SXSW 2014: Bright Light Social Hour x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Jessamyn Mctwigan and Emily McBride
Photo credit: Emma Cramer

In the trendy East Sixth Street district, I watched Bright Light Social Hour rock the backyard of the local dive bar, Liberty.  Hot, sweaty and dusty, surrounded by long beards and longer hair, I could sense right away how at home this Austin-based band was.  After we loaded up with tacos at the East Side King food truck, we snuck away to a quiet alley to talk.  Formed in 2004, BLSH released their self-titled debut album in 2010.  In 2011, they dominated the Austin Music Awards during SXSW with six awards, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year (nbd).  After a non-stop tour of over 300 shows, the Psychedelic Southern Rock band is ready to release their second album later this year.  I spoke with members Curtis Roush, Jack O’Brien, Joseph Mirasole and Edward Braillif. – Jessamyn Mctwigan

VM:  I saw you guys at Holy Mountain last night – what a great show!  I really enjoyed it.  I know you guys are working on your second album – where are you with that?

Jack O’Brien: We recorded it here on Lake Travis in Austin. We’re getting ready to mix it in New York with Chris Cody. He’s done Beach House, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs…

VM: You have a couple more shows here at Southby, right?

JO:  Yeah, we’re playing the Soho Lounge, the official showcase tomorrow. And Saturday, we play The Pie In The Sky Collective Future Musicians showcase at Shiner Saloon.

VM: Sounds like your excited about the second showcase?

JO: That one is gonna be awesome – definitely the best from around here.

VM: How do you feel about playing SXSW?

Joseph Mirasole:  We love it. It’s crazy, and it hurts, but it’s a good hurt… it’s like adult Olympics.  It’s the only week that I feel like I’m getting older.

VM: I know you guys are all locals; how long have you known each other?

Curtis Roush: About 10 years. It’s been a long courtship; we dated for a while… don’t even know where one beard ends and the other begins – like Siamese twins, or you know, when a dog and owner start to look alike…

After the South by Southwest interview, Emily McBride conducted a follow-up interview with member Jack O’Brien via phone to talk more about BLSH’s upcoming album, how the rest of their SXSW was and tour plans. Enjoy!

VM: I was looking at your Facebook page, and I saw on the ‘About’ it says ‘la lucha sigue’…I looked it up, and it says it means, ‘the struggle continues.’ So, can you explain what inspired you to make that your ‘About?’

JO: I don’t know. I think any time we run into some sort of adversity, I think that’s just something we say to each other. I don’t know where it comes from, but I feel like it’s something we hear a lot in Texas, so I think it’s just remembering to always be putting the passion forth for the things that you believe in.

VM: Okay, so that’s a common saying in Texas?

JO: In Mexico, and maybe in the Spanish-speaking communities in Texas, yeah.

VM:  You’re playing Shaky Knees in Atlanta coming up, and we’re in Athens-Atlanta area, so we’ll definitely be there, but how did that come about? And have you looked at the lineup? It’s really awesome this year.

JO: Yeah, yeah. They just reached out to our booking guy and then – maybe our booking guy reached out to them; I’m not actually positive [laughing] – but I haven’t heard of the festival before. I guess it’s only the second year, and when we saw the lineup, we were like, ‘hell yeah, let’s do it!’ So yeah, really phenomenal. A bunch of great bands, and a lot of great Austin bands, too.  I saw Spoon is playing, so that’s exciting.  I feel like they haven’t done anything. They were kind of on hiatus for a few years, so that’s really cool.

VM: So who, besides Spoon, are you most excited to see there?

JO: Well, unfortunately, I’m only going to get to be there Friday, because the next night we have a festival in Tampa, but definitely Spoon, the National…Man Man I really like; White Denim is also from Austin….and The Whigs is a band I’ve never seen, but they keep popping up, like, ‘if you like Bright Light Social Hour, you should check out The Whigs.’

VM: Yeah yeah, they’re cool. They’re from Athens, so they’re one of our local groups we’re proud of.

JO: Oh, crazy! Oh, I just saw that Graveyard is Friday! We just saw Graveyard – actually did a show with them once in Atlanta – they’re actually from Sweden, but it’s like really cool, groovy, psych-y kind of blues metal stuff…really hilarious Swedish guys. We met them at their show, and they were just really drunk and goofy, and I couldn’t understand anything they were saying. They were just really jolly and drinking hard. And lots of laughing and taking photos and not understanding.

