NYS Music 20​13

Category: Central NY

  • Interview with singer-songwriter Jamie Kent, playing The Westcott Theater on February 23rd

    It’s a Sunday afternoon and while every other touring artist may take the seventh day off to catch some forty winks, workaholic Jamie Kent takes the time out to interview with Morgan and Gauraa . It’s no surprise, though; he does include singer-songwriter, concert promoter, entrepreneur, and mischief maker in his job description!

    Mary Morgan Craig: Okay so before we get down to business can you tell us about this “stint” you had in a Mariachi band?

    Jamie Kent: Ha ha, okay so I was in high school and there was a battle of the bands and a group of friends and I formed a mariachi band called Suko Gringo and we won the crowd award for it.

    MMC: Thats awesome. Ha, the coolest kids in school I’m sure.

    Jamie Kent: Yeah, it was an experience.

    Gauraa Shekhar: So what was it like growing up in Northampton, Massachusetts?

    Jamie Kent: Northampton is a really awesome town. It no doubt influenced my goals in the beginning being musician. Its a big music town I pretty much spent all my money growing up going to concerts. and when graduated high school I knew I was going to do music. I was either going to go to Berklee in Boston or Babson in Boston to either do music or music business. I did an undergraduate program for music business but continued to do music on the side at Conservatory.

    MMC: So why did you choose to apply to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)?

    Jamie Kent: Well, when you’re first starting out you kind of take the advice of people you look up to and my producer at the time had a big music library that he would sell to radio stations and film and TV. He was both an ASCAP and BMI member and he said both are tough to deal with but I get paid more from ASCAP. So I was like “Oh Cool!” and started to figure out why it was better to go with ASCAP and what’s been really great with them for me personally is they have some really great programs to develop songwriters which a lot of others don’t. Last year I got into this songwriting program out in L.A. working with some really crazy people, (including) the dude who wrote Adele’s “Someone Like You” and Keith Urban and Lee Ann Rhymes’s last two records. So, they really network well and help you connect with other great songwriters that help take it to the next level.

    GS: So what is it like writing music solo compared to writing with the band or in workshops?

    Jamie Kent: Its definitely different. It’s got its benefits and setbacks. Solo you can really do everything that you want to do which is awesome but for me sometimes I will lose focus and get distracted by Facebook or whatever and then it’ll take me a few days to write a song whereas when I’m writing with other people and we’re in a room together, we will focus for a few hours until the song is written. You do lose control over some of the things you want and you have to make some compromises but it is a lot more productive.

    GS: Kind of keeping each other on track.

    Jamie Kent: Yeah, exactly! And also about challenging each other. Sometimes when you’re writing by yourself you can settle but when you’re with other people they can push you and you’re like “Oh yeah, it could be better” but you don’t think of that until you’re with someone else.

    MMC: We’ve heard you have a tireless work ethic but touring 200 days is a lot. What was that like?

    Jamie Kent: You know, I love being on the road fundamentally but I also really believe that the live show is the most important aspect to being a musician these days and important of course in order to make money and survive since anyone with a laptop and a Myspace account can be a musician these days which is cool but that also means there’s an overwhelming amount of people so if you want to distinguish yourself and take it to the top your show has to be incredible. And ya I just love playing. The more I play the better I get.

    MMC: Practice makes perfect.

    JK: Yeah, exactly and you know like in Malcom Gladwell’s book Outliers he talks about putting in 10,000 hours into something you’re going to know it better than everyone else and do it better.

    GS: If you could pick one thing you like the most about touring what would that be?

    JK: Thats a good question. I love the stories that come out of it. I’m a big fan of at my shows of weaving stories into my shows and making that part of it and that does inspire songs a lot. That is where a lot of stories come from: being on tour and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and having something interesting come out of it. Often it involves like a random character that you meet in Rock Island, Illinois or wherever you might be but there’s nothing that you could ever experience by just sitting at home in the studio.

    MMC: You’ve got a campaign going for your next record. You must have a great fan base, you’ve got a very successful campaign going and it looks like they’re even sponsoring your next record. How do you maintain such a strong connection with your fans?

    JK: Well I think that the way I’ve been able to do it really well is because of this thing I started couple of years ago called The Collective. Its a community of my most loyal fans and in return for their contributions they get free tickets to shows, free music, free merch and they can log into a specific program where I post exclusive content and ask them questions. So like The Collective voted on my album artwork for the last two albums and like where they think we should tour, what the first radio single should be, that kind of stuff and that’s kind of kept people really involved in like my career and vice versa. I think that that’s been really helpful and since the beginning I wasn’t sure that people would continue to reinvest in the next project or the next album that kind of thing but they really have which has been awesome and they’ve spread the word to friends and it has really kind help create that loyalty.

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    MMC: That’s great. I think we’ll start seeing a lot more of that kind of fan base building.

    JK: Yeah, I think so. I launched it before Kickstarter even came out and then when Kickstarter came out I was like oh that will sort of become like what The Collective is on a bigger scale. Whats sort of surprising that they haven’t done yet is kind of create the community. Kickstarter is just like a project-to-project kind of thing, where they help you  make that one record and then that’s it and then hopefully they’ll go to Facebook or sign up for your email list or something like that but The Collective is about a long term community to create loyal fans. So even like we’re doing the Indie GoGo campaign for the next record but everyone who contributes gets a part in the collective so we can keep it evolved for the long term.

    GS: When you first jammed with The Options was it a “love at first jam” kind of a thing or did it take some time? How did you know they were right for you?

    JK: Its been an interesting journey with the options. Looking at The Options as they are now are the solidified Options. My bass player and drummer, Dan and Rhees have been with me really since the beginning. Rhees for almost 3 years and Dan for like 2 and a half years. And then our keyboard, accordian and electric guitar player Killian and Zach. They’ve been with us for about 6 months. So they are the newer Options. Rhees I met when I was first looking to form a band. He was playing with this other girl in the area who actually wanted to be on The Voice and then they had a falling out. I met him at a mutual friends party right as they were falling out and we just hit it off. He was surprised to have a band leader who treated him well and shared the money and shared everything with him. Then Dan came on shortly after through the Northampton music scene we kind of saw him and brought him on and then we had a different keyboard piano player for a while which was he was incredibly talented but we had kind of a lesson learned that personality goes a long way in a band. It’s about both talent and personality and if personality goes askew then things can not be the greatest on the road. So we made some changes and brought on a few new members who were both really awesome people and killer musicians and its been the best setup we’ve ever had and I think at shows we displace that energy as well.

    GS: Cool, yeah we can definitely hear it in your sound.

    JK: Cool! That’s the goal. Yeah, when you’re on the road you really want to be with people who you like and connect with. It really comes through in your music. If there’s bad energy there that will come through as well.

    MMC: Your last album Navigation had a fresh Americana twang to it. What can we expect from your new, evolved sound?

    JK: Its sort of taking that and pushing it. The idea behind the record is Brian Eno producing Bruce Springsteen. That’s sort of the vibe we’re gonna go for. We’ve got a couple chops that we’re pretty excited for so far. Its gonna be really kind of roots rock vibe, really song focused.

    GS: Definitely like the sound of that.

    MMC: As you grow as an artist, do you feel as if your songwriting process has evolved?

    JK: Yeah yeah I really do. When I began I was interested in song writing and when I wrote my first one I was like wow this is sounding really cool, boom done. But I’ve become a lot more picky in my songwriting now. I want every lyric to kick ass and if it doesn’t, I won’t release it.

    GS: It’s really cool that you have a lot of different work experiences under your belt, you were reviewing craft breweries for Two Foot Media nearly five years ago…was that something fun you just decided to do?

