Category: All Interviews
SXSW 2014: Charli XCX x Vinyl Video
Reunited, and it feels so badass! You know it’s going to be a good SXSW when your first interview is a follow-up with pop princess Charli XCX.
You may remember her from our video interview last year. OR you may know her from her awesome collaborations with artists like Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea (no, but seriously…anyone who has been in my office or in the car with me over the last two weeks month can attest to the fact that I can’t. Stop. Listening to “Fancy”). OR you may just be obsessed with her last album, True Romance and counting the days until her next. Either way, every one of you should know and love this girl by now.
We caught up on a balcony at the Hilton in downtown Austin for a quick reunion on the first day of South by Southwest to talk about her new projects and what’s next for her (but not before she viciously attacked me with my own microphone – don’t worry; we hugged it out). Enjoy.
SXSW 2014: David and Olivia x Vinyl Mag
This was alt-country duo David & Olivia’s second year at SXSW and we sure were glad they decided to return. Receiving three nominations this past year for OC music awards, this is definitely a duo to pay attention to. We had the pleasure of chatting with them at the Chuggin’ Monkey in downtown Austin about their SX experience, how they met, and who are their biggest influences.
Vinyl Mag: This is your second year at SXSW. How is it going this year?
Olivia May: It’s wonderful; better this year than last, so that’s all we can ask for. We already played this morning at noon, and we are playing 10:30 tonight at Wahoos. We have a busy day on Saturday but a little bit more fun for Friday.
VM: Are you guys looking forward to performing any particular party or showcase?
OM: Wahoos tonight, because we have a lot of friends out there from “the OC” supporting.
David Rosales: Yeah, we are from Southern California, and Wahoos is a Southern California-based company, so we are looking forward to that.
VM: How did you guys meet and form the band?
DR: We met through Craigslist on a chance encounter.
OM: No, he’s kidding.
DR: Yeah, she was just singing in a club I was playing at, and I was smitten with her voice, and I knew it would work. But we didn’t meet that night. We met in a studio in North Hollywood. Basically the producer locked in this room for like 45 minutes, and…it was a really good vibe.
OM: He had a song he wanted me to be the duo part on, but yes – it’s been very very good.
VM: What would you guys say your main influences are?
OM: I grew up listening to my grandmas radio, so like Patsy Cline, and anything classic from the 20s, 30s, and 50s stuff. Classic country was really in my ear. Celine Dion’s voice was a huge thing – Fiona Apple, a lot of female voices had influence on me. But I was a rocker, too, so like Gwen Stefani as well; I have that nice belt because of that.
DR: I got a lot of hand-me-down music, so whatever my brothers and sisters were listening to, I was listening to. So that included anything from Motley Crue and Guns N Roses to Jimi Hendrix from that point on. We both kind of come from that rock background. But lately, I have been listening to a lot of Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams, the Bahamas. I am just really impressed by good songwriting, and I have been influenced a lot by the great songwriters, like Johnny Cash.
VM: If there was any venue anywhere that you could play, what would it be?
OM: The Grand Ole Opry! I think that would be really amazing. And I think we had a similar experience to that when we played at the Grove in Anaheim in California. We were nominated for three categories at The OC Music Awards, and it was an awesome whirlwind performing right in the middle of the award show to perform the song that started it for us.
DR: Old theaters. In downtown LA, there has been an uprising of the refurbishing of these old movie theaters that old Hollywood used to use, and now they are having live music in there. I think anything with some history, something rusty, is awesome. Where you can smell it in the air almost.
VM: So you guys have gotten some buzz from KROQ lately – how does that feel?
OM: Yeah! I didn’t ever really have that on a bucket list but now that it happened, it should have been on a bucket list.
DR: I grew up in LA, listening to KROQ, so to be on it is a real honor and definitely one of those mile-markers in an un-mile-marker type of industry.
VM: So any new music in the works?
OM: Oh yeah, we are excited about the downtime we have tomorrow so we can just be here and absorbed in it. We are feeling all the inspiration.
DR: Last year, we wrote a song, and we always seem to just write a lot and respond to the places we are. We have been writing a lot of blues stuff lately, so we are just blending that in.
SXSW 2014: Cheers Elephant x Vinyl Mag
With an obscene total of 12 shows in five days, it’s a miracle that Cheers Elephant was still breathing when I saw them on the last day of SXSW at the PBR showcase. But they weren’t just conscious – vocalist Derek Krzywicki, bassist Travelin’ Mat, lead guitarist Jordan del Rosario, and drummer Robert Kinglsy were all full of energy when they played on the outdoor stage at Easy Tiger like this was their last (though far from it – they still had two more to go that same night).
I was certainly glad they were playing so many different events, because otherwise I would have never gotten to see what might be my favorite discovery of the week. Okay, I admit describing a band as having a “happy sound” is incredibly cliché. But honestly, I think that might be the best way to describe this four-piece group originally from Philly. The crowd, including myself, smiled all the way through their creek-side set that was brimming with psychedelic pop rock guitars and Beatles-esque vocal harmonies that were like candy to the ear.
The crowd favorites “Leaves” and “Doin’ it Right” are testaments to the talent this group has of making quintessential road trip songs that can be played over and over without growing old, and sounding even better and more full of energy live than recorded. A contagious blend of The Strokes and The Kooks, this band is a must for any indie rock lover’s music collection. We had the great opportunity to hang with the band earlier in the week to ask important questions about their hairstyles, the origin of their band name, and more important stuff like that. Read on.
