b be ee en n m mo os st t c ch ha alllle en ng giin ng g s so o f fa ar r? ? Isaiah Radkey: The road is really hard and long but we're really used to it, and we actually love it. Everything else has pretty been fun the whole time. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t iis s t th he e b ba ac ck k- -s st to or ry y t to o " "D Da ar rk k B Blla ac ck k M Ma ak ke eu up p? ?" " Isaiah Radkey: It's pretty much a song inspired by the X- Men villain Apocalypse. Imagine if there were a being that woke up and punished everyone for being lame and boring. It's a song about waking up and enjoying life before it's over. Don't go to a show and be lame and quiet. Party and enjoy it instead of trying so hard to look cool. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIs s y yo ou ur r f fa at th he er r s st tiillll t th he e b ba an nd d m ma an na ag ge er r? ? Isaiah Radkey: He is! S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th hr re ee e b br ro ot th he er rs s,, p plla ay yiin ng g p pu un nk k- -r ro oc ck k,, a allll s so on ng gw wr riit te er rs s,, lliiv viin ng g t th he e r ro oc ck k n n r ro ollll d dr re ea am m.. D Do o y yo ou u a allll e ev ve er r llo oo ok k a at t e ea ac ch h o ot th he er r a an nd d g go o,, " "T TH HIIS S IIS S F FR RE EA AK KIIN NG G A AW WE ES SO OM ME E!!" "? ? Isaiah Radkey: We definitely do. We always think back to jamming in our hot green upstairs jam room. Writing stupid songs and playing to annoyed cats. We were homeschooled so we've seen nothing, really. Then some jams basically took us around to see the world and get some serious life experience. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w h ha as s m mu us siic c b be ee en n a a p pe er rs so on na all jjo ou ur rn ne ey y f fo or r a allll o of f y yo ou u? ? Isaiah Radkey: It's the first job we've ever had, and we've been doing it since we can remember doing any kind of actual thing. It's really wild, because we've met so many people, and a lot of things would be totally different if we never started this. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wr riit tiin ng g,, r re ec co or rd diin ng g,, d dr ro op pp piin ng g s siin ng glle es s,, v viid de eo os s,, t to ou ur riin ng g w wh ha at t e ells se e iis s iin n t th he e s sc ch he em me e f fo or r R Ra ad dk ke ey y a an nd d w wh he er re e d do o y yo ou u w wa an nt t 2 20 01 1 7 7 t to o g go o? ? Isaiah Radkey: We pretty much want to keep writing and get to work on the next record. And to tour and play as many shows as we possibly can. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: Y Yo ou u''v ve e jju us st t b be ee en n g giiv ve en n t th he e c ch ha an nc ce e o of f a a lliif fe et tiim me e.. Y Yo ou u g ge et t t to o c ch ho oo os se e w wh he er re e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o p plla ay y a an nd d w wh ho o w wiillll b be e s sh ha ar riin ng g t th he e s st ta ag ge e w wiit th h t th he e b ba an nd d...... w wh he er re e d do o y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o p plla ay y a an nd d w wiit th h w wh ho om m? ? Isaiah Radkey: The Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas with Nirvana!!!

Kicking off their tour, The End Is Here, on January 13th in Tempe, Arizona at the rock venue near Arizona State University, Falling In Reverse took the headliner and brought along co- headliner's Motionless In White, ISSUES and opening bands Dangerkids and Dead Girls Academy. All of them: the perfect mash of all types of rock that complemented each other and brought a crowd- swelling room more than once to the buzzed up frenzy of rock n roll! Scads of Hardcore, Metal, Goth, Punk, Rock n Roll 'fiends' lined themselves up outside the venue doors, down the parking lot, over the bridge, and across the road over the Tempe Salt River waters. Many adorned themselves to show who their favorite band was by wearing dark heavy makeup, torn jeans, multicolored hair, spiked boots, short skirts, leather, piercings, altered ears, and of course, their band's t-shirts from previous shows. It was great seeing the mixtures of fans and listening to them chatter with anticipated excitement that they were to be the first on the tour list to see it all kickoff and did it ever! It was a hell-ah good show! It wasn't long after the venue's doors opened and everyone shuffled quickly through security that the ground floor before the stage was wall to wall fans. Some of the crowd made their way up to the balcony, which is 21 and over only, to settle in. Both top and bottom were tight with the opening night tour of anxious fans. They chanted for Motionless In White, ISSUES, Falling In Reverse- these fans were ready to welcome the night of music. Their pleas were heard and right on time, the first opening band, Dead Girls Academy hit the stage. A five-piece band, that had the young girls screaming, and lead by vocalist frontman, Michael Vampire, formerly of Vampires Everywhere, took the stage and shook the crowd. Impressive. Dead Girls Academy is nowhere near as theatrically fun as Vampires Everywhere, but they still have a nuance that directs to the early days of Escape the Fate and Falling In Reverse. Their set was hard, bleeding and spot on. It tore at your soul. Not much can be found on this band as scouring the internet kept the connections running back to the former band, but if what they are creating in this new directive under Mister Vampire continues the metalcore/goth/alt world has a strong contender. If felt good to hear. As their set came to a close, and the audience in unison showed appreciation for DGA, the stage hands came on and quickly the Dangerkids began their set. One of the most notable things about Dangerkids is once you hear them, you're addicted. They deliver a tight mix of tight driving hardcore/clean and unclean vocals. Opening their set with their live debut, “Things Could Be Different” was the helium high that tore a hole in the rock ozone. The crowd went beyond insane with fists pumping, metal signs raging and crowd surfing. The too short set of only six tunes left every single person hungry for more. Bringing in another layer of rapping mixed in their signature style of identification, “Paper Lines” is an anthem that beats true. Hitting it hard Dangerkids performed the tune, “Kill Everything” from their new album Blacklist out January 27th on Paid Vacation Records. With the skills seemingly in their mix these band members, Andy Bane, Tyler Smyth, Jake Bonham, and Katie Cole are another perfect link in this tours chain. Maybe, since this mix is so freaking right... The End Is Here Tour... isn't too far off. With another quick stage change, and about a twenty minute passing period, the crowd was now packed so tightly against the pit guard that security was passing out waters over the railing to the crushed-heat exhausted fans. Even as the soft purple colored lights flowed across the stage, the fans continued to push forward as the members of Motionless In White entered the domicile. With a thunderous roar from the MIW fans rushing and forceful mounting gridlock of rock n roll bodies, it almost seemed that it would overpower the railing. There the stage was on full display in shadows and lit jack o lantern's with candles flickering, but a silenced death whisper: Chris Motionless' presence made its entrance onto the stage and immediately all seemed to calm down. It was as if a dose of a magic concoction had been administered over the clamoring fans and everyone closely bound together stopped the shoving and began to sing along as MIW opened their set with their speed metal and screaming vocals. “570” their first single released off their soon to be coming album, Graveyard Shift. 2014 was the last released album, Reincarnate, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart. Having won over fans from all genre crossovers, what Motionless In White offers is an aggressive, and expressive creativity form of energy. This imagery is infectious and undeniable for this band out of Scranton, Pennsylvania who took the realm of metal in 2005 and hasn't let up since. Now signed with Roadrunner Records, bandmates Chris Motionless [All Vocals]; Ricky Horror [Guitar]; standing in on this tour Marie-Christine – Keyboards (Josh Balz had left the band several days before the tour began after 10 years with the band); session and touring mate since 2014 Vinny Mauro [drums]; Ryan Sitkowski [Guitar]; and Devin "Ghost" Sola [Bass] MIW is set. Kylie Devyn joined MIW and became a part of the stage performance. Dressed in a mocking- horror clown outfit, with fishnet stockings, a short skirt and a taunting attitude Kylie began throwing singular candy pieces out of jack- o-lantern and into the crowd. As the song, “Everybody Sells Cocaine” began, she showered the elated crowd of reaching fingers and flailing arms in miniature candy bars. All throughout the show, Kylie came out in a variety of get-ups and even brought out the heavy duty water gun and unleashed her water streams over the beckoning crowds. It was at the climactic moment of the show when MIW performed their cover of System of a Down's “Chop Suey.” From the rafters to the stage lights, to the sway of the stage curtains, to the pounding upon the venue floors, this song was the night's highlight. The waves of body surfers were almost flying over faster than the security people could manage. The pulsating emotion breathed in exultation as this was Chris Motionless' finest vocal moment, and the band's resounding triumph that Ricky, Ryan, Devin, Marie-Christine, and Vinny could hold was the inner sanctum of belief. Debuting their song, “Eternally Yours,” MIW went right into their final song, “Reincarnate” and the crowd was completely satisfied. Rapidly following MIW, the stage was set and presented for ISSUES to take their “Intercoastal Heavy Pop” sound to the masses. ISSUES is always such a fun band to listen to and watch perform. Having been along on the 2016 Warped Tour, and integrating our beloved Pokemon, the band had formed in 2012 out of Atlanta and the Los Angeles area. Heck, everyone loves ISSUES music, what is there not to love? They are fun, energetic, 'hooligan-ish,' and the skater community is completely hooked. These guys are lit. ISSUES wasted no time taking the wheel and driving their sound as they opened with the powerful hard heavy rock tune of “Blue Wall.” Their mix of clean vocals, Tyler Carter (2015 AP Award Best Vocalist Nominee) and unclean vocals, Michael Bohn, is the quintessential bit of nu metal, heavy-core sound. “COMA” continued to showcase the masterful guitar work of Adrian "AJ" Rebollo and the soft vocal quality Carter possesses. With only two studio albums to pull from, ISSUES (2014) and Headspace (2016), and a few EP's, ISSUES has squared a space for themselves. The drum work by Josh Manuel crushes it on their next track performed, “Princeton Ave.” ISSUES live debut of their latest album, Headspace, connected the bridge as bassist Skyler Acord (2016 AP Award Best Bassist Won) took their tune, “Home Soon.” There is an undeniable stamp of approval as ISSUES continues their affiliations with Monster Energy, Hot Topic, Journeys Shoes, Live Nation, and others. They are identifiable to today's youth and they meet the demands of a wide range of music listeners. Their music isn't easily placed in a box to be called this or that. It can be said ISSUES is Heavy Pop, Nu Metal, Punk, and Rock. That is why they have such a diverse and extensive following. Turning it up to the boy gets the girl, loses girl, motocross racing tune of driving force, “The Realest.” In 2013, ISSUES released their stand-alone single with a video, “Hooligans” and it was this song that set everything in motion for ISSUES. The perfect completion to their set. Having been on Warped more than once, and sharing the stage with some of the biggest names along the way - Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men and others - ISSUES has made and continues to make their mark clear on the history of music timeline. The 'end' was now near, as the night opening for the tour “The End Is Here” gave way to its final band that night. The lights went down and the momentous intensity the crowd had been waiting for hit the stage, Falling In Reverse, was in the house. A blonde Ronnie Radke dressed like the days of Kurt Cobain rocked the stage and the presence of somewhat in musical style took on more of a Chris Fronz likeness. The set opens with the anthemic track, “Sink or Swim.” It is a well-known fact that Radke has had his issues and it would seem as any engaging artist with an eclectic mess can generate, and does, a most intuitive response. The definition of a chemical reaction is Radke. Who cares whether you love, hate, admire, or are repulsed because Falling In Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke is one of those rough around the edges, unpredictable at times, prick, but brilliant minded, and rock n roll operative like none other. Many see him as both equal villain and hero, it depends on who has either had their feelings hurt over his reactions/actions or who has stood there gobsmacked realizing he has laid it all on the line. Take him or leave him. Radke is. Falling In Reverse continues to break every rule. That is what makes them who they are and it makes for good music. Right into the next song, “God, If You Are Above,” it seems to have been written straight from the Radke speed dial; “The spirit's stuck between two roads and waiting there on me, The first path is the way to go, the life I want to lead, The second road's my crazy past, The darkest points I've tried to mask...” From the album, Fashionably Late, Radke's energy sprang forward like a tight wound clock. Bouncing all over the stage. First, left-then-right, his legs could have been pogo sticks and there wasn't any stopping Radke from there. Tightening the cord and plunging the liquid screamo hardcore rock FIR brought “Chemical Prisoner” to a rapaciously roaring crowd of believers. Total elation and voices rang out along with Radke's as “Game Over” took its turn. Such a fun song that takes you right back to those early days of pop punk rock fun. Falling In Reverse debuted three new tunes from their forthcoming album, Coming Home, on this tour with the titled single, “Coming Home.” A rich melodic song that cuts in deep to the emotional side and beauty. Falling In Reverse with this new album is taking some by surprise as it's a different direction for the band. It has a mature sound, that shows the vocal development clearly of Radke and the strength that is solidly bound in each band member: Derek Jones – [rhythm guitar, vocals]; [Ryan Seaman – drums, percussion, vocals]; Zakk Sandler – [bass, vocals ]; Christian Thompson – [lead guitar, backing vocals]. Next, from the new album, “Loser” began and the crowd's reaction was overwhelming. There was a thread of trust and emotion that flowed between the lyrics leaving Radke's lips and the receptive ears of those in the audience. It was moving and unworldly charged. The last debut came with the track, “Departure” which lends itself more to the side known to FIR fans, yet it speaks ostentatiously to the order of FIR. Still one of the most humoristic tunes thrown into this set had to be the 80's punk soundtrack, “The Drug In Me Is You.” Just a crack whoring great tune. Overall, and through it all, maybe it Falling In Reverse is back to not only sounding like they are having fun but actually living like they are. The End Is Here Tour is continuing on through mid-February, and then the bands take a shift and head on into other tour dates. Falling In Reverse will be out on the road at least through July and making it over to the Chicago Open Air Festival. ISSUES will be connecting with A Day To Remember, Sleeping with Sirens, Pierce The Veil as they are out and about through June. You will be able to find Motionless In White all over the place in the states through May, then they head over to Europe and have several dates slated. Dangerkids will be chilling through February on this tour, and then they certainly must have other plans in the making along with Dead Girls Academy because there is no way any force of nature is going to stop those two bands.