VM: That’s all you need. So I know South By is over, but since this was technically a South By interview, did you get to see anybody? I know most of the bands I talked to are like, ‘no, I never get to see any music!’

JO: Not much… you know, I got to see a lot of local bands and local friends, and friends that were in from out of town who were playing on the same shows as us, so that was cool. My girlfriend bought a pass, – she paid for the wristband, and at the end of the weekend, she was like, ‘it sucks! Everything I went to, I got in because of you. I didn’t need my pass!’ We tried to go see some shows, and then I would know the production guy, and he would pull us in, and she’d be like, ‘no!’ but we finally went in, and we got to see CLASSIXX, and that was like the only one we actually we went to just as a consumer.

VM: Tell me about your upcoming album. I know ya’ll have been writing for a while. Where are you stage-wise?

JO: Well, we’ve finished it a few times [laughing], but we keep reopening the project file, you know. We really wanted to work with this mixing engineer, Chris Cody, and we flew up to New York and did one song with him, and he blew us away, so we’re going to do the whole record with him. He’s done Beach House, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear and a bunch of TV on the Radio, and people with that kind of indie sound. But he wasn’t available until the beginning of May, so we kind of got back, and we were listening back to our tracks and just trying to think of ways to improve the sound from what’s already there. Of course that is a slippery slope, so we went out and bought a four track tape machine just the other day. Right now, we’re running every little individual instrument from the record through that tape machine way too hot so that it gets this really warm, punchy saturation. That’s kind of a whole week-long process, just running everything out of the computer onto tape, so when we bring it to him, it’s something closer to what we want it to already sound like. And we’re rerecording drums on a couple songs just to make a few changes, – you know things that we wouldn’t do if we didn’t have the time, but since we have the time, we’re kind of just really dialing things in.

VM: So what’s the projected release date as of right now?

JO: We don’t have a date yet. We’re going to try for the Fall, but the scary thing about the Fall is, the music industry basically shuts down from October to January. I question it, but they say it’s pretty inadvisable to put a record out between then – between October and December – so if we don’t make it out then, then we have to wait until next year. I really hope that doesn’t happen. We’re shooting for the Fall, but I don’t want to say, because I feel like I have been saying ‘about six months’ for about two years, and it still hasn’t happened.

VM: So I want to talk more about that just because I’m curious and ignorant- why is that a bad idea?

JO: To put it out in the winter?

VM: Yeah.

JO: Well, October in Austin’s a little rough, because it’s the Austin City Limits Festival….like, if you’re trying to promote something that’s not really the festival thing, it’s going to get lost. But then during the holidays, a lot of media, press, people like that just quiet down a lot, you know – are less busy.  So just trying to get the promotional publicity and stuff like that…it freaks out publicists to try and work during that time, because people are generally not responsive. That’s what they say. You see a lot of larger-name artists will put out Christmas records and stuff like that, but generally, I think it’s a time you’ve got more general consumer things, and family issues become much more in the forefront…and the music stuff kind of gets on the back burner a little bit.

VM: Is there anything else you can tell me about the album?

JO: Yeah! What do you want to hear? Like sound? Or what else will happen with it timeline-wise?

VM: Yeah, just the sound and I guess the typical, ‘what was the inspiration for this album?’ question.

JO: [Laughing] It’s definitely a lot more introverted, for sure. I think that the one record we put out is extremely extroverted, and it was really natural for us at the time, because the guitarist and I were both in grad school and living really stressful lives. And we never played outside of Austin, so every time we would play a show would be this huge party. We would be letting off all this steam. We were just swamped with really dense things with school, so we just wanted to write a really fun, outgoing carefree, wide-eyed music.

After that, we started to take the band seriously, touring a lot. So then we were doing this every night, and it didn’t really feel like a genuine party every single night, you know?  So I think that the music we started writing started to reflect something like that – just a lot more of feeling a disconnect from an audience that is there to party, but you’re kind of maybe phoning it in a little bit.

I think it’s just about spending a lot of time in the van and feeling really isolated from the rest of the world and feeling very marginalized. You’re kind of this sneaky circus that’s just sneaking into towns and setting up this party, and then you take it right back down. And there’s a lot of space allegory, feeling like you’re just floating in space and dream world. So, it’s much more dreamy and much more psychedelic and darker, and there’s a lot more heavy rhythms and deeper grooves.

VM: I’m really excited to hear it. So what is next for you, besides the stuff we’ve talked about? What are you trying to get the word out about?

