GET READY FOR SEA.HEAR.NOW!

August 28, 2024

by julia finocchiaro

New Jersey’s annual beachside festival Sea.Hear.Now returns for its sixth installment on the Asbury Park boardwalk in just under three weeks, and with it will come performances by some incredible folk and rock performers, including The Gaslight Anthem, The Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio Band, The Revivalists, and more. Headliners include Noah Kahan and, of course, a three-hour-long set by New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, the group’s first appearance at the festival since its inaugural date in 2018.

When & Where

This year’s Sea.Hear.Now festival takes place the weekend of September 14 - 15th, with gates opening at noon and a 10:30 pm curfew each night. To get there, fans can utilize the New Jersey Transit Asbury Park station, which goes to New York City’s Penn Station via a transfer at Long Branch. However, this ride will take you around 2.5 hours, so we recommend finding accommodations closer to the festival rather than staying in the city. For fans who decide to stay nearby, the festival will have a dedicated rideshare area for drop offs/pickups from the festival.

Surfing? Art Galleries? Food?

Sea.Hear.Now isn’t just a music festival. This year (and for the past few years), the festival also hosts a professional surfing competition in the waters surrounding the festival grounds, making sure there’s always something to see in addition to just the music. One of the festival’s main producers is legendary rock photographer Danny Clinch, who has worked with Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Foo Fighters, to name a few. His work will be displayed in the Transparent Clinch Gallery along with impromptu sets by some musicians. And of course we can’t forget about the food. With NYC to the north and Philly to the south, the festival promises delicious eats throughout the weekend.

Lineup

The full lineup and schedule for this year’s festival can be found on the Sea.Hear.Now website. This year’s lineup is packed with talent from household names to lots of smaller artists. Saturday’s highlights earlier in the day include Massachusetts rock band Guster and solo rock singer Grace Potter. On Sunday, make sure to catch high energy sets by The Aces and Larkin poe, as well as a soul-filled performance by folk and R&B singer Joy Oladokun.

Tickets & More

Tickets to this year’s festival are currently sold out, but fans can join the waitlist or view resale tickets on the Sea.Hear.Now website. Those coming with VIP tickets will get to enjoy front-of-stage viewing, VIP lounges, and express lanes for both entry and merchandise.

For anything we’ve missed, check out the festival’s comprehensive FAQ page here to get your questions answered.

We hope to see you in Asbury Park for this year’s festival!

DAYDREAMERS: INTERVIEW

August 17, 2024

by kendall nicole yakshe

New UK-based band daydreamers has a lot to say, and they’re just getting started — so listen up! A four-piece indie-rock power group, the band has already become wildly successful, gaining over 7 million Spotify streams on their single “Call Me Up,” which was only their second ever release. They have a multitude of big performances and festivals in the near future — Latitude, Reeding & Leeds, and a spot opening for Sea Girls on their European tour this fall. With more music rolling out very soon, daydreamers’ momentum is high, and they have every intent to keep it that way.

With the release of your new single “All I Ever Dream About,” you guys have done incredible in the music game with just three singles so far! Congratulations! Where did the four of you first meet, and what made you decide to start a band?

Riley: “Thanks! So we actually got together last year. I had written and produced a bunch of songs, such as ‘Call Me Up’ and ‘Beach House,’ and knew the guys through a mutual friend. Then as soon as we got into a room together and starting playing it just felt very right. Then we officially started the band in October!”

Can you tell us about “All I Ever Dream About” and how your musical process typically goes?

Riley: “I think the process is usually quite different each time when starting something — I’m always just on the look out for little ideas from everyday life, then I’ll tend to voice note a bunch of stuff. Then when I get to sit down with my laptop I build up tracks. Production and writing go hand in hand for me and you’re just searching for a little spark of inspiration, whether it’s a sound or a lyric or a chord progression. After I’ve arranged the song we then go track drums and record with the guys playing live, so it creates that authentic feeling of us all playing in a room together; which is what it’s all about.”

