ISSUE #5 // August 2014

ISSUE NO. 5 // AUGUST 2014

ARTIFEX PEREO

AVIATOR • LOVE, ROBOT • THE 92S

• AJR • BAD TIMING RECORDS • & MORE

STAFF editor-in-chief copy editor head of writing managing editor public relations

clare kim lori gutman morgan magid anam merchant sarah hoffman

contributing photographers: anam merchant, clare kim, emily tantuccio, lori gutman, pauline nguyen, sarah hoffman, savana ogburn and tyler o’hanlon contributing writers: anita nham, christina curtin, clare kim, emma andrews, jade smith, joe wallace, ksenia dombo, morgan magid, nishat ahmed, and sahira zulkifli design: anam merchant and clare kim social media: chloe rose and emma andrews inside header by lori gutman

ABOUT continuum is a monthly music and lifestyle magazine dedicated to featuring passionate bands and individuals in the music industry. among copious other music publications, we strive to shed a new perspective upon the industry by emphasizing the passion behind artists, their creations, and those who work behind the scenes to make it all possible.

THIS ISSUE

LOCAL TALENT FALL FESTIVALS GALLERY

MUSICAL FEATURES THE 92S AJR ARTIFEX PEREO LOVE, ROBOT AVIATOR DIANA MEYER JENNY OWEN YOUNGS

CREW FEATURES BAD TIMING RECORDS

SPECIAL THANKS TO

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11 15 19 27 31 35 37

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ARTIFEX PEREO, AJR, AVIATOR, BAD TIMING RECORDS, CAPTIVE SON, CENTERFIELD, DIANA MEYER, JENNY OWEN YOUNGS, LOVE, ROBOT, THE 92S, WATERPARKS, ADAM SKATULA, AMY LAUDICANO, AMY SCIARRETTO, DAN DURLEY, ROSS ANDERSON, THOMAS NASSIFF AND ZACK ZARRILLO, WINNIE LAM, ATLANTIC RECORDS, COLUMBIA RECORDS, NORTHALSTED MARKET DAYS, ROADRUNNER RECORDS, TOOTH & NAIL RECORDS, VANS WARPED TOUR, AND WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS,

local talent Get to know a few up-andcoming artists that are currently breaking through the local music scene.

If you are a part of a local band that would like to be featured in an upcoming issue, contact us at continuum.zine@gmail.com.

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centerfield Centerfield, a three piece punk band out of Calvert Will Teague - Guitar / Vocals County, Maryland, have forged a strong foothold in the Maryland DIY music scene. Within the small, but active A.J. Polesel - Bass music community, Centerfield has worked hard to not Mark Bessler - Drums only further their musical successes, but to also enable the DMV punk scene to thrive. With a straightforward WHERE: melodic punk sound similar to bands like Title Fight Huntingtown, MD and The Lawrence Arms, Centerfield has been able to successfully put out two EPs, with their most recent WHAT: being the late 2013 release, Time and Physical Decay.

WHO:

Punk / emo / alternative

FOR FANS OF:

Title Fight, The Lawrence Arms, Hot Water Music

CONNECT WITH CENTERFIELD:

facebook.com/centerfieldmd centerfield.bandcamp.com twitter.com/centerfieldmd

CAPTIVE SON WHO:

Aaron Mong - Vocals / Guitar EJ Boutieller - Guitar Grant Starkey - Drums

WHERE:

Hagerstown, MD

WHAT:

Alternative / indie rock

Hailing from Hagerstown, Captive Son is a new indie rock band taking the Maryland scene by force. The band brings new vibes to a previously static scene, and, with influences like From Indian Lakes, Circa Survive, and Balance and Composure, they give Baltimore natives something to look forward to. And for the skeptics who may discredit the band for being so new, drummer Grant Starkey says, “We’re brand new, but we have no intentions of slowing down.” Captive Son released their first EP, The Dream State, earlier this month, and you can stream it or download it for free on their Bandcamp.

FOR FANS OF:

From Indian Lakes, Circa Survive, Chiodos

CONNECT WITH CAPTIVE SON: 7 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

facebook.com/CaptiveSonMD captiveson.bandcamp.com twitter.com/CaptiveSon

waterparks WHO:

Awsten Knight - Vocals / Guitar Gage Matthieu - Vocals / Bass Owen Marvin - Drums

WHERE:

Houston, TX

WHAT:

Pop punk

Houston natives Waterparks boast a classic pop-punk sound infused with a genuine sense of humor that’s almost as infectious as their tunes. Waterparks began writing music in mid-2011, which eventually came to light as their 2012 release, Airplane Conversations.

They’re self-described as “Very handsome and strong.

Likes short walks and eating Chipotle. One of us has abs. Two of us know how to somersault.” If that doesn’t convince you to listen to their songs, I’m not entirely sure what will. The band, composed of Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington, and Otto Wood, recently released a new EP called Black Light, so you should definitely check that out and give them a chance.

FOR FANS OF:

State Champs, Handguns

CONNECT WITH WATERPARKS:

facebook.com/waterparks last.fm/music/Waterparks twitter.com/waterparkstx

FALL MUSIC FESTIVALS

BY MORGAN MAGID

••••••••••••••••••• BOSTON CALLING

Boston, MA | September 5-7 Kicking off the fall festival season is the second of two Boston Calling weekends. Boston’s own City Hall Plaza will play host to indie giants The National and Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as festival favorites like The 1975 and Jack Antonoff’s new project, Bleachers. There is also a strong rap presence at the event, with Childish Gambino and the legendary Nas performing on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Although Boston Calling may be a case of quality over quantity (there are twenty-eight bands for the entire three days), the excellence of those performances make it well-worth the trip to Bean Town.

RIOT FEST

Toronto, CA | September 6-7 Chicago, IL | September 12-14 Denver, CO | September 19-21 This is without a doubt the most comprehensive and impressive collection of punk music, spanning multiple genres from all ages of punk and its subsets. Everyone from Taking Back Sunday to Pity Sex to RX Bandits to Of Mice and Men will be taking the stage, and the Chicago dates get bonus points for getting Wu Tang Clan to headline. Because this is the ten year anniversary of the festival, several big name bands are playing their seminal albums in full in order to make the weekend that much more of a once in a lifetime experience. The Get Up Kids, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer, The Offspring, and NOFX will be playing some of their respective monumental records, including Punk In Drublic, Nothing’s Shocking, and Something To Write Home About.

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LOUFEST

St. Louis, MO | September 6-7 This smaller festival is a lot more indie-centered, as most of its artists focus on a very much associated set of bands. Highlights of the line up are constituted by the well-established Cake and Arctic Monkeys, as well as several mid-major indie acts like Grouplove and Portugal. The Man. This year, there will be a comprehensive shopping area displaying various merchants and vendors selling all sorts of original and creative ventures, including local jewelry and clothing companies from the St. Louis area.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Las Vegas, NV | October 24-26 Although this annual festival held in downtown Las Vegas lacks any new or particularly stunning headliners, it incorporates big food and art aspects as main facets of the weekend. The weekend has a sprinkling of several genres, and features big names in rap, rock, indie, and EDM. Coupling Kanye West, Panic! at the Disco, Skrillex, and Trampled By Turtles in the same festival makes it seem a bit all over the place, but the ample array of talent will make for quite the soiree in the desert.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS

Austin, TX | October 3-5 and 10-12 Held across two weekends, the Austin City Limits event holds arguably the most diverse line up of the season. What separates ACL from most of the other fall festivities is its variety, which spans across multiple genres and features bands that have yet to spend significant time on the festival circuit. There are plenty of artists to satisfy concert goers of every generation and taste. Eminem and Iggy Azalea will undoubtedly please the younger rap enthusiasts, while Pearl Jam and The Avett Brothers will satiate an audience with a penchant for classic rock and indie. Even punk, emo, and reggae fans can enjoy a packed weekend, with acts including Rebelution, The Gaslight Anthem, and Real Estate.