H Hii J Ja ak ke e,, w wlle ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hello VENTS, first off thank you so much for welcoming me to the VENTS family. 1 1 .. H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Fantastic. Enjoying family time over the holiday break before returning to Atlanta to shoot the finale episode of The Quad Season 1. I'm doing my best to tell my family how amazing shooting is going without spoiling any big plot points! 2 2.. Y Yo ou u’’r re e a an n a ac ct to or r a an nd d w wr riit te er r,, d diid d o on ne e f fiie elld d p pu us sh h y yo ou u t to o t th he e o ot th he er r? ? I've been doing both since I can remember. I can't say one field pushed me to the other. I will say that the more I get to act in great scripts, the more I learn about writing which I can ultimately fuse into my own scripts! And from a writer's perspective, it is so beneficial to my acting to simply kick back on set and watch awesome acting... And yes, it's especially cool to watch them perform your own words! On the last film I wrote, EX- PATRIOT, I learned so much about acting from watching our lead, Valene Kane, every day on set. From her I learned how to trust your preparation. She never tried to push out a performance and I think the movie and her character really payed off from it. Check her out in the new Stars Wars movie, ROGUE ONE, she rocked it! 3 3.. H Ho ow w d do o y yo ou ur r w wr riit tiin ng g s sk kiilllls s h he ellp p iin n p plla ay yiin ng g a a c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r? ? My background in writing helps me immensely. Every single word, letter, and punctuation mark is on the page for a specific reason. The actor has to respect that and be able to learn from it. Recognizing all the small details in a script help me find what I call, "the person behind the words". For example, does the character talk in short sentences or long? Does he use proper grammar? Does he speak directly or does he talk around subjects? Answering these questions add up to a specific, honest, and relatable character. Sadly, too many actors want to just read the character's dialogue and then start memorizing lines. Respect the script, study it, and you'll be rewarded with a layered character you can use once it is time to speak the lines! 4 4.. W Wh ha at t d dr re ew w y yo ou u iin nt to o B Bo ojjo oh hn n F Fo olls so om m a an nd d y yo ou ur r s sh ho ow w,, T Th he e Q Qu ua ad d? ? Definitely the duality of playing a character I tremendously connected with while also entering a complete unknown. I grew up in Texas and played football my whole life, just like BoJohn, and that connection really excited me. I felt like I knew BoJohn's history right away. But equally exciting, was playing a character thrust into the unknown world of HBCU's. BoJohn has no idea what an HBCU is when he arrives on campus... And neither did I. I still remembering googling what the term HBCU stood for after reading the script because it was simply a term I had never heard growing up. Season One has been amazing because as BoJohn learns more and more about the history and culture of HBCUs, I've been able to do the same. 5 5.. Y Yo ou u’’r re e a a f fo oo ot tb ba allll p plla ay ye er r,, w wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s h he e p plla ay y iin n t th he e d dr ra am ma a? ? The Quad touches on many important issues in our society. One of which is race. While parts of the University are excited to diversify campus with a white athlete, others are NOT so excited... Including my teammates. It creates deeper stakes as there is so much pressure for the coaches, players, and myself beyond just winning football games. As in the real world, every decision is amplified and scrutinized when race is involved. BoJohn is also fighting personal demons. Georgia A&M is his last chance for a football career as he was banned from all Division 1 schools following a "secret incident" that took place in his final high school game. It's an event that BoJohn is desperately trying to keep secret but one that continues to haunt him. 6 6.. D Diid d y yo ou u p plla ay y f fo oo ot tb ba allll p pr re ev viio ou us slly y o or r lle ea ar rn n iin n o or rd de er r t to o p pr re ep pa ar re e? ? Yes and no... I played ball growing up in Texas and was eventually offered by Cornell University where I played all four years of college. But I was a receiver, I had never played quarterback before. So while I knew the game inside and out, I really had to take a step back to learn a completely new position. Sometimes it felt like I was learning a brand new sport. I definitely have a new found respect for quarterbacks. They are expected to have all the same athleticism as everyone else on the field, while also being the smartest and best leaders. It's a lot to bear. Luckily BET and our showrunners provided me with wonderful football coaches to help me prepare. I don't think Texas would let me back in the state if I couldn't properly embody an All-American quarterback! 7 7.. IIt t s se ee em ms s lliik ke e D Dr ru um mlliin ne e m me ee et ts s A An ny y G Giiv ve en n S Su un nd da ay y,, d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o w wa at tc ch h t th he es se e f fiillm ms s o or r v viis siit t a an n H HB BC CU U? ? I am a huge movie nerd, watching past films is always part of my preparation. But I watch different films for different specific reasons. I watched Any Given Sunday because similar to BoJohn, Jamie's Foxx's character has to earn the team's respect after he's jolted into the starting lineup. I also watched a classic football movie, The Program, to see how actor Craig Sheffer played a character who had amazing talent but is constantly haunted by personal demons. I actually chose not to do research or visit any HBCU campuses. Going into the shoot knowing nothing about HBCU's allowed me to learn at the same time as BoJohn. As meta actor as it sounds, BoJohn and I got to go on the journey together! 8 8.. W Wh he en n c ca an n w we e w wa at tc ch h t th he e s sh ho ow w? ? I actually chose not to do research or visit any HBCU campuses. Going into the shoot knowing nothing about HBCU's allowed me to learn at the same time as BoJohn. As meta actor as it sounds, BoJohn and I got to go on the journey together! 9 9.. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n J Ja ak ke e A Alllly yn n’’s s w wo or rlld d? ? Two films I wrote will release in 2017. The first is a spy thriller, Ex-Patriot, which stars How to Get Away with Murder’s Charlie Weber and Rogue One's Valene Kane. It was shot entirely in Bogota, Colombia. The blend of exotic locations, gritty gun fights, and intense personal drama makes for a film audiences will be on the edge of their seat for. The second, Foresaken, is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth set in a small Oklahoma town. It's a dark love story with plenty of blood! It's a tremendously personal film as I co-wrote it alongside my brother, Conor Allyn, who also directed it. It was truly an Allyn made movie, which is something we've wanted to do since we were kids making movies in our backyard. It's not often you get to live out the dreams of your ten year old self! P Ph ho ot to o c cr re ed diit ts s:: Purple Shirt (Photographer: Chris Campos) Blue Jacket/Blazer (Photographer: Tommy Dingwall)

H Hii S Sc ca ar rlle et t,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hi VENTS! I've been really good! Thank you for having me. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "A Ad dd diic ct te ed d" "? ? So "Addicted" is my second single, and it's quite a departure from my first release "X" which was an acoustic record. "Addicted" really grasps 'my sound' and mixes all the genres and textures I love in one. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re e y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? All of my songs are based on events that happen directly to me, or to someone I care about. I did a lot of growing up this year and realised that relationships can't be a one way street and "Addicted" was my response to that. Someone opened my eyes to what I'd been missing in past relationships. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e f fiillm m e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? Filming the music video was such a blast. My director, Kashman Harris, is a friend of mine that I met a few years back while working on a short film. He had also shot the video for "X", which I found nerve wracking as it was my first one. We sat down and worked out the storyline and I realised I needed an actor who I felt totally comfortable with acting alongside me, so again I called on one of my oldest friends, Karl Queensborough, to star in it alongside me. Karl is such an awesome actor, and we had such a brilliant time... I did keep getting the giggles though! II n no ot tiic ce ed d h ho ow w y yo ou ur r v viid de eo os s h ha av ve e t th hiis s b blla ac ck k a an nd d w wh hiit te e a ae es st th he et tiic c - - iis s t th he er re e a a m me ea an niin ng g b be eh hiin nd d iit t? ? I've always been a huge fan of black and white films, and my first set of releases, "X", "Addicted" and soon to come "Infinitely", are all very raw in their content. I really let go and laid bare a lot of things I kept hidden and I felt black and white videos would reflect that more than a colour video. I didn't want anything distracting from the music. It's also something I'm becoming known for and I like that. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w E EP P IIn nf fiin niit te elly y - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? I settled on "Infinitely" because not only is that a track on the EP due for release, but also because the other three songs on the EP all hold feelings and thoughts that I will carry with me forever. Like I say, I've done a lot of growing up this year and I've learnt so many things about myself and others, all of which I'll carry with me infinitely. "Infinitely" means something that will never end, so the journey of learning will never stop. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? I'm always so excited to be in the studio, it is my favourite place to be. I feel like a weight is lifted from me when I

pour everything into my songs. It's very therapeutic for me - I always have something I want to whinge about or a boy I want to cry about... ha! W Wh ha at t w wa as s iit t lliik ke e t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h J Je es ss siic ca a S Sh ha ar rm ma an n a an nd d h ho ow w d diid d t th ha at t r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip p d de ev ve ello op p? ? Jessica is someone who truly inspires me. I adore the woman! We met a few years back while we were working together on another project. I had just had three tracks produced that I had written and I asked Jessica for her thoughts on them, luckily she liked them but knew I had more in me, and the rest is history! H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d s sh he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e r re ec co or rd d? ? I feel sometimes Jessica is the only person who understands me, sometimes when I don't even understand myself. She's like an older and much wiser sister to me. I come with an idea, rant about it, while we both take notes on things each other is saying and then we begin to create a song. Jess is there every step of the way. H Ho ow w h ha as s y yo ou ur r u up pb br riin ng giin ng g h ha av ve e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou u a as s a an n a ar rt tiis st t? ? My parents and grandparents were all huge music fans - all who liked a different type of style. My dad was into the crooners like Frank Sinatra, the huge bands like The Jam, The Who and also country artists like Johnny Cash. Listening to those as a child made me realise they were stories being sung to a tune, I love music that has a beginning, middle and ends and takes you on a journey, that's why I'm so heavy on perfecting my lyrics now. I don't want to cut corners. My mum loved R'n'B, we listened to Whitney, Brandy, Mark Morrison etc. and again their storytelling inspired me, and I love the beats they sung to. My Grandad loved classical music and because of him I learnt to play the piano and I decided to train classically as a singer. W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e s so on ng gs s a an nd d lly yr riic cs s? ? From life. It's a crazy thing with tons of ups and downs and I like sharing my stories with everyone. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Yes! Lots of plans for gigs in 2017. I was lucky enough to be main support for an awesome band, Ward Thomas, last October and it really gave me the tour bug! W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n S Sc ca ar rlle et t''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Well my first ever EP is due for release in March! I will be gigging around everywhere, working on new material and heading out to the US!

H Hii J Ja ak ke e,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hey! Pretty busy, actually but I like it that way. I don’t think I’m too good at sitting still for too long, I tend to get anxious and create tasks for myself. Right now, I’m in Hong Kong visiting my parents and I’ll be headed straight to Europe after this to start the Flaming Lips tour in support of the new record. To start, though , I wanted you to know, I forwarded some of these questions to Matt Strong, our bass player and sometimes lyricist as well so he’ll be answering questions too, I’ll denote his answers with a “M” before hand. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "C Co ow wb bo oy y L Liig gh ht tn niin ng g" "? ? J: This is probably our shortest song yet, with the silliest title. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? M: This song started out as an idea that our keyboard player, Peter, was tossing around. He's a real sweetheart and was dealing with a pretty rough breakup, so he had this really somber chords and one kind of emotional verse. I think as a way to sort of cheer him up, Jake and Eric wrote a second verse that indicated things were going to get better. Then we all got together and helped the song shift from this negative, doubtful mindset into a really positive and optimistic force. That's personally why I like the song so much. Even though it's a short tune, it's got groove and a decent amount of depth. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? J: Yes! I met this guy at one of our shows in New York, Curtis Peel, and got his number. We kept up with eachother and came up with a concept for a sort of ever evolving animated video. The kind of thing where a guy opens his mouth and his tongue turns into a planet and the planet revolves and melts into a tree. It should be done by March, I’m really excited to continue working with him. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w a allb bu um m S Su un n K Kiid ds s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? J: The title actually comes from a song off the record that has this glowing pleasure sigh vibe. We had a few names we were kicking around for a while but I think at the time we thought we were writing a more epic sounding record. Once the mixing process was finished, it was very obvious that we had more of a warm and fuzzy sunny day kind of record and the title simply fit. It’s meant to evoke a windows down, spend the day in the grass feeling. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? M: The writing process for this song was particularly collaborative. Sometimes one or two members really take the reigns when it comes to a song, but this one was a totally organic joint effort, from the lyrics to the riff. I think that helped give the song some of its energy. We recorded the song with our close friend Calvin Lauber here in Memphis. Jake and Jarod Evans did a heavy amount of production work at Blackwatch studios in Norman, OK. That really helped push the song to a completely different level. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll t th hiis s s so om me e s so or rt t o of f a a c co on nc ce ep pt t a allb bu um m? ? J: Not in that there’s a specific story line that you’re meant to follow, but in the way it flows and is meant to make you feel. I think a little bit of our Southern hospitality worked it’s way in on this effort. “Sun Kids” is supposed to feel like

