STEREO NOISE New Music & More from Hip-Hop Artist
Marvin Divine
Spring 2014 Issue 2
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the second edition of Stereo Noise Magazine! I’m extremely stoked that everyone liked the first issue, and was super happy to continue doing what I love! For those of you who have never come across Stereo Noise before, welcome! Stereo Noise is a musicbased (hopefully one day to expand) magazine. I am forever encouraging any aspiring musicians/bands to submit their music to Stereo Noise to be discovered. I believe everyone deserves a fair chance in the music industry! While reading Stereo Noise Magazine, you will find stories and features on musicians of all types, some hip-hop, some indie, some pop punk, and all that’s in between. You may have heard of some of the artists in the magazine, and other’s you may just discover! Either way, I hope that you enjoy reading Stereo Noise Magazine and spread the word to friends, family, and fellow musicians about the magazine! In this issue you will find stories of all types, from an interview with Devin Oliver of I See Stars, to a feature on hip-hop artist Marvin Divine. You will also find I tried to add some more reviews of music in this issue. Because this is a digital based magazine, I tried to add links to the artists/bands social media networks, to make this magazine as interactive as possible. I still have a lot of work to do, so if you have any suggestions, comments, anything you can think of, please feel free to share! Thanks for checking out Stereo Noise Magazine, and enjoy your read!
Stereo Noise on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ StereoNoiseMag
!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stereonoisemag
!
Tumblr Blog: http://stereonoise.tumblr.com
!
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ officialstereonoise/
!
!
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE MUSICIANS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, LABELS, AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO HELP MAKE THIS HAPPEN. WITHOUT YOU, THIS SIMPLY WOULDN’T HAPPEN.
TOURS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Lauren Winans Social Media:
!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ laurenwinansmusic?ref=br_tf
!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Laurenwinans
!
Official Website: http://www.laurenwinans.com
LAUREN WINANS
Photo Credit: Piper Rastello Photography https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Piper-Rastello-Photography/ 152486451446323
!
Story by: Brianna Cutter NASHVILLE, TN – Chances are, when you turn on the radio, you are going to hear a catchy, but totally overplayed, pop song. Mainstream radio stations tend to have a playlist of five or six pop songs that they play over and over again. So where are all those other pop artists with some awesome pop songs waiting to be discovered? Well, let’s start in Nashville! Pop singer Lauren Winans has had quite an exciting past few months with the release of new music, and even a music video! Having had such a great start, Winans has the potential to make it big. So how did Ms. Winans get started? She tells us, “I started very young! At three years old I was belting out Beauty and The Beast! Then, Britney Spears came out and that really got me into it! I wrote my first ‘serious’ song at age 14.” Everyone knows the music industry is a hard business to get into to, it’s awesome that Winans made such a name for herself starting at such a young age. About a month ago, Winans released the music video for her debut single, “Better At Breaking.” The video features Mike Cortese as lead, who was also lead in Carrie Underwood’s Two Black Cadillacs video, super cool! Stereo Noise asked Winans how her experience was filming her first music video, this was her response, “Best experience yet! We shot inside my house, my comfort zone. So I could just go get dressed out of my own closet. Not to mention, I had amazing clothes to wear from Gypsy05, YoungFabulous&Broke, and Lulus! And of course, I have to include my pitbull in all my videos!” So how have Ms. Winans fans reacted to the video? She lets us know, “The
fans love it, but enough people don’t and they rained all over my parade by ‘flagging’ it as inappropriate on YouTube, and YouTube removed it! You can have naked girls dancing, but I say ‘damn it’ and it gets removed. Still fighting that!” Totally not cool! At the end of the day however, Winans did an excellent job with the video and it can still be seen on Vevo! So what is next for Lauren Winans and her music? Will she release more music in the upcoming months? She answers, “Yes, that’s always the plan. If I had it my way, I would release something new every week, ha!” How about any tours for the 2014 year? Winans tells us, “I don’t know yet. I just filmed my first national television show and I’m working on new music, events, and everything else you can think of! But, there is still a chance it could happen.” So on top of all her music endeavors, Winans is in fact filming a national television show! She was able to let us know a little bit about it, “It’s a crime re-enactment series on the Oxygen network, and you will get one full hour of ME! Haha!” Totally awesome news! Can’t wait to check that out! 2014 is definitely going to be a huge year for Lauren Winans, with all the hard work and effort she puts toward all of her music and such, she is guaranteed success. Stereo Noise wishes nothing but the best for Winans, and recommends you check out her music! When asked if she had anything to let her fans and listeners know, Winans says, “Thank you for all the support you’ve given and the continuous support you keep giving! I love that I have people on team Lauren Winans! You rock!”
