Fun. is, well, fun! Their new album, Some Nights, drops today and you need to hear it. Fun. formed in New York during the winter of 2008 with Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff. It’s been a wild ride for the trio, especially with the amount of attention that has been buzzing around their newest release. Their single, “We Are Young” features one of my favorite live performers, Janelle Monae, who does an outstanding job complementing Nate on lead vocals. You might have heard it during the Chevy Sonic Superbowl commercial with all the crazy stunts performed by the new car, or on the TV show Glee. Check out the official video of “We Are Young ft. Janelle Monae” from Some Nights.
The song is probably a bit different than most of the pop songs you’re used to hearing these days, but Fun. isn’t your typical indie pop band. They have combined a variety of styles to produce alternative pop music that has it’s own distinct and unique sound. Their journey has taken them from supporting acts like Jack’s Mannequin, Paramore, Relient K, and Janelle Monae to hitting the top of the charts with Some Nights. It’s all happened fairly quick, as Ruess’s previous band, The Format, broke up in 2008. After that, he joined with Andrew and Jack to record Fun.’s debut album, Aim and Ignite. They were supported by thousands of fans within the first year and started to tour with major acts. Two years after forming, Fun. signed with label Fueled by Ramen and started recording their second album within the next year. Today, Some Nights is officially born, and you can listen to it right here:
The album stream was released just last week with a note from Nate Reuss thanking fans for their support. Sorry, Nate, for your struggles with Google email interface. A few days later and Some Nights has already hit it big, and I think you can hear why. The arrangement is amazing, the harmonies are brilliant, and the total feel is consistent through each awesome song on the album. You can see how to purchase the album, and get other information about Fun. at ournameisfun.com. Have fun with Fun. and remember to listen to more music!
By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC
Bugs in the Dark puts me somewhere between a strangely playful childhood nightmare and a sultry sexual fantasy. Meow! Their new music video directed by Keith Hamilton perfectly mirrors their noisy Brooklyn punk-rock, pull my hair and make me scream sound. Front woman Karen Rockower took some time to fill me in on how the band came together and what they’re up to the next few months, including SXSW and a mini-documentary featuring the band!
MWL: Can you give me a little background on how the band formed? When, where?
KR: The band was formed in 2007 by guitarist/vocalists Zach Glass and myself along with original drummer, Julia Lomax. We were living in Brooklyn and had been playing music for a while and had the idea of starting a rock band. We liked the idea of challenging ourselves by writing without bass. The goal was to write music that didn’t have easy or obvious progressions, while keeping it fun. Our original drummer, Julia, moved to California and is now the mother of two beautiful boys. We played with a few different people before we found our current drummer, Rich Crescenti. He’s the first one we’ve been able to write new material with since Julia left. We’re so happy we found him!
MWL: Tell me about the name Bugs in the Dark , how did you come up with that?
KR: Coming up with band names is always a challenge. I feel like I have a running list of 5 great names that always disappears when I need it. We came up with “Bugs in the Dark” based on childhood fears combined with the idea of a shot in the dark. The name suited the creepy feeling of our music, but also has a childlike quality to it. In NYC it’s easy to feel like just another bug in the dark scavenging for enough support to keep you going.
MWL: Do you remember the first time you picked up an instrument, which was it? When did you recognize your passion for creating music?
KR: I have been playing music my whole life. I studied piano as a kid, but never did well as a student with structured lessons. I always sang. I studied voice through high school and started playing the guitar my senior year of college and that’s when things really clicked for me. As soon as I learned my first two chords I was writing songs and have never stopped. I found I did better musically when I taught myself in my own way. My approach to music is totally based on feel and inspiration.
MWL: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
KR: Zach and I love Sonic Youth, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Pixies, Pavement, Elvis Costello (and Presley), Sleigh Bells, The Kills, Blonde Redhead…I could go on and on. We’re both really attracted to similar kinds of tension, heaviness, poetic lyrics and counter intuitive melodies. Rich has a different pool of taste, which we’ve found to be really cool in what we all bring to the band. Non-musical influences range from movies to Walt Whitman, news stories, dystopian novels, flowers and our dog. Everything really.
Bugs in the Dark- “Gasoline”
MWL: Do you write all of your songs?
KR: Yeah, we write everything. Once we played a Kyle Minogue cover when we performed at an Australian event on Anzac Day. That was really fun, but we never kept it going. We recently had a Kickstarter campaign in which one of the rewards was to cover and record a song of the supporter’s choice. We have an assignment to do a classic rock cover that we’re hoping to release soon.
MWL: What is your writing process?
KR: As a band, we really love to write together. Often Zach or I will come up with a basic song structure and bring it to rehearsal and we’ll workshop it until it comes together. Sometimes we’ll just start playing something new out of nowhere and have a new song within an hour. That’s the most magical feeling. But we love the process as well – our last song took us a month or two to finish and we loved working on it and are proud of how it turned out.
MWL: Are you writing anything now?
KR: Yes! We have a lot of unfinished things that we are hashing away at. We’re always writing and re-working old songs. It keeps things fresh, which keeps us motivated to get to the rehearsal space.
MWL: How would you describe your music?
KR: Someone recently wrote that we were “Ferocious Sex Rockers”. I thought that was pretty bad ass. We’ve been referred to as “Apocalyptic Rock Perpetrators” and “Awesomely tense”. I’ve always thought of us as creepy art rockers. We play indie rock, but it’s not straightforward. It’s also not just noise. There are melodies and there’s enough repetition to give the audience something to hold on to. I do think that our music has an element that is only tangible when seeing us live. There’s a connection and energy in our performance that there is no way to record.