you came to visit us and we’re showing you a good time. Starting with the moment you wake up on our couch underneath a big open window, breeze blowing in on a bright and clear day and the coffee’s already ready. Then you hop in the car, roll the windows down and turn up the volume throughout the day until you end up at house party, stumble back to bed and you’re sitting up awake just a little too late thinking about things you only think about in the haziest of moments. When we were writing and picking songs, we talked a lot about what moment in a day the song was meant to make you feel like. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s t th he e 7 70 0s s p plla ay ys s o on n t th hiis s a allb bu um m a an nd d g gr ro ou up p a as s a a w wh ho olle e? ? J: I think we operate in a very 70’s fashion. In the way we write, then record with an engineer and then produce with someone who’s not quite as close to the picture. Also in how fun it is to be in a band that pulls influences from each other. That's how I imagine the 70's, friends playing together and just going with it. One person likely has a vision of a song they're working on, but it really opens up once we all throw ideas out for it. That only happens when we're together with plenty of time to get creative. Sometimes it takes the other person to push a sound and feel of a song. That's true with music as well as lyric and melodic structure. These elements keep the music genuine and fresh. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll t th hiis s a a t to ot ta all d de ep pa ar rt tu ur re e f fr ro om m o ot th he er r p pr re ev viio ou us s p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s o or r a a s so om me ew wh ha at t f fo ollllo ow w u up p? ? J: Both. On our older stuff, we were looking at ourselves as a cosmic punk group meant to rip your face off. For “Sun Kids” we went in specifically trying to write a few songs that had mellower vibe. Sonically we wanted to record a psychedelic record that embraces an Earthy feel filled with sounds that you want to live betweeen. However, the bones of the group are still very much the same. We still like to throw our guitars through probably a few too many pedals and most of the songs are based around a catchy drum and bass groove. I think the record holds true to our original formula while pointing towards a new way for us to begin writing differently. W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f t th he e u un niiv ve er rs se e d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r a allb bu um m? ? J: Early on, Eric and I were talking about wanting to embrace a sound that was more of the Earth rather than the “whoa! out of this world, dude!” spacey. I think I took that a little too literally and got really into musique concrete stuff and found myself recording the crunch of my feet on some rocks in the desert, kids playing in a far off playground, water hitting the dock on a river and a ring of keys being fumbled with. The record is filled with all these vaguely familiar sounds floating around just outside of the guitars or sampled in on top of the snare hits. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? J: Yes! We’re booking a few shows in March, but Matt and I have to work around the Lips’ tour schedule too - as “Oczy Mlody” just came out. There’s a nice gap in May - June that’s shaping up to be a great West Coast tour. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n S Sp pa ac ce ef fa ac ce e''s s w wo or rlld d? ? J: Other than the tour, we’ve got a few more music videos that are done and waiting for the right time to come out. We’re always writing in one form or another so I think between a few of us, there’s already another record in us ready to get out so I’d love to get recording again.

H Hii R Ro ob be er rt to o,, t th ha an nk ks s f fo or r t th he e iin nt te er rv viie ew w!! T Te ellll u us s:: h ho ow w w we er re e y yo ou u f fiir rs st t iin nt tr ro od du uc ce ed d t to o m mu us siic c iin n y yo ou ur r lliif fe e? ? A An nd d,, a at t w wh ha at t p po oiin nt t iin n y yo ou ur r lliif fe e w wa as s t th he e d de ef fiin niin ng g m mo om me en nt t t th ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u r re ea alliiz ze e t th ha at t y yo ou u w wa an nt te ed d t to o d do o,, a as s a a m mu us siic ciia an n? ? Thank you for this! When I was a kid I just discovered a drum kit in the church of my neighborhood, I sat down and simply started playing; after many times I went in there, I asked my father if I could get one, but in a flat it's kind of impossible... so my brother suggested to switch to bass, and I did. A good advise! I wanted to be a musician during last year of high school; I found out a music school, the best music college in Italy at that time (now it doesn't exist anymore...). It was in Rome, so I went there and fell in love with it. Probably it's been the atmosphere, the people playing, studying and talking about music, it was like you could breath it. So I decided to get music lessons, and I thought I could at least give a shot and try to work as a musician. Road is still tough anyway! L Le et t’’s s s st ta ar rt t t ta allk kiin ng g a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r s so on ng gw wr riit tiin ng g.. W Wh hiic ch h iis s t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? It depends... sometimes I just pick the bass and play with no scheme, just enjoying creating sounds; if I listen to something good I try to give it a structure, harmony, riffs or themes... Sometimes it could happen when I'm studying songs or even exercises; it could be a certain sequence of notes or chord that catch my attention, so naturally I stop studying and try to make it sound better. I wrote a lot of stuff like this... Then I record it and wait for a couple of days before listen to it again: if it still sounds interesting to me I keep on writing until a song is done. It also happens many times that I didn't like ideas anymore, because they lose that thing that make me interested in them! Or simply they're just crappy ideas hahaha H Ha av ve e y yo ou u e ev ve er r w wo or rk ke ed d w wiit th h a an ny y o ot th he er r n no ot ta ab blle e m mu us siic ciia an ns s o or r o on n a an ny y o ot th he er r p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s a an nd d c co olllla ab bo or ra at tiio on ns s? ? Yes, I had the fortune to play with guys like Michael Angelo Batio, one of the most famous shredders, Graham Oliver, guitarist from Saxon, and Fabio Frizzi, an Italian master composer I still play with. Let's say they're the most notable, but I worked with so other great musicians that are not so famous, but really really good at playing. I learned so much from all of them. I've also been lucky to work with a couple of great Italian producers when I recorded albums with Ilenia Volpe (a very good Italian singer/guitarist): for the first album we worked with Giorgio Canali, guitarist and sound engineer that played with some of the greatest italian rock bands, CCCP and then CSI; he also worked with Litfiba as live sound engineer. The second Ilenia's album has been produced by Gianluca Vaccaro, one of the greatest names in music business in Italy; he worked with so many famous artists. They have really different ways to make records, and I learned so much about composition, how to create a good sound for the bass, arrangements, how to record in a productive way and so on... everything! W Wh ha at t b br ra an nd d iin ns st tr ru um me en nt ts s d do o y yo ou u u us se e a an nd d w wh ha at t m ma ak ke es s ‘‘e em m s so o u un niiq qu ue e? ? I’ve got three basses: my favourite is a Fender Jazz Bass American Standard, bought it back in '95 or '96; it's my son. Second is a Music Man Sting Ray 5 strings and the third is a Spector Euro LX 4, both active. They're very different, so when I need a specific sound I can choose one of them to get what I want. Basically the sound comes from your hands, but same hands with different woods, bolt-on or neck-through basses, passive or active electronics etc... you get different sounds. But you can always recognize your touch! T Th he e n ne ew w D DO OG GM MA AT TE E a allb bu um m iis s r re ea ad dy y s so o f fa ar r!! C Co ou ulld d y yo ou u p plle ea as se e t to o s sp pr re ea ad d iit t o ou ut t t to o a allll o ou ur r r re ea ad de er rs s? ? Well, after the EP last year we finally made it! It's almost done and we are very proud of it. Every time you write new stuff you can feel how yourself changes and develop in a deeper way in living, writing and play music... it's like your music gets older (or wiser hehe) year by year, record by record in the same way you do in your life. So we feel it as a more mature work, and hopefully people will appreciate it! We believe it will be out in March, so stay tuned on our FB page :) A An nd d h ho ow w a ab bo ou ut t L LO OS S B BA AS ST TA AR RD DO OS S? ? A An ny y p pr re ev viie ew w? ? Well, we're writing some stuff for our upcoming album, got so many ideas that need to be played and finalized before we start recording sessions... I can't wait for it, it's like to give birth to stuff I wrote in the last 10 years! But it'll be a long road... we're still in pre-production! But I believe it will be a good album, at least for me! A An ny y u up pc co om miin ng g t to ou ur r p plla an ns s? ? I'll be playing some gigs with all my bands around Italy and maybe outside too. You know, it's not so easy and it needs time. With Fabio Frizzi's F2F we're working for a US tour in 2017... Let's hope for it! And I'll probably play as opening act for Alex Skolnick show in Rome in March with Los Bastardos, thanks to Riccardo Rosini Management. Riccardo is also manager of Dogmate, and he's doing very well in the music business. A An nd d w wh ha at t a ar re e t th he e b be es st t m me em mo or riie es s f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r p pa as st t t to ou ur rs s? ? While I was in Seattle I went to Kurt Cobain's and Layne Staley's home... I grew up with grunge music so I wanted to “pay visit” to my idols. It's been a very intense emotion to be there, in the places where they lived, walked... and died. When I came back we flew to Chicago, and I spent the whole trip with a sad and nice feeling at the same time inside me; I know it could sound a little weird, but if you are a fan like me I believe you can totally understand what I'm saying! And they ended in a bad way... so it was like I was filled with that kind of atmosphere hanging in those places. I was very happy too, but I was a little late for the appointment with the band, so Fabio Frizzi and the manager blame me hehe! But we didn't lose the plane! We also had so many funny moments, one that I can remember happened in Seattle: I was smoking a cigarette with the drummer from the band, Federico, a guy came and said “I know you, you're the bass man!” I replied “How do you know??” and he said he attended our concert in Austin the year before, then he moved to Seattle so he came back again at our show. He wanted a photo with me and asked Federico to take the shot, so Federico was like “but I'm the drummer!”; I said “don't worry, he'll surely have a pic with you too”... but the guy just said thanks and walked away! Federico was stunned and I laughed a lot!

Pic by Blair Caldwell

H Hii A Alle ex xa a,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Thank you! I've been great! C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r u up pc co om miin ng g s siin ng glle e " "R Ro oo om m F Fo or r 2 2" "? ? Room For 2 is a super dope personal song I wrote with my good friend Th3ory who produced the track. It's about feeling that there's outsiders trying to get in the way of your relationship but you realize that it doesn't matter because as long as you know where you stand with your man or woman in your relationship, no one can interfere with that. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Yes. All of my songs stem from personal experiences and at the time that I wrote this song, I was feeling kind of petty and felt that girls were trying to get at my man. At the end of the day, he's with me for a reason so I had to realize that and remember where I stand in our relationship. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Yes the video is out now! H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? It's always a great time working with Th3ory. That day in particular I had came to the session feeling a certain way about my situation. I'm talking about in the song and like all of our sessions we play "therapist", where he asks me what's going on in my life, starts to play some sounds, lays down some music and then we write. It was very therapeutic, quick and fun! W Wh ha at t w wa as s iit t lliik ke e t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h T Th he e3 3o or ry y a an nd d h ho ow w d diid d t th ha at t r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip p d de ev ve ello op p? ? I've known Th3ory since I was 17 years old. We worked together on my first EP with another producer and writer but as the years went by and our friendship grew, so did the music we make together and the bond we share doing it. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s b be eiin ng g f fr ro om m C Ca an na ad da a p plla ay ys s iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? I’ll never forget my Canadian roots and I always make sure to stick to them and make that clear in my music that I'm from Canada. The music I make is just as different as I am.. W Wh ha at t d dr re ew w y yo ou u iin nt to o P Po op p a an nd d R R& &B B a an nd d m ma ad de e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o b blle en nd d b bo ot th h s st ty ylle es s t to og ge et th he er r? ? I grew up listening to a lot of urban artists such as Aaliyah, Erikah Badu, Mariah Carey, Brandy, etc. but I also grew up on Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc so all of those artists and genres heavily influenced the music I make today H Ho ow w''s s y yo ou ur r n ne ew w,, u up pc co om miin ng g p pr ro ojje ec ct t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? We're actually almost done with the project... everything has been great so far! A An ny y t te en nt ta at tiiv ve e r re elle ea as se e d da at te e o or r t tiit tlle e iin n m miin nd d? ? Early spring 2017! Title will be announced closer to the date. W Wiillll a allll o of f t th he e s so on ng gs s d de ea all w wiit th h llo ov ve e a an nd d r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip ps s? ? No some of them deal with friendships, the fake people I've encountered, and just other personal experiences. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? We're working on putting a tour together right now so I will definitely be announcing one soon! W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n A Alle ex xa a F Fe er rr r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? New music, more visuals and performances as well as some dope collars will be releasing within the next few months!

