Q&A with District Attorneys

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

The District Attorneys, a band comprised of Atlanta and Athens natives, have quickly established themselves in the Athens music scene and is undeniably a musical force to be reckoned with.  Formed in 2009, these guys have made continuous strides in the right direction not only in making music that people want to hear, but also in being easily accessible at the click of a mouse. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed, and just months after releasing their first full length album in April of 2012, the band went on to win Best Album Artwork, Best Album, and Artist of the Year for the Flagpole Music Awards of Athens, GA. We recently spoke with Drew Beskin of the District Attorneys just days before the band was gearing up to play Athfest ’13, and this is what we found out….

Vinyl Mag:  How did the bond with This Is American Music form?

Drew Beskin: Ah, Payton Bradford of the Futurebirds is a good friend of mine and he is friends with Cory, who is one of the founders of This Is American Music.  After I moved to Atlanta and started working on our first full-length album, he suggested I reach out to him.

VM: Your music has frequented XM’s station “The Loft”; do you personally feel that is a fitting station for your sound?

DB: Well, I don’t really much listen to XM- not that I have anything against it- I just have my iPod, CD’s, and podcast’s that I listen to. I’ve heard The Loft tends to play a lot of really random stuff sometimes, but I’m friends with Mike Marrone [programming director for The Loft] on Facebook, and I see what he recommends all the time, and like his taste. I’m no authority on XM or anything, but it’s cool enough for me!

VM: How do you feel that your experience at SXSW this year differed from your last, and do you feel that it has been beneficial for the band?

DB: We’ve only gone two years; we toured up there last year which was a lot of fun. We really didn’t know what we were doing, and we kind of just said yes to anything we were offered. For a lot of the shows, they had paired us up with emo-punk bands, so some of them weren’t that great. One of the best parts of going two years in a row was that the first year we learned a lot about the area, but also just that we had been a band another year longer this time, so we had more fans to come out to the shows. This year we played a show every day, and each show was a really good time with some really cool guys.

VM: Who does the primary song writing?

DB: I do, for the most part. I write about 80 percent of the songs, and our keyboardist – and sometimes guitarist – write the remainder of the songs.

VM: Who runs your social media sources? Do you keep up with them yourselves?

DB: We are all owners of our Facebook page, but I would say that I maintain Facebook for the most part, and Frank [bassist] maintains Twitter, for the most part. We all have access whenever we want. We’re definitely in charge of it.

VM: Why was the decision made to release your first two EP’s for free via Bandcamp? 

DB: We knew what we were doing when we released them for free on Bandcamp; we wanted to go ahead and have it out there.  Now, all of our stuff is on iTunes and whatnot, but we put our first out for free just to get it out there for anyone to hear. We just generally wanted people to listen to it. We released our second EP on there, because we were working on our album and it was taking us a little longer than planned, so we decided to record a few songs on our own just to have something out to hold us over. You never want too much time to go by between releases.

VM: I noticed that the Gillian Welch cover of Wrecking Ball has a ton of plays; whose idea was it to cover that song?

DB: Well, it was my idea, because I love her; I take full credit for that. I’ve always loved her, so I was very excited to convince the band to do that, and I’m glad everyone took to it well.

VM: In a previous interview you did, you mentioned that “Cherry Glow” was your favorite off of the new album- what was it about that song that struck resonating chords with you?

DB: I think at the time what I loved about it was that the whole song was recorded live. Everything that you hear on that song was done live. Not necessarily in one take, but it was very natural and raw. Next time around, we want to leave space to do something cool like that again and make it more organic, I guess.

VM: What are your expectations for the upcoming Athfest?

DB: It’s going to be our fourth Athfest in a row, and I think the first year we were just this new band, and we played on like, the very last stage. Each year since we’ve played a different stage, and this year we will be playing the Pulaski stage which is really exciting. As far as expectations go, we’re just happy to continue being a band that’s invited to play. There are always a lot of fun things to do and a lot of cool shows so I know it’s going to be a good time.