MWL: Do you have a favorite song? One that means the most?
KR: I always have a favorite, but it changes. For me it’s about how we’re locking in as a band at any given time.
MWL: Any favorite bands or musicians you enjoy collaborating or playing with?
KR: We have some friends in LA that we met in Pittsburgh who we love. They use to be a band called Medic Medic but now they’re performing as Lakookala. Locally we love playing with Raccoon Fighter, BAMBARA, Butchers and Bakers, Gone Bad, Unstoppable Death Machines. We recently played with JAPANTHER in Brooklyn and we opened for Jeff the Brotherhood in Halifax, which was great; and we’re gonna play with Seasick Mama in Austin next month.
MWL: What are your hobbies, every day life… what is it like?
KR: I have a solo project and I play guitar in another band (Seasick Mama). I work as a tattoo artist, which I love because it’s another creative outlet and it’s very social. I get to spend most of my days drawing, tattooing and playing music, which I’m very grateful for. Zach and I have a dog, Trolley, who we’re madly in love with. We love food and road trips. Zach is part of a video blogging puppeteer group called Glove and Boots. They are super fun and creative and you can see their episodes on youtube. Rich records/produces other bands and teaches audio engineering, so his life is very centered around music from the performance to the technical.
MWL: What are you listening to these days?? Any recommendations?
KR: I’m listening to the Kills right now. I am loving Sleigh Bells these days. I like the recent Middle Brother record and I’m bored by the most recent Florence and The Machine album. I love the new Bjork record and I keep going back to Bat For Lashes for inspiration.
MWL: What’s new with you? Anything in the making? Recording anything new, videos, planning any tours?
KR: We’re getting ready to play a DIY music festival being held at Tommy’s Tavern on 2/24 and then we are heading to Austin for SXSW. We’re not officially in the festival, but we’ll be playing some parties down there and having a little crew film us. We’ve been filming a lot of our recent shows and we’re hoping to combine all this footage to have a cool mini documentary coming out soon.
MWL: How do you feel about the music industry as it stands today?
KR: It’s a great climate for new music. All the great material out there keeps the fire under our ass to keep creating. We know we have a lot of fans because we’ll often get texts like “my friends in LA were just saying Bugs in the Dark is their new favorite band!”. And we haven’t played LA for a couple years now, so someone out there is sharing our music with all their friends and we just hope they keep spreading the word. Social media is our best friend. It’s amazing what Facebook can do for a band. We have never had any formal label support, which has been a struggle at times, but we do love the freedom to do what we like. We’re incredibly proud of all that we accomplished in 2011 with touring through Europe, releasing a new EP and playing the Halifax Pop Explosion. Doing that kind of stuff without support is a real challenge.
MWL: Anything else you might want to add before we conclude?
KR: Bugs in the Dark rocks! You should come see us live and get our stuff!
Bugs in the Dark- “Aaron”
Well, no one says it better than the front-woman herself! Check out tour, event, and release info on their website!
The First Class Collective is back with a new record titled “Love Isn’t Love”! The First Class Collective is a New York tribe comprised of Four members – Amjay(@Amjaygotnext), who is a beautiful songstress that also does poetry, raps, & plays three instruments & also has over 500,000 youtube views, Justin Baron (@JustinAbaron) who is an amazing male singer/piano player who also plays drums, guitar, and ukulele, Dot The One who is a master lyricist, rapper, performer, poet, & writer, and The Producer Nana Kwabena.
This new record was originally released on February 14th 2012 “Valentines Day.” The song deals with the ups & downs a couple may go through in the quest for true love, and only in separation do they realize that they were actually destined for each other. This definitely has a light spring vibe, and in my opinion is an instant classic for this summer.
These guys are killing it these days. They release something new almost everyday. They are definitely blowing up, and fast. Check out some of their live stuff below..amazing! The sickest Musiq Soulchild cover I’ve ever heard!
Also you have GOT to check out their latest project, the 17 track masterpiece, absolutely CLASSIC mixtape Above Ground Level (A.G.L.) on datpiff.
The Grammy awards are arguably the most main stream music event on the face of the planet. The sheer money that goes into it with major label contributions and overblown performances by overblown pop stars who instead of singing live and or playing an instrument choose to haphazardly dance around like dummipies is mind-blowing. I would love to continue this rant as it has been brewing for the last couple years, but I can’t. For the last three years I’ve attended The Grammys live from the Staples Center here in LA and last night was just special.
After having attended many of the rehearsals in the days leading up to the show I found myself in awe of talents young and old. It’s one thing to see this stuff on TV but live its something different. Music fans know exactly what I’m talking about. I was able to duck in and see the legendary Tony Bennett sing with Carrie Underwood, Rihanna sing with Chris Martin and Coldplay and Sir Paul McCartney himself backed by the one and only Joe Walsh and Diana Krall. All of this just in time to make my way outside in time to catch Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 rehearsing in the club tent. Music lovers I know that was a pretty big brag on my part, but it was a serious day of music.