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Biane: Thank you, its good to be here. Things are good in Pacific Radio world. Stiteler: With our new EP cooling on the windowsill and full length in the oven, it's hard not to feel great every goddam day. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "K Kiit tc ch he en n T Ta ab blle e” ”? ? Stiteler: Absolutely. "Kitchen Table" is among our first songs written and was a no-brainer for the song to anchor our first music video. It's about the truest of loves; that between a man and his music. Let's face it, relationships come and go but a good tape deck is infinite. You get it. Biane: It wasn’t until we got with producer, Eric Weaver, that the full vision was realized. It was a lot of fun to record. We wanted to keep the rock and roll vibe but fill it with detail. There are all sorts of fun things going on in that tune. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Stiteler: It's based on true events, either witnessed by or lived through by an unnamed band member (singer). Boy finds girl - boy loves girl - girl disrespects heroes and boombox and this will not be tolerated. The following day, as she tries to win him back through smoochy affection (in the kitchen, on the table), she is declined, and unforgiven to this day. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Biane: Yes, we actually released a video earlier this month in conjunction with the single. W Wh hy y n na am miin ng g t th he e a allb bu um m a af ft te er r t th hiis s t tr ra ac ck k iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? Biane: We are taking cues from some of our favorite bands and releasing a EP with songs from the album, pushing one in particular. This time it was “Kitchen Table”. Stiteler: The track is one of the original tunes and grows through the project like the roots of a mighty oak. Through rain and wind and frost and squirrels "Kitchen Table" has prospered and thrived with wisdom, story, and grace. It represents a great beginning and will stand strong and tall...unless someone takes a chainsaw to it's guts, which would suck. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Biane: The writing process evolved over quite some time. Lots of rehearsals and jamming lead to the nuances in the song. Then in March of 2016 we went to 12th Street Recording in Austin, TX for the basic tracking. After that we retreated to our humble studio in Culver City and started the overdub and refining process. In the end, we had strings from Mexico City, a piano recorded in our drummer’s living room, and acoustic guitars recoded in Encino, on top of the standard Pacific Radio ensemble. We

love to try all sorts of things in the recording process. Stiteler: The recording process was not unlike driving a high powered Lamborghini up a lightning bolt as it shoots from the sky to the ground. Timing and precision were of utmost importance as was the perfect balance of cigarettes, coffee, and sweet/sour candies. H Ho ow w h ha as s t th he e 9 90 0s s m mu us siic c s sc ce en ne e,, p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar rlly y t th he e P Po op p- -p pu un nk k a an nd d A Allt te er rn na at tiiv ve e,, iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e b ba an nd d? ? Biane: For me, it was a sort of osmosis influence. Lots of our music rearing years were in the 90’s. The little jams and garage shows all revolved around that type of music. Luckily it was something that I really identified with and wanted to jump full into. Stiteler: The 90s music scene cost us all our virginity. The 'Singles' soundtrack in particular provided a voyage of sorts for a young man in the grasp of late puberty excitement. From Alice in Chains "Would" to Paul Westerberg's "Dyslexic Heart" to the +8 minute Smashing Pumpkins "Drown" we are all carried back to the very sofa where we had our first encounter with Second Base and the lucky ladies that took us there. Thank you Mudhoney!!! W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f llo ov ve e a an nd d lliif fe e d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r r re ec co or rd d? ? Stiteler: The record explores redemption. It's about breakups and let downs and getting sand kicked in your eyes, then standing back up and puffing your chest out to show that you will not yield. It's about the bumps in the road and the fire and sass and humor it takes to endure all the obstacles that life throws your way. And realizing at the end of the day that rock and roll truly does save. Biane: That’s quite a deep question. The creation of the music that surrounds the story is where my obsession lies. Trying to stay sonically unique and original is where most of our exploratory time is spent. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Stiteler: Yeah, we'll be hitting some West Coast dates between now and Spring with emphasis on San Francisco. We're gonna ambush SXSW again this March and play shows in and around Austin for a few days, just to let the people know who we are. Our coup de gras will be the BottleRock festival this May with big acts that we love and respect and are honored to share the stage with. After that, who knows. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n P Pa ac ciif fiic c R Ra ad diio o''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Biane: Shows and recording. Its a pretty simple life. We have a lot of bad cables that need soldering. That will be taking some time in the near future. Stiteler: Oh, and one member recently got a laser for his birthday, a few more birthdays and we'll have a light show.

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Ryan Lacen (RL): Over caffeinated but good! It was a hell of a ride with 2016 and we’re trying to keep our momentum rocking with 2017! Anthony Baldino (AB): Yeah, we're gearing up for a big 2017! S So o w wh ha at t iin niit tiia alllly y d dr re ew w y yo ou u t to o t th hiis s iin nd du us st tr ry y? ? RL: I think always felt more the comfortable sitting in the movie theatre. As a kid, I’d spend the bulk of my weekends watching flicks with my mother and grandmother. I don’t know if it was just ingrained in me but the film industry always felt like the right path — well I did have a quick stint when I was young of thinking I wanted to be a lawyer, but quickly just realized that I just wanted to be Tom Cruise in “A Few Good Men”. AB: Same here, ever since I was kid I wanted to make movies. As soon as my folks got a camcorder, I stole it! II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u b bo ot th h h ha av ve e iin nd diiv viid du ua alllly y w wo or rk ke ed d a allo on ng gs siid de e s so om me e g gr re ea at t p pe eo op plle e iin n t th he e e en nt te er rt ta aiin nm me en nt t iin nd du us st tr ry y s su uc ch h a as s J Jo os ss s W Wh he ed do on n a an nd d G Go or re e V Ve er rb biin ns sk kii - - h ho ow w h ha av ve e t th he es se e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce es s h ha av ve e s sh ha ap pe ed d y yo ou u a as s a a w wr riit te er rs s a an nd d d diir re ec ct to or rs s? ? RL: Honestly working on set was the best film school you can go to. I grew up idolizing guys like Kevin Smith and Tony Scott — I mean Chasing Amy and True Romance — they got to be two of my favorite films of all time, and then as I entered the film industry as an inspiring writer director I ended up getting to work for both. From Kevin I learned the commitment and importance to each line he’s written as well as how to passionately convey your vision to both your actors and crew. From Tony I took a sense of “fearlessness” when it comes to directing. We recently produced some content for Joss Whedon that was definitely a career highlight. Talk about a master who knows how to make magic out of any location within any restrictions or limitations. I hope to be half the filmmaker that any of them are. AB: Completely — and it’s Joss Whedon! Just being able to watch him in action, he really has a vision of what a scene will look like and can envision it anywhere. T Th he er re e h ha av ve e b be ee en n a a llo ot t o of f m mu us siic ca all o or r r ro om ma an nt tiic c m mu us siic c- -t th he em me ed d m mo ov viie es s,, f fr ro om m q qu uiir rk ky y t to o c co on nv ve en nt tiio on na all - - h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u c co om me e u up p w wiit th h t th he e iid de ea a f fo or r t th hiis s s st to or ry y? ? RL: I’ve always been drawn to films that try to dissect relationships from different points of view. ‘High Fidelity’ is one of my all time favorite movies — and with that being a guy’s point of view of a ‘break up’ - I wanted to dig into my past relationships and create a hopefully honest, relatable film that looks at what would happen if you found yourself with that one person who got away, would a second chance change anything? Anthony and I are also both huge music fans so it was very important for us to give the film that type of heartbeat. D Diid d y yo ou u c ca at tc ch h o on n s so om me e o olld d c clla as ss siic cs s f fiillm ms s lliik ke e N Na as sh hv viille e o or r d diid d y yo ou u f fiin nd d iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n iin n o ot th he er r p plla ac ce es s? ? RL: There were definitely a lot of films that did inspire us, I would say it was more like movies like Eternal Sunshine, Once or the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight - series. I think those films feel reminiscent in the script, but when we landed in Nashville to begin pre-production, the city really took hold of us and it ended up becoming a big character in the film. S Sp pe ea ak kiin ng g o of f N Na as sh hv viilllle e,, d diid d y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s iin nt te en nd d f fo or r t th hiis s c ciit ty y t to o w wo or rk k a as s t th he e b ba ac ck kg gr ro ou un nd d f fo or r t th hiis s llo ov ve e s st to or ry y o or r d diid d y yo ou u h ha av ve e o ot th he er r p plla ac ce es s iin n m miin nd d? ? RL: We always wanted a city that had a big music backdrop and our producer Justin Mickelson had done some work with the show Nashville, so pe H H p pa a R a sc w am to A pa to W W R fa Th ea m to th A th po T Th s so o A

o per his request we checked out the city and instantly knew it was erfect. It’s such an electric city that breathes this musical energy! Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e s sc co ou ut tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s - - w we er re e y yo ou u llo oo ok kiin ng g f fo or r s so om me et th hiin ng g iin n a ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? RL: Besides finding a town that had a lot of musical influence, we wanted location that had an interesting bar life since that part was big in the cript — as well as a film friendly city. Our budget was super modest so we needed a place that would be welcoming — and Nashville was mazing! Such a wonderful place for artists. We’d absolutely return there o film another movie. AB: Yeah, it has such character. Personally, I would say the most difficult art of scouting was just narrowing down the beautiful places we wanted o film. W Wh ha at t w wa as s y yo ou ur r e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e lliik ke e m ma ak kiin ng g t th hiis s f fiillm m? ? RL: With any independent film, there is a myriad of challenges that you ace, but luckily we had such an amazing cast with Colin and Kristen. hey not only delivered knock out performances but they came to set ach day 100% prepared and were willing to go through the trenches to make the film what it is. They were really the anchors that held us ogether and watching them bring the performances to life really made it he best experience for us as directors. AB: With them and the crew — we were a family. Half of us even lived in he same production house, so we were trying to make the best movie ossible all day and night. We couldn't ask for a better experience. h hr re ee e o or riig giin na all s so on ng gs s w we er re e w wr riit tt te en n f fo or r t th hiis s m mo ov viie e - - d diid d y yo ou u w wr riit te e t th he es se e o on ng gs s? ? AB: We had an amazing music supervisor Kat Meoz who wrote these songs and Ryan actually wrote Over and Over. RL: Yeah, that song was actually in the script and Kat Meoz created such an incredible song out of it, as well as creating the two songs sung by Colin. Kristen Gutoskie did the same with the simple chorus that I put in the script for “Hindenburg” and wrote such an amazingly haunting song that really took it to levels that I didn’t even imagine - and couldn’t come close to creating. Her voice is so unique and beautiful, I can’t wait for everyone to hear her sing in the film! W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e w wr riit tiin ng g a an nd d r re ec co or rd diin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s lliik ke e? ? RL: I think it comes down to just putting yourself around the best of the best. I would never have dreamed that lyrics from the script would make the final film but when you have such talented artists like Kristen and Colin bringing their take and a music supervisor like Kat at the helm, you get to watch a bubble of an idea get turned into something truly special. We also recorded in some epic recording studios in Nashville. I believe Elvis even recorded in one of the same studios. That’s the magic of Nashville; so many talented people have found inspiration there and we felt honored to just step foot in a spot where so many had been before us. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g iin n y yo ou ur r w wo or rlld d? ? RL: Now that The Dust Storm is out everywhere digitally and in the UK come March, we’re busy hustling to keep creating. We just finished a music video for Joy Downer who has two songs in the film as well as starting to prep the next feature film. AB: We’re excited to really get Joy Downer out there; she’s such a talented artist that we hope to continue to work with. And yeah, as Ryan mentioned, we’re gearing up the next film and looking to take 2017 on!

H Hii M Ma as so on n,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Hi! I'm so excited to do this interview! I've been so great and so busy. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r u up pc co om miin ng g s siin ng glle e " "P Pa ap pe er r P Plla an ne es s" "? ? Paper Planes is a song that I feel like a lot of people can relate to. It's about knowing a relationship or person is bad for you but being too interested or curious to walk away. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re e y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? I wrote Paper Planes a couple years ago after starting a relationship (with another songwriter) that I knew was bad for me. The melody had been with me for months and had gone through many different lyrics and I never felt satisfied with them. One day I was folding laundry and saw an old pair of pajama shorts with little white paper planes all over them, and THAT is where the metaphor came from...(crazy right?). The song came from a place of fear and excitement and wonderment and I really wanted to capture that mess of emotion in the production of the song. C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t t th he e u up pc co om miin ng g v viid de eo o? ? W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e f fiillm miin ng g e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e lliik ke e? ? The Paper Planes video is a very visual but subtle metaphor for a disastrous relationship. We used scenery and colors to show the emotions in the song without making it too obvious. It was a whole new experience for me to film the music video. I had to act and lip sync (harder than it seems)... and the worst part... I had to listen to myself on repeat for two days straight. But I got to work with the most amazing people and it was honestly a really exciting and fun thing to be a part of. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w E EP P S St tr ra an ng ge er rs s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th hiis s t tiit tlle e? ? I had the song title "Strangers" in my notes in my phone for probably a year and never really found lyrics or a melody that fit how I wanted it to. When the song finally came along, we had already recorded most of the songs for the EP and the project was planned to be titled Paper Planes. When we started wrapping up the album, I just kept coming back to Strangers. I feel like the word itself is just interesting. To me, it's about more than just people who have never met... it can also be people who are acquainted but don't actually know anything about each other... or about people that once knew each other well but don't anymore. In relationships, you're strangers when you first see each other. You might be strangers while you're together. And there's the part after the love is gone when you avoid each other in the grocery store... making you Strangers again. And those complications definitely sum up the whole album for me. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? This album was so fun for me to write and record. I wrote most of the songs late at night when I would have sudden moments of inspiration. As soon as I would finish a song, I'd do a quick recording of it in my voice memos (and would not listen to it because I knew I'd hate it), text it to my producer and then finally fall asleep. My poor producer got a lot of awful song recordings at 2 am. I love the recording process because I literally get to watch my songs come to life. We'd start with a very messy demo and build from there. The creativity in the studio would inspire me to write even more sometimes. There is honestly nothing like finishing up a record and spending that last day doing finishing touches, knowing that it's exactly what you envisioned when you wrote it. H Ho ow w h ha as s y yo ou ur r u up pb br riin ng giin ng g iin nf fllu ue en nc ce ed d y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? My parents used to listen to a lot of alternative/singer-songwriter music when I was young, so that's what I listened to. I would be singing if dancing to whatever they had on in the living room. I grew up loving early John Mayer and Rob Thomas and other songwriters and I think having that songwriter influence early on in life really helped push me toward the path I'm on now. I also grew up singing in church and watching my mom sing in church. Music is a huge part of my family and I love it. W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e s so on ng gs s a an nd d lly yr riic cs s o of ff f t th he e E EP P? ? I've changed a lot over the past two years. I've met a lot of new people and formed new relationships and that always sparks song ideas for me. I wrote this EP with complete honestly. It's a project that came from late nights with a lot of mixed emotions... nights where writing was my calm place and I just poured my soul out on paper. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? I don't have any plans to hit the road right now but that's definitely a possibility eventually! W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n M Ma as so on n A As sh hlle ey y''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I'm headed to Pittsburgh this month to shoot two more music videos (!!!) and there will probably be acoustic versions of a few tracks released in the near future. So excited to release Strangers and to share my life experiences with anyone that will listen!

