VENTS Magazine 68th Issue

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Interviews Demon Hunter Kathleen Detoro Greig Fraser Alejandra y Maria Alex Anwandt David Broza Bryan Lanning Andrew Lockington MONKI 2 22 22 2 H Hiig gh h V Va alllle ey y V Viiv ve ek k M Ma ad dd da alla a S Sy ym mo on n B Be ed dr ro os s K Ke eu uiilliia an n D De er re ek k D Da av viis s C Ca as ss sa an nd dr ra a M Ma az ze e IIM MA AN N F Fiin nn n M Ma at tt th he ew ws s B Blla ac ck k M Ma ap p S Sa allt t C Ca at th he ed dr ra all P Pa ar rt ty y N Na aiills s R Ro ob be er rt t H Hu un nt te er r T TO OM MA A W WJ JM M L Liiv ve e!! D Da as sh hb bo oa ar rd d C Co on nf fe es ss siio on na all A Au ug gu us st t B Bu ur rn ns s R Re ed d P Po ow we er rm ma an n 5 50 00 00 0 R Re ee ell B Biig g F Fiis sh h ......a an nd d m mo or re e!!

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? ? Feelin' pretttttttty luckin' good dude. 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 t ta at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "R Re ea ad dy y T To o R Ro ollll" "? ? Ready To Roll is song that I wrote about havin' the balts to do what it takes to get by in life. Whether it's making countless sacrifices to play in a band or you 're on that 9 to 5 & just trying to make ends meet. You do what you gotta do to get by. No matter what it is, you're down. You're ready to roll. O Oiid 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? ? Probably several. 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? ? Shooting our videos is always a hetl of a time, man. We've definitety known for having over the top, larger than life music videos. I don't know many other rock'n'roll bands that do that so it's kind of become OUR thing and l'm quite proud of that. The hard part always is topping the last one though. After finishing the video for Ready To Roll, it's safe to say that we gota tall order for the next one... Fuck. 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 w w;;t td d A At t H He ea ar rt t - - 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 neck tattoo on the album cover is one of my own. l've had it for years. Even before The Wild! was a band. When we finished writing the record, it just seem to realty make sense. When you look at the lyrical content of ANY of our songs. The basis of everything has atways been persona l freedom. So reality, it was onty fitting that we named the record 'Wild At Heart'. 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? ? II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d iit t w wa as s a a t to ou ug gh h o on ne e t to o m ma ak ke e.. Yeah, there was a lot invotved in making this record, that's for sure. Not so much the writing, but the recording process chatlenging to say the least. Basically what happened was, prior to going into the studio I was told by one of the top vocal specialists in my country that it was likety that 1would never sing again. Imagine being told this right befare you're about to make the biggest record of your career... Yeah, that was me. As you can probably imagine, it was a very darte time forme for awhile there. I found myself questioning my rote in the band, my future as a singer & my health. After awhile of basically shutting down completely & not talking to anyone (literalty not saying a word), I changed my outlook on the whote thing. I started thinking about the fact that the odds have always been stacked against me in so many ways. I mean, coming from a small town in Canada that no ones heard of to getting to this point in my life was an accomplishment enough. So why would this be any different? From there I started to make changes to everything in my life & it lead me to working with a pathologist & a very tatented vocal coach. We started by working on my speech & breathing. It was fucked up. I had to really learn how to talk & learned that I had been breathing wrong my entire life. lt sounds as strange as it was. Once I was able to get my voice to a comfortable place with speaking, 1 started to apply wh at 1 had leamed to the way I sing. I was a long process but l'll tell you confidently that I'm much better singer than I ever was before all of that went down. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s u us se e t th he e p pr ro od du uc ct tiio on n s st tr ru ug gg glle es s a an nd d m miis sh ha ap ps s iin n y yo ou ur r a ad dv va an nt ta ag ge e? ? I think once I beat what was holding me back, we all had a new found confidence. Even more so than we already had. I remember when we all learned of everything I was dealing with, Fraze kept tetling me "Don't stress. EverytTh ing happens for a reason & something bigger is gonna come your way because of this". Well, he was right. Not only did 1 become a better singer because of it, there's no way I would've been able to sing 'Wild At Heart' had 1 not have gone through all of that ... for a few reasons. Outside of that, sorne really great tours carne our way with Airbourne & Sebastian Bach /Buckcherry right after we had finished mixing the record. Had we not have had that break in the recording f orme to fix things, l 'm not sure we wou ld've been availabte f or those tours. So again, Mike was right. Fuckin' wizard... 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 M Miik ke e F Fr ra as se er r 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? ? Mike is one of my closest friends. That's my brother right there. lt all started even before the first record we did together ('GxDxWxB'). I remember the day we met. I was pretty nervous. I was young & never had been approached by a producer/engineer of his caliber at the time. Also keeping in mind that this was befare we had any record deals or radio success... Nothing. Just a coupla guys playing our asses off everywhere we possibly could. The fact that he wanted to work with us was blowing my mind. I knew I had to find a way to do it... 1 just didn't know how. I remember sitting at the table across from him thinking "I just need to make this work somehow". So I said to him "I don't have a lot of money but I really want to make this record with you". Now I don't have a lot in life. I got my guitars, my amps, my motorcycle & my 1965 Cadillac Deville. I impulsively took out the keys to my Cadillac from my pocket, put them on the table, stid them to him and said "Take my car. lt's yours". Mike just looked at me and started laughing. I said "Why are you laughing man?". He goes "That's awesome. I really admire that. You know who the last guy to give me his car as payment was?" 1 said "No''. He just smiled and said "Jon Bon Jovi... and I still got it". H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e iin nf ft tu ue en nc ce e t th he e a allb bu um m? ? Mike's always been like a fifth member to this band. He doesn't write with me but he understands where 1 want to take songs befare we even start tracking them. lt's because of how close we are outside of the industry that we make such a great production team in the studio. lt's great man... We quite well together at the bar too! W Wo ou ulld d a allll t th he e s so on ng gs s d de ea all w wiit th h g go oiin ng g t th he e e ex xt tr ra a m miille e? ? W Wh ha at t o ot th he er r t th he em me es s w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u b be e e ex xp pllo or riin ng g t th hr ro ou u g gh ho ou ut t t th he e r re ec co or rd d ? ? As I mentioned earlier, it's all about personal freedom with us. Oon't assume that only means partying... Sure, we like to party. But it's about being true to who you are a person & livin your life for YOU on your terms. Whatever that means to you., H Ho ow w a ar re e y yo ou u g gu uy ys s p pr re ep pa ar riin ng g f fo or r y yo ou ur r u up pc co om miin ng g t to ou ur r? ? We're always road ready, man. We're a rock'n'roll band in 2017. lt's allabout the show for us... Come see us & get your fuck n' minds blown. A An ny yt th hiin ng g y yo ou u a ar re e llo oo ok kiin ng g f fo or rw wa ar rd d t th he e m mo os st t? ? Mainly getting back on the road to support this record. We're so excited to play these songs for the fans, man. lt's beenlong time comin' with this one. We're very mucha live band,you know? There's no bul shit frills with us. 4 dudes. Drinkin' all your beers & playin' rock'n'roll. nice n' loud, all while havin' the time of our fuckin' lives. lt's what you wanna see. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s b be e s so olle elly y p pr ro om mo ot tiin ng g t th he e n ne ew w a allb bu um m o or r c ca an n f fa an ns s e ex xp pe ec ct t s so or rn ne e o ot th he er r o olld d s so on ng gs s? ? We atways play a healthy mix of both. Fuck yeah, our old shit ru es too dude! W Wo ou ulld d s se et t c ch ha an ng ge e t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t t th he e d da at te es s? ? Come to more than one & find out. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o d do o s so or rn ne e lliiv ve e c co oll a ab bo or ra at tiio on ns s w wiit th h B Bu uc ck kc ch he er rr ry y o or r S Se eb ba as st tiia an n B Ba ac ch h? ? On the tast tour, we covered 'Beating Around The Bush' with Buckcherry. lt was fuckin' awesome. We tove those guys, man. They've done a lot f or us over the years & are always in our cerner when we need advice or support. As for Sebast ian, we wou d absotutely tove to do a tune with him sometime! 1 coutd see it happeningif we ever toured together again... He's such a fuckin' beauty & has always been so good to us, man. We love that dude. Couldn't say enough good things about him. Having said that • SO... lf you're reading this,Mr. Bachl Let's go back on the road together & rip a cover sometime. K SS or AC/OC ?! What'd say to that mothertrucker ?! Haha Txt me dude... W Wh ha at t e ells se eiis s h ha ap pp pe en niin ng g n ne ex xt tiin n T Th he e W Wii d dll''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Find out by folowing us on social media :lnsta/ Twitter : @thewld_band. Facebook/ Youtube: thewldrocknrotl. Stay up to date & watch f or us when we're comin' through gettin' shitty in your city, ROCK & FUCKIN' ROLL.

H Hii K Ka at th hlle ee en 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? ? Good, thank you. IIn n r re ec ce en nt t y ye ea ar rs s,, t th ha an nk ks s t to o g gr re ea at t s sh ho ow ws s s su uc ch h a as s G Ga am me e o of f T Th hr ro on ne es s o or r B Br re ea ak kiin ng g B Ba ad d,, C Co os st tu um me es s h ha av ve e r re ec ce eiiv ve ed d a a b be et tt te er r a at tt te en nt tiio on n f fr ro om m m ma ajjo or r a au ud diie en nc ce es s - - a as s a a c cu us st to om m d de es siig gn ne er r y yo ou ur rs se ellf f,, d do oe es s t th ha at t m ma ak ke es s y yo ou u w wo or rr ry y o or r r ra at th he er r m ma ak ke es s y yo ou u e ex xc ciit te es s a an nd d m mo ot tiiv va at te es s y yo ou u? ? I find it exciting that audiences LOVE costumes. They were fascinated by every detail of Breaking Bad costumes. T Th he er re e c ca an n b be e a a g gr re ea at t p ph ho ot to og gr ra ap ph hy y a an nd d p pr ro od du uc ct tiio on n d de es siig gn n b bu ut t iif f t th he e c cllo ot th hiin ng g d do oe es sn n''t t g go o a ac cc co or rd diin ng g t to o t th he e s sc ce en ne e iit t m ma ay y r ru uiin n t th he e w wh ho olle e t th hiin ng g u up p - - d do o y yo ou u t ta ak ke e t th he es se e t tw wo o a af fo or re em me en nt tiio on ne ed d e elle em me en nt ts s iin n c co on ns siid de er ra at tiio on n w wh he en n w wo or rk kiin ng g o on n t th he e d de es siig gn ns s? ? We, the DP, Production designer and myself ( Costume Designer) work in tandem to create the desired effect for the show. “”STRANGELY ENOUGH IT ALL TURNS OUT WELL .HOW? I DON’T KNOW, ITS A MYSTERY.” (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE). K Kiin nd d o of f f fo ollllo ow wiin ng g m my y p pa as st t q qu ue es st tiio on n,, w wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f t th he e e en nv viir ro on nm me en nt t d do o y yo ou u t te en nd d t to o t ta ak ke e m mo or re e iin n c co on ns siid de er ra at tiio on n? ? The light and color are the most important elements for me, that’s the DP, And how it will impact the look on film of the costume. D Do o y yo ou u a alls so o t ta ak ke e a a llo oo ok k a at t t th he e s sc cr riip pt t? ? Yes, the script is the bible, and then add my imagination. You MUST read the script to know and develop the look and arc of the characters. L Le et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t T Tr ra aiin niin ng g D Da ay y - - f fiir rs st t o of f a allll,, h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t iin nv vo ollv ve ed d iin nt to o t th hiis s p pr ro ojje ec ct t? ? I have a history of designing for Bruckheimer; I am inspired by Antoine Fuqua’s work, so I asked Bruckheimer Tv if I could have the opportunity to meet Antoine. He is a wonderful visionary film maker. II''v ve e s se ee en n a a f fe ew w p piic ct tu ur re es s a an nd d t th he e w wa ay y a ac ct to or rs s a ar re e d dr re es ss se ed d r re em miin nd de ed d m me e a a llo ot t t to o t th he e m mo ov viie e - - s so o c ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t t th he e s sa am me e d de es siig gn ns s a as s iin n t th he e m mo ov viie e o or r t th he er re e a ar re e f fe ew w s su ur rp pr riis se es s h he er re e a an nd d t th he er re e? ? Nothing in Training Day, is the same as the film, its 2o years later. Some classics are used to anchor the characters, but it is 20 years later. There is a certain timelessness to police and undercover stories. Y Yo ou u h ha av ve e w wo or rk ke ed d iin n b bo ot th h o or riig giin na all s se er riie es s a as s V Ve eg ga as s,, B Br re ea ak kiin ng g B Ba ad d t to o r re em ma ak ke es s s su uc ch h a as s T Tr ra aiin niin ng g D Da ay y - - n no o m ma at tt te er r w wh ha at t t th he e p pr ro ojje ec ct t iis s,, d do o y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s t tr ry y t to o b br riin ng g y yo ou ur r o ow wn n v viis siio on n o or r t th he er re e a ar re e t tiim me es s w wh he er re e y yo ou u h ha av ve e t to o s st tiic ck k t to o t th he e o olld de er r llo oo ok k? ? I like to think I am hired to create a distinct look for a series, but we have the studio and network as well as the shows creators to satisfy; it’s a collaborative process. A An no ot th he er r iin nt te er re es st tiin ng g t th hiin ng g a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou u iis s t th ha at t m mo os st t o of f y yo ou ur r w wo or rk k a ar re e p pr re et tt ty y c clla as ss sy y,, f fiilllle ed d w wiit th h t tu ux xe ed do os s a an nd d n niic ce e d dr re es ss se es s - - d do oe es s s sh ho ow ws s lliik ke e T Tr ra aiin niin ng g D Da ay y c ch ha alllle en ng ge e y yo ou u iin n a an ny y w wa ay y o or r iit t''s s a ac ct tu ua alllly y m mu uc ch h e ea as siie er r t to o t ta ac ck klle e d do ow wn n? ? I love a challenge. I like to change it up from project to project. I love fashion (Blood and OIL) I love anti fashion (Breaking Bad) I love period costume (Vegas) I love to create new characters thru costume for each project. Each project has its own set of specifics . F Fo or r T Tr ra aiin niin ng g D Da ay y,, d diid d y yo ou u b bo or rr ro ow w f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce es s o on n B Br re ea ak kiin ng g B Ba ad d o or r w wh hiille e t th he ey y a ar re e b bo ot th h " "u ug glly y s sh ho ow ws s" ",, t th he ey y a ar re e m mu uc ch h d diif ff fe er re en nt t t to o e ea ac ch h o ot th he er r n no ot t o on nlly y iin n s st to or ry ylliin ne e b bu ut t iin n t th he e c cu us st to om ms s a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h? ? Training Day and Breaking Bad, are, to me, two completely different animals; nothing alike at all. While both take place in the real world, conceptually, they are quite different. I have to say; Breaking Bad is quite unique. 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 K Ka at th hlle ee en n D De et to or ro o''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I just signed on to design “Scalped”, the critically acclaimed graphic novel. It’s a fascinating look at the world of the American Lakota Indians in South Dakota; where culture, history, and the modern world collide.

Pic byJonathan White

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? ? Excellent, 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 " "R Ru uiin n" "? ? It’s one of the very first songs that we wrote when started putting In Droves together. It’s also one of the only songs that we have played live and that audiences have actually gotten to hear. It’s basically about someone who sees the entire world falling apart around them. They are describing a bleak and dystopian landscape from their point of view. The narrator admits that others think they have a ”warped and unbalanced mind” so it’s essentially up to the listener to determine if what the narrator is describing is really happening or just a the stuff of dreams/nightmares. 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? ? No particular event. On every record I write some songs from a truly autobiographical perspective and then some where I step outside and write from the eyes of someone else. This song is the latter. I do of course live in the modern world in which you would have to be blind not to see elements of disarray and chaos so some of the imagery comes from things I have seen and things that have felt. 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 finished shooting a video for “Ruin” at the beginning of February. I don’t want to say too much about it but I can say it is not really performance based like the last one and it is really dark and beautiful and weird. We went back to the same director who did a video from the last record called “I’m Just the Driver”, Frank Door. Very creative guy. Really excited for people to see it! 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 n D Dr ro ov ve es 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? ? A lot of the album has thematic elements that look at the damage that is done to ourselves if we just follow the pack; put our heads down and negate our passions and just move forward willingly, not questioning anything and not pushing to express who we really are. I think there is a lot of that going on and I am particularly terrified of that kind of world. 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? ? Great and very hard at the same time. We started making the record in June of 2016 and were several weeks in when we got a tour offer to go out with Bush and Chevelle. We of course said yes but left the album and our producer in Oakland for about two months while we went out and played around the country. All of the drums were tracked and a substantial portion of bass and guitars but I think jumping back into the record was a little strange. I did however have Black Map

thousands of hours in the van to hone the rest of my lyrics and work out some extra ideas. Overall, this album is far more ambitious than the last one in theme, tones, layers, everything. It took a lot more work and wasn’t just a situation in which we threw up a few microphones and Chris counted to four and we just recorded. There were discussions about many aspects of the record and some trial and error. The good news is we are really fucking happy with the end result. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll t th hiis s a a d de ep pa ar rt tu ur re e t to o y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s o or r d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o b bo or rr ro ow w f fe ew w t th hiin ng gs s f fr ro om m t th he em m? ? I think we don’t really feel like it’s borrowing. If you listen to any of our previous projects, you hear true expressions of who we are as musicians and this band is just a continuation of that. I do think that bringing three different people together that had not written together is just going to inexorably make a alternate sonic landscape. Y Yo ou ur r s so ou un nd d iis s p pr re et tt ty y e ec clle ec ct tiic c,, m mo ov viin ng g f fr ro om m o on ne e s st ty ylle e t to o a an no ot th he er r v ve er ry y e ea as siilly 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 o on n t th hiis s a allb bu um m? ? D Do oe es s A A P Pe er rf fe ec ct t C Ciir rc clle e,, S So ou un nd dg ga ar rd de en n o or r E Ellb bo ow w p plla ay ys s a an ny y r ro olle e iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? This band never set out to do just one thing. I think collectively we enjoy very few bands that don’t have some sort of dichotomy in their music and the replay value isn’t all that much if they don’t travel to some different musical places. We enjoy all three of the bands you mentioned. Elbow in particular, who Mark and I are close to obsessed with. Everything they do is either haunting or beautiful (often both) and they have been one of my favorite bands since I was introduced them to back in 2007 or so. W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f iin nc co on nf fo or rm miit ty y 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? ? One of the best parts about being in a rock band is that you don’t have anyone telling you how you are supposed to be doing things because there isn’t really any one way to do anything. It’s art and thats the beauty of art I suppose. We just continue to do things our own way and that’s the way we will continue. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? In Droves comes out on March 10th and we will be announcing a North American tour in April very shortly. 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 Blla ac ck k M Ma ap p''s s w wo or rlld d? ? We are very proud and happy about this new record. Just really excited to get it out in the world and have people actually hear it. Looking forward to a lot of touring in 2017 and then to start writing again. We don’t plan on letting 2.5 years go by in between releases again.

H Hii S Sy ym mo 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? ? Thank you for having me! I couldn't be better! I am so excited for 2017! 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 " "N No o W Wa ay y ( (II''m m F F* ** *k kiin ng g Y Yo ou u) )" "? ? 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? ? No Way is an anthem, not just for women but for everyone. The inspiration for the song is actually a funny story about a first date I went on and this guy just wanted to get in my pants before he even really knew my last name. I feel like this is something a lot of people can relate to these days so i wanted to openly discuss this topic. 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? ? Absolutely and I can't wait for you to see it. 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 one of the fastest sessions we ever had. It felt so natural and we had so much fun with it. 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 G Giin no o " "F Fa ar rr ra ag go o" " B Ba ar rlle et tt ta a? ? He is the only person that truly taps into my head and knows how to articulate exactly what I'm feeling. Sometimes I wonder if he lives in me. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h h ha as s h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c a an nd d y yo ou ur rs se ellf f a as s a an n a ar rt tiis st t? ? I feel like Gino has inspired me more than anyone ever has. He makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin. I can say whatever the fuck I want and we somehow end up with something magical. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d a as s a an n a ar rt tiis st t y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o c ch ha an ng ge e t th he e p pe er rc ce ep pt tiio on n p pe eo op plle e h ha av ve e f fr ro om m p po op p s st ta ar rs s - - h ho ow w a ar re e y yo ou u h ho op piin ng g t to o c ch ha an ng ge e t th ha at t? ? I want to bring back the perception of pop that I grew up listening to in the 90's where nobody was looking to copy another artist but instead brake the mold. It's also really important to me that I'm not looked at like a popstar that people can't relate to, Im just a normal girl that has an opportunity to make a difference through my music. H Ho ow w''s s y yo ou ur r d de eb bu ut t a allb bu um m c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? Its been such an incredible surreal experience. I have met and worked with so many talented writers and producers. Its been so amazing for me to find my sound through the process because where I started is so different then where Its headed. 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? ? I have a title in mind but I'm not telling you, you'll just have to stay tuned! W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u b be e p plla ay yiin ng g w wiit th h d diif ff fe er re en nt t s st ty ylle es s o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? Everything I do is definitely influenced by a bunch of different genres but the album definitely has a cohesive sound. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Absolutely!!!!! 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 Sy ym mo on n''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I just got an incredible gig hosting a show on Sirius Xm hits 1 called Hits 1 in Hollywood with Michael Yo and Tony Fly. I am having the best time getting to meet so many incredible artists who have inspired me a long my journey. Definitely an amazing start to 2017! Shout out to Steve Zap my manager who is making my dreams come true. XOXO Cheers babes