Day of show is busy. The Red Carpet opens some 5 hours before the show and most of the awards are handed out during the pre-telecast. 16,000 people give or take attend the show which is just ridiculous. Skirllex cleaned up this year in the dance music categories and Foo Fighter’s and Adele cleaned house in the rock and pop categories respectively. I could sit here all night and debate who should have won what, but that’s boring. From here on out it’s all about the music. Please excuse my shitty cell phone pictures/ video, but I wasn’t supposed to take most of these so bare with me.
The show opened with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They played a new tune called “We Take Care of Our Own” from their upcoming record “Wrecking Ball” setting the tone for an incredible night of music. It was an appropriate song seeing as how the music community had come out just the night before in droves to support, mourn and honor the life of Whitney Houston. LL Cool J hosted the show this year… that’s all I have to say about that.
My night started when Rihanna took the stage. She is really hott. She sang her song and danced her dance. It was entertaining to say the least. What I was really waiting for was her duet to follow her performance with Chris MArtin from Coldplay on his song “Princess of China.” Dimly lit center stage I knew it was about to get good. After the duet Coldplay’s full stage setup was revealed as they tore into their recent hit single “Paradise”.
The lights were incredible and the energy in the room was electric as each audience member held up their own light up bracelet synced to the music. I love Coldplay. They take a lot of flack, but they are amazing performers and their stage setup was insanely cool.
After Coldplay I was in awe, but also needed to move quickly to secure a seat on the other side of the venue for the biggest performance in my eyes, The Beach Boys. Living in Southern California, The Beach Boys are by default the soundtrack to summer here. I have been brought up listening to their countless hits. Hearing that the rest of the band was reuniting with Brian Wilson (one of my all time idols, accept for that couple years he locked himself in his house with a bunch of god damn hippies and animals) was just incredible and I was not about to miss this big moment in music history.
The medley of tunes opened with Maroon 5 performing a rendition of “Surfer Girl”… yawn. New comers Foster The People picked up the pace with “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”. They were really great. Marc Foster has that tenor voice so synonymous with The Beach Boys.
After a brief intro from Ryan Seacrest the legendary Beach Boys took the stage. Brian sat dead center at his keyboard. Comatose as he looked I think I saw a smile in there somewhere. He was flanked by his former and now new bandmates as they tore through the classic “Good Vibrations.”
For me, I wasn’t sure if that moment could be topped and then I made my way outside to the dance tent for Foo Fighters.
DAMN IT NOTE: I just realized I skipped over Adele’s performance. She is absolutely unmatched as far as vocal power and sheer amazing singing ability. Her performance will no doubt go down in history and her big winning night will go down in the record books. Her performance of “Rolling In The Deep” brought the house down. Is that enough? Yes? Ok, now on to Foo Fighters and Deadmau5.
The Foo Fighters took the stage in front of a crowd of about 1000. A small dance tent had been set up to accommodate the most underrated party of the weekend. Without wasting any time/ without waiting for the cue from the TV folks Dave and his band ripped through “Panama” by Van Halen, “Breakdown” by Tom Petty and their own “Times Like These”. Hidden partially behind a curtain it was weird to hear and not be able to see but it was unreal none the less. In the middle of “Times Like These” the Foos were forced to stop in lew of TV timing. As they were being hushed Dave Grohl teased the stage manager revving the crowd by sticking his head out from behind the curtain and starting the riff to “Everlong”. With ten seconds to live the whole band ripped into “Everlong” sending the crowd into a frenzy and pissing off the stage manager. Awesome.
Remember when I said The Beach Boys could not be topped? Yea I lied. Foo Fighters ripped into their new track “Rope” with the drop of the curtain.
At the end of “Rope” another curtain dropped revealing DJ Deadmau5 who began spinning a “Rope Remix” with the Foo Fighters playing along. My mind was melted and I left it on the floor.
I made my way back to my office at LA live on the highest of highs. I got a text from a co-worker who had just got confirmation that not only had McCartney changed his setlist from a new song to the Abbey Road Medley to close the show he also invited a few friends on stage. Fittingly McCartney took the stage and started “Golden Slumbers” and was joined with rock royalty, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. Trading righteous solos and giving the 2012 Grammys the send off it deserved the guitar gods left the crowd wanting more.
From top to bottom, from classic rock to pop country, from Nikki Minaj to a pile of crap. This was a night of real music. Not once did I hear lip syncing. Yes there were the massive fluffy pop acts. Katy Perry was incredible, Taylor Swift was enjoyable to look at and Nikki Minaj was fucking terrible, but thats ok. I had a blast. It was a music fans night. I think those who were there and those who saw it on TV can agree.
Caged Animals, psychedelic-pop spawn of Soft Black frontman Vincent Cacchione began as a solo project a few summers ago. Now featuring Magali Francoise on keys, Talya Rose Cacchione on bass and Patrick Curry on drums Vincent is frontman of yet another rising music group. The chances you’ve heard of one, of both of the bands are up there. If you hadn’t….. I’d be really surprised. Makes me miss Brooklyn thinking about it… about how amazing their shows are… I suggest catching them live if you can. Get info on tour dates here. Now go!! Dance, drink, eat gummi bears so your eyes shoot multicolored fire balls, smile at strangers, broaden your mind… warm your soul.
Midst his busy schedule Vincent was able to do a little interview, check it out below… good shit:
MWL: Can you give me a little background on how the band formed? When, where?
VC: Caged Animals started as a solo home-recorded project in early 2009. I decided it needed be a band once people started listening to those recordings. It took a while to figure out how to translate the recordings into a live performance; the first step was finding the right musicians. We made our live debut exactly a year ago opening for our friends in the band Friends.