JO: I guess the album, mainly. We’re not there quite yet…but it’s coming, it’s coming. I guess mainly that. It’s coming, and we’re finishing it, but also just the festivals we’ve got coming up. We’re doing Shaky Knees and Sasquatch, and before Shaky Knees, we’re opening for Charles Bradley in Asheville. So that’s cool – little things like that. I’ve got a music video that I’m editing right now for one of the tracks on the album, so hopefully that will be out sometime, maybe the summer.

VM: You do your own video editing? That’s pretty cool.

JO: Well, yeah, I’ve never done it for anything. I’ve done it for stuff on our website that’s promotional videos, but I’ve never done a music video like this, so this is kind of a big project for me, so we’ll see how it turns out. But I got this amazing Director of Photography and then another director with these really amazing cameras that had this whole mount built on this truck, and we had a ton of friends dress up super weird, so I think it will be really strange and then really fun. So that’s kind of my project right now.

VM: What song is it for?

JO: It’s called “Infinite Cities.”

 

SXSW 2014: Cherub x Vinyl Video

Posted on by Emily McBride
What am I doing with my leg? Photo by Chris Hunkele

This was one of my favorites. Last day of South by Southwest. Exhausted. My feet fell off somewhere on Sixth Street the night before.  Pretty much ready to take a nap on the sidewalk.  Completely ignoring all of that, because I get to interview Cherub, and there is no way not to be pumped about that.

We love this band. We all flipped over 100 Bottles when it came out last year, and we are more than ready for Year of the Caprese to come out on May 27 (as my poor friends know, I have a higher tolerance for listening to the same album/song/band for months on end than most people, so guys – you better like this one, because I have a feeling this is my 2014 Summer soundtrack).

I was super dang excited when I found out that I was going to get to interview Cherub at SXSW this year.  Aside from being amazing musicians who put on an awesome live show (I just so happen to be seeing them tomorrow night at the Georgia Theatre in Athens!), I found out that they are also genuinely delightful dudes (#accidentalalliteration).  Check out the Vinyl Video below to watch us talk about their music, applesauce, chunky vs. creamy peanut butter and what is next for Cherub.

The New Age of the Sneaker

Posted on by Kate Foster

In the wake of news that Sarah Jessica Parker has grown an extra bone in her foot from her many years of towering Manolos, sneakers have never looked better. And while, yes, I’m forever grateful for the fashion inspiration that Miss Carrie Bradshaw’s feet have provided, it’s time for me to move on. Thankfully, the fashion world seems to be in agreement. From sneaker wedges to snakeskin sneaks and even straight-up tennis shoes, the Spring and Fall 2014 runways were the stomping grounds of all kinds of comfy kicks. Best of all: you better believe this is one trend you can find at a reasonable price.

Classic High Tops

I spend a lot of time at my college’s art school, which is where I spy all kinds of below-the-radar trends about a month before they hit it big. Lately, it’s been white high top Converse. They’re so fresh and perfect for spring, and go with absolutely everything you own. If you’re feeling like going a little bolder, I’m loving rose gold and studded options. You can even DIY the latter.

(All shoes by Converse)

Vibrant Sneaker Wedges

It’s like the gods wanted us to go out in our favorite pair of gym tennies and still feel sexy, so they popped a comfy wedge heel on there for good measure. This style has been around for a season or two, but designers like Tommy Hilfiger revamped it with bright shades and color block patterns. I dare you to not steal the spotlight in these puppies.

(Shoes by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Puma, and Ash)

Tennies with a Twist

When Cara Delevigne walked the Fall 2014 Chanel catwalk – designed to look like a grocery store – in tweed athletic sneakers, I almost laughed. Ten years ago, designers would have thought it was the frumpiest thing ever. Today, we know that Karl just has our backs. Sport your Nikes, Adidas, or Reeboks with whatever. Just make sure they’re in crazy colors or in a thrilling new material.

(Shoes by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Kenzo, and Nike)

Flatform Kicks

Alright, we’ve seen the flatform on everything now, especially sandals. But it’s so insanely punk rock on sneakers. You’ll give yourself some height and lengthen your legs, but won’t feel a smidge of aching. Here, take a break from the brights; this look is too cool to wear in anything but black or metallic.

(First two shoes by ASOS, third by Y.R.U.)

Sledding With Tigers: ‘A Necessary Bummer’

Posted on by Colby Pines

“Not folk enough for folk and not punk enough for punk.” These are the words we’ve seen used to describe Sledding With Tigers, who just released a new album at a name-your-own-price rate on their website. Despite finding themselves in genre limbo, the band’s latest offering, A Necessary Bummer, manages to capture the honesty that makes both punk and folk such appealing genres. The ten-track debut album is a declaration, an admission, a confession and an apology told through the eyes of lead singer and songwriter, Dan Faughnder. If you like Family of the Year, You Won’t or just an honest offering from some dudes in San Diego, then this one’s for you.