    JK: Well I went to Babson in Boston. The focus is on entrepreneurship there and I kind of learned just a different way of viewing the world. Entrepreneurship allows you to turn what you love into a career or business which is fundamentally what I’m doing with music and I’ve always had a big love for Microbrew and in college a friend of mine and I decided we wanted to go on a road trip across the U.S. and sample different brews and so we convinced the magazine to hire us and we reviewed all the breweries across country and put together article on them. If you love something you can always figure out a way to make money doing it.

    GS: Well we couldn’t help but notice that you’re known as a “mischief maker”. Where did that title come from? What mischief have you been making?

    JK: Ha, yeah I’ve always been a mischief maker. That was kind of coined this one time when I dressed up in a costume and planted my first CD in 172 Starbucks stores in Manhattan. The video for Mischief Man films all that. So that’s where it came from and I’m always causing little bits of mischief on the road and thinking of new ways to promote shows. For example we’ll go into like the nearest restaurant and start playing with a sign that says we’re playing tonight and then just take off. Usually we confuse people and also attract some attention. We are also playing for SXSW and we have an RV that we’re gonna drive around and party in and do flash concerts.

    MMC: Very cool. Sounds like fun. Do you miss your family while you’re on tour though?

    JK: Definitely. But I’ve sort of gotten used to it. I’m really good up until three weeks. At three weeks I start to get a little homesick. I love life on the road but you do miss home sometimes. Northampton is a great home to come back to as well. When I’m out on the road I’m always looking for a place that’s cooler than Northhampton and I haven’t found too many.

    GS: So what’s it like opening for The Wood Brothers?

    JK: Yeah I mean they’re fuckin’ awesome. They’re so good. And they’re really good guys too. Just unbelievably talented as I’m sure you know but also equally as nice. Rhees has worshipped Chris Wood since he was growing up so the first time they met Rhees was really nervous but they totally ended up hitting it off and Chris turns Rhees on to they’re great players and they push us both to be better players.

    MMC: Who is your favorite contemporary artist?

    JK: I’m really liking Milo Green, Churchill, and First Aid Kit are like the three bands that are getting a lot of iPod time with me right now. I’m sort of on this like female male singer combo thing. But i’m always bumping like Ray Lamontagne.

    GS: Is there any advice you can offer young musicians about the industry?

    JK: Yeah I would say if you want to be a musician you have to be willing to work your ass off. Its so competitive and the market is so flooded with musicians you really have to work your ass off and want it  to get yourself out there. Otherwise I would say just put yourself out there like just do it. A lot of people ask me “How do I book shows?” How do I play shows?” and I always tell them really you just have to do it. Get out there, go to the venue, talk to people. The only way anythings going to happen is if you just take action and do it.

    Make sure to catch Jamie Kent open for The Wood Brothers on Saturday, the 23rd of February at The Westcott Theater!

  • V for Vanderbuilts: Syracuse based Pop/Rock band release New Single “I Wish I Was A Saber Toothed Tiger”

    Amidst all the mushy releases that make single people want to stick a fork in their eye around Valentine’s Day, it is absurdly appropriate for The Vanderbuilts to release their single, “I Wish I Was A Saber Toothed Tiger” on February 14th. There is something dreamlike about their sound that you can’t quite place your finger upon. Whether it’s the soothing pizzicato of Yamamoto’s violin or the energy of lead singer Kogon’s elusive-yet-lingering vocals,  The Vanderbuilts take you to another world, far, far away from the Hallmark clichés.

    Inspired by Werner Herzog’s 2010 masterpiece, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the band’s new album, What We Forget puts a fresh spin on ancient sounds and images. Their music video by Sessa Lund, uses a combination of claymation and stop motion to depict a clay figure transforming into various animals but never quite reaching the goal of becoming a saber toothed tiger. “I Wish I Was A Saber Toothed Tiger” wraps us in a strange yet familiar sound, waiting impatiently for what’s to come. Music & Lyrics by Sam Kogon; Engineered, Mixed and Produced by Jay Newland

    The Vanderbuilts are Sam Kogon, Dave Riddell, Max Newland, Aya Yamamoto and Grennan Milliken. “I Wish I Was a Saber Tooth Tiger” features Finnegan Shanahan on Violin; string arrangements by Aya Yamamoto and Finnegan Shanahan. Website Twitter Facebook Youtube

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  • LAESTRYGONIA, BENEATH THE WORDS and more in Geneva on Feb 23rd

    The Headless Sullivan Theater in Geneva, NY Presents: Laestrygonia, Beneath the Words, Divinex, Plague Mask and They Exist on February 23rd for only 5 bucks for 5 bands.  Doors at 5, Show at 6.

    Laestrygonia Make sure to show up early to check out the ambitious triple-axis guitar threat of Laestrygonia. They power out a melodic and rhythmic intricacy that earns them the right to borrow their name from the Homerian epic The Odyssey.  While “Laestrygonia” may not easily roll off your tongue, you’ll perfect it soon enough, as you tell your friends about the up-and-coming band that you caught, and they missed. Or better yet, bring them with you. www.facebook.com/laestrygonia

    Beneath The Words At times smooth, at others raw and primal, but always engaged and unpredictable, Beneath The Words will deliver the full spectrum of auditory experience. Feed off the energy resonating between the dual guitars and the gut-clenching vocals. Let the driving bass and drums bombard your innards. They switch seamlessly from in-your-face assault into meticulous coiling lines. Be prepared for immersion; Beneath The Words is not a spectator sport. www.facebook.com/beneaththewords

    Divinex

    Serving up a full-bodied journey into the moody, ambient realms of metal, Divinex will serve as your capable tour-guide. Divinex spotlights the organic nature of the genre, letting it build and grow before your ears until it surrounds you in all of its lush textures. But don’t let the word “lush” fool you; they will still peel your face off when all of their forces converge. Buckle up and take a loud, heady trip with Divinex. https://www.facebook.com/divinexband

    Plague Mask

    Sinister, suspenseful, and hypnotic, Plague Mask will give you beautiful nightmares. It has been said that E minor is the saddest key; Plague Mask has discovered the eeriest key. Tapping into the most basic of musical emotion, the tension and expectancy of their music triggers your adrenaline release. Their steady, sobering thrum will stalk you relentlessly. Resistance is futile; Plague Mask will infect you.  https://www.facebook.com/PlagueMask315

    They Exist

    Some bands embrace several different styles and genres throughout a show. They Exist does it in the span of a song. Every song. Following in the tradition of other power trios, They Exist makes you forget that the wall of sound filling the room is coming from a band of three. Even for a full blown quintet, though, the dizzying musical gymnastics of They Exist is a display you will not want to miss. https://www.facebook.com/TheyExistTheBand

  • Interview with Burlington, Vermont based singer-songwriter, Justin Levinson, playing The Westcott Theater on February 24th

    The promising Burlington, Vermont-based singer-songwriter Justin Levinson chats with Gauraa and Morgan about his trajectory as a musician–from the good ol’ Berklee days spent playing gigs at the All Asia Cafe to his upcoming tour with Aaron Carter.

    Mary Morgan Craig: Your music is an interesting combination of country, pop, and rock. How would you best describe the influences that led to that?

    Justin Levinson: I think most of my music right now is in the power-pop genre but when I spent some time out in Nashville a couple years ago, I was really inspired by a lot of the music that was out there and one of my friends gave me an Elton John record called Tumbleweed Connection and it just turned out to be a really influential record for me. That’s one of Elton John’s records that had some country influence on it and it was piano driven as well.

    MMC: We can definitely hear that in your music.

    Gauraa Shekhar: Yes, for sure. We read that you went to Berklee College of Music. What did you major in while you were at Berklee?

    Justin Levinson: Well, I started out as Jazz Trumpet and then I changed over and did songwriting. It was more like School of Rock than normal college.