The line-up is a total family affair; my sister Talya, plays bass, my partner Magali, plays keys and sings, and my friend Pat is on the drums. We’ve had a couple buddies come in and out helping us on different tours, my friends Andrew, Cole, and Turner have all stepped in and added their guitar at different times.
MWL: Tell me about the name Caged Animals, how did you come up with that?
VC: It’s something I was thinking about conceptually for a while, but as soon as the words came to me, I knew that it articulated the exact type of feeling I was thinking about. The name came while I was driving through Arizona in July 2009. We were in the desert, in a van, that had too many people inside of it, sweating, hallucinating, and coming down off of mushrooms.
MWL: Do you remember the first time you picked up an instrument, which was it? When did you recognize your passion for creating music?
VC: In fourth grade I began my career in music as a tune-less saxophonist. But I had been miming and singing along to my MJ cassettes since I was a small kid. There is a really great home movie of me on Christmas Day 1987, my mom bought me a toy guitar and I’m just staring right into the camera strumming all the strings at once and giving my best rendition of Let It Be.
MWL: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
VC: To name a few… William Blake, John Prine, Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, Raymond Carver, David Lynch, Lao Tzu, Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, Smokey Robinson
MWL: Do you write all of the songs?
VC: So far all of the Caged Animals songs have been written by me.
MWL: What is your writing process?
VC: It’s different every time but always revolve around a bit of magic. I’ve always been influenced by the Beat idea on beginnings, “first-thought, best thought.” But I consider myself a student of art and creativity so I’m always changing things up and trying something new. In the past few years I’ve made everything from dreary R&B, folk, glam-punk, droney-psychedelia, the musical world is definitely my oyster, so I don’t let the outside world dictate where my imagination walks. To me, that’s the point of doing creative work… otherwise it’d be a lot more lucrative to work in a bank.
MWL: Are you writing anything now?
VC: At the moment I’m doing a lot of writing. I’ve been waking up at 8am, going to sleep at 5am, basically following moments of inspiration whenever they’re around.
MWL: How would you describe your music?
VC: Caged Animals walks the line between classic Brill Building and some more lyrical, almost singer-songwritery concerns. What makes it interesting is that we are refuting the revivalist aesthetics of most musicians working with those types of influences. We’re working on modern music. Music that’s cut up, rearranged, gridded, and manipulated. I don’t mind mentioning Ariel Pink, Burial, Paul Simon, and J Dilla in the same sentence.
MWL: Do you have a favorite song? One that means the most?
VC: “Telling You Lies” from our first cassette. I wrote it three years ago on an early March morning. I remember seeing the broken glass all over my street in Bushwick and the tune was just handed over to me.
MWL: Any favorite bands or musicians you enjoy collaborating or playing with?
VC: My other band Soft Black, Shilpa Ray, Cole from DIVE, everyone who used to be in WEREWOLVES, Andrew Hoepfner and I like to get together and write songs every now and again. Also my friend Ratso and I have been talking about working on some tunes.
MWL: What are your hobbies, every day life. What is it like?
VC: I like to spend time with Magali, go for walks in parks, hang out with my closest friends and hear their music, tell jokes with my sister, I get obsessed with TV shows and music videos. I secretly want to be a prose-writer, so I spend a good amount of time in these fantasies where I’m waking up at 6am in a cabin in the woods and typing, steam from a coffee-black, hitting my chin, maybe a baby deer and her mother walk past my window.
MWL: What are you listening to these days?? Any recommendations?
VC: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of early Soft Machine, the first three Robert Wyatt records, “Astral Weeks,” “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” all the Girls records, Dilla’s “Donuts,” Simon & Garfunkel, Twin Sister.
MWL: What’s new with you? Anything in the making? Recording anything new, videos, planning any tours???
VC: We’re heading down to Austin for SXSW and also plotting a trip back to Europe in May.
MWL: How do you feel about the music industry as it stands today? The way I see it, we’re in the midst of a transition… do you feel the changes? What do you think the future of the industry holds?
VC: It’s just as an exciting time as any but has it’s pitfalls and perks. Ultimately, I just accept it all for it what it is. It’s important to live in your own era…nostalgia is for the confused.
Sharon Van Etten is an American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York City.
Her songs were described by the music website Pitchfork Media as having “some echoes of folk tradition but generally in a more personal, introspective space.” NPR Music asserts: “Her songs are heartfelt without being overly earnest; her poetry is plainspoken but not overt, and her elegant voice is wrapped in enough rasp and sorrow to keep from sounding too pure or confident.”
Van Etten was born and raised in New Jersey. She moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she discovered a variety of influential music. After moving back home to New Jersey, Van Etten was encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music.
Her official debut, Because I Was In Lovewas released in spring 2009. In April 2009, Van Etten performed vocals and guitar for the song “Coming Home” written by Jeremy Joyce for the feature film “Woman’s Prison.” In August 2009, she appeared in Hospice, the critically acclaimed album by indie rock group The Antlers and performed vocals on the track “Thirteen“. In January 2010, Van Etten was a featured artist on Weathervane Music‘s Shaking Through Web Series. On September 21, 2010 she released her second album Epic. She also contributed backing vocals to The National‘s song “Think You Can Wait” from the soundtrack to the film Win Win in 2011.
