NEW INTERVIEW: Night Panther

Check out our interview below to see what Michael Cammarata of Night Panther had to say about their sound, new music, and more! 

Check out Night Panther here!

Read what Michael had to say below:

Describe your music. What makes you stand out from all the rest?

It’s full of lust and heartache disguised with shimmering synths to distract you from the intensity of the content

Where does the name ‘Night Panther’ come from?

We love imagery, all the lyrics are meant to paint a picture, we wanted our name to do the same.

What influenced you all to get involved in music and start a band?

We’ve all been friends for so long that it would have been stupid not to. Luckily for us we all completely agree on the direction and sound for the band.

How has the reaction to your Self-Titled LP, that released in July been?

I can humbly say that there hasn’t been a single negative review for the album or any single we’ve released. It’s been extremely rewarding.

What can fans expect from it that haven’t listened to it yet?

We love the instant gratification of a strong pop hook. We try to make the verse as catchy as the chorus as catchy as the bridge. If we’ve done our job correctly you can expect to get at least some part stuck in your head.

How was playing CMJ Music Marathon?

Hectic as always

Any plan for a winter tour?

Currently no plans for a extensive tour, but we will be playing regionally.

When can fans expect new music?

New music can defiantly be expected in the new year.

Anything else you would like to add?

Stream us on soundcloud at

Www.soundcloud.com/night-panther

Follow us on twitter @nightpantherusa

Follow us on Instagram @nightpantherusa 

 

NEW REVIEW: "The Introduction" by Viv and the Revival

We got the opportunity to review Viv and the Revival’s record, The Introduction that is set to release February 18th!

Read below to find out our opinion:

When I first spun The Introduction by Viv and the Revival, I was pleasantly surprised due to the band’s unique sound. It is not every day that you come across a band, that sticks out in your mind from the rest. I personally believe that a  song is successful if it gets stuck in your head, and that is was “Criminals” off of the record did for me. After I listened to the whole CD for the first time, I put it on repeat, and caught myself already knowing some of the lyrics, because each song is very memorable. “Fire” has such a catchy chorus thanks to the lyrics and the stylized drum playing. “Forever” starts out slow and builds up tempo with a heavy beat of the drums and guitar riff. What really stands out about “I Want It” is that it is a little different than the other songs on the record, to me it seems to influence “Criminals” with the repetition of the chorus. Overall, “I Want It” is the song that can really get anyone pumped up and ready to go. While the next song, “Nikki” takes the slower route, and is more of a romantic ballad. “Playing with Fire” and “Shook Up” seems to take on the darker side, of not getting caught up in a relationship that you know is bad for you. I think that the beat throughout the song fits extremely well with the overall message of the song.  “Rocket To Mars” has a happier sound thanks to the guitars soft melody. “Taxi Man” has a distinct sound, and gives off that 70’s-80’s vibe, especially with the introduction. “Tonight We Live Like Kings” gives off a pop-punk vibe with the guitar cords, and lyrics. “Welcome to a Good Time” stands out to it’s hip hop influence. Overall, I am very impressed by this album. I can honestly say that I can listen to this record from start to finish, without skipping any songs, because they are all that distinct and catchy. The album is not out yet, but make sure to pick it up when it comes out February 18th!

Click here to read our interview with Viv and The Revival

Click here to check out Viv and the Revival

NEW INTERVIEW: Ashley Allen

We got the chance to talk to the vibrant, Ashley Allen. See what Ashley Allen has in store for 2014, her new EP, and

Check out Ashley Allen here!

Read what Ashley Allen had to say below:

Describe your music? What makes you stand out from all the rest?

 My music is my life. Basically it’s a journal of melody and lyrics about the way I feel, the things, I believe, and what I want to say. I would have to say that the number one thing that makes me stand out is that on and off camera I am exactly the same person. 

How excited are you for “Body Says No, Hear Says Yes” to hit the radio?

Words can’t even describe how excited I am. I have worked very hard to get to this moment. It’s absolutely surreal and to be honest, it doesn’t even seem real now! I’m not sure when it will hit me. I’m thinking the moment I actually hear it on the radio, which better not be when I am driving!

Can you explain more about your EP that might be out soon?

My EP that is coming out is definitely upbeat, full of life, and every song on it sends a different message. It’s the perfect introduction of myself. It will allow people to see many different aspects of my personality. I’m hoping that everyone understand be a bit more once they give it a listen!

Any specific influence behind any of the songs your EP?

 No one specific influence comes to mind. The songs on my EP are definitely influenced by pop music, but I like to think that I am the specific influence behind every song on my EP. I mean I wrote them! J

Where did the idea for your “Let’s Go” music video come from?