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the 92s

s

WHAT INSPIRED YOU GUYS TO FORM THE BAND? To be honest, I felt like I had to form a band. Making music is a compulsion for me. I feel like I don’t really have a say in the matter. I tried not making music for a short period of time, in between bands in late 2010, but that just didn’t work out. I felt sick to my stomach. So, in early 2011, I reached out to our producer, Scot Stewart, to produce some new tunes I had written. About a year later, I recruited Rob Marshall and Matt Mullen and a rotating fourth member to fill out our live sound.

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO BALANCE SCHOOL, FRIENDS, AND MAKING MUSIC DURING THE HECTIC COLLEGE YEARS? That’s a good question. It definitely wasn’t easy.

You have to sacrifice some things if you want to put the time and effort into trying to grow a band from scratch. I think we all felt like we were spinning a bunch of plates at the same time, trying to make sure none of them fell. But, thankfully, we managed.

I definitely allowed myself some wiggle room on my G.P.A., which helped alleviate some stress. I certainly didn’t maintain a 4.0 or anything like that. None of us did.

DO YOU THINK THE BAND’S SOUND HAS UNDERGONE ANY CHANGES SINCE 2011? IF SO, HOW ARE THESE CHANGES EVIDENT IN YOUR LATEST RELEASE, TELEVISION FUZZ? Our sound has definitely changed since we first started. I recorded the majority of the instruments on our first two EPs by myself with our producer Scot.

The entire band live-tracked each song on Television Fuzz and we arranged all of the music on the album before we recorded. For that reason, Television Fuzz is way heavier and thicker than our EPs. I also think Television Fuzz is more technical, musically, and less technical as far as production is concerned.

We experimented with time signature changes, polyrhythm, psychedelic instrumentation, and all that jazz on Television Fuzz. While there was some of that experimentation on our first two EPs, both of those records were way more pop-oriented and less noisy than Television Fuzz is. I think most of these changes can be attributed to the fact that, as time has passed, this project has greatly evolved from a solo studio project.

WHERE DO YOU GUYS DRAW LYRICAL INSPIRATION FROM WHEN WRITING SONGS? I mostly let my brain wander until it fixates on something that I find interesting, whether it be a larger concept or just a turn of phrase. Then I wrestle with that phrase or concept and develop it into something lyrical that I can fit into a song. The main concept on Television Fuzz was about searching for fulfillment, how that search may lead you down some non-traditional paths, and about the existential crisis that comes with choosing to do something other than what society thinks you should do. A lot of those feelings came from my day-to-day life.

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So, ultimately, I would say I draw inspiration from introspection.

ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS THAT YOU GUYS LOOK UP TO WHO HAVE IMPACTED YOUR BAND’S SOUND? I love Wilco. We obviously try and craft our own sound, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any aspects of Television Fuzz that I took straight from Wilco. I think a lot of the noisiness from our sound stems from my Wilco obsession. I love how they use noise as an instrument. Aside from Wilco, Matt likes some eclectic indie rock stuff, like Modest Mouse, and Rob gravitates towards noisy, modern rock bands, like Manchester Orchestra. I also grew up listening to pop punk and Neil Young in equal measure, and I’m a sucker for a good pop song. I think that when you throw all of those influences into a blender, something like The 92s comes out.

YOU GUYS RECENTLY PLAYED A PACKED SHOW AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN CHICAGO. WHAT WAS THIS EXPERIENCE LIKE? HOW HAS THE CITY HELPED WITH THE GROWTH OF THE BAND? That was an amazing experience. I remember driving into the city all the time to see my favorite bands play there in high school, so playing on that stage was surreal. Plus, getting to support our friends in Mike Golden & Friends for their album release show was great. I think playing at House of Blues helped us gain a minor level of credibility in our own minds and hopefully in the minds of others. I think it also lit a fire under our asses in terms of motivating us to work and get back there, on our own terms, as headliners.

WHAT DO YOU ULTIMATELY HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THE BAND, AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS IN THE NEAR FUTURE? I think we all really want to make this our full-time job. That’s sort of the bigger end goal. But in all honesty, as long as we have some sort of platform to make records that we’re proud of and as long as we can play fun shows, I think we’ll all be happy.

We’re going to record some new material to release in 2015, and we’ll be going on a few small tours in the coming year to support Television Fuzz. We’re also moving to Chicago full-time instead of splitting time between Chicago and Champaign-Urbana as we have done in the past. Chicago will be seeing much more of us. Besides all of that, we just released a music video for the song “Cutlery Wives,” from Television Fuzz, that we’re very proud. Please go check it out!

CONNECT WITH THE 92S: the92s.bandcamp.com facebook.com/the92s photos: provided interview: clare kim

AJR 16 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

WHAT INSPIRED YOU GUYS TO FORM AJR? Living in New York City has exposed us to a huge variety of influences from the music, the arts, and even the architecture. Growing up, we only listened to music from the 50s and 60s: everything from The Beach Boys to Simon and Garfunkel. We started to take influences from the city around us and the artists we listened to, and that ultimately inspired us to start writing our own music.

BECAUSE YOU’RE A BAND COMPRISED OF THREE BROTHERS, IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT YOU WOULD BE COMPARED TO ARTISTS LIKE THE JONAS BROTHERS. WHAT DO YOU FEEL SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM THEM AND OTHER SIMILAR BANDS? Looking closer at the band and the type of music that we make, there are other brother comparisons that would seem to fit better: The Beach Boys, The Avett Brothers, etc. Our musical process, from start to finish, from writing through production, happens in our living room as each of us take on different roles. This is something that fewer and fewer bands are doing these days. We want our fans to have access to exactly what we intend in the music. Completing every step ourselves allows us to do just that.

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YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY WORKED WITH SOME HUGE NAMES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, INCLUDING DEMI LOVATO AND THE WANTED. WHAT WERE THESE EXPERIENCES LIKE? DID THEY GIVE YOU ANY ADVICE? It has been great touring with and meeting other artists in the industry. We first met Sia a few years ago, and her advice, especially on songwriting, was invaluable. We are so thankful that such a talented singer and writer is a fan of the band.

DO YOU THINK BEING BROTHERS IS ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE BAND? Absolutely. We all respect each other very much.

Everyone’s opinion matters, and, in terms of the musical process, we all have the same vision for the band. Things run really smoothly.

THE BAND IS VERY MUCH A DIY PROJECT, WHEREIN THE THREE OF YOU WRITE, RECORD, AND PRODUCE YOUR OWN MUSIC. HOW DOES THAT PROCESS USUALLY PAN OUT? IS IT GENERALLY A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT FOR EACH STAGE, OR DO YOU GUYS SPLIT UP THE JOBS? Ryan does most of the writing and production, although Adam writes lyrics as well. Jack is very involved from conception to fruition. It really is a

collaborative process, and one that is made that much easier by working with people who you respect.