H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? I'm great; thanks for asking! Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday season. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u e en nt te er re ed d t th he e iin nd du us st tr ry y a as s a a m mu us siic ciia an n - - h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u e ev ve en nt tu ua alllly y m mo ov ve e o on n t to o a ac ct tiin ng g? ? Well, not exactly. Initially, yes, music was my art of choice but my family did not support that endeavor. So, I devised a plan in my teenage years to blind-side my parents by first getting into acting then, at the first opportunity, segue into music. So although I had been writing and exploring my musicality from a very young age, I actually entered the industry as an actor first. D Do oe es s m mu us siic c iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g a an nd d t th he e o ot th he er r w wa ay y a ar ro ou un nd d,, o or r t th he ey y a ar re e t tw wo o d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fa ac ce et ts s? ? They heavily influence the other; consciously and sub- consciously. During various music-video concept meetings, I've been asked to scale down my ideas because they were too theatrical. Not that it was a bad thing, we just didn't have the budget to bring those ideas to life. This could be in part because I sometimes write my lyrics in narrative, as if telling a story. Also, in acting, when I approach characters/scenes, I pay close attention to the rhythms in that world and between the characters. Lately, I've been able to contribute music to the soundtracks of a couple of films I'm starring in: 'Death Race 2050' and 'Female Fight Club'. W Wh ha at t''s s b be ee en n lliik ke e t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h s so om me e iic co on niic c n na am me es s s su uc ch h a as s t th he e lla at te e D Da av viid d B Bo ow wiie e a an nd d n no ow w R Ro og ge er r C Co or rm ma an n? ? H Ho ow w h ha av ve e t th he es se e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce es s h ha av ve e s sh ha ap pe ed d y yo ou u a as s a an n a ac ct to or r? ? It's a priceless experience to work with such legends, not just career-wise but on a very basic human level as well. It was inspiring to watch them in their element - working and interacting so humbly. S Sp pe ea ak kiin ng g o of f w wh hiic ch h,, lle et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t D De ea at th h R Ra ac ce e 2 20 05 50 0 - - h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t iin nv vo ollv ve ed d w wiit th h t th hiis s p pr ro ojje ec ct t? ? My managers pitched me for the project, then I went in to audition for the director (G.J Echternkamp) who asked me to come back a few hours later to audition and meet Mr Roger Corman. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d t th hiis s iis s a a d diir re ec ct t s se eq qu ue ell t to o t th he e o or riig giin na all 1 1 9 97 75 5 m mo ov viie e - - b be es siid de es s b be eiin ng g c co ollo or rf fu ull,, w wh ha at t e ells se e c ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t f fr ro om m t th hiis s s se eq qu ue ell? ? This film is a loaded satire. It may be easy to get lost in the obvious - gore, sexiness and theatrics - but there are messages embedded through out the film. I think our release is very appropriately timed! II g ge et t t th hiis s v ve er ry y M Ma ad d M Ma ax x f fe ee ell f fr ro om m t th he e t te ea as se er r - - iis s t th ha at t a a c co oiin nc ciid de en nc ce e o or r t th he e m mo ov viie e iis s g go oiin ng g f fo or r a a c cr ra az zy y M Ma ad d M Ma ax x m me ee et ts s S Sp pe ee ed d R Ra ac ce er r a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h? ? Our movie certainly is going for crazy! From what I've heard, the original 'Death Race 2000' inspired these 'Mad Max' and 'Speed Racer' type films so it makes sense that our film would have that same feel as well. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s M Miin ne er rv va a p plla ay ys s iin n a allll o of f t th hiis s? ? In this post apocalyptic corporate world, Minerva Jefferson plays a passionate, drug addicted, fearless, rock-star, diva. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u p pr re ep pa ar re e f fo or r t th hiis s c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r? ? I watched tons of celebrity tantrum footage! Y Yo ou u h ha av ve e d do on ne e a ab bo ou ut t e ev ve er ry yt th hiin ng g,, f fr ro om m c co om me ed dy y t to o d dr ra am ma a - - d do o y yo ou u f fe ee ell m mo or re e c co om mf fo or rt ta ab blle e w wiit th h a a p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r g ge en nr re e t th ho ou ug gh h? ? I pride myself on my versatility, so I am very comfortable playing all these variety of roles. I prefer it this way actually. If I had to pick one though, I'd choose the sci-fi/fantasy/adventure genres. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n F Fo olla ak ke e O Ollo ow wo of fo oy ye ek ku u''s s w wo or rlld d? ? As well as 'Death Race 2050', I have a couple of other films coming out this year : “If” and "Female Fight Club”. I'm also working on a video game; I'll be voicing one of the lead characters. Also, my newly launched production company - 'Fo Foyeh Films’ - recently released the first season of a comedic series called "Inappropriate Sh!t”. It's available to watch online now:http://www.folake.info/productioncompany

H Hii M Ma an nu ue ell,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? HI! I’m pretty swell actually. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "D De ev viill IIs s F Fiin ne e” ”? ? Not really. It’s a strange thing to do since there’s not much one can do with music save for listening to it. Any description of it I make here will deviate from whatever people make for themselves. It’s a song people can listen to. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? I never know what actually leads up to writing a song. It might have been something that happened months ago and I can no longer trace it. All I know for certain is that I was highly caffeinated and found myself in the basement I record songs in. I yelled vaguely occult sounding things into a microphone and added pretty piano sounds. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e f fiillm m e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? I’ve gained even more respect for people who make film. The amount of effort and planning is incredible. It was my first time on any kind of film set and I was amazed by how delicate and deliberate everything is. I learned a lot that day/night. W Wh hy y n na am miin ng g t th he e a allb bu um m a af ft te er r t th hiis s t tr ra ac ck k iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? I think it summarized the concept of the album quite neatly. Also it has a neat phonetic ring to it, I think. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Pretty eclectic. It happened over the course of a couple of months and there was no coherence to the way the songs were written or recorded. I just followed what I thought sounded good or had most fun with. I really hope that carries over to the listener. There is a lot of serious stuff, but also levity in that

record. H Ho ow w h ha as s u up pb br riin ng giin ng g h ha av ve e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? My parents were both musicians. There was always a piano around and we were encouraged to engage with music in any way. I was extraordinarily lucky. I’ve noticed I’ve made a subconscious decision to avoid the musical styles of my parents. I think due to overexposure. W Wh ha at t lle ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e a an n a allb bu um m b ba as se ed d o on n s sa at ta an niis sm m,, b blla ac ck k m me et ta all iin n t th he e f fo or rm m o of f s slla av ve er ry y? ? The conceptual coherence of the Christianity imposed upon Norwegians as well as American Slaves was the most interesting thing to me.. These’s not much of a musical mirroring as much as there is a thematic one. That’s what I want to explore. W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f t th he e A Am me er riic ca an n s slla av ve er ry y c cu ullt tu ur re e d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r r re ec co or rd d? ? Mostly the folkloric and musical one obviously. I did get to read a lot of accounts and biographies in the process. All very interesting but seeing how this is more or less an alternate history project I chose not to delve too much into anecdotal realism and come up with my own scenarios wherever possible. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Yes, we’re touring Europe this April as well as playing a couple of shows in the US in August. There’s a bunch of festivals peppered in between the two. I am beyond excited to get the opportunity to show what we’ve been working on all these months. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n Z Ze ea all & & A Ar rd do or r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Mainly writing and recording new things. I am quite simply living my dream life. I get to write music all day and play with fantastic musicians that happen to be friends in the evening.

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? We are doing great, we truthfully couldn’t be doing any better. It’s nice to finally release these songs. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "A Am m II T Th he e O On nlly y R Re ea as so on n" "? ? Yeah, it’s definitely a crowd pleaser live. It’s that moment on the record where we channel our inner Beach Boys and croon a bit. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? The song was fueled by a breakup that forced me to look inward as opposed to pointing fingers at the other person. I don’t know, it was the first time I felt like I maturely thought about the end of a relationship. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? We have tossed around the idea a little bit and have chatted back and forth with the great J.D. Aronson who directed our last video “Thrill”. The treatment he put together is pretty incredible, so hopefully something happens. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w E EP P,, S Su un nd da ay ys s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? I always found Sundays to be the most interesting day of the week. You wake up hungover dreading work the next day, you have the religious folk who pray all day and you have the football-loving Americans glued to their TV screens. And all of this occurs on Sunday. But more than that it was the day my ex and I would spend doing things together, positively or negatively, so it just felt right to name the EP after this complex day of the week. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ?

We wrote this EP in our little storage-facility- turned-studio and decided to get away from New York to actually record it. We linked up with our producer Ariel Loh, who suggested we go up to the middle of nowhere in Connecticut so we could record with no distractions. It was the best decision we could have made. W Wh ha at t b ba ad d s siit tu ua at tiio on ns s g ge et t t to o iin ns sp piir re e t th he e lly yr riic cs s o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? It seems like the overall theme on this EP was revolved around heartbreak and the concept of relationships ending. It’s an unexplainable feeling that we tried our best to explain. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Probably gonna kick around New York for a bit but we definitely have plans to hit the road and party with some other cities. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n L Lo oo os se e B Bu ut tt to on ns s'' w wo or rlld d? ? The most important thing happening is that our EP will fully be released on February 24th. We’re also spending February doing a residency at one of our favorite small venues in NYC, Pianos. Come hang out with us.

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Awesome! C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "M My y D Dr ra ag go on ns s W Wiillll D De ec ciim ma at te e" "? ? It’s a fight song and the opener for our new album. It’s part of the story told but it is more than that. It is rebellion and a burning desire for change. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Nothing but the desire to reset the world and start over. There are too many things not going the right way (the way of inclusion, peace and well-being for all) right now. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Probably not. But we might do a video for another song from the album later. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w a allb bu um m IIn nt to o t th he e N Niig gh ht t W Wo or rlld d - - w wh ha at t lle ed d y yo ou u t to o m ma ak ke e a a c co on nc ce ep pt t a allb bu um m? ? We love storytelling and much of our inspiration comes from stories, real and fictional. We want to create stories as well. I’d like to think that we are building our own complete mythos with our music. S So o r ra at th he er r t th ha an n a a s st to or ry y c co on nc ce ep pt t,, t th hiis s r re ec co or rd d iis s m mo or re e o or riie en nt te ed d t to o a a p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r t th he em me e? ? It is a story with a particular theme: deciding whether to fight for a dying world or leaving it all together. W Wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? Our last album left one surviving villain and one of the protagonists alive at the end. While the protagonist entered The God Machine, the villain fled from the scene. 20 years have passed since then, and now the world is threatened by an alien enemy. Our protagonist now, the former villain of Phantom Shadow, is — for reasons she do not understand at the time — given powers to fight back. These powers allow her to, among other things, enter a world behind the world and travel unseen. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? We always work collaboratively over the internet. We live in different cities, in two countries, so there’s a lot of dropbox and a few meets where we hammer out the details.

W Wh ha at t lle ed d y yo ou u t to o m ma ak ke e a a m mo or re e s siim mp plle e a allb bu um m t th ha an n y yo ou ur r lla as st t r re ec co or rd ds s a as s y yo ou u d de es sc cr riib be ed d iin n a a q qu uo ot te e,, r ra at th he er r t th ha an n a a c co om mp plle ex x o on ne e? ? We seem to work in cycles. We make a longer, more complex album, then we come around and make a simple one. I’m not really sure why this is, but it’s sort of how it tends to be. Also, with the story of Into The Night World, the sort of space battle existential metamorphosis story that it is, the music followed the story. V Viid de eo o g ga am me es s p plla ay y a a b biig g r ro olle e o on n t th hiis s b ba an nd d - - w wh ha at t g ga am me es s iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e m mu us siic c a an nd d lly yr riic cs s o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? Old and new. Some games, like the Metroid franchise, is always with us in one way or another. You can’t really tell but the new DOOM had some influences on this album, as well as adventure/survival games like Tomb Raider and Alien Isolation. H Ho ow w h ha as s S Sw we ed de en n iin nf fllu ue en nc ce ed d y yo ou u m mu us siic ca alllly y? ? Hard to say, really. We consider ourselves citizens of the world in more ways than one. For one, we were never really a local band. We “grew up” on the Internet. We have however finalized two albums in Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, a studio famous for recording In Flames, Dimmu Borgir and lots of elite Swedish bands. I think that may have definitely had some influence on our production methods and decisions we make when we produce music. T Te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r u up pc co om miin ng g U US S T To ou ur r!! Yes! This January we’re coming to the USA! We are starting with MAGFest, the festival we just can’t get enough of. It’ll be our third time there, in National Harbor (just outside of Washington D.C.). If you haven’t been, you should definitely check it out. After that we’re hitting a long line of cities, from New York to Dallas Texas, so if you’re in the western part of the USA, do check our tour dates for January to see if you could catch us somewhere along the road. W Wh ha at t iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n M Ma ac ch hiin na ae e S Su up pr re em ma ac cy y''s s w wo or rlld d? ? 2017 will be a lot about making music and perhaps just being out there on social media and in the world in general, talking to friends and fans and being awesome.