    GS: I’d imagine!

    MMC: Do you think the Boston music scene helped you grow as an artist? I’m from Boston, by the way.

    Justin Levinson: Yeah, definitely. Going to Berklee was great because I was around incredible, awesome peers who were great musicians and I got to learn a lot from them. I also played a lot of the local clubs like The Middle East. I actually started out playing at the All Asia Cafe, which is kind of the place to start when you’re in Boston and you know, all your friends have to buy a drink and everything. It was small and no one actually went there so it was mostly just students playing, ha. I kind of worked my way up from there to playing bigger venues like Great Scott. I feel like I  played every venue in the city until I worked my way up playing at The Paradise.

    MMC: Nice. The Paradise is such a gorgeous venue! I would have been so pumped to have played there.

    Justin Levinson: Yeah, it was a real privilege and now actually, when I’m not on tour with a bigger headliner, I go frequently back to the Lizard Lounge, which is in Cambridge. Ha, you probably know the spots. Where are you from in Boston?

    MMC: I’m from a little town right outside of Boston, actually, called Boxford.  I mean, there’s nothing going on there so we go to Boston all the time.

    Justin Levinson: Ah, nice. Yeah, Boston’s great!

    GS: It’s pretty interesting you say that because you went straight from Boston back to Burlington, Vermont, which you described as the “one horse town”. What inspired that?

    Justin Levinson: Well, originally, I had been interested in moving to Nashville. A lot of my friends were thinking about moving out there and I was pretty certain that I was going to move out there–not just because of music but also because this girl I was chasing was moving out there, and since that didn’t work out, I pulled an audible and said I’m gonna move to Los Angeles. Ha, and I ended up not moving to Los Angeles. Then, my final choice was New York City but New York City just wasn’t for me. I mean, I loved visiting but it moved a little too fast for me and I just really loved the people in Vermont as well as the quality of life and I was able to do enough touring to be able to make my confections in the music industry on the road and be able to not have to kind of live in the chaos in the big, urban music meccas.

    MMC: Ha, good! So you described your latest album, This Side of Me, as feel good heartache. How’d you come up with that?

    JL: Yeah. Basically, I was making a record that was filled with a lot of heartache but at the same time I wanted to keep it a little lighthearted for listeners and I didn’t wanna make kind of a woe-is-me record. Also, I was really aware that making a concept album about heartache is probably the most overdone topic so I realized that it was important for me to put a twist on it. I tried to have a little sense of humor–kind of heart-on-sleeve, using simple metaphors and silly euphemisms…just kind of playful stuff, ha.

    GS: Well you did a good job because we definitely liked it! People say musicians write music most when they’re either falling in love or falling out of love. Would you agree with that statement?

    JL: Yeah, definitely! Love alone is like the number one topic in most songs and I think when an artist is writing from the heart, its definitely one of the pretty intriguing concepts, I think.

    MMC: You have experimented with your sound quite a bit over the past years. How did you end up with The Valcours?

    JL: Well, I spent a lot of time playing with session musicians and there’s a big difference when you’re playing with session musicians as opposed to when you’re playing with a band. Session musicians have higher guns and technically you don’t let them into your world as far as writing and ideas are concerned. It’s kind of like you’re showing up to work for the artist, basically. I work that way a lot because I’ve been in bands in the past and it hadn’t really worked out for me. When I met the guys that are in my band now, we just really got along well and we would have dinner together before we would practice and we would totally talk about our troubles and there was this ‘bromance’ going on and I thought to myself maybe I won’t let the jaded past of the band thing haunt me and give this band a chance and let them in a little bit. It really made a big difference  because it let me listen to other people’s ideas for once instead of my own. If you don’t work with people who trust you enough, you end up writing the same song over and over and over again but if you listen to four people in the band, someone could be like, ‘Hey man, you’ve already done those four chord changes a few times. Why don’t we try this instead?’ It might be hurtful at first to listen to but it definitely makes you grow as a musician. I think anyone that thinks they can do everything on their own, all DIY and all, is at a setback. In the music industry, it’s always good to listen to other people.

    GS: Well said. As musicians, we are consistently trying to find “our sound”. Would you say you’ve find your sound with your new backing band?

    JL: Yeah, I think I’ve found a sound but one thing with me is that I get really bored playing one kind of sound so I don’t know if I can make that a final answer. I mean, look at The Beatles, they never made the same record twice. They had some similarities, yeah, but they went from “She Loves You” to “Let it Be”, you know. I’m hoping that I’ll achieve that kind of growth and maturity if I keep it up.

    MMC: Yeah, we’re excited to hear more.  Your song “City With Two Lights” sat tight on CMJ charts for quite a while, granting you nation-wide exposure. Would you recommend artists like yourself to leverage themselves at conferences like that?

    JL: Yeah, I think college radio is a great thing for independent artists. I learned a lot about the industry by doing that as I had to build relationships with people. One of the best piece of advice that I got was from a friend who worked for WERF, which is the Emerson College radio station, and he was actually a DJ there and he suggested putting in a personal note in with my press kit when I sent them out to colleges because college DJs get so many press kits so it needs to have something that separates you from the pack and makes you go, “alright, Justin Levinson is a human ‘being’.

    GS: We do get a lot of press kits, that’s true! A personal note can make all the difference.

    JL: Yeah, that was really a cool thing and I started writing notes to DJs and build authentic relationships with these people who I’m still in touch with today. I would say for artists coming up, that’s an important thing to do because people you meet as you’re rising are very important. Kids that were DJs at WERF are now working at Columbia Records.

    GS: Yeah, hopefully that’ll be us in a few years.

    JL: Ha, definitely!

    GS: Okay, so, how did you end up as an opening act for Aaron Carter?

    JL: Well, that’s actually a good question. I don’t really know all the details about how that came to be but in November I signed with new management and since then I’ve been working with artists like Aaron Carter. I also toured last fall with Tyler Hilton. He’s actually in the cast of One Tree Hill.

    GS: Oh, wow, that’s amazing. Tyler’s really good, I have his records and everything.

    JL: Yeah, his new record is really good and he’s possibly the nicest guy I’ve ever met, too. He’s totally an authentic dude and the first show I jumped on on tour, he introduced me to all his friends and you know, every time I’d play he’d mention my name three times to the crowd. It was a great experience, really. I think the new management is opening up a lot of doors for me. Hopefully, I’ll be doing a lot more stuff like this in the future!

    GS: Oh, sure.

    MMC: So when you’re writing, do you keep a certain demographic in mind?

    JL: I don’t really think I ever really thought about it but you know, recently, with the Tyler Hilton and Aaron Carter tours, I definitely think about it a little more. During the Tyler Hilton tour, it was like 300-500 screaming young girls every night, which was crazy and something I wasn’t used to but when I write, I want to have every age group and gender have some sort of experience where they can relate to the music. I think I have a pretty good perspective right now. I’m 27 so I’ve still got some sort of teenage angst in me but I’m also kind of an adult now  and been into college for a while so I think I can kind of balance out a lot of age groups. Well, I hope I can at least. I mean I’m wishful that a lot of different age groups would enjoy my music.

    GS: With the growing EDM scene, what do you see happening to the future of the power-pop/ singer-songwriter genre?

    JL: You know, I’m not really sure, I think with the power-pop stuff that I’m doing right now, there always seems to be a market for it, you know, I aspire to be as successful as bands like fun. Nate Reuss is kind of one of my heroes, he’s around my age right now and he’s been doing this power-pop thing for a long time and it seems like it all has worked out for him. I think if artists are able to be as creative as him and really combine a lot of really cool things like hip-hop, power-pop, and  even some of those marching band kind of rhythms that he kind of sampled, it would be a great feature for the indie, power pop market.