As melodic violin solos organically join with the band’s banjo-plucking compositions, Faughnder (un)apologetically lays his heart out for all to see. Whether they’re tackling physical insecurities, wrestling with seemingly unjustified sadness or pondering bleak loneliness, Sledding With Tigers always seems to approach each song from a place of honesty. Sometimes that honesty means admitting that they’re not being completely honest. It’s as complicated as melancholia. The band puts it best when they collectively announce that they “hate this feeling but [they] don’t hate that [they’re] feeling it.” So many feels. All the feels.

Despite it’s honest lyrics and serious subject matter, the acoustic-driven album doesn’t take itself too seriously. One look at the album’s track titles makes it clear that these guys are good for a laugh or two. From “The Devil and a California Burrito are Raging Inside Me,” (an irreverently funny nod to the band Brand New) all the way to “I Got The Blues Macaroni And Cheese” (Kraft, homie) the band captures the very essence of life. It’s funny, sad, hard and impossibly confusing at times.

Each folky track gets its share of Faughnder’s punkish vocals and the band’s honest lyrics. Tracks like “Oh, Right. Damn It.” make this album both admirable and endearing. By discussing the trivial things in life that seem to (for me, at least) evoke some of the heaviest, hardest emotions and thoughts, A Necessary Bummer asks the hardest questions and poses possible, hopeful answers. It’s hard not to take something away from this album. Whether that something is a solid laugh at the witty track titles, a few finger snapping and toe tapping moments or a reflective moment to consider “what the hell is okay,” one thing is certain… this album is certainly safer and probably better for you than actually sledding with tigers.

3.5/5

SXSW 2014: Spirit Animal x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Samantha Gilder
Photo by Samantha Gilder

There are many factors that go into scheduling interviews during the chaotic week that is South by Southwest; luckily, the scheduling aspect is completely taken care of by the brains behind this whole operation, Emily McBride.

Upon receiving my schedule and reviewing it thoroughly, my interview with Spirit Animal stuck out for a few different reasons, one of them being that the location was listed as “The Shred Shed” – fast forward to mass confusion and a hefty realization that the “Shred Shed” was an exhibit at the Austin Convention Center that didn’t really even exist until the following day. After sorting out the details with lead singer Steve Cooper, we settled on a completely appropriate and professional meeting point – let’s meet up at the condiment table, somewhere between Exhibit Hall 1 and 3…

Besides the appeal of its location, this interview also stood out to me because of the band itself.  Upon first listen, all of us at Vinyl Mag instantly knew that this is a band to look out for (and not just because Steve Cooper’s voice makes me think of Anthony Kiedis sometimes…is anyone else getting that? Especially on “I’m Around”…).

The guys of Spirit Animal have been known for their on-stage energy, and upon meeting with them, their off-stage energy does them just as much credit. In between their many performances, we snagged a few precious moments with Spirit Animal to ask them about their latest hit, “The Black Jack White,” Beyoncé and their summer plans.

VM: Is this your first experience at SXSW?

Steve Cooper [vocals, Moog]: It’s actually our third year; we’re pretty seasoned at this point [laughs].

VM: Your hit song “The Black Jack White” has begun to take off- are you actual fans of the White Stripes?

Paul Michel [bass]: I mean, yeah, we’re fans. We’re not like crazy about them or anything. It just fit as an appropriate title.

SC: Everyone likes The White Stripes, right?

VM: What is the writing process like? Does the music or lyrics come first?

SC: We don’t have a solid method down, but usually the music comes first. We work together to form something, and however it comes about is how it comes.

VM: A big thing for music this year – and always – is Beyoncé. Are you a fan of the new album?

SC: I mean, I woke up like this! No, but really, we’re huge fans. That new album is sexy and awesome.

VM: How do you feel that MTV’s Buzzworthy has helped in getting your name out?

PM: It’s been really awesome to have them airing our music video, and of course just reaching all kinds of audiences that we wouldn’t necessarily have reached otherwise. We were really excited to have them air our video.

VM: What showcases have you wanted to catch while at SXSW?

SC: Young the Giant, for sure. Also not only do we get to see Parade of Lights, but we get to play our showcase with them. That’s really awesome and exciting for us, because we love them. But like – Young the Giant.