H Hii S Sa am m,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? I’m pretty damn good. I spend my life playing with sounds, so I couldn’t be happier. Finishing this new music feels great, but a lot of anxiety comes with ‘finishing’ things. Art is always transforming and it can be really hard to stop and say “this is it - this is done.” Maybe nothing ever feels done? C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "R Re ea alliig gn n" "? ? I was working on some music with Evalyn and I pulled up the rough track idea I had. That “here we go again” vocal was already in and it was the most uptempo track I’d made in a while. She liked like the vibe so we started vibing to it - I’m pretty sure I was sipping on some Jack and just not laying down random stuff. The verses wrote themselves but the chorus took a couple sessions to really nail down the writing. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? We get caught up in the expectations of others - lovers, friends, social constructs, etc... We forget who we are and become marginalized versions of ourselves to accommodate other people’s ideas of how she would be. A lot of stuff going on in the world right now is completely archaic and idiotic, but most of us fail to acknowledge the absolute ridiculousness of it. We as humans are so intelligent that our intellect allows us to justify insanity. This is a rant now - "Realign" is about waking up and believing in yourself on every level. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? I am scoping out cool animators right now. We will see. Definitely a video for one of the newer songs though. Can’t say which yet! T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w a allb bu um m O Or riig giin ns s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? Nostalgia inspires me. When I started Origins, I had this wave of nostalgic energy that inspired the songs. I am always trying to learn from my memories - I think about being a little kid a lot and how the people around me influenced who I am now. It’s also my first release...feels like the beginning. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? I’m always recording and writing - the process never really ended. As soon as the Origins stuff was in demo form, I was already working on newer music. I’m obsessed with recording... W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s L LA A p plla ay ys s iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? I try to keep LA’s influence to a minimum. My heart is usually either in the Redwoods or Chicago. H Ho ow w p ph hiillo os so op ph hiic ca all iis s t th hiis s a allb bu um m? ? Is all that we see or seem. But a dream within a dream? W Wh ha at t o ot th he er r p pe er rs so on na all p po oiin nt t o of f v viie ew ws s d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s r re ec co or rd d? ? I made a lot of fun songs for the project, but in the end I had to choose the songs that represent my spirit the best at this time in my life. I had to ask myself “What is my purpose here? What is my message?” I think I’m finally starting to answer those questions. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Yes, as soon as I can! I used to only do acoustic shows, so I’m still working on the more produced live set. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n S Sa am m N Niic co ollo os sii''s s w wo or rlld d? ? The Origins EP is gonna drop really soon - I’ll be doing shows, traveling, and writing the newer material. There’s a few really cool collabs in the works. I plan to release another project pretty soon after Origins. Some of it is really stripped back and I’m excited for everyone to hear that more raw side of me. I’m also working on this side-project with my lifelong friend, Sam Hudgens. We went up to this cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains for a while and created this soulful woodsy-electronic project. It’s a refreshing switch up for me - I get to step away from the mic (mostly) and solely focus on creating a sonic painting. There’s a bunch of different friends singing and playing different parts on it. We have an alias for the project - I’ll be releasing more details on that early next year.

- -H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Sasha: Hello! Happy New Year and thank you for having us. - -C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "B Be ev ve er rlly y K Kiilllls s" "? ? Sasha: “Beverly Kills” is a song which shows how everyone in the world is a consumer. The band is laughing at them and also crying because of how people are so blind and living an illusion filled with greed and jealously. The song in fact is a hymn to Kali, the Hindu goddess of material illusion. She provides all those wicked lessons that can teach you or in a worst case scenarios, kill you. - -D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Sasha: Not a particular one, but a build up or combination of images of people who are consumers, people that are fanatics of material possessions; Also a self analysis of my own behavior, my own attachments that lead me to visualize Kali. This was a manifestation that inspired me to write Beverly Kills. - -A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a m mu us siic c v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Sasha: Yes, absolutely. It will be released this month (January). - -W Wh hy y n na am miin ng g t th he e a allb bu um m a af ft te er r t th hiis s r re ec co or rd d iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r? ? Sasha: Because it's catchy and it means something to us. - -H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Sasha: The writing process was amazing, easy and with flow. It was fun to densify our thoughts and emotions into music. From the first rehearsals of the new record you could feel something special in the air, magic basically. The recording process was hellish in some way and we were left floating in space for a couple of months, the pressure was huge , a lot of things that you can't control always seemed to fall out of place, but we kept a positive and professional attitude and worked our asses to get what we wanted and we are very happy with the record. - -H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d y yo ou ur r H Hiin nd dii u up pb br riin ng giin ng g iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e r re ec co or rd d? ? Sasha: The main purpose of the record is the teachings of the opening song "Mantra", that you should not act expecting the fruits of your actions, but

act because of the duty with yourself, act out of love and not greed. So I would say my Hindi beliefs influenced a lot, although it's more universal knowledge than Hindi. - -W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f p po olliit tiic cs s a an nd d iillllu us siio on n d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? Sasha: Our political disagreement reflects in the song "Sharks of Disharmony" that talks about how the world is ruled by corrupt individuals motivated by greed. But you can get the feeling from the whole record; It's a constant reminder that the world of money and greed is cruel, and that nothing in this world is for "free". - -A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Sasha: Yes we do. No dates yet for the US yet but stay tuned cause we are coming! - -W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n T Th he e G Giit ta as s'' w wo or rlld d? ? Sasha: We are releasing the record on February 17, 2017, we have new music videos and singles, lots of content, new merch and high intensity shows. If you love rock, come break your necks with us! We have a lot of surprises to keep you interested. Pre-order: http://www.thegitas.com/album-preorder Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegitas/

IIn n m ma an ny y w wa ay ys s w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y a ar rt t iis s a a r re ev ve ea alliin ng g o of f s se ellf f o or r c ca an n iit t a alls so o b be e a a w wa ay y o of f h hiid diin ng g o ou ur r o ow wn n iin ns se ec cu ur riit tiie es s? ? -For me it is like shinning a light on my insecurities. Revealing it for all to see. It’s a way for me to deal with it. The good and the bad. I can’t hide from it, so I wave it around like a flag. H Ho ow w d do o y yo ou u r re ella at te e t to o m mu us siic c M Miic ch ha ae ell? ? Y Yo ou u h ha av ve e b be ee en n iin nv vo ollv ve ed d iin n s so om me e f fo or rm m o or r a an no ot th he er r f fo or r a a g go oo od d w wh hiille e.. -Too long sometimes I think. I have a strange relationship with music. I hate it sometimes, and then I’m confused by it, and other times I am head over heels in love with it. I am writing and working every day so I don’t listen to music very often when I am not in the studio. T Th he e T Tr ra ag giic c E En nd d o of f a a D Dr re ea am me er r,, lliis st te en niin ng g a at t t tiim me es s t th he e u un nf fo olld diin ng g o of f a a s st to or ry y t tr ra an ns sp piir re es s v viis su ua alllly y iin n a a c ca ap pt tiiv va at te ed d m miin nd d.. W Wh he en n y yo ou u f fiin nd d y yo ou ur rs se ellf f w wr riit tiin ng g s so on ng gs s M Miic ch ha ae ell,, w wh ha at t s se en ns se es s s se ee em m d de ev ve ello op p t th he em ms se ellv ve es s f fiir rs st t? ? -I would say Emotion comes first. I try to touch the listener and make them feel something unique. People are so busy that they don’t seem to have time to really listen these days. A As s y yo ou u p pr ro og gr re es ss s,, d do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d a allll y yo ou ur r s se en ns se es s e ev ve en nt tu ua alllly y b be ec co om me e iin nv vo ollv ve ed d iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c p pr ro od du uc ct tiio on ns s? ? -I do, but I try not to let it get too far out of control. Sometimes I find myself going down a musical path that is completely out there, so I have to reign it back in. IIn n m ma an ny y w wa ay ys s t th hiis s s se ev ve en nt th h s st tu ud diio o r re elle ea as se e f fo or r A A B Ba ad d T Th hiin nk ks s f fe ellt t s so o c cllo os se e t to o h ho om me e.. M Ma ay yb be e,, iit t iis s t th he e p po oe et tiic c s siid de e o or r t th he e a ag ge ed d s siid de e o of f w wh he er re e c ce er rt ta aiin n o on ne es s o of f u us s a ar re e a allo on ng g t th he e r ro oa ad d.. W Wh he en n y yo ou u llo oo ok k d do ow wn n y yo ou ur r p pa at th h,, f fo or rw wa ar rd ds s w wh ha at t iis s w wa aiit tiin ng g? ? -I am not sure. I do know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. As long as I approach whatever comes next with an open and caring mind, I can handle what’s waiting for me N No ot t d de es siir riin ng g t to o c co om mp pa ar re e iin n t tr ru ut th h M Miic ch ha ae ell,, y ye et t lliis st te en niin ng g t to o t th hiis s a allb bu um m iin n s so om me e w wa ay ys s r re em miin nd de ed d m me e o of f L La az za ar ru us s,, B Bo ow wiie e''s s a allb bu um m.. -What a nice thing to say. I don’t think you could give me a better compliment H Ho ow w m ma an ny y h ho ou ur rs s a a d da ay y w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y y yo ou u s sp pe en nd d o on n w wr riit tiin ng g a an nd d iid de ea as s t th ha at t m ma ay y b be ec co om me e a a t tu un ne e M Miic ch ha ae ell? ? -I average about 6 hours a day writing and recording ideas. IIs s t th he er re e a a p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r r riit tu ua all y yo ou u m mu us st t f fo ollllo ow w f fo or r t th he e e eb bb b a an nd d f fllo ow w t to o b be eg giin n,, s st ta ay y a an nd d h ho olld d? ? -Not really, I just flow with whatever strikes me. I will work it until I hit a dead end and then move on to another one, but I always circle back and work on it. Sometimes the song doesn’t go anywhere so it sits until I find an angle. C Co om miin ng g f fr ro om m A A F Fllo oc ck k o of f S Se ea ag gu ulllls s a as s t th he e d dr ru um mm me er r a an nd d t th he e t tiim me e s sp pe en nt t f fr ro om m t th he en n u un nt tiill n no ow w,, w we er re e y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s a a m mu ullt tiif fa ac ce et te ed d iin ns st tr ru um me en nt ta alliis st t? ? -I have in deed. I started playing drums when I was five. Started playing guitar at 14. I played the stand up bass in the orchestra in high school. My mother played piano so I always played around on that. H Ho ow w m ma an ny y iin ns st tr ru um me en nt ts s c ca an n y yo ou u p plla ay y a an nd d d do o y yo ou u s st tiillll h ha av ve e o on ne e y yo ou u p pr re ef fe er r? ? -I am focused on guitar and my voice these days though I play drums, guitar, bass, keyboards xylophone, timpani, and the tromboneV barely. W Wh hiic ch h iin ns st tr ru um me en nt ts s iin n y yo ou ur r r re ep pe er rt to oiir re e t th ha at t y yo ou u''v ve e c co olllle ec ct te ed d o ov ve er r t th he e y ye ea ar rs s h ha av ve e c co om me e t to o b be e y yo ou ur r f fa av vo ou ur riit te es s,, a an nd d h ha av ve e a a s st to or ry y o or r t tw wo o a at tt ta ac ch he ed d t to o t th he em m? ? ( (f fe ee ell f fr re ee e t to o s sh ha ar re e) ).. -I have quite a few guitars, though my favorite is a 1958 telecaster that I play live. It’s a player. The only thing original is the body and pickups. It’s beat up but plays like a dream. -I still have some of the drums from my very first drum set. My mother had to co-sign on a $3000 loan from the bank. It took me three years to pay it off. -I have a custom made Echopark acoustic guitar that has a unique serial number. The exact date and day I married my wife. You have found a brilliance to the side of collaboration haven't you? -I have found a sweet spot. I’m just getting started down this road. In the last few years I have had the honor of working with many talented people. W Wh ho o h ha av ve e b be ee en n s so om me e o of f y yo ou ur r t tr re ea as su ur re ed d m mu us siic ciia an n f fr riie en nd ds s y yo ou u h ha av ve e b be ee en n h ho on no or re ed d t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h? ? -Gwen Steffani, Paul Bryan, John Phillip Shanale, Michael Scorer, Dave Way, Greg Leisz. T Tr ru ue e m mu us siic ciia an ns sh hiip p c ce er rt ta aiin nlly y r ru un ns s d de ee ep p.. IIt t t th he e h hiis st to or ry y o of f t th he e m me ello od dy y m ma ak ke er rs s a an nd d s so on ng gw wr riit te er rs s M Miic ch ha ae ell w wh ho o h ha av ve e b be ee en n t th ho os se e b be ef fo or re e y yo ou u t th ha at t h ha av ve e c ca ap pt tu ur re ed d y yo ou ur r iim ma ag giin na at tiio on n a an nd d w wh hy y? ? -I love the Beatles songwriting. Becks morning phase album is extremely inspiring. I admire anyone who is not afraid to be original and think outside the box. S Siim mp plliic ciit ty y iis s a a w we ellll- -d de es se er rv ve ed d n no ot te e.. W Wh ha at t iis s t th he e s sh ho or rt te es st t,, lle ea as st t c co om mp plle ex x s so on ng g y yo ou u h ha av ve e e ev ve er r c co om mp po os se ed d a an nd d h ha as s iit t b be ee en n r re ec co or rd de ed d? ? -I am currently working on a song that only has two cords in the entire track.