    MMC: Do you think that you will incorporate anything like that in your music?

    JL: I would love to keep experimenting, you know. My drummer right now has a sampler and we use a sampler for our drum beats and use real drums over them. I’m always up for doing different things. It would be really cool to try to fuse those things.

    GS: Very cool. Is there a specific songwriting process that is your default? Like, do you write the melody first or the lyrics? Or does it vary from time to time?

    JL: You’re asking really good questions! These are really thoughtful, I appreciate it.

    GS and MMC: Why, thank you!

    JL: Yeah, I mean, I’m kind of the dude that plays on the piano with the melody in his head. The lyrics kind of come after, I guess. Usually it comes after playing the piano and guitar. You got to kind of see what the mood is like if it’s a minor chord progression, then it might be a sadder topic. If it’s major, then it might be a happier topic. If it’s kind of transitioning between major and minor, it is likely that it’s going to be bittersweet. I guess that would be my process for the most part.

    MMC: Cool. So, in the video for “I Was So Wrong”, what inspired the ballerina in the video?

    JL: Well, one of the things I do besides playing music is a lot of social work. I work with people in development of disabilities and one of the things  we do is we volunteer at a lot of different places and I volunteer at the main society at Burlington, Vermont and one of the women that works there had told me that she was a dancer and I said, ‘Well, I kind of have this circusey idea for this song and it would be cool to have a ballerina dancing in the background as my muse.’

    MMC: Well, it looked good!

    JL: Yeah, I’d say it worked out fairly well.

    GS: Do you find yourself using social media at all to stay connected to fans?

    JL: Yeah, definitely. The whole DIY thing is great and I can’t speak for every songwriter but I have not  reached the pinnacle of my career yet but I think being all DIY is an impossible feat in music so it’s important for me to have a lot of help. Even though I’m not with a major label, I have a publicist, a booking agent, a college booking agent, a licensing company, that puts a lot of stuff together for me but I still spend endless time doing the whole social media thing. A lot of publicity these days is doing social media. PR campaigns are all about reaching out to bloggers and podcasts. It’s all about networking, really. It’s a big social networking game and I spend a lot of time doing that. Even though I have this team, I love talking to fans and friends and everything, but sometimes I’m like, “I really want to be writing a song right now” instead of sitting on my Twitter page and what not. It’s really all about balance. If I can do both, it makes me a happy camper.

    MMC: Awesome!

    GS: We loved having you on our show.

    JL: It was a pleasure, really. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. Hopefully I’ll see you guys at the show!

    GS: Oh definitely, we have our tickets.

    JL: Nice! You should come in and introduce yourselves, it would be fun to chat a little bit.

    GS: We’d love to!

    MMC: Thanks and have a great night!

    JL: You, too!

    Make sure to catch Justin Levinson open for Aaron Carter at the Westcott Theater on the 24th of February!

    To listen to this interview with Justin Levinson, tune into The Laura and Meg Show via iTunes Radio on Wednesday, February 20th at 11pm! Just click on “Radio” on the menu bar at the top of your iTunes Library. From there click College Radio> Syracuse University>WERW. Or simply head over to SoundCloud

  • Danny Avila at The Westcott Theater, February 4th

    After a set chock-full of massive club bangers from the  tattooed Mikael Weermets, 17- year old DJ Danny Avila emerged from backstage at The Westcott Theater last Monday night with an edgy new haircut (literally edgy, it was quite spiky) and a pair of Studio Pro Beats by Dre around his neck. Once the crowd recognized him they went absolutely nuts despite having been pretty wild already. Mikael Weermets had already gotten people to form dance circles and at that point I had already seen two 28 year-old men booty drop, which is two more than anyone should ever see. Weermets suavely transitioned into “Snapbacks & Tattoos” by Driicky Graham while he did the equipment switcheroo with Avila.

    When Danny finally got situated at the table with his three Pioneer players and mixer he faded out of “Snapbacks” and the crowd really got ready to jump. Avila has been playing a residency at Pacha in Ibiza so it came as no surprise that he knew how to put hands in the air, but what sets him apart from other DJs is his energy. Throughout the show you could see how much he truly loves making people dance. It shined right through his Bieberesque smile. He was literally glowing with passion, and it had nothing to do with his Spanish tan or the crazy light show. The light show was pretty impressive though and in addition DJ DBerrie, Krill was in the house along with Mikael Weermets who hung out on the stage to throw stickers and shower the crowd in champagne.

    During the set he dropped a handful of massive tracks by Knife Party, including “Rage Valley”, “Power Glove” and an interesting  trap remix of “Internet Friends” which he got everyone hyped up for by transitioning in with the intro guitar riff of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. A few other songs he used for epic transitions  were Deadmau5’s “What The Fuck”, where he slyly mixed  in the vocals, “They know what is what but they don’t know what is what” during  the track,and the infamous “1, 2, Woop, Woop!” from the track “WARP” by The Bloody Beetroots and Steve Aoki which was a huge crowd-pleaser.  What I appreciated most about his set was its versatility.  In addition to surprising the crowd with classics like “Jump Around” by House of Pain and “Zombie Nation” by Kernkraft 400, he showcased every spectrum of EDM, from Dubstep to Trap to Moombahton and Dance to House. I really feel bad for anyone who missed this show.

    Some tracks he played that I strongly suggest for your listening/download pleasure include: “Say My Name” by Porter Robinson, “Raise Your Weapon” by Deadmau5, “Goin in’” (Skrillex Goin in’ Hard Mix) by Birdy Nam Nam, “Go Deep” by Neoteric & Wax Motif, “Rukus” by Valentino Khan & Will Bailey, “Animal Rights” by Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner, “Atom” by Nari & Milani, “Pursuit of Happiness” (Steve Aoki remix) by Kid Cudi, and “Heads Will Roll” (A-Trak Remix) by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

    Danny Avila Twitter, Website and Soundcloud

    Check out his bangin new single “Breaking Your Fall”

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iftO6DYT1_E&w=420&h=315]

  • CLUTCH Release “Earth Rocker” Lyric Video – Set to play Syracuse in April

    CLUTCH’s first ever lyric video for the song “Earth Rocker” is in and can be viewed here. The video was created by Ramon Boutviseth and his team at Studio RB Films.

    The sold-out and extremely successful European leg of the Earth Rocker world tour is coming to a close. A recent review from Metal Hammer UK from their gig at KOKO can be viewed here.

    CLUTCH’s new album Earth Rocker is available for pre-order exclusively at http://www.clutchmerch.com. Fans can pre-order the record individually or partake in the special fan-friendly bundle packages that are being offered. WEATHERMAKER MUSIC has confirmed a March 19, 2013 North American release date for theCLUTCH Earth Rocker CD and Vinyl.

    CLUTCH will kick off the first leg of the Earth Rocker North American tour March 8th in Cincinnati, OH and it runs through April 20th in Baltimore, MD. CLUTCH will be Upstate New York at the Westcott in Syracuse on April 15th.  Support on the tour will come from Orange Goblin, and Lionize. Unfortunately our friends Kyng will not be able to be with us on this tour. Please visit their website for additional information.

    Fans can keep up on the progress of Earth Rocker by visiting the new website www.earthrocker.com. The website is a hub dedicated to all things Earth Rocker. Fans can expect to see frequent updates including photos, videos from the studio, song title announcements and samples of new songs.