PM: We took it pretty serious this year and made actual spreadsheets of who we wanted to see while we were down here; you can’t mess around when it comes to SXSW.

VM: What’s next for Spirit Animal once South By comes to an end?

COOPER: We have a song we plan to release in May and will probably go on tour for a bit. We have a whole archive of new songs we’re excited to put out, but we’re planning on playing our cards right and just seeing what’s best for us.

*You KNOW you wanna see these dudes live. But seriously. You do.

Tour Dates:

04.30.14 — BOSTON, MA: TT the Bears Place
05.02.14 — HEMPSTEAD, NY: Hofstra University
05.03.14 — MONTREAL, QB: Quai Des Brumes
05.05.14 — TORONTO, ON: Horseshoe Tavern
05.06.14 — WINDSOR, ON: Phog Lounge
05.08.14 — PHILADELPHIA, PA: North Star
05.09.14 — NEW YORK, NY: Westway
05.10.14 — COLUMBIA, MD: Sweetlife Festival
05.20.14 — COLUMBUS, OH: Double Happiness
05.21.14 — CINCINNATI, OH: Motr Pub
05.22.14 — CHICAGO, IL: Subterranean
05.23.14 — MADISON, WI: Mickey’s
05.24.14 — TERRE HAUTE, IN: The Verve
05.27.14 — DES MOINES, IA: Vaudeville Mews
05.28.14 — LINCOLN, NE: Vega
05.30.14 — KANSAS CITY, MO: Czar Bar
05.31.14 — WICHITA, KS: Wichita River Fest
06.03.14 — DENVER, CO: Moon Room
06.05.14 — LAS VEGAS, NV: Backstage Bar
06.10.14 — SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Bottom of the Hill
06.12.14 — SEATTLE, WA: Lofi’s
06.13.14 — VANCOUVER, BC: Waldorf Hotel
06.14.14 — PORTLAND, OR: Hawthorne Theater
06.18.14 — PHOENIX, AZ: Last Exit Live
06.21.14 — FORT WORTH, TX: Lola’s
06.24.14 — COLUMBIA, MO: Mojo’s

SXSW 2014: De Lux x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco are a duo from California that wants to make you dance. If dancing isn’t necessarily your thing, you’re at least going to consider it. Their musical influences alone say great things for these two, but the self-described “new wave disco” music that they create is on a playing field of its own. South by Southwest seems to encompass just about any genre of music your tiny heart desires, but even still, you’re in luck if you discover even a handful that stay with you.

Luckily for Vinyl Mag, and me in particular, De Lux brought an entirely new sound to my ever-growing SXSW table, and now I have a total understanding for how Christopher Walken must have felt in the infamous “Cowbell” skit- disco (and particularly, De Lux) being the Cowbell. I could go on and on about how into their hit single “Better at Making Time” I am, but I’ll chose to let you discover the track’s awesomeness for yourself.  We sat down with the guys of De Lux after their show at the Filter Magazine showcase, and you should probably go ahead and see what they’re all about. Afterwards, stream their music and instigate an impromptu dance party wherever you may be.

VM: Is this your first SXSW?

Sean Guerin: Yeah, it is. It’s our first time in Texas, too.

Isaac Franco: We’ve maintained to our little bubble; we haven’t traveled very often.

VM: Being that it is your first time here, what was top on your Austin “to do” list?

Isaac: We didn’t really have any; it was more just about getting the vibe of the place and seeing what we liked and didn’t like.

VM: What don’t you like?

Sean: We call Sixth Street “Zombie Street”; we went there last night for the first time, and everyone was just walking all fast and strange.

Sean: Everyone is really nice here, though, which is different. You have people saying “hi” to you on every block.

Isaac: Congress Street is really cool and just a little bit outside of downtown. There are really cool places to eat and hang out, and we enjoyed that area a lot.

VM: Have you two caught any cool shows?

Sean: Yeah, we’ve caught a few. We saw Damon Albarn and the 1975; we played at the same venue as the 1975 earlie,r and we had passes so we were like, “let’s go.” But yeah, Damon Albarn was really awesome.

VM: So, when did you actually get in town?

Isaac: We got here last Friday.

VM: Oh, so you’ve been at it for a minute! When do you leave?

Sean: Unfortunately, tomorrow.

VM: Ah, I leave tomorrow also; so bittersweet. So, let’s take this in a positive direction- who are your musical influences?

Sean: Television, Talking Heads, David Bowie, ESG, The Clash- we’ve got a list going.