Her third studio album, Tramp, will be released in February 2012 on Jagjaguwar. Tramp was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, and recorded in his studio over the period of several months. After the release of the album, she will embark on a tour beginning in Philadelphia. The album will feature guest appearances from Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Matt Barrick, Zach Condon, and Jenn Wasner.
Something about Strand of Oaks is peculiar and calming . Featured as a showcase artist last year at SXSW, finishing his third album, Timothy Showalter has come a long way in past few years. His second album Pope Killdragon was the soundtrack of my recent travels. When you travel you need a good album to match your journey. I rode for 28 days, looking out of the train window into the endless desert, along the boarders of Canada and Mexico, through the Rocky Mountains, the plains and prairies of middle America and down south to the Gulf of Mexico. I needed something inspirational, nothing too soft, nothing too hard…music for thought, music for the soul! His voice is raw and passionate and his lyrics are beautiful and wise. Storytelling, lessons learned and to be learned. It is rock and folk and so much in between. Strand of Oaks is a gem, really.
Two Kids- Strand of Oaks
MWL: Timothy Showalter… and growing? Strand of Oats was once a three piece and is a solo project now or no? Can you give me a little background?
TS: I very much prefer the Neil Young model of band building. Sometimes it’s the Stray Gators…sometimes it’s Crazy Horse and sometimes its just Neil. I love touring and really can’t imagine playing solo shows in the near future, so I’m in the process of creating a live band.
MWL: When and where did the name ‘Strand of Oaks’ come into play?
TS: 2001 or 2003? Not sure. It is a scientific grouping term referring to a line of Oak trees.
MWL: Do you remember the first time you picked up an instrument, which was it? When did you recognize your passion for creating music?
TS: I played the baritone saxophone in band class. I recently started playing the sax again and realized I’m probably better at that than guitar…funny world. I used to plug my Yamaha CS1X into my dad’s DOLBY tape player and make some pretty cool stuff. I feel kind of proud that I made synthesizer music instead of punk music when I was 14. It’s set me on a much more unconventional path. I also remembered I owned turntables for a few years back in early high school. I would mix whatever was on a vinyl with my synth and make ambient music. I just wanted to be like Aphex Twin. Actually, I still want to be like Aphex Twin.
MWL: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
TS: Nearing the age of 30 I keep forgetting what I’m influenced by, especially musically. I think I’ve always been drawn to bands that aren’t scared of going big. Sometimes this bites them in the ass but most of the time it’s absolutely worth the risk. It all boils down to personal confidence.
Currently I am WAY more influenced by comedians than anything else. Richard Pryor has been my beacon of hope over the past year. He approached horribly sad topics with biting humor. I’m amazed by this level of honesty.
Alex Kona- Strand of Oaks
MWL: Do you write all of your songs?
TS: Yes.
MWL: What is your writing process?
TS: Until recently I’ve always thought songwriting as this random happening. Then I realized that with practice and deadlines, songwriting can be approached like an occupation. There’s nothing wrong with setting goals with songwriting. I toured most of last year and didn’t get much down time to write. So when I finally had the time I told myself that I needed to write at least ten songs by the the new year. This decision definitely encouraged productivity.
MWL: Are you writing anything now?
TS: Yes. I just finished recording my third record. I’m very happy with it.
MWL: How would you describe your music?
TS: Tough question. My songs are about my life except filled with a lot of lies. I think the best kind of songs are the ones you’re not sure about. There is a magical place when uncertainty and confidence meet.
MWL: Do you have a favorite song? One that means the most?
TS: It’s usually the most recent song I’ve written. I don’t know which one means the most. I guess all of them. Unfortunately I don’t write songs for pleasure. If I did all my songs would be about Wildwood, New Jersey and eating awesome seafood.
MWL: Kill Dragon is a beautiful song; did you write it for your wife?
TS: Nope. I wrote that for the Virgin Mary or for all women. At times they all seem just as mythical and distant as the statues you find in churches. Killdragon might be the summation of how little I actually know about the gender.
MWL: Any favorite bands or musicians you enjoy collaborating or playing with?
TS: I’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by some amazing musicians. Most recently I got to tour with Joe Pug and with Crooked Fingers. I learned so much from both of them.
MWL: What are your hobbies, every day life. What is it like?
TS: Music was my hobby for a long time so my hobby became my job. Come to think of it, I need more hobbies.
MWL: What are you listening to these days?? Any recommendations?
Rifle Recoil is many things… fun and witty, entertaining, engaging… Above all Rifle Recoil is a damn good time. I met Jeff and Bryan Keller at Monster Island Basement, sheeze… kind of a long time ago… where is time going? Anyway, they played a Showpaper Benefit Show/some girls birthday extravaganza. I was working the door so I couldn’t see them playing but I could hear the music and there were lots of people bippin’ and boppin’ frolicking about the dark and dusty dance floor. I was intrigued. I tried to focus on capturing the biggest centipede I’d ever seen as it weaved between my boots but I had to let him go, I handed my ink pad over… I had to join the party.
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Sea of Bees
Since then Jeff and Bryan have picked up a bad ass bassits, Andy, and have continued to pick up the pace as far as getting their shit out there. I’ve seen them play a lot of great shows in Brooklyn this past year. Seeing them live gives me the same feeling I get when I’m about to go to a much anticipated wedding reception. Does that make sense? Assuming everyone attends weddings in hopes of a fun reception… dance, get wasted and be merry? Yeah, I thought so… well their live shows give me the same “it’s gonna be a good night” vibe. A big party packed with friends and some of the most lively and imaginative re-vamped covers I’ve ever heard/listened/danced to. I’m smiling just thinking about how nice, fun and groove these guys are. Have a listen, book them for your birthday party. It’s like… snorting a bunch of Pixie Stix and listening to the song you lost your first kiss to.