Vinyl Mag: You guys relocated to LA from your home in Philly. How has the transition gone? Has anything been particularly better or worse?
Derek Krzywicki: Around there, yeah. But it’s wonderful. We don’t have winter, so that’s great. [Leaving friends behind] was definitely a downside to moving though.
Robert Kingsly: We had a really close group of friends back in Philly, which we still have. That’s probably the biggest thing we miss about the east coast is our friends and family that are over there, but other than that everything’s been wonderful since we have been out on the west coast.
VM: You guys just dropped the lyric video for your song “Peoples.” Who was the visionary behind the project? How so?
Travelin’ Mat: It was just footage that our manager was taking on our tour last summer through a couple of really nice places like Maine, and the island off Maine. So it was just a lot of beautiful shots strewn together with lyrics on top of them.
VM: You guys have been at SX a few days now. Any other artists that have really impressed you guys?
Jordan del Rosario: Black Angels were really cool last night, but I think that is the only band we have really seen. Oh, and J Roddy was cool. We hope we see Train Conductor as well.
DK: But we are performing so much this year that we don’t really have a bucket list of bands that we want to go see. But if we do have free time, who knows, we might be trying to get some sleep.
VM: Any favorite moments yet of the festival or any showcases you guys are super pumped to perform?
DK: Oh yeah, tonight is going to be great, at 1 a.m. at the soho lounge – that’s our official showcase. But we are also playing Rachel Ray’s Feedback that has free beer and free food.
VM: Would you say your music has evolved since the formation of the band, and if so how?
JR: It’s gotten more mature and polished throughout the years. We were pretty young when we first started and didn’t really know what we were doing. But now we are pros.
VM: How did you guys agree on the band name Cheers Elephant?
DK: Kingsley is good at telling the story. But we didn’t all exactly agree.
RK: It all came down to the first elephant to come over to America, and along the way the boat ran out of wate,r because they underestimated how much they would need. All they had left was barrels of ale, so they gave that to the elephant. But once it got to America, it refused to drink water anymore, and it would only drink beer. So, of course, it turned into a Coney Island sideshow where you could pay a nickel and come watch the elephant uncork the beer, put it back. Hence Cheers Elephant, America’s first alcoholic elephant…
VM: What is your favorite venue you have ever played?
Travelin’ Mat: Summerfest was a fun festival that we played…it’s two weeks long, so its technically the biggest rock music festival in the world.
VM: What would you say your biggest influences are?
DK: Beatles, The Kinks, but everything and all sorts of music. Ethiopian Jazz to Train Conductor; it’s all the there.
VM: So you guys have won all of these really impressive awards, including best indie haircuts five years running. So how do you manage to keep your hair looking so not mainstream all of the time?
RK: You know, the key is to not over think it. Just let it happen.
TM: What everybody else is doing – just don’t do it.
VM: I know all of your loyal fans in Philly are dying to know – any chance you guys are headed back anytime soon?
DK: Maybe when it warms up a bit we will consider going back.
Juan Wauters x Vinyl Mag
As one half of The Beets, Juan Wauters gave us laid back garage rock that garnered the band comparisons to The Ramones. Juan Wauters is legit. Eager for a new musical endeavor, in 2012 Juan set out to write and record a solo album. The result is 2014’s N.A.P. North American Poetry. With a gentler folk feel, Juan’s solo album takes a step away from The Beets’ garage rock reputation in order to delve into the melancholy moments of everyday life. Juan recently took some time out of his day to talk with me about the new album, his experiences at SXSW, and to school me on the Existential side of Tango music.
Vinyl Mag: So how’s it going?
Juan Wauters: Pretty good. I’m actually in Boston right now. Someone that I know is getting married, so I came to the party.
VM: Nice. Weddings are the best.
JW: Yeah. I’m looking forward to it. Should be fun. And then after this weekend I go on tour.
VM: What’s your favorite part about going on tour?
JW: Oh, man. There are a lot of things, but I love meeting people that I don’t know. I love to hang out with new people. I always try to look for interesting characters when I’m on the road. People that I wouldn’t see in New York or in my normal day to day. I just enjoy making new friends and seeing how different people live.
VM: What’s the farthest a tour has taken you?
JW: I’ve played all across the U.S. One time we were supposed to play in Mexico, but the show got cancelled. I’ve played in Europe and in Israel, but those were both sort of random solo shows, so they weren’t really for a tour.
VM: So will this upcoming tour be the first time that you’ve toured solo?
JW: Yeah. I mean, last year I did it a little bit. This solo album is something that developed during my time with The Beets. In 2012 The Beets didn’t really play a lot of shows because we were having some problems and trying to figure out how to take it to the next level. So last year I did a little bit of my own stuff and a little bit with The Beets. So, I’ve done some touring, but just a little bit here and there. I just got back from Austin, Texas though.
VM: You played at SXSW, right? How was that?
JW: It was great! When we first started with The Beets we just took everything as it came to us rather than putting a lot of thought into it, so when we played at SXSW for the first time in 2009 we were still learning to play together. It was pretty wild those two years that we went there but it wasn’t really that fun. It was more stressful and intimidating. I left with a bad taste in my mouth those times, but this year it went really smoothly. I went with a different attitude this time and it was really fun. It was just me on the guitar, so I was able to change the show up and it was more laid back. It was cool, because we gathered quite a little following.