You guys are booked for music festivals such as Latitude and Reading & Leeds, as well as a spot opening for Sea Girls on a European tour this fall! Your career kickstarted with a massively successful live show in the UK. What was that like, and how are you feeling about your upcoming live performances?

Riley: “Absolutely mad! Playing live for us is everything for us, and the music lives on stage. I think when you go a bit of time without having an audience, when you get people connecting with what you do you just appreciate it so much. We just played Latitude festival, that one was so good. Me and Aurora ended up buying a couple tents and staying the weekend.”

Biggest musical influence for each one of you?

Riley: “For me the first one that comes to mind is Radiohead, all of their work is pretty inspiring for me.”

Marco: “So many, but the biggest were and are Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Toto, Journey guitarists as Michael Landau and Neal Schon.”

Aurora: “It kinda varies depending on the day and has changed along the years, but the most consistent ones would be ABBA, Michael Jackson, The Doors, Harry Styles, 5 Seconds of Summer.”

Jay: “Hard to narrow down to just one, but I’d say Dave Grohl. In particular Nirvana — Never mind, Foo Fighters — The Colour and the Shape and Queens of the Stone Age — Songs for the Deaf.”

What’s your guys’ dream venue to play in the future? It can be anywhere!

Riley: “Wembley Arena. It’s gotta be one of the big ones. Or headlining Glastonbury. Maybe I’ll throw Coachella in there also.”

What does your writing process look like as friends and as band members? How do you navigate friendship and business?

Riley: “Writing songs for me is a pretty personal thing usually. I’ve always struggled to write with other people for my own stuff — maybe it’s being a bit of a control freak. Not to say I won’t do it more in the future, but right now I tend to just get stuck into a Logic session and lose myself during the writing stage. Then get in with everybody later down the line to hone it. As far as friendship and business goes, we all work on a ‘best idea in the room’ basis, so I think when you separate your ego from your ideas everything works a lot better in general!”

Can you share anything about upcoming music releases?

Riley: “We’ve got a whole bunch of songs ready to release, our whole idea is to get as much music out as possible and never lose momentum. All of them we’re so excited about! Then hopefully we’ll be working towards the debut album…”

Each of you share your favorite thing about being in this band.

Riley: “Going through these experiences together is the thing I appreciate most. I think working in this industry has the potential to be pretty overwhelming, so having the guys to fall back on always reminds you not to take anything too seriously. Also festivals!”

Marco: “Spending time in general with the guys and playing beautiful music.”

Aurora: “I get to do what I love most in the world while going on adventures and creating memories with the best people.”

Jay: “My favorite thing is having the opportunity to play in front of bigger and bigger audiences and being able to share that experience as a band.”

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JESSIA: INTERVIEW

August 13, 2024

by martina rexrode

Canadian-born singer-songwriter JESSIA recently dropped her latest EP Okay With Every Part. After a short span of time filled with so much turmoil and change, she taps into those feelings with this project — a six song EP full of catchy, relatable lyrics and melodies. Along with the EP, JESSIA is also preparing to embark on her debut headline tour across Canada and into new places like New York! We talked to JESSIA about the EP, the upcoming tour, and where she found inspiration throughout the creative process.

Your EP was released last month! How are you feeling now that this project is out in the world?

JESSIA: “It feels so good to have Okay With Every Part out in the world! I love seeing all of the different videos people are creating with the songs. It’s so interesting to see how people are able to relate and find their own stories within the songs. It really builds up a sense of community!”

Does this release feel different than past releases in any way? How rewarding does it feel to put out an independent project?

JESSIA: “Yes, it definitely feels really different. I just have a small team working behind the scenes on this project, so every stream, billboard, or shoutout is because of the community we’ve built from the ground up.”

Can you tell our readers how you decided on the title Okay With Every Part?

JESSIA: “Last year was a really tough year for me. I was mad at myself for making what I perceived to be the ‘wrong decisions’ and for losing what I could have had. But, I look at my life now and I am SO happy with how things turned out. I feel so free! Now that I’m out of the storm, I’m able to look back and say that I really am ‘okay with every part.’ I would not be here or writing the music I am now had I not gone through all the craziness of the last year.”