EVEN THOUGH YOU’VE ONLY RELEASED A FIVE-SONG EP SO FAR, IT’S CLEAR THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A VERSATILE SOUND WITHIN THE POP/INDIE RANGE. ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS THAT HAVE HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT ON YOUR MUSICAL AESTHETIC? Everybody from The Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel to Fun. and Kanye West. Every artist we listen to brings a little something to the table, whether it is through songwriting influences or new production techniques. We like to bridge gaps between genres and, in the end, we make the kind of music that we would want to listen to.

WE HEAR THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE RELEASING YOUR DEBUT ALBUM LATER THIS FALL. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT? Our album, Living Room, is a concept album that is many years in the making. The oldest song was written nearly five years ago, while the most recent ones are from barely a few months ago.

The album combines folk with hip-hop, doo-wop with pop, and electronic music with harmonyfilled ballads. Every time you think we’re going to turn right, we end up turning left.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AND WHAT ARE YOUR ULTIMATE GOALS FOR THE BAND? Our goal is to play our music for as many people as possible. People seem to be connecting to our songs in a variety of ways and, whether it’s through a live performance or listening to a recording, we want people to hear what we’re doing. If they can’t afford to purchase the music, there are many places online where they can hear our stuff for free. Ultimately, we would love to play for hundreds of thousands of people, but, in the end, it’s all about the fans.

CONNECT WITH AJR:

AJRBrothers.com twitter.com/ajrbrothers facebook.com/ajrbrothers youtube.com/ajrbrothers photos: provided interview: clare kim

ARTIFEX

X PEREO

HOW DID THE BAND FORM BACK IN 2009?

DO YOU THINK IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SORT OF BOUND TO HAPPEN, OR WAS IT PRETTY SPONTANEOUS? This entity was comprised of two bands that really wanted to elevate their efforts but couldn’t do so in their states at the time. The more motivated members of each project were then thrown into a melting pot, and we started stirring.

Lucas came along in 2011 and shot us into full on take-over-the-world mode.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME ARTIFEX PEREO? DOES IT HOLD A SPECIAL MEANING? We knew that we wanted to create a sound eventually. More so, we wanted to keep a state of mind that always had us searching for uniqueness.

We had no ambitions of ripping others off. We may have allowed ourselves to do so initially, but we knew our faults and always wanted to stay on track. Having an identity that kept us in check was important. Artifex Pereo, to us, can be translated to “As what kind of artist will I perish?”

What kind of legacy will we leave behind? We want to challenge ourselves to uphold that philosophy and hopefully achieve a sound that is unique to us.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO PRODUCE SUCH A DIVERSE RANGE OF MUSIC WHILE STILL UPHOLDING A COHESIVE SOUND, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN AN ALBUM? I’m not sure we’ve accomplished that yet.

However, I think that we’re getting closer to refining a sound. Our direction is focused on creating something exclusive to us, whether it’s aggressive or somber. I think that there are parts of our souls and our minds that we have yet to tap into, and I’m really excited to exploit those reserves in the near future. I’m glad you think we’ve achieved something somewhat cohesive!

DO YOU THINK YOUR HOMETOWN OF LOUISVILLE, KY, HAS HAD ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE BAND? Absolutely. For better and for worse, we are a product of our surroundings. While Louisville, KY, may lack in the resources necessary to pursue music at a national and global level, it certainly doesn’t lack the heart and the passion necessary to be inspired. I’d say our town is underrated, and it motivates us to get out there and represent what a youthful and eclectic community can accomplish together.

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photos: provided interview: sarah hoffman YOU GUYS SIGNED WITH TOOTH & NAIL RECORDS EARLIER THIS YEAR. AFTER PREVIOUSLY RELEASING AN EP AND AN ALBUM INDEPENDENTLY, HOW WAS THE PROCESS DIFFERENT WITH A RECORD LABEL ON YOUR SIDE? That’s exactly it. They are on our side. With our mindset being what it is and what it has been, we don’t have a lot of coat tails to ride. We don’t have a lot of resources to exploit. Our first five years of being a DIY band had us out there hitting cities by ourselves, trying to develop a sound and a foundation without any support or reassurance that we were making the right moves. Had we fallen into a traditional genre or even subgenre, I’m sure shows would’ve been easier to book. CDs may have been easier to sell. But you almost have to take a chance with us. Hopefully, it pays off as much for the listener as it does for us. Tooth & Nail was the boost of security that we needed to tie up this record and beyond. We still have insecurities, but at least someone believes that we are headed in the right direction.

We are very grateful for the opportunity to believe in what we’re doing. That feeling is not always there.

AS AN EXPERIMENTAL BAND, IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK YOUR SOUND HAS PROGRESSED THROUGHOUT THE PAST FIVE YEARS? Personally, I started to fall in love with not only my instrument, but with all instruments. Having an appreciation for what each one can produce has helped us shape our sound. Sometimes, I’ll write a guitar melody—five years ago, that would’ve been ALL MINE. Now, I understand that it could serve best on piano. Or bass. Or banjo. Or simply a background vocal. I think we’re slowly venturing away from the 23 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

conventional. I’m excited for that. I need that. Music needs that. However, we’re starting to learn what resonates within the soul. We’re learning the countless ways to write a song. But we want to make sure the music strikes something deeply within ourselves and others, whether that’s with a formula or not.

WHAT DO YOU ULTIMATELY HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH YOUR MUSIC? ANY SPECIFIC MESSAGE THAT YOU’D LIKE TO CONVEY TO YOUR LISTENERS? You know, this band is about progression. It’s about growing. There are some fans that have been following us since 2009, and we’ve never written the same song twice. To new listeners, expect growth.

Expect risk taking. Expect us to always love what we do enough to share our very best with you. We won’t always succeed. It’s likely that we won’t write a perfect record. But we feel that the way we write and are pursuing this ridiculous career is very relevant to how most people lead their lives. We don’t have a gimmick. We are real people trying very hard to overcome challenges like any other ambitious person or group. Any support thrown our way really hits us at our core, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS IN THE NEAR FUTURE? I’m hoping that we keep getting opportunities to stay on the road and get more proficient at performing these tunes. In between those tours, expect some playthrough videos from all of our instruments and some sneak peeks at new material, along with more show announcements and a revamped merch line. Thanks so much for the opportunity to do this!

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CONNECT WITH ARTIFEX PEREO: twitter.com/artifexpereo facebook.com/artifexpereo artifexpereo.bigcartel.com artifexpereo.tumblr.com

LOVE,R

ROBOT

YOU GUYS DESCRIBE THE GENRE OF LOVE, ROBOT AS “BLACK POP.” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE THE DIRECTION OF THE BAND’S SOUND? Nick: It’s a lot like watching a movie that’s so serious or dark that it’s somewhat funny. In writing this record, we aimed for a really edgy and “attitude” filled yet very melodic and catchy sound. Basically, we were going for pop that’s so minor and dark that it’s black.