VM: Do you feel like that sort of freedom is the biggest difference in making music by yourself as opposed to working with The Beets?
JW: I guess so. Yeah, that’s something that I look for in music. I always want to have a freedom in music or in any art form. Freedom gives me the opportunity to explain the moment. It’s just a different experience. Playing with a band is always fun too, but going on tour with a band is tough. People can get moody and it can get really tense and affect the whole thing. When it’s just me I can decide what I want to do and how I want to do it and not have anyone rock the boat.
VM: So the new album is called, N.A.P. North American Poetry. Are you big into poetry?
JW: Nah, honestly I’ve always kind of steered clear of poetry. I mean, I love words and I enjoy the feelings they can evoke, but sometimes the title of poetry can make something uptight and less accessible. I enjoy poetry, but I enjoy the poetry of the street. Anybody talking can be poetry. I mainly named the album that because I wanted an acronym for the word nap.
VM: The album has a really 60s sound to it. What type of music did you listen to growing up?
JW: Definitely. I love The Beatles and Ramones. I just wanted it to have a festive vibe. I grew up listening to the classical guitar and my father listened to Tango music. You know, Tango music is almost a way of being similar to Rock & Roll. It’s like a lifestyle. Tango talks a lot about that enjoyable sadness in being alive. It’s really melancholy. Like, I’m trapped in this life and I have to deal with a lot of bullshit everyday, but I’m so happy to be alive.
VM: I didn’t realize Tango was so melancholy and existential…
JW: Oh, yeah! It’s a lot about the feeling of enlightenment and realizing that there is sadness in all of life, even the good things. It’s about embracing the questions of life. Tango is great. A lot of songs about everyday situations like hanging with friends, family, about gambling on horses and losing all your money. Everyday things…
VM: So if you could only listen to one album for the rest of eternity would it be Tango?
JW: For me? That’s a tough question. Maybe something by Ramones or The Beatles. I don’t know though, because I feel like one album is going to drive me crazy no matter what it is. Maybe Revolver or Ramones. I’m just trying to think which album will make me the least insane. Maybe John Cage’s 4’33”. Just silence. That’s what I’d choose.
VM: If you weren’t playing music what would you be doing?
JW: Driving around. Haha I don’t know. Music is always something I’ve had in my life. Until 2012 I never really tried to see music as an income. I always had a lot of different jobs. But since 2012 I’ve decided to focus all of my attention on music. So, I don’t know. I studied math in school. I like to paint. It would have to be something that keeps me meeting new people and moving around. Maybe a UPS deliveryman? Yeah. That’s it!
N.A.P. North American Poetry is out now, so be sure to snag a copy and give it a listen. Be on the lookout for Juan’s tour coming to a city near you!
SXSW 2014: SomeKindaWonderful x Vinyl Mag
For Cleveland based grunge-soul group SomeKindaWonderful, songwriting comes naturally. “There’s always something holding you back. I think that’s the human condition. It keeps you playing for something,” says Jordy Towers, lead singer/songwriter for the group. Jordy’s powerful vocals combined with the band’s haunting melodies drive their first release Reverse beyond your average pop break-up ballad.
With lyrics like, “I told my story in REVERSE ’cause it hurts” and “Could I get a DO-OVER?!,” regret and second-guessing become songwriting avenues that lead the listener on a reverse chronology love story.
“One of my favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They tell a love-story backwards. I’ve always wanted to do a song like that. The lyrics started coming out, and as they came out it, I started noticing that maybe I can just write this backwards,” says Jordy of his inspiration for the song.
“Reverse,” written the first night the three band members got together, provides an eerie soul-rock punch to the ears. On a soul-searching journey after leaving his LA rap career with [a major label], Jordy stumbled into a small-town Ohio bar where he met Matt Gibson and Ben Schigel. Matt (guitar) and Ben (drums) combined their Cleveland rock influences with Jordy’s LA hip-hop sensibilities to create a sound that doesn’t quite fit neatly into any genre. In addition to the three members that emerged from that fateful meeting in the Ohio bar, Sarah brings her gospel upbringing, with a love of neo-soul and rock to SomeKindaWonderful while Steve adds hip-hop, soul, and gospel elements to the sound.
The members of SomeKindaWonderful kindly took the time to sit down with Vinyl Mag during SXSW to talk about the evolution of the group, their inspiration and upcoming album.
Vinyl Mag: So, you guys are from Cleveland and LA?
Jordy Towers: I’m from LA, and these guys are from Cleveland.
Vinyl: And you left LA, and you found your way to Cleveland. Tell me about that.
Jordy: Dude, I got depressed [when my major label deal didn’t work out]…so, I had some family out in Ohio, and I was doing some soul searching.
Matt: We were in this bar just drinking right by this studio in Cleveland, and Jordy is in there for whatever reason on his soul-searching trip. We went back and started talking and wrote “Reverse” that night.
Jordy: We wrote “Reverse” that night, and we finished it the next day. It was pretty much demo-ed out that night with rough vocals.
Matt: Like 90 percent mixed that night.
Jordy: Ever since then, every little thing has felt like fate. Even timing things, like obstacles, we got over them at the right time…I’m not mad about anything, because everything led us up to this point.
Vinyl: Could you all talk about what each of you do in the group?
Jordy: I’m pretty much the tip of the band; I bring all the elements together. I used to be a rapper – an underground rapper. I toured with Lupe Fiasco. I’ve been in a freestyle battle with pretty much everyone in the game. I’ve moved on to something else. That’s where our music is. Our music is a mesh of hip-hop, reggae and rock. Cleveland is really known for rock.