Where did you find inspiration for this EP?

JESSIA: “This EP was inspired by my experience going from being signed to a record label to becoming an independent artist. I wanted to prove to both myself and other artists that you don’t need a label to be successful. That’s something that gave me a lot of fuel while creating this project. Stopping and giving up on my music career just wasn’t an option, so I wrote from the mindset that I would do whatever it took to get through that hard time in my life.”

Which song do you hope listeners latch onto most?

JESSIA: “‘Care About Me’ is a really special song to me, but it’s also a song about feeling a lot of pain and heartache… so, while it’s one of my favorites and I hope other people love it too, I’d also love for people to latch onto ‘Happy Without You.’ I feel like people have been sleeping on ‘Happy Without You’ — it’s the ultimate ‘I’m getting over you’ bop!”

You recently announced dates for your debut headline tour starting in October! What’s going through your mind as you think about this tour and performing your music for fans in places like New York and Toronto, maybe for the first time?

JESSIA: “I’ve played in Toronto a few times now and I feel like I’ve been able to cultivate such an incredible community of strong confident girlies there! It seriously feels like we’re all just friends now! I’ve never played in New York before so I’m really excited about that show! I’m stoked to cross that one off my bucket list!”

How have you grown as an artist within the last year? In what ways do you hope to grow through the rest of this year?

JESSIA: “I feel like I’ve grown a lot as an artist over the past year and I hope to just continue to grow. I feel like I have such a solid foundation now that I can experiment even more with my music and let myself be a little weirder!”

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BÔA: INTERVIEW

July 31, 2024

by martina rexrode

If you think the name bôa sounds unfamiliar, go listen to their song “Duvet” and then come back to finish this article. Originally released as a single in 1998, “Duvet” became the favorite song of an entirely new generation through its shares online, specifically as an audio on TikTok around 2021. Before then, the band hadn’t created music together in over 20 years. Now, they’re back with three singles, each showing off a different side of their artistry, and are excited to reintroduce themselves to their fans from the late 90s and early 2000s while introducing themselves to those who found them through “Duvet.”

It feels necessary for me to start by congratulating you on your three latest singles and also to welcome you back to the music world! I’m sure you weren’t completely separated from music in the 20 years since your last release, but how does it feel to throw yourselves back into creating and putting out music after two decades?

Jasmine: “It feels great! It’s amazing that as soon as we were in the room together we immediately started writing. Also, when our label, Nettwerk, asked if we’d like to make new music, we leaped at the chance.”

Alex: “Feels like we haven't stopped, to be honest. We all love playing and we clicked straight away.”

Lee: “We just all fell back into it like it was yesterday. It was wonderful.”

In what ways were each of you tied to music while living out your lives since your hiatus?

Jasmine: “Music has been ever-present. During that time, I’ve been working as a solo artist, playing shows around the UK and releasing music. Alex has been writing music and painting. Lee worked on his own music and production.”

Alex: “I've taught guitar and bass guitar over the last 15 years, done a few musical bits, and been doing a fair bit of abstract painting, too.”

Lee: “I continued to write and record music by myself, my Father, and assorted musicians.”

Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind “Worry,” your most recent single?

Jasmine: “Lyrically — sleepless nights, rage at things I can’t fix or save. I think it’s important to name uncomfortable emotions. Almost as a way to manage them, to hold them up and investigate what they signify, and then let them go.”

Alex: “The progression is fairly straightforward, but the chord voicings are unusual in the way they hang together giving it a slightly different edge. The guitar melody over the chorus was an interesting find melodically.”

Out of the three singles you’ve released this year, which is the standout to each of you and why?

Jasmine: “I really love them all! ‘Walk With Me’ was one of the later ones we wrote, and it’s a hopeful song, so it felt right to be the first one we released. ‘Beautiful & Broken’ is soothing and gentle, kind of an ode to silence, and that moment when you can’t sleep, ‘Worry’ is fierce and honest. Also, it would make an excellent Bond theme…”

Alex: “I like them all, but ‘Walk With Me’ is fun to play. I love Jasmine's hook melody and the way the song works overall.”