BOTH THE LYRICS AND MUSIC ARE OBVIOUSLY INTEGRAL PARTS OF THE RECORDING PROCESS, BUT DO YOU FIND YOURSELVES FOCUSING MORE ON THE LYRICAL CONTENT OF SONGS OR THEIR INSTRUMENTAL ASPECTS? Alexa: Nick and I co-wrote pretty much all the songs on B.A.D. We starting with the instrumental arrangement and then focused on melodies and lyrics afterwards. We would always develop a “vibe” before I’d write lyrics. I would listen to the instrumental and ask myself, “What am I feeling, what do I have to say?”

SPEAKING OF LYRICS, WHERE DO YOU USUALLY DRAW INSPIRATION FROM DURING THE SONGWRITING PROCESS? Alexa: Almost everything I write is about real-life events that happen to me, with the occasional “put myself in someone else’s shoes” narrative.

YOU RECENTLY RELEASED YOUR NEW ALBUM, B.A.D. IS THERE ANYTHING UNIQUE ABOUT THIS ALBUM THAT REALLY SETS IT APART FROM YOUR 2012 RELEASE, REBUILD | REBIRTH? Nick: Aside from our aim to incorporate the black pop genre, B.A.D. has a lot more “room,” productionwise. R|R had an intense “wall of sound” feel in the writing and recording. The overall mood of B.A.D. is a little more spacious. I personally think that the lyrics might be a little more personal and tender at certain points. Alexa has a really nice way of keeping anyone who listens involved by pin-pointing her own feelings and writing them down directly, while still leaving room for interpretation. With monster drum and bass tones, and all the harmony and vocal work to top it off, I think that B.A.D. really pops.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY ARTISTS WHO INSPIRED YOU GUYS BACK WHEN YOU WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN UNIQUE SOUND? Alexa: Everyone inspires me, from rock bands to country stars to pop singers. If you have well-written music, I’m inspired by it. B.A.D. has elements on it

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that were pulled from a variety of songs that inspired us. I remember Nick and I listened to Led Zeppelin before writing “Drive.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ULTIMATELY SETS LOVE, ROBOT APART FROM THE COUNTLESS OTHER BANDS CURRENTLY TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE SCENE? Nick: For starters, all four of us are “doers,” which I believe gives us a strong advantage. We’re the type of group that would rather buy camera equipment, studio gear and whatever else to figure out how to get our projects done by ourselves and to our standards. It seems to be a powerful tool. But the biggest thing that sets us apart is that we’re trying to break in and beyond any scene. We can fit in anywhere, genre-wise, and I think that lets us grab many different music lovers.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU HOPE TO CONVEY TO YOUR FANS THROUGH YOUR MUSIC? Alexa: I just hope our fans can connect with us emotionally, because that’s what this is: real emotions put to music. I want them to see that, at the end of the day, I go through the same things that they go through. I am not any different than any of them, and that’s what brings Love, Robot fans together.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM LOVE, ROBOT THIS YEAR? ARE THERE ANY EXCITING TOURS OR NEW MUSIC IN THE WORKS? Nick: That’s a really good question! As of right now, we all have big ideas and hopes for tours, but we don’t have anything set up yet. We do have many videos in the works, mostly directed by Alexa, which are always exciting to release for our distant fans who we haven’t been able to tour to yet. As far as new music is concerned, we’re always writing.

We do like to do the occasional cover tune or two depending on what catches our ear, and we do have one in the works right now. Talks about the next record and a new sound have begun. We’ve demoed a song and a half, but we’re also looking to take our time, so it may just be the start to a long road of tinkering before you hear something new.

CONNECT WITH LOVE, ROBOT: lovecommarobot.com twitter.com/lovecommarobot loverobotonline.wordpress.com youtube.com/lovecommarobot

THAT’S WHAT THIS IS REAL EMOTIONS PUT TO MUSIC.

photos: provided interview: sarah hoffman

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a v i a t o r

WHAT INSPIRED YOU GUYS TO COME TOGETHER AND FORM THE BAND? MICHAEL RUSSO: Aviv (Marotz, drums), Mat (Morin, guitar), and myself all attended college together and started jamming. We recruited TJ who Mat met in the pit at a TUI show.

TJ COPELLO: I had been following early 2000s hardcore punk for years and always wanted to be in a band, but had never learned an instrument. I also had previous experience writing lyrics from wanting to be a rapper as a kid.

MICHAEL: At first we were heavily influenced by bands like Have Heart and Verse, but by our second release (a split with My Fictions) we were moving toward a heavier sound. Mike (Moschetto, bassist) came in for our third release, an EP called ‘I’m Not The Lonely One.’ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER LISTENED TO YOUR MUSIC BEFORE? MICHAEL: We all draw influences from all different types of music, so we’ve always had a tough time putting a certain genre to it. I guess if I had to say anything, it would be post-rock with all different types of punk/hardcore influences?

MIKE MOSCHETTO: Yeah, it’s clear we were once a hardcore band, but to apply that to us now is laughable...I usually go with “loud,” “sad,” and “my parents hate it,” and that tends to get the message across.

TJ: Most of the time, if the option is there, I just prefer to play them a tune or two.

ARE THERE ANY BANDS/ARTISTS THAT YOU LOOK UP TO AND HOPE TO WORK WITH ONE DAY? MIKE: We’ve never really aimed to end up in the company of anyone in particular - just kinda rolled with whatever and been grateful for every opportunity we’re afforded.

MICHAEL: The best part about our scene is that all of the “bigger” bands are just regular people. It’s a community that prides itself on equality & respect, so many of those bands aren’t too far out of reach in terms of sharing the stage/basement/hall.

TJ: I’m so grateful for the friends that I’ve made over the years doing this that honestly most of my inspiration already comes directly from them anyway.

ALTHOUGH THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY BOTH INTEGRAL PARTS OF THE RECORDING PROCESS, DO YOU THINK THAT YOU GUYS TEND TO FOCUS MORE ON THE LYRICAL OR MUSICAL ASPECTS OF SONGS? MICHAEL: More often than not, the music is written before the lyrics. Mike & TJ do a lot of collaborating

on the lyrics, and we all collab on delivery especially.

At the end of the day though, both are equally important.

TJ: Not that I don’t sit in and take part in the music writing process. Until recently, it was always music first for the majority of the band. With the new record, we all sort of came together to get more involved in both aspects. And we couldn’t be much happier with the turnout.

WHERE DO YOU GUYS TEND TO DRAW INSPIRATION DURING THE SONGWRITING PROCESS? TJ: Musically, there may be various external influences, but I always felt like most of the influence when writing comes from one another. Being the only one who can’t play, a lot of that feeling is based solely on observation. Lyrically, I think we tend to write about what’s bothering us at the moment. I know I do. But each of us have something to say, and all of the musicians in the band have contributed to the lyrical process at one time or another.

MIKE: Having been a band so long, we know each others’ songwriting strengths & weaknesses, so the songs are composed pretty naturally, usually without a specific direction in mind. Our best material has started with all of us in a room, building songs with real-time feedback, and trial & error.

MICHAEL: Sometimes we’ll write something and go “woah dude, that part is wicked (insert band name here),” but mostly we just build off of one another, all giving suggestions/critiques.

MIKE: And we don’t settle until everyone’s happy.

That’s important.