Matt: I was thinking about that today, because Jordy brings the hip hop reggae vibe. You were always listening to Folky music, and I was always into the Genesis and Rush, high production stuff, and we interfused everything together.
Ben: It’s a songwriting vibe mixed with great production and sound.
Matt: Steve probably comes from the hip-hop world with a little bit of reggae, soul, gospel. Sarah brings her beautifulness of bringing it all together.
Matt: It’s a really cool mix.
Vinyl: Sarah, what about you?
Sarah: I had a heavy gospel influence in my upbringing. I grew up a huge hip-hop fan, a huge neo-soul fan, a huge rock fan, and it just works. That’s why, even though each of us has different backgrounds and upbringings, it works, and it’s very natural. You can hear my gospel element in the music. I balance out the testosterone.
Jordy: And she brings the perfect hair.
Matt: Stunning good looks.
Jordy: Perfect style.
Vinyl: And you guys bring the….stubble?
Ben: We almost called ourselves The Stubble Boys.
Matt: If we were going to play Irish music, we’d be The Stubblins. But like I said, I play guitar and ukulele and little bits of other stuff…harmonica at times.
Vinyl: Ukulele! That’s the instrument of peace.
Matt: It reminds me of Hawaii; that’s where I bought it. I had to take the island with me, musically.
Jordy: There’s something about when it comes to writing songs; there’s something about the way he plays that pulls songs out of me. I write the lyrics and most of the songs. Just something about Matt, and it’s not just the way he plays but something about him, he makes me really comfortable to just f*ck up if I have to. You know what I mean? If I sing a bad note, it doesn’t matter. He just wants to get it done with me.
Ben: The musical chemistry is crazy between all of us.
Sarah: You would think we’ve all been life-long friends.
Vinyl: How long have you been together as a group?
Matt: About a year; we’ve known each other longer.
Vinyl: Tell me more about the process of getting your songs out. It sounds like you have been hampered by legal and logistical difficulties.
Jordy: We have a song called “In Chains,” which is about how we’re all still locked down at some point in our lives regardless of how we have gotten our release…as far as we think we’re getting, there’s always something holding you back. I think that’s the human condition. It keeps you playing for something.
Sarah: Yeah it does.
Matt: Gotta have struggle.
Vinyl: It’s really impressive that your first song “Reverse” was not only written in one night but on the first night you guys met.
Jordy: One of my favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They tell a love-story backwards. I’ve always wanted to do a song like that. The lyrics started coming out, and as they came out, I started noticing that maybe I can just write this backwards. I wasn’t sure if the guys were going to like it but…
Everyone: We really like it!
Jordy: I wasn’t sure; I was like f*ck it! I just tried it, and it f*cking worked.
Ben: Musically, we didn’t have any ideas for what we wanted it to sound like. We just ended up with this haunting eerie cowboy soul R&B song.
Jordy: Now it’s become our sound.
Vinyl: How would you define you your sound?
Jordy: We actually call it grunge soul.
Sarah: Regardless of the genre, that element of the soul is there, and it’s raw and powerful.
Ben: I think that stems from all of us having different things we like, different kinds of music; it’s not like I like what I like, and he likes folk music, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to hear that sh*t.’ We’re all open to whatever.
Jordy: Subconsciously, we all want to please each other musically. Subconsciously, we all know that we are pleased musically. It’s a mixture of everything that we’re happy with.
Vinyl: Can you tell me more about your name. When I first googled you guys, this 1961 song “Some Kind of Wonderful” came up by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Jordy: That was us. We produced that.
Vinyl: Ha! But where did the name come from?
Jordy: I had a dream about the word wonderful. At first I was like, we hate to use the word wonderful, because our music is f*cking gorgeous. There’s wonder and then there’s wonderful, and I was like man, let’s just call it SomeKindaWonderful.
Ben: It’s how it makes us feel. We had about five or six different ideas of band names before that but [Jordy] actually still changes it everyday. Everybody who hears it loves it. That was the first one that we were like, ‘that’s it.’
Vinyl: So what other things inspire you?
Sarah: Inspiration in life. Life itself is inspiration.
Jordy: When people do good deeds out of their character. Anything that makes you feel super strong.
Ben: Any feeling you have could be inspiring.
Jordy: Being around my family, my band; that’s what inspires me. I love you guys, you know? And being around our fans; the people that are there for us.
Sarah: You know…there are also lot of things that make you feel pain when you see in the world, and our songs hope to empower people. Our inspiration comes from wanting to make the world better, from wanting to help, from living up to a sense of purpose in our being. Jordy and everyone likes to say, it’s about the message.
Vinyl: What’s the timeline for your upcoming album?
Jordy: We’re kind of wrestling with the name of the album. [It will be out this summer]…one more thing I want to say: I feel like music is in an intermission stage right now, and they’re waiting for something, and that’s where we’re going to give them something. I’m honest about that, too. Our record is f*cking ridiculous.
Matt: We have been so part of every genre that we try to put that in our music but make it have the artistry again. But we write such great songs that it still has a pop appeal but not to the point where that’s what our whole thing is about.
Sarah: Kind of like how Lorde was; I don’t think Lorde had the intention to make a pop song, but her song really thrives in that arena.
Matt: Here’s another thing I want to say: a lot of times the whole listening of an album from start to finish is lost. It was created with the intention of a certain experience. I want people to put it on the beginning and be taken on a journey. We want to release it on vinyl, really cool color with a bonus track.