 

Dexter Season 8 – Lets Talk

Posted on by Amy Anderson

*SPOILER ALERT if you’re not caught up.  Don’t get pissed.  I warned you.*

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June 30th is the night.  And it’s going to happen again and again, every Sunday until September 15th.

It will all be over soon.  Dexter’s fate will finally be unmasked, and viewers will see the series for what it is — but for now, we wait.

No longer is it taboo amongst Dexter fans — or should I say Dexter’s devoted until around season five and his frustrated followers thereafter — to believe that perhaps the series’ continuation better deserved to have been laid atop fifty yards of plastic wrap and cut into tiny pieces, wrapped tightly in Hefty garbage bags and tossed to the infinite blue than being dragged like deadweight through the past two seasons of soap opera-styled drama and implausible chaos.

For such a neat monster, Dexter hasn’t exactly been keeping things orderly.

It takes a certain kind of blindness to play along with the idea that Miami PD would inexplicably allow an unarmed forensics geek first entry to a crime scene or to have a police captain search for a former murderer in a shipping container without backup.  Brother Sam may have tried to implant the virtue of faith into Dexter, but it was faith that killed Brother Sam.  Call it miraculous, call it coincidence or luck, but that only goes so far — Deb isn’t the only one who’s stopped believing Dexter.

But while Dexter’s been getting caught, his character’s nature has been sneaking away.

For seven seasons he’s been grappling between monster and man — a Dark Passenger stalking and hunting for his identity amid a blood-red impulse.  Now he’s a monster in love, letting mistakes collect like blood slides in his treasured box.  Giving Deb a choice between ending his life and saving it — is that what it means to be human?

I suppose this was always Dexter’s destiny, to shift away from monster and closer to man as he finds his way to the light at the end.  But as monsters disappear with the lights turned on, so are monsters created when everything dims.

Deb — caught between loyalties, she’s been the strongest element to the past couple of seasons, holding the show together with intense hysteria and a development from a workaholic cop, to murder accomplice, to a killer herself. Dexter may be on the way to finding himself as human, but Deb is caught wavering in a meltdown of a monster.

This season, I’ll be watching.  I’ll be watching Dexter out of investment and self-obligation, to see his fate unfold and conclude the Dark Passenger’s long journey.  But I’ll be watching Deb, the way I used to watch Dexter — when he was careful and creepy.

After all, isn’t the making of a monster more interesting than the taming of one?

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REVIEW: Look Alive’s ‘Mistakes and Milestones’

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Look Alive, an up-and-coming band straight out of Atlanta, Georgia, is kind of like a manifestation of all of your favorite pop-punk bands from 2004. Intrigued? Well, rightfully so. These guys have been at it in some form or fashion for over 10 years now, and now the time has come for them to release their latest EP, Mistakes and Milestones, via Autumn + Color Records. Luckily, we got a little preview of the album; indulge in our thoughts:

The album’s intro, “Transitions”, essentially sets the theme for the EP in just 50 seconds.  The album then jumps into the second track, “Anchored”, which is an ode to the bad break-up that we all have been through at least once in our lives. Singer Jacob Causey’s aggressive vocals pair nicely with the direct lyrics and definitely strike a nostalgia chord for earlier pop-punk enthusiasts.

“Sink or Swim” is the third track on the album, and by this point, a clear pattern in song placement has been formed. The album takes you through all of the emotions you inevitably go through in the throes of failed relationships, with “Sink or Swim” expressing the stage of self-loathing and reflection, heard loud in clear with the focal point of the song,  “Don’t let me hear your say I’m just some castaway sailing out towards the nothing I became”.

Track 4, “The Way I see It”, continues to follow suit with the reflective process- you know, that moment when you realize it’s time to live your life yourself without reservation?  That what this one’s about- that glorious realization that no ones opinion is going to deflect you from your dreams.