Greig Fraser Academy Award Nominee

For someone who’s had arguably the biggest year of his career to date, cinematographer Greig Fraser is as humble as they come. Like, extremely humbled. Nominated for an Academy Award against heavy hitters Arrival, La La Land, Moonlight, and Silence, Fraser’s Lion, directed by Garth Davis, is an impressive visual accomplishment in a year capped off by Fraser’s other recognizable Rogue One, the latest entry in the Star Wars saga. Big budget or small, Fraser’s projects showcase a truly gifted artist who understands that telling a good story on screen ultimately come down to one thing: emotion. The Oscar­nominated director of photography opens up about the creative process, his fellow nominees, and gives his viewpoint on the ongoing debate: digital or film? F Fiir rs st t o of ff f,, h hu ug ge e c co on ng gr ra at ts s o on n O Os sc ca ar r m mo om m f fo or r L Liio on n.. F Fiir rs st t O Os sc ca ar r N No om m II b be elliie ev ve e.. It is! It was quite a surprise and I’m happy. II’’m m g go oiin ng g t to o g go o w wiit th h t th he e m mo os st t c clliic ch hé éd d q qu ue es st tiio on n p po os ss siib blle e:: W Wh he er re e w we er re e y yo ou u w wh he en n y yo ou u h he ea ar rd d t th he e n ne ew ws s a ab bo ou ut t t th he e n no om m? ? D Diid d y yo ou u w wa at tc ch h lliik ke e e ev ve er ry yb bo od dy y e ells se e o or r d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t a a c ca allll f fr ro om m a a f fr riie en nd d? ? I was shooting a commercial in Mexico City and was sitting down for some chow. All these messages started coming through to my phone at once. They were saying “Congrats!” I’m thinking, “Congrats for what?” Then I realized, “That’s right, the nominations are out today.” T Ta ak kiin ng g a a llo oo ok k a at t t th he e o ot th he er r n no om miin ne ee es s,, iit t’’s s c clle ea ar rlly y a a b biig g y ye ea ar r f fo or r c ciin ne em ma at to og gr ra ap ph hy y.. W Wh ha at t d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r w wo or rk k f fo or r L Liio on nt th ha at t m ma ad de e iit t s st ta an nd d o ou ut t a ab bo ov ve e t th he e c cr ro op p o of f f fiillm ms s t th hiis s y ye ea ar r? ? I don’t quite understand why something does or doesn’t get nominated. It’s such an amazing batch of films that were shot this year that were not nominated. I don’t necessarily think they have any less value than the five that were nominated. I think Lion and the other films as well just hit a nerve. So, I’m a firm believer in thinking that one’s work isn’t justified purely by award recognition. But, what award recognition is, is the icing of the cake of what we do. It shouldn’t be about making films strictly for awards. As filmmakers, we want to make stories and move people and provide emotional arcs in our storytelling. O Of f c co ou ur rs se e,, iit t’’s s b be ee en n a a g gr re ea at t y ye ea ar r b be ec ca au us se e iin n a ad dd diit tiio on n t to o L Liio on nw we e h ha ad dR Ro og gu ue e O On ne e.. IIs s y yo ou ur r a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h t th he e s sa am me e f fo or r e ev ve er ry y p pr ro ojje ec ct t? ? G Gr ra an nt te ed d,, t th he es se e a ar re e t tw wo o v ve er ry y d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fiillm ms s.. W Wh ha at t a ap pp pe ea alls s t to o y yo ou u t to o t ta ak ke e o on n a a p pr ro ojje ec ct t? ? Everything begins from the emotion of the story. The size of the movie comes down to resources. You hope you have the production value of a big movie, not a small movie. Of course, Lion wouldn’t need to have a shot of X-Wing flying through space. We had the resources to tell a compelling story. And just because Rogue One had the resources doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to tell an emotionally compelling story. You find the balance between all that. You want X-Wing flying through space in Rogue but you also want people to be moved by it. You want the adrenaline rush. You want to be excited. You’re going to want that journey, that emotionally exciting journey. T Ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t t th he e c co olllla ab bo or ra at tiio on n p pr ro oc ce es ss s w wiit th h y yo ou u a an nd d G Ga ar rt th h.. D Diid d h he e lle et t y yo ou u g go o o of ff f a an nd d d do o y yo ou ur r t th hiin ng g? ? H Ho ow w c co olllla ab bo or ra at tiiv ve e iis s G Ga ar rt th h a as s a a d diir re ec ct to or r? ? I’ve been working with Garth for over twenty years. Everything is much team work. Garth leads by example. He’s very visual but incredibly concentrated and focused on the emotional arc. Once we come up with how something looks and feels, he absolutely lets me roll with the job as DP. But it’s definitely very collaborative because if I don’t like something then it’s like working by myself. I love it when I can go, “Hey, dude, I’m going to try this lens or this technique or this dolly push.” If I like it’s right given the drama of the scene I can say that and he’ll go, “Oh yeah, good idea.” Or, maybe he won’t like it and wants it a certain way. He’s very respectful of his collaborators. L Le et t’’s s g go o b ba ac ck k a a b biit t t to o y yo ou ur r e ea ar rlliie er r y ye ea ar rs s.. II’’m m s su ur re e n no ot t e ev ve er ry yo on ne e w wa ak ke es s u up p g go oiin ng g,, “ “II’’m m g go oiin ng g t to o b be e a a c ciin ne em ma at to og gr ra ap ph he er r..” ” W Wh ha at t iim mp pr re es ss se ed d y yo ou u g gr ro ow wiin ng g u up p t to o h he ellp p y yo ou u w wiit th h y yo ou ur r s st ty ylle e? ? I say this hopefully not sounding holier than thou because people go through this stage any time in life. When people hit 40 they sometimes go through a mid- life crisis and not having achieved what they’ve wanted to achieve they’ll go, “What do I do now?” It definitely happens at any stage. I remember being 17 and enjoying photography and making images. I enjoyed moving pictures. Now, I didn’t put two and two together. I didn’t realize out there was demand for high quality motion pictures. At the time in front of me were high quality photographers. I studied photography and then I joined a production company that had both photographers and filmmakers. I saw the filmmakers working and loved the collaborative effort. I would see two people coming together to create a project greater than the sum of its parts. I realized I could use my skills as a photographer – as an image maker – to help reference and help drive along these products. It wasn’t until I saw a film called Ratcatcherphotographed by AlwinKuchler and directed by Lynne Ramsay where I went, “Wow! Photography trains us directly for the kind of work Alwin did on that film. I think I can become a cinematographer.” So, that was the moment I said I would be the best moving pictures cinematographer I can be and work with the highest caliber of material, cameras, people, and actors. I set out to make that progression. I saw a focus and a point to work towards. T Th ha at t b br riin ng gs s m me e t to o m my y n ne ex xt t q qu ue es st tiio on n,, w wh hiic ch h II t th hiin nk k y yo ou u’’llll llo ov ve e.. N No ow wa ad da ay ys s a a k kiid d c ca an n p piic ck k u up p a a D DS SL LR R c ca am me er ra a a an nd d s sh ho oo ot t.. W Wh he en n c ca an n o on ne e c ca allll h hiim ms se ellf f a a c ciin ne em ma at to og gr ra ap ph he er r? ? W Wh ha at t d do oe es s t th ha at t t ta ak ke e iin n y yo ou ur r p pr ro of fe es ss siio on na all o op piin niio on n? ? When I was studying photography it was all in film. We had to shoot film and process it. It was very special. Every frame was money or a lost opportunity. If you only have 36 images you have to make sure they all count because the 37th image could be the one that wins you a Pulitzer Prize. But, you’ve just run out of film! You have to be cautious in making the right calls. When people shoot now on digital, there’s an argument that it’s not a valuable format because it’s easy and you can shoot on iPhone. To me, image making is still hard and you need to learn. It’s an art. I’ve just recently joined Instagram and seeing these beautiful images. These people have a good understanding of what it takes to be a photographer. They may not be professional and may be just 14 years old, but they know how to create an iconic image or tells a story. I’m excited for the future. I thought once digital would be a barrage of ill-conceived frames but I actually think people are getting passed that and becoming better image makers. IIf f y yo ou u d do o n no ot t w wiin n w wh ho o w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u lliik ke e t to o w wiin n? ? My colleagues that are nominated – Linus, Bradford, James, Rodrigo – are all insanely talented cinematographers. I would not want to pick out one of those guys, that’s the hard part. The thing is it would take away from the other three guys. Regardless of who wins, this nomination is incredibly humbling for all of. If any of the other four win I’d be over the moon. ----------------------------------- Follow cinematographer Greig Fraser on Instagram at @GreigFraser_DP. by Erman Baradi

H Hii D De er re ek k,, 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’m doing great and I’m pretty excited about the new record. 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 ev vo ollu ut tiio on na ar ry y S So ou ull" "? ? Revolutionary soul was the last song written for the album and it ‘s a very funky up beat type song with a really cool bass line and has some very cool lyrical content focused on what’s happening in our world today. 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 partially inspired by the election in the United States and watching alot of news about the events of the 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? ? Ye my band and I are doing treatments now and expect a video in the next month or so. 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 started writing the record a couple years ago and went into the studio early last year and recorded and produced it myself , it took a while but I’m very happy with the way it turned out! W Wh ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o s se ee ek k f fo or r a a n ne ew w s so ou un nd d,, a allm mo os st t a a 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 p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s? ? If your referencing Babylon A.D. and Moonshine, Yes it is a departure but I’m always writing and trying to challenge myself on different types of music I love. Y Yo ou u g ge et t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e d diif ff fe er re en nt t g ge en nr re es s o on n t th hiis s a allb bu um m - - d diid d y yo ou u iin nt te en nd de ed d t to o b blle en nd d a allll t th he es se e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce es s t to og ge et th he er r o or r d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n t th he e lly yr riic cs s,, o on ne e s st ty ylle e w wo ou ulld d s sh hiin ne e o ou ut t t th he e m mo os st t? ? Well this is mostly a soul/funk/rock album. There’s some up-tempo stuff and ballads but all of them have a common connecting thread. I tried to use similar instruments in all the songs. B3, Piano, Bells, horns, wawa effect on guitar, to give it a certain identifiable sound. And I like story telling so if you listen to the songs and pay attention to them you’ll here some interesting lyrical content. W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f y yo ou ur r 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 r re ec co or rd d? ? Well every song is a reflection of some sort of who I am, the passion, anger, frustration and emotional relationships all come into play when I write. 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’ve got some dates booked and working on more in support of the record. 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 De er re ek k D Da av viis s'' w wo or rlld d? ? I’m playing live dates with my band The Revolutionary Souls’ and Babylon A.D is laying down tracks for a new album that will be release in October titled ‘Revelation Highway’. The band also have a two to three week tour booked in Germany and Europe starting in late August. Then I’ll be recording another solo album and a live album with The Revolutionary Souls’.

H Hii V Viiv ve ek k,, 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 doing well. Very busy at the moment between scoring films and TV series, and producing other artists. T Th he e s so on n o of f a an n e ec co on no om miis st t - - w wh ha at t d dr ra aw w y yo ou u iin nt to o t th he e m mu us siic c s sc ce en ne e a an nd d w we er re e y yo ou u iin niit tiia alllly y d dr ra aw wn n iin nt to o t th he e f fiillm m a an nd d T TV V f fiie elld d o or r h ho ow w d diid d t th ha at t h ha ap pp pe en n? ? I’ve been playing music since I was a small child, and started composing when I was around 7 years old. So it’s been an enormous part of my life for nearly as long as I can remember. I didn’t come form a particularly musical family, but somehow I always had music swimming around in my head. When I was around 8 years old, the Hitchcock film North by Northwest appeared on television, and the iconic Bernard Herrmann score made a huge impression on me. It’s when I realized that film scoring could be in my future. H Ha av viin ng g w wo or rk ke ed d iin n b bo ot th h T TV V,, f fiillm m a an nd d e ev ve en n t th he ea at te er r - - d do oe es s y yo ou ur r a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h t te en nd ds s t to o c ch ha an ng ge e d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n t th he e f fo or rm ma at t? ? Fundamentally, I think it’s much the same. The inspiration for the music comes from the characters on screen (or on stage), from the writing, and from the directing. Ultimately, I try to compose music earnestly- -from “inside” the characters--helping to draw the audience into the situations the characters are experiencing, reflecting the mood, pacing, and style of the film. Ultimately, my goal is to serve the dramatic intentions of the film makers and, ideally, to create something more evocative or beautiful than even they ever imagined. H Ho ow w h ha as s y yo ou ur r s st tu ud diie es s iin n B Be er rk klle ee e h ha av ve e h he ellp pe ed d y yo ou u s sh ha ap piin ng g y yo ou ur r s sk kiilllls s iin n m mu us siic c? ? D Do o y yo ou u p pu ut t iin n a ac ct tiio on n a an ny yt th hiin ng g y yo ou u lle ea ar rn n f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r t tiim me e t th he er re e o or r iit t w wa as s s siim mp plly y a an n o ov ve er ra allll n niic ce e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? I didn’t study composition or film scoring at Berklee, but rather was in the performance program. So my studies affected my music composition skills indirectly. Overall, my Berklee experience broadened my musical understanding and helped make me better at executing my musical ideas (in terms of performance as well as production). L Le et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r n ne ew w w wo or rk k o on n a an n iic co on niic c s sh ho ow w T To om m a an nd d J Je er rr ry y - - y yo ou u a ar re e n no ot t s st tr ra an ng ge er r t to o c clla as ss siic cs s t th ho ou ug gh h h ha av viin ng g w wo or rk ke ed d o on n t th he e r re es st to or ra at tiio on n o of f T Th he e M My ys st te er riio ou us s L La ad dy y,, d diid d t th hiis s s sh ho ow w t th he en n f fe ellt t f fa am miilliia ar r o or r w wa as s iit t a a w wh ho olle e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e? ? Scoring an animated television show like Tom and Jerry has a lot in common with scoring classic silent films, like the several I did for Turner Classic Movies / Warner Bros. In both cases, the picture and the music are like co-equal partners in telling the story. In many cases, the music conveys more emotional depth than what can be rendered visually on-screen. Also, in both the “Tom and Jerry Show” and the silent films, I’ve drawn musical inspiration from late 19th-Century European Romanticism, from the French Impressionist school, and from early American jazz. Additionally, on both I’ve felt inspired to fuse more modern elements of contemporary music into the scores, while still carefully honoring the traditions that each came from. A As s w we e a allll k kn no ow w,, b be es siid de es s s so om me e r ra ar re e o oc cc ca as siio on ns s,, t th he e w wh ho olle e s se er riie es s r re elliie es s o on n m mu us siic c - - II a am m g gu ue es ss siin ng g m mo os st t o of f t th he e s sc co or re e w wa as s t th he en n w wr riit tt te en n a at t p piic ct tu ur re e? ? Yes, the whole series is quite music-centric. Every episode contains wall-to-wall score, and the music functions on many levels: to communicate the physical action on screen; to create an expressive depth to the characters (who, otherwise, are intrinsically two-dimensional); to establish a sense of tempo and atmosphere for the overall scene; sometimes to foreshadow what is to come or allude to something that already happened; sometimes to play against picture, punctuating irony; often to form an allegorical reference. So I always score to picture, as it is essential to the way the show functions. Sometimes, however, I will come up with musical themes away from the picture--but always with the picture in mind. J Ju us st t a as s t th he e o or riig giin na all,, d diid d y yo ou u u us se e t th he e m mu us siic c t to o h hiig gh hlliig gh ht t a a m mo om me en nt t o or r y yo ou u a ac ct tu ua alllly y t to oo ok k a a d diif ff fe er re en nt t a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h? ? Speaking of which, how much did you respect the music on the original show? Did you re-watch the cartoons again to mimic the music or just grab the feel and put your own spin in it? I studied carefully the original 1940s “Tom and Jerry” episodes and their brilliant music scores (by Scott Bradley). My intention was to channel much of what was great about the classic “Tom and Jerry” scores (both musically and dramatically) into my new scores for the series, but while imparting my own musical “voice.” Indeed, I believe the new scores sound very much like me. Y Yo ou u a ar re e m mo os st tlly y k kn no ow wn n f fo or r y yo ou ur r jja az zz z b ba ac ck kg gr ro ou un nd d,, d diid d y yo ou u b br riin ng g s so om me e o of f t th ha at t iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e iin nt to o t th hiis s s sc co or re e? ? Yes, absolutely. The scores are mostly orchestral, but invariably some of my affinity for John Coltrane and Miles Davis finds its way in. W Wh ha at t w we er re e s so om me e o of f t th he e c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? At this point, the main challenges are not artistic, but logistical and scheduling. In most cases I have about a week to conceive, execute, and complete a “Tom and Jerry” score--including all composition, MIDI programming, orchestration, recording, mixing, etc. And I believe I’ve got 39 episodes to score this season, plus they’ve added songs for some episodes (sung by some of the show’s characters), which must be written in advance. So the schedules are fast and relentless--which keeps things busy and fun. F Fe ew w p pe eo op plle e d diid dn n''t t lliik ke e T Th he e L Lo oo on ne ey y T Tu un ne es s S Sh ho ow w b be ec ca au us se e a ac cc co or rd diin ng g t to o t th he em m iit t d diid dn n''t t r re es sp pe ec ct t t th he e o or riig giin na all s so ou ur rc ce e,, h ho ow w c cllo os se e t to o t th he e o olld d T To om m a an nd d J Je er rr ry y w wo ou ulld d t th hiis s o on ne e b be e? ? W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll iit t a a r re eb bo oo ot t,, a a r re em ma ak ke e o or r m mo or re e lliik ke e a a f fo ollllo ow w u up p? ? I think this new “Tom and Jerry” show resembles more closely the original 1940s “Tom and Jerry” than did any of the subsequent installments of the show. Over the years “Tom and Jerry” developed a reputation for having the main characters engage in intense violence. But our show draws inspiration from the original where the rivalry between Tom and Jerry is more comedic. Also, not infrequently, the two pair up to pursue a common goal or solve a problem. I believe the music honors the tradition of the original music scores, albeit with some modern flair. 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 V Viiv ve ek k M Ma ad dd da alla a''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I’m scoring independent feature films quite regularly, in parallel with my television scoring. A few months ago, a film I scored named White Sun premiered at the Venice Film Festival, followed by a North American premiere at the Toronto film festival, and is now touring the festival circuit. I have others as well coming out soon. I also finished producing an album for a new artist, called “The Oopsadaisies,” and I’m currently producing four tracks on the new Gingger Shankar album for Concord Records. I also perform quite regularly with Gingger Shankar, with the band String Theory, and with others.

H Hii A An nd dr re ew w,, 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 thank you. Great to chat with you. M Ma an ny y m mu us siic ciia an ns s d dr re ea am m t to o a allw wa ay ys s s st ta ar rt t a a b ba an nd d a an nd d p plla ay y A Ar re en na as s - - w wh ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o s se ee ek k f fo or r a a c ca ar re ee er r iin n a a s st tu ud diio o a as s a a f fiillm m c co om mp po os se er r? ? For sure my dream was to play arenas, but I learned early on that I was better able to write music than perform it. That said, my good friend Bryan was an accomplished drummer in a number of bands. Seeing him on stage in front of packed concert venues always made me envious. But, in addition to being a fan of great songs, I was also drawn to great film scores. I love how themes can evolve over the length of a feature film and the musical motif doesn’t have to fit into 3 minutes. After high school I got very interested in orchestral music. I quickly realized my favorite new music was happening in the film industry. I wanted to be a part of that. H Ha av viin ng g w wo or rk ke ed d o on n a a f fe ew w b biig g p pr ro ojje ec ct ts s iin n t th he e p pa as st t - - 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 ur r m mu us siic c s sk kiilllls s? ? When the pressure is on to be creative and come up with 70 – 90 minutes of new music for a film, failure is not an option. You start to build your “chops” and learn how to create, choose, and develop your idea under pressure. You need to learn how to spot good thematic ideas, when to run with hooks that can be worked into a score and when to accept something is a dead end and you need to start over. I used to imagine being in those scenarios and would simulate what it was like to write under such a tight schedule, but to be honest, I could never really know what it was like until I did it. Learning how to be creative under the pressure of the business is something I’ve gotten better at over the years, but still a challenge we all face. I’ve known screen-writers who will be out drinking with their friends and tell me they’re 3 weeks late on delivering a script. Composers can’t do that. “Not done” and “late” aren’t options, so those high-pressure projects have definitely helped shape those skills. L Le et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r r re ec ce en nt t w wo or rk k f fo or r T Th he e S Sp pa ac ce e B Be et tw we ee en n U Us s - - h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u jju um mp p iin nt to o t th hiis s w wa ag go on n? ? I’ve been a fan of Peter Chelsom’s for many years. I love his films and the way he approaches the music in his films. We met a few years ago and discussed working together so I was on the lookout for any opportunity for that to happen. In addition the EVP of music at STX, Jason Markey, and I are friends and had been looking for a project to work on together. He brought me in and introduced me to the producer, Richard Lewis. I loved the script and immediately had some ideas of how to approach the score in a unique way. A visit with Peter on set a few weeks later got us on our way. T Th he e f fiillm m iin niit tiia alllly y t ta ak ke es s p plla ac ce e b bo ot th h o on n e ea ar rt th h a an nd d s sp pa ac ce e - - d diid d y yo ou u iin nt te en nd de ed d t to o s so om me eh ho ow w s se ep pa ar ra at te e t th he e s sc co or re es s d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n t th he e llo oc ca at tiio on n o or r y yo ou u w we er re e r ra at th he er r s se ee ek kiin ng g f fo or r s so om me e k kiin nd d o of f c co on ns siis st te en nc cy y? ? That’s a good question. We talked about it but ultimately decided that instead of giving Mars a sound, we would concentrate on approaching the score through Gardner’s eyes, the concept that this boy is born on Mars and his only interaction with humanity is the 15 scientists he’s met over the years, and the movies they’ve left behind. Because everything on earth is new to him, Peter and I wanted to approach the score in the same way by finding music in everyday objects we as musicians often overlook. That led me to bowing scrap iron, antique ice cream bowls, rusted school bells, etc. It was easy to find interesting sounds in found objects, but it was harder to make them into music that fit with the traditional orchestral elements we would be recording. D Diid d iit t e ev ve er r c cr ro os ss s y yo ou ur r m miin nd d m ma ak ke e t th he e m mu us siic c o on n t th he e s sp pa ac ce e,, s sa ay y,, s sp pa ac ce ey y? ? That wasn’t the goal, but the end result is a bit I think. The film opens with Gary Oldman’s character talking about traveling to Mars and introducing the astronauts. The music is our “Mission” theme and it’s a traditional orchestra recorded in London then manipulated with a digital reverb / filter. Instead of the reverb trying to mimic the decay of a natural room, I imported different audio waveforms into the impulse reverb and used that technique to shape the sound. Ultimately I dialed back a lot of the natural sound and favored the manipulated sound. It was a great effect as we could control how natural or manipulated the sound was. I’m not sure the audience would pick out that the sound is orchestral at the beginning of the film, but we’re able to reveal it’s source to the audience later in the score in a way that’s symbolic of the story twist in the film. H Ho ow w d diid d t th he e s so ou un nd d d de es siig gn n o of f t th he e m mo ov viie e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e s sc co or re e? ? I brainstormed with the sound team a lot so there’d be no surprises at the dub. There were a few places in the film where we really blurred the lines between score and sound. One of my favorite spots is the rover crash where Gardner’s air hose comes detached. The sound of the air hose is a musical rhythmic air noise that both works as music and as sound effect and escalates in intensity as the situation becomes more frantic. T Th he e s so ou un nd dt tr ra ac ck k a alls so o f fe ea at tu ur re es s o ot th he er r b ba an nd ds s a an nd d a ar rt tiis st ts s - - d diid d y yo ou u w wo or rk k c cllo os se er r w wiit th h t th he em m t to o k kiin nd d o of f h ha av ve e a a c co on ns siis st te en nc cy y b be et tw we ee en n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c a an nd d t th he eiir rs s o or r e ea ac ch h o on ne e w wa as s m miin nd diin ng g t th he eiir r o ow wn n b bu us siin ne es ss s? ? It’s important that the score and the songs be from the same world, so we were both aware of what the other was doing and how each other’s craft was evolving. I really love the Ingrid Michaelson songs and what she did with them for the film, but there was never a desire to meld the score and songs together. In the story, Tulsa (Britt Robertson) is an aspiring songwriter and plays the piano a few times in the story. As such, the element of piano a strong influence on the score and the songs as we both sought to incorporate the piano in our respective crafts. The campfire scene required that the score transition out of the song – that happened in a few places – so it was helpful to be working to her tracks as they came in. 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? ? Magical. The eclectic and “found” instruments were recorded in my studio in Toronto, and all of those were tracked as I was writing the score. The orchestra was the last element to add and it was an incredible few days at Air Studios, Lyndhurst. It’s always a pleasure to record in London, but even more than usual, this score and the musicians really came together as one. In music there are moments when ‘the stars align’ and everything goes to a magical place. These are the moments you can never duplicate. You can only put the pieces together and hope lightning strikes. The London sessions were one of those moments. W We er re e t th he er re e a an ny y c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? Yes! I had the worst technical problems with some of the digital effects software I was using. At one point during mixing I had to jump on a plane and fly from London to Toronto to investigate why some of the audio files had been corrupted. I returned to London again only to find the new files corrupted. After much frustration and expense, we discovered there were bugs in the software program we were using. We contacted the software company and they insisted it wasn’t an issue. We found another way to process the sounds, and a month later the software company acknowledged the bug and released a fix. 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 nd dr re ew w L Lo oc ck kiin ng gt to on n''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I’m in research and theme-writing mode on my next collaboration with director Brad Peyton. It’s a film called Rampage, based on the video game from the 80’s. It’s an amazing script and Brad is once again raising the bar with his take on the story. We’ve come up with a unique approach to this new score, something that I’ve never explored before. I’ve been studying different musical cultures and traditional rhythms. I’m off to Costa Rica in a few days to continue my research. Needless to sayXI love my job!

Pic by Neil Parfitt

H Hii N Na at ta alliie 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? ? Hi there! I’m very well, thank you! S So o II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u h ha av ve e d do on ne e b bo ot th h m mo od de elliin ng g a an nd d a ac ct tiin ng g - - w wh hiic ch h o on ne e d do o y yo ou u llo ov ve e t th he e m mo os st t a an nd d w wh hy y? ? I like modeling because you get to travel and create great images, but my love is definitely for film. Y Yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g c ca ar re ee er r s so or rt t o of f s st ta ar rt te ed d o ou ut t b ba ac ck k a at t a a y yo ou un ng g a ag ge e iin n s sc ch ho oo oll p plla ay ys s - - h ho ow w d diid d t th ho os se e d da ay ys s s sh ha ap pe e y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g s sk kiilllls s? ? It gave me a love for playing when you are younger; you are so free and that always stuck with me. L Le et t''s s t ta allk k a ab bo ou ut t T Th he e T Tr riib be es s o of f P Pa allo os s V Ve er rd de e - - w wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e a au ud diit tiio on n p pr ro oc ce es ss s f fo or r t th hiis s f fiillm m lliik ke e? ? I actually originally auditioned for a different role with Emmett and Brandon Malloy, the directors. After that, I ended up being cast as Gina! W Wh ha at t c ca au ug gh ht t y yo ou ur r a at tt te en nt tiio on n t th he e m mo os st t a ab bo ou ut t t th he e f fiillm m? ? Definitely just the characters in the script. It’s such an emotional story. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d t th he e f fiillm m iis s b ba as se ed d o on n a a b bo oo ok k - - w we er re e y yo ou u f fa am miilliia ar r w wiit th h iit t p pr riio or r t to o a au ud diit tiio on niin ng g o or r d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o r re ea ad d iit t lla at te er r t to o g ge et t t to o k kn no ow w t th he e v viib be e? ? No, I hadn't read the book before reading the script. I did go and read it after though! IIn n t th he e f fiillm m y yo ou u p plla ay y G Giin na a - - 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 r ro olle e? ? II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d s sh he e''s s a a m me em mb be er r o of f t th he e t te en nn niis s c cllu ub b,, s so o d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o p plla ay y a an ny y t te en nn niis s f fo or r t th he e f fiillm m? ? I prepared for the role with my coach. Gina belongs to tennis club, but unfortunately I didn't get to play a lot of tennis! F Fr ro om m w wh ha at t II h he ea ar rd d,, S Sa an nd dy y ( (J Je en nn niif fe er r G Ga ar rn ne er r) ) d do oe es sn n’’t t r re ea alllly y lliik ke e G Giin na a - - w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y S Sa an nd dy y a an nd d G Giin na a s sh ha ar re e s so om me e s siim miilla ar riit tiie es s o or r a ar re e t th he ey y v ve er ry y d diif ff fe er re en nt t p pe eo op plle e? ? No, I think that Sandy and Gina are definitely very different peopleX that’s why they don’t get along! 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 N Na at ta alliie e L Lo or re en n K Kw wa at tiin ne et tz z''s s w wo or rlld d? ? I'm living between New York and Los Angeles right now. I just got back to Los Angeles; it's pilot season so it's a busy time!

