BEAT ROOT REVIVAL: INTERVIEW

October 13, 2016

BY EMILY REEVES

When UK artists Ben Jones and Andrea Magee sought out new musical adventures in the states, a passionate music connection lead to the formation of their bluesy folk duo, Beat Root Revival. “We came to America as two solo acts,” Andrea reveals, “but six weeks in we realized how well we play together so it seemed like the right thing to put it together, and the response has been positive ever since.” Together, Beat Root Revival provide an eclectic mix of sounds and styles stemming from a fusion of folk, roots, howling blues and classic pop.

The reaction from the audience helped reveal the on stage chemistry the duo had, leading to the inevitable formation of the group, “I think it was the fact that on the road the response that we were getting when we sang together, our harmony, the dynamic that we have and this energy that we have together and was connecting the audience more so than when we were just playing on our own at that point. So we just thought, ‘This is going to be a fun project so let’s put it together and see what happens.’" After the pair decided to join forces, Ben revealed that a growing fan base lead to the decision of their unique name from a lucky dip, “It was literally during our first trip here to the states. We got about halfway through because we had started doing a bunch of these shows together. People kept asking us at the end of the show, ‘What are you called?’ So we literally got together, we went to a diner in New Mexico and we put a bunch of names in a hat basically and just picked one from there.” As it happened, Ben’s blues, rock and roll roots and Andrea’s classical, folk Irish background, were blended to create their own genre defying style that was summed up perfectly in Beat Root Revival, “We find that the name kind of describes it so this actually came from a waitress we had and when we told her our name she said, ‘Oh, yeah, I get it! Your music – it’s got the beat and you’re rooted in your music and you’re kind of reviving it.’ We stole that little quote from her to kind of help people understand the sound that we’ve got. A lot of the time we also say folk-pop as well.” Coming from different backgrounds, the pairs writing process is fairly individualistic with Andrea speaking about her personal inspirations, “I think for both of us it’s different so we write separately and then we bring our ideas together. For me it usually comes from a core emotion and I try to develop that and always keep it honest – just the creativity and freedom to write about whatever you want really.” After listening to their distinctly passionate and earthy music, it’s no surprise that the duo reached number thirteen on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart with the release of their self titled album earlier this year. Despite their 2014 formation, they have already achieved so much in a short space of time and are continuing their successive journey with new goals, tours and collaborating projects, "We made two albums in just over two years so really it’s just to be able to spread out and as far as we possibly can. One of the main aspects of coming over to the United States in the first place is it has so many cultural benefits. In every state that you go to is like visiting 20 countries at the same time so to be able to soak in a lot of the input has inspired us from afar to actually experience them first hand. To be honest, it’s just to live out our music as much as possible and reach as many people as possible. We just finished a show with Jonathan Jackson + Enation, Jonathan is one of the stars from the ABC show Nashville, which went incredibly well. Hopefully a little more touring before the end of the year and before we go back into the studio in the early part of next year to record more songs."

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TARRA LAYNE: INTERVIEW

September 26, 2016

INTRO BY TIFF CHEA

Pennsylvania native Tarra Layne has been singing since she was young and has successfully turned her passion into a career. This singer-songwriter was urged to compete against other talented singers by her high school music teacher, contributing to her decision to audition for the NBC reality series The Voice. Though we are unaware if Layne will be a featured competitor on The Voice, we know that she will become a household name soon enough.

How did you get your start in music?

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLUTCH 32 PUBLIC RELATIONS

TARRA: I’ve always known I’ve wanted to sing. My first time singing solo was in the fifth grade talent show portraying Madonna’s “Material Girl.” From then on, I knew it was something I knew I wanted to do. My father would make me mixed tapes as a child with all kinds of crazy progressive music. I’m grateful for that because having that background has had a great impact on my artistry. I moved to Nashville after studying musical theater, music industry, and marketing. Ever since then, it’s been a wild ride.

Who are your musical influences?

TARRA: The list is endless! I’ve always enjoyed Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna’s fearless fortitude. My first CDs were Jewel, Hanson, and Mariah Carey. I loved 90s R&B pop, so TLC, Brandy, Monica, SWV, you name it was always on replay for me. I lived on it. My influences are all over the place, but first and foremost, I’ve always appreciated artists that I felt close too, who’s music had purpose. Yet, the blues, soul and rock ’n roll really did it for me as far as my artistry. I feel my influences pull from the old to the new. I’m a Zeppelin and classic rock lover and I also love Motown. Otis Redding is a favorite. Too much yet? Haha.

How would you describe your music?

TARRA: Nowadays, I feel like I’m a mixture of Amy Winehouse, Miranda Lambert, and Grace Potter.

What do you think is most unique about you as an artist?

TARRA: The above. Haha. Definitely my sound. Everything has been done. You can’t reinvent the wheel so to speak, but I feel I can’t pinpoint an artist today that I directly sound like or relate to musically.

What song of yours do you think represents you best as an artist and why?

TARRA: Cherry Moonshine. It’s demonstrates the raw, fun-loving, playful side of me and I always want to remain real when expressing myself as an artist.