By Track 5, you’ve reached the song “Farewell” (may be my personal favorite). There’s a bitter tone to Causey’s lyrics, and the energy is slowed down just enough to give it the dramatic edge over the rest of the album. “You are reckless, and I’ve accepted this”- Hold tight listeners, because at this point we have reached acceptance, and what a glorious feeling that is.

Look Alive closes the EP with the track “Over Under”- the end of an era of sorts, moving forward is the name of the game with this track.

Bravo, Look Alive – you have taken us through a realistic depiction of the emotional rollercoaster ride relationships and life will throw your way. Furthermore, bravo for making a fan out of all of us at Vinyl Mag. Be sure to check out Mistakes and Milestones when it drops July 2nd .

Phone Chat with Lemuria

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

After catching their set at SXSW, Lemuria stuck in my head and grew as an unshakable interest in my mind. Lemuria was formed in Buffalo, NY and have since spread themselves around the country. With the release of their newest album The Distance Is So Big, we figured now we would be a good time chat about the past, the present, and the personal in regards to Lemuria. A big thank you is in order for Sheena Ozzella and Alex Kerns for being so gracious and forth-coming and making this happen. After checking out this super rad interview, head on over and have a listen to Lemuria’s “Oahu, Hawaii”, which can be streamed here.

Vinyl Mag:  Whose idea was it to name the band Lemuria, and is it directly related to the lost land theory?

Alex Kerns: It was my idea. At the time I was reading a lot of mythical books about lost continents like Atlantis and Lemuria. I kind of just picked the name, and Sheena liked it so it stuck.

Sheena Ozzella: We knew we wanted it to be a one-word band name.

AK: We were kind of hoping it would be a name that no other band had, but we later found out that there was a band from Belgium that had the same name and the same kind of idea that we had. We actually got to meet a couple of guys from the band, and they were wearing their Lemuria shirt for their band; they came up and talked to us and were super nice. We’ve kept in touch with them over the years.

VM: How was the connection made with Kind of Like Spitting for the split you did “Your Living Rooms All Over Me”?

AK: I just kind of randomly met Ben, and we became friends. When we put out our first demo, he got a hold of it and liked it a lot. We just stayed good friends ever since we first met, so we decided to do a split LP and a full U.S. Tour together. Still today we’re friends. We’ve been talking about doing some UK shows together and stuff like that.

SO: Kind Of Like Spitting was one of my favorite bands for a really long time before he met them, so when he met them, and I found out that he had met Ben I was really excited. One thing led to another, and when we decided to do the split together it was definitely one of the coolest things to make something with a band that was actually one of your favorite bands.

VM: As far as the lyrics go, is it a group effort? Who does the primary lyrical writing?

SO: I would say Alex writes most of the material for Lemuria. Alex is a man of many words; he’s really good at summing up what he’s trying to say. His lyrics are very straightforward and very simplistic, but they tell stories, and they do a lot more than you would think in just a small amount of words. Alex also tends to write a lot faster than I do. But yeah, I write maybe one third of the lyrics, but I don’t say sh*t as good as Alex.

AK: For the record, I love Sheena’s lyrics, and I wish she would write more, but I just write faster, I guess.

VM: [To Sheena] How does it feel to not only be in a band with such talented musicians, but to also be dating one [guitarist Chris Moore]?

SO: Ooooh, a question about my boyfriend! It’s awesome. I’ve known Chris for a very long time- maybe close to 10 years now? We started dating four years ago, and since then we’ve both been in full-time touring bands, him in four bands. It’s awesome because in so many ways understand each other, but in other ways it’s kind of sad, because we don’t get to see each other very often when we are actively touring.  But, I love him and I support him, and he does the same for me, so it’s working. We’re about to embark on three months without seeing each other, and that’s about the longest we’ve ever gone. But its good, and we’re both good and doing really exciting things. I’m very happy.