Vinyl: What does the year have in store for you and what upcoming shows are you most excited about?
Ben: This is kind of our introductory show, us presenting what we have to the world and to SXSW and then LA next. We will continue after that, but we’re not exactly sure yet as of now.
Vinyl: Craziest moment?
Matt: Partying on the road, getting roofied in Chicago, showing up at the hotel at 9 a.m. with no shirt on – just a sports jacket. This is ON the record.
Jordy: This is on the album!
SXSW 2014: Emily Wolfe x Vinyl Mag
Austin singer-songwriter Emily Wolfe has caused quite a stir in the music scene as of late, with national recognition on both NPR and MTV’s Buzzworthy in the past year. We had the distinct pleasure of being able to sit down and talk with Emily and her band including keyboardist Hannah Hagar, bassist Sam Pankey, and drummer Jeffery Olson, and chat about their experience at SXSW and what is next in store for the rocking quartet.
VM: You put out your EP Mechanical Hands last year. How was the experience of working with Mike McCarthy as producer?
Emily Wolfe: We love Mike. He is so cool but in the weirdest way. He always wears the same exact outfit, which so do I, so I get it. It’s just easy. He is really good at helping us explore our creativity.
Hannah Hagar: He makes us all feel very comfortable and brings out the best performance
EW: Yeah, exactly. And he knows what to say to get us in the zone, because I remember this one time I played this guitar part, and he said, ‘hey, you can do it better than that.’ And I was like, for some reason, that’s very motivating.
VM: You were just recently featured on MTV’s Buzzworthy for your new single”Swoon.” How does that feel?
EW: Man, I was at work on my computer on Microsoft Outlook – boring sh*t – and I got this Twitter notification that MTV followed me. And I wondered if that thing was up, because I knew it was going to happen. I saw it, and I texted everyone.
VM: “Swoon” seems to have more of an edgier rock ‘n’ roll feel than your earlier work. Why the change?
EW: I feel like, as a band, we have been evolving in that direction for a while, and “Swoon” had such a sass factor. I was just jonesin’ for some sexy rock plus roll.
Sam Pankey: It also reflects the musical aesthetic that we all kind of wanted. We listen to a lot of the same music now and really dig people like White Denim and White Rabbits, Jack White – all the ‘Whites.’
Jeffery Olson: I also feel that this has been the first song that we have recorded where we felt like this was a band, not just a song-writer with some hired guns. And we have been trying to get out of that and prove to people that we are a band. It’s the band that works hard together and creates the music.
VM: So you have already preformed at SXSW this year – how was that experience?
EW: Great, it was so fun, man. We have done two shows so far, and tonight we have our last one. The first one was really great and a lot of fun, and the crowd was really into it. It was super sunny; it was like beaming – almost like Satan was breathing on me – hot. Like I was inside a dog’s mouth, but it was a blast. And the second was awesome, although it was really early at like 6 a.m. for KGSR, but when we all get on stage together its like a party.
VM: Any bands that you are excited to see or have already seen at SXSW that have really impressed you?
EW: They’ve got a list.
HH: I really want to see Policia.
EW: Young the Giant.
HH: But then there are also the bands you kind of stumble upon accidentally that can also be amazing.
JO: We are going to see White Denim too. That’s a given.
VM: How is the song-writing process for you? Do you follow a routine, or does it vary?
EW: It has definitely started to vary. But normally, I’ll write the lyrics, the melody, and the guitar part as well and then we will jam it out in rehearsal and out it together that way and fill in the rest.
VM: Is there any particular venue that you would jump at the chance to play?
HH: I think Red Rocks in Colorado.
Sam Pankey: Anywhere in New York; we did Brooklyn Bowl, and that was awesome.
EW: Oh, ACL fest; that is like a dream.
VM: Any artist dead or alive that you would collaborate with if you could?
EW: Ryan Adams, Jack White, Dan Auerbach, Jeff Buckley, Prince.
VM: So where can your fans and soon to be fans expect to see you after SX?
HH: We have a couple of shows in Austin, and then this summer we are still planning a few shows outside of Texas, but nothing is set in stone yet.
VM: Any new music in the works?
HH: In April, we are recording five songs, and then in October we are going back to do another five or six.
EW: We are playing mostly new things at the show tonight.
SXSW 2014: Aer x Vinyl Mag
New-age hip hop duo, Aer, is comprised of Boston natives Carter Schultz and David Von Mering. Having just released their sophomore album earlier in March, the evolution in their style over the years is not only prevalent, but pioneer-style impressive. During SXSW, and (literally) hours into their arrival in Austin, we sat down with the two to pick their brains and find out what’s going on in their world. Give it a read, and follow that up with giving them a listen (I recommend “Feel I Bring,” but note that it’s been in stuck in my head for weeks now, and that’s a commitment in itself).
VM: It appears March and SXSW are the beginnings of an extensive tour for you two- what is the ratio of time spent on the road as opposed to off?
Carter Schultz: I’d say about 65 percent on the road and 35 percent off. It’s definitely what I prefer; I get stir crazy when I’m home in Boston.
VM: Are there any artist comparisons that you frequently get that you’re over hearing about?
CS: Anything “Frat Rap” – get out of here with that. I hope you didn’t have all of these bands you had compared our sound too…
VM: Well, I did have one in mind, but I wouldn’t consider Gym Class Heroes “Frat Rap.”
