Archive for October, 2013
Interview: Josiah Leming
What genre of music do you consider yourself to be a part of?
I don’t think about that too much. If you put a gun to my head, I’d say alternative. The only thing that really matters to me is that what’s coming out is a true representation of what’s inside. My stuff flirts with pop a little, but also keeps a good distance from resembling modern pop, which I don’t dig very much.
Who would you compare yourself too?
No one specifically, but a blend of all my favorites. Dylan, Nilsson, Springsteen, Buckley, Chris Martin, Thom Yorke, Jagger, etc etc.
Is there anyone who has inspired you during your career?
Obviously all of the above, but moreso I tend to draw inspiration from what I feel on the inside – feelings that spring from observations of the world around me, experiences in that world and relationships with the people in that world.
You released your solo – live album “ Listen Close Live” earlier this year. Why did you choose to do a live album? How does it compare to a studio album?
It had been a long time coming. I can’t put my finger on it, but something happens when I’m out in front of a live crowd that is hard to replicate in a studio. There’s always been this disconnect for me, and I’ve known for a while that a live record was something I wanted to do to bridge that gap. It’s nice to let the songs stand there naked and be confident that they’re good just the way they were written.
What is your favorite song to sing live?
I tend to like the ones that are higher energy, songs like Fuck Up, Her, This Cigar, stuff I can really let loose on.
Has anything changed since the release of the album?
It was an important step for me before moving on to working on new songs, finally getting versions of songs out that I feel good about. I needed to close the book on some of those songs.
Is there anything new you can share with us? Either a possible new studio album or EP?
We’re getting close to that point very quickly.
You are only 24 years old; does this have any affect on you in the music industry?
Not for me. My aim is to just write better songs and play my instruments better, and deliver better albums for myself and my fans. What has more impact is that I’ve been in and around the music industry at the highest levels for 6 years now, so I know what’s up and there’s not much that I don’t see coming now. I really feel comfortable navigating it, and in my ability to get the most out of it.
What are your plans for the rest of the year and the beginning of 2014?
Write, write, write, play, play, play. I’m constantly making new stuff and recording new stuff, and breaking it apart and putting it back together. This is the deepest I’ve dove into the pre-studio process, I wanna make sure I’m all the way there before we roll the tape.
Finally, is there anything that you would like to say to our readers?
That’s why I make albums.
Stream: Whale Fire – “The Fabric”
The debut full-length album titled “Before You Run” from indie dream pop outfit Whale Fire was released earlier this month. Since the unveiling of their 7″ Dream of Me/The Fabric last year, the band have worked with Michael Stephens at Pizza Party Studios to compile a total of nine tracks for this new record. With three songs from Before You Run already receiving critical acclaim, the rest of the album is just as phenomenal proving Whale Fire’s adeptness at producing dream infused standout indie rock songs.
Whale Fire’s co-lead vocalists John Steel and Clay Grubbs throughout the new album provide both harmonic and solo vocals. They also handle the melodies strumming reverb-heavy guitars. Matthew Steel provides backing vocals and bass guitar riffs, and Will Vick keeps the songs moving with the drums/percussion.
Below you can listen to The Fabric, one of the songs off of the album. If you like what you hear you can stream the album in its entirety here. Follow the band on Facebook, check out their website. Pick up Before You Run on iTunes or Bandcamp!
Fearless Records & MusiCares’ Punk Goes Christmas Compilation
Watch: TRC – “10,000 Hours”
UK hardcore outfit TRC have recently released a music video of one of their newest tunes, “10,000 Hours.” The song hybridizes vocalist Chris Robson’s rapping with heavy instrumental backing, creating a unique and refreshing blend of sound that all fans of heavy music should consider listening to.
Regarding the video and the meaning of the song, Robson says, “It was great to work with Daniel Broadley again, after the fantastic job he did on “We Bring War.” The tune is about the rule of success being 10,000 hours of applied effort, and was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s book, ‘Outliers’. No matter what the distraction, we’ve kept pushing on with TRC. 10,000 hours equates to approx. 10 years, which is quite funny because TRC released our first demo 10 years ago. What’s even funnier, was the fact we recorded the band performance scene in the studio where we recorded that very first demo. Everything came full circle. It’s my favourite track off ‘Nation’.”
10,000 Hours is one of several tracks off their second and newest album Nation, produced in tandem with Steve Sears (Gallows, Lethal Bizzle). You can purchase Nation here via No Sleep Records. And while you do that, be sure to watch 10,000 Hours below:
Stream: Moonface – “Julia with Blue Jeans On”
Tracklist:
- Barbarian
- Everyone is Noah, Everyone is the Ark
- Barbarian II
- November 2011
- Dreamy Summer
- Julia with Blue Jeans On
- Love the House You’re In
- First Violin
- Black is Back in Style
- Your Chariot Awaits
Interview: Patrick James
From growing up in the coastal New South Wales town of Port Macquarie to selling out shows in his new home of Sydney, Patrick James is working his way up through the ranks. Unselfconscious, honest and humble musicians are a dime-a-dozen; fortunately Patrick James is one of them. Recently releasing his EP All About To Change, Patrick reflects with us about his experiences, and future goals. Pick up his new EP here via Create/Control and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
You come off as a singer/songwriter folk artist, what would you say that your genre of music is?
