JACOB ASHER: INTERVIEW


by emily harris

photo courtesy of jacob asher

photo courtesy of jacob asher

Jacob Asher, the solo project of Ben Bailey, the vocals and keyboard of Joywave, is here. The New York based musician just released his newest single and its joining video — “Medusa.” The song is the beginning of his “new baby” and will only allow for him to grow even more. We had the pleasure to talk with him about the release! 

Congrats on the announcement of your newest single, “Medusa!” Can you tell us a little bit about the backstory of the song? 

Jacob Asher: “‘Medusa’ went through several iterations before finding its final form in the version you hear. The last incarnation is largely about texting and driving, how technology is increasingly distracting, and altering our perceptions.”


What was the recording process of this newest release like? 

JA: “The song came to me, in its entirety, while I was falling asleep. Struggling to get up I sang all of its parts into my phone before I forgot them, grabbed my laptop, and made a demo as quickly as I could. The lyrics took some time to iron out, eventually enlisting help from my partner who helped me finish them at a cafe in Kansas City while she was visiting on tour. All of the instrumentation is analog, either from a piano, synth, or drum machine.”


The single artwork is quite unique, to say the least. Can you talk us through how you got this final product? 

JA: “I felt the artwork I chose reflects the vibe of the song. Upon first glance it appears fun, but diving deeper it's quite dangerous. I took this photo in Reno, shoutout Mike Turzanski for the text/design.”


You shot the entire music video for “Medusa” on your iPhone. Can you tell us a little bit about the filming of it all? 

JA: “Filming was an absolute breeze. It took two days with the help of some friends to capture everything. I tried to be as resourceful as I could with props and locations, filming on top of parking garages, at my parent's house, in my garage. Big thanks to Louis Trapani for co-directing/producing with me.”

What inspired you to create a solo project separate from that of our work within Joywave? 

JA: “It was time for me to have my own baby.”


What do you want fans to take from this release?

JA: “I hope it inspires them in any possible way. Unless they are inspired to kill people.”

 

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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KOPPS: INTERVIEW


INTRO BY KAT VISTI

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

PHOTO BY HENRY EELMAN

PHOTO BY HENRY EELMAN

KOPPS just wants to have fun! They’re a quartet that never takes themselves too seriously, which is evident in their music. They turn pop music into something new and different that’ll make you want to dance and laugh. They’ve created a blend of pop, electro, and nu metal that has a dash of dramatics and humor into something they call “crazy sexy creepy.” We sat down for a chat with KOPPS to talk more about their music and what they’ve created.  

How did you guys first come together to start the band?

“Originally, we wanted to experiment with making music that sounded like 90s vocal house…la bouche, etc. (this was back when that was definitely not trending) We knew we wanted it to be high energy and knew we wanted the live aspect to be entertaining. At first it was just Kyle & Patricia writing songs, but there was a quick realization that we were going to need more members once we started playing live…and that’s where Trav and Gesture came in and our sound and performance style was truly solidified.”

 

How would you describe your music in three words?

“$Crazy Sexi Creepy$”

 

You recently released the music video for your song “Baby, I’m Dead Inside”. Can you tell us a little about the song itself and the process creating it?

“‘Baby I’m Dead Inside’ is a song about feeling disconnected from love. It's kind of a look inward saying to yourself, ‘This toxic/unhappy relationship has made me numb, and maybe even a little fucked up...BUT OH WELL TIME TO EMBRACE IT!’"

 

How did you ensure that the video would portray the song to its fullest?

“The VIDEO and the idea of ‘Goth Dad’ was something we cooked up long before the song existed...but we had to wait for the perfect time to utilize it. When the song was born, we knew it was a perfect match due to the typical goth stereotype of being melodramatic & angsty...which the song is as well ;-)”

 

Over the summer you collaborated with Joywave on your song “Hott”. What was that experience like?

“Our collective group CULTCO is a longtime collaboration between band members of KOPPS + Joywave. We all grew up in the same city and have been working together for years on music related ‘stuff.’ Daniel was the first person to record our first couple of songs and we have worked with him in one capacity or another since, so ‘HOTT’ was no exception...just another official collab with both of our names on it. In short, he is OK.”

 

Is there anything else we can expect from you guys in the near future?

“2019 will bring U *NEW MUSIC*, visuals, and live performances!”

 

JOYWAVE: ON TOUR


BY KAT VISTI

PHOTO BY MARY ELLEN MATTHEWS

PHOTO BY MARY ELLEN MATTHEWS

Joywave are going on tour! Their headlining tour will kick off in their hometown Rochester, New York on November 11th. The tour is called Thanks. Thanks For Coming 2017. 

Joywave is composed of Daniel Armbruster (vocalist), Joseph Morinelli (guitarist), Benjamin Bailey (keyboard), and Paul Brenner (drummer). The band has returned from finishing up a national tour where they supported bands Young the Giant and Cold War KidsThey have previously toured with bands The Foals, The Killers, Metric and many more, as well as performing at some of the biggest music festivals of the year, Coachella and Lollapalooza, which has earned them high praise from The Rolling Stone and Billboard.

The band released their most recent album Content earlier this year. Their first single It's A Trip is becoming widely popular and is closing in on being one of the top 20 songs on alternative radio while the music video has 1.4 million views and counting. While on tour the band will be joined by guests The Aces, Maybird, and The Demos. The band likes to push the creative envelope and always aims to add their own creativity to anything they do. For more information on this high energy and electrifying band, their full list of tour dates is listed below:

 

Sat 11.11 - Rochester, NY @ Anthology

Mon 11.13 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

Tue 11.14 - New York City, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Wed 11.15 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry at Fillmore

Thu 11.16 - Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar

Sat 11.18 - Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick

Sun 11.19 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi

Tue 11.21 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

Wed 11.22 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

Fri 11.24 - St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird

Sat 11.25 - Kansas City, MO @ Truman

Sun 11.26 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

Tue 11.28 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall

 

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