 I feel like there is a lot of misinterpretation about the message my video Let’s Go is trying to send. Basically, my goal was to not only introduce me now but I wanted everyone to see how I was growing up. Little Ashley in the video really can be seen very different and misunderstood which I have been all my life. I always dreamed big and my dream was always to write music I could share to the world. So ultimately the idea of the video was to introduce me.

How did you become involved in music?

When was I not involved with music is the real question. I was born into a music loving family. My mom came from a small town upstate to the big city to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. After getting pregnant she decided to have me instead. So growing up I would always be singing and dancing around the house. It’s what I loved to do then and it’s still what I love to do now! My dad also loved music so much he made a career out of it. Basically, I don’t think I was born with a choice! Music was what I was born into.

Any tours in the future?

In January I am supposed to go on my first radio tour! Still waiting on the details about that but I am definitely excited!

Anything else you would like to add?

 Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me! And on Dec 10th my EP will be released on iTunes and I hope to hear from you in the future!

NEW INTERVIEW: Viv and the Revival

We got the chance to talk to  Viv and the Revival.  In our interview we discuss their new record “The Introduction”, a tour, and more!

Check out Viv and the Revival here!

Read what Viv and the Revival had to say below:

 

  1. How would you describe Viv and the Revivals’ sound? What makes your band stand out from all of the rest?

It’s a mix of modern rock and pop with some hip hop influence thrown in as well. It’s all about the songs in this band, it’s all I care about, writing and performing songs that connect with people.

  1. Where did the name ‘Viv and the Revival’ come from?

I was about to go in and record a new EP about 3 years ago, and I was having a tough time with the music business aspect of things and I needed a change. I decided to change the name of the project to Viv and the Revival because to me, it signified a rebirth and a fresh start to the whole situation. It felt like a weight taken off of my shoulders.

  1. What can fans expect from ‘The Introduction’ set to release this winter?

They can expect authentic songs written about every universal aspect of life. They can expect to connect and see themselves in the lyrics.

  1. Is the album influenced from anything in particular?

It’s influenced by a million things. It’s influenced by normal everyday things and also by extraordinary things that we all reach and hope for.

  1. How was it working with Rick Friedrich on the record?

It was great! Me and Rick had an easy time creating together. He’s extremely talented and he taught me a lot about songwriting and producing. Also Scott Bricklin produced a few songs with me and he’s amazing as well. He’s a true musician who really knows his craft.

 

  1. 6.     Your music has been featured all over television. What was it like to hear your music for the first time on TV?

      It was absolutely surreal, but so cool at the same time! It was insane to think that

      millions of people were hearing my songs, and were being affected emotionally

      by them in some way.

  1.  Any plans for a tour this winter?

Yes, we’re going to play everywhere! We can’t wait to get out there and have people hear these songs live. That’s truly where you can connect with your fans.

  1. Thanks for the interview! Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for having me on this interview! You guys are awesome! And to our fans, we can’t wait to see all of you at the shows!

We caught up with Co-founders, Jimmy Cantillon and Kevin Cantillon of High School Nation in Charlotte, NC to see what the organization is all about!

I apologize for the background noise! Please comment if you have any questions of what they are saying. 

http://www.gracehartrick.com/

htttp://citylightscoverage.tumblr.com

http://highschoolnation.org

NEW INTERVIEW: Blameshift

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We got the chance to talk to rock band, Blameshift.  In our interview we discuss their newly released album, “Secrets” , as well as the tour and a lot more! 

Click here to check out Blameshift’s official website.

Pick up their new record, Secrets, here!

Read what Blameshift had to say below:

For anyone who has not listened to Blameshift before, how would you describe your sound?

If you have never heard Blameshift before, I would describe us as a hard rock band with pop tendencies. We blend female and male vocals to create an edgy sound that you can still sing a long to! 

What can people expect from your album, Secrets, that is set to release on Novemeber 5th, 2013?

Our newest release, “Secrets” which comes out on November 5th is full of hard rock anthems with lyrics that you can relate to. We definitely stepped it up on this album as far as song writing and content. This is by far the most proud I’ve ever been about any music we’ve ever put out! I just can’t wait for the world to finally be able to hear it too.

How was it working with producer Erik Ron on the album?

We got a chance to work with Erik on our last EP and this time around it was just as awesome. We consider Erik our mentor, best friend and 5th member of the band. He brings so many fresh, new ideas to the table and really cares about our music as much as we do. I think it really shows in the music when the producer puts his heart into the project!

You guys are also releasing a limited edition book to go along with Secrets.  Can you give us more details on the book?