Why did you choose to audition for The Voice?

TARRA: I thought, “What the hell. Let’s (me, myself, and I) do it!” As in anything in life, you need to makes changes or nothing will change. you need to take chances, or opportunity won’t present itself. The Voice is an amazing platform. I feel that it’s something that any artist in my position would love to be apart of. Singing and performing is what I love, and being able to do just that on national television is an incredible opportunity.

What are some of your goals as an artist?

TARRA: My ultimate ambition is to touch people with my music the same way my favorite artists touched me. I hope my music can be a part of someone’s life soundtrack. Other than my artistry, I want to engage in many areas of philanthropy or awareness for a cause(s).

What can we expect from you in the future?

TARRA: New records. New videos. Maybe acting? I feel that would be fun! New tour soon! And of course, writing as always, and game-planning for 2017!

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'DISAPPEAR HERE' / BAD SUNS: ALBUM REVIEW

September 17, 2016

BY LEGACY JYNN

Two years after birthing a successful debut album ‘Language & Perspective’, indie-rock quartet BAD SUNS - Christo Bowman (Vocals/Guitar), Gavin Bennett (Bass), Miles Kottak (Drums) and Ray Libby (Guitar) - are back with their sophomore release ‘Disappear Here’. Hailing from Southern California, listen close enough and you’ll hear the city reflect itself in each of these 13 tracks. The overarching theme appears to be a mixture of a self-identity ‘who am I?” crisis, midst the added confusion of falling in and out of love. Think of the album as an endless Los Angeles summer mixed with the tail-end of a cotton candy sunset and a little bit of heartbreak to its name.

‘Disappear Here’ kicks off with two of the earliest released singles through which the band decided to reveal its newest musical era - ‘Disappear Here’ and ‘Heartbreaker.’ Arguably, both could easily find a comfortable spot and disguise themselves as songs off of ‘Language & Perspective.’ The title track dabbles with a relationship built on pent up confusion based on which direction it is headed, as the chorus asks, “Would you run after me? / Or do we disappear here?”. The follow up track, ‘Heartbreaker’, lands itself as, hands down, the catchiest song on the album.

Slower ballads such as ‘Defeated’ and ‘Maybe We’re Meant To Be Alone’ give needed contrast to the album’s upbeat consistency. These two tunes are slightly melancholic in rhythm and melodic construction, but even more so in lyric. Full of sweet and smooth falsetto, ‘Defeated’ is a tale of regret and desperado, almost as cry for help; sonically cognitive in style to The Police. ‘Maybe We’re Meant To Be Alone’ plays along with the album’s theme of inner confusion and doubt surrounding the ability to fall in love. Consider it a tune for the modern day hopeless romantic.

‘Even In My Dreams, I Can’t Win’ falls amongst a track that demands to be heard. In classic Bad Suns vibe, the repeating guitar riff and drums/surrounding percussion launch the song to its fullest potential as one of the strongest hitting songs on the album. It also acts as a tasteful save that puts the tracklist back on its groove from the two slower songs that come before it.

Back to sweet, sweet Californian vibes, ‘Violet’ is a nostalgic track about the honeymoon stages of young love. Similarly, the album comes to a close with ‘Outskirt Of Paradise’, reminiscent of summertime and the beach weather breeze in the dog days of a July day. Gavin Bennett’s bassline contributes fully and carries the track from its beginning to end.

Though some tracks appeared slightly predictable in sound, ‘Disappear Here’ is proof that Bad Suns have remained consistent in creating danceable, groovy tunes - all of which are perfect for helping wind down the summer. Although the album’s catchy guitar riffs were prevalent, without doubt, I do wish to have heard more emphasis on guitar solos to break up the typical verse/chorus/verse/bridge structure.

At a first listen, you’ll know in an instant that what you’re listening to is something intricately created and curated by the Bad Suns. The core of any Bad Suns record is Christo Bowman’s ability to belt lyrics that hit straight to an audience’s chest and the support from the groovy, sonically aesthetic instrumentals behind the voice. This album does not fall short by any means and proves that disappointment isn’t in sight for any future Bad Suns projects. It’s sweet, dabbles in life’s bitter end, but is ultimately tasteful.

So call up some friends, hop in your ride, roll the windows down and just drive. ‘Disappear Here’ will do the rest.

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ALEXANDER: INTERVIEW

September 1, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CATALYST PUBLICITY GROUP

BY JASMINE RODRIGUEZ

The brainchild of a musician who goes by an emblematic moniker, Alexander, is his debut EP. His debut EP compiles a collection of four songs that embody his ability to experiment with layered instrumentals and metaphoric uplifting anthems. The culmination of Alexander's sound is due to collaborating with Nashville songwriters that include Thomas Bracciale, Brooke Williams, Christian Fiore, and Brittany Lane.