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Bad Girl
MWL: So Rifle Recoil… Let me try to get this right… you, Jeff, started the band. And moved to Brooklyn to play more shows, right? When did you decide to start playing with Bryan?
JK: Yeah exactly, Bryan and I started playing in January of 2010. We actually are very recently now a three piece with Andy Chugg on Bass, who also plays drums in the band Crinkles.
MWL: Where are you from originally?
JK: I am from Arlington, VA and Bryan is from Wilmington, NC and Andy is from Vergennes, VT.
MWL: Do you remember the first time you picked up an instrument? I guess what I want to know is when did you recognize your passion for creating music?
JK: The other guys aren’t here but I first picked up guitar by taking lessons in middle school. At that time I mostly just wanted to be able to play covers of songs I liked, but when I was in high school I started writing my own material.
MWL: Who does the primary songwriting? How do you go about this process?
JK: Right now the way that we’ve been writing is I’ll come to practice with a germ of a song and then we develop it into a full-band song.
MWL: You have some fun and funky covers, and some other tracks that are your own. Do you have a favorite song to play?
JK: I think out of all of the originals and covers we most consistently enjoy playing our cover of Prototype by Outkast.
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Prototype
MWL: What is your Prototype?
JK: Ha ha, probably a robot with bangs.
MWL: What is the most bizarre/fucked up thing that has ever happened at a show?
JK: This was before Bryan and Andy were in the band but a few years ago I played a house show in New Jersey at this place called the Whiskey Barn and there was a shirtless guy there who everyone told me was blackout drunk, plus had taken some acid that night and he was right in my face chanting “hail Satan” for the bulk of my set. Afterwards I found out he was a pretty nice guy.
MWL: That is bizarre. So, your shows are upbeat and everyone has a great time dancing, I love that. Like the Homecoming Dance at 285- so much fun, you guys were decked out in some pretty snazzy suits, the perfect band to play that event. I must say I was impressed. How would you describe your shows, visually and musically?
JK: When everything goes right, like that Y2K party in the jungle from the video for Waiting for Tonight by J-Lo. Visually and musically.
MWL: Do you remember your first show together? Total disaster or did all go as planned? Wait; does anything ever go as planned?
JK: Our first show together went really well, it’s on Vimeo! >>> HERE <<<
MWL: Any favorite bands or musicians you like to play with? Who are your buddy bands??
JK: Bryan’s band SoftSpot is one of my favorite bands right now and it’s always fun when we play shows together even though it means he has twice as much work. Andy’s band Crinkles is really great as well I love all those guys and I love the vocal harmonies in their songs. Bryan and I are big fans of Beacon who also have a penchant for reworked cover songs.
MWL: What is your favorite venue to play?
JK: Glasslands.
MWL: I like to ask what is your least favorite but I won’t make you…..
JK: Madison Square Garden is just, I just never feel like we sound good in there. The acoustics are terrible.
MWL: What else do you do in life? When you’re not playing music…. OR doing sound! You do sound at Cake shop still, right? What else do you do? Juggle, puzzles, yoga?
JK: Yeah actually I can juggle and do yoga sometimes at YTTP on St. Marks. I’m not much for puzzles. I play a lot of B-Type Tetris.
MWL: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
JK: Prince, The Microphones, and Gary Wilson. Non-musical would probably be empanadas.
MWL: What are you listening to these days?? Any recommendations? Old and new suggestions are welcome. You can’t say “everything”… that’s a cop out.
JK: I’m a very big fan of Cass McCombs and Dent May. I don’t think Dent May has half the following he deserves. I’m excited for the new Holiday Shores record they are going in a really interesting new direction. There is an amazing band called Distractions that are based out of Chicago that have really great group vocal harmonies. I like this band from LA called Knight Rider that makes great tunes. Ryan Power from Burlington, VT has a record coming out called I Don’t Want To Die that is absolutely incredible. Hume from DC are putting out a new record soon that I’m dying to hear. Little Women is a band that I saw live recently and it actually brought me to tears it was so amazing, if you get a chance to see them live it’ll change your life. I am a huge fan of Twin Sister but so is everyone right? Oh and TwinSisterMoon from France that actually existed before Twin Sister has an amazing 7″ called Bride of the Spirits that is really great that came out a few years ago. I listen to the new Com Truise record a bunch. I love John Maus. The new single from SoftSpot that will be coming out soon is incredible it’s called The Cleansing Hour.
MWL: What’s new with you? Anything in the making? Recording anything new, videos, planning any tours?
JK: We are in the process of recording a new EP of some of our more recent songs. We will probably tour late spring once the EP is finished.
MWL: How do you feel about the music industry as it stands today? What do you think the future of the industry holds?
I feel very overwhelmed by the state of music as an industry right now. I think there is a lot of opportunity to be heard via the internet but you also have to promote yourself constantly in order to get noticed, which isn’t a natural thing for a lot of musicians. I think the future of the music industry is that there will be only one recorded piece of music in existence and different bands will just remix the one song in different ways. This is like a thousand years from now I’m thinking.