“At three years old I was belting out Beauty & The Beast! Then Britney Spears came out and that really got me into it!”
Story: Brianna Cutter
!
Photo Credit: Ian Feiner (One Push Productions) https://www.facebook.com/onepushproductions
CONVULSIC
SAN DIEGO, CA – Living in a day and age must feel great to have hard work pay off, where raves are the next big thing, you will Hale reassures us about that, “It makes @ind more and more people trying to become working so hard worth it. It sounds cheesy, DJ’s or Dubstep artists. but seriously every person that What these people don’t connects with me about my realize is that there’s music lifts me up and Convulsic On Social Media: more to being an artist reminds me of why I am than just playing around making music in the @irst Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ with sounds and place. The fans and Convulsic computers. It takes appearances are awesome as passion, dedication, well, but it’s about the people Twitter: https://twitter.com/Convulsic commitment, and lots of and connections.” talent. Erik Hale, also So how must performing Official Website: http:// known as Convulsic, has on stage for these people feel? www.convulsic.com all the aspects of a great Standing up on stage and artist, and he is showing watching the crowd go crazy, the world what he is I imagine it’s nothing less made of. than an adrenaline rush! Hale Having talked to tells us all about the the man behind Convulsic himself, Hale was experience of being on stage, “Oh man, it’s like eager to tell us how he got involved in music, riding a roller coaster for the @irst time. You “I have always loved music, and every single are scared, nervous and happy all at once. kind. I remember being so fascinated by Then you realize that it is amazing and when artists like Metallica when I was little, it’s done, you want to ride again! It is wondering how they made all those crazy satisfying to know that people are having fun sounds! I started playing in bands in Junior when I am playing. That’s the best part.” High, but I have always loved electronic Now just because 2013 was a great music. Then I heard artists like Skrillex, year for Convulsic, doesn’t mean Hale plans to Rusko, and Zomboy, and that was it for me. I stop there. He plans to make 2014 even better started to dedicate myself to making tracks.” for Convulsic, he tells us how, “Well I have a Being an artist in a genre that is in couple things up my sleeve that you’re going demand, you will @ind that there is a ton of to have to wait and see! But other than that, I competition out there, especially since the am going to continue working like crazy, and genre is so popular. So what makes Convulsic responding to every fan and person that likes stand out from the rest? Hale explains, “You my music.” Since talking to Hale, Convulsic know, for me it’s all about the love of the actually dropped some new music in mid-‐ music. If someone truly loves what they are March, making Stereo Noise the @irst to know! making, it will show through the song. I truly In regards to what fans can expect throughout love the music, and everything about it. If you the rest of 2014, “They can expect me to listen for any reason, listen for that.” I really continue making music and getting better for couldn’t agree more. It is obvious that Hale them every time. As far as a tour, I am puts love and dedication into each piece he planning a West Coast tour hopefully this puts out, which makes the music that much summer. better. Let’s be honest, no one wants to hear I would de@initely recommend keeping music from someone who’s heart just isn’t an eye out for new music from Convulsic as into it, or is just doing it for the money. the year progresses. He is a great artist, and Hale and his work with Convulsic has a ton of talent. If you’re into dubstep, and really took a turn for the better, and blew up electronic music, what are you waiting for? throughout the past year. From reaching Check him out! Even if you’re not a huge 24,000+ fans on Facebook, to the hundreds of dubstep fan, I can almost guarantee you will different appearances he’s made throughout like what you hear from Convulsic! the past year, he’s pretty much done it all. It
! ! !