    Earth Rocker North American Tour

    • 3/8: Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s – Tickets
    • 3/9: Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works – Tickets
    • 3/10: Sauget, IL @ Pop’s – Tickets
    • 3/11: Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom – Tickets
    • 3/12: Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom – Tickets
    • 3/14: Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom – Tickets
    • 3/15: Austin, TX @ SXSW
    • 3/16: Austin, TX @ SXSW
    • 3/18: Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep – Tickets
    • 3/19: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot – Tickets
    • 3/21: Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues – Tickets
    • 3/22: Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee – Tickets
    • 3/23: Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Café Las Vegas Strip – Tickets
    • 3/24: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues – Tickets
    • 3/26: San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom – Tickets
    • 3/27: Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory – Tickets
    • 3/29: Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market – Tickets
    • 3/30: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater – Tickets
    • 3/31: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory Concert House – Tickets
    • 4/1: Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theater – Tickets
    • 4/2: Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House – Tickets
    • 4/3: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom – Tickets
    • 4/5: Calgary, AB @ Flames Central – Tickets
    • 4/6: Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre – Tickets
    • 4/7: Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall – Tickets
    • 4/9: Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre – Tickets
    • 4/10: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue – Tickets
    • 4/11: Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s – Tickets
    • 4/12: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues – Tickets
    • 4/13: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room – Tickets
    • 4/15: Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater – Tickets 
    • 4/16: New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place – Tickets
    • 4/18: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy – Tickets
    • 4/19: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE – Indoor – Tickets
    • 4/20: Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live – Tickets

    Follow CLUTCH on Twitter @ClutchOfficial

    Like CLUTCH on Facebook

  • Lotus Interview and Review: January 30th at the Westcott Theater

    Lotus, the notorious EDM act-turned-jamband played a solid sold-out show at The Westcott Theater on a Wednesday, January 30th, making quite the comeback with their tenth album, The Build. The band continues to enchant listeners as they genre-bend their way into an idiosyncratic combination of funk and EDM, proving to be more relevant now than ever.

     

    Before the show, I got the chance to talk to Jesse Miller, the bassist and sampler for the band.

    Gauraa Shekhar: Your new record The Build is recorded live to analog. How did that come along considering the wide range of instrumentation?

    Jesse Miller: We have been following the process over the last few years. It is a classic 70s thing, you know—with basic tracks and everything.

    GS: That’s really cool. In The Build the rich texture really comes through, especially in songs like “Middle Road”. How do you guys produce music within a budget without compromising the quality?

    Jesse Miller: Most of it was done by myself and Luke. We rehearsed the process before we went into the studio and relied on a lot of software to help us. So we didn’t waste time and money on extra studio hours.

    GS: That’s very practical. What kind of a demographic are you catering to with such genre-bending music? Is it easier to find the venue that matches your sound or do you have to pay special attention to it?

    JM: I don’t think there is a specific demographic that we cater to but venues are definitely important. We aim for high-energy shows. Sometimes, we play for a younger crowd but there really is no specific age.

    GS: Performing live is obviously a great aspect of your music. How do you mix it up on stage to keep the audience entranced . . . I mean, besides the lights of course.

    JM: Improvisation, for sure. We try to mix it up by changing the instruments and arranging the songs a little differently.

    GS: Since you guys incorporate a lot of computer generated digital sounds in your music, how do you put a different spin on it whilst performing live?

    JM: There are certain things that are important to pull out of line…sometimes, we play around with the melody and sometimes we change up the instruments. We also trigger samples on stage.

    GS: Oh, wow! Well, what is it like having a 47 days tour?

    JM: 47 days in a tour can be hectic. But it allows us to develop a sound and a rapport.

    GS: I’m sure. Bands have issues but you guys seem to stuck together as a band through all these years. What are some of the main things that glue you guys together?

    JM: Well, it’s mostly the work ethic and the drive. We’ve been at this for such a long time and we’re really passionate about the music.

    GS: As are we! Looking forward to seeing you in ’Cuse on the 30th, Jesse!

    JM: Looking forward to the show!

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg8giAkXJjA]

    As promised, Lotus gave those looking to get a high-energy head start to their weekend more than what they had bargained for. As I walked straight off the campus to their venue, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had walked straight into a Tim Burton set with all its entailing paraphernalia. I watched inebriated girls in princess costumes flail their way to the front row and men leaping out of crumbling bathroom doors with glowing light sabers. The night was fecund with possibilities  as if anything could happen. Excited fans drove in all the way from Rochester and Watertown, yelling out to anybody willing to listen: “This is the fourth time I’m seeing them perform”, “I just watched their show in New York last week” and “They just keep getting better each time”.  It was more than evident that Lotus’ electronica sound sustained their fan base over a span of fourteen years. And let me tell you, the infamous interplay of stage lights was only the beginning. Only a band like Lotus could turn a dance party into a religious experience. Lotus fueled the room with time-transcending energy and a motley crowd checked their baggage at the door, walked in, simply wrapped their heads around the music— and let their hair down.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2r7NY_Ra3s]

  • Band Profile: LOWKEY

    I had the opportunity to sit down with Lowkey (Newark, NY) this weekend at Fusion in Syracuse, and got down and dirty with them. For those of you who don’t know them, where have you been? They got together in 2003 when metal was making its triumphant comeback. They have not changed their style, nor succumbed to big management… yet. Through many line-up changes, these guys have not stopped pushing one bit. The changes they say “were for the better of the band”, which I would have to agree with. They always impress, and out of a fluke of chance encounters, they have formed a solid metal orchestra.

    image

    The thing I enjoy about the metal scene is the realism of it. You say to a band “Hey, I’d like to interview you for a feature”, and they say “come on out to our van, we will smoke, drink some beers and talk”. That, to me is the brotherhood the other scenes are lacking right now.

    The band currently consists of Sean Augustus, “Pickles” (Brian Belcher), Jay, and Matt Huff. The members are spread out over Upstate New York. As Matt explained, “the professionalism of the band is what has kept them together over the years, they have all done side projects in other bands that didn’t work out, but they are all very passionate about this band.” Lowkey has a little bit of thrash, “stoner” metal, and death metal mixed into one bag. What else is stashed away in the bag, I’m not saying. Among their influences are Lamb Of God, Godsmack, In Flames, Led Zeppelin, Deftones and even The Grateful Dead.

    When they write a new song, it starts with a simple jam, and they build off it. Each of their members write their own parts in the process. The band mates also own Hage Entertainment together, which brings bands from the neighboring states to Upstate NY every summer to celebrate Hage Fest. This coming summer marks the 7th year in a row that they have at least 100 submissions to play. They started the festival for the sake of the scene. They wanted to help the other bands in the metal/hardcore scene to have some place and a crowd to play in front of and gain exposure. During the interview, they continued to let their very loyal fans into their van, to witness the interview, along with sharing a few beers and good times. I asked them about their upcoming release, Forward. With two albums already under their belts, Backstabber and Red Moon, Forward promises to be their most brutal release to date. They record at Nitro Blast Studios with the respected Jeff Barrett engineering and producing the albums. They have known Jeff for most of their careers in music. He has a knack for being able to capture the “Lowkey” sound. The Studio is located in Geneva NY, a backroom studio, described by the members of Lowkey as being “one of the best recording studios in the state.”

    The boys in Lowkey shared with me some of the highlights of their last tour in 2012, as Sean said “crashin’ and ridin’”. With great support by fans, letting them crash at their homes and feeding them so they didn’t starve. But the most memorable moment was probably when Pickles crashed their brand “new” 1979 van. Luckily, no one was hurt, and they look back and laugh about the incident now. During their 2010 tour in Texas, a bartender after a gig gave them a case of vitamin water to help them survive on the road for a couple of days. Along the way they’ve meet some of their personal heroes, too. They genuinely appreciate their fans that sometimes send money on tours, and radio stations like The Metallic Onslaught that give them playtime. They’ve tried big management, but have found they like having complete control over what they do and how they do it. However for the right price they might think about making another deal. Jay says “he does this for the fun.”
    Lowkey is a very tight-knit family that helps each other during the tough times and celebrates the good times. Be on the lookout for Forward to be released between March and April. They really strived to make the album as close as you can get to catching them live. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you can find them at www.facebook.com/lowkeyny and www.reverbnation.com/lowkeyny. For booking info go to www.facebook.com/hageentertainment.