H Hii IIm ma 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? ? Hey! I’m very good 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 " "W Wiis sh hiin ng g" "? ? It actually started out as a ballad but I felt it needed more. So, I took it to my genius producer Robert Rosiji and we made it what it is now. 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 wrote WISHING about a guy I was a little bit in love with. He had a girlfriend, I stayed well away and I’m so glad I did! 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 have a few ideas for a video so lets see! 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? ? The song just flowed and it felt natural to write. I still enjoy listening to the original ballad version and the chorus on that was different to how it is now. Producing it with Robert was such a vibe, we both new exactly how we wanted it and just went with it. It all came together pretty quickly and WISHING is just one of the songs I did with him. So, theres more to come. On my soundcloud and Spotify are links to the songs GOLDEN and NAIVE, I did those with him too. 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 B Br re et tt t S Sh ha aw w 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? ? Brett Shaw mixed the song, to have his ears and genius expertise grace my record was a good look. I hope to work with him again. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e s so on ng g? ? The direction and final call on the way my records sound will ultimately fall on me. His input on the mix was great. Robert Rosiji is the producer of the song though. K Kn no ow wn n f fo or r h ha av viin ng g w wo or rk ke ed d w wiit th h o ot th he er r a ar rt tiis st 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 w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e w wr riit tiin ng g f fo or r s so om me eo on ne e e ells se e t th ha an n w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e w wr riit tiin ng g y yo ou ur r o ow wn n o or riig giin na all m ma at te er riia all? ? Yes, when I’ve been asked to write for say a girl group I try and put my girl band hat on and think about their potential market and what they would probably listen and sing along to. But really most the songs that have ended up being used by other artists were songs I’d initially written for myself but then felt perhaps they weren’t right for me so, I gave them away. I’m glad they found the right home. 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, I LOVE to perform and connect with people. Meeting people that come to see me perform especially is very very special for me. 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 IIM MA AN N''s s w wo or rlld d? ? My 15 date UK tour starts in Bristol for SOFAR SOUNDS and I cannot wait! I’ve more dates lined up throughout the year. I’m also working on my next release for the Summer and have some really cool surprises coming. Stay close to me here for more updates- www.imanmusic.co.uk LISTEN TO ‘WISHING’ HERE – spoti.fi/2jAwHGT DOWNLOAD ‘WISHING’ HERE – Itunes - http://apple.co/2lhD0ja Tidal -http://tidal.com/album/69438371 Google Play - http://bit.ly/2ll5moK

H Hii B Be ed dr ro os 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? ? I’ve been great! Thank you for having me on here. T Th he es se e d da ay ys s m ma an ny y p pe eo op plle e a ar re e llo oo ok kiin ng g a af ft te er r t th he eiir r p ph hy ys siic ca all h he ea allt th h f fo or r s se ev ve er ra all r re ea as so on ns s - - w wh ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o g ge et t iin nt to o t th he e f fiit tn ne es ss s w wo or rlld d? ? I first got into fitness back in high school. I had a crush on this one girl and I wanted to ask her out to prom, but I was overweight and I couldn’t work up the confidence. So, I went and got myself a huge stack of fitness magazines and I read every single page of them. I started eating right, I hit the gym, and sure enough I got myself in amazing shapeXand still didn’t get that prom date. Still, I discovered my passion for fitness, which is just as strong today as it was back then. W Wa as s f fiit tn ne es ss s y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t c ch ho oiic ce e o or r y yo ou u h ha ad d o ot th he er r iid de ea as s iin n m miin nd d? ? Before I discovered my passion for fitness, I just assumed I would become a car mechanic. I’ve always loved cars, and at the time a mechanic’s salary seemed like good money. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u h ha ad d a a t to ou ug gh h c ch hiilld dh ho oo od d s su ur rr ro ou un nd de ed d b by y c co om mm mu un niis sm m a an nd d t th he en n t tr ry yiin ng g t to o f fiin nd d s su uc cc ce es ss s iin n A Am me er riic ca a - - h ho ow w d diid d a allll t th he es se e s st tr ru ug gg glle es s w wo or rk ke ed d iin n s so om me e w wa ay y iin n y yo ou ur r a ad dv va an nt ta ag ge e a an nd d h ha av ve e m ma ad de e y yo ou u a a b be et tt te er r p pe er rs so on n? ? Man, I have been blessed with some of the best adversity a guy could ask for. Seeing communism firsthand showed me what real, awful oppression looks like: grocery stores with mostly empty shelves, corrupt police officers harassing people for spare change, my dad having to hide his extra tailoring work so he wouldn’t get fined (or worse) for giving himself an unfair advantage. Seeing all that made my family and I extremely grateful for the freedom and opportunities we discovered here in the US. Sure, things aren’t always perfect here, but this is the only place where a guy like me can go from literally picking food out of dumpsters as a six-year-old boy to having my own massive fitness business empire and a high-achieving family of my own. And having all those struggles early in life taught me tha the problems that come with success in business are first world problems They’re still stressful, but they’re way better than the third world problems grew up with, like “How are we going to eat this week?” or “I hope we don’ get evicted.” A As s II m me en nt tiio on ne ed d e ea ar rlliie er r,, t th he er re e a ar re e t to on ns s o of f p pe eo op plle es s t tr ry yiin ng g t to o m ma ak ke e iit t iin nt to o t th he e f fiit tn ne es ss s w wo or rlld d - - w wa as s y yo ou ur r a as sc ce en ns siio on n t to o s su uc cc ce es ss s a an ny y h ha ar rd d a at t a allll? ? W Wh ha at t h ha as s b be ee en n s so om me e o of f y yo ou ur r b biig gg ge es st t c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? My biggest challenges in the fitness business have always come back to mindset. The truth is, everybody needs fitness, so there’s always a marke for it. The thing that used to hold me back is that I stubbornly refused to think about my business as a business. I kept telling myself “I just want to train I’m not smart enough to handle all this business stuff. I’ll just focus on wha I’m good at.” Then one of my training clients, who was a hugely successfu entrepreneur, pulled me aside and told me that I sucked in business, but if learned how to master a few key skills I could help way more people and make a lot more money. So I let him mentor me on marketing, selling, and business building, and that’s when my career really took off. K Kiin nd d o of f f fo ollllo ow wiin ng g m my y lla as st t q qu ue es st tiio on n,, w wiit th h s so o m mu uc ch h c co om mp pe et tiit tiio on n w wh ha at t w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y m ma ak ke es s y yo ou u s st ta an nd d o ou ut t? ?

y d g at s. I ’t e e s s o et k n. at ul I d d u u I always tell people that competition isn’t healthy, and here’s what I mean by that: if you’re a young personal trainer and you want to start your own business and control your own destiny, your first step is to look around your community and find a group of people that the industry has been ignoring. For example, when I started Fit Body Boot Camp, I realized that there really weren’t any affordable training options for women in their 30s who want to lose weight, so I created that. Once you’ve dialed into your audience using that process, you need to dominate that space. You need to deliver results and market and sell them as hard as you can so everyone in that community knows you are the number one fitness authority for them. T Ta allk k t to o u us s m mo or re e a ab bo ou ut t F Fiit t B Bo od dy y B Bo oo ot t C Ca am mp p - - h ho ow w t th he e iid de ea a f fo or r t th hiis s b be eg ga an n? ? So I mentioned earlier that I noticed that women in their 30s didn’t have an effective, affordable training option specifically for them, so I created one. See, the problem with big box gyms, which is what people traditionally picture when they think of fitness, is that they only offer access to equipment. For the average person who’s not a fitness expert, there’s no guarantee that signing up for a gym membership will get them results. On the other hand, one-on-one trainers are extremely effective, but also expensive. With a boot camp, you have the same personalized attention and motivation you get with a personal trainer, but you’re splitting the cost among a whole group of members, which gives you enormous savings. IIs s t th hiis s b bo oo ot t c ca am mp p t ta ar rg ge et te ed d t to o a a s sp pe ec ciif fiic c g gr ro ou up p? ? L Liik ke e f fo or r t th ho os se e w wh ho o a ar re e iin n k kiin nd d o of f a a b be et tt te er r s sh ha ap pe e o or r iis s iit t f fo or r a an ny yo on ne e? ? Our primary target is women in their 30s who want to lose weight, get healthy, and look great without having to sacrifice the time they spend on their families and careers. That’s why our boot camps are only 30-minutes long and have highly accessible workouts. If you’re a hardcore meathead or athlete, you’re probably better off going with something like CrossFit. However, if you just want to lose weight in a fun and positive community, Fit Body Boot Camp is for you. And men are totally welcome too—we get a lot of boyfriends, husbands, and casual male friends signing up for boot camps as well and we’re happy to have them. For those seeking to get in better shape - what would you recommend? Any particular exercise they should begin with? At Fit Body Boot Camp, we use the principles of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to deliver the best weight loss results in the shortest amount of time, so I recommend you look into that first. More than any particular exercise, thought, I recommend you dive deep into WHY you want to get in shape. Do you have a vision of how sexy you want your body to look? Do you dream of having a twice the daily energy you have now plus a more positive outlook on life? Drill deep into that WHY and let that guide your process of getting in shape. 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 ed dr ro os s K Ke eu uiilliia an n''s s w wo or rlld d? ? In March, I have Fitness Business Summit, which is my premier fitness industry event where I educate trainers from around the world on how to get more clients, deliver better client experiences, and increase their incomes. After that, I’m going to dive deep into my new Empire Mastermind program, where I will be teaching thought leaders and gurus across many industries how to implement high-level, group-based business coaching programs.

H Hii T Ta ay yllo or r,, 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? ? Life couldn't be better! Happy to be chattin' with Vents. S So o II s se ee e b be es siid de es s a ac ct tiin ng g,, y yo ou u a ar re e a alls so o iin nt to o s sp po or rt ts s a an nd d m mu us siic c - - d diid d y yo ou u e ev ve er r t th ho ou ug gh ht t o of f p pu ur rs su uiin ng g a a c ca ar re ee er r o on n a an ny y o of f t th he es se e f fiie elld ds s o or r a ac ct tiin ng g h ha as s a allw wa ay ys s b be ee en n y yo ou ur r t th hiin ng g? ? Of course! Who doesn't wanna be a rock star? However, I don't think my punk band had all the elements to sell out arenas. Starting with MY singing voice. Haha. Acting has always been my passion and it has been a grand adventure working in the industry for almost 20 years. S Siin nc ce e y yo ou ur r iin nc ce ep pt tiio on n iin nt to o t th he e iin nd du us st tr ry y y yo ou u h ha av ve e p plla ay ye ed d a a w wiid de e r ra an ng ge e o of f c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er rs s iin n d diif ff fe er re en nt t g ge en nr re es s - - w wh ha at t h ha av ve e y yo ou u p pe er rs so on na alllly y t ta ak ke en n f fr ro om m t th he es se e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce es s a an nd d h ho ow w t th he ey y h ha av ve e s sh ha ap pe ed d y yo ou ur r a ac ct tiin ng g s sk kiilllls s? ? You know, it's funny. Every job has been the perfect job at the perfect time. Every character has challenged me in different ways, and that's the fun of the job. Finding out the secret sauce of how the character ticks. It's an evolution as far as acting skills go. It's a never ending learning experience from job to job. C Cu ur rr re en nt tlly y y yo ou u a ar re e s st ta ar rr riin ng g o on n F FO OX X''s s n ne ew w s sc cii- -f fii/ /c cr riim me e s se er riie es s A A.. P P.. B B.. - - 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 a an nd d w wh ha at t c ca au ug gh ht t y yo ou ur r a at tt te en nt tiio on n t th he e m mo os st t a ab bo ou ut t t th he e r ro olle e? ? The audition process was pretty standard. I read for the producers, then tested for the studio and network. I really wanted the part. APB was such a rock-n-roll script. It had all the makings for a great TV show; a perfect balance of action, comedy and drama. And the role of Officer Nicholas Brandt was, well...badass. T Th he e s sh ho ow w r re em miin nd ds s m me e iin n s so om me e w wa ay y t to o M Miin no or riit ty y R Re ep po or rt t m miin nu us s t th he e t tw wiin ns s a an nd d f fu ut tu ur re e p pr re ed diic ct tiio on ns s - - w wo ou ulld d t th he e s sh ho ow w d de ea all w wiit th h t te ec ch hn no ollo og gy y a an nd d h ho ow w iit t a af ff fe ec ct ts s t th he e jju us st tiic ce e s sy ys st te em m? ? APB very much lives in the present, not the future. All the technology used on the show is currently being used or in prototype, so I've been told. However, the show does have a fictitious plot and explores what would happen if a certain tech billionaire (Gideon Reeves) acquired and outfitted a failing police district with the best technology and equipment. One of the main plot lines in the shows is definitely how this technology effects the justice system. S Sp pe ea ak kiin ng g o of f w wh hiic ch h,, w wh ha at t''s s y yo ou ur r o op piin niio on n o on n t th ha at t m ma at tt te er r? ? D Do o y yo ou u b be elliie ev ve e iif f t th he e s sy ys st te em m h ha ad d m mo or re e t te ec ch h s su up pp po or rt t t th hiin ng gs s w wo ou ulld d b be e e ea as siie er r? ? Absolutely. The best part about technology is that it makes things easier and faster. I think there could be benefits to more tech in law enforcement if it was used properly and ethically. T Th he e s sh ho ow w iis s b ba as se ed d o on n a an n a ar rt tiic clle e iin n t th he e N NY Y T Tiim me es s - - d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o r re ea ad d t th ha at t s st to or ry y w wh hiille e p pr re ep pa ar riin ng g f fo or r t th he e r ro olle e? ? Yes. It was about a guy down in New Orleans who was fed up with the crime in his neighborhood, so he funded a task force and set them up with the best gear to fight crime. And it worked! The crime rate fell. Great article. II k kn no ow w s so om me e a ac ct to or rs s t te en nd d t to o g go o a an nd d h ha av ve e a a c ch ha at t w wiit th h p po olliic ce e o of ff fiic ce er rs s o or r c co on ns su ullt ta an nt ts s t to o h he ellp p b bu uiilld d u up p a a b be et tt te er r c ch ha ar ra ac ct te er r - - d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t th he e o op pp po or rt tu un niit ty y t to o d do o s so o? ? We had a police advisor on set with us the whole time. Any questions we had were answered and explained. It's a big deal for me to get it right. I don't wanna look like some rookie. Haha. S Sp pe ea ak kiin ng g o of f r ro olle es s,, w wh ha at t e ells se e c ca an n y yo ou u t te ellll u us s a ab bo ou ut t O Of ff fiic ce er r N Niic ch ho olla as s B Br ra an nd dt t? ? I like to think of Officer Brandt as some what analog in a high tech world. He likes to do things the old fashioned way because they are proven methods and quite efficient, though he's not entirely opposed to Gideon's tech. He has a strong moral compass. Ex-military. A bit of lone wolf syndrome. And always gets the job done, though not always in the most graceful way. W We er re e t th he er re e a an ny y c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? Being ex-military, Brandt suffers from PTSD, though he does his best to never let on. PTSD is always a challenge because I respect our service men and women so much, I don't want to mess it up. So I did the research, talked with veterans, and created a head space and did my best to incorporate what I learned into Brandt's make up. It's a serious condition and not something I take lightly. 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 Ta ay yllo or r H Ha an nd dlle ey y''s s w wo or rlld d? ? The possibilities are endless, right? Haha. I'm looking forward to exploring the world of Officer Brandt some more, as well as taking on any new and exciting characters. I am so grateful to be in the place I am in my career at the moment, so right now, I plan to soak it up. Peace to all.

H Hii IIg gn na ac ciio o,, 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? ? -Doing great Rafa! Very excited to do this interview with you guys! 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 " "N No o M Me e IIn nt te er rr ru um mp pa as s L La a F Fe e" "? ? -I wrote this song along with Ximena Muñoz and Andres Torres, two top notch songwriters/producer who have worked with artists like Luis Fonsi, David Bisbal, Alejandro Sanz and more, so working with them was an amazing experience... I learned a lot! 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? ? - Around that time I was going through a tough time in my personal life and also in my career, so we talked about this and the concept of the song came out. The song talks about when you have that someone or something that means so much to you but the moment you lose it, or it seems that you are about to lose it, well it hurts so much that it can have even your faith "shaken", so you do everything for this to stay or keep it. 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? ? -We released a lyric video for it but we won't be doing a music video... we are saving that shoot for my upcoming single. 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 really one of those experiences where you have to bring your talent up to level. Since Ximena and Andres are such Pros at what they do and they work with top artists on daily basis, I truly felt that good kind of pressure that challenged me and motivated me to push myself to the max. I learned a lot from both of them and the experience really made a pivot point in my career... it helped me out to find this new sound which has helped me out to reassure my identity as an artist. 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 X Xiim me en na a M Mu un no oz z 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 met Ximena at a BMI conference (Our PRO), I went up to her and she was pretty cool, she told me to send her my material and we set up a meeting, couple of weeks later we sat down to write the song along with Andy. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h h ha as s h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e s so on ng g? ? -They both played a very important role in the song. Ximena has these amazing ear for melodies and cool lyrics, whereas Andy is a machine when it comes to write and produce, specially in this genre! It was really a team work... that afternoon the three of us threw lots of ideas around and the song took total shape by the evening. W Wh ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o g go o b ba ac ck k iin nt to o y yo ou ur r r ro oo ot ts s? ? -When I came to LA I went through this long journey to find my true musical identity, my sound, my concept , my look.. everything that makes a well round artist. It took me years to develop something that I would feel proud to present to an audience, but I confess it was really these past three years that I came to realize that one has to stay as sincere as possible with what you do as an artist in order to deliver the message. To me part of that was actually embracing my strengths, working in making music as natural as possible, and focus in my audience... so part of this lead me to go back to my beginnings and my roots. I believe today this is the most sincere way I can make music, and I have been able to see how fans and also the media are reacting more to this new approach. H Ho ow w h ha as s L LA A iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? Completely, specially when it came to work at the right standard. In this city there's a lot competition and it really pushes you to aim for excellency and do things at the best level posible. The city if full of talent so I believe as an artist, one has to be on top of his/her game. D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t a a n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? Yes, this is the first single of my upcoming EP which is being produced by Cacho Romero and Mau Alessio, two amazing producers who are helping me out to make out of this EP probably my most solid material 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? ? -We are going to release the next single "No Dejes De Latir" around March and the EP is scheduled to be released around June or so. W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u b be e e ex xp pllo or riin ng g o ot th he er r e elle em me en nt ts s o of f f fa aiit th h t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t t th he e r re ec co or rd d? ? -In Everything I do I try to have present faith in one way or another, I'm actually currently working in my Christian material as well which I will be releasing in parallel to this upcoming EP... this is more like a calling though, a calling I've been having for a long time now. God is everything to me and I finally feel I got to a point in my life where I feel I'm ready to share His message through music. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? -After releasing the EP my management team has planned to promote it as strong as possible and introduce this material to different countries and being more present in different territories. 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 IIg gn na ac ciio o V Va all''s s w wo or rlld d? ? -Working as hard as possible to make a difference day by day in each area of my life... Im a total believer in living a life with purpose. My career is taking a big chunk of my time, so the rest of the time I do my best to be as present as I can be at home with my wife and kids... they keep me grounded and focus in those things that really give life a deeper meaning.

Recently at a local concert venue, Club Red in Mesa, Az., The Set to Stun Tour scored major shots as Orgy and Powerman 5000 along with local bands Interfate and As Thick As Thieves, plus co-headliners Knee High Fox and Death Valley High blasted their fans. Clearly, from the packed venue, this tour was the jam these fans came out for and needed. Both Phoenix local bands Interfate and As Thick As Thieves have rightly set themselves up to be the coursing pumper to create these metal shots of bliss. Interfate's band members have been tearing up the soundwaves with some beastly gears. Band members: J-Money [lead vox & guitar caresses], Ty. [bass & backing vocals], and Charles [drums] have gathered quite a deep and wide fanbase. What makes Interfate unique is each member has brought in with them different music history to blend a sound that is late 90's grunge and early 2000's nu-metal. It works, whatever their blend. Cueing up quickly another shot of what Phoenix, Arizona has to offer came in the form of As Thick As Thieves. Cranking the mantra of “Arizona's Rock N' Rugged 5 Piece!” this progressive rock feels the shards of metal quite nicely. Nate Butcher's vocals are ready and primed, his stage presence a smackdown to lead their audience. With the power of guitarists, Kenny Barton and Zach Banks the surge of pure steel comes piercing through. Drummer Ryan Mabee sits tight as the perfect drummer for their sound and kicking the climb up and over the wall their bassist Ryan Robles stands with the best. As Thick As Thieves has enjoyed being featured on local Phoenix station 98 KUPD's Playdio. Raring to crunch some bones Knee High Fox bleeds what the crowded venues are thirsty for. LA band Knee High Fox is stripped bare, there isn't any pretense to be had for this alt/rocking indie band. Lead vocalist Krsy Fox is the tail of this torched metal/electronic nasty feeling in your groin area band and they are hellaciously good. Death Valley High has always been a part of the Orgyfaith and their part in the tour as co- headliners or bangers made the launch of tons of tunes a play through. Death Valley High, Orgy and Powerman 5000 cannot be beaten. DVH has stood a huge passage of time and their fanbase supports them wherever they go. This past November alt-rockers Death Valley High released their new album, CVLT [AS FVK] and its cinematic rock structure is gritty, dirty, and a wave of dance beats. DVH relishes itself on being that mix of dark Gothic rapture blended into your wounds of pop punk fetish. A sonic meld every time they perform you are left wanting more. Over the years there is something about Powerman 5000 lead vocalist, Spider One (aka Michael David Cummings) that formulates a binge of what it must be like to have everyone know you are Rob Zombie's 'little' brother, but you ardently carry yourself as your own person and have created some of today's most influential styles of music. Powerman 5000 is over 25 years old, this means they have been bringing their industrial metal sound over and over in a manner of expansive intensity. How many bands can commit to such? Only a few. PM5K out of Massachusetts formed back in 1991 and when one of their top 40 hits come screaming at you live such as, “When World's Collide” you stop, take notice and pay respect. The Set to Stun Tour mix was the perfect home set up for PM5K and they should it mattered to them to be out there, playing, jamming, screeching, giving all of what they have to their fans. After a brief stage change and sound check, one of Arizona's favorites took the stage, and finished the night setting their own power chord agenda as Orgy blew out the doors with their track,”Talk Stick.” Immediately diving into the next tumble Orgy let loose with their '98 tune, “Dissention” and the crowd was from that point on in their command. Orgy took their time as their well-known hits spanning a time allotment of over two decades breathed their rock career force with “Suckerface” and even spent themselves with a newer tune, “Gface.” There is a defining entity Orgy and PMK5 have in overdrive and that is the ability to keep everyone in their crowd in motion. No one quit moving throughout their set and even Krsy Fox came out and joined them on stage for a tune. Debuting a yet released song, “Army To Your Party” showed that Orgy still creates fresh and exciting music for today's Orgy fans as well as yesterday's. The Set to Stun Tour kept to its word, the mix always performs to their highest and all the crowd felt that sense of success. Although this part of the tour has now concluded it won't be long before they will all be back stateside either together or tour with other like-minded breeds of rock. Both Orgy and Powerman 5000 have some new music in-the-works and towards the end of early February, Powerman 5000 will in the lineup with (hed) p.e. for more touring in The States, while Orgy heads to Europe with Death Valley High in support. Either way, you mix it The Set to Stun Tour was a ball over power tool that knocked you out.