Isaac: LCD Soundsystem for sure. I’ve been getting into Orange Juice- they’re wicked.

Sean: I’ve been getting into a lot of SEGA music.

VM: So would you say you gather inspiration from all of these avenues?

Sean: Yeah, we’ve been working on our second record, and we write all of the time, so it just seems to happen that way. I definitely feel like the music we listed has been having an effect on the music we’ve been writing recently. Oh, we’re also really into Prince.

VM: Prince was like the big thing for South by Southwest last year; you know, that show that was widely talked about, but you would never actually get in to.

Sean: Oh, that’s awesome!

VM: Would you consider yourself food truck people or barbecue joint people during SXSW?

Isaac: Probably neither- we’re more diner kind of people. We like to sit down and be warm.

Sean: Here it’s diner, but at home it is food trucks. There are a lot of great burrito and taco trucks.

Isaac: It’s hard to get food down here when we have shows back-to-back, so when we do get to eat together, it’s late at night, and we just show up at an IHOP or something.

VM: I read that skateboarding was how the two of you ultimately met, and you then were in a former band together? Is this true or just the internet talking?

Isaac: Skateboarding, a bit of high school, and another band.

VM: Ok, so you went to high school together? Were you homies in high school?

Sean: We weren’t really homies. I mean, we were cool with each other, but we didn’t really hang out with each other.

VM: Did you leave the [previous] band with a mutual understanding that you were planning on starting something together?

Sean: When we started writing songs, we were still in that particular project, but eventually we got so into it that we stopped writing for the other project, so it just sort of melted away. We just didn’t communicate with the other band members for a while, and vice versa.

VM: But are you still all cool? No bad blood?

Isaac: Yeah, I mean, we just hung out at shows and kept it strictly business, which was kind of annoying.

VM: Where were you when the accident at Red River and 9th took place?

Sean: Our band decided to stay home that night, which was totally coincidental.

Isaac: I knew a couple of people walking over there just minutes before it happened. We all got a bunch of texts making sure everyone was okay and whatnot; it’s just all really sad…

VM: If you had to categorize your own music and put it into a genre, where would you put it?

Sean: I mean, it kind of changes- I feel like we’re more disco than punk.

Isaac: It’s also like a new wave sound.

VM: How many shows have you played since you’ve been here?

Sean: We’ve played six so far. This is our second for the day, and we have another tonight at The Madison.

VM: What’s next for De Lux?

Sean: Yeah, we’re returning home; we have our first album coming out on April 8th.

Isaac: We have our album release show, and the month after that we are heading to Hawaii, where someone bought tickets for us to play a show. So we’ll be staying at a house on the beach and just playing music, which is exciting.

VM: Last question- where did you come up with the name De Lux?

Isaac: It almost sounds like we’re a diva band from the 70’s, and we’re totally not that way at all, so it’s just funny at this point.

SXSW 2014: Cash Cash x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Jessamyn McTwigan

It was an unexpected delight on a hot day of SXSW to share ice cream sundae’s and brownies a la mode at Moonshine’s with the down to earth guys of Cash Cash.   Though I was not surprised by their casual and comfortable nature – these three childhood best friends and two brothers, Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alex Makhlouf and Samuel Frisch have been sharing mealtime conversations for some time now – I was surprised at how personable they were with me, an outsider.

From adolescence, they did everything themselves musically, from producing in their garage, to their own marketing.  Together, they built a passion and understanding for music and music theory.

Their more recent success came in 2013, with the single “Take Me Home” featuring Bebe Rexha. It peaked at #18 on the US Pop Songs chart and #67 on the US Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year.

I spoke with the band about their most recent song “Lightning,” featuring Goo Goo Dolls front man John Rzeznick, their own radio show and being signed with Atlantic Records.

Vinyl Mag: How do you guys decide what to remix or which artist to feature in your songs?

Jean Paul: We started with electronic music as our base when we were younger, which has recently branched out into songwriting… we are very picky about who we use. We turn down requests from artists and labels all of the time. We don’t want to pump out a lot of stuff but rather, when we want to remix something, we start with the artist’s voice, like an instrument that we want to work with, and we will remix it from there.  Like Bruno Mars’ sharp vocals on “Treasure,” and we were excited to work with Icona Pop on “All Night.”

VM:  So tell me about “Lightning.”  Was it John Rzeznick’s voice that was the deciding factor?

JP:  Yeah, it’s a juxtaposition of his voice with what we do on the chorus that really works.  It’s climbing up the top ten list of Hypemachine – we’re really excited.