MUSIC REVIEWS ! LIGHT THE AVENUE “IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW”
ATLANTA, GA – Pop punk band Light The Avenue, released their debut full length in October of 2013. The album features nine awesome, upbeat songs to jam out to. If you’re looking for something new to jam out to in the car, look no further! Today, you’ll find a lot of generic pop punk bands, but Light The Avenue does a great job of setting themselves a part from the rest. The band definitely did a good job of mixing in different tempos and melodies throughout their songs. Listening to the songs, you’ll hear a lot of changes in tempo, which play out beautifully. In the middle of the album, the guys throw in an instrumental with “I Still Function,” which paves the way right into “Damaged,” which is the following track on the album. The album definitely does the band justice, showing off the chemistry between the guys of the band, and highlighting how well they can work together. This is definitely an album I would recommend checking out if you’re looking for a new poppunk band to get into.
SAVE FACE “I WON’T LET THIS TAKE MY LIFE” NEW JERSEY – This past month, Central Jersey-based band Save Face put out their third release, which is titled, “I Won’t Let This Take My Life.” The album was recorded with producer Jesse Cannon (Man Overboard, Transit, Saves The Day, Say Anything). Throughout the past year, leading up to the release, the band has playing shows all throughout New Jersey and New York, alongside big name headlines such as Major League and Such Gold. The band finds that this is EP is the most influentially diverse EP they have ever written. The EP features five songs that will blow you away (Well, they blew me away at least!). The first song on the EP is “Debt.” This song is a perfect way to start off the EP. In my opinion, I feel like every album/EP/etc should start off with a strong intro, which is what is done here. The second song is titled, “Teeth In The Floor.” This song doesn’t start off as heavy as the first song, but it does pick up. I found that this song had more of a pop-punk feel to it, which I really liked. You’ll hear more of a drastic change with the third song titled, “Clockwork.” With it’s slow start, and calmed down lyrics, you can definitely tell the chemistry is strong the way everything fits together in this song. I suppose this is what the band was talking about when they said this is the most influentially diverse EP they have written. “Clockwork,” is definitely my favorite song off of the EP. The fourth song, “Flora” takes you back to the heavier side of the EP, with heavier lyrics and accompaniment. Same goes for the last song, “All Skin, No Bones.” Overall, the band does an excellent job with the EP, it’s definitely something I would recommend you listen to, and check out the bands tour dates to see if they are coming near you this summer!
JEWELIA Story: Brianna Cutter
!
Photo Credit: Laura Radford Photography http://www.lauraradford.com
!
https://www.facebook.com/ lauraradfordphotography
GUILFORD, UK – With the spring season already in the swing of things, and the summer season quickly approaching, we are all looking for some new, laid-‐back jams to relax to this summer. Romanian alternative singer Jewelia’s music is perfect for just that. Jewelia is a 21 year old singer/ songwriter, who writes and produces her own music, and she is more than ready to share it with the world. Like all other great artists, Jewelia started with music young, incorporating music into her education and everyday life. Jewelia tells all about it, “I’ve been making music since an early age, I started to sing and taught myself to play the keyboard at age six, and then got proper lessons at the age of 15, around the same time that I was admitted into a music high-‐ school. After that, I studied classical singing for two years in the Conservatoire in Bucharest and now I am studying Creative Music Technology at the University of Surrey. I guess I’ve always known that music is the path for me. I tried Law for two years and it wasn’t too bad, but it made me realize that what I really wanted to do, was music.” You’ll @ind that Jewelia’s music isn’t like most of the generic music being released today. Writing and producing all of the music herself, gives Jewelia the chance to put her creativity to work, and give her listeners a taste of her personality which she incorporates into her music. When told to describe her music in a couple of words, Jewelia says, “I think those words would be ‘genuine’ and ‘emotional.’ I’ve
heard and seen them in comments from other people when referring to my music.” Since having @irst released some music to the public, Jewelia has found herself becoming quite successful, she describes that success to us, “With my band at home, I was starting to make some progress – we were on national television, participated in some festivals, we were gigging regularly, sometimes twice or three times per week. With coming here (to the UK), I had to start it all over again, but I feel like the UK is better for my style of music, whereas in Romania only pop and dance get mainstream. I’m getting some very good online feedback for my music; some people seem to be really into it. I’m constantly writing and I’ve got even better stuff coming up, so I’m pretty con@ident. I haven’t contacted any managers or people in the business yet, but I’ll probably do that after my EP is out.” With all the hard work she is putting into her music, we wonder what is coming next from Jewelia in the 2014 year? More music, of course! “I am currently recording my EP, hopefully it will be @inished by summer. My main goal this year is to start gigging properly, in Guilford and then London. I’m also working on incorporating a more electronic sound into the music, which will be a blend of old and new, something I’d like to call for now ‘baroque electronique’” Jewelia says. Keep an eye out for the drop of Jewelia’s new EP this summer, help her spread the word of her music all over the globe. She de@initely deserves it!