YOUR FIRST FULL-LENGTH LP, ‘HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, HANDS IN THE DIRT,’ IS BEING RELEASED IN AUGUST - IN GENERAL, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO HEAR FROM THIS? DO YOU THINK THE ALBUM ACCURATELY CAPTURES THE BAND’S COLLECTIVE AESTHETIC? MICHAEL: I think everything we’ve written thus far has led to this release. Not that we’re limiting ourselves to how this record sounds, but the writing process for it was more organic than any other.

For our past releases I feel like we were going for something in specific...we just kinda let this one happen. We really came into our own and it was a lot of fun. Definitely a culmination of everyone’s growth over a two-year span.

TJ: Even we admit that the record is sort of all over the place. And though we’ve done some things that we haven’t tried before, I think the record still has “Aviator” written all over it.

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YOU’LL BE RELEASING THE ALBUM WITH NO SLEEP RECORDS, WHO YOU SIGNED WITH IN THE SPRING. SO WHAT KIND OF AN EFFECT HAS THE ADDITION OF THE LABEL HAD ON YOUR MUSIC AND THE BAND AS A WHOLE? MIKE: No Sleep got involved after the album was already written and recorded, so it was nice that they celebrated our music for what it is.

TJ: It’s good to get the recognition. What I’m most stoked for is just getting our music in front of more people. If someone were to say, “I heard of your band from No Sleep,” that’s good enough for me.

DO YOU THINK YOUR SOUND HAS UNDERGONE ANY DYNAMIC CHANGES BETWEEN YOUR EPS AND THE UPCOMING ALBUM? TJ: I feel like the new record is a culmination of all of our past efforts, so you’re going to hear a bit of everything plus a few new directions.

MIKE: It’s been a long and gradual process, which I think is especially evident if you listen to our releases chronologically.

ASIDE FROM ‘HEAD IN THE CLOUDS,’ ARE THERE ANY OTHER PROJECTS IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW? MIKE: Mostly planning to tour at this point, though we’re always coming up with new song ideas on our own time.

TJ: I’m just tryna be a rapper, man...

CONNECT WITH AVIATOR: aviatorma.com instagram.com/aviatorma_ twitter.com/AviatorMA facebook.com/aviatorma

photos: provided interview: sarah hoffman

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WHAT ULTIMATELY INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE MUSIC? I never really had a choice. From a young age, I knew in my heart that I was born to do this. I can’t go a day without singing or playing an instrument. It keeps me sane, in a way.

YOU GREW UP LISTENING TO PUNK ROCK. ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR ARTISTS OR BANDS THAT HAVE HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON YOUR OWN SOUND? A friend gifted me a cassette tape of MXPX, and it was all over from there. It inspired me to listen to Bad Religion, NOFX, The Descendents, Black Flag, The Ramones, and so on... There was a group of kids I fell into that sat outside of the local coffee shop with crusty mohawks and acoustic guitars. They were like brothers, and we looked out for each other.

We stole our parents’ beer and wrote songs on those acoustics about the popular, attractive kids that we would never be like. I shaved my head before it was cool for girls to do so. It was great! I remember this kid named Tristan could really sing. I think those days really stuck with me.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER LISTENED TO IT BEFORE? There’s a land between the rocker and the acoustic singer/songwriter. That’s where I live.

DESPITE THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE? It’s definitely not an easy path. It can tear your heart to bits. Sometimes I don’t have money for a cup of coffee, while other people are off starting families and saving their retirement funds. I am not someone who is happy in a routine though. A 9 to 5 wasn’t meant for me. The feeling of creating art is larger than the sum of any amount of money. Music keeps things interesting. I take pride in being someone who’s chasing my dream and who hasn’t given up. I work my ass off. I think about music every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep.

I think about it while I eat my sandwich for lunch and while I’m stuck in traffic. I always want to achieve more. Playing music has introduced me to so many amazing people, and it has taken me to places I never would have imagined. Oh man, the places I’ve been! One day I’m playing a dive bar in exchange for a free beer, and the next day I get an email inviting me to Idaho to play on a festival stage. My life is unpredictable, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

HOW IS THE SONGWRITING PROCESS FOR YOUR SOLO MUSIC DIFFERENT FROM THE PROCESS FOR THE MUSIC YOU WRITE WITH KYLE PUCCIA FOR PINK THUNDER? I love writing music on my own. You never know when you’re going to come up with an idea. Brian Blake, who I also co-write a lot with, produces my solo project. Writing with other people is really cool. It’s a collaboration in which the final product is something that I would never have come up with on my own. Everyone has different influences and, with certain people, it just clicks. Kyle and I started writing together with the goal of film and TV placements in mind. We wrote tons of songs and, eventually, we figured that we might as well release them if we have them! We called this project Pink Thunder. Kyle and I can write a song in five minutes and then sit and wonder what just happened. Kyle is an unbelievable writer, and writing with him is like a therapy session that actually works.

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANY ARTIST IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? My answer to this question changes quite often because I’m such a music fan. I have always loved Linda Perry, and I recently dug back into her music and the artists she has produced. She’s a total badass, and I feel I can relate to her and her songwriting style. Her lyrics kill me in the best way.

I would love to have the chance to work with Linda Perry. She inspires me to one day own my own studio and produce artists like she does.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS YOU APART FROM THE COUNTLESS OTHER MUSICIANS TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE INDUSTRY? Brute force. I’ve been working at this for a long time now, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I’ve got something to say, and I’m constantly writing. I will make it through that door eventually if I don’t stop hitting it with all I’ve got.

photos: provided interview: sarah hoffman

CONNECT WITH DIANA MEYER: dianameyermusic.com facebook.com/dianameyermusic dianameyermusic.tumblr.com

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JENNY O W E N YOUNGS HOW HAS YOUR LATEST EP BEEN COMING ALONG? IS DAN ROMER PRODUCING IT AS HE HAS WITH YOUR OTHER WORK? Well, the EP is getting mighty close to the finish line. When I started working on it, I thought it was going to be a spare, strictly guitar-and-vocal affair, with me just reinterpreting songs from previous albums. I cut basic tracks for a few songs with my friend–and great songwriter/handsome gentleman–Greg Holden. We holed up for a week and wrote and recorded some stuff. He had to go to LA for a month or so to work on his next record, but what we ended up with didn’t feel quite finished to me. So I recorded a new song with another friend–and totally rad producer and arranger–Brad Gordon. I was so wild about the vibe of that recording that I asked him to add some layers to the songs I had already recorded with Holden. I also recorded a stripped down cover with Dan Wilson, an amazing songwriter that I’m working with on the publishing front. I’m not done working with Dan Romer by any means. This was just a change of pace.

YOU HOST MONTHLY STAGEIT SHOWS WHERE YOUR FANS CAN INTERACT WITH YOU IN REAL TIME WHILE YOU PERFORM FOR THEM. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THESE WEBCASTS, AND HOW DO YOU TRY TO STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR FANS? I love interacting with people on StageIt, but I reckon my favorite part of those online shows is seeing the people who come to them talking to each other and building a community together. It’s beautiful. I love music because it can make you feel less alone, and seeing the manifestation of that connection happening in front of me is like nothing else. Last summer, I played a rock and roll cruise around NYC with my friends in Jukebox the Ghost. There was a group of around ten or so kids who had all met each other online at StageIts or over social media, and they all planned a meet up at that show. They came from around the country! And they brought a wedding card for my wife and me, signed by all of them. It killed me.