Yes, we had the opportunity to publish a book a couple months ago. It was a really fun ( and very long) experience. It’s a soft cover book full of pictures, bios, song meanings and some other exclusive content. It’s definitely a one of a kind memorabilia item from the band! We are very proud of it. You can still pick one up at www.pledgemusic.com/blameshift 

 

You guys have gotten tons of recognition from companies like Hot Topic, MTV, Taco Bell and more. How does it feel to have so many companies backing up your band?

We have been lucky enough to have some really big companies behind us. It feels amazing and reminds us how important it is in this business to cross promote and make friends. We are sponsored by some of the biggest companies in music and the relationship is still personal…it doesn’t get better than that.

How has tour been? Are you sad to see it end?

We spend most of the year on the road, so when one tour ends another one starts. No matter what, it is always hard to say goodbye to people you spend 24 hours a day with for a month straight but we always hold on to the fact that we will do it all again in the future. Right now, we just started a tour with our best friends from Omaha, Nebraska called Screaming For Silence.

What has your favorite date of tour been so far?

My favorite date of our last tour was probably at Pop’s in St. Louis, Missouri. We have amazing fans in that town that always come out and support us and make the night unforgettable. 

What do you wish you knew when you first began touring as a band that you know now?

That’s a great question. Well, every day we learn something new about being a full time touring musician. But something I wish I would have known when I first started is the importance of finding the right group of people. In the past, we had members who weren’t all on the same page. That can hold you back from growing more than anything. It’s all about finding the right chemistry and the right vibe for the project because the fans can feel that.

Any plans for after tour?

We actually plan on taking the holidays off this year which will be our first real break in awhile. It will be nice to go home and spend the holidays with our families and then hit it hard again come January 1st. 

Want to say anything else?

I just wanted to thank you for having me and thank all our current fans and new fans for all the love and support. And, if you haven’t done so yet head over to our Pledge Music page and pre-order our new album before it comes out. We are trying to chart on Billboard Heatseekers Chart and every pre-order really helps. And be on the lookout for the new album on November 5th ( www.pledemusic.com/blameshift )

 

NEW INTERVIEW: Lost in Los Angeles

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California band, Lost in Los Angeles just released a re-release of their track “Because of You”, along with some B-sides.

Click here to pick up “Because of You” (Radio Edit & B-sides)

Read below to find out more! 

For anyone who has not listened to Lost in Los Angeles before, how would you describe your sound? What makes you unique?

The three of us have such a wide range of influences. While we share a lot of common ground with artists we listen to (U2, Air, Deftones, Depeche Mode to name a few), each of us has our own musical space that we tend to live in. While Eddie Deering (guitars, synth, beats) is really into classical piano, movie soundtracks (i.e., Drive, Blade Runner) and 70’s R&B, Danny Klein’s (vocals, piano/synth, beats) tastes span between Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Flock of Seagulls, DJ Kaskade and Naked & Famous. Clark Souter (bass, backing vocals) is really into electronic based internet radio (chill out, progressive house, drum & bass), Goldfrapp and M83.

What made you guys decide to re-release your single “Because of You” from. The Hovering EP?

We recorded and produced The Hovering EP just before our summer US tour, so after playing Because of You live in nearly 30 cities in 35 days, the song started to take on a bit more energy. When our radio promotions team pegged that track as the radio follow-up to the single Hovering, we knew we wanted to make a few modifications to the beats, song length and overall production.

What can fans expect from the “Because of You” music video that you recently filmed?

Ahhh we are so stoked on this upcoming video. Staying true to the song, it’s a love story between a guy and girl who are separated by circumstances, and only know each other through a daydream. Gonna be really hot.  We teamed up with director Steven Lippman again - he directed our award-winning Million Stars video which got rotation on MTV and vh1, so we are really excited to get this one out there.

You guys are also releasing some B-sides along with “Because of You”. Any influence behind any of those tracks?

Yeah, these B-sides reflect our love for the ambient instrumental side of things. We were in the middle of mixing the radio edit one day, and for fun Clark switched the BPM to half-time. We all looked at each other and said, “we are SO doing that!” Over the next few days we dove into producing two instrumental tracks as part of the release. We think our fans are really going to appreciate them. As far as influence, perhaps there’s a bit of Boards of Canada and Air in there. Maybe even a little Black Moth Super Rainbow…

Do you guys have plan for a fall tour?

No plans for anything major for fall - perhaps a west coast tour. But our sites are definitely set on 2014.

Even though The Hovering EP was released in May, for the fans who haven’t listened to it yet, what can they expect when listening to it?

The concept and name of The Hovering EP came from a period when we had just split from our label, we had just locked in our US summer tour, and there was this sense of freedom, kind of like we were flying high above our destiny, hovering over what was to come. That’s the spirit we were writing from. The push and pull of that whole experience, and the sense of dropping into our future

How did Lost in Los Angeles come to be?