CS: Oh, no, I’ll take Gym Class Heroes any day. I just hate being put into that pool of college rap, or anyone who is just doing it really “normal.” If you really listen to our music, it’s clear how different it is than that, but I honestly think the real comparison solely comes from our age. We are of the typical college kid age, but that’s as far as it actually goes.
VM: What are you most excited to see and/or do, being that this is your first year at SXSW?
CS: I want to go to Iron Works; I want to see The Felice Brothers, and I’m really excited to be playing the same showcase as Dom Kennedy and Casey Veggies.
David Von Mering: I’m looking forward to everything Carter listed, but also to finding a new artist.
VM: Do you feel like you’ve had a breakthrough moment into the industry yet?
CS: I feel like we’re not even close. We’ve had our moments where we’ve had sold out shows where it felt a little surreal, but I wouldn’t say there’s been a “break.”
DVM: It’s funny, because I feel like five years ago the big “break” was just signing a deal, and now deals aren’t really prominent or even normal. I wouldn’t say we’ve had a break, but the “Feel I Bring” video did a lot for us.
VM: Currently, what are your favorite releases of 2014?
CS: I’ve been bumping Satellite Flight (The Journey to Mother Moon) by Kid Cudi a whole lot lately, and obviously the new Arctic Monkeys has been on replay non-stop since it came out.
VM: Are you two hands-on with your own social media accounts, or does anyone handle that for you?
DVM: Our manager usually does boring, dry announcements, but other than that it’s one of us.
CS: I think it’s so important to give that personal interaction. It takes tweeting, “Haha thanks” or a little smiley face, but that means so much to the fans. I’d say that we owe most of our success to the tools on the internet.
DVM: I’m not totally satisfied with my Twitter, personally, but I’ll get there. The thing with that is you can tweet one thing, and it gets totally misconstrued into something else. I do love Instagram, though, and all the photos from artists that I follow- I like that sh*t.
VM: Have you ridden in a pedicab yet?
CS: A bike cab? I have not, but our hotel is like seven miles away, so maybe they can take us that far. It’d probably take like eight hours or something insane like that. I did see this beautiful girl today who was a pedicab driver, and she had these leopard pants on- I may have to find her later.
VM: Do you both participate in songwriting, or is one of you more prevalent than the other in that aspect?
CS: David is the one who is most prevalent, because he produces all of the music that you hear. But in terms of songwriting, we each collectively come up with a concept, and I’ll write my verses to the concept, and David will write his hook to the concept. So I’d say we each have our respective duties, but David takes on the bulk of it.
DVM: Our songs usually start with instrumentation, so I usually try to let that dictate where I personally go with it. Also, if I have an idea but Carter doesn’t like it, we scrap it or vice versa. But definitely instruments come first and play the most part.
VM: What can we expect from Aer for the rest of 2014?
CS: Over the summer, we are touring the UK, and later in the summer we’re going on another tour that’s still in the works. In the fall, expect videos, more music, and just more.
DVM: This is just the beginning, kind of like one of those sitcoms like Seinfeld or Friends; there’s still a lot more to come from us.
SXSW 2014: The Mowgli’s x Vinyl Mag
We’re bums and had memory card issues with our Mowgli’s pics, so here is a photo of them at the Pandora Showcase! Credit: Natasha Moustache Photography
Kicking off one of our favorite weeks in the year, day one of SXSW began with a complimentary Bloody Maria and an interview with American rockers, The Mowgli’s. Not too bad, eh? When they’re not touring and spreading endless love and good energy across the world (which doesn’t seem to be all that often), these guys are creating feel-good music that’s generating a buzz all over the billboards. Read all about our sidewalk chat session with Colin Louis Dieden before their set at Maggie Mae’s below, and be sure to catch these guys on tour while you can!
VM: What was your most noteworthy experience from SXSW last year?
Colin Dieden: Well, last year we played at Stubb’s with Walk off the Earth, Cold War Kids, and the Specials, and that was a really big, awesome show. It was kind of one of the first times we got to showcase on a huge stage for our publishers and our label and just everyone.
VM: Is anyone from the band actually from San Francisco proper?
CD: We’re not, actually. Some of the band members are Los Angeles locals, but that’s it. We took this trip to San Francisco and fell in love with it, so we decided to write a song about it.
VM: So did you expect “San Francisco” to become the hit single that it did?
CD: I definitely didn’t expect it to become a “hit,” but it also wasn’t surprising that it did. We had been playing that song for about four and a half years at that point, and everyone at the shows was attracted to it and would sing the loudest to that song. It definitely became the anticipatory song of our shows that the crowd was waiting for, but I was surprised by the timing of it all. We had been playing that song forever, and all of the sudden it’s being played on the radio and all of these places. Going from 20 kids to 20,000 kids singing your song is definitely a trip.
VM: I read about your summer in Venice where you would play up to five gigs in one day, which is pretty standard for a lot of bands during the week of SXSW. What are the most shows you’ll be playing in one day this year?
CD: I think today [Tuesday] we have about four of five, and I’m not even sure if that’s including press stuff. Last year we did a lot, and I was expecting to play less this year, but apparently that’s not happening. We’re just going to wring ourselves out like wet rags and love it.
VM: How taxing is that? After this week, do you need some recovery time?
