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LOOK BACK AT WARPED TOUR 2013
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WARPED ALUMNI
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
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ECHOSMITH
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A LOOK BACK WARP
CHIODOS
ALL STAR WEEKEND BRING ME THE HORIZON
NEW YEARS DAY
AT PED TOUR 2013
FOREVER THE SICKEST KID REEL BIG FISH MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
THE SUMMER SET
WARPED TOUR Alumni The Front Bottoms "Can you please take me off speaker phone this is a private conversation" is just one of the convivial lyrics of The Front Bottoms, a two piece indie group out of New Jersey. Brian Sella, guitarist and lead vocalist currently works in a grocery store where he draws most of his lyrical inspirations. Like-wise drummer, Matt Uychich who works in landscaping gives Brian free-reign on the message of their songs whether it be washing hair with soap or knowing that good things never last. Although Matt seems timid in person, he consistently kills it on the drums during shows. This most recently happened at, The Pianos in New York. Defying the laws of physics, The Front Bottoms is the first band either of them has been in proving that the combination was truly a match made in indie-music heaven. They played their first show three years ago at a venue in Jersey where their only audience was the sound-check guy. Coming a long way since, Brian and Matt have toured New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania- playing to full houses of fans singing along to their songs. The duo has defined their success by reaching the goals that they have set for themselves. One of which, was completed by recently signing to Bar/None Records, a Jersey-based label. They are set to
release a self entitled EP this Summer with Bar/None that will include all six tracks from Slow Dance to Soft Rock along with an additional six songs. They also have alternate versions of their songs that incorporate a third piece, either banjo, bass or piano. “So if you don’t like one version of our song maybe you’ll like another,” says Brian. In short if you've ever found yourself rocking out to the soundtrack of Juno or 500 Days of Summer, you'll enjoy The Front Bottoms and their casual ability to leave songs stuck in your head.
EMERY
One of the keys to being in a successful band is longevity, and that's exactly what Emery has managed to do over their last ten years or so on Tooth & Nail Records. After four hit albums, and countless shows, it's that time again; a new album and a new tour. The name of the new album is, We Do What We Want, and in promotion of the album, began a headlining tour March 1 st with: To Speak of Wolves and Hawkboy. Describing every tour as being different, Matt goes on to say "It's intense when there's a new record. You ask yourself 'Did you practice enough? Are you playing well?' It's more intense, nervous, and exciting." On January 31 st, long time lead singer, guitarist, and bassist, Devin Shelton, announced he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from the band. He did not rule out a possible return, but for now seems to need the time off. Replacing Devin on bass for the immediate future, is Andy Nichols. "He learned all the bass parts himself, and we organized all the singing parts together. He's done a tremendous job, and makes this transition not a big deal." This is a perfect way for Emery to find out what the fans think of their new sound. For this record, Emery signed a joint deal with Solid
State Records (Tooth & Nail's sister company). Solid State focuses more on metal/hardcore and screamo bands. This musical turn is one of the main reasons why the album is We Do What We Want. "Originally the album was supposed to be half acoustic and half heavy. We aren't scared, so we'll do what we want, and there you have it," Matt said. We Do What We Want, is Emery's heaviest album to date, especially the first half. "The content is the same, the band is the same; it's just more metal," he said. Perhaps most important to Emery is the inspiration for their music. Emery, though not labeled a "Christian" band, are in fact Christians in a band. "We don't want to be looked at as an example or an outlet. We want everything we do to come out through our music. This is just our job. We don't really get to interact too often with the fans to share our beliefs. It's more so with the relationships we build on the road, said Matt. "We try to let Jesus be saturated in everything we do." Lastly, Matt wanted to let everyone know the future for Emery is looking good. "We are going to continue to work hard on this record by touring. We'll also have some new material- some a little darker, a little more intense."