This is Danny — Eddie and I had a band prior to Lost in Los Angeles and had been apart for a couple years doing alot of writing on our own. When we came back together we were really motivated to bring our newfound creative energy to life. After a few iterations of different band members, we finally met Clark and we knew we had a really powerful trio. We are all voracious writers and we speak the same language. We have all become best of friends too, so it’s really awesome to be on this journey together.

Is there a story behind the name, Lost in Los Angeles?

It’s really open to interpretation - there’s the literal take on what it’s like to be alone in a big city. Perhaps a metaphor for any situation in life where you feel like it’s you against the world. We like to think that there’s nothing you can’t do, so we hope that expressing this through our songs motivates our fans to take on any situation life brings them. The other side of ”getting lost” might refer to the feeling of giving in and embracing life - like when you’re lost in something and it’s like floating down a river. There’s a sense of peace and lack of predictability all at once. 

Anything else you would like to add?

We just wanna say hi to our fans. You mean the world to us and you’re the reason why we exist. If we haven’t played in your town yet, let us know.  If your local radio station isn’t playing us yet, let them know. We are always on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, so hit us up, we want to meet you. …And we can’t wait to share all of the new material that’s to come. Hope to see you at the next show!

NEW INTERVIEW: Toy Soldiers

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We got the chance to talk to Dominic Billett of Toy Soldiers.  In our interview we discuss their newly released album, “The Maybe Boys”, as well as the tour and a lot more!

Check out the dates here

Click below to read interview:

For those you have not listened to you yet, how would you describe your sound? What makes you stand out from all of the rest?

Roots rock n’ roll, psychedelia, R&B, soul, dixieland. Utilizing all of the colors of the American music heritage palette.  We don’t pigeon-hole ourselves into sounding like one particular thing.  All of our musical influences are vast, and we pull from that as much as possible—creating a sound that is Toy Soldiers.

How has the couple days of tour been so far? What are you looking forward to the most?

 We just spent a week traveling in support of our album ‘The Maybe Boys’ up and down the Northeast coast—from Lancaster, to New York, to Boston, back to Philly, and up to Rhode Island.  Each show was great, especially our hometown (Philadelphia) record release show.  MidPoint Music fest in Ohio is definitely a stand-out gig, along with doing a Daytrotter session in the OG studio in Rock Island, IL.

How did it feel to get named as one of the “Top Bands to Watch in 2013” by USA Today?

Surreal!  Its an honor to be noticed by such a reputable source.  We love a good live show, so we’re looking forward to living up to that honorable mention.

Your new record, The Maybe Boys, just came out a couple days ago. How has the reaction to the album been so far?

Fantastic.  The reaction to hearing the album by our fans has been overwhelmingly supportive, and its been great to physically get it into their hands at the various release shows.  Looking forward to having more people hear it after these fall dates!

 

What’s your favorite song off of the album? Why?

'This Old Town'.  The song was a very collaborative effort in that Bill wrote the music, Bill and Ron co-wrote the lyrics, and the groove was established by Bill, I and the rest of the group.  We're very inspired by old Dixieland music and this was our sort-of interpretation of a New Orleans groove mixed with the feel and sound of an old Stax/ FAME recording.

What’s the story behind the album name?

Nothing in life being certain.  The long, confusing path to becoming a (not even) semi-successful musician.  Scrapping your only mode of transportation in New Orleans and maybe getting home.  Or: Luke’s interpretation of us as guys, ‘The Maybe Boys”. 

Speaking of story behind, what is the story behind your guys name, Toy Soldiers?

Ron comes from a background of professional Karaoke singing.  His old K Boy band was called ‘Soy Toddlers’.  He decided to change it to ‘Toy Soldiers’ when we all joined and played real instruments.

Even though it is more than a month from now, what are your plans for after tour?

Sleep one day, then get back into the studio to record our next album.  We never want to not be creating music!

Anything else you would like to say? Thanks guys!!

Thanks for the interview!!

 

We sat down with singer,Quincy Mumford, of Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why to discuss their new cd, “It’s Only Change”, future singles, and what their plans are for after tour.  Watch our interview above!

 

If I do say so myself, Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why put on quite a good show. The venue was a quant coffeehouse pub with couches and a relaxing atmosphere. Once Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why came on stage, they lit up the room and did a great job of entertaining the crowd.

One of my favorite parts of the night was their cover remix of “What Is Love” by Haddaway. They played a variety of songs off of their old and new albums, as well as multiple covers. Their love for music is infectious. They are a truly talented band. I promise you one thing, if you go and see they live, they will not disappoint. 


Click here to view more photos!