Recently at a local concert venue, Club Red in Mesa, Az., The Set to Stun Tour scored major shots as Orgy and Powerman 5000 along with local bands Interfate and As Thick As Thieves, plus co-headliners Knee High Fox and Death Valley High blasted their fans. Clearly, from the packed venue, this tour was the jam these fans came out for and needed. Both Phoenix local bands Interfate and As Thick As Thieves have rightly set themselves up to be the coursing pumper to create these metal shots of bliss. Interfate's band members have been tearing up the soundwaves with some beastly gears. Band members: J-Money [lead vox & guitar caresses], Ty. [bass & backing vocals], and Charles [drums] have gathered quite a deep and wide fanbase. What makes Interfate unique is each member has brought in with them different music history to blend a sound that is late 90's grunge and early 2000's nu-metal. It works, whatever their blend. Cueing up quickly another shot of what Phoenix, Arizona has to offer came in the form of As Thick As Thieves. Cranking the mantra of “Arizona's Rock N' Rugged 5 Piece!” this progressive rock feels the shards of metal quite nicely. Nate Butcher's vocals are ready and primed, his stage presence a smackdown to lead their audience. With the power of guitarists, Kenny Barton and Zach Banks the surge of pure steel comes piercing through. Drummer Ryan Mabee sits tight as the perfect drummer for their sound and kicking the climb up and over the wall their bassist Ryan Robles stands with the best. As Thick As Thieves has enjoyed being featured on local Phoenix station 98 KUPD's Playdio. Raring to crunch some bones Knee High Fox bleeds what the crowded venues are thirsty for. LA band Knee High Fox is stripped bare, there isn't any pretense to be had for this alt/rocking indie band. Lead vocalist Krsy Fox is the tail of this torched metal/electronic nasty feeling in your groin area band and they are hellaciously good. Death Valley High has always been a part of the Orgyfaith and their part in the tour as co- headliners or bangers made the launch of tons of tunes a play through. Death Valley High, Orgy and Powerman 5000 cannot be beaten. DVH has stood a huge passage of time and their fanbase supports them wherever they go. This past November alt-rockers Death Valley High released their new album, CVLT [AS FVK] and its cinematic rock structure is gritty, dirty, and a wave of dance beats. DVH relishes itself on being that mix of dark Gothic rapture blended into your wounds of pop punk fetish. A sonic meld every time they perform you are left wanting more. Over the years there is something about Powerman 5000 lead vocalist, Spider One (aka Michael David Cummings) that formulates a binge of what it must be like to have everyone know you are Rob Zombie's 'little' brother, but you ardently carry yourself as your own person and have created some of today's most influential styles of music. Powerman 5000 is over 25 years old, this means they have been bringing their industrial metal sound over and over in a manner of expansive intensity. How many bands can commit to such? Only a few. PM5K out of Massachusetts formed back in 1991 and when one of their top 40 hits come screaming at you live such as, “When World's Collide” you stop, take notice and pay respect. The Set to Stun Tour mix was the perfect home set up for PM5K and they should it mattered to them to be out there, playing, jamming, screeching, giving all of what they have to their fans. After a brief stage change and sound check, one of Arizona's favorites took the stage, and finished the night setting their own power chord agenda as Orgy blew out the doors with their track,”Talk Stick.” Immediately diving into the next tumble Orgy let loose with their '98 tune, “Dissention” and the crowd was from that point on in their command. Orgy took their time as their well-known hits spanning a time allotment of over two decades breathed their rock career force with “Suckerface” and even spent themselves with a newer tune, “Gface.” There is a defining entity Orgy and PMK5 have in overdrive and that is the ability to keep everyone in their crowd in motion. No one quit moving throughout their set and even Krsy Fox came out and joined them on stage for a tune. Debuting a yet released song, “Army To Your Party” showed that Orgy still creates fresh and exciting music for today's Orgy fans as well as yesterday's. The Set to Stun Tour kept to its word, the mix always performs to their highest and all the crowd felt that sense of success. Although this part of the tour has now concluded it won't be long before they will all be back stateside either together or tour with other like-minded breeds of rock. Both Orgy and Powerman 5000 have some new music in-the-works and towards the end of early February, Powerman 5000 will in the lineup with (hed) p.e. for more touring in The States, while Orgy heads to Europe with Death Valley High in support. Either way, you mix it The Set to Stun Tour was a ball over power tool that knocked you out. by Song River

For many Dashboard Confessional fans the 17 years since their debut album, The Swiss Army Romance, vanished as those glory days of emotions, misspent youth and the ageless grace of 41-year-old lead vocalist Chris Carrabba graced the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona stage on Feb. 8, 2017, melt time away. Now their fans- a former group of adolescents who now hold down day jobs, have 1.2 kids, a mortgage, and a dog- managed to save enough of their hard earned dollars to spend an evening forgetting their cubicles and bills to just let go and revel in Dashboard Confessional. Opening for Dashboard Confessional on this tour is This Wild Life and Vinyl Theatre. Kevin Jorday (Lead vocals/rhythm guitar) and Anthony Del Grosso (Lead guitar/backing vocals) from Long Beach, California were a perfect fit to the evening's feel. This Wild Life always puts on a fine show and the band dedicated their set to a young girl who was in attendance with her parents, (as told to the audience this was her first concert and she was a big fan). TWL played their originals and one cover of Blink 182's “First Date” changing the lyrics a bit from, “Do you like my stupid hair?” to “Do you like my stupid beard?” Kevin Jorday did share the story behind the song “No More Bad Days” off their album Clouded. Kevin said that this song was written for his mom and how grateful he is for her. The song also talks about how strong she was when she had cancer and was going through Chemo. After a brief interlude Keegan Calmes, Chris Senner, and Nick Cesarz of Vinyl Theatre made their way to the stage and were warmly welcomed by their fans. A year ago to the night's date their former band member, Josh Ponthier, had left the band due to personal issues, but tonight Josh and his wife were in the crowd to support the band, as they are now Arizona residents. Vinyl Theatre performed three of their songs from their debut album released in 2014, Electrogram, and six songs off their new album coming out on May 12, called, Origami on their label Fueled By Ramen. Opening their set with one of their new tunes,“My Fault,” it's an indie electronic feel and immediately likable, a radio hit with a great hook. Bringing the crowd together in a dancing frenzy Vinyl Theatre went on to perform “Shine On” and “Breaking Up My Bones.” In their mix, they also included one cover, “Fix You” by Coldplay. The wait was brief, but the energy for Dashboard Confessional was electrifying. After all it has been nearly eight years since Dashboard Confessional released a studio album and the same feelings stir within those who are fans... 'We feel you, Chris.' There is something in those lyrics we all can identify with in the land of teenage angst. Who still doesn't feel the deep emotion behind the tune- “Screaming Infidelities?” “As for now I'm gonna hear the saddest songs And sit alone and wonder How you're making out...” We have all been there and there wasn't anyone in the crowd who wasn't singing those lyrics as loud as they could right back at Chris. The evening's performance was filled with fan favorites — the opener, “So Long Sweet Summer,” “Stolen,” and “The Best Deceptions.” Maybe Arizona's favorite part though was how Chris began with a story about how he kissed a girl from Arizona under a bridge (Wondering if it was the bridge in Tempe that runs over the Salt River?) and he then went right into the song “Remember To Breathe” the crowd was thrilled. The entire venue seemed to sing along in unison for the entirety of the show, only stopping when Carrabba took a break from singing to address fans with stories, or political slants, which is a very common concert theme this year. Chris told the cheering crowd that they have a new record almost done, with the hopeful promise that it will be coming out later this year. The response was overwhelmingly supportive. Dashboard Confessional fans need their music. Another Arizona special perk was during Dashboard Confessional's set they invited Trevor Hedges from the Arizona Local Band called, Sundressed to come up on stage and sing one of their new tunes, “Something Good” from their up and coming album due out March 24th titled, A Little Less Put Together. As the night grew towards its final few moments Chris said to his audience, “This song is about the best day of my life” and in the encore “Hands Down” spun. Towards the end of the song, the entire band left the stage except for Chris. The mood was set, it was Chris and his fans. Together they sang the final lyrics of the song, “And I knew that you meant it, that you meant it, that you meant it, and I knew, that you meant it, that you meant it.” With that, Chris said, “Be good to each other, we'll see you soon.”And with another album just waiting for your emo ears to be caressed by... indeed Dashboard Confessional we will. by Song River

Dashboard Confessional, This Wild Life & Vinyl Theatre

What do you get when you mix a night up with PkewPkewPkew, Ballyhoo!, Anti-Flag and Reel Big Fish? Without a doubt you get a packed venue filled with punk fans who are ready to release all their pent-up work day stress in full expressive motions like crowd surfing, death pits, singing along with each band's songs, laughter, new friends and one heck of a great time. Recently on their double 20-year celebration tour Reel Big Fish Turn The Radio Off and Anti-Flag Die For The Government along with their special guests hit Tempe, Arizona on February 4th at the Marquee Theatre. The venue was packed, the lines outside were long, the parking lot was overflowing to the next parking garage, the fans were pumped and each band built upon that frenzy of Ska, Punk, Rock, night! Special guests PkewPkewPkew, and Ballyhoo! Brought in their own deliverance of good times to set the evening up as a complete package. PkewPkewPkew out of Toronto, Ontario began back in 2010 all from a Craigslist Ad. (Hey, bands it works evidently!) PkewPkewPkew were the perfect fit to open up this evening bringing their own style of rock'tude that include lyrics about pizza and beer- can't get much better than that! After PkewPkewPkew delivered their 20 minute set Ballyhoo! Brought their east coast style of a softer side of Punkish Rock that is flavored well with Reggae influences. Ballyhoo's hometown is Aberdeen, Maryland and this favorite alt-rockers thing to do is hang out with their fans and they mean it too. As they encouraged their fans to come and hang with them after their set was over more than once, and the band held true to their warm jester as they chatted with those out of the crowd back at their merch table. On March 24th Ballyhoo! Will be releasing their new album, girls on Right Coast Records. After a brief stage change and last minute, fine tuning long time anti-government/establishment very vocal political activist hardcore punk band took to the stage in front of an American flag hung upside down as their backdrop. There was no question how the band felt as lead vocalist Justin Sane began the show, interjected all through their set and ended it with the band's dissatisfaction over multiple current political events. As each unsatisfactory item was pronounced the crowd grew in vocal agreement over immigration, the wall, and at one point Sane explained why their backdrop, the American Flag, was hung upside down, “During times of distress the American Flag will be hung upside down and right now we are under distress.” At this, the crowd's voices roared and Anti-Flag carried on their music to celebrate their 20-year-old album, Die For The Government. Anti-Flag will be releasing a new album, American Spring May 25th. In between the sets times of Anti-Flag and Reel Big Fish, the crowd had time to mix and mingle a bit. Heading out to chat with the bands who had completed their sets, merchandise purchases were being made, along with adult beverages, it was a night for an exchange of dollars to goods, and some stepped out onto the Marquee's patio for a breath of air. Fun, friendships, music, capitalism, anti-establishment all rolled into one. As the set changed completed itself to a bright and colorful funfair of Ska/Punk, Reel Big Fish hit the stage. This Huntington Beach Ska/Punk band is everything satisfactorily put together in a California Ska/Punk fan vibe. Reel Big Fish was part of the third wave Ska invasion, it was back in the 90's when they released their album, Turn Off The Radio, which went gold on their new record label, Mojo Records. It was everything anyone could possibly want in this genre of music- fun, kick, feel good, let it all go tunes. Of course, their 1997 hit, “Sell Out” was the crowd's favorite as the fans let loose and sang along and the crowd surfing went into supercharged overload. At one point the security guards were so busy helping fans over the barrier that the photo pit behind the barrier became a blur of security guards and arms and legs of fans coming over. This was a complete combination of a wide variety of country and city influences in the genre and subgenres of punk music. Two bands celebrating their 20-year marks with their albums that each made their own boot or trumpet print in rock n roll history. Each with its own feel and message all while bringing together with their special guests the meld that was fit for a perfect evening of smiling fans. As the event came to a close, every fan in the crowd left feeling blissfully exhausted, but rejuvenated to take on the next challenge in their lives. Both albums being such huge successes and a large part of every Ska/Punk's discography collection this tour was the perfect gem to ignite 2017. This is what makes a great concert experience- a place to let it all go- so you can go on and keep on doing what needs taking care of. Catch Reel Big Fish and Anti Flag out on tour through February 17th at the House of Blues in San Diego. by Song River Re &

eel Big Fish, Anti Flag, Ballyhoo! PkewPkewPkew

Photo Credit: DEREK SOTO OF SINESTRA STUDIOS

The Messenger Tour

H Hii lla ad diie es 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? ? Hello there! Thanks for having us. :) We are really good! Things have been pretty mental lately (in the best possible way!) We just got back from Folk Alliance International which was basically the best 5 days of our lives. 5 days of playing shows and meeting absolute legends in the hotel rooms of this one hotel called the Westin in Kanas City. Incredible. 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 s siin ng glle e " "T Th he e D De ev viill''s s P Pa ar rt t" "? ? The Devil's Part is a song that Hannah wrote. It's basically about being stuck making the same kind of decisions. This particular bad decision was to do with a man with a horrible back tattoo. Thankfully he's dead now. (Totally kidding. He's alive and well, as is his back tattoo.) 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? ? See note above regarding man with bad back tattoo. It truly was hideous. I (Katie) can't remember the exact details but there were flames. And Chinese characters - the man was not Chinese and had no idea what they actually meant... 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? ? It was so much fun. We went up to the Blue Mountains just north-west of Sydney and stayed in this amazing old workers cottage. We had stayed there the year before for my (Katie's) birthday in Winter and it had such a vibe about it - we felt like it had really seen some stuff! Before we started filming we were brainstorming ideas with our director Nils Crompton (http://minifilm.co/) and we were leaning towards a cult theme. We had been really getting into The Virgin Suicides, Heavenly Creatures, Heaven's Gate and the track really leant itself to that kind of story. So when it came time to film The Devil's Part we thought that little creepy house would be perfect. We went up there with the best team and spent two days in the mist and the cold and it was great. 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 W Wh he en n W We e F Fa allll - - 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? ? It is actually the title of a Phosphorescent song. We really love his music and Hannah saw him play one night and was really inspired by that particular song. We also have such a love for each other and are such an amazing team that the idea of us all falling together, rather than alone, is something we really connected to. A lot of the songs on the album are about heartbreak too so it all really just worked! 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 had the best time! It seems like I am saying that about every experience but it's genuinely true. We all write songs individually and then bring them to the group so that's how the writing process starts. We had been playing these songs together for a while so we had the basic skeleton of them before we started recording. Then our producer Wayne Connolly came to the party and really took them to the next level. We absolutely adored working with him. We have such a strong energy that it's really easy for people to get a bit lost in that. He was the perfect antidote to our intensity and knew exactly how to approach the whole process so we felt safe and comfortable while also challenging us and really getting the best out of us and the music. We also worked with amazing musicians throughout the whole process which made it all a dream! A Au us st tr ra alliia a s se ee em ms s lliik ke e a a p plla ac ce e f fiillll o of f u un niiq qu ue e t ta alle en nt t - - h ho ow w h ha as s y yo ou ur r h ho om me et to ow wn n iin nf fllu ue en nc ce ed d y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? Well thank you! Hannah grew up in Melbourne and I grew up in Brisbane but we started the band in Sydney so let's call that our hometown for now. There's always been a big folk/bluegrass scene in Sydney but when we met there seemed to be a real resurgence of that kind of music. We are totally obsessed with a couple of folk/bluegrass bands in Sydney (The Green Mohair Suits, The Morrisons) and they are incredible musicians, harmonisers and songwriters. There's also a real sense of community in the folk music scene too and we have been lucky enough to be a part of that as well. W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f f fe em miin niis sm m 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? ? I guess in terms of the material we didn't actively try and explore feminism in the content of the album. But there is a huge sense of strength and power in having four women making music and working together. And we are all such big feminists that it can't help but be a part of what we do. We love it when we see young women at our shows and love it even more when they come and talk to us - it's really important to us that young women have role models in the music industry so we really try to be that as much as we can. We don't want to be seen as just a 'girl band' either. We are a band and we just happen to be women. We want to celebrate that fact but we don't want it to be a novelty. All Our Exes

There is also definitely a vocal sound that comes with that in the sense that four female voices together sounds quite special and unique. I think we were drawn to working together partly because we were friends and partly because sometimes in the musical world you can get totally passed over as a woman. We never ignore each other and we are a real democracy. We have worked really hard to foster really strong relationships built on love and trust and making sure everyone feels they can express themselves in a loving environment. That's not always been my experience with men in the industry so it's really lovely to have a space like that to work in. W Wh ha at t llo ov ve e t ta alle es 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 a allb bu um m? ? 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? ? Ah so many! We are all big story tellers and we've had our fair share of heartbreak! This album delves into love and loss of all different varieties. George's song "When the Sun Comes Up" is one of my favourites on the album. We've all had those loves we thought we'd never get over. It's the pits! But "When the Sun Comes Up" is about that special moment you realise you are actually over it and what a liberating feeling that is. "Tell Me" is another one that started out as this real tale of heartbreak and love lost. Now we've been playing it for so long and it's such a fun one to play that it's almost turned into a bit of an anthem! I wrote the song "Don't Cry" after I'd broken up with my boyfriend and I was sitting on the floor of our apartment packing up my stuff into boxes and I kept coming across things we'd bought together or he'd given me. I didn't want to throw them away but I couldn't actually bare to touch them - I felt like they would burn my fingers. It is about that real feeling of loss when you break up with someone you absolutely adored. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? So many plans! We are currently in the U.S. playing a couple of shows before the album comes out on March 3. Then we have a few shows in Perth/Adelaide in early March before we come back over here for SXSW. We might be back in the U.S. in May too (that's a bit hush hush though!) and then we have our album tour in Australia in the middle of the year. It's going to be a big one I think! 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 Allll O Ou ur r E Ex xe es s L Liiv ve e IIn n T Te ex xa as s'' w wo or rlld d? ? We are so stoked to be releasing our album finally - that's our main source of excitement and joy at the moment. We are also thrilled to be spending so much time in the states and on the road generally. We went to the UK and Ireland last year and are really keen to get back there asap. We met this amazing Irish band called Ports at Folk Alliance International who we are desperate to tour with. And we'd love to head over to Canada to play some shows with our wonderful friends The Once. Hopefully we can make all of those dreams come true too! Live In Texas

Crystal Fa Pic by David G H Ho ow w d diid d C Cr ry ys st ta all F Fa aiir ry y f fo or rm m? ? Melvins toured with Le Butcherettes a few times and we became friends. We like their band quite a bit. We'd do a song with Teri every night as an encore and the energy playing together was always intense and special! From that, we decided to ask Teri and Omar, who was also on the tour to hang with LB, if they'd like to try and start something new. Next thing you know, we're in our rehearsal room writing songs together. II''v ve e b be ee en n a a f fa an n o of f t th he e M Me ellv viin ns s,, M Ma ar rs s V Vo ollt ta a a an nd d L Le e B Bu ut tc ch he er re et tt te es s a an nd d a at t lle ea as st t t to o m me e t th he ey y a allll s se ee em m s so o d diif ff fe er re en nt t t to o e ea ac ch h o ot th he er r - - d diid d y yo ou u iin nt te en nd d t to o b blle en nd d a allll o of f y yo ou ur r iin nf fllu ue en nc ce es s t to og ge et th he er r o or r t th hiis s iis s a a b br ra an nd d n ne ew w c ch ha ap pt te er r f fo or r y y''a allll? ? We really didn't have any preconceived ideas of what the band would sound like exactly. It was wide open. Maybe to be a bit more rocking, if any? Certainly, the first few songs we wrote were rockers. S So or rt t o of f f fo ollllo ow wiin ng g m my y lla as st t q qu ue es st tiio on n - - d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o jja am m a an nd d iim mp pr ro ov v a a llo ot t o or r d diid d y yo ou u s sp plliit t t th he e w wr riit tiin ng g/ /iin ns st tr ru um me en nt ts s u up p d de ep pe en nd diin ng g o on n y yo ou ur r p pa as st t s sk kiilllls s,, ii..e e..,, T Te er rii a as s a a v vo oc ca alliis st t b br ro ou ug gh ht t t th ha at t t ta alle en nt t t to o t th he e t ta ab blle e a an nd d s so o o on n? ? 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? ? The first time we got together it was Buzz, Teri and myself. We started with a few guitar riffs Buzz had, with Teri working out vocal melodies and lyrics. After about an hour we had a song written and the basic tracks recorded. Next, we worked on song idea that Teri had and did the same thing. We wrote and tracked two or three songs in the first day! The rest of the writing/ recording session

airy Goldman was like that as well. It was all very spontaneous and natural, like we'd been playing together for ever. M Mu us siic ca alllly y s sp pe ea ak kiin ng g t th he e a allb bu um m iis s s su ub bt tlly y v ve er ry y d diif ff fe er re en nt t t to o e ea ac ch h o ot th he er r,, II c ca an n h he ea ar r s so om me e M Me ellv viin ns s a an nd d L Le e B Bu uc ch he er re et tt te es s iin n iit t - -w we er re e t th he er re e a an ny y s sp pe ec ciif fiic c iid de ea as s g go oiin ng g iin nt to o iit t o or r d diid d y yo ou u jju us st t lle et t iit t n na at tu ur ra alllly y t ta ak ke e s sh ha ap pe e? ? Yeah, obviously you're going to hear those elements... Once the record was starting to come together we'd think of what style or type of song it needed and go from there. It's never a good idea to write a record with songs that all sound the same. W Wiillll C Cr ry ys st ta all F Fa aiir ry y t to ou ur r? ? If the good Lord is willing and the creek doesn't rise. W Wiillll a an ny y o of f t th he e s so on ng gs s b be e m ma ad de e iin nt to o v viid de eo os s? ? There's talk of one. We'll see.

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? ? Hello!! Thank you. We have been well fortunately given the craziness that is America these days. 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 " "F Fr ra ag gm me en nt ts s" "? ? Fragments was written at the end of last year. It’s a sort of plea for someone not to fight with you, not to push you away and argue in a negative way because all it does is break you up. I feel like I keep coming back to themes of conflict because I find it hard to understand why people (and societies) would choose war and conflict over peacefulness, it just takes so much more energy and destroys even the strongest. I know it’s a naïve thought in a way but I still stand at awe with regards to 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? ? No event in particular but there is someone in my life who seems to choose the path of conflict over and over again in their personal life and so the song came from that frustration but really was fired up by seeing the same all over the place. 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? ? Not for this single but for other songs! 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 B Biig g W Wa av ve es s/ /S Sm ma allll W Wa av ve es 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? ? Our previous EP was called “Oom Velt”, a word that makes reference to the world as it is experienced by every individual organism – a very introspective experience. With this record we wanted to explore the opposite, what is our experience with respect to our outer environment? We are creatures that live in societies and we’re always part of some wave – be it our nationality, language, beliefs, likes - we’re not stand-alone drops of water. The album has a lot of Caribbean and tropical rhythms as well so we felt like Big Waves/Small Waves is all - encompassing of what the record is about both musically and lyrically. 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 one and the same, we write as we record and vice versa. We produce everything from our home studio and worked on the songs over a period of about 8 months. H Ho ow w d do oe es s b bo ot th h t th he e N No or rt th h a an nd d S So ou ut th h A Am me er riic ca an n c cu ullt tu ur re es s t te en nd d t to o m me er rg ge e t to og ge et th he er r iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? They merge musically and in spirit. Thinking back on our upbringing we wanted to make music that made us dance and move. The other songs on the record (not Fragments) have this vibe. I think there’s a cultural need to dance in Latin countries and we were looking to inject this into our new music. We also used a lot of Caribbean and Latin rhythms to achieve this. Y Yo ou u d diid d a a c co olllla ab bo or ra at tiio on n a a w wh hiille e b ba ac ck k,, a an ny y p plla an ns s t to o s sh ha ar re e t th he e m miic c w wiit th h o ot th he er r a ar rt tiis st ts s o on n t th hiis s a allb bu um m? ? Yes, we have a couple of collaborations on the record. One is with this Jamaican singer called Assassin who most people (outside the Caribbean) recognize for his feature on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Blacker The Berry’. The other collaboration is with dub legend and pioneer Lee Scratch Perry and Matisyahu also has a verse on one of the tracks! W Wo ou ulld d a allll t th he e s so on ng gs s d de ea all w wiit th h p po olliit tiic cs s o or r a ar re e y yo ou u e ex xp pllo or riin ng g o ot th he er r t th he em me es s? ? No! Most of them don’t deal with politics. We feel very involved, especially with what’s going on with Trump now, and we take an active approach in our lives to go out and march and be part of and support organizations that will bring about change. However, our music is not all political! The themes on the album are varied – we talk about struggle, hard work and the desire to succeed, all sorts of love -unrequited love, lasting love, getting over someone – and being good to each other. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Not yet but working on it! We will be at SXSW, Firefly Festival and playing NY shows. 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 allt t C Ca at th he ed dr ra all''s s w wo or rlld d? ? We are still writing new music and simultaneously working on solo projects as well so looking forward to that!

H Hii E Ella an 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? ? Hey! It’s great to talk with you guys. I’ve been good, very busy lately. 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 et tt te er r" "? ? It has a sort of Police vibe to it, and a bit of new wave with the pop meets punk sound as well. The song itself is about obsession. That state where you really want someone else to make you feel better. Because you can’t seem to find a way to do it on your own. 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’ve struggled with a lack of self-soothing my whole life. I’ve grown into the realization that, for me personally, it mostly stems from anxiety and depression. But I think that really any two people have the capacity to become toxic for one another, and make each other’s bad habits even worse. “Better” is definitely about those experiences that I’ve had or witnessed others having, in both romantic and platonic 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? ? Making the video for Better was a phenomenal experience. Lindsey Byrnes and Davy Greenberg are some of the sweetest and most talented people I know, and it was a dream meeting with them to set up our plan and then to carry it out. It was just the three of us the whole time. We shot a TON of footage in two days. A lot of it we couldn’t fit into the video! 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 C Co om me e A Ag ga aiin n - - 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 EP title comes from the first song on the EP “Come Again” which I wrote with Sune Wagner (Raveonettes). Sune showed me the chorus melody on the piano at his studio and I was really feeling it, and I was also really feeling this come over/come again play on words Caleb Shreve (co- producer of the EP) had been fiddling with. I’d told Caleb I was going to steal it and write a song with it! So that’s what happened with Sune’s chorus melody. And then Caleb also ended up producing the song with me. Lyrically I wanted to write a song that felt like a day in the winter when you meet someone you feel really excited about, and then spend all weekend in bed with. In reality I’ve only ever spent a whole weekend in bed once or twice, because I’m literally always working! But I remember the feeling of it happening. Everything is contained in that bed space. Something about it being winter makes it feel more cozyX 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? ? In some ways, very disjointed, and in other ways very cohesive. Some songs evolved over time and others stayed the same from their onset. It all became finalized with the work I did with Caleb and Jon (co-producers). Together we decided which songs would comprise the EP, and then that’s what we stuck with. 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 S Sh ha ad do om m 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 think the songs we did together are the best thing we ever did together (One by One and Blow Me Away). He also produced “Break” which was my first single (released September 2015). We made a lot of music together in a short span of time and the songs he produced became some of the early defining moments for Party Nails. We’ve since gone our separate ways. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e E EP P? ? His productions speak for themselves! The two songs on the EP he produced definitely have his mark on them. And Break is obviously a jam. T Th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t y yo ou ur r c ca ar re ee er r y yo ou u h ha av ve e h ha ad d t th he e c ch ha an nc ce e t to o p plla ay y w wiit th h d diif ff fe er re en nt t g ge en nr re es s - - s so o c ca an n f fa an ns s e ex xp pe ec ct t a a q qu uiit te e e ec clle ec ct tiic c r re ec co or rd d o or r iin n s so om me e w wa ay y y yo ou u a ar re e b blle en nd diin ng g a allll y yo ou ur r iin nf fllu ue en nc ce es s iin nt to o o on ne e? ? One thing I am happy to say about this record, the Come Again EP, is that everyone who has listened to it seems to have a different favorite song, the one that they think is the “best”. It may seem weird, but I’m proud that each song has things about it that mean so much to listeners that they want to call it the “best” out of the whole EP. I believe that a great pop artist can blend all their influences into one and evolve over time. It’s no easy feat, but do I hope to do that for my fans as I continue to release music. I want to continue to deliver on the pop, dance, and song side, but I also want to grow and play in some (maybe unexpected) ways. Of course, I can’t expect everyone to like everything I do all the time! W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f o ob bs se es ss 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 a allb bu um m? ? 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? ? All of these songs came from my heart. In songwriting, I definitely like to step into someone else’s shoes and write about experiences that may not be only mine, or may be a mixture of things. But all of the songs on this EP are directly from my heart. Just open up, let it flow, and edit for clarity! A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? A few things up in the air but nothing I can announce just yet! Hopefully I will know 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 P Pa ar rt ty y N Na aiills s'' w wo or rlld d? ? More video and more music.