MWL: Thanks so much for taking the time to do the interview. If you’re half as busy as I have been this New Year then it surely wasn’t easy to find the time. But it’s worth it, I promise. Anything else you might want to add before we conclude?
JK: The song is going to be Baby by Justin Bieber.
I feel obligated to share the outdated video above, I found it incredibly entertaining. Add Rifle Recoil on facebook for the latest news and info on shows!
Ishamel Osekre moved to New York City from GHANA with thirty bucks and a hell of a lot of ambition. He paved his way through college and right into the Brooklyn DIY scene. When I heard about Osekre and The Lucky Bastards I knew I had to talk to this guy. Osekre produces powerful music using his poetry, his native roots, a GREAT band, and all the wisdom he has acquired on his journey. His interview is a must read. I have no doubt that Osekre will change lives and open eyes as he continues to grow as an artist and musician. He’s not afraid to speak the truth, the outcome is bold and colorful.
Lucky for us, a sneak preview of their newest track - Why Are You Here ( Not yet released!)
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You can see Osekre and The Lucky BastardsTONIGHT with Ritz Riot, Flagland, and Modiri @ NXT LVL in Brooklyn!!
MWL: I’ve heard of your story but can you give me a little background on yourself, where you are from and what led you to New York?
Osekre: (laughing) There is really not much to this story thing that you might have heard about. I am from a place called Kokomlemle in Accra, Ghana. My friends, Ahmed, Paa Nii, Kofi Kwakye, Yaw Boateng and I used to play soccer on the streets. Life was cool. Okay, lets face it. If you consider where I grew up and such, I’m probably not supposed to be frolicking around these parts of town. I used to sleep on a mat on the floor and shared the room with my mum and my big brother. Not fancy. I just dreamt a lot on that mat, prayed a lot because I wanted to go somewhere with my life and do something close to epic with it. After high school I decided I wanted to go to college because of numerous reasons but definitely because I needed academic independence, I wanted to compete and learn with the best and to benefit from opportunities that colleges insisted they offered in brochures and on college websites our “busy internet” minutes allowed us in Accra city cafes.
MWL: Have you thought about moving anywhere else?
Osekre: I have thought of moving temporarily to the Mid-West on a few occasions but momentum on this side of town has kept me completely focused here. The West Coast also plays around with my mind from time to time but ultimately spending sometime in Europe is a priority. For now however, I have been here for some 6 years. My roots are home, my wings are here we will see where my branches go.
MWL: Can you tell me how you came up with the name for the group?
Really long story. Let me see if I can distill or condense it. Osekre is my last name which I use as my first name here. Lucky because as I said before, I am not supposed to be hanging out around here if you consider where I come from and which resources I had at my disposal while growing up. Then of course coming to New York with an empty pocket and fundraising my way through 4 years of college. Stuff like that makes me feel thankful to God and to people out there who do not like taking credit for things but who are AWESOME. Nara, and I’m not going to tell the rest of her name who helped me pay through my last 2 years in college (helped pay the significant debt) didn’t know me before we met a few months earlier, didn’t care if I was tall or short, no essays required, didn’t ask what exactly my major was going to be or what my ambitions were. She purely acted on a hunch and said others had done that for her and wanted to pass the kind act on. The difference between what others did for her and what she did for me though is that she must have qualified somehow and proven somehow that she deserved what she received. But she didn’t evaluate me in that way. Stuff like that makes me call myself Lucky. Ms Mary a lady whom I met one afternoon for lunch for the first time ever, placed an entire semester’s fees on her credit card and said it was simply because God had been good to her and her family. No questions asked. Stuff like that makes me call myself Lucky, I can go and mention Judith and the Pigman’s and countless families and friends and strangers who just gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and passions just because …
Do you want to hear the last part or are we out of time?
MWL: Let’s hear it.
Osekre: Bastards because when my mum was pregnant with me, apparently my dad wasn’t in the mood for the whole baby business. My dad and I are cool now but back then I heard he wasn’t trying to hear about some little man … ha, ha … so my mum had me when my dad though I had been aborted. I was an unwanted child. Bastard. Osekre and The Lucky Bastards captures the essence of my journey, relentlessness, luck and luck!
MWL: Who are the Lucky Bastards right now?
Osekre: Michael Benham – bass, Dan Burdman – drums, Andre Rivie – guitar, Nick Barber – alto sax
MWL: Do you remember the first time you picked up an instrument, which was it?
Osekre :Yeah….. I was probably in 4th or 5th grade by then. It was the Harmonica.
MWL: When did you recognize your need to creating music?
Osekre : I was trying to find an outlet to express my poetry and to broaden my reach. I was very big on writing and reading my poems during my early college years. A friend of mine who loves music urged me to fuse African melodies with my poetry. I was experimenting that with my first band but wasn’t doing it with much confidence. So I decided to find catchy melodies as hooks for chorus and then use poetry for the verses. Then, I started taking voice lessons and realized I had a vocal range that I hadn’t explored before so I started writing more stuff and that allowed me to create some more.
MWL: Do you write all of your songs?
Osekre: Yes I do.
MWL: You are an amazing poet, can you tell me a little bit about your writing process?
Osekre: Thank you. Well, I do have a lot of things going on in my life at any moment. I know you are thinking girls, girls (laughing) … so I usually don’t have enough time to process much of the things happening to me or around me. I don’t write until I have to write. However, my system has a way of shutting down until it’s gotten my attention and when that happens, I get to a pen and paper and put everything down.