Jewelia On Social Media:
!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ MissJewelia
!
!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ miss_jewelia
!
Photo Credit: Laura Radford Photography
SPOTLIGHT: COVER SONG ACOUSTIC POP MUSICIAN BRITTANY COOK REVEALS HER COVER OF “I’M ON FIRE” ORIGINALLY BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
BELLMAWR, NJ - Acoustic/Pop musician Brittany Cook can find herself quite busy with school and work, but between all of this she finds herself making music with her guitar. Recently, Cook released her cover of the song “I’m On Fire,” originally written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. Cook has really shown how much potential she has in this cover, as well as her other music. The spin that Cook put on her cover of “I’m On Fire,” is remarkable. Cook gave the cover a modern twist, and it turned out fantastic! I would definitely recommend people to check out this cover, as well as Cook’s other music. I can guarantee that you will be impressed.
!
Brittany Cook Social Media
!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ BrittanyCookMusic
!
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ TheBrittanyjamie
MARVIN DIVINE
Life in the hip-hop music industry can be tough, but this won’t stop Marvin Divine from making it. Divine is working hard, and won’t stop until he’s found what he is looking for. MARYLAND, USA – 2014 is a year of change and new beginnings for hip-hop artist Marvin Divine. With the help of his fan club, “Team Divine,” Marvin Divine has accomplished quite a lot in the past year. After taking some time to get ready for some new music and surprises for his fans, Divine is ready to hit the ground running this year and reach great heights in his music career. In 2013, Divine took a trip to London to record some music for the movie, “The Anomaly,” being released in the near future, how awesome! In a recent interview with Divine, he was stoked to tell us about the experience, “It was an amazing experience to say the least. The recording process was very fast but running around London trying to find the studio and then knocking the tracks out in about three hours was the best feeling ever.” If you didn’t know much about Divine before, he is originally from England until he moved to the United States about 10 years ago, so recording in London was like a homecoming for him, which he tells us all about, “I was born in London and left in 2004, so it was great to go back home after so long. I ended up recording two songs for the Universal Picture “The Anomaly” which looked great when I saw clips in the studio.” After his trip to London, Divine was ready to release some new music for his listeners. In regards to the new music, Divine says, “It’s been a long time coming but I’m finally gearing up to start dropping some new gems! My listeners can expect a new Marvin Divine. A more mature sound and also a lot more diverse. I held back from really expressing myself in my music before because at the beginning my fan base was relatively young. I didn’t want parents to stop them from listening to me so I kept things PG-13.” Now that a few years have passed, what can we expect from Divine now that his fan base is a little bit older? Divine tells us, “I’m not saying I’m on a rampage, but I’m definitely speaking my mind a lot more now. That’s what they want anyway. They really want to know me for me. They can also expect a very global sound and bigger production. I’m an indie artist but I don’t believe that should stop me from having great production. That’s also why it took so long to release new music. Long story short, they can all expect fresh music from a more mature place but I’m still having a lot of fun!” So now that there is some new music on the table for Divine this year, can his fans and
Story: Brianna Cutter Photo Credit: Tyler Aryai