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? ? Hey Good thanks. 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 " "II''m m N No ot t T Tr ry yiin ng g T To o B Be e Y Yo ou uX X" "? ? Dennis- Yeah this song was born out of the idea that Jade and I are around each other so much we are becoming one person. Jade- yeah I remember when the song started it sorta sounded like another friend of ours’ band and Dennis was kidding about calling it I’m trying to be you (his friend) and then it evolved into what it is. 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? ? Dennis - I would say a series of events. We are constantly acknowledging each other for saying, wanting, and reacting the same way together. It’s kind of Nauseating. 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? ? Dennis -Yes, we have already filmed most of it. No release date yet but soon. 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? ? Dennis - I think because this is the monster that’s responsible for the ideas on this album. So it just felt like a great place to start. The idea that the 2 of us melded together into one person and then made these stories come to life. 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? ? Jade - Its really simple for us. A lot of times we will just get an idea for a story or Dennis will have some music put together and ask me what it reminds me of and from there it happens pretty fast. Dennis plays every instrument so he can put an idea together pretty quick. Dennis - yeah its easy when there aren't a lot of opinions being thrown around. It’s just Jade and me so if we like it, that’s it. T Th he e t tiit tlle es s r re ea ad ds s a allm mo os st t lliik ke e a a jjo ok ke e - - c ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t s so om me e h hu um mo or r o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? Jade - If you think a Mortician falling in love with her patients is funny, then yes. W Wh ha at t b bo oo ok ks s a an nd d m mo ov viie es s s se er rv ve ed d a as s a an n iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo or r t th he e lly yr riic cs s? ? Dennis- I think the last album we had a few book inspirations. This one was more from our life experiences I think. Our lives are pretty all over the place because we also work in the Film and T.V and I feel like we drew from that on this album a little more. “Across The Great Divide” is about a long distance relationship between a man on Mars and a women on earth and that was written while I was working on a series called Mars for Ron Howard. I think working on shows you sort of interject yourself in these alternate lives and see things through different viewpoints that end up great inspiration when you’re a song writer. H Ha as s L LA A a alls so o iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c iin n a an ny y w wa ay y? ? Dennis - No. Hahahaha Jade - LA is a place that is withdrawn from the rest of the world. It’s a unique place and I think it makes you look within a lot because you’re out here with a bunch of other artist and Musicians trying to do a similar thing. You’re constantly asking yourself “why am I unique”? In that way I feel like LA is a big influence. W Wh ha at t c co on nc ce ep pt ts 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 a allb bu um m? ? Dennis - man, there’s a song where Jade and I are on the road and while I drive Jade falls asleep and the song goes into her dream. Apocalypse, Interstellar Love, A Perfect Sunday, A gun that shoots cupid bullets, Friends getting married too soon, Dysfunctional relationships, Becoming your best friend, Ex- relationships, Falling in Love with Dead people, and a ghost of a man’s best friend in the woods just to name about all of them. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Jade - Yes!! I can’t wait!! We are traveling and getting the album launched now but we plan to stat touring in the spring and we have a lot of new destinations planned for this year. 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 2 22 22 2''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Dennis - we have a lot of cool things coming up. We are working on a comic book that should be really cool where we are the “Crypt Keepers” so to speak and you can follow us through some of these twisted stories we write about. We also have quite a few videos we will be shooting for this album and eventually releasing a Blu- Ray with some un-seen shows, rehearsals and behind the scenes of the making of the albums and videos so far.

A classic much to the sound of hard rock comes driving over the airwaves when you plug in your player and head out on the open road. There is something undeniably freeing to the rock sounds that emanate and transpire between the squeal of your tires on the pavement and the driving guitar/drums/bass and vocals of Reid Henry. Never Say Die hailing from the rock capital of the Canada, come reaching out from Toronto to the states as they take a rock n roll path you will not soon forget. Their debut album­ Destroy + Rebuild is the primo hard rock album from beginning to end. Catch Never Say Die out on tour through April in the states. 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 llo on ng g d dr riiv ve es s t th ha at t iin ns sp piir re es s s so om me e o of f u us s t to o t th hiin nk k s so o m mu uc ch h t th ha at t w we e h ha av ve e t to o c cr re ea at te e? ? Reid Henry: Any chance I get to write or play music I take it. S SR R!!:: M Ma an ny y w wiillll a as sk k,, w wh hy y t th he e h hiia at tu us s,, e es sp pe ec ciia alllly y o on n t th he e h he ee ells s o of f g gr re ea at t s su uc cc ce es ss s...... h ho ow we ev ve er r,, llo oo ok kiin ng g a at t t th hiis s f fr ro om m a an no ot th he er r p pe er rs sp pe ec ct tiiv ve e w wo ou ulld dn n''t t t th ha at t b be e t th he e p pe er rf fe ec ct t t tiim me e t to o s st tr re et tc ch h a an nd d p po os ss siib blly y e ex xp pllo or re e a an no ot th he er r a av ve en nu ue e o of f c cr re ea at tiio on n? ? Reid Henry: Our singer Matt got a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with his brother in Three Days Grace. For me, it's an opportunity to challenge myself to rise with the tide. S SR R:: W Wa as s t th he e iin nt te en nt tiio on n t th he er re e a allll a allo on ng g t to o t ta ak ke e N Ne ev ve er r S Sa ay y D Diie e f fr ro om m a a s st tu ud diio o p pr ro ojje ec ct t t to o w wh he er re e iit t iis s n no ow w? ? Reid Henry: Yes absolutely. I've always dreamed of being a singer. S SR R:: T Th he er re e s se ee em ms s t to o b be e a a d de ef fiin niit te e iim mp po or rt ta an nc ce e b be eh hiin nd d t th he e b ba an nd d''s s n na am me e,, a as s w we e s se ee e t th he e w wo or rd ds s,, " "N Ne ev ve er r S Sa ay y D Diie e" " s sh ho ow w u up p q qu uiit te e o of ft te en n iin n t tiit tlle es s,, a an nd d p ph hr ra as se es s.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s iit t f fo or r y yo ou u t to o t ta ak ke e t th he es se e w wo or rd ds s a an nd d h ho olld d iit t a as s y yo ou ur r b ba an nd d t tiit tlle e? ? Reid Henry: “Never Say Die” is a British idiom that means to not give up. We thought it was a fitting name for our band. Plus it sounds metal. S SR R:: T Th he e t tu un ne e " "A Au ut to om ma at tiic c" " h ha as s a a g gr re ea at t h ho oo ok k iim mm me ed diia at te elly y.. IIt t''s s r ro oc ck k.. T Ta allk k a a b biit t a ab bo ou ut t t th he e s st tr ru uc ct tu ur re e o of f t th he e s so on ng g.. Reid Henry: “Automatic” is a robo love song... we wanted to make the instruments on the track live up to the words in the song.

e s f r r f d d y y t t r r t g k k f f e p S SR R:: L Liis st te en niin ng g t to o " "L Liik ke e A A N Niig gh ht tm ma ar re e" " a an nd d r re ea ad diin ng g o ov ve er r t th he e Y Yo ou uT Tu ub be e c co om mm me en nt ts s,, o on ne e f fa an n a as sk ke ed d h ho ow w iin n t th he e w wo or rlld d y yo ou u g go ot t y yo ou ur r g gu uiit ta ar rs s t to o d do o w wh ha at t t th he ey y d do o iin n t th ha at t s so on ng g- - y ye ea ah h t te ellll u us s!! Reid Henry: The reaction to “Like A Nightmare” has been really exciting. It was one of the first songs we tracked for the record. I had made a bunch of evil sounding 8bit keyboard parts in Ableton that are underneath the guitars, I think that sets the song apart. S SR R:: W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c clla as ss s s so om me e o of f y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c d da ar rk ke er r a an nd d h he ea av viie er r t to ow wa ar rd ds s t th he e d da ay ys s o of f w wh he en n y yo ou u w we er re e p pe er rf fo or rm miin ng g iin n t th he e b ba an nd d M My y D Da ar rk ke es st t D Da ay ys s? ? Reid Henry: Although we borrow from the style of My Darkest Days, I think this band is unquestionably heavier. S SR R:: H Ho ow w w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c clle ea ar rlly y d de ef fiin ne e f fo or r y yo ou ur r f fa an ns s w wh he er re e N Ne ev ve er r S Sa ay y D Diie e iis s b by y c co om mp pa ar riis so on n.. Reid Henry: Our music and content define us better than I ever could. S SR R:: T To or ro on nt to o p pr ro od du uc ce es s s so om me e o of f t th he e b be es st t r ro oc ck ke er rs s- - 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 f fa av vo or riit te es s f fr ro om m b ba ac ck k h ho om me e a an nd d a ab br ro oa ad d? ? Reid Henry: We love Three Days Grace, Finger 11, Cancer Bats, Protest The Hero, Dilly Dally & a ton of others. S SR R:: H Ho ow w iim mp po or rt ta an nt t d do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d t th he e t te ec ch hn niiq qu ue e iin n w wh ha at t y yo ou u a ar re e c cr re ea at tiin ng g iin n t th hiis s b ba an nd d? ? Reid Henry: My technique in terms of songwriting is sort of whatever works... I try and use a fresh approach to each song and allow inspiration to come as organically as possible. S SR R:: A As s t th hiis s t to ou ur r c co on nt tiin nu ue es s t th hr ro ou ug gh h t th he e S Sp pr riin ng g iin n t th he e U U..S S.. h ha av ve e y yo ou u f fo ou un nd d m mo or re e t tiim me es s t to o p pu ullll o ou ut t t th ha at t lla ap pt to op p a an nd d w wr riit te e a allo on ng g t th he e r ro oa ad ds s a ac cr ro os ss s t th he e s st ta at te es s? ? Reid Henry: I have 5 or 6 ideas in really excited about and we another 20 or so raw riffs and ideas that we think could be really cool. The laptop is always out. S SR R:: 2 20 01 1 7 7 h ha as s s so o m mu uc ch h y ye et t t to o lliiv ve e,, r ro oc ck k,, a an nd d r ro ollll...... W Wh ha at t d do oe es s t th he e r re es st t o of f t th he e y ye ea ar r h ho olld d f fo or r N Ne ev ve er r S Sa ay y D Diie e? ? Reid Henry: All the touring... we'll be out on the road for the rest of the year and into next.

S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: IIt t h ha as s b be ee en n a a llo on ng g t tr re ek k s siin nc ce e y yo ou ur r lla as st t a allb bu um m,, " "F Fe ew w A Ag ga aiin ns st t M Ma an ny y.." " H Ha as s t th he er re e b be ee en n a a “ “w wa ar r” ” o of f s so or rt ts s d du ur riin ng g t th he e t tw wo o a allb bu um ms s t th ha at t lle ea ad d t to o t th hiis s c co on nc ce ep pt tu ua all a allb bu um m? ? Gus G: Not at all. "Few Against Many" was a very different record than "Immortals". It was our attempt to experiment a bit and try out different things. Our new album is our first concept and it's about our Greek heritage and mainly referring to the legendary battles of Thermopylae & Salamis. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H He en nn niin ng g B Ba as ss se e iis s n no ow w t th he e f fr ro on nt tm ma an n o of f F Fiir re ew wiin nd d.. W Wh ha at t d do oe es s H He en nn niin ng g b br riin ng g t th ha at t F Fiir re ew wiin nd d h ha as s w wa an nt te ed d a allll a allo on ng g? ? Gus G: First of all, he looks at this band as a long term thing and not a publicity stunt that'll get him to the "next gig". He's been a fan of Firewind since our early days and has saved the day on several occasions when we were in the midst of a tour without a singer. He brings a great new energy to the band which we needed. And by the looks of it, nobody really misses our previous guy and that's something that's VERY hard to pull from the start. Yes, he's THAT good! S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wr riit tiin ng g t ta ak ke es s o on n s so o m ma an ny y d diif ff fe er re en nt t f fo or rm ms s.. F Fr ro om m w wh he er re e d diid d t th he e iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n c co om me e f fr ro om m a as s t th hiis s c co on nc ce ep pt tu ua all a allb bu um m e em mb br ra ac ce es s a a p pe er riio od d o of f t tiim me e,, a an nd d w wa ar r? ? Gus G: Actually me & Dennis Ward (the co-producer) were working on a similar power metal project back in 2009 that was meant to have this kind of thematic elements. But that project was shelved back then, as I went on to work with Ozzy. I recently revisited some of those older demos and thought they still sounded great and approached Dennis to finish it up and maybe expand on it and make a concept album for Firewind. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wa as s iit t d diif ff fiic cu ullt t t to o g giiv ve e y yo ou ur rs se ellv ve es s p pe er rm miis ss siio on n t to o s sllo ow w t th he e p pa ac ce e d do ow wn n t to o w wr riit te e a a s st to or ry y a allb bu um m,, r ra at th he er r t th ha an n s se ev ve er ra all iin nd diiv viid du ua all t tr ra ac ck ks s? ? Gus G: You just need the right mindset and timing for these things. I didn't know how to make a concept album, that's why I turned to an outside co-writer and co-producer like Dennis. I had compiled material the past few years that sounded more epic, so I thought now would be a good time to try it out. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh hy y d diid d y yo ou u c ch ho os se e t to o u us se e a an n o ou ut ts siid de e c co o- - p pr ro od du uc ce er r,, D De en nn niis s W Wa ar rd d? ? W Wh ha at t iis s iit t d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k D De en nn niis s b br ro ou ug gh ht t t to o t th he e t ta ab blle e t th ha at t m ma ay yb be e w wo ou ulld dn n''t t h ha av ve e h ha ap pp pe en ne ed d iif f h he e d diid dn n''t t c co om me e iin n? ? Gus G: I think I just answered that above. But Dennis is good with lyrics and he took up on the challenge of making a concept record. None of us in the band are good lyricists particularly. I’m usually responsible for the music and arrangements. I have title ideas, and some lines but not full lyrics. Dennis helped a lot to put things in order and guide me thru what this concept would be, narrow it down to specific story and time in Greek history. Plus he engineered and mixed the album too. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T Th hiis s a allb bu um m,, " "IIm mm mo or rt ta alls s" " iis s a a m me ello od diic c

s sp pe ee ed d/ /m me et ta all a allb bu um m.. K Kiin nd d o of f r re em miin niis sc ce en nt t o of f t th he e d da ay ys s o of f D Diio o''s s c cr ra af ft t.. W Wh ha at t d do o y yo ou u s sa ay y? ? Gus G: I take it as a compliment. I love Dio. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: F Fr ro om m s st ta ar rt t t to o f fiin niis sh h y yo ou u h ha av ve e c cr re ea at te ed d a a w wh ho olle e p pa ac ck ka ag ge e.. M Mu us siic c,, s st to or ry y,, a ar rt tw wo or rk k.. N No ow w w wh ha at t a ab bo ou ut t s st ta ag ge e p pr re es se en nc ce e d du ur riin ng g y yo ou ur r c co om miin ng g t to ou ur r p pe er rf fo or rm ma an nc ce es s,, d do o t th he ey y a as s w we ellll f fiit t t th he e b biillll? ? Gus G: We're not sure if we're gonna go on stage with makeup like we did on the "Ode To Leonidas" video, or just be Firewind "as usual". We'll see about that. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: A As s t th he e h ho om me ella an nd d f fo or r t th he e b ba an nd d c co om me es s f fr ro om m G Ge er rm ma an ny y,, B Be ellg giiu um m a an nd d G Gr re ee ec ce e d do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d a a m miix xt tu ur re e o of f m me et ta all s so ou un nd ds s a an nd d g ge en nr re es s b be et tw we ee en n t th he e c co ou un nt tr riie es s o ov ve er r t th he er re e? ? H Ho ow w a ab bo ou ut t iin n c co om mp pa ar riis so on n t to o t th he e m me et ta all b ba an nd ds s iin n t th he e U Un niit te ed d S St ta at te es s a an nd d t th he e r re es st t o of f t th he e w wo or rlld d? ? Gus G: I try not to think too much about the sounds and what country should sound like. I try to focus on how I want us to sound like and hope that people will like it in the end. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: " "O Od de e t to o L Le eo on niid da as s" " a as s t th hiis s o on ne e w wa as s c ch ho os se en n t to o b be e r re elle ea as se ed d a as s a a s siin ng glle e/ /v viid de eo o,, iit t iis s q qu uiit te e t th he e h hiig gh h d dr ra am ma a.. W Wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e f fiillm m s se et t llo ot t lliik ke e? ? D Diid d iit t a at t t tiim me es s f fe ee ell a aw wk kw wa ar rd d t to o b be e s st ta an nd diin ng g iin n f fr ro on nt t a a h hu ug ge e g gr re ee en n s sh he ee et t a an nd d ''a ac ct tiin ng g'' o ou ut t t th he e p pa ar rt ts s? ? Gus G: It's pretty amazing what Ivan, the director & his team created. I'm always blown away by how he visualizes the final result when he has everyone standing in front of a green screen. I've done a few videos like that in the past, so it's not awkward for me, I just perform and do my thing. But it's always exciting to see the outcome. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h o of f G Gu us s G G.. a an nd d h hiis s O Oz zz zy y g gu uiit ta ar rs s d do oe es s h he e b br riin ng g iin nt to o F Fiir re ew wiin nd d? ? Gus G: Without a doubt I've been influenced by Ozzy's sound a lot since the day I joined his band. I was always a fan of course, since the days I picked up the guitar, but now it's different as I've been flying the flag of his brand of Metal the past 8 years. But Firewind have their own style & sound too and I created that back in early 2000s, so I know how to separate the 2 by now. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: T To ou ur riin ng g b be eg giin ns s m miid d- -F Fe eb br ru ua ar ry y,, t th he e d da ay y a af ft te er r V Va alle en nt tiin ne e''s s D Da ay y.. T Th he e g gr re ea at t s st to or ry y o of f 4 48 80 0 B BC C c ce er rt ta aiin nlly y m mu us st t m me ea an n s so om me et th hiin ng g d de ee ep pe er r t to o a allll o of f y yo ou u t th ha an n jju us st t a a m me er re e m ma ar rk kiin ng g o of f a a c co oo oll iid de ea a.. W Wh ha at t iis s iit t y yo ou u w wa an nt t t to o b br riin ng g iin n c co on nn ne ec ct tiin ng g w wiit th h y yo ou ur r f fa an ns s d du ur riin ng g t th he e s sh ho or rt t t to ou ur r s st to op ps s iin n G Ge er rm ma an ny y,, B Be ellg giiu um m,, A Au us st tr riia a,, F Fr ra an nc ce e,, H Hu un ng ga ar ry y a an nd d t th he e C Cz ze ec ch h R Re ep pu ub blliic c? ? Gus G: Well, for us it's our heritage, where we come from. But aside of that, the story about those legendary warriors embraces loyalty, morals and high ideals. These are good things to live by. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: W Wh ha at t m me et ta all f fe es st tiiv va alls s a ar re e o on n t th he e h ho or riiz zo on n f fo or r 2 20 01 1 7 7? ? Gus G: We're already booked for quite a few and we'll keep announcing more. Keep checking bandsintown.com/firewind for all our official tour dates!

H Hii G Giig gii,, 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 doing wellXbusy 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 " "S Sa am me e K Kiin nd d o of f C Cr ra az zy y" "? ? I wrote this song in LA with Stefan Skarbek and it was produced by James Krausse. Having the chance to work with those two incredibly talented guys was awesome. I’m hugely inspired by Amy Winehouse, and since Stefan had worked with her before, I loved that we could add a little bit of her flair mixed with my own. I’m really proud of the song! 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’s about a time when I was struggling in my own life, and a certain person came into the picture and understood all of it. After a time he leftX.I was confused and hurt and I decided 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? ? -I’m actually releasing a video with the song! Since this is my first single, I really want people to get a sense of who I am, what I look likeXjust the type of artist I am. I think visuals are really important. 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 A Allll IIn n M My y H He ea ad d - - 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 o of f t th he e E EP P? ? It’s sort of a similar situation to what inspired me to write my single. Each song is just a moment in my life when I was overwhelmed with different emotions caused by an unexpected event, whether it was love, happiness, sadness, fearX..things like that. They all mark important episodes in my life. It’s personal stuff I can share without the specifics and it allows people to interpret it however they want....cause it’s all in my head. Lol I’m an over thinker, so I thought the title was perfect. 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? ? -The process was long, but so worth it. I really learned a lot from the people I worked with. I got to travel to places I’ve never been before and really dig deep into writing. I studied artists that I loved throughout the writing process and paid close attention to the little details in the production and in the writing. What made it so special? I would take an idea and bring it into every song that I wrote. I think every one of my songs has their own vibe for that reason. W Wh ha at t d diid d y yo ou u lle ea ar rn n f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r t te en nu ur re e t tiim me e o on n T Th he e V Vo oiic ce e? ? -It made me understand more about myself. As a person and an artist. It forced me to confront my weaknesses and start strengthening them. It helped me understand the music I wanted to create and that entertaining and performing at an optimum level is almost as important as the music itself. It was a very important time for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! 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 w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e c co ov ve er riin ng g s so om me eo on ne e e ells se e’’s s m mu us siic c t th ha an n w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e w wo or rk kiin ng g o on n y yo ou ur r o or riig giin na all m ma at te er riia all? ? -Absolutely. My songs typically reflect me, my thoughts and my life. I am writing them from personal experience. It just feels different when singing another artist’s song. Sometimes however, there is a song that comes out that is so beautiful or so powerful, and it really hits me just like it would if it were my song. Then it’s easy for me to put my emotions into the vocal. W Wh ha at t lliif fe e s st tr ru ug gg glle es 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 m ma at te er riia all? ? -I got to explore the ups and downs of relationships. And not even just talking about romantic ones. Friendships, family, loveXall aspects. Life is a giant whirlwind of emotions. I’m just happy I have a place to talk about 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? ? Absolutely! I want to gig anywhere I can and meet everyone! I’m excited for this year. I definitely want to open for someone or set up a tour on my own. Connecting with people is so important. 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 Giig gii R Riic ch h''s s w wo or rlld d? ? -Playing shows and starting work on my new record as soon as this EP is released! I’m so pumped. I’ve already written some songs that I want to cut for it. I just can’t wait to keep writing and recording. It’s only the beginning.

H Hii T To od dd d,, R Ru us ss se ellll,, 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? ? Great and busy! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to 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 " "U U D Do on n''t t C Ca ar re e" "? ? It’s like an anthem for all those frustrated with someone or something. It’s about calling something out for what it is and then moving on. Liberation. 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? ? This is a real story. Well I ( Todd Lerrone) was debating with my girl to either eat at an Italian restaurant for dinner or at a Ramen restaurant. Apparently she really just wanted Ramen and was testing me. So when I was like yo let’s get Italian, she was like “U Don’t Care (about me). You you you you you don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t”. And the rest is history. We wound up getting Indian. 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? ? Maybe. That’s really all we got. A big maybe. 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? ? For this one it was a lot of experimentation and a lot of being honest with ourselves and weeding stuff out. The song changed completely 3 times before we were like ok we good let’s go. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s B Br ro oo ok klly yn n p plla ay y iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? It feels like the nexus of the universe for us. Inspiration any time you need it. You can go see Nicky Siano doing a 6 hour set in 50 person basement with a lollipop headphone and a rotary mixer. You can party with the

whole neighborhood in front of Digable Planets in the park, then go catch Moon Boots at Output on a Tuesday night. Brooklyn’s attention to detail though in the everything day to day is really what makes us aspire. Everything and everywhere is art. H Ho ow w h ha as s t th he e 2 20 00 00 0s s h ha av ve e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th hiis s t tr ra ac ck k? ? Is that what it sounds like? Haha. Honestly in the early 2000’s one of us was on the run in Mexico while the other was breaking guitars in hardcore bands. Not quite sure how that happened :) . D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t a a n ne ew w a allb bu um m o or r E EP P - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? We’re moving in that direction but nothing concrete just yet. Just really getting going here. 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? ? 2020 if we still like each other. Or Sooner. 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. Gonna be at SXSW coming in March and then fully on the road by late spring/ summer. 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 ov ve e & & L Le er rr ro on ne e''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Not sleep.