VM: You recently got signed with Atlantic. How is that going?

Alex Makhlouf: We’re really happy with Atlantic; it feels like family.  We already know how to do everything from the ground up, and they really know how to help us keep doing just that and to push us into realizing our vision.  Plus, we’re excited to collaborate with artists on the label, for example, the guys of Chromeo, and more with Icona Pop.

VM:  Tell me about the radio show that you guys do.

AM:   It’s called Royalty Radio, and you can stream it.  It’s basically our way of giving back and helping to promote the people that deserve recognition, like for example a friend of ours from back home that we grew up with – he’s so talented, and we hope to help him get that exposure.  We also like to let our fans know what we’re up to and who we’re listening to and inspired by.

VM:  You guys really like sweets, huh?  So far, no one has ordered any appetizers or sandwiches for lunch – just sweet drinks and desserts.  Traveling all over the world, what kind of weird food have you tried?

JP:  We toured in Japan – they have lots of really weird candy.  If you ever travel there, you have to try the dried octopus candy and dried fish jerky. We’re headed to Australia soon; we’ll have to try the sweets there!

 

*Catch Cash Cash on tour now!!

Apr 17    Budweiser Made in America Charlotte Party    Charlotte, NC
Apr 19    New City Gas    Montreal, Canada
Apr 22    Budweiser Made in America Athens Party    Athens, GA
Apr 25    Life In Color West    Lafayette, IN
Apr 26    Life In Color    Columbia, MO
May 23    Exchange    Los Angeles, CA
May 24    EDC New York    East Rutherford, NJ
May 25    Sunset Music Festival    Tampa, FL
May 26    Marquee Dayclub    Las Vegas, NV
May 27    Shrine    Mashantucket, CT
Jun 01    Nikon at Jones Beach Theater    Wantagh, NY
Jun 06    Royale Nightclub    Boston, MA
Jun 07    X Games @ Austin 360 Amphitheater    Austin, TX
Jun 14    Grand Central    Miami, FL
Jun 16    Marquee Nightclub    Las Vegas, NV
Jun 20    Firefly Music Festival    Dover, DE
Jun 26    Electric Forrest    Rothbury, MI
Jul 04    Life In Color    Hidalgo, TX
Jul 18    Bassmnt    San Diego, CA
Aug 01    Lollapalooza    Chicago, IL
Aug 03    Boonstock    Penticton, Canada
Aug 09    Whiskey    Portland, OR

 

SXSW 2014: Luke Winslow-King x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

You may remember that we all went gaga over Luke Winslow-King‘s album The Coming Tide about a year ago.  This gent is brilliant, and we still haven’t gotten over it. So, of course, we had to snag an interview with him this year at his showcase at the Bloodshot Records Yard Dog Day Party to talk about what he’s got coming out next, his New Orleans influence and his fashion inspirations! Enjoy!

Vinyl Mag: So what exactly [brought you to move] to New Orleans? I heard the rumor that it was a crime.

Luke Winslow-King: Yes. After high school, I went on tour with a few friends from Earth Work Music in Northern Michigan, and we were on a tour around the country playing a Pete Seeger compilation of Woody Guthrie’s songs and stories. We went to California and Texas. We played the Old Settler’s Festival on our way to Louisiana, and we went to Festival International in Lafayette. Then, when we got to New Orleans, I was staying at my friend, John Butae’s, house, and we parked our car in front of The Pink Hotel on Ursaline Street in New Orleans. We woke up and found broken glass on the sidewalk where our car was. All our instruments were still in flight. I stayed in New Orleans for about two or three weeks after that and fell in love with the place. I auditioned for the classical music program at the University of New Orleans then went there for school for the next few years. I kind of fell in love with the place. I moved to New York for about a year and then came back to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and stuck around. I love it there; it’s great.

VM: Can you tell me more about how you got into music?

LWK: I picked up a guitar when I was five or six years old. I always had instruments around the house and was always interested in it. My dad plays Bob Dylan songs and Neil Young, so he was always playing around the campfire growing up. I grew up in church and was always singing. I started taking the guitar seriously and taking lessons around 10 years old. I started my own band when I was 14 and played gigs in my hometown. I started Winslow-King Blues Band when I was 15. So, I’ve always been into it since I was a child and have just gone on different tangents of rock and roll and classical music; I was really into bebop jazz in high school. Then I got into Chicago Blues, and then Delta Blues and New Orleans…jazz.

