ADLT VDEO: INTERVIEW

November 19, 2017

INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

ADLT VDEO -- maybe an unusual name to some, but to those that know the two amazing artists that make up the duo, everything all makes sense. Reimagining pop music in its entirety, Mindy Jones and Luke Top of ADLT VDEO had their work cut out for them. Nonetheless, the talented two released their debut EP Chameleon just a few weeks ago and its been a hit! In our exclusive interview with Mindy Jones, we discuss the beginning of the duo and more!

How did you two first come together and start making music?

MINDY JONES: "I knew Luke was an incredible producer and happened to be needing one on a song I had an idea for. He agreed and we wrote our very first song, Alive, together in a couple of hours. And so the creation began."

How would you describe your music in three words?

MINDY JONES: "Perfect, the best
jk jk
Ummm... Haunting, Eclectic, Dark Pop
dang.. that's four."

You recently released your single Alive – can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the song?

MINDY JONES: "Alive was, like I said, the first song we wrote together, but honestly, it seemed so easy. Co-writes with new people can sometimes be really intense. It's like having an entire relationship with a person you don't know, in a couple of hours... but writing this song, and writing with Luke in general, is smooth and low pressure. That's why I think it works so well. As far as the actual song goes, I think the inspiration was a bit of Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood and T. Bone Burnett. I'm obsessed with spaghetti and westerns."

You also released your debut EP Chameleon on October 20th. Of the songs on the EP, which would you say best represents you guys as a duo?

MINDY JONES: "Awe man... That's an impossible question. Only because they're like children to us and we were in different places of our lives when we wrote each song. And who knows where our next record will take us. I can tell you this, though; this year has been an especially crazy one for me (and for everyone, I think) so, if you listen closely to the lyrics, each song tells a very specific story about my 2017."

If you could collaborate with anybody, who would it be and why?

MINDY JONES: "David Lynch... again
... cause, it's David Lynch ...?"

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

MINDY JONES: "More AV tunes! We're back to writing again now that the EP is out... can't stop, won't stop. Oh! And catch us Nov. 28th at the High Hat with SUR."

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MODERN ENGLISH: ON TOUR

November 18, 2017

BY KAT VISTI

Modern English is an English rock band. The band dismembered in 1991 but later on came together again in 1995. The original band members reformed together in 2009.

The band was originally known as The Lepers but became Modern English when Richard Brown and Stephen Walker were added to the band.

The band has been on tour throughout the US and have a few shows left including one in Washington DC on November 21st and one in Brooklyn on November 22nd. They'll be performing songs off their new album entitled Take Me To The Trees as well as many others hit songs!

The tour includes the original 80's lineup for the band which are Robbie Grey (vocals), Gary McDowell (guitar and vocals), Mick Conroy (bass and vocals), Stephen Walker (keyboard), and Roy Martin (drums). You don't want to miss these shows!

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EYELID KID: INTERVIEW

November 16, 2017

INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

ROSEGØLD, the newest single from Eyelid Kid, has caught some serious attention from loving fans everywhere. After the release of his album, Hometown, which was self-produced, Eyelid Kid was set to work on another great piece, which brings us to his EP releasing early next year. In this interview we ask the man behind the mysterious name about everything you need to know before you rightfully become a fan. Enjoy!

How did you first get your start in the music industry?

EYELID KID: "Growing up my father was a blue’s musician who had a gig almost every weekend... So at a young age, I started performing in a rock band around Austin. Post high school, I joined an art collective that had parties and built a creative community."

In your own words, how would you describe your music?

EYELID KID: "Dark, yet colorful and youthful, yet introspective."

You recently released your latest single, ROSEGØLD. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the song?

EYELID KID: "Well first, I recycled the chord progression from a past track I had never released and used it as a canvas to experiment crafting my own synthesizers. Next, I added a crunchy house beat that really drives the song to new places. The vocal pitching was inspired by Frank Ocean's album Blonde. However, he usually pitched his vocals up while I, for the most part, pitched mine down. I resonated with the mystery it created, it felt like I was able to use my voice as a new instrument."

ROSEGØLD is the first single off of your upcoming EP that will be released early next year. Would you say ROSEGØLD definitely gives a clear insight as to what’s in store for the EP? Or do you think there’s just so much more for us to expect from it?

EYELID KID: "ROSEGØLD sets a pretty clear tone for my future music. However, I think the EP will showcase a larger dynamic range and deeper lyrical concepts."

The single artwork for the song features a few incredibly talented actors; Violett Beane, Tyler Posey, and Sophia Taylor Ali. How would you say the artwork connects to the song?

EYELID KID: "Over the summer the four of us went on a trip to Big Bear with a few other friends, who were also cast-mates in the film they had just wrapped. I had a private link of ROSEGØLD that I hadn't shown to anyone, that I shared with them. It was at that point jamming it in the cabin amongst friends, that I realized this track naturally fit a group atmosphere. Prior to that experience, I had wanted to do a group shoot for a long time because I felt like it has the ability to tell a stronger story, so this crew kind of just fell into place at the perfect time."

Last year, your longtime girlfriend Violett Beane directed, edited, and starred in the music video for your song Landscape. Was this the first time you two worked together on a project? Because you two are so close, was it hard to be in a work environment together?

EYELID KID: "I guess that was the first time we had officially worked together on a project. But no, it wasn't hard at all. In fact, what made it difficult was that Violett and I could move so quickly together that it felt like we had to slow each other down for the rest of the crew."

What would your dream collaboration be like for a song?