  • Interview with 17-year-old EDM Sensation, DJ Danny Avila

    It the midst of a cold Thursday night in the Windy City, the 17-year-old EDM sensation Danny Avila hops off his plane and into an interview with Morgan and Gauraa from to dish on his US tour, Fedde le Grand and his new haircut!

    Mary Morgan Craig: When did you fall in love with house music and was there a first track that got you enamored with the genre?

    Danny Avila: Um, I don’t know, I was probably like 12 years old, and I was still listening to other music genres like R&B and stuff and probably the track I heard for the first time that made me go like, “wow, what kind of music is this?” was Put Your Hands Up For Detroit by Fedde le Grand.

    Gauraa Shekhar: That’s a great track! What was it like to have Pete Tong open his essential selection with Breaking Your Fall?

    DA: Wow, that was crazy! I had no idea at all. I was just checking my Twitter and I was just getting messages from people saying, “wow, Pete Tong played your track” and I just called my manager and he was like, “Pete Tong just played it–it’s massive”. I couldn’t believe it, it was crazy.

    MMC: I bet, I would have the chills, too. It’s amazing that you have already had three residencies. Did you have a favorite residency? And why was it your favorite?

    DA: I would say the residency at Pacha, Ibiza. Probably because I have been following Tiestö since I was 13 years old. You know, for me, it has always been a dream to perform with him and get the chance to share food with him and be part of his family. It was incredible.

    GS: That’s so cool. Is it Amba Shepherd who does the vocals on Breaking Your Fall?

    DA: (Laughs) No, no, it’s not her. She’s a vocalist from Holland but you know, she’s working on different projects right now and she didn’t want to appear in the title.

    MMC: How do you choose the tracks for your set?

    DA: That’s a really good question! You know, I have so many tracks. I mean, my library is huge. I always arrive at the venue a little bit earlier…about half an hour earlier so I can feel the vibe a little bit. I see how it goes. I don’t usually come in prepared with the titles that I will play that night.

    MMC:  Does that make you nervous?

    DA: I’m never nervous, I’m always excited!

    MMC: So you’re just a natural born DJ then, ha.

    GS: Is there a DJ that you would love to get the chance to meet that you haven’t met yet?

    DA: I have met a lot of artists but one person that I really, really, really want to meet is probably Skrillex because, you know, he’s so talented. His music is just awesome and   he’s been a big influence on me.

    MMC: That’s great. I would have assumed that you’d already met him because he’s so popular. Do you have a favorite music blog? How do you find new music?

    DA: The website that I regularly access is Billboard. I check it everyday to see what’s going on but also, I get a lot of promos…a lot of friends who are producers also send me tracks that are not released yet. Then I have a couple of blogs like the Cow House Mafia. They’re pretty cool.

    GS: Do you have any advice for aspiring DJs?

    DA: Yes, of course. There is so much going on right now. Especially in the states, it’s crazy, there are so many parties and usually about five DJs on a Friday night in New York. There are also a lot of producers out there so my advice is to be unique and have your own personality. Just try to do what they want and not be what they want you to be.

    MMC: When did you get your first equipment and what did you get?

    DA: It was ridiculous, ha. It was a super cheap small consoler which cost me about $45-50. I don’t remember the name but it was like Erklos NK2 or something. It was nothing, really. At that point, I didn’t even know how to mix tracks with that but I was so happy and I enjoyed it so much. I spent so many hours trying to improve a little bit. I used to teach tennis when I was 12 or 13 so I could earn enough money to buy Pioneer C800 on eBay. That was basically how I improved my skills. I practiced for hours and hours.

    GS: Have you ever changed a song in a set based on how the audience was reacting?

    DA: Yeah, well, I kind of have my own style of playing. I mean, every DJ has their own way of playing. If the audience wants commercial shit, I will play commercial music with my own sound in the sense of dropping more vocals or whatever.

    MMC: That’s very cool. What do you think is the craziest/weirdest fan experience you’ve ever had?

    DA: (Laughs). I was kind of trapped in Spain last year and two girls went to the booth totally drunk and crazy. They jumped to the booth and broke the mixer. It was crazy. The staff had to go get a new mixer.

    GS: Yeah, I’d be pissed, too! So how does it feel to be playing Ultra this year?

    DA: I can tell you a quick story, actually. When I started DJing, Fedde Le Grand was one of my biggest inspirations. He even has a ten minute documentary on YouTube about Ultra and I was like, “man, the day that I play a main stage or whatever, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world” and then I didn’t now I was playing ultra and my manager hadn’t told me yet and he had no idea. I was checking my Twitter and I got so many mentions and I was like, “no way”. I was almost crying. I was so happy.

    MMC: I’m glad! That’s so insane. So who are your biggest musical influences? Was it always house music or did your parents bring you up on something else?

    DA: I listen to and love so many different music genres. I play a bit of electro but I also listen to Maja Jean who is a big House music producer. She is amazing. Also, Solo Moon is a house producer whom I love.

    MMC: I love listening to your sets because they have a lot of the popular songs and also a lot of the deep cuts and now other people can pull that off really well.

    GS: Do you ever get nervous in front of so many people at festivals?

    DA: Um, not really nervous…but sometimes I get butterflies in my stomach and you know, sometimes I get really really excited. The five minutes before my set, I go nuts. It’s like getting really excited.

    MMC: Where you see EDM as a genre going?

    DA: That’s a very hard question because in the last year and a half, it blew up and now it’s blowing up even more. It’s changing a lot and there are so many producers coming up as well. I hope it continues to grow bigger.

    GS: What are your plans for the rest of the year?

    DA: I have a remix for Skylar Gray coming up in six days. I did a remix with my friend and it’s dub step. I also have new original Danny Avila track coming out and then I have this crazy tour this month in the states. Also, Coachella with Tiesto and my Ibiza season tour this year. I don’t know, I guess just working on music and playing!

    GS: That sounds great! Have you ever been to Upstate New York before or would this be your first time?

    DA: This would be my first time! I’m so excited!

    MMC: Well welcome! Bring a jacket!

    DA: Thank you, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

    MMC: Well what do you think of the touring life? Traveling all the time?

    DA: Well, you don’t start traveling every single day in the beginning. I started with a few gigs maybe once a week, then twice a week and you go out of the state. It’s a process, you know. Then you get used to it. I mean, it’s crazy right now because I’m touring every single day. If I had started doing this every single day of the week in the beginning, this would have been exhausting. It is still exhausting but you get a bit used to it.

    GS: How is the EDM club scene different now than it was when you were 12?

    DA: It is crazy, ha! Four years ago, it was like a house music scene…a bit more tech-house…a more vocal sound but now everything is really electro and dub step. You know, people just go crazy. It has changed a lot but that’s what I mean…in five years, it’s gonna change even more.

    MMC: I’m excited to see what happens.

    DA: Me, too. I can’t wait!

    GS: We love your show Ready to Jump–could you tell us about the creative process that goes into that show?

    DA: Well, last year, I’ve been trying to upload things to my soundcloud…just mixing things every week just to bring a larger audience. These guys based in New York contacted me and they were very excited. They were like, “oh, we want to do a show with you” so then we needed to find a name and because I’m super active and I play in the booth, we decided to call it Ready to Jump because I’m always jumping, ha. It’s working pretty well, too. People are liking it and I just want to take it to another level. To interview a little bit more and have some guest DJs and do different things.

    MMC: Well, I heard you do a lot of wakeboarding, too, on the side, when you have time from your DJ life.