VM: I actually went down to the Delta for a trip and hung out with the B.B. Kings in Indianola. The Delta is really like a hotbed of American music. It’s really unique American cultural form.

LWK: Yeah, jazz and blues are really the only original American forms that were created in America, as far as music goes. Then rock and roll, and then things come off of it. The Delta is an incredible place for rich culture, not just in music, but also in all other forms.

VM: As is New Orleans.

LWK: Yeah, it is. The heritage there goes really deep, and it’s a great amalgamation of cultures. It’s been really inspiring for me, and I think it’s a great city that I can play original blues, and jazz, and rock and roll, and folk music and blend it together and have an audience for all of those styles. In one night and on one album, you can do anything you like, and people can really support you there. Sometimes we get the drunken tourists, and we’ve just got to keep them entertained, but we also have some really great listening audiences in New Orleans, too, which we’re really lucky to have. Sometimes it’s hard for people to play country or folk music; it doesn’t always go over as well in New Orleans, because people are expecting to hear the traditional roots music. We’re really lucky that we marry those two things – we write original folk songs, but we also play traditional jazz and blues. In New Orleans, we have a special niche that we can write new music but have this old sound that people are looking for when they’re on musical, tourist trips.  We try to keep the old styles alive and also breathe fresh air into the old styles but also try to be creative and write new things and not just be playing traditional material.

VM: What projects do you have in the works right now that you’re most excited about?

LWK: We have a new album that’s most of the way finished. It’s coming out in the fall, and we’ve been working really hard on that in New Orleans. We’re doing a bunch of projects like touring and playing music. I’m going to some other recording projects with other artists that are coming up this year. I’ve been doing a couple “side-manning” things but mostly just focusing on that new album that’s coming out in the fall.

VM: Are you more of a taco or a barbecue man?

LWK: Wow. I would say I’m more a barbecue person, but I hate to say in an interview – but, I’m going to – that I think Louisiana might have better barbecue than Texas.

VM: Oooooo!

LWK: I went to two barbecue places in Austin this week.

VM: Where did you go?

LWK: I went to Green Mesquite, and I went to another one, but I can’t remember the name. The joint barbecue in New Orleans put them both to shame, I have to say.

VM: You don’t like the brisket. I don’t even know what New Orleans barbecue tastes like.

LWK: It’s the same; it’s just better.

VM: What’s your weirdest Austin experience since you got here?

LWK: I haven’t had any weird experiences here. I think it was a weirder place for me when I was young on my first road trip. I came here before I came to New Orleans on that first road trip.

VM: When was that?

LWK: That was probably in 2001. I went to Barton Springs for the first time in Hamilton’s Pool. That was pretty weird. I had a strange time then, but now it doesn’t seem that weird to me. It was weirder back then. I was more surprised by how progressive it was. I was really surprised that there was so much greenery and vegetation and beauty in Texas that I didn’t expect. I expected more desert. The whole country is special. It’s really nice. I love it. I’m glad to come and visit here, but I don’t think it’s that weird anymore. I think it’s becoming more palatable for all sorts of people.

VM: I know you’re crazy busy with your touring, but any fun you’re going to sneak in before you leave town?

LWK: Nope, we’re hitting the road. We’re going to play this show and get back home. We’ve been really busy, driving around and working on our album. We’re just really focused on getting the tour going and these projects we’re working on. We’re excited to go home and rest up. We’re playing the French Quarter Fest in New Orleans in April and Jazz Fest in May, but I am going to take a break and go to trout camp in Northern Michigan for the opening game trout season. I’m very excited about that, on a side note. It’s where you camp out, and then you go trout fishing.

VM: [Is trout fishing] a Michigan thing?

LWK: Yeah, there’s no trout in Texas.

VM: What inspires you fashion wise?

LWK: Thank you. My fashion icon is also a Texan. His name is Mance Lipscomb. He’s a great Texas songster. If you hadn’t heard of Mance Lipscomb, you should check him out and also check out his great style. He wears a lot of clashing stripes, and I like that.

VM: You look like a professional.

LWK: Thank you! I like to take my job really seriously as a professional, and I appreciate it when people dress up on stage. Your audience gets a sense of what you’re about when you take your appearance seriously. Every time I’m on stage, I try to think about what the audience is looking for while being yourself and being honest to you and your music. That’s what it’s about, is satisfying your audience and bringing something that’s valuable for them. If you’re just up there for yourself, then it’s really not that fun to watch.

VM: That’s a very humble attitude for a musician.

LWK: Thank you! I think it’s a really important thing to keep insight. Thank you!