VM: Is the title of the new album The Distance Is So Big symbolic to the geographic location of the band members, or is it something bigger than that?

AK: Kind of. It’s actually a lyric from one of our songs on the album called “Oahu, Hawaii”, and in that song it doesn’t really have to do anything with the band, but it’s more so something to do with a relationship. But overall, that line kind of sums up a lot for the band. Internally with the band, we’re all in different places.  But also, we all – in the past – and even in the present have been in long distance relationships. It just seems like it’s always been a big factor for our band.

VM: Leading into my next question- being that everyone in the band does live in different states, how do you feel that affects the writing and recording process?

SO: I think we’ve been more productive than we’ve ever been; it’s made the time we are around each other ‘go time.’ Whenever we would get together, we would have 8-hour long practices and were very much structured around writing an album. It feels a lot more focused now that we all live in separate places.

VM: How did you find your home at Bridge 9 records?

AK: We just heard that they were listening to our first album, Get Better, at their offices through mutual friends. So when we were recording Pebble we figured we should send them an e-mail and see if they were interested. It was an oddball signing, but I think that it really made sense mutually.

SO: I think it also opened up Bridge 9 to signing other bands that were like us. I know that from talking to Chris [Wrenn, starter of Bridge 9] that is has been a really positive thing for them in regards to him putting out things that he really enjoys, and that’s the point of a record label.

VM: Would you say that your first released track off of the new album, “Brilliant Dancer”, is a good depiction of the sound you’re going for with this record?

AK: Yeah. The album is pretty upbeat and optimistic. It’s a long album and little more epic of an album for us.

VM: How was your experience at SXSW this year?

AK: I thought it was a lot of fun. It was exhausting, because it’s one of those things where you can’t just drive your car up to the venue, unload, and play – you have to find parking and walk a mile and all of that. But overall, it was great and a fun festival, and we had a really great time. We played four shows altogether, and all four were worth the trip.

SO: We played for a lot of new people, which is always really exciting. I think we were one of the smaller bands who played SXSW, and I felt like at every show I really appreciated the amount of people who came out to see us. We felt welcomed, and it meant a lot.

VM: Last question- you’re noted for playing “The Fest” in Gainesville, FL every year; will you be playing again this year?

AK: Yeah, we’ll be there. If we didn’t play The Fest it would be a really bad year for us. It’s kind of the weekend we look forward to the most.

 

Phone Chat with Flobots

Posted on by Emily McBride

Flobots emcee and vocalist Jamie Laurie recently agreed to spend a little phone time with me to talk about their new release, their tour, and their plans to record.  I’ve generously embedded the video for the track below so that you can listen while you read our interview.  Immerse yourself and enjoy.

VM:  Where are y’all?

Jamie Laurie: We were just [in Georgia]. We are in Chicago.

VM: How is the tour going?

JL: It’s going good so far. We are getting close to done.

VM: You’ve got like a week left?

JL: Yeah. Five more shows and a lot of driving.

VM: Do you have a show tonight?

JL:  Yeah. A show tonight in Chicago and tomorrow night in Cleveland. Then a day off in Milwaukee, Minneapolis. Then a day off in Kansas City.

VM: What are you doing on your day off? Just driving?

JL: Probably sleeping…it’s the best time to sleep.

VM: Have you had any sight-seeing chances?

JL: Yeah actually.  We get a few hours each place to walk around for a little bit, but sometimes we go way out of the ordinary. Like we actually went to an oyster farm outside of New Haven. A friend of mine runs a sustainable seaweed and oyster farm. So we went out on a boat on the Thimble Islands and like ate oysters, had some tequila in the sunlight. It was pretty nice.

VM: Yeah that’s pretty cool. So is that the highlight?

JL: You know, the highlight may have been that.  The rest of the tour, I forget. It’s just too long ago…I am sure I did something in California, but I can’t remember it.  It’s all a blur.

VM: So what were you doing between [this tour and your previous tour]?