Today's music demands independence, and it feeds off multiple genres all melding and blending to create at times a sound that doesn't fit an established genre. The Hardways fit the independence stride and with influences ranging from Cow Punk to Southwest Saloon they have hit a unique bullet that is fired up for a night out with free flowing whiskey, good friends, shooting pool and kicking it up to the rock n roll degree. Female fronted lead vocalist, guitar, banjo picking Gingher Leyendecker took a few moments of time away from the recording studio (album number five coming this year) to talk to us a bit. Looking forward to hearing tracks from this next, yet to be titled, album and their tour to follow. J Ja an ne e P Po or rt te er r:: W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c f fa allll u un nd de er r A Am me er riic ca an na a? ? H Ho ow w w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u d de ef fiin ne e iit t? ? Gingher Leyendecker: We've been called everything from Cowpunk to Americana to Southwest Saloon Rock. I think we're hard to define because we draw from so many genres and are able to combine what we are interested in to create a unique sound. J JP P:: H Ha av ve e y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s w wr riit tt te en n a an nd d p plla ay ye ed d t th hiis s s st ty ylle e o of f m mu us siic c o or r d diid d y yo ou u t tr ry y o ot th he er r g ge en nr re es s? ? IIf f s so o,, w wh ha at t w we er re e t th he ey y? ? Gingher Leyendecker: Personally I've only been in one band for 12 years, The Hardways. You can listen from our first album to the upcoming fifth and hear a lot of evolution in the sound, but I think there is a common thread throughout. The cool part is that we incorporate so many styles into our sound that we've never fit into a particular genre. So that is freeing because we can explore different directions under the same band umbrella. J JP P:: T Th hiis s lla as st t y ye ea ar r y yo ou u r re elle ea as se ed d " "W Wh hiit tt tlle e IIt t A Aw wa ay y" " d diid d y yo ou u g ge et t t to o g go o o ou ut t o on n t to ou ur r t to o s su up pp po or rt t iit t? ? Gingher Leyendecker: We didn't do a multiple state tour like we usually do for Whittle It Away. I think it was a busy year for everyone and it was hard to get away. We're planning some touring this year as we support that album and solidify and record our fifth. J JP P:: N Ne et tw wo or rk kiin ng g iis s a a h hu ug ge e p pa ar rt t o of f t th he e m mu us siic c iin nd du us st tr ry y.. H Ho ow w d do o y yo ou u a allll a ap pp pr ro oa ac ch h iit t? ? Gingher Leyendecker: We all have a lot of different interests and it can be surprising how they fit in to our music. For example, I'm a paraglider pilot and through that we have been able to play at numerous hang gliding and paragliding festivals. We are also all active in the Burning Man community, so we get to play those events as well. It's so much fun to combine interests and find new and exciting places and events to play! J JP P:: W We e h ha ad d r re ea ad d t th ha at t y yo ou u''r re e g go oiin ng g b ba ac ck k iin nt to o t th he e s st tu ud diio o.. A Ar re e y yo ou u p plla an nn niin ng g a a f fu ullll- -lle en ng gt th h a allb bu um m f fo or r 2 20 01 1 7 7 o or r 2 20 01 1 8 8? ? Gingher Leyendecker: Yes, we're going to start recording album number five in March. We are planning on doing four songs at a time over the course of a few months so we can keep working on and playing the newer songs live. It will most likely be released in late 2017 or early 2018.

J JP P:: W Wh he er re e w wiillll r re ec co or rd diin ng g t ta ak ke e p plla ac ce e a an nd d w wh ho o iis s p pr ro od du uc ciin ng g iit t? ? Gingher Leyendecker: After working with Studio Cat Productions on Whittle It Away, we knew we wanted to work with Jamie Weddle again. J JP P:: W Wh ho o d do oe es s t th he e s so on ng gw wr riit tiin ng g f fo or r t th he e b ba an nd d? ? W Wh he er re e iis s iin ns sp piir ra at tiio on n f fo ou un nd d? ? Gingher Leyendecker: The lyrics are written by Dan and myself, but we all have a lot to do with the songwriting. On this album we are going to have two songs that originated from bassist Chris Lykins. J JP P:: W Wh ha at t''s s t th he e f fe ee ell o of f t th hiis s n ne ew w a allb bu um ms s s so ou un nd d? ? W Wo or rk kiin ng g t tiit tlle e? ? Gingher Leyendecker: Mudflaps and mayhem, monster trucks and moonshine.... We're probably going to let the fans decide the album title like we did last time! J JP P:: V Viid de eo os s a an nd d t to ou ur riin ng g m ma an ny y t tiim me es s f fo ollllo ow w n ne ew w a allb bu um ms s.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e p plla ac ce es s t th ha at t y yo ou u''v ve e h hiit t o on n t to ou ur rs s y yo ou u''v ve e r re ea alllly y llo ov ve ed d? ? Gingher Leyendecker: We haven't ever had a bad experience on the road. There are so many great venues out there and cool people to meet and play with. We have musician friends all over the Southwest and we all support each other when we're touring. J JP P:: P Pe er rf fo or rm miin ng g iis s iim mp po or rt ta an nt t,, a an nd d s so o iis s a a s so oc ciia all m me ed diia a p pr re es se en nc ce e.. D Do o y yo ou u f fiin nd d iit t a a c ch ha alllle en ng ge e t to o k ke ee ep p t th he e b bu us siin ne es ss s s siid de e u up p? ? Gingher Leyendecker: Yes! We get so busy that we can be neglectful of social media, which is bad because we realize we have a responsibility to stay in touch with our fans. We solved our problem by finding an amazing publicist, CowGirlZen, who has helped relieve the stress of trying to both create and promote our music. With her help we are able to stay current, which gives us more time to create music! J JP P:: 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 f fa av vo or riit te e b ba an nd ds s y yo ou u''v ve e h hu un ng g o ou ut t w wiit th h a an nd d s sh ha ar re ed d t th he e s st ta ag ge e w wiit th h? ? Gingher Leyendecker: We love the bands we share the local scene with the most--the support everyone has for each other is amazing, and we have all introduced our fans to each others music. That crossover allows us to have great shows with lots of people who are able to experience a variety of music on any given night. J JP P:: A As siid de e f fr ro om m y yo ou ur r s so on ng gw wr riit tiin ng g,, p plla ay yiin ng g,, r re ec co or rd diin ng g,, w wh ha at t e ells se e m miig gh ht t y yo ou ur r f fa an ns s f fiin nd d y yo ou u d do oiin ng g a an ny y g giiv ve en n d da ay y/ /n niig gh ht t o of f t th he e w we ee ek k? ? Gingher Leyendecker: I'm probably up in the sky somewhere, Chris might be skiing or performing surgery (really!), Dan could be moving for the twentieth time, or playing pool, and Nate's probably making moonshine....

Q Q:: H Hii C Ca as ss sa an nd dr ra 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? ? A: Hello! Thank you for such a warm welcome. I’ve been doing well, thanks! Q Q:: 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 " "W Wa aiit t" "? ? A: The skinny: “Wait” was written by myself and Tanner Aguiar with just an acoustic guitar and piano. It was recorded by Ryan Worsley (Dear Rouge, Van Damsel) at Echoplant Sound, and will be officially released on February 17th, 2017. It calls the old saying, “good things come to those who wait”, into question. Q Q:: 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? ? A: There was no single event that inspired “Wait”, unless you could count life as an event itself! The song poses a question more than it provides an answer or preaches a way of thinking: “Can you really wait for life to bring you the things you desire, or must you grab fate by the helm and make opportunities for yourself?” Q Q:: 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? ? A: Yes, indeed. We are shooting early in March at a top-secret Vancouver location ;) and we will release the video at the end of that month! Q Q:: 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: For this particular song, the writing and recording process was relatively seamless. Some songs practically write themselves in the sense that they don’t require long periods of rumination, nor a ton of editing and refining. The music for “Wait” was certainly the case. The lyrics, however, took a little more time, as Tanner and I pondered the meaning and consequence of “good things come to those who wait” for a number of days. Recording this track with Ryan was a breeze, since I had a clear vision for the production, and Ryan and I had already worked together on two other songs. One unique part of the process was that I recorded the vocals in my home studio, completely alone. I typically find it easier to lose myself in the vocal booth when I know no one is listening, and this particular song needed that complete emotional abandon in the lead vocals. Q Q:: Y Yo ou u h ha av ve e w wo or rk ke ed d w wiit th h a an nd d s sh ha ar re ed d t th he e s st ta ag ge e a allo on ng gs siid de e D De ev viin n T To ow wn ns se en nd d.. W Wh ha at t h ha av ve e y yo ou u lle ea ar rn ne ed d f fr ro om m t th ha at t e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e t th ha at t y yo ou u a ar re e p pu ut tt tiin ng g iin n a ac ct tiio on n o on n y yo ou ur r c ca ar re ee er r? ? A: Working with Devin Townsend in the studio was as much of a learning experience as it was a complete thrill. He is an exceptional musician and composer. I sang challenging material I’d never seen before and without any rehearsal, which kept me on my toes and totally outside my comfort zone. The experience frankly inspired me to continually perform at my best, and more importantly, to embrace my quirks as an artist instead of stifling them! Q Q:: D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t a a n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? A: You are 100% correct. The new material is recorded, mixed, mastered and ready to go, which is extremely exciting. All that remains now is to finalize the album artwork and the EP’s official title. I have a few titles in mind, and I’m waiting for that “aha” moment before I decide on the one! Q Q:: A An ny y t te en nt ta at tiiv ve e r re elle ea as se e t tiim me ef fr ra am me e iin n m miin nd d? ? A: The full EP will be ready for release soon. The best way to stay in the loop about the launch is via my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cassandramazemu sic Q Q:: A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? A: There is a ton of touring on the horizon. I’ll be on the east coast mid-February, playing Stonewalls in Hamilton on February 17th and the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on February 20th. When I return to the west coast, I’ll be doing a series of performances with my band: February 25th at Studio Records in Vancouver, March 2nd at Lucky Bar in Victoria, and March 3rd at the Queens in Nanaimo. Come May- June, I’ll also hit the road to support the release of my full EP! Again, https://www.facebook.com/cassandramazemu sic is the best place to check in regarding tour dates! Q Q:: 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 C Ca as ss sa an nd dr ra a M Ma az ze e''s s w wo or rlld d? ? A: Between touring, releasing “Wait” and gearing up to reveal my new EP, I will also return to the studio late this spring to record a wealth of brand new tunes! Creativity does not rest longX

It takes more than just a desire to rise above the rest. Pushing your limits, testing your boundaries, taking a calculated risk, moving forward and faith that what you bring is exactly what feels like the right sound, at the right time, for the right rockers you know it won't be much longer before the gates of rockdom open and your band is lit on. Rebels Over Flames continue to burn their way brightly across the East Coast scorching their metal hard rock sound over the airwaves, through their social media, and live performances. Never taking a break because this is their dream, their goal, their vision, this Rebels Over Flames. Lead vocalist Bam Garrido is intense. You hear it in his voice when he speaks, you see it in his eyes when he makes contact, and your sense it the moment he hits the stage, along with his band members: bass­ Kiki Lloyd, guitar­ Zimmy Zee, guitar/backing vocals­ Johnny 6 and drummer­ E3 they are all together shaking this vibe that draws their audiences in. Rebels Over Flames are now working on their next album, plus putting together the details to do a short tour soon. Their accomplishments so far are tight, their direction sold, and their love for their music is explosive and continually developing to create this four piece band out of the streets of New York to reel you in and capture your hard rocking metal soul. S Sa alla ac ciio ou us s J Ja an ne e:: Y Yo ou u r re elle ea as se ed d y yo ou ur r d de eb bu ut t E EP P t th hiis s p pa as st t y ye ea ar r.. W Wh ha at t d do oe es s t th ha at t f fe ee ell lliik ke e,, t th ha at t''s s a a b biig g a ac cc co om mp plliis sh hm me en nt t? ? Bam G: We couldn't be any more proud of accomplishing that first goal. The fact that we finally released our songs on the EP was a journey that we finally fulfilled. S SJ J:: Y Yo ou u''v ve e b be ee en n p pe er rf fo or rm miin ng g q qu uiit te e a a b biit t a ar ro ou un nd d y yo ou ur r a ar re ea a iin n N NY Y t to o s su up pp po or rt t t th he e r re elle ea as se e.. W Wh ha at t''s s b be ee en n t th he e r re ea ac ct tiio on n t to o y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? Bam G: So far people have been going from the audience to fans. We have been getting a lot of love and support, even from other bands whom we have shared the stage with. S SJ J:: H Ha av ve e y yo ou u b be ee en n w wo or rk kiin ng g o on n n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all? ? W We e h he ea ar rd d y yo ou u''v ve e b be ee en n b ba ac ck k iin n t th he e s st tu ud diio o.. Bam G: Well we were back in the studio to record a song that didn't get to make the EP simply because we felt like it didn't fit the concept. We also recorded a cover song and something else that we can't talk about yet. S SJ J:: IIs s t th he e n ne ew w m mu us siic c f fe ee elliin ng g lliik ke e iit t''s s a a d de ev ve ello op piin ng g s st ty ylle e f fr ro om m w wh he er re e y yo ou u b be eg ga an n? ? Bam G: The material we are working on now is way different from what you heard on our debut EP. A bit heavier, and you could tell our metal/metalcore/post-hardcore influences. We also are writing nice ballad'y' songs, cause women love romance! [laughed]. S SJ J:: W Wiillll t th he ey y b be e r re elle ea as se ed d a as s s siin ng glle es s o or r a ar re e y yo ou u llo oo ok kiin ng g a at t a an no ot th he er r E EP P? ? BAM G: We are working on releasing a full length-album now. We feel like our material isn't meant to be kept to 5-6 songs minimum. We are taking a different approach. So it's gonna be something people wouldn't have expected. S SJ J:: A An ny y d da at te e o on n r re elle ea as se e a an nd d w wh ha at t s st tu ud diio o a an nd d p pr ro od du uc ce er r a ar re e y yo ou u w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h? ? Bam G: We were going to release REBEL'S CALL (old ROF

song) and the cover mid-February, but we're pushing for a Late March release. As for the secret thing, we were also recording maybe summer... we expect to be back in the studio officially mid-August. We will be working once again with our good from AUTOMATON as co-producer/engineer. S SJ J:: IIn n t th he e w wo or rlld d o of f m me et ta all a an nd d h ha ar rd d r ro oc ck k y yo ou u''v ve e a allr re ea ad dy y s sh ha ar re ed d t th he e s st ta ag ge e w wiit th h s so om me e h hu ug ge e n na am me es s.. A An ny y b ba an nd ds s iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r t th ha at t h ha av ve e s st to oo od d o ou ut t s so o f fa ar r a as s b be eiin ng g r re ea alllly y c ch hiillll iin n s sh ha ap piin ng g y yo ou ur rs se ellv ve es s? ? Bam G: Well the dudes from HOOKERS & BLOW which consist of JOHNNY KELLY, DIZZY REED, ALEX GROSSI, & MIKE DUDA all who were and are in amazing bands that we grew up listening to. As a matter of fact, JOHNNY KELLY(Drummer to TYPE O NEGATIVE) gave us so much love. His Johnny Kelly) brother said, "When I saw you guys I had low expectations, but you guys flipped the script and blew the f*^king roof off." S SJ J:: A An ny y v viid de eo os s p po os ss siib blly y iin n t th he e w wo or rk ks s? ? Bam G: We are currently working on stories to try and film all the songs on the EP to give you guys a back to back kinda thing. All the songs on the EP are loved so we want to showcase them into visions that people can see. S SJ J:: A As s a a r re ella at tiiv ve elly y n ne ew w b ba an nd d s siig gn ne ed d lla as st t y ye ea ar r t to o a an n iin nd de ep pe en nd de en nt t lla ab be ell,, w wh ha at t h ha av ve e b be ee en n s so om me e o of f y yo ou ur r g gr re ea at te es st t a ac cc co om mp plliis sh hm me en nt ts s a an nd d h ho ow w a ab bo ou ut t c ch ha alllle en ng ge es s? ? Bam G: Our accomplishments are the fact that we have a tighter band than we ever did, the fact that we are now being called to do more shows. Everyone showing us the purest love ever. Our challenges are trying to get more fans to come see us perform, and also preparing for this new album. We are all coming together as a band and really writing stuff that we all love and know will be loved by the audience. S SJ J:: W Wa at tc ch hiin ng g t th he e b ba an nd d o on n s so oc ciia all m me ed diia a y yo ou u a allll s se ee em m m mu uc ch h lliik ke e f fa am miilly y.. P Pllu us s,, y yo ou u a ar re e a allll s su up pe er r a ac ct tiiv ve e.. H Ho ow w w we ellll d do o y yo ou u a allll g ge et t a allo on ng g? ? Bam G: We all see each other like family. Like a family, we argue, but we stand united. We all know where we wanna go. We all know what direction we want to take our music to. On stage, we all just have a good time and make sure people feels our vibes because we are all there to have as much fun as we can because we love it. S SJ J:: H Ho ow w iim mp po or rt ta an nt t iis s iit t t to o k ke ee ep p f fr re es sh h f fe ee ed d d do o y yo ou u t th hiin nk k a an nd d h ha as s iit t w wo or rk ke ed d t to o b bu uiilld d y yo ou ur r f fa an n b ba as se e? ? Bam G: Oh really f'n important. Kiki, Zev, and I are the ones most active when it comes to refreshing our 3 F's (FANS, FRIENDS, and FAMILY). I actually get on my personal account, and the band's accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, ReverbNation, and YouTube) and try to communicate with our followers by letting them know what's coming up next. S SJ J:: II''m m a a c clla as ss siic c m me et ta all f fa an n- - t te ellll m me e w wh hy y R Re eb be ells s O Ov ve er r F Flla am me es s iis s o on ne e II n ne ee ed d t to o a ad dd d t to o m my y lliis st t.. Bam G: All we can say is why not? I mean we have sounds that all generate from our influences such as HIM, FALLING IN REVERSE, BLACK SABBATH, DEVIL YOU KNOW, SLIPKNOT, PARKWAY DRIVE, METALLICA, TRIVIUM, and a lot more. We try to make our sounds sound different and we also make sure people from all genres actually listen and say, "Whoa they just surprised me!"

The heat and the heart of rock come from the blues. When you mix that with some living, loving and a bit of perspiration you get a rock called Americana. A genre that blissfully blends so many elements from rock, folk, blues, indie, roots, southern and makes the statement, of home. The music found its way into D. L. Marble's way of looking at life. Having come from a background of struggles, it was this style of music that he felt best expressed his way of looking at things... a story­ tellers gift put to good times. S Sa ar ra a R Ro ob biin ns so on n:: W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c,, A Am me er riic ca an na a? ? D.L. Marble: Yeah, I would say it's 'Blue Collar' Rock and Roll from the 70s and Country before it sucked. We kind have made our own sound, people seem to dig. S SR R:: H Ha av ve e y yo ou u a allw wa ay ys s w wr riit tt te en n a an nd d p plla ay ye ed d t th hiis s s st ty ylle e o of f m mu us siic c o or r d diid d y yo ou u t tr ry y o ot th he er r g ge en nr re es s? ? IIf f s so o,, w wh ha at t w we er re e t th he ey y? ? D.L. Marble: I have never written genre-specific songs really, some sound country, "This Time Next Year" and some more Rock "What You've Done." We just make honest music and let the listeners decide. S SR R:: T Th hiis s y ye ea ar r y yo ou u g go ot t t to o e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e N NA AM MM M,, n no ot t o on nlly y a as s a a g go oe er r,, b bu ut t y yo ou u p pe er rf fo or rm me ed d.. W Wa as s iit t jju us st t y yo ou u o or r d diid d t th he e w wh ho olle e b ba an nd d p pe er rf fo or rm m? ? D.L. Marble: The whole band played, we had a great time, apparently we did great from the amazing response we received. S SR R:: H Ho ow w d diid d t th he e o op pp po or rt tu un niit ty y c co om me e a ab bo ou ut t? ? A An nd d w wh ha at t w wa as s t th he e s se et tt tiin ng g lliik ke e w wh he en n y yo ou u p pe er rf fo or rm me ed d? ? D.L. Marble: Paul (y)Williams, our bassist, was in contact with the people at NAMM, he handles stuff like that, he's great. The setting was a huge stage right in the middle of all the action! S SR R:: N Ne et tw wo or rk kiin ng g iis s a a h hu ug ge e p pa ar rt t o of f N NA AM MM M,, d diid d y yo ou u t to o g ge et t t to o r ru ub b e ellb bo ow ws s w wiit th h a an ny yo on ne e iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r t th ha at t m ma ad de e y yo ou u s sa ay y- -" "W Wo ow w!!" " D.L. Marble: We worked with all our sponsors, I honestly didn't see anyone, in particular, we were working, and my band was WOW! in their performance and professionalism through the entire trip. S SR R:: O Ov ve er ra allll h ho ow w w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y t th he e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e w wa as s? ? W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u g go o a ag ga aiin n? ? D.L. Marble: Great! Of course, we will be back next year! S SR R:: W Wa as s y yo ou ur r lla as st t a allb bu um m r re elle ea as se ed d iin n 2 20 01 1 5 5? ? D.L. Marble: Yes, August of 2015. S SR R:: N No ot tiic ce ed d iin n y yo ou ur r p pr re es ss s r re elle ea as se e y yo ou u''r re e b ba ac ck k iin n t th he e s st tu ud diio o.. C Ca an n y yo ou u g giiv ve e u us s t th he e llo ow wd do ow wn n o on n y yo ou ur r n ne ew w m mu us siic c? ? H Ho ow w m ma an ny y s so on ng gs s,, f fu ullll- -lle en ng gt th h,, d diif ff fe er re en nt t s so ou un nd d/ /s st ty ylle e? ? D.L. Marble: It's good stuff, still have to finish a few songs and write a couple more. It will be 10-12 songs, it will be different than our second album, more roots rock/country. [paused] Actually I don't even know, we're gonna make the best damn record we can and if y'all like it great, if not, we made it together and that's what's important, it's a snapshot of us at that moment in history. S SR R:: W Wh he er re e a ar re e y yo ou u r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d a ar re e y yo ou u w wo or rk kiin ng g w wiit th h a a p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r p pr ro od du uc ce er r? ? D.L. Marble: Somewhere, Brooklyn, LA... Looking to working with Eric "Roscoe" Ambel again and Rob Hill. S SR R:: W Wo or rk kiin ng g a allb bu um m t tiit tlle e? ? P Pr ro ojje ec ct te ed d r re elle ea as se e d da at te e? ? D.L. Marble: Not yet... We would like to get it out in June or July. S SR R:: V Viid de eo os s a an nd d t to ou ur riin ng g m ma an ny y t tiim me es s f fo ollllo ow w n ne ew w a allb bu um ms s.. D Do o y yo ou u h ha av ve e p plla ac ce es s t th ha at t y yo ou u h hiit t o on n t to ou ur rs s y yo ou u''v ve e r re ea alllly y llo ov ve ed d? ? D.L. Marble: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, California. Man, I love the road, can't wait to get back to so many great venues large and small! S SR R:: O On n t to op p o of f a a b ba an nd d y yo ou u a alls so o h ha av ve e y yo ou ur r o ow wn n lla ab be ell.. H Ho ow w d diid d t th ha at t c co om me e a ab bo ou ut t a an nd d w wh ho o e ells se e iis s o on n iit t? ? D.L. Marble: Pauly and I decided that we did most the hard work when we were on major labels, so why not take control, and try to make something great. So we started CASA Music Group. Marc Norman, Ghetto Cowgirl, Alice Cooper's a taste of Christmas Pudding have put music out via CASA and Matt Rupnow our guitar player is working on a"solo" project, and we look forward to helping him get that out soon! SR: Performing is important, and so is a social media presence. Do you find it a challenge to keep the business side up? D.L. Marble: Yes. it's hard, but we're getting help now. SR: Aside from your songwriting, playing, recording, music label what else might your fans find you doing any given night of the week? D.L. Marble: Hanging out with my kids and family, Pauly, Matt or AD. Pretty much everything else is on the DL, ya know how it goes.