EYELID KID: "Producer 40 and artist Childish Gambino."

Aside from the upcoming EP, is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?

EYELID KID: "A new live set and a new music video!"

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THE USED: ON TOUR

November 15, 2017

BY JOE HERNANDEZ

First formed in 2001, The Used have released their seventh studio album The Canyon on October 27, 2017. This is the first album without guitarist Quinn Allman, leaving vocalist Bert McCracken and bassist Jeph Howard as the remaining original members, and features their new guitarist Justin Shekoski. The band has since set out to tour the album with support from Glassjaw. In a series of videos on their YouTube channel, McCracken discusses their new album and the influences he drew from when creating it.

The album title was inspired by the actual canyons of Utah. McCracken describes these canyons as a place he spent his youth and the setting of his fondest memories with his family and friends. He further explains that those past memories came to share the same location that a close friend of his recently took his life. The Canyon is a concept album describing personal tragedies. It recounts the emotion and journey of McCracken’s acceptance of the passing of a loved one, and analyzes the meaning behind life’s experiences. The Canyon has been described by every media outlet the same way: raw. It’s a very personal album that’s intimacy is even more emphasized by the production behind it. The band strayed away from modern production techniques, embracing a more organic sound that featured uncompressed and unfiltered instrumental and vocal tracks recorded solely on tapes. This gave the album a greater sense of vulnerability, and helped The Used succeed in what they sought out to create. It brings out the authenticity and honesty in McCracken’s voice, and reveals the humanity and purpose behind what he’s saying. In the videos McCracken summarizes the album's message, saying, "We’re trying to understand mortality and maybe the bigger questions that we ask, why we might be here and what it’s all about." This is the album they were always chasing after, and one on par with their more recognized records like The Used, In Love and Death, and Maybe Memories.

Though the tour’s set has leaned toward The Canyon, after all there are 17 tracks on the album, it has featured fan favorites as well. To name a few, fans heading out to one of their shows can expect to hear The Taste of Ink, Maybe Memories, and Take It Away.

Check out the music videos for The Used’s lead singles off The Canyon, Over and Over Again and Rise Up Lights.

Come out to their show at Portland’s Roseland Theater on November 28, or find a show near you at one of their tour dates below:

Nov. 15 - San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center

Nov. 18 - Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center

Nov. 19 - Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom

Nov. 21 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren

Nov. 24 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues

Nov. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

Nov. 28 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre

Nov. 29 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo

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LIZZIE WEBER: INTERVIEW

November 14, 2017

INTRO BY KAT VISTI

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

Lizzie Weber is a singer-songwriter who just released a music video for her song Love Again which was in collaboration with Grammy Award winner Sheldon Gomberg. Lizzie has preformed with other artists such as Marketa Irglova, Gill Landry, Tiny Ruins, and John Gorka. Lizzie is currently working on her second album, and we sat down with Lizzie to learn some more about her and her music!

Who or what inspired you to start writing music?

LIZZIE: "My eldest brother is a composer and classical pianist. Hearing him play growing up sort of ignited my desire to learn to play. I started to compose my own pieces on piano at a young age, but never took songwriting seriously until college. I saw the movie Once and was so moved by the lead performers. Both Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova became enormous inspirations to me. I decided to learn guitar at 18, and from there went on to fall in love with songwriting legends like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. I decided to momentarily pause my studies at 20 and move to LA, where I wrote more and performed for a few years, at which point I knew I wouldn't be satisfied doing anything else."

In your own words, how would you describe your music?

LIZZIE: "I'm influenced by so many genres, it's hard for me to place myself in a category. On guitar, my songs feel more folk-driven. On piano, I'm much more influenced by classical, jazz, and pop."

Do you find that you have the same exact process every time you write a song or does it change often?

LIZZIE: "Surprisingly my process does not really fluctuate. I always seem to find myself writing melody, lyrics, and chords simultaneously. Whenever I try to write without my instruments, I feel like I'm almost trying to a bit more clever or something, like it's not as natural. So I've always found that writing with my instrument in hand is the best process."

You recently released the music video for your song Love Again. Can you tell us a little about the song and video?

LIZZIE: "The song is about a woman remembering her self-worth, and that she is lovable. I saw a quote after writing the lyrics that said 'The bravest thing you'll ever do is love again,' and I couldn't find that to be more true. The ability to love is life's most precious gift, but I don't think we often think about the importance of self-love in that context. That said, with the video we wanted to capture a woman finding that self-love again: seeing herself, acknowledging pain, happiness, loss, re-discovery of her worth and all the emotions that come with that process after experiencing heartache. We wanted to convey the intensity of all of it."

What was it like working with Grammy award winning producer Sheldon Gomberg on the song?

LIZZIE: "Collaborating with Sheldon on this was an amazing experience. Both he and my brother (who composed the arrangements) brought this song to life in ways I couldn't have possibly imagined back when it was just a demo on my iPhone. Sheldon hand-picked each of our session players for the track, and produced the song in such a way that it sounds so raw but still stands as a powerful ensemble piece. Every time I listen to the recording I'm transported, and that's all you can ask for when you entrust your music with someone."

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

LIZZIE: "This is really tough. There are so many amazing artists that inspire me that I'd love to work with. If I had to choose one, I think I'd love to work with Marketa Irglova. I had the opportunity to join her band onstage in LA a few years ago while she was touring her last record. It would be so wonderful to do a track with her."

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

LIZZIE: "Yes! I'm currently working on producing a 4-track EP of songs that I've been meaning to record for a few years now. Hopefully it will be out in early 2018."

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