H Hii A An ng ge ella a,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Thank you for covering my music! I have been busy and well. We just wrapped up the Holidays and heard about your song, "Snap Me A Selfie, Santa!". C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t t th he e s so on ng g a an nd d iit ts s m me ea an niin ng g? ? Snap Me a Selfie, Santa is a fun new song that centers around a very determined little girl, who believes she can prove Santa exists, if he is willing to do her very specific list of requests (including a Selfie in front of her tree once he comes down the chimney) on Christmas Eve. It is a joyous song that truly embodies the magic and fun of Christmas. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re e y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th he e s so on ng g? ? Honestly, I do a Christmas benefit series every year, wherein I gather some of the best talent in the New England area to donate their time for a worthy cause, while singing a slew of new Christmas arrangements. Bob McDonald (a former professor of mine and songwriting guru) came to me with the idea of having Santa take a picture of himself with a cell phone. We then decided we wanted to write a technology-driven, modern Christmas song as seen through the eyes of a child. After months of figuring out how to best achieve that scenario, we premiered the first incarnation of it at that benefit series. W We e s sa aw w t th he e v viid de eo o a an nd d iit t llo oo ok ks s lliik ke e y yo ou u g gu uy ys s h ha ad d a a g gr re ea at t t tiim me e f fiillm miin ng g iit t!! C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t w wh ha at t t th ha at t p pr ro oc ce es ss s w wa as s lliik ke e? ? Bob and I wanted to include folks we trusted, who would also be good with Children to film and tell the story, featuring our lead singer & actress, Madison White. So, we enlisted the help of Morgan Murphy (a filmmaker who was in my graduate class -- and where I originally met Bob) to help us out. I then wrote the script and drafted a slew of friends and extended family to help that process happen. We had a great time on the 2-day shoot. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r h ho olliid da ay y a allb bu um m A An n O Or riig giin na all C Ch hr riis st tm ma as s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? I chose the album title to reflect all the original material on the album. Typically on a new Christmas album, the artist performs many covers of known carols and songs with perhaps a couple of new original Christmas tunes. This album is the reverse. It has nine new, original Christmas songs –[written by 3 composers: Arthur J. Howell (my father), Bob McDonald & myself]-- and 2 very re-imagined covers of traditional carols. After the title was chosen (for the above reason), then Bob McDonald and I also decided to write a title trackwhich questions what would a trulyOriginal Christmas be now? Hopefully one that focused on love, rather than the typical Christmas errands and potential stressors. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? I love recording. It’s one of my very favorite things to do. We were blessed to work with great engineers, studios and musicians both in Manhattan and in Northeast Connecticut. Since I hired each person based on our friendship, it sure made the process very smooth. Great people make greater music when put in a happy environment. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u c ch ho oo os se e w wh hiic ch h s so on ng gs s t to o p pa ay y y yo ou ur r o ow wn n r re en nd diit tiio on n? ? The two cover songs are ones I play out in my Christmas shows. I wrote those arrangements with Phil Palonen in mind. He’s a superb Jazz Musician in the “quiet corner” of Connecticut and one whom I truly admire. We love playing jazz, and I love putting a new musical spin on something traditional. D Diid d y yo ou u t ta ak ke e a a d diif ff fe er re en nt t a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h f fo or r e ea ac ch h s so on ng g o or r w we er re e y yo ou u s se ee ek kiin ng g a a c co on ns siis st te en nt t s so ou un nd d? ? I tried to give each song their own approach. I think good music transcends the need for only one genre. So, I like blending them on just about everything, provided the mixture helps the song thrive. Y Yo ou u g ge et t t to o b blle en nd d d diif ff fe er re en nt t g ge en nr re es s t to og ge et th he er r - - d diid d o on ne e iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r s sh hiin ne e t th he e m mo os st t d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n t th he e lly yr riic cs s'' t th he em me e? ? Each has its own requirements. The blues songs required that specific style, but I always hear a little jazz and Latin in just about anything I arrange. It’s not really intentional, just how I hear music as I create. I was also born on the West Virginia border, so a bit of folk or country likes to trickle into my pop songs. A An ny y u up pc co om miin ng g e ev ve en nt ts s? ? Yes! I have a number of music gigs coming up in 2017, including many guest artist visits to Cady’s Roadhouse in Scituate, Rhode Island. They do a wonderful blues jam each Sunday afternoon (one of the most popular in New England). Cady’s brings in a pro regional or touring guest artist most Sunday’s to start the afternoon and then the jammers get the chance to play with them and others throughout the day. I will be there on March 2nd, June 25th and October 1st. I also have a number of spots with the Rick Harrington Band, my own solo gigs, and some concerts in the works. Please check my website calendar for full details: angelachowell.com W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n A An ng ge ella a C C.. H Ho ow we ellll''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I am currently completing arrangements for my upcoming jazz fusion album. We hope to have some singles out this spring and the full project completed and released late summer 2017. I’d be most honored if you’d watch for it and continue to support our work.

Negative Sky brings a diverse mixture that finds itself stirring up thought­provoking Metalcore sounds with an aggressiveness that causes a unique grind. Taking their attitude towards life out of Central New Jersey and overlaying it with melody, technique, and a heavy laden tight channeling. Their sound sets them apart as a notably distinguishable breed of Metalcore. Having worked with Corey Pierce, John Kita and Mitch Cox of Conclave Studios, Negative Sky released their first single/video, “The Dark Unknown.” When will the full­length album come out? Lead vocalist Dan Caputo reveals this, along with the album's title. Negative Sky has been unleashed and they are like a tightly wound spring... full loaded, ready and cocked to blast their Metalcore over the waiting masses. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: P Plla ac ciin ng g N Ne eg ga at tiiv ve e S Sk ky y''s s s so ou un nd d iin n a a r ro ou un nd da ab bo ou ut t d de es sc cr riip pt tiio on n o of f a ag gg gr re es ss siiv ve e b bu ut t t th ho ou ug gh ht tf fu ull d de ev ve ello op pm me en nt t s se ee em ms s a allm mo os st t t to oo o c co om mp plliic ca at te ed d.. W Wh ha at t iis s M Me et ta allc co or re e t to o y yo ou u? ? Dan Caputo: A combination of Metal and Hardcore (paused) and though we tend to fall into that category, I believe that our level of diversity is what helps set us apart. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w d do o y yo ou u d de ev ve ello op p d diiv ve er rs siit ty y iin n M Me et ta allc co or re e? ? W Wh ha at t a an nd d h ho ow w d do o y yo ou u g go o a ab bo ou ut t c ch ho oo os siin ng g t th he e e elle em me en nt ts s y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o c ch ho oo os se e f fr ro om m a an nd d m miix x iin n? ? Dan Caputo: The key for us I think is that no matter what we are writing, our main focus is feel and groove and maintaining fluidity from section to section so that no matter what we write, the parts work together in a way that makes you feel like they belong there regardless of how different the parts may be. Once you are able to do that more naturally, it lends a lot to creativity down the road. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIn nn no ov va at tiio on n a allo on ng g w wiit th h c co om mm mu un niic ca at tiio on n s se ee em ms s t to o b be e a at t t th he e f fo or re ef fr ro on nt t o of f t to od da ay y''s s m mu us siic c d de em ma an nd ds s.. W Wh ha at t d do oe es s N Ne eg ga at tiiv ve e S Sk ky y d do o t to o d de ev ve ello op p t th he es se e iim mp po or rt ta an nt t e elle em me en nt ts s? ? Dan Caputo: I think the most important thing is, to be honest with your creativity and your performances. Real recognizes real, so to speak, and in an increasingly plastic and shallow existence these days, I feel like the humanity we have been burying under technological advances is crying out for something real to feel and believe in again. (paused) It’s hard to feel alive when you live in virtual societies made up of computer programs. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIn n t th he e b bu ur rs st t o of f e ex xc ciit te em me en nt t b ba ac ck k iin n 2 20 01 11 1 iit t iis s n no ot te ed d D Da an n t th ha at t y yo ou u c ca ar rr riie ed d o ou ut t o on n s st ta ag ge e t th he e lly yr riic cs s t to o y yo ou ur r s so on ng gs s iin n o or rd de er r t to o p pe er rf fo or rm m t th he e f fiir rs st t t tiim me e.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th ha at t e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e lliik ke e? ? Dan Caputo: Actually it was in 2010 at Vans Warped Tour. We played at Monmouth Park in 100-degree weather, and I was so excited about the new song we had at that time that I wanted to play it out as soon as possible. So I brought my lyrics for the song "Disasteroid" scrawled out on a couple sheets of paper. I sang that set after 12 hrs of madness and heat exhaustion and I'll never forget it...my belt broke, and I was sweating so much my pants were sliding down while I was trying to read small words on a wet piece of paper, good times! (laughed) All in all, it worked out well and that song

Photo Credit: DEREK SOTO OF SINESTRA STUDIOS wound up being one of our fans favorites! S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIt t a allm mo os st t s se ee em ms s a allo on ng g t th he e w wa ay y a at t t th he e r riig gh ht t t tiim me e e ea ac ch h b bu uiilld diin ng g b bllo oc ck k h ha as s c co om me e iin nt to o t th he e w wo or rlld d o of f N Ne eg ga at tiiv ve e S Sk ky y t to o h he ellp p f fo or rm m w wh ha at t y yo ou u s sh ho ow we ed d t th he e w wo or rlld d y yo ou u h ha ad d.. W Wh ha at t iis s iit t e ea ac ch h m me em mb be er r u un niiq qu ue elly y b br riin ng gs s t to o N NS S? ? Dan Caputo: Definitely individuality and also different levels of creativity and approach while balancing out the heart and the mind...basically we are all fucking weird! S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th he e a ad dd diit tiio on n o of f D Da an nn ny y P Pu um ma a a an nd d g gu uiit ta ar rs s a an nd d b ba ac ck kiin ng g v vo oc ca alls s a allo on ng g w wiit th h J JJ J S Sa am mm ma at ta ar ro o o on n g gu uiit ta ar r s se ee em ms s t to o b be e t th he e k ke ey y t to o t th ha at t u un niiq qu ue e h hiig gh h- -b br re ed d s so ou un nd d t th ha at t s se et ts s N NS S a as s iit ts s o ow wn n.. H Ho ow w d diid d P Pu um ma a c co om me e iin nt to o t th he e b ba an nd d? ? Dan Caputo: He works at the studio we rehearse in and overheard that we were looking to add a guitarist. When he tried out he blew us away! He did his homework, and we were excited to have him be a part of Negative Sky. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: L Liiv ve e a an nd d iin n t th he e s st tu ud diio o iit t m mu us st t b be e p pr re et tt ty y c co oo oll w wa at tc ch hiin ng g S Sa am mm ma at ta ar ro o a an nd d P Pu um ma a f fiir re e u up p t th he e m me et ta all a ax xe es s!! D Da an n y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t E EP P c ca am me e o ou ut t iin n 2 20 01 1 3 3 D De ea at th h o of f t th he e S Su un n,, w wiit th h " "D Diis sa as st te er ro oiid d" " b be eiin ng g a a s st tr ro on ng g c co on nt te en nd de er r.. N No ow w a at t t th he e e en nd d o of f 2 20 01 1 6 6 c co om me es s t th he e f fiir rs st t s siin ng glle e,, " "T Th he e D Da ar rk k U Un nk kn no ow wn n.." " F Fiir rs st t o of f a allll,, w wh hy y a a t th hr re ee e- -y ye ea ar r w wa aiit t? ? Dan Caputo: After the EP we played out for a while to support it, and we made some contacts that would lead to us recording our full length. We were given the opportunity to take our time doing pre-production sessions for each of the songs we thought would be good for the record, and after some months we began tracking them. Once we heard how good things were sounding, we realized that our need for two guitarists had become more important than ever so that we could achieve the next level to our sound. So began the hunt for a second axe grinder which took a few months before finally adding Puma to the mix. The record had been in its final phase of production, and all the while we had been breaking Puma in by playing out a lot and beginning to write more material, and now here we are on the edge of the release of Placid Black. Great things take time. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ho o d diid d y yo ou u w wo or rk k w wiit th h p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g t th he e s siin ng glle e " "T Th he e D Da ar rk k U Un nk kn no ow wn n" " a an nd d o on n t th he e f fu ullll- -lle en ng gt th h a allb bu um m,, P Plla ac ciid d B Blla ac ck k,, h ho ow w s so oo on n w wiillll iit t b be e r re elle ea as se ed d? ? Dan Caputo: We worked with Corey Pierce of God Forbid, John Kita of Diecast, and Mitch Cox of Conclave Studios (where the record was recorded in New York). Our album, Placid Black, it will be released soon. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: II h he ea ar rd d y yo ou u h ha ad d r re ec co or rd d iin n a a 1 11 1 9 9 d de eg gr re ee e w wa ar re eh ho ou us se e f fo or r t th he e v viid de eo o,, “ “T Th he e D Da ar rk k U Un nk kn no ow wn n..” ” T Th ha at t h he ea at t m mu us st t h ha av ve e b be ee en n t th he e r riig gh ht t t tiic ck ke et t f fo or r g ge et tt tiin ng g t th he e s so ou un nd d y yo ou u w wa an nt te ed d.. Q Qu ue es st tiio on n,, d do o y yo ou ur r f fa an ns s n ne ee ed d t to o b be e a as s h ho ot t iin n o or rd de er r t to o w wiit tn ne es ss s y yo ou ur r p pe er rf fo or rm miin ng g? ? O Or r d do o y yo ou u lliik ke e t th he e b blla az ziin ng g h he ea at t t th ha at t c co om me es s o ou ut t o of f t th he e d de es se er rt t s so ou ut th hw we es st t? ? A Ar riiz zo on na a a at t t tiim me es s h hiit ts s w we ellll iin nt to o t th ho os se e h hiig gh h n nu um mb be er rs s.. Dan Caputo: (laughed) Don’t matter if you’re hot or cold...in Arizona or the North Pole...you'll be seeing us, and we will be seeing you \m/!