H Hii K Ka av v,, 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 have been good. Working in the studio a lot on new music and doing some gigs. Just doing what I love most! 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 " "S Sh ho ot t M My y L Lo ov ve e D Do ow wn n” ”? ? It’s a really cool song. It sounds different to my other work with more of a mature sound. I really think this song is all about the hooky guitar and the groove. We started working on it with the guitarist Jan Schröder more than one year ago. Then we had the instrumental laying around for some time. I had a writing session with a good friend of mine Ray Fields and then later we added MODD’s awesome vocals. I am very happy with the result and love the western vibe it has to it. 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 think what inspires is the most is the guitar. It has a real serious vibe to it. Once we had that we thought it would we good to add some serious lyrics. Lyrics everyone has felt once in their lives. Shot My Love Down! 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? ? Not currently! Will let you know if that changes ;). A Af ft te er r t th he e s su uc cc ce es ss s o of f y yo ou ur r p pr re ev viio ou us s r re ec co or rd d,, w we er re e t th he er re e a an ny y s st tr re es ss s t th hr ro ou ug gh ho ou ut t t th he e r re ec co or rd diin ng g a an nd d w wr riit tiin ng g o of f t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? This is a very good question! As a writer/producer you always want your new work to be better then your last, however with this song it was relaxing because I had enough work to be released. We created this song just as an extra thing we did for fun, and now it turned out great :-) 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 very nice and very organic. Jan Schröder and I were in the studio having a writing session and out of nothing he came up with the outstanding guitar riff. When we had that foundation, I started producing the song, make a cool beat and arrangement. I co-wrote the vocals with my friend Ray Field – we were just chilling, having a lot of fun writing the lyrics. 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 M Mo od dd d 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 think he is a great artist. He really had a unique voice, and that’s exactly what this song needed to have. We met each other through Ray Field, because Ray and MODD met each other at a previous session. MODD came to my studio last summer on a really hot day! Sweat was dripping off our heads in the studio, but we managed to record everything in one day! D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t a a n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? Yes for sure. There is a lot of material going on right now! I really can’t wait to put it out! 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? ? We intend to release like every 7 to 8 weeks this year. So a lot of cool stuff coming! W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u b be e e ex xp pllo or riin ng g o ot th he er r s st ty ylle es s m mo ov viin ng g o on n? ? Yes! Of course I will keep working with melodic house, but also working on some more UK house productions. And working on a very funky track, which I am trying to have very special vocals. I liked to keep surprising people with new styles an variations. 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 I am constantly traveling to play at at cool places. We are now working on the spring/summer tour. I can't say too much about it, but it will take us to very cool countries all around the globe. 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 K Ka av v V Ve er rh ho ou uz ze er r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Besides making music, I am keeping busy with sports, family & friends, and drinking! :D

H Hii V Va ar rd da aa 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? ? - I've been good! Thank you so much for having me you guys! 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 " "P Po oiis so on n" "? ? - Poison is about an aspect of your life that you continue to pursue even though you know it's terrible for you. Whether it's a bad habit or a relationship, deep down you know it's your own fault that you keep going back to it even though it hurts you every single time. I think that concept is pretty relatable. 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? ? - Actually, yes. Most people who listen to the song think it's about a person, but it's not. I sing it about my own anxiety - when my own mind feels like my worst enemy. I know it's toxic for me to continue to fixate and ruminate on anxiety provoking thoughts, but I continue to do it because it makes me feel better. Which is why I think the lyrics apply to literally any aspect of your life that you keep around even though you know you shouldn't. 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? ? - Personally, I'd love to! Filming videos is always so much fun. There are no plans for a video at the moment, but never say never! 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 wrote a little bit of the track before going into the studio. I know I wanted the words 'poison' and 'venom' to be in there somewhere, I think they go well together and create a strong image. But a lot of the verses came about spontaneously in the studio, which was amazing. I really enjoy coming up with lyric ideas on the spot after I have a melody down. 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 K Ke ev viin n L Le ea ac ch h a an nd d N Na at th ha an n D Da an nt tz zlle er r? ? H Ho ow w d diid d t th ho os se e r re ella at tiio on ns sh hiip ps s d de ev ve ello op p? ? - So, I actually worked with Kevin and Nathan on my first single (Feel Good Song). I'd met Kevin back when I was living in LA, and I reached out to him last summer to work on a track. He was into it, so I flew down to Nashville and we wrapped it up in a day! It was super surreal, especially since it was the first time I was working on something original. For Poison, though, I worked with Elliot Jacobson and Chris Leon as a team. They were so, so great. One of my favorite things about working on music is collaborating with a variety of people. It's always so interesting to see how people work in the studio. I really have learned a lot from every single person I've worked with, and I think it's affected my own creative process in a lot of ways. H Ho ow w h ha av ve e t th he ey y iin nf fllu ue en nc ce ed d y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? - I'm definitely one of those people who second guesses themselves a lot, and I think being in the studio with the people I've worked with (Elliot, Chris, Kevin etc) has helped me develop a sense of confidence. Getting out of my comfort zone and trusting my gut. None of my songs would sound the way they do without these people. 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 u a as s a an n a ar rt tiis st t? ? - I grew up in India, and I think being exposed to two completely different cultures has made me more perceptive to human nature. I definitely draw from that a lot when I write. No matter where you are in the world, human experiences are universal across the board. 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 w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e c co ov ve er riin ng g a a s so on ng g t th ha an n w wh he en n y yo ou u a ar re e w wr riit tiin ng g y yo ou ur r o ow wn n o or riig giin na all m ma at te er riia all? ? - Of course! I used to cover a lot of songs before I started writing. It's less personal, but it's also a lot of fun to take someone else's work and put your own spin on it. I see it as giving a nod to how much you love and respect an artist. D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t a a n ne ew w a allb bu um m - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? - I want to work on an EP this year. But I want to take my time with it. It's always quality over quantity for me, and I don't want to rush anything. I'm going to be writing in the coming few months, and I want to collaborate with more people on my work. I've also been thinking about incorporating samples into some of the stuff I'm writing, which would be different from anything I've done so far. It's exciting! 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? ? - I want to release something in the fall. Hopefully the timing works out, it's a little early to say. I just released Poison so I'm going to focus on getting that out there first. 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 love performing! It's so exhilarating. I think I want to develop a bigger body of work before hitting the road, so I'll be hitting the studio before going on tour for sure. 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 V Va ar rd da aa an n A Ar ro or ra a''s s w wo or rlld d? ? - Honestly, my goal is to stay busy and just grow. I've been working on an exciting acting project as well, and it's been great to be able to focus on that outside of my music. I'm looking into collaborating with other artists, so I can release some stuff before my EP. Nothing is set in stone yet, but you haven't seen the last of me yet.

With a sound that brings the scorch of metal and infuses it with harmonic bliss 24 Thorns melts your metal­ core brain and grabs your guts from the inside out! 24 Thorns recently sat down and talked about their unique approach to their sound, the importance of studio and live performance, plus their plans for a new studio album, a video, and a tour all in 2017. S So on ng g R Riiv ve er r:: A A n ne ew w s st ty ylle e o of f m me ello od diic c h he ea av vy y m mu us siic c,, w wa as s t th he e f fiir rs st t t th hiin ng g t to o g gr ra ab b t th he e a at tt te en nt tiio on n s sp po ot t.. IIn n a a f fiie elld d s so o d diiv ve er rs se e h ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u g go o a ab bo ou ut t d de ev ve ello op piin ng g a a n ne ew w s st ty ylle e a an nd d iis s iit t c co om mp plle et te elly y y yo ou u f fe ee ell u un niiq qu ue e t to o 2 24 4 T Th ho or rn ns s? ? JOKER: I do feel that the style is unique to 24 Thorns. Melodic metal though was something that has come along as of late, which is a style in itself. Harmony mixed with heavy hardcore. CHUCK: I feel it is unique to 24 Thorns, as we weren’t trying to develop a new style it just came naturally when we started playing together, each member adds their own influences to the music and when it all comes together melodic metal is what you get. STORM: As the guitarist for 24 Thorns I feel like it has a lot to do with our individual styles. We all have a heavy back ground but also enjoy sensible music as well. I personally base my whole guitar style on how well my clean channel sounds. That to me is super important and I feel it helps mellow the compositions. DANIEL: Each of us come from different musical backgrounds. I myself played heavier music in my previous band. Which I brought to 24 Thorns. Other members have that more melodic sound so we mix the two and get the 24 thorns sound. CHRIS: Styles come and go, it’s hard to anticipate what listeners are going to enjoy from month to month. 24 Thorns brings a few stylistic elements to the sound that I feel and connect with. After the band evolving over time, it’s become a melting pot of influences. S SR R:: O Ov ve er ra allll w wh ha at t w wo ou ulld d y yo ou u s sa ay y t th he e h he ea allt th h o of f t th he e m me et ta all s sc ce en ne e iis s lliik ke e c cu ur rr re en nt tlly y? ? IIs s iit t s st tiillll c ch ha an ng giin ng g a an nd d d de ev ve ello op piin ng g o or r a ar re e w we e w wiit tn ne es ss siin ng g a a d de es siir re e t to o r re ec co on nn ne ec ct t w wiit th h t th he e o or riig giin na all b bo on ne es s o of f m me et ta all? ? JOKER: The scene is there, but not as it used to be. I do think there is a great desire to reconnect with the roots of metal and see more people at shows again. CHUCK: I feel the metal scene is healthy as possible with the scene being flooded with millennial type music, but as anything else in life if it doesn’t evolve from its origin, than it will surely perish, but the classics will never die, as they are the foundation of an ever changing scene. STORM: I feel in my opinion that metal never died or dies. It's a particular niche market and the fans that enjoy metal are life time fans. I've noticed that some genre's will mostly be a temporary niche. And if they don't adapt to the times then the flop. DANIEL: I personally feel that it is still changing and developing all the time. Most recent example is asking Alexandria. They mix electronic dub step type music into their music which is really cool. CHRIS: The scene is always developing and changing. City to city, community to community there’s support for metal in many venues and not so much in others. Fans always enjoy the opportunity to connect with the bands and musicians that they were moved by, I believe fans will always desire to reconnect with the original bones of metal. S SR R:: M Ma an ny y p pe eo op plle e d do o n no ot t u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d t th he e a am mo ou un nt t o or r w wh ha at t d de ev vo ot tiio on n t to o m mu us siic c iis s.. IIn n g ge en ne er ra all m mo os st t p pe eo op plle e a ar re e n no ot t c ca ap pa ab blle e iit t w wo ou ulld d s se ee em m o of f m ma ak kiin ng g f fu ullll o on n c co om mm miit tm me en nt ts s,, h ho ow w iis s iit t 2 24 4 T Th ho or rn ns s h ha as s m ma an na ag ge ed d t to o k ke ee ep p t th hi d dr riiv ve e iin n f fo or rw wa ar rd d m mo ot tiio on n a an nd d k ke ee ep p iit t f fiir rm m? ? JOKER: It's all about family, friends, support of the fans, positive attitudes, working hard and believing i the dream. You have to reach out and grab it. CHUCK: We thrive as a band because we are a very family orientated group, we all have each other’ backs whether in personal or business, and this is key to keeping the sound tight throughout the ups an downs that no one can avoid in life. STORM: The desire to play music is something that is ingrained in the very soul. I agree many peopl don't understand the commitment it takes to be successful in any art. There is a lot of adversities an many short comings that also cloud the industry. Really it take patience and the ability to over com frustration. I'm guessing from experience that most of the general population gives up when they realiz that it takes a lot of full time practice and devotion to properly develop the skills required to actually play. it was simple then everyone would be an expert! DANIEL: For one we got a really amazing manager who is always pushing us to do better, bigger things Plus we all have the desire to play and succeed. We try to keep to a schedule and set practice times a much as possible. CHRIS: We’ve all pursued our passions with purpose and getting into this business doesn’t mean it’ll b easy. Any artist has to be devoted to their art because no one else will take your art where you want it t go. The artist has to be willing to endure and preserver potential struggle if they ever hold hopes o reaching the world. S SR R:: Y Yo ou ur r E EP P,, T Tw wiis st te ed d H Ho ou ur rs s,, c ca am me e o ou ut t iin n 2 20 01 1 5 5.. D De es sc cr riib be e iit ts s iin nn ne er r w wo or rk kiin ng gs s,, t tr ra ac ck ks s,, p pr ro od du uc ct tiio on n,, m ma as st te er riin ng g JOKER: Twisted Hours was our first EP and an expression of a variety of styles from 24 Thorns. Also, was the songs that stood out most for us. Tracking, production and mastering were all done at Saltmin Studios Oasis in Mesa, AZ with Don Salter and John Gray. We had an amazing time and learned ton from the experience. CHUCK: The tracks we selected were arranged in a way that creates a listening experience for our fans production was an awesome experience as we got to spend an entire week at the Saltmine Studios is a incredible secluded compound for musicians to relax in a stress free environment and create wit producer John Gray, an industry icon and a great guy with a great ear for metal. STORM: It's was a great experience we had with a fine recording studio. We spent many work hour preparing for the studio so we could stream line the process. We knew exactly what we were looking fo and executed the goal with very little bumps. It had good morale and the mastering was then a relaxin process where we got to see our ideas come to life. The extra production by Grammy nominated Joh Grey at that point was the icing on the cake. DANIEL: Unfortunately I wasn't a part of that project at the time. CHRIS: This record was produced out of Saltmine Studios, which I interned at after attending CRAS. Joh Gray produced the record. I wasn’t actual apart of the project during this time so I can't speak to th details, but they produced a great record. S SR R:: M Ma aiin nt ta aiin niin ng g t th he e c co on nt tr ro oll o ov ve er r y yo ou ur r o ow wn n p pe er rs so on na all a an nd d e en nv viir ro on nm me en nt ta all d de ev ve ello op pm me en nt t t ta ak ke es s p pa at tiie en nc ce e a an n

iis s in ’s nd le nd me ze If s. as be to of g.. it ne ns s, an th rs or ng hn hn he n nd d s sk kiillll.. H Ho ow w d diid d y yo ou u a ap pp plly y t th ho os se e t to oo olls s t to o y yo ou ur r f fiir rs st t E EP P? ? JOKER: Those skills and tools helped me to stay balanced through all obstacles and triumphs. If there's one thing for sure, we all grew in the process of this album and in our careers to get here. CHUCK: I’ve personally been playing for 27 years. now and I surround myself with great musicians, also I try not to let any outside distractions affect my writing which is why I love our practice studio, it’s a home away from home where we can all relax and focus on what’s important, also a few beers help calm the nerves. STORM: I believe that communication was key, also having a good talk about PR was priceless. Basically we agreed that we would respect the flow and that all egos were left at the door. And that any discrepancy was to be outside the walls and outside of the studio. By doing this we had zero problems and the crew kept good morale on our end and in the studio for the duration of the EP. CHRIS: My first EP was definitely an experience that taught me a lot. You learn how to prepare from a musical perspective and a business perspective. It’s important to have you’re project well rehearsed before jumping in the studio. You spend a lot of money with studios when you, the artist aren’t ready to lay final tracks S SR R:: L La ay ye er riin ng g h ha ap pp pe en ns s s so o o of ft te en n iin n s st tu ud diio o.. W Wiit th h t th he e a ad dv ve en nt t o of f e elle ec ct tr ro on niic cs s a an nd d h ho ow w f fa ar r t th he ey y''v ve e c co om me e m ma an ny y t tiim me es s a a s st tu ud diio o c cu ut t w wiillll n no ot t s so ou un nd d a an ny yt th hiin ng g lliik ke e a a lliiv ve e c cu ut t.. W Wh he er re e d do o y yo ou u a as s a a b ba an nd d s st ta an nd d o on n k ke ee ep piin ng g a a c co oh he es siiv ve en ne es ss s t to o b bo ot th h s st tu ud diio o a an nd d lliiv ve e? ? JOKER: 24 Thorns does everything live as we did the same in the studio. We wanted to keep a more traditional straight forward approach to keep the real feeling of the music. CHUCK: It’s funny you ask, as so many times we’ve been told that we sound exactly like the track, we wrote the songs in such a way that we can reproduce them live. I feel that many bands lose continuity in this aspect (unless they use a production track), causing an unfamiliar representation of the music. Although we did use 24 different voices on “The Way It’s Supposed To Be,” we grabbed everyone we could find at the studio that day including Don Salter and John Gray of the Saltmine Studio’s as well as interns and other artists there that day. So we’re not opposed to layering, as long as we can reproduce the sound live for our fans. STORM: Basically you write stuff you can actually preform. Our EP did have some layering to thicken the sound quality, but the musical aspects we set within our capacity and we stick to that during the writing process. DANIEL: I know I try to play in the recording studio the exact same way I do live.. I believe it should sound the same both live and on CD. For example I don't like when a band with only 1 guitarist records multiple tracks in the studio than live it doesn't have the same sound or feel because they can't pull off all those parts alone. CHRIS: Technology lends most performing artists now the ability to reproduce many of the same studio production techniques and supporting elements on the live stage. I want to give fans the best experience possible, if using the technology and processing can enhance an attendees experienceX I think it’s worth attempting. You never know if you don’t try. S SR R:: A Ar re e t th he er re e a an ny y b ba an nd d iin n p pa ar rt tiic cu ulla ar r y yo ou u a allll r re ea alllly y e en njjo oy y c co o- -h he ea ad dlliin niin ng g w wiit th h? ? IIf f y yo ou u d do o,, w wh ha at t a ar re e s so om me e o of f t th he e t th hiin ng gs s t th ha at t s se ee em m t to o d dr ra aw w y yo ou u t to og ge et th he er r? ? JOKER: I would have to say that there are many talented bands in the industry, local, national, and world- wide. It's hard to pick a favorite for me. CHUCK: I really enjoyed playing with SoulFly, Mankind’s Obsolete, The Other, L.A., and Property Six, to name a few, I feel that when we play with bands such as these it really creates an enjoyable experience for the fans, and we all get along very well due to similar styles of music mixed with emotion. STORM: On the local market here we stick with Property 6, and Bionic Jive (when active). The most attractive thing about gigging with them is they actually work. It's no fun to play shows with lazy bands. Bands that do work are the way to make a band pact. As far as main stream I like playing with Prong they're fun. Also SoulFly because they treat you with respect like a family. DANIEL: Property 6. Been friends of the band for many years. Enjoy playing together and we always help each other out.. They are an awesome band with amazing people. CHRIS: I’ve always enjoyed Red, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Bring Me The Horizon, The Amity AfflictionX There are so many great heavy bands out there now that lend great talent to make the show a great experience. S SR R:: Y Yo ou ur r b ba an nd ds s s so ou un nd d iis s a as s e ec clle ec ct tiic c r re ea alllly y a as s f fr ro om m w wh he er re e a allll o of f y yo ou u c co om me e f fr ro om m.. T Th he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce es s o of f D De et tr ro oiit t,, A Ar riiz zo on na a a an nd d t th he e t tr ra aiin niin ng g o of f S Sp pa an niis sh h t to o C Clla as ss siic ca all m mu us siic c a allll h ha av ve e b br ro ou ug gh ht t 2 24 4 T Th ho or rn ns s t to og ge et th he er r.. A As s y yo ou u m mo ov ve e f fu ur rt th he er r iin nt to o 2 20 01 1 7 7 w wh ha at t iis s iit t 2 24 4 T Th ho or rn ns s iis s llo oo ok kiin ng g t to o d do o? ? C Ca an n w we e e ex xp pe ec ct t a a f fu ullll- -lle en ng gt th h o or r E EP P s so oo on n? ? V Viid de eo o/ /S Siin ng glle e d dr ro op p? ? H Ho ow w a ab bo ou ut t m mo or re e t to ou ur riin ng g a an nd d h ho om me e t to ow wn n s sh ho ow ws s? ? JOKER: We are putting together the album, a single, and video to release soon. Our goal is to be on tour this year. We have 2 local shows coming up: March 18th at Last Exit live in Phoenix and April 14th at Club Red in Mesa, Arizona. CHUCK: Moving forward I feel that we are getting more technical with our sound as well as some chunkier rhythms, giving us a more edgy sound. We definitely are working on a full length album asap just need to touch up a few of the new songs, video should follow shortly after the new single drop, and touring should be coming up very soon according to management, so exciting things are happening and we can’t wait to share it with the world. STORM: Thank you, it's nice to see you've actually have listened to it and us, that means a lot. Right now we're in talks about our emotional instrument or the underlying subtle instrument that helps define us. Hard to explain but I'll try. In movies and in most well-developed music and art the will be a medium so to speak. In suspense movies when this instrument plays you know something is about to happen. They have exotic sounds and can define your over all style. Some new bands use electronic arpeggio etc.... Where a more Gothic band might use cello or a western band a lap steel. These under tones really make a band genuine. DANIEL: Everything you asked is in the works for 2017 (laughed) new music video, full length album, possible touring. We have a lot in store for 2017 that's for sure! CHRIS: We are writing a few new tunes and have a few upcoming local AZ shows. We are going to keep expanding our musical vocabulary and if we do what we do best, we’ll be rocking our fans where ever we go.

H Hii R Ro ob be er rt 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? ? These days I'm going crazy! But it makes for good art I guess. 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 " "G Go on ne e F Fo or r G Go oo od d" "? ? Gone For Good is a song I wrote about the days when you swore you'd leave it all behind. And that was like, the best time of my life, because things don't ever turn out like we plan. Sometimes I just want to go back. I think everyone does. And it's ironic, because those days are gone for good, and some of those people are gone, or out of your life. And it just seems like, if I had it all to do over again, I might do it differently. You know? 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 mean it's just life, in general. There are just some people, and places and things that you can't forget. And when I think about them, I just wish I could tell them how, maybe if I had it all to do over again, I'd do it different. 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? ? Austin Hein is an amazing director. We can up with the concept and he made it reality. We had a blast. Just glad the cope let us off with just a warning. 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 A Af ft te er rg gllo ow w - - 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? ? Afterglow is another song on the album. And I wrote that song about change, and the word itself means change having to do with light fading, or feeling high and then its gone. For me the whole music thing has been a very transitional experience. Even though I've been writing songs for a long time, doing it on a large scale requires a lot of things to change. You learn a lot about yourself when that happens. I've learned a lot about the music business too, and not everything is like you hope it would be when you're a kid dreaming about getting a song on the radio. And you realize what's really important to you through that. And for me its not money, or recognition, but really just the girl or situation that inspired me to write songs in the first place. And a lot of time that's lost, like an afterglow. 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 write every day. Most of its garbage haha. Basically when its time to make another record, I pick the best stuff I think I've got and just go with it. You can't really think too much about it, or you'll drive yourself crazy. I do that. But recording in Nashville is a blast. I have a great team. We drink and play music all night. Doesn't get much better than that. 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 D Da av ve e B Be ec ch ht te ell a an nd d w wh hy y d diid d

y yo ou u b br ro ou ug gh ht t h hiim m u up p a ag ga aiin n? ? Dave Bechtel is an amazing producer, a genuine good guy and a great friend - and that's rare in the music industry - or anywhere. I don't think I'd be interested in working with anyone else besides him. W Wh ha at t n ne ew w t th hiin ng gs s d diid d y yo ou u g gu uy ys s c co om me e u up p w wiit th h f fo or r t th hiis s n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all? ? We took a step back from trying to over polish everything to perfection. I think we're all perfectionists, so that's hard. But what I like about Afterglow, is that its got a lot of the raw sound you'd hear straight out of the box, in the studio in Nashville when we recorded it. I love these songs honestly, and I've probably listened to them more than anyone, except maybe this one crazy person who stalks me. I should get her a t shirt or something. 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? ? For me the circus is everywhere, and inspiration is easy to come by. What's hard is doing it any justice. I mean, if I'm the one telling the story, then I want people to feel something too. So what inspires me are the fans, and the obligation I have, if I'm the one they're choosing to listen to, to keep making good music. 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 have played all over from the strip in Las Vegas to Maine. I give all my live show money to support a charity that gives underprivileged kids a chance to learn to play music. I had a lot of live stuff lined up for this new record, but a lot changed. My wife was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. And that's changed everything for me moving forward. But I want people to know how tenacious, and kind, and hopeful and positive she is, even facing something like this. I'd be a mess. I am a mess sometimes. But she's so faithful, its really inspiring to me. So I keep going, because she does. I think she's amazing. And you can read more about her on my site at roberthuntermusic.net 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 ob be er rt t H Hu un nt te er r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Right now I'm just taking it one day at a time. I've got a lot more music and we were already planning to track the next record, but that will have to wait. My priority is getting Becky healthy. And if I though cancelling the Afterglow release would do that, then we wouldn't even be talking. But she loves the music, and she believes in the direction we've been heading in. So I figure if I can shine a little light her way, then yea that'd be cool. I'm super grateful to her for being the kind of person that she is, and for the chance to keep doing what I love.