    DA: Haha, well I do a lot of things. See, when I started DJing, it was more like a hobby for me and it didn’t take me that much time so I have more time do more sports. I don’t know, I would just wakeboard everyday. When I was 12 in 2007, I broke my knee so music took over all my time. That’s when I decided to keep wakeboarding as a hobby and switch to music.

    MMC: Well I’m glad you made that decision!

    GS: Well, thanks for the interview! It was so great to interview someone our own age for once.

    DA: You are both 17?

    MMC: Well, I’m 18.

    DA: I’m turning 18 soon, too, but I got a new haircut and I look like I’m 21 so…

    MMC: Work that!

    GS: Haha, thanks, Danny. Have a great night!

    DA: You, too!

    To listen to this interview with Danny Avila, tune into The Laura and Meg Show via iTunes Radio this Thursday night (Feb 7th)at 11pm! Just click on “Radio” on the menu bar at the top of your Itunes Library. From there click College Radio> Syracuse University>WERW.

    Check out the stations blog and The Meg and Laura Show

  • Review and Interview: The Brew at The Westcott Theater, January 26th

    Over the past year I’ve often heard people voice concern about Rock N’ Roll as a genre, seemingly worried  that it is dying out these days due to all of the EDM and Indie music that is over saturating the mainstream. If you are one of these people, fret not. I assure you that Boston based band The Brew is keeping Rock alive and kickin’.

    Before they completely brought the house down at The Westcott Theater this past Saturday night, lead singer Chris Plante of expressed his love for Upstate New York and the ‘Cuse. “We’re so happy to be back in Syracuse! We love playing The Westcott,” he yelled into the mic from his spot at his double-decker keyboard. The Boston based quartet consists of brothers Chris Plante (lead vocals, keyboards), Joe Plante (Bass, vocals) and friends Dave Drouin (Guitar, vocals) and Aaron Zaroulis (Drums/vocals).Together they are like the Fantastic Four of Rock. There isn’t a single weak link in the group on instrumentals and their song writing skills are something to envy.

    Following Chris’s warm shout out the band opened with one of their new songs titled “Aftermath”. From the sounds of the track we can look forward to enjoying a killer new release. As soon as the powerful instrumentals of this track filled the room I was reminded of why I fell in love with Rock N’ Roll in the first place. Aaron has driving in-your-face drum beats that make it virtually impossible for anyone with a soul to stand still. Chris sings the band’s insightful and relatable lyrics with an honest raspy voice while his piano parts cascade over the tracks. Dave plays epic guitar solo’s on his edgy Gibson explorer with seemingly no effort and Joe coolly holds the entire sound together seamlessly on bass.  Their sheer musical awesomeness evoked multiple and loud shouts of “I love you!” from the audience on multiple occasions throughout the show.

    When they vocally harmonized for the intro of radio hit “When Darkness Comes” off the album  A Garden In The Snow, I doubt if there was a single person in the room that didn’t have the chills. Later in the show they played their hard rocking version of Led Zeppelin’s Going To California which I might actually like even more than the original because of its absolute head banging break down. They also included tracks such as “Into The Remembering Sun”, “Sharks In The Pool” and “Garden In The Snow”. As soon as they left the stage the crowd cheered for an encore and they all came to play “What I Want” (the ladies love this one) and a few others as the crowd begged them not to go.

    After the show, I got a chance to sit down with The Brew and ask them a few questions.

    Mary Morgan Craig: So first of all who are your biggest Musical influences individually?

    Joe Plante: My biggest influences at the moment are Little Feat, Radiohead and Beck has a really big influence on me.

    Aaron Zaroulis: I like Guns and Roses and I like the Allman Brothers .. a lot.

    Chris Plante: I’m doin’ a lot of Bruce Hornsby, a lot of Chick Corea and a lot of classical.

    Dave Drouin: I listen to Iron Maiden a lot and MJ. (MJ’s Dirty Diana plays in the background)

    MMC: I know Chris and Joe are brothers. How did the two of you meet Dave and Aaron?

    AZ: Well the band was around for nine or ten years with another drummer and then I joined about a year ago and I met all these dudes through the power of music.

    CP: Yeah but the real story behind that one is like six or seven years ago we were playing a show with our other drummer Kelly. It was a show in Newburyport, Massachusetts, that we put on ourselves. We didn’t have like a green room or a bathroom for ourselves. During set break Kelly like really had to pee, so he went outside because there was a big line for the bathroom inside. It was  a packed show with a lot of kids. A lot of younger kids, and he got arrested outside for peeing in a public place. So we didn’t have a drummer! We frantically tried to bail him out. We reluctantly went back onstage when we, you know, had to. We basically made an announcement to the crowd. We were like “Does anybody know how to play drums?” “Put your hands in the air because our drummer is arrested”, and a bunch of young girls in the crowd were pointing to Aaron who was like 13.

    AZ: Yeah I was 13.

    CP: And then he got up on stage and already knew a bunch of our tunes.  So we’re like oh good job, cool, thanks for sitting in. Then like eight years later or whatever it was…

    DD: No six years later.

    CP: When it came down to audition for the band when we were moving on from a different drummer he showed up and already knew all of our songs and he was like “Yeah, I’m that kid” and we were like “Sweet!”

    AZ: Yeah I’m that Kid. (all laugh)

    MMC: What was the first CD you ever bought?

    JP: Green Day’s Dookie. I remember that. I really remember that day.

    CP: Didn’t you get it from your 5th grade girlfriend?

    JP: No. Oh Yeah ! I did. I did get it from my 5th grade girlfriend.

    AZ: That was the worst Valentine’s day ever huh?

    (All laugh)

    JP: I love that CD.

    AZ: No. Its not that bad. I don’t remember my first CD. I think it was like Tom Petty or Paul Simon something like that. Something that my parents passed down to me kinda thing.

    CP: I don’t know. I’m in the same boat. Me and Joe started finding music around the same time and I remember doing was it Toadie?

    JP: Yeah Toadie.

    CP: Toadie was awesome. Yeah I remember doing the Toadies.

    JP: The Toadies!

    CP: Yeah The Toadies were awesome.

    DD: I had tapes way before CD’s.

    CP: Ya. Ya no we were all actually into tapes.

    JP: I bought an Oasis tape and a Blues Traveler tape.

    DD: Yeah, I had the Blues Traveler tape with the cat on it. I traded my Aerosmith Pump when it was like the new thing.

    AZ: Bad move.

    DD: Bad move.

    MMC: So are your parents as musically talented as you or are you guys the first in the family?

    JP: My dad happens to be extremely talented musically. He started playing when he was about our age professionally out in California. He met my mom out there and then moved back to Massachusetts and had us children and surrounded us with music our entire lives.

    CP: He was sitting in with us at a show recently.  We were doing like a more acoustic broken down sort of show. We were telling the stories behind certain songs and stuff like that. And he comes up and he plays an original song of his with us and its like the last song of the show cause it kicked so much ass.

    MMC: That must be so cool.

    CP: Yeah, its pretty nice.

    MMC: So is that why you guys chose to do that cover of “Going to California”? Which I love by the way.

    CP: Thanks! That’s an interesting connection but no we just did that cover because we were doing a gig opening for moe. at The House Of Blues and we really wanted to do something special, you know? Dave came to practice and he was like “I just Heard Going to California and was picturing it with a more driving groove under it” and we just started doing it.

    MMC: Well it came out great. I love that one. When did each of you start playing your instruments and what made you gravitate to the specific ones?

    JP: I went to a show when I was 17. I ate some mushrooms and I heard bass for the first time. I was tripping and I was like “I am gonna be doing that for the rest of my life.” That’s pretty much how I decided. And I had a bass so I decided just to start playing it. I picked it up that night and started playing it.

    CP: That was my bass.