listeners expect some touring throughout the year? Divine tells us, “I really want to go on a huge tour this upcoming fall and winter. Right now my main focus is making music and putting my face everywhere possible. I have so many projects lined up for this year that the world is going to enjoy and these projects should open doors for many different tours in the future. I’ve been in the gym a lot just getting ready for any and everything!” To recap, Marvin Divine has started his music career by hitting the ground running, from a supportive fan base, to some awesome music and music videos, to even recording music for a Universal Picture, Divine has definitely had some awesome opportunities, and he has definitely made the most of them! After having such an awesome start to his career, how is he going to make sure he keeps it up throughout the year? Divine explains, “I’m ready to take things to the next level this year. Everybody says that but I feel as if my team and I know exactly what we need to do to make it happen. I’ve now formed my own label called MDM Global. MDM stands for Marvin Divine Music/Media and I added “Global” because that’s the best way to describe my fan base. I’m from Maryland, USA but my fan base is all over the world! The crazy thing is that it didn’t take much for that to happen. The music just went to the right ears and spread. I want that to happen on a larger scale this year. I really mean business too. Too many starving artists out here and I refuse to be one anymore. I’m really into business and marketing so I’ll have so many fun ways to market my projects this year. All in all I just want to have fun and show the world why I deserve every bit of success that I hope to get.”
Marvin Divine Social Media:
!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ MarvinDivineMusic
! !
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarvinDivine Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ MarvinDivine
DEVIN OLIVER OF I SEE STARS
Story: Brianna Cutter Photo Credit: Dan Axelson Photography http://www.danaxelsonphotography.com
Devin Oliver, frontman of I See Stars, recently sat down with Stereo Noise to discuss the future plans for I See Stars, and what fans can expect!
WARREN, MI - Michigan based rockers I See Stars consist of members; Devin Oliver, Jeff Valentine, Brent Allen, Jimmy Gregerson, Andrew Oliver, and Zach Johnson. The band came together back in 2010, and instantly became a hit. Since their start, the band has put out four different albums, each with a unique sound that proves that the guys have done nothing but improve as musicians, and together, as a band. Along with putting out albums, the band has traveled all across the world playing tons of different shows and festivals including The Vans Warped Tour, South by So What, Slam Dunk Festival, and many more. Recently, Stereo Noise was able to talk to frontman Devin Oliver of the band and he was able to give us a preview of what the band has in store. Fans should be pumped, because I See Stars has some big things in store! Photo Credit: Dan Axelson Photography Stereo Noise: To begin, since you guys released your first album, "3D" in 2009, all the way up to your latest release "New Demons" back in October, you guys have experimented with a couple different approaches to the sound of your music, your latest music is more EHM than that of your earlier music, do you find that you enjoy the EHM approach? & How has this helped you guys grow as a band?
!
Devin: EHM has always been the bands passion. 3D was just the beginning. The End Of The World Party was our experiment. We confided in Digital Renegade. New Demons is our baby. I think the only drastic change in our bands history that didn't live up to the EHM standards was The End Of The World Party. But it was never suppose to. We are artists and as artist we like to try different things. We never gave up on our sound from 3D. We merely postponed it. When we came back with Digital Renegade it was the re introduction of EHM.
!
Stereo Noise: Since the release of "New Demons," how has the reception been from your fans? Are they loving the new album?
!
Devin: We couldn't be happier with the response. It is our fastest growing record. Since the release I have had more fun on stage than ever before. Our fans are singing, dancing, pushing, and all around leaving our shows with a great experience.
Stereo Noise: You guys are also getting ready to play a couple of festival dates in Texas in the upcoming week or so, are you looking forward to this? & Are you guys excited to be playing with your friends in the other bands that are performing as well?
!
Devin: Yes we are currently on our way to do the chain of festivals in Texas (SXSW, South By So What, Houston We Have A Problem, etc). This is about to be a very fun week. Every year we try and do some of these dates and this year we were invited to do all of them. There will be a lot of reuniting with friends going on and a lot of big crowds to perform in front of. I am very excited.
!