CD: Yeah, but we don’t get that. After this week, we’re out on tour for two months, so we really have to be careful with our voices and kind of take it easy as much as we can. But, as you saw earlier, I was drinking a beer, and I think it’s technically still considered morning-time so I’m not sure how much ‘taking it easy’ will actually come into effect.
VM: Which show are you most excited to catch as a viewer this year?
CD: I heard The National was playing, here but I’m not exactly sure if that’s right or not. If so, I’d definitely like to catch that.
VM: Explain the [strategy] behind the Kickstarter the band created where you claimed the band had been “kidnapped by a record-producing kangaroo.”
CD: I’m not sure if that was marijuana-induced or what, actually. We were doing it on our own before we had a record label and all of that. We had seen some really awesome Kickstarter videos, and we just thought it was funny so we decided to do one of our own.
VM: Being that you were active participants in the Occupy movement, were you exposed to any of the extreme situations in regards to violence or chaos?
CD: No, we weren’t. We were part of the movement in downtown L.A., and I’m not sure if anything went down there, but we definitely weren’t a part of any kind of police brutality or anything like that. It seemed like political climate of the place we were at was pretty mellow. We played some songs of the steps of City Hall and whatnot to promote the peace. I would love to say that I saw something crazy happen- actually, I wouldn’t; I’m glad that I didn’t.
VM: I saw on your Facebook page that you just recently shared what the band has been listening to and/or watching lately, and, naturally Beyoncé was on the list. Are you as obsessed with the new album as we are?
CD: We’re really into it! That song “Drunk in Love” kills me.
VM: Have you seen the music videos she made for each song?
CD: Oh, yeah. Katie from the band is obsessed with those videos. Beyoncé is an incredibly sexy woman.
VM: So, what’s next for The Mowgli’s?
CD: We’re touring for two months straight after this, and then we’re recording a new album in May. After that, we’ll probably just tour again for the rest of our lives or something.
SXSW 2014: Sol Cat x Vinyl Mag
Sol Cat grooved all the way to SXSW from their home base in Nashville, Tennessee, and boy are we glad they did. Filling the airwaves with explosive psychedelic guitars, Sol Cat made an impressive showing at the Austin music festival with several showcases. We were lucky enough to get to sit down with the Johny Fisher (guitar) and Taylor Craft (bass) of the band and talk about their sound, funny stories from tour, and what is next for them.
Vinyl Mag: So you guys have an eclectic sound that brings together different elements from such a range of genres; how would you define your sound?
Johny Fisher: I would say we have a rock ‘n’ roll sound, where we really just like to get funky and groove. There are six of us, and we all have pretty simplistic parts, but we are fooling everyone with so many of us. We really just like to play music that we can groove to and bob our heads. The groove defines us.
VM: You guys have been touring for quite awhile now – any favorite memories or funny stories?
Taylor Craft: Every time we go on tour is great, but we have a running joke where we call Tom, our drummer, anything but Tom. One time we had the people at Chick Fil A people call him Toby, and he had no idea that was him. He is the newest member of the band, so we have to give him a hard time.
VM: So you all played last night at the Thirsty Nickel. How did that go?
TC: Yeah we did; it was our first gig of South by [Southwest] for Big Picture Media. It was kind of nutty, and the sound was out of wack where you couldn’t hear much. But we had an absolute blast playing for a packed crowd.
VM: Any showcases you guys are super pumped to perform?
JF: Yeah for sure! The Big Picture Media showcase yesterday was awesome, and we are really excited to play all of the others, but especially the Audio Tree party tomorrow night.
VM: You guys have been at SX a few days now; any other artists that have really impressed you?
TC: Well, we saw Snoop Dog hanging out, which was really cool. He is such a crowd-stopping guy. But as for bands, most of us are friends, and it is tough to discover new ones, because we are trying to support the ones we know. Also, we roll about ten deep everywhere we go, so that makes it kind of difficult to move around too much.
VM: Do you guys have a favorite city or venue to play?
TC: Laredo, Texas has definitely been one of our favorite spots. It’s almost like a little mini festival before South by Southwest every year. We are always treated like family there.
VM: What is the song-writing process like for you guys?
JF: We usually write songs part by part; no one writes each other’s either – we all just write our own. When we find something good that we can all agree upon, we build it up from there part by part. It is impossible to go into the studio and record a good record in a week with everyone rushing. Nothing great is made quickly; it’s about sitting on a track and seeing what comes to you with fresh ears.
VM: Would you say your music has evolved, and if so, how?
JF: Yeah, our music has most definitely evolved. We started with two and now we are a six-man group, so that has definitely changed the dynamic of the band. I would say our sound has changed as we have grown up, but if you don’t evolve as a band, you are doing something wrong. We really just focus on not being anything we aren’t, and if something isn’t turning out well, it is helpful to have five others telling you that it sucks and being honest with you.
VM: If you guys could collaborate with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
JF: Wow, it’s really hard to narrow it down to only one. We are all influenced by such a variety of artists and genres. Our keyboardist really likes hip-hop, and the rest of us are so different as well. But if I had to narrow it down, I would say Willie Nelson, Herb Alpert..really anyone that’s real.
VM: So, what can we expect next from Sol Cat? Any new music in the works?
JF: Yep! We have a whole slew of new tracks sitting in our computer at home. Probably 40 or 50 tracks that we are just sitting on, tweaking. And we probably have about 50 more that we are in the process of making.