Charles Parker

H Hii C Ch ha ar rlle es 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? ? Things are Great . Really excited about the new release this week. 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 Br riin ng g B Ba ac ck k T Th he e S Su un n" "? ? It was a song a wrote a few years ago, Finally got the chance to officially release the single and the album. I glad I got to put it out. Very catchy Pop song. 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 woke up in the middle of the night with the chorus to the song in my head. I got up and wrote down the chorus, grabbed a guitar and recorded it in a mini recorder. The next day I worked on the verses and finished the song... Good think I wrote it down. I would have never remembered it in the morning. 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 f fo or r t th he e s siin ng glle e? ? Actually meeting this afternoon with the video guys... Going to discuss a story line for the video.. Hopefully I will have it ready to release in the next couple of weeks. It might be out by the time you go to press with our interview. 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 was because that was the song that started it all... And figured it was the best song on the album. 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 is a long story lol... I had a couple songs and took them to a friend's studio, which looking back was not much of a studio. But I didn't know any better. I recorded a 3 song demo which wasn't very good quality... The good part about this was that the studio owner took me to another studio to get copies of my tape made.. That's where I met Frank Starchak owner of Toys recording in Baltimore... Frank heard something in that awful demo and ask me to re record with him. The songs turned out a million times better. So glad I met Frank. We started recording 1 song at a time since I had to pay for the studio time myself. I took quite a long time but in the end I had the 14 songs for the album. The writing process was just me sitting down with an acoustic guitar and a recorder. Coming up with the chords and lyrics. Once that was done i took them into the studio and added all the instruments to bring the songs to life. H Ho ow w d diid d m mu us siic c h he ellp pe ed d y yo ou u o ov ve er rc co om me e y yo ou ur r s sh hy yn ne es ss s? ? I first started out playing live as a keyboard player so I was in the back. I was not the focus . So over time I started singing and playing guitar which brought me out front. I guess it was a do or die situation. If i wanted to be a musician I had to overcome. Now its no big deal. I have played in front of thousands of people at some of the festivals I do with my cover bands. Doesn't scare me at all lol. II u un nd de er rs st ta an nd d y yo ou u w we er re e iin niit tiia alllly y b br ro ou ug gh ht t iin nt to o m mu us siic c b by y s so om me e h he ea av vy y m me et ta all b ba an nd ds s lliik ke e IIr ro on n M Ma aiid de en n - - h ho ow w w wa as s t th he e t tr ra an ns siit tiio on n f fr ro om m t th ha at t t to o m mo or re e A Allt te er rn na at tiiv ve e m mu us siic c? ? As a Kid I was exposed to pop radio. Earliest influence were the Teen idol stuff...Bay City Rollers, Partridge Family etc.. Then I saw Kiss Alive 2 at the local Department store. I was hooked... Then if you wanted to be cool you had to be into Iron maiden / Judas Priest lol So I spent a few years listening to the Metal and Hair bands. Live through the 90's stuff. But I think everything I played over the years had a big influence. When I sat down to write songs they came out as my earliest influences with the Pop vs Kiss music...Friends have compared the sound as if David Cassidy and Paul Stanley of Kiss had a love child... That would be me. lol 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? ? Somehow it was easy. I just sat down with a guitar and came up with the ideas . Then figure out words that rhyme with the previous line. I saw an interview with Tom Petty where he said that it just sort of came to him out of some un explained place while writing. I guess that's true. It's really crazy how things just pop into your head and then you make a cool song from that. 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 would like to go out and do some dates . But really want to see if the album catches on. At this point it is pretty unknown so I don't think anyone would book the band. Right now we just play local shows in Baltimore. 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 C Ch ha ar rlle es s P Pa ar rk ke er r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Right now we just wait and see.. New Ocean is working hard getting the songs out to the world. I hope people like it buy it and ask us to come play for them. If not I will always have my day job as a full time working musician here at home.

dotStripe known to his mum as Ben, creates music that’s simple yet still fascinating. One can certainly recognize this by his sounds: Friendly frequent elements, harmonious instruments incorporating fine melodies are just a few of the many distinguishing characteristics of dotStripe. 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? ? Just finished todays studio session and now i'm chilling in the kitchen with friends 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? ? A lot of things, had a lot of nice gigs, happy about my output. I'm more the forward-looking kind of guy. 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 t th he e ‘‘G Giiv ve e Y Yo ou ur rs se ellf f E EP P’’? ? Pierre and I have been knowing each other for quite a while now. On a party I was playing, at weekend berlin, he heard this track and asked me if it's still free. After a few months, I sent him the track with a few more to make an ep. I'm super happy with the remixers we have on this ep. I play a lot of arado's tracks in my sets and same for the deepshakerz, really enjoy their productions. 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? ? Well, obviously i'm really into disco & soul music atm. I 'accidentally' found the vocal for 'give yourself' while I was looking for some songs for my privat playlist. I was struggling with that one track i had, knew it had something but for me - something was missing. I cut some nice parts from the sample and put it on the beat. Guess it was love at first sight. The process of 'girl' hasn't been that interesting. I now knew how to find what I was looking for, vocal-wise. I prepared a little drum loop, tried the vocals and they fitted as well. After that it was easy for me to find the right sounds that fit for me. It's all produced in ableton. I also use native instruments 'maschine' basically for all my vocal stuff cause the hardware is like a mpc which makes it really nice for me to play with the vocals on the beat. 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? ? After a few years of djing, I wanted to make my own versions of tracks I like but these tracks wouldn't fit my regular style. No edits of pop songs... let's say you have an old percussive afro house track but you mainly play more “techy” stuff. Then you just put some more hihats, snares to make it more uplifting. Or just to make a booleg with a nice acapella. 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? ? Really depends on my mood. I think it's 55% djing & 45 producing. I'm also working on other musical projects besides the club scene, so atm i'm working a lot in the studio. But I believe, it's always gonna be the djing part where i'm getting the most exciting moments from. You're always happier if you're surrounded by some nice people in a great club! 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? ? Had a time where my production style and the style I played have been two different things. Meanwhile all the tracks fit my style, I also play my tracks out as often as I can to check if they sound proper on a big soundsystem. 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? ? For me, it's heading in too many different directions, every months is a new sub genre born. But that's good I guess so you can see that there's still development in the scene. Long story short it's always gonna be the same - There's 50% telling you house is the new techno, the other 50% percent is telling you techno is the new house. Think you should just make the music you like in this moment. 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? ? I've some names on my 'would love to' list but atm i'm working a lot with my partner in crime Karlson Solo on some more sample based disco-house tracks. Funky stuff :) 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? ? So, very short after the release of the 'give yourself ep' i'm gonna release another ep on SAFE Music, the label of the deepshakerz which made the remix for this ep. In march i'm gonna release also a new ep on my friend M.in's label My Favourit Freaks Music with two strong remixes by beatamines & the other one will be announced soon. Thats enough with the news for now. Want to keep some secrets ;) dotStripe’s “Give Yourself“ EP is out January 30th on Lauter Unfug Musik

* *H Hii J Ja am me es 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? ? I’m great! I’ve been really excited about the release of the new album and have been working a lot behind the scenes to get it ready. * *C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r lla at te es st t s siin ng glle e " "E Ev ve er ry yt th hiin ng g" "? ? Everything was the second song I produced for myself and I had a lot of fun watching it unfold. It’s an upbeat and happy song and has a real hope about it. I was pleasantly surprised with it. * *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? ? Well, it has a lot do with leaving an old self behind and feeling a new energy and connection to life. After a series of things like my mother dying, leaving the city, and breaking up with my partner, I had a dark period that eventually led to me quit drinking. I found myself with this newfound clarity and sense of well being. It was refreshing and exciting and that’s the feeling the chorus gives me when I hear it. It’s celebratory. * *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, we are planning on shooting two over the spring for the first two songs, Everything and Hidden Mind. * *W Wh ha at t lle ea ad d y yo ou u t to o n na am me e 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 felt like the song was so strong that I wanted to start the album with it. I love the tone it sets before things get slightly darker. I liked the idea of naming the album Everything after the first song and single like some classic albums of the past. * *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 a blast. I made these songs in such a different way than I was used to. In the past, writing my Rat Wakes Red tunes, I wrote a song on guitar or piano and lived with it and carried it around for long periods before they would get recorded; but this time I pretty much wrote and recorded at the same time. I had no preconceived ideas when I sat down. I would let the song happen one piece at a time and let it reveal itself to me. I was always surprised and excited to find out what would pop out. No sounds were used twice so it keeps it interesting. I also never played the songs again after they were recorded because I don’t write things down and only played or sang them when they were tracked. I liken the process more to making a film than making

something that was to be reproduced live. And, producing myself for the first time was a fun challenge and big learning experience. * *W Wh hy y d diid d y yo ou u s so om me ew wh ha at t lliim miit t y yo ou ur rs se ellf f t to o a a c co om mp pu ut te er r a an nd d s sy yn nt th he es siiz ze er r? ? I actually found it to be quite freeing. I decided at the beginning just to use my computer and synthesizers to record the music; the only acoustic part would be my voice. A lot of my earlier music is acoustic based and the idea of diving into synth sounds really appealed to me. I had a giant toy box of sounds to play with and finding them was half the fun. I have always loved the sound of synths since the moment I heard the opening strains of I Feel Love when I was 11. * *W Wo ou ulld d y yo ou u c ca allll t th hiis s a a d de ep pa ar rt tu ur re e f fr ro om m R Ra at t W Wa ak ke es s R Re ed d o or r a a f fo ollllo ow w u up p? ? I would call it both, I think. It is such a big departure in the instrument department and songwriting process but a follow up in the sense that I’m re-introducing myself without the moniker and with a new kind of sound. I feel like there are a lot of elements that are present in both projects as well, like the tone of my voice and lyric style. * *W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f t tr ra ag ge ed dy y d diid d y yo ou u 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? ? I think the aspect of post tragedy, that part where you look behind you and survey the wreckage and recovery from a safe place. Where you can see the growth that has happened and feel free to love and hope again. Where you can face the hard realities you have dealt with and come through and be honest about them. And, the reconnection to the self and soul once healing has begun. * *A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? At the moment, I don’t. I haven’t figured out how to translate this to a live show yet. I’m open to it, but might need assistance in getting it there. We’ll see, it could be fun to do, but like I said, right now I’m looking at Everything like a film as opposed to a play. * *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 am me es s R Ra af ft te er ry y''s s w wo or rlld d? ? At this point, I’m going to see the release through and do some promotion. I am planning some listening parties. After that, I’m pretty excited to get back into the studio to continue. I feel like I was on a roll and would like to get back on it. Thanks, VENTS, that was fun.

H Hii E Em mm ma 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? ? Hi! Thanks so much for having me! The DIY album release thing can be pretty overwhelming and stressful, but we’re good! It’s an exciting start to the year. 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 s siin ng glle e " "D Da av viid d B Bo ow wiie e" "? ? Sure! We were due to release our first single around January 11th, so given the timing, “David Bowie” was the natural choice. It’s a good introduction to our sound and points to our future direction as a band. It blows my mind when I realize that I wrote it exactly a year earlier, and it’s already out as a single. IIs s t th hiis s a a t tr riib bu ut te e t to o t th he e lla at te e a ar rt tiis st t o or r a an n u un nr re ella at te ed d s st to or ry y t to olld d t th hr ro ou ug gh h t th he e t to ou ug gh h d da ay ys s a ar ro ou un nd d h hiis s d de ea at th h? ? A little bit of both. Now that 2016 is behind us we’re all quite used to the feeling of waking up into a strange kind of void where the world is suddenly unrecognizable from the world we knew yesterday, following all of last year’s deeply upsetting political events and the artistic losses of Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, Leon Russell, etc. But in January 2016 those feelings were all very new, and Bowie’s death was so unexpected. I wrote most of the lyrics on the subway commuting to and from my day job, and the inspiration came out of being at work and the years of silencing my own music while watching so many people try to get big and become something like Bowie and kind of sell their souls in the process. The line in the last verse, “time I sold myself to the Devil” basically means I’m doing nothing with my music while being a good and dutiful person, so I may as well become and asshole for the fame if that’s what’s going to get me noticed (of course I would never actually do that!). D Diid d B Bo ow wiie e p plla ay y a an ny y r ro olle e o on n t th he e w wr riit tiin ng g o of f t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? I think more of his influence came up in the arrangement of the song rather than the initial writing. As a musician Bowie was extremely collaborative and always allowed for musicians in the studio to experiment with their own ideas and responses to his songs, and I really wanted that to be a key part of the process when I re-started the band with Turner and Eric, and later with Dave Van Epp when we brought him in to do lead guitar overdubs. The end result of this song is vastly different from the rough demo that I brought in. More than any other on the record, “Bowie” is a real testament to Turner’s, Eric’s, and Dave’s collective genius as musicians, arrangers, and us all as collaborators. Finally, after several weeks of arranging the song with no name other than “the one about Bowie dying”, we decided to officially name it after him once Eric pointed out that Bowie himself had named a song after Bob Dylan. H Ho ow w w wa as s t th he e e ex xp pe er riie en nc ce e o of f f fiillm miin ng g t th he e v viid de eo o? ? This was another brilliantly collaborative process. My brain is almost 100% aural and not so much visual, so I really wanted to seek out artists whose work I admired to help me visually realize the songs in photographic and video form, so that’s where co-directors Dave Rubin and Stephanie Sleeper came in. Dave is a photographer who’s been directing music videos for some time; Stephanie is a choreographer, dancer, and costume designer, and they had previously worked together on video and photo concepts for the bands Low Water and Tuff Sunshine (be sure to catch Dave’s video for Tuff Sunshine’s “Rattlin’ Man” on youtube, it’s so good). We shot the “Bowie” video over two days at Stephanie’s Bushwick loft studio. We began with some vague concepts that Dave wanted to shoot, but then the US election happened, and we really felt the need to regroup now that this context was surrounding us (again, as with the writing of the song, events changed the perspective). How it worked was, Steph would choreograph some movement concepts for the two of us and Dave would film while creating the visual landscape with color and lighting. Out of this grew the more conceptual references to The Man Who Fell to Earth, plus the idea of a powerful woman being attacked by unseen forces, and the very clear references to the sociopathic and stalking behavior that candidate Trump exhibited against Hillary Clinton in the second televised presidential debate. Dave then edited everything together so that both the story and the visuals would intensify as the song itself does dynamically. 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 My y O Olld d M Ma an n - - 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? ? “My Old Man” is a play on the term “My Old Lady” that guys use sometimes as a term of endearment. The story of the album as a whole is an attempt for me to exorcize a decade of heartbreak and abuse denial that I had gone through. The song “My Old Man” is about the chief perpetrator of that heartbreak, and how attempting to get over him set me off on a long path of more destructive relationships. As album title, “My Old Man” is all of the men whose stories fill the album, all finally behind me, me regaining my own power and self-worth after all these years.

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? ? Amazingly easy and fruitful and intense. I wasn’t expecting how deeply emotional an experience it would be. We’d come out of our rehearsal space for breaks totally wiped and exhausted. Turner and Eric and I were so much on the same page throughout that it just made building the songs up to the way they are on the album very easy. The recording sessions took place over two days at the Seaside Lounge with Charles Burst, which was all recorded to tape, and then we recorded Dave Van Epp’s guitar parts, and finally my vocals, at Eric’s studio. Fun story, while we were doing my vocals there was an insanely loud metal band rehearsing next door to us. I have no idea how that didn’t show up in the takes! 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 C Ch ha ar rlle es s B Bu ur rs st t 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? ? Turner Stough (our bassist and also my beloved significant other) has worked with Charles in the studio as a session bassist for many years, and he thought it would be a natural fit for our size and sound. I knew Charles’ work from the Psychic Ills and Crystal Stilts (two of my favorite Brooklyn bands), and on total fan girl level here, Charles did the live analog recording and sound mixing for Nina Nastasia’s “Cry Cry Baby” video that is one of my all time favorites. So I was really excited to work with him. He’s also a drummer, so we knew he could really get that sound to where we needed it, given they’re so huge and loud. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e r re ec co or rd d? ? As an engineer Charles I think has a lot in common with Steve Albini in that his role is to have everything mic’d to perfection so the band can have the freedom to do what they need to do. He wasn’t trying to influence us, just to make us sound our absolute best. H Ho ow w d diid d llo os ss s a an nd d t tr ra ag ge ed dy y iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e lly yr riic cs s a an nd d m mu us siic c o on n t th hiis s m ma at te er riia all? ? When the record was finished I really started to notice how much loss surrounded the material, even if I wasn’t directly thinking about it when I was writing it. But since the material encompassed a decade of heartbreak, it was bound to respond to change and time passing. Right when we had our first rehearsal I lost an old friend, Adam Roth, who I hadn’t seen in years, but who was very much around in the early 2007/2008ish days of the band. Losing Adam was a bit of an impetus to finally finish the record and make it sound like it was always meant to sound. Then Bowie died right after that. Then there are more direct and indirect ghosts - my cat, Dusty, whose final days are the story of “Dead Cat”; the brothers in “The Woods”, who were there when I wrote the song in 2006 but have both since tragically passed. The subject of “You Don’t Know” struggled with constant suicidal thoughts - and then the song is also about the ghosts of the East Village who haunt the neighborhood now that it’s become prohibitively expensive for the artists who made it what it was. Gene is a ghost who haunts a stretch of Connecticut beach. And finally, there’s the tragedy of losing people who are alive but who can’t be a part of your world anymore. Sometimes you try to reconnect but it ends up being way too painful. A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Definitely! We are in the process of confirming a handful of East Coast dates - trying to work out if we’re going to split it into two different periods or do the whole thing at once with Midwest dates as well. We’re hoping to announce the dates by mid-March. I’m from Wisconsin so I really can’t wait to play in Milwaukee, the scene there is so rad. 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 II A Am m T Th he e P Po olliis sh h A Ar rm my y''s s w wo or rlld d? ? We all play in other bands so we have several shows coming up, plus a couple new releases. Turner will be heading out on tour with Radiator King at the end of April just before the I Am The Polish Army tour (he’s a hard working guy). Turner’s other band, Tuff Sunshine, has a reissue of their first album coming out on Brooklyn Arts Press that we’re really excited about. The band Turner and I met on, At the Moment, has a debut LP coming out in the summer on RCO Recordings. I’m two songs into writing our follow-up and am really excited because all of those songs will be totally new as opposed to old ones I’ve reworked. And Eric’s life is otherwise mostly consumed by his 2-year-old son/viking elf!

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 great! Pretty stoked about finally having our record finished and ready to release. We're currently in California for a month long tour which has been a really good experience so far. C Ca an n y yo ou u t ta allk k t to o u us s a ab bo ou ut t y yo ou ur r s siin ng glle e " "G Go oiin ng g N No ow wh he er re e" "? ? Going Nowhere is the first track on the album, in a way it is the most representative track of the album as a whole, in the sense that we really wanted to create our own take on the 'best of' 70's and 80's sounds and production styles. 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's a pretty positive and uplifting message. The song is essentially about moments in your life that are out of your control, and the lingering feeling of helplessness that can sometimes accompany them. 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 for this track, although we have plans to release a video for another song a little later down the line. 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 A Ar ro om ma a - - 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 wouldn't say there's too much of a story other than the fact that it rhymes. We were planning on having scratch n' sniff stickers to go along with the album, which would give it a real meaning, but unfortunately the scratch n' sniff industry is in shambles 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? ? It was pretty amazing. I don't think any of us have worked this hard on a record ever, or at least in a very long time. I think we all grew tremendously throughout the year-long process, not only as writers and arrangers, but also in terms of thinking outside the box when it comes to recording techniques and sounds. 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 Ja am me es s P Pe et tr ra allllii 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? ? Working with James was a blast. He's a great guy, so excited about music, he was really inspiring for us to try new things and to really push ourselves to the limit so to

speak. We played a couple of shows with Bop English and White Denim a while back, and initially he expressed interest in recording a single with us. Those first couple of songs worked out so well that we decided to just keep going and make a full-length. H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e a allb bu um m? ? Quite significantly. Not only was he responsible for many of the unique sounds and tones on the album, but he also was involved in the arrangement and even helped re-write certain parts of the songs. He basically became the 5th member of the band during the recording of the album. W Wh ha at t r ro olle e d do oe es s A Au us st tiin n p plla ay ys s iin n y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c? ? It's not an explicit subject of any lyrical content, but certainly living in Austin and being involved in this scene for so long has shaped our music and our outlooks towards it. I would say that for us right now, living in Austin is sort of a love-hate relationship. It's a great city to live in, by any standard, however we've all been here for so long that we've developed this sort of wanderlust for seeing what else is out there and playing our music to completely new people. 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? ? It's sort of a case by case basis because a lot of the songs were written at very different times. A few of the songs are about relationships, others are more about personal growth and change. I think the most common theme is just the friendship that we share as a band. We're together all the time, on the road, in the studio, etcetera. So it's hard for our songs not to be insightful about each other. 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 in California right now until March, then we'll be back in Austin for SXSW before we take off for a short east coast tour in April. After that we plan on more touring, basically as much as possible. 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 TO OM MA A''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Waldo's getting married, so we will be learning a bunch of Motown covers.

V Ve en nt ts s:: 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? ? Brad: “Very, very busy recording tracks in the compound.” V Ve en nt ts s:: 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 Dr ra aiin n T Th he e S Sw wa am mp p" "? ? Brad: Sure. The whole idea came one night while we were jamming in the studio where we affectionately call the “Compound” in Sky Valley, California. We had this really cool groove going and I just started singing, Drain the SwampXDrain the Swamp. It was probably stuck in my head as every time you turned on the news someone was saying “Drain the Swamp” during the Presidential campaigns. The actual idea for the song formed the following week when the band got together for another night of jamming. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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? ? Brad: Not really. It’s just a rock anthem created to express our thoughts on making America Great Again. We all liked those words and wanted to express our feelings through song. We might as well rock it too. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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? ? Brad: If you are referring to the music video, it was a last minute thought. I had a pretty decent camera and thought it would be fun to shoot us playing the song in the studio and making a lyric video out of it. We didn’t expect it to gain over 30,000 views in a month. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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? ? Brad: It’s always fun. We have all been involved in writing and recording most of our lives. It’s just second nature to us. I’ll tell you this muchXIt never gets boring. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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 B Br ra au un n F Fr ra au ulle eiin 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? ? Brad: It’s always great working with these guys. I would go and watch them perform whenever I could because they are just a kick ass original rock and roll band that “gets it”! They would ask me to sit in and do some of my original songs. When I did, the songs took on a whole different persona and rocked the house. V Ve en nt ts s:: H Ho ow w m mu uc ch h d diid d h he e g ge et t t to o iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e t th he e m ma at te er riia all? ? Brad: I’m not really sure I understand the question. First of all, Braun Fraulein (translation – “Brown Girl”) consists of singer/songwriter Jimi Heil on guitar, bassist and arranger, Mark Fry and drummer Erik Mouness. They all had a hand in the arrangement and recording process. V Ve en nt ts s:: W Wh ha at t a as sp pe ec ct t o of f t to od da ay y''s s p po olliit tiic cs s d diid d y yo ou u w wa an nt t iit t t to o e ex xp pllo or re e o on n t th hiis s s so on ng g? ? Brad: No politics whatsoever. None of us thought of it that way. We were all sold on the idea of “Draining the Swamp” in Washington, D.C. and the idea of “Making America Great Again”. We didn’t care who did it as long as it got done. To us, it was all about the music. V Ve en nt ts s:: H Ho ow w d do oe es s y yo ou ur r s sc cr re ee en nw wr riit tiin ng g a an nd d r ra ad diio o h ho os st t b ba ac ck kg gr ro ou un nd d iin nf fllu ue en nc ce e y yo ou ur r m mu us siic c 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? ? Brad: Actually, I’ve been in radio since 1981. Mostly AOR (Album Oriented Rock) and Classic Rock formats. Three years ago I decided to check out the “New Country” genre and was so impressed on how they all rocked, I put together a syndicated New Country radio show called, “Brad Mercer’s Bands ‘N Fans” and started showcasing unsigned and newly signed country indie artists and bands from all over the world giving them radio airplay they couldn’t get anywhere else. Listening to these new artists always influenced me in my creativity. You should check them out at www.bradmercersbnf.com every Saturday afternoon from 4-6PM PST by clicking on, LISTEN LIVE! V Ve en nt ts s:: D Do oe es s t th he e n ne ew w s siin ng glle e m me ea an n w we e c ca an n e ex xp pe ec ct t s so om me e n ne ew w m ma at te er riia all - - h ho ow w''s s t th ha at t c co om miin ng g a allo on ng g? ? Brad: Absolutely. We didn’t really think about a follow-up single until “Drain the Swamp” started getting downloads from the site, www.draintheswamp-song.com. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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? ? Brad: We are working on the new track now which has the working title, “See The Other Side”. The release date will be as soon as it’s mixed and mastered. I’ll let you know. Just hit me up on Facebook at Brad Mercer Rocks. It will post there when it’s ready for release. V Ve en nt ts s:: A An ny y p plla an ns s t to o h hiit t t th he e r ro oa ad d? ? Brad: LOL that is a little premature right now. We need to create some more material and polish up our live performance before we hit the road. That’s a whole different animal. Takes a lot of prep. To answer your questionX It’s definitely in the cards. V Ve en nt ts s:: 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 M Me er rc ce er r''s s w wo or rlld d? ? Brad: Outside of my radio show, I’m working on directing another film soon. The best thing I can tell you is to go to my hub website www.bradmercerlive.tv and you can get links to all of my other sites as well as my bio. Thanks so much for the chat. I enjoyed it. If you like the song, please download it and pass it on. Cheers!

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? ? Thanks for having us! We are Era 9 from Montreal, Canada. 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? ? We unofficially released our EP in 2016, called “Warrior”. There are 3 songs on this EP and each song has a different meaning or story, but overall, it’s about overcoming life’s obstacles/struggles that people deal with in their everyday lives. 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? ? Our writing process is very different from most bands. We don’t just have vocals, drums, bass and guitar. We also have all our electronic programming, so the process itself takes longer than a regular rock song. But we all have amazing ideas for our music, and we are a great team that works together and feeds off each other’s inspirations. In terms of recording, luckily, we have our own studio in our city, Montreal. When we’re on tour we also record on the road, in our R.V. Everything is recorded and mixed in house by our bass player Joe. We usually like to write and record our ideas and get it to the final state before getting into the booth for the final recording.

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 more of genres of music that inspire us most, rather than just bands. The core of our music will be hard rock, with heavy riffs, but we enjoy changing up the basic usual structure of songs to an EDM/Trap type of structure. What inspires us most in terms of writing is usually how we're feeling and what we're going through in the moment. Whether it's struggles, love, heartbreak, anger, or society, etc, we all have emotions and stories to tell. 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 E ER RA A 9 9? ? We’ve been home for months now, writing and recording every single day, getting our album “Gravity” ready for release in Spring 2017. We will definitely be touring our new album and TrapRock sound this year, and we are ready to take over!