JL: We did a little bit of songwriting. Then we got back and pretty soon afterwards, and then it was the holidays.

VM: The line up has evolved a lot since formation…

JL: Well…I use to be in a solo thing called Onomatopoeia, but it wasn’t really a Flobots thing. We just used the Flobots website. Really the band started in 2005, and then Brer Rabbit and I were both in it then. Then pretty soon after that, it came to be Mackenzie, Jesse, and Kenny in it. It’s changed a little since then, but [it’s pretty much the same].

VM: So do you prefer touring to recording?

JL: I like them both a lot…we recorded a song that we just released called “Bradley Manning”. Personally I love songwriting, but I still love performing. They both are just really different experiences there. One of them is a lot of alone time, and the other one…you are with crowds of people every day. One can be social, and one is anti-social.

So, do you have anyone that you would really want to collaborate with?

JL: You know, I think the thing with collaborations is that you want to make sure you do them because the song calls for it.  I actually…kinda had the experience where all these people you love are doing a song together, and you listen to the song and it sucks.  And you’re like, ‘Man, I waited my whole life for them to collaborate, and the song is not good.’ And so I think it is important to make sure that first and foremost it is about what the song calls for. So, for us, yeah I am a hip hop guy but, when we were making that song ‘White Flag Warrior’ it was like the song asked for Jim from Rise Against, and we reached out to him, and he really brought the missing piece to the song, and so I know that collaboration was the right thing to do. So I think there are tons of artists I love that would be fun for me to collaborate with, but I think we try to put the song first.

VM: So I heard your van broke down?

JL: Yeah! How did you hear that?

VM: Just through coordinating this interview.

JL: Yeah, the transmission is no good. So now they are fixing it, and it just so happens that our tour schedule was really weird and has us going back to Cleveland today after Chicago. After we have already come that way, but it actually ended up being perfect, because we are basically backtracking, and we will be three hours away from where our van broke down.

VM: So how are you getting around now?

JL: We rented a minivan and a truck.

VM: So after this tour wraps up, what is next for y’all?

JL: Record songs.

VM: Have you written them already?

JL: We have a lot of ideas on the whole themes of the songs, and we just have to water them and give them the proper sunlight and let them grow into beautiful new plants.

VM: Sweet! Well thank you for talking to me!

JL: Absolutely, thank you for taking the time.  Thanks for caring!

 

Pre-show Chat with Pretty & Nice

Posted on by Emily McBride

I was recently hanging out with Pretty & Nice before their show at Flicker Bar in Athens, GA.  And because I love you guys, I recorded our conversation.  Go ahead and listen to us talk about their current album, their awesome merch, and their future plans.

And then go ahead and listen to their newest release, Golden Rules for Golden People, streaming below.

Finally, to P&N – thanks for the poster! All up on my wall!

REVIEW: David Lynch and Lykke Li’s “I’m Waiting Here”

Posted on by Amy Anderson

Two years since David Lynch’s “Pinky’s Dream,” the release of his upcoming album, The Big Dream, is creeping along quite nicely, with Lykke Li’s whispered hint of a far sexier and more surreal theme of an album that may indeed be much bigger and better than its predecessor.

“I’m Waiting Here,” the Lykke Li/David Lynch collaborative single, is the only track released from the album so far, but lucky us, it is also accompanied by a music video (that is, unlucky for us, not directed by Lynch himself).  Regardless, the video is the window to the song’s soul, and its vacant and hypnotic feel not only matches the track’s sound wonderfully, but it too will leave you feeling the way Lynch always intends to make you feel — just a little bit crazy.

It’s a tedious video following a long road as the landscape slips out of view over and over and over again.  Our eyes follow along like the weary driver’s herself, as Lykke Li’s lovesick and airy voice repeatedly serenades us with the haunting words “I’m waiting here.”  The video drives us with layered footage of the lanes, tricking us as if we’re focusing dry eyelids struggling to stay open until suddenly we’re parking in a headlight-lit neighborhood right off the side of the never-ending road.  Then it’s over.