My music is based around the folk singer/songwriter style. I think that can be shaped the way you want it to. Really keen to explore how I can develop my sound so that could change.
Who would you compare yourself too?
I definitely wouldn’t compare myself to any established artist but I think someone I look up to in the Australian scene is Josh Pyke. Having toured with him this year and having been a fan for quite some time I think for any singer/songwriter in Australia he is someone to watch and get inspiration from.
You released your EP “All About to Change” in early 2013. Can you tell us what its like to release your first EP?
It was great to release the EP after touring a lot the year before and gaining fans. Having a small but solid fan base to release the project to was exciting. I worked hard on it and it was a really good stepping stone to get to the next level and put myself in a good position for the next bit of music to come out.
What was the main inspiration behind it?
Working on it for so long and making a bedroom set up work was a challenge and we did have a lot of time for trial and error, so throughout the process there was a lot of external music that we were listening to and getting inspiration from. The biggest inspiration was probably a solo artist James Vincent McMorrow. The sound he had for his debut album was something we based the production around.
Is there any song in particular that speaks the most to you on a personal level?
I would say ‘Stay’ which is a simple electric and vocal song would have to be the most personal song on the EP. It was a different process writing that song compared to the others. I wrote the lyrics a while ago just as a poem before any music had been written and then shaped instruments around that. It was interesting to do it that way because most of the time the melody and chords come first.
Has anything changed after the release? Either about yourself, or your music?
The EP has given the chance to tour a lot this year and further the fan base which is really what I am going for in these early stages . Each time you release something it’s a learning curve to see what works and to see what approaches will give you as much success as possible for that EP or song. I feel that it has been good for that but really looking forward to developing the sound again and to keep reshaping.
You are also about to release a new single, is there anything that you can tell us about it?
The sound is a lot bigger in sound and production. That came through when we recorded with producer Wayne Connolly at Alberts studio in Sydney. It was great recording with a full band this time around also and that fuller sound definitely comes through as a result of making the most of the guys in the band. The song is called ‘Wait’ and is due out on the 22nd of October.
Is this a taste of perhaps a new album to come soon?
Perhaps! It will be the first single off a new EP or Album release but I plan to release a few more songs before hand.
You are about to tour around Australia starting November 7th. What’s the music scene like in Australia?
The Australian music scene is great! There is a real excitement about new music at the moment and the acoustic/folk scene is very communal and supportive of new bands. The November tour will be a great way to make the most of the fans we have made this year from supporting other artists and also to try out new songs.
Have you ever thought about doing a tour internationally either USA, or Europe, etc.?
I think about it all the time and really hope to get over soon. The more I release music the more necessary it will be to take it abroad. There are some great international acts I would love to tour with around the States especially and hopefully those opportunities will come soon.
Other than the tour, what’s next for Patrick James?
A lot more recording of new songs!!
Listen: Jake Bugg – “Slumville Sunrise”
Last month folk singer-songwriter Jake Bugg announced a new single titled What Doesn’t Kill You, an upbeat garage rock sounding track reminding critics of an earlier Arctic Monkeys. Now, in contrast Bugg has released a folk rockabilly track called Slumville Sunrise that premiered today on Rolling Stone’s website. This track for avid fans of Bugg contains the riff he attempted to teach Matt Sweeney on NOISEY’s Guitar Moves series. The new single allows Bugg to showcase the inevitable maturation of his vocals after touring for two years and his adeptness at playing guitar.
The forthcoming LP Shangri La was recorded in Malibu with producer Rick Rubin, the former co-president of Columbia Records and is set to be released on November 18th. You can stream the new single on Soundcloud here and pre-order the album on iTunes. For more information follow Jake Bugg on Facebook and Twitter.
I Surrender Records Presents “Our Voices”
Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, Chris Conley of Saves The Day, Anthony Raneri of Bayside, and Vinnie Caruana of I Am The Avalanche will be releasing a brand new EP together entitled Our Voices.
I Surrender Records to celebrate their tenth birthday “wanted to give musicians the opportunity to step outside their stylistic box – no guidelines, no expectations.” The EP is set to drop digitally and on vinyl on November 25th. The vinyl includes 4 color options (red, blue, green, grey) and b-side etching and will be available on their webstore. Stream Anthony’s song called “String Me Along” below!
Listen: Pairs & god bows to math – “Split 7″”
Shanghai punk duo Pairs and Auckland noise rock trio god bows to math have come together to create a four track 7″ split. The split is being supported by four different record labels including Muzai Records from New Zealand, Tenzenmen in Australia, the Chinese label Genjing, and Bomb Shop in the United Kingdom. Pairs’ two tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Manny Nieto in a dusty hut out in the guts of Yangpu. god bows to math’s side was recorded and mixed by Donnie Miller at Nowhere Audio in Brisbane, and then mastered by Nick Roughan in Auckland. According to Bomb Shop “each label is doing their allocation of this limited edition slightly differently” so depending on your geographic location you may receive different goodies. Kudos to whoever thought of the cute pop-up of all the band members playing their respective instruments inside the gatefold.
If you want to purchase this split and are in NZ you can do so here, and if you’re in the UK, Europe or Japan you can pick it up here. For fans elsewhere, the two other labels don’t seem to have purchasing options right now. Stream the split in its entirety courtesy of Bomb Shop here.
Watch: SKATERS – “Deadbolt”
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