    JP: Yeah. I stole his bass.

    CP: I had a black Guild bass.

    JP: It was awful to play. It was terrible, but then i actually started jamming with Dave literally four days after.

    AZ: I started playing drums in the fourth grade. It wasn’t cause I started eating mushrooms though. And I got serious around my freshman year of high school and I just haven’t really stopped since.

    CP: I started playing piano when I was like 3 because of my dad and then took classical lessons when I was like five. So, I did that and then jazz and a lot of stuff so I’ve just been playing my entire life. I remember when I was like 14, I really realized I could play piano. Because I never made the conscious decision to actually do it. So its been a long time. I should be better than I am.

    DD: I started playing guitar at like age 14. It was mainly because I couldn’t have a drumset. I had drumsticks. I really wanted to play drums. But they were like “too loud” or something. So I got a guitar.

    (all laugh)

    MMC: Good thing you did

    DD: Ruined my life

    (All laugh)

    MMC: OK so who is your biggest Rock-Chick crush?

    CP: Rock Chick Crush?

    MMC: Yeah, well it doesn’t have to be rock. Musical artist crush.

    DD: The lead singer of Heart.

    AZ: Aw this is rough man.

    CP: There’s not as many hot rock lead singers as there are like pretty sexy pop stars.

    MMC: Well what about Gwen Stefani?

    All: Yeah

    AZ: True. She’s hot

    DD: I don’t know.

    CP: But she’s a little too muscle-y for me.

    JP: I’m a ‘Sineado’ fan. Just, you know, because… (gestures to his bald head).

    DD: Did you just call her ‘Sineado’? Sinead. O’Connor.

    JP: ‘Sineado’. That’s what I call her. She likes it.

    (all laugh)

    AZ: I’d like to take Mila Kunis out to like a nice dinner at like The Ninety Nine or like The Olive Garden.

    CP: Salisbury Steaks?

    AZ: Yeah yeah! I would definitely buy her a nice Salisbury steak.

    CP: I like Rachel McAdams. I think she’s the hottest. I like her.

    AZ: Yeah, shes pretty dreamy.

    DD: I like Taylor Swift.

    MMC: I knew that was going to come up.

    CP: She looks like a deer. Not in like a bad way.

    JP: In the headlights.

    DD: That’s why I like her.

    CP: I think shes beautiful but she resembles a deer slightly.

    MMC: A majestic deer.

    (all laugh)

    CP: A majestic blonde deer.

    MMC: Have you played any festivals recently? Are you planning on playing any this year?

    CP: Yes. A lot. We played Mountain Jam last year.

    JP: Absolutely

    AZ: We played a lot of festivals last year.

    DD: Its mid-winter now so..

    CP: Yeah we’re actually starting to think about next year and any festival, you know. We’re having our agent and our management work with all the promoters of festivals to hopefully get the right situation worked out.

    MMC: How would you describe your own music?

    JP: Um, not butt rock. Rock.

    (all laugh)

    CP: I mean, its really just like rock n’ roll but we try to be versatile with how we deliver our songs. We get into different production techniques the same way The Beatles or anybody else would.

    MMC: What was the thought process behind the Triptych project? Who did your album artwork?

    JP: Well actually we decided to make the Triptych just based on the fact that we had a really large catalog of songs and certain songs fit into different groups. Like for instance, the first album was really driven by acoustic singer-songwriter songs that kinda fit into a certain category. We felt like they all really fit on the album. Then the second album we really stretched out live.  We wanted to take that same energy in the studio and do some improvisational stuff. The third record basically is really more pop oriented the way The Beatles used to like look at all their parts and really kind of like figured out how they wanted everything to fit.

    CP: As far as the album artwork goes, that’s a tapestry that was meant for King Louis the 7th. It was a tapestry that was meant to commemorate like his wedding with somebody. It was back in 1495. Its called The Hunt of The Unicorn. You can see the unicorn on the second record. When you put them all together it makes one large image that kind of gives you the whole scope of the artwork.

    MMC: Very Cool. What has been your best tour experience ever or just one that sticks in your mind?

    CP: We were rolling through from New Mexico to Austin, Texas and we pulled over at this  like really sketchy looking Subway. We were like ‘Fuck we have to get Subway today. This is gonna suck.’ But there was a burger joint right next door that was kind of like home made burgers but you could tell it was like real like southern cooking.

    AZ: They had like Boston stuff in the windows so we were like ‘Fuck it lets go in here.’

    DD: Yeah it was weird. It was all like Red Sox stuff and Patriots stuff.

    CP: Yeah we felt good about going there and so we walked in and just like everywhere we show up, they’re all like are you in a band or something? It was this older guy and his wife. Very old like 85 or 87. With this other lady and we were like yeah we’re in a band and hes like have you ever heard of Roy Orbison and we’re like ‘Yeah of course.’ and then he’s like ‘Have you ever heard of Buddy Holly?’ We’re like ‘Obviously.’ and he’s like ‘I used to sing with them.’ So we met a member of Buddy Holly’s band, the only guys to like background sing. They were called The Roses.

    JP: And then hes like ‘Do you want to go see Buddy Holly’s studio? I’ve got a key. I live there.’ And so all Buddy Holly’s original stuff is set up there, untouched, and we sat in the same chair that Buddy Holly was (once) sitting in.

    AZ: I got to play on the drumset. It was rad. It was awesome. We got it all on video too.

    MMC: That’s crazy!I’m so jealous. So last year when I saw you play at Brewfest Chris was playing with a broken arm at Brewfest in Lincoln, NH, which was so impressive. I actually remember I  Instagrammed about it and I captioned it like ‘my hero’ or something. I read somewhere that you just recovered from broken ribs. What happened there ? Are you always this accident prone?

    (all laugh)

    CP: I wouldn’t say i’m accident prone. I play indoor soccer so I just smashed into a dude that was way bigger than me and it was like this really awkward point in my side where my fist got like  jammed right into my rib. But I didn’t know it was broken for like the first four days. I thought it was just really badly bruised.

    MMC: Glad you’re better now! Do you have any advice for other bands who are just starting out?

    DD: Don’t do it.

    (all laugh)

    MMC: I think that they should just focus on the songs and then really work on the business aspect even though that’s the last thing you want to do as a musician. That’s what it takes to actually succeed. Cause you know its a small business and it sucks to look at it that way but you can’t go on forever running out of money. So just get good content, believe in your music, and then like just be doing your work. What has been your weirdest fan experience?

    CP: Oh man there’s like too many twisted stories to get into that.

    DD: There’s like naked dudes getting tied up. Well we were at a festival and there’s this guy running around naked like going ‘Get off my island! Get off my island!’

    CP: And then they hogtied him and had to like put him in the back of the truck.

    MMC: Well why were you on his island?

    JP: Well we weren’t on mushrooms and he was, so we were on his island.

    AZ: Dude he was on his own island.

    (all laugh)

    CP: He was being aggressive toward everybody.

    JP: The last straw that they wouldn’t put up with at this festival was when he went up to an old woman that was pushing a baby in a carriage and walking a dog at the same time and he like tried grabbing the dog leash from her and then they tackled him and hogtied him.

    DD: I think they like duckttaped him up.

    CP: It was a duct tape hogtie job. They did really well

    AZ: Hogtied!

    (all laugh)

    To listen to this interview with The Brew, tune into The Laura and Meg Show via iTunes Radio next Thursday night (Feb 7th)at 11pm! Just click on “Radio” on the menu bar at the top of your Itunes Library. From there click College Radio> Syracuse University>WERW.

    Check out the stations blog and The Meg and Laura Show

    Check out The Brew’s Website, Facebook, Myspace, Soundcloud, and the official video for When Darkness Comes
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3lkwFjHvw0]