If you could sum up When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes in one word, what would it be? Reawakening We often hear that “timing is everything”. So given this and your recent hiatus, what effect did timing have on your album musically? Having the time away from Yellowcard allowed us all to come back into the studio refreshed and refocused. There was an excitement that has been missing for a long time. “Ocean Avenue” and “Only One” are such standout tracks that crowds love to sing along to. What do you feel is the standout or “favorite track” of this album? Fans are really reacting to both "With You
Around" and "Sing For Me". My personal favorite off the album is “Be The Young.” There’s an idea embedded in it that can resonate with audiences everywhere. Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning or inspiration behind this song? During the hiatus I embarked on a song writing project with my friend Sean O’Donnell. He and I have been friends for 1 2 years. The music we were writing didn't end up getting released but when Yellowcard decided to move forward again, we all wanted Sean to be a part of it. He is now the bassist in the band. The song is about our journey as friends to this point in our lives.
Any tour bus essentials? I bring a towel on tour. A shower is a most sought after experience and you can never count on the venue to have decent towels. Fans definitely play an important role in an artist’s career, and certainly this is more than the purchasing of records. How would you describe the role of your fans and the relationship you strive to have with them? The fans are everything. They are the core. We try and include our fans in every decision we make as a band, because without them this whole dream would be pretty useless.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Cassadee Pope - Hey Monday
After the Florida based Hey Monday called in quits, Cassadee Pope hit the road releasing a solo EP. The successful tour gave her the bravado to audition for NBC's THE VOICE. With all 4 judges turning their respective seats around, Pope ultimately chose Blake Shelton as her coach. The Pop-Rock vocalist decided to pursue Country music and won the hearts of America. After winning the contest, Big Machine Records signed the singer and released her first Country album which included her hit single, "Wasting All These Tears."
Are The Co Take the vocal prowess of Paramore, the sonic landscape of Anberlin, and then send them to high school; you’d have the four siblings known as ECHOSMITH. The Sierota siblings; Noah, Graham, Jamie and Sydney, range from ages 15-20 years old. Since forming in 2009, the foursome have toured the country and released their major label debut Talking Dreams (Warner Bros. Records) in 2013.
ool Kids THE IN CROWD OR AN OUTSIDER With their latest single, “Cool Kids,” ECHOSMITH touches upon a topic all can understand and relate toF trying to be cool and fitting in. During a recent interview with
lead singer and sole female of the band, I asked Sydney if they were a part of the cool crowd or the outsiders. She told me that when they were growing up they all “individually made a goal to be nice to everybody,” then added, ‘We tried to be friends with everyone. It didn’t matter if they were jocks or the really smart kids.” “Cool Kids” tells a story of two separate people, yet both wishing they could be like someone else. Lyrics From "Cool Kids"
“She sees them walking in a straight line/ that's not really her style./And they all got the same heartbeat/ but hers is falling behind.” “He sees them talking with a big smile/ but they haven't got a clue.Yeah, they're living the good life/ can't see what he is going through” Sydney admitted that she thinks that “in everyone’s life, they want to be like somebody else. They think, man, if I was just like this person, my life would be so much easier. The truth is, to really be ‘cool’; it’s about being yourself and accepting who you are and who you aren’t.”
"The truth is, to really be cool, it is about being yourself and accepting who you are and who you are not. -SYDNEY SIEROTA
Even with the admission that she and her brothers tried to consciously be friends to everyone, there were people who wouldn’t give her the time of day prior to the band’s success. While there have been some girls coming out the woodwork and trying to befriend Sydney, it has been mostly guys but she emphatically expresses, “I’m not dumb. I know when people are genuine or not.”
While it doesn’t happen as much lately but she laughed and said “It’s funny. It happened early onFI dyed my hair when we signed with Warner and all of a sudden all of these guys are talking to me, and I was like ‘all because I dyed my hair?’ Give me a break! But I’m not judging.”
5 things we don't know about ECHOSMITH but we totally should!