Which leaves us waiting here, as well.

The video tells us nothing, which is why its aftertaste leaves you feeling vaguely uncomfortable and subtly curious.  There’s no explanation of the neighborhood we’re led to, nor do we have any sense of where we came from or who we are.  Lykke Li sings “I’m waiting here,” but she also tells us that she’s burned bridges to get where she waits — granting an especially eerie and mysterious vibe.  There is a story here, but we don’t know what it is.

It’s a simple and fitting visual for a song that instantly became my favorite Lykke Li song and a promise that “The Big Dream” is worth the wait after “Pinky’s Dream.”  Where “Pinky’s Dream” has absolutely been repeated through my speakers, “I’m Waiting Here” gives the impression that perhaps “The Big Dream” will be worlds different than what we had originally expected.

Of course, that is an excellent thing.  Right now we can’t know what strange neighborhood Lynch will drop us off at when the album is released next month, but it’s definitely a drive I’m willing to tag along for.

REVIEW: Heard In The Mountains’ Will To Well

Posted on by Kate Foster

In 2011, Vancouver-based band Heard In The Mountains got together and began shattering the windows of a local church – metaphorically speaking, that is. As their casual jam sessions began to morph into the beginnings of an actual band, their sound transformed into a rock-meets-pop-meets-indie powerhouse, and frankly, we’re surprised they didn’t blow that church’s roof clear into the night. Take a listen to their debut EP, Will To Well, and you’ll see what we mean.

The EP’s first track, “Sills”, is undeniably reminiscent of Fleet Foxes, but only for a moment. Mitchell Walford’s delicate, beautiful piano opens up the track, but quickly ushers the listener into an intense, slightly electronic moment. This provocative pattern continues for the entirety of the song, and through it all, we are swept up by Walford’s irrefutably sweet voice, feeling every high and low he hits. “Raccoon Hands” shows another dimension of the band’s sound. Walford’s vocals are paired with those of guitarist Daniel Baxter, and the effect is irresistible. What really perfects this song, though, are its lyrics. For example: “Memories, like bricks, to my feet, become tied, down into oceans you like to call eyes.” Convinced yet?

“Major Change” truly allows the fivesome’s synth-pop influences to shine through. But while other acts allow such genres to overpower their sound, Heard In The Mountains layers the track with whimsical, simple indie-rock instrumentals and a theme we can all relate to: the onset of massive changes in our lives. All of these elements are perfectly crafted to inspire and enlighten the listener. Will To Well’s final track, “In The Meadow”, concludes the album in the most natural of ways, both literally and figuratively. We are reminded once again of the group’s knack for alternating between slow and fast, soft and loud, exclusively indie to powerfully pop-y. And herein is where this band’s potential lies. An uncanny ability to appeal to every set of ears time and again could take them from the pews of a tiny church to the world’s largest stages.

REVIEW: “Palm Reader” by Sonny and the Sunsets

Posted on by Grafton Tanner

Sonny and the Sunsets’ follow-up to Longtime Companion is entitled Antenna to the Afterworld, and like many indie artists to go before them, Sonny Smith and his band are ripe to tackle death and its aftermath.  The band suffered the loss of a close friend, and that tragic experience has led them produce songs like “Palm Reader,” a light ditty about reading palms and impending death.  The production on this song is top-notch with its sharp, analog synths and country-western electric guitars.  The song kicks off with the low-register twang of the main guitar riff, and that riff continues for the majority of the song.  Smith’s vocal track is the only component that really misses the mark in the song, with such bland lines as “Every year, they say the end is near/ But we’re still here.”  His voice is too jarring amidst the warmth of the instrumental tracks, and his lyrics rest awkwardly between the quirk of Syd Barret and the heart of Phosphorescent.  The song is whimsical and is not meant to erupt at any point, but it never seems to find its way.

7/10