StageIt, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr are invaluable to me as far as staying connected to my fans. Of course there’s no substitute for the energy between performers and audiences in a live show setting, so touring is pretty dang important to me too.

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WHAT’S IT LIKE HEARING YOUR SONGS ON POPULAR TV SHOWS LIKE WEEDS AND NURSE JACKIE? It’s surreal. It never gets less surreal!

A FEW YEARS AGO, YOU RELEASED EXHIBIT, AN ALBUM WITH EACH TRACK INSPIRED BY A DIFFERENT MUSEUM EXHIBIT IN NEW YORK CITY. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH SUCH A UNIQUE IDE,A AND HAS YOUR PASSION FOR NATURAL HISTORY AFFECTED THE WAY YOU VIEW MUSIC? I started the project in December of 2012. Like most of my best ideas, this one came out of a conversation with my wife when I was going through a bout of writer’s block. The basic idea really came from her. She asked me to make a list of things I love, and the top two spots were taken up by “music” and “museums.” She suggested I put those two together, and she put a strict deadline on delivering a finished product to the internet. I spent eight weeks going to different museums in New York. I’d go on a Tuesday, and, by the following Tuesday, I’d upload a song to Bandcamp that was inspired by the visit. It was a real jumpstart to my system. I loved the process, and I actually just started the series back up again. I’m doing one for every month during the summer.

I don’t know if my interest in natural history specifically impacts my musical experience, but I think the part of my brain that is naturally curious about science is the same part that’s fired up about stories, about people, and about answers.

I think that’s a real driving force in both my consumption and my creation of music.

INDIE ROCK IS AN EVER-EVOLVING GENRE. THERE ARE ALWAYS NEW EXPERIMENTAL THINGS BEING DONE TO TRY AND BREAK ‘THE NORM.’ HOW DO YOU TRY TO ADAPT AND EXPAND YOUR WRITING TO FIT THIS MOVEMENT? Any time I try to deliberately think about anything having to do with music business in terms of my writing, I find that only bad things can happen.

I try to listen to music that I think is awesome, whether it was made fifty years ago or yesterday, and I let that inspire me. I also have non-musical influences that factor in: movies, art, books, politics.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST AND WORST LIVE PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE? I just finished opening for Against Me! for a couple of weeks, and I think that just about every night of that tour can fall into the “best live performance experience” category. Incredible, openhearted people looking for a good time are the absolute best audiences to play for. Plus, there was the added bonus of getting to watch AM! totally destroy every night. I’ll say that being 39 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

a part of Chuck Ragan’s Revival Tour has also been very fun for me. For the uninitiated, it’s basically like an acoustic, collaborative, punk rock hootenanny. The tour has consisted of five songwriters plus a house band (stand-up bass, fiddle, and sometimes drums), with everyone starting and ending the show together. Each artist plays an individual set, while everyone is also guesting on each other’s songs. It should be chaos, but it just ends up beautiful and fun as hell.

I often get asked about my worst experience at a show. I don’t mean to be difficult but I can never really conjure up a satisfying tale of woe. I’m sure that pesky things have happened at shows, but I guess I forget them or I blocked them out. There’s so much good stuff that it’s hard to hang onto the bad.

ARTISTS ARE OFTEN INFLUENCED BY OTHER MUSICIANS WHOSE WORKS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE KIND OF MUSIC THEY THEMSELVES CREATE. DO YOU HAVE ANY INFLUENCES THAT MIGHT SEEM OUT OF LEFT FIELD? Ah! Let’s see... I’m a huge fan of certain Disney songs. The writing on “Colors of the Wind” and “Part of Your World” is perfect. I also love jazz trumpeter/singer/heartthrob Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, and Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor.

I wish I were a secret metal head, because I think that would make for a more satisfying answer.

IF YOU HAD TO MAKE A DREAM LINE-UP OF BANDS AND ARTISTS TO PLAY A SHOW WITH, WHO WOULD YOU PICK AND WHY? Well, as long as I’m dreaming, I may as well pick artists who have died, right? I’ll go with Queen, Nirvana, and Johnny Cash. Since this is a dream, I’ll also have each of them from their respective heydays, playing a concert that might not be super cohesive from set to set, but one that I will thoroughly enjoy. All three picks are incredible artists that I admire immensely, and who I unfortunately never got to see live. Good dream, I reckon. photos: provided interview: nishat ahmed and ksenia dombo

CONNECT WITH JENNY OWEN YOUNGS:

jennyowenyoungs.com facebook.com/jennyowenyoungs twitter.com/jennyowenyoungs jennyowenyoungs.tumblr.com jennyowenyoungs.bandcamp.com youtube.com/user/jennyowenyoungs

WHAT MADE THE TWO OF YOU DECIDE TO COME TOGETHER TO LAUNCH THIS PROJECT, AND WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO ACHIEVE WITH IT? THOMAS NASSIFF: I’ve been the label manager for Paper + Plastick Records since 2011. It’s owned

by Vinnie Fiorello, who started Fueled By Ramen Records a long time ago and also plays drums in Less Than Jake. Vinnie taught me a lot about putting out records and how to manage all that comes along with that, so I wanted to try my own hand at it and see how I could do on my own.

In 2013, I moved to New York and decided that I wanted to start something where I could sort of test myself. Zack was the only person I would partner with to do it. From the time we started the label, Zack and I have agreed on one general goal: we want to be able to put out records that we like for as long as we can, as long as it’s fun for us. If it ever stops being fun, we’ll just stop the label.

ZACK ZARRILLO: I think it pretty much went something along the lines of Thomas informing me that he was going to start his own label, and, without him asking me to be a part of it, I demanded to be.

WHAT ARE THE DAY-TO-DAY FUNCTIONS OF THE COMPANY, AND WHAT ARE ITS MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES? ZACK: The label operates in a few different fashions. On one hand, we have to do what I’d call “day to day management” on projects that are in the pipeline. That might mean that while we have a release coming out in November, we’re putting all the assets for it (artwork, masters for vinyl, etc) together three to five months ahead of time. In other words: email central. I’ll let Thomas talk more about that side of things.

While I’m as equally as involved as Thomas is on that front, I also oversee the mail-order side of our label. Some labels outsource their mail-order to companies like MerchNow, but we like handling everything in-house. We have a great Mail-Order Queen named Emily. She makes sure our releases get out the door, and manages customer service as well.

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On an even more boring note, we also have to keep the finances of the label in check. That ranges from making sure we have enough money to pay for a new release to paying royalties to bands if we sold a bunch of their records. Emily also handles that.

THOMAS: “Email central” is a pretty good way to describe what we do when it comes to setting up releases. Zack and I have both worked in this industry, in some capacity, for the last four and a half years or so. In that time, we’ve made a lot of relationships that are being used in new ways now.

We talk to lots of people about working together, and only sometimes will everything line up to where we actually can work together.

Because of that, a lot of the work that goes into this side might never end up being made public or visible in any way whatsoever. When we reach an agreement to start something new, though, it’s the most exciting time for me, I think. Getting everything together, making plans for a release, listening to the test presses, and revealing everything in the way we want to is what makes this project so thrilling.