Lee: “All of them sound great to me, but each one has its own vibe and sound, each for different occasions.”

How has your sound evolved since you first formed in 1993?

Jasmine: “As there are fewer of us as songwriters, our sound is a lot more streamlined, maybe a little heavier. Also, we like to joke that the album is the product of breakups and breakdowns, but it’s kind of true! We’ve all lived a lot in the meantime, and it’s gone into the songs.”

Alex: “Yes, we probably approach things differently now that we're a three-piece. There are different spaces to operate in, but I think there's a continuation of our original sound there, too.”

Lee: “We naturally kept the sound we had before, but we have developed over time as musicians, which keeps it fresh and interesting.”

What was your reaction to “Duvet” gaining traction online, especially on TikTok? At what point did you recognize just how much global attention the song was receiving from new fans?

Jasmine: “I think we’re still amazed by it. It started in messages here and there… all instances of friends saying, ‘I heard your song the other day.’ ‘Duvet’ is one of my favorites — it’s a joy to sing — so I guess it was nice to have other people feel the same. It also still feels a little surreal, but we read as many of the messages that we receive as we can, and it’s huge to think that people get the emotion behind the song and share their own memories with us.”

Alex: “We were surprised and really happy people liked the song. When the labels started to contact us, we thought… oh okay, this is pretty crazy.”

Lee: “I kept getting emails from various companies asking about the song. Then my son showed me on TikTok, and that kinda did it for me. It was so surreal and still is.”

When “Duvet” started to blow up on TikTok, it was such a strange time for the music industry and creative industries as a whole. What do you remember about that time, and do you think the timing for “Duvet” going viral worked in your favor?

Jasmine: “We were coming out of lockdown properly then, I think. In a way, it just added to the craziness of that time. I think there was something magical about it going viral for us. We’ve had a very loyal and supportive audience for a long time, so it was surprising and delightful to know that it was/is growing and on a new platform as well.”

Alex: “As Jasmine says.”

Lee: “Yes, as above.”

Even with just these three singles, as well as your sold out North American fall tour, your future looks extremely bright. What are you most excited for?

Jasmine: “Touring! Playing all the songs, old and new, to audiences finally, after all these years, with an amazing band. We can’t tell you how excited we are to perform together again.”

Alex: “Yes, touring and playing live is what we love to do. We can't wait to get out there!”

Lee: “Playing live with the band to an appreciative audience is fun for me.”

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EVAN DIBBS: INTERVIEW

July 25, 2024

by martina rexrode

With an incredibly apparent passion for creating music and a sound that is difficult to pin down amid all of the styles he embraces, Evan Dibbs is set to release his debut album next month. To prepare for this release, we talked to Evan about his singles “Fills” and, more recently, “Cincinnati,” breaking into the New York music scene, and what listeners might take away from the album.

Congratulations on your recent singles “Fills” and “Cincinnati!” Can you tell us a little about the inspiration and/or meaning behind each of these songs?

Evan: “Thank you! And thanks for having me. Each song was inspired by opposing views on life that I often have. ‘Fills’ describes a sort of spiritual murkiness, which causes you to float through life on auto-pilot. ‘Cincinnati,’ on the other hand, was inspired by an excitement for the vast possibilities in life and wanting to go out and explore them. What’s interesting to me, though, is that they both share a theme of indecision, but to very different ends. In ‘Cincinnati,’ indecision comes from a desire to feel unfettered and to be able to learn and grow in a freewheeling kind of way, whereas ‘Fills’ looks at indecision as a recipe for stagnation, as the inability to take charge of your life and pursue the things that would fill life with meaning.”

Both of these singles are off of your forthcoming debut album titled Breathe to Break. How are you feeling as this release date inches closer?