Stereo Noise: So what's next for I See Stars? Do you guys plan on putting out any new music this year? Or anymore big tours throughout the year?
! Devin: We are currently working on a handful of new material for our fans. This summer is the plan! !
Stereo Noise: & Lastly, before wrapping things up, is there anything you would like to say to your fans and listeners reading this?
!
!
Devin:I would love to take the opportunity to thank our fans for making this the most successful year in this bands history. It's been a long journey and we have the most supportive fans! We plan on showing our gratitude with loads of music and
!
I See Stars Social Media:
Stereo Noise: In the past year, you guys have toured all over the place, how has this experience been for you guys? Do you have a favorite place you enjoy performing? Devin: We did the Started From The Bottom Now We Here tour which was our biggest headliner to date. Most dates sold out and others were very close. I really enjoyed going to Tokyo. It was a very cool place. Amazing food. The people were very nice and respectful and the shows were incredible.
!
! !
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISeeStarsMusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/iseestarsmusic
VINNIE HINES AND HIS CLAIM TO FAME
Story: Brianna Cutter Photo Credit: Tyrel Mcintire
Illinois-based singer/songwriter Vinnie Hines finds most of his inspiration comes from artists such as Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz. With these influences, and his great musical talents, Hines dedicates his time and energy to making his fans and listeners proud.
AUBURN, IL – For some, music is a way of gave me a topic to write about, and I tried to making money. For others, like Vinnie Hines, cleverly mold the song into a riddle. The music is a reason for existence. Hines was recording process went incredibly smooth. It’s raised in Auburn, Illinois where he dreamed a simple song with basic percussion and it’s of traveling the world and making music. For very vocal based, so as soon as we were happy Hines, this dream was about to come true. In with vocals, everything else fell into place the past few years, Hines has become a full easily. It was by far one of the most fun days I time salaried soloist for Carnival Cruise had all winter.” As soon as the song was Lines. Hines used this job, released, it instantly became a and the people he’s met, to hit! Regarding the reception inspire a list of remarkable from his fans, Hines tells us, “I’d like to consider acoustic songs. “The response from the release myself a new age Bill Like most, Hines of ‘The Riddle’ has been Withers with a Maroon overwhelming to me. It’s insane started out singing young, he tells us as he describes his to finally have a product to 5 vibe. My songs are beginnings in music, “Well, show how far I’ve come in my simply, catchy and fun music. Not only have family and I’ve always been a singer, for as long as I can remember, to sing along with. Those friends shown a great amount of but the day I realized I love for it, but complete two artists along with wanted to make a career out strangers often tell me they’ve of it was by pure chance. I made it a part of their daily Frank Sinatra, Ernie hopped onstage with my music library and that’s a great Halter, John Mayer, cousin to sing about ten songs feeling.” Jason Mraz and in a St. Louis dive bar when I After such a great start to was 19, on my way to his music career, Hines plans to Foreigner have greatly Memphis on a family take things to the next level shaped my sound.” vacation. As soon as I stepped throughout the 2014 year, he offstage, the euphoria of a tells us all about it, “Tour is ‘the show well sung had become my dream’ and it looks like it will be overnight addiction. It was then that I started happening in August of this year, by which writing and toying with guitar, and shortly times I hope to have my entire album recorded after, dropped out of college.” and ready to push to the public. I’m always So how would Hines describe his writing new music, so plan on new material music? “I’d like to consider myself a new age from Vinnie Hines for the next forever and a Bill Withers with a Maroon 5 vibe. My songs half!” are simple, catchy and fun to sing along with. Those two artists along with Frank Sinatra, Ernie Halter, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Foreigner have greatly shaped my sound,” Hines says. You’ll find that a lot of Hines’ Vinnie Hines Social Media: music is soulful, with a danceable quality to it, with more than enough potential to become big hits. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ You’ll find all of these great qualities vinniehinesmusic in Hines’ most recent single, “Riddle.” The inspiration behind this song, Hines tells us, is Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vinastroni “the product of a drunken dare between my old roommate and myself.” Which is enough to make me want to listen right there! Hines goes into more detail about it by saying, “He just
! !