BOTH OF YOU ARE VERY INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS IN THE SCENE. BETWEEN PROPERTY OF ZACK, ABSOLUTEPUNK, MANAGING BANDS, WORKING WITH OTHER LABELS, AND FUSE, HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR OTHER PROJECTS AND STILL HAVE TIME TO PUT OUT GREAT RELEASES ON THE LABEL? ZACK: People ask me this every week and I usually just reply, “wine.” That’s not really a fair answer though. Some people are bad at time organization and management, some people are decent at it, and some people are really good. I’ve forced myself to be really good at it. Somewhere around a year ago, I decided that I loved doing more than just

PropertyOfZack, which is something I did singularly for over three years. But if I loved doing more, I’d need to do them all equally well. I still sleep six to eight hours a day. I don’t really have a personal life and I never did, because I’m a sad punk, but that’s more than okay. I have such an incredible time with my work and those involved with different projects around me.

THOMAS: Again, this is a question that I get very often. What I usually end up saying is that if you want to do something, and you’re passionate enough about it and making it successful, you’ll make time for it. Fuse is very much a consuming day job for me and, quite often, I’ll do more work from home or on the weekends. I’ve just found a way to do Bad Timing, Paper + Plastick, and AbsolutePunk in the time that I have available.

It’s not something scientific that I can write down a formula for, but I also think it’s something that anyone can do if they really want to. Maybe you’ll fail the first time around, but that’s just a part of the process. BTR is neither mine nor Zack’s first project, even though it is our first time owning a record label, and we’ve been through learning experiences before.

HOW HAVE THESE EXPERIENCES HELPED YOU GUYS TO CREATE AND MANAGE BAD TIMING? THOMAS: My experience at Paper + Plastick may have given us a little jump-start on our first release because I was familiar with the process of putting out a record, from beginning the project to releasing it to the public. I think that Zack was very good with paying a lot of attention to it, and he was very willing to learn about a new process like that during the first release.

Since then, we’ve been able to split the work evenly.

Being able to do that is probably what’s kept us both sane and equally invested, which is crucial. All my experiences, ranging from AP.net to P+P and everything else I’ve done in the last four years, play into how I approach the label and how I think about what I want it to be. Even things I’ve “failed” at have helped me out in the long run.

ZACK: Conflicts of interest, let me tell ya.

In all seriousness, I don’t think Thomas and I would be capable of running a somewhat competent label without having all of our other work experiences.

Everything feeds into the other for me, and that may scare some people, but it’s why I’m good at what I bring to the table. It’s so awesome to see things from three different perspectives, and then be able to act on them. Jeff Casazza from Run For Cover said something really nice about the label recently, which was, “You’re supposed to start record labels in a haphazard, poorly executed manner. You guys waited ‘til you knew everything, then did it.” That’s not exactly true, but it’s an honor for us to hear someone in Jeff’s position say that about our label.

EVEN THOUGH ZACK MANAGES KNUCKLE PUCK, DID YOU GUYS EVER IMAGINE GETTING THE TYPE OF RESPONSE YOU RECEIVED FROM THE WEIGHT THAT YOU BURIED RELEASE? ZACK: In one word: no. I had high hopes of selling 300 records in a day to three days and being incredibly happy about it. In some ways, that day was just as crazy as our first day as a label with the release of Acceptance’s Phantoms.

THOMAS: I thought that there would be some demand for the release, but not as much as there really was. I told Zack early on that we should do two presses at one time–we pressed the first and second press at the plant at the same time, five hundred records each, with different themed color ways. We figured that we’d sell through the first pressing over a few months and have the second pressing ready to go right away without needing to go back to the plant and use up more time. We ended up selling 100 records in 20 seconds, 500 records in 15 minutes, and 1,000 records in 12 hours, so we had to order a third pressing of 1,600 units the next day. That was a surreal day for us, I think.

WHAT HAS THE PROCESS WITH THE PARK RELEASE BEEN LIKE, AS IT IS THE BAND’S FIRST RECORD IN EIGHT YEARS? ZACK: It started in a way that I alluded to earlier in this interview. That is, everything I do meshes together in one form or another. I interviewed Ladd from Park in June of 2013 for PropertyOfZack to talk about the band’s reunion. Park is one of my favorite emo bands of all time, so it was an honor to get to call Ladd. By the end of the interview, he mentioned that they would be looking for a label to put a new release out on. After the interview was finished, I brought up Bad Timing, which hadn’t even announced its first release yet. We went from there.

THOMAS: Zack is a lot more familiar with Park than 42 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

I am, and he played the biggest role in setting this release up from the start. Once I heard the EP, though, I fell in love and got really into ideas about how we could market it. We’ve worked very closely with the band to make sure that everything is tailored to how they want their music to come out.

It’s an honor to work with them.

YOU TEAMED UP WITH SONY AND COLUMBIA TO RELEASE VINYL RECORDS OF PAST ALBUMS FROM VETERAN BANDS LIKE ACCEPTANCE AND VALENCIA. HOW DID THESE PARTNERSHIPS COME ABOUT, AND WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAVE THEY HAD ON THE LABEL? THOMAS: Acceptance and Valencia were the first two releases for Bad Timing. When I moved to NYC, I moved in with a guy named Steve Kelly, who I knew from his work with his own bedroom label, Sinking Ship Records. Steve worked at Sony Music at the time and I brought up wanting to start a label in passing. I mentioned that a good way to go about building the name would be to start off with some reissues of old albums. We talked for a while and I eventually thought of Phantoms, which I had been hoping that someone like Hot Topic or Shop Radio Cast would press for years. After doing some research, I realized that Sony Music was the rightsholder, and Steve contacted me with someone in the licensing department.

Bad Timing as an entity was brand-new, of course, and we didn’t have any sort of presence. We didn’t even exist as a registered company when we first began talking to Sony. I just asked Zack if he wanted to start a label, he said yes, and so we sent out an email about Phantoms. Our contact was this woman named Traci, who was wonderful and helped us a lot with some things. Even though we had to work harder to get the rights to that release because we were so unknown, we were able to do it in a way that I’m very proud of. We marketed that release in a fun way and kept the price as low as we could, and it sold out 1,000 units in less than four hours. That release was nothing short of a blessing, really. I’m proud that we were able to do it justice and work with the band and introduce ourselves to the vinyl community in that way.

DO YOU PLAN ON FOCUSING MORE ON SIGNING BANDS AND RELEASING NEWER RECORDS (SUCH AS PARK AND KNUCKLE PUCK), OR WORKING WITH OLDER ALBUMS THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE REMASTERED OR REPRESSED? THOMAS: The reissues, like I alluded to earlier, were always part of the plan to get our name out there. It was a matter of letting people know who we were, showing them that we could handle relatively highprofile releases (aka: we will ship you your record in 43 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE

a timely fashion and it will show up in good shape), and making sure that people were familiar with “Bad Timing” before we introduced any brand-new band. We’ve even eased into original releases with bands like Park and Knuckle Puck, as Park has been an established name for over a decade and poppunk fans are already familiar with KP. Now, I feel like Bad Timing is at a point where we can sign a brand-new act that no one’s ever heard of (we just did, actually) and introduce that band to the world without having to introduce ourselves at the same time.