Evan: “Feeling great! It’s funny, when the record comes out, these songs will be new for most people, but I’ve been living with them for over a year as they go through the post production and release/promotion stage… I feel like I’m ready to make another record [laughs]. But at this stage, I’m getting excited to play this material live and reimagining some of the tunes for their live presentations.”

Why did you choose to release these specific singles as the lead-ups to your album?

Evan: “I thought ‘Cincinnati’ and ‘Fills’ were good representations of the scope of energy in the record. ‘Cincinnati’ to me expresses an excitement about life and a desire to explore its possibilities, whereas ‘Fills’ talks about the things that hold you back in life. I feel like the record as a whole explores the ways in which we engage with the surrounding world, and I wanted to put songs out there that showed a diversity of perspectives. They are also some of the more singable songs, which I always think qualifies a tune to be a single.”

Where does the album title come from? How does it represent the album as a whole? Were there any other title ideas you considered?

Evan: “Usually I go through a bunch of titles before settling on one, but in this case, that name came pretty immediately. I can’t even remember when the title came up because this record has been Breathe to Break even in its earliest writing stages. I think what drew me to it initially was the phonetic similarity of ‘breathe’ and ‘break,’ even though they have quite different connotations; breathing being a source of life and breaking being a disruption. I knew I wanted this record to be about reigniting a sense of awareness, and being able to engage sensuously with art, nature, and relationships. To me, the title describes having to create a disruption in order to reconnect with the things that make life beautiful.”

What can listeners expect from your first project of this length?

Evan: “I think it’s a record that rewards active listening. It can be dense at times, but I don’t think it’s inaccessible. There are a lot of lyrics and a lot of ear candies that I think open the door for new things to be discovered with each listen. I like records that make you want to put on headphones, lay on the floor, and close your eyes when you listen. But truthfully, that’s just how I hear the record and I’m fascinated by how differently people experience music. One night I had a small listening party amongst close friends and it was so cool to see all the things they took away from the record that I never would’ve thought of. I think albums end up reflecting the listeners’ emotions and interests back to them in ways that’s almost impossible for the composer to predict.”

How did your partnership with producer Erik Kase Romero come to be? What was it like creating this album with him?

Evan: “Erik and I met almost ten years ago when our bands at the time were regularly playing in the New Brunswick basement show scene. We shared a lot of bills together and were friends, but we really connected when I asked him to produce my first EP World Before Us. That was the first time we collaborated and it immediately clicked. After that, I played on a lot of sessions that Erik was producing, including his own work as a songwriter. We’ve developed a huge amount of trust through all these sessions, and when it came time to work on this record, we had laid the foundation to do a lot of experimentation. We set a lot of limitations (for example, we decided all drums would be recorded in mono with no toms on the main drum part, and that we would use any keyboard or wind instruments) and that really quickly set focus and intention to the sessions. I think that’s where it starts to become really fun too, when everyone feels some sense of stakes and we all enter uncharted territory together.”

How have the New Jersey and New York music scenes influenced your identity as an artist? Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists looking to break into their local scene?

Evan: “I think the most valuable part of being in NY/NJ is that there are so many artists of all disciplines all around you. No other area in the country can beat it. However, it’s really hard to ‘make it’ as your own artist in New York and I could see how it could actually be way more attainable if you lived somewhere where the cost of living isn’t so intense. You know, somewhere where it’s reasonable to have space to rehearse and record and you could go out on tour without your living expenses at home being so outrageous. But I do think I’ve become a more well-rounded artist from being in New York for so many years and I really value the community of visual artists, filmmakers, actors, musicians, dancers, etc that have enriched my artistic life.”

Which aspects of this album release are you most excited for?

Evan: “I’m really excited for it to become a social thing. The music takes on a different life when it gets in other people’s ears and when you start playing it live. You end up hearing things in the music that you didn’t know were there before. The record for me has been about connection, and I’m hoping the release will be the final stage of realizing that intention.”

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers about your music or any future plans?

Evan: “Album release show! August 23rd at Alphaville in Brooklyn. It's going to be a wonderful night joined by Molly Murphy and Tennis Courts.”

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