Posted in Interviews

Interview: Vegas Is North

Recently, it has become increasingly common for the younger generation of musicians to make a name for themselves before they even break the age of 20. About a week ago, I had a chance to talk to Chris of Vegas Is North, who “started the band back in [his] junior year of high school,” and has kept it going ever since, even adding two seventeen year olds to the fold as well.

Can you tell me how long you guys have played music for?

I (Chris) have been playing guitar ever since I was in the sixth grade. I’m nineteen right now. I started the band back in my junior year of high school.

Does being in a band at such a young age affect your career in any way?

It absolutely does, luckily were learning the rights and wrongs at a younger age rather then us being older with more burdens. Our bassist and drummer are both seventeen.

With the many pop-punk bands that currently exist in the scene, how does Vegas Is North stand out?

We are pushing our genre out a little bit more now. We’ve been in the pop-punk scene for awhile now we are expanding our horizons to see where this will take us.

You recently released your new EP I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. What makes it different from your previously released self-titled EP?

I believe it has a huge difference. Lyrical and musically. I feel I started to learn to write better lyrics and just be a better musician all around.

What was the writing process like for the new EP?

It was me in my room just pouring my heart on to these songs.

Are there any artists that were a big influence on the music in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead?

I was listening to a lot of earlier 2000 pop-punk bands, like New Found Glory and Blink-182 at the time. They played a huge influence on this EP.

“Parking Lot Kings” has some great lines, what inspired the lyrics on that song?

Honestly just being stuck in a point in your life where you feel like your not going anywhere. Where you just feel stuck.

You guys recently put-out a music video for “Parking Lot Kings”, is this your first music video? If so, what was the experience like?

Yes we did! Which you can watch on Youtube right now! It was awesome and we feel a lot more legit as a band. We’re moving fast, so expect to see a lot of us in the future.

Are you planning to go on any tours to support the new EP?

We are currently working on a tour right now you can stay updated with us on our social websites.

You guys recently announced that you were releasing your single “Savior” on the 17th. What can your fans expect from the new song?

A new us.

Other than “Savior”, can we expect to hear any new material in the near future?

We have been writing non stop, so there will be tons of new music in the future! Stay tuned with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!

Interview: Listener

Dan Smith and Chris Nelson are Listener, a talk-music band where Dan does the talking and Chris plays the music. The first time I stumbled upon their music, I was quite confused to what was actually happening. Once I discovered that Dan talking was in fact the music I was greatly intrigued.

Listener is something that will be forever unique and a refreshing take on the power of music in society. The enchanting words of Dan Smith can be soul crushing through both the depth of the lyrics and the passion in his voice. Whether it’s through the soft melody of “Wooden Heart” or the heavy guitar and presence of a trumpet in “These Hands Weren’t Meant For Us”, Listener crafts their music beautifully. Be sure to check out their website, along with my favorite song by them “You have never lived because you have never died”.

First, could you state your name(s) and your band name?

Listener: Dan Smith & Chris Nelson… the band is called Listener.

Is there any meaning behind your band name?

Listener: It’s a word that we all can share in, I guess. Continue reading →

Interview: The Smith Street Band

The Smith Street Band, who released their debut LP No One Gets Lost Anymore last summer, managed to respond to some questions during their current tour. Their folk punk approach to the music that they create, along with lyrics ranging from themes of melancholy to partying, really make this band distinct. I encourage you to check out their Bandcamp page and download both of their releases. If you own a turntable, you can also purchase the vinyl records of the 7 inch from Jackknife Music and their LP from Poison City Records.You can read the full interview below.

What are your names and what are your roles in the band?

Wil Wagner – Vocals/Guitar, Tom Lawson – Guitar/Vocals, Lee Hartney – Guitar, Michael Fitzgerald – Bass, Chris Cowburn – Drums, Vocals

What is the origin of your band’s name?

We were originally called Wil Wagner and The Smith Street Band, as a take off of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, but changed the name to just the Smith Street Band as the band became more and more of a collaborative effort. Continue reading →

Interview: Baby Giraffe

As the modern day music scene develops, it’s becoming more and more common for people to self produce all of their music. As we take a look inside the mind of Baby Giraffe, we see how beautifully crafted melodies can lie behind a bedroom door just as often as they do inside of a professional studio. From an independent and unsigned artist, we can also see large differences in their perspective of the music scene.

What is your name and band name?

Baby Giraffe: My name’s Michael and I’ve been recording under the moniker Baby Giraffe since the mid 2000’s.

Can you explain the reasoning to why you chose the name “Baby Giraffe” and what it means to you?

Baby Giraffe: It was a name that was associated with me when sme old roommates of mine were playing a game of “what animal do you look like.” I’m fairly tall, gangly, docile and my hair used to naturally tuft a bit at the top so I figured it was appropriate.

 What is the music scene like in Ontario, Canada?

Baby Giraffe: Being from the largest city in Canada, we have quite an amazing scene. A lot of acts have broke through from here in the last decade in one incarnation or another. It’s important to note that there’s at least a handful of good, accessible venues if you’re not already an established act to build from. Places like the Rancho Relaxo, the Garrison, the Silver Dollar, etc., are all venues you can find some great young artists at. No pay-to-play bullshit, although the city does have some of those promoters as well. Continue reading →

Interview: Phil The Thrill

My favorite thing about talking to artists is just hearing how humble they really are and how much work they’re putting in to achieve their dreams. Hard work definitely does pay off. So last week, I was extremely fortunate to speak to an up-and-coming rapper from Virginia named Phil The Thrill, who has been releasing an EP a month for the past five months, garnering attention from XXL Magazine and SmokingSection.com. On October 25th, Phil will be concluding the series with a full-length mixtape entitled Barely Awake, which you can preview here.

Check out my full interview with Phil below.

Hey Phil, what’s up? How’s it going?

Phil The Thrill: Good, good, good.

I’ve just been reading about Steve Jobs. Man, that’s terrible.

Phil The Thrill: Crazy, crazy. I mean, they knew it was gonna happen eventually, but it was just all of a sudden it seems like.

Yeah… ah, the man’s a genius. So I hear you’re 22 years old and from Newport News, Virginia, is that correct?

Phil The Thrill: Yessir.

Actually, where have I heard of that place from? Is that…Michael Vick’s hometown?

Phil The Thrill: Yeah, yeah. Michael Vick, Allen Iverson.

Oh, okay. How’s the music scene there?

Phil The Thrill: It’s… pretty scattered. This area is known as Hampton Roads, the 757. I’m not sure how familiar you are with this part of Virginia but Missy‘s from here, Timbaland‘s from here, Pharrell‘s from here,The Clipse are from here. So yeah, we have a pretty crazy rich tradition as far as music goes. It just seems like they’ll move away and you know, it’s hard to really get them back to reach out to artists that are coming up now. But as far as tradition goes, we’re definitely on the map when it comes to music, period. And then 45 minutes up the road is where Trey Songz and Chris Brown are from.

Man, that’s nice.

Phil The Thrill: Yeah, man, it’s crazy.

So where did your rapper name, Phil The Thrill, originate?

Phil The Thrill: It’s actually been a name that’s stuck with me. It’s actually been my nickname since I was around twelve years old. I was an athlete playing basketball and football and you know, when little nicknames happen to you when you’re a kid… they’d just be like “Oh, Phil The Thrill!” It sticks and through high school, when everyone would have AIM screennames, I was like lemme use my nickname. It stuck with me then and when I went on to play college basketball, it stuck with me there. So it became my Twitter name and once it sticks, I’m not going to try to change that just because I’m doing music. It’s my nickname and what people know me as. Continue reading →