FINALLY, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE LABEL AND FOSTER ITS GROWTH? THOMAS: Pay attention to what we’re going to do from September to March. We have some established, exciting, borderline legendary names we’re working with, and we’re also going to be putting out some music from some of the most talented young bands we know. It’s going to be fun, and I think it’s going to make Year 2 of Bad Timing Records a huge one.

ZACK: What’s been really essential to this is just doing what we want to do. Musically, I may like some of the releases more than Thomas does, and vice versa, but we’re both in everything together.

The next year is looking surreal, which is hard to grasp when a year ago we had no other releases confirmed next to Phantoms.

CONNECT WITH BAD TIMING RECORDS:

badtimingrecords.com facebook.com/BadTimingRecords twitter.com/badtimingrecs

photos/artwork: provided interview by morgan magid

PHOTOS AND REVIEW BY LORI GUTMAN

When the This Is Gospel tour was announced a few months back, I had a feeling that it would be one of the best tours of the summer. It’s safe to say that the show Panic! At The Disco put on at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in NYC only reaffirmed my beliefs.

Panic! took the stage after two great performances by Magic Man and Walk The Moon. The band started the set with “Vegas Lights,” one of the more popular tracks off of Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die, and followed it with “Time to Dance” and “The Ballad of Mona Lisa.”

They performed many fan favorites, including “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off,” “New Perspective,” and “Build God, Then We’ll Talk.” The setlist was almost evenly split amongst A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Vices & Virtues, and Too Weird, so older and newer fans alike were satisfied. Only “Nine in the Afternoon” was featured from Pretty Odd. Throughout the night, Urie showcased his talents not only through Panic!’s discography, but also through an incredible rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” several backflips, his signature piano solos, and even a turn on the drums. Despite all this, Dallon Weekes, Kenneth Harris, and Dan Pawlovich all held their own on stage and were never overshadowed.

The sad truth is that sometimes bands don’t sound as good live as they do on record, but Panic! has never fallen into that category. Despite the high quality of the albums, the band manages to be even more amazing live. With an intriguing stage set up, an awe-inspiring light show, incredibly talented members, and the little things that make their performances unique, this truly is a band that fans should catch at least once.

With ten years under their belts, you would think that Panic! At The Disco’s charm would wear off, but that is entirely untrue. Instead, Panic! remains one of those bands that you can never get tired of seeing. Everyone in the packed venue was out of their seats, dancing and screaming along with the lyrics. And, more impressively, they were actually watching the band live instead of through their cellphones. In short, it’s only been a few days, and I already can’t wait to see Panic! At The Disco again.

PHOTOS BY LORI GUTMAN

PHOTOS BY LORI GUTMAN

PHOTO BY LORI GUTMAN

PHOTO BY ANAM MERCHANT

VANS WARPE

D TOUR 2014 PHOTOS BY ANAM MERCHANT

PHOTOS BY LORI GUTMAN

lowborn artist: anberlin release date: july 22nd, 2014 review by anita nham In January 2014, Anberlin officially announced that this year would be their last year together as a band.

Alongside the miserable news came a bright promise, as the band stated that they would be releasing a final album in the summer via their original label, Tooth & Nail Records. After much anticipation, excitement, and some disappointment as the album release date was pushed back a month, their new and final album, Lowborn, released two weeks prior to the end of Warped Tour, was the perfect way to end their musical legacy.

This ten-track album displays the band’s ability to not only experiment, but to also stick to their signature sound. Lowborn opens up with “We Are Destroyer,” and all listeners are made aware of the fact that Anberlin will be leaving on a high note.

“We Are Destroyer” is a heavy, bass-filled song that makes you want to head-bang or smash objects around you. Stephen Christian’s vocals grabs your attention and don’t let go.

“Armageddon” might be one of the strongest tracks on the album; it starts off delicate and slow, but quickly picks up and transforms into a classic rock song with penetrating guitars and drums. “Stranger Ways” was a preview for what fans should’ve expected from the new album, and it contains the cathartic catchiness that all Anberlin fans are most likely used to. It begins with haunting guitar strums that eventually get layered on with drums and violins.

The tone of the album is accelerated with the foot-tapping and pulse-pounding “Velvet Covered Brick,” but “Atonement” brings back a gloomy feeling. Its heartfelt lyrics—“not wanting to be here without you”—are relatable to people from all walks of life.

“Losing It All” has the signature jam rock feel that is pulled together by drummer Nathan Young’s talent. The track brings us that much closer to the coda of the album and of Anberlin: “it’s not losing it all, if we have each other in the end it’s all, in the end it’s all that matters.” “Harbinger” displays all the talent and versatility that Anberlin encompasses. The in-and-out vocals of Christian singing “we’ll live forever” were the best way to close off their career.

Anberlin provided a nice send-off for fans by creating a strong record with well-mixed instruments and powerful lyrics, with sounds that stem from their roots.

Still, despite their decision, this band will never truly disappear due to the huge mark they have made on the alternative/rock genre.

never hungover again artist: joyce manor release date: july 22nd, 2014 review by morgan magid

It’s difficult to be pleasantly concise when it comes to music. One of the many beauties of punk music is its ability to deliver impassioned messages in a callous and succinct manner. Since 2011, the quartet of Joyce Manor has constructed a form of punk that cleverly synchronizes delightfully messy guitar riffs and

untraditional vocals to create potent tunes.

Thanks to its use of a Descendents’ style song structure, this California pop-punk band has once again crafted a lightning-paced fireworks show prime for lounging around late summer nights and early fall car rides. Cramming ten songs into just nineteen minutes makes Never Hungover Again an adrenaline-fueled storm of adolescent jitters.

Ironically, the record kicks off with several tracks with moderate tempos. This rather unexplored side of Joyce Manor’s technique is a critical addition to the band’s repertoire.

“Falling In Love Again” is a despondently spun love song with a seemingly unorganized mishmash of guitar and bass that supports coarse croons from Barry Johnson. Following this is “End of the Summer,” a track that sounds as morose as the event its title details.

This rhythmic cacophony features the most superior vocals showcased in the album. While there isn’t much length within the lyrics of this song or others, the delivery of each line is purposeful and emotive.

However, alongside these cooler numbers is the head-pounding rock that originally popularized JM’s uncommon category of pop punk. “Victoria” and “Catalina Fight Song” are infused with thumping beats and explosive riffs. Their respective choruses will be looping through your brain long after you’ve stopped listening to the record. “Heart Tattoo” is another 100-meter dash of a song that could’ve easily been a B-side off of the band’s selftitled record. Rushing drums supplied by Kurt Walcher throttle listeners into an angsty declaration of adoration reminiscent of early Teenage Bottlerocket and Bouncing Souls records.

Finally, “Heated Swimming Pool” encompasses the finest aspects of the album, with a melodic sound created by smooth bass lines and guitar work. This mellow tone masks the not-so-subtle lyric of “I wish you had died in high school/So you could be somebody’s idol.”

There isn’t a boring moment on the track and, similarly to the entire album, it entrances the listener into hitting repeat.

Overall, the guys in Joyce Manor put their all into this record, and it’s safe to say they succeeded. Never Hungover Again is a surefire way to beef up your end of August playlists with its adept musicianship and Joyce Manor’s incomparable style.

60 // CONTINUUM MAGAZINE