SXSW 2014: Quiet Company x Vinyl Mag
Hailing from Austin, TX rock ‘n’ roll band Quiet Company is definitely not a company to keep quiet about. The five-member group lays out punchy guitar beats with meaningful lyrics that have warranted coverage on NPR’s “All Things Considered” as well as several Austin Music Awards. We were graced with the opportunity to sit down and chat with them at the Chuggin’ Monkey in downtown Austin during SXSW and talk about their biggest successes, the new album coming out, and their love of Game of Thrones.
VM: So 2013 turned out to be quite the year for you guys. What do you guys think was your biggest success of the year?
Tommy Blank: It was the first year we were able to fully dedicate – all of us – to Quiet Company, so we were a full-time band. And we toured, so any one thing really encompasses everything. We were able to spend the full-time amount on rehearsals and writing up songs. I guess we got All Things Considered on NPR too, and that’s a pretty big thing. It was kind of an interesting thing, because it wasn’t all songs, and [it was] based on the topic of our last record and Taylor’s tackling of religion and his perspective.
VM: I saw on your website that you guys have started recording a fourth studio album. Can we expect to hear any thing off of it during SXSW?
Taylor Muse: Yes, I think we are only playing like one old song. Everything else we are playing is new. We are really excited about the new material, and we just got out of the studio Tuesday. We are adding some mixing now, and Tim Palmer is mixing it. He is one of – if not the – best mix engineers in the world for our money, so we are super excited about what we are hearing back. We are really proud of it. It’s our first record we have done with a producer, and we are working with Matt Novesky.
TB: It’s also the first one we have done completely in the studio, and we are using Orb Studios, which the grand opening is actually this Sunday, so we were in there before they actually opened the doors, and it was a really good experience.
VM: What should your fans expect from the new album coming out?
Evan Smoker: They should expect loud, catchy rockin’ guitars and awesome drums from me, the best drummer in the band and super hard punches. It’s going to be a great tour de force of rock ‘n roll greatness.
VM: What has it been like working with Matt Novesky producing?
TM: [Jokingly] Matt is just real human garbage. No, Matt is just a really lovely, amazing person. He is really kind and generous, and he made our recording experience so much fun. He was really all about getting the best version of us, you know, instead of making us into to something else. He helped us to see the making of the album as more about capturing a moment rather than capturing an idea. It was all about capturing a particular performance, something believable, something pure and genuine. Not how we have seen records before, when we were trying to capture the idea of something instead. We recorded it live, which is the first time we have done that, and I would hate to have to go back to recording any other way in any other studio. It was a really great experience, and Kevin Butler was the engineer, and he is fantastic.
TB: Because we had a great producer and an amazing guy like Kevin, we were able to focus on it being a live performance on this record. We were able to just perform and focus on that, instead of all that bullsh*t like miking amps.
VM: You guys recently re-mastered and re-recorded your 2006 album Shine Honesty. what was the inspiration to get back in the studio and give it another shot?
TM: Part of it was bad advice, but that’s the one record we didn’t own since it was on our record label. And they did nothing with it, and so it had been out of print for three years. So really, it was just a way for us to own the record again. We corrected a lot of things, but we were pretty true to the original as far as arrangement goes. It sounds better now, and it ended up being cheaper for us to just do it where we can manufacture new copies whenever we want, as opposed to spending money buying them back from the record label. It wasn’t a big thing for us; [it was] really just to fill that hole in our catalog.
VM:I know we are all dying to know, was the title of the Christmas EP Winter is Coming a Game of Thrones reference or just a coincidence?
TM: Oh yeah, of course.
TB: What’s Game of Thrones?
TM: Tommy doesn’t really watch game of thrones, but the rest of us do. It’s an overt reference; we weren’t really trying to hide it.
VM: Who writes the songs? Is there a common theme or subject that tie them together in any way?
TM: We did Belong, and that record dealt exclusively with the whole religion thing and not having one anymore and all the emotions and stuff that come with that. But we aren’t ever going to talk about that again. Oddly enough, I have always been a big fan of that imagery. To some degree, you can take the boy out of East Texas but you cant take East Texas out of the boy. There is still a lot of very religious imagery on this new record, but there is not a religious thought on it whatsoever. The new record just deals with this past year that we have had, and the overall message of the thing is anything that you love that is worth having, you will have to struggle for to some degree, so it deals with struggle in different aspects.
VM: What is the process you guys go through to make new music? Do you have a routine, or does it vary?
TM: I don’t know, since we have a new band now, we got a band that really wants to be here, so our process may differ from how it was in the past. Bill has only been our keyboard player for about a week. He has gone from being a piano player to a sensation worker. Evan may be the best drummer I have ever met; he’s phenomenal, but we have only had him for maybe a couple of months. We had been struggling to write this record for about a year, but then there was such an energy there with these new guys. We were just plowing through stuff, and everything was so easy.
TB: All the doubt from the writing room that we had been having was gone.
TM: Not to say anything bad about the guys from before; you can’t really control what you like and don’t like. But now we have a group that is a little more like-minded creatively. We all like big guitars and big rock songs, so let’s make big guitars and big rock songs.
VM: Could you give us any hint as to when the new album will be available?
TM: No. Not in the past; it’ll be in the future! We have never shopped a record before, so we aren’t going to do that. And if the right deal comes along, we just have no idea. If we don’t get it picked up or don’t find the right match for us, we will just release it ourselves, and it will probably fail. But we are really hoping it does get picked up. Plus, it is not even done mixing yet; we have done that thing in the past where we set a goal before the record is even done, but this year we finally learned all the lessons we need to learn.