H Hii J Jo oh hn n,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? I've been fatherly, lazy, chilly and busy... how you been? C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "H Ha an ng g T Tiig gh ht t" "? ? Well "Hang Tight" is a rocker and I dig it. Got this hook. D Diid d a an ny y e ev ve en nt t iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r iin ns sp piir re ed d y yo ou u t to o w wr riit te e t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? It was a hook I wrote for my session with Louie Lino at Sonic Ranch. I had a few words about learning how to chill through hard times. I was high on marijuana and drinking tequila and saw things in the desert and wrote down lyrics of life and death and surfing through those things. Travel. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o r re elle ea as se e a a v viid de eo o f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Yes I am currently working on it. Might get this hobo that juggles by the bridge over the highway to be in it. And also this fat kid that dances like a juggalo. He is awsome!! he panhandles change. Got skills. T Th he e s siin ng glle e c co om me es s o of ff f y yo ou ur r n ne ew w a allb bu um m M Miic cr ro ow wa av ve e D Dr re ea am ms s - - w wh ha at t''s s t th he e s st to or ry y b be eh hiin nd d t th he e t tiit tlle e? ? Well its about dreams. Also pagan themes, growing older and becoming a father in these crazy weird times, mainly about me hustling in Austin,TX H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Well I wrote and recorded about 30 demos... and picked covers... and utilzed my friendships with producers over the years. I just stayed up late and got lost in the brain. Collected songs for a couple years We went out to West Texas and took my family. Turned 40 out there. Would go for walks, and smoke weed and drink tequila and make fires. Just took it all in at Sonic Ranch and Super Secret Records paid for the whole thing. Basically writing about love and death in the desert. And ufos. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll t th hiis s a a t to ot ta all d de ep pa ar rt tu ur re e f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s b ba an nd d o or r iin n s so om me e w wa ay y iit t''s s a a f fo ollllo ow w u up p? ? My band changes all the time... went from 7 piece to 3 piece. But that, too could change. Its an extension of life..another step into writing. Its like my 11th record or something like that. I still sound like I did 10 years ago but my voice is deeper. Hahaaaa W We e’’r re e t to olld d y yo ou u’’r re e a a p pr re et tt ty y p pr ro olliif fiic c g gu uy y.. H Ho ow w m ma an ny y r re ec co or rd ds s w wo or rt th h o of f m ma at te er riia all h ha av ve e y yo ou u r re ec co or rd de ed d s siin nc ce e M Miic cr ro ow wa av ve e D Dr re ea am ms s? ? I recorded almost a 100 songs the past year... just finished mixing 20 with my other band The Golden Boys. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Working on an April tour... Chicago.. NYC run and back. And maybe Europe in the FALL. Dunno excatly. I need a BOOKING AGENT. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n J Jo oh hn n W We es slle ey y C Co olle em ma an n IIIIII''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Writing more songs and making a song book. Its gonna have all my songs and chords. Plus a book about Jim Morrison as if he never died and is a slob in LA. its trashy writing. Thanks . Peace.

Lee Garrett has supported some serious International and Domestic names. It is fair to say he understands what is required to make people dance! Having held residencies at the leading venues in his hometown of Brighton & in the UK from the age of 17, Lee is now resident for The Arch (Formally The Zap & Digital) & occasionally his services are used at the infamous Concorde2 where recently he supported dance music legend such as Sasha. 1 1 .. W We ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S.. W Wh he er re e a ar re e y yo ou u r riig gh ht t n no ow w? ? Currently, I’m trying to arrange a unfinished track but getting distracted with is Q&A! ;) 2 2.. W Wh ha at t’’s s b be ee en n a a m mu us siic c h hiig gh hlliig gh ht t f fo or r y yo ou u iin n t th he e lla as st t 1 1 2 2 m mo on nt th hs s? ? DJing wise I’d say supporting Sasha at a sell out show in my home town- the atmosphere was electric. Production wise in the last 12 months, seeing the first reaction sheet for “Mind” as its my first release in 3/4 years! it's been a long time since I've had feedback for my music and to have some of the people supporting has blown me away!! 3 3.. C Ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t r re elle ea as se e ‘‘M Miin nd d’’? ? Not having released anything for a while I knew i needed to write a track that I felt would be played in clubs at peak times. It does have a no nonsense feel- which is the attitude a had getting back into the studio. Swerve Digital have arranged some seriously talent on remix duties. Which are very strong & all offer something slightly different 4 4.. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Tough. But we got there, the mastering stage was a faff because I wanted quite an original feel to the track. 5 5.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s y yo ou ur r r ro ou ut te e iin nt to o t th he e m mu us siic c iin nd du us st tr ry y,, h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t iin nt to o w wr riit tiin ng g & & p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g a an nd d h ho ow w o olld d w we er re e y yo ou u? ? II s st ta ar rt te ed d c co olllle ec ct tiin ng g H Ho ou us se e m mu us siic c o on n V Viin ny yll iin n 1 1 9 99 98 8- - w wh he en n II w wa as s 1 1 3 3.. F Fr ro om m t th he er re e II p pr ra ac ct tiic ce ed d e ev ve er ry y d da ay y o on n m my y 1 1 2 21 1 0 0’’s s u un nt tiill m my y p pa ar re en nt ts s t to olld d m me e t to o s st to op p a at t n niig gh ht t- - n no ot t t to oo o s su ur re e w wh he et th he er r iit t w wa as s t th he e m miix xiin ng g o or r iit t w wa as s lla at te e? ?? ? I entered a DJ comp at 17 where I won a set at Brighton’s leading venue The Zap (now The Arch). From that set I became resident at The Honey Club and supported all the acts who were booked. I started writing music when i was 19, I felt I needed to keep up & just performing as a DJ wasn't going to cut it! 6 6.. D Do o y yo ou u p pr re ef fe er r t th he e s st tu ud diio o o or r d djj- -iin ng g iin n t th he e c cllu ub bs s? ? Currently, I’d say DJing. I can’t be more creative in my sets- as weirdly as that sounds! 7 7.. H Ho ow w m ma an ny y o of f y yo ou ur r o ow wn n c cu ut ts s d do o y yo ou u p plla ay y w wh he en n d djj- -iin ng g? ? A Ar re e t th he ey y m ma ad de e t to o f fiit t iin n w wiit th h y yo ou ur r s st ty ylle e,, o or r d do o y yo ou ur r D DJ Jiin ng g a an nd d p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g h ha av ve e d diif ff fe er re en nt t a aiim ms s? ? Being that “Mind” is my first release for a while, not many, but a do play a few edits & bootlegs I’ve made for myself! 8 8.. W Wh ha at t’’s s y yo ou ur r t ta ak ke e o on n d da an nc ce e m mu us siic c r riig gh ht t n no ow w – – w wh he er re e’’s s iit t h he ea ad diin ng g? ? Exciting times indeed. Lots of great music being made across the board. There are a lot of new fresh labels & artists bubbling to the surface. 9 9.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e a an ny y p plla an ns s t to o w wo or rk k w wiit th h a an ny y o ot th he er r a ar rt tiis st ts s? ? Certainly, I find collaborations great fun! Rising DJ/ Producer Sean Branton is on the list for sure. We often get to play back 2 back at The Arch, Brighton together; we are on the same page & he gets it. 1 1 0 0.. A An nd d f fiin na alllly y,, w wh ha at t iis s c co om miin ng g n ne ex xt t f fr ro om m y yo ou u s st tu ud diio o w wiis se e? ? I have 6 tracks finished, signed & due for release by spring. I am current getting my head down to create new material. Gig wise, lots of shows in my home city, Brighton- supporting some big acts & looking at dates throughout the UK & Europe. Lee Garrett ‘Mind’ is released via Swerve Digital on 20th February 2017

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? We've been great! How have you been? Thanks for having us! We're polite. W Wh ha at t c ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t t th he e t tiit tlle e a an nd d m me ea an niin ng g b be eh hiin nd d y yo ou ur r m mo os st t r re ec ce en nt t r re elle ea as se e? ? The Gross is kind of a commentary on the state of our brains trying to deal with every day life in current times. There's some escapism, imagination, debauchery and bad decisions that sparked some of the lyrics, and the music was mostly composed out of the necessity to feel human. Otherwise, things are pretty gross right now for the majority, and we think the title really fits the state of the world right now. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? Spaced-out and lengthy. A few of the songs are old, old tunes that never saw the light of day on a recording in past bands. Some of the new songs came out instantly, and some took a while. We tracked three songs with Jack Endino in 2015, returned to mix them in early 2016. The rest of the drums were recorded at Art Institute Seattle in two different sessions spaced about 9 months apart. All other overdubs and mixes were drone at Boiler Room with our homie Derek Moree every few months until we had it right. W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n

f fo or r t th he e s so on ng g a an nd d lly yr riic cs s? ? About half of the material is personal issues, both self-inflicted and external. The other half is well... look out the window, turn on the TV, and go on the internet. W Wiillll y yo ou u b be e h hiit tt tiin ng g t th he e r ro oa ad d iin n 2 20 01 1 7 7? ? We hope to be doing some sort of regional or national tour through the U.S.A, and we'd love more than anything to tour Europe. That's more of a pipe dream at this point, but we're looking into it. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n t th he e w wo or rlld d o of f T Te en n M Miille es s W Wiid de e? ? We're working on our second album at the moment. We're very excited and motivated to write together again, and we already have two new songs that are tickling our fancy, to say the least. We have some really cool shows and opportunities coming up, and we're about to plan out some important steps this week. Other than that, we're doing cool interviews, like this one!!

Pic by Ceasar Osiris

H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? Cool, thanks for having us! We've been good, for right now taking a little hiatus to spend time with family and friends for the holidays. We'll start writing again for our next album sometime in the near future. W Wh ha at t c ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t t th he e t tiit tlle e a an nd d m me ea an niin ng g b be eh hiin nd d y yo ou ur r m mo os st t r re ec ce en nt t r re elle ea as se e? ? The overall meaning behind our latest album title, RIP(Rest In Peace), is letting go or getting rid of anything that drags you down, whether it be people, objects or just taking yourself out of any situation in life that causes conflict or distress. A couple of the tracks(RIP, Tombstones of my Enemies and Bury the Wicked) all deal with that subject. We try to be more positive with our lyrical content, we also like when our listeners can relate to the songs. This gives it much more meaning and emotional connection. For me personally I tend to gravitate towards songs that make me feel some sort of emotion. It's a great thing to experience as a listener and songwriter. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? I love being in the studio and watching the songs grow from the first scratch track to the final product, you really get to here all of the nuances in what you are playing. The process for writing and recording took about a year and a half; we actually cut one song and recorded two more while we were in the studio. It's always great to get in the practice room and bounce ideas off of each other, that gives the songs more depth in my opinion. Having multiple songwriters allows everyones styles to show through, this is what gives us our sound. W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e s so on ng g a an nd d lly yr riic cs s? ? It's always different. I don't contribute to the lyrics, that's mainly our singer Chris. From what I gather the lyrics are about just going through life, struggles, hope and spirituality. We're always looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. Music ideas can come from anybody, whether it be a guitar riff, bass line or drum pattern. We've had a handful of songs actually start with the lyrics or a vocal melody. I think we mainly inspire each other when we are jamming; we all have different influences so bringing those together can spark ideas that we might not have thought of otherwise. I also find that inspiration for songs seem to come when you least expect it. W Wiillll y yo ou u b be e h hiit tt tiin ng g t th he e r ro oa ad d iin n 2 20 01 1 7 7? ? So far we have a couple of local gigs set up but nothing extensive so far. W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n t th he e w wo or rlld d o of f T Th hr re ea at tp po oiin nt t? ? So far just enjoying time off. We'll be hitting the practice room soon to start getting ideas for new material for the next record!

1 1 H Hii g gu uy ys s,, w we ellc co om me e t to o V VE EN NT TS S!! H Ho ow w h ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n? ? A: We have doing great. Just enjoying a little down time during the holidays. 2 2 W Wh ha at t c ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t t th he e t tiit tlle e a an nd d m me ea an niin ng g b be eh hiin nd d y yo ou ur r m mo os st t r re ec ce en nt t r re elle ea as se e? ? A: Our newest release is called New Era. A lot information has came out in recent years about how corporations and their CEO’s get away with so much injustice because of there wealth and influence. If you look at the last fifty years our world has changed because of technology and political subversion. We wanted to capture and expose it in our music and art. Also we went through some member changes over the last couple of years and it feels like a new bands sometimes. 3 3 H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g p pr ro oc ce es ss s? ? A: After a member change we wrote some new music and came up with the song New Era. We recorded at Spider Studios in Cleveland, Ohio which we had to travel about ten hours to record there. Spider Studios was one of the best studios around. They have worked with artists Chimera and Machine Gun Kelly. They even produced the Freddy vs Jason soundtrack. It took two days to record our single with them. We then recorded our music video with Post Retro Productions at Scruffy City Hall back in Knoxville, Tennessee. The whole project was a great experience. We couldn’t be happier with how the production turned out. 4 4 W Wh he er re e d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s f fiin nd d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e s so on ng g a an nd d lly yr riic cs s? ? A: We try to come up with a simple singular

idea to start off with. It helps set the tone for the whole process. It gives a default emotion to build each instrument around. As the song takes shape the lyrics start to form, first we come up with melodies and one liners. Then more poignant phrases and hooks come into play. Sometimes one of the writers already has some riffs or some poetry to set the pace. Sometimes its just a statement we want to reflect though our music. We try to follow our emotions during the writing process. 5 5 W Wiillll y yo ou u b be e h hiit tt tiin ng g t th he e r ro oa ad d iin n 2 20 01 1 7 7? ? A: Yes, we already have a tour scheduled for march and we also have a music festival lined up as well. We generally play around seventy shows a year. We like to play as many shows as possible but sometimes our finances don’t allow it. We do have to balance our music career and our other lives. We want to get to the point where we can make a nice living from our music. Right now we still have to work a normal job and make time to tour. It can get very hectic trying to schedule around five peoples jobs. Some of us even have had to quit our jobs to go on longer tours. 6 6 W Wh ha at t e ells se e iis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt t iin n t th he e w wo or rlld d o of f D Diiv viid de ed d W We e S St ta an nd d? ? A: We already have new material and want to start producing some products. We are planning a trip to Mexico to record and even play a few shows. We also have some killer ideas for more music videos and merchandise. So really we are just waiting and saving up for our next project. Thank you so much for having us and we salute you for giving unsigned artists like us a voice.