The whirlwind of positive feedback Alexander has received is credited to the brilliant melodies and enchanting songwriting on the EP. From taking that spontaneous move out to Nashville to focus on discovering his sound to grabbing a dose of caffeine from his local coffee shops, he embodies the witty, talented musician everyone hopes of becoming. In order to really come to terms to who exactly Alexander is, you first have to dig through his childhood musical roots. The notoriety of Blink-182's banter masked within Travis Barker's drumming constituted the basis of Alexander's inspiration to delve into the world of music. "I've gone through so many different music phases throughout the years. I started off not knowing what I was doing or what I wanted to be when I was 14 years old," he says. "I started off playing artists that I loved which was Blink-182 and New Found Glory and then it transitioned to a bit heavier style. I realized that I could incorporate all these different styles that I've learned over the years and loved. I also blended these styles with pop sounds, which is something I also love. It's not just doing it [pop music] because it's easy, but it's something that I love, so it's cool to blend all those styles of music over the years." Not only does Alexander draw a musical inspiration by pop punk's poster child but also from his dad, who taught him how to play the D-chord on his first guitar. "It was a really terrible, crappy infomercial-type guitar," he explained about his beloved guitar, "It was probably like fifty dollars, but I remember loving that thing so much."

Just by knowing that the first song he learned on guitar was a historic rock ballad, 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction' by The Rolling Stones and listening to the pop and electronic fusion bound in his EP, Alexander is an oxymoron within himself. One of the songs off the EP, 'Can't Sleep Without You,' also plays into an oxymoron; by hearing the lyrics shadowing the loneliness disguised within an upbeat production. "The song starts off pretty somber with the verses and the chords are a bit upbeat to have that fun dance feel, but it's more of a song about missing that one person and really trying to get away from it all and kind of distracting yourself," says Alexander, "You know I love writing sad music but at the same time if it can help someone think positively about a break up and lift their souls, then I'm all for it." The Nashville scene has contributed to shaping who and what Alexander wanted to become, "When I first moved here, I was writing with a ton of Nashville writers, songwriters here take a lot more time on their lyrics which is something that I always wanted to dive deeper into," he expresses his feelings on his current hometown crafting his artistry, "My sound kind of stems from taking a lot longer and making sure that my sound is unique to me." Since Alexander is a coffee connoisseur, I had to ask him to compare his song 'Need You to Know' to any coffee drink. "That song gets me hyped, so I'd go with the Starbucks Double Shots, since that thing has a ton of espresso in it," He remorsefully adds, "Sorry to all my local coffee shops that hate Starbucks but I'd have to go with those Double Shots."

The life of an independent artist is one where an individual must face the world unafraid, regardless how bitter opinions may be. A life where one has to take unbelievably enormous strides in reaching their sound to as many ears as humanly possible, and Alexander proves to be this motivating exemplar. When asked if as an independent artist you must possess the ability to dream big, Alexander pondered the question and stated, "Moving to Nashville has been pretty eye opening, seeing as everyone moves out here to pursue their dreams, but it's really a small handful that will end up sticking around." He continued with, "I think you have to dream big no matter what and just always have that at the center of everything." The presence of social media has allowed us to enchant others with our creative endeavors, in regards of how the digital age factors out in the music realm's equation, Alexander says, "It's [social media] very interesting. Especially for independent artists, as it gives us a platform to put our music out there. It allows people from across the world to listen to our music, so it's pretty amazing that we don't need a record label to do most of the things that we're doing right now." He then poses the negativity of the social media sphere, "I love it, but it's easy to get lost with all the other artists out there posting on YouTube. It's relatively easy to get yourself on iTunes now. All in all, it's a good and bad thing." The journey of a self-made musician is not a mere walk in the park, especially when it comes to the term of radio play. I chatted with Alexander about whether radio should be putting more of an emphasis on independent musicians in which he replied, "I would say college radio play, yes. That's actually one of the things we've been working on, getting our music on college radio and it's still one of the biggest markets for indie artists."

"It's pretty awesome. I definitely didn't know what to expect when I moved to Nashville, and being around all these industry people," Alexander explained on the question of how his current life compares to the life he dreamed of when he was younger. "It's great being able to know that all these higher-up people are around, but honestly it's all about the friendships I've made and all the talented people that I've met. That's really why I moved here for, to be around more talented people that will push me to be better. I think I'm on my way there." His aspirations for 2016 include ending up on the Billboard charts and touring the US, so his fans have a chance to catch him at a show.

Alexander is artistically invested in all of his music, he desires to tour in every corner of the world, and is focused on spreading his music through word of mouth and having other people tell their friends about his project. He evokes a keenness to elaborate on stories through music and one day aspires to create a conceptual album, "I grew up on Queen and Led Zeppelin records and what I loved about those was that everything from the artwork to each song represented something different and told one unique story," he said. "I would love to do a concept album that can actually tell an entire story, from start to finish. As opposed to doing a single here and there or a four song EP," Alexander wraps up the final answer.

An artist that has a distinctive sound and is interested in bringing the raw side of music into the pop world is one that is rarely heard of. Alexander possesses the future of pop music in his compelling creativity, he is an artist that one can envision getting on stage to receive a Grammy for impeccable songwriting. The world needs to keep their eyes and ears open for what is yet to come from the visionary that is, Alexander.

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