My writing is such a raw process because it’s often intense and heavy. My pen becomes a filter for my emotions as paper absorbs the blood leaking from whatever emotional wounds went unkempt or ignored and are still bleeding. You know the thing with unmanaged bruises is that they look uglier and hurt worse after being unkempt for a while so it’s this really crazy space and place that only I am invited to inside me where I am dragged into unimagined chambers to face my angels and demons as we battle out issues that should be left in the past but the judges insist need clearance in order for the future to remain unhinged and unscathed.
It’s a good place in my life because I am forced to come to terms with where I am and what’s going on around me; it’s often dark but bright and beautiful. Sometimes I don’t just write words but I find melodies that can interpret the emotion running through me and those lead to songs. My mind and heart and soul are open wide for creative processes in times like that. That’s how I write … it’s a whole reckoning of moments seen and unseen both battling for vindication. Simple things too make me write. As long as I FEEL something, I am going to write.
MWL: What are some of the ideas behind your music?
Osekre: Sayings of the wise? Sentiments from immigrant experiences? Love? Relationships and friendships, society in general and whenever offered the chance I try to rep the voiceless and forgotten.
MWL: Do you have a favorite song? One that means the most?
Osekre: My favorite song keeps changing. It used to be “We Are Going” then it was “Africa” and now it’s “Why Are You Here?”
MWL: What about the Verses for the Masses music video?
Osekre: Ha ha … a few friends and I were just messing around … that and the “Fire and I” video.
MWL: Any favorite bands or musicians you enjoy collaborating or playing with?
Osekre: I called up Nyle from Nyle and the Naysayers without prep or warning when I was live on stage the other day and he killed it. That was awesome. I haven’t collaborated much just yet but I am looking forward to doing more.
MWL: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Osekre: Osibisa, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Fela, I’d love to jam with Vampire Weekend and write something together. Jama as a repertoire, Titus Andronicus, Lauryn Hilly, Damien Rice, old K’naan. And of course, the one and only BASQUIAT!
MWL: What are your hobbies, every day life. What is it like?
Osekre: I loove hanging out with friends, some of the guys from the band and catching up. I looove jamming on some FIFA on the Xbox …. ! I just finished watching the entire “Felicity” TV series again! I am a news addict so I am often reading the news, practicing my guitar, planning an event, going to see an event, watching a soccer game.
MWL: What are you listening to these days?? Any recommendations?
Osekre: Wulomei, Joe Purdy, The Tontons, Japanther, Denitia Odigie is amazing, Gipsy Wig is off the wall.
MWL: What’s new with you? Plans? Recording?
Osekre: Converse, invited us to their rubber tracks studio in Williamsburg a week ago so we recorded 3 awesome tracks which will be coming out as an EP in March. I am also working on “Aputumpu” which is a site that will archive footage of rising bands in Brookyln. Then there will be the Aputumpu Festival between March 22-25 during which we will also launch our EP, drop some new videos immediately after and play a few summer festivals here and a bit farther away from home.
MWL: How do you feel about the music industry as it stands today?
Osekre: Yeah, it’s all about DIY now. I think the future will sort itself out.
MWL: Anything else?
Osekre: Thanks for having me and mad shout out to all the awesome fans who keep showing up to the shows. I promise, it will get better. You haven’t seen anything yet!
If you want to know more about Osekre, his story, his music and his future plans visit his website for more information! Oh and listen to >>>this<<<
Wanna hear the best of independent pop music out there? Then you won’t have to go any further because One Love it’s right here lookin’ at you. One Love is a solo artist from Long Island, New York that doesn’t just make good music, but has a mission behind it all. “One Love isn’t just a name”, boasts Adam, “It’s an idea, not just for me, for everyone. I didn’t start One Love, the idea, I wanted to start One Love, the movement.” As you can see, it’s more than a song and more than just an artist on a stage or on a record. His music started to take flight a couple years ago when One Love (Adam Scott) collaborated with producer Jonathan Castelli in the studio. Adam’s musicianship and talent was a great fit for Castelli’s gift as a producer, and they soon enough gave life to a couple original songs.
I know that a lot of people are tired of top 40 pop simply because of the same old song and dance that continues to rule the airwaves. Well, what if there was a message behind a new breed of popular, catchy tunes? Adam Scott has brought meaning to a realm where a lot of people fail to find anything significant except for break-up songs and hook-up songs. One Love is not just a brand or stage name for a singer, but a movement and a lifestyle. You won’t see a day or week pass by that One Love doesn’t spread his joy for life. His extroverted personality, big heart, and beyond hook-filled pop songs will drive his message to another level. Check out the EPK for his new EP that just released in April 2011.
The One Love EP contains six original songs and I can tell you that it won’t be long before you can’t get this stuff out of your head. His influences include some true greats such as Jeff Buckley, Steven Tyler, Billy Joel, The Beatles, and One Republic. The EP continues to demonstrate the creative bond between Scott and Castelli that was created with the first two songs years ago. I’m sure Adam will agree with me that all “lovers” out there should get it and share it with your lover friends, ha. If you like what you hear, check out the One Love Facebook Page and become apart of the movement that is One Love.
By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC
Our blog is dedicated to providing the public with quality music from the independent music community, and to inform people of the broad majority of musicians world-wide with amazing sound, style, inspiration, and overall message. If you would like to have any track removed please email us